The thing about crying…it only gets you wet.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

2008-12-18T09:40:00.001-08:00

I haven't blogged here in such a long while! I have some important news that I know will come as a shock to some of you. I hate winter. There. I said it.

I'm no longer a fan.

It's not the snow so much as it is the cold. Don't get me wrong. I still prefer cooler weather more than hotter weather (though I did find myself quite enjoying the summertime weather this year), I just don't like the BITTER cold. I can't stand not being able to get warm. Owning a house means you own the bills, too, and with heating costs going through the roof, I keep my thermostat at a relatively cool 64 degrees. There are times when it's fine. I put on a sweatshirt, socks and slippers and for the most part I can stay toasty. But my hands! I can't go around wearing mittens all the time. How would I work? I don't even really like having to wear all those clothes around the house.

Do you want to know what else I don't like? The major production you have to go through every time you exit or enter the house. Hat, scarf, coat, gloves, etc. I hate shoveling the driveway. Thankfully, I park my car in my garage, but I know that if I had to scrape it off every morning, I would hate that, too.

My car gets horrible gas mileage in the snow/winter, the sky is always gloomy and people get depressed and take it out on others.

I still like to ski, so that's still winter's saving grace.

Here's wishing for sunshine and sandals!

Questionable Zoning Regulations

2008-08-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

The following is from my friend, Paul. It made me laugh, so I thought I'd post it here for all of your reading enjoyment. I have his permission :) Enjoy...

For those of you familiar with the Youngstown area, you've most likely heard of the Jib Jab Hot Dog Shoppe. Everyone everywhere should have heard of it by now because their sign claims that they're "World Famous" and I seriously doubt that people who have made of living out of serving whatever mystery material those things are made of would lie to us.

Anywho, about 10 or 12 years ago they got so big that they outgrew their location in Girard and built a brand new building that is nothing less than a shrine to this American staple. It's a veritable Taj Mahal as far as hot dog diners go. A building this large could only be built in the thriving metropolis of... well, Girard. Right next door to the existing old one.

I could go on and on about this fine establishment's lack of brain power behind the counter, my general disdain for its questionable patrons, or its quirky position in our society of being a huge Sunday afternoon dating locale for the broke local teenagers, but most of that would be a retread of some of my earlier blogs so I won't waste your time with that. Instead, I'd like to touch on what's become of the old building that used to house of this fine, fine blog fodder.

It's now a Spay and Neuter Clinic.

This got me to wondering... Girard is one of those weird little towns that you would only hear of in the Offbeat section of USAToday, so I wouldn't put it past them to do such a thing... I wonder if I look back through the town's records if I'll find some weird zoning restriction for that particular parcel of land that would only allow it to be used for businesses pertaining to wieners...

Didn't see that coming did you?

Hot Eleven

2008-08-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Eleven is my favorite number. And it's decidedly not hot. When you look at the number 11, it looks calm and in control. Not hot.

It's 11:45, and once again, I'm getting it again right under the wire. I'm exhausted, so this will be short. On the first day of my vacation, I had great plans to stain my deck, which I did, but it took twice as long as I thought (and I'm not finished yet), plus, I worked some more on my flower bed that I'm digging fresh. Do you have any idea how heavy sod is? I had great plans to go to Sam's to watch the meteor showers, but when I came in from the yard at 8:45, I was just too exhausted. Sorry, Sam. This old girl just can't keep up.

Good night, all!

Hot Ten

2008-08-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the second post of the day. I'm back on track!

I've decided that for my hot post, I'd go with a decidedly "not hot" post. I'm going to post photos from Luna's birthday party, and since Jackie is terribly afraid of fire of ANY kind, we were not able to put any candles on the cake.

Luna wears a purple collar, which is why I went with the purple cake:

It's pretty, isn't it? Here she is waiting expectantly for a first lick. Did I say lick? I meant look:

As far as I know, this was her first birthday party. She seemed to enjoy herself and couldn't wait for her first look at her cake:

And yes, her first lick.

I tried to stop her, but she was too fast for me. Guess which piece she got?

She loves cake. I knew she would. I think that she couldn't be my pet anymore if she didn't like cake. The kits got a lick of some frosting, too.

For gifts, she got a squishy ball, a Littlest Pet that looks like her, and I got her her very own bath towel for that bathing ritual she hates so much. It won't make it any more likable for her, but at least now she has her own towel.

Steamy Hot Failure

2008-08-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

Yep. That's what I am. I failed to post yesterday. You see, the challenge was that for the month of August, there was to be a daily post about anything hot. I was doing pretty well up until yesterday. I didn't get very far, did I? To my credit, though, I am a girl that posts about every three months, so I've upped my output quite a lot.

I've been told that if I post twice today, it will make up for the missed one yesterday, and I'll be back on track.

Here's number 1!

Hot Eight

2008-08-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a chance to photograph the Pepper Hotties today, so maybe I'll save that for tomorrow.

I did, however, make bread today. Multi-grain bread, to be exact. I ate a piece as soon as it was done and it was all kinds of hot bread softness. Yum!

That's that. Until Hot Nine - goodnight!

Hot Seven

2008-08-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

So far so good on the hot posting, huh? I think I'll get the hot discussion out of the way right off the bat. What's the deal with Hot Pants? And why, O why do people who should not be wearing them feel like they should? One just has to go to the Canfield Fair to understand what I'm talking about.

And Crocs. What's the deal with those shoes? If anyone reading this has some and likes them, well, I hope I don't offend you. But who on earth thought those big hunks of rubber ugliness looked good on anyones feet? I love it when people decorate their crocs. Little strawberries, happy faces, flowers, stars. You get the idea. I bet there is even a Jesus fish charm, or a cross. Nothing like wearing your faith on your shoes!

Luna is excited about her birthday party. She can't wait for that cake. I'm picking it up at noon tomorrow. Someone told me about a store in the mall that bakes gourmet doggie cookies. Can anyone confirm this? I haven't been to the Southern Park Mall in probably a year, and I can't recall seeing anything like that since I was there. Although, I would not have been looking for it.

Sam, my garden is producing! Besides Kimmy's tomato, I have many more grape and cherry ones, leafy green lettuce, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, beans, broccoli, herbs out the ying yang, and lots of flowers on my cucumber plants, but as of yet, no cucumbers. I'll get some soon, I'm sure. Since I planted so late, my veggies are coming a little later, too, but so far, so good. My corn plants are huge! It will be interesting to see if I get any.

Maybe tomorrow will be a hot jalapeno post with some pics. I'll have to learn how to put that little squiggly thing above the "n" so that blogger will quit underlining it in red to let me know that I've spelled it wrong. Let's try it now: jalapeño. There! I did it! That wasn't so bad. Truthfully, I pretty much thought I had the right idea, I was just too lazy to try it. But I hate those squiggly red lines so much that I had to. From here on out, I'll call them Pepper Hotties. No wavy line above the "n", but now the word "Hotties" is underlined! ARGGGHHH! (that is underlined, too).

If I keep this up, Adrienne will no longer be the queen of long posts. Watch out Adrienne – once I get started, I just can't stop!

Good news! I have a whole week off for vacation next week. I'm very excited about this. I'm going to stain my deck, finish my flower beds, then do nothing. Absolutely nothing. I can't wait. I'll sleep a lot, catch up on some housework, take my dog for walks, hang out with my sister, etc. You get the idea. I like the idea of sleep, so I'm going to finish this now. Enjoy my rambling, and stay tuned for pictures of the Pepper Hotties!

Hot Six

2008-08-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'm getting tired of this daily posting already. How much can you write about hot? I thought maybe I'd do and Adrienne-style post, but I honestly don't know if I have that much to write about. I will say this, though: How many of you don't sing the little diddy in your heads when you say the words "Hot Pockets"? See? You just did, didn't you?

My new flower bed is looking pretty good. Since our weather people are terrible, however, we didn't get the rain they've been predicting for the last three days, so I had to water everything this morning. I would have done it last night, but we were supposed to get this massive thunderstorm. The weather people around here would do better just to look out the window and tell us what they see. My dad lives in Houston, and you can pretty much make your plans based on the weather forecast they give. They must have the same Doppler system, right? Is is that our people just don't know how to interpret what they see? I don't know, but you never can count on the extended forecast.

How sad. I'm reduced to talking about the weather.

In other news...
Today is Luna's birthday. She's five. Since I found her, I don't really know when her exact birthday is, so I made it the day I found her. One hot summer day a year ago today, Stephie and I had just left my house on our way to meet friends for lunch. Stephie points out the window and says "Awww. Look at that cute dog." We get to the stop sign at the next block and I say, "Should we go get it?" And she says, "Yeah. We really should." So we turned around, parked in my driveway, and called for the dog. In the few short minutes it took us to get back to my house, she had vanished. While Stephie left to get some dog food from the store, I went looking for her. She came running from behind a house down the street, and she would come up to me, but she wouldn't let me pet her. She did follow me back to my house, though, and as soon as I sat down on my back deck, she jumped in my lap. She was skinny, dirty and quite smelly, but so cute. I tried to give her away; I really didn't want a dog. I even called Angels for Animals and left a message with them. They never called me back. So now she's mine and I LOVE HER!

So, her birthday kind of blindsided me, so I wasn't prepared. I have a cake ordered for Friday. She likes GiantEagleWhiteCakewithwhippedcreamfrosting. Imagine that. James made her a Luna trading card for her birthday. It's pretty cute.

Kimmy, your tomato is ready. I'll bring it to church on Sunday.

I have a terrible headache right now, so I'm going to cut this hot post short. This is pretty long for me, though. There's not a lot of coherent stuff running through this hot little head of mine these days. Maybe it's another sign of old age.

Oh hay! I just remembered a valid excuse that I thought of when I don't want to do something like post every day. I'm just too old for that.

I'm tired of the hotness already

2008-08-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

Blogging about hotness that is. I almost forgot today. It is now 11:46 p.m., and since I will most likely forget to change the time in the "post options" section, you all won't realize just how close I came to blowing this challenge in the first five days. That would have made me a mad hotter!

There. Duty done.

Sometimes, hot is good

2008-08-04T15:56:00.001-07:00

Let's see. What to write about today? Something hot, perhaps? My sister says I can write about her :)

I'm going to mention here that I think I'll be needing a heating pad tonight for my aching muscles. I've been cleaning up my landscaping for the last few days. I had some big ugly old-lady bushes in the front of my house that I had removed, but the guy left the stump. Plus, since the removal, I haven't done anything with that bed, so it was infested with weeds. I cleaned all that out, removed the stump, and tilled it up to get it ready for planting. Once I get some cash, I'll get some plants.

In the back, around the deck, I dug a new bed. This was quite an endeavor. I had to dig up all the grass, which is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Plus, once you've dug it up, what to do with it? It's darn heavy. I tried to fill up a trash bag with it, and when I went to pick up the bag, it must have weighed at least 100 pounds, and the dirt/grass mixture burst right through the bag. So I had to break it up into about 10 bags so it's not quite so heavy. They're all in my garage right now; the trash doesn't come until Sunday, so it will be another heating pad night when I have to lug all those bags out to the curb.

The back flower garden is looking nice, though. It's about three quarters of the way finished. When I have some free time, I'll do the rest. I'm out of plants, though, so it, too, will have to wait. I moved some plants that I had in a bed in the back up to the new bed. They weren't getting enough sun, and since they are full-sun plants, they weren't doing very well back there. My neighbor has a big tree that blocks all their sun. It's an ongoing process. I look forward to the day when I don't have to dig and plant and can just maintain.

I've done my duty for today. I'm off to heat up my aching back.

Poffee

2008-08-03T14:39:00.001-07:00

Since I've agreed to post everyday in August with the subject being "hot", I've committed myself to trying to come up with different topics besides the hot weather and how much I dislike the summer.

I'm going to talk about my nephew, James, today. He is and incredible kid. Not only does he amaze me daily with his unique view on the world, he also makes me laugh. If you know James at all, you will know this about him: he likes to talk. He started talking at a very young age. I believe he was only 10 months old when he started saying his first words. In fact, I think he was talking before he was walking. Once he started talking, he's never looked back.

At 14 months old, my brother-in-law, Tim, was in the living room with his cup of coffee sitting on the side table. James in standing close by, and looks at him very seriously and says "Daddy, de poffee is hot and dangewous." His first sentence.

Hot

2008-08-02T07:38:00.001-07:00

I have foolishly agreed to take on this month's challenge to blog every day about "hot". Like the last time I tried to blog every day for a month, don't be surprised if I only get through the first week!

Those of you who know me well, know that my least favorite time of the year is summer. I hate hot weather. It makes me cranky. Lucky for me, I have central air in my house, though it's not working real well right now. Not that it doesn't cool down the house, but the thermostat isn't working, so it just doesn't shut off. I have to manually shut off the air when it's cool enough inside, and manually turn it on when it gets too hot. It works fine when I'm home, but when I'm gone, I just have to leave it off.

Another reason to not like summer: lawn mowing. I'm off to do it now. Blech!

The wet look

2008-07-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything in a long time. I know I keep saying that I have to post more, but who am I kidding? I'm lucky these days if I find time to wash my hair.

I really do wash it daily, that was just for the sake of the analogy. Although, I think there might have been a day last weekend where I didn't wash it. It wasn't looking so good by the end of the day.

Sometimes, when I'm getting showered/dressed/"ready", I think how much more I could get accomplished if I didn't do all that. It's such drudgery – all the showering, shampooing, shaving, lathering, washing. Not to mention everything that comes after - the hair, putting on makeup, trying to decide what to wear, etc. Honestly, it's only an hour, but still... Truthfully, it would take me less than an hour if I would just get busy and do what needs done. But, because I dread the process so much, I usually check my email, play with the pets, talk to my sister on the phone, etc. in the middle of all the "getting ready". It breaks up the senseless monotony and makes the whole process a little more bearable, even if it does drag it out somewhat.

I have to drag myself to the shower in the morning because all I really want to be doing early is drinking coffee and trying to take the next couple of hours to really wake up. I am not a morning person, and when you add the drudgery of "getting ready" to an already unpleasant part of the day, it just makes it that much more of a chore.

So, if you see me with my hair pulled back, you know it's because I didn't feel like doing the whole "hairstyle" thing. It means that when I got out of the shower, I either went back to bed for a spell and didn't have time to do anything with it, or I just didn't feel like it. I had my hair pulled back today :)

I know this is a stupid thing to whine about, but these are the scraps you get when I don't have much of substance to say. I'll try to do better next time.

See you in a few months!

What the poo?

2008-06-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one, or have the birds been pooping all over everyone's houses this spring? I've never seen anything like it. On the garage, on the deck, on ALL sides of the house, and the windows. One bird blew up so badly that it went clear through the screen on the front window and splattered all over the glass. That one was fun to clean. I can clean off all the poo one day, and the next day there will be numerous new poo locations.

The word "poo" makes me laugh.

Sleeping on my over-sized pillow

2008-05-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I'm going to try to start blogging more. In my mind, I don't really have much to say, but what I do have floating around up there in my over-sized head, I will try to share with you all on a bi-weekly basis. Hey, it's a start, huh? I tried every day, and I didn't get too far with that.

I don't know how many of you know this about me, but I have a big head. No, not just "big" - HUGE! Every time I go to buy a helmet or hat of any kind, this point is driven home. When it first happened, I was a little ashamed of being so top-heavy. I was in Maine visiting my friends Ed and Sharon. Ed works at L.L. Bean and was able to get me some good deals on gear. I decided to take the opportunity to get a new bike helmet. After studying my head for a minute, Ed picks out a helmet in a size small and tells me this should do. Not even close! It just sat there perched on the top of my head. So next he pulls out a medium. Again, not even close. It did, however, touch the tops of my ears. So I tell him just to skip the Large and go for the XL. Guess what? A perfect fit. There are men out there who don't wear the XL!

I was at an Astros game with my dad, and bless his gracious heart, he wanted to buy my sister and me one of the authentic fitted hats just like the players wear. I love, love, love the Astros, and for me, this was very cool. After trying on many hats that were too small, I ended up with a hat that Charlie the overweight relief pitcher could wear.

And last, but not least: A couple of weeks ago, I went to Youngstown Cycle Sales with my friend, John, to get a motorcycle helmet so that I could safely ride on the back of his beautiful (and, may I add, comfortable) bike. The sales lady approaches us and asks what she can help us with. I explain that I need a helmet, and that I need the largest size she has. Of course she insists that I am mistaken, that I would most likely take a small. I say "Trust me, give me the largest size you have." So she compromises and pulls out a medium. Yep! Too small! I smile as I hand it back to her and say, "Give me the largest size you have." Of course, we walked out of the store with the Large.

Apparently, my head doesn't look as big as it is. So I guess I have that going for me. I like the think that this large skull of mine is used to house my very large brain :)

idkmybffkim

2008-02-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been a while.

I haven't had a whole lot to say, and I still don't, but I thought I'd post a few thoughts and prove that I still have all of my fingers unbroken.

It's snowing, and I'm loving it. This is the most snow I can remember having in quite a few years, and I have to say that I'm glad. I know I'm getting a few groans out there, but bear with me. I'll explain. I love the snow because I love to ski. I have not been able to go yet this year because starting a new church takes a lot of time. Mondays are my day off, so I plan on going this coming Monday. This coming Monday will be March, and lift ticket prices are greatly reduced in March. What luck! Not only will I be one of the only people out there, I'll be getting all that good, uncrowded snow for a fraction of the cost. With gas prices what they are, I probably won't be able to drive the two hours to New York every Monday, but I hope to go twice before the snow melts.

