The Beavetowner Express

p.s.

2010-01-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

More of the sneek peak (because Rob told me it wasn't fair to pick just one to show you all) is on her blog at www.rebekahwestover.blogspot.com (post titled "rob and eve.wedding") It'll be really fun when I actually get to see all of them and go through them all and pick all of our favorites. So, I'll be keeping you all posted.

Sneak Peek

2010-01-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

Here is my fav picture from the sneak peek of our wedding photos that Rebekah gave. Enjoy...

Finals Over...Countdown BEGINS!!!!

2009-12-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

Yee-haw guys, only 16 more days 'til the big day and only three 'til I'm back in Utah with all the awesome Garr's either there or coming soon. Sooooo excited to see everyone and be back in the "mormon bubble." Yes, admittedly, I never loved it so much as when I am no longer in it, and would love to be back. There is something oh so charming about leaving my ipod in my car without a second thought of it being stolen, or knowing every random person at the mall and on the street. At any rate, pretty freakin' excited to get back to Utah and then have all our friends and fam come celebrate with us as we finally tie the knot!!!! Cold feet!? HECK NO....More, as everyone else, just feeling like it's about time. Anyway, finals are over, they have not yet notified me that I didn't pass, so in the clear so far, and first semester is done. Wowsa, did not think it would be as difficult as it was, but it certainly was "challenging." Good thing I had those 10 years of undergrad for training, 'cuz I would have had a really rough time without them. Anyway, Rob and I are getting super excited. He's keeping a countdown for me every morning (yes, he is the one who remembers all the important dates in this relationship) and adorably reminding me that soon he will be my husband on random passings by during the day. At any rate, done with finals and completely stoked for the wedding. That's it!

The Weekend...

2009-11-15T17:17:00.001-08:00

So, as always, lots of studying. HOWEVER, we got some snow and we got to see my parents on their way back from a meditation camp/conference thing in Canon City, CO. Well, we also went out for dinner on Saturday night with my friend Kerri (who lives in Denver) and her boyfriend, Scott, who was in town from Chicago for the weekend. We went to a place called Cuba Cuba which was real authentic jamaican and absolutely delicious. As we were getting ready to leave, it was a very wet snow coming down, more like rain, and I asked Rob if we should take my truck, as he is always watching the weather. He said, yes, there was a storm supposed to come in, but not until later that night. So, we took his awesome purple dodge neon. She gets us where we need to go, but not the best in snow to say the least...well, we make it to the restaurant, and as we are eating we look out the window and watch the wet snow turn into a full-blown blizzard. By the time we are finished (didn't even have dessert) we walked out to about 6" accumulation on the roads. Well, we make it back to Kerri's and drop them off, but then we have what is usually, in normal conditions, about a 35 minute drive home. Let's just say, the neon was useless. If we got stopped at a traffic light, we could only get going by sliding left than right. These are roads with three lanes of traffic and no lines able to be seen. FUN!!! What is with Colorado and not plowing!??! At any rate, we went, slipping and sliding, and praying and finally arrived home, an HOUR AND TWENTY MINUTES later. haha. But, it was fun, and Rob and I had some great songs on the radio (the ipod died in the cold) and some great conversation and laughing about the ridiculousness of the situation. No worries, we will be buying good snow tires soon. So that perhaps he can at least begin moving in the snow. All in all, it was great food and a safe drive. Also, Rob has decided that shoveling the walks and driveway is his favorite past time with any hint of snow on the ground. So, of course, first thing this morning he geared up and went out "to take care of business." I stuck my head out at one point to see how he was doing, and the picture I took was the sight I saw. Why, you might ask, is he wearing ski goggles to shovel the walk? Not sure. Think the neighbors are not sure either. Oh, and as for the gaypride shorts, they are his new favorite. Hope you enjoy. My parents and I certainly had a good laugh and a lovely reading/studying time inside while he was out "battling the elements." So, that's the picture of my step-dad on the floor reading in front of the fire with Diesel, who is always one for company.

Really...

2009-11-10T20:20:00.000-08:00

So really, no new updates at all. Same old, same old. Rob is working and doing all the "mr. mom" chores (minus actually having kids and being a mom). I am barely surviving. In fact, I'm taking a break from the insanity of studying for my midterm tomorrow in order to clear the mind for a moment. It's just too bad when I stop to "take my mind off of studying" and yet all I can think to write is about orlistat causing fecal urgency, PPI's (proton-pump inhibitors) being the most effective treatment for GERD and the drug names for PPI's ending in "azoles." The fact that the anorectic drugs for obesity are not to be used in people with hypertension due to their increased norepinephrine release and that Serotonergic agonists specific to 5HT 1b/1d are the best treatment for migraines. AHHHHHHHHH....that is a little bit of what goes on in my head every freakin' three seconds. Really? Did I really pay for this? All I can say is someday I better get a freakin' degree. At least, not fail out before that or completely self-medicate for insanity. Speaking of which, my internship next semester (starting in mid-January) is going to be at the psych ward. VERY EXCITING!!! and, that was meant truthfully. Psych drugs are my biggest intrigue and will probably become my passion. I fit right in with those folks, and the brain is an amazing thing. Until then, back to treating, dosing, side effects, drug-drug interactions and names of all the treatments for acute renal failure, cushing's syndrome, adrenal insufficiency, hypercortisolism, IBS, constipation, headache, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), and obesity. FUNNNNNNN!!!!!!!! Oh, and on a slightly lighter note, in all my free time I have managed to paint the flower girl baskets which I think are awesome, find the two readings for the wedding, help my mom work on the prayer, and nearly finalize the seating chart. We are getting there, and the other day I think Rob said it's only 50 days or something left!!! So crazy. Well, that's life. Exciting, huh?

SNOW DAY #2!!!

2009-10-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Yup, it happened again. School is closed today as well!!! I love that Colorado doesn't say just suck it up we're in the mountains (Em, I totally agree with your comment, we never had a snow day in Utah, even when it was like -20 in Logan and the canyon was closed, etc). Although, as I get more work done (still not enough it seems), I now begin thinking that at some point all the stuff we missed is not just going to go to the wayside. They are going to have to make us make it up. So, I guess I better enjoy my two free days before they start re-scheduling into a few really ridiculous days! Anyway, I have some pics of all the snow I'll post soon. Although, really it's only like 16", so it's a dump, but didn't think I'd get two snow days out of it. Once again, however, I'll take them.

SNOW DAY!!!!!

2009-10-28T17:30:00.001-07:00

Yee-Haw, first real snow of the season and it's a blizzard enough to get us a snow day! Not that I really can lay around and relax, it's more of a day to catch up and maybe possibly get slightly ahead, although not convinced as of yet that that's possible. Anyway, got about 30 pages read and outlined about acute renal failure. This evening I'm hoping to begin studying the dosing of a bunch of OTC meds. So, fun fun snow day and glad to see winter looks like it's here to stay. But, hey, it's a snow day nonetheless and I ain't complaining. I WILL TAKE IT!! Keep your fingers crossed for tomorrow as well, 'cuz supposedly it's not supposed to stop 'til Friday and it hasn't let up yet.

It's been a while...

2009-10-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't posted anything in a while as I have seriously not had any time. Sleep has become a strong competitor with blogging, and sad to admit, it usually wins. At any rate, two weekends ago I was able to fly home for a day to good ol' Utah and go to my bridal shower that Amber and her awesome fam had put together for me. Cherie (Rob's mom) was awesome enough to pick me up from the airport, let me use my car to go get my haircut, return and then drive me down to McCormick (near Delta) for my bridal shower. It was mainly Amber's fam (whom are all my great friends) and then Emily and Hayley, as well as Rob's mom and Aunt Iva. It was sooooo fun. There was great food, awesome people, and a lovely "halloweeny" location (Amber's mom decorates like a professional craft shop). It was awesome to be able to get back and hang out with everyone I used to see almost weekly if not daily. Unfortunately, while I was there, Rob was in CO hanging out with my dad and step-mom for the day while I was gone. They had come to visit for the weekend and we had a great time as well. We ate sushi twice, which is AMAZING, and they got in some good sightseeing and time with me when I wasn't at school or studying. It was relaxing, fun, and nice to allow myself a slight break from school. But, now I'm back at it and I've realized it really is not going to give any relief until four years from now. So, better buckle down for the storm. Other than that, Rob is doing an awesome job holding the house together as well as keeping me motivated and being incredibly supportive. It's actually been awesome to have him here with me, and I don't think I'd still be here if it weren't for him. It is now the awesome bi-polar fall weather in the west with one day snowing and the next 80's. Gotta love it. But, soon will be all snow and I think it's headed that direction. We have finally turned on the heat and it seems that highs of 50's are all we're going to get as far as warming back up until winter. I'm ready though, it's always fun to break out the jackets again. So, this morning it snowed and now it's just a gray sleety/snowy day in Colorado. Good for a lot of studying. That's what I'll be doing. There's the update, sorry it's kinda just informative and boring, but, hey, my life is pretty darn boring these days, what can I say.

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

Fun holiday video idea I stole from Karissa...

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Rob, slightly addicted...

2009-10-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

Now that Rob does not have to study when he is not working (although he does walk the dogs and vacuum, etc. as I had mentioned before) he has a lot of free time while I study in which to feed his addiction. As we all know, with extra time available for an addiction, the worse it becomes. (note: this is not something I am worried about, so the use of "addiction" is much more light hearted than a true fearful problem) Well, this is the case here in our lovely home in Colorado...Rob now watches Sunday football with complete enthusiasm and tunnel vision. To the point where the past two Sunday's he has emerged from his room after breakfast in order to have his own little "football party" as if he were actually at the game and people were there in the stadium cheering with him and wearing the supporting colors and apparel. Well, nope, no people, and nope, just in our living room. However, that has not phased his festivities. Here are the pictures of his past two "Sunday football outfits" (I bet you can guess which games he is watching)...And, no, I did not make him put these on, I simply took pictures so that you could all share the strangeness that has become part of our Sunday afternoons - I call him Rob, he is a TRUE FAN.

Just a slight update...

2009-09-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Not sure how I'm getting anything done these days, as I already feel quite burnt out on school, but I think it's finalizing wedding details that is keeping me somewhat motivated. You know, something to look forward to in a few months when I'll finally get a break from school! Yahoo!! At any rate, I designed the screenprint to be put on the napkins and I think it should be awesome. Rob then took them to the place and got them all printed up for us and I think they look great! Plus, he totally took care of it, so I can't complain on that one. It's sooooo nice to have him just working a normal job and not going to school. That way all the stresses of vacuuming, and lawn mowing and dishes, etc. are all taken care of. It's so great. Anyway, just wanted to share my excitement that it seems to be all coming together just fine! Now back to studying, or at least I'm going to try.

I'm no style expert, but....

2009-09-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

Totally random...
Was looking for fake fur white boots for little girls online (for my flower girls 'cuz they are adorable and their skirts are amazing, so I figured little white furry boots would finish off the outfit just adorably) and found THIS. WTF!?!?
Okay, so I heard rumors that Crocs were going out of business for lack of arch support in their shoes and ruining children's feet or something, but now I'm thinking it's because they have clearly reached well beyond their niche. Tacky pink fake suede with fake puke color fur and pink plastic. Really? Really? All on one boot. What are they thinking!?! Most likely I'm wrong and these lovely beauts will sell like wildfire. But, Just sayin'....I think I may have found their problem.

I Couldn't Sleep at all Last Night...

2009-09-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ya, that title is supposed to be read to the tune of the song that those are the lyrics of...
At any rate, I couldn't. I got home at like six-thirty (I know, ridiculous, because what time does that leave a person like myself who tries to be in bed by ten at the latest any time to study? None, I tell you, None). At any rate, I got some soup for dinna and then sat down to begin studying. At which point I realized this was not worth the effort as I was far too tired to be focusing. I mean, this stuff is about ionizable drugs being able to diffuse across membranes and equilibrium and concentration gradients. Not exactly a half-dose read. I've attempted to make it that before and have been poorly impressed with the outcome. Basically, I just read it once at half-dose only to have to read it over again when awake and focused......long story short, I decided to take a quick nap. "Quick", of course, being the key to the whole equation. I fell asleep shortly after 9pm and awoke to Jay Leno and Rush Limbaugh and discussing the whole socialized healthcare hoo-ha going on in this crazy nation right about now. Can we say, Rude Awakening? Ya, pretty much awful. Might as well have not woken up because I was hot, sweaty, now annoyed by the topic I awoke too, and still had three chapters to read. Well, I studied until 1:00am and proceeded to tell myself that I would go to bed and get up early to finish the rest. This already resulted in like five hours of sleep since class started at 8:00am, but, I figured I'd try sleep. Nope. that's what sleep had to say about me trying it. Not Happenin'. I rolled around for hours, HOURS and getting so frustrated and then my bladder decided that evidently all the water I had drank throughout the day was going to finally build up and result in me having to urinate every twenty minutes. Of course, just as I get comfortable. It's gotta go like that. Well, as is the norm with not being able to sleep. The more minutes pass by, the more frustrated I get, the more I dread the morning coming, etc., etc. At any rate, I finally fell asleep at 4am and was surprisingly okay when the alarm went off at 6am. I got the studying done. It's all good. But, now I'm home from class, want to take a freakin' nap 'cuz I have a headache and what can I do? NOT NAP. That is for certain. For some reason sleep, despite all other bodily feeling telling me its what is needed, just keeps slammin' the door. NOPE. Watch more TV. Write a blog post. Don't you have studying to do? NO, NO, NO....I want to take a freakin' nap. Please just let me..........those of you who wonder what goes through my head sometimes, this was my last five minute inner monologue. Hope you enjoyed it. And, going the rate I am, I will prob have some more for you here shortly. Oh, and when it hits delirium, it's bound to only get better. haha.

New Favorite...

2009-09-23T20:18:00.001-07:00

peopleofwalmart.com it does NOT GET ANY BETTER!

Wowsa...All the single babies...

2009-09-23T18:36:00.001-07:00

It's getting chilly....

2009-09-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

The weather here has been 80's one day to high of 50 the next and remained that way for a few days now. Should be back up again by the weekend, but Rob took the few days of cooler weather as an excuse to put his new favorite "bomber jacket" on Diesel for his walk. Here she is in her new duds.... Oh and check out her awesome "frog" pose while she happily chews her bone.

last video of the night

2009-09-18T22:34:00.001-07:00

Just wait...

Hilarious...

2009-09-18T20:39:00.001-07:00

p.s. There are like four new posts below this, all from tonight, so make sure you scroll down so as not to miss any.
Don't know why this struck me as so funny, but it's absolutely HILARIOUS how badly this guy gets taken out. He's a news reporter too. Can't imagine this being on the air. Ridiculous!

Straaannnngggeee....

2009-09-18T20:25:00.001-07:00

Talking about Horton Hears A Who the other day in class and someone mentioned how wierd the part with "Katie" was. So, I you-tubed the clip. So Crazy!!!!! Had to share. If taken by itself, what is going on with this furball, and why is she going into the bushes like that!?!?

Can you tell I'm not studying again?

2009-09-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

K, I just found this website while taking a break from studying called textsfromlastnight.com (TFLN - if you want to be cool with the lingo). At any rate, here were a few of my favorites. Oh, and just a warning, it is not a censored website, so although hilarious, may not be the most clean. And, if you don't get it, these are just random texts that people have gotten and found funny, so posted. Context is not known.

- so just incase you wake up on the couch wondering how you got there--you came home at 7am, put ice in a cup--then you proceeded to put the cup in the microwave and melt it because you "wanted water". you then, fell down the stairs while saying "you don't know me" then crawled to the couch.

- I'm still with the girl from last night. remember to call me conrad and that i work for PETA

- Reason #3 women are better than men: texting and peeing simultaneously. Write THAT in the snow.

- went out last night and woke up on the bathroom floor again, thinking about just moving my bed in there.

- Not only did a random toaster end up in my house last night, it's also full of skittles.

- I convinced her san diego was a state. all the proof I needed was saying, why do they call it san diego state university?

- you tried to scramble eggs in my dryer last night. i want you here in 15 minutes to clean this shit up

- this is a mass text: i just made a grilled cheese with an iron and pasta with the coffeemaker in the hotel room. bow before your new god.

- I want to poop on a bird, just to show them what it's like.

- i hope kanye doesn't show up to patrick swayze's funeral. " i'll let you get back to your funeral in a minute...but michael jackson had the best death of the year. just sayinnn ".

Ode to the Leprechaun

2009-09-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Thursday, officially the longest day of my week. Not because I have " every last one of the weeks that I have been in pharmacy school. It is long. Loooonnnnnggggg. I swear we have three quizzes and six application exercises like every Thursday. Needless to say, sometimes you just can't explain why things are the way they are, but this is just how Thursday has decided to pan out for me this semester. Well, yesterday was this lovely eternity that has decided to insert itself into my life, and I fully embraced it. You prob wonder, what does that mean? Well, let me explain. It began with some class on "cultural competence." Ya know, examining your own heritage, being aware of your own biases and where they come from and then putting yourself out there to get to know each and every individual's heritage that comes into your pharmacy. Knowing this about them ('cuz it's so normal for pharmacists to have that much time per patient, I'm sure you all know your pharmacist like this) can then help us make them feel utmost comfort while visiting our pharmacy and discussing their life problems great and small. Well, let me just tell ya, I fully agree with the fundamental idea of what they are teaching in this class, it's all about community, love one another, help the best we can, don't stereotype. But, an entire class on it?! So, needless to stay that started it all off on quite the amusing note, followed by class and waiting and class and waiting and talking and class, etc. At the point we reached the end of the day we were loopy. We began to speak about different stereotypes within my group. Making comments, talking about trends, and then it hit the Irish culture. One comment led to the next and before I knew it I had risen in my chair in order to whole-heartedly perform the leprechaun on the lucky charms box...ya know, hunched over and in a leprechaun voice with a who-knows-what accent saying with arms flailing and holding an invisible beer in one of them and a cane that I'm waving with passion in the other (this is in my head, clearly in the act I had no props at all and looked, I'm sure, ridiculous). I say (louder than I realized I had) "They're always after me lucky charms" as I shake my invisible cane and throw my invisible beer in the air, spilling it. At this point, the entire class (more than just my table) goes silent, teacher and all, and 53 heads turn to stare at me. I slump in my chair embarrassed and my table/group bursts out laughing. At which point my group then reverts back to second grade even more and all have the giggles uncontrollably for about two minutes. Probably hard to picture and not too funny if you weren't there. But, I have not been that embarrassed in a long time, but yet I have not laughed that hard in a long time either. Thoroughly enjoyable end to a ridiculously long day.

Oh, sweet procrastination.

2009-09-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

My life lately, well incredibly boring. Filled with a lot of studying, some ellipticalling (spelling?), hanging out with the dogs, cherishing any spare moment with Rob that we are both home, oh, and did I mention studying? Well, tomorrow I have a pharmacy law exam. For those of you who are asking what? I am asking the same thing. Let me tell you, it's no joke. I feel as though I should be in law school or something with that class. Far more detailed than I need to know. But, I guess I need to know it, so I'm putting it off for now. Really, nothing to say except Pharmacy school is kicking my butt. Those of you who thought I studied a lot before, well, I study double that now. So, my no life has turned to my zero life. Although, must say, Denver is awesome. And, my friend Kerri who lives here has drug me out of the house a few nights. Oh, and we found a Happy Sumo not too far from us, so at least now we have a location for date nights. Not that we have many since i'm gone before Rob is up in the morning and he is home after I am asleep. Although, we do see each other on weekends. He watches sports while I study. Good times. And, school is based off of team based learning. Basically, we take individual quizzes, then take the same quiz as a group and then do "application exercises" as a group. Well, working with the same people from 8-5 all day long solving problems that are difficult is not always the most relaxing environment. Not jumping down each others throats, having to explain and re-think each and every thought, and still maintain a smile at some point is exhausting to say the least. I suppose my communication skills may be top notch, but I may need some intense drug therapy when it is all over. Good thing I'll be certified for that! Oh man, I guess there's not much more to update so I have to go back to studying the constitution and the long-arm statute followed by some IV dosing and drug receptor compounding. I can't wait. No really, I can't. Did I mention that I have nothing more to write? OKay, adios.

