Storage

We have officially packed up Summer in the Foell house. The older Foell's did it months ago because they are pros. Justin and I were in denial until this weekend when we realized we couldn't wear our sandals, shorts and tanks for the next 5 months. So off to the storage unit they went. In their place we pulled out our "Winter" coats. (Which really are Las Vegas Winter coats. Actually, I have a nice Winter coat, I just have to layer to make it suitable for Minnesota. And Justin's is from Old Navy. And after he wore it once in Kansas City, he deemed it suitable for a Minnesota Winter. We'll see. Good thing his new job barely requires him to get dressed.)

Oh, yeah, Justin got a job. Working from home, telemarketing.

I kid! Telecommuting. Computer stuff. Website stuff. He's excited. I'm excited he's home to entertain Scully and let her out as necessary instead of kenneling her. We were mean parents. It also means that we can go down to one car and put the Silly Car in storage, where it will not see snow, ice, or salt. (Although it has totally seen ice, the Silly Car does well heating up quick for being, like 16 years old. But still, family rule: Silly Car sees NO snow.)

Something else that made it out of storage: my purse supplies! I had a request from a friend who wants some goods. So I thought, it's been a very long time since I updated my etsy shop. I think it's time to get my ass in gear. Plus, I've got the time, so why not. And since many buy homemade items for Christmas, I'll keep prices very low during this crap-tacular economic downturn so you get what you want. Speaking of, if you want something specific, just let me know.

How weird is this? My Grandpa's 80th Birthday is Wednesday. His Mother-in-Law (my Great-Grandma) is 91. WTH? Things would have been so different if he had married her instead of my granny. I told him this, but I don't think he was impressed with my observation or my math skills.

Apparently, I'm on a "one post a week" rut right now. But there's so much to talk about. Maybe after Thanksgiving, I'll ramp up the posts. Who cares, right? Most people come here looking for this post anyway.
Lime

Oh, before I go, if you're looking for a great movie to see this Holiday weekend, check out Slumdog Millionaire. It was beyond great. It got great reviews here in Minneapolis and everyone I was with agreed. If you see it, let me know what you think. We loved it. Rotten Tomatoes agrees with me.

Not Warm and Fuzzy

It was 23 degrees on my way to work this morning. And I forgot my gloves. Actually, they were in the dryer because we helped Justin's dad rake up all the leaves on Saturday. Talk about manual labor!

My gloves, they were dirty.

The weather, it's cold.

We think Scully doesn't really like the cold. Only when there is snow on the ground, which totally makes sense, because then you can SEE the cold and justify it. Until then, she pounces on the door frantically, until someone lets her in. We should probably keep clothes on her.

I got the bottom of my foot lasered (totally not a word, but I have no other way to describe it) last week. Think of it as someone stabbing a McDonald's straw through your heel as fast as they can. The thick straws, and it shoots up to your knee. It was that painful. I hobbled out of the office thinking, I can't wait for child birth! Then I called Justin and cried to him the pain that I had paid a co-pay for. He did feel bad, but I don't think as bad as I wanted him to feel. I wanted a grilled cheese when I got home. That's how much comfort I needed.

I didn't get one.

When we first moved here, there was one thing we were really going to miss about living in the West, SouthWest Airlines. Guess what? They'll begin service from MSP in March! Just in time to take Justin to Chi-town for St. Patties day and for his Birthday! He's totally excited because 1) it's not NWA and 2) it's St. Patrick's Day and 3)it's cheap! Now we can continue with our easy flying all over the US for less! So all of my Vegas friends, you can totally come out to the tundra with no excuses.
shrimp

SmartyPants

You don't expect to get political propaganda from an 8 year-old, but that's what we got on Sunday when my Brother-in-law came over with his kids. We all knew who they were voting for just by the signs in their yard. That's cool. Whatever floats your boat. I have never felt strongly enough to support someone with signs in my yard.

Unless it's a Miller Lite sign.

But when an 8 year-old tells you she "hates!" the new president because he "kills babies!" a swift smack across the face is in order. BUT, that's not what happened (more like eye rolling). Instead we told her it doesn't matter who won, we have to support him now that he is our President.

I doubt that worked.

Justin's getting all upset with the state of our health care system. I'm just upset because my car door was frozen shut the other morning. I'm all about the important things in life.

Oh! Ya! It's like freezing temps now! Justin and I are such wimps. Scully, surprisingly, still likes to be outside. We did get her a new coat, but all the treats she gets from *someone who shall remain nameless*, has left her a little sausage. So the coat has to go back for the bigger size. But seriously, it's freaking freezing here people. And it's only November. Ok, positive thoughts. I lived in Utah, not as cold but it did get cold there. Damn my 5 years in the desert heat!

On the housing front: Yet another offer on a cute little starter home. And we're doing ANOTHER offer on a different home tomorrow. The reason? They are both short sales and since our last offer on a short sale took about 2 months, we figured, we'd for sure get one or the other. So why not two offers. Don't think I'm rich or anything. Cause I'm not.

Tomorrow is our company arts/craft/bake sale. Guess what I'm selling? Ha! Nope! I made homemade caramels (courtesy of my mil's recipe), the standard chocolate chip cookies (which is the best recipe I've EVER found for thick chewy ones), and my yummy chocolate chip-pumpkin squares. I just hope I don't eat everything on the way to work tomorrow.

I'll close this with a short story of our nephew. He's three and hilarious. Justin took him yesterday to pick up his older sister (who is 5) from kindergarten. She gets in the car and says, "I can spell my name backwards!" She then proceeds to explain that she can spell all sorts of words backwards. The stop sign, Justin's name, etc. Her little brother then asks, "Can you spell 'shut up' backwards?"
Strawberry

If that's not funny enough for you, go to about 2:30 in this video.

Really? Seriously?

Why do people insist on sitting next to me on the bus when there are about 15 empty seats around? Especially towards the end of the route? Just move over and take up your own room. It's easy and I won't get offended.

And, AND! Why does it always smell like crap? People, we all have to use the bus, crap at home.

Oh, AND! Please don't lean forward to talk on the phone. You're basically in my ear, I can hear everything you're telling your friend. About how you don't play girls like that. You know, man? I'm fo real!

Shave the Alamo!

We like to think our costumes were a success. Justin did say all weekend that he thought it was the best idea yet. I do have to agree, even though some people at the party were like, "Sweeny Todd? Never seen it."



I whipped mine up in a few hours. I didn't hem it because, seriously, it's a Halloween costume. I used a burn out stretchy fabric for the bodice and just wore a black shirt underneath. The party was in the hosts garage so it was a bit too cold for me (still not getting use to Minnesota. I know, I know, the winters will be nothing compared to this) so I had my jacket on all night. Except for pictures.

Look at our brave pups "Saving the Alamo!" More like, "Protecting our Pumpkins!"



Davie "Skye" Crockett and (this is totally not politically correct but there was no other way around it) her enemy in real life "Scully" Mexican Soldier. Really she's supposed to be part of General Santa Ana's army, but we based the whole costume around her hat.

Scully ready for action with her bullets. Good thing we didn't give her a gun too.


Skye hated the hat. I guess it reminds her of the bunnies she's always chasing in the yard.




They both lost the war protecting our pumpkins. They were stolen and smashed down the street. Minnesota hoodlums.
grape

I Do Make Stuff

Halloween. We finished the costumes for Scully and Skye last night. But not before we had to break up a dog fight (apparently the 2nd one for the day). Not sure what's going on, but poor Scully had a bad day with Skye, ending up in her mouth again or shoved under the couch trying to hide from her. Skye can be mean sometimes.

