Geeking Out Old School

It must be the fact that I haven't done any type of homework or research since I graduated that has led me to do all the things I used to enjoy. My musical skills are somewhat intact since I busted out the flute. I've been wanting to play again for fun but never got around to it. Now that I'm bored after work I finally got it out the other night (along with the fingering chart) and tried to play. Now I know what kids went through with braces. I sound bad...but I'm sure I'll get better with practice.

Scully likes my playing. Or so I think.

Justin got me a whole bunch of feet for my sewing machine at Christmas. I have no clue how to use some of them but I'm excited to try them out. Especially the teflon foot (to help with leather and vinyls). I'm such a geek.

Speaking of geek (or geeking out), I bought some Shrinky Dinks! I saw on craftster that some chicks were using Shrinky Dinks for their tags/labels. What a great idea! I haven't done those since hanging out with Jennifer Putum in 3rd grade. I'm sure some of them are around my old bedroom. Watch 'em shrink! That's the best part.

One old school thing I'm sad I can't geek out to anymore are my VHS tapes. We had a DVD Christmas mostly to replace all the VHS tapes that I own as well as getting a few new ones. So off to the D.I. they go. Goodbye VHS tapes. I enjoyed repairing some of you (btw, you can't repair a DVD but I'll bring that up when it happens).

Weekend preview:
Justin's parents fly in for a short trip.

A few friends are coming over for New Year's. Shrinky Dinks might be on the agenda.

I'm determined to sew this stupid skirt I've wanted. Honestly it'll take me like 2-3 hours but I can't seem to do it. Here's to hoping I'll get it done.

Eating Red Velvet Cake from Doughboys! Thanks Tony, I'm sure we'll love it!

Job Blunders

I worked at a decorative stamp call center. During this time of year, I told all the callers that their orders would arrive in a week. Surprised and happy, they loved me!

I was wrong. Shipping was two weeks.

I worked at a car dealership with a name very close to Jerry Seinfeld. I answered the phone "Thank you for calling Jerry Seinfeld!"

More than once.

At an engineering company I did administration work. I was doing inventory on everything in that building. Serial numbers, items, who's using it, etc. I forgot to save my excel file.

My boss took me working late was dedication to my job. I was frantically re-doing everything.

I was a waitress once.

I quit 4 times.

D-List Baby!

You might be wondering why I have that little icon over to the right. And if you're not, whatever.

I was surfing a bunch of people's sewing blogs (stop laughing now) and some chick had a link to find out what "list" your blog is on. Apparently I so rule with all 5 readers that I made the D-List!

So I thought I'd share that with everyone. I guess I could be embarrassed but I think it's cool that I'm not below a D. That would be like no one ever reads my blog. So I show it proudly.

It's like College Algebra all over again!

Classic Company Christmas Party

It has gone from about 30 people at the local golf club (Justin's first year with the company), to the local bar, to the local nice casino and to finally the newest casino (meaning really nice)with about 300 people. As usual it was a fun night. Talking to all the people I talk to every day but with a drink in my hand. Wearing something that I didn't plan on cause someone told me I can't pull off red (mean I know). And driving my husband home because he didn't even know what level we parked on.



The magician totally freaked me out. They had a hula hoop contest which I was confused by but was watching intently because a guy won it. Weird how they can move like that. The fish was fabulous. I wish I had another piece. Todd took lots of photos as usual. I forgot my camera, but he got some good ones of us. (And not so good ones.)

No idea what Alex was doing in the back.

I think the best part was I got to hang out with people that I don't normally get to. Overall it was a good night. I'm sure next year they'll stock the bar better. Our guys tend to clean it out. Not good on the liver kids.

Last Minute Goals

I'm sick...again. I got over a head cold a few weeks back but I've been stuffy since. Now I think I've got Justin's sickness. My cube mate gave me some zicam to stick up my nose. I don't like things up my nose so I'm skeptic. But I did it and now we'll see how well it works.

Goal: Feel better by the end of the day.

I've been so busy with Christmas shopping and sewing. I finished my Holiday party top (Justin needs to put my computer back together so I can post pictures but here's the pattern pic). It's pretty sweet. I need to make the skirt and little jacket because the party is Friday! (Not the same pattern, I'm using a different skirt and bolero type jacket pattern.)

Goal: To complete the skirt and jacket in 2 days!

I'm also working on 2 custom dog harness bags for a guy in Florida. It's for his wife's seeing-eye dog. I'm almost done with one but it turned out about 2 inches bigger than requested. And I'm having a hard time with the sides. Ugh! I was hoping to finish it last night so I could whip up the second one. But the sides are turning out to be tougher than my proto-type was. I'll have to come up with another way of doing it.

Goal: to complete them and mail them off in 2 days!

Christmas shopping is almost done for everyone else. I've gotten a few things for Justin but he wants another helmet bag. Since my sewing skills have improved to the point where I actually know what I'm doing compared to last year when I attempted this. This bag shouldn't be too difficult. Ha! That's what I said the first time.

Goal: To finish a great helmet bag for Justin by Christmas.

Movie Madness

With 4 days off work, Justin had planned on watching movies and nothing else. How lazy. But I have to admit, having the projector is such a cool way of watching movies. So I didn't mind sitting around. Also, it helps when Best Buy put tons of their movies on sale for 5 bucks. Can't beat that!

Even Scully got into the big screen viewing mode.
We all liked the dog show. Except they always pass over the Min Pins. Jerks! Scully hates that.

Then after joking about the Best in Show breed, Justin almost burned down our house. This turkey frying stuff is dangerous.
You like how I've never taken the tags off that oven mitt. I rule.

Luckily we weren't fully up to temp so we shut it off and had to get another setup. I think this will be the last year for turkey frying. I'd like to try grilling it next year.

After dinner, we watched 2 movies but I fell asleep during both. Friday, we watched about 4 movies and I think I slept through most of them. Hey I was tired after getting up at 4:30 am to shop! Saturday, we had friends over for turkey enchiladas (yum, by the way) and watched another movie. Amazingly I stayed awake.

By Sunday I couldn't take the laziness anymore. I went shopping. But then we came back and watched another movie... which I slept through.

So I guess I really didn't *watch* any movies. But I own them all and have a sweet theater setup. If you would like to come over and watch a movie (and me sleep) just let us know. I'm sure we'll be having lots of movie nights to catch up on the ones I've missed.

The Panic of the Day Before

I'm not really panicking, but I'm stressing. That can be considered the same. Justin and I our hosting our own Thanksgiving meal-for ourselves. Our friends are coming over tonight for a movie on the new projector and then they are off to spend Thursday with their families. So we are going at it alone. Which is fine. So why am I stressing?

1. After all the projector work in the living room, which moved into the kitchen and dining room, my downstairs is in a state of disarray. So we are taking care of this after work (which, btw, we get off extra early). So after the gym and the store to pick up some evaporated milk for Justin's favorite pie, house cleaning is first on the list.

2. We have to prep our turkey this afternoon. We learned this brining technique from some cooking dude on t.v. It should be interesting. That's Justin's job but I have to make sure he's not making a huge mess in the process.

3. Potatoes. I want to start them, but they brown easily. So I'm going to peel them and put them in a bowl of water and leave in the fridge. Do I need to add lemon juice? I don't know! Someone tell me!!

4. Black Friday. Do I participate? I'm not sure. I got some great catalogs in the mail yesterday for Black Friday but I can't decide. I get up so early during the week why would I want to on my day off and spend it with psycho shoppers? Maybe I'll wait until 9am to go. I could just stay home and decorate. Now that sounds like fun.