Random Story

2009-09-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hey, I just realized that I totally forgot to blog about my slight disaster aversion just prior to going to my brother's wedding. Well, basically, I had gotten my dress in the mail and it fit amazingly well for no alterations. Although, the length was a bit much. So, I knew it needed to be hemmed, but with moving to Colorado, starting school, etc., I sort of put it off and forgot about it. Well, I then began being reminded that I needed to get some shoes to match the dress, which reminded me that I needed to get the dress hemmed. So, I found this lovely place and actually found some lovely shoes to go with. Well, I had my appointment for the hemming all set, and had my shoes to take with me in order to get the right length (I know, I'm so on top of this stuff these days. I know how it all works). So, I have the shoes and the dress, the wallet, the keys, the phone, ya know the usgh (pronounced like the beginning of usually). Oh, and don't say I need a purse, because I have three things I check for and that's it, and it works. At any rate, hands were full so I put the shoe box on top of the car. Yes, I'm genius, you don't have to tell me twice. Well, you can all predict from there what occurs. Basically, get the dress in, myself and all else in (minus the shoes) open the garage door and proceed to back out. Get to the bottom of the drive (a slight lip) and hear something slide. I assume (clearly the shoes on the roof were not in my head at all any longer) that it is the dog water bottle sliding around in the back of my truck and proceed to accelerate forward. At which point we clearly feel the "oh crap, what was that" running over of something and I look at Rob like wtf, and proceed to stop. He gets out and then comes to the window carrying what was the perfect gold pair of steve madden shoes that I needed for not only the fitting in ten minutes but also the wedding in a week. Wow. Not so hot. We check them out, and in Steve Madden's defense, for getting run over by a truck those things didn't look half bad. In fact, were almost completely salvageable minus the one heel had become attached at a 45 degree angle rather than 90. So, Rob, being the calm soul that he is, and seeing a small panic attack quickly arriving begins to use the Garmin and determine where the closest shoe store is on the way to the fitting. No, they may not be the right shoes, but at least something that may work in order to at least get the hem correct on the dress. So, we go to famous footwear, and low and behold, they had the identical shoes, in the right size and half off what I originally paid! Wowsa, good day I tell ya.

Diggity-Dogs

2009-09-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

While we were in Boston for the past weekend we boarded the dogs at their new kennel here in Colorado. It is another one of those daycare/kennels where they all play together all day and it seems much more enjoyable than being in a kennel all day staring at the wall. Sadly enough, these places are much more expensive, and more expensive in Colorado than they were in Utah. But, because we are pretty particular about our children, we bit the bullet and put them up at the "Playful Pooch" for the weekend. It was actually a great place and they seemed to love it and the people seemed to love them. What else are they going to tell us, really? Hello, we are paying more money than I spend at a hotel per night to stay there. Anyway, when they came home, they smelled heavenly. I mean, to the point where when they walk by me in the house I don't avoid the hair and tell them to stay in their bubble. Rather, I linger in their lovely clean scent, and it's lasted like three days so far. Incredible feat, truly. Secondly, they had on these adorable bandanas and so I took a picture of them both with their little neckwear. And, impressively enough, these too have stayed on for two days and don't seem to bother them at all. Oh ya, and last great thing is that they have been so tired (prob from partying all weekend) that they have slept and not even needed a walk since we have gotten home. Heaven.

A-MAZ-ING WEEKEND!!!!

2009-09-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

So, my brother got married this weekend. He and Meg are an absolutely gorgeous and adorable and totally in-love couple. Almost too cute for words. My brother is amazing, and you all know this because I talk about him all the time, but Meg is amazing as well. Together, as expected, they threw the most amazing wedding ever. It was straight out of a bridal magazine (bride and all) and at times I felt as though I was in a movie. It was held in Boston at Harvard. The Harvard yard church (ceremony and rehearsal), boat club (welcome bbq the night before), and faculty club (cocktails and reception). It was so classic and elegant and could not have been any better as far as weather, friends, good food and good times. At any rate, here's a few pics from the various parts of the weekend and the lovely things I was doing while not studying and coming home to having a TON of stuff to read and catch up on so that I may pass a class tomorrow. I'll keep ya posted.

So this was me at the end of it all. 2am, goofy and exhausted. If you couldn't tell. Oh, and that was after retrieving the bazill bobby pins that held my head, I mean my hair, together for the whole evening.

The first Dance (It was awesome, they had it all coreographed). My brother, could he be any happier? That was a candid photo, not kidding. And some form of celebratory drink at the after party.

The parents and the friends, and of course, myself.

My bro and I. The incredibly gorgeous bride down to every minute detail. Oh ya, and the happy groom coming back victorious from his marriage. It's official. I have a new sister-in-law. I'm pretty stoked about it. Oh, and Oz and I at the bbq dinner party the night before the big day. Glow sticks were a hit. I clearly started the trend.

Now it's back to the textbooks. There may be more pics coming as time allows. But, here's a taste of the festivities and the truly lovely weekend for now.

more pics, as promised...

2009-09-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

First off, the outfit (yes, not creative either, but it was clean). Secondly, in response to Wendi's question about the door in the living room - yes, it goes to the backyard. I also added a picture from the back door looking into the house. You can see the living room on the right which goes through to the kitchen, the master bedroom door just past the fireplace on the left and then looking straight through to the front door. Just pass the master bedroom hallway on the left is the hallway with a small half bath and the laundry room (washer and dryer are just around the corner in the pic). Oh ya, and a few pictures of the backyard and deck. On the right, the little walkway goes around to the side where we keep the trash cans or you can go into the garage. I'm sure I'll take more pics soon. But, that's it for now. Oh ya and school...actually going pretty well. Liking that it's small, and actually liking being a guinea pig (first class) because they are willing to work with us and love our input and feedback. So, going well overall. Tons of reading though, that's for sure!

Well, So I got my camera Cord...

2009-08-31T17:42:00.001-07:00

Outfit #1: Admittedly not very creative,
but they will get better and they have been better, just stay tuned.

Looking from living room into the kitchen and through it to the breakfast nook/table area out the front window of the house.

So I got my camera cord ordered from Japan or what not. But, now it turns out I only got one picture of an outfit so far. I, however, now that I can upload them more timely after taking them will have more motivation to remember to take them. But, here are some pics of the house and one outfit. More coming soon. And this time Soon will be as soon as a new day passes and I have a new outfit.

A Shortened Forward

2009-08-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

No camera cord yet (sorry, it is coming, I swear)....
However, I did get this forward today from my friend Kerri and some parts of it are quite true. I don't know who wrote it, so I can't give them credit, but here were my favorite parts:
1) I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

2) More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think
about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own
story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

3) Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize
you're wrong.

4) I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was
younger.

5) Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't
work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix
the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to
fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just
figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

6) There is a great need for sarcasm font.

7) How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

8) I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take
2 trips to bring my groceries in.

9) The only time I look forward to a red light is when I?m trying to finish a
text.

10) Was learning cursive really necessary?

11) How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and
smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

12) Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I
will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had
to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as
in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

13) While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively
swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

14) MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know
how to get out of my neighborhood.

15) If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would
probably just be completely invisible.

16) Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around
and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous?
Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a
problem....

17) I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!),
but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to
voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run
away?

18) The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they
had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at
the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then
estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such
a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There?s nothing
like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

So True. (if you want the whole forward, I'd be happy to send it to you. Otherwise, hope you enjoyed the highlights.)

something very odd yet cute...

2009-08-17T07:13:00.001-07:00

Slight Delay...

2009-08-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the pics not being there yet. Let me just tell you, I have located the camera as well as three flashcards for it. However, it does not have a battery nor a battery charger. Finally got those today at Best Buy. Now, I have taken the pictures, but just realized I have also lost the connector cord to the computer for the camera so that will be gotten tomorrow. They are coming, I promise. Oh ya, and the pics of the first day of school on wednesday with my new attire which is not allowed to include t-shirts with printing nor any form or denim on top or bottom. I'm sure you are all eager to see what I come up with. Sorry for the delay.

Wow...Internet...what a novel idea!

2009-08-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

K, so we just got moved into Colorado as of a week ago, but Comcast was evidently so popular that they could not install internet nor cable for us until this morning. So, this is the first post in quite a while. As, any free internet we stole we used for my online class and Rob's job applications. Oh, and if you are wondering where the best places are to sit in the parking lot and steal internet (typing in the car is a blast) are near Thornton, CO....Well, I can certainly tell you. As, Old Chicago had the strongest signal of anywhere (near the dumpster in the back, and it was shaded around 2pm). Or, there is always the Liquor Store very near our house and much more convenient. However, it was a bit weaker of a signal and would often be lost at crucial moments of posting job applications. Starbuck's is a freakin' joke. I'll leave it at that for now, and if you really want to know the rest, just ask. So, now that I'm back in the game there will be pics to come this afternoon. Until then, however, a quick update...
House is AMAZING. Getting used to not knowing where exactly each dog and human is in the house just from sitting on the couch. It results in a lot of me yelling "Rob?" and him responding but me not hearing, etc. Then we end up meeting in the hallway and being frustrated at each other that I really didn't need anything. I'm getting better though. Just very odd to go from basically a studio apartment to a house. Oh, and to have a roommate. Or someone who is living in my house with me. Usually just me. Well, the dogs of course, but at this point they seem to be a given. The backyard is awesome. The dogs also agree, especially for their digging hobbies (that will need to be taken care of quickly. But, don't know how to fix it exactly). Although, I do love not having to put them on leashes and walk up and down three flights of stairs to take them out. Rather, I can just open and a shut a door. Perfect. Oh, and there are two and a half bathrooms. So, Rob has his bathroom upstairs with his overly cluttered bedroom and it works out perfect. I get the master bedroom on the main floor with a huge walk-in closet (fits all my clothes) and a quite large bathroom. The loft upstairs has the two brown couches from my old apartment and my desk. Hoping to make that a sort of study area. Anyway, it's like a real house. In a real neighborhood. With real bedrooms. And, real internet, FINALLY. So there is the update for now. Oh, wait, I forgot to mention there is a huge network of paved trails (not sidewalks, like paved paths through public grass area) right outside our door. We've walked the dogs for 7 days now without having a repeat loop. AWESOME. So, now as long as Rob finds a job, we should be good to go. He's in Denver dropping off more applications as we speak, so hopefully he will find one soon. Oh, and we got our colorado licenses and license plates, so we are officially Coloradoans now. Crazy stuff. (Like I said, pictures are coming soon, as soon as I find and unpack the box that was supposed to have my camera in it).

Time Flies, HUH?

2009-07-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

So, once again not much more fun to say. Although I will say that it is ridiculous how fast this month has gone?!?!? I only have four more days of lab and then hopefully I will be going to pharmacy school for real. Although, they already sent my tuition bill, so if I just paid it now, it seems as though they would probably take me. But, good news, it may be a strong possibility that I will pass this chem lab! YAHOO!! No guarantee, so I'm not celebrating just yet. But, with four days left, I should only have to get a 50% on the final to get an overall C. Not that this would be ideal, but I got a 72% on our first test, so it might not be that far off. Although, must say, the average on our first test was a 58%. And, sure enough, I got another professor who has incredibly low averages and sees no truth or right in curving. AWESOME. FREAKING LOVE when professors write tests proving that they are impossible to learn from and then decide it is the 40 students being slow as the reason this occurred. Not sure I understand the logic, but hey, I've learned to not even ask anymore. Simply, take my grade, and hope to do better next time. Would say work harder next time, but these days I'm working about as hard as my maximum working capacity, so there's really no change to be made there. Anyway, so back to Utah on July 31st where we pack up our junk and off to Denver on August 6th. School starts August 16th. Crazy how time flies. That's all I have to say.
P.S. one more funny side note from lab. Well, there is one white male who seemed not so much a robot as the rest, and so I thought he might be a reasonable chance to help me out with some questions. I then overheard him talking to another kid and saying he went to US (this is "university school" and the all male private school that was like a sister school to my high school). So I thought, for a moment (clearly forgetting my old age), that perhaps he would know some kids that I knew. So I said, "Oh, you went to US? What year did you graduate?" to which he replied "'07." At this point, realizing there was no longer even a four year overlap existing (I graduated in '01), I simply smiled and said, "oh, well that's cool." There went my connection in order to get any help in the freakin' lab. I'm too old. These asian robots and one white guy were all, unfortunately, 20-21.

the house picture update.

2009-07-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

I'm only posting two because we are renting it, and I don't want the person to somehow randomly find my site and then think it's weird that I posted a million pictures of her house all over. I will, however, post many more once it is our stuff that is in it. At any rate, here are one or two to help you get the idea for now. Oh, and just a hilarious side-note coincidence...Rob thought the people living in it were Mormon when he walked through because there was a rock in the window that said "did you think to pray today" or something like that. It's a song he said, or something to the effect. You mormon's who read this will probably know what I'm talking about. At any rate, I told him he was nuts and there was no way he could tell from that. But, turns out when he went to sign the lease, that the lady who is the agent for the owner's said the owner's are from SLC, and the current renter's are from SLC. And now us! How crazy is that? Oh, and yes, one point for Rob, he is probably right, they prob are mormon. They are everywhere!!! HAHAHA, totally kidding. I love you guys and you know it.

Update, I suppose...it's been long enough, right?

2009-07-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

K, so I'm in Ohio now. Yahoo, home and loving it. Well, loving it except for the freakin' organic chemistry II lab I am taking....Okay, so it's the summer and it's a lab, right? Should be pretty stinkin' easy. Follow some procedures, make some products, right a bunch of crap about it all in your lab notebook and you're outta there. Oh no. Not the case AT ALL....So evidently after not taking chemistry for three years just about EVERYTHING regarding molecules and aprotic solvents, polarity, electronegativities, etc, etc. goes OUT THE WINDOW. I've realized this, the hard way. How? You might ask. Well, I'll tell ya...By walking into my lab of asian robots who are all pre-med and don't want to be bothered and the lab instructor is an indian woman who thinks that chemistry is the building block for just about everything in life. Which, I get it, with atoms and all that junk, it sort of is. But as far as REAL LIFE, it certainly IS NOT. So, that's where we differ, at least it seems. Or, that is what I have gathered. So, here I am, stuck in a lab of robots who know EVERYTHING there is to know about chemistry and molecules and shit we can't even see or touch, and they are expected to, so kudos to them. However, there is me, who doesn't remember a THING about it all and is the moron in the lab who everyone knows is a moron and does not want to deal with. So, needless to say, it's FUN. Sooooooo fun. I freakin' love it. Did you catch the sarcasm? Hope so, 'cuz I wasn't holding it back. Oh ya, and did I mention that evidently summer, 1 credit labs now, evidently, have TESTS!?!? In four weeks, we have two tests. WHAT!?!?!?!? I have had the most ridiculous luck in graduating and now that I'm almost there (1 credit away) and thinking it was a guarantee....Well, perhaps it's not. But, it will be, dang it. It's going to happen. I am going to pass this stinkin' class. So that's that.
On a better note, if I can survive this class, I am moving to Denver with Rob. And, we found a house to rent!!! Yahoo!! and that is not sarcastic. It looks lovely, it has three bedrooms and 2 and a half bathrooms and a fenced in backyard. Which, the backyard for the dogs that is fenced was the biggest winner for us, so we are stoked!!! Well done to Rob and my step-dad for going out there and finding it for us. My mom and I certainly had no time, so they got the job done, and from the pictures, it looks like they did a great job of it. So, for now, I'm back to studying the "organic chemistry I for dummies" book that I bought in hopes of remembering something about the basics. Hope life is well for the rest of you. I'm just making it through, one lab at a time. I can do anything for three more weeks. That's what I keep telling myself.

Ahhhh, sweet sigh of relief....

2009-07-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

So, the apartment that was so chaotic in the last posting is now clean and clear and under control (clearasil commercial slogan). I am completely moved out and moved into Rob's mom's house. Which is awesome and she is awesome and she helped me clean my old apartment and everything!! So, now I'm in Ohio for prob the last summer of my life and loving being with my mom everyday, but it's nice nonetheless. Rob and my step-dad are going to go to Denver tomorrow to look at houses for rent as well as apartments and hopefully find a place to live since we will be needing one in a month! Oh man, crazy stuff. But, at least we are done with the move out of the old apartment, half way done with online classes this summer, and now only have to find a place to live in Denver, move to denver in a month, and finish these last two summer classes. Oh, and Rob passed his RN test so he is officially gaylord focker now. YAHOO!!! I'm so proud of him, and he's such an awesome and hard worker. Love him and of course he puts up with me so it's even better! that's it for now. Lata.

The pics...found the camera

2009-06-26T11:13:00.001-07:00

So these are the spirals most recent. Along with the chaotic spiral room.

And these are the various chaotic views of the house. I left my bedroom out of it because I can barely get in the door. But, use your imagination.

AHHHHHHHH.....Have I lost it Yet? Slightly less than official

2009-06-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

So, I am taking a five minute break from running around like a chicken with my head cut-off to sit my butt on the couch and vent. I am nearly finishing the spirals. Nearly being the key word. That means I think I have only 6 more to paint!! I know, that's still a lot, but looks like it may (key word, may) be doable by the time I leave in four days. So, ya, hence the AHHHHHHH. I am leaving Utah in 4 days, have 6 spirals left to paint, and the rest of my house to pack and two online courses to finish and two more to begin the day after the first two end (the 29th). So, it's a good time. My house is absolute disaster zone. But, we're getting there. I have finished the final walk through with the florist/coordinator as well as the sundance catering manager for the wedding. This means we are done with the menu, almost the spirals, and pretty much all of the decisions. Oh, and I got two awesome pettiskirts for the two little flower girls (elise and avril), which I'm very excited about. Ordered table cards and monogrammed napkins, in discussion about the final bouquet as well as possible ice sculptures. Should be good times, and although will prob never really be done I am getting close. Now, just to finish packing my house and move it all to Rob's garage. FUN TIMES. Oh, and pictures of most recent spirals are coming soon. As soon as I hopefully find my camera (that I hopefully did not pack). Lata, for now.

Cow and Stripes...Latest Two

2009-06-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest two spirals that are done. I think that brings the final of total done to 9!! Wow, that's half way done, and 7 more days to work on them. Let's hope I can start crankin' them out! I think I'm feelin' quite a bit more splatter painting coming on, so those of you who enjoyed that one, get ready.

Bridals...or Downpour

2009-06-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

So, the bridal pictures of myself along with some of myself and Rob took place this lovely afternoon. For those of you who live in Utah, and for those of you who don't, I'll let you know that for the past four days and future four days, this is the forecast: scattered t-storms. Banking on the "scattered" parts of things, I was hoping for a window in the downpour that might allow us to take some good photos. Well, we ultimately got some great photos, but that was after waiting one hour in the car, for the showers to pass. So, we took some pictures along the way. Once we get the real pictures in about two weeks, well then, we will post the link or what not. For now, though, you get the bouquet, and the essence of the craziness that was going on inside the truck with four people crammed in and it pouring outside without a bit of blue sky in sight. However, it worked out and I'm soooooo thankful for that!!! Until then, enjoy these pictures of the day in a nutshell as well as the coolest bouquet ever!!!!!!!!!!!! (well, you know, at least I think it is).
This is barely five minutes into the waiting.

Okay, so we were getting a bit loopy. And, rather than applying the lip gloss, I had no hands with my awesome bouquet and so I was holding it in my mouth. Oh ya, and check the awesome boots. Mind you, my entire dress is shoved into the passenger seat of a tacoma pick-up truck.

This is what the lovely meadow looked like when we arrived. Bright white wedding dress and awesome digging (mud driving) weather...could there be a better match? I think not!!

Good thing this pic was taken about two minutes before the rain stopped and we actually got to take some pictures with the photographer. As if the pictures isn't better than words, I was officially over it.

Boston...graduation/birthday

2009-06-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

So this past week I had my birthday (yes, I'm getting old) and it was great. Amber and Rob and myself went to Chimayo (the best restaurant in Park City, UT if you were interested) and had amazing food!!! The next day I was off to Boston to see my bro graduate from Harvard Law School. He is amazing, a great organizer, and the weekend was a blast. He's incredibly smart and a hell of a hard worker, and pretty much a rockstar. I just wish that he perhaps hadn't depleted the gene pool of those traits so that I would have had a few left for myself. Ha. Anyway, the itinerary was all planned by him, and I just basically followed what I was told as far as where to be, what to wear and when to be there. We had a barbeque dinner, commencement, champagne breakfast, drinks on a boat, brunch, Meg's bridal shower, more food, more food, more food and did I mention more food!?! It was all delicious, but unfortunately my bridal's are on this wednesday and I'm not sure the five pounds I put on in Boston were exactly what I needed. haha. At any rate, that is where I've been, but the updates on the project will be coming more frequently now that I'm home and back hard at work.

The final plastering event...

2009-05-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

So, here are the pics of the final plastering job, which is going to be a tree of spirals that hangs upside down like a chandelier.

more pics of the two new spirals, and ever evolving plaster room

2009-05-27T19:30:00.001-07:00

So, I got a little tired of geometric precision concentration, and I went a little nuts. Hence, one of the new pieces is splatter painted. Not sure I'm gonna keep it that way yet, but Rob is a huge fan, and it was really fast to paint. So, we'll see. Anyways, here's the splatter, one more striped and two token pictures of the ridiculous plaster room. enjoy.

Confession...

2009-05-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

So guys, I'm sitting here painting, rob is at work and the dogs are sprawled out on what is left of the floor space in my apartment. Since there is no one else to tell, I'm confessing to my blog...my house...it's a plain disaster...I vacuumed what I could see of the carpet yesterday, and that somewhat helped, but the rest...still a complete wreck. I'm not sure how to even start, and although I've been painting and plastering for days, at least I can now where to start and end on that one. As far as packing...not a clue. And, once the boxes are packed, I still don't feel as though I've accomplished much, because they just stack up in front of the fireplace...hmmmm. Oh, did I mention...My house is a freakin' somethin' zone. Not construction, cuz I'm sad to say it's not really under construction. However, my life is under construction in many ways, so perhaps my abode is just a reflection of that. Ya, there's a good answer. I'll end with that, feeling satisfied that it's just a reflection and as soon as I put my life back into some order, I'm hoping my house will follow. I'll let ya know how it goes. Until then, have a lovely wednesday night...'cuz amongst my boxes and pillows (which, are touching nothing of germs by the way) I am having a great one.