But they looked so cute all dressed up! Scully loves Justin dressing her. Perhaps it's just her loving him paying attention to her? Who knows, but she just loves it.

Skye knows how to take the hat off. I'll have to make it tighter.

Justin actually did some hand sewing last night. That's how serious we are about Halloween people. Justin sewing.

I've got my costume cut out but not sewn. I suck, I know. The party is tomorrow, so I'll be up late sewing. I can't imagine it taking me long mostly because, it's a Halloween costume, I'm not going make it fancy and follow directions. It's not daily wear, it's not fashion. It's just an ugly dress (supposed to be ugly). I need to put more effort into my hair than this dress.

Photos of all Halloween participants coming soon.

Heather, I haven't forgotten about your prize. One half is done and ready to mail. The other half (the "I have to make it vegan?") is still in the works.
raspberry

Undecided

Sometimes, I want to click the "easy" button. I think life would be so much easier, don't you? This election, I definitely need the easy button. I don't favor one over the other. I get frustrated during debates with all their circle talking. I'm tired of all the campaigning. Back and forth. If only there were something that would help me pick a candidate. Something where I could see which candidate shares my views. Hmmmm.

Oh, wait.

I think I found something.

I love me some Public Radio! (booo, to all you who hate it)

If you need help deciding (cause we've only got like 2 weeks left), check this out. It's what I needed. Thanks MPR.

I'm not going to tell you which candidate shared my views. That's my right as an American not to tell. But you're welcome to tell me.

Four Canadian's

David Sedaris was awesome, as expected. The line to have my book signed, however, wasn't. Neither were the EXTREMELY annoying girls (probably my age, but so irritating like teens) in front of us for the ENTIRE 80 minutes. I only had one outlet for my frustration, a post-it note with my name on it which a woman gave me so David would know how to spell my name.

My post-it said:

Dear Lord! The people in front of me are FUCKING annoying! Please be my slave monkey and bitch slap them!

Monkey slave = a story he read that night.

He kept my post-it for his diary. No hitting on Justin this time. No witty comments. Maybe he felt really sorry for me because he had just met the super annoying girls. He only had to deal with them for 55 seconds. I had them for over 80 minutes.

One husband was short and fat and wore a 40x28 and apparently no pants are made for his size. They miss CBC. "I'm SOOOO going to tell David that you took one of his books back cause you didn't like it." "Echh, that's gross." "Ok, I've been standing here long enough to use my lip balm 4 times!"

And their laughs. Hideous, screeching, echoing, cat-like screaming. Oh the headache just thinking of it.

He did say something about people trying to be comedians after seeing one.

He started writing this in my book before we even spoke: "Dear Jessi, your story touched my heart. David Sedaris."

Maybe he knew. Probably not.

Embrace the Cold

People ask me all the time if I miss Las Vegas. I say no. But actually, I do miss the mountains. Well, more like the green mountains of Northern Utah. But still, seeing mountains daily was awesome.

It's cold here. Silly Car hates it. I'm sure the steering belt is about to snap off any day (at least that's what I think it is cause it's LOUD when I turn). I can see my breath in the morning and at night. Scully doesn't stay out too long and when she comes in, she's shivering. Skye, with her fur coat, no shivering at all.

Justin's car hated it too. But we gave it a new sweater and sent it on its way. (sweater=battery)

I think I've embraced the cold as best as I can by requesting a camping trip, like, NOW. Before it gets even COLDER. To camp up north, where it's super cold compared to down here. But really, isn't fall about camping? Sitting around a campfire, cuddling, stuffing your face with marshmallows and chocolate, eating cheese dogs?

Justin said no, it's too cold for him (THE Minnesotan). So we are going to build our own outdoor fire and do all the above. And when it gets too cold out that cuddling won't suffice, I'll head inside and jump into my heated bed and have Scully lick the marshmallows off my face.

Hot Tip #6 Recycling

(It's been a while since my last Hot Tip but Justin and I are in full force recycling.)

There are many ways you can incorporate recycling into your life. And it's not just plastics and pop cans, there are many other ways to recycle. Here are some of the easy one's that we've done.

First, see if your local waste management company (your garbage peeps) offer recycling bins for weekly pick-up. Most cities now have them for free. Some offer just one bin. Others will give you different bins for different items (one for paper, one for glass, one for aluminum) to make sorting easier.

Paper - We read the newspaper every day. We get junk mail, bills, and magazine every day. This stuff piles up, seriously. Create a designated place to collect the paper. In Las Vegas, we got bins from Ikea and they fit perfectly in our pantry. Here in Minnesota, we've got what looks like a cedar chest (but isn't) with a lid. It looks like a piece of furniture (and sometimes we use it as such) but it holds 2 weeks worth of recycling.

Don't forget you can recycle your shredded bills and important documents (shred them first).

Plastics - All plastics have a designated number on the bottom of them. In Las Vegas and here, they only recycle numbers one and two. Anything else we have to throw away. But you don't have to just toss them. You can reuse them for simple storage ideas (hair ties, sewing supplies, yo-yo parts, etc.). Water bottles will take up less space if they are collapsed. Always remove the lids when recycling them. Or better yet, just stop using plastic water bottles all together. Get one of these. Just make sure it's BPA free. Oh, and not buying cases of bottled water will save you money too. Don't forget that!

Aluminum - Or known up here as "pop cans" or in Texas "coke cans". Whatever you call it, cans are the easiest thing to recycle. Just crush them up and toss them... into a designated box, bag (paper works great), or bin. Some recycling centers take soup cans too. Las Vegas did, Minnesota doesn't. Too bad. If your area does, just make sure you rinse out your smelly tuna cans.

Once a month we have used motor oil pick up and once a year they pick up left-over household cleaners and solvents that you really shouldn't dump down drains. Don't do it. Just set them out in the garage for that pick up day.

Ok, those are the easy and obvious ones. There are other ways to recycle. Buy second hand instead of something new. Stores like Savers, Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Deseret Industries all get gently used clothing. A store like Savers is a "for profit" so some of their stuff is actually from department stores. Justin and I have scored some great fall clothes there. Jeans, pants, sweaters all for $30. Seriously.

Zip top bags can be replaced with fabric bags with velcro closures (for food storage). A great way to use up small fabric pieces and use less zip top bags.

Another way to use of fabric is to make a grocery tote. (which I've actually made).

There are many other ways to recycle and it might save you money too. Let me know what you are doing to recycle or if there's anything I've missed that you are doing.

And the Winner is...

The top 4 ideas were:
Bride and Groom
Black and Tan
Chocolate and Peanut Butter
Remember the Alamo


The winning costume is:

Remember the Alamo!! Scully as a Mexican Soldier and Skye as Davie Crocket.


Due to the need for Skye's parents to participate in the voting process (since they wanted say of what their dog was going to dress as), we decided to award the 2nd place the prize. So the winner is:



Heather!

Thanks to everyone who participated. Now off to Remember the Alamo!!

He's Back!

My man, Strongbad's back!



He still likes you, even though you haven't voted, he loves toys, airplane rides, great ideas, cheese curds, segways, queens and farms.

He hates liars, clutter, working, WalMart, disco, and imagery.

Now, get voting and help the little dogs out!

Contest Time!

For the past 5 years at this time, Justin and I were always working on our Halloween costumes for the freaking fabulous Halloween party we'd go to. Sadly, not this year. And you know what? It stinks. No fun costume project to work on. No plans to surprise people or try to win contests or drink too much. Nothing.

Instead, we decided to help the dogs out. They want to be something together. Something funny and original. What makes it more challenging is who they are. Scully is a Min-Pin and Skye is something mixed. Border Collie? Either way, she's a big girl and very fluffy. And Scully is a small girl and very black.