Speaking of starting a new church:
The Gate is going very well. It's fun and exciting to watch things unfold. New people are coming every week to find out what we're all about. It's my prayer that they find out that we're a group of people who love and worship a Savior that they would want to know more about. There have been those that have come who have accepted Christ, and the times that has happened, there has been much rejoicing; both in Heaven and at The Gate. As a launch team, we pray continuously for those that are "unconvinced" (as my pastor, Dave, would say).

We're expanding our various ministry teams as every week more and more people volunteer their time and their talents. The worship team has been very blessed to have some great musicians join us. That has allowed our original members to take various Sundays off to stave off the burnout that inevitably happens. I remember some wise words a friend of mine said to me once "You may not think so now, but you will get sick of this and will need a week off."

I'm going to a conference for worship leaders in Colorado Springs in April. I've never been to CO, but have always wanted to. I'm looking forward to it. My sister is traveling with me, so that will make it all the more enjoyable.

That's all I have to say. Later!

13

2007-12-05T23:28:00.000-08:00

I'm going to call this one 13, even though it's not really. I just don't have the energy to think of a clever name.

I'm not even really sure what I want to write about, I just know that I should be getting ready for bed, but I don't really want to yet.

I've acted stupid, and I think I might have hurt people, but I don't even know about that. I think maybe I just hurt myself and let others of the hook, or let others down or something. Sometimes I wonder how I've survived this long not being able to function normally. Oh, on the outside I have the appearance of normalcy, but it's all just a cover up so no one really knows the dumb things that go on in my head. Nothing bad, or crazy, just sad. I can sit here and know that what I'm thinking is sad, but to voice it just sounds so pathetic, that I just pretend it's not what I'm thinking.

So, I'm sorry. To anyone I've ever hurt, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it.

Maybe 13 is a good title.

Twelve

2007-11-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

Okay. So I missed 10 and 11. Since missing that first one, I don't feel as much pressure to post every day. However, I'm not going to get back into the habit of not posting, either. I'm going to be honest here. My lack of previous posts strictly due to laziness. There. I said it. I'm lazy. It's just that when I have free time, the last thing I want to do is to be on my computer. It's not so bad now that I have this new job. I'm spending about 3/4 of my time designing/working on my computer.

I won't have much relief, however from computer stuff. I have another freelance logo design for Old North. I'm designing a logo for their Christmas program this year. I'm going to work on it today. Thanks to Rob for hooking me up! It's been a nice little side job :) Here's the last logo I designed for Old North. It was for a sermon series on giving.

This is the one they didn't go with:

I'll post the current logo project when I'm finished with it.

I've been having a bit of a creative block lately. The work I do for the Mideast Baptist Conference has be designing things constantly. And it's always brochures for their different conferences/retreats, etc. That and newsletters. Tons of newsletters. Anyway, I've been struggling with finding new ways to design brochures. Sometimes I think that all my work is looking the same. Here are a couple of projects I've done recently:

This one is a brochure for Camp Burton, which is a camp in Burton, Ohio where churches can have retreats, youth events, etc. I only had half a day to do this one, so it's not my best work, but I liked the way the front cover and the inside spread turned out. If I'd had more time, I would have worked on the schedule panel and the ebay panel some more.

This is my most recent project. In fact, it hasn't been approved yet, so I still have the lo-res. fpo (that means "for placement only") photos in place. If they approve it, I'll buy the hi-res. photos to use for print. This is a brochure for the MBC's Church Planting Offering campaign they do every year. They send people to conference churches to raise money for church plants. Church planting is an important mission for the MBC, so this campaign is a big deal. My church, The Gate, is a church plant of the MBC, and we wouldn't have been able to get started without the funds from this campaign.

This year's theme is God's Obsession. The idea is that lost people are God's obsession, and as children of God, our obsession, too.

Looks like another Adrienne-length post! I cheated a little, though and used lots of pictures. I've got to run now. My sister is picking me up and we're going to run some errands. A trip to Target and Giant Eagle to pick up some much needed essentials. I'm out of milk, so I wasn't able to have my cereal this morning. Plus, I'm hooked on the Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino at Get Go. I mix it half cap, half coffee, and it is delicious! Plus, you get an extra cent off a gallon of gas with each cup of coffee you buy. It all adds up!

Later, friends!

Nine

2007-11-09T06:14:00.000-08:00

I did it again. I forgot to post anything yesterday. I am such a forgetful person. Sometimes my forgetfulness gets me to thinking that I'll probably develop Alzheimer's some day, and how terrible that would be. But then again, how terrible would it be to forget everything and everyone you ever knew, but not realize that you've forgotten? If you don't know that you've forgotten, then you probably don't realize that you've forgotten, so it wouldn't be so bad. It would be bad for the forgotten, though.

That makes absolutely no sense.

Yesterday, being that it was Thursday, was my long martial arts day. I get to the studio at around 5:15 to get ready for the Tae Kwon Do class that I teach. That class goes to 7:00. We gave the students a hard, hard work out tonight - lots of strength and conditioning drills, and then on to kicking and sparring drills.

I like teaching martial arts, but it can be very frustrating at times. There is the issue of collecting payment. It's due the first of the month every month, and yet there are those who consistently don't pay. It's always the same people. Why do you make me hound you every month? Every month, I know that I'm going to have to approach these people and ask for payment. I have no patience for that. You don't "forget" to pay your car payment, your house payment, your utilities. This is no different. Pay up!

Another thing that's frustrating me right now are my two students who are set to test for their black belts. They are sisters, and both have potential to be decent. I've seen moments of brilliance in both of them. Here it is, three weeks before their test, and they've been to once class in the last two weeks. I keep telling them that it's not an automatic pass. You have to earn this belt. They both need the practice. A couple of weeks ago, I put the younger sister (she's 14) in a sparring match with a student from the other school. Not only did she get whipped, she actually turned her back, covered her face with her hands and screamed as she ran out of the ring. What!? And you think you're black belt material? I told her that if she did that at her test, she would automatically fail. I don't expect her to whip everyone she faces, but I do expect her to try and to not give up. After that stellar performance, she misses the next three classes. Brilliant.

So after my TKD class ends at seven, I usually have time to practice on my own. I will work with my bo staff (that's my traditional martial arts weapon of choice), and work on a new form, or work on kicks, sparring, and whatever else I might want to do for an hour. Sometimes, I'll work with other students with their staffs if they need help with something.

At 8:00, have my Aikido class. I don't teach it, I take it. I love Aikido. While TKD is a hard style martial art, using kicking and punching as an aggressive attack, Aikido is a "soft" style that uses your attackers own energy against them. There are a lot of nasty joint locks and what I like to call "limb destruction" techniques. You learn that when you're being attacked, there is always an energy coming at you. Aikido teaches you to use that energy (not to stop it like the "hard" arts do) to your advantage. You can turn it around and an opponents energy becomes your attack and you can get someone to the ground very painfully in two seconds flat! It's very cool. I love Aikido.

By the time I get home at about 10:00, I'm very exhausted. Too exhausted to post. That's why I forgot yesterday :)

Seven

2007-11-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

Since I didn't realize there was an "official" blog-writing-every-day thing, and since I didn't sign up for anything of the sort, I guess I'm still in. I was just agreeing to join Kimmy and friends in the challenge so that I could get my mushy brain out of its slumber and do some writing - even if it is all nonsense.

How about a pet update? With photos?

Here is a picture of Babs giving me the "thumbs up":

And here's a picture of Luna at my nephew's flag football game. That's an Ohio State sweater she's wearing.

She is also performing her one and only trick - she claps!

Here's a picture of Babs telling Luna a secret:

That little coat Luna is wearing was made for her by Kevin's mom. It's reversible, and now that it has gotten cold, she doesn't go outside without it. I know that some of you might be wondering how I got to this point - dressing my dog up in clothes. Poor Luna is a tiny little thing, and she has fine hair, so when it's cold outside she doesn't have much to keep her warm. If I send her out without her coat, she stands outside and shivers and she looks so sad.

I currently don't have any new pictures of Marcel-Henri. He is not very photogenic. He closes his eyes in every shot. The big fella just doesn't like the flash.

He has recently discovered that he likes to go outside. He doesn't go anywhere when he's out there - he just rolls around in the driveway while the chipmunks that wreaked havoc on my landscaping this year do their thing.

All in all, the pets are doing well here at the Wild Kingdom. They get along famously with each other and have all now decided that they want to sleep in the bed with me. It doesn't leave much room for me to switch sleeping positions in the middle of the night, but with the thermostat set low to save on the heating bill, their warmth is a very welcome thing.

CRAP!

2007-11-06T11:23:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post yesterday!
CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!

Four

2007-11-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

This blogging every day is stretching my brain. That's why the titles to all posts will be the day that I'm posting. Tomorrow's post will be five – in title and numerical order.

So I woke up in the middle of the night last night with a horrible allergy attack - multiple sneezes, a stuffed up nose that was runny (how does that happen?) - and three pets in my bed who thought that just because I was awake, it was feeding time. When it's 3 a.m., and you know you have to be up at 6 a.m. to make it to church way before everyone else gets there, well let's just say, the next thing to keep me awake was the sheer frustration of it all.

While I was up, I realized that it was the night to turn the clocks back an hour. That sure was a nice realization. I set my clock to the correct time, and because I knew I had just been given an hour of blessed sleep, was able to fall asleep and dream a strange, but entertaining dream. (I don't remember what it was, I just remember waking up and thinking "that sure was a strange and entertaining dream."). The same three pets who woke me earlier were at it again. I roll over to push Babs off the bed and get glimpse at the clock. I had over slept by almost and hour and a half! When I set the clock back, I must have un-set the alarm. Yay pets for waking me up! I only ended up being 20 minutes late, too.

I'll post about The Gate tomorrow. I will say this, though: We had a sit-in drummer and keyboard player today that were both fabulous! It was Vern Werona and his son, Jeff. They added something new and cool to the sound today.

Later!

Three

2007-11-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

The movie was okay. Not stinky, but not as good as I expected. And I was wrong about the Brooklyn accent. He was from Jersey, and his Jersey accent was just okay. He's slip in and out from a cartoon-ish Jersey accent to a "generic American" accent. Not Kevin Costner accent horrible, but not great, either.

I wouldn't spend the money to see it in the theater. It's a good rental, though.

Number 2

2007-11-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

I have a lot to write about, but not a lot of time. It's a good thing I have 28 more posts after this to get it all in. This being the second day of November, and my having said I'd post every day this month, brings me to this moment. I'm on my way out the door to have dinner with a friend, then it's off to the movie. I'm either going to see American Gangster or Bee Movie. I'm hoping for Bee Movie. I heard that Russel Crowe does a horrendous Brooklyn accent in the movie, and I don't know if I could sit through something that irritating. Here's a guy who gets paid millions of dollars to make a movie. Supposedly, he's an actor worthy of an Academy Award, and he can't get an accent? What else does he have to do? Okay, so he has to memorize some lines, can't he memorize and perfect the accent at the same time? And how does a take with a bad accent make the cut? Doesn't the director say "Russel! What's with your accent? You sound like an Australian trying to do a Brooklyn accent! Do it over!" Apparently not.

If, in fact, I do go see American Gangster (in my head, it sounds like "gangsta"), I'll let you all know how the accent is.

The end

2007-11-01T23:59:00.001-07:00

I wanted to conclude my last post with something sane that would let you all know that I don't dislike the people with the butts, just the warmth that comes from those butts.

However, that doesn't sound sane AT ALL.

I'm going to quit now.

Post, the first.

2007-11-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Whew!I just made it! Kimmy has thrown out the challenge, and I have agreed to meet that challenge. I am going to post every day in the month of November. You may just be sick of my rambling by the time I'm finished with this month. Shoot, since I'll be posting every day, and since I'm sure I'll run out of interesting things to write about, I'll probably start digging into that twisted part of my brain that not many people get to see. Maybe I won't have any friends left when this is all over.

Here it goes. I might as well start off with one of those quirky things about me that make people laugh when they hear it...

I can't stand sitting on a warm seat. Not like the leather seats in my V-dub when they've been warmed ELECTRONICALLY by the heater in the seat. It would be like the seats in my V-dub when they've been warmed BODILY by someone else sitting there right before me. For instance, this weekend, I went to a wedding in Mansfield, which is about a two-hour drive from here. My dear friend, John, went with me. We took my car, but he drove. He lives in Mineral Ridge, so I picked him up on my way west. So, on the return trip, I dropped him off at his house on my way home. He got out of the car, and because the seat was warm, I had to wait for it to cool off before I could sit there for the drive home. I don't like a seat that has been warmed by someone else's butt. I'm grossed out by it. It's not that I'm grossed out by the person who left it there, just by the warmth itself.

When I go to an amusement park, I wait until the last possible minute to take my seat on the ride so that it can cool off adequately before I have to sit down. Sometimes, it's not long enough. In that case, I have to endure, but I don't like it.

In keeping with the bodily warmth thing as well, I don't like to use my mouse after someone else has used it and it's still warm. I like a cool seat, and a cool mouse. Usually, if someone has been using my mouse, they've also been sitting in my seat, so I have a double cool-down to wait on.

Toilet seats. That goes without saying. They MUST be cool. No exceptions.

By the way, I can sit on a seat that I have warmed myself.

Summer. Not my favorite season.

2007-10-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

So, I was watching the local news, and I got a load of the weather forecast last night. It's supposed to be in the 80s all week! Go away summer! I'm tired of you! You're encroaching on my fall time, and I'm not happy about it. You had your run, and it was a good one – days in the nineties, humidity beyond belief, no rain, dead grass, huge water bills. I could go on and on, but my point is, your time is finished. Now, leave us alone and let autumn have a chance. If it's hot on my birthday, I'm going to be upset, and you will feel my wrath. Okay, I can't do much against nature, but I'm going to be cranky, and that won't make for a very nice day.

I'm just going to talk about fall and hopefully that will give summer a clue. I love the smell of fall; the crispness in the air has a distinct fragrance, don't you think? If there was a perfume that could capture that smell, I'd take a bath in it. I love how you can wear sweats and, well, not sweat. And, is there anything better than cuddling with a good pet in a blanket and not sweating? (I see a theme here. I hate to sweat. I should say, I hate to sweat when I'm not supposed to be sweating. Workout sweat is okay – expected, even.) Okay, I suppose some would say cuddling with someone you love is better than cuddling with a pet, but a pet is what I have, so bear with me. Actually, three pets are what I have, but not all of them like to cuddle. But, I'm off track. How about pumpkins? Aren't they fabulous fruits? (a pumpkin is fruit, is it not?) "Pumpkin Orange" is a fabulous color. If I could wear a complete outfit of that orange, and bathe in the fall perfume, I'd be set. By the way, do you know anyone who calls them "punkins"? Of course, no discussion of autumn would be complete without a mention of the changing color of the leaves. Short-lived, but oh, so, beautiful.

Get a clue, Summer. SCRAM!

Launch Day

2007-09-15T06:26:00.000-07:00

I know it's a little late in coming, but I thought I'd update you all on the launch Sunday of The Gate.

It was incredible. Just when you think you've received more blessing than you know what to do with, God dumps more and more until you and everyone around you is overflowing. That's how it felt on Sunday. We had 104 people on our first Sunday and it was a time of great worship and teaching and it just felt GOOD!

We had great response from everyone who was there, with many people telling us they would definitely (defanately, defanantly, difiantly, fleitldly) come back. We even had a woman who indicated on the info card she filled out that she had accepted Christ that day. A year-long journey to this day, and it exceeded all expectations. God has a way of doing that, no?

The kids in who participated in the children's ministry seemed like they had a great time. They stay back with the teachers for 15 minutes or so after the service so their parents can enjoy coffee and snacks. I was standing in the hallway when they all came out, and I could hear many of them begging their parents to bring them back next Sunday.

Our launch team members have been coming under attack with increasing frequency. The days leading up to launch Sunday were especially intense. One family had their house broken into on Friday night, another family had a son taken to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy, there has been discontent in families and marriages, financial problems and a host of other things. It's amazing to see how, despite all this stress among the launch team, we can come together and overcome all the adversity with His power.

I've seen God work before, but never like I have this past year, and never this up close and personal. It's been quite a ride!

Work, work, work

2007-08-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

When I started my job on August 1 as "the official" worship leader of The Gate, I had many people ask me "what are you going to be doing"? Before I started this job, I really didn't know. I mean, I had an idea, but not a real grasp on what I would be doing on a day to day basis. In fact, I was wondering if I'd have enough to do.

It turns out, I have more than enough to do. In fact, there are many nights where midnight finds me still at my computer working. True, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday when I'm home (as opposed to Tuesday and Thursday when I'm working at the Poland office for the Mideast Baptist Conference), I have a flexibility that is probably envious to most. I can come and go as I please and schedule appointments for any time of the day. But I have had to discipline myself to not take that flexibility for granted because I have more than enough to keep me busy for eight or more hours a day.

I have one wise friend who knew how working for a church can be all-consuming. And I'm here to say that he was right. (Don't let it go to your head, Rob). Not only am I doing all the graphics for the church, but I'm also doing the music for the worship on Sundays. I'm trying to find people to play in the band, learning new music, practicing existing music with the new members, hosting a small group at my house once a week, meeting with Dave (the pastor of The Gate) to try to get all the details worked out for our launch coming up in a couple of weeks, etc.