Well, it's been a while, so here's a brief and completely random update

2009-05-26T22:56:00.001-07:00

I have been staying ridiculously busy with my online classes and this lovely centerpiece project, that and attempting to pack up my house for the move at the end of June (the move that is, into the Garr abode extra room until August when I get back from Ohio and we move to Denver for real). Oh ya, attempting to work on all that logistics as well, ya know, Rob passing a test, then maybe getting a job out there so that we can apply for a loan, then if we get a loan, hopefully buying a house. Details, details, no stress there, I'm completely oblivious. I'll be good in a hotel I've decided.
Next, want to just say, love the cavs, but really? Come on guys, my blood pressure has been ridiculous these past few days all because you have to bring it down to like the last .5 second three point shot every freakin' game. Let's just win one way or the other, I would rather lose than stress and worry until the last second. And, honestly, since when do I watch basketball, you ask? Well, since I always watch the finals if the cavs are in it. Probably a good thing, because as you can tell, I get really into the sports if I watch them, so I have to limit my times of caring or else I really would have consistently high blood pressure, or even higher than I already do.
Ummm, plastering. Yup. It's going. Still. Hand painting takes FOREVER!! I will take a few pics in the next couple days of the next one or two that I've gotten painted. But, one good thing, I have the spirals all plastered!! Yay! Except, the plaster room cannot be completely picked up yet, because they all still need to be jessoed and handpainted. Oh, and I'm attempting to make this spiral tree that can hang like a chandelier. So, eighteen plastered, which is the bare minimum, and now, if I have time, work on a tree and then maybe one or two extra. Then, I'll really be able to clean the plaster room. That will be nice. Why? Basically because I then have a place to start stacking the packed tubs before I move them out. I know, so fun. I'm stoked. But, in truth, it will be really nice, because right now I am really wanting space.
Last thing, or perhaps not, we'll see...jon and kate plus 8. Don't know if any of you watch it, but I have fallen in love with it while I paint, and listen to the adorable kids and OCD kate, who I totally relate to on all levels but the prissy part. I'm not so OCD about clean kids and hating the outdoors, but particular about odd things like my pillow, yes, that's totally me. At any rate, sooooo sad. Just had the season five opener show and they are basically separated and staying together only for the kids. This is a valiant effort on their part and for a good cause, but really, really sad. Especially seeing them/her so distraught about it all. Not only that, but 8 freakin' kids involved in the whole shindig. No fun.
Okay, I think this is now the last thing....Graham crackers = heaven. yes, you know me, I have my wierd phases. Over the gummi bears, for the most part. Still on the gold fish, but they will prob stay for a while, as they are heaven as well. But, in place of the gummi bears I have added the graham crackers and you think it's such a big cracker. That is, 'til it melts in your mouth to such a lovely golden, sweet mush. Man, heaven, heaven, heaven, that's all I can say. Oh ya, and the keebler elves are on the box, and yes, I love little cartoon people like the smurfs, so the elves fit right into that cute little odd happiness that I love to see every time I reach for a graham cracker. K, I think that's it for my life lately. Oh, besides we went to rob's niece's dance festival this morning and it was adorable. I so wish that a) I could dance, and b) since I can't, that I was still the age I really didn't care and I just could sort of awkwardly shake around. His neice's were not bad at all, actually very good. But, totally saw a few mini-me's out there, awkwardly trying to focus on the moves so hard that it was incredibly mechanical and awkward. But, we can't win 'em all and I sure as heck lost the dancing. I think that's it for now. Oh ya, and yes, it's way past my bedtime if you couldn't tell by all the useless rambling. adios.

two more down

2009-05-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

I still have yet to get a picture of the day which I was describing in the previous post, as I have taken my little note-to-self and acted on it. However, I will assure you that there will be more in this whole extravaganza of crafting and I will be sure to capture it. Until then, here are the next two additions as well as my plastering outfit, which although not multi-colored, prob gives a good idea of what the painting day may have looked like. Enjoy...

Just a little note-to-self

2009-05-14T20:34:00.001-07:00

So, I realized that I had not showered in two days the other day, and decided that it was a must at this point. Not that I had been doing anything really extravagant causing me to "know" that I needed a shower, but more that I just knew two days was long enough without one. At any rate, I went into the bathroom, which happens to be the only mirror in the house (probably my number 1 problem right there), and prior to stripping down, I took a glance into it...
Let's just say, I looked like a living craft project. First off I had on mesh basketball shorts (that were Rob's) and they were sort of like baggie capri's to start with (they certainly brought out the gangsta in me). On top of that, they started off blue, and now they were a lovely smattering of minty green and white and black streaks of random paint (we can all guess where that came from). Also, the top band was folded over, exposing the awesome black shoe string with pink skulls that had replaced the lost elastic band that once held them on. From there I moved onto my legs which are already nearly albino white, but were now accented even whiter with plaster streaks and rubs (once again, we can guess where it came from). Hot. On down to the feet, and of course, house slippers, 'cuz who doesn't where those when in the house? Okay, now for the top half...Gray t-shirt with holes in it (once I find a favorite, I wear it 'til my friends are threatening to throw it out) and it now has a green hand print from evidently forgetting to wash my hand prior to drying it on my shirt (clearly, I'm a genius), as well as a few other choice acrylic stains. My arms, more acrylic smears from putting my arm in wet paint while moving my hand to paint the next areas (you might think I would learn, but nope, sure not). And the face, well, it was holding out okay minus the black paint smudge beneath one eye. Perhaps it could pass as smudged mascara, so I let it slide. Well, at least people would merely look at my face and think, oh, she's not a complete and total mess (positive thinking, right?). Really, though, it was all a front. I was a mess. Oh, and my hands, well they were stained with black ink from sketching out a diamond pattern on one of the swirls....Into the shower I went, thinking it was a good thing I thought to shower (and therefore, change) prior to leaving the house. Everything came off, except for the ink hands, and I think I was good to go. But, note-to-self, use that bathroom mirror more often, and make sure to never BECOME the craft project that you are working on. Note taken, thanks. I'm a slow learner, but at least now it has been noted, I think that's step 1 in some recovery program. I think.

piece numero dos (#2)

2009-05-14T17:01:00.001-07:00

So here's the second finished product. Bad lighting, however, so mint not quite so dark and dots are dark green, not black. The future finished products will be continuing to come for quite a while.

whimsical, dr.seuss, whoville...are we getting there?

2009-05-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's the same piece. But, the first was for a height reference I suppose. And, also yes, some of the stripes are missing the black lining, and no, don't look to close 'cuz it's not touched up yet as far as the paint job. However, despite the imperfections, hopefully we are all starting to get more of the picture?

could it be true? 4 finally plastered pieces?!!

2009-05-05T19:46:00.001-07:00

Plastering, Anyone?

2009-05-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

So, I have now created a graveyard of much better wireframe spirals. Mind you, these are only about seven of the twenty final centerpieces that need to be done. But, we've decided to do one step at a time, so that plastering occurs for like five intense days rather than fifteen days with an hour of plastering each. Wow, can't wait for those days! But, until then, wire framing for me!! Actually, it's not too bad, and like I said, I've gotten quite a bit better at it. Here's the most recent pictures and the workspace has now moved.

hmmmm, the project? well...

2009-04-29T19:52:00.001-07:00

So the project, that I was really posting a lot about in the past week, has sort of taken a vacation. Well, not really, but have learned a few things along the way, and have begun to sort out and reroute as well as pitch a few of those early attempts. So, Rob and I are finally done with finals. And, yes, that is why the posts have slowed down. You see, if I have Rob to talk to, and things to do in general without simply avoiding studying (i.e. blogging and every other little thing I can think of to use as an excuse), I tend not to blog as much. But, don't worry, my life isn't that amazing, so they will still be posted at times, just not as frequently. But, ya, the project. Well, I have now perfected (or at least gotten wayyyyy better at the rolling of the wire frames and molding of them) the wire frames, so they go pretty quick now. This is all relative, but when you compare to when we started, it's quite fast to us. Then, the plaster part is going better, as the wire is getting better and more consistent (no large dents and things to fix). Well, before I got to this point, the plaster guinea pig spiral (which was the picture in the previous posts) seemed great. Now, I learned, that the imperfections of the wire cannot be fixed by plaster, if they are too large. Basically, lots of plaster leads to lots of cracks and wieght and problems. Soooooo, this morning, after rolling and wrapping a few much better spirals, we made the executive decision to pitch all the "old" (non-technique learned) attempts, and use only the good new ones. So, it's going, but since we pitched a lot of what we had designed before, we have no new great pictures to post, but they will be coming soon. As, although Rob pretty much thinks it's torture, he has been holding to his promise, and attempting with his self-proclaimed "non-crafting skills" to do the best. He doesn't have much skill, it's true, but he's great, and we have worked out the perfect system where I roll and then plaster the tricky parts at which time he can plaster the long straight stems. It's great, I love having him help, and I think deep down he's beginning to love it. Although, his most common and greatest excuse is that he, "doesn't want to get dirty" (now we all clearly see who is the girly one :) ) That's it for now, more to come soon....

ummmm, ya, so now it's cold?!

2009-04-26T20:05:00.001-07:00

Well, I just wrote a lovely post about how I'm so ready for spring...clearly, my criteria meeting in order for the AC to be turned on now needs to be reversed. I don't know, but if the criteria to get the heat back is anything like studying with gloves on, drinking hot chocolate, and unearthing all of my quilts from the closet, I should be getting close. Evidently, Utah is having ISSUES deciding what season it is in recently, and has gone from 80's to FREEZING in the past two days. And, sad to say, that insulation, at this point, is only keeping in the left over COLD air from my AC that used to be on. Here is a pic of another criteria that I have met...My DOG is frozen, in fact, she burrowed under her blanket on her bed, and then proceeded to look at me (with blanket still wrapped around her head - it's a cow blanket, and no, I didn't put it there) from over the edge of the couch, begging me to turn on the heat. Sad thing is, as much as I try to listen to her when she complains (she basically speaks my language, I mean who can't tell what she's complaining about with this pic?), this time, I can't do a darn thing about it.

2009-04-26T19:30:00.001-07:00

K, so here's the update on the good ol' pollen face...got out of the shower and HOLY COW, like a million little pins (well, prob mini dried up hives) all over and wayyyyyy worse red, cuz now it's all starting to peel and a few have popped when I washed my face and are now oozing, but the rest, if you look close, can see tiny little bumps under the skin that are NOT so lovely. K, hives on my legs I can deal with, but my FACE?!!? I'm, well, kinda over it to say the least. So there ya go...oh, and did you catch how now it's moving to my chin and neck more than my cheeks? Ya, I sure did. Freakin' rocks. I can't wait 'til it covers my whole body. I mean, honestly, I'm trying to embrace it, right? so what beats a million little itchy blisters all over my body. Well, I can't think of anything, so yay! (oh, and you can click on them to make them bigger for full inspection. Pretty cool)

oh, ya, one more thing...the POLLEN?!?!

2009-04-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

K, so evidently pollen levels are at insanely high, record-breaking levels or something right now (actually, prob just the time of year that they are high, but I am exaggerating), and my FACE is letting me know this. Like how joints supposedly ache when a storm is coming in, well, evidently my face has decided to equip me with my very own built-in pollen-o-meter. Yup, pretty much, based on the red and swollenness of my face, as well as the number of minute hives, I could tell you the level of the pollen in the air. Oh ya, totally sitting in my apartment with windows shut and AC on, but oh no, still getting the full effects of what is going on outside with the allergens. Here are a few pics, and they don't really do it justice, but basically, my cheeks can be seen from my own eyes (note-to-self, it's not normal. If that is something that normally occurs with you, you should prob get it looked at). My face, if lightly running your fingers over it, feels like a million little blisters just ready to ooze gook all over when they burst. Yup, feelin' like your face is on fire and you just got bit by a million little red ants couldn't get any better. I'm settling right into it, embracing it, and taking pictures of it for you all to see. So here ya go...

Side Note to all the crafting...

2009-04-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

So, Rob and I, about a week ago decided to eat some asparagus for dinner. Put it in the oven and rolled it in a bit of olive oil and salted it. Mmmmmm, delicious. Well, for those of you who don't know (ROB), or those of you who do, I'll reiterate....Asparagus makes your urine smell awful!!!
So, we eat our asparagus before Rob goes to work. Rob leaves for work, and I am left home to study, and of course not too much later, I have to use the restroom. Go to the bathroom and think to myself, due to the stench, and not remembering that I just ate asparagus, I think that I have some sort of MEGA uti. But, then I quickly remember, oh ya, that's not that stench so much as it is from the asparagus. Okay, good to go.
Ask Rob in the morning if his pee stunk so bad last night at work. He says no, don't think so, but what does it smell like? I say, I don't know, something rotten or awful ( I know, clearly I was running into a wall of explicit description adjectives). He pauses, ponders, silence for about two minutes as, then he says, "wait, does it smell like really bad rusty pipes?"
"Yes, exactly, much better description." Then realizing that he could have only had this description if he HAD smelt it. So, I wait for the answer and he begins to tell me that indeed it did. In fact, as he went to the bathroom throughout the night at the hospital he was convinced that they had some real bad plumbing problem going on and had opened all the windows in three different bathrooms as a result. Of course, I am now laughing, picturing this, and him having no clue. But, honestly, who doesn't know this.
At any rate, we had another batch of asparagus for dinner tonight (target has it on special), and it was just as delicious as the first time, and this time good old Rob is well prepared to go to work with the happenings of his renal filtration system. But, I just got to thinking, why does this occur, and I found out why and thought I would share a little "food for thought" with you all (no pun intended), so here goes....
WHY DOES YOUR PEE SMELL WHEN YOU EAT ASPARAGUS?
Asparagus contains a sulfur compound called mercaptan. It is also found in onions, garlic, rotten eggs, and in the secretions of skunks. The signature smell occurs when this substance is broken down in your digestive system. Not all people have the gene for the enzyme that breaks down mercaptan, so some of you can eat all the asparagus you want without stinking up the place, but the rest of us (clearly myself and Rob) do not, and you certainly KNOW when we eat asparagus. There ya go, now you know.

it continues...

2009-04-25T14:36:00.001-07:00

K, so the wire frame laying on the couch in the last post is now cast in plaster. And, one more wire frame centerpiece in the works....ahhh, now perhaps you can begin to share my vision. let me know.

So, last night, I got two spiral frames sort of done...

2009-04-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

In response to Mary's request with not realizing my vision at all (which just try to work with me here, folks, it will work)....here are two spiral frames, not cast yet, put together.

Oh ya, about that craft project...

2009-04-24T19:00:00.001-07:00

So I promised a few pics along the way to my whimsical wonderland, and here are a few in the VERY beginnings.
The overall supplies which cover the entire front of my fireplace...
Along with a little glimpse of my fresh plastic after cutting the plaster fabric roll into useable strips, before it turns into a snowglobe (I know, they are stalking me lately, everywhere I turn there is white powder in my house) as did the last area I had created. The dogs found there way into the "area" and left me a little treasure of white plaster paw prints all over (I was too hectic in cleaning to get a picture, but now I wish I had, it really was priceless how involved in my projects they get).
What used to be my table has now become my workbench with my workgloves and pliars and wirecutters, some spirals that are NOT to be stepped on by the dogs, and the rug on the chair as the wire gets stuck on the rugs and is QUITE a pain to deal with.
Oh ya, here's how annoyed they are at the craft project, as Harley is looking quite perturbed with me now photographing what used to be her "lookout" to all the hot boy dogs as they walk by my apartment. Sorry bud, sacrifices must be made on all accounts, we are a team, with a HUGE mission.Okay, so last pic (and who knows why this is underlined, but it is, so deal with it, cuz i have had to) of my ghetto set-up with the brooms for the large "stems" of one of the 6ft. tall swirls. Just picture it, you have to 'cuz it's hard to look at without picturing it. Rather sad, standing alone, partially wrapped in plaster, waiting for it's "swirls" to make it all better. At any rate, there is part I of what will prob turn out to be a million part installment.

k, so, life? it's going...

2009-04-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Well, folks, I have set out on the largest craft project of my entire career, and for those of you who know me, that means it's HUGE. Well, yes, indeed, it is. Here's how it all came to be....
- ordered my cake (like picture but no cards on top, just more swirly things, and the bubbles separating the layers are going to be more spiky and smaller, and the colors are black, mint, white and hunter green - picture it)
- Found the cake incredibly inspiring and very me, of course (seems to be the theme of my wedding, you be the judge of if "me" is going to be cool, but clearly I'm happy about it). So, then began to ponder centerpieces. Was going to go with the twiggy tree branch sort of centerpieces figuring they were a bit more me than, oh, let's just say some roses or something. At any rate, so now I've decided I like the whole spiral idea. I begin to ponder, and google, and voila, this is the closest I could find.
- So, now you're wondering and picturing this large chaos factor of a million dollar wedding with wooden carved perfect spirals. Ummm, not quite, I'm not that high rollin'. So, I begin to think of other options....Foam, of course, cheap and light and doable, right? WRONG.
-Begin calling places for "props" (like theater props) in Utah, and no one really does this custom. Next, look up foam people in Utah (not people, but you know, people who have foam in their company titles). A great company who makes many products for it, but not a single one that actually makes things out of it. However, find a company who knows a company in Georgia who does this sort of custom thing.
-Great, e-mail a place in GA, and also a place in FL in the same line of AWESOME work. Place in FL, no response (they prob assumed I was a joke, I am, most of the time, so can't blame them). Place in GA, great response, get back to me with a quote.
-Get quote a week later, oh ya, only $1,500 for ONE of the 6 ft tall pieces. (seeing as how I want 4 6ft tall to make a heart for us to get married in front of and two in the hall, as well as about 20 of varying height and spirals from 1-4 ft tall) This was a BIT out of budget to say the least.
- Now my wheels really start turning (ya know, all one of them that I have up there, but sometimes it can really get going)...I'm now set on this idea, and it must work. So here goes...
I, myself (and perhaps with Rob watching) will be making these. I have now ordered:
-35 rolls of "molder's mesh" (glorified chicken wire that's much more malleable and has diamond rather than square holes, and holes are only 1/2" wide). Out of this, I will make the wire frames of all the random spiral pieces.
-20 rolls (100lbs.) of plaster impregnated fabric (like what you make casts out of), which I will apply to the outside of the frames.
- 20 lbs. of "patching plaster" to apply with a putty knife and attempt to fix all the imperfections of smoothness from the wire frame.
- A butt load of acrylic paint. This, I will use to paint each spiral to match the different tiers of the cake. (diamonds, stripes, mint polka dots, etc)
Basically, I am setting out to create my entire own "whimsical wonderland" and who knows if it will turn out, but it will be a valiant effort nonetheless. Pictures will be coming as I continue. Wish me luck....

Hello weatherman...what is your prediction?

2009-04-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hello weatherman, have you even been attempting to predict the weather lately? I must admit, I stopped watching you years ago after you told me it was supposed to be nice in Logan, UT and my boogers froze clear into my sinuses on the walk to school the next morning. I suppose, to me, you just got my hopes up that I might have a snot-free walk, and day after day, you were wrong. I would get to the top of old main and either be dripping in sweat with the crack sweat line, the pit tacos, and a beet red face because you told me it was supposed to be a nice cool morning and I was way overdressed or I would be shivering uncontrollably, my lungs frozen, and using my icicle hands to attempt and thaw my boogers before chipping them off in the bathroom. Basically, you lost all credibility, and I lost all faith. In short, I have slowly regained faith in "local on the 8's" in the past week. Why? Because you predicted this great nonsense weather starting two weeks ago, and this time, it was pure miracle you got it right...what happened, you ask? Well, let me tell you...
It snowed, about 1 foot in the valley a week and a half ago, and it came out of nowhere. What the HECK was that all about?!!? Well, it recovered, you recovered, I recovered, when it began to be sunny again. The whole fluke of 65 high monday, CRAP STORM tuesday, and 72 high on wednesday was NUTSO!! But, you predicted it, perfectly on time. Perfectly to the point where I cashed in the flip-flops for boots on that tuesday morning walk to school, and man did I thank you for it. Well, I am now here to say that I hope spring is here to stay....It's been 70's for the past week, and supposed to be 78 and 79 highs for the next two days, and not much lower from there on out. Basically, I love it, I love it, and I love it. HOWEVER....
Let me tell you that my apartment is just a bit backwards on the whole save energy and money thing. Also, they are a bit behind on the whole turn on the freakin' AC thing. I'll address the save energy and money first.
It has just begun to be sunny. So, of course, due to the sheer logic by which my apartment complex operates, I should have known we would get a notice on the door. And what does it say? Well, of course: Third level apartments will be having INSULATION installed in the attics for the next three days between the times of 8:00am-6:00pm, please leave doors unlocked. Well, first, pretty much the easiest target for any neighborhood theif with any brains (which usually they have none, so we should be safe), as any third floor apartment will be unlocked for the next three days, please walk in. Secondly, how in the world did they decide that now, after winter has ended, is a great time to put up insulation. Thirdly, I arrive home to a SNOWSTORM, manmade, in my apartment. It appears that they "shoot" the insulation into the attics (in my bedroom of course) through tubes at high pressure, which, also, should have guessed, would have a HOLE in the tube. Ya know, most of it still gets "shot" into the areas it should, so no need to replace the tube. Also, no need to replace the carpeting and clothes that the "hole" has made into a snowglobe. Basically, the notice on the door should have read..."Third floor apartments, if you would like to experience what it feels like to live in a real snowglobe, please leave your door unlocked for the next three days (yes, robbers, it's true, you should come try the snowglobe effect) and we will provide that for you free of charge!!
Subject number two, now that you live on the third floor, and it is summer, and 70 degrees outside, meaning it is 100 degrees in your apartments (yes, folks, it's true. Heat does indeed rise), we would like to come put in insulation. But, don't worry, we will just keep all that heat in there real good, because we won't turn on the AC yet. The AC will not be turned on until Eve Hackett has thrown a fit at midnight after rolling around in her bed for two hours without even a sheet on, all the windows open, the fan on, and is still sweating like a whore in church. Basically, we need to see the physical evidence that her bed has become a sess pool of sweat before we will turn it on. Also, if she leaves perhaps three messages on the emergency maintenance line at midnight that she is DYING of heat, then we may contemplate turning it on. Until then "fry like piggies you freshman bitches," (to take the line of the best movie ever) and after a week of dehydration due to sweat lost while sleeping, and four days of high-70's we have finally turned on the AC. YEE-HAW!!!! (p.s. I'm sure the only reason had to have been that I met all their criteria for the switch with flying colors)
All in all...have restored all faith in the weather man/woman, and now have a lovely artificial cool breeze to keep me using my sheet and perhaps even a light blanket all night. Spring, I'm ready and you better be here to stay, 'cuz I'm packin' up the snowboots. Oh ya, and the snowglobe, if you ever get the offer, it's not fun in real life when the real life location happens to be your bedroom and all your stuff. Beware, the notices may not be as fun and exciting as they seem to portray. And yes, robbers must still be pretty dumb (thankfully).

a few curse words (you've been warned), but It's HILARIOUS!

