one day at a time

A whole lotta change

2011-07-01T23:08:00.007-04:00

I know a lot has happened in the almost 2 years since I last blogged regularly. So much so, I almost couldn't quite remember how to work this thing. Here's a quick catching up on my life, and what I expect to be blogging about. I left my ex and now live with my best friend(You've seen pics of us together here.) and her family which includes a 2 year who truly has my heart. You last saw him here, but he's grown up soooooooooooo much. I've gotten back into knitting and thrifting and have found a new hobby in beading. I chopped my hair off uber short and went blond, got a couple of tatoos, and some new piercings which are not in the picture above. This was my 1st tatoo and still my fave designed by an artist friend of mine. I'm now the first straight president of Fredericksburg Pride which takes a ton of my time, but is a great cause. I recently got totally hooked on Pinterest thanks to my friend Shell. I hope to get back to talking with y'all about crafting, cooking, organizing which is a must with my penchant for collections, and of course, shoes(I know some things never change.) In fact, I am psyched that during a recent trip to Target I happened upon a 75% off sale on almost all of their summer shoes. I was proud that I contained myself and only walked away with 2 new pairs. More on those later, I promise. I've decided I want to try my hands at some new craft techniques and take you along for the journey including embroidery(I grew up cross stitching, and though my mom did embroidery, I never tried it.) and working with clay.

Ringing in the new year

2009-12-28T20:59:00.002-05:00

I know that I have pretty much been gone since September with Pride Week. I must admit that was never my intention. However, I had no idea how much I was taking on when I got involved with Pride. I am so glad I did as I have made some really amazing friends as a result of my involvement. And, sadly instead of constructively using my time blogging online when I do have free time, I find that have become sucked into the worlds of Farmville and Cafe' World on Facebook. With the new year all too quickly approaching, I am in the resolution mode. I have decided one of my resolutions will be to get back to blogging. I would begin right now, bu as I am away petsitting, I have no access to my own computer with my photos etc. I look forward to reconnecting with many of my bloggy friends.

Miss Fredericksburg Pride Pagaent 09

2009-09-18T02:02:00.000-04:00

Today only: Free Panera Samples

2009-09-10T12:54:00.001-04:00

At participating bakery cafes, Panera is offering free samples of their new fall products like their new napa chicken salad sandwhich or bbq chicken salad both pictured above. And, right now with purchase of half dozen bagels or a loaf of bread, they will make a donation to a local charity. Yummy.

Pride Week aka Good Stressful Days

2009-09-08T00:48:00.000-04:00

I have a feeling I will get little posted this week, but I do have a ton to share. So far, I have over 600 pictures. I am stressed over things left to do like hmmmm my Alice costume. I am congested and tired but having a wonderful time. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend and great week. And, yep that's me with the camera taking pics of the fab queen Betty while I am wearing way too much stage makeup.

Freezing Cakes

2009-09-04T01:27:00.000-04:00

Sponge Bob Squarepants Home Cake by Funky Bundt Lovin owned and operated by my dear friend John Lee.

For next week's boat ride, John Lee has taken on the task of creating Mad Tea Party themed cake. Actually, he is planning on doing a couple of shaped cakes since the boat holds up to 120 people. I think he will need approxiamately 12 cakes. Unfortunately, we have so many things to do in the days leading up to the boat ride that it would impossible for him to bake all those cakes the day before. So, he asked me for ideas of how to bake them ahead and store them so that all he will be left with is putting them together and decorating them the day before and day of the boat ride.
I immediately suggested freezing the cakes allowing us to begin them as early as this weekend. He was nervous about this as he had bad luck with freezing cake in the past. When I was in college, I worked in the bakery department of a grocery store. We always froze our cakes. The waiting for a cake to cool and set so that you can ice the cake is often the lengthiest time of the baking process. Freezing the cake ensures a cool enough cake every time. If you think that is the reason bakery cakes tend to be dry, you are wrong. They do not use enough fat. A moist cake requires a lot of fat generally in the form of butter, mayo, or oil though applesauce and other lowfat options can work well. Lowfat cakes using applesauce or other fruits will not freeze as well. The higher the fat, the beter the cake will freeze. If you are concerned about your cake being dry, add extra fat it probably needs it anyway. (hehe) I will freeze just about anything I can. My freezer currently has an odd mix of items in it including 2 blueberry loaves, biscuits, flour, cornmeal, and soups as well as your usual packaged frozen fare like tater tots.
I also recommend freezing cakes undecorated as not all icing freezes as well not will it be as fluffy as I prefer when it comes back to life.
Here's my process for freezing cakes and other baked goods like the blueberry loaves.

Allow the cake to cool thoroughly on a wire rack. Placing a warm baked good in the freezer will cause the temperature to raise and possibly compromise your other frozen goods.
Prewrap your cake with plastic wrap to seal in moisture and out air.
Wrap in another wrapping or container which is airtight to prevent odor from leaching in cause this will definitely ruin your cake. I recommend either aluminum foil then a plastic freezer bag or a plastic container such as a cake carrier.
If you use a plastic container, you can avoid this step. I recommend placing the cake on top of a solid sheet like a piece of cardboard. My freezer has wire racks and the last thing you want is to discover wire lines on your cake when you go to decorate it. The plastic container will prevent the need for this and also prevent any damage that might happen if someone knocks into the cake while in the freezer especially in the first few hours before the cake is frozen solid. However, I know this is not always a possibilty like with the numerous cakes my friend will have to freeze.
Do not freeze your cake for more than 2 months as it will definitely begin to dry out at that point.
When you go to thaw out the cake, simply place at room temperature on a solid surface until thawed. The time to thaw will vary based on the size of the cake from 2-5 hours. Do not try to force the cake to defrost faster by microwaving or reheating the cake. This will ruin your cake.
After the cake is thawed, decorate as desired.

Spacing issues

2009-09-03T22:39:00.000-04:00

I apologize in advance for the spacing issues that I had with the Anna Sui preview posts. I am having difficulties in blogger and am hoping some of my bloggy friends might be able to give me some advice. Every time that blogger saves my posts including auto saves it adds another line between my pics, paragraphs, etc. Since I was having problems making any changes to the Anna Sui posts since they were apparently too big, I kind of gave up. Anyone know how to stop this other than just manually removing these extra lines? Thanks in advance for any advice.

today's free stuff 9/3/09

2009-09-03T21:41:00.000-04:00

I know it has been a while, but I am back with freebie posts.

Free Betty Crocker Potatoes

Free Stayfree Ultrathin Overnight Sample

Next Wednesday, September 9th for Good Neighbor Day in store only FTD will be offering free flowers while supplies last as well as possibly other goodies.

Printable coupon for a free small coffee at Borders

Free Taylor Lautner poster from Teen Vogue

Free sample of Huggies Little Movers

Free Full Sized Fekkai Advanced Shampoo valued at $23 when you bring in an empty bottle of your current shampoo brand to one of the partcipating Saks 5th Avenue locations on September 17th

Free Moviecube dvd rental with code ETUX9A9

Printable Coupon for free 12 count CankerMelts at Walgreens or Rite-aid good thru Sept 15th

Printable Coupon for a pair of free panties at Aerie stores any Thursday in September

Free canister of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes for teachers

Free sample of Kotex Ultra Thin Overnight Pads with Wings

Printable Coupon for a free bottle of Racetrac brand water at Racetrac locations

Free Maplesoft Math Posters-great for teachers

Currently, several companies are offering targeted freebies for becoming fans via ads on your sidebar on facebook. Be on the lookout for the likes of Rockstar, Texas Pete's,and Chick-fil-A.

Free Scrubbing Bubble Gift Pack

Free sample of Bear Naked Granola

50 free prints from Shutterfly with promo code GETMYPRINTS-you do have to pay shipping

Free sample of exederm intensive moisture cream

Free Brain Facts book or cd for educators. This book is pretty cool and informative especially to me with the addiction and mental illness section from a highly scientific standpoint.

