I spent the weekend in LA visiting my friend cherrybombrandy. Brandy moved down there last summer and I've been wanting to get down there and visit her. We actually haven't seen each other in 6 years, even though when she lived in the bay area, we only lived an hour from each other. LOL. We were just running in different circles and our paths never managed to cross.
We didn't really have plans other than to hang out so we just went with the flow, got lost a few times, got caught in traffic a bunch of times, did some shopping and a lot of walking (I have the blisters to prove it!!).
My diet also went to shit, but whatever. I was on vacation. LOL. But I'm going to have to start a detox tomorrow. LOL.
On Friday night, we were at the shopping center at Hollywood and Highland to check out some shops. I saw some actor pass by us when we were having dinner at Johnny Rocket's, but I can't figure out his name. When I find it, I'll update my post because it's really bugging me that I can't remember his name or what movie it was that I saw him in.
Saturday we went to the FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise) Scholarship Store and tore that place up. I got 3 tops, and 2 shrugs from Torrid, plus 2 necklaces, a bracelet, 4 or 5 pairs of earings and 3 rings all for $110. Big name retailers donate overstock and sample items to the store and all the proceeds go to a scholarship fund for the FIDM students. I was so excited with my find. I should find out if the FIDM school up here has the same store, too.
That night we went to the Santa Monica Pier. Brandy and I traded boots. She got these over the knee leather boots that are kind of biker-style. I had mid-calf boots with a low heel that were very girly. We made a permament trade, but with a condition that if either of us has need for the other boot, we'll mail them back and forth to each other. LOL. The funniest part is that her over the knee boots came right up just over my knee cap, and my mid-calf boot go to her knees. LOL. Weird. But they weren't the wisest shoe choice as we ended up walking around the shopping district across the street and both ended up with some blisters. It's painful to be hot. LOL.
Yesterday we had breakfast at this awesome French Restaurant/Boulangerie in Culver City. We both picked up some macarons to take home, too. LOL. Then we shopped a little more at Target and Ross while we killed time before we went to the taping of RuPaul's Drag U. Being at a taping of a TV show is really interesting, but there's A LOT of waiting around. And we couldn't leave because once they started taping, there was no stopping. We all got a chance to pee before we went inside the studio, but then we were stuck for another 3 hours.
Lady Bunny is one of their judges. She's so dirty and so funny and gorgeous! The other drag queens that they have on the show - Carmen, Raven, and Tyra are stunning. I wish I was that pretty. Seriously. It's a crime that drag queens are that beautiful. Other than that, I can't talk about the show. I'll watch the website and let you know when the episode will be on and maybe you'll get to see me. Hah!
I finally left LA at 9. I didn't have too many stops on the way home, but I still didn't get to Mom & Dad's until 3:45am.
It was a weekend of a lot of adventures, but that's how we like to do it. LOL. Next time I hope the weather is more forgiving. I really want to do the Hollywood sign hike. It sounds tough, but the views look spectacular. Be prepared, Brandy! We're doing it the next time I come down!!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
I'm so bad at this
I'm such a horrible blogger. I could never do this professionally. I guess that's why I have so many readers. LOL.
Anyway...this is what's been going on with me:
After my ER incident, I made an appointment for that same Friday to see a doctor at Stanford about my blood pressure. She put me on 5mg Amlodipine to start immediately. She also did a blood draw to test 500 different things to see if there was any other cause for my blood pressure and obesity (yes, I said it). On Monday morning, I get a call from her office stating that they called in a second script for me to pick up at CVS. It's hydrochlorothiazide which is a diuretic.
So now I'm on 2 meds because I have a family history of high blood pressure that was bound to hit me at some point and unfortunately it hit me way early because I'm fat.
I've come to terms with the fact that I'm on pills. I have alarms on my iPhone to tell me when to take my pill. I haven't missed one yet! It's impressive because I am horrible about taking medications of any kind. I mean, I've had a cold for the last 4 days and have forgotten to take my DayQuil I don't know how many times. LOL.