2009-04-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

K, so I know many of you have prob never tried drugs or experienced any form of mind altering chemical. However, most everyone has heard of "acid" and heard how people act and see and say weird stuff and "trip out" when on acid. Well, here it is...the people who made this video had a roommate on acid, locked him in a closet and recorded everything that he said. They then took his words, and animated a small gecko saying these things to his voice. Freakin' hilarious if you ask me, I was crying I was laughing so hard.

Ahhh, nothing better than procrastination with useless surveys. Here ya go...

2009-04-17T20:22:00.001-07:00

1) What is your salad dressing of choice? "bolton dressing" or ranch
2) What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? tepanyaki or chuck-e-cheese
3) What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it? fried rice
4) What are your pizza toppings of choice? cheese usually stands alone, but depending on my mood could be jalapenos or pineapple or both. That's it though.
5) What do you like to put on your toast? almond butter and blueberry jam
6) How many televisions are in your house? 1
7) What color cell phone do you have? black
8) Are you right-handed or left-handed? def. right-handed
9) Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Not that I'm aware of. Other than teeth as a child.
10) What is the last heavy item you lifted? dang textbooks
11) Have you ever been knocked unconscious? not that I remember. haha.
12) If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? interesting...i think maybe yes. perhaps no, i'll get back to you on that.
13) If you could change your name, what would you change it to? miller
14) Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? nope. maybe 10,000. I'm not cheap, nor stupid.
15) How many pairs of flip flops do you own? oh wow, currently, i think only 7.
16) What's your goal for the year? to make it through the year and everything work out how I've hoped it will
17) Last person you talked to? rob, of course.
18) Last person you hugged? rob
19) Favorite Season? fall
20) Favorite Holiday? Christmas, is there any better. (refer to old posts if wondering)
21) Favorite day of the week? saturdays
22) Favorite Month? prob June.
23) First place you went this morning? to the kitchen.
24) What's the last movie you saw? slumdog millionaire (it had been 6 months before that for my last movie)
25) Do you smile often? I tend to think so. usually to myself.
26) Do you always answer your phone? just about. I try at least.
27) It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? usually no one, first guesses would be someone not in my time zone or ker, or rob
28) If you could change your eye color what would it be? a brighter blue, but no complaints really. garr eyes are good though, too.
29) What flavor drink do you get at Sonic? alternate, diet coke or diet cherry limeade. During happy hour of course. and they have styrofoam cups, did you know I love those?
30) Have you ever had a pet fish? Yup. "Tiny" the fighting fish
31) Favorite Christmas song? Wintersong, sarah mclaughlin
32) What's on your wish list for your birthday? a new house and a husband and pharmacy school, though some of those will come a few months later.
33) Can you do push ups? I can only hope. I think a few. enough said.
34) Can you do a chin up? nope, but have done 1 in my entire life, in 6th grade PE
35) Does the future make you more nervous or excited? a bit of both, but pretty freakin' stoked mainly.
36) Do you have any saved texts? hmmm, don't think so, not with intent.
37) Ever been in a car wreck? yah. broke my knuckle on my steering wheel.
38) Do you have an accent? haha, some say i have an ohio accent (utahans), some say I have a utah accent (ohioans)...must be a good mix.
39) What is the last song to make you cry? oooo, prob jesus take the wheel.
40) Plans tonight? studying. I'm a big loser, have you noticed?
41) Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? not completely. rough times though sometimes, but rock bottom is rock bottom, come on now.
42) Name 3 things you bought today. Ummm, lots of taco bell food, and a pair of sweats
43) Have you ever been given roses? ya, once, 'til rob, he knows i like things a bit more creative.
44) Current hate right now? hate is strong, come on survey writers. prob physiology though.
45) Met someone who changed your life? of course. three mainly, but many to be honest.
46) How did you bring in the New Year? jackson hole with the fam
47) What song represents you? wow. prob imogen heap that goes "wherrrrrrrr, are we, what the h is gooooooing on, time has only....you get the idea. you either know it or you don't.
48) Name three people who might complete this? I hope no one, I like to be original. Just kidding, I'm attempting to use reverse psychology, cuz i'm assuming no one.
49) What were you doing 12 AM last night? are you kidding? sleeping! do I need to reiterate the whole no life/loser thing.
50) what did you think when you woke up? oh man, way too early, and do I really have to take the dogs out.

WOW, Sometimes I impress myself with my eating skills

2009-04-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

Ummm, so let's start out by making sure that you have all seen the taco bell ads for the $1 nachos, and if you haven't, here it is...

So, the average human, would probably be slightly entertained by this ad at most. Perhaps, even a bit disturbed, and shake their head in confusion of what ads have come to. Myself, however, not normal as always, had the complete and opposite response. Basically, I'm the ad target from long ago (including the dang impulse buys in the check-out lines. I thought I was safe in the self-checks, but they have even begun to place small items there as well. But that's off the subject, somewhat). At any rate, I see this ad, I'm home studying for finals (physiology finals nonetheless, ya know, how all our systems work, and it's so intricate and we shouldn't clog them, etc, etc, but clearly i'm rebelling). I not only thoroughly enjoyed the idea behind this commercial (I am a fellow smuggler of candy and 32oz. drinks into movies), but I then began to crave nachos. Now, we all know (or know if you talk to me in the last year or so) that I have gone vegan. This is great and all, but we also all know that I have a ridiculous problem with cravings (and, no, nothing even close to relating to that time of the month, just simply crave random foods pretty much at all times). Well, fast-food commercials are about the one thing that can get me craving the latest sandwich or special at any hour, and craving them to the point where I will actually get off the couch and go get them at any hour. Oh man, So great, and really so bad all at the same time. I now proceed with my confession of my actions following said commercial...
-Salivating, watching the TV 100% intrigued, and actually a bit sad when the pictures of the nachos in that lovely little globe display disappeared (kind of reminded me of a snowglobe).
-Thought how good those would be, and how much I didn't need them, and how much they would just clog my "renal filtration" system right up with the sodium, and my aldosterone levels would increase, as well as my ADH, causing me thirst and much glomerular filtration rate increase all due to the salt. (clearly, I know my stuff for the final)
- Next, began to study again, having succeeded in the convincing. Well, for a few seconds.
- Can't stop thinking about the nachos...3 different kinds, each with different layers of flavors, savory taco bell "butt meat" and cheese, not real cheese, the completely artificial, absolutely cannot ever be replaced with real cheese, cheese. The best cheese around. K, so now it's getting harder to convince.
- Next step, realizing that I would have to take the dogs out, put them in their crates, find my wallet, put on shoes, put on a bra (or at least a large hoodie), and get in my cold car. This was not worth it. At least not in the next five seconds.
- It's worth it, That cheese, that meat, so pristine and such a good deal. All less than a dollar!? Wow, that right there is a statement for the quality of the ingredients. Top notch fake fast-food, all artifical, all preservatives, all a small slice of heaven.
- So it's done. No more convincing, it has clearly not worked.
- Do all of the things I listed I thought I would have to do (opted for the hoodie over the bra)
- Get in the car and drive 10 minutes to taco bell. Pull to the drive thru, and of course, should have expected it, I just can't decide.
- I know begin to get nervous, I won't be satisfied 'cuz I won't know what I left untasted. And, not just in the nacho category, but in all of the heavenly pictures on that plastic drive-thru screen category.
- I begin to order, 1 of each of the three nacho types. Should suffice..would suffice, for the normal person, but once again, that person I am not....Order a crunchy taco, but what about the soft? Get a soft taco. then remember the perfect combination of crunchy and soft tacos in that pie sort of thing they put out a while ago, the crunchwrap supreme. Oh, but then the dessert. Those stupid carmel apple empanadas, gotta have that. Of course, a diet coke. I think I'm done. Yup, "that's it" I tell the lady, who will probably die of shock when I drive up to the window and she sees that a single person has just ordered all of this. She preceeds to repeat my order (prob trying to hint that it is not normal nor healthy, but who is she to judge)....
one of each of the $1 nachos, three total. One crunchy taco, one soft taco, one crunchwrap supreme, and one caramel apple empanada.
- Sounds good, I think we're set. But, no, certainly need a drink, and they only have pepsi products, and diet pepsi is not good, so have to go with the mountain dew. Next, see the final "beef n' cheesy" nachos (not $1, but amazing in the picture). I quickly say, ya, and can you add a mountain dew and the beef n' cheesy nachos.
- last two important parts added to the delightful order, and I feel great. I pay at the window, hoping she thinks I have a lot of people at home to help me eat this, cuz if she doesn't, then she's onto me, and that is embarassing.
-Drive home, trying not to dig into the bag in the car, and man that was a fight, but I managed.
-get back upstairs and proceed to eat all, every freaking bite of that order, up until the beef n' cheesy nachos. Had about 1/2 of those and called it good, as the coma had started to set in, I couldn't make it.
- Huge dent in the order though, did a good job, and at this point, I'm going to sign off as my belly is overhanging my keyboard and I feel as though I should prob lay down before it all begins to come back up. Wow, it was great.
Love the nacho coma, thank you taco bell, for satisfying cravings like mine all hours of the day, all over the nation.

Kate, I Want Your Job....

2009-04-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is a random post in response to the previous post (Top 10 Shows) and the first comment left on that post. Refer to it if you would like, and you should, as this will all make much more sense...

The commenter, "Kate," responded in very quick time, and her response was this (for those of you too lazy to look):

Eve -

We couldn't be more excited to be at the top of the list (and in it 4 times!!). Really glad you're liking TTS. Not sure if you know about the FB page but you can get plenty more info and content here: http://bit.ly/TakingTheStage

Kate with MTV!

So, my mind began to wonder, why, she was motivated to write this post, then how she found this post, then who exactly she was, etc. Here are my conclusions...
1) She clearly works for MTV
2) Her name is Kate (pretty obvious)
3) She found my post in record time
4) This must be her job, as she affiliated herself with a network.
5) Is this her entire job? If so, I want her job....
How great is that? Your day is spent being able to look at blogs all day and then comment in support of lovers/bloggers of your MTV affiliated shows. Basically, you are a cheerleader for free publicity for your said employer. And, not only that, but your employer pays you to be a professional "blog cheerleader." In this way, you get to brighten bloggers days by showing them you read their blog (most people don't), and not only that, but enthusiastically show your love for them freely publicizing your company of employment. It has to not only be a feel-good job (due to above reasons), but also, a super easy and quick job. I mean, honestly, you don't feel like an idiot leaving a comment on someone's blog who you don't even know. You don't even have to go through the awkward introduction comment prior to your comment. You simply find it, bust on to the comments, say "MTV loves your support" in a few more words, and head onto the next site. Basically, Kate, you rock. How did you find this blog anyway? I mean, the blog world must be a feat to conquer, but I would say, to find mine, you must be at the pinnacle of your blog cheerleading world. It's probably as simple as typing in "MTV" or "Taking the Stage" into the search bar at the top of blogger.com, however, not only do you spend the time to do it, but you then take it to an entirely new energy level (with exclamation points and all), and then the cherry on top is that you get paid to do this seemingly mundane task. Props to you for taking an amazing job in the first place (assuming this is your job), and remaining so enthusiastically involved in it. I expected much less, but you clearly proved me wrong. Oh ya, and the Facebook page shout out, another great link to aid me in my every dwindling study habits. Thanks, I appreciate it Kate, we share the love of a show, and I would love to share your job. You're a rockstar, keep it up.

ummm, movies? prob shows.

2009-04-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

My Top 10 TV Shows:
I must preface this all by saying that I have a hard time watching movies because they require too much attention time. I tend to have ADD, and often, get distracted part way through, or just give up and turn it off. Or, if it's suspenseful I will just need to know the ending first, so I'll fast forward, and then I can maybe watch it, but usually still not. As far as TV, they are shorter, usually don't require as much attention, as you can get the big picture with not much effort. Also, usually the TV is on, just because I live alone, and have probably given myself a bad habit of always needing background noise to study with. With that said, here are my "top 10" tv shows.
#1) Taking the Stage (MTV) - This is a great show that is about a high school in cincinatti for the talented singers, dancers, etc. A school for the arts if you will. Why I love it? Well, it involves high schoolers, so most of the drama is still very cute. There is a cute couple (the ballet dancer and the hip-hop dancer) that I get twitterpated for, just in watching them. It's fun to see them go through it at their age, 'cuz once in a relationship for a long time (although I wouldn't give it back), you just lose that original twitterpation. Also, amongst the high school drama, you also get great showings of awesome music and dance.
#2) American Idol (FOX) - Don't know why I love it, but sadly must admit I do. I have watched probably too many seasons, but I've picked the last two winners from day one auditions. I get attached, I love thier voices, and I love when they are unique. Also, nothing better than new stuff to find on itunes.
#3) Project Runway (BRAVO) - love to watch the punk sort of style that people come up with. Also, I tend to be slightly creative myself, and just love to see what the people come up with. Besides that, who doesn't love Tim Gunn: "make it work."
#4) The Hills (MTV) - I probably sadly feel as though I know these people. From Laguna Beach to all grown up and living in L.A., I feel as though I root for them, and get mad at their friends for them, etc. Basically, probably provides the "drama" in my life for me, because I rarely have any myself (which I am thankful for, yes).
#5) The City (MTV) - sort of goes along with the hills, because the character is a break off of one of the hills characters, just now she's moved to NYC to work for an even bigger and better fashion person. I think I am attracted to watching what my life is not at all.
#6) Millionaire Matchmaker (Bravo) - She tells it how it is. She also sets up the biggest losers that just happen to have a lot of money. Love to see awkward dates, and people telling it how it is. Entertaining.
#7) Jockeys (Animal Planet) - Great show. Reality show about Jockeys. Pretty much, amazing. Reality and horses, my two favorite things put in one. Oh, and did I mention they have amazing horses on this show, and also, the racing industry in-depth, and this is an industry that is ridiculous in how it works and how much money there is involved in it.
#8) True Life (MTV) - Now this one is listed with a mixture of opinion. Why? Because I love it sometimes, but depending on the topic, choose not to watch it. If it's a good topic, it can offer great insight into, once again, something that my life is not very involved with. I love learning where people come from, and this show does that. However, like I said, some of the topics are a bit much, or perhaps even something I don't even care to get in the heads of the people that are involved in that topic.
#9) America's Next Top Model - Great background. Get some biatch fights over stupid stuff. Get to see models get fat and stress over being a size 4, or who ate who's granola bars. Also, get to see what look like normal girls transformed into models with the make-up and hair on shoots. Just great to see that models, without the make-up, may be average or even less. Sometimes a refreshing glimpse of the modeling industry. Also, photographers are great on the show.
#10) Real Housewives of New York City (Bravo) - Bethanny. Enough said. She's great, totally me, in some ways. Love to, once again, see other peoples lives that are so crazy. Also, incredibly entertaining to watch 40 year old women act like they are in high school and spend money on ridiculous things. Funny to see that although we grow up, honestly, sometimes people never really do. It's very great.
One last thing, these are the top 10, but not really in any certain order because all of them come on at different times of the year, therefore, there is no hierarchy of how I watch them. Rather, a great mix with about two shows at a time, but that I love, whenever they decide to grace my television screen.

This is great. Or perhaps I'm bored...enjoy!

2009-04-11T18:36:00.001-07:00

2009-04-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, yes. My love for my two most recent favorite foods is overflowing, so I just decided to let it flow onto my blog. I have no explanation for how much gummi bears mean to my taste buds, nor how many of them I have eaten in the past four days. I guess I should just leave it at that I have been studying most of the past 4 days and they have been a constant, consoling and oh so sweet study buddy.
They smile(although if you honestly look closely, they are more evil than happy and more like a row of three dots in two columns), they mush, they are lovely translucent colors (unless of course you get the ones that have a thin powder coating to keep them from sticking to one another, but this is not a good strategy as it takes away from the fun translucence of it all), and best of all, only 5 or so could give you enough sugar to study for the rest of the day (just simply unfortunate that I can't stop there and well surpass it, as 5 is about the amount for each handful). Also, to aid you further in the brilliance of these little buggers, I will now compare them to a few other candies for you:
Jolly Ranchers - long lasting, great flavor. BUT The minute you bite them, they stick in your teeth forever, in fact, they may even cause your teeth to stick together and cause the uncomfortable feeling of your jaw not being able to open again. Compacted sugar just eating holes in your enamel. And, don’t you want to try more than one flavor in 15 minutes? As far as flavor, it's almost too much, to the point where if you have more than one in a row your cheek tissue starts to wrinkle and shrivel and your tongue gets canker sores
Cadbury Mini Eggs - Oh man, this is a really close call to be honest, so I throw a few in the mix just for sheer pleasure, as these are one of my huge downfalls around easter. However, will say that these are almost too sweet to eat a lot of. If you eat too many in a row, you get more sick in about half the time of eating the same amount of gummi bears. Also, the shell is delicious, but, sometimes I can't crunch it 'cuz it really is a bit too much like eating egg shells.
Swedish Fish - Amazing cherry flavor BUT only one flavor, hope you like it and don’t want a change. Fish are always fun, and chewy BUT fish are only fun if you're not being honest with yourself. In truth, they are boring, flat, and if you think about it, should be slimy (kind of like how they feel in your mouth after moistened). Also, complete stick in the teeth, like rubber cement filling all your teeth contours, and take a long time to dissolve out without using your finger to pick it out once compacted.
Almond M&M's - Variety of colors, and a few flavors BUT only flavor difference is really the color or the nut inside, so not really a difference (once again if you're honest with yourself). Crunchy, but can only crunch for so long. Also, if don’t crunch, you are ultimately left with no choice but to crunch, as the nut in the middle will not simply dissolve, and who wants awesome chocolate only to be left with a nut (that is most likely stale).
In conclusion, Gummi Bears give a variety of flavors (yes, red is way different than green, just think about it), allow a mild perfect sweetness that does not make you sick (at least not until about a bag later), allows you to make it short or long lasting if you prefer to chew it or suck on it or a mixture of both. Also, perfectly rubbery texture that allows you to create a game of trying to get them to remain in-between your teeth while you bite without squirming out, and if you do chew, bouncing off your teeth without packing into your crevices and requiring awkward jaw stuckness or manual removal with your finger. Basically, they give you complete control over your experience with them, basically, completely adaptable to your need at the time. Every experience is bound to be great and flavorful and you even get a choice in flavors. Oh ya, and did I mention, in truth, teddy bears are amazing and cuddly, and fat, and cute! (oh wait, maybe that's what I'm hoping I'll be after I eat four more bags.)
At any rate, that is confession and persuasion about the first new addiction and now for the second....Simply put, how did we all forget about Original Goldfish? Okay, these fish don't have scales, aren't slimy and are a lovely salt accompaniment to any food you choose. A perfect mixture of crunch, salt and oven-baked flakiness. Also, perfect bite-size so that you can easily control your portions. Mhmmm, and, also, did I mention they are round in every way so that there is simply no way you can get them lodged on the roof of your mouth causing a painful poke by a corner of a normal snack-cracker. Really, folks, does it get any better. And, the best part, there is no cheese involved! This allows one to add a flavor if they would like (putting them in soup, etc.) or let them remain in their wholesome heaven of plain flavor yet amazing salt crunch! Perfect in every way these two! I'm glad I have re-discovered them in my recent life, as I have not had a dull meal nor a canker sore in my past four days of studying. That's it for now.