I guess that's all I'm stressing about. Not too bad for 2 people at dinner. Maybe we'll have a big Christmas Party. I'd better start planning now and put my potatoes in water. Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Expect an Invoice From Me

Last night Justin and I had to go to Target. On our way in we noticed a line forming outside the store. People were camping out for the new Playstation 3 (which, btw, is like $600!). Target actually had a nice sign that said "Line starts here". How nice of my favorite store to keep the wandering people in a nice line far away from the front doors.

I don't understand the appeal with the new ps3. It doesn't play old games, it's $600, and honestly, how many versions do we need? The main problem I have is not being able to play older games. Justin thinks it's clever marketing. Charge more for the console and they have to buy new games. I work in the marketing field and I think it's terrible.

Well what I'm marketing is something different but it's all the same idea. Don't you ever get annoyed with brand-named clothing? Especially the ones that say "GAP" in big bold letters. Or dealer logos on new cars or that pen you got at the latest trade show that labels you a "Citi Card User".

Not only did we pay for these items (except that pen maybe or if you stole the car with the sweatshirt in it) but we are marketing for FREE!

Ok, I wear an Old Navy shirt (that says Old Navy on it) at the gym. That should be a good indicator of what I think of their shirts; not worthy of anything but sweat. Now if it doesn't say anything on it (branding it to a specific store), I'll totally wear it.

And my Coach purse....I love it. And I've been known to let people know it's a Coach when they ask. But that's it!

I really think that they should pay us to market for them. The next time I buy a new car I'm going to send an invoice to the dealer for the ad buy they didn't know they bought. Or they can just remove the stupid logo off the back of my car. I think it's a fair trade. Pay me or take it off. But the chance of me buying a NEW car is slim. I like my silly car at the moment.


All I'm saying is if they want me to wear, drive or use something recognizable with their logo on it, they should pay me. Then I might be able to afford that ps3 Justin wants for Christmas.

A New Link but Nothing is New

Most of my links on the right side are useful (either to me or you....mostly me). But some of you might have noticed that the link, Foell family isn't cool. It's a white page that says "Hi" Lame I know. My mom tells me everytime she clicks on it.

So all weekend, Justin spent hours slaving over it. So if you just can't get enough of me or Justin or (one day) Scully, head over to the Foell family link. Right now, he's totally tricked it out to rss feed (whatever that means :) ) all of our blog posts to the homepage. It's pretty cool.

I told him he was cool. We had a beer. Good times this weekend.

Have a good week!

Oh and I gave up writing a novel. I'm lame like the old Foell family link.

Team Zissou!

I watched The Life Aquatic again last night. I love it. So here's a picture of our Friday Halloween costume, Team Zissou. I don't have any good ones of our greek outfits, but I'll have to keep looking. We liked these costumes better because of the guns. hehe

I forgot to add the blue strip down the front of Justin's shirt. He still wants me to add it after the fact. Sure, when I've got some time I'll do it :)

Look at her go!

More pictures for Tony and Kevin.

It doesn't have to be perfect

I'm participating in the National Novel Writing Month. And people are asking me why do this? Why did I run a marathon? Cause I'm stupid, that's why.

So for the month of November, I'll be writing up crap (but I'm hoping it doesn't turn out to be crap) to complete the 50K words minimum in 30 days and so I can say I wrote a novel. Gay I know.

But it's a challenge and that's what makes it fun. Plus I'm writing all the time, so how hard can it be? Coming up with a fiction topic, finding the time, spelling errors. Wait, I should probably reconsider this idea.

A Lot of Randomness

So I did a craft fair on Saturday and they didn't advertise for it. So it wasn't as busy as I was told it would be. I didn't sell anything. I was shocked but it's good cause now I get to fill up my shop with everything. Check back later tonight when I update it. You might find something you'll just have to have.

Justin and I went to a halloween party on Saturday. It's the annual one we attend and look forward too every year. This year, we had 2 costumes. The one for work (yes we dress up for work...everyone does) we were Team Zissou. Most people haven't seen the movie so they asked if we were smurfs. Hell no we aren't freaking smurfs! Go see the movie. And for Saturday we were something very boring; he was Caesar and I was his little Goddess. We were cute. We had a great time. We also had a great time hearing about all the drama that happened after we left. That's the best.

We're saving up for our projector. We are hoping to have it by the end of this month. We're surprisingly halfway there after we got our escrow overpayment (from last year) in the mail the other day. What a nice surprise. We'll have to invite everyone over for a movie (maybe Life Aquatic). But the first movie we are saving for the Foell's "big screen" is Batman Begins.

The weather is turing colder (I love it!) and now with the time change I'll be going home in the dark. But that's ok. That's the best part of fall just like pumpkin pie, flannel sheets, hot chocolate and cozy movies to fall asleep to. Hopefully on a project soon (can you tell I'm excited). Have a good week everyone!

October 18th

So Jason's right, I can't just leave you hanging with a post like that one. But seriously, I didn't want to write anything yesterday because October 18th, 2005 was the day I got laid off. It was a long time coming so when it did happen my office was cleared out and I felt so relieved that I didn't have to open that front door anymore. I didn't have to pretend I enjoyed working there (no matter how many treats they bought us). I didn't have to listen to the "ride the rocket" speech anymore.

It was a huge relief. But yesterday, the 1 year anniversary was a different story. It was a horrible day at work. No help, no guidance, no instructions. Awful. I was hoping for some relief and it came from an unexpected source. The Chiropractor.

One leg is longer than the other....Again. But, I got a good massage, electrode therapy (or whatever it's called) and an adjustment. It seemed she took all the frustration and anger out of me and left me exhausted.

I got home and Justin had the table set for dinner with wine to the ready. He's the best. 7pm rolled around and I went to bed. I was mentally and physically exhausted at 7pm. That's not normal for me but I feel so much better today.

I'm hoping today won't be a repeat of yesterday. But if it is, I've got the Chiropractor on stand-by. And the wine.

How I Got My Inch Back

When you're only 5 feet tall, every inch you have is yours and you don't want to lose it. When I trained and ran the marathon I had some problems afterwards. My right leg and arm were having some problems. It could have been the fact I had just started a new job and was sitting all the time (which, by the way, I HATE!). So I went to the Doctors office.

The nurse called me back and took my weight. I snorted at that. Then she measured me.

"four eleven"
"What? No I'm 5 feet tall"
"Well today you are 4'11"
"Don't write that down because I'm 5 feet."
"But I have to write it down."
"Well then write down 5 feet."

She just giggled. Well of course she just giggled because she was like 5 inches taller than me! I was irritated and my right leg and arm were aching and I wanted to leave. But I needed to get this taken care of.

The Doctor came in. I told her what was up and mentioned the marathon. "Well that could cause a little damage." She noticed one foot was longer than the other and suggested I visit the Chiropractor. So off to the Chiropractor I went.

I told her what was up and she started doing her voodoo magic. She asked where the pain was.

Pain? I just had an ache that I thought was nerve problems. Nope, I had a very common injury amongst runners in my glutes (hehe). So she worked them out and it hurt! A-ha! The pain she was asking about. Then she adjusted me. All I can say is it's weird but feels good.

I went a few more times to finish treatment and now I'm good. And most importantly, I got my inch back!

It's not a Doctor's office, but it's close enough for me.

606

I love it when I make the 606 diaries (a website that documents Todds life at 6:06pm). According to Todd, I'm usually talking when he takes the picture so I'm pretty funny looking. But he'll make me stop talking to take a decent picture.

I begged to be in this one.

At the bar...as usual. Hey there's actually other girls in the one!

If we aren't at the bar, we're at a friends house. Notice I'm the only girl. This is normal.

Or we are at my house with Scully jumping all over the place.

Sometimes it's a celebration dinner at 6:06 pm.

And sometimes it's a 6:06 AM special.

I'm not a regular on it so when I do make it, it's fun. We are usually eating or drinking at 6:06 but it's always in good company. Maybe we should start one that is 101 and take pictures of how we sleep. It could be entertaining.