We just moved into the Columbiana High School Auditorium. We had our first service there last week. There are some bugs that need worked out with the sound system, so I'll be back out there on Saturday trying to get it figured out. The stage there is huge, so I'll need to do something to bring it in and make it look more intimate. So much to do, so little time. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. But I'm liking it.

I have to go. I have work to do :)

Luna, Luna

2007-08-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time, folks, and I have so much to tell you, but it's getting late and I need to get into bed, so I'll make this quick. What's that you say? "Kim sure is blogging late?" Yes, yes I am. I finally got my very own internet connection in my very own house! I had to. Since I'm working from home now three days a week, I need to get connected. I didn't realize how much I use the net for my design work. I not only go to numerous stock photo and free font sites for specific design needs, but I use it a lot just to spark an idea.

Anyway, here's my other news...

Meet Luna. She's a stray I found on my street. I'm not a dog person; I like cats. But this dog has stolen my heart and she's here to stay. She's a tiny little long-haired chihuahua/terrier mix that weighs in at a mere six pounds! Both my cats are bigger than she is. Babs didn't come up from the basement for three days, but she's better now and not hissing quite as much. I think everything will work out.

I burned my arm on my lawn mower. Quite badly. Several layers of skin peeled off. I ran inside and quickly put it under cold water. Rinsing it under cold water was more than I could take and I got dizzy from the pain. I had to do it, though, because I had raw exposed flesh that needed to be cleaned off because I just rubbed it on my dirty lawn mower. Not one of my more brilliant moves, but stuff happens.

Cakeworthy at last!

2007-07-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

This just in...

Just two weeks shy from her two year anniversary at B.J. Alan Company, Kim Wetzl has finally become CAKE WORTHY! At 3:33 p.m. on July 19, 2007, Kim was summoned into the BJA breakroom where a delicious IGAwhitecakewithwhippedcreamfrosting was awaiting her with this inscription:

Congratulations, Kim!
You ARE Cakeworthy!

All my friends and co-workers were there to wish me luck, and it was a very nice surprise. Bruce and Alan (Zoldan, the owners) were there, as was Jerry (the VP) to see me off, give me their best wishes, and to thank me for all my hard work. Alan even gave me hugs, and I got a kiss on the cheek from Bruce. I'm positively blushing!

I have to say, I'm going to miss the people I worked with. I really am. I've made some really good friends here. As I'm writing this, I'm actually tearing up a bit just thinking about all the good times and laughs we've had. It's a happy and a sad day. Wow. Who would have thought? I think I'll miss it.

Good bye, B.J. Alan. It's been swell!

It's been a long time

2007-07-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

It sure has been a long time since I last updated you all about all my goings on. The most major change in my life right now is that I am currently working my last week at BJ Alan. No more fireworks for this girl! Starting on August first, I will be the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Mideast Baptist Conference. This will be my job for two days out of the week. The rest of my time will be spent as the worship leader for The Gate Church. For now, I'll be based out of my house :) I'm so excited about all this and can't wait to see how it all unfolds. I've been witness to some amazing things in the life of my little church lately, and this is just another huge blessing that has come my way of late. Too much to comprehend, really.

Sam, I've got tomatoes! O how glorious it was to see that bright red fruit hanging from my plants. Lots of green ones, too. I'll call you about the beetle problem. It seems to have passed, and my lettuce fared pretty well, considering the damage those awful bugs did to my rose bush. I would still like to talk about the problem for future reference, however. Oh yeah! I have some hot peppers, too! And beans! And cucumbers! It's all so delicious - I've been feasting on a lot of salad lately :)

I have to tell you all a little bit about my time at the fireworks store. I worked ten days there, 12 hours every day, so I got to see a lot of interesting folk. It didn't turn out so bad for me because two days before I started my stint at the store, I broke my toe during an especially hard-fought sparring match when I kicked my opponent with a devastating turning-jumping roundhouse kick to the head! (The truth doesn't sound quite as good.) :) Because of my broken toe, my job mostly consisted of sitting on a stool at the front of the store handing out stickers to little kids. Kind of like a Wal-Mart greeter. When I got bored of that, I'd help people pick out fireworks to buy. I had three customers I helped buy over $2,000 worth of fireworks. The biggest sale of the season was a whopping $13,000 followed a few days later by a $9,000 sale. Amazing, huh?

Hey Elizabeth, here's a story idea for you:
A West Virginia family travels five hours to Boardman, Ohio to buy fireworks. They sell their kids' shoes and the family's food stamps, and pass on the dental visits so that they have enough money to have the best damn fireworks show in the trailer park. On July 3rd, they pile the four kids, mom, dad and grandma into the pickup truck and head out. Upon entering the store the shock on the face of the girl who was kindly giving stickers to the kids didn't even register; so intent were they on having the best damn fireworks show in the trailer park - shock at the copious amount of black hair spanning the expanse of ma's barely-covered, three-hundred-pound chest, and shock at the equally thin and hairless pa...

So E, think you can take it from here?

I have come to the conclusion that the caliber of customer that comes to the store lessens in direct correlation to the proximity of the Fourth of July holiday. The closer it gets to the Fourth, the drunker, higher, smellier, dirtier gets the customer. I could use so many more adjectives.

I have to say, I just might miss all the entertainment. The hairy chest lady is REAL!

Jame's Game

2007-06-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

I couldn't very well post about Jackie without posting about James. He is 9 years old, and Jackie's big brother. He loves sports of all kinds. He hasn't played a sport that he doesn't like. Besides martial arts, he also plays or has played (as far as organized sports go) basketball, flag football, and, of course, baseball. Here are some photos I took at the last game I attended. He's such a handsome boy :)

Jackie's show

2007-06-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

My niece, Jackie, loves horses. She lives and breathes horses. She's just like her mother and me when we were her age. :) That makes us both so happy. She's been taking riding lessons for about a year. Two weeks ago, she was in her first horse show. She is only 6 years old, so she went in what is called the "lead line" class. Basically, someone leads the horse around while the little ones ride. Jackie rode a horse named Phoenix. He's a Mustang; not the most handsome horse ever (he has long ears like a mule), but he's gentle and doesn't get too excited being outside. Here are some photos I took. She looks so cute.

2007-06-01T12:37:00.001-07:00

OH! It's hot outside. HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT.

You'll never hear me complain about the cold weather. I love the cold! I love snow, I love how your nose feels crunchy when you breathe in the cold air, I love the smell of the cold weather, I love cold weather playtime; I could go on and on, but you get the idea. You can go outside without melting. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "You can be warm in the cold, but you can't cool off in the heat."

For a girl who grew up in the South, you'd think I would thrive in this weather. Well, I don't. It makes me cranky. Maybe living in Saudi Arabia for five years did it for me. It gets up to 125-130 degrees there. It would be so hot, that the asphalt on the streets would start to boil. Yep - bubbles! Crazy heat in that place.

I've had my fill of hot weather. Bring back the cold. Please.

Veggie Tales

2007-05-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been awhile since my last post. I don't have a lot going on, but I thought I'd keep you updated.

My garden is planted! After meeting with Sam and getting all kinds of good advice, I got my seeds, bought my tomato and pepper plants, and got down to business. My garden plot is approximately a 10x10 area, and it was fully grown over with weeds since it had been a couple of years since the previous owners of my house had planted a garden there. Tilling that garden spot was a lot of hard work, but planting it was sure enjoyable. I never would have guessed that I would like digging in the dirt this much. And the big bonus? Sprouts! I have sprouts! Oh what a happy day when I saw my first new green sprout. I know millions of people grow gardens, but this is my first, and my first sprout is a special sprout.

Here's what I planted:
Tomatoes (cherry and Roma)
Peppers (hot and bell)
Carrots (Ox heart carrots)
Cantaloupe
Beans
Cucumbers
Lettuce (mescalun mix)
and Cilantro

I've been working like a fiend to try to get my yard into shape. All the beds were weed infested, and I had three dead juniper trees in front. I've been spending all my free time in the yard, and it's finally paying off. I've had a lot of help from a good friend of mine who was at my house today on his day off weeding the front bed and pulling out those dead trees. I still have one small bed to weed, and after that, it's peat moss and mulch time!

Let's see, what else?

Moon Park (of Master Park Martial Arts International) threatened to sue my sister and me because we started going to another dojang and are teaching there. *gasp* An attorney I work with drafted a letter on my sister's and my behalf, and after receiving that letter, the poor attorney has had to endure numerous rambling phone calls from that crazy Korean. I heard from a friend of mine, who is a police officer, that he's had some problems lately with someone vandalizing his property on 224. Someone dumped (literally) human poo on his front walk. It's disgusting, but he probably had it coming. He treats people like crap. (that pun was totally intended. Clever, no?)

Another 4th of July is getting near, and here I sit, in the same spot I vowed not to be in for another year. In one month, I will be spending long, hot, horrible days at that Boardman showroom. I hate it. There are not words to describe the misery. I do have some prospects for new jobs, but so far, nothing is panning out. I still have hope. I hope to not have to work in that showroom again. Those of you reading this who might be thinking about getting fireworks for your 4th of July celebrations... GO NOW! There is no one in the store right now. You either will heed my advice, or you'll wait in a three hour line, in 100 degree heat, and get my evil stare when I see what was once my friend in that damn store. Seriously, for your own good, go now.

Okay. Time to go. I'll post some garden photos soon :)

Blonde Moment

2007-04-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

I'm not one who has them normally, but Sunday I had what I hope to be the only one this year.

As you recall, I just bought a lawn mower from Kimmy's dad. I got it last weekend, and it worked like a dream for my first mowing of the season. Truth be told, it was the first mowing of my life. I know, I know. I had brothers growing up who did all the mowing, and when I moved out on my own, I rented, so there was always a landlord who did the mowing.

So, back to the story at hand...

I brought the mower out yesterday for the second mowing of the year. It started just fine, but after only a few passes in the back yard, it started making a weird noise, then it quit. I emptied the bag, which was only half full, thinking that might be the problem. It still didn't start. In fact, I couldn't even pull the cord - it was completely frozen up. What to do? I called Kevin.

Kevin, in turn, called his father-in-law.

In the meantime, I called Tim (my brother-in-law) to see if I could borrow his mower to finish my yard. He offered to come over and take a look at mine to see if maybe he could figure out what was wrong. Once he got there, he immediately turned the mower onto its side and said "There's too much grass underneath." He cleaned out the grass and it started right up. Great! I was, however, still a little leery since it didn't do anything like this the last time I used it. While finishing the back yard, it died twice more, but each time started right back up after I cleaned the grass out from underneath. I was about halfway through the front yard, when Kimmy's dad pulled into my driveway with another mower!

I felt like such a jerk. I didn't expect such a fast response. In fact, I was just thinking to myself that since the mower seemed to be fine, that I better call Kevin and tell him that it was a false alarm. I should have done it as soon as Tim got it running again, but I wanted to make sure it really was fine. I can't tell you how bad I felt that Kimmy's dad made the trip to my house for nothing.

When I went in the house, I noticed that Kevin had called to tell me that Kimmy's dad would be out at 7:30 with a replacement mower. I didn't hear my phone ring because I was outside mowing with the mower that didn't need replaced.

There you have it. I guess it's a common thing for lawn mowers to shut down when there's too much grass underneath. Let this be a lesson to all you first-time mowers.

Mighty Mouse

2007-04-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

I just got a Mighty Mouse for my computer at work. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a multiple-button mouse with a scroll wheel for the Mac. You PC users are fully familiar with the concept since you've had these for quite some time. For us Mac users, however, it's a new thing.

The verdict is still out on whether or not I like it. I'm leaning more towards the "not". Here's the thing; who needs all those buttons? I'm familiar enough with my keyboard commands that I can navigate through all my menus and sub-menus without even touching my mouse. Half the time when I go to click on something, I push the wrong button and some random menu pops up and just ends up frustrating me.

Admittedly, it's kind of cool to have all these menus at your fingertips, but only on those rare occasions when you actually need them. Otherwise, it's just frustrating to realize you've clicked the wrong button, and the mouse is not responding like you expected. Frustrating, I tell you.

One thing I do like is the scroll wheel. I'm perfectly happy without it, but it's the thing I like most about the Mighty Mouse. Other than that, I like my one button. Simplicity is where it's at.

Directions to The Gate

2007-04-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a quick post. I'm very busy at the moment, but I wanted to get directions to my church up on my blog in case anyone is interested in attending.

It's right off of Rt. 7. If you're going south on Rt. 7, it's after you go through the "heart" of North Lima. If you're headed north, it's before you get to it. Anyway, you'll see a colorful round sign (if you're coming south, it's on your left; north, right) for a development call Pine Lake Reserve. There's a guard house there. This is where you'll turn. There's never a guard, and the gates are always open. I guess those things are just for appearances. You'll take that road down toward the lake, and at the end, you'll go to the right. You'll see a small building on the hill, and that's where we meet. It's very easy to find. We have a sign right on Rt. 7, too, so you can't miss it.

The service starts at 10:09.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Rambling for the sake of rambling

2007-04-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

My, my. I haven't posted anything in a while. This post probably won't be very entertaining, but I'll take this opportunity to get you all caught up with what's going on with me. So here's your chance - if you don't care about what's going on with me, navigate away from this page now.

If you're still with me, then I guess you have one of those inquiring minds that want to know.

As some of you know (and some of you probably don't), I have been involved with a church plant in North Lima for the last 10 months or so. The church is called The Gate. In the fall, we started meetings with what's called "the lauch team". Our team consists of the pastor, Dave Knickerbocker and his wife, Vanda, me (I'm the worship leader), and about a dozen other people who left a big church to come join us. The launch team met for Bible studies and training all through the fall, winter and early spring to get ready for what's called our "preview services".

We had our first preview service last Sunday, and I have to say, it went very well. We've been blessed with a wonderful building right on Pine Lake - it's small, but adequate for our size right now. All in all, it was a wonderful time of worship in a very intimate setting. It's been amazing to see how God directly answers our prayers - from providing us a perfect setting, bringing together a group of people with a common goal, and touching the hearts of some people we've been praying about, and prompting them to come to our first service.

We'll continue every Sunday with these preview services until our "public launch" on September 9. At that point, we'll move our church to the South Range High School gym. Hopefully by then we'll have some more people who have committed themselves to join us on this journey. I'm hoping for a drummer :)

On a more sour note, my ex-martial arts instructor is threatening to sue me because I'm attending another school. He's sent my sister three threatening letters saying he's going to bring legal action against us because we're both going to American Karate Studios now and teaching classes there. He seems to think that this is Korea instead of America. North Korea, it seems, where people don't have the freedom to train wherever they please.

I'm not worried about it; it's an annoyance more than anything else. I hear his business is doing poorly, and I'm sure he's just trying to scare us into giving in to his ridiculous demands. He's saying we owe him money for breach of contract. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I have an attorney here at work drawing up a scathing rebuttal. I'll keep you all posted.

Let's see... what else?

I'm getting a lawn mower! And, I get to mow my own lawn all summer long!

I'm going to plant a garden this year. I've not ever done anything like this before, but I'm sure there is someone that I know who would be willing to help me get started.

I've been getting a lot of freelance work lately. It's a real answer to prayer because I've had some things come up that will need some extra funds.

All in all, life is good.

Who is that Panther?

2007-03-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

Did I ever tell you guys how I always wanted to be Pete when I was at YSU? You know, Pete – the cute, dumpy, Penguin mascot? I never got my chance because you need to be six feet tall to wear the costume, and at 5'3", I don't even come close.

The year after I graduated from high school, I took a year off before I went to college, and I had job at Chuck E. Cheese. One of my responsibilites was to be Chuck E. for birthday parties. So I feel like I have adequate experience to be a mascot.

Fast forward to last weekend. My niece and nephew love to go to the Phantoms games. I have to say, they are a lot of fun - great for families. We always go with another couple who have two kids the same ages as James and Jackie and they're all great friends. All the kids love the Phantoms mascot, who is a giant Panther, even Jackie, who just turned six. This is odd because normally, she's deathly afraid of anyone dressed in costume. At Christmastime, when she hears Santa is going to be visiting the school, she refuses to go to school on the day he's there. So the fact that she loves Panther is pretty odd, but she loves him nonetheless.

The last few games we've attended, however, have been curiously "Panther-free". Jackie always asks about Panther, and hopes each time that he'll be back. It was no different Saturday at the game. "Is Panther going to be here this time?" she asks me. Well, he wasn't. Of course, she wanted to know where he was and if he would be making an appearance. She convinced me that I needed to go find out for her. (the things we do for the little ones, eh?) During the course of my investigation, I found out that Panther was fired - not for being a bad Panther, but because he never showed up for his shift at the Ice Zone unless he was being Panther.

So, I went back into the rink to tell Jackie the bad news, and whispered to my sister the sad news about Panther's working demise. She suggested "Maybe you could be Panther." That got my mascot-loving mind juices flowing! I went back out to the lobby, I found the guy who manages the gameday operations and asked him "Can I be Panther?" And guess what?!

Yes! Yes! Yes! I got to be Panther. And you know what I realized? EVERYONE LOVES PANTHER! Not just Jackie and her friend Natalie - EVERYONE! People kept yelling at me with such joy in their voices, "Panther, Panther! Where have you been Panther?" "Are you going to come out more, Panther?" "Panther, can I get my picture with you?" "Panther, can I get a hug?" "High five, Panther!" It was great fun, though it was extremely hot in there. I didn't dress for "mascotting", so I was quite miserable after about only 10 minutes. I stayed in the costume for about 30 minutes, then I had to take it off.