On Monday night, at about 9:30, my electric water heater shorted out and caught fire. I was watching TV when I heard a couple of pops and some hissing. It took me a minute to figure it out, but then I saw my water heater on fire. I ran into the store office to grab a fire extinguisher, then put it out. I was so freaked out I don't even remember finding my phone to call 911. I was grateful that I still had a bra on when the fire department showed up. They were hotties! The fire was tiny. The worst of the damage was that my entire house ended up covered in Chem Dry from the extinguisher. It took a few days to clean up the entire mess, but only 1 to get a new water heater.
Believe me when I say I prayed to the Lord that night for allowing me to be home when that happened. If I wasn't, I would have lost everything, including my cats, and the business would have caught fire.
I was supposed to have a follow up doctor's appointment on Tuesday, but had to deal with the fire situation and wait for the plumbers to replace my water heater. It's been rescheduled for this Thursday morning. I do feel like the meds are working. I don't feel hot all the time. I feel normal temperature now. And I haven't had a headache in a week!
This week I've also started monitoring my calorie intake and working out on my elliptical. I downloaded the LoseIt app for my phone and am tracking everything. I set the weight loss pretty low so that I have a realistic expectation for weight loss. 1.5 pounds per week. My daily budget is still 2100 calories. Honestly, using this app has made me realize just how much I over eat. I knew I did already, but this pretty much slapped me in the face. But I'm eating better. Making wiser choices. I'm measuring food! LOL But I'm doing OK. I think this app may be the best thing to help me in watching what I eat. I'm still eating "normally", but I'm making better choices in how much I eat and making better choices about what I put in my mouth.
On Friday I received a copy of my blood test results. Everything's freakin normal! I don't have high cholesterol or any bad numbers of any kind. I also don't have HIV or Hepatitis.
So this is what's happened to me since my last post. Exciting, huh? ;o) haha.
OH! and I am making plans to hit up Vegas in late September to visit my Las Vegas Girlfriend Joyce. =o) I haven't seen that woman in over 4 years. October 2006 was when I was there last and I got to hang out with her for a night. Now she's gonna get me for 4 or 5 days! I'm so excited. =oD I'm crossing my fingers that I'll bonus this quarter and I can get my plane tickets next month. Woot! Told you I was getting on a plane this year!
Anyway...this is what's been going on with me:
After my ER incident, I made an appointment for that same Friday to see a doctor at Stanford about my blood pressure. She put me on 5mg Amlodipine to start immediately. She also did a blood draw to test 500 different things to see if there was any other cause for my blood pressure and obesity (yes, I said it). On Monday morning, I get a call from her office stating that they called in a second script for me to pick up at CVS. It's hydrochlorothiazide which is a diuretic.
So now I'm on 2 meds because I have a family history of high blood pressure that was bound to hit me at some point and unfortunately it hit me way early because I'm fat.
I've come to terms with the fact that I'm on pills. I have alarms on my iPhone to tell me when to take my pill. I haven't missed one yet! It's impressive because I am horrible about taking medications of any kind. I mean, I've had a cold for the last 4 days and have forgotten to take my DayQuil I don't know how many times. LOL.
On Monday night, at about 9:30, my electric water heater shorted out and caught fire. I was watching TV when I heard a couple of pops and some hissing. It took me a minute to figure it out, but then I saw my water heater on fire. I ran into the store office to grab a fire extinguisher, then put it out. I was so freaked out I don't even remember finding my phone to call 911. I was grateful that I still had a bra on when the fire department showed up. They were hotties! The fire was tiny. The worst of the damage was that my entire house ended up covered in Chem Dry from the extinguisher. It took a few days to clean up the entire mess, but only 1 to get a new water heater.
Believe me when I say I prayed to the Lord that night for allowing me to be home when that happened. If I wasn't, I would have lost everything, including my cats, and the business would have caught fire.
I was supposed to have a follow up doctor's appointment on Tuesday, but had to deal with the fire situation and wait for the plumbers to replace my water heater. It's been rescheduled for this Thursday morning. I do feel like the meds are working. I don't feel hot all the time. I feel normal temperature now. And I haven't had a headache in a week!