I Got a Date!

More like a date range. Went to the ortho today and it's probably a combination of him sick of seeing me and my smelly teeth (sometimes they smell) or my teeth are almost done that he gave me a date of "first of the year."

January? February? March even? That's still another 4 to 5 months! I'll be at the two year mark next month and I'm no where near being done. And today the pain is just as much as day one (almost two years ago...remember). He did the magic "bend the wire" trick in about 4 areas. And mentioned "there might not be hope for you." WHAT? I paid on time, I have great insurance, I'm a loyal customer there better be hope Mr. Ortho!

I hoping this time with the pain it will be worth it. So far it is after seeing the molds of my teeth before. Ugh! Why didn't anyone tell me they were ugly! It's ok, I wouldn't tell you either :)

3-5 months left to go!

I'm Obsessed!

I go through phases, as some of you know, when I'm obsessed with whatever hits me at that moment. All this week I've been obsessed with the following items:

1. Justin and I had a date night a few weeks back. He took me to Cheesecake Factory because the first time I went I got this yummy Parmesan crusted chicken breast and I was craving it again. While we were sitting there, sipping our girly adult beverages, he asked if I wanted to go see the movie I had been begging to see, "Little Miss Sunshine." So we called up our trusty movie pal Movie-phone and the theater across the street was playing it. So we went.

If you haven't seen this movie, please, please go see it. (PLEASE!) Our taste in humor is very vast but this one nailed it. We were laughing so hard at these people and their tragic lives that we were crying! It really is so touching and sincere as well as extremely humorous.

Yes, I love the movie but that's not what I'm obsessing over (well not as much). It's the soundtrack. My friend Todd has this massive music file that we all access (thanks Todd!). I found the soundtrack and started listening on Monday. I love it! I think of happy VW Vans and happy road trips laced with problems, just like the movie. It's perfect! Most of the music is by Sufjan Stevens and Mychael Danna. Check out their work.

2. I'm also obessing over lattes again. Maybe it's because I'm living at a zoo and I need the morning caffeine. This one I've gotta work on, again.

3. Clothing patterns...That I'll probably never make. Last weekend JoAnn's had a $1.99 sale on patterns. So I bought about 6 and haven't even opened them. But I love looking at the pictures imagining that mine will look just as good. Maybe this weekend I'll attempt one top. Maybe.

4. The National news. I don't know why but I have to check cnn.com, msn.com and yahoo news about 43 times a day. I can tell you what's going on everywhere else but here. I haven't read the local news (or seen broadcast) in about 4 months. I don't miss it.

5. Purses. Still. I sold 3 this week so I'm still into it. But picking a name for them is hard. But I'm not obsessing over that. Just the different styles and shapes of the bags.

I guess I'll have to see what next week has in store for me.

Weekend (Hopeful) Plans

This will be the first weekend Justin and I don't have any plans. Exciting I know! But with the doggie daycare we are running for 3 more weeks (you're welcome T!), it's probably better we don't have much going on. Like kids, they take a log of energy.

Tony's 2 puppy puggles are at my house while he gallivants through Europe--Italy to be exact. Scully is finally warming up to them. Probably because she sees us constantly correcting them. The heats off her and on them. Especially after they pulled out all my petunias. The only thing I could grow!

So my plans for this weekend:
Sleep

I really need to start sewing again. I've missed it the past 2 weeks. AND I've got JoAnn's coupons. I'm thinking more purses but I haven't sold any lately. So maybe I need some new ones up. However I did finish 2 little wristlets--they are really cute and so functional. I'll post them up on my shop this weekend.

I got Justin's Halloween pattern in the mail this week, so I need to start on his as well as finish mine. It shouldn't take me too long cause it's only 3 seams! But the finishing detail could take some time. I'll have to post pictures of the finished products.

Along with those sewing projects I've been wanting to make clothes again. I think the purse sewing has helped my confidence somewhat. So I'd like to tackle a few clothing pieces. We'll see how those turn out.

I've been reading The Memory Keepers Daughter this week. It's ok. I saw it about 2 months ago at the bookstore. I didn't get it because I was reading Wicked (which I need to finish) but I saw it again at Target, so I got it. My review: Get it at the libary. Unless you like paying for an ok book. The goal is to finish it this weekend. Totally possible.

I also need to take care of the backyard (more like patio). These little kids like to be outside with their toys and my shoes. I also need to put up Scully's pool since it's not hot anymore. If Vegas was like this all the time, I'd love it here.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Finally, White and Nerdy is Cool!

Coming September 26th. Pre order yours today!

California Dreamin-Raisins

I hear everything on satellite radio. Seriously it ruined me and I'll never listen to regular radio again. Yesterday I was listening to the 60's on channel 6 (get it?) and Marvin Gaye was singing "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and it reminded me of my neighbors.

Jennifer DelRe was my first friend when we moved to Friendswood (hehe, get it?). Her mom made her come over while we were moving in to see if I wanted to play with her. Heck yes! I didn't want to help with all those boxes and crap. So that started a very long friendship. One year her church was doing a pageant of some kind. She, her mom and a few others were doing a raisin dance to that song, "Heard it through the Grapevine." It was when those California raisins were popular (and creepy) on t.v. Her mom made these big brown costumes (they looked like big turds), with white gloves and they had a dance all choreographed.

I was so jealous! I wanted to do the dance with them but I wasn't sure about the turd costumes. So I had Jennifer teach it to me. I was obsessed with this dance. I wanted to do it so bad on stage. But looking back, it really wasn't a dance. It was more like "stick your leg out here," "point your finger," "turn," "walk off stage with a cool limp." Basically what you'd see the California raisins do.

She invited me to see the show and I went. It wasn't the best performance up there and I knew when someone messed up. When it was done, I was happy I got to see it. It was cute and entertaining. But dressing up like a turd wasn't my dream.

Why So Much Food?

Justin, Todd and I went to Islands this weekend. It's a hamburger joint that we've heard so much about. We've officially ranked it in our top 5 of burgers but I do have one complaint. Actually this is my complaint with ALL restaurants: too much food. Honestly, do they need to give us a basket of fries bigger than my head? You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. No jokes here. Seriously. Since when did our society become so gluttonous that we need a basket of mediocre fries bigger than my head?

I figured that we could share it. Todd said it was a basket. "We don't have to eat them all. I'm just here for the hamburger." And the hamburger was enough. But I wanted a few fries. It's American to have fries with a hamburger. I guess the new American standard is to have a basket full of fries (again, bigger than my head!).

Please don't peg me as the model of health when it comes to eating. However, I do know that what I put in my body is for fueling purposes only. (Like the banana I just ate.) Obviously those snackwells and vitatops are just an occasional treat. Same with the cheesecake we had at Cheesecake Factory (but we both only ate half our meal). They should make a great lunch today. Just be aware of what you are eating and (here's the most important part) how MUCH. Because restaurants will give you enough for two, sometimes 3 people. It doesn't mean you have to eat it all. So why do these restaurants think we can?

I was tempted to give my basket of fries back since I didn't even make a dent in them. There was no way I was taking them home either. (Left over fries don't work out well...incase you didn't know that.) Todd didn't finish his fries, even with Justin's help! I'd rather pay for enough food that I will eat. If I'm still hungry I can always order more. I'm sure the restaurant will be happy to give you another 3-serving sized order. Or a basket full of fries enough to feed about 5 people.

Recap, Photo Style

Since I'm just too busy to actually post anything (working, doing a custom bag order (ugh, vinyl isn't my friend right now)) I thought I'd post some pictures of my reunion courtesy of Neha. I haven't even unloaded my pictures from my camera. I'm such a slacker. Enjoy!

Angela, Neha and Me

Group shot (I'm in the middle somewhere)

Me, Heather Peake, Jennifer Putnum, Kellie Nutt and Kara Rogers

Ashley Dredge and Husband

And the cutest couple there...we didn't win anything, we should have though!