The trials of school continue...

2009-04-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

So....Just when I think it's all figured out and done and dandy....Yup, you guessed it, it's NOT. So, I get a letter from Regis University (where I am planning on going to Pharmacy School in Augustish - still don't know when it starts, and not sure if they do either), that is titled "Evaluation." Oh man, I knew it had to be good. Me getting evaluated never involves positives.
I open it, my heart beating and I can't read it fast enough....There it is: "Upon our evaluation of your transcript, it seems there are a few classes you will need to take this summer in order to fulfill the prerequisites we require." I open the pdf. attachment to see these "classes" that I have somehow missed in my 270 credits of undergraduate at three different universities in the past 8 years. Go figure, there it is...Philosophy, Psychology, Calculus, Organic Chemistry II Lab, and speech/communications. Thoughts/reactions:
1. They accepted me over two months ago, and have just now looked at my transcript.
2. I have taken 270 credits in who-the-hell-knows-what and nothing fulfills those?
3. I have taken social psychology, calculus techniques, and organic chemistry II with lab included, and speech/communications.
4. What the h-e-double hockey sticks do any of these have to do with pharmacy, folks, can't you help me out?
I proceed in the following fashion:
1. Write an e-mail back to Regis titled "clarifying my evaluation" (Yes, I am slightly peeved at this point)
2. Write an e-mail to my academic advisor at Utah State (yes, we're tight), asking her what my bachelor of science degree had accepted as those prerequisites.
I get the following responses:
1. From Regis - upon review of your recent e-mail (I had sent the syllabi from all of my classes that I had taken to fulfill those classes they said I hadn't), we are able to accept the calculus and psychology, leaving you to take Religious Studies, Speech/communications, Philosophy, and Organic Chemistry II lab.
2. From my advisor - speech and communications was filled by these two classes, let me know what I need to do to help you get these passed.
Regis, despite my advisor talking to them for 20 minutes about what I had taken and what Utah State had accepted, would not accept my speech/communications.
At this point, I am told that I can take all but the organic chemistry II lab at Regis through online classes over the summer. Fine, Done. I'm pretty good at school at this point, just let me move on. One huge stumbling block: a 1 (did you catch that, a ONE credit class of which 4 of the credits I have already taken and the ONE extra credit was not offered) credit Organic Chemistry II laboratory class. And, clearly, and lab cannot be done at home, as they are not going to send me chromotography paper and protein separating equipment for use in my own home. So, I am stuck, finding a summer class for a ONE credit lab that I didn't even have the option to take previously!!
Sidenote: I have taken two semesters of physics, both with separate laboratories, 2 semesters of biochemistry, both with separate laboratories, and one semester of genetics with a separate laboratory. Yes, that is 5 credits worth of EXTRA, higher level, science laboratories which Regis does not require, but is not sufficient to substitute for the 1 credit that they do.
So, I am now trying to get into the lab only portion (as every school wants all your money and requires the lab to be taken with the lecture) of organic chemistry II at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio over the summer. Which means, I will be living in Ohio for July and going to school 5 days a week to accomplish this ridiculous, repetitive class. Still working on getting into that class by the way, so that should be just a few more weeks of frustration headed my way. But, I'm feeling like it will happen, I just can't get too frustrated. It's all a state of mind, right? Well, my state of mind is peaceful and happy, so I'm good.

So I finally found one

2009-04-10T12:31:00.000-07:00

Well, the internet search is over. I have found a template that is simple but unique. I think I'm feeling good about it. Let me know your votes (I know only a few of you will, but I will appreciate it nonetheless). Oh ya, I'll probably get around to a new post sometime this evening. So it's not a total fake out.

the update

2009-04-05T08:00:00.001-07:00

So, got the professionals to help me out with the whole sterile cup thing and outcome is...I do have trace amounts of blood in my urine. Sort of abnormal, basically can be normal. Sounds about right for me (sort of the theme of my life in general). So, not a fluke, but not a huge problem. Just keep an eye on things over the next year or so.

On another note...

2009-04-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

Gotta love physiology lab...why? you ask, 'cuz clearly no one does. I mean, in all honesty, it's three hours of stupid experiments about your organ processes and such things trying to be illustrated by very strange models of canisters with balloons (lungs) and plastic bags in water filled with sugar (osmolarity and our capillaries), etc. At any rate, this last Wednesday was an extra great one, (that in my well-dutied studying ways after 8 years of college) I had read will require someone in our group to drink 600mls of water (pure torture, as water in mass quantities guzzled does not sit well with me), another the same amount of water with a salt pill, etc. Basically water drinking torture of sorts, all to explain to us how our kidneys are working. Given, I suppose, that they even are working properly at all.
This last part is where the lab last Wednesday was interesting. We drink our various copious amounts of water, and then have to urinate, every 30 minutes for the next two hours (no earlier and no later) into a lovely red cup and then measure the volume, the specific gravity, etc....well, I urinate the first time and proceed to dip the strip of multi-color blocks into my lovely urine while lined up along the bench with all my fellow lab-goers doing the same. Awkward in a sense, and in another sense, quite the experiment in social psychology, prob something along the lines of strength in numbers, etc. At any rate, I dip my strip and begin to compare the back of the bottle to read the results. Well, let's just say I was all good to go until I hit the "blood" square of the dipstick. All my "friends" had lovely pale strips all the way across, and mine was a lovely pale strip with a large DARK GREEN square right in the middle. Hmmmm, pretty sure that can't be normal. Now, I realize I'm female, but no, not that time of the month, and yes, still an absolute highest reading for blood level in the urine.
Needless to say, thank you, physiology lab, for letting me know that I potentially have a very bad kidney problem allowing blood to get into my urine. Who would have known without your amazing facilitation of my dip strip? At any rate, hoping it's all a random fluke and i'm good to go, but ya never know. So, I'll be peeing in a cup one more time this week (although, this time it will be a sterile cup brought home for me from the hospital by Rob) and getting it read professionally (Rob will take it to the lab with him when he goes to work - now that's dedication), and i'll give you the update. Until then, just hope that you never have to dip a strip in front of twenty people to find a large DARK GREEN square staring you back in the face, right smack dab in the middle of your otherwise lovely and comforting pale squares of color. Ha, oh man, I'm a walking medical miracle. I'll keep ya posted.

Engagement photos

2009-04-03T08:25:00.001-07:00

Well, long story, but our photographer had an emergency surgery on her dog the Saturday before she was supposed to take our engagement pictures on Tuesday. All was well and she had confirmed time and place as of Tuesday morning. I had gone on Tuesday afternoon to get my hair and make-up done as a trial for the wedding, and was getting it done when she called at 1:30 (we were supposed to meet her at 4:30), to say that she was not going to be able to make it. Slightly surprised, I still got my hair and make-up done 'cuz I didn't want to put them out, but the lady was so shocked at our story after I hung up the phone that she made some calls to photographers that their salon works with, and was able to line us up a photographer to get them done that day anyway. He was great and so easy to work with and took some great shots. His name is Justin Hackworth if anyone is looking for a great photographer. So it all worked out. So, needless to say, it was fun, we got them done, he was cool and we'll see the final product on this coming Tuesday, at which point I will post more. However, here is one that he posted on his blog that he liked as he was going through them thus far. That's that.

kitchen-aid, smitchen-aid

2009-03-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

I don't really have a reason for this blog except that I'm bored, tired, and Rob is watching sports. Pretty much, cue for me to indulge myself in the lovely world of the internet and at this point, having searched many random things (and facebook has long lost it's wonder), I begin to ponder writing something to entertain me. So here goes, my utter frustration with my food processor...
Rob had to go to a baseball game tonight with a friend (well, didn't have to, but baseball + rob + friend = had to in his head), so we were on a schedule for dinner. This is normally fine, as I rarely cook or if I do, it is simply as a stress reliever, or I'm tired of eating soup. Well, today was one of those days.
I had found a lovely recipe for falafel's (Rob's favorite) online, and although they are usually fried to cook that is too much of a mess, and I really have lost my stomach for deep fried things (except of course the good old McDonald's, which is almost so rubber and fake that it all goes well in the intestines). So, with these factors in mind, I decided I should just bake them. I mean, basically all we achieve by frying is a crunchy outside and a heated through inside (because, nothing is really raw in the ingredients). Well, this could easily be accomplished by simply baking them, and then if that wasn't sufficient for the crunchiness, I figured we could just quick broil them towards the end.
Turns out this is how it went, and in the end, the product was pure delight. However, on the way to the end, we had a slight issue with the Kitchen-Aid (NOT and AID but rather a HUGE HINDERANCE in the kitchen) food processor. Basically, they have made the "safety" gizmo on this thing so freakin' sensitive that it literally will not work...we pour in all ingredients, plug in, lock in the base, the handle, the blade, and every other freakin' thing that has to be perfectly "locked," "balanced," and "perfect" to achieve the lovely hum of the motor. Well, we all know I have NO luck with perfection, not even an ounce, and thus, no chance in hell of getting this thing to hum while it purees my amazing little chickpea concoction.
I try five times, locking and unlocking, wiggling and jiggling. Nothin'. Silence. Plug into a different plug, because that would be likely to happen to me (ya know, the plug just happens to not work at that moment and I don't realize). Plug into three different plugs consecutively and still pure silence. I push that little "pulse" button with some form of uncontrolled hatred and anticipation repeatedly. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. nothinnothnothinnotnotnononononono....that's how it sounds as i poke and poke faster and faster hoping to get a result. Still, a BIG FAT NOTHING. That stupid shiny little black beast is just staring at me on the counter, laughing in my face because I didn't wiegh out the freakin' number of chickpeas on each side of every blade. I know it, I can feel it.
Rob steps in, he's always much more patient, but very rarely more successful. At this point, he dumps out the entire mixture into a bowl and begins to try again. I get a phone call (necessary distraction at this point) and have to go away for a minute. Come back to find Rob having even lost his patience and has now gotten the other incapable tool in the kitchen - the manual chopper. What a joke and a headache that tool. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam...that's how it sounds on the counter as the blades slam down and you punch that top piece harder with every hit. Although, I will say it is a great stress reliever, and at some point you actually may achieve chopping perhaps one onion.
Next two minutes, Rob is over it, I hear the bamming stop, and I rise from the couch to take over. Rob is now back to trying to fix the food processor. I hear plug, jiggle, click, nothing, unplug, plug, click, lift blade, twist blade, click, lock, click, nothing, lift blade, lock, unlock, twist, lock, click, nothing....you get the idea. NOTHING, still. AHHHHHHHHH, I sometimes do not handle things well, and especially when they interfere with my dinner reaching my mouth in the next five minutes. Ya know, you just don't come between me and my food.
I have now given up on the chopper, as I will probably break it soon with my frustration being pushed onto that little handle. I turn to the old trusty "chop suey" knife and begin chopping faster and faster. Until, still, it looks like chickpea salad with a few mushed spots. That just ain't working. Rob, although I had tuned it out, is still plugging, clicking, locking, lifting and NOTHING....well, now I'm completely over it and in my last hoorah I dump everything into the processor and turn it on. Nothing....Oh man, It's over, I shake the living shit out of it, cursing the whole time, and well looky there, the piece o' crap decides to work. HA. what a joke, but oh man, what a celebration. Food is happening, and it might even be good, and it may not even take five more hours.

It's official

2009-03-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

here is the story of the proposal (so romantic):
In Rob's defense, he wanted me to let you know that I knew the day my ring was done (as I had it made custom - 'cuz I'm like that and want it the way I want it), and so I told him I wanted it some time that day, and it had to cost $20 or less. (I know, demanding and unromantic, but like I said, I know what I want, and in truth, it was perfect and I loved it!!)....So, I was home showering and my biggest fear in life is someone coming in my house when I'm showering, me not hearing them, and them killing me. Needless to say, I'm paranoid when showering and no one is home, and also, I know, I'm wierd....Well, I'm showering, I hear someone come in and I quickly assume my plan of what I will do. Turn off the fan and the water (stealth, I know) and stand still listening (you know, the kind when you try to listen so hard that your heartbeat is interfering with what you normally would be hearing). I yell out, "smash?" (That's my roommate and she is usually at school during this time, but ya never know). I proceed to stealthily (not moving the rungs on the shower curtain, because that could tip off the intruder to my whereabouts) get out of the shower and put on my towel (large, fully covered beach towel that my mom stole from the 4 seasons hotel for me - long story, but another thing about me being particular). I come around the corner and there is Rob with my ring around the straw of a 32oz. Crest Diet Coke (Crest is the gas station that has the best drive-thru and diet coke in all of the nation, clearly my fav) along with a tiny lit candle (he later confesses it was in his room and didn't know where it was from, and I tell him I know it was from when Randy proposed to Laura and those were the candles we floated in the vases - very original) and a flower. He gets down on one knee and proposes, of course I say yes! There it is.

I stole it from Mary

2009-03-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

Stole this idea from a friend of mine who is currently (do to unemployment) as "bored" as I am (as she calls it, but I prefer to think of it as highly entertained and highly entertaining others). You know, all those "others" who read my blog, I think there may be five of you. whoot.whoot.

44 things about me:

1. Do you like blue cheese? ummm, yes. rarely, depending on the chunkiness of the blue cheesiness (not much sense, but sounded better that way in my head). But, if the chunkiness is of a moderate to low level (i.e. more like ranch), then I have been known to indulge when eating chicken wings (and lord knows I used to be able to down quite a few).

2. Have you ever been drunk? no comment.

3.Do you own a gun? of course. didn't you know that Orem, UT is a pretty riotous neighborhood.

4. What flavor of Kool Aid was your favorite? Cherry. Used to eat the mix with the "fun-dip" stick after the "fun-dip" ran out.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? eh, ya know, I haven't had one in far too long.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I think that the 98% fat free "franks" (all beef, of course 'cuz lord knows what is in them if they don't say that, and really even if they do) are quite delectable with the proper amount of grilling and ketchup and ruffles potato chips. Wow, flashback.

7. Favorite Christmas movie? Elf for a long time, still have to watch it every season, but really The Holiday has taken over just because I love the accent of the little girl that says, "you look like my bawbie (picture english accent when kid saying barbie).

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? "Zen" Tazo green tea (a delectable mix of green tea, lemongrass and spearmint). Could a girl ask for more excitement in one small cup?

9. Can you do push ups? If I set my mind to it, but as far as exercise goes I am far too willing to admit defeat (in fact, usually admit it prior to even leaving the couch). In truth, yes, minimal amounts.

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? silver ring.

11. Favorite hobby? doing this sort of stupid useless and AWESOME thing.

12. Do you have A.D.D.? mhmmmmmm.

13. What's your favorite shoe? oh man, tooooo many. Lately, these white asics. Although, just ordered a new pair of converse XX HI that are going to be pretty rockin'. So thinkin' they will take over the fav spot.

14. Middle name? Grace.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? I should go to bed. Why is there a spanish commercial for milk on during my will and grace on the american lifetime channel, and whether or not my room is perma-stench or if one of the dogs has bad gas.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? diet coke, green tea, water.

17. Current worry? getting up in the morning.

18. Current hate right now? "hate" is a strong word, didn't your parent's teach you anything...I suppose physiology class but more of a "strong dislike."

20. How did you bring in the New Year? Jackson Hole with the fam. All laying on the pull out couch that was Rob's bed in front of the TV.

21. Where would you like to go? I love to wander. If I could wander all over the world unharmed and with no need for any monetary influence in any part of it, it would be luxurious I tell you.

22. Name three people who should complete this? whoever would love to as much as I did. You know, others volunteering themselves for a bit of tortuous entertainment...I know you're out there, fess up.

23. Do you own slippers? HECK YES. and LOVE THEM. (allow me to not wear socks that get any sort of hair on them, while still having soles to allow me to shuffle to class or run errands in them on lazy days without causing a problem, and keep my toes toasty in my freezing house because I refuse to pay the heat bill).

24. What color shirt are you wearing right now? Mint. It's a hoodie, of course.

25. Do you like sleeping on Satin sheets? ummm, Van Wilder anyone? Certainly not aiming to have that sort of disaster in my life...Flannel, all-year-round.

26. Can you whistle? Simply Awesome at it.

27. Favorite color? Slate blue (but depends on what referring to usually).

28. Would you be a pirate? Heck yes. Patch and a parrot and a hook...dream come true.

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I'm usually in too big of a hurry and trying to be quiet because someone coming in while I'm showering and killing me because I could not hear them come in is my BIGGEST fear.

30. Favorite girls names? Miller (Do NOT steal it or I will have to hurt you, although most hate it, so I'm assuming you won't).

31. Favorite boys names? Winton (Do NOT steal it either).

32. What's in your pocket right now? nada. got no pockets.

33. Last thing that made you laugh? haha (clearly still laughing thinking back to it)...Rob's house slippers.
34. Best bed sheets as a child? oh man, rainbow brite, no contest.

35. Worst injury you've ever had as a child? Perhaps just what I wore. Nothing physical.

36. Do you love where you live? I don't know about love, but certainly thoroughly enjoy it.

38. Who is your loudest friend? Kerri. Love it, but at times too much.

39. How many dogs do you have? Two. Five if you count the three I had previous to college and left for my parents.

40. Does someone have a crush on you? No, sad thing is, I sometimes wonder if anyone ever has. haha. That's awesome.

42. What is your favorite candy? too many. depends on the day. as of now, gummi worms.

43. Favorite Sports Team? PSU.

44. What song do you want played at your funeral? Some real depressing song mixed over a very shrill pop song. Ya know, the funeral with the funk, that's what I want.

Oh Man, I Was and Am the Coolest (Flashback Friday - Thanks Wendi)

2009-03-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

#1) My dad was the coolest ever, as we can all clearly see from the pinstripe overalls. I mean, can you beat that? You wonder where I get some of my "redneck" qualities. And the orange carpeting,clearly in my little bag of interior design tricks, it freakin' rocks.

#2) My mom should be in a black-and-white postcard. That is vick's that she is smelling.
Evidently I not only get my ingenuity from my mom, but also my "shi* sure do stink" problem from my mom :)

#3) I have CLEARLY always had fly-aways, but man did I rock them then and pretty sure I still rock them now. Lovin' the boufont.

#4) This one is for Wendi, just wanted to show ya the mustache-attached-glasses were cool back in the '80's and still now. In fact, so cool that my entire family had to wear them. Doesn't get much cooler.

#5) Ya, that's for sure frosted hair. Looks as though my mom took my hair and dipped the ends in bleach, but really, I'm just that amazing...oh, and as for the onesie, totally bringing back the terry cloth onesies with the retro patch. So look out, 'cuz they cannot be beat.

#6) Ummmm, can we simply say holy POTBELLY? The stomach was as large then as it is now. I had my brother beat from the beginning. In fact, I had no chance to ever have a flat stomach from the beginning by the looks of it, somewhat comforting in an odd way.

#7) Well, I just don't think it gets any better. I was a freak then, and I am now. Nixon anyone?

#8) So we were farmers rockin' the straw hats. What of it? yes, that's my dad.

#9) & #10) WEll...The stomach problem started young, as seen in the previous photo. Well, these two show perhaps why it started so early. My sugar cravings? Ya, they haven't gone away at all. My complete and total adoration for the largest chocolate chip cookie possible? Yep, it's still here and kickin' to. Once again, history explains mysteries.

#11) Best part? Would still buy a beanie or jacket like that at the drop of a hat if I saw one today. Other best part? My mom made that incredible gay flag beanie (Things weren't so strange back then, rainbows really had no association or pride involved, other than pride of being the coolest beanie ever)!!

I got "Blog Tagged"

2009-03-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

Instructions:
1. Go to your documents/pictures.
2. Go to your 6th file.
3. Go to your 6th picture.
4. Blog about it.
5. Tag 6 people to do the same.

This is a great picture of me in May, 2008...almost a year ago, when I got my lips injected with collagen. Somehow I was very early on in the process of the injections (first needle into my lip to numb the area) identified as a "bleeder and a bruiser," by the plastic surgeon. Right, somehow, I can totally see why. Looked as though I got punched in the face with a softball. Although, my lips were a bit plumper than they were before (and by that I mean, you could actually see a lip instead of just a line). This was about three days after and it actually looked more like a bruise, but the day of, right after the injections, it literally looked like I had chewed on a blue pen. Quite amusing to all. You never see celebrities like this, but perhaps they don't choose to go out in public and go about their daily life during this recovery time, acting as though nothing is wrong with their face, I however, chose this route. It was much more amusing. Sometimes, when it's something you are aware is wrong with your face, it is fun to pretend you have no idea what they are all staring at. In fact, kind of fun to stare back at them with a look like, "what? Is this not normal?" So there it is. Now here's my tagging (many of you have already done this, but now you don't have to do it again).
Tag, you're it:
wendi, laura, natalie, rochelle, liz, and mary.

life...is this really happening?

2009-03-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

Ummm, so those of you who don't know, just wanted to put it out there. Although, pretty sure, all of those of you who read this are pretty much the coolest in my life, and therefore already know. Anyway, here goes...
- Got into Regis University School of Pharmacy (Denver, CO)
- Starts in August, and so Rob (my boyfriend, soon to be fiance) will be moving to Denver sometime around then if not a bit before
- I'll keep you posted as to wedding plans and or engagement (I know, we're kind of backwards).
That's life. Seems pretty good right now. Yee-Freakin'-Haw!!