This week I've also started monitoring my calorie intake and working out on my elliptical. I downloaded the LoseIt app for my phone and am tracking everything. I set the weight loss pretty low so that I have a realistic expectation for weight loss. 1.5 pounds per week. My daily budget is still 2100 calories. Honestly, using this app has made me realize just how much I over eat. I knew I did already, but this pretty much slapped me in the face. But I'm eating better. Making wiser choices. I'm measuring food! LOL But I'm doing OK. I think this app may be the best thing to help me in watching what I eat. I'm still eating "normally", but I'm making better choices in how much I eat and making better choices about what I put in my mouth.
On Friday I received a copy of my blood test results. Everything's freakin normal! I don't have high cholesterol or any bad numbers of any kind. I also don't have HIV or Hepatitis.
So this is what's happened to me since my last post. Exciting, huh? ;o) haha.
OH! and I am making plans to hit up Vegas in late September to visit my Las Vegas Girlfriend Joyce. =o) I haven't seen that woman in over 4 years. October 2006 was when I was there last and I got to hang out with her for a night. Now she's gonna get me for 4 or 5 days! I'm so excited. =oD I'm crossing my fingers that I'll bonus this quarter and I can get my plane tickets next month. Woot! Told you I was getting on a plane this year!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Doctor, doctor, give me the news
For those of you not on Facebook, I spent most of yesterday at the Stanford Emergency Department.
I had another one of those allergy-welt attacks and this one was bad. When it started to come on, I took a double dose of Benadryl just like I always do, but it continued getting bad. I took a shower to try to cool myself down and try to get rid of the allergy, but that didn't help. While in the shower, I also realized I had some swelling in my throat. That's when I decided to take myself to the ER.
This time I didn't get lost going to the hospital. Navigating Stanford was not easy, but I followed the sinage a little better and was able to easily find the entrance. I went in (through security who had to check my bag and scan me for metal on my person) and was seen right away. Well, that's not true. I was triaged immediately and was given a bed, but it was another 30 minutes until I was seen. In their defence, I was already on the decline when I went in, but still had throat swelling so I went in anyway. I'm glad I did. It was real eye opening to me.
I got there sometime around 11sih and around 2, I was finally given some Predisone and Pepcid. I then got the option to drink a liter of water or have an IV put in. I opted to drink the water and sucked it down in 15 minutes. LOL. I was told not long after that I would be going home soon.
Then they checked my blood pressure. When I was triaged, my BP was about 200/140. Not unusual when I'm in the midst of a mild panic attack due to an allergic reaction. When they checked it around 2:30, it was only down to 195/120. Because of this, they kept me for observation. They couldn't send me home until they felt it was safe. At 4:45, I had only come down to 180/119, but the attending didn't feel the need to keep me anymore. She said that they couldn't diagnose me, officially, as hypertensive because it could have just been circumstantial, but because I did admit to having a history of borderline-high BP, she insisted I find a primary care doctor and get the BP checked out asap and get a referral to an allergist.
She also suggested the possibility that what happened to me was not an allergic reaction, but it could be a carcinoid which is a tumor-like growth that kind of mimics allergy symptoms. Going to an allergist will either confirm or reject this idea. (In all honesty, I'm thinking this or something like it is the culperate here. These allergy attacks have no obvious source or trigger.)
I don't like the thought of having to see a ton of doctors all the time now, but I want to see 40, so I'll bite the bullet and do it.
I also got a prescription for an EpiPen. Did you know those things cost $85?? Me either. Craziness. So now I have to carry one around with me all the time just in case. I never had allergies until the last few years. This kinda sucks.
My head is always killing me, too. This is because of my elevated blood pressure and steroids. Tomorrow is the last day for the Prednisone, so hopefully the headache will be gone by Thursday. I'm not sure if I should take anything for it, so I'm just living with it right now. Thankfully tomorrow's the first of the month, so work should be real easy.
So now I have an appointment with a doctor on the Stanford campus. I opted to find someone there so they could have easy access to my ER records. Friday morning at 8am. It should be one of the first of the day, so I can still get to work on time.