Me and Nehahahahahaha. We had a good time.

"Oh I'm a Cocktail Waitress in Vegas! What Are You Doing?"

So you'd think 10 years would change a lot of people. Apparently, I look exactly the same...or so I was told 15 times. That was a little disappointing at my 10 year this weekend. I felt stupid when I didn't recognize people, especially when they knew me.

Other things that didn't change:

-Clicks (So sad honestly, I'm a cool girl. I say "Hi" and smile, you do nothing cause you only had 4 years of High School with me. And Junior High. And we were in Elementary School together. Don't pretend you don't know me.)
-Sluts (The same ones in High School, were the same ones 10 years later.)
-Leaving the Band kids out. (If you're gonna take a photo of the cheerleaders, drill team and all sports teams, don't leave everyone else out because we, the Band kids, were well-represented.)
-Casey Laden. Enough said.

Things that did change:

-Amazingly, we have a hot group of girls in our class. I was very surprised by this.
-Neha Patel smoking. (booooo)
-Thinking you know something about someone (having a baby) and finding out 10 years later it wasn't true. Oh my garage, I seriously thought this chick had a baby! People told me she did and I felt bad. She had my pity for over 10 years!
-How many people actually drink. But that really wasn't a surprise.

With nothing else to do there (no entertainment was provided except Casey Laden dancing to Journey), it was pretty boring. Neha, Angela Grier and Casey provided entertainment for Justin. He thought they were hilarious. And they are.

I went in with no expectations (if it sucked, we'd go to the hotel bar and if it didn't, well, we'd go to the bar provided). But it was about half and half. So, not too bad for 10 years later. But don't expect me to hit up my 20. Unless there's gambling.

My NEW Job

As some of you already know (and support) I have started making purses. Mostly because I suck at making clothes. If I made it on Project Runway, I'd so be like Bradley, hanging on by a thread (oh I'm so funny). But seriously, I'm having so much fun making purses, totes and bags. Much more fun than video editing or cutting various colors of paper or going grocery shopping for work parties and lunch meetings. (Actually I like the shopping part, even if it is for food.)

I have a little shop too! I only have a few items listed because everyone is buying them right and left. Just kidding. Actually I had about 7 different things up and one day (after announcing to all my friends about my new shop) 3 things were bought! It was an exciting time. I was all giddy like a little girl buying a purse! What great friends I've got.

So, until I'm a full blown purse maker, I'm keeping the 9-5 (more like 7-4, ouch). Bookmark the link (on the right side of the page), tell your friends, spread the word. Kate Spade look out! Oh and Coach you should probably look out too. I'v already mastered yours...minus the leather.

Maybe It's Just Us?

It seems that when Justin and I do anything big or have something planned, others cause problems. Take my wedding, September 15th 2001, yes the same week as all the terrorist activity. Last week, flying out for a great vacation to Madison WI and Chicago and I had to throw away my favorite Clinique lip gloss and I missed my flight!

We made it obviously because I got to see Regiment put the smack down on Blue Devils and the Cadets. 2nd place ain't too shabby! But I've also learned never to order DCI tickets online. I plan to call a friendly agent next week for my tickets (for next year in Pasadena!).

Our plan was to sit high for semi's and for final's sit low and be blown away. Besides the cold Wisconsin air, semi's was great. Our view was fabulous and the sound was pretty loud. So we were ready to be blown away on finals night.

We weren't. It was hard to be blown away sitting on the 13 yard line. But we still got to see many great shows. More like a few great shows. Ok, maybe one or two. It wasn't a fantastic year. We've got high hopes for next year.

We spent some time in Chicago with Justin's parents. I was scared to death on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Center (or as I called it "Herbie Hancock"). I finally got to see Wicked and let me tell you...it was fabulous!! I also got to see the famous fountain from Married with Children (aka the Buckingham Fountain). Justin insisted on singing the song while walking around it. I finally put the kiabosh on that. And no vacation is complete without a trip to Ikea. They made it easy since everything is flat packed. So we just made sure we didn't buy any furniture that wouldn't fit in our suitcases.

Flight home, delayed. Lame. But we made it home and I had a crappy 3 days at work. Yeah! On to a better work week.

It's Finals Week

I've been really lucky so far. I've enjoyed all Regiment shows I've seen and/or heard. Can the same be said for Alunmi of Blue Devils or especially The Cadets this year? Honestly, I've loved a few shows of most of the top corps and even some of the lower division I corps. But to really enjoy the same group every year is amazing. Justin says it the music they play; it's real music (oooh slam on BD).

Maybe that's why I marched Regiment. Actually, I know why I went there in the first place. All the guard girls were hot, well respected and knew how to crack a rifle, so awesome! I wanted to be one of them. And I was for two years. I totally was hot... everyday in the swealtering sun. I was respected...because I was one of 35 girls in the whole corps with about 100 guys around. One was bound to like me. As for the "cracking a rifle" I didn't get a chance, but I heard it across the field. And they rocked!

So, as this season comes to an end, 7 years after I aged-out, I'm reminded of what it was like in Madison. Tony Hall saying we'll clean it later. Um, this was finals week, there wasn't a later. The French-Canadian staff giving up on us (Good thing they didn't ask them back the next year). Having a body I wish I could have again and telling myself that I could keep it that way. Don't we all, kids. Being glad the stupid leg cramp I had for about two months was finally going to go away. And best of all, a real bed.

Brush Snob

Don't be a snob! That's what I wanted to say to the front desk girl at my hair place. I got my hair cut from my favorite girl. Ya she might charge more than Great Clips but I don't have to worry about getting a not-so-flattering 80's hair style. Trust me, they'll never come back.

When Gina was done with me, we walked to the front desk and I asked her what sized round brush she used on me. I've got the biggest round brush you can imagine but I obviously needed to go smaller (since my hair was now shorter). She showed me the size and I looked at it. "Sure I'll get it."

I handed it to the front desk girl and Gina and I kept chatting. The snob said,"The brush is $35." I looked at her in shock!

"Um, no thanks. I'll just go to Sally or Ulta and get one." So I put it back. Gina said, "Ok, I don't think I get commission on brushes anyway."

After some thought I think Gina either said that because I said no or she really doesn't get commission. I guess I can find out when I go back in a month for highlights.

Even Justin knew $35 was too much for a brush. He was happy with my new cut and not spending $35 on a brush. I better not tell him how much the highlights will be. Then the brush price might not sting as much.

There's Still Time!

Scores are getting close, shows should be done and my flight leaves next Thursday at 8:40am! If you haven't been following any aspect of this summer...shame on you! Just kidding. Actually this has been an exciting summer for shows. Minus the Cadets. I've always been a Blue Knights basher (or more like, "their show is...eh") but I've moved onto Cadets this year. They will be my hotdog corps (or since we will be in Madison they'll be my Brat corps).

My predictions (and these are just for me so I won't be saying "I told you so!"):
5th place-Cadets
4th place-Blue Coats (oooh they are doing so well!)
3rd place-Blue Devils (Jazzy Godfather...eh)
2nd place-Phantom Regiment (I wish they'd win but I haven't seen Cavis and since they are scoring so high, I have to say that they will win.)
1st place-Cavies (but I still think that Regiment could take this. Since they are winning most captions. Thats right!)

Don't worry if you can't go. You can follow everything at dci.org (and I suggest you do :) )

The New Goods!

Since my blog doesn't make any money (but does provide a feeling of wealth, hehe), I thought I'd use it for some shameless promotion of my new goods. Basically I've been sewing a lot. And after one purse I finished, Justin suggested I sell it. It was that good. (Oh he's so supportive!)

So, these are for sale. Please look, give suggestions or critique them. I'm all about getting better. And if you'd like more info on purchasing...just let me know!


