The Holiday Season

Well, Christmas is four days away. How weird is that? It's mild and rainy and feels nothing like Christmas. Not that I'm complaining. I'm not one of those people hoping for snow on Chirstmas Day. Christmas will come and go with or with out snow. We still get to open presents and spend hours with family and listen to Christmas music and watch the Disney Parade (that never has snow) and what ever else you might normally do on Christmas Day.

Anyway, my fun begins tomorrow. With the TNOF gift exchange party. Then Saturday is the first family gathering. We will exchange gifts with my mom's side of the family. Then on Christmas Eve, we will again gather with my mom's side for dinner. On Christmas Day, I will wake up to the children opening presents. After which I plan to nap, then go to my Aunt Sue's for turkey dinner. From there we go to my Uncle Karl's to sit on Santa's lap and get our final gift of the night. One would think that is enough family fun for one season, but not us. Nope. We will get together once more on the 30th for the final gift exchange. Yay (that is a sarcastic yay).

I'm looking forward to not working. Sleeping in. Being lazy. Spending time with friends. Shopping. And I think NYE will be fun this year. Even if Ryan chooses to be lame and not hang with us. (Yes, I know a certain someone can be annoying, but you're going to let one person keep you from spending NYE with many friends??? That's silly).

Ok, I really should try to find some work to do. I really don't have any, but I should at least give it a try.

Happy Holidays!

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Hello

Hi! I thought I would post an update for those who still check this blog and are tired for seeing the 'Lions and Tigers and Spartans, Oh My!'

I have offically finished my first semetser back to school. I'm not sure how long it will take to get the grades back, but I'm not worried. I should have 2 A's and a B. Winter classes begin on January 8.

I have a lot of shopping to do. I have yet to buy one present for X-mas yet. I tend to be a last minute shopper. I make my list of things to buy very early, but I wait and wait to actually go buy them. But, since I have a holiday potluck and gift exchange at work tomorrow, I guess I have to start today!!

And --- I have started dating someone. He is a friend of our friends that got married in Mexico. I had met him 2 or 3 times before, but we had never paid much attention to each other. In Mexico we started talking and had a really good time. Unfortunately, he works midnights so there is only one day a week we can see each other (Saturday). But, it seems to be good so far. He will be at the New Year's Eve party - for those of you coming with us you can meet him! And of course his name is........Dave. I know, I must be cursed! Anyway, Beckie and I talked about it and he will be referred to as El Dave so we know who I'm talking about going forward - haha!

Well, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Jolly New Year, etc.
:-P

SATC

You Are Most Like Carrie!

You're quirky, flirty, and every guy's perfect first date. But can the guy in question live up to your romantic ideal? It's tough for you to find the right match - you're more than a little picky. Never fear... You've got a great group of friends and a great closet of clothes, no matter what! Romantic prediction: You'll fall for someone this year... Totally different from any guy you've dated.

Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You?

Lions and Tigers and Spartans, Oh My!

As much as love love sports, it's a bit crazy when they are all taking place at the same time! I was lucky enough to go to the Tigers game on Sunday. It was fun. I went with some cousins. I'm still waiting for Marc to send me the pics, but will share when I get them. It was quite cold, but we were prepared with toe warmers and scarves and gloves (and beer). I like hanging out with the fam. Now that we're more mature, we actually get along!

Anyway, last Friday was movie night. The Prestige was good. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I did like it. Probably won't buy it though... Saturday I just followed Beckie around town. Went to Ferndale for her friend's b-day party. We watched the Tigers game there then headed to Fishbones for a pre-Cadieux Cafe drink. Cadiuex Cafe was fun. Jessica and I almost kicked some feather-bowling-ass, but we fell apart in the last round... Jessica - We'll get 'em next time!! :)

This weekend is dress-up time! I'm looking forward to it.

B-day Mania

Man, October is just crazy with the birthdays! We have already celebrated Mike's, Sarah's and Jenn's. Today is my Dad's. Also, my two nephews and niece are this month (10th, 18th & 28th) and Gayle's is the 30th. And I'm probably forgetting someone...sorry someone!

Anyway, it is definitely fall. Heck, it's borderline winter already with the frickin' snow we had last week. I love fall, but only when it is truly fall. Not fall for a week, then winter for 5 months!

This past weekend was full of fun. The Tigers played on Friday and won. Then we went to the MSU football game Saturday monring. The tailgate was cold! We drank warm apple cider with Captain Morgan's - yum! Sarah and I left the game at half time to drive home in time to rest for a few minutes and watch the Tigers sweep the A's to go on to the World Series...GO TIGERS!! :) We then went a bachelorette party downriver. It was fun to see our friends that we don't see much, but when the stippers arrived, we were ready to go. They were icky. They just thought they were hot stuff even though they were rather scary and not attractive at all. And they were 45 minutes late but acted like it was no big deal even thought being 45 minutes late kind of killed the party because we were just sitting around waiting for them to show. Annoying naked men!