After coming back to the game as myself, I was approached and asked if I wanted to be Panther for the game the following day.

My Panther debut was a huge success! And I found out what I suspected to be true all along; being a mascot ROCKS!

Sad, sad day

2007-03-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

It's a sad, sad day in my world. The word "GiantEagleWhiteCakewithWhippedCreamFrosting" no longer exists. It is official. Giant Eagle has discontinued their whipped cream frosting. DISCONTINUED! Is there a more foul word in the English language? I think not. At least not for me.

Yesterday was my niece, Jackie's, birthday. When my sister went to GE to order her cake, she was informed of this injustice. The baker lady told her "We still have Satin frosting. It's almost the same." Almost the same. Almost the same is NOT the same. And I can tell the difference. Don't get me wrong - it's good, but it's not GiantEagleWhiteCakewithWhippedCreamFrosting. My sister told the GE Baker Lady that she's going to buy all her cakes somewhere else now. Somewhere that still values whipped cream.

That's the power we have as consumers, you know; the power to spend our almighty dollars at establishments that still serve whipped cream frosting!

COMC part 2

2007-03-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

The link for the Stuff on my Cat site no longer goes to the day with my kitties' pics. So, if you are interested, just type "Marcel-Henri" in the "search" field, and my cats are Marcel-Henri and Babette.

Creatures On My Cat

2007-02-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

Today is the day it finally happened!

My cats have been immortalized on the World Wide Web here.
This site, Stuff On My Cat.com has new pictures almost daily of people's cats from around the world. It's one of my daily routine web visits because I love the funny cat pics. One day a couple of months ago, I though I'd submit a few photos I took of my kitties. Imagine my delight when I go to stuffonmycat.com today and see my cats!

Like a mad woman, I run around the office yelling "We're on Stuff On My Cat! We're on Stuff On My Cat!" I've gotten a few girls here in the office hooked on the site, too, so we all celebrated together.

I have to tell you all - this feels pretty darn sweet! It made my day.

El Niño!

2007-02-19T13:54:00.000-08:00

Here is a term paper that my dad emailed to me. All spelling, grammar and punctuation are Jeremy's. Enjoy!

Jeremy Levine
Period 3

Coming in like El Niño!

El Niño is Spanish. It is the spanish word for child. Like all things spanish, it is dangerous. It kills people and burns down trees. This child is more than a child. It really isn’t a child at all. It is a storm. A deadly storm that kills people and burns down trees.

Warm water usuall builds up around australia. But not anymore with el niño. El Niño moves the warm water from australia to somewhere else, namely to other places. Where are these other places? These are places that also have water, but water that is usually not as warm as the warm water El Niño moves to these said other places. These other places are to the east. Of the water.

In Peru, they have many names for many things. One of the things they have names for is for people who go fishing, go fishing to make a living. If we had a word for this kind of people that word would be “fisherman”. But we don’t. In Peru, they have different names for things than we do in America. They call that kind of people “pescadores”. That’s Spanish. That’s what they speak in Peru. When El Niño comes, these “pescadores” can’t catch any fish. El Niño is caused when the Peruvian gods get angry. They have been angry for millions of years and have made El Niño for millions of years. Many many moons ago, the Peruvians committed human sacrifice to satiate their gods and end the flood that was caused by El Niño. In today’s modern dog-eat-dog work-a-day world of scientists, diplomats, McSalad Shakers, and George Bush, Jr., we no longer have access to such solutions. We are too proud. We will not commit human sacrifices. We refuse to satiate the Peruvian gods. Thus, they remain angry and keep killing us and burning down our trees with El Niño.

Instead of satiating the gods, many of these “scientists” have tried to control El Niño with “science”. They put up expensive fish-attracting-bueys that run on flashlight batteries. Imagine, fighting the power of the gods with flashlight batteries! Needless to say, this didn’t work and everyone died.

Clean and shiny

2007-02-12T02:49:00.000-08:00

I went to the dentist today. It had been about two years since I'd last seen Dr. Ellashek as I didn't have insurance and it was one of those costly things that was very easy to put off. Now that I have insurance, however, I figured I should take advantage of it and go to the dentist.

Of course, it's not a very pleasant experience, and whenever you mention to someone that you're going to the dentist, the person with whom you are speaking usually gets a horrified look on his or her face and makes a noise like "Ohhnnhshlghaie!"

Truthfully, I've never had a bad experience at the dentist. Once, I had to get a wisdom tooth pulled, and I was deathly afraid of getting the shot in my mouth. I told this to Dr. Ellashek, and he assured me that I wouldn't feel a thing. ("Yeah, right! that's what they all say", is what I was thinking) He pinched my cheek between his finger and thumb and jiggled it some then he said "There". It was finished. I had my shot, and he was right! I didn't feel a thing. He had my tooth pulled in about 5 minutes, and I was on my way.

Once, I had a soft spot on one of my teeth. It wasn't a cavity, but it could have turned into one, so he wanted to drill the soft spot off. He proceeded to drill without any novocaine. I expressed some concern, and again, he told me "Don't worry, you won't feel a thing." This time, however, he added, "But if you do, then we'll get you some novocaine." Again, I felt nothing.

So, today's trip to the dentist wasn't worrisome for me. In fact, I love the way my teeth feel after a good cleaning, and I like how they look shiny. I had x-rays, I had a cleaning, my teeth were polished and lastly, flossed. Dr. Ellashek came in, checked out my teeth and x-rays, pronounced that I was cavity-free and sent me on my way.

All in all, I had a pretty good visit with my dentist. I would recommend him to anyone who has a fear of all things dental.

I'm cranky

2007-02-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

Why do people come to work when they're sick? One of my co-workers came to work this morning with the flu, vomited twice in the restroom that those of us on this side of the building use, then went home. Thanks a lot. Now your fluey germs are floating around for the rest of us to catch.

I may not like it, but I can understand it when people who don't get paid sick days come to work when they're not feeling well. When you're living paycheck to paycheck, it's hard to miss a day of pay. But we get paid sick days here for crying out loud! Use them! Now I'm going to have to go around with my spray bottle of Clorox Daily Sanitizing Spray wiping down everything she might have touched. Bother!

I'm a tad bit cranky today. Not because I didn't sleep well, though. My pillow is still as awesome as it was the day I brought it home. I don't know what is bringing down my mood, I'm just having one of those days. I have some lame projects at work that are more of a hassle than they are fun or creative. I got scolded this morning for being late by, of all people, the cleaning lady!

I use the term "cleaning" lightly. Every morning, she gets out the vacuum cleaner and does the hallway. Actually, she does all the floors EXCEPT the art room. She'll come right up to the edge of the door, but never will she cross the plane and run that vacuum in here. The floors are filthy. She'll even go as far as standing in the artroom herself so she can manuever the vacuum to get the optimum angle for suction, but she'll never suck up one bit of dirt in here. Since I've been working here (for a year and a half now), she's not once come in here to clean. I'm always the one who has to do it. And she has the nerve to say anything to me about being five minutes late for work. Yeah, she made me cranky.

The vacuum cleaner is kept in a closet in the break room. She has put a sign on the door of the closet that she hand-wrote in big red Magic Marker, "KEEP OUT!" and something about asking her permission to get anything out of the closet. I'm going to go get the vacuum cleaner now, and I'm not going to ask permission. So there.

AN ATHEIST IN THE WOODS

2007-02-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

I know Sam is normally the one who brings us the jokes, but here's one I thought was pretty funny.

An atheist was walking through the woods. "What majestic trees! "What powerful rivers! "What beautiful animals!" he said to himself.

As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly charge towards looked over his shoulder & saw that the bear was closing in on him.

He looked over his shoulder again, & the bear was even closer. He tripped & fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw & raising his right paw to strike him. At that instant the Atheist cried out, "Oh my God!"

Time Stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. "You deny My existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident." Do you expect Me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer"? The atheist looked directly into the light, "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask You to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps You could make the BEAR a Christian"?

Very well," said the voice.

The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head & spoke:

"Lord, bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord, Amen."

Nuggets

2007-02-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

Why is it when you just sit down to watch the most anticipated show on TV, the doorbell rings and you get unexpected house guests? That happened to me last night right at 9:00 when 24 was coming on.

I answered the door thinking it might be my sister coming over to watch with me, but it wasn't. She (the person at the door, not my sister) asked me "What are you doing?" and I told her "I'm just sitting down to watch 24, my most favorite show on TV." Not getting the hint, she lingered in my doorway in the frigid cold, so I invited her in. To her credit, she didn't try to talk to me while 24 was on - only during the commercials. Truth be told, the company was a welcome surprise.

We got to leave early from work yesterday - at 4:30 instead of 5:00. A message came over the intercom that said "Due to the extreme cold, all team members (don't you just love the term "team members"?) are allowed to leave early today at 4:30." It was 4:20 when the message came. I was pretty excited. A half hour is a half hour after all. However, there are people I work with who just love to complain about anything, and they started complaining about this. "What difference does it make?", they said. "It's still going to be just as cold at 5:00!" While this may have been true, it wasn't the point as far as I was concerned. The point was, we got to go home early. The power that is at BJ Alan was trying to do something nice for us. I chose to take it for what it was, and gathered up my stuff to leave. I told all the complainers that since they didn't think it made any difference, they could just stay until 5:00. Of course none of them did. They all left early, complaining all the way out to the parking lot. I feel sorry for those people who can't find even a small measure of joy in the small nuggets we get daily.

We have choices to make on how we choose to view our lives. We can either look through jaded eyes, which I admit, I find myself doing on not-so-rare occasions, or we can look at things with a spirit of gratefulness. I was grateful for that half hour, and I was happy to see my friend. Two little nuggets in an otherwise routine day.

Pillows, Colts and Asphalt 23

2007-02-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to say, but I thought I'd keep you all updated on my mundane life.

One thing of importance did happen this weekend, though. I finally took down my Christmas tree! This is nothing unusual for me, though you should see the looks I get when I tell people it's still up in February. The thing is, it takes so long to put up, and it's so time-consuming to do it, that once it's up, I dread the thought of all the work it is to take it down. That, and it's beautiful (if I do say so myself), and I love to have it on at night. The lights give my living room such a warm glow. Since I didn't put it up until Christmas Eve, I needed all this time to enjoy it before I put it away for another year.

Oh yeah! Another thing of importance happened this weekend, too. Asphalt 23 is back in action! We had our first practice on Saturday morning after a long, long winter break. Have I ever mentioned how much I love playing with these guys? We just mix so well. Even after two months, we didn't lose that much. We've got some things booked coming up, so it was encouraging to know that we can be ready for them. Also, Rob has written a couple of great songs that I can't wait to learn.

On Friday, February 23, we're playing at a theater in Girard that has been turned into a church. This church is starting a Friday night concert/coffee house idea where people can come and hang out, listen to bands, have snacks, etc., and be exposed to the gospel. It's being held from 7-11 p.m., and there will be two bands, plus someone giving the gospel message - not a sermon - just "a word" (that's how it was described to me). The kick-off for this is on the 23rd, and I'm pretty excited to be able to play for this.

Then in March, we're leading worship at Old North Church on March 11, and we're playing for Old North's youth worship night the following week on March 18.

I got a new pillow for my bed this weekend, too. It's one of those memory foam pillows. I've been wanting to try one for quite some time. I've had problems with my neck since I was 18 years old and in a car accident. I was rear-ended by someone going about 40 mph. I was at a complete stop. I broke my neck. Since then, I've always had some degree of pain in my neck. I've always wanted to try one of those memory foam pillows, but they were always so expensive. Kohl's was having a great sale this weekend, and I ended up getting a $60 pillow for $22. They had a bed set up in the store to showcase one of the bedspreads they were selling, so I took the pillow and lied down on that bed to try it out before I bought it. It seemed pretty comfortable. I must say, actually sleeping on it was something else indeed! I can't remember the last time I slept so well! That pillow is one fantastic piece of foam. I love my new pillow, and will take it wherever I have to lay my head.

Of course, on Sunday, I watched the Superbowl. I was happy to see the Colts win. I've been a Colts fan since I was a very young girl. My fondness for the Colts can't be attributed to any player or coach, but to the horse shoe on their helmets. Being a horsey freak starting from a very young age, I liked anything "horsey". For some reason, the Broncos didn't do it for me. It was the Colts. I remember going to an IHop for breakfast with my family one morning, and they were giving away NFL helmet magnets. My brother got the Bears, my sister got the Oilers, and I got the Colts! I still have my brother's and sister's magnets, but sadly, I can no longer find the Colts helmet magnet.

Oh yeah! I took a three hour nap on Saturday afternoon. It was before I got the pillow, but it was a fine sleep nonetheless.

To the top!

2007-01-26T07:24:00.000-08:00

Reading Sam's post about his burning desire to thru-hike the Trail, got me thinking about my own dreams and such. Like Sam, I have often thought that thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail would be something I would like to do someday. I love the outdoors – I love sleeping in it, eating in it – just living my life in it. I love to camp, though I haven't done it in a while. There's nothing quite like waking up and stepping out of your tent to start a fire and have your morning coffee outside. I love it. And, I love doing anything physical outside. Does it get any better than spending a day on a mountain skiing? That's why I can fully identify with Sam and his wanting to spend six months outside in some of the most beautiful lands that this country has to offer. What an experience!

When I was younger, my dream was to climb Mt. Everest. However, at around $30,000 to do it, it was never really a very realistic one. For about one year, though, I read everything I could on the subject, from the people and customs of Nepal and Tibet, to accounts of countless exhibitions that had tried (both successfully and unsuccessfully) to reach the summit of the tallest peak in the world. I researched what gear I would need, the effects of oxygen deprivation on the human body, training regimens, etc. I even started working out in the oxygen deprivation room at the gym to see what it was like moving around at altitude.

Even the base camp at Everest is at a much higher altitude than what we're used to. Base camp at Everest is at 17,500 feet. At Base camp, you're looking at just a little more than 1/2 the oxygen than that at sea level. It gets less as you go up to the successive camps. There are four more camps between base camp and the summit. At the summit, you're standing on top of the world at 29,035 ft. On a good day, the temperature is at -15 degrees F, and on a not-so-good day, it could get as low as -100 degrees F. At this altitude, there is only a third of the oxygen than that at sea level. Most people are using supplemental oxygen, but there are those that have done it without. Can you imagine that?! To put this into perspective, jet planes fly at a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet. Humans can do amazing things, no?

Anyway, it takes a lot of money, and about a month to climb Everest. Because of these restrictions (that and the dangerous Khumbu Icefalls!) this was never really in my reach. It was fun to dream, though! Someday, I'd just like to hike up to base camp.

By the way, the Khumbu Icefalls lie between base camp and camp one. They are a MOVING SEA OF ICE that climbers cross using ordinary aluminum ladders. At any given time, a huge crevasse can form where there wasn't one just a little time before. The ice is MOVING!

I did get to climb a mountain while I was in New Zealand. It was physically very challenging, and one of the coolest things I've ever done. I summited a little mountain called Mt. Fyfe. Nothing even close to Everest, but a great experience just the same. It took eight hours, and I went from a rain forest at the base, to snow capped peaks at the summit. I had good shoes, a well-packed pack, and good company. I'll never forget that day.

My list of threes

2007-01-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

This list has been going around among us, and as of yet, I have not done mine. Since I don't necessarily like these lists, but don't want my friends to be mad at me, I've decided to do a list. Not the list that's been going around, however. I'm going to do my own list of threes. Rob, you were the one person I thought I could count on to back me up on the ignoring of the list. So disappointing. Then, I thought you were brilliant with what I thought was a clever subterfuge, but alas, you actually did the list, which leaves me out here looking bad all by myself.

Here's my list:

Three words I like (I can't help but like these words. Whenever I say any of them, they make me smile):
- Baby. Awwww. They have such cute faces and cute hands.
- Kitten. They have such cute faces and cute feet.
- Jesus. Beautiful face. Beautiful hands.
(Oh yeah. Imbecile. I love that word :)

Three words I hate (this one I can't explain. I trust you all won't use these in successive sentences the next time you see me.)
- chipotle (huh? Like to eat the yummy burritos, I just don't like the sound of the actual word, nor do I like the way it makes my mouth feel when I say it.)
- toiletries
- slough (this one just sounds gross)

My three favorite things to do:
- spend time with my family
- martial arts
- ride a spirited horse
- travel to cool places by myself. Okay. That's four. But this one was a toss-up, and this is my list; I can make my own rules. I can put four things on my list of threes if I deem any two items a tie.

Three things I hate to do:
- wake up to an alarm clock
- websites (I hate designing websites. I don't know why, I just do. I have to do them quite often, too, so I really should try to get over this one.)
- say goodbye

Three of my greatest accomplishments:
- Making my parents proud of me
- The gymnastics trophy I won when I was 15. (I don't know why this one stands out in my mind, but it does. What a great feeling it was.)
- Finishing the Columbus marathon within time goal I set for myself.

Three regrets:
- My failed marriage (I just feel like I could have done something more)
- My actions immediately following the passing of my good friend's mother. It may be too late to make things right.
- Not going to Arkansas for my grandmother's funeral.

My three favorite smells:
- Mountain air
- Thanksgiving dinner
- A baby after a bath

My three least favorite smells:
- Dog poop
- Broccoli cooking
- A baby before a bath

Three things I will never do:
- Speed dating
- Jump through a flaming ring on a motorcycle
- Tag three people for this list.