Free sample of Tampax

Free green firming facial cream from aveda with promo code organic cactus and free sensory ritual at aveda spas with the page printout

Free condoms from Love 4 for individuals and 1000 for organizations-I know this one works since we received them for Pride.

Free full sized tube of Badgal Blue mascara at Ulta on September 15th when you bring either a printout of the Seventeen homepage or the October 2009 cover. This mascara retails for $19. Each Ulta will have 12-24 tubes of mascara to give away.

Free Fancy Feast Appetizers for cats

Free sample of Dinovite pet food

Free solid food starter kit from Beech Nut foods

Free Always Flexithin style liner

Free Starbucks beverage on your birthday

Free Hallmark card

Free sample of Emergen-c cherry

Free sample of Zyrtec

Free sample of Prilosec OTC

Free sample of Tena protective underwear

Free sample of No-Doz

Free sample of Playtex Sport

Free download of Aaron Shust's song Take Over

Free Kotex and FDS sample kit from Walmart

Free Cornwall recipe book

Pride books are out

2009-09-03T18:45:00.000-04:00

We have begun distributing our Pride Books to local merchants thankfully chocked full of advertisers. This means (eeek) Pride Week begins next week. Since we only have printed forms of our books, I thought I would share a few pics.

This is the cover featuring a picture of our historic downtown. Of note, P.R.I.D.E is actually an acronym at least in Fredericksburg which stands for People Recognizing Integrity, Diversity and Equality. As an organization, we are not just centered around gay friendly events but those which seek to promote understanding and tolerance of all minorities. We are mandated by our bylaws to be a community organization which does events throughout the year, but next week is our big week.

This is the week's schedule which will keep me quite busy. Sunday evening, I have the honor of judging the drag pagaent. I may not have ever been a beauty queen, but now I get to play a role in crowning one. Monday is the picnic where I will not only be bringing a covered dish which I promise to blog about, but I am also going to be manning the grill. Tuesday and Thursday being karaoke events you can bet your bippee will involve some singing for me. Saturdays festival means an early start as I am event staff and have been told I get to begin my day there at 6:45 am with setup. In addition to being staff, I will be selling wares at a booth and performing. Sunday at the tea party, I will be Alice in Wonderland as well as our emcee for the tea-riffic boat ride. So, I expect either I will have lots of posts next week with pics or no posts as I drift away to sleep each night completely exhausted.

I got lots of great mentions in the pride book, 5 to be exact such as this one listing me as an ad coordinator.

My listing as a Board Member for the upcoming year.

The only place where my name was misspelled was in one of the thank yous.

Better Pics of My Thrifting

2009-09-03T17:43:00.000-04:00

I know I promised better pics once I could take them of the shoes I acquired from Goodwill on Sunday. As promised, here they are.

Anna Sheffield for Target

2009-09-03T16:32:00.000-04:00

Anna Sheffield's Jewerly Line for Target debuted at Target Stores on August 30th. The collection fuses both an eclectic mix of vintage and contemporary styles featuring keepsake pieces with a range of delicate drop and playful stud earrings, charm bracelets and necklaces adorned with multi-chains and stones. This collection provides beautiful sterling silver and vermeil jewelry at reasonable prices.

Since the Sheffield line has already debuted, I will just give you a few of my favorite highlights.

Neckaces $29.99-$49.99

I think the scissor pendant might be perfect for some of my crafty friends.

Hearts & Thoughts Hoop Charm Earrings

Earrings $29.99

Part 3 of the Anna Sui for Target Preview

2009-09-03T15:39:00.000-04:00

Plaid Vest in Black/Gray $29.99
Tee with Lace Sleeves in Black $29.99
Plaid Cropped Pants in Black/Gray $34.99

Silk Jumper in Black $59.99

Herringbone Dress in Gray/Black $59.99

Metallic Bouclé Dress with Sequin Feather Detailing in Gray $69.99

Leather Jacket in Black $149.99

Satin Striped Shift Dress with Belt in Black $59.99

Part 2 of the Anna Sui Preview

2009-09-03T15:02:00.000-04:00

More of Anna Sui's New Line

Silk Off-The-Shoulder Striped Dress in Ivory/Red/Black $59.99

Tulle Tie-Front Top in Black $19.99

Tattersall Skirt in Red $29.99

Hole Leggings in Black $19.99

Lace Halter Dress in Black $69.99

Silk Labyrinth-Border-Print Tunic in Red/Black $49.99

Ruched-Front Hooded Nylon Jacket in Black $79.99

Silk Sleeveless Wrap Dress in Geometric-Bandana-Border Print in Black/White $59.99

Metallic Houndstooth Jacquard Dress in Purple/Black $69.99

Foulard Printed Dress with Elastic Belt in Blue $44.99

Long-Sleeve Tablecloth Dress in Ivory $69.99

Metallic Jacquard Dress in Multicolor Circles $59.99

Short-Sleeve Sheer Dot Jacquard Dress in Black $44.99

Preview of the Anna Sui Line for Target

2009-09-03T14:28:00.002-04:00

Anyone who has been reading my blog at all knows I am a huge fan of Target. I especially love the collaborations with designers which bring designer looks to us for much more affordable prices. So, when I was contacted to give my blog readers a preview of the Anna Sui and Anna Sheffield lines for fall, I was thrilled. I am going to start with Anna Sui's line inspired by the CW Drama Gossip Girl. Due to the space the photos take up, I am going to spread out the preview over several posts. Personally, I'm really loving her dresses especially the wrap dresses and empire waist dresses that should flatter all figures while maintaining a bit of the rock 'n roll vibe Sui is known for.

Per the Press Release:
The Anna Sui for Target collection is the second installment of the retailer’s Designer Collaborations series which launches in select stores and Target.com on September 13th.

Ranging in price from $19.99-$149.99, the line includes a variety of soon-to-be-obsessed with seasonal staples including sweaters, blouses, dresses, cropped pants and mini skirts A seersucker satin ruffle-front button-down shirt exudes uptown glamour and sophistication, while a silk crepe de chine cap sleeve striped dress is retro chic with flare. Sui adds her signature whimsical charm to the party-worthy black lace halter dress with bow-tie collar, while also offering casual cool wardrobe mainstays such as a silk charmeuse jumper and leather bomber. A classic Anna Sui bohemian touch of ethnic prints is modern on an asymmetric velvet burnout spiral floral print dress and beaded-collar blouse paired with the jacquard graphic mini.
The Anna Sui for Target collection celebrates the fusion of Upper East Side style and Downtown urban-edge at incredibly affordable prices, making designer fashion available to women everywhere.

Intarsia Zip-Front Cardigan in Ivory/Orange/Brown $44.99
Silk Sleeveless Wrap Dress in Brown Dot/Tree Print $59.99

Metallic Jacquard Sleeveless Ruffle Top in Orange Paisley Print $39.99
Jacquard Skirt in Ivory/Orange/Brown $29.99

Velvet Burnout Dress in Spiral-Floral Print $69.99
Short-Sleeve Necklace Tee in Purple $29.99

Ottoman Vest in Ivory/Orange/Purple $44.99
Long-Sleeve Empire Dress in Geo-Mixed Print $44.99

The Cutest Baby Ever

2009-09-03T13:04:00.000-04:00

Well, at least until I have my own. I had the joy of spending yesterday decompressing over at my best friend's and got to spend some quality time with her beyond adorable grandson including changing a poopie diaper amongst other things. And, of course, I couldn't resist taking pics of him about 400 to be more exact. Here are just a handful of my faves:

Oh, and seeing my bestie was good for my soul too.