We need suggestions. This is where you guys come in. I invite EVERYONE who reads (even those who don't post) to help us come up with the Halloween costumes they so desire.

Here are the rules: Enter as many times as you want. We're looking for funny, original ideas for Scully and Skye. They have to be dressed as a pair. You know, like Elvis and Costello, Tiny and Tim, Ben and Jerry.

I can sew so I'm not worried about having to buy something, I'll make it.

Justin and I will select the 3 best ideas and present them to Scully and Skye. Of course, they have the ultimate say (but really it's Justin and I since we have to make the costumes - but don't tell them that).

The winner will receive my famous Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Brownies (oh, they are so FREAKING good, and I'll ship them to you!) and a special surprise from Scully and Skye!

Entry's must be received by October 3rd (next Friday). Take off that karma cap and put on your thinking cap. Scully and Skye thank you.

I Cleaned Off My Camera

Consider this a camera dump blog. I've finally cleaned it off so here are pictures I'm sure I've promised, but never delivered.

Let's start with the State Fair:


The Sea of People! GAHHHHH!!!


MMMMM Food on a stick.



MMMMMM More food on a stick.

That's the gist of the State Fair. Let's move onto something else.



The Walker Arts Center

That spoon is totally famous. And look at the beautiful skyline of Minneapolis. Yes, it's awesome.


Sitting on art.

Ok, how about something totally cool.


Segway's! Justin had this great idea to take a Segway tour through Minneapolis for our anniversary. And it was AWESOME! Since Paveena is new to the city like me, we invited them and they loved it too.




Zooming through an old mill. Now we all want Segway's. I wonder if they make snow chains for them?


Happy 7 years!

Scully even got a "camera dump" update. Go check out her crazy self.

Ok, this one's for Todd. He has an entire collection of TERRIBLE photos of me that only he and I have access to. But since I took this photo, just as I was about to cough, and can no longer have him collect these aweful photos, I decided to share it with everyone. Now remember, about to cough. Ready?






Set








Go!

I know, I'm brave with my ugly self.

Please Tell Me Not All Teachers Are Like This

**I'm not singling out Teachers, she just happens to be a very selfish one.**

Ok, so I don't usually post 2 in one day but this is a must. Since the Hurricane, I've been visiting KHOU for updates. I found this headline and read it with such disgust! So then, I had to go and search for this blog. I don't find it but I did find someone has already posted her the contents of her blog. Oh man, she's the biggest douchebag you'll ever meet. Read on:

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Hurricane Ike - 8

Well, today is going to be interesting. Last night for dinner, I ate an MRE and it was pretty good. There was too much food and I had the wheat bread left over. I have decided that I really like MREs and plan on getting more today. I also need to get some gas today. Hopefully, I will find a gas station open. That should be about it for my things to do today.

Posted by Jacki at 11:44 AM 1
comments

She plans on getting more. Why? Because they are good! Not because she need's them. She had food left over.

Hurricane Ike - 9

I got Schlotsky's today for lunch and went again to the courthouse in Baytown to get my water, ice, and food. This time, there were different meals, but hopefully as good as the others. Then, i came home, emptied my trunk and then headed off for the Deer Park POD (Point of Delivery). It was at the high school and they had their stuff together. There were about 5 or 6 different stations and at each station, there was a palate of ice, a palate of water, and a palate of food. There were three people at each station and you pulled up to the line of stations in a row and three people descended upon your car at once and loaded your trunk with stuff. Then, when all five or six stations were done, you pulled out and then the next 5 or 6 cars came through and filled up. It was very organized and put together.

I am constantly impressed with how Deer Park is handling everything. I don't know why they can get their stuff together and every one else can't, but I do have a few theories that I will not go into here. When I first headed out for the day, I had about a quarter of a tank of gas, so I decided to fill up. The Shell at the corner of 225 and Center had gas. I noticed that all of the entrances were blocked, so I went around to the one that was open and filled up in about 10 minutes. That was even with paying in cash in the store. When I entered the lot, there were employees directing me to which pump to go to. It was awesome. The other gas stations that I went to had Deer Park police officers directing traffic to the different pumps. This is a great city. When I pulled up at the POD, a police officer was telling me where to go and when he had me stopped, he picked a tree limb out of my tire. I am so happy to be living in this city and not others.

I went to Baytown today and they have some of their lights not working. When I was at Schlotsky's, I was talking to the girl inside and she was ocmmenting on how disorganized everything is. I told her that Deer Park is awesome. She told me how it was a 4 hour wait for gas at Wal-Mart and it took her about 2 1/2 hours to get gas. I told her that it only took me 10 minutes and the employees and police were directing traffic at the gas stations. The intersection of Garth and Baker's traffic light wasn't working, so they had a police officer directing traffic. After she commented on that, I told her that they had generators powering the traffic lights in Deer Park. I did not realize how put together this city is, but they are doing an awesome job!

I haven't heard anything from Matthew about his dad's house, but later on today I will call and see how everything is going. I didn't find any photo opportunities other than during yesterday's outing. Maybe later on in the week, I will venture out into the southern area and get some pictures.

The electric company has not come out yet to cut the tree down, but hopefully it will be soon. I know that they have other important places to be. I talked to the neighbor yesterday and he commented on a tree that is in between our two houses and he was wondering if I minded him cutting down this little tree. I told him to go ahead and have fun with it. I informed him about the bigger tree in the backyard, that if not cut down, would fall on his house. He said that they were here during the hurricane and didn't leave and that Deer Park got power back on Sunday night. That doesn't sound too bad since there are people who will be without their houses and power for several weeks.

I will update when something else interesting happens, which hopefully will be a while from now.

Posted by Jacki at 3:04 PM 5
comments

Based on the article, she didn't have any money. If she doesn't have any money, why is she going out for lunch?

Hurricane Ike - 10

I talked to Matthew's brother, Jeremy, earlier today and he told me that there was about 3 feet of water in his dad's house. The refrigerator got moved from the kitchen into the living room. He was really concerned about his motorcycle that he apparently left in Bridge City the last time he came down. It was right by the riding lawn mower and that was upside down according to Donna. Matthew's dad brought disposable cameras to the house, but I have not talked to Matthew all day today to find out any information.

I just finished eating my MRE and I still didn't get to finish my meal. It is too much food. Yesterday I ate meatballs with marinara sauce, almonds, wheat bread with cheese sauce, pretzels, and the orange punch. Today's meal was chili mac, applesauce, a pop-tart, wheat bread with cheese sauce, fruit punch, and apple cider. There were also a whole large pack of Skittles that I haven't eaten yet. I think that I am falling in love with MREs. They are pretty darn good. I went around 5:30 to go get more MREs and actually got another box of real MREs, water, and ice. Right now, I have five cases of water, two 20 pound bags of ice, four 10 pound bags of ice, and four boxes of MREs. Two of the boxes of MREs are the real military ones, two are a box per person for the whole day type MRE, and I have a box with twelves kind of sack lunches (chef Boyardee microwave little cup, granola bar, fruit cups, and almond cookies). There are lots of different types of MREs that are given out, but the best ones are the military type MREs. I was excited to get the second real box of MREs. I think that I am crazy, but it is so cool that you put a little bit of water in the bag with the food and in about a minute, there is hot food. This is great. I don't have school and getting free food! I still will probably get paid at the end of the month also. Life is great after a hurricane when nothing really happened to your house!

Posted by Jacki at 4:58 PM 17
5 comments

Wow! Life IS good huh? What about the lives of every other person without power or the ability to get food and water that they need? That you are TAKING!

