Why I Wuv my Wing

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#29: "Muskrat Love"

I found something that I must share! Earlier today, I was trying to unhook for a moment (via blogging and the internet - - NOTE TO SELF: A break from work should, at best, involve LEAVING WORK!), so I decided to check out AOL Music's latest streaming music compilations and their "Top 11 Videoes" for some new tunage to listen to while working. Instead, I discovered a most amusing list: "The 111 Wussiest Songs of All Time"

And soooo, it's official: I'm a big fat wuss (not that we didn't already know this, but there's now even more proof to attest to my sappiness)! The very fact that, ooohh, I've happily and repeatedly listened to at least a couple dozen or more songs from the 111 listed most wussiest songs in just the last week? In fact, just this last Saturday, after playing in Santa Monica at the beach, I'd deliberately chosen America's Greatest Hits album for our drive home. And further, on that drive home from the beach, for my honey-man and the angel boy-O, I sang -word for word- #29 from AOL's 111 most wussinest songs list...

It's a fun list to check out though! The published Editor's note alone, as follows, is amusing enough, I think:

"Editor's Note: This list was compiled by real-live wusses (and some who have actually dated wusses) from Los Angeles (Bread country) to Dublin (land of Gilbert O'Sullivan). Our panel of wussperts limited the selections to songs from -- and relevant to -- the rock 'n' roll era: no '40s crooners, no show tunes, no Anne Murray. When compiling, we picked one selection to represent each artist: If you want 15 Barry Manilow numbers, please buy his greatest hits. Most importantly, the songs were selected for their inherent wussness, regardless of quality. Some are loathed, some are cherished (doh, we forgot 'Cherish'!) . . . all are wussy."

What's a "Stylus"? Do I want one?

*sigh* I'm doing another thing that I've said I'd never ever do (No, this post is not about my moving to L.A.)... I've decided that it's time to shop for a PDA - -

Here's how this decision was triggered: My 24 yr. old sister, who now lives in Vegas, met me at my office last Thursday before we were to leave for dinner together. For about 5-7 minutes, she patiently sat and/or stood to the side in my office, waiting for me to get ready (or rather, witnessing my pained efforts to get my act together) so we could leave. After locking my office, we walked down the hall together as I muttered a couple mental notes to myself. [BACKGROUND INFO: My sister and I, we don't really know each other that well, having only lived together in my parents' home for 5 years, but now that she's in Vegas, we're spending more time together than ever before (and sans parents), and subsequently, we're learning more about each other than we ever could before... The point is this: She's seen more of me in my own element in the last few weeks, than she has in the entire last decade.] And so, as I was saying, we went down the hall, me muttering as we went, and before hitting the stairwell, my sister told me that she's beginning to think I'm schizophrenic... This is not good.

And so, the very next day, sitting at my assistant's computer to quickly do something, I glanced over to where her PDA sat in its cradle, dutifully flashing daily reminders like a scrolling marquee, and I had a thought... I need help.

I've got to admit (sadly) that it's never been uncommon for me to often speak my inner thoughts aloud, most of which are typically fractured, and more often than not, entirely unrelated to the events at hand and/or entirely nonsensical in nature. And there are times when I must ask friends, "Did I just say 'blah blah blah' aloud or not?" But now? I just can't keep track of it all anymore. What I have to say/share, coupled with my To-Do lists? I'm goin' nuts!

I've got a to-do list for work...
And a list for things to be done that would make life much easier for my replacement at work, for when the time finally comes that I'll need to be replaced at work because I found a new job in L.A...
And of course, I've got a L.A. job search to-do list, including a research list, a follow-up list and a call back list...
I've also got a "When I'm in L.A." things to-do list for when I'm staying in L.A. for a weekend...
and I've got a "When I see my Honey-man" to-do list...
And there's a couple lists for my own personal non-work-related, totally non-job search related stuff...

Keep in mind that with each of these lists, more often than not, I no longer have any idea as to where to find any of my things that could otherwise help me get all this stuff on my lists done... Imagine going through this thought process: "Is 'IT' in storage? Has 'IT' been crammed into the bedroom I'm sleeping in? Is 'IT' in L.A.? Do I still have 'IT' at all?"

Oh, and another thing: I used to behave like a living, breathing birthday calendar, and hardly ever, could I forget a birthday, even if I tried... I've missed about 6 in the last month alone...

So yeah, since my sister's lastest reveal, as to what she thinks about me, I've been thinking it might be helpful if I had my very own scrolling marquee, even if the thought of using a stylus 'pen' seems ridiculous AND daunting... For the next week, I'll be researching PDAs before I make a purchase. Wish me luck, as I reluctantly enter the world of PDA use.

BEHOLD! More Total Kitty Cuteness

See the kitty head to the left, behind the laptop?
and see the bitty 2.5 inches of kitty tail to the right of the laptop?

Otis pawed at my laptop screen (without any claw action) for nearly 15 minutes...

Seen here, Owen and Otis, sitting side by side at the window ~ They never once interrupted their vigilant neighborhood watch to acknowledge my presence behind them... I only saw their ears prick in my direction with every camera click.

My Darling Oattie, finally resigned to patiently wait for his momma to finish clicking her fingers all over that glowing plastic thing she seems to love so much...

I'm a 'Mandarin' - whatever that is...

Okay... I take that "whatever that is" back. As noted by Tomorrowland, in the mid-90s, in articles in The Atlantic and Time Magazine (may need a subscription to access the archived article online), Nicholas Lemann introduced the idea of three paths to success in American society -- that of Talents, Lifers, and Mandarins. He later went on to write a book, The Big Test, about the SAT as the Mandarin path to success.

My Quiz Results say: You're an intellectual, and you've worked hard to get where you are now. You're a strong believer in education, and you think many of the world's problems could be solved if people were more informed and more rational. You have no tolerance for sloppy or lazy thinking. It frustrates you when people who are ignorant or dishonest rise to positions of power. You believe that people can make a difference in the world, and you're determined to try.

Talent: 44%
Lifer: 44%
Mandarin: 51%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

Rushing Out the Door, Without my...

I was in L.A. for the weekend - - oh and those of you, who may be wondering..."Wait, didn't she get back a week ago from a 10-day trip to Montreal? and No pictures? No stories yet? NO MENTION OF IT? What gives!?!" Well, if you remember (but why would you remember?), we were in Montreal in August of last year, same timing as this year's trip. And last year, I didn't post anything substantial about that first trip until, oh? October? Once again, I won't have it together for at least a couple weeks or more or a month or whatever. Too much stuff going on... BUHHT, I do seem to have the time to ramble on and on, don't I?