Yet another...

2009-02-25T17:02:00.000-08:00

So, I have not posted in a while, as my life has been rather stagnant (or perhaps just minimal drama or entertaining stories) recently. However, there are two rather small stories or things that struck me as funny the other night...
Both took place on a night out to dinner with my roommate and some of her friends/old roommates from when we lived in provo together about five years ago. The dinner was great, it was fun to see everyone again and I ended up actually getting out of the house on a weeknight and not just to the Garr's, which RARELY happens. At any rate, here ya go...
#1) Parked across the street from Spark (the place we went for dinner in provo, rather fun if you ever want to try it out). Had to cross the street at the cross-walk to get to Spark. Arrive at the cross-walk and push the button. Look up at the "hand/man walking" sign to see when we were allowed to cross and the hand was showing. I realized that the hand looked as though the middle finger had burned out and was giving us the star trek sign with the split fingers. Amusing, I thought to myself, but was talking about something else and so didn't mention it, nor did anyone else (if they even noticed). Cross the street, have dinner, come back to cross the street the other way. That sign is also giving the star trek greeting, and I decide that is rather odd and I comment, "Dude, how weird is that, that hand is totally missing it's middle finger and giving us that strange star trek greeting or something." Ash's friend responds, "Oh ya, that is funny, but how much you wanna bet that somebody put tape over it." I look at him funny and ask, "Really? Why would they do that?" We proceed to cross the street and sure enough, it had been taped. I reply rather sarcastically, "Ha, you totally nailed it, it is taped, and the best part is, they spent the time to tape it and I would have figured they would have at least taped all the fingers but the middle finger." (You know me, always have to take clean amusement to a different level I suppose). To which Ash's friend responds, "ummm, yes, that would be logical, but do you know where we are? that's about as good as jokes get around here." Of course, we were in the heart of zoobieville (no offense to BYU), and for some reason it totally cracked me up. Gotta love the bubble.
#2) We enter the restaurant and while counting up how many of us there are to be seated, the waitress asks, "you here for dinner?" I wanted to say "here's your sign." But instead I looked around, yes, a restaurant (I'm assuming it was for dining) and then at my cell phone to see the time, 6:47pm (normal dinner time) and then noted in my head that this place does not serve alcohol. Hmmmm, nope, we're actually tonight's entertainment,(and as I survey the long square table perfect for dancing) but where are the poles? That's usually what we need to really give the show you guys ordered us for. She looked at me, as I didn't realize it had been a moment of contemplation on my part, when I finally said, "yup, that's right, dinner." Oh man, sometimes it's much better that I don't say the things that go through my head. But, they certainly do crack me up. I mean, I think I'm pretty darn funny.

The whole Valentine's Day thing

2009-02-12T17:06:00.000-08:00

I just got forwarded this e-mail with the perfect (though not most politically correct) valentine cartoon to illustrate one of my points.

So, you already know that I'm all about the Christmas holiday and I'm certainly in the "go Christmas" club, but I think I may also be in the "NO Valentine's day" club. Well, perhaps not "NO" in the sense that it shouldn't exist, but just in the sense that it annoys me.
Well, today is the fourth anniversary of my boyfriend and I dating. Ya, he reminded me this morning with his text, which of course I replied saying, "aww, you beat me to it..." but really, had no idea. Well, I do know that it's somewhere around valentine's day, but that's about as close as I get. I don't tend to have a good memory for dates and events, in fact, I still rely on my mom to call me two days before her birthday each year and remind me that it is in two days, so I should tell her happy birthday when I call. Thank goodness for that, it makes me feel a little less retarded, and keeps her on her toes in that she knows she still has one thing each year that I completely rely on her for (ya know, besides the whole life, support, and any form of money I have thing).
As far as Valentine's day. I feel as though, when younger, it was just death with the whole who got a carnation thing at school, and sort of set out in neon lights the losers (like myself) who had NONE. In fact, others must feel much the same, as they have now started to call it "Single's Awareness Day." At this point, it seems it has become a time that those in relationships are forced to say I love you (even if not forced, it is assumed it is forced because of the stupid day), and those not in them to look at it like a meat market (ya, everybody at the single's awareness party is now a piece of meat). Either way you look at it, the holiday is a joke. Shouldn't we just show our love everyday and remove the pressures of having a "surprise" or "gift" from our loved ones. And, if not A loved one, just make our appreciation to ALL of our loved ones known (no, not in a cheating sense, in a family sense. get your minds out of the gutter). That way, no one feels like a loser, those who honestly are saying I love you will be taken seriously, and no one will have to spend a dime. In fact, I'm all about the cards. A few words (or in my case a lot of them) will do the perfect trick. Let me know how you feel. That's all I ask. That's how I feel about the whole facade of Valentine's Day

Round #3

2009-02-12T17:05:00.001-08:00

Rice pudding. Round #3. Complete success and quite delectable! oh ya, and the brown rice runny batch (think that was round #2) found it's way to the toilet today, so we should be all good.

I like to Move it Move it...physically fit, physically fit

2009-02-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to my favorite Madagascar clip of all time, and I woke-up this morning with this radiating in my brain. To the point that I found myself doing the egyptian walk out of my doorway into the living room while singing "physicali fit, physicali fit..." It's great. Thought I would share. Most likely because it's still in my head now.

rice pudding...maybe not

2009-02-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have one of those days? You get a brilliant idea (or perhaps just a good idea in your head, but you're pretty fond of it) and it just seems as though God is telling you it just shouldn't be happening today? Well, I had one of those the other night.
I got the great idea to make rice pudding in the morning. Had been craving it for some reason, and there are no vegan versions at the store, nor are there any non-vegan versions that are very tasty at all. So, seems I was going to have to make it myself. Well, I needed to go to Wal-Mart, but I rarely have the energy to brave that place myself, so I was going to wait for Rob to get done sleeping and we could go in the afternoon. Of course, as the day goes on and the hours pass, the idea just starts sounding better and better. So even if I wasn't completely convinced when the idea first came into my head, by the afternoon, I was obsessing over it. (I know, my cravings, they're a bit consuming and odd)
Rob gets to my house and I try to convince him that rice pudding sounds really good and that he should share my same level of enthusiasm for the idea of making it. This, however, never really works out (but I try it anyway) and he's a good sport about it, but I can just tell it's not real convinced passion, it's just a front of attempted enthusiasm (but, like I said, I can't complain, he tries). We go to Wal-Mart and get everything we need, normal stuff on the list that I needed as well as a few things for rice pudding. Get all the way home, and realize, I forgot the Soy Milk. Oh man, of all freakin' things to forget, that was pretty much it. Well, now I'm pissed (as pissed as I get) and have my twenty minute annoyance phase. During this time, of course, Rob has offered to go get some, or we can get some later, etc. But, ya know, I just want to be annoyed for a while, and nothing is going to fix the situation.
The twenty minutes pass and I'm over it, and even more determined to make it happen. So, we go and get the milk. Return home and begin to make it. Get all the ingredients stirred in and the rice is still hard (yes, I've been stirring it for like ten minutes already and this just now has registered). Well, that's wierd, I wonder why it's not softening at all. At which point I say to Rob, "and the wierd thing is that all the other recipes say to cook the rice first, but this one didn't." At which point, he looks at me like he knows something I don't and perhaps I'm a bit slow, which was a totally fair look at the time. So, without speaking, I quietly turn around, look at the website again and realize that, no, it doesn't have specific instructions to cook the rice first, but in the ingredients it says, "2 Cups Rice - cooked according to packaging directions." Wow, I'm a moron.
Rob tries to tell me that I should just finish cooking it, and maybe the rice will soften a bit, but I'm completely over it and abandon the pot. Well, he continues stirring it, and it does have a great flavor, but still incredibly crunchy rice.
Okay, round #2: I decide that I'm doing this, I'm going to freakin' make this stuff, no matter what. So, I cook the rice (although now all I have left is brown rice which has a much different and stronger flavor) and begin to add the rest of the ingredients while it's cooking. Add the sugar, the vanilla, mix the cornstarch and begin to pour in the milk. Oh ya, 8 cups of milk doesn't really work when you've already used 4 out of a maybe 64oz. container to begin with. AHHHHHHH, I've had it and I want to quit....No I don't, I really want the pudding, Yes I do, this is clearly not supposed to happen today, No rice pudding for me.
Okay, so now I figure, well, I'll just have the recipe. Pull out 1 cup of sugar and chuck it. Add 1/2 the vanilla. Going to only add 1/2 the cornstarch and begin to pour the milk. Get to 4 cups and there is still some left in the container. What the heck? Have I lost my mind? Was I a moron in my math skills as I was in the recipe reading? CLEARLY, I was, this was not my day.
Well, if there is more in there, just use it, so end up getting 6 cups out of it. That's good, now what to use for the last two? Go digging and find some rice milk. Rice pudding, rice milk, sounds like a good idea, right? NO. Clearly the recipe is not made for that, and the pudding (although it at least now has cooked rice) is very runny and doesn't really set-up as it should. Decent flavor, but awful texture. Needless to say, I accomplished it...I had made two full batches of rice pudding that were completely undesirable. One had crunchy rice (but great flavor), and the other had soft rice (but not so great texture or flavor). Good thing Rob is so supportive and unpicky in his tastes, as he won't let me throw out either batch, and will probably be crunching or drinking his way through rice pudding for a few weeks. At any rate, I'm fully prepared for round #3 that should be taking place in a few days. That is, I am ready to get enough soy milk, white rice that I have pre-cooked in my trusty rice-cooker, and I think it should be a success!! (at least it better be, or I may never eat rice pudding again!)

Midnight Munchies

2009-02-05T22:07:00.000-08:00

So my roommate, Ash and I were home doing homework and reading all night. She went into her room to read for a bit, emerged and sat on the couch to type a paper. There we sat, and soon she began to crave pizza (of course it's usually me, but I had already ordered one last night, so my craving was not there for the moment). I laugh and of course we begin to discuss where to order from. I decide that perhaps I could order some breadsticks and that would be good, but then we had to compromise on where to order from for both of us and that of course only complicates the situation. Well she wants Papa Johns pizza, but I want Pizza Hut breadsticks. We look on the Pizza Hut website, and she finds a "natural" pizza (gotta love marketing) that sounds good. So now we are good, and going to order from Pizza Hut.
Pizza Hut has this lovely online ordering option, and so we plug in the pizza order and it comes up for $13. Okay, now Ash debates that it's too much for a pizza and so we decide we don't need it....
5 minutes later...Perhaps it's not too much, let's look at it again, I mean one pizza is like 4 meals worth. Okay, well, let's see how much the breadsticks are. Open the appetizer page to click on the breadsticks and this amazing little picture of some potato bites pops-up. Oh, now we're talkin', those look delicious...Now I'm more in than I was, beginning to crave these potato bites even more now that they could be soon delivered into my hands....No, we don't need to get anything, it's too much money....Yes, it's worth it...No, it's not good for us and it's already late, we just have the munchies....Ya, ya, go for it.
20 minutes later (got preoccupied with a phone call)...Okay, we're doing it, we're going to order. Plug in the pizza, now it's only $9.99, even better. Look for the potato bites, not there. What? They were just there, what the heck? refresh the page, re-click on the option...no potato bites. All the breadsticks in the world, but no potato bites...Okay this is wierd. Go to refresh the page completely from the beginning and Ash is over it and just wants to call and ask. The following conversation ensues (It's on speakerphone):
Pizza Hut (PH): Hello, Pizza Hut, can I help you?
Ash: I'd like to place an order for delivery
PH: Name? (ash answers) Address? (ash answers) Phone? (ash answers)
PH: Okay, what can I get for you?
Ash: ummm, do you have those potato bites for delivery?
PH: No, we don't have those at all, sorry.
Me (background): That's fine, just get your pizza
Ash: Okay, can I get a natural pizza?
PH: Actually, we're all out.
Ash: Um, K, never mind.
PH: Sorry
Ash: No worries, thanks.

If only I had been on the line. Do you understand what just happened? Pretty sure they didn't have either of what we wanted. Okay...potato bites I can understand, perhaps they are a specialty item that are only available at some stores (although they really shouldn't put them on the website and tempt poor souls like myself if that's the case). But, let's reflect a moment. Pizza? They are out of Pizza!? Excuse me, I did call Pizza Hut, correct? They are a restaurant with the name of the establishment having the food item that I ordered in it, and they are out? Ummm, what do you have? How about some shrimp? Oh, ya, got that. NOT REALLY. This is Pizza Hut, folks. It seems to me that when you have run out of pizza you probably have nothing to offer the population who will be calling or attending your fine establishment. So, perhaps, you should, once you run out of your ONLY menu item besides wings (which no one even knows you have in the first place), close your restaurant. Perhaps that would save many awkward phone calls, and next time I'm gonna ask you a few questions about the situation just to clarify exactly what is occurring at the time we spoke. You, PIZZA HUT are out of PIZZA. Okay, makes total sense, thanks for staying at work and answering phone calls. Perhaps this way I at least have an explanation for why I can't get my food, but still not convinced it's worth the conversation.
At any rate, no pizza. Opt for sushi and a seaweed salad instead. Good stuff, hit the spot and probably much healthier in the long run. Thank you Pizza Hut for removing an unhealthy option from my life and allowing me a great laugh in the process!

Just one of those days

2009-01-26T21:06:00.000-08:00

So, I went to wal-marte (said with a french accent, because it of course sounds better, but really, why do the french get the credit for having the high quality sort of accent, I really should not partake in the boosting of that stereotype)...and there were NO CARTS!! No hand carts, no shopping carts to be found. Here's how it unfolded...
- walk in and see that one man asks the other man if he can use his cart as he is leaving the store and obvs. done with it. (I think to myself, odd, but perhaps he is too lazy to get his own).
- I walk into the store to the greeter who says "good-night" and find no hand baskets in their yoush (pronounced like "usually" without the end) place by the fantastic plastic looking donuts that are 1/2 off because they've been there a year. (I think odd that the guy just said good night when I was entering, and found it perhaps a new unique welcome I should begin using, and then thought better of it. Next I thought where in the hell are the handbaskets, better go get a cart).
- I walk back out the doors to which I recieve a "good night" again and back into the entry way to get a cart. The man handing out carts is missing and there seem to be no carts for the man, if he were there, to even be handing out. (I think good night is growing on me as a perfect anytime/universal greeting and I also think that perhaps the man who hands out the carts has now moved to greeting and that's why he's so confused as to what to say, then I realize where the hell are the carts?)
- I look again, still no carts. This is Wal-Mart, folks, are you serious?
- I begin to look around for cameras assuming that I must be on candid camera, for this cannot honestly be happening. No cameras, but prepare myself to not look retarded in my following actions, because there is about 100% chance they are there and I have just missed scoping them out.
- Man walks in and his wife asks him to grab a cart. Both look over into the "cart dungeon" (usually filled with dingy, germ infested, silver with purple plastic handle carts) and are surprised at what they see. No carts, of course. At this point, his wife makes the "well, make yourself useful" face and he diligently sets out to find a cart.
- Being the lazy person that I am, and with no one to make the face at me to get me moving, I look out the door and see a man bringing in one row of carts. I patiently wait.
- I get my cart as they rumble through the dungeon and turn around just in time to bump into the man who had set out to make his wife proud, and my approach was clearly the better mode of action.
- No candid camera, man gets his cart, I get my cart...
- of course my cart has one wheel that is frozen straight, and I can't back up nor go forward without a very abrupt course of straight lines and screeching.
- I turn around to change carts, because mine is clearly non-functional and realize the whole row that just came in went out like "fresh meat" at a carnivore party, and all the happy cart-pushing folks are walking by me as though I just got screwed. Well, clearly, they are correct, I did.
- Here we go again, now I kind of wish there was a camera, 'cuz, seriously? Once again, too lazy, and the little cart man is diligently attending to the lack of cart problems and quickly shows up with round #2 delivery.
- I greet him at the end of the dungeon and thank him for round 2, he looks confused, but sort of nods and continues working.
- I get my cart and begin the whole shopping idea one more time, but this time, the rest of the crowd needing carts has grown and as I begin to back up a few steps to push my cart into the store, it as though I am completely in the way and get pushed by the cart-hungry shoppers behind me.
- I manage to fend them off for the moment, push past the donut sleds that are clearly a road-block for parents trying to get kids into the store, and I'm on my way. Jalapeno peppers here I come.
Let me just tell you, the Wal-Mart experience has never let me down. Don't go that often because it is always an "experience" and I'm not always in the mood, but every time I do, it is just such a great snapshot of the American public, that really, how could you go wrong?

Oh, The Joy of Having Dogs

2009-01-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

So, as we all know, my dog's are like my damn kids. Pretty much the same for all those who have a dog(s) and no kids yet. Things prob will change when I do have real kids, but until then, my dogs seem to be sufficing. This was their last week in life, with two lovely catastrophe's.
#1) Rob picks me up from class last Friday afternoon, and he has the dogs in the car with him, 'cuz he just picked them up from playing in the backyard at grandma's (his mom's) house. We bring them home and give Harley a bone and Diesel usually stands eagerly around her head trying to get the scraps. Well, today she is having nothing to do with the bone activity, and is simply sitting in the middle of the carpet staring off in a daze. Not totally unusual, but yes, a bit. Next, Rob calls her to jump on the couch with him, and she just looks at him, and then she begins to sort of tremor. At this point, I am involved in eating my lunch, and am not paying much attention. Rob, however, being the doting father of the little shit (a.k.a. Diesel), is very concerned. He asks me, "babe, is she okay? Isn't she acting funny?" To which I reply, "I don't know, why? What's she doing?" I look up from my sandwich and don't see anything too major, so I go back to eating. Next, Rob proceeds to see if she will jump up on his lap on the couch (this is usually her favorite thing while they watch football all Saturday). She just looks at him and then turns away. Now he's really concerned and gets on the floor with her, but she's just not into it. My sandwich is now consumed and I begin to observe. She's still shaking, but not siezuring, so I'm not sure what to think. Well, we haven't quite caught on yet, so she deems it necessary to make it very clear...
She promptly marches to the middle of the living room carpet and vomits. Rob is sort of in shock (myself as well, because in her three years of life she has never vomited. Harley, she vomits all the time, but not this one), and asks how to clean it. Well, being the veteran vomiting dog owner that I am, I simply get the dust pan (don't let the dog eat the vomit, it's gross, and they always seem to try) and begin to slide it under and get the big stuff (if you are ever in this situation, a flat edge under the mass is the best beginning step). Once the dust pan contents were flushed down the toilet (after observing them, of course, to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary), and the soaking up with just normal paper towels begins. Basically, we got it all cleaned up and she begins to heave again. At this point, I scream (always scares the dogs, but that's the idea, so that they suck it back in for a minute and you can grab them), and the pick-her up and take her to the tile where she can vomit and it is much easier to clean. Alright, two down, you might think that's it, but it's not...Two more times after each prior cleaning. Well, now that's weird and her tremoring has still not gone away, in fact it's worse. At this point, I'm thinking poison or something that she's gotten into in the backyard. However, she's out there quite frequently and usually nothing occurs. We take her to the vet anyway (at Rob's pushing), and he does the normal checks (Ya know, everything you do at home to make sure they're still alive like temperature taking, feeling the stomach and making sure it's soft, color in the gums comes back for dehydration, heart beat, etc.) Well, she checks out fine (surprise, as we already determined that before we went, but had to pay someone to confirm it). The vet asks if she's eaten anything. We say not that we know of. He asks what the vomit looked like. We respond nothing abnormal, just the normal digested food at the first and then into the foamy bile when there's not much left (that's the normal cycle). He gives us some anti-vomit stuff, says take it easy and $95 later, we're on our way having gotten really nothing except no more carpet stains out of the visit. Well, she doesn't want dinner or her treat in her crate, weird, but she's got an upset stomach, so prob normal. Well, next morning the tremors are back and I let her out of her crate and she's goes straight to her bed in the living room. This is NOT normal, as normal path involves a first stop in the kitchen for breakfast. Well, she won't eat breakfast and she hasn't drank anything in over 24 hours. At this point, I drain the tuna juice out of a tuna can to see if she wants that. Nope. Next, gatorade. Nope. Okay, so not any better, and pretty much looking worse.
At this point I call Rob to have him go check the backyard (obvs. It's not too poisonous whatever it is, because she is still alive after 24 hours, but perhaps it'd be good to know anyway). His response after he checks: "Well, nothing really odd or out of place but there is this purple liquid sort of stuff on the concrete." My response, "Well, what the F* is the "purple stuff" babe? (In my head, I prob would have figured it out prior to calling. At any rate, he goes back in to determine that it is Moonsand. For those of you not familiar, it is modern day play-doh (like wet sand feeling in different colors that you can mold, etc.). I get on the internet to see what it contains. I find it is non-toxic to kids on almost all sites, and that's good, but I also find a handful of sites saying that dog's love it (of course they would, it's nasty)and when they eat it they often end up getting intestinal blockage and have to have surgery. Well, that's great.
Okay, intestinal block. Doesn't seem like it, she's been pooping. Perhaps the block is farther up in her tract and she's clearing out what's below it. Still peeing, breathing, no eating. Well, let's give it a while. Call my mom, she's been scarred by the loss of too many dogs from random things and says go to the vet. Call the vet first to see if there is really any need for concern if she's still pooping, etc. Of course, they say better come in and make sure it's all good. So in we go five hours later, 'cuz she's still not normal, and this time she checks out good, but better do an x-ray for blockage potential. X-ray comes back pretty normal except there is quite a bit of something in her stomach (yes, prob moonsand, although unfortunately bright purple does not show up on x-rays)and she's hasn't eaten, so not really normal. Well, something else for laxative sort of stuff, and we're on our way to make sure she poops purple for the next couple of days, and we should be good. Well, two purple poops later that day, and we're golden. The little shit is just fine, but she'll never eat moonsand again. If she's stupid enough to try, I'm not stupid enough to let her.
#2) The day after Diesel feels better, we go to the park for our normal walk. They are off the leashes because Harley loves to run. Well, Harley makes her normal rounds along the duck pond and then I notice she is taking a while, at which point I look through the bushes to see she has found something (obvs. foul and god-awful) to roll in. I begin to yell at her and move closer...she's not moving...Up and roll one side, up and roll the other, roll, roll. Okay, now I'm pissed 'cuz the longer the roll, the nastier the shit must be. Well, at this point she has gotten enough of it, and comes back over near us. The cloud of stench that follows is indescribable. To the point where we are kicking at her to stay away, and fearing we may gag or vomit. Now the walks over and we have to put her in the car. I kid you not, windows all down, and sweatshirt covering my nose and mouth, my eyes are still watering and I'm dry heaving.
The discussion turns to who gets to wash her, and unfortunately I get the short straw (Rob is usually awesome and always does it, but seeing as how bad it was, and they are my dogs, I couldn't expect him to have to). Next, gameplan on how to get her upstairs and in the tub ASAP. Rob is going to take the dogs (harley not on a leash, as we can't fathom touching her), and lock her in the bathroom as soon as he gets in, after taking off her collar and soaking it. I will follow (the stench even in the open air stairway is quite apparent, even though I'm a good 50 yds. behind), get on my rubber gloves, and put on my nasty clothes to go put her in the tub and clean her. I am prepared and arrive to open the bathroom door, however, as I swing it open, I catch myself mid-dry-heaving and now need some sort of a mask (mind you we did have the fan on and she had only been in there less than a minute or two). After getting the mask (bandanna around my face) I am ready to face the beast and in I go. Well, we got it taken care of, and four shampoo/condition sessions later, she almost smells non-rancid again.
Oh the joy of having two lovely little life companions to keep my otherwise routine life just a little interesting!