Now, if only I could figure out how to password protect it…

She's Sorry

2007-01-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

Wonders never cease. The SM apologized! She actually apologized! She has NEVER done that before. I'm shocked! Astounded! Amazed! Flabbergasted! Dumbfounded! Blown over, bowled over, floored, nonplussed, overwhelmed, speechless! (well, obviously not speechless) :).

I got an email from her the last night with a very heartfelt apology, and a plea for forgiveness. Of course, she did offer up some excuses for her appalling behavior (leave it to me to be cynical), but nonetheless, I will give her credit for the apology. I noticed that I wasn't the only one listed on the list of recipients, either. She sent it to everyone who was there that night.

So, back to my cynical self…
Behavior that bad should have been followed up with a personal phone call to every single person, not a blanket email. She took the coward's way out as far as I'm concerned. But, at least it's an apology, and it's not something she's ever offered up before - email or no email.

I hope this is a positive sign that she's finally growing up a bit. We'll see.

Correction

2007-01-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry for all the typos and the grammar/agreement errors on my previous post. I was on a rampage, and after I was finished, I didn't feel like proof-reading it. It's better now. My sanity, and my post.

Seriously, it's shrink time.

2007-01-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

For those of you who may not know this, I went to my Dad's this weekend for a visit. My stepmom, in all her cheesy glory, decided that she wanted to have a "renewal of the vows" ceremony for their 25th Anniversary. She made it just like a wedding… there was a ceremony where she walked down the isle, exchanged rings, said vows, etc. She had a reception, she sent out invitations with (get this) a registry card! She was registered! All day, she kept referring to herself as "the bride". My dad, poor soul, just went along with it. He could have cared less about having this huge ordeal. She's such a *&%#@ that if he objected, she'd make his life more miserable than it already is. She's all about being the center of attention. As long as everything is about her, she's happy as a clam. (Are clams really that happy?) My dad and stepmonster (from here forward to be know as the SM) live in Texas, so I bought a plane ticket that cost me $320 that I couldn't afford. PLUS… she asked me to be her photographer because she didn't want to have to hire one. So I had to lug my camera with me the whole way, too.

The day of the "event" the SM was flitting around telling all of us what to do, but not stepping in and helping out for her own stupid party. The whole morning my aunts (two of her sisters and her mother all made the trip to attend - all of whom I like) and I worked hard to decorate the hall for her. The lady who did the flowers was there to decorate this stupid arch the SM rented from Hobby Lobby. She rented two candelabra as well that were so cheap that the lit candles kept falling out of it during the ceremony. HA! HA!

After decorating the hall all morning (did I mention that she didn't help at all?), we went back home until the time of the shindig. The SM left to get her hair done. The lady who does her hair is a good friend, and I had asked the SM the day before if I could go at the same time she did to get a hair cut as well. With the holidays and all and how hectic everything has been, I didn't have time beforehand to get my hair trimmed. It was really no big deal, I just thought if Rosamine (that's the hair dresser, and she's AWESOME!) had time…

Well, the SM didn't ask, of course. She so selfish that she wouldn't want to think someone else would have nicer hair than hers. I know that's probably what she was thinking. She did it on purpose. My hair is nicer than hers anyway, even un-trimmed.

Anyway, after she got back, she and my dad got dressed and were getting ready to go. They had to be there earlier than the rest of us. Earlier in the day, I had mentioned to my dad about needing a back-up set of batteries for my flash. He said that they had some, and he'd make sure got them. With everything else that was going on, we both forgot about it until they were walking out the door. My dad was already outside, so I asked the SM about the batteries. I just wanted to know where they were kept. She storms back in and yanks open this drawer and starts rooting around in there, producing for me 2 AA batteries. I needed four. This made her extremely angry and she yelled at me something about "Why do you need so many!", so I pushed her aside and said "Leave! I can look for them myself!" Which is what I intended in the first place. I spent all this money on a plane ticket, saved her at least $500 when I agreed to be the photographer; the least she could do is supply me with four AA batteries! $%*#@!

All's well at the party. Besides the candles, the ceremony goes off without a hitch. She's acting all prima-donna-ish with her "crown" in her hair. (It was just a sparkly head-band thingy, but she kept calling it a crown. GAG.) The food was outstanding, and the DJ played good music. Most people left right after the cake cutting (yes, they even had a wedding cake and they cut it). There were only 40 people there including all of us family. After most of the guests left, it was pretty much just the family and three other couples. Well, that made her mad, too, that people would have the nerve to leave her party early. I'm sure most of them came for my dad, anyway. I doubt many people actually buy into her phony act. But all of us that were there had a great time. I got to dance with my daddy, which is always a meaningful thing to me. I adore my father, and any time I get to spend with him is worth everything I have to put up with in order to do it.

After all the festivities are over, it's time for the clean-up. Of course, the SM didn't help AT ALL. I guess she was afraid her crown might fall off.

During the event, I got a chance to talk to Rosamine, and we made plans to get together the following day to do my hair. We planned a 2:00 appointment. The SM was planning a HUGE turkey dinner for 4:00, so that should have been plenty of time for the hair. Of course, the SM invited all these people over for dinner the next day - again, she loves to be the center of attention.

Sunday dawns clear and sunny and 60 degrees! My dad and I had planned some father/daughter time and were going to go shopping at this great outdoor market there in The Woodlands where my dad lives. We had planned to leave at noon, that way we could shop for a little while, then he could take me to Rosamine's for my hair appointment, then Rosamine and I would come back to the houses for dinner. Good plan, right? Yeah, except that the SM couldn't stand the thought that my dad would do something and not include her. We were willing to have the SM and her sisters come along, but they weren't ready yet, and we were pressed for time. So we said we'd meet them there. Well, we did see them there, but the SM walked right by us and turned her head away and told here sisters "Don't talk to them." Oh, grow up! Her sisters were both so angry at her. All day they tried talking sense into the SM, but she didn't listen. She so sick in the head that she never thinks she does anything wrong; she thinks she's completely justified in acting the way she does.

My dad and I had a wonderful time shopping by ourselves despite her snub (I was glad she didn't want to be with us. I think my dad was, too.). Afterwards, he dropped me off at Rosamine's hair studio and headed home. Well, my hair took longer that we anticipated because when I got there, Rosamine decided that she wanted to do highlights and lowlights, too. So, we were running a little late for the turkey dinner. Rosamine's phone rang and I told her "I bet that's Barb." Sure enough, it was. "Where are you! Everything is ready!" Rosamine teld her to start without us, and we left about 5 minutes later. It took us about 10 minutes to get home, and when we pulled in the driveway, my dad, and my two aunts are sitting outside. Bad sign. The SM was on a rampage. She became seriously unglued - screaming and yelling about how everyone left her party early, and how no one bothered to show up for her turkey dinner (two people out of four that she invited did come), and how dare I not bring enough batteries, and why didn't I make sure my hair was done before I came down there, and that it was weird that my dad wanted to spend time with me alone without her, and on and on and on and on about anything she could find to complain about. By the time I arrived, she had locked herself in her bedroom and she was crying uncontrollably. My two aunts, who have been putting up with this for longer that anyone else there, were so fed up with her behavior that they swear they are never coming back for a visit. They don't want to see her again. She was saying mean and hateful things; she doesn't care who she hurts or offends. Her sister said it best "She's a mean, mean bitch. My sister is a mean, mean bitch." She's a spoiled prima-donna who thinks that if the world isn't revolving around her, then there is something seriously wrong, and she thinks that screaming and crying and pouting will get her what she wants. First, my cousin goes into her bedroom - comes out a failure, next Rosamine - failure. Next is Sandie, her youngest sister - failure. Bev, her older sister, the one who called her a mean, mean bitch, doesn't even play into her tantrum. Last her mom goes in and finally coaxes her out by telling her that she can open her presents from the party after we eat. Oh Brother! Once again, she becomes the center of attention as everyone tells her how delicious everything is, then gathers around to watch her open presents. Are you all sufficiently sickened yet? Meanwhile, my aunts were getting online trying to find flights out that night instead of waiting until the next day. They had no luck.

All this happened on New Year's Eve, so needless to say, I was up in bed very early. I was reading when I heard fireworks going off, so I guess I did stay up late enough to see the new year come in.

The next morning, I woke up early and the only other person who was awake was my grandma. She and I had a nice time talking and drinking coffee until the SM woke up and busted up our happy time. She came into the kitchen with a scowl on her face and proceeded to start putting away the clean dishes from the night before that were left in the drying rack. She was slamming cupboard doors and making quite a noise. I figured I'd help out and unload the dishwasher. Just as I was getting started, she said to me in her snotty voice "Don't bother. I'll do it. You don't know where anything goes and I'll just have to be looking for everything you put away for the next two weeks." I calmly closed the dishwasher and said to her "Okay. Suit yourself." She proceeds solo with her slamming and her noise-making and successfully woke up everyone else who was still sleeping.

My dad and I left for the airport soon after, and my two aunts were very jealous that I got to leave so early. They still had four more hours of the SM.

You know, she never apologized? Not to the company that we had over, and certainly not to anyone in the family.

It's good to be home.

Kitchen Finished (pretty much)

2006-12-19T09:46:00.000-08:00

Since my kitchen is pretty much finished, I thought I'd post some photos. I still have to caulk and paint the trim, and I want to get window coverings, but I've run out of money. I have the caulk and paint I need, but for that, I've run out of ambition. I have a five-day weekend coming up for Christmas, hopefully I can get myself motivated enough to paint the trim before I have my family over on Christmas. But, this will give you an idea of what my kitchen looks like. Even since these photos were taken, I've added a few more touches. Once it's completely finished, I'll post some final photos. The table you see in the picture is one that my sister's in-laws were kind enough to loan to me until I can get a leg made for mine. You know the one; the infamous Home Depot "we threw your leg away" table? Anyway, I still have an antique breakfront that will go in the kitchen as well. I just need to get the trim painted first.

In the dark. At least for a little while.

2006-12-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

I came into work this morning, running my customary "five minutes" (it's really more like 10) late, to find that we had no power! All of downtown Youngstown was out! I was thrilled, to say the least. The word on the street is that a generator had blown "up on the hill". I don't know which hill they were talking about, but who cares? I had an unexpected day off in my near future. And on such a good-weather day, too. I was already planning on what I'd be doing in the park today. But, alas! It only took the electric company 45 minutes to fix that generator. They are just too efficient for their own good. Well, for my good, really. But still. Damn.

If a table is missing one leg, can it still stand?

2006-11-29T07:59:00.000-08:00

The answer is a resounding NO!

Here's the story:
When I moved, two legs of my dining room table had to be removed in order to get the table out of the doorway. Since I've been working on the kitchen, the two-legged table and its two lose legs have been sitting in the basement waiting for the day when it could be re-assembled and put back in the kitchen. (I don't have a dining room; there is an eating area in the kitchen). I looked everywhere for the bolts that would attach the legs back onto the table. Finally, I bugged Rob on Thanksgiving to see if he could remember what we did with them. Come to find out, he had the bolts. No problem. My dad was in town, and we were headed to Home Depot to get some stuff, so we decided we'd take one of the legs with us and find some bolts that would work. We found what we needed and got a lot of other stuff, too. My dad got me my Christmas gifts while we were there. I'm set with a lot of nice tools, now :).

Anyway, we get through the checkout, and we load all our purchases into my Beetle. We had to put the back seat down as we had some large items. (a trash can, a folding table for down in my basement by the washer and dryer, and a large box that held a set of tools that is still making me drool!) We then headed to the grocery store, then home. The next day, we go to put the table together, and can't find the leg. I realize we must have left it at Home Depot, so I call the store and sure enough, they had the table leg. The girl I talked to, however, could not find it, but said the associate who had found the leg would be in tomorrow and that he would know exactly where it was.

The next day, my dad and I go to Home Depot to get the leg. We find the guy who found the leg, and he goes to get it for us and it's not where he left it. He looks around and can't find it, so he tells us to come back at 5:00 when the manager gets in. He seems to think the manager had put it in a "safe place". My dad and I head back to Home Depot at about 5:30, and we see the same guy who found the leg. I look hopefully to him to be the deliverer of the leg and he informs me "They threw your leg away."

"What!?" I scream. "You threw it away?! It's not like it was a scrap piece of lumber! It was a lathed solid oak table leg!" At this outburst, everyone who was in the area was looking at me. The guy who had found the leg told me he even put a note on it saying Do Not Throw Away. Hmmmph. They did it anyway.

After getting the 800 number for the corporate complaint department, all they were willing to give me was a gift card for 10% of the cost of the table. It was an $800 table (at least, that's what I told them), so I'm getting an $80 gift card. Great. I'm pretty much done with the kitchen, I've got enough tools to start my own contracting business, and their stupidity left such a bad taste in my mouth that I never want to shop there again. Replace the table! At least pay for a custom leg to be made. $80! It's not even cash! It's $80 that I have to spend in their stupid store. What a joke. Now, I take some responsibility in this because I left the leg in the cart. Had someone taken it and it was never found, then shame on me. But, they did find it, and I called about it, and they knew I was coming for it. Seems to me this mulit-billion dollar company could have given me a couple hundred dollars to get a new leg made.

GO TO LOWE'S EVERYONE! GO TO LOWE'S!

Or that Tractor Supply Company. (Something like that). They have funny commercials.

Oh yeah. I have to add this:
My five-year-old niece, Jackie, was at my house when I got home from Home Depot and was fuming about the leg. She asked me what was wrong, and I told her about the Home Depot people throwing away my table leg. She asks me "Well, don't you do Tae Kwon Do?" I tell her "yes." To which she says "Well, why didn't you just Tae Kwon Do them to make them give you another leg?" HA HA HA! She's a funny girl.

Kitchen Update

2006-11-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd keep you all updated on my progress in the kitchen. It's coming right along! I'm happy to say that everything I'm doing now is actually making my kitchen look better instead of worse!

I've gotten most of the painting finished. The walls are done, and I've got one more coat to do on the cabinet frames. To finish the cabinets, I have to turn the doors over and paint the other side. The painting of the cabinets has taken awhile because the frame required primer and two coats of paint, and for the doors, I had to prime one side, wait for it to dry, prime the other side, wait for it to dry, paint one side, wait for it to dry, and now I have to turn them over and paint the fronts.

Following are the photos documenting my recent labor. Rememeber- I HAVE A VISION! I must warn you, the colors I chose are BOLD! But, it's all coming together just as I pictured and it's going to look nice. Kind of like that dress that looks ugly on the hanger, but once you put it on, it looks fabulous.

Here are my two-tone walls. I'm going to put up a chair rail, so the squiggly line bisecting the two colors will be covered.

I'm painting the frames of the cabinets a color called Turkish Coffee. It's a deep brown and it's RICH! It looks good next to the burnt orange and the cream of the walls.

The doors of the cabinets will be the same color as the top half of the walls. Here they are down in the basement waiting to get the other side painted.

I'm finishing the cabinets tonight, and starting on the tile. Exciting, huh? Stay tuned for more updates!

My kitchen remodel

2006-11-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

As you know, I've been spending almost every bit of spare time trying to remodel my kitchen. I want to have it done before Thanksgiving when my dad and stepmom are going to come stay with me. Unfortunately, I didn't start taking photos to document the occasion until recently, so I don't have pictures from the very beginning, but I'll keep you photographically posted from here on out.

The first thing I did was rip off the chair rail and baseboards and tear up the floor. The floor was some '70s-era linoleum that was made to look like parquet flooring. It was hideous. After the floor was up, I screwed down cement board over the existing floor. This is what I'll lay the tile down on. That's where the photos pick up. The next task was to strip two layers of ugly wallpaper. I tried everything until I finally used the steamer which worked great.

That is the steamer that I so love.

Next, I had to patch a whole in the wall that a slightly overzealous Dan decided to tear into it when I mentioned I might want to cut a window in that wall that would look into the living room.

Now, the wallpaper is finally gone!

Then I had to patch this hole. There was an old out-of-use exhaust fan in the ceiling. It made quite a mess getting it out.

Next, I had to fill in all the nicks and holes in the wall with Durabond, which is a find drywall powder that, when water is added, turns into a paste with the consistency of frosting. You basically take a putty knife and "frost" the walls.

Last night, I sprayed the walls with a drywall splatter. It will look great when I'm done. You can't really see the texture in the photos. But I took a close-up so you can sort of get the idea. I bought a five gallon bucket of wet drywall and then added more water to make it a little less stiff. I added it into the hopper of this thing that was hooked up to an air compressor. When you pull the trigger, the drywall shoots out and splatters on the wall (I did the ceiling, too). After it dries a little, you take a wide putty knife and smooth it out a little bit so it's not so bumpy. You're left with a really cool texture.

There's that ugly '80s era chair that keeps hanging around. With a floor from the '70s and a chair from the '80s, I'm on my way to having the decades well-represented. I bet the wallpaper was from the '90s.

This is a photo of the texture.

My mom's cornbread stuffing

2006-11-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

There is not a set "recipe" for my mom's stuffing, but I'll tell you how to make it, and if you have any questions, you can call the Brenda Stuffing Hotline at 555-STUF.

1. Make your cornbread at least two days in advance. In whatever cornbread recipe you use, make sure you add an extra egg and about 2 tablespoons of applesauce.