Here's what I wanted to share: I ran off to L.A. this weekend, leaving after work on Friday. I'd left home that morning with everything I'd need for the weekend, already packed or so I'd thought...

I didn't pack any underwear. None.

Surprisingly, and quite pleased about it at the time, I managed to comfortably fit into my honey-man's, and I discovered by the weekend's end that NOT ONCE OVER THE ENTIRE WEEKEND did I have to loose a snuggy of any kind - !?! Not until this weekend, did I really realize how often I must 'rearrange' back there... The men's boys-cut style provides great coverage! - - but the women's version of 'boys-cut'? I've seen them and they're made for women with no hips and um, no butt. This woman has hips and this baby's got back, I'm tellin' ya, so if I want the kind of coverage I enjoyed over the weekend, I'd either have to go granny-style (no goin' there), or continue to share undies with my honey-man... One weekend of that was enough for the both of us.

And so, I'm back to Vegas, returning to the world of daily snuggies.

What Tunes You Diggin' on, Dewd?

Sooo, back in September of, ahh, last year? Fellow blogger, Sunshine had tagged me for a meme, and apparently, I totally missed it! DOH!

Better late, than never...?

The Instructions: List five songs that you're currently diggin' on - it doesn't matter what genre they're from, whether they have words or not, nor do they have to be any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions and the five songs including artist names on your blog. Then tag five people to see what they're listening to...

1. Jean Leloup: Les Fourmis

2. Death Cab for Cutie: Crooked Teeth

3. Frou Frou: Let Go (again)

4. U2: Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

5. Franz Ferdinand: Take Me Out

You've been Officially Tagged: Doc Ern, CanadianAmy, CircusKelli, ClosetMetro, and Sannie

The Longest Meme Yet!

I can't say I've never done one of these before, unlike this childhood friend of mine from whom I stole this meme, but I thought this one looked fun. Besides, as she said, it's nice to remind yourself every so often just how incredible life is...

Shown in bold type, I've done the following:

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten my own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than I could afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as I possibly could
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about my life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for my computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then I was actually in love with the person
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized my CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love with someone and not had my heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than six hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Received flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand (will someday, I swear!)
90. Bought a house (I so wish)
91. Been in a combat zone (hopefully never)
92. Buried one of my parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently (I'm tryin')
95. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show (I'd rather watch, thanks)
96. Raised children (kind of, as a step-mom in waiting, but planning on it)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named my own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when I knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that I shouldn't have survived
105. Written articles for a large publication (can this blog be considered a large publication?)
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone (does my nose count?)
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of mine below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (really hope to, someday)
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours(the world of Mono)
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states (won't ever happen)
124. Visited all 7 continents (same as #123)
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat (hell no! and never would)
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had my picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something I care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach (don't ask me why)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes (I make my own!)
134. Read The Iliad (and the Odyssey)
135. Selected one "important" author who I missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared and animal for eating (any meat eater should be aware of what really happens to the 'food' they eat)
137. Skipped all my school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written my own computer language
141. Thought to myself that I'm living my dream
142. Had to put someone I love into hospice care
143. Built my own PC from parts
144. Sold my own artwork to someone who didn't know me
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed my hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved my head (does the underside count?)
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

My Priority Shift

Labor Day is just around the corner and for the last 12 years, I've always made my way northward to visit and reconnect with family and friends at that time, and for the last 2 years, my honey-man was able to join me up north for Labor Day, but this year, he just won't be able to make it...

Before I met my honey-man, I happily trekked north on my own, all by myself, and did so sometimes 6 or 8 times in a year. Sometimes twice in one month. No exaggeration. Whenever I had a 3-day weekend (I've got 11 paid holidays a year, baby! plus 3 wks of annual leave), I'd take a personal day or 2 or 3 and either make my way north for a 4 or 5-day family visit or plan a trip somewhere - - San Francisco, Washington D.C., Laguna Beach, San Diego, New Orleans, or glorious Cedar Rapids, IA... The point is, if I had a chance to leave Vegas, I did. But more often than not, holidays were almost always reserved for northbound trips to Utah/ Idaho. Labor Day in particular has always been a time set aside for a family trip... And until I met my honey-man and his darling angel boy-O, the 4th of July had also been designated for a family visit up north. Well, I've spent my last two Independence Day vacations in L.A., celebrating an entirely different, more important 'holiday' ~ the angel boy-O's birthday... a priority shift.

For the last 2 years, I've spent most of my 11 paid holidays in L.A. - all of 'em, but the big biggies, Xmas, Thanksgiving, New Years. At the same time, for nearly 2 years, I was enrolled in a graduate program on a full-time basis while working full-time, but whenever a 3-day weekend rolled around, I was off to L.A. to see mah Cali boys... a priority shift.

Well, this Labor Day, even with my father's family, who will all be in Yellowstone, calling my name from afar, and with 4 baby Bear Lakers also beckoning me, I'll be going to L.A. to see my Cali boys... a priority shift. This time it's harder though. I only made it to Utah/ Idaho for Memorial Day this year for barely a 5-day visit, and I haven't yet had a 2nd trip north, and don't know when I will, if at all this year. It wouldn't be a big deal if I knew I'd have the chance to go again soon, but I honestly don't know when I'll get to go again. Thanksgiving? Christmas? New Years? I don't know where I'll be. And even if I could hope/assume that I'll be in L.A. by then, who knows if a new job will allow me any leave time. And if a new job would offer some leave time eventually, I will no longer be just 6 hrs away from those I love and miss so very much = No more evening drives to Salt Lake = No more 3 or 4-day weekends up north = Makes me very sad. Yet, whenever I have the chance to leave work, to leave Vegas, my heart tugs me more in the direction towards L.A. - - a priority shift.

My honey man's former spouse is a fellow Utahn (sp?) by birth and she recently spent a good stretch of time amongst her family in Ootah -- [SEMI-RELATED TANGENT: Before Wendy left L.A. with her beau and the angel boy-O in tow, I had wished I could hitch a ride with them... "Just swing by the Tropicana exit and I'll grab hold of the bumper!" my heart pleaded silently, while I imagined them passing Vegas on their way northbound... END OF TANGENT.] She's going to have to give me some really good pointers as to how she handles the so few and far between visits home, being so far away from her family, because the last 2 years have been rough for me, despite the joy of my honey-man's love and the angel boy-O's sweetness.