Why is it that my health issues can't be small? They've always got to be something big. =o\
I had another one of those allergy-welt attacks and this one was bad. When it started to come on, I took a double dose of Benadryl just like I always do, but it continued getting bad. I took a shower to try to cool myself down and try to get rid of the allergy, but that didn't help. While in the shower, I also realized I had some swelling in my throat. That's when I decided to take myself to the ER.
This time I didn't get lost going to the hospital. Navigating Stanford was not easy, but I followed the sinage a little better and was able to easily find the entrance. I went in (through security who had to check my bag and scan me for metal on my person) and was seen right away. Well, that's not true. I was triaged immediately and was given a bed, but it was another 30 minutes until I was seen. In their defence, I was already on the decline when I went in, but still had throat swelling so I went in anyway. I'm glad I did. It was real eye opening to me.
I got there sometime around 11sih and around 2, I was finally given some Predisone and Pepcid. I then got the option to drink a liter of water or have an IV put in. I opted to drink the water and sucked it down in 15 minutes. LOL. I was told not long after that I would be going home soon.
Then they checked my blood pressure. When I was triaged, my BP was about 200/140. Not unusual when I'm in the midst of a mild panic attack due to an allergic reaction. When they checked it around 2:30, it was only down to 195/120. Because of this, they kept me for observation. They couldn't send me home until they felt it was safe. At 4:45, I had only come down to 180/119, but the attending didn't feel the need to keep me anymore. She said that they couldn't diagnose me, officially, as hypertensive because it could have just been circumstantial, but because I did admit to having a history of borderline-high BP, she insisted I find a primary care doctor and get the BP checked out asap and get a referral to an allergist.
She also suggested the possibility that what happened to me was not an allergic reaction, but it could be a carcinoid which is a tumor-like growth that kind of mimics allergy symptoms. Going to an allergist will either confirm or reject this idea. (In all honesty, I'm thinking this or something like it is the culperate here. These allergy attacks have no obvious source or trigger.)
I don't like the thought of having to see a ton of doctors all the time now, but I want to see 40, so I'll bite the bullet and do it.
I also got a prescription for an EpiPen. Did you know those things cost $85?? Me either. Craziness. So now I have to carry one around with me all the time just in case. I never had allergies until the last few years. This kinda sucks.
My head is always killing me, too. This is because of my elevated blood pressure and steroids. Tomorrow is the last day for the Prednisone, so hopefully the headache will be gone by Thursday. I'm not sure if I should take anything for it, so I'm just living with it right now. Thankfully tomorrow's the first of the month, so work should be real easy.
So now I have an appointment with a doctor on the Stanford campus. I opted to find someone there so they could have easy access to my ER records. Friday morning at 8am. It should be one of the first of the day, so I can still get to work on time.
Why is it that my health issues can't be small? They've always got to be something big. =o\
Friday, February 25, 2011
What you mean he don't eat meat? That's OK. I make a lamb.
What's up my fellow bakers?
I come today, bearing a wonderful gift: My Birthday Cake. This is the cake that my mom has made for most of my birthdays over the last 31 years. I am still trying to perfect the execution, but I'm getting better every time. LOL.
Doesn't it look tasty?
This cake is made with Pistachio Pudding! It's also kind of a weird green color, but trust me: It's delicious.
Here we go...
The ingredients:
1 white or yellow cake mix
1 pkg pistachio pudding mix
4 large eggs (I only had jumbo, but that's just fine)
1/2c orange juice (no pulp please)
1/4c water
1/2c vegetable oil
3/4c chocolate syrup
powdered sugar (or, if you don't have any like me, use chocolate frosting)
Combine the first 6 ingredients and mix well (I used my hand mixer for a couple minutes).
Then pour 1/2 - 2/3 of the batter into a prepared bundt pan.
Take the chocolate syrup and mix it into the remaining batter
And pour it on top of the original batter. Don't mix it! Let the magic happen on its own.
Place in a 325 degree oven and bake for 45 - 50 minutes. When a toothpic comes out clean, let it cool in the pan, on the counter for an hour. Then you can turn it out.