Amazing Sale on Susan Farber on Gilt Fuse

2009-09-03T00:39:00.000-04:00

I am super excited to be able to give you information on an exclusive sale with a special promo code for my blog readers for some hot handbags by designer Susan Faber on Gilt Fuse.
Gilt Fuse in the words of their official press release:

FUSING FASHION AND AFFORDABILITY, GILT GROUPE LAUNCHES GILT FUSE

The Contemporary Fashion Sale Web Site Debuts August 12

NEW YORK – Fashionable deal-seekers and online shopping mavens can mark their calendars – on August 12 at 12:00 p.m. EST online style sensation Gilt Groupe will launch Gilt Fuse, a new contemporary fashion addition to the flash sale universe. A sibling site to the buzzed about Gilt Groupe, Gilt Fuse will offer the same irresistible steals with a deeper inventory and significantly lower prices, $75 - $150.

Targeting a younger member base than its luxury-based predecessor, Gilt Fuse pairs high style with affordable cost. The Gilt Fuse customer is both stylish and sensible. With an endless wardrobe just a click away, Gilt Fuse members know how to mix their casual fashion with investment pieces from Gilt, thrift-store steals and vintage finds, building their wardrobe without stepping outside or breaking the bank.

“We recognized that there is a need in the flash sale category to offer fashionable, contemporary brands at significant discounts,” said CEO Susan Lyne. “A large portion of our Gilt membership is looking for effortless, everyday fashions that don’t stretch their budget. Gilt Fuse is a natural expansion for our brand and an answer to our evolving customer demands.”

Modeled after Gilt, Gilt Fuse will feature hand-selected looks from a single designer sold for only 36 hours. The first brands to debut on the site, at prices up to 70% off retail, include Plenty by Tracy Reese, Kova & T, Modern Amusement, CC Skye, TKO Orologi, RJ Graziano and BCBG. Upcoming sales will be announced through Gilt Fuse’s Web site and in a weekly e-newsletter.

Access to Gilt Fuse, http://www.giltfuse.com/, will be invitation-only. Existing members of Gilt Groupe will be automatically granted access to Gilt Fuse. For more information on membership, contact membership@gilt.com or visit http://www.gilt.com/.

About Gilt Groupe: Headquartered in New York, Gilt Groupe is a privately held company dedicated to providing its members with access to coveted fashion and luxury lifestyle brands at sample sale prices. Gilt Groupe hand selects both established and up and coming brands relevant to its membership base.

Susan Faber has been designing handbags adorned with the latest trend, interpreted her way. Zippered ruffle trims, swinging fringe, blossoming bows, combined with Italian hardware, rich, vibrant colors and textures. They are original, lightweight and easy to carry.
Recently, Henri Bendel in New York singled out Susan Farber Collections as a “Must Have Accessory” for Spring/Summer, 2009; featuring her bags in their Fifth Avenue windows and in an exclusive in-store boutique.
On the national and international front, Harvey Nichols and hundreds of other boutiques carry her bags. The fashion magazines, Elle, Elle Accessories, Lucky and more have featured her handbags inside of their pages. And, many celebrities have been noticed carrying her bags. For more information about her and her collection check out http://www.susanfarbercollections.com/about-susan-farber.html.

The bags included in this sale are:

Small Riley Bag
MSRP $426 Gilt Price $129

Evil Fringe Clutch
MSRP $322 Gilt Price $129

Belize Brick Bag
MSRP $598 Gilt Price $219

To get into this exclusive sale, go to http://www.giltfuse.com/onedayatatime starting at noon today Thursday, September 3rd and use promo code: onedayatatime. Remember the sale is only for 36 hours and you have to use that link to get into the sale.

Some parts of this post come directly from the official press pages of both Gilt Fuse and Susan Faber Collections.

Cool fashion previews and savings coming

2009-09-02T13:44:00.000-04:00

I've been contacted by a pr agency and tonight and tomorrow will be able to provide you some previews of a couple of new designer lines at Target and an awesome designer handbag sale on Gilt Fuse tomorrow. So, keep checking in tomorrow for special deals and previews. I know I am excited and think y'all will like it as well.

New shoes

2009-08-30T22:09:00.000-04:00

Sorry the second pic of the shoes is a little blurry, but my camera battery was dying when I tried to take these pictures. I was caught completely off guard by the battery dying. I've had the camera since New Year's eve of last year, and this is the first time the battery drained. Pretty amazing considering I am only now recharging the battery for the first time.

Today, while I was waiting for our middle eastern treats to be prepared(felafel for me, yummers) at Aladdin, a local restaurant I love, I couldn't help but take a trip down to the Goodwill in a neighboring shopping center. Originally, I thought I would be responsible and look for a new work shirt or pants both of which I will need in the near future. Since I took the wardrobe refashion challenge, I may not have refashioned much; but I have
been good at not buying new clothes. I have learned to start looking early for work shirts and pants.

Before I even entered the store, I was taken in by the outdoor display of books, cds, and movies for sale. Try as I may to avoid the display, I couldn't help but notice a hardback copy of An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison perched askew on a shelf so the cover was facing outward as if set there just for me to see it. It's odd that book has been on my mind recently, too. I was just thinking about it as part of my list of books I love to pass along to others. Certain books like this I like to snap up any time I find them. Sadly, I have never happened to have my own copy of An Unquiet Mind and am glad to have added it to my collection.
If you are unfamiliar with An Unquiet Mind, it is Jamison's memoir of her battles with manic depression colored by her herself being a professor of psychiatry and noted expert on the subject of manic depression. Her story is both touching and enlightening. Reading the book as I was finally coming to terms with my own diagnosis certainly helped me see my own struggles in her story as well as see hope for the possibilty of living a close to normal life. Her description of mania being completely unaware of your own behavior being in any way unusual and having absolutely no desire to sleep or eat while feeling more energy and creativity and wanting to hold onto that feeling depite the downsides of disease rang so true with me. Now, as someone who has taken myself off my medication multiple times, I am comforted by someone who is a professional who has done the same. I highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to have a clearer understanding of the disease. I would also suggest A Brillant Madness by Patty Duke as well. I think I just may reread it again as soon as I finish my current read, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd which I sadly just began last night.
So, to the title topic of shoes. I can't walk into a Goodwill without giving their shoe racks a good looking over. I have been good though and avoided buying any new shoes or at least new shoes to me in a while as you may have noticed. In fact, I have been quite good not purchasing any since the middle of June. Holy cow, I can't even believe I've managed to control my impulses for over 2 months. Sadly, there were no Target new stock shoes not even in sizes other than my own. I did manage to find 2 pairs of shoes that suited my fancy. Both pairs amazingly appear to be new and never worn still with tags on them. The first pair are slight wedges with faux crocodile texture in a patent burgundy by New York & Company. I got these pics as my battery was on its last leg, so I know they are less than the best quality. I will try to get some more posted once I can use my camera again.

I think they are quite the bargain for $3.50 and definitely fit my red obsession. The other pair which I was unable to get pics of are pointed with a squared off tip open sides and an ankle strap in a beige and black faux snakeskin pattern and 3 inch heel by Studio C. They were also $3.50. I will try to post pics of them soon as well.
And, I did manage to get lucky and find one work shirt while I was there. Fortuitous since it was my excuse for going into Goodwill anyway.

Wonky comments

2009-08-29T17:13:00.000-04:00

I got home from work and was surprised to see quite a few new comments on my blog. Unfortunately, they all looked like this:

抓姦,外遇,徵信,徵信社,徵信公司,尋人,抓姦,外遇,徵信,徵信社,徵信公司,尋人,抓姦,外遇,徵信,徵信社,徵信公司,尋人,抓姦,外遇,徵信社,徵信

While I assumed they were no good, but I was still curious. So, I ran them through google translator and got this:

Grasping adultery, affair, credit information, credit information, credit information companies, tracing, grasping adultery, affair, credit information, credit information, credit information companies, tracing, grasping adultery, affair, credit information, credit information, credit companies, tracing, grasping adultery, an affair, and credit information, credit information

Anyone know what is up with this? Should I be worried? Did I get phished or something?

More Karaoke Fun

2009-08-27T21:56:00.000-04:00

This was a rather eventful week at karaoke filled with more drama than any soap opera on tv. More on that in a later post, though. Despite all the zaniness, we managed to have some fun.

John Lee spent the beginning of the evening trying to make corrections to the pride book. Too bad he wasn't enjoying the fun.