My priorities have certainly shifted, yes, but my heart hurts, having not seen my cousin's twin baby girls since March of last year when they came to Vegas, nor in 2 years' time have I gone wake boarding on the Bear Lake with cousins hollaring and laughing as Kyle's tossed over the side of the boat again... and again... And my cousins with their growing babies? Four babies who don't know who I am. Makes me very sad.

Things to Do, Lately

This post could be considering an exercise in release, like venting - or rather, um, an exercise in organization? or more honestly, ahhh, bitching... ? Here's the latest version of my things to do list:

1. Post resume/application to 10 more new additional job search engines. Each application, to be completed online, will take about 1-2 hours...
2. Continue to search for and apply for job openings (still)
3. Continue to wait for job interview invites... (still)
4. Research new laptops for purchase - done.
5. Sell Double Bed Mattress with box frame (still)
6. Sell old sewing machine (still)
7. Sell 5-drawer, solid pine dresser - SOLD!
8. Sell laptop - SOLD!
9. Buy new laptop - done deal.
10. Finally post and sell those 2 obscene crystal candlestick holders I'd been given as a wedding gift (still)
11. Search through my storage unit for that box marked "Computer Software"
12. Meet with my mentor for the creation of our grant budget for next year
13. Lose 15 lbs (still) - which will entail lotza exercise, and shopping for and preparing and eating decent, healthy foods of reasonable portion size at reasonable times in the day
14. Fix the Echo's bumper (still) Background info: my lil' Gma backed into it while we were in Bear Lake over Memorial Day...
15. Fix the Echo's alignment (still)
16. Check the Echo's breaks (still)
17. Consider application for CA drivers license and registration for the Matrix, since my NV registration expires in October
18. Renew my parking permit online (in fact, I'll go do that right now)
19. Quilting baby quilts, indefinitely (although we should get the current one done already, as it's taken over my aunt's front sitting room for long enough)
20. Consolidate and rewrite my Gma's parents' small type, single spaced, legal paper sized, 9-page long geneaological histories and fax them back to her by Friday the 25th.
21. Meet my sister for lunch after Montreal trip, before the 25th
22. Dinner with Ryan
23. Research comprehensive tutoring programs
24. Research grant writing legalease
25. Research non-profit organization registries in California
26. Practice bizarre HPLH choral lyrics for "An Even Scarier Soltice" before the 26th
27. Finish that damn book I've been reading for the last month so I can finish reading the other two books I've been trying to finish since May
28. Reschedule employment consultation with the alumni center
29. Schedule another 3rd month screening
30. Schedule a D.D.S. appointment for reoccuring cavity/filling refill
31. Change my freakin' mailing address for my Smart Money mag (still)
32. " " for my APSA membership
33. Contact Sylvan (still)
34. Email both Ern and Kristine and let them know I know that I need to write back but haven't yet
35. Send Johanna's package (still)
36. Send Mamie her photos
37. Send Montreal DVDs
38. Dinner with Chandra (still)
39. Dinner with Vicky and Jay and the kids (still)
40. Figure out how to reduce my things to do list - ???

The P.S. to Finding 'Home'

Right after I published this morning's post, before I stood to go switch the laundry, I carefully set my laptop behind Otis while I uncrossed my legs, and in doing so, I casually kicked a flip-flop donned foot directly into the side of my gone-stone-cold cup of coffee... it did a nice, almost slow-mo 360 rotation in the air without losing a drop and then it landed on its bottom, squarely on the floor, and EVERY SINGLE DROP then flew up into the air, spreading in an upward arched spray right before me, about 4 feet high... As I let out a slow, very pained groan, Otis and Owen both lifted their little fuzzy heads to watch the display.

Thereafter, I spent about an hour cleaning 8 square feet of my honey-man's semi-speckled, creamy white berber carpeting...

Finding 'Home'

Hey there - - I'm still in L.A., and should be on my way back to Vegas by now... I have my fuzzy babies curled up with me on the couch; Otis to the left, seemingly glued to my left thigh, and Owen on my right, each paw barely touching me. I have a gone-stone-cold cup of coffee before me on the coffee table. My hair's still wet (it so does not ever airdry in a mere 30 minutes here, as it would in Vegas). I'm still wearing my slippers/indoor flip flops. My Nano is all charged and updated with my 2 new Jean Leloup albums, ready to hit the road. My things are all packed (kinda), most standing by the door, ready to be taken to my car... but I'm stalling.

It's our 2nd year anniversary today (since our 1st date). And over the last couple days in Montreal, my honey-man's acquired a cold bug. I don't want to leave him. I don't want to leave him alone, with no one to care for him while he's a sick-sicky... Whether it was August 21st or not, and whether my honey-man was ill or not though, I just don't want to leave him.

'Home' is a relative concept for most... For me, it's been where I feel most secure, and it's where I feel that I belong. Foremost, it's been wherever it is that I want to be. Ever since my mother died, I've felt dispossessed in more than one way... my sense of 'home' has never quite been recovered. For years, the closest I've ever felt 'at home' has been in Bear Lake, ID - - secure in my mother's family's love for me, in the stability and acceptance I find there. For now and for years, the physical addresses to which I receive my mail, where I house myself and my things have never quite provided me a real sense of home - - it has been unattainable thus far. I certainly don't yet feel at home in L.A. (honestly, I generally feel, uh, totally lost? like a total foreigner in this world of film and theatre and insane living costs, completely out of control and utterly insignificant), nor do I feel at home in Vegas much anymore, especially now, a guest in my aunt's home with no real place of my own. Regardless, I do know where I want to be - - and that's with my honey-man. My want to be where he is has grown stronger and stronger since the day we first met, over 2 years ago, July 18th, 2004. And since our 1st date, 2 years ago today, I've been utterly doomed (to live in L.A.); my want to be where he is has finally grown stronger than my dislike for L.A...

He is my home.

New French Phrases

Keep in mind, I have NO IDEA how to write any of these in french, and even if I did, most wouldn't know what I was trying to write anyhow... So... parle an englais (sp!?!) - and I can't find the quotations marks on this french keyboard either...

You chew like a cow...

I feel like a diaper (refering to what one might say to the driver of a car, who is riding the back end of the car ahead of us)...

One glass is never enough (refering to wine)


I could go on... but I won't.
Needless to say, we're having a wonderful time.

Au Revoir ~ or Buh Bye Now!