When it's completely cool, dust with the powdered sugar. That's the traditional way. But since I didn't have any in the house, I took some frosting that's been in my fridge for about 2 months and melted it down. I drizzed about a 1/4c of chocolate frosting on top.
When you cut it open, you see the magic:
Truth be told, I was impatient and cut into the cake while it was slightly warm, so it was a bit crumbly. It's best if you make this early in the day so it's nice and cool by the time dessert rolls around. lol.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!
I come today, bearing a wonderful gift: My Birthday Cake. This is the cake that my mom has made for most of my birthdays over the last 31 years. I am still trying to perfect the execution, but I'm getting better every time. LOL.
Doesn't it look tasty?
This cake is made with Pistachio Pudding! It's also kind of a weird green color, but trust me: It's delicious.
Here we go...
The ingredients:
1 white or yellow cake mix
1 pkg pistachio pudding mix
4 large eggs (I only had jumbo, but that's just fine)
1/2c orange juice (no pulp please)
1/4c water
1/2c vegetable oil
3/4c chocolate syrup
powdered sugar (or, if you don't have any like me, use chocolate frosting)
Combine the first 6 ingredients and mix well (I used my hand mixer for a couple minutes).
Then pour 1/2 - 2/3 of the batter into a prepared bundt pan.
Take the chocolate syrup and mix it into the remaining batter
And pour it on top of the original batter. Don't mix it! Let the magic happen on its own.
Place in a 325 degree oven and bake for 45 - 50 minutes. When a toothpic comes out clean, let it cool in the pan, on the counter for an hour. Then you can turn it out.
When it's completely cool, dust with the powdered sugar. That's the traditional way. But since I didn't have any in the house, I took some frosting that's been in my fridge for about 2 months and melted it down. I drizzed about a 1/4c of chocolate frosting on top.
When you cut it open, you see the magic:
Truth be told, I was impatient and cut into the cake while it was slightly warm, so it was a bit crumbly. It's best if you make this early in the day so it's nice and cool by the time dessert rolls around. lol.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
See you later.
We buried my grandmother today. We met the family (my aunts, uncle, cousins, great-aunt, and my mom's cousins..about 15 of us total) at the San Joaquin County Cemetary in Stockton. We didn't have a priest or anything. My mom's cousin's wife said a lovely prayer and a few people shared stories of my grandma, then the cemetary guys put her urn down in the grave with my Great-Grandma Lupe (grandma's mom). My aunt Kathleen brought calla lilies for us to each toss down to my grandmothers. There were tears, but there was also some laughter.
I'm still processing the finality of everything. On Sunday she'll have been gone 2 months.
The buriel was planned for today because it's my Great-Grandma Lupe's birthday. I believe she would have been 104 or so. She's been gone 20 years. My grandfather's birthday was yesterday. He would have been 78. He's been gone 30 years. We didn't visit his grave. I'm a little disappointed since he's in the same cemetary.
Whenever I go back to visit my grandma, I plan on finding his grave.
Anyway. Like I said, I'm still processing, so I don't really have anymore thoughts to get out.
Oh..I do think that my grandma said hi to me the other day. I think it was on Monday. I was walking into the kitchen, passing by the windchimes that hang in the opening over the counter between the kitchen and dining room, and the chimes closest to me clinked together. I really don't think I was walking fast enough to create a breeze. I really think it was her letting me know she was here. I was caught off guard for a second and just stared at the chimes. I finally said "Hi Grandma" and went on with whatever I was doing. It was comforting to think she was here with me.
I've always felt my Papa was my guardian angel. Now I think I have 2.
I'm still processing the finality of everything. On Sunday she'll have been gone 2 months.
The buriel was planned for today because it's my Great-Grandma Lupe's birthday. I believe she would have been 104 or so. She's been gone 20 years. My grandfather's birthday was yesterday. He would have been 78. He's been gone 30 years. We didn't visit his grave. I'm a little disappointed since he's in the same cemetary.
Whenever I go back to visit my grandma, I plan on finding his grave.