Oh snap, she's caught! Back peddle as fast as you can douchebag!

Thursday, September 18, 2008
Hurricane Ike - 11

The food and water that I got is for my boyfriend's family who had about three feet of water in their house. They desperately need the food and water since they have to work at getting their house back to normal and they will be here tonight to get the supplies so that they can continue to work on the house. I am stopping my blog since I have gotten some wonderful comments. I have not received any money or will receive any money from the government or my insurance company, we will pay for it ourselves. I am not trying to take something that is not mine.

Posted by Jacki at 5:27 PM 0
comments

Hmmm, but you posted this regarding money:


Monday, September 15, 2008
Hurricane Ike - 3

One thing that I did not include in my previous post was school is indefinitely out until everyone in Baytown gets power and water. They are having an emergency board meeting in some random building, apparently the Administration building is messed up. I will go and check that out tomorrow possibly. Anyway, they are meeting tomorrow to figure out what is going to happen.

Also, I registered with FEMA to get some money. I was pissed during Rita that I got no money, even though I had tons of expenses. I was not a property owner at that time, but now I am and I want my money from Rita. If these other people can get money, I can too. There are not enough damages to make a claim on my homeowners' insurance, so this would really help out. We are just going to have to replace a couple of windows, at least the glass portion of it. My deductible is over a thousand dollars, so it is so not worth it.

When I first saw the headline for the article, I thought maybe she was able to pick up food and water and deliver them to neighbors or people who couldn't get out. You know, something noble and newsworthy. But I forget, people also make the news for stupidity like this.

You can read all of her blog posts here.

Comments?

The Opening and Closing Celebration

We've been celebrating our 7 year anniversary all week. Monday was the actual day. We went out to dinner at Cheesecake Factory and I got my usual and it was good. Luckily I didn't have to sit next to the super annoying lady snorting, or blowing her nose or something. Justin was so worried that I could hear it-since he knows I get grossed out over things like that, especially when foods involved. (I won't watch cooking shows while eating or watching MXC. And I ESPECIALLY can't handle body functions during meal times.)

Then, Tuesday, Justin made me homemade El Bomba and Rocky Road Ice Cream (all my favorites-all homemade!). Then, because I can never have enough bean burritos, I had one at lunch on Wednesday.

Ok, and another one at lunch on Thursday.

I had mentioned to a friend that I was going on a tour of Minneapolis on Saturday. And since she's new to Minneapolis like me, she mentioned it to her new husband and now they are joining us for a Minneapolis Segway tour. We're totally gonna be all nerdy driving those things around the city.

That's the last part of our week long anniversary celebration. Tonight, we are heading out to the season opening of the Minnesota Orchestra.

And while I'm celebrating, my blog turned 3 last month. I'm sorry blog, I'm a terrible care-taker missing your birthday. Surprisingly, the two's weren't as bad as some say. Thanks for that. And thanks for letting me feed you BS. It's cheap and sometimes free and a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do to keep you fed.

Things I've learned in Seven Years

Time, it goes fast.

2 bathrooms are a must.

It's okay that we like different types of beer. As long as we like beer together.

Same goes with politics. Different candidates, same country.

He can't program the thermostat.

I can't make caramel corn.

He can dance.

I can laugh at him dancing.

He hates that I watch the same movie every night, but still lets me.

We both love Scully. She hates us kissing.

The Craftyness Continues

I was driving to school when I first heard about it. My infant and maternal nutrition instructor said, "don't worry about what's going on, I'm sure it was an accident." Accident my ass lady.

Justin and I are so sad with our running. Justin is fast and I'm slow as usual. We only ran 2km yesterday. Seriously nothing compared to what we were doing a year ago at this time. But our goal is only 5km so I shouldn't feel so bad. At least I'm running again.

I'm working on 2 projects but I keep putting them down when I get frustrated. One is Amy Butler's Kimberly Bag and the other is a pair of pants. The pants are called "Amazing Fit" so far, they are close. Surprisingly I haven't had really any problems it's just a little time consuming when I'm trying to make them look really good. The fabric color I picked isn't the best on me so I'm not sure I'll wear them a lot.

I'm altering the Amy Butler bag a bit. I want the handles longer and I don't want the bag 18" long. I shortened it down to 16" and I'm omitting the zipper. The fabric I picked is suede so hopefully it'll cooperate. I picked up the pattern at Crafty Planet. I finally went there on Saturday with Justin. He thought it was a cool place and ended up picking a magazine for himself.

Ike is heading towards home. My parents live in one of the mandatory evacuation areas. After all the years living there, I think I've only lived through 2 hurricane's, and even then they were very weak. Let's hope this one is weak too.

Back to Normal

Dudes, It's been a while since I've posted. I suck, I know. But with the RNC in town, everything was wacked out. Mostly my work schedule because of all the protesters and road closures in St. Paul (where I work), I got to do some of my work at home. Not a good place to be when a little dog wants to sit in your lap all the time.

Plus, PLUS.... it's cold here. It's only September! I'm not ready! My Wii Fit instructor jacket isn't going to cut it soon. I'll actually have to go winter coat shopping. I haven't done that since Utah. Oh man, I'm not looking forward to it.

Justin hates me for this minor complaint.

We went to the state fair last weekend (guess I should show you pictures too-but they are still on my camera. It'd be easy to load them up if I hadn't lost my cool usb memory card.), after visiting the Miracle of Birth center (where they display animals in pens giving birth), I decided not to eat any meat. I just couldn't do it. So I had homemade tator-tots on a stick. Oh man, they were good. But seriously, after about 3 hours there, I was done. Too many people, too many strollers, it seemed like we were always going against the crowd, so we left. But we managed not to spend all of our money so we were proud of ourselves. I think next year, we'll go during the week when it's less crowded.

My latest thing is Craigslist. We sold stuff on it right before we moved (and by stuff, I mean, most of our stuff), so I'm all about looking for deals. I know that we'll have to buy appliances for our new house (no word on the approval yet), so I've been hunting things down. What deals! People are even selling their kitchen cupboards and sinks! For now, I just need a washer and dryer. So far, it'll be easy to find.

Well, this has been the longest 4 day work week ever. EVER! So I'm off to stay busy before I go home for the day.

Have a great weekend.

Wii Fit Instructor!

I totally made my Wii Fit instructor fleece jacket. It's so soft, subby, and stylish! I used Jalie 2679 and it went together pretty easy. I did have a hard time sewing multiple layers of fleece, but I went slow and it turned pretty good.

Justin really liked it. He determined that it was a stylish pattern (how all the pieces make look "ready-to-wear") instead of it being just a boring looking jacket.

I actually finished my New Look shirt and it looks good too, but I haven't taken any photos of it yet.

On to a new project, just in time for the 3-day weekend!

Guess where I'm going tomorrow. The State Fair! After all these years of hearing Justin say, "We NEED to go." We're finally going, and I'm so excited. I don't think my belly will be excited but hey, I just signed up for a 5k so I'll just run it off :)

Have a great weekend everyone.

ADD

I saw Joe Lilly's brother driving a bus yesterday (if he has a brother). And for a second there, I thought it was JL because he looked at me, like he knew me.

I also saw a girl who hasn't shaved her legs in probably 4 months. But she had a new hair cut. What's the logic behind that?

I haven't seen this girl in a while.

Something smelled on the bus this morning. It wasn't me.