Chocolate wood handles. Outside fabric is a light blue with yellow and green flowers. Lining is chocolate colored with embroidered flowers. Handle closes together with a twist! So cute!

This purse holds so much. Too big for me :)


Cute little wristlet. Zipper closure with a bamboo handle. This is really functional if you just need to carry around a few things. Can also be made without a square bottom. (More like an envelope.)

This one was special order. However I added the bow (since it was for a little girl) which is held on by 5 loops on the purse. It has a front pocket with the same hot pink lining. Closes with a magnetic closure.


And finally, the funky circles are back! The gals at work really liked this fabric so I found some more and made this one again.

I'm working on a few others. Hobo style, messenger bag, laptop bag (Justin's request). I'll let y'all know if I add them to my list of goods. Thanks for looking!

These will be added to www.etsy.com in a week or so.

My First Premier Party

Party planning apparently is my gig at work. I'm not sure it was in my offer letter or discussed in my interview, but somehow I've become the office party planner. Birthdays, coworkers leaving and now the biggest so far...our grand opening.

It's actually pretty easy. My one stress factor is food. Will people eat it? How many will complain about it? Will it arrive on time. Was it under budget? And will it be good? Seriously, all parties revolve around the food. It makes or breaks the party. So far I've been lucky. Phew!

So going back to my party planning, I'm working on our big grand opening. Actually, it's more like, we are moving into a new location. It's downstairs. Not far to move and I don't need to hire valet. Everyone's already here. Phew again! I'm catering it from a great restaurant, bringing in a bartender for all of us boozers, and going with a theme to match our situation: "Opening Night!" More like, "Opening Afternoon!" But people won't care it's between 3 and 5pm. They'll be looking for the food and bar.

Red carpet, velvet ropes (like the ones in a movie theater) and spot lights (desk lamps hidden behind plants) will give this party some character and play up on the theme. Justin suggested I get our Marketing dude to walk around like Paparazzi and take photos. Not a bad idea Justin, thanks!

Like any premier on a Thursday afternoon, the important people will be making an appearance. So it's necessary to treat them like royalty. Specialty beer is on the "must have" list. That's about it for them. Actually all of our people, the important ones too, are very friendly and easy going. But you've gotta have the beer or they'll turn into Naomi Campbell. Just kidding Ms. Campbell, I'm sure you didn't deserve to be arrested.

So when this is all said and done, it should be a great party and I shall be the *new* party planner. I might even have a beer or a glass of wine. But gotta keep it to one or two or we'll go over budget and I don't need the paparazzi all over me with captions, "Booze-hound party planner goes overboard at Premier!" That can't be good for my reputation.

A Public Service Announcement From Justin

This could actually be a "Hot Tip" but we'll let Justin have this one.

To All Blog Readers

Do not buy Eclipses new flavor, Cherry Chill. On our trip back from Chicago I grabbed a pack of gum. But Justin saw a new flavor and said, "Ooh get this one please?" So I picked it up, paid and opened it. Oh my garage! This thing tasted like cherry NightQuil. Don't buy it unless that's what you like. I'm glad he's warning you of this nastiness. You know he means business when he's using my blog for an outlet.

Eclipse Cherry Chill: Solid C- (if you're looking for an "F" get that black licorice gum...NASTY!)

1 down 3 to go

It's a pretty big milestone when you've paid off one of four student loans. You realize that it was worth dealing with stupid people in study groups, lame projects that required you to use PowerPoint and Professors who didn't even know your name.

Let me clarify before you keep gasping at the number "4"... that's between Justin and I. We both have two. More like I have one and he has two. Yes, he did go to a private college that was about a gazillion dollars more than my little state school but still!

My accomplishment has only allowed me to spend that money on other things. Which is probably the wrong way to go. I should put that amount into my savings or increase my 401k right? Wrong. I've just upped my sewing habit and have yet to decrease my starbucks consumption. I'm working on the starbucks problem, really I am.

But I look at the big picture. If I'm able to, I will. And I am! But we still have three to go. Let's all wish Justin luck as he might be the next winner in the game of "return on investment."

Show of Shows Recap

We made it back with some sunburns, a minor hangover and lots of new memories. Isn't that the best way to come back?

After sleeping in some on Saturday, we went to rehearsal. The day was beautiful with lots of sun...minus sunscreen.

The Color Guard practicing in the wind. What fond memories of getting hit in the head on days like today.

Justin looking cool in the heat. That's the beer tent in the back. If it was open, we would have been there by then.

After a fabulous show (beating the Cadets!) we stood in front for all their concert pieces. Being in front of the low brass is where it's at. Just look at those horns!
Playing Spartacus, Elsa's, New World and another one I can't remember (probably cause of all the beer I had). I'm sure Mike remembers. But it was awesome!

Beer Tent Time!

Friends Gina, Tommy and Carrie. It was good seeing everyone again! Oh, we also finished off the beer truck. Leave it to Regiment Alumni...we get the job done!

Get On The Bus!

In honor of our trip to Rockford today for Phantom Regiment's Show of Shows, I thought I would give you a taste of what life was like in Drum Corps. Enjoy and have a good weekend!

Ah the smell of bus exhaust, sweaty bodies and hair gel. Those were the smells of summer for two years while marching Drum Corps. My first year I sat with my sister. Mostly because she didn't have a seat partner and I went home with an injury and came back. Her luxury of two seats with lots of room quickly vanished when she saw me.

However annoying it was to sit with your sister, we never really stayed mad at each other. So it was perfect. Oh sure, we had our arguments but I couldn't hate her. She was my pillow.

Bus life consisted of freezing cold a/c, bus feet (swollen from sleeping upright) and the occasional naked person. We always had treats in the cubby above us. It usually melted so we learned to never get chocolate. We also learned to get rid of things you didn't need. If it took up room and you never really used it...chuck it.

We played games like "Game" and "Bus Corps". Both had potential to be fun. "Game" is a simple trash game that everyone has to play. That's rule number one. The object of "game" was to pass up the trash. You gamed trash up to the next person. My object of the game was to sit at the back of the bus so the possibility of playing game was less. If you sat in the front, you always had to play game. Suckers.

One time while cleaning out my field bag (a bag that had everything I needed for the field. Sunscreen, bandaids, chapstick, etc.) I found a tampon that had lost its life in my bag. It wasn't used but it wasn't usable either. So naturally I gamed it. I was sitting on the inside and gamed it to my sister. She looked at it and laughed.
"I'm not gaming that!!"
"Yes you are, GAME!"

She tapped Delta's shoulder(nickname for...well we don't know people's real names if they have nicknames) and said "Game."

He reached then turned to look and said "HELL NO!" Heather and I just laughed. We tried again to the guy across to us. He just looked at it and didn't say anything. Jerk.

That was a fun episode of game. Needless to say I had to walk it up to the trash. I guess there's always an exception to what you can game.

I played "Bus Corps" my second year. 1999 was a much more active year on the buses compared to 1998. So my first time playing it I made people mad because I used the group of girls called the "French Connection." A group of 5 girls in our guard who were from Quebec. They were clickish and never really talked to us so they were fair game for "Bus Corps." (They didn't speak very good English maybe that's why they didn't talk to us. But the Japanese girls said more to us than they did!) This was also at the beginning of the season before they pissed a lot of people off. It was bound to happen.

In "Bus Corps" the rules varied from bus to bus. On my bus you created a corps and describe the show, what they are wearing and who was in it. So I made up some stupid Frenchy show with the "French connection" chicks wearing nothing but cling wrap. I was certain I would win because these girls were somewhat cute and they were wearing cling wrap. I knew that nakedness would win over these boys. But they all yelled saying it wasn't nice. What jerks!