After cuddling in bed for an hour this A.M., with the snooze sounding off every 10 minutes or so, we finally got up to prepare the rest of our packing... collecting any last minute shove-it-in-the-bag items and switching over any liquids or gels from my backpack into what would have been only carry-on lugguge, but must now be checked. [SEMI-RELATED TANGENT: We both normally DO NOT check any bags of any kind. We both prefer to carry it allll on to the plane, taking it with us, keeping things 'with our person' at all times. My air travel motto is this: DO NOT SEPARATE FROM THE LUGGAGE! why? - well, it's based on several very BAD experiences, having lost my luggage more times than I'd like to recount (e.g. Didn't have any of my luggage for FIVE days once and it wasn't found until 2 days before my trip was over!?!), plus the fact that I really do not relish, nor do I ever appreciate my time spent standing around the baggage claim area. Naah, I'd rather skip that part. Oh, and there is the fact that I just don't usually pack more than what will fit just fine in a carry-on bag - - with the exception of ski trips; ski trips always require TOO MUCH STUFF to be brought along. And yes, I take great pride in my EXCELLENT packing abilities. I do! "I'm an excellent..." packer. I won't continue to ramble on about exactly how it is that I am a packing genius, but I'll share this: Right now, for instance, I have enough in my mere CARRY-ON SIZED BAG to wear 14 non-repeat outfits, plus 4 sets of jammies and I could go on and on, but it's basically everything else a 10-day trip requires. Not bad, eh? END OF TANGENT]

The angel boy-O is still dozing in bed, while my honey-man and I also attempt to wrap up work-related emails and whatever. The kitties (so freakin' cute) have been fed and they're mug shots have been taken for a "LOST" flyer I always prepare for the kitty-sitter for any 5+ days-long trip away, so they're now lying around, looking supremely pleased and relaxed. The iShuffle has almost finished loading all of the tracks for Harry Potter's Prisoner of Azkaban. Ahh, the boy is stirring! Time to prepare breakfast.

My blogging may be spotty (or non-existent) until the 22nd. Until then ~ Avoir!

From Wed Night...

My friend Ryan (Hi RYAN!) came over Wed. night for SYTYCD, enabling me to remain in my space (we usually watch at his place) so I could run over things to be packed n' such inbetween commercials. After the first solo dance... "Oh no, we don't have a pen or paper to write down the numbers!"

"Have no fear," I said, as I grabbed the nearest writing utensil and began to write...

This is the baby quilt that my aunt and I have been working on, set up on a quilting frame over the coffee table in the TV/sitting room. I grabbed the fabric pen and there you have it - - it's disappearing ink.

Ready for everything, but this...

Having stayed late at work the last 3 nights in a row, staying until at least 8pm each time, and if you count last week? I know I stayed late almost every night, but last week? I can't remember last week... Anyhow, getting the office ready for my absence, and packing my things for Montreal, like totally mad-frantic, going over and over my list(s) --cuz ya know, although we fly out on Friday, if I forget anything of mine before we leave, chances are it'll be over 280 miles away from L.A., in Vegas! So, I've been checking my lists, have just a couple items to steal from the dryer once it's finished and a couple things from work left to do that I'll be taking in to the office tomorrow as I hit the highway; I'm basically ready.

Mind you, I was supposed to leave for L.A. today and from work, early - - however, I found out that Helen's funeral will be tomorrow AM, and so, I'm postponing L.A. for that. That -the funeral- is what I'm not ready for. After spending time with her daughter the other night and one of Helen's sisters, witnessing their pain is just so excruciating. I know, Helen was 87 years old, but she had been FINE! She looked to be in her early 70s! What happened was this: She took a prescribed medication to which she was allergic and within a few days, less than 1 week, she died of kidney failure. She didn't die of old age. It's heartbreaking. It was preventable - it shouldn't have happened.

I'm not ready for her funeral.

Annnnd R-E-L-A-X, but not yet!

With packing underway for our Montreal trip, while getting the office ready for my 12-day absence, and Helen's family to visit tonight (sigh), much later tonight, I'll need to stop for a moment and BREATHE!

I should keep these two in mind, when the time comes...

To the Best Roomie Ever

Dearest Helen,

After our last phone call, I want to tell you again that I miss you too...

Every time I make my Amish Friendship CAKE or whenever I feed my starter, I think of you and how funny you thought I was for not only seeking out the directions for creating the starter, but for maintaining a jar of it over years' time. Every time someone tells me that the phone's for me, I think of how you would let me know and I can hear you in my mind and it makes me smile. And sometimes, when I'm smiling strong and my smiley-muscles are aching, I remember when you told me "You're eyes disappear when you smile, just like mine did when I was your age." Whenever I encounter a raunchy pop-up window when online, I remember your search for Kmart's 'Blue Light Special' and I giggle madly. And when I write the word 'desperate,' I think of you. Every time I hear or see anything associated to the Wheel of Fortune, I think of you. If I'm at the doctor's office or anywhere and I hear the voice of Pat Sajak, I think of you. Every time I think about the price of bread, I remember how you told me of your childhood, how your parents kept a tab with the grocer in order to have bread and eggs for the family, while today, the eggs go bad and the bread gets moldy, we have so much more than we need. Every egg noodle I see or make, I think of you. Every time I make a chicken pot pie, either from scratch or via Marie Callender, I think of you. Every time I drive past Water St. and Lake Mead, every nickel slot machine I see (you can't escape them in Vegas), every piece of pecan pie I devour, every kind of cream pie, every baby carrot I crunch, whenever I chop a red onion, any 1/2 gallon of Moose Tracks ice cream, whenever I buy pectin or peaches, whenever I bake spaghetti squash, whenever I make Ranger cookies, every box of cordial cherries I see... I want you to know, that when I get down in the dumps -when I'm feeling unworthy- I remember that one time you told me what you really thought of me - - - I want you to know that I've missed you too and will continue to miss you. I'm so sorry that I didn't get the chance to tell you one last time just how much I love you, Helen.

Kisses,
Your Smiling Girl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once I got settled in at work this morning, I got an unexpected call. Helen died last night. She was 87 years old. She was one of the most relaxed and down to earth women I've ever met - She was remarkable, not in that she did many socially remarkable things, but in that she knew what was important and she could see things as they are and still find the beauty of life. And she was a fabulous listener... I can still hear her 'mmm hmm...'

I hadn't known she had taken ill so suddenly...
I had had her name written on my "Things to Do" list for over a month...
I hadn't called her since the week of the angel boy-O's birthday weekend...
I was planning to drop by tomorrow night, to let her know I'd be back on the 22nd with a new set of pictures from Montreal to share with her...
I was hoping to take her to the Magic Star for $2 dollar breakfast...

I feel so badly that I hadn't visted her more recently. I lived with Helen for 3 years.
And she was the best roommate I ever had.