I decided out of the blue, to sign up for a 5k. Honestly, I needed something to do. Justin seemed to agree so he's in. A 5k after the half I did 7 months ago should be a piece of cake, right? I haven't run since the half so it's like I'm starting over. Again. Oh, sure, I've got lots of ideas to make my training better. But how much better am I going to get in a month to run 3 miles? Probably just enough to finish it. That sucks. Maybe I should have thought about this a little longer. Or picked a race further out. But this isn't Las Vegas and the weather starts getting cooler (read: freaking freezing) here sooner (read: like NOW!) so a race in October should be fine. Let's hope.

House update: No update. Oh, except the bank is taking their sweet-ass time deciding if the house is worth what I'm offering. Come on bank, you don't have any other offers on the dump, just approve me already will ya?

Who's upgraded to firefox 3.0? Do I have to upgrade to get rid of the stupid pop up that happens every 2 minutes? Seriously, it's irritating.

Who It Pays to Know

A Dermatologist, for one. I didn't have to make an appointment to freeze off this stupid, annoying little thing* on my heel. Mother-in-law did it for me, all in the comfort of my room. I asked, "Is this going to hurt?" I got an honest answer, "Yes."

Crap. I can't have my Mother-in-Law thinking I'm a wimp**.

I sat quietly and let my foot freeze to a temp of -190 (it thawed out pretty quickly), Justin, on the other hand, screamed like a baby when it was his turn. Mother-in-law and I just laughed. No co-pay needed. Score!

My blog is 3 years old. I've gone through 2 jobs and 2 homes in that time. I've been to some crazy parties and have had some crazy parties. I ran a marathon then I ran a 1/2. Scully has hasn't grown but I swear her ears have.

Now I can finally put to rest that I won't be sued by an old High School Band that I used to teach for, who I actually sued. The statute of limitations has passed. And they can't touch me now. This will be the first and last time I ever bring that up again.

*I hate to mention that I even have one because I think they are gross, but I developed a wart on my foot after the half marathon. Or was it after my trip to Thailand?

**Mother-in-Law knows about this story and has said on numerous occasions, "you'll never make it through child birth." Probably not, but that's what medication is for, right?

Super Sunday Savings!

I don't usually go to Hancock's for anything even though I am a "preferred card member," whatever that means. But I got a flier in the mail last week about a "Grand Opening" of a remodeled store not too far from me. It had patterns on sale for 99 cents, 50% off notions and a bunch of other coupons. I did need a few things so I decided to go on Sunday.

On the way up, I noticed that they were giving away gift cards to the first 100 people. Cool, but I wasn't worried if I didn't get one. We ended up getting two! I walked in first, they handed me a $5 gift card, then Justin walked in shortly after me and he got one too. Score $10!

So here's what I got:
Zipper for a hoodie I'm going to make
2 spools of Maxi-lock thread
Tracing wheel
3 patterns

All for $3! I actually could have used both $5 gift cards and got money BACK from Hancock's but I figured I could use it next week since the sale continues. (And they are giving out more gift cards Saturday and Sunday at this location.)

Something else I saved.... My New Look shirt. I had the collar attached and had just finished attaching the sleeves when it just didn't look right on me. I determined I needed a shoulder adjustment but of course I had to rip out the collar and sleeves to fix the shoulder. So I think I solved the bunchy problem. We'll see today when I attach everything.

Justin's super savings: Have you heard of this store, Aldi? I've seen ads for it in the Sunday paper but have never gone. Justin wanted to stop there after my score at Hancock's. It's a little weird that they make you pay a quarter to get a shopping cart but I think it makes up for all the deals you can score there. Here's what we got:

Bag of trail mix
Pringles
Bread
Tortilla's
Cheese
3-bacon wrapped filet's
energy drinks

All for $18! I told Justin to look at the dates on everything and they were all fine. Has anyone else shopped at that store? It's small but if you have a big family it'd be worth it to check it out.

But, no matter how much we saved, it all went out the window when we had to fill up Justin's car with gas. So much for Sunday savings.

Overheard at DCI Finals

At the bar:
"I want a happy ending." followed by a butt slap. (Things I OVERHEARD. I did NOT say this.)

At the show during Semi-finals. Cavaliers entering the field after a near perfect performance by Regiment:
"Samurai, you're going down!"
Followed by me, Jerry Springer style, "Oooooooo!"

After every good catch, the woman sitting behind me:
"Yesssss!"

"I am SPARTACUS!"

"And in 2nd place, with a score of 98.1......."

"The Blue Devils!"

However, the crowd was cheering for someone else!



Phantom Regiment deserved to win this year no question. Justin and I were really glad to be there to see it happen. I don't know what was more awesome, Regiment winning or Mike O. hugging me when they announced 2nd place. It was a momentous occasion either way. I guess he doesn't hate me ;) and I guess Regiment can do a Roman show and win.

Crafty Planet around the Corner

Seriously, I had no idea this was like 3 miles from my house. Oh my garage I'm so excited! We went for dinner on Johnson street last night and I saw it and was totally like, "No way!!!"

Because my luck is so incredible, the restaurant took so freaking long for dinner that the store closed before we even got our food. Boooo. And I'm going out of town tomorrow so I won't be able to go this weekend. Double boooo. But it will be there for me when I get back.

And for your weekend enjoyment, I love me some good roommate miscommunication.


Mmmm I'm craving some Chicken Makhani!

Many updates or post with no direction

Update on the house situation: It'll be a while. I don't want to jinx it so I'm not going to post about it. But I do want to say, that I'll have my own sewing room if we get it! (this sucker has 4 bedrooms, and last time I counted, there's only 2 of us.)

Update on the hair situation: It's still long even though I did entertain Mike's idea of a fro for about 3 seconds. I swear my hair was thick when I was little. What the hell happened? It's all nice and straight and thinned out. Any suggestions on getting thickness back? No? Won't happen? I knew it. I think I'll let it grow another couple inches and then chop it off. Maybe something between a fro and what I have now.

Update on transportation issues: My a/c sucks in the silly car. But I'm not too worried now because I think the summer heat waves are gone here in Minnesota. The bus, however, is another story. They keep it freaking freezing. I purposely leave work late so I can walk fast to the bus stop just so I'm warm getting on. By the time we get to my stop (the last stop) I'm good. But in the morning, that's a whole different story.

This morning I saw a chick, probably younger than me, get on the bus at my stop. Her tongue was sticking out. Like her lips were too big to keep that thing in. I kept trying to sneak-a-peak to see if maybe she was just licking her lips or trying to cool her tongue off. Nope. I'm sure it's nothing medical cause when she talks her lips close. What's that all about? So weird.

Update on the sewing front: I'm almost done with my New Look shirt. I've never done a shirt with a collar before. It was interesting but I got it to work. Now I just have to attach the sleeves, buttons and hem it up.

I've actually got a good setup in the basement right now. I'm sure the in-laws hate the fact that I've used their pool table for tracing patterns. But I haven't damaged it and don't plan to. It's just convenient.

Update on DCI: It's this weekend. I can't wait. Regiment just might pull off a win this year. Oh, and I AM SPARTACUS!

Spolier Alert

Who was/is a fan of The X-Files? That's what I thought. I seem to be the only one. Even Justin was leery of the show when he moved in with me 8 years ago. But I held my ground and watched it weekly. So did Justin by default and guess what...he started to like it.

Consider yourself warned if you haven't seen the new movie and want to. I've got some things to say.

We saw The X-Files this weekend. I liked it for many reasons. Mulder and Scully are still hot. It was creepy. No, there weren't any aliens but remember, half of the series was about faith, religion, medical experiments, and generally weirdos doing weird things to each other (Think "Home" or "Blood" or "Aubrey").