2. Get a package of chicken parts (you can use turkey, but chicken makes it taste better) and boil the chicken. You'll use the broth in the stuffing, as well as the chicken meat.

3. Crumble the cornbread into the baking dish.

4. Soak 4-5 broken up slices of stale bread in milk then put in into the pan with the cornbread.

5. Chop 1 medium onion, a green pepper (you don't have to use the green pepper, but my family likes the way it tastes), and a cup of celery (chopped).

6. Add sage, salt and pepper to taste.

7. Add the chicken you boiled earlier to the and a couple of eggs and mix it up!

8. Use the broth from the boiled chicken to pour over the stuffing. It will get soaked up, so keep pouring until there is a very fine layer of broth covering the stuffing. This will cook down. If you like your stuffing to be a little dryer, don't use as much broth. But add enough so that it doesn't end up too dry.

9. Set the oven at 350 and bake it long enough to absorb the broth and for the stuffing to get a crust on the top.

You can use a fork to check it. When you pull it out, you want the fork to be moist, but not wet.

When you take it out of the oven, don't cover it.

That's it. Let me know if you make it and how it turned out.

2006-11-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

Remember a couple of posts ago I mentioned the woman I work with? The one of whom I am not too fond?

This post is inspired by her.

I've come to realize that the sound of her voice - not just the tone of the actual noise she makes when she opens her mouth to speak, but the sound of her dry lips, tongue and mouth making that disgusting smacking sound as it all sticks together because she doesn't drink enough water - makes my blood pressure rise.

...The way she walks around with a superior attitude because she thinks no one is as intelligent as she is with her PhD. You know what it takes to get a PhD? Money and time. Time and money.

...The way she's trying to put her thumbprint on everything - including things that don't concern her.

...The way she dresses in nothing but black.

...The way her breath smells. That goes back to not drinking enough water.

...The way she's supposed to be the "Director of Advertising and Public Relations", but has no idea what time the Ice Zone is open, what the ticket prices are to a Phantoms Hockey game, what the difference is between a repeater and a firecracker, or that we artists actually have a clue as to what "point size" means. Yes, she actually asked if we knew what to do with point size.

...The way she takes one thing I say, like "I wish Andy wouldn't have just dumped his broken monitor in the art room", and makes a company-wide stink about it and makes me just want to hide in shame and take back the words.

You can't say anything without her jumping on it; you can't do anything without her reading a novel into it, and you can't give her an opinion because she already thinks her over-educated brain knows it all.

In thinking about all this, and dreading coming to work every day more than ever, I realize that when I'm around her, I become someone else. I'm downright mean; I say things that I would never normally dream of saying. It just goes to show that the enemy can use anything or anyone to make us fall and to make us look bad in the eyes of non-believers. And lately, he's been succeeding with me.

Yesterday, on my way to work, I prayed that the power of the Spirit in me would help me see her the way Jesus sees her so that I could show her the same kind of love. Let me tell you, even with the Spirit, that was a hard thing to do. I wouldn't say I showed her love, but at least I was able to keep my mouth shut and not say anything at all. I'll keep on praying, try to keep on loving, and one day, I'll conquer this intense dislike I have for this woman. I don't think we'll ever be friends, but Jesus never said we had to be friends with everyone. He wasn't friends with everyone, nor did He trust everyone. But, he did LOVE everyone and that's what I have to keep in mind.

Until I can do that, I'll keep on praying.

The best way to strip wallpaper...

2006-11-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

...is a steamer.

I love the steamer! I want to kidnap the steamer and run away to Canada where no one will ever find us. There will be people all across Canada who come home to bare walls.

I should have just rented the darn thing from the very beginning. But people who were supposedly "in the know" about the whole thing told me not to use the steamer - that the DIF stuff was better. Wrong!

In just two short hours, I stripped more wallpaper than I had in two weeks! Now granted, that two weeks wasn't a solid two weeks - I'd work on the stripping between other things, but it was slow going, and I was getting discouraged. The steamer came along and changed my life. Now the work I'll be doing in my kitchen will actually start to make it look better instead of making it look worse. It's getting there. Slowly but surely, it's getting there.

I took some photos of the kitchen before I stripped off all the wallpaper. I'll start posting some progress photos. Stay tuned!

My terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.

2006-11-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

Today was the worst day I've had in a very long time.

There is this that was hired here at my place of employent and I don't like her very much. She is one of those people that just the sound of their voice is irritating. Add to that the fact that she's an exhausing know-it-all, has the breath of a demon of hell and the face to match, and you've got a person who pushes every button I have. She loves to make others look bad to make herself look good instead of just doing her own job well. She has made everyone elses business her business (at least she's tried), and has made an enemy of just about everyone in this company. Well, today she was made my boss. YES! In two weeks, I will have to pass everything by her. My current supervisor quit (which is quite common for those who find themselves with his job title. In the last 11 years, there's been 12 of them!), and she will be taking over his duties. Oh! Did I tell you she talks to intelligen people with the same voice I use to explain things to my five-year old neice? Nice. (Neice, nice - ha! ha! ha!) I'm cracking up.

So, yesterday at 5:00, she comes into the artroom and proceeds to "discuss" one of my projects with me that happens to be on a very tight deadline (today, to be precise). She starts of with "Who told you to do this?" That immdiately got my hackles raised because I had a feeling she wanted to change it and put her stamp on it like she is trying to do with everything around here. How DID we get along without her? I didn't answer and she proceeds to try to argue with me about it. Basically I told her to get bent because I wasn't changing because I'd miss my deadline. She made some crack about my not wanting to do it because it was 5:00. That got me angry and I let her have it. In a semi-calm and precise way. I said my piece, and I left.

So I make it to my martial arts class (late), and I'm waiting for this guy to arrive who was supposed to come at 6:00 to talk to me about teaching classes for his program. He arrived just as I was leaving, of course. So, I had to stay and talk to him, and he made me late to get home to catch "My Name is Earl". I get home about 9 minutes after 8:00 and my cats are screaming at me to feed them. The usual ritual is that I feed them right when I get home. I was waiting until a commercial, since I'd already missed some of the show anyway. It wasn't fast enough for my kitten, so she squats right in front of me and pees on the carpet! AAAHHHHH! By this point, my blood pressure is through the roof, and I'm seeing red. My sister had this same problem with her cat at one point, so I called her for her opinion on how to get the smell out of the carpet and she informs me that she had everything I would need to remedy my situation. I put my coat on over my pajamas, and drive to her house to pick up the stuff. When I get home, however, I realize that I have locked myself out of my house.

I have to call a locksmith who charges $115 to unlock the door. I summoned some tears and got the cost down to $85. Still, a hard lesson learned.

Don't hesitate to feed the cats, and get a spare key made.

Sorry if there are a lot of grammatical/spelling errors in this post. It's 5:00 and I'm heading home.

CATS!

2006-10-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Okay. I got a new camera, and I want to play with it. However, the only thing of interest I have to photograph at home is my cats. Here's a few photos I took of them last night. Bear with me. They are so cute, and I do so love them; in light of that, you all will be subject to many pictures of them - especially now that I have a new digital camera. Soon, you guys will be wishing I had more going on in my life and wasn't some crazy cat lady. Take heart! I'm heading west at the end of the month, and you'll be seeing plenty of photos of the Grand Canyon and the Painted Dessert when I return. Also, stay tuned for pictures of my new house! I'm closing next week :) But for now, CATS!

The photo where Marcel-Henri comes up close to the camera and makes his face blurry makes me laugh! He's such a silly cat.

Hockey Girl

2006-10-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd show you all what I've been working on. This is the cover for the Phantoms game program. These are the helmets the goalies wear, and I thought they'd make a cool shot for the cover. I photographed them outside since natural lighting is always the way to go if you can get it. They were a little chipped and beat up, but nothing that some Photoshop magic couldn't fix! Add a little lightning and a scary face floating in the background and presto! You have a hockey program cover. Easy, huh?

P.S. GiantEagleWhiteCakewithWhippedCreamFrosting!

Randomness

2006-10-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

I don't have anything earth-shattering to share today - no new baby or anything like that, but I thought I'd keep up the semi-regular posts so you all have some idea what's going on with me.

I'm waiting to close on the new house. It's very exciting! It should happen next week, so next weekend might be a very busy one for me :) Not only will I be moving in and remodeling my kitchen, Asphalt 23 is playing at Mt. Olivet again for their Family Fun Day.

Oh! This weekend is my birthday! Sunday, to be exact. I'll be 29. Again. So, you know what that means? GiantEagleWhiteCakewithWhippedCreamFrosting! Oh, I do so love that cake.

Let's see. What else?

I got a very nice new camera! It's a Nikon D70 Digital SLR. I have a few huge jobs coming up on the horizon and I'll need a good camera. Basically, it's taking pictures of sports teams - both the team shots and individual shots. A guy I work with has a few huge jobs that he's asked if I would like to be a part of, so, I said "of course!" It could turn out to be very lucrative :) Anyway, the camera is beautiful, and you'll probably be seeing a lot more photographs from me.

Work has gotten insane! All of a sudden, I'm hockey girl. Every hockey job that comes in, I get it. I'm currently doing the game program for the Phantoms, along with buttons, player photos that hang in the rink, ads for the program, etc. Now, come to find out, my boss who owns the Phantoms, also owns the YSU Hockey Club. It's a strange set-up actually. The team is the YSU Team, but YSU has nothing to do with them. It's just their logo on the jersey. We have a Mahoning Valley Hockey Empire here at BJ Alan, and I am the official hockey designer. After I get finished with all the Phantoms stuff, I have to do all the YSU hockey stuff. Hmmmm. No fireworks designs for me this year. At least very few. What with all this hockey design, I won't have the time for fireworks.

Better go. Pucks and things await.

I'll leave you with one last thought, though...
GiantEagleWhiteCakewithWhippedCreamFrosting!

Something to read, anyway.

2006-09-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

This post if for Sam. I feel honored that he added me to his list, so in turn, I'm going to give him something from me to read today.

The main thing that's happening to me right now is that I am buying a house. I wasn't really looking, though it has been on my mind a lot more lately. About a week and a half ago, my sister called me and said she had found the perfect house for me. She was at an open house in the neighborhood, and wanted me to come right away to look at it because the realtor was leaving. I went to look at it, fell in love with it, and made an offer that day. The next day, the sellers and I came to an agreement, and now the waiting begins. I have to say, buying a house is very stressful. I had to get an inspector out there, he found a minor problem with the driveway that needed fixed, so then I had to get someone out there to give me an estimate to fix that. Then, I had to go back to the sellers to have them agree to fix it before I bought it. They have agreed, so the contract has been signed, and everything is a go. Now I just have to wait for closing. It's a small house - only 952 square feet, but I don't need anything more than that. The only thing that needs work is the kitchen. I'm going to have to strip some ugly wallpaper and add some paint, and put in a new floor and a new sink. The cabinets need replaced, but for now, I'm just going to clean them up and paint them. Other than that, the house is in perfect condition. Every other room has been remodeled, and the basement has been waterproofed. The roof and the windows are less than a year old. It really is a beautiful little house.

In other news...
My Houston Astros are making a run for the NL West title again! They've pulled to with 1-1/2 games of the league-leading Cardinals. Just last week in a head-to-head meeting, the Astros swept the Cards in four games! They're in Pittsburgh tonight playing the Pirates and I'm trying to work things out so I can go to the game. That would be fun, no? A week ago, they were 8-1/2 games out of first with a division title seemingly out of grasp. But they've had a run of seven straight wins, and the Cards have helped them out with seven straight losses. (four of them to the Astros, of course!). Anyway, it's exciting and it just goes to show you that Yogi Berra's famous phrase is true - "It ain't over 'til it's over!"

Babette

2006-09-27T01:55:00.000-07:00

This is Babette. She is my new kitten. Isn't she adorable?

I call her "Babs". My mom gave her to me. At her work, they found a mother cat with a litter of kittens that they adopted. They've been trying to find homes for all the babies, and I was the lucky recipient of this one. Marcel-Henri loves her, thankfully. I was a little concerned about how he might react to her, but he was a real champ and has really taken a liking to his new friend. I'll post a picture of him, too. I love this one; it looks like he's smiling.

It's about pie

2006-09-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

So, there has been a nasty rumor going around that the pie shortage in this town is the Osborns fault. I am here to squelch that rumor once and for all. For as of now, rumor becomes fact! I have pictoral proof that the Osborns are to blame:

Feeling the pressure

2006-09-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

Okay. I've been tagged twice now, so I'm going to go ahead and do this.

1. What are you reading now? The Bible. It was my goal to read it cover to cover this year. I've only reached Psalms, so I don't know if I'll accomplish what I set out to do, but I won't give up the goal of reading the whole thing, even if it takes me longer than a year,

2. What’s the best book you’ve read this year? Well, the Bible.

3. What’s your favorite work of historical fiction? At the risk of sounding hopelessly out of touch, I'll admit I never even heard the term "historical fiction" before I met my new favorite author, Elizabeth Osborn. So, I guess I'd have to say that my favorite work of historical fiction is Atrocity Gods. I only got to read the first few chapters of long-ago draft, but man, was it good!

4. Pick a random book from your shelves and write down its first sentence. Does it make you want to read more?
"It took me a long time and most of the world to know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured."
Gregory David Roberts - Shantaram

Sure. I'll read more.

5. Have you ever read a book and wished that you’d written it? What was it? I think Tolkien is a brilliant author, and I love the way he writes, but I have no desire to write a book. I admire those who have the drive and the perseverance to do it.

6. What book on your shelves do you wish you’d never bought? There's not one.

7. Have you ever bought someone a book for BAFAB? No

8. What book do you really wish someone would buy you for BAFAB? If someone wanted to buy me a book for BAFAB, I hope they'd buy me something close to their own heart. That would give me a nice insight into my friend that I might not otherwise have.

9. Go to book-blog.com and leave a comment mentioning your post. Remember to include your permalink in the comment.

10. Tag three people. Stephie, Cyndi, Pam. (None of these currently have blogs right now, but I'm hoping they will soon. I keep trying!)

Strength in numbers

2006-09-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

I think the guy downstairs must have gotten some wireless internet service. Traditionally, I have gotten only one or two of the four bars which show how strong the wireless signal is. Today, I have All four! Count 'em - ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR! I have very nice, connected neighbors.

Thumb, Thumb, Thumb, Dumb

2006-09-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

I did something stupid last night.

I slammed my own thumb in my own car door. How does a person do that? Until last night, I never would have thought it possible.

I was coming home from class, and my hands were full - my gym bag, purse, phone, garage door opener, keys and a bottle of water. (On a side note; I'm a pack mule). I had my gym bag and purse over my left shoulder, my water in the crook of my arm, and my garage door opener and phone in my left hand. My keys were in my right hand that is currently sporting an enlarged purple thumb.

To add some background to this:
My car doors are very heavy, and most people, when they close the doors on my car, give them a good shove and the weight of the door causes the whole car to shake on its foundation when the door slams shut. I try not to do this, and on this occasion, I was easing the door closed with my right hand. I must have bumped the door with my gym bag because the next thing I knew, I felt a huge pressure, and my thumb was on fire! It took my mind a few seconds to realize what was happening. I was completely discombobulated!

The next series of events happened in slow motion:
I looked down at my hand and realized my thumb was stuck in the door. Not being in my right mind, I foolishly gave my hand two hearty tugs to try to free my thumb. I know, I know! It was stuck, and it wasn't coming loose! Before panic took over, my calm head prevailed. I set down my stuff, reached over with my right hand, opened the door, and extracted my thumb.

It's a little swollen today with some slight discoloration, but all in all, it's none the worse for a good slam in the car door.

FREE is the nice price

2006-08-15T23:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here at home blogging away on my new Mac Book. I love it. I really do. I shouldn't love an inanimate object this much, but I must confess, I do. It's black and it's beautiful.

Now, those of you who know me well know that I don't have internet service at home. And yet, I'm still blogging. How can this be? Some nice person who lives somewhere near me must have wireless internet service, because I'm hooked up to it right now! How about that! Internet at home; and it's fast, too! There are so many things to love about my new Mac, Bluetooth being one of them. I don't even have to sit in some obscure, remote corner of my apartment. Currently, I'm sitting in one of my favorite spots and I'm surfin' the 'net! Ha! It's a wonderful thing.

For Kevin

2006-08-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

I found this picture the other day and I've been meaning to post it for Kevin. Without the vast knowledge of Star Wars quotes that he has, I was unable to come up with a good one for this, but I thought it was an interesting take on the dark side.

Look!

2006-08-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here's the newest addition to my family. I'll have to come up with an appropriate name, but I have to wait until it arrives. You know, you have to be in it's presence to get the full essence of who it really is. Then and only then can I come up with a good name.

Here it is...

Wonderful, is it not?

Here are the specs:
13.3-inch widescreen display
1280 x 800 resolution
2.0GHz Intel Core Duo1
512MB memory (2x256MB SODIMMs)
80GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive2
SuperDrive (DVD±RW, CD-RW)

The only upgrade I got to it was a gig of ram.