On Sunday I went to my parents' as usual. We had a mini celebration of my dad's b-day. It was mini because my mom has been so busy planning the kids' party that she forgot to think about my dad. I had to buy a couple of pies on my way there. The kids were in rare form. Jordan was actually in a good mood, she's cute when she's in a good mood. Cayman has a tendancy to mouth-off when he doesn't get what he wants. And Jeffrey gets no attention from my brother and does bad things so he does. At this point, jeffrey will take whatever attention he can get, bad or not. I feel bad sometimes. My brother blames Jefrrey for where is life is and takes it out on him - obviously claiming he doesn't, but we can all see it. Jeffrey will go away to college and never come back. And my brother is too stubborn to admit when he's wrong so he'll never change and it won't get better. It's sad.

I also ordered my costume this weekend. It's a "Hot Rockin' Witch". It wasn't my first choice, but since it was $35 cheaper than what I really wanted, I will make it do. Looking forward to getting dressed up this year, it feels like it's been forever since I have. Fun, fun.

Moment of Flattery

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted...mainly because there's not much to update. I started school a couple weeks ago. I am now very tired because I'm not used to the schedule. The classes are very easy, almost as easier than high school... In Anatomy & Physiology my teacher will lecture and say "remember this, it's going to be on the test" or "you don't need to memorize this, it won't be on the test" - uh, ok. As for psychology, that class is going to be my worst, not the hardest, just the worst. See, I didn't go to the first class because I was way too tired and slightly hungover from the b-day extravaganza. I was so paranoid about missing that I read the first two chapters in time for the second class, hoping to be prepared for a test. Well, in the second class, I found out they covered chapters 1 & 3 - d'oh! Luckily, the teacher lectured about chapter 3 before the break and gave the test right after AND it was an open book test. The way my PSY 101 class is set-up, our homework is to read a chapter (this week is chapter 4), then during the next class she will discuss/lecture on ch. 4 and then we will have a test on ch. 4 the same day. I don't know if all of the tests will be open book, but I still find it is rather easy. Too bad I'm not going to that class this week either. There is a football game and I don't want to miss the tailgate. This means I will have missed 2 of the first 3 classes and will have to miss a class in November due to my Mexico trip. I have done the math, and since I get to drop one of the lowest test scores (which will be a zero), if I get 95% on all the other tests, I will still get 81% or a B-. And since I don't care, that is fine by me. My third class is Medical Terminology. This will be slightly more challanging, but is still rather easy. The teacher is funny and our class is actually learning stuff.

Anyway, this school thing is now up in the air for me. See, this new college has not counted any credits for classes I have taken in the past. If they still refuse to accept any of these credits after I meet with my advisor next week, then I'm going to just go back to Henry Ford CC since that's where I have all the credits. If I go back to HFCC, I might have to wait until next fall to slip back into the Surgical Tech program which will postpone my internship another year, which sucks, but if I save money by not having to re-take 4-6 classes, so be it. Also, if that's the case, it gives Sarah and I more time to sell the house and we won't have to worry about the pressure of selling really fast in such a bad market. This school and house stuff is so annoying, but I know it will be worth it in the long run.

As for this past weekend, it was the MSU/UM football game. Most MSU fans knew that UM would win. Heck, they're the better team, they should, but I was irked by some of the calls and the lack of coaching. It was so frustrating I just focused my attention on the Tiger game. And how 'bout them Tigers. I think it's great. I drove over to East Lansing to watch the games at the bar with Danielle and her co-worker/friend. It was fun. On my drive home, I was talking to Beckie on the phone and got mad at this car because I was trying to pass it and it wouldn't let me, so I slowed down the let it go by and it slowed down. I was annoyed so I got off the phone and finally passed the car. A few moments later, I noticed the same car next to me on the left and realized someone was waving at me. I looked over and the guy from the backseat (it was a 2-door Cavalier) was hanging out the window, waving his arms to get my attention! They wanted me to roll down my window, but I felt the situation was rather unsafe and just shook my head "no". The guy got back into the car and they shurgged their shoulders and I pulled away. For some reason, I was then immediately regretful that I didn't roll down my window. I'm sure they were 22 and just being crazy, but I never do anything crazy anymore and was bummed about that. But then, the 30-year old in me said it was best because I was alone and what would have really come of the situation anyway? I just decided to accept it as a moment of flattery...three young boys thought I was cute enough (in the dark, from 20 feet away) to hang out the window of a moving car to try to talk to me. Lucky me.