Six Sterling Sweeties of Old

Given a heads up to watch the coming mail, I was told a precious package was to be sent my way. I had not any inkling as to what it could possibly be. I knew though, that this one was serious ~~ I could tell by her voice...

My Grandma Joanie is a fabulous gift-giver ~~ The woman's creativity CANNOT be heralded, and the heart of her giving is always delightsome and generous in its meaning, and the love with which she gives, to communicate LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. This time, little did I know, she would absolutely take my breath away!

Wrestling to open the "Nokia" phone box I received, therein, nestled in folds and wrappings of bubble wrap, I found this most modest, little, felty light bluish gray bundle. Immediately, I could tell it was an aged item and knowing my Grammie's knack for geneaological treasures, I held my breath as I pulled upon the tie...

I found spoons. Teaspoons. Six of them. Sterling.

Six very old, very cherished, very sweet, very fragile and dainty sterling silver teaspoons
~ Circa 1980's ~

The spoons were originally an engagement gift given to my great, great Grandma Angie, from her own mother ~ As the engravings show, they were engraved especially for her.

My childhood nickname was Angie - and still is, whenever I'm with immediate family and close relatives. Anyone who has EVER met anyone in my family, ultimately learns to call me Angie. And when they meet my father, they may even be tutored in the proper rehearsal of "Georgie Porgie, puddnin' pie," who kissed the girls... etc. etc.
Except, the proper family version goes as follows:
"Angie-Pangie, puddnin' pie, kissed the boys and made 'em cry..."

Anyhow, are these sterling sweeties gorgeous or what?
Once I'm settled in Cali, I am so gunna have tea parties.
(I'm grinning madly)

Thank you so much, Joanie-girl! Bless you for loving me so dearly!
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWINKLE TOES!

A 3rd post for August 2nd

A note of personal trivia for today's date:

If I had not divorced in 1999, I would have been married for 9 years, today.

WOWZERS, eh?

I hope all's well with him.

You are such...

Over the weekend, I was in L.A. to set up my new baby ~ a Toshiba Satellite A105- S4134... oh yeah, and to visit mah honey-man, of course! and to cuddle my fuzzy babies, Otis and Owen (with the angel boy-O still out of town, visiting his mama's clan in Ootah ~HI! Wendy's Ootah Clan!).

So, yeah ~ my new compooter! I must say, I've been feelin' like I'm a purty clevah grrl (sensing a bit of pride here? ~ you're not mistaken!). THE STORY: My supportive parents had lovingly given me an entry-level laptop for my birthday this past January, as a birthday/early graduation gift [See the pic to the side? "Annejelynn's 31st Birthday Present"]. It was purrrfect timing, and helped me to finish my Thesis ~ BUHHT, it wasn't quite as speedy as I'd like, nor did it have the memory or hard disk space I'd prefer, nor did it have a DVD+/-R drive. Soooo, I sold it last month for $450 (after 7 months of use) and with that money, plus a few hundred I'd saved from generous Congratulatory gift monies given to me for finishing my MPA in May, I gots me a new fandangled laptop! WOO-HOO!

I combed websites and techy promotions for a couple months to prepare for my upcoming purchase, and here's the specs for what I finally chose (with a $25o rebate!):

Centrino Intel Duo Core processor, 1.83 GHz/667 FBS, 2 GB of RAM, 120 GB Hard drive (5400 RPM), Windows Media Center (Vista capable), 2003 Office Suite, CD/ DVD+/-R double layer drive, 4 USB ports with all the other fancy ports, including 2 nifty media card slots, all the wireless capability I'll ever need, and a fingerprint security sensor, etc. etc.

Yup, I'm purty pleased with my purchase.

Over the weekend, just before my honey-man whipped out his camera to document the moment, he said aloud with emphasis upon each word, "You are SUCH a geek," refering to all the USB action you see here in the pic he then took...

Oh and here's a cute fuzzy babies pic, for good measure (it's been a while, eh?)

Updated! Bugly Bug, Bummin' a Ride

UPDATE: Sheryl's figured it out! She rawks, that Sheryl, she does, ohhh she does... What we have here is a "Tarantula Hawk" - seen here.

Check out this gnarly lil' dewd! What is it? I have no idea... I had left my aunt's home on the way to a early- AM doctor's appt. the other day - - As soon as I was driving on the main road, turning out from her neighborhood, he'd flown into my windshield with an audible thud! At the time, I hadn't seen where he'd deflected off to, but when I got out of my appt., returning to my car, I realized he must have bummed a ride with me, all the way to the dr's office! He was just hangin' out on my windshield wipers...

Gimme' Sum Bizkits!

Last night, my honey-man and I had made 'plans to go out' for dinner. Where we'd end up, we weren't sure... but we'd chosen, I think, 3 different possibilities before walking out the door...

BACKGROUND INFO: We don't eat out for dinner a whole lot -maybe twice a month is all. I say "is all" for the fact that I understand most of my friends go out for dinner about twice a week, comparatively. As for us, however, the best way I can explain our behavior is to say we'd rather spend (or save) our money on/for other things. Yet, if we decide to go out, we want to be sure that #1) it's really good (why pay to eat out if there's something better to eat at home?), and #2) we're not always going to the same places over and over ~ we want to try NEW things, BUT we're too frugal to run blind into just any eating establishment.

Sooooo, about a month ago, we bought a ZAGAT guide for Los Angeles restaurants, and I swear, we've looked at every single page twice over, highlighting in yellow the listings below $35/person that score in at least the low to high 20's for the 'food' rating. Of course, admittedly, we're always aiming for something along the lines of $15/person or less with a '24' food rating. You'd be surprised how many 'cheap' but GUHOOOD places there are! [SEMI-RELATED TANGENT: Even though each listing estimates the cost per person, we've been able to figure out that between the two of us, we usually spend $5-20 less, since we rarely order appetizers or drinks... just don't need that much food! END OF TANGENT.]

Once we've gone to a place found we'd found in the Zagat guide, we highlight over the yellow with green. And considering how infrequently we go out, changing over the yellow to green will be a long process.

So yeah, last night, we left home with THREE places to try... Three for the fact that one of the first we'd chosen in Larchmont, we called and they were booked for the entire evening. As back up, we'd chosen some cuban restaurant called Versailles (a misleading name, don't you think? - my honey-man's been there before, to 2 other different locations of theirs, but not me) and a peruvian joint, in case Versailles was packed. Already, this story is longer than it needs be, so I'll get to the point...