As tour went on, everyone saw the true side of the "French connection" when they screamed, yelled and blamed the corps for sending their friend/staff member home. He had been causing problems with other staff members so they felt it necessary to send him home. Long story but they hated us after that.

Bus time was pretty good. It was an escape from staff members, the sun and heat and our place to relax with great games. And so as an unnamed person would say at the end of the day, "Let's get loaded on the bus!"

Home-Woven Handy-Crafts

Yes it's that time again! I go through phases where I sew til I can't stand to look at the machine anymore. Once again, Craftster.org inspired me. Well I should say the people that are creative inspired me. I took the pocket design from one purse and the structure of the purse to create these:

I'm a pocket!

Girls at work loved them so I got 3 special orders! They wanted them bigger. These are about 3 inches bigger (all around) than the 2 shown above. Here's two of them:

For Christine

This one is like the other one above except the it doesn't have the yellow lining. It still has the outside pocket with blue lining. I hope she likes it!

For Denise

The last one is for a little girl. I'm using the top-left orange flower material. It's actually a orange cream. It just looks brighter on my camera.


Let me know what you think. I'm selling them to the girls at work. This could be a decent side business...once I get better! Thanks for looking and reading today's post, "Home-Woven Hany-Crafts".

6 Moments In My Life

1. While walking through Target, I passed two 7-year-olds with jumbo sized rubber bands in their hands. These are the rubber bands that make you scream if shot at you. They looked like trouble makers and I didn't want any welts on me so I anxiously walked passed them. Giving them the stink-eye just to make sure they weren't thinking about using me as target practice. It worked.

2. I finally watched "Gone With the Wind" and I have to say: Did it really need to be 3 hours and 45 minutes long? Honestly, I could have cleaned my bathroom (which I did when the power went off for 45 minutes) or sewed up a new purse like I was supposed to. Ok, so I sat through 3 hours of it. But still! And the ending...what was that all about? If you haven't seen it, you should. It is a classic. But I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone else.

3. to die for, slender, dazzling vibrant, smashing, knockout, the right stuff, a dash of panache, get ready to shine, with style and grace, in vogue. These are just some of the words in the "Stylish" section of my overly used book "Words That Sell". I'm so not creative, I have to have a book tell me the words I'm looking for. But I don't use them in my blog. I'm not trying to sell you anything...yet. My dream of being a purse maker is up to you. If you'd like to contribute to my fabric fund please send a check to me. Thank you. (Did I succeed at convincing you? No, man this book sucks!)

4. Remember that show "Quantum Leap"? Well I always fear that I'm that dude who's transmitted through time ending up in someone else's body. But my fear is that this body is on the field or in a gym performing a drum corps show or winter guard show. Obviously I wouldn't know the routine or the drill. So I've thought up a great plan. I'd run off as fast as possible faking an injury. Hopefully I wouldn't have a solo. Then I'd be in big trouble with the directors.

5. You know that skunky musk smell that women seem to think smells so good? No not that actual skunk smell (that does smell good) but that hideous, if you can call it perfume, perfume that burns your nose. Every flight I take I fear that someone sitting around me has that on. My biggest fear: The person sitting next to me has it on and I can't switch seats. Oh my garage! I have a flight this Friday and it is my number one concern. Not making the flight on time. Not dying in a plane crash. But sitting next to this musky person for 3+ hours! A close second is sitting next to someone with body odor. Not automotive but B.O. What a nightmare! Seriously, if you wear this and think it smells good, you might want to see an ear, nose and throat doctor because you are all outta whack. Could you make me an appointment too? Your killing my pirates!

6. Since summer is officially here in Las Vegas, bringing us temperatures of 105, I decided to get a pedicure. The 2-month-old polish hanging on for life needed to come off. And since I was too lazy to take it off, a pedicure seemed to be the next best thing. Plus I got to sit in a massage chair.

I don't mind people working on my feet if they do a good job. This dude (yes a dude) did a good job until he nicked my cuticle. But I didn't care because I was in a massage chair. My feet are naturally beautiful with the big red bunions and hairy toes. I don't feel the need for a pedicure all the time. I just want to sit in that chair! I wonder how much they'd charge me to sit in it? It might be cheaper to get the pedicure with it...so I'll just keep getting a pedi. Now my toenails are as red as my bunions.

Poodle

He can't handle the "Kwandee" post. So until I find the photos for the blog I wrote, this will move "Kwandee" down.

Just for you Poods.

10 Things About Kwandee

- Kwandee is not mentally challenged (as this photo might suggest).

- Kwandee is a fraud specialist. She can tell if you are lying.

- Kwandee eats a lot of pizza and hamburger helper. She also loves vitatops.

- Kwandee gets drunk and falls down in the bathroom.

- Kwandee is moving to Texas with her 2 dogs and her 2 horses. She should fit right in with the dogs.

- Kwandee drinks water from a sippy cup because "it's fun".

- Kwandee's name apparently isn't Kwandee. It's Quaaaadeee.

- Kwandee has a lot of friends at work. We are jealous of her hamburger helper skinny ass.

- Kwandee doesn't know what we have planned for her today. I hope she almost cries.

- Kwandee gave me all of her hair ties and I haven't given them back. I guess they are mine now(except the two in the photo). Thanks Kwandee.

This Land is My Land...The Mountain Says So

For my 100th post I thought I'd write about something that might have us all saying "What the heck?" And I used "heck" because I'm talking about Utah, again. Not on purpose of course. I did go up there to see my sister (she's visiting the grandparents for a week). And along the way I started looking for the landmarks. Not buildings or scenic pull-offs but the mark on the mountains.

D for Dixie in St. George
L for Leads in Leads
B for Beaver in Beaver
G always has me stumped because it's in pleasant Grove (maybe Grove)
The big Y for BYU
U for Uni of Utah
B for Bountiful
V for Viewmont (in Bountiful)

For the longest time I thought these were property of each city they were in. It made sense until I'd look at the big V for Viewmont. That was a High School not a city. And the U is right above the University of Utah. And obviously the Y was for BYU. There was a pattern; schools that were rivalries.

During football season, if the U of U won a game, they lit it up and it blinked. Cool, but how annoying would that be for all the homeowners below it. These aren't little letters either. Some are hundreds of feet high made out of cement.

The V for Viewmont was painted about a year after September 11th. It's hard to tell, but it's painted like the American Flag. I'm sure Bountiful felt the pressure after Viewmont proved their patriotism to the entire community.

But the B still isn't painted. Perhaps the Bountiful kids were right to hold off because you can't even see the V now unless you know where to look. I'm sure they are laughing at their friends. I've met these Bountiful kids, they are mean. They are like the same rich kids over at Friendswood High School. Except Friendswood didn't have a mountain to rub it in. They had control of the Sonic.

Hot Tip #5: Honey!

This sweet, sticky substance is popular in my house. Justin loves it especially when I make cornbread (which is rare...not the baking part, but the baking cornbread. He eats the whole thing and I can't have him do that!) But honey is so versatile and can be used in many different situations.

Situation #1
You have a sore throat. It hurts to talk (which could hurt some of your ego's). With a large serving spoon in hand, pour some honey into the spoon and top it off with lemon juice. This is the hard part, swallow it without water. You can do this every few hours until your symptoms clear up. Honey can soothe your raw tissues with it's powerful antimicrobial properties. So drink up!

Situation #2
Ugh, your skin is dry and dull looking. Or your skin is oily like the Middle East! Take one to two tablespoons of honey with 1/3 cup of oatmeal (ground). Mix and spread on your clean face. If you want it thicker, add more honey. Relax, enjoy the smells. But if it's going to make you vomit, add some rose water to the mix. You can do this once a week. Just make sure to wash it off.