I am amused easily...

http://www.youtube.com/v/RB-wUgnyGv0

Hum Drum

• I was able to purchase my school books for $185 vs. the $375 the bookstore wanted. Very happy.
• Sporting events are no fun when it rains. Well, that is if there is no alcohol available to drink. The MSU game last weekend was cold and rainy, but the vodka helped ignore that fact. However, the absence of vodka at the Tiger game on Wednesday made the rain annoying.
• 5 days - I really don't care that I'll be 30, but it is still a milestone b-day. Remember in high school when 30 seemed old?
• Work has gotten better since I moved to the new managers. They're totally awesome. I told M (my new managers are M and T) that I was going to lunch and she was like, "Why are you telling me? I don't care. It's lunchtime, just go." It was very strange. I got so used to telling L where I was going every second that it's now a habit. One that I don't think will be very hard to break :)
• I already foresee the down fall of the dating Whatshisface. He is a very nice guy, and I do like spending time with him, but I think I just like the idea of having someone to spend time with. he is very simple and quiet and a slow driver... I just need to be with someone who is outgoing and spontaneous at times. When I talk about the things we do when I hang out with my friends he has no stories to tell. I understand his close friend are now married, but I find it odd that he doesn't have any other friends to hang with on weekends and such. I don't want to sound stuck-up but he's just not the right one for me.
• Tonight I'm going to Tom's Oyster Bar in Royal Oak, but not to eat oysters. I'm still afraid to try those slimy things... Tomorrow will be a lazy day watching MSU on TV then going to the Tiger game in the evening. And Sunday I'm going to my parents' house. The whole family will probably be there for my b-day. We ordered two yummy cakes from a bakery in Livonia. Yum!

Remember

I don't feel that I can't just post a blog today without paying some respect to those who lost their lives 5 years ago. I remember where I was and I remember the shock that was 9/11/2001. It was a sad day in history, hopefully one that will always be remembered and one that will not be repeated. Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world and there will be more days of similar devastation no matter how much we pray for peace. This is the world we live in.

Now, on to my trivial topic:

Does anyone know how a Student Edition of a book is different from the regular edition? I thought maybe I would see a Teacher Edition or something, but I have not. Just curious.

I will write about the weekend another day.

Bastards

I went to the bookstore today to check on the price of my books - and for two classes they want $375 in books! This doesn't include my psychology class at the other campus. They are truly insane. AND, of cousre they don't have any used books. The bookstore opened on Tuesday, so I know it's not that the used books are gone, it's that they didn't have any to start with! Bastards. I have already checked online and through eBay I can get the same books for $150 - that's 60% cheaper. Outrageous. What a scam. Bastards.

Weekend at Anna's

Friday I only worked a half day. Came home to take a nap on the couch and then head to Lansing w/ Sarah. At Danielle's we ordered pizza and watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I had never seen it; I thought it was pretty sad. After reading an old Us magazine, I went to bed around 12:30. We got up at 6:30 Saturday morning to get to the tailgate early. As Sarah mentioned, we made pancakes, eggs and english muffins. I was drinking, but actually never really got drunk. The game was boring. I have a feeling it's going to be another one of those bad seasons, but we'll still be there at every game. Heck, the tailgating is so much fun! After the game, I took a 5-10 minute nap in the car while hey made hot dogs. That was enough to rejuvenate me for the rest of the night. I left Lansing at 5:00 to drive to Buffalo and arrived at Anna's about 10:30. The drive was horrible. It was dark and raining the whole way, and they don't have light on the 403 so I was afraid I was going to drive off the road. Then on the QEW, the winds were very gusty. I'm glad I made it! At Anna's, I had a drink and showered while Anna, Jacque and Sandra went to pick up dinner. We got ready after eating and headed to the bar around 12:30. The bars were not very crowded because of the rain, but we still had fun. Anna made out with 2 guys and got really drunk. When I saw her on the floor around 3:00. I knew it was time to go home. I gave my number reluctantly to a 20-year-old, ex-marine who was very short. He was very cute and very nice, but only 20 and very short. Apparently he was medically discharged, but I did not ask for details. He did make a comment about not hearing well due to explosions. Yikes! Anyway, we got home and in bad around 4:00. So, I had been up for 21.5 hours. I was impressed since I haven't done that since high school!! On Sunday we went to Denny's for breakfast then headed to Niagara Falls. We walked around a little and then Jacque and Sandra had to leave. Anna and I went to the grocery store. For dinner we made awesome steak and chicken kabobs, potato packets and green beans. We also made chocolate covered pretzels and strawberries for dessert. We watched the movie, Clue, and went to bed. I agree with the guy from the tailgate...I can't go out two nights in a row anymore. I'm perfectly happy sitting on the couch watching a movie and going to bed early...gosh, I'm old! :) On Monday, we made breakfast and went to the movies. We saw Little Miss Sunshine. It was good, but sad - I need to see a comedy to make up for these sad movies I've seen this weekend... I left Anna's at 2:30. The drive was very easy, until I got to the Bluewater Bridge. I waited there for 2.5 hours to get over to the U.S. What made me mad was that I waited 2.5 hours and when I got to the booth, she asked me two questions and I was on my way. 2.5 hour wait for a 20 second conversation - it doesn't get more annoying than that! I got home just before 9:00 last night. Louie was so happy when I came home. He's such a little baby boy. I love him to pieces.

Today I am working from home. I was feeling better, but woke up with a headache. So, I stayed here. I think I'm going to do some laundry now.

p.s. - I am very sad that Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, died. I feel sad for his wife and two small children. In