On our way to Versailles, driving down Manchester, I saw 'IT' and literally, I clutched the dashboard and squawked... "Roscoe's House of Chicken n' Waffles!!!" One U-turn and a quick pull of the parking break, we found ourselves at the original Roscoe's located in west L.A. proper, surrounded by red neon and some of the most artery cloggin' cusine imaginable! I soooo wish I'd had my camera... the butter for our waffles? At first glance, as our waitress approached with our loaded plates, I thought it was ice cream! FOUR HUNORMOUS SCOOPS! Like fountain scoop-size scoops!?! I don't think I stopped giggling for more than 1 minute, unless I was chewing...

Now where is that green highlighter?

Resignation Rescinded

Something I could mention - - I've rescinded my final resignation date, meaning I will not be leaving my job on August 31st. Why renig on our decision to resign? It was actually my honey-man's idea...

See, this is how it started: A few weeks ago, the week before my bridal shower, I think, I was on my way to meet some friends for lunch, and I was on the cell with my honey-man, telling him how my boss and I had just looked at our travel schedules for the remainder of July and into August, and we had determined that we'd have maybe 4 solid days to work together to refill my position by August 31st...

Mmmkay, the submission of my resignation date was to serve two purposes; 1) Get my butt to L.A. if I hadn't gotten a job by then, and 2) It would give HR the license to not only announce the upcoming vacancy of my position ahead of time, but to also initiate a formal search for a suitable replacement hire before I left. Well, the aforementioned 4 days for a rehire search ain't gunna work for anyone. Plus, there's the fact that once I'd announced my resignation date (an action which was entirely contrary to my original assurances given to my father that I would NOT move before securing a job), um, the decision has since proven itself to be MEGA ULTRA STRESSFUL.

But honestly, before my honey-man said anything about going back to the original plan (again, that'd be to stay here until I secure a job in L.A.), I hadn't once thought to change my resignation date - sure, I was totally freakin' out with all the insecurity and sheer panic, actually planning to give up my health benefits for NO JOB, but I'd made the decision to resign and I was gunna resign on August 31st. Of course, if I could score a freakin' job in L.A. before then, I'd leave before then...

Ho hum. Yeah, so unless I get a job, I'm gunna be here... I hadn't thought I'd still be here.

Guilty Confession #2

Last night, around 10PM Pacific time, while my friend Ryan and I both sat on the couch, each with a phone in hand, I hungrily dialed the following numbers as fast as I could, before the phone lines were absolutely jammed:

1.888.TEMPO.02
1.888.TEMPO.03
1.888.TEMPO.07
1.888.TEMPO.08

Now if you don't recognize these numbers? I am SOOOOO NOT going to explain a bit of it.
This admission alone is enough, thanks!

ka ka ka Camping!

We went CAMPING last weekend - and I'm still riding high off it! ~ even after the mega emotional shake-up on Sunday, when driving back to Vegas. We just had TOO. MUCH. FUN! It also happened to be one of California's hottest summer weekends thus far, BUHHT our campsite, chosen totally blind, online at random by my honey-man (meaning we had ZIPPO- ZERO IDEA as to what we were gunna get before we got there) was PERFECTLY shaded with a couple large trees and generous bushes (wild flowering baby's breath!) creating a great deal of privacy compared to other campsites and well spaced from other campers. It also had a rather large open area for the fire pit.

Most importantly, our campsite was placed beside a sweet little river (a 'creek' by midwestern standards) for our cool-down pleasure/needs and pure enjoyment. It even had several thigh-deep, even above waist-deep pools for tooling and floating about. It was like a lil' oasis.

Another delightful aspect of our trip was that there wasn't any visible smog! Only 2 hours from L.A. and the air seemed clear - a trek up the mountain revealed we were still enveloped, BUHHT it wasn't even half as bad as back in the city, that's for sure. The skies were GORRRgeous and the stars at night? We'd sit beside one another in our camp chairs by our campfire, well past 11pm, necks craned backwards, staring up into the starry heavens! All weekend long, we felt truly fortunate - - even when the weekend temperature proved to be a bit unkind.

Our 2nd night though, sitting by the fire once again (I soooo LOVE campfires! - and fire in general), with the angel boy-O already fast asleep inside the tent, we both suddenly thought and spoke aloud at the same time,
"It's so hot still - what time is it?" We then both had the same idea and went to the Matrix to check the time and the exterior thermometer's reading - it was after 10:30 at night and it was 94 degrees?!? A couple hours later, we retired to the tent for some shut eye and the rest of that night was miserably hot and sweaty - - Even still, we had a splendidly successful camping experience!




One of the many things I love most about camping - besides all the wildlife, the hiking and trails, campfires and camp lanterns, flashlights, sleeping outside, the starry nights, the sounds of the outdoors, both day and night, all the fresh air - is camp out food!!! I love camping snacks and camp cooking! Trail mix! Tinfoil dinners! BBQ beans! Hot chocolate! Campfire angel cake! Granola! Fruit leathers! Thick French toast! Very-bad- for-you fatty fried breakfast meats! Campstove scrambled eggs! Smores! Roasted Marshmellows! Banana Boats! Roasted Veggie kabobs! Fruit salad! When we were preparing our foodstuffs the night before our trip, most happily (in a kinda neurotic way), I filled several itty-bitty so-cute mini-storage containers with minute measurements of whatever = butter, mayo, mustard, BBQ sauce, ketchup, shredded cheddar, peanut butter, blueberry jam, french toast spice, creamer, ground coffee and instant coffee (in case the aluminum camp percolator was a bust ~ And it didn't turn out to be! It was great!), and small bottles of milk and maple syrup, each with a "cool core" column of that blue icey stuff kept in the center - ? - do you know what I mean? Anyhow, I love the outdoor cooking aspect of camping A LOT! If I had to rank what I love most about camping, I'm not sure I could do it... I do know though that after ANY kind of camping trip, I rediscover my deep, deep appreciation for clean running water and indoor plumbing.

"Forget the Hiatus" or "Counting Lucky Stars!"

First of all, this whole bloggin' hiatus? Kinda necessary, but not as much as I had thought - explanation to follow later in the week...

2nd of all, we went camping in Cali this past weekend; me, mah honey-man and the angel boy-O, camping together for the first time! - will write more about this soon.

But more pressing than 'first of all' or '2nd of all,' although I'm about to go to bed, I'm still stunned, reeling from a most harrowing experience I must share. BACKGROUND INFO: As a rule, whenever I'm on a road trip somewhere, I try hard not to exceed more than 15 mph over the speed limit. Why not just drive the speed limit? I'm not gunna answer that - geesh! Anyhow, to be more exact, I usually hover about 12-13 over the limit... SEMI-RELATED TANGENT: However, whenever traveling through Utah or Idaho, it's more like 8-10 mph over. And in Wyoming? No more than 7 mph over the limit, not EVER! And when I'm traveling in Nebraska, Iowa or Illinois? ...there are far too many explanations and stories to offer here, but I won't go into any of that. So anyhow, the 'background info.' continues: The speed limit between Vegas and L.A. is 70 mph, so I usually drive about 83 mph.