Once you realize that, then it's just one really long episode; much like their season finale cliffhangers. But this time you didn't have to wait 4 months for the conclusion. The best part, Amanda Peet dies. She wasn't really adding anything to the movie and neither was her sidekick, Exhibit-however he spells his name. Skinner would have been fine in that role. And for every fan who wanted Mulder and Scully to hook up....well, I won't spoil that for you.

It wasn't a summer blockbuster but I still enjoyed it as one last X-Files episode. Now I want to watch them all again from the beginning. Thinking back, the episodes were detail oriented but you never got the answers. Just more questions, leaving you unable to wait for the next episode because you just.had.to.know.now! Now who can tell me what current show that sounds like?

______________ Economics?

I like my long hair. But you can't do much styling with long hair. The last time I got it cut, which wasn't that long ago, it was layered and I could part it with a nice side sweep. But my hair grows like weeds. So now it's just long again. Nothing awesome.

I want to cut it. Short. Not "mom" short but above my shoulders. But I'm thinking that would be too short for my face (think round and chubby). Plus I shed like no other and I'm tired of long hairs all over the place.

So, internets, should I cut it short?

Still haven't heard anything on our house offer. I hope (if they accept) we'll be able to close by October. That seems reasonable right? You know, cause it's August 1st and October seems so far away.

Speaking of it being August, DCI finals are next week and I haven't given any predictions this year. Honestly, I saw one show at the beginning of the season and I hung out at the beer tent all night so it's hard for me to say.

It's down to Blue Devils and Phantom from the scores I've seen. Obviously, I'd love to see Phantom win. It's my 10-year anniversary of my rookie year (not that actually means anything-cause we sucked back then. Well, I guess it's all relative because for a corps NOT to make it to finals would suck and we finished 8 out of 12). With each passing year I drift further and further away from the activity that took up so many years of my young adulthood. I miss WinterGuard and I want to teach again. Actually, I just want to clean. Anyone want a really good cleaner? Anyone? Bueller? (voodoo economics)

This weekend's plans:
Sew up my New Look shirt.
Play Rock Band with Justin
Sleep
Possible trip to the Salon
Go see The X-Files

What's everyone else doing?

Summer Projects

I realized my serger mistake after thinking about it on the way home from work. Needles. I need new needles. I knew I had 2 left so I ordered more. But I was able to finish my knit top until 1 of my needles broke (I rule again). So before I can do my coverstich, I have to wait for my new needles to come in.

But I did finish this 2 weeks ago:



It makes these muggy Minnesota summer's easier with the silkiness of the fabric. Oh, and trying to hem it was a pain but I did it very carefully. I entered it in this Sew-Along.

Up next on the sewing front: New Look 6407
It's been done many times, with positive results, so I figure it's pretty good.

I went to the dentist today and not only did I get my teeth cleaned and thoroughly examined, I also got a paraffin hand treatment. I need one of these at home! I'm sure I looked funny with my hands in mittens to keep the wax on, protective glasses, with my mouth wide open. Good news: she had nothing to clean, my mouth was perfect (I rule). Bad news: I have to make up the 3 hours I lost.

Let's hope this works

I guess we could have spared ourselves about 2 months of house hunting and just gone with the first house we agreed to. Lucky for us, it was still on the market so we put an offer in on Saturday. Unfortunately, it's in foreclosure so this could take a while.

In the mean time, I decided to whip out my serger. I wasn't going to use it at all but thought why not. Of course, since it had been many, many months since I last used it, the instructions had to come out too. I had this knit top all cut out before we moved so I wanted to finish it last night. I threaded it and all was well until I had to change the stitch - it didn't like what I did so I gave up before I screamed. And I was almost done too. I suck.

I've actually completed more clothing projects while living here than in Las Vegas. Well, a lot of my projects in Vegas were totes, purses, and bags, none of which I've done here. It's easy to come home after liking your job and want to work on a fun project. In Vegas, my job sucked the life out of me at home and I didn't want to do anything. So the way I see it, the move was worth it.

1 Week

Justin made it to Minneapolis last Thursday. Now he's all set up to start working on his secret "x-files" and get his stuff up and running.

Speaking of "X-Files" I'm so excited to see the movie. Scully is really excited to hear her name on the big screen. She had no idea she was famous. I think it's weird there aren't very many commercials for the movie. I hope it's good, but the fact that Amanda Peet is in it is worrisome.

We saw "The Dark Knight". It was pretty good. Batman beats up his mom and sister and the Joker overdoses. Oh wait, wrong movie.

We're still house hunting. I think I'm ready to take a break. I swear I've looked at 30 houses. I don't know how the "House Hunters" do it with only 3 choices and I think their agents are lame.

Last night we got to relive our trip to Thailand for Adit and Paveena's wedding. Paveena is finally here so we met them for dinner and watched the wedding video. 2 hours and 4 beers later, the video was done. Justin was shocked that it was 2 hours, I said "It was 4 days long! 2 hour is nothing!" We all agreed. We're already talking of our next trip back to Thailand. We should just move there the way our dollar is here, but it's too hot and I moved away from that for a reason. Maybe when I retire.

Counter

I expected one. I got one. I declined it. So now I'm waiting for them to decline my offer.

Unrelated: Justin is finally on his way here! The last time I saw him was June 15th, and he DIDN'T look like this:



Who is this man??

House Hunters Minneapolis Pt. 2

Will it be house #1 with mold growing up the wall from the basement to the first floor? (I only made it one step into the house before I turned around and left. Seriously, Realtors, don't you think that type of information should be in the listing?)

Or

House #2 with 11 different rooms? This house must have been a school or boarding house or a whore house with all of its bedrooms, it was so big!

Or

House #3, close to where the train will be, beautifully redone, with so much charm it makes YOU (or me) look bad?

Which do you think?

Randomness from Jessi

I've had my cell phone for 4 years (or close to it). It still works so I seen no use getting another one. But Justin needs a phone so he's adopting mine and I got a new one! So, if you want our new numbers, email me.

Justin has 2 more days at work. I'm sure he's excited to leave and be a stay-at-home-dog-watcher. Scully will love him for that.

House hunting is still in full swing. It doesn't help when you do find a house you like and someone who hasn't seen it decides it's too close to where he grew up. So I'll keep looking.

(this post is full of randomness, keep reading if you want to)

I've got new wrinkles around my eyes. But the best part about them (if there is any), they only show up when I smile or laugh. That leads me to believe that my 30 years of smiling and laughing is a good way to make wrinkles.

I put on lotion this morning that I haven't worn since our round-the-world trip. It reminds me of Bangkok. I'd love to go back. I still can't believe that I flew over the biggest body of water for a wedding. Now I know that when something is 400 baht, just buy it. It's only $12! (roughly)

Since airfare is so expensive right now, Justin and I might be missing DCI finals for the first time in years. The dumb thing: we already bought airfare to Indy...from Las Vegas. Lucky us, South West Airlines doesn't fly from MSP at all. We suck and so does everything that's going on with fuel costs. Update: I found a reasonable flight. Now I don't have to spend $1,000 to go to Indy!

Can someone tell me what "Change" Obama is talking about? Just wondering. Because I know the obvious change: A new president.

SUTA

I'm sorry to the person who came across my blog looking for that meaning. You'll never find it online unless you join Phantom Regiment. I'm not even sure if the staff know unless they are alumni.

House Hunters Minneapolis

Will it be house #1 with everything I want but in a crappy neighborhood?

Or

House #2 with a HUGE garage (and by huge I mean almost bigger than the house) in a great neighborhood but needs a new kitchen?

Or

House #3 with an interesting layout but with a surprise in the basement. A hot tub in f-ing up the entire house with the humidity.