Yet another "Fix-it" project

2009-01-16T16:19:00.000-08:00

So, here's the deal...
I took down my Christmas decorations, and with them came the wreath that was so beautifully displayed above my mantle. Well, now I was confronted with a blank piece of drywall above my 1st fix-it project, my mantle. Of course, I had to find a painting, and obvs. I wanted one of those awesome mountain landscapes from a gallery in Park City. Yes, I know which one, I have been looking at it every time I go up there for many years now. At any rate, the price of those pictures are needless to say, a bit too much for the budget. And, I am not quite that well established in life yet to feel as though I deserve one. At this point, I had to start thinking of smaller things I had bought in the past and had stashed away somewhere. Well, I thought of one, a cool picture of a rodeo clown (very artistically done, and ripped, etc) that I had given Rob a few years ago and he hadn't yet found a place to hang.
Now the project begins: hanging this rather heavy painting on drywall. So, I set out to find the two studs because those will obvs. be the best bet for security. I find them, and sadly enough, they are set too far apart to leave the picture properly centered above the mantle. (side note: I'm not even sure that the mantle is centered above the fireplace to begin with). Well, now we're down to the next option of "drywall anchors." I'm sure you've all dealt with them, those annoying little plastic screw sort of looking sheaths that go over the screw, expand and "grab" the drywall as they go into the wall, and provide an anchor for a painting.
Okay, so we've got the anchors and the supplies, we just have to hang it. Easy, right? think again (at least we did). I begin by drilling a pilot hole, ya know, a small hole so that the plastic itself doesn't crumple from trying to bore through the wall itself. Got the pilot hole, now begin to screw the plastic anchor into the hole. Turn, turn, and oh boy, it's shattered. Rob's turn....Turn, turn, and it crumples. Except this time, it was about half way in, and the crumpling leads to half of the plastic anchor being stuck in the wall when we go to remove it. Get the pliars. Get it out. Try again, a bit bigger hole (maybe that was the problem)...not the problem, crumples again, gets stuck again, and this time, won't even come out with pliars, just pulls off so that the plastic is flush with the wall. Well, clearly, we leave it there and start with a new hole. What intelligent person wouldn't?
At this point, we look on the internet and make sure we are not missing anything. Well, they all say to do what we've been doing, but one site says to make a pilot hole large enough that the anchor can be pushed into it almost all the way and "tapped" in the rest of the way with a hammer. So, here we go (mind you we are now dealing with drilling holes about the diameter of my index finger)...drill the hole. Put in the anchor, it fits most of the way, tap it, it's flush with the wall. Awesome, well now wasn't that easy? NOT REALLY...We must now screw the actual normal metal screw into the anchor to add the proper support. Hand Rob the screw, he begins to twist it into the anchor and then I hear an uh-oh. I look up to see that the screw is only about 1/2 way in, and the anchor is also about 1/2 way into the wall (ya know, being pushed through the wall). Rob now asks me what he should do. At which point, being the genius that I am, I figure, try to screw it back out. That is all well and good until the screw comes back out fine, but leaves the anchor still pushed 1/2 way into the drywall.
Genius thought #2: Okay, so screw the screw back into the anchor and hopefully it will grab onto the anchor more, before pushing too much farther into the wall, at which point we can pull them both out. One slightly flawed error in my thinking...The anchor and screw simply push completely through the wall (there is nothing behind it, clearly, in afterthought, seeing as how it's around the fireplace) and we hear them drop into the space behind the wall (I'm assuming onto the top of my fireplace, but who really knows what's behind the wall). Well, that didn't work. CLEARLY. Okay, so we finally figure it out, the good old method of using normal screws and putting them into the studs. Needless to say, it's hung, off-center, and thankfully covering the four to five gaping, index-finger sized holes in the drywall (some still filled with anchors and some not). That should be a fun patching job before I move out.

Holidays are ending...

2009-01-11T08:01:00.001-08:00

So now that the holidays are over, I must admit my house is feeling a bit empty. I finally got all the decorations taken down, and yes, my real tree got out the door before it left needles everywhere. For all of you feel that cleaning up the needles on the way out the door is a must for Christmas experience, don't worry, I did that already on round one. By round one, I mean that this was my second tree for the season. Here were the following real Christmas tree experiences that I was lucky enough to enjoy this season:
Tree #1) We headed to the "pre-cut" tree lot right across from Target on about Dec.7th. Yes, I understand that it still means I have three weeks before Christmas, but the tree was already cut anyway, so what should be the difference if it sits in a parking lot or in my dining room? Well, as luck would have it, I have very little room for a tree next to my dining room table, so I needed a tall and skinny tree, in order to be just perfect. We begin to walk through the tree assortment, and they are all very cute trees, nice and round and wide, etc. Clearly not what I wanted, so I head to the back corner and find a lovely Charlie Brown Tree..tall and skinny and sparse, like I wanted. I find the perfect tree, and I did notice a tinge of lighter green in the needles, but I assumed it was just because that tree was a different type than the others. Oh boy was I wrong...First off, I find it and it has no tag (hmmm, strange). I ask the guy if it's for sale, and he says it is, and then he gives it a "fresh cut." Well, we get it home, put all the lights on, and next thing you know, it's drinking no water. My boyfriend has never really had real trees, so he convinces me that it just doesn't drink that much and it's fine. Although I knew that my trees from childhood always drank about a 1/2 gallon a day or so, somehow I was convinced this one was just "unique". I was convinced until about five days later when I accidentally brushed it as I was vacuuming, and it rained pine needles on my head. SUMMARY ROUND ONE: I bought a dead tree, put it in my house, decorated it, swept pine needles for a week, admitted defeat, took decorations off, drug it out to the dumpster.

Tree #2) Round two began with me being overly neurotic about getting the tree in water fast enough after the "fresh cut" so that the end doesn't "sap over" before it starts to drink water (I have thought that potentially this is a cause of the first tree death, but not really true since it was still only ten minutes before it was in water). So there ends up being a place that looks like a real ghetto tree farm right across from my apartment complex that one random night had a lit sign that said "Cheap Christmas Trees." Having already bought one, I was sold with that sign, as "cheap" was a key word. However, I never saw the sign on again, nor did I ever see a soul inhabiting that muddy parking lot with trees in it. I convince Rob to come with me and check it out, but his lower back is hurting so I have to do all the driving and carrying, but he did get out of bed to come with me. So it's just short of a blizzard, and we drive over to the "tree farm" where we pull in near a little run-down trailer/outhouse and hope that someone will emerge from somewhere to help us. I see the Christmas trees that have been cut, they are under a ton of snow, but I decide to go find one while we wait for a human. One by one I proceed to pick them up from the ground, shake them off, and stand them up for Rob to judge if it's good or not. We finally find one just as a man emerges and stares at us. I figure I will have to begin the conversation after about a minute, so I say, "How much are these trees here?" A long, awkward pause and then a response, of $20. Wow, this was a good choice, I think to myself. I pay for it, and then pick it up to carry it to the car. He looks at Rob as if he's confused as to why I am doing the work, and then hesitantly offers that he can carry it because he has gloves, but then he realizes I have gloves as well and quickly revokes his offer. At any rate, we get to the truck and I ask if he has a saw to give it a fresh cut, because I have no saw. This sort of sets him back a bit, and he walks away for a minute. He returns with the rusty and flaked skeleton of what some may have previously called a hand saw. As we put the tree up on the tailgate to cut it, I realize there is a copper nail stuck in the bottom, and I'm wondering how he's gonna manage to cut that with a not-a-saw. Well, he gives it quite the valiant effort for about ten minutes, the whole time cursing his friend who "must have moved that brand new orange saw that worked great and they had just bought yesterday." Finally his patience runs out (mine had been out since two minutes into the ordeal, but I didn't dare say anything) and he goes to look for something else. Needless to say, he comes back another five minutes later with a huge metal cutter (like what they use to cut the lock off your locker in kindergarten). Sort of like the jaws of life but not quite on such a grand scale, and whammo, the bottom of my tree is pulverized, but hey, whatever works, at this point I'm already over it. Now I just have to get it home and get it in water, fast. Well, we arrive home and try to put it in the stand.
Summarized story of the stand: I went to Shopko and all they had was a giant tree stand (like heavy duty for a 12" wide tree and up to 102" tall the label said). Needless to say they had no normal stands, and so although my stand was the size of my tree, I figured what the heck, it would definitely do the job.
So we put the tree in the stand, and go figure, not even close to fitting. Well, like I mentioned before, there are two major factors operating in my frustration here: First, Rob is out of commission for doing anything because of his back and second, We don't own a saw. I realize, as these two things cross my mind, that there are about four to six good size branches that need to be cut in order for it to fit. With new found optimism I announce that we could use a Leatherman (pocket knife) saw for this, and it'll be fine. That optimism dies out about half way through the skinniest branch as my knuckles have been skinned on the bark because the handle is too short, and the branches are soggy and more than flexible because they are wet from the snow. Well, long story short (or not so much because it's already long), about forty minutes later and about double that many curse words later, I rise victorious from the carpet with bleeding knuckles and a tree that is now only about three feet tall.

In the end, the tree was perfect, lovely, drank tons of water, and barely even lost a needle. Ghetto tree farm gave me a very lovely and perfect "cheap christmas tree," Next year they'll just have to remember to actually have the saw that they love to talk about, and NOTE TO SELF: trees without sale tags and lighter green/brown needles are most likely dead, don't buy them.

Anatomy Lab...Reproduction Chapter

2008-12-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Well, to begin I have a three hour anatomy lab once a week where we learn new material (different system or part of the body) and we are able to learn on not only models but also cadavers. This is great, especially for undergrad (yes, I'm still in it if you're wondering) and offers quite a bit to the learning process. However, this week we reached sort of a downfall...the urinary and reproductive chapters. Well, it seems that although we are in college, some of us really never outgrow our "eww" and "ick" stage in talking about these things. Needless to say, my class basically reverted to what seemed like fifth grade. It was very strange, somewhat awkward and strangely hilarious, let me recount a few moments:

1. We are taking a quiz on the past weeks lab, and the "pre-lab" question (we are supposed to have read ahead on what we will learn today so it is a very basic question) is marked on a model, the vagina is labeled and the question is "what is the
name of this copulatory organ?" Seems simple enough, right? I right vagina and move onto the next station. Well, we go back into review our answers and this one girl has written possibly the best response ever...background info - she had no idea that this lab was on reproduction (she hadn't done her "pre-lab")...She walks up to the model, reads the question and looks confused. At this point she looks again at the model, writes her answer, smirks and walks away. We review our answers and he (our professor) asks her if she will read her answer (he has a smirk on his face). She turns red in the face and says "Vagina?" He responds, "Yes, but what else did you write (with a chuckle)?" She says, "ummmm...Well, let me just say that I didn't know what the lab was on, so I thought I knew the answer but I didn't want to be gross...ummm, so I wrote 'vagina, and if that's not the right answer you really are a perv.'"

2. We are all sitting around the models for our professor to come go over the terms and locations with us (they aren't all as simple as you would think). I pull up my chair, talk to my friend, and we then both look over to find this random kid (who has knight rider as his ring tone - I only know because I swear it goes off at least once every class) nervously bouncing/tapping this model on the table. He was not paying attention to what he was doing (at least it didn't seem like it, and I sure hope he wasn't), but the model that he happened to have picked up was the breast model. Well, being the great and anatomically correct model that it is, the breast is jiggling up and down on this model in amazing accuracy and the nipple (attached by a spring to allow the alveoli of the mammary gland to be seen) is literally "boinging" up and down on this breast that is jiggling. Needless to say, once again, just about die laughing.

3. Many stories are told by the males involving "nuts, junk, the pack, etc." (as my professor made clear to state all the unanatomically correct names before state the correct one) being cut, pinched, and everything else painful and amazingly awful to picture occured.

4. The anatomy professor who teaches our lecture (that we have three times a week) walks in and tells our lab teacher that his wife is supposed to meet him here, but he has to run somewhere on campus real quick. So, if his wife shows up looking for him, just let her know that he will be back. Our teacher says he will be happy to do that, and if she does show up and he's not back, perhaps we can let her join our exciting reproductive lab lecture. Our professor (yes, probably sixty or so but still in good shape) responds, "ya, but we don't do that stuff anymore, she probably knew and forgot all there was to know. You know, you sweep that stuff into the closet once they stop working at the proper times, and they no longer give you any pleasure."....ummm, k, wayyyy to much information and followed by our teacher saying, "did you guys just get the worst mental picture ever?" (pretty sure it was rhetorical) but someone decides to answer "well, now I do, thanks."

5. There is a foreign girl in our class and she is very funny and has a great accent. She is also very eager to learn, and asks the greatest questions (just another background story on her - we were learning about the brain and talking about schyzophrenia at which point she asks, "wait, does everyone not hear voices?"). So, our teacher asks us if anyone is a product of In-Vitro or if we are all truly products of our parents using these organs in front of us to do the deed (I know, way to start off the lecture). He then explains prostate cancer and that yes, it can occur in younger people, and no, you can't produce more semen once it is removed and that if they do remove the prostate in young people they usually freeze a couple vials of their sperm so that at some point they can still use their sperm for IVF and have their own offspring. This girl then proceeds to ask, "how do they collect their sperm?" and our professor says "well, you know, they put the guy in a room with a good movie, himself, a good magazine and let him have at it." she continues to look puzzled and he continues to clarify, "they put him in a room and let his wife go in there, or give him a porno to watch or something...(still puzzled look on the girl)...you know, masturbation?" and quietly she replies "what? mas-tur-ba-tion? (pronouncing it perfectly because she has never heard the word before) is that like the wife knows how to surgically suck it out?" our teacher responds with a chuckle, "ya, surgically suck it out is a perfect explanation, just take away the surgically part."....OHHHHH, boy, we have digressed and I'm about to pee my pants listening to all of this.

6. There is a horse's penis dried and laying on the table, and our professor is standing behind the table while we all collect models to go study in our own groups during free lab. He never went over the horse penis and so a curious girl walks up and simply says, "is that how big it really is?" He thinks that she is referring to knowing it belongs to a horse and responds, "well, ya, the canal is much longer and it needs to reach." She gets big eyes and says, "Oh my, I'm NEVER getting married."

.......WOW, FOLKS, WHERE IS THE SEX-ED IN THIS COUNTRY!?!?!?

NOTE:

2008-12-05T22:18:00.000-08:00

I added some pictures of the mantle (and of course Christmas wreath I made above it) along with the Lowe's post a while back. Just in case you wanted to see the product hung and finished, and a few more Christmas decorations.

2008-12-04T19:17:00.000-08:00

So, my christmas tree is amazing...well, I think it is, but that's just my not so humble opinion on it. This is a short blog, but simply wanted to say that I purchased one box of the $3 lights at target and took them home and then went to shopko to get a tree stand and found some LED lights. I hadn't heard of them, and they were like 4X's the amount of the target lights, but I pressed the little box that said "press here to see them light" and I was amazed by their brightness. So, basically, I bought one box (50 lights) and proceeded to light my tree. I put on the cheap strands first and then intermixed the new LED lights. Needless to say, I plugged it in and the other lights just did not even do justice to the LED lights...I promptly decided that I had to buy all LED lights and so I sent rob back to shopko to buy four more boxes (they were on sale, so even better) and then light my whole tree. Ultimately, it is perfect, exactly what I wanted, and amazingly in the Christmas spirit....check out the LED's..if you're wondering, they are amazing!!

Ahhhh. macrobiotic thanksgiving

2008-12-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

So, I had my first thanksgiving as a vegan, and it was at my mother's house who is not only vegan but macrobiotic (vegan on steroids, but quite interesting, look it up if you want). It went really well, I was pleasantly surprised by its tastiness. The menu: "celebration roasts" (wheat protein, millet, brown rice all layed out flat and then wrapped around raisins, corn, walnuts, cranberries, etc.). These roasts were our turkey substitute and actually very flavorful. In fact, once the gravy was on it was just like turkey. So now you're thinking, okay, you cheated with the gravy, but no...it was chickpea gravy and a-ma-zing! I mean if you think chickpeas you automatically think hummus (or at least I do), and that's kind of what it was, with some onions and mustard seeds, and other delicious seasonings. At any rate, it was great. Then we had the normal cranberry sauce (minus the sugar and plus some pears), which was delicious as well (although I still hold the ocean-spray brand cranberry sauce - not the kind in the cans that still has the indents of the can when you splosh it out, but the fresher kind which comes in a tupperware). Next we had sweet potatoes and you can't really mess those up (don't worry we used sweet brown rice syrup as the sweetener - it was nice, light and refreshing). As a side we made some amazing cornbread with flax seed instead of eggs and the flax seed substitute actually gave it a lovely nutty taste. Last but not least we had acorn squash (baked in the oven to a lovely softness) and stuffed with wild rice, dried cranberries, and walnuts. Basically, I didn't know it could be so delicious! and best of all, I didn't feel full at the end to the point of grossness, didn't crawl to the couch for a nap, and didn't even unbutton my pants. All I can say is, wow, it was great. P.S. if any of you are interested in these recipes I would be happy to pass them along. Mary Hayes - you must also try these "snobby joe's" made of lentils that are like heaven on earth. Let me know if you want the recipe. Oh ya, and thanks for the shout out on your blog...glad to see my stories engage you so well that you get distracted by shiny objects. HAHA. That was my great first (and hopefully not last) macrobiotic thanksgiving.

Styrofoam cups

2008-11-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

Here is another random thought for the day. Well, as we all know, I have a slight love for Chick-fil-a. Well, since my recent veganism, I have not been able to indulge in their lovely chicken nuggets with all the delightful little crispy's on the outside that crunch so deliciously as they release the tasty grease that they contain. At any rate, I still find myself drawn to eat there, and I have come to the realization as to exactly why. Here it is, they have these styrofoam cups. Now, I know they are not the most environmentally sound, however, they are amazing in their performance. They are great to hold, as they do not sweat and become slimy/slippery when you go to pick them up (as the plastic cups do). This is an attribute from the fact that styrofoam is a great insulator. However, not only the feel of them is great, but they also hold the ice a lot longer, and the Diet Coke is nothing short of the most tasty. So, all these things said, hold strong chick-fil-a, to your non-environmental concerned ways as far as the styrofoam cups go, and please continue to serve these. The Diet Coke addicts out there love them, and you for having them. Keep up the good work.