Now, see if you can picture this: I had just gotten off the phone with my honey-man, having reached Barstow, CA - my half-way point between L.A. and Vegas. Maybe 2 minutes before I'd hung up with him, I saw a white car coming up from behind me and fast. Before the approaching car would need to slow down at all, I moved into the middle lane and out of its way, allowing the speed demon to pass. It was a Grand Am and man, it was blazing! Now, if I was driving at 83 mph, you know it had to have been going faster... Keep that in mind.

Once the Grand Am had passed me, I was off the phone and coming up on a Budget rental truck, so I casually moved back into the far left lane, preparing to pass it. Then, looking further ahead on the road, by a distance of maybe 12-14 car lengths, I watched that same Grand Am suddenly swerve and move towards the soft, narrow left shoulder of the hwy. In a split second, having met the left shoulder, its rear end twisted 'round from the back right, towards its front, to then see the front right of the car catch, allowing the back left of the car to lift into the air, spinning the car round even more, so that its headlights were aimed in my direction for a mere nanosecond, to then watch the car's front driver's side flip up and then over for 2 and a half rotations, across the width of the 3-lane hwy, smashing into the upward slant of the far right shoulder's embankment.

The dirt stirred high up into the air from the left and right shoulders of the hwy had created an enormous cloud of dust, and before I came to a complete stop on the right shoulder, in the very midst of that dust cloud, I wasn't sure what I'd see, nor was I sure I'd even make it to the side of the road. It was remarkable, just how FAST the dust did settle though. For me, I first saw that the Budget rental truck I'd been about to pass on my right, moments before the accident, had stopped only 25 feet or so in front of me, and its driver was already outside, fumbling with the blue hwy emergency call box located a mere 10 feet away from the steaming Grand Am. I then saw that the Grand Am was resting on the length of its passenger side, its headlights (they were missing actually, along with the entire front bumper) aimed toward me. The windshield was smashed inward and I couldn't see anyone inside from where I was, but it looked as though the engine was still running.

Now keep in mind, ALL OF THIS happened in a matter of seconds: Before I had my parking break set, I had already punched the button for my car's hazard lights and had located my cell phone, a beach towel from the back seat and a hefty tub-size package of wet wipes. Then I was out my car door and running as fast as I could (wearing sandals), carrying with me the things I had grabbed, expecting the worst. Running past the rental truck driver, who was now only standing by the emergency call box, gawking at me, I yelled at him to please come help me.

Having reached what was the left side of where the Grand AM was, it was clear that the engine was still on, but I couldn't immediately see if anyone was in the car, even if all the side car windows had been smashed out. The Grand AM's interior was caked with red desert dirt and lined with shards and pieces of broken glass. Then I heard her, sobbing hard and loudly. A woman caked in the same red desert dirt, all powdery from head to toe, was crawling from the backseat towards the entirely smashed out back window. I ran around towards the rear of the car, where I discovered a man, head shaved (I could see all kinds of bloody nicks around his head), who was also caked in the same powdery dirt, standing as if he'd just straightened up, his eyes blinking madly, and he looked as though he was going into shock.

The rental truck driver then came to my side, and once I began asking questions (more like shouting, but not quite), we both tried to determine if either of the two were seriously hurt, if they thought they'd broken any bones, etc. etc. and we tried to help the woman out of the Grand Am, pulling her up from the back window of the car. And as she stood, still sobbing (understandably!), she and her man insisted that they were okay - and looking them over, despite all the dirt, all I could see was scrapes and cuts. Nothing deep. Nothing major. They were, by potentially-fatal-auto-accident standards, perfectly fine.

By that moment, more people had stopped at the scene, but no one had turned off the Grand Am. The sound of the engine and the still blaring stereo, coupled with the smell of burning antifreeze brought this fact back to my attention. I looked around to see maybe 5 new people within reach, all grown adult men, most gravitating towards the still sobbing (understandably!) woman, asking her if she was all right, although the guy (presumably the woman's significant other, who was also crying by that time) was the one in worse shape. I had already given the towel and wipes to the dusty couple, insisting they both sit down on the ground, and had also grabbed a man who had run up to me, insisting he had a veritable first-aid center in the back of his SUV if needed. I asked him to please help get our dusty couple to sit down, and then I stood and turned to grab the rental truck driver, but saw that someone was finally back on the emergency call box, shouting out the pertinent questions - - What kind of car is this? What's the closest mile marker? What happened? What went wrong? Are you sure they're okay? No broken bones? They didn't break anything? No bones?!?

I then announced the obvious - "The car engine's is still running!"

Absolutely no one made a move...

Next thing I know, I'm jumping to dive through the broken driver's window, battling with a fully deployed airbag, trying to turn the damn car off. It took two 'dives' to do it. No one tried to help - ???

IMPORTANT NOTE: Before I forget to mention this, absolutely NO ONE was else was hit by the Grand AM when it violently tumbled across the highway; everyone else passed by without further incident. How that is, I have NO idea.

So, what had happened? The Grand Am couple were #1 DRIVING WAY TOO FRICKIN' FAST, and #2 doing so ON A SPARE TIRE!?!? located at the rear of the driver's side??? - ya know, one of those wienie lil' donut spares you're not supposed to use going any faster than 35 mph? But what triggered the accident was that #3 their front driver's tire blew, and #4 after the inital blow, moving immediately to the left shoulder before first slowing down at all, when those two bad tires hit the softness of the left shoulder, their sheer speed and the momentum of the car's right side spun the car around and it flipped and flipped.

Once the man talking on the emergency call box had completed his call and the Grand Am couple had wiped their faces clean, about to start on the scapes and cuts they had all over their their legs and arms, I stood there for a moment, staring at them. I stepped forward and crouched in front of them both, and starting to cry, I said (more like choked) very slowly, "You guys are sooo lucky."

And then, shaking still from all the adrenaline, I walked back to my car and left.

Of course, I called my honey-man as soon as I had successfully merged into the backed up traffic, back on the hwy. It was difficult to speak - - they were so lucky. They were so lucky. And I was stunned; at how so many people stopped, but so few made a move to actually help. And they were so lucky.