But, eventually, he got in on the fun even getting his dance on while singing some Lady Gaga.

Of course, Paul belted a few too.

Here he is getting a little bit softer now while singing Shout with Scott.

I, also, got in on the action. Here's me singing I Touch Myself.

This shot was probably the funniest of the night to me as Janet was so enamored with my killer shoes that she had to take a shot of them while I was singing. They are the stilletos featured in the post my shoe collection part 5.

This is I know a highly unflattering completely candid shot of me which is admittedly a rarity. I have a freakishly keen sense of when a camera is around me. However, I am not the point of this pic. The plaid sleeve to my left is. That sadly is the only photographic evidence that I was finally able to drag a friend of mine out to karaoke after about a year of begging. He says he had a good time, so hopefully, he'll be back next week.

Your thoughts on sales

2009-08-27T20:42:00.000-04:00

I am looking to decide what photos to blow up and put up for sale for the festival in 2 weeks. So, I am looking for your advice. These are a few I am considering. Any suggestions?

My projects while I am/was computerless

2009-08-21T00:17:00.000-04:00

While I was sans my computer, I came up with the brillant plan that I could use this time to work on all those things I want/need to get done yet somehow put off by wandering the net often aimlessly and having too many conversations via aim and facebook. What I did not take into consideration was that:

I would have terrible insomnia which would leave me quite lethargic.
I am a world class procrastinator.
I would eat some bad eggs(aparently along with a few other people I know) which would make me beyond miserable Sunday.
I perhaps think I can accomplish much more than I am able to in a short time.
Someone else in my house was trying to find ways to occupy his time which often seemed to distract me or coincide with what I needed to use to accomplish my own tasks.

But, I did get a few things done. My original quite lofty list(along with explanations) was as follows:

Get all my pictures on CDs from the old desktop which is no longer capable of connecting to the internet-Never seemed to get my chance to use the computer as the boy dusted it off to play old computer games like Starcraft which he hasn't played in almost a year.
Figure out how to make condom bouquets. Ok, I came up with a plan; but I had to wait to get my supplies.
Get some reading done. This I would say I did as I began and completed 2 books and started a 3rd.
Handwrite some blog posts in a journal, so I would have them ready when I got my computer back. I did this, but as of yet have not typed them into blogger.
Make some more crayons to sell at the festival. I simply never did this.
Start some sewing projects. Once again, never did it.
Clean up my text inbox. My inbox was out of control with over 1400 messages. I did this one going through them individually determining what to save and delete getting it down to a more manageable 300 or so messages. However, this has not improved the performance of my phone as I had originally hoped.
Sell more ads for PRIDE. I was held up at work over the weekend and didn't make it downtown in time to do this. But, I did get money for 2 on Tuesday.
Thoroughly clean my house. You know doing the little things that get put off like washing the walls as well as the usual suspects like the tub. While I did contemplate buying some oven cleaner while at the store, that's about far I got on that one.

So, what else did I get done instead? I attempted to nap though my insomnia seemed to prevent even that. I watched a few movies which I had already watched, but the boy had not. I talked quite a bit more on the phone than I usually do. I spent time with friends that I hadn't in a while. Once again, I had the best laid plans.

Keeping the cord

2009-08-20T22:30:00.000-04:00

No, it is not that discussion. I am far from being in a position to be even concerned about that at all. Though I thought it was a cute intro into my post on my laptop adapter woes. Last week, I thought I would be sans my computer for weeks when my laptop adapter decided to be naughty and reveal its wires to the world. Since my computer is less than a year old, I decided to take Gateway up on their warranty promises and give them a call. The call certainly made me miss having a Gateway store in my town where I could speak to a live person. I described to the gentleman on the phone my problem in great detail concerned that the warranty may not cover it as it may be considered excessive wear and tear though I know I treat my baby with the utmost care. Despite my description, the customer service rep insisted on going through his usual schpell(sp?) asking me if it was plugged into the wall adapter etc. While I am sure there are people who are silly enough not to realize they do not have something plugged in, I am not one of these people; and I thought I was clear that I had exposed wires. In my mind, I was pretty clear as they had shocked me several times which lead to a nasty blister which now resembles a hole in my finger and some heart palpatations. On top of that, I grew tired of the is it plugged in question years ago when I contacted another company via live chat on a desktop and the rep asked me if my computer was plugged in. Really now. No, it's not plugged in I am powering the computer with my mind as we chat online. I understand company procedures, but shouldn't people be able to use some common sense.

Finally, he listened and gave me two options for how I could get my replacement part. The first option was to pay for the replacement up front which is approxiamately $90 plus shipping and handling. Then, when I received the new part they would include a box for me to ship back the defective part. Once they received the defective part, they would credit me back the amount I paid. Nice option, but I don't really have $100 to pay out of pocket and wait to be reimbursed. The second option was to mail the defective part off. Once they received it, they would send me the replacement part without any cost to me except what I paid for the original shipping of the defective part. That sounded better, and I agreed to do that. The problem was between our work schedules, there was no way to get that done Saturday morning.

By Sunday, I was going a bit nutzoid having a weekend away from the net especially with my cell phone working when it decides it wants to. I was lonely without the ability to easily contact my friends. This isn't my first Gateway computer though. So, I know how quickly or in their case not so quickly send out parts. I bought my first laptop through them back in 2002. I got the extended warranty on it since I bought it directly from the Gateway store. Ironically, that laptop's adapter died after I had it for a couple of years but in a less dramatic fashion as it simply went kaput which was obvious since the light no longer came on. Back then, I didn't have to send them the defective part, they just sent me a new one since the part had a known problem. However, it took me nearly a month to get my new part as there was some problem with it being on back order. I did know that they told me it normally took about 2 weeks for parts to be received. I even tried the adapter from my previous laptop to see if I might get lucky and have it work for both laptops, but I was not lucky at least not with that. By this point, I knew there was no way I could go that long without my computer. Luckily, I have wonderful friends who offered to help. One friend offered me the use of her universal laptop adapter while I was without mine. Nifty device which I was heretofor unaware. The adapter comes with like 9 different connectors made to fit most major manufacturer's laptops. Yay, temporary fix. Additionally, my dear friend Paul offered to fix the laptop adapter by welding together the wires and properly covering them back up. At first, I was a bit nervous as I was sure this would void my warranty. I didn't want that either since the cheapest universal adapter I found was also $90. He assured me he was trained to do this. So in desperation, I handed the cord over to him. Apparently, I am the only one clueless enough not to know this type of surgery can be performed. Thankfully, my cord is back to me and working fine looking just a little worse for the wear covered in electric tape. Once again, I am grateful for having amazing friends who are both generous and knowledgeable in areas I am not.

Condom Bouquet Tutorial

2009-08-20T21:04:00.000-04:00

I know I am usually pretty PG if not PG-13 here in blogland. But, I have a bachelorette party looming. The bride-to-be has requested no gifts, but I wanted to do something at least as a gag gift for her. Being a bit tight on money right now, going to an adult store with their prices is out of the question and not something I could even do with the limited time given before the event. I have heard many friends speak of condom roses or condom bouquets before as a gag and figured it would be a pretty simple thing for me to make. I tried looking online for an easy tutorial, but most I found had no pictures or didn't quite look as nice as I wanted mine to turn out. I think these may also make fun birthday presents as well.
So, this is my take on it. Total cost for my project was $3 since I bought all my supplies at the dollar store.

I got all the condoms for free from Aids prevention organizations. There are tons of community organizations out there who offer free condoms without any questions asked these days. Even some condom companies will send you free samples these days like Lifestyles and Trojans. Often Gay Pride functions will have freebie condoms. In fact, here is my box of freebie condoms that I had to choose from for this project.

Other supplies:

I purchased floral tape, electrical tape as they didn't seem to have any masking tape, and fake floral bouquets all at the dollar store.