30 Things

2006-08-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

Here is my list of 30 things I like about winter. It is my favorite season, so this was easy…

1. SNOW! (of course)
2. Skiing
3. The way the cold air makes your nose tingle when you take a breath
4. My electric blanket
5. The crunchy sound snow makes when you walk on it.6. The way fresh snow sparkles
7. The shapes of the trees after a good snowfall
8. Hockey games
9. Ice skating on the frozen pond by my sister's house
10. Sweaters
11. Hoodies
12. Thanksgiving (some people consider this to be an autumn holiday. I think it's winter because it's COLD!)
13. Christmas dinner
14. Building a snowman
15. Sled riding
16. Snow ball fights
17. Snow angels
18. The way stepping out into a brisk, cold day wakes you up
19. Seeing animal tracks in fresh snow
20. The night sky – always recognizable Orion
21. A fire in the fireplace
22. Mittens
23. Candles
24. Christmas cookies
25. Never being hot
26. My sock monkey flannel pajamas
27. Flannel Sheets!
28. Running (it's so much better in winter!)
29. Hot chocolate
30. MORE SNOW!

My List

2006-07-25T01:47:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to come up with a list of things I want to do in order to take part in Sam's blog challenge. It has proven to be quite difficult for me because (and I'll try to explain this with as much clarity as I can) I have a very full life, and I don't find myself thinking of things that I want to do because usually, when something comes up that I want to do, I just do it. But, there are some things that I know I want to do and will do some day. I just haven't gotten around to them yet. Then there are those things that, as humans, we go through naturally--with or without a plan, like falling in love. Actually, I never wanted to fall in love, but my heart had other plans for me. On that note, here is my list...

1. Travel a lot and see tons of cool places around the world.
I have done this, and have seen tons of cool places. To name a few: I studied dolphins in New Zealand, I was on the crew of a full-rigged, three-masted "pirate" ship in Norway, sailed the Greek and Turkish Islands with my family, visited Thailand and Hong Kong. Sunned myself on the beach in Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. I lived in England and Saudi Arabia.
2. Climb a mountain. Did that in New Zealand--Mt. Fyfe.
3. Own a horse and compete in show jumping competitions. Did that.
4. Own a VW Beetle. :)
5. Learn to ski. Done.
6. Go skiing in Colorado. Haven't done this one yet. I'm coming, Adriennne!
7. White Water Rafting. One of the most fun things I've ever done.
8. Have a PERFECT day. Did that. I haven't had one since.
9. Drive at 100 mph. That was fun. Scary, too.
10. Learn to water ski. Done.
11. Get a Black Belt. Done.
12. Own a home. I go back and forth with this. Sometimes I want my own house, and sometimes I think I don't want to deal with the hassle. We'll see what the Lord has in store there.
13. Be in a band. Done this quite frequently, though the band I'm with now is my most rewarding experience to date. I don't know if anything can top this one :)
14. Surf. Done.
15. Own a weiner dog. Done. Her name was Heidi. She was cute.
16. Learn to sword fight. Haven't done this one yet. I need to get a sword :)
17. Learn to shoot a gun. Haven't done this one, either. I need to get a gun :)
18. Go to college and get a degree with honors. Done.
19. Be and artist or a vet for a living. I am an artist.
20. Have my sister for a roomate in our own apartment or house. Never did that, and I probably never will.

I have to admit. I'm having trouble thinking of things I want to do but haven't. I'm sure there are some; I just can't think of them right now. As they come to mind, I'll add to the list. What you won't see on this list are things that, in all probablility, will never happen, even though that may be what I desire. All that serves, for me, is to make me sad for things that I can't have. I have been blessed with a very full, wonderful life, and I'd rather count my blessings than dwell on the things that I cannot have or do. And, of course, there are things that I have done and never wanted to do. Those things will not go on this list :)

Whine and complain -- is that all ya got?

2006-07-20T01:42:00.000-07:00

I don't normally do this kind of post--I'm a pretty happy girl who tries to have a positive attitude about things. But this morning, I woke up to whining and complaining AGAIN.

I turn on the news like I do every morning, and once again, the news people are running the same stories into the ground. Lately, of course, it's been anything and everything they can cover regarding the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. And as always, they must interview the Americans who are waiting to get out of these countries. Here's where the whining and complaining begin...

"It's been two days, and we're still here!" screams one woman at the top of her lungs while she continues her rampage to the cameraman. "I'm so sick of this. Who do they think they are that they can treat us like this!" "What's wrong with our government!?"

What's wrong with our government? What's wrong with you, lady! There are over one thousand Americans waiting to get out of Lebanon alone. Wait, not only a country, A WAR ZONE! There are bombs and missiles flying overhead. But yes, let's just land a few DOZEN planes so we can get you whiners out of there within the hour. Do you have shelter? Do you have food? Do you have HOPE that you will be returned to your families safe and sound? Do you? Do you? Yeah--that's what I thought!

You few hundred American national complainers have it infinitely better than all those poor innocent Lebanese and Israeli people who see now way out and who are at the mercy of their respective governments. They don't have any political agendas, or any ties to terrorist organizations. They are just honest families trying to find a way in a very hostile environment. You people think you have something to complain about? You have U.S. Marines coming to rescue your sorry, ungrateful butts in a matter of days, and yet instead of thanking GOD that you are citizens of a country who cares about the well-being of every one of its citizens, you are all too busy whining about how your country doesn't care fast enough. Imbeciles.

There was one man on the broadcast I was watching who, when the Marines came ashore and were carrying children back to their amphibious landing boats said to the camera "I thank the Lord above that these heroic men and women came to save us, and that I am a citizen of a country who would send them."

Amen! That's what I'm talking about!

July 14, The End

2006-07-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

I have to finish this up now since I don't have internet access at home.

I drove home from work feeling very tired and kind of down and thought that a nap would do wonders for the state I was in. So when I got home, I napped for a bit. When I woke up, I had a voice mail from sweet Cynthia about movie nigh. So I headed over to Rob's and Elizabeth's house to enjoy the company of some of my favorite people.

When I got there, everyone was Mac-ing. (I'm going to write it like that for now). Kimmy has everyone typing feverishly to meet the requirements of this latest blog point challenge. I played with Verity while everyone was on their Macs (except Cynthia, she was Delling), and I realized that I came into the middle of a discussion on what the opposite of a gerund was. I offered to call Tim to see if he knew. While I was talking to Tim, Kimmy found the answer - it's called a denominative.

After this, we started the movie, Back to the Future. Cynthia had never seen it, and it had been a long while since I'd seen it, so it was quite enjoyable if you could overlook the obvious flaws in time travel as presented in the film. Oh the 80s. What were we thinking! I say "we" knowing that in that room that night, it was only "me." HA HA HA.

During the movie, we ate some very delicious cake that Melissa made. White cake, no less! And it was limey! Not limey in the British sense, but limey in the sense that it was made with limes! Delicious. It had whipped cream frosting, too.

That's pretty much my day. It was a good one.

July 14, Part III

2006-07-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

I figured I better get one last post in before I leave work in six minutes.

The rest of the day has been about as eventful as the previous hours. I got a lot of reading in, talked some with my friend, Pam and spent the hours as best I could so as not to fall asleep or die of boredom.

For the rest of the day, I plan on going home, feeding my fat orange cat, then lying down for a nap, going to the Osborns for movie night, then going back home and sleeping some more until morning. That's the plan, anyway. We all know how plans have a funny and unexpected way of changing even when you don't want them to.

July 14

2006-07-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

It's 9:00 a.m., and this is my day so far:

My alarm went off at 6:51 a.m. as it always does, and like I always do, I let out a groan, and dragged myself out of bed. I walked into the kitchen and fed Marcel-Henri, then I put the coffee on. I made myself some cereal, poured a cup of coffee, then took it all into the living room to sit on the floor and watch the news. I don't know why I watch the news every morning. It's depressing. I always give Marcel-Henri the leftover milk from my cereal, so every morning, he anxiously awaits his daily treat. He's so cute. At 7:15, I got in the shower to start getting ready for work. I left my house at 8:17. The drive into work was nonevenful. I came straight down Market Street today. I like to mix it up so I don't get bored; sometimes I go down Glenwood to Mahoning. The thing I don't like about driving down Glenwood is that if you get stuck behind someone slow, it's only one lane, so you can't pass them. Since I'm always running a few minutes behind, getting stuck behind slow people stresses me out.

Once at work, I grumbled about the old lady who is once again parked in my space (23), then I walked into the building with a co-worker who arrived at the same time as I did--4 minutes late today. Since arriving at work, there has been a small gathering of people here in the artroom standing around talking about movies. It's been a good morning so far, though I didn't get any e-mails, and for some reason, that always kind of bums me out. One of the things I look forward to when I get to work in the morning is checking my e-mail to see how many people sent me some kind of correspondence.

When I came back to work after being sick for a week, I had 83 e-mails in my in box! About 3/4 of those were of the JUNK variety trying to sell me Rolex watches and Viagra.

From 9:00 - 9:13, I typed in this new post. Now, you are up to date on my day. Stay tuned -- there's more to come later.

July 14, Part II

2006-07-14T01:18:00.000-07:00

I got to use Roman numerals today :)

Since 9:13 this morning, I haven't done much. I've sent a few emails, I've continued my reading of "The Fellowship of the Ring" (Frodo et. al have just left the company of Tom Bombadil and are headed toward Bree), I've played some games on the computer and discussed weekend plans. If you haven't guessed it by now, work is still slow.

We got Chinese food for lunch. I don't buy lunch too often, but about once a week I do, and this sounded good. We ordered from a place in Girard and it was excellent. I had General Tso Chicken with steamed rice and some wonton soup. Wonton soup is hard to eat. Those wontons should be bite-sized instead of two huge lumps of pork-filled dough that are impossible to break up with a cheap plastic spoon. My fortune cookie was stale, though. Here is what my fortune said:

"Don't let unexpected situations throw you."

Day 2

2006-07-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

This is day two of my every day posting routine. I don't have much to say, so I'll just bore you all with the mundane.

Last night, I went to visit some new friends from church, Dave and Vanda Knickerbocker. They live just a few streets down from me. It was a very nice visit. I had met Vanda before through the praise team at ONC. She had just started playing trombone when the whole "Dan Thing" went down. Though I was semi-aquainted with her, I had never met her husband. A couple of weeks ago, Dave called me and asked if I could do a logo for him. It's for a church-related thing, so I didn't feel like I could say no. You know, using your God-given talents to serve Him? Yeah. Of all the graphic design things I hate doing the most, it's logos. But, I agreed and last night was when we got together to discuss what he was looking for. They are both fantastic people and I am pleased that I got the chance to know them both better.

When I was sick, John Jarman brought over season 1 of Lost on DVD for me to watch. Being that 24 took up the rest of my sick time and most of my well time that following weekend, I just started to get into Lost this past weekend. Man, what a show! I'm hooked. I still like 24 better, but I do love this one, too.

My boyfriend broke up with me. Jerk.

Later!

Inspired

2006-07-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

Kevin has inspired me. Sam, too.

Like Kevin, I'm going to try to post every day. And Sam has made me realize that even though I think I have nothing to write about, sometimes it's the every day happenings in the various lives of friends that keeps us coming back to blogland every day.

So, here comes my random update of what's been happening in my life.

Work is finally back to normal. I say normal, but it's really quite slow. I don't think the word "slow" even begins to cover it. I've done nothing - NOTHING - since the end of THE SEASON. It's been kind of nice. I've taken this opportunity to start my yearly reading of The Lord of the Rings and am well into the journey that Frodo and Sam start start out when they leave the Shire. They have not yet reached Rivendell, but I am looking forward to when they do. I do so love the Elves of Rivendell. If I lived in Middle Earth, that's where I would want to be. There or Rohan. Either one. Rohan has fabulous horses.

In martial arts news...…
My sister just got her black belt! This is a momentous occasion and I'm so proud of her. Her promotion test was very challenging and she stepped up and met every one. It was tough - three hours of strenuous activity including sparring, breaking, self defense, forms, punching, kicking and every thing else we could think to throw at her. I got to be one of the judges who sat for her test, so that was quite an honor.

I started training with some weapons, too, namely the bo staff and the nunchakus (chuks). I have now graduated from using rubber chucks to the real thing now that I no longer have the fear of knocking my noggin off with heavy wooden sticks flying around at about 100 mph. I thought rubber would be a much safer bet for someone just learning. Since using the real thing, however, I have discovered that doing the techniques is in fact easier with some weight behind the weapon. Sure, the potential for self-injury is greater, but that's a chance I'll have to take. I did smash my hand during yesterday's practice, but it wasn't so bad. The chucks are certainly a weapon that you don't want to practice in public until you get really good at them. There is great potential for humiliation.

Until tomorrow!

2006-07-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

I have made it back to the land of the living. After working five grueling days at the fireworks store over the 4th of July weekend/holiday (Friday-Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.), I NEVER want to see another pierced/tattooed/wife-beater-shirt-wearing/chain-smoking/mullet-wearing/toothless-with-a-booze stench/three-weeks-of-grime-under-the-fingernails hillbilly again. EVER! I never thought I'd see so many in one place.

Here's the thing I don't understand. Fireworks are expensive. It's not uncommon for ONE 500 gram repeater to cost anywhere from $60-$150. And, this is for something that, once the fuse it lit, lasts for a few minutes tops. These people come into the store with like ten dirty, shoeless kids and spend $2,000 on fireworks. How does that work? Where are priorities? YOUR KIDS NEED SHOES! AND A BATH! HOW ABOUT SOME CLEAN CLOTHES THAT FIT!

Now obviously, not everyone who comes into the store looks like this. I saw people I know from church come through, some friends from the karate studio, and other various people I've met since I've lived here in Youngstown. It was kind of fun to run into people you haven't seen in a long time. But these were the kinds of people that would spend a couple of hundred dollars, not a couple of thousand.

I have never seen so many tattoos - on both men and women. I'm not talking tasteful little tattoos that are discreetly hidden, I'm talking tattoos that are plastered over large chests that are hanging down somewhere around a similarly tattooed waist. Gross. Really.

At one point, I was at a register and in my line three people in a row came through and spent over $2,000 in cash. CASH! All in 10s and 20s. Do you know what a large stack of bills that is? Do you know how nerve-racking that is to count? Where do these seemingly below the poverty line people get that kind of cash? And, having that kind of cash, what would make a person spend it all on fireworks? I don't know - it was interesting to say the least.

Thanks to all of you out there who secured my job for another year. Here's to getting that resume updated and dodging this 4th of July bullet next year!

Dr. Kevorkian

2006-06-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

If I'd had his number last week, I might have called him. It certainly crossed my mind a time or two.

For those of you who may not know, I was a very sick girl last week, and I HATED every minute of it! I'm a pretty healthy person, and I very rarely get anything worse than a sinus infection. However, every now and then, some nasty bug comes out of nowhere and completely knocks me on my butt and reminds me that I am actually a mere mortal. This was one of those bugs.

It started on Monday night as what I thought was just some muscle soreness. You know, the kind you get from a good workout. However, I couldn't think of what I did to make me feel that way. I didn't have any recent hard workouts that would make me sore. Tuesday morning my alarm went off and I was feeling a little under the weather. I decided to get up and go to work anyway because it's THE SEASON, and when you work for a fireworks company, these are important and busy days indeed. By 3:00, I couldn't take it anymore and went home to lie on the couch and hopefully ward off whatever nastiness was coming my way. The nastiness had other plans for me. By 6:00 that night, I was in the throes of pain the likes of which I have never experienced. Not the excruciating kind like when you break a limb, or cut yourself badly. This was the persistent, overall, can't-be-touched-with-any-over-the-counter-pain-killer kind. My whole body was IN PAIN from head to toe. My skin hurt to the touch as if every nerve ending were exposed. Periodically, I would get extreme pain shooting through various joints in my body. I saw the doctor on Wednesday, and there was nothing he could do to help me. He said it was probably something "viral" and I just had to let it run its course. He did give me a round of antibiotics "just in case."

This lasted for 5 DAYS, and the only relief I found was one blessed little Vicodin that my sister had left over from a previous prescription. Ahhhhhh… it was sweet relief for about 10 hours. I literally cried when the pain came back.

On a high note, though…
Rob was kind enough to venture into the death zone to bring me some DVDs. I finally got to see 24 (season one – the only way to start), and I'm hooked! I LOVE JACK BAUER! I know this is not an exclusive club, but I just want to shout it from the rooftops – I LOVE JACK BAUER! I watched the whole season in two days. It was haw-haw-hawesome.

I was supposed to lead worship at ONC this past Sunday, but due to my sickness, I still had a very nasty cough that wouldn't allow me to breathe, much less sing! So Rob stepped up and did an absolutely fabulous job. I attended church that morning with my mom and had a wonderful worship experience.

It's swiftly approaching the day when I will leave the confines of the BJ Alan corporate offices and find myself in the fray that is the showroom in Boardman. Over the next 4 days (starting tomorrow), I will work about 60 hours. It will truly be the worst four days of the year. Yes, it will probably be even worse than my bout with the killer bug (okay, that's a stretch. I was just saying that for emphasis). If I see any of you in that store buying fireworks and adding to my misery, I will personally shoot you with a 500 gram tube repeater. A 90-shot one at that.

Burninate This!

2006-06-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

I know that by doing this, I am in danger of burnination myself, but this is a direct appeal to Trogdor to let Kimmy's blog go. Don't you have some peasants to stomp or something? Don't you have some straw huts that need burninated? I know you're a busy, busy dragon, and that a simple blog is by no means your most pressing problem. There are knights trying to slay you, and kingdoms you have yet to conquer! You've proven your superiority over the smug cloud – you have effectively burninated it. Now, isn't it time for you and your beefy arm to move on?

OUCH!

2006-06-14T07:02:00.000-07:00

In regards to the ringtone that only kids can here...
I heard it, too, and IT HURT MY EARS! BAH! It really hurt!