Gun Laws

2008-11-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

This is a very controversial post most likely, and that's fine with me, everyone has their opinions and I do understand where they are coming from, but I have mine as well, and I will hold them more dearly (to be quite frank). Although, I am open for comments. At any rate...I went and got my concealed firearms permit (concealed carry, whatever you choose to call it) about a month ago. At this point, I freely admit that I have no idea about guns, and will not be packing one around, or even having it loaded at my home anytime soon. However, in the future, once I have some more education on the gun safety subject, I would like to be able to defend myself and my home. Don't worry, I'm not a nut (you can all have your own opinions on that as well)....Well, in order to learn gun safety and learn to shoot and handle one properly, I would need the tool, and so I set out to purchase a handgun. I began talking with people who owned them, researching on the internet and all that good stuff. I picked out the gun that I wanted and I went to the store to purchase it. I still have an Ohio driver's license (I am a student and not working, and so that is legal, although I am well aware that if I am to get a job, I will need to change my driver's license to Utah within 60 days). With that said, my CCP is from Utah (I was here to take the class, and Ohio and Utah have "reciprocity" with each other's permits...that means they share gun laws as far as concealed carry and they allow those permits to stand in a legal situation as lawful in both state.) So I begin to fill out the paperwork and then it is realized that although my CCP is Utah, my license is Ohio, and therefore I cannot by a handgun in any state but Ohio. (this does not matter for long guns, if anyone was wondering, as they fall under a different category and can be purchased in any state. Why you ask? what is the difference? no clue.) So, I cannot buy the gun, and I leave the store frustrated but assuming that I will go home over thanksgiving (I was going anyway) and purchase one in Ohio and bring it back on the plane. Don't worry, I then checked into all those legalities, and you are allowed to have a gun in you baggage the regulations are as follows: you must have no ammunition in the gun itself, it must be declared at check-in and you must then have the TSA rep. come over and open the chamber so that they can verify there is no ammunition in the gun. You then place the gun back in its case, and sign a "empty chamber verification" paper. At this point you put your TSA approved gun locks on your case (they can be purchased at any firearm store), take the key with you, and put the gun along with the waiver into the baggage and you are set. As far as bullets, you are allowed to have them in your bag as well, just not in the gun case, and they have to be arranged in a case as they would have come from a manufacturer. Now, each airline has a bit different of a policy on it (particulars about how many and how much they can weigh per person per bag), but this is the generality, and my particular carrier was Delta, and I had checked all those out.
Well, now I just had to get to Ohio and buy the gun I wanted. Well, it turns out that they did not have the gun I wanted in my area, nor could they order it in time for thanksgiving, and blah, blah, blah. So my next move was to call the ohio attorney general's office and ask how I can purchase a handgun in Utah given my situation. This lead to calling the highway patrol, the bureau of criminal investigations, my local sheriff's office in ohio, and so on and so on until after speaking with 12 different law officials between the states of Utah and Ohio I finally spoke with a lovely man at the Attorney General's office in Utah and he was in charge of gun laws. I explained my situation, and his answer was that if I could get my Utah I.D. card (which would not void my ohio residency preference for future graduate applications), I could purchase the hand gun in Utah. Well, so then I had to call the License Bureau in Utah and discuss with them exactly what getting this ID card would require. I had all of these things (photo ID, bills sent to my address as proof of residency, transcripts, etc.) I walk into the DMV and am told at the front that I need my social security card. Well, unfortunately that is nicely tucked away in a safe in my room in Ohio, and therefore a no go. At this point, I am told I can go to the Social Security Administration building and get a verification with other things which I have (who even knew these places existed?). So I proceed to the soc.sec.adm. bldg. to find a two hour wait, and we won't even get into the lovely people I meet in the waiting room there. At any rate, get that little temporary piece of paper which basically took me telling the man at the desk my SSN and walking out the door. I now go back to the DMV and get my ID card.
I call the store that had the gun as of two days ago, and now that I can buy it, of course it has been sold. I now decide on another gun (a little heavier and a bit longer barreled so there is less recoil)and no one in Orem has the gun in stock. So, I call the place in orem to see if they have it in any neighboring stores. It turns out they do, in Midvale. I call Midvale, it was true, they do have it, and so I put it on hold. I now go to Midvale store, pick up my gun, fill out the paper work, present my Utah ID card, and think I'm going to get the gun. But, that would have been way to simple. So, he calls the BCI for a background check and three minutes later gets a phone call back saying that they need to speak with me (you should have seen his face, probably thinking i was a serial killer or something of the sort). I answer the phone and they ask if I am who I say I am (sure, why not, that's pretty secure), and then proceed to tell me that I need a copy of all my transcripts from utah state in the time I attended. I respond calmly explaining that I do not have those, but can get them if they would like, however the Utah attorney general's office said that I did not need them. She is perplexed on the other end of the line, and tells me to wait a minute (more like ten) and then asks a few more questions about university ID's, rental contracts, etc. I respond in roughly the same manner as the first question response and I am asked to wait again (this time only about two minutes). After the hold, she comes back on to let me know that she checked with her supervisor (thank goodness someone knows what's going on), and he said that the Utah ID was all that was needed. (Really? that's funny, because, that is what I said at the beginning), so now I am cleared and i finally have my gun. wow, you prob don't care, but just had to vent. oh ya, and if you're in the business of purchasing a gun anytime soon I am now well versed on all the gun laws and bylaws as well as all the intricacies of gun slang ,make and models if you need some help or advice.

Dear Older Man in my Chem Class...

2008-11-21T12:56:00.000-08:00

Dear older guy in my chemistry class,
You sit behind me every morning when you walk in five minutes late, mumble something to the kid in front of you, make quite a bit of noise sitting down and then you open your 32oz. Mt.Dew...I don't mind your being there, and I'm all for going back to school when your older (lord knows if it weren't for you I would be the oldest person there). However, with your age has seemingly come an unawareness of those around you trying to pay attention, as well as an increased self-confidence in which you feel compelled to loudly answer each and every question (rhetorical or otherwise) within a second of it being asked, and also regardless of whether or not you have a clue what you are talking about. I enjoy your enthusiasm, but please think before you speak, everyone else seems to be taking a moment to do so. And just a question (rhetorical btw), how many times does a teacher have to say "no..." and continue on with the explanation before you realize you are never right and just stop trying. Perhaps you are a slow learner, and that is unfortunate (evidently for both of us), but please stop answering so loudly and incorrectly each and every day. After about the first ten times I quite frankly want to turn around and punch you in the face so that the mt.dew to your mouth at all times falls smashes into your teeth, falls to the floor and splashes all over you, creating a large mess in all it's splashing grandeur. I can then sit back and watch it all proceed (after my fist as the initial catalyst is back at my side) with the theme music proudly playing in my head. Okay, perhaps that was a bit dramatic, but that is kind of how I see it unfolding if this does not soon stop. If you can close your mouth for one class period, or even just answer the non-rhetorical questions correctly I would greatly appreciate it and we would learn much more material with no need to stop, correct, and start again every five minutes. Thanks, Eve

children's books clarified

2008-11-20T22:14:00.000-08:00

1) The Mystery of the Pirate Ghost - written by Geoffery Hayes
Otto and his Uncle Tooth track down the pirate ghost terrorizing Boogle Bay.
2) Goodnight Moon - by Margaret Wise Brown
Descriptions of colorful pictures of what's in a room
3) Fred - by Posy Simmons
Fred's owners, Sophie and Nick think he is the laziest cat in the world, but who knows what goes on after dark? It's only after their beloved pet dies, that they discover he has been leading an exciting double life . . .
4) There's A Girl in My Hammerlock - by Jerry Spinelli
Maisie Potter knows what she wants, she knows why, and she knows how to get it. So when her teenage hormones begin acting up around Eric Delong, she abandons girls' field hockey for cheerleading. And when she doesn't make the squad, she patiently waits for next season's sports to begin, and to the horror of almost everyone in the school, tries out for wrestling. Of course, this is an all boys' team, and Eric Delong is one of those boys. Maisie makes the team and surprises everyone with her endurance and skill. She also makes more than her share of enemies, including Lizard Liz Lamply, Eric's aggressive girlfriend, and Holly, her fickle best friend. But Maisie has heart and determination--she's a female Maniac Magee with an intact, nurturing family, and she picks up more well-wishers along the way, as pockets of strength appear in refreshingly whole supporting characters. Maisie's is an original and vibrant adolescent voice--curious, confident, and very alive. She tells a story of sexism and challenges that is fresh from the headlines and perfectly integrated into the everyday events at a suburban junior high school, rich with nuance and melodrama.
5) Who Put That Hair in my Toothbrush? - by Jerry Spinelli
he sibling rivalry between twelve-year-old Megin and her older brother Greg intensifies after she ruins his science project and he retaliates by throwing her favorite hockey stick into the pond.

There are the complete and correct titles along with small synopsis for each. Enjoy!

Late night...random thoughts

2008-11-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

So, basically it's like the bizillionth night that I have not been able to fall asleep at my usual 9pm at the latest bed time. This may sound like a good thing to most of you, but it's kind of throwing off my schedule, and to be honest, I don't do well without a schedule. At any rate, here I am, with a compilation of random thoughts from today.
1) I was sitting in anatomy lab this evening and the perfect amount of light was shining through the window to illuminate every stray hair on my substitute lab instructors face. You know the light i'm talking about, the light where every flaw on your skin (especially the random straggler hairs) are glowing in all their ugliness. So there they were, two black chin hairs, staring at me every time I tried to look at her. It was a good thing I didn't have a tweezers or I might have been hard pressed not to have an intervention right then and there. I'm not saying that they are hideous and I can't handle it, because I have them, I'm just saying they are hideous, period. Regardless I feel as though we should all be on the look out to warn each other if we see them. Now, perhaps I'm the only person under 50 who has these, I suppose that could very well be the case, as often I feel as though I'm in an 80 year old body (you know with arthritis in all my joints and arthritic bone spurs in my jaw -- seriously, who does this happen to). At any rate, I had gone back to work on cadavers and promptly forgot about the hairs until I arrived home and found a hair on my boyfriend's toothbrush. It sat next to mine, and I didn't notice it at first, so I picked mine up, and brushed away...ahh, minty clean....and then, holy shit!... I almost hurled. There it sat, a small black hair, wedged in-between the bristles of his toothbrush (thank goodness it was not mine or I would have hurled), just staring at me, daring me to touch it. Well, I didn't take the dare, i didn't touch it, I didn't dare touch it. I'll let him know when I see him sometime tomorrow. anyway, this leads me to my next random thought...
2) Did you ever read "Who put that hair in my toothbrush" or "There is a girl in my hammerlock," or even heard of them? Well, I have this vivid recollection all of a sudden of those two books being my favorite books of early adolescence and I am now trying to find a way to get my hands on a copy. I need to look them up as soon as I've had enough of typing on here. At any rate, great books, don't really recall what they are about, but I think the title should tell us enough...they are clearly cornerstones of our literature past and should definitely not be forgotten, so if you have a moment, pause and remember you favorite childhood books. (P.S., obvs The Outsiders should be on the list) Also, sidenote from real childhood my favorite books were the one with the mouse and the moon (very basic and I think it was called "Goodnight Moon"), another I believe was called "fred the cat" or simply "fred" who would go out at night and wreak havoc on the neighborhood when his owners went to bed, and I remember something about the children thinking he had died and saying "poor fred, poor poor fred, fred is dead, dear old fred is dead." I know weird memories, and better still what about the one with a pirate and a pipe that said "pfoot, pfoot" (you can make the sound as you read it). Anyway, good times with childhood books, I had many clearly rememberable nights with those books, I should find them and read them again. You should do the same, either read my recommendations or remember and find your own.
3) Random thought that is totally unrelated (as if the first two actually were, but somehow they linked)...Golden girls is perhaps the best television sitcom ever created. Like the G-rated 70's version of "sex and the city." These old women, we all picture our grandmothers when watching it, talking about one night stands, and their dead husbands, and they have created their own sorority house. Come to think of it, this is like "Old School" but actually is old school, it's the freakin' original "old school." Rose (the ditz who always talks about growing up in st.olef), Dorothy (the uptight and overprotective daughter who never has a guy except her crazy inventor ex-husband who pops up every once and a while), blanche (the southern bell who thinks she's still 20 and beautiful and is a total slut as they all tell her), and of course the best ever Sophia (the incredibly old and absolutely hilarious mother of dorothy who gets more action than her daughter and has all the health problems of her age, but the wit of a 30 year old). Anyway, I think i've gone on long enough, but it is a must see. I pretty much can turn it on (it's about the only thing on my DVR, because it is on lifetime 4 times a day and i've yet to see a re-run), and laugh out loud to myself almost to the point of crying. Now you might think this is a rare occurence depending on the episode, but I beg to differ, it is a guarantee with just about every episode as they are all just as hilarious as the next. Let me paint you a scene: Dorothy is sitting at the table with Blanche when Sophia walks in with what looks like cataract glasses. Dorothy looks up and says, "ma, what are you wearing those for? are your eyes hurting?" and Sophia says, "no, pussycat, I just lost my glasses and these seem to be working." Dorothy responds, "ma, you can't tell me you can see in those" and Sophia says, "sure I can, who's the black guy at the table with you?" and then she advances across the kitchen to stand at the counter and observe the table. Dorothy and Blanche go on to discuss Blanche's family tree so that she can go over it with the Daughters of the South at their annual ceremony to allow in new members (ridiculous in it's own right), when Dorothy realizes that Blanche's great grandfather was not only born in Buffalo, NY (making her a yankee and inelegeable for the Daughters of the South), but also that he was jewish. Blanche responds, horrified, that now she's not only a yankee but she's also jewish and Sophia says quietly from behind, "and now the black guy is prejudice.".....oh man, you prob stopped reading a while ago, but i'm crying i'm laughing to hard just writing it. Basically, it's great, everyone needs a daily dose of Golden Girls, the greatest show on earth!

blue-footed booby

2008-11-18T14:14:00.001-08:00

So, my friend today was mentioning that she was on the good old facebook (what would we all do without the stalker in all of us being so easily enabled) and was looking at a friends pictures from the galapagos. She then mentioned this bird with "baby blue feet" that was so pretty. Being the inherent dork that I am, I promptly asked why their feet may be like that, are they seabirds? do they camouflage to the water or something? My answers didn't seem good enough, my friend was as perplexed (or perhaps really didn't care) as I, and so I decided to look it up. Well, here are my findings, thought you might find them interesting....The bird is actually called the blue-footed booby bird. I have added a picture so that you can better picture the exact creature that I am speaking of. The name "booby" comes from some foreign word bubi or bobi (depending on which source you consult) and meaning "dunce" or "stupid fellow" (once again depending on the source). Either way you get the point, this bird is not the brightest of creatures, or more correctly explained, it is simply very clumsy when on land. I then learned that these blue feet play a very large role in their mating rituals. Evidently the females are attracted to something about these blue feet doing some clearly incredible dancing (I can only imagine the turn-on). Well, if those males can move those flappers in the right way, then they may just find themselves a mate! (they are monogamous or bimogamous if you were curious) so this is quite the big deal, ya know, this whole dancing thing. So, this is probably a better explanation as to why these purty blue feet have developed. This brought me to wonder about our mating rituals, and wow, that gets the wheels turning, but i'll leave that up to each individual to ponder on their own, as I'm sure it tells us something different and unique to each of us. The other reason I found as the likely reason for these feet is simply the fact that there also exists the red-footed booby bird (who knew these things even existed in the first place), and so these different colored feet allow them to tell each other apart....I read this and though to myself, can it really be that basic? We really need different colored feet to tell ourselves apart? but, then again, I looked down at my socks and realized that although not color-coded to mean human, probably human in their own right by the simple fact I was wearing them, and not only that, but they have L and R (p.s. I had them on the wrong feet) for morons like myself (CLEARLY as I couldn't even adequately use them) to tell which foot is which. So then I realized, perhaps it is this simple, perhaps we need simple indicators to tell us many things in life. At any rate, now that we're all updated on the blue-footed booby, i ask you to question, how do your feet look and what do they tell you about yourself? I won't answer that question out loud (it'd be pretty embarassing) and I think you can probably draw your own conclusions from the evidence above. Anyway, just some food for thought.

the Lowe's experience

2008-11-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

Well, this is a fairly short entry, but had to share it. So I'm attempting to install a mantel over my fireplace (you might ask yourself who has a fireplace without a mantle? I did, but, well as it commonly goes, the answer is me. i don't) to rectify the ridiculous situation of a plain drywall wall above a hole of a fireplace. So, I read up on it, decide the best method of attachment will be to create a "french cleat" if you would like to know the proper term, and so I proceed to Lowe's to acquire the needed supplies. I already have a power drill (I know, i'm high tech like that) and majority of other things, but no level or stud finder or proper wood screws, etc. Well, my boyfriend shows up to my house in his jeans and flannel shirt (hot, i know). I proceed to go over the list of what we need and if he agrees that it will work (sometimes don't know why I even ask), and he responds with a very glazed over expression that it sounds good. So we go, and as we get to the store he is walking a good 4 feet behind me and carrying his glass of diet coke that he is casually drinking while meandering behind me through the aisles. Well, I find the dry wall anchors (in case I can't find the studs) and proceed on to find the wood screws. I begin to look at the different sizes and diameters available when a woman looks down the aisle and says "do you work here?" I turn around, thinking she couldn't be talking to me as I look as clueless as she, and realize that she is looking at Rob. As I observe the situation I see that of course she would be talking to him, I mean he is wearing the flannel shirt that screams "I know my stuff at Lowe's" but then I realize he is also drinking out of his purple glass and texting someone on his cell phone. My immediate reaction is to ask if she is a moron, but think better of it and instead respond, "who, him? he's useless." She proceeds on her way, and Rob acts as though he is offended that I called him useless, but then completely blows his cover that he wasn't wondering why she might have thought he actually worked there by saying (after about a minute passes) "oh, i guess I am wearing a flannel shirt." "Mmhmmm," I say, thinking of course, wow, you're not only useless in the hardware store, but you're a little slow too. However, I don't say that, and instead I just chuckle to myself and think, this will be a good one to blog about. I mean, honestly, if only my boyfriend fit the useful part of the bad stereotype of the way he dresses. Who wears flannel shirts? So that was my hour of lovely time at Lowe's. I'll keep ya posted on how the mantel mounting actually plays out. I am now well equipped for the project, just have to face it. (p.s. I love ya babe, and you aren't useless at all, just sometimes in the "fix-it" parts of life).

the perfect picture of white trash

2008-11-09T20:05:00.001-08:00

So this is completely random, but it came to me as a vivid memory for some reason today, and I felt the need to recount it. So here goes:
I was home in cleveland a few summers ago, and decided to go to the drive-in movie with my parents (I think it may in fact be the last drive-in that actually still operates). We were seeing pirates of the caribbean II, for which I was not too enthused, but regardless of the film the people watching was priceless. It all began when we pulled up in an area without yet a lot of people. It slowly began to fill up and next thing I knew this old, brown, low-rider, Buick pulled up in front of us. I was pretty excited to see what or who would emerge from the vehicle, as their car was impressive in its own right. It only got better as I watched the scene unfold before my eyes. First three little grungy kids jumped out and began to pile their blankets and pillows onto the hood of the car. This was interesting, but then it got even better when the "mother" (I quote it as I am making an assumption) emerges from the passenger seat. SHE is priceless, SHE was worth the entrance fee. Now begins how I try to explain the perfect symbol of white trash with the most admiration possible...
First emerges a pale leg with no shoes on, followed by a more bare leg nearly all the way to the top (at which point I begin wondering if she is wearing any pants). Then I release my breath as I see the brownish blue fringe on the edge of a cut-off pair of daisy dukes. She emerges in entirety with bare feet, daisy dukes mostly covered by an oversized wife-beater that was a lovely shade of gray and some amazing dollar store sunglasses. At this point my night was complete, but it only continued to get better. She turns around to open up her lawn-chair and the rear of her daisy dukes are a lovely brown/yellow color over the faded blue jean (ya know, as if they had seen better and cleaner days). She sits in her chair for a moment, and I think that it's really over, I've seen all she has to offer. But no, she then sits back in the passenger seat for a moment with the door open and reaches in the glove box for a pack of cigarettes (not a conaisseure so I don't know the brand) but she emerges with a long skinny brown cigarette with a white plastic filter on the end. (p.s. I've always wondered what the hell that thing is "filtering.") She proceeds to sit back, relax and smoke it. She seems content, but evidently that was a misjudgement on my part because she then reaches over to the door pocket and pulls out a magazine. I now payed closer attention as I figured it had to be a top quality trash magazine (that I would take as a very strong recommendation for my next purchase), and lucky for me, she didn't let me down. It was not only a junk magazine but THE junk magazine: The Enquirer. Exactly as it looks in the check-out line, black and white, big bold letters across the top, and the most ridiculous pictures (the ultimate displays of amateur photoshop users).
So here I was, watching the most amazing scene unfold before my eyes, from the wife-beater and daisy dukes all the way to The Enquirer...So I sat back in my admiration and wondered, really? does it get any better than this? forget the movie, this was the most perfect human I have ever witnessed to this day. She was purebred white trash, born and raised, and she crossed the i's and dotted the t's on every stereotype that was ever created about who she was and what she stood for. It was pure, it was real and it was priceless...Thank you drive-in movies, for bringing the best audiences ever. (what does that say about me?)