The trick to making this easy is in picking the fake flowers. I purchased ones that had movable leaves and flowers that were removable. The leaves being movable meant that I could move them down to give myself room to attach tape, I could move them back up when completed to complete the look. The flowers popping off saved me needing wire cutters to remove the flowers as there is wire inside the fake flower stems for stability. Additionally, most of the instructions I found used wire for the stem and added fake flowers. Not only did this seem more costly to me, but it also seemed like a lot of unneccesary work.

The only other necessary supply is scissors for cutting the tape.

Supplies:

Condoms

Floral Tape

Sturdy tape of your choice such as masking tape, electrical tape, etc

Fake Flower Bouquet

Scissors

Step 1: Pop off all the flowers.

This will leave you with a pile of flower tops perfect for using in other projects especially finishing hair adornments like barettes and headbands.

Step 2: Push back the leaves so you have some room to work.

Step 3: This one I learned from trial and error. Cut off two lengths of your sturdy tape that you will use to attach the condoms to the wire. I recommend 3-4 inches of tape, but I basically eyeballed it. Set aside the tape by sticking just a bit of it to an easy to reach surface like the desk you are working at or in my case my leg.

Step 4:Fold a condom in half diagonally.

I found it also helped if I applied enough pressure to make a crease so that it would stay in this nice neat triangle.

Step 5: Place the wire inside of the condom and attach using tape around the bottom corner of the condom.

Step 6: Fold second condom as you did the first then attach second condom around the first so that it's point is flaring out opposite that of the first as seen in this picture.

Secure with tape.

Step 7: Avoid the temptation to wrap floral tape around the sturdy tape you are using. You see this was my learning experience with floral tape. I mistakenly assumed it is pretty much like any other tape except green and better for using with flowers. Boy was I wrong. First of all floral tape only sticks to itself really, so it won't secure the condom to the wire which is why I had to use the electrical tape. Secondly, when it does stick to itself it leaves your fingers quite sticky which is why I would recommend finishing all the condom flowers before covering your tape with the floral tape.

Step 8: Push the leaves back into the position you desire.

And, here is the finished product:

Bachelorette party on the horizon

2009-08-20T08:04:00.000-04:00

I have been invited to my first bachelorette party. How odd, I know that I made it to my 30s without attending a bachelorette party. I've been to a bachelor party or two in my day. Calm your dirty minds. I was never the entertainment. I just have tended to have closer friends who were male rather than female. Those who were of the female variety and took the plunge have never really had bachelorette parties. Well, I think this shall be a fun adventure. Some quality girl time even though I only know the bride to be.

The odd thing is that as part of the festivities for the night I just discovered today that we are going to a Chippendale's show right here in little old Fredericksburg in of all places a bowling alley. Am I the only person who finds it a bit odd that the Chippendale's are coming to perform in a relatively small city at a bowling alley which markets itself as a family friendly establishment?

A gift that inspired me

2009-08-20T01:13:00.000-04:00

One of my regular customers brought me this wonderful blankie last week. I love it. I wish you could feel how soft is right through your computer monitor. I am a Cowboys fan in the land of Redskins fans, I know. That was not the inspiration part of the present though. She asked what team I wanted since football season is gearing up, and she has tons of material for different teams since she makes and sells these blankets. No, I am feeling inspired by its simplicity. I've seen tuturials for these tie blankets especially when I was searching for baby stuff earlier this year. But, seeing one in person and feeling how exceptionally warm this baby is since it is two layers of fleece absolutely convinced me I must make some myself. This just may be one of the easiest craft projects I will ever take on since it involves no sewing. Now I can't wait for some extra spending money to take a trip to the craft store to buy some fleece.

Mom I'm a Vegetarian

2009-08-20T00:06:00.000-04:00

Thanks to my facebook friends, I get comments on my blog posts in a variety of manners. A childhood friend of mine, Shelly, informed me after reading my mac and cheese post from Monday that it was food for thought for her as her son has decided to become a vegetarian. If that's the least I can do it makes me feel good. Now, I am not here to convert anyone. I hope I have made it perfectly clear that I believe I don't want anyone to preach at me about how I choose to live anymore than I am sure people would appreciate it coming from me. I will say I am proud of her for being so understanding while equally concerned that he is still getting all the nutrients he needs. She is an awesome person, and I would expect nothing less. I am sure that the decision of how to deal with a child who chooses to become a vegetarian is difficult for a parent who only wants what is best for their child.

I was an adult away at college when I made the decision on a lark as a New Year's Eve resolution. My parents did not know of my decision until I came home briefly over spring break 3-4 months later. I grew up in a house where we definitely ate meat. My father was a hunter, so I ate my share of venison along with some rabbit and squirrel. Our house was literally right on the water making fish and crab staples of our diets especially in the summertime. We raised chickens, and I know from first hand experience what the saying running around like a chicken with its head cuts off means(yes, the body continues to run around after its separation from the head quite manically for what seems like a long stretch of time but is in all reality only a few seconds.). I am sure I gave my parents quite a bit to digest. I don't at all recall my mother's immediate reaction, but I will never forget my father questioning me about whether I still use glue(what about the poor horsies?). They couldn't really force feed me though especially with me being gone so much at that point in college. My father is a wonderful, kind, generous man. Really, I cannot say enough how much I adore him. I am a good southern girl which means I am a daddy's girl through and through. I know one phone call and my daddy would be right here to do just about anything for me, and he has. But, he still thought of me as his little girl then. So, at our first family gathering since I outed myself as a vegetarian, he had a creative and (only now) comical way of dealing with the situation. I doubt he thought I would still be a vegetarian all these years later. Heck, I don't think I even thought I would. So, I am sure he thought his plan would work. You see my father found a way to put meat in every dish he brought to dinner. Every veggie had meat in it generally of the pork variety like a ham hock or bacon or fatback. Not that unusual though at a Southern meal. The stuffing had shrimp and crab. Different for our family, but not really thinking outside the box. The potatoes had bacon. That was the most obvious attempt. We always have mashed or whipped or smashed potatoes depending on which family member is talking about them made quite simply with milk, butter, and salt. No frills. I think if grandma hadn't made the bread he would have figured out a way to insert some meat into them as well. So, I ate my meal of bread and was unbroken. The lure of a good, salty country ham, one of my childhood favorites(yes my parents called me the ham hound often using ham as a test of how ill I really was meaning I was really sick if I refused to eat ham not just playing at feeling bad.) even that early on would not sway me. In fact, I think his attempts only served to entrench me further. I a hard headed. I come by it honest. I may not have an exact breakdown of what kind of mutt I really am; German, Irish, and English being our best guesses. But, I know without a shadow of a doubt I am 100% stubborn being the child of two quite stubborn parents. My father has since acquessed bringing going as far as bringing meatless gravy to holiday dinners, trying hummus(too gritty for him), and taking into consideration what foods I can eat when picking a restaurant.

In the end, I think that my anemia improving vastly to the point that I no longer have to take iron pills daily since I've become a vegetarian may have been one of the biggest factors in my parents understanding I am making a healthy choice for me. But, it all took time for them to accept that the decision is mine, and that I am being smart about it. In college, I had lots of friends who were both vegetarians and vegans I could look to for advice. I was willing to do research to find out what my options were to make up for any nutrients I might be missing ie omega 3 fatty acids can be found in flax seed and walnuts.

If your child is still a child making this decision, there are a ton of great resources out there especially on the internet. I've talked about them before on my postings about vegetarianism. I know that I rarely post entrees when I post recipes, but that is because I have not been the meal preparer in our household since I've lived with a trained chef for 3 years. I am sure that will all change soon. I encourage people to make an informed decision. And, in the end if you have any questions, I am always here.

Christmas Already???