Anyway. Like I said, I'm still processing, so I don't really have anymore thoughts to get out.
Oh..I do think that my grandma said hi to me the other day. I think it was on Monday. I was walking into the kitchen, passing by the windchimes that hang in the opening over the counter between the kitchen and dining room, and the chimes closest to me clinked together. I really don't think I was walking fast enough to create a breeze. I really think it was her letting me know she was here. I was caught off guard for a second and just stared at the chimes. I finally said "Hi Grandma" and went on with whatever I was doing. It was comforting to think she was here with me.
I've always felt my Papa was my guardian angel. Now I think I have 2.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Girl, Interrupted.
My aunt called today to let me know my cousin is in the hospital at Stanford and asked if I wanted to come by and visit. I hate hospitals, but I agreed to go visit. My cousin has been in and out of hospitals for a long time and I wanted to help make her visit a little more comfortable.
The reason she was in there? On Tuesday she went on a bender on Crystal Meth and went bananas. She's in the psych ward on a 72-hour hold (plus the weekend). She might get released tomorrow, but it depends on her behavior. Apparently she got really riled up last night and wanted to beat some people up. She's always had rage issues and has gone to anger management before.
Anyway. She's always had drug issues in the past, but I think my grandmother's death pushed her over the edge. She's been erratic for years, so I think my grandmother's passing was the catalyst for a breakdown.
Sitting in there with her, watching some of the other patients scared the crap out of me. I could very well end up in some place like that at any time. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to keep a breakdown away. I've always been on the edge, but I guess I'm stronger than I've always thought.
This also just makes me realize how crazy my family is and how sheltered I grew up. Craziness runs in my family. On BOTH sides. It's no wonder my aunt, cousin, and I are all screwed up. We never had a chance.
So, on my way home, I picked up a few things to feed my vices: cigarettes, fast food, and ice cream. No, they don't make me feel better in the least. They make me feel crappy. But at least I'm not doing meth. Or cutting (though the night's not over).
The reason she was in there? On Tuesday she went on a bender on Crystal Meth and went bananas. She's in the psych ward on a 72-hour hold (plus the weekend). She might get released tomorrow, but it depends on her behavior. Apparently she got really riled up last night and wanted to beat some people up. She's always had rage issues and has gone to anger management before.
Anyway. She's always had drug issues in the past, but I think my grandmother's death pushed her over the edge. She's been erratic for years, so I think my grandmother's passing was the catalyst for a breakdown.
Sitting in there with her, watching some of the other patients scared the crap out of me. I could very well end up in some place like that at any time. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to keep a breakdown away. I've always been on the edge, but I guess I'm stronger than I've always thought.
This also just makes me realize how crazy my family is and how sheltered I grew up. Craziness runs in my family. On BOTH sides. It's no wonder my aunt, cousin, and I are all screwed up. We never had a chance.
So, on my way home, I picked up a few things to feed my vices: cigarettes, fast food, and ice cream. No, they don't make me feel better in the least. They make me feel crappy. But at least I'm not doing meth. Or cutting (though the night's not over).
Friday, January 28, 2011
Cheaters never win
I am so frustrated with the people I work with. Our boss has us keep a log to track our performances and there are things on this log that people are cheating on or being unethical in order to have high numbers. I refuse to compromise my integrity to be at the top of the list.
I have always prided myself on being an upstanding and honest employee. I am so angry to see, on a daily basis, people lie and cheat just to make other managers (like myself) look bad.
Of course our bosses have no idea, nor do they even care. All they see are the numbers. Well, frankly I'd rather have poorer sales numbers and an awesome occupancy rate and prove myself that way.
The occupancy rate at this store was always around 88% during the slow season. Since the first day I got here, I have been reeling people in and have held a 92% occupancy rate. That's not common for this property.
I wish that there was some sort of regulation on the information managers are giving every month to verify that their info is true. Unfortunately that's not the case so these people will continue to get away with cheating. It pisses me off that there's nothing I can do.
I have always prided myself on being an upstanding and honest employee. I am so angry to see, on a daily basis, people lie and cheat just to make other managers (like myself) look bad.