(rotting out the windows, ceilings, carpet, EVERYTHING)







I think I'll keep looking.

Here it Comes!

The caffeine crash is coming. I can feel it.

Hopefully I'll recover fast because I've got my very own episode of House Hunters after work.

(Ok, it's just me, my agent and my father-in-law. I do like to walk through the houses like I'm on the show, but I don't like to touch anything.)

Workout

While Justin and I are apart I've got a lot of time on my hands at home. The in-laws do their own thing and I do mine. We meet for dinner but the rest of the night is left to me just hanging out. I needed something to do so I bought Workout: One-On-One Training with Jackie. I was reading reviews of this video and apparently she attracts married, 30-somethings. Hey, that's me!

I figured, why not. I like her show, she's hot, and I liked the format idea for this. It got good reviews. Here's mine: Basically, it's 3, 20 minute sections: core, lower body, and upper body. Everything you do is for 60 seconds. The moves are simple and yet busted my ass. I seriously couldn't walk for 3 days after doing the lower body. I didn't think I was out of shape that much.

She's pretty straight forward during the video. Doesn't cheer me on annoyingly, tells me how my form should be, basically like a trainer should. I'm finally able to do 2 of the 3 in a day. It's tiring but I feel so much better afterwards. Hopefully, I'll be able to do all 3 sections by next week.

I call this my lesbian workout and I love it. So if you're looking for something to do with good eye candy to keep you motivated(there's a cute guy and 3 chick trainers from Sky Sport too) then check this out.

On a totally unrelated note: I had a caffeinated latte today (first time in a very long time) and I'm totally wired, shaky, and I wrote this in about 35 seconds (excuse the crappy grammar please). I expect to crash soon.

St. Paul Skyway

I'm pretty sure I'll be praising the skyway during the winter but I'm going to praise it now. I love it. I can get to most places in downtown St. Paul without having to walk for blocks outside (you'll still have to walk outside depending on where you're going). Instead I'm like a little rat in a maze.

I just walked through 11 buildings to get to Chipotle. That's 22 buildings round trip! That must be like 8 miles or something! I think I earned it by walking so far to get my steak burrito with none of that sick rice they put in it.

As I walked through each skyway, I looked at the building I was going to, it was only 4 or 5 buildings away. It was probably faster to walk out on the street. But I'm walking in A/C - well most of the buildings had their A/C on. Plus it's quiet and carpeted and easy on the feet.

I'll have to write more about it when I know where everything is and how to get there. But for now, it rocks.

So far the bus does too. There are a few days where youngsters get on and annoy the crap out of me. (When did I get old?) But for the most part, it goes where I need to, it's usually on time and it's cheaper than driving into the city and paying for parking. I'm not sure how winter riding will be (anyone done it before?) but I'm willing to try.

Speaking of youngsters annoying me and me getting old, when I was in Rockford last weekend there was a national soccer tournament in town. All the hotels had soccer players staying at them. I know this because they were kicking the soccer ball on the wall and floor in the room above me. It was VERY annoying especially when you drove all night to get there and just wanted to sleep a little. The old lady that I am now, I called the front desk to complain. They didn't stop, so I got up. Little jerks.

They are Spartacus

Madison has new uniforms, I zoned out during Cavies, I drunk dialed Tony and Justin, Regiment didn't win. It was almost a repeat of last years Show of Shows except for one thing...

This sure does look familiar.



Ours shields and uniforms were white and we had big sheets at the end of those sticks. Lets hope it works this year.

For being the first show of the season, it wasn't bad.

I'm trying to upload a video of the closer. Maybe it'll work later.

Minneapolis Summers

It's a beautiful day in Minneapolis, a beautiful day in Minneapolis....

Normally I take the bus to work but today I have to leave early to take Scully to the Vet (She hurt her leg. It healed but now it's back. I hope it's not a fracture) so I drove in. Minnesota has these really long days in the summer. I guess it's to make up for lack of sunlight in the winter (remind me to get anti-depressants in November).

Scully wakes me up at 5 to go out and the sun is almost up. At 5am! So by the time I leave at 7, it's feels like it's 10am in Las Vegas! And at night, the sun is finally down around 9:30pm. It's the craziest thing when you know you should be heading to bed but it's still light out.

And now that all those crazy storms have finally passed (my first 2 weeks here it rained every day), we've had 3 to 4 days of beautiful weather here in a row.

Oh crap, it's supposed to rain this afternoon.

I'm off to Rockford, Illinois tomorrow for Regiment's first show of the year. Seems a little late for a first show but things have changed since I marched. Speaking of, this is my 10 year anniversary. I actually missed Regiment's first show of the year in 1998 because I hurt my knee. Not that it was a great year, but I did meet Justin that summer. Too bad he won't be with me to beer it up at the beer tent.

Temporary Home

It's a little smaller than our last home and doesn't have a bathroom, but don't we look happy?

Finally Finished

My Emmeline Apron. Since I was unable to attend my family reunion, this was my contribution for the auction. My mom bought it for $15. Guess she really wanted to see how well I can sew.

I also entered it into this "Sew-Along".

I'm standing funny, it's not really lopsided. Or Justin's standing funny.




Overall, it was fun to make. The two sides are great if you need to coordinate or if one side is totally dirty, you can still look clean by using the other side. Well thought!

Good way to end

I finally saw The Office the day before my last day of work. How fitting. Justin gets all twisted up inside when he watches it. Mostly because he knows none of this stuff would really happen (actually, he has problems with Michael. I say just watch and laugh). My exit interview was nothing like Toby's but I actually had friends. Also, no questions were asked. Bummer, I would have liked to answer a few. But what good would it have done for HR to ask me questions on my way out? No one from my office was there to hear them. Guess that's why they don't ask questions.

Now that we are in the summer of repeats (or Justin likes to say "The summer of redundancy". One year it was the "Summer of Socks" - Long story.), I've only got 3 more days until the new David Sedaris book comes out! He's also making his way around the country. None in Vegas but Cali is close enough for us to drive to. I can't wait to read the book late into the night, laughing and waking up Justin in the process. Just like old times.

Counting Down

Actually, the count down is almost done. My last day at work is tomorrow. I'm ready to move on. Yes, I'll miss individuals here but that's life. You make new friends and get new jobs.

Speaking of making new friends... this song always pops in my head saying that: "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the others gold."

I went through my cedar chest last night and found all my Girl Scout stuff. It was fun to think back to all my times as a Girl Scout. Selling cookies, going camping, earning patches, being mean.

Usually, you don't associate a Girl Scout as being mean but I'm embarrassed to say I was mean. I went through the typical stage with attitude problems and took it out on my fellow GS's. This wasn't every year. I did have good ones but there was a time (maybe 2 years?) when I was terrible to others. I'm very sorry for it and I feel terrible about it.

And I'm very sorry that I didn't finish Girl Scouts. I made it to Senior but dropped out quickly afterwards. I did earn patches and, according to one award, I had perfect attendance but I still dropped out. I'm such a loser.

And because I fall into the loser category, I STILL haven't seen the season finale of The Office. No one tell me anything!

I know it's late...

but who had a bean burrito on Cinco de Mayo? I know I did!

Whirlwind Weekend

It's been crazy busy these past few days. I guess that's good right? We reorganized the office by removing a desk and leaving only one monitor with two computers attached (super secret technology from Justin. Just kidding, the computers are on a switcher so we both can use the monitor just not at the same time). So the office actually looks like a nice room now.