2009-08-17T23:41:00.000-04:00

Let me begin by saying that I love the idea of Christmas in July. Really, I do. And, I adore Christmas celebrations. Boy do I. Christmas parties, wrapping presents, spending time with friends and family, donning a Santa hat or the whole suit as the case may be(yeah, that's me last year at work in a Santa suit just being silly.). I am cuckoo for cocoa puffs about the whole shebang. I swear. But, I have one hard and fast rule when it comes to Christmas. I do not begin any planning of anything Christmas(with the notable exception of picking up gifts for friends and family which I sometimes do throughout the year especially when you find something that's just so perfect that you may never see it again like the ladybug vase on clearance for the ladybug lover in your life) until November 11th. That may seem like a pretty random date to those of you who don't know me well, but it will make perfect sense in a few minutes. My birthday is November 10th. My father's is the 12th and grandmother's also falls in November. For some reason, growing up a large portion of my friends were also November babies. I grew uncomfortably accustomed to having to share my birthday with others. On top of that since my birthday falls a little to close to Christmas for comfort, I have fallen victim to the this present is your Christmas/birthday present. That all stinks. I wanted my special day that was supposed to be all about me just as much as everyone else. So, I created my rule as an adult that there is no Christmas discussions until after my big day has passed. I also like celebrating all holidays. I look forward to Labor Day cookouts, Halloween Trick or Treaters and Thanksgiving gorging. As commercial industries keep pushing up the time when they bring out holiday ways earlier and earlier each year, this task becomes more difficult. Usually, I have come to expect to be annoyed around Halloween to start seeing the Christmas items hitting the shelfs. I was bewildered today when upon entering the Dollar Store searching for supplies for a bachelorette party project which I promise to make a tutorial for over the next few days to see Christmas items prominently displayed near the front of the store. I tried to avert my eyes and pretend I didn't see it, but alas it was too late. It's well over 90 degrees here. School has yet to start. I'm ready for some grilling. I'm simply not ready for summer to be over much less for Christmas to be here.

The Benefit of Mac and Cheese

2009-08-17T22:55:00.000-04:00

Being a vegetarian, I try to be very careful to get the necessary amount of protein per day. My last trip to the hospital I was concerned that even though a nutritionist would be doing the consult on my meals that I might have problems. I got lucky though as my nutritionist was amazingly a vegetatarian as well. As she was going over the protein options the hospital had offer for me, she mentioned mac and cheese. I poo poo'd her idea of mac and cheese as an insufficient source of protein but really didn't give it too much thought as I was after all in the hospital. Tonight as we were discussing dinner options for the two of us, we for some reason decided to take a look at the protein content of our dinner options. I was to be having some Stouffer's Mac and Cheese and a salad. The boy would be having Banquet Salisbury Steak, some of the mac and cheese, and a salad as well. What can I say, we're working on a tight budget. Imagine my surprise to find out the following numbers on the boxes: Mac and cheese 16g Protein per Serving Salisbury Steak 15g Protein per Serving. Guess I was wrong, but in a good way especially since I love mac and cheese.

A Brief Reprieve

2009-08-17T21:59:00.000-04:00

I have been able to borrow an adapter for my computer for a brief while. Thank goodness for universal adapters. Not sure how long this will allow me to use the internet, but I am soaking up every minute I can get. It certainly is sad how much I missed being able to get online just not having it for the weekend. I got really lonely and felt completely out of the loop.

Running out of time

2009-08-14T18:07:00.000-04:00

Sadly, I mean that literally. I came home yesterday and the wires on my power adapter seem to have magically popped out. One might assume this was one of my cats up to no good. I know my girls though they are not chewers. In all reality, it simply appears they were just bent in the same position for too long and popped out of their rubber casing. Now, I have no working power adapter. I am about to run out of battery life literally in less than 9 minutes. I contacted Gateway since the computer is less than a year old. It may take 2-3 weeks before I have an new adapter. In the meantime, I most likely will be unable to make any new posts to my blog.

I was featured today

2009-08-10T16:15:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed some new buttons on my sidebars. One in particular makes me pleased as punch, and that's the "I was featured" button from Tip Junkie. I had submitted the tutorial so long ago that I had even forgotten about even submitting the tutorial. So, it was a pretty cool surprise and excitement when I got the email from Laurie at Tip Junkie letting me know I was going to be featured today. I actually am featured today for my rock candy tutorial. For those of you not famliar with Tip Junkie, it's a super neato blog where she lists a variety of creative ideas for everything from decorating to crafting to cooking to organizing. If you haven't checked it out, you definitely should. It's such an honor to even be featured with how many readers she has and submissions I am sure she gets.

Psyched about a sales possibility

2009-08-08T08:29:00.000-04:00

Pride festival is coming up in September. One of the millions of upsides to this is that during the festival we will have booths where vendors can sell their wares. One of my good friends has decided to buy a booth and invited me to use the booth space to sell my photography and possibly my crayons weather dependent(obviously early September heat may not make it the best idea as I doubt melted crayons will be a big seller.). Since I am fairly broke right now, this would be my only opportunity to have wares for sale at any such festivals right now. This is an amazing opportunity and hope I can sell some of my work.

Instruction Manual for Kids?

2009-08-08T01:43:00.001-04:00

I am plagued by talk radio thanks to someone else who lives with me. It's not my cup of tea, but I certainly can deal with it. Talk radio though does seem to have different commercials. Tonight, I heard one that absolutely caused me to take pause. It began ever wish your kids came with an instruction manual. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've heard it's not like kids come with an instruction manual especially in therapy. In rehab or therapy, case workers try to remind the participants that kids don't come with instruction manuals and most parents do the best with what they have to work with in general. There are of course exceptions as I heard tales like the one of a man who spent 3 years locked in a basement.

Well, the advertisement continued that he has one for you that will get your kids to be obedient and respectful. Hmmmmm. Not sure that this isn't one of the cases of too good to be true. Sadly as much as I was unable to stop listening to the ad, I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the actual product since someone was busy making jokes in the background while I was attempting to listen. I just caught the end saying it was something like How to Change Your Child's Attitude and a 1-800 number. What a product. Honestly, not sure an instruction manual is possible. No two kids are really alike nor would we want them to be entirely alike or else we might all be pretty boring adults.

Stop standing in the middle of the street

2009-08-08T00:54:00.001-04:00

To continue on my Dennis Miller like tone this evening, I live on a quite narrow road which barely has room for two cars to pass when there aren't vehicles parked on the side of the road which there always seem to be ending in a dead end. In fact, tonight as per usual with cars parked along the sides of the street it was impossible for more than one car to easily pass along the road.

Now, possibly some of what I am about to say comes out of my growing up in the country on a dirt road. Cars only came past our house when the people who owned the summer home below us came down for an occasional weekend during the summer. Needless to say I lived on a less than busy street. Due to it being a dirt road lined with shells, it was simply not possible to speed down our road nor was it possible not to be seen from a distance coming down the road often in a large cloud of dust. We were hence pretty safe riding our bikes on our road or walking to the end of the road without fear of being hit or causing much hold up to traffic(Traffic in all honestly was almost a foreign concept to us.).

Tonight being a typical evening especially a Friday night cars were piled up on the side of the road making it difficult enough for me to get down the road. Imagine my dismay when in full cover of darkness to see the road filled with a mass of 20 or so kids which is way more kids than houses filling up the roadway. I always back slowly out of my driveway especially since we have random cats that wander our neighborhood. I know why the kids were standing around sadly. Someone in all their infinite wisdom has decided to place a basketball hoop on the side of the road. I may be the only person apparently who thinks this is unsafe since the kids seem to continue to play unsupervised after dark, and they range in age from I would guess about 2-13. There is no lighting for them to be easily seen. It just all seems dangerous to me. With the parked cars, it makes it hard to see when they dart out to get the ball. I am always so worried someone will hit the kids. I know our yards aren't tremendous, but they certainly seem a safer place for the kids to play especially after dark. Or, there is always the playground to the church which is adjacent to our street. The kids playing in the street just makes me so nervous and a bit annoyed I will admit as well when I am driving. When I am trying to get to work or even just run to the store, the last thing I want to do is wait for them to slowly move out of the street. I swear I've seen turtles move with more vigilance and conviction than my neighborhood kids when they are standing often idly in the middle of the street.