Of course our bosses have no idea, nor do they even care. All they see are the numbers. Well, frankly I'd rather have poorer sales numbers and an awesome occupancy rate and prove myself that way.
The occupancy rate at this store was always around 88% during the slow season. Since the first day I got here, I have been reeling people in and have held a 92% occupancy rate. That's not common for this property.
I wish that there was some sort of regulation on the information managers are giving every month to verify that their info is true. Unfortunately that's not the case so these people will continue to get away with cheating. It pisses me off that there's nothing I can do.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Adventures are a-comin!
So this is the year of adventures! I'm creating my own fun.
Adventure number 1 is in the works: A roadtrip to L.A. to see Brandy next month. I'll be going down on a Friday and come home Sunday. I'm so excited!! I've never gone so far by myself. I've only driven 2 hours alone. This will be fun. I already ordered a car charger for my iphone. LOL. My dad has offered me the use of his car for the trip because it'll go faster and use less gas than the truck. LOL.
I wish I'd have time to see my other friends like Tiffany, the Dans, and meet Tammie (one of my fake internet friends). But I think they'll have to wait for another trip. I haven't seen Brandy in about 2 years I think. And she was only 25 or 30 miles from me the whole time we've known each other! LOL.
I'm also starting to plan my next adventure...Vegas in June. I haven't seen Joyce in I don't even remember how many years. I may rent a car for that one, but I'll save up my PTO and I should get another bonus paid out in April. I make my last car payment to my dad in May, and will have all my money to myself starting in June.
I'm so excited for this year. You have no idea! I'm sure I'll have plenty of mini adventures, and the big ones will be few and far between, but there will be adventures! =o)
I've decided that I need to fly on a plane this year. I just don't know where the funds will come from or where I'll go yet, but I'm going to fly on a plane!
Adventure number 1 is in the works: A roadtrip to L.A. to see Brandy next month. I'll be going down on a Friday and come home Sunday. I'm so excited!! I've never gone so far by myself. I've only driven 2 hours alone. This will be fun. I already ordered a car charger for my iphone. LOL. My dad has offered me the use of his car for the trip because it'll go faster and use less gas than the truck. LOL.
I wish I'd have time to see my other friends like Tiffany, the Dans, and meet Tammie (one of my fake internet friends). But I think they'll have to wait for another trip. I haven't seen Brandy in about 2 years I think. And she was only 25 or 30 miles from me the whole time we've known each other! LOL.
I'm also starting to plan my next adventure...Vegas in June. I haven't seen Joyce in I don't even remember how many years. I may rent a car for that one, but I'll save up my PTO and I should get another bonus paid out in April. I make my last car payment to my dad in May, and will have all my money to myself starting in June.
I'm so excited for this year. You have no idea! I'm sure I'll have plenty of mini adventures, and the big ones will be few and far between, but there will be adventures! =o)
I've decided that I need to fly on a plane this year. I just don't know where the funds will come from or where I'll go yet, but I'm going to fly on a plane!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Green is Good
So I was recently introduced to freecycle.org and I am in love with it. I love this idea of free "swapping" items you don't need or want anymore. People post things such as beds and couches, tables, yarn, tv's, vases, picture frames. It's a wonderful thing.
I think with my simplified lifestyle I'm much more into recylcing and reusing items.
So far I've gotten contacts (enough for a 3 months supply!), and I just picked up some yarn today. I've also given away a tv and vcr.
I do have to admit it's strange to exchange a single email with someone and have them give you their address to pick up items they placed on their front porch for you. LOL. It's a little frightening and a complete adrenaline rush. LOL The yarn I got today was on someone's porch, behind a 6' fence! It was weird going onto someone's property that way. LOL.
Anyway, I plan on using this to pick up more giveaways and to do giveaways of my own. It's kind of addictive. ;o)
I think with my simplified lifestyle I'm much more into recylcing and reusing items.
So far I've gotten contacts (enough for a 3 months supply!), and I just picked up some yarn today. I've also given away a tv and vcr.