Situation #3
You’re camping. It's great. The campfire, the cheese hotdogs, the twigs. You fall on your way to your tent and cut open your leg. Now most campers would be prepared with a little first aid kit, but if you didn't happen to have one, take your flashlight (you brought one of those right?) and see how bad it is. Clean up your wound and pour some honey on it. This isn't a permanent solution, but it should take care of you until you get home to clean it up. Honey will prevent things like dirt--which is all around you--from getting into the wound. Next time bring a first aid kit.

Situation #4
You are exhausted because you just finished getting your ass kicked in your spin class, right? Honey can give you a boost of energy because it's absorbed directly into the bloodstream without digestion. Amazing! Mix a tablespoonful into a glass of water and drink up. You can also do this about half and hour before your workout. So next time you'll be kicking ass instead of an ass-kicking.

Situation #5
You've learned you can use honey to bake with. Congrats! But measuring it can be a problem because of its sticky-ness. Just spray a non-stick spray in your measuring cup. Problem solved.

Just a reminder for those of you with babies, never give honey to babies under 1. As great as it is, it does have botulism spores which can cause serious gastrointestinal problems and possible death. Hey, I remembered something from all those nutrition classes I took!

Now go and add honey to your life--or to your cornbread.

Most Extreme Humiliation

They say in a marriage you have to laugh. Well that's easy for me since I laugh at everything I see. People slipping on iced sidewalks, the dog falling down the stairs, stupid drivers turning down a one way street...the wrong way. Laughing is part of who I am. And Justin making me laugh is part of who he is.

But sometimes it's just easier to laugh at others, especially when they are being humiliated on cable t.v.

Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, or MXC as we call it, is basically a real life version of Super Mario Brothers. Or at least that's how Justin and I describe it. It has obstacle courses with zany stunts that most of the participants can't finish. They usually land in sludge, water or nets. Or they just slip on their asses or get hit in the head. No matter what, it's hilarious.

Based in Japan during the mid to late 80's, Takeshi's Castle was a popular game show/reality show that featured ordinary Japanese citizens who's mission was to complete the various physical stunts. Stunts like Sinkers and Floaters,Wall Bangers, Rotating Surf Board of Death, Ball Busters (Justin's favorite), Dope on a Rope and Log Drop (my favorite).

Obviously the stunt names are not the real names in the show since it's dubbed in English with crazy and possibly fake story lines. They make up names of contestants like Babaganoosh (a different baba in every episode), 59 cent, Danny Glands and Ryan Seachest.

The laugh factor is the stunts themselves. The contestants try and most fail. They fall in unusual positions. Most look like they get hurt, but they get up and walk away. They get hit in the head or other areas that you know hurt. They hang on for dear life and yet they still fall. Some make it amazingly and we are amazed. And the best part of this is they are only wearing helmets. And most of the time they come off! Obviously this type of standard would not be allowed in the U.S. because our nature to sue if we get hurt. But these people are there for whatever prize they are seeking. It could be the prize of humiliation because I'm still laughing at the guy who tried to do a back flip but didn't quite make it...he landed on his head.

Justin and I watch MXC every day and we laugh every day. Even when you don't want to, you do. Laughing is the best medicine for everything. And I thinks it's probably safer than landing on your head.

Don't leave me Communards

I have to run an audition this weekend and I asked Tony for a fun piece of music. He sent me about 10 songs. So I listen to them. Some I'd heard and others I haven't.

When this one came on I totally loved it and remembered it from Viva Blackpool (BBC America). Most of the time I couldn't understand the actors, but when songs came on, I connected! And of course I found the music video with my mad internet skills. So get ready for some toe-tapping, seat dancing music you probably haven't heard in a while. Or I'm just so forgetful. Enjoy!

Holiday Weekend

This weekend was good. I did lot-o-stuff. We had friends in from SLC, Justin got annoyingly drunk, I gambled for the first time in a long time and I sewed some skirts. Oh and we saw X-Men. Pretty good movie. I'm not into comic books, but it was very entertaining.

We also had Izzy and Lil Saur with us for the last time. They are moving to Austin soon. Scully has mixed emotions about it. She really likes them for about 4 hours of the day. The rest of the time, she's annoyed. She slept really good last night. Probably because it was a long weekend with them.

I ate until I hurt...at every meal. Why does that happen on a holiday? I couldn't stop eating my bean burrito. That was a mistake. I was in pain for about 4 hours. So I gambled and it seemed to take the edge off.

We watched the food channel Sunday morning and Justin saw something he wanted. So the next morning we made breakfast pizza's. They turned out pretty good. I was smart and had a very, very small one. I wasn't going to start the day off in pain.

We also managed to piss off someone. But I'm not too upset about it.

Wow, we managed to cram in a lot of stuff this weekend. I'm tired.

The Prize is Inside

I was a natural born winner...for one year. How could a girl be so lucky? Well it wasn't luck. I had a job, a phone and lots of free time.

Back in the day I worked at a driving school. I had the power to schedule your kids driving sessions. Some days it was easy, everyone showed up, instructors didn't have drama in their life and the brakes worked.

During the school year, classes didn't start until 3 or 4 pm. But I was always there around noon. I had things to win. And in the summer time, the winning spree was in full speed.

I always listened to 107.5 "The End" every day. They always had something to give away. Cd's of groups I really didn't like, tickets to groups I didn't want to see. You know, the usual stuff. One time my friend Elsa called me from our rival driving school (she basically did the same thing over there).

"Ok, FM 100 is giving away $1000 for the secret song and it's a Michael Bolton song." It probably was his terrible song "When a man loves a Woman" or some crap like that. But hey, I'll listen to Lenny for $1000. So all day I listened to that crappy channel for that crappy song. When it finally came on, my expertise kicked in and I dialed once, busy, click, then hit re-dial.

That was the formula. Dial, busy, click, re-dial. It's a formula that only works on a phone with a good hang-up response. If your phone takes forever to hang up, there is no chance you're gonna win anything. Unfortunately, even with my formula, I didn't win $1000.

But that was only one out of every 5 wins. It was probably because it was FM 100. 107.5 treated me right. I won cd's that I never picked up (I think I picked up No Doubt when they hit it big), I saw Matchbox 20 at the Hard Rock and had beer spilled on me and a drum stick thrown at my head. It was some concert.

I won gift packages with shirts, stickers and any other promo items that I never picked up. I even won tickets to a Christmas concert with 5 popular bands of the time (one-hit-wonders maybe?). I didn't go.

It was the winning that I wanted. That was my prize. My voice on the radio, my mad phone skills and the thrill of the pick up. It took the boredom out of the everyday annoyances. Parents calling, kids bugging me to get scheduled, brakes locking up on the cars while driving.

"You say you couldn't stop? Well, I just won a water bottle!"

That Karma Will Get You Every Time

It never fails. You come home from a decent weekend outta town and something is different when you get into work. Sometimes people will use your computer and change all your presets or screw with your settings in a program (damn office mate at Watchit Media!). Or you have a pile of work just waiting for you. Either way, you know it's gonna be a crappy Monday.

Well how about coming into work, stepping in your cube and nothing really seems outta place. That's what I thought this Monday when I came in until I took a closer look.

"That phone isn't mine."
I've never had one of the nice phones since I've been here. Upon closer inspection, while wiggling my mouse to turn on the computer, which by the way I shut down before the weekend, it said Andy Whitlow. Then the monitor came up with a log-in prompt for Andy Whitlow!

What the hell was going on? And who's this Andy Whitlow? All my stuff was still in my cube. Nothing was different except those two things. I started to formulate scenarios like "Was I fired and they just didn't tell me or Justin?" or "Well my code worked to get into the building so I know I'm not fired, but I'm not Andy Whitlow (whoever he was!)."

My cube neighbors couldn't help me because they didn't see this magical switch-a-roo happen. I was extremely frustrated. Then, another girl who was moved on Friday stood up.

"They moved you and me. You're over here now."

"This blows!"