Over on the Smug Cloud, Kimmy posted a link to an MP3 that played the ringtone. I clicked on the link, and it started to play and I didn't hear anything. Not too surprising considering that I am -- shall we say -- a bit older than the youngsters who are supposed to be the only ones who can hear it.

I realized, however, that my volume was turned down, so I clicked on "play" again, turned the volume up, and heard the most AWFUL noise. It was truly painful; it was painful enough that it made me rip the earbuds out of my ears and let out a squeal that caused my co-workers a small measure of concern for me.

It was a high-pitched, piercing tone; the true awfulness of it cannot be described. I hope to never have to hear it again.

Besides it being a bad experience for my poor ears, it is also a testament to my ever-youthful genes! Not only can I hear the ringtone, I also got carded at the Dave Matthews concert when I went to buy beer -- TWICE! My 29 year old counterpart did not. Thanks, Mom!

I'm Done

2006-05-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

There is this game called Shape Shifter - it's on grab.com. It's a silly little game really where rows of shapely holes scroll by on the screen, and you have to fill these holes with the correct shapes before the time runs out. It's ADDICTING! I play this game when I have nothing to do here at work. Well, okay. Let's face it; sometimes I play it when I have stuff to do. oops!

Anyway, when I first started playing this game, I was lucky if I could get to level 10. And, the first time I broke the million point mark, I was thrilled! A couple of weeks ago, I reached the seven million point mark, and I thought that was the pinnacle of my Shape Shifter success. Boy did I think small. Here is my latest:

That's level 71 and a whopping 25,853,260 points. CAN YOU SAY TWENY-FIVE MILLION!? (it's really closer to 26)

This took me the better part of the day yesterday, and little bit this morning. It wasn't straight though, however. When projects came in yesterday, I would take break and do my work, then resume the game when I had more free time. So between working, balancing my checkbook, writing some emails and talking on the phone, I played. I played and played and played and played and played.

Ahhhh… I'm such a loser.

What now? Where do I go from here? A new game perhaps?

In other news:
I had a date last Saturday GASP! It's been about three years since I had real "date", and I have to say, I had a good time. Of all the reasons I had for NEVER EVER going on another date again – EVER!, he is none of those things. We went to see a movie, and as we were walking to our seats, I asked if he could make the ticket stubs he was holding disappear. He closed his hand over them for a quick second, and when he opened it again, they were gone. He can do some INCREDIBLE magic tricks. It's really something to see. Oh, and another thing - he's more my age! 32 to be exact. Better than the 23 I normally get.

I'm sick of the rain. Sick tired of the rain. My nephew James will have a tough time making up all the baseball games that have been cancelled.

I went to Jackie's (she's my niece) art show on Wednesday evening. She had five pieces in the show and they were all fabulous! I have to steer her away from art, though. When you do it for a job, you kind of lose your love for it.

That's all for now. Just some ramblings and some emptying of the big ol' head. I do have a big head. Freakishly big. Verity and I - we're both pumkinheads.

My name is…

2006-04-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

Marcel-Henri. (mar-cel on-ri) In French, the "h" sound is silent. Also the "r" is pronounced with a gutteral sound in the back of the throat. Something that most non-french-speaking people cannot pull off. That's okay. You can call me Marcel, or "The Kit"

I know, pretty fancy. My mom thought she was being clever when she named me. Or quite possibly, she thought that by giving me a refined French name, I would settle down and become a refined French kitty. She was wrong. I am neither French nor refined.

I am smarter than she, however. She thinks we don't have internet service here at home. I'll let her figure out how I have taken over her blog. Imagine my surprise when, while browsing around on the net, I came across this blog. I knew it was hers when I stumbled across a brief mention of me. Next, imagine my dismay when I discovered that there were no posts dedicated me.

Let me introduce myself. I am "The Kit." The supreme commander, eater of kibble and all things dairy, 16 pounds of orange fur and belly-hang, ruler of the universe that is 800 sq. ft. of Paxton Road. I eat when I want, what I want; I get up on counters and tables that are "forbidden". All things are potential playthings; do not leave anything you hold dear within reach of my pink pads. Glasses and cups full of liquid and ice are just too tempting. I cannot ignore them.

This is me

I have the run of the universe all day while my mom is at work. When she's home, I still have the run of the universe. I use the term "work" loosely. She doesn't fool me. I have proof that she doesn't exert herself too much while she's away at "work". Look at what I have uncovered:

They were not pink when she left in the morning.

So I'm thinking that if she has time for spa day at BJ Alan Co., then she has time to write about the apple of her eye, the joy of her life, the reason she breathes.( I'd appreciate some support here in the comment section.)

So mom, when you read this, know that I expect some mention every now and then, and if you ever hang me upside down again, I'm going to bite you.

Love,
Marcel-Henri aka "The Kit"

Passing Time

2006-04-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I'm bored. It's been slow this week at work, so I've been spending hours and hours doing unconstructive things.

There is this game called Shape Shifter (it's on grab.com for anyone who is intersted). When I first started playing it, I was lucky if I got as far as level 10, and breaking 1 million for my score was a great achievement. Now, one short week later, I've reached level 33 (I was ONE SECOND and one shape away from level 34!) and broke the 6 million mark.

Here's what I did yesterday.

With exacto in hand, I hand cut all of these passes for the upcoming NAHL hockey tournament at the Ice Zone. This wasn't something I had to do – we actually have an industrial-sized paper cutter and someone who was going to opereate it, but I'm so bored, even this was better than trying for yet another level in Shape Shifter.

This is what I have planned for today:

Since it's getting to be warm weather time and I'll be wearing cute sandals and such, I really need to paint my toenails. I figured I'd waste some time today and get that little job done.

Then, while that's drying, maybe I'll do a little writing:

I've been writing down my dreams – I have some STRANGE dreams to be sure. Plus, I've got various song ideas which I thought I'd try to put down into some kind of cohesive something or other. We'll see what comes of it. (I love this journal, by the way. It's cool in a retro sort of way, and it inspires me to write because I like the way the pages look when they're filled with my writing. Lame, I know.)

Now I'm armed with everthing I'll need for a full, if not very productive, day.

Now back to Shape Shifter while my toes dry…

This just to say…

2006-04-27T02:13:00.000-07:00

Kevin needs to blog.

New job or no new job; between episodes of South Park and The Family Guy;

Kevin needs to blog.

There.

I said it.

Someone had to.

Sibs

2006-04-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

As I was reading Adrienne's post and came to the part about everyone's family, I was compelled to go to her previous posts and read the comments. Sam (hi Sam!) had the idea that we should all write about our siblings. Good idea, I think.

I am not a first-born. I am "technically" the youngest of my siblings. I say "technically" for two reasons:
1. I am a twin, so I am the same age as my sister. She was born first, though. Five minutes before me to be exact.

2. I have a stepbrother who is younger than me. He's not my brother by genetics, but he's my brother in every way that truly counts.

The oldest is my brother, Bob. He lives in The Woodlands, Texas (30 miles north of Houston) He is one year older than my sister and me, but is not like a first-born AT ALL. He's very sweet, though a little too passive in my opinion. Because he's so kind (and too passive), he tends to get crapped on a lot. When push comes to shove, however, he knows how to stand up for himself. He's a big teddy bear – a wonderful Christian example of a husband and family man.

Next is my twin sister, Stephanie. I don't know where to begin, so I'll just say that she's a lot like me, just older :). Her kids have shaped her life to make her very different than me in one important aspect; she has more patience! She's a fantastic mother – one of the best I know (and I know some pretty darn good moms!).

Then, there's me. Five minutes after I steal all of my sister's B-12 (leaving her with Spine Abifida. Sorry, Stephie), I come into the world as the last of the Harberson siblings. I was a brat growing up. I always had to get my way and wouldn't rest until I did. Come to think of it, maybe I'm the one who taught my sister all that patience stuff. With me, God was preparing her for motherhood.

Then there is my brother, Heath. As mentioned, he's my stepbrother. When my dad remarried, Heath came to live with us – he was two years old. I've known him nearly his entire life, and he is definitely a blessing. For me, there is no distinction – he's my little brother and that is that. He is in the Navy, and he's currently stationed in Japan for two years. He's very tall and handsome, but does not have the ego that normally comes with someone who looks like him. He's very gentle and kind and loves to just hang out and talk. Unfortunately, I don't get to see him very often, but when I do, we stay up until the wee hours (that term makes me laugh. What's a "wee" hour?) and talk about everything. We laugh a lot, too.

So those are my brothers and sisters. I'm blessed to have each of them in my life.

If I were stranded on an island…

2006-04-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Here it goes. Let it never be said that I would pass up the chance to earn 5,000 blog points. So here it goes, my list of 5 movie characters that I would choose to have with me were I stranded on an islandÂ

1. The Black - "The Black Stallion"
He's been stranded on an island before, so he already knows the ins and outs of island living. Plus, he's a beautiful black Arabian stallion. Enough said.

2. King Kong - "King Kong"
Who wouldn't want a huge ape who can climb the tallest point on the island to look for any number of things: good food sources, other cool animals to add to my brood, and of course, rescuers. And, best of all, he likes blondes :)

3. Donkey - "Shrek"
Pure entertainment value. Kong can shut him up if he starts to get too annoying.

4. Batman - "Batman Begins"
He's a bad-ass bat in keeping with the animal theme here, and the best part, of course, is that when he's not a bat, he's a very hot man and let's face it, that can't be bad when you're the only two people stranded on an island.

5. Hedwig - from the Harry Potter series
This is a no-brainer. When I'm ready to get off this island, I'll stick a note to his foot and send him to the mainland for help. However, with my oh-so hot half bat/half man, I don't think I'll be wanting to come home any time soon.

Important day in history - October 8

2006-04-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

EVENTS:
1582 - Due to the implementation of the Gregorian calendar this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

1871 - Four major fires break out on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois, Peshtigo, Wisconsin, Holland, Michigan, and Manistee, Michigan. The Great Chicago Fire is the most famous of these, having left nearly 100,000 people homeless, although the Peshtigo Fire killed as many as 2,500 people making it the deadliest fire in United States history.

1956 - New York Yankees baseball pitcher Don Larsen pitches first (and only) perfect game in World Series history in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

1969 – Kim Wetzl born as Kimberly Renee Harberson (the second one of two). She stole all her sister's Vitamin B, which caused her sister to have Spine Abifida, very mild case, but Spine Abifida nonetheless. She has been forgiven

BIRTHS:
1949 - Sigourney Weaver, American actress

1948 - Johnny Ramone, American guitarist (The Ramones) (d. 2004)

1965 - C-Jay Ramone, American bassist (The Ramones)

1969 - Kim Wetzl (born Kimberly Renee Harberson), American guitarist (Asphalt 23)

1969 - Julia Ann, American porn actress. I had to throw this one in. Same birthday EXACTLY. Scary how I could have ended up, huh? I think I must have prevailed due to my abundance of Vitamin B.

DEATHS:
1869 - Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the United States (b. 1804)

1894 - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., American physician and writer (b. 1809)

1809 - James Elphinston, Scottish philologist (b. 1721) What's a "philologist?

I bet my Sigourney beats Jude and Keifer hands down. I don't see either one of them battling giant disgusting Aliens single handedly. AND SURVIVING TO TELL THE TALE!

Days like these

2006-04-06T05:54:00.000-07:00

I've already had a stressful day, and it's only 8:53 a.m.

To start it all off, I forgot to set my alarm last night, so I woke up late. Not very late, mind you, but late enough to put me behind right from the start. You see, I'm what my mom calls a "piddler". In other words, it takes me twice the amount of time to do the same task as a "non-piddler". I can't help it; It's in my genes. My sister is a piddler, my mom is a piddler, my mom's mom was a piddler, and I'm sure my mom's mom's mom was a piddler, too.

Anyway, I get up late and go into the kitchen to make my coffee and fix my bowl of cereal. (These days, I'm hooked on the Strawberry Delight Frosted Mini Wheats. Very tasty). My cat is screaming at me to feed him, so I put a scoop of food into his bowl and he digs in. As I take my coffee and my cereal into the living room to watch the news, I notice two piles of puke where my darling cat has decided to throw up two massive hair balls during the night. Nice. So after cleaning up the hair balls and gagging so hard I thought I might hyper-ventilate, I settle down to my coffee and cereal, which is no longer a nice wake up moment, but rather a frantic rush to make up some time. As I'm going into the kitchen to put my cereal bowl in the sink, I notice that my piggy cat has thrown up his breakfast because he ate too fast, then played with his catnip pillow like a maniac without letting the food digest first. Imbecile. So, puke pile #3. Gross.

Everything was okay after that. The shower and dressing went off without a hitch – still running a little late (about five minutes), but that could be made up on the drive to work, considering that most people were already at work and the traffic would be minimal. All was well with this thinking until I got about a quarter of a mile from work. Right in front of the Vindicator building, a semi truck decides that he want to try to get himself out of this tiny little parking area, and pulls out into the street blocking all lanes of traffic coming from both sides. What an imbecile. Why not wait for five minutes, then everyone will be at work and the road will be clear? Instead, he blocks the road and holds up about 20 cars (me included) while he tries to get his massive vehicle out of this tiny lot. He can't do it, so he gives up and retreats back into the tiny parking lot. There goes the time I made up, and now I'm late for work.

One good thing came out of this morning, though. I got to use the word "imbecile" twice!

For Posting's Sake

2006-03-28T10:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have been reprimanded from the blog princess herself. The thing is, you see, I don't have anything worth writing about. Sure, I could go on and on about how the ONE POWER that is here at work decided to auction off some hockey jerseys for charity but at the last minute he'd keep the money for himself. Or, I could give you all a running commentary on the mysterious way that food quickly disappears into the ether as soon as you put it among a group of office workers. Or, I could ponder the reason why I am on the list of people who are required to go listen to some lame motivational speaker tomorrow after lunch. But I won't bore you with any of that.

Instead, I'll tell you about eating GiantEagleWhiteCakewithWhippedCreamFrosting for three days in a row now. That's right, three days. Tomorrow will be the fourth if I don't eat the rest of my piece today. You see, my darling nephew, James, just had a birthday party (he turned 8) and my sister, loving THE CAKE as much as I do, got one for his party. It was a family party, so there weren't that many people there. There was a lot of cake left over, so my sis sent me home with a huge chunk of cake with tons of frosting. I have been enjoying it for breakfast ever since. It was decorated with black and gold frosting (James is a Steelers fan), so the black frosting turns my teeth a funky color.

My cat, Marcel-Henri, is a large 16-pound orange cat. He's bigger than many small dogs, and he hissed at me yesterday. It made me mad, so I chased him around the house and when I caught him, I turned him upside down.

In my parking space here at work (#23, that is) my car gets pooped on by the birds that sit on the electrical lines right above.

That's all. How's that for a quick response?

For the love of Gill

2006-03-08T07:17:00.000-08:00

I discovered my new favorite typeface today.

Here's the story……
I was on the internet, and an ad came up for a new product –– Clorox Sanitizing Spray. Now, germs have been on my mind a lot lately. I've just gotten over a sinus infection that had me beat for FOUR WEEKS! And yesterday, two people came into my space here in the art room telling me how sick they were, then proceeded to touch everything. Needless to say, I got a little freaked out when I thought of all the germs they were spreading around my previously clean airspace. It got me to thinking about thalcoholol pads in the First Aid Kit, and the Lysol spray in the bathroomÂ…

After lifting the Lysol from the bathroom, and spraying everything that any sick person might have touched, and wiping my phone, all the handles and knobs on my desk, and the top of my side table with talcoholhol wipes, I thought to myself that I would do well to pick up a good disinfectant next time I was at the store.

Then this ad pops up for Clorox Sanitizing Spray. Of course, I went to the sight, and lo and behold I stumbled on my new favorite type face. I thought I recognized it and I racked my brain for a few minutes until I came up with what I thought may be the name of this type face. I called up a blank Illustrator document and typed out a test phrase. Sure enough……

Yep! I love Gill Sans. Gill Sans Light to be exact. In about a 60% black (that's a medium dark gray for those of you who don't think in percentages of black). My search for a germ-free workplace lead me to a couple of great discoveries. How's that for success?

Serenity Now

2006-02-20T07:29:00.000-08:00

Guess what I got this weekend?

A gift from the Mel. She got me a copy of Serenity! Yay! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

For those of you who don't know the story, here it is…
For Christmas, my stepmother (who lives in Texas) called and asked me to give her some gift ideas. I really couldn't think of anything except a couple of martial arts DVDs that I would have liked to have, and the movie Serenity. I told her the date it would be coming out and everthing! I even told her that she could just send Stephie the money, and let her purchase the gifts. I knew I probably wouldn't get the martial arts DVDs, but I had high hopes for Serenity.

I didn't get it. She didn't get me ANYTHING that I asked for! As she does every year, she totally disregarded my wishes after going through the motions and calling to pretend she actually cared about what I would like to have. Why ask me if you're going to do your own thing anyway? Instead, I got a horse throw that I would have LOVED when I was 12, an ornament, and a supremely cheesey plastic belt rack to hang all my Tae Kwon Do belts on. I went through 12 belts to black – this rack has space for five. Plus, it has my name on it in large black press-on letters. Again, something I might have liked when I was 12 (but probably not even then) AAHHHHH!

All I wanted was Serenity. Now, thanks to Mel, I have it. And that puts a very big, peaceful smile on my face.