Some people don't know when they are blessed

2009-08-07T23:57:00.003-04:00

A local man was charged today with 2nd degree murder as a result of the death of his 7 week old son. The child suffered injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome. I do not live in a big city necessarily which is why it seriously irks me tremendously that reports of children dying from shaken baby syndrome seem to be trickling in at an alarmingly increasing rate. And, it always seems like it is a parent not even a sitter who is the one committing the atrocious act of ending the life of the infant. Now, I am not, of course, aware of all the details of the case. I am a believer in the judicial process of innocent until proven guilty. I am just talking about the generalities of the prevelance of shaken baby syndrome not this specific case. What I do know in my heart of hearts is that there is never a reason to shake an infant much less shake a baby to the point of murdering it. There is nothing anyone can tell me that will make this act less vile or despicable. I have never had the joy of being a mother. I have infertility issues and perhaps for this reason find the idea of having a child of my own as so much more of a blessing as perhaps these ungrateful parents do. But really, I can't imagine a level of frustration so great with a tiny, innocent infant that could be so great to bring a human being to harm an infant with the hope of making the crying stop. I know human depravity exists. I am certainly no innocent naive enough not to be aware of it. Somehow in my mind though the insanity that must exist to allow serial killers to do what they do seems less horrifying to me than overtaking a 7 week old child. I can't imagine how people are incapable of seeing a healthy just possibly cholicky baby as anything other than a blessing. I know life can be stressful, but never stressful enough to take it out on a precious baby. And, honestly if you don't think you can handle being a parent there is a guaranteed way to ensure that won't happen; don't do it. I don't know where the mother was. No details were available in any of the news I heard or read about that. There are a million possibilities as to why she didn't stop him like simply not being there(like gone to get medicine or herself being incapacited ie in the hospital). I know the way things work around here and had she in any way been able to stop this murder and didn't, she would have been charged. I just get so rilled up when I hear about the deaths of babies which so easily could have been prevented especially when there are so many people who so desperately want to have a child of their own.

As a sidenote, I must say it was disturbing to read a local news article that was so poorly edited that it read the man was charged in the "alleged death" of his infant son. Really. I mean I doubt the death was alleged. I am sure they mean the alleged murder. I know this was just a local write up, but poor editing like this just drives me up a wall and makes me laugh a bit as well. I know I am sick, sick former English teacher.

Today I feel like running away

2009-08-07T23:08:00.000-04:00

It was just one of those days were everything I touched seemed to turn to doo doo at least at the beginning of the day. I walked outside to find that my house had been egged, and the other person who lives in my house had traipsed off to work without giving me any warning leaving the mess for me to deal with. Frankly, I don't get the fun in egging people. I was a kid once, and I guess we were a bit less destructive. We took joy in sporking our band directors yard. While it may have been a bit time consuming for him to remove the sporks that we so lovingly planted in his yard. I don't think it was nearly as damaging as trying to wash away eggy mess off a house before the paint was damaged. And, there wasn't that nasty cooked egg smell thanks to the lovely high heat and humidity we are currently dealing with in this part of Virginia. Maybe I was just cranky about it because it was my Monday morning. Then, due to transportation issues, I was late to work and we had apparently been swamped due to a large carryout order, an unexpected bus, and additional volume due to it being tax free back to school shopping weekend. I'm not really complaining. I wish I had been there for the rush, but it left my coworkers already spent by time I even arrived. So, I see a table sitting already looking quite annoyed when I arrived. By time I found a manager to clock me in so that I could enter anything into the computer since we recently went to computerized everything at my work, I am sure that table had sat another 5 minutes. Of course, the table was passed off to me. Just the way I love to start with customers who are upset. I go to make their drinks and someone knocked over my tray not only spilling the drinks but breaking glass everywhere. When several of the customers had less than legitimate complaints about their food(like the gravy which is never frozen having ice crystals in it) all I could do was fix the problem and laugh(of course, no where that a customer could hear.). It was just the beginning of one of those days.

Things got better I suppose or at least I just didn't let them get to me as much as I could have. Like when a manager telling me my replacement wouldn't be coming in, so I would have to stay late. I could have been annoyed knowing that I am already picking up an extra shift this week. Instead, I just looked at it as another opportunity to make a little extra cash. I am by no means perfect when it comes to this. At one point, I caught myself saying I wish I could run away.

We've all seen episodes of TV shows where one of the kids packs a suitcase with his or her most prized possessions cause they are going to run away with no real intention of leaving. But, I must admit there are moments when the idea of just leaving it all passes through my mind. Starting over in some new town with nothing but the dream of something different then the way things are here. Now, I know wherever you go there you are to be true meaning that you still will bring your emotional baggage with you. But, a change of scenery does seem awfully tempting at times. I wouldn't even know where to go or if I could leave my stuff behind and just take off to no where in particular. I do have some ideas I suppose of my dream towns. I've always looked quite kindly on Athens, Ga, Burlington, Vt, Austin, Tx, Savannah, Ga, Portland, Or, and Seattle, Wa. They all seem to have an artistic, college town vibe. Could I do it? I doubt it especially with only a few friends in any of those towns. But, sometimes it certainly sounds like a good idea.

Being single changes things

2009-08-07T22:02:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I'm not technically single. But, I hope to be soon. In this awkward in between time, I have noticed a few differences that I had forgotten about in the 3 plus years of being in a relationship. I doubt this list is inclusive, but just some observations.

I need a different cell plan. I have gone over my texting limit now 2 months in a row and am about a hundred texts away from hitting this months limit with still 20 days left in this months cycle. This is not a good thing since the 3 people I talk to the most are big on texting.

I watch a lot less TV. I just don't have time for it. I'm spending more time with friends which is of course a good thing. TV was a way for me to kill time while the boy did other things. Not exactly healthy though.

I get less sleep. It's not even from going out more necessarily. I still only go out one or sometimes two nights a week. I am on the phone or computer talking with friends until the wee hours more often than not though.

I have less of a routine. Before things were comfortably(or boringly depending on my mood) predictable. I came home from work, did household chores, watched some TV and/or got online while dinner was being prepared, then watched TV with the boy before heading to bed. Not really very exciting at all. Frankly, it was enough to drive me to put an eye out just to have something exciting happen. Really, it was my biggest fear come to life as I felt like I was becoming my parents. Don't get me wrong I love my parents. I just think their life is monotonous and boring. I can't do it. I have to have spotaneity in my life even if this is just a sign of self sabotage it is the way I am. These days I spend time with friends more and that leaves me feeling a heck of a lot more grounded. Even when in a relationship, I am not that person that can build my life solely around one person. I need a good bit of friend time. I just do. It's not like they are a backup. My friends are an important part of my life. I am hours away from any member of my family, so to me my friends are my family. Just last night, I was feeling a little off have not spoken to my 3 closest male friends like I usually do on Thursday evenings. I could feel myself perk right up when I did get the chance to chat with each of them.

Some things I don't change. The way I dress tends to be more a phase ie casual for a while then a bit more dressy, but I don't start slubbing around without any makeup and hair in a ponytail simply because I am in a relationship. I firmly believe who you see when you meet me will be who I am in general in terms of the level of dress down the road. I don't stop wearing "sexy" clothes because I am taken either. If I get hit on, it is flattering; but I am loyal. I've never cheated on anyone ever, and don't plan on being a cheater either especially not because my girls happen to look good when I am out with friends.