With all that moving around and taking things out, we dropped it all off at the DI including all the stuff I cleaned out from my sewing closet. I don't have anyone here who sews so I just donated 2 bags full of nice fabric and some used patterns (all had pieces, I don't donate crap). I also found a bunch of patterns I just have no use for so I returned them to JoAnn's. But I couldn't find any receipts so I got a gift card instead of cash. $85 worth of patterns!!! I couldn't believe it! So I promised myself not to turn around and buy more fabric and patterns until I've used up what's left in the closet. I'm going to work on this one next. Seems easy and useful so it should be fun.

Justin, Todd and I saw Iron Man on Saturday. Please, go see it. It's awesome, sexy, fun, thrilling, amazing, the best movie of the summer. That's all we've been talking about since Saturday!

Sunday I went to the day spa. I got a gift certificate from my company a while back for a big project I completed so I finally used it. Massage, manicure, pedicure and waxing (eyebrows kids, nothing else). I didn't spend a dime so that was nice.

Last, my friend had her baby. Every time I look at the photo, I see her in his face. He's just so cute! Congratulations Elsa and Frank!

MIxed Reviews

When you book a big trip like Justin and I did, make sure you do your homework. I researched our hotel in London weeks before I booked it. The reviews were mixed and, as we found out, with good reason. It was in a cool area of town. Everything was in walking distance, including the BEST falafal I have EVER had. It was so good, we had it two nights in a row. So freaking good! Did I mention it was the best I've ever had?

The hotel offered free breakfast which was a bonus since our dollar was so weak there; we needed something free. And the room was adequate and cleaned almost daily. And we had a trouser press in the room. How British! I don't think we brought trousers but that didn't stop Justin from using it.

Now for the bad reviews. The room was VERY small but we didn't care because we were celebrating my 30th birthday all week in London...not in a small hotel room. With all the luggage we had, there just wasn't enough room. The room was cleaned for the most part. Sometimes the trash wasn't taken out or the bed made but we thought, "This is London. Maybe they do things differently over here. Lets go get falafal!"

Early one morning we got up to catch the Eurostar train to Paris. Looking back, I'm glad we got up at 6am because right before we left all dressed up for our big day in Paris, we started to hear something. We knew immediately what that sound was. Then it became obvious when we could see our bed hitting the wall...without us in it. Justin was impressed with our neighbors. I was impressed with our luck; us leaving that morning. I think they were French because they smoked all the time in their non-smoking room. I threatened to call the front desk but I didn't want a wake up call from them again in the morning, so I gave up.

Phone charges are killer at this hotel or again, our dollar just sucks. Make sure to ask about premium phone numbers (aka 1-900 numbers, but we didn't call one of those numbers. It was the BBC, I don't think they are that skanky.) One call cost us $30. I'm NOT kidding. Justin limited our cell phone time due to $1/min charges. Looking back, that wasn't smart. It would have been cheaper to use the cell phone. Live and learn and pay the $60 phone bill. Grrrr

Besides all those silly little problems, we enjoyed our trip to London. I'd recommend this hotel even if there are French there.

Edit

I took Monday off to attend NAB (National Association of Broadcasters). I like to go every year because 1) it's here in Vegas and 2) I like to see all the new stuff in the industry I'm not working in. I'm learning a lot in the Affiliate Marketing industry but it's more curiosity of what's happening in the media.

I was inspired to do a few things at home that I learned (new editing techniques and tricks). But I have yet to do them. I prefer to have direction like a project. Not just play around with things. And since I don't have a project, I don't try new things out. So I need a project. I can shoot, capture, edit and post online. Does anyone have any ideas or a need for a cool video? No charge! I just want to practice and use all the equipment I have and keep my skills sharp.

I had a weird dream that I was writing a fake story about Elton John hating the Irish (honestly, I have no idea where this came from). In my dream, Justin said I should write about the band Foghat instead. He must have told me this in his sleep because he was singing "Slow Ride" this morning.

Maybe that's my video topic. Who knows. Any suggestions or better ideas?

Hey Drum Corps Friends

Who didn't see this coming?

Well at least I can buy my tickets now that they know where finals will be.

1 year Anniversary

Yesterday was my 1-year anniversary. Justin said, "Am I going to get in trouble if I don't know what your 1-year anniversary is?" Silly boy. No, of course I don't expect him to remember that my braces came off one year ago yesterday. Nothing really to celebrate. I still have to wear my retainer and I have one more ortho appointment but other than that...it's been an uneventful year regarding my teeth.

Lately my theme song has been Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze's Chippendales dance: Everybody's working for the weekend. I look forward to the week ending it's really sad.

Speaking of butt crack - I got a free magazine subscription as a gift and I picked This Old House. I own a house but not an old one. I do most of the repairs so I figured it'd be good to get advice from the experts. Justin thinks because I do all the plumbing repairs in the house it's ok for me to show my crack. I don't agree for various reasons. He doesn't do any repairs and his crack is always showing. Guess it can be a lonely club sometimes. But now we've got This Old House to help me so I can show him that they don't have crack to be a good plumber.

Finally Saturday!

Finally, the Saturday I've been looking for. No plans, no where to go and nothing to do. It's like a clean slate! So here's what I'm going to do:

Mail a very important gift.

That's it! I know, it's totally lazy of me and I know Justin won't stand for it because he's been asking me for the past 3 days, "So what are you doing this weekend?" I'm pretty sure he doesn't have anything up his sleeves but I'll make sure to add 'shower' to my to-do list just in case.

It's Friday...Again

This is the second Friday in a row where I've woken up and asked "is it Saturday?" to Justin, myself or Scully, who never answers. But the answer I always get is "no". I need it to be Saturday all the time.

Yesterday we were over an hour late to work due to an accident on an already congested freeway. But so was half my company who live on my side of town.

But the day ended better than it started with me finishing our taxes. I know I'm strange but I do enjoy tasks like that especially when I'm getting money back. But then I get angry because that's how much extra the government is taking out of our paychecks throughout the year. Whatever Spent & Approved War-Spending - About $600 billion of US taxpayers' funds.

So the loan we gave the government will be coming back to us and bikes are on our list. Justin's really excited about getting a bike. It hasn't taken over his yo-yo obsession but I'm hoping for an equal split of obsession.

Hey David...Remeber Me?

New Book! New Book! New Book!

Can you tell I'm excited? Once the new book is out, he'll be touring the US. No plans for Las Vegas but California is close by.

Do you think Justin's excited to meet him again?

Hodge Podge

I'm wearing a mint green sweater without thinking about the date today.

We had a few friends over for Justin's birthday on Saturday. We played Rock Bank for the first time and had fun. I would have taken photos but Justin misplaced our memory card somewhere in the house. Those things are TINY.

Last weekend while Justin was out of town, I painted our guest bathroom. I even replaced the faucet. Yes, I did. The best part...it was so easy! It doesn't leak, it looks awesome and I love to turn it on. I'd show you photos of before and after but...

Besides my bathroom redo, I've got a bunch of sewing/craft projects in the planning stages but I NEED to finish them. Work is draining my ability to get anything done. I assume that happens to everyone but it makes me feel lame for not finishing projects.

We finally saw No Country for Old Men. I liked it. Justin felt it was unresolved but I liked it that way. And we also saw The Music Man (original version, none of this Matthew Broderick crap). Can you believe Justin has NEVER seen this movie. And he still hasn't because he fell asleep. Ok, I put the movie on at 1 am so that would explain it, but he still wants to see it.

What did everyone do this weekend?

Awesome-ness

Wanna know why I rule?

While we were gone on our round-the-world trip I won the companies drawing for $50 (for the 4th time!). I just picked up the money to pay for my Girl Scout Cookies.

So basically, the 7 boxes I ordered, were FREE.

That's why I rule!