With every trip from my old cube to my new one, I calmed down a bit. Until I saw who I was gonna be sitting by. Remember this? I don't like to bring it up but once I realized my new situation my anger turned to laughter.

When she moved, the clouds parted and the sun shined through the cubes. It was a miracle. Then she got a cube mate who loves to sing and hum. I just snickered under my breath every time I could hear her humming...across the room!

My ending statement in this situation: Karma's a Bitch! Get ready for some dual action humming sitsa!

Utah huh?

Going up to Utah today. This reminds me of all those times I drove down to Las Vegas to see Justin. (In case some of you didn't know, he took a job here while I was finishing up school, so we lived apart for about 4 months. It sucked!)

So after my Friday nutrition class I would head out for Las Vegas. Both ways I would listen to "A Mighty Wind" soundtrack. Silly I know, but the songs were funny. (I'm really racking up the music themed blogs lately!)

So yesterday, I jammed that cd into my player and rocked out (more like 'folk-singer-rock-out') on my way home from work, anticipating my Utah trip today. I could do that since I was the only one driving. Justin thinks the soundtrack is stupid. My in-laws thought you had to be "loopy" on booze to even make it through the movie. They fell asleep.

So I brought the cd with me incase I get the urge. I know Justin won't get the urge (or maybe the urge to throw it out the window) but I can force it when I drive.

"I'm the driver, I pick the music!"

It's painful sometimes when you're the passenger. You have NO say in music. Oh these rules suck sometimes. I'll let you know how many time I get to listen to it. I'm aiming for just on time. I want Justin to like me this weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Elvis Sing it Again!

During summers in Texas the only time we went outside was to ride our bikes to the local pool. On days we didn't go, my sister, brother and I would sit at home and watch all the MTV we could get. My mom didn't like us watching it, so we did it while she was at work.

I would remember songs by the videos. They had to be funny, fast paced and clever for me to keep watching them. Nowadays, when a song comes on the satellite, I recall the video. "Oh I used to love this music video." Justin had no idea because he didn't have cable. Poor kid.

Lately, I've been eager to hear a song that, thanks to satellite radio, I never knew was sung by Elvis Costello. It's call "Veronica". I remembered the video very clearly but no clue who sung it. Listening to it now I know why I liked it. It's very catchy and cute with the little xylophone tinking away. I found the video online (NO I didn't steal it. Someone posted it.) and it's kinda sad! Geez was I such a dumb kid to not even notice what it was about? If you'd like to watch it/listen to it check it out.

I think I liked it as a kid because Veronica wasn't a very popular name, like mine.

"Saying "You can call me anything you like, but my name is Veronica"

Elvis is so clever with those lyrics! I can't get enough of this song! Maybe I'll start using that line at work, where btw, everyone seems to think my name is Jessica. It's not kids. Ask me and I'll tell you. On second thought, you can't call me anything you like. My name is Jessi.

Skunky Smells

Is it weird to like the smell of skunks? Well not the skunk itself, but the odor that warns you to stay away. I never get close enough. It's usually from driving on long trips. It could be the combination of the highway and skunk. I love it!

I usually want to drive back through just to get another wiff. It's like a surprise on a boring road trip.

"Mmmmmm, Skunk!"

Justin thinks I'm crazy. But he like to walk down the cooking aisle, pick up a bag of marshmallows and sniff the bag until I've left the aisle. The time can vary if I'm actually looking for something down that aisle. Then he'll try to con me into buying the bag with nose prints all over it.

"But marshmallows are soooo good!"
"No, I'll buy you a rice krispy treat instead."

Mmm, the marshmallowy goodness, you really can't go wrong with a rice krispy treat. Or skunk smell, but I would mix them. That would be overload.

Purse For All Seasons...or At Least Today and Tomorrow

I go through phases where I need to make something. It usually turns out kinda ugly. Like the two dresses I made last weekend. After talking to my mom and determining Vogue patterns suck, the dress I made was about 3 sizes too big. And I'm just too lazy to fix it. Ugh, where's Old Navy when I need it?

Anyhoo, the other dress...it's nice. The fabric was stretchy and fitting. But the rolls on my sides just want to say hello to everyone. I think they shouldn't be seen at all, but you can't argue with them. So to fight them, I talked Justin into doing the Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon in December. Another blog for another day.

With one ugly dress and one not yet ready to wear, I needed to satisfy my need for something made and useful. Purses! So off to my new favorite website, Craftster to find other people creations that I can use. There are some really creative people on there. Normally I'm amazed at how non-creative I can be. But this time I was surprised!

Purse #1: Square Handle/Square Bottom Purse

This one was fun just because I jimmied it to be the size I want. SMALL! But don't look too closely because...well...the seams aren't all that great, the handle is crooked, the lining didn't catch when I was sewing it and over all it is a little lopsided. But it still looks pretty good!

Ya those aren't side pockets. I guess they could be though.

BLING he he

Purse #2: A Snazzy, Very Little Clutch

The colors look a little deceiving here, but they are really brighter. I've never had a clutch or a need for one but when I saw this on Craftster, I knew I had to make it! And so I did. 1 1/2 hours later I was done. I didn't put the snap on it yet because I have absolutely no idea how to use the snapper tool.
Hey, I can barely sew a straight line! So that one I need help on. But for now, my little clutch is cute, hip and only holds what you see. Tiny wallet, phone, lip gloss and rubber bands. All I need!



I'm not Martha yet, but I'm getting there. As for dresses, I think I'll stick with stitching my way to Old Navy.com. Vogue...you're killing me! 3 sizes! Unacceptable!

Monday Morning Rants

It's so nice to come into work, check your e-mail and find you've somehow offended someone. I guess I've been doing it a lot lately, but this time it really wasn't my fault.

I never thought my blog would cause me the headache it has. Especially a post from February! Basically, I posted something that was just like normal and all the comments evolved into a bashing session of someone. 16 comments later, a friend of this person found my blog and commented. I'm fine with that. I'm fine with what they said. But since that comment topic was a #1 search on google, I had to delete all the comments. I want to be #1 on google for other reasons...not that!

So friends, I encourage you to speak your mind...cautiously.

Arrr...Pirates!

Pirates still lurk about. Did you know this? You might be sitting next to one...or 8. Pirates are scarry, usually black and generally ugly.

Actually I probably couldn't spot a real Pirate. But I can spot nose hairs from a mile away. Ok more like 2.4 feet away.

Nose hairs resemble upside down hooks inching their way outta your nose. When I sit next to someone or talk to someone and I happen to look in that direction (well it's hard to miss when you are talking face to face) I spot those little pirates screaming "ARRRRR pluck me!" It's sick I know, but this is who I am.

It all started when Justin moved in with me. I would be talking to him and I'd spot his nose hairs. Since we were living together, I felt it necessary to tell him how unattractive they were. They just didn't hang, they hooked! Ugly!

"You've got a hair...there"
"Where?" Feeling around with his thumb and first finger. YANK! "ARRRRR" I'm sure it was painful. It was for me to watch. I'm pretty sure I said "Arrrr" too. So that's how it all started.

Now we just say, "I see pirates" or "PIRATES!" or "Dude, he had some crazy Pirates!" It varies. But if you hear 'pirate' I'm probably talking about you. Or about your pirates.

Who Would Have Thought?

One of very few online quizzes I take.

You scored as Phantom. You belong to the Phantom Regiment! You love classical music, and Shostakovich is the man! 1996 was a great year in drum corps, because Phantom WON! Phantom 100% Star of Indiana 83% Madison Scouts 67% Cadets 58% Senior Corps 50% Spirit 42% Santa Clara Vanguard 33% Spartans 33% Blue Devils 33% Cavaliers 25% What Drum & Bugle Corps are you? created with QuizFarm.com

You can't go wrong with that! SUTA Kids...see you at SOS