The rest of my drive home to Vegas, I cried off and on, relieved and amazed that no one else, including myself, had been hurt at all. And in my head, I recounted all the times I've witnessed the occurence of an auto-related accident and all the times I've found myself in the midst of an accident scene. There are many stories to tell. And I'm counting my lucky stars.

And My Favorite Bridal Shower Gift...

Just hafta to make a note here...
My bridal shower was sooooo WONDERFUL! It was PURRRFECT! And my favorite shower gift??? It was given to me from my friends, Kim and Poppy = the most complete gathering of ALL my Vegas friends, all of them together ~ all there for me! That was the BEST gift they could give me! And boy, do I feel uber loved! THANK YOU GIRLS!

My Blogging Hiatus has begun, BUT...

...I've had this one sitting in my drafts for several weeks, and I'm just gunna post it, cuz I just have to...

My friend Poppy and I, we instant-message one another while at work (moderately), and the weekend before the 4th of July, I think it was, I wrote to her and asked her what she had going for the weekend. She wrote back, telling me she had plans to paint her two-year old's bedroom, and then, what in her mind was only a joke, she asked if I wanted to come over and help paint... The rest of our AIM convo went something like this...

Me: paint?
Me: did you say PAINT?
Me: painting?!? you're gunna paint!?!
Me: PAINTING?!?!
Me: I LOVE TO PAINT! I'LL PAINT ANYTHING!
Me: did you ASK ME to PAINT?
Me: will you let me?!?! will you let me paint?
Me: I LOVE TO PAINT! You have NO IDEA how much!
Me: so can I?
Me: huh? huh? can I? can I paint? can I?
Me: I SO LOVE PAINTING! WILL YOU LET ME PAINT?
Me: I would SOOOOO love to come over and paint! YES? can I?!?
Her: you're scaring me...

So, we spent that Saturday painting from 10 am-ish until 5 pm-ish and we had a TOTAL ABSOLUTE BLAST (I love to paint!) and it was uber fun! And WE DID A GOOD JOB, WELL DONE! Check it! ~ Click on images for a larger view, if you're that interested!

A Gazillion Posts, Unposted

I've got a gazillion posts written up in my head, each unposted thus far... I think I may have to take a bit of a blogging hiatus... For one, I'm very busy trying to prepare my office for my leaving for L.A., all while searching for a new job in L.A.... And two, I'm searching for a new job in L.A. ...Um, did I tell ya that I'm searching for a job in L.A.? And that I had no idea a job search could be THIS PAINFUL!?!? And um, yeah, I'm searching for a job AND trying to have some fun this summer. * sigh * So far, it's been a bitty bit taxing on the ol' psyche. However, although I've written really NOTHING about it (taken a bit off track by the unexpected deaths of my poor fishies), my 4th of July weekend was absolutely GRAND, and EVERYTHING we did was quite encouraging. [TRANSLATION: It was pleasant enough that I believe I could live in L.A. and possibly maintain some sanity, even though I WILL NEVER GET OVER HOW FREAKIN' EXPENSIVE AS HELL EVERYTHING IS and the traffic is utterly INSANE.... although neither of those two fACTS are news to anyone.] I still hope to share some of my holiday weekend here, but it'll have to wait. For now, I'll lay off the ALL CAPS... at least for one full sentence before I do it again.

Remaining set plans for the summer: 1) My sister just arrived in Vegas for her new job, with plans to take some grad classes in the fall, and I hope she and I will be spending some significant time together before I have to leave... yes, she moves here, and now I'm leaving? How much does THAT suck?
2) My bridal shower is this coming Saturday (BIG SMILE). My Vegas girlfriends, Kim and Poppy wanted to throw one here, sooner than later, in case I were to actually find a job and leave Vegas before my resignation date of August 31st.
3) The weekend of the 20th, we're going CAMPING with the angel boy-O in tow ~ I'm absolutely STOKED OUTTA MY MIND!
4) We recently lined up our flights for Montreal in August ~ Woo-hoo! Yup, we're goin' back, ya know, seeing that my honey-man's ENTIRE family lives there and we figure it'd be nice for me and them to spend more time together before I marry the honey-man. We'll be gone the 11th thru the 20th! And as one should suspect, I've acquired about a dozen different French language audio CDs, which I now listen to in my car on the way to work and on trips to L.A., at my desk (like right now) and on my Nano. So far, all that I can say consistently [beyond some French basic basics like 'Yes' and 'No,' 'Please' and 'Thank You,' 'Good morning' and Goodnight,' my numbers and days of the week, 'Can you speak English,' and 'I don't understand,' and 'I don't know, I don't care,' (the latter being my favorite), etc. etc.] is "May I have a glass of milk?" That's it. Oh, and "You have a handsome car."
5) My parents will be in Vegas once I get back from Montreal and I'll take MORE time off from my soon-to-be-no-more beloved job to spend some time with them.
6) Move to Los Angeles...

It is Not Idleness...

"Resting is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under a tree on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." - J. Lubbock

I would suspect that if there were such a thing as former lives, Lubbock had been a cat...

Sweetest Sympathies

I don't have my camera with me, but more importantly, I'll share the Sympathy card that was written with the lovely flowers just delivered to my office:

"We're sorry for your loss, sweetie. You took good care of your fishies and they had a great life with you. We're sure they're happily flipping their fins in the great ocean beyond.
Love, _____ & ____ ."

Sent by my honey-man and the angel boy-O.

I'm a Terrible Mother

I just got back to Vegas from a most wonderful weekend in L.A. - - and I feel like utter crap now...
I opened the door to what has been "my bedroom" in my aunt's home for the last month, and the smell hit me like a brick... and I couldn't hear any running water... and immediately, I looked to the back corner of the room to see my fishtank completely dark, the water cloudy, opaque and rusty in color... And I burst into tears.

Although two days before I'd left town, I had explained to my aunt that the fishtank was THE ONLY THING powered in the room by the light switch, over the past weekend, before she left for Oregon, she must have gone in there for something and flicked the light switch by habit on her way out, closing the door behind her. Even though I had tried to prevent a potential accident-waiting-to-happen, by letting her know about the tank and the light switch, I should have never placed the tank in that corner with the nearest outlet dependent upon the light switch.

I'm absolutely mortified, to think of how the ammonia level must have risen in the tank to a toxic measure, slowly killing my poor pretty Pauline, piggy-boy Moffet, baby Rocky and Stud Jr. They were at least 5 years old - I'd had them for 5 years. I just buried them in the backyard at the base of a rose bush. And bawled the whole time. And then I cleaned out their tank. And bawled the whole time.

I feel terrible.