2009-08-07T21:27:00.000-04:00

Karaoke this week was a bit odd. The mood just wasn't right. I'm not sure if its because several of our friend's were on vacation, I was beyond exhausted after working 12 days straight with a good deal of overtime, or the biggoted jerk making racist and homophobic remarks who additionally insulted my friend for being bald and then had the gall to hit on me, or just something in the air. I performed no duets. I even spent a good bit of the first hour watching the World Series of Poker on TV since I had totally forgotten that it was on TV to set it to record. And, yes I watch the WSOP like many men watch other sporting events totally into cheering for my favorite players and ohing and ahing different hands. So, being in such an off mood, very few pictures were taken. And, I don't think there were any taken of anyone after the first few songs. That's right we're the dorks who must be first in the rotation. Some of my other friends went to sign up before me, and I simply made a funny face and yelled to the KJ what I would be singing. Sure enough I got bumped to the top of the list. Yeah, I'm also the pain in the butt who doesn't sign up. I just tell the KJ what I'm singing. There are certain benefits to being friends with the KJ and having done his job too. But, it was good to catch up with my friends who were there. And, I did try out a new song this week; I'll Be by Edwin McCain which is my favorite love song of all time if for no other reason than the line that I'll be the greatest fan of your life. Now, that's my idea of love.

Paul singing and wearing his Karaoke Superstar shirt one of our other karaoke buds gave him for Christmas.

John Lee singing some Annie Lennox at my request.

That's me rocking the hoochie mama earrings and waiting for my song, so I can belt one out.

I know what I'm getting for Christmas

2009-08-07T20:16:00.002-04:00

I have been going nutzoid with my phone recently. Someone other than me dropped my phone leaving me with funny lines through the screen and an increasing portion of the screen is black. Missing a portion of the screen makes it difficult to play Bejewelled which is not that big of a deal since I just use that to kill time when I am waiting and don't have a book in tow. But, it is increasinly difficult to type text messages since I have no idea what I've typed below a certain point. I often end up with a word that makes no sense which is pretty embarassing for someone who used to edit reports for a living. The real annoyance to me is how slow my phone is running. My friends and I often send each other text messages when we are out at karaoke. Originally, I found this practice silly and a waste of messaging. These days, I've come to realize with as noisy as it can get especially when someone is singing, messaging someone is a good way to communicate. My friends are always amused watching me wait and wait and wait for the message to open up after my phone has beeped that I have a new message. The kicker is something I am not sure is my phone or my networks fault. Over the course of the last 2-3 months my phone has started having problems sending messages repeatedly giving me the irksome message sending failed message. My phone will have all its bars meaning I have perfectly good service, allow me to receive texts, make and receive phone calls and still this message will repeatedly pop up preventing me from sending what I often feel is a quite important text. This might not be so irksome if I didn't have friends who only use their phones for texting. Combined with my phones repeated messages disallowing me to send text messages twice my phone has randomly cut out in the middle of a phone call and then randomly resent out the messages it disallowed me to send for the previous few weeks bombarding my friends inboxes with what are quite confusing messages especially later. This has lead to me often commenting to friends about my phone hating me. I have no idea what is causing this kerfuffle(not sure if I spelled that right. Am I the only one who has realized through blogging that I have no idea how to spell those words like rigamaroll, etc that I use in speech on a regular basis but never would have had on a spelling test?).

Unfortunately, my cell company penalizes me if I upgrade my cell phone early; and frankly, I don't have the money to pay for a new one anyhow. So, I looked online to see when under my contract I am able to get a new phone thinking it was sometime next April. Imagine my glee when I discovered that I can get a new phone at a highly discounted rate on December 22nd of this year. So, I know what new toy I'm getting for Christmas. I want all the bells and whistles on this new phone as I currently feel like I am in the stone ages using my Razor3 while everyone around me seems to have Iphones or some similar nonMac version.

I still may contact my provider in the meantime to see what is causing the texting issues just in case the problem is something other than my phone trying to play cruel jokes on me.

Now if only my phone can hang on that long.

Fan Me

2009-08-07T19:23:00.000-04:00

I went and did it. I created a fan page for my blog on facebook. I know that lots of my bloggy friends have fan pages on facebook and though I have fanned them, I'm still a bit foggy as to what the point is of having a fan page for a blog. Guess it is just another way to get the word out about your blog. Whatever the case may be, I finally took the plunge. Hopefully, some of y'all will fan me. The link to my fan page is on my left sidebar.

Relapse

2009-08-01T23:22:00.000-04:00

No, not mine; but a friend's. I knew a friend of mine relapsed for some time now. It's not the first time that I've had a friend relapse. In all reality, it's a pretty common occurrence. You see recovery is a pretty difficult road. It tends to be more like a game of Sorry for most addicts where you are constantly starting over. While I have been lucky enough to be one of the approxiamately 10% who stay sober, I have relapsed in recovery from other addictions. That's right like most addicts, alcohol is not my only addiction. Alcoholism was not even my first addiction. I like many addicts tried other poor coping mechanisms.

I was hoping the time would come when my friend would choose to tell me she had relapsed. I am not my friend's sponsor, and hence I made the decision be it right or wrong to give her a few days to come to me. So, I got the phone call that none of us in the program want to get; the drunken(or drugged) relapse call. I know enough not to go over to her house at least not alone. I cannot be alone with an addict that is using. That is a recipe for my own relapse. Luckily, I did manage to talk this person into getting some professional help. I have not always been so blessed when other friends have relapsed. I've actually lost a friend in the program who relapsed and eventually died as a result of an overdose.

This situation is different though for me than any of my prior situations perhaps because more of our mutual friends are not in the program than those who are in the program. I have been respectful of my friend's wishes and not mentioned anything about the relapse to any of our mutual friends. However, tongues have been wagging. People really can be quite cruel. To many people not in the program, her problem seems to be a joke and frankly it surprises me they have the gall to say these things in my presence. I don't expect people who are not addicts to understand how truly difficult it is not to use, but I do assume they would have some more general compassion and concept that addiction as a disease is not an easy one to live with. I may not have relapsed with alcohol, but I am the exception the very rare exception. I have thoughts more often than I wish. I have had to call a dear friend to take my extracts(yes, they have alcohol in them.) away from me as they were the only products in my household with alcohol in them, and I was feeling weak. I have a wonderful network. None of this is to say that I will not someday relapse. I hope when I do people are more considerate. And, I hope that people who aren't addicts can be more educated about addiction. The reality is that most everyone in this world knows or will no someone who is an addict. Many forms of addiction are deadly especially alcoholism, drug addiction, and eating disorders. Those that are not deadly are at the very least psychologically damaging. I doubt anyone plans to be an addict. Poor choices are made(of course, I am not talking about babies born addicted to drugs.). In the end, life is about what we do about those choices. I know that someday the temptation may get the best of me too.

These are just my rambling thoughts on the subject that I felt I needed to express somehow and somewhere other than a meeting. I don't want pity. I don't want to be the face of addiction. I just hope for better awareness on the subject.

more fun at karaoke

2009-08-01T22:17:00.000-04:00

Here's some shots from this week's karaoke. I should explain that while it may seem like I post a lot of pictures from our karaoke escapades, I am choosing from usually 80-200 that we take on any given karaoke outing. These just happen to be a few of my faves.

Chris and I. I have about a zillion pictures of both he and I with votives or votive holders on our heads. No idea why we do it.

Paul is pysched it's his turn to sing.

John Lee as a flower.

Here I am doing the raptor.

Paul and John Lee doing the raptor.

Justin is always good for a silly shot.

Drew and I. Originally what looks like a scarf around my neck was actually the tank top under my shirt. The boys were teasing me, so I took it off and converted it into a scarf which also eventually became too hot and made its way into my purse.

I didn't think it was possible for me to look shorter, but this shot proves I can more into micro Becca when singing.

I'm asking again

2009-08-01T20:55:00.000-04:00

I must admit to being a bit competitive by nature. I like to win, but who doesn't really. Ok, so I can finally say that I've lived long enough that I know some of those people who really couldn't care one way or another who wins. It really astounds me but more power to them. I will never be that person.

I know I have mentioned before that I have asked for votes for cheap tweets before. Cheap Tweets searches through tweets for bargain tweets. Then, people vote for them and those with the most votes get featured. Sadly, I've never gotten more than 4 votes. So, I'd like to get more and maybe possibly get close to feature status one day. It's a small thing really I know, but it does so eat at my competitive nature in the same way I know many of us get excited when we see our blog has a new follower or we have a new comment. So, please vote for me.