I do have to admit it's strange to exchange a single email with someone and have them give you their address to pick up items they placed on their front porch for you. LOL. It's a little frightening and a complete adrenaline rush. LOL The yarn I got today was on someone's porch, behind a 6' fence! It was weird going onto someone's property that way. LOL.
Anyway, I plan on using this to pick up more giveaways and to do giveaways of my own. It's kind of addictive. ;o)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Moving on
It's been 2 weeks since Grandma passed away. Most of the time I'm fine. I honestly try not to think about her too much because it does get to me that she's not around. Yesterday a customer came by with her 80+ year old mother and I got a little weepy.
Mom and Dad came by today. Mom said she's not sure what's going on with Grandma's ashes. I guess my aunt Kathleen keeps changing her mind or changing the date of when they will bury my grandmother's ashes with my great-grandmother. So I guess we're just waiting around on her. It's not something I'm looking forward to, but it'll help bring closure, I think.
In other news, I'm totally settled in at home. Today I moved my livingroom tv to my bedroom because Mom & Dad brought me my brother's old tv for me to have in the livingroom. It's a 32" CRT type tv. He bought a flat screen last month and donated this one to me. The one in my room is a 27" CRT. I've now got an extra 13" CRT that I need to get rid of. I think I'll list it on freecycle.com. Maybe someone will want it for their dorm or for their little kid's room.
Work is going well. There's talk of more promotions (yes, multiple) happening this year. I'm looking forward to that. I have a reputation that precedes me and it's definitely working to my benefit. LOL.
Anyway...that's all that' new with me recently...Oh no, wait..I forgot...I bought an iPhone last week. LOL. It's an amazing piece of technology. I don't know why I waited so long to get it. LOL. Oh wait...I know...because it was expensive and my contract wasn't up yet. I was finally elligible for an upgrade last month and the iPhone was down to $99, so I caved. Of course this week they're now $49. Bastards. lol. Oh well. This phone is a total time suck, though. LOL. I would spend all my time on my phone if I could. For this reason, I make myself earn time on my phone. I have to clean so much and do so many tasks at work before I can allow myself a few minutes to play with my phone. LOL. I actually think I'm more productive around the house and at work now. haha!
Anyway...gonna finish my movie (The Outsiders) and then watch The Imaginarium of Dr Pernassus or whatever it's called. I've got it on my Netflix stream and heard it got some good reviews.
Mom and Dad came by today. Mom said she's not sure what's going on with Grandma's ashes. I guess my aunt Kathleen keeps changing her mind or changing the date of when they will bury my grandmother's ashes with my great-grandmother. So I guess we're just waiting around on her. It's not something I'm looking forward to, but it'll help bring closure, I think.
In other news, I'm totally settled in at home. Today I moved my livingroom tv to my bedroom because Mom & Dad brought me my brother's old tv for me to have in the livingroom. It's a 32" CRT type tv. He bought a flat screen last month and donated this one to me. The one in my room is a 27" CRT. I've now got an extra 13" CRT that I need to get rid of. I think I'll list it on freecycle.com. Maybe someone will want it for their dorm or for their little kid's room.
Work is going well. There's talk of more promotions (yes, multiple) happening this year. I'm looking forward to that. I have a reputation that precedes me and it's definitely working to my benefit. LOL.
Anyway...that's all that' new with me recently...Oh no, wait..I forgot...I bought an iPhone last week. LOL. It's an amazing piece of technology. I don't know why I waited so long to get it. LOL. Oh wait...I know...because it was expensive and my contract wasn't up yet. I was finally elligible for an upgrade last month and the iPhone was down to $99, so I caved. Of course this week they're now $49. Bastards. lol. Oh well. This phone is a total time suck, though. LOL. I would spend all my time on my phone if I could. For this reason, I make myself earn time on my phone. I have to clean so much and do so many tasks at work before I can allow myself a few minutes to play with my phone. LOL. I actually think I'm more productive around the house and at work now. haha!
Anyway...gonna finish my movie (The Outsiders) and then watch The Imaginarium of Dr Pernassus or whatever it's called. I've got it on my Netflix stream and heard it got some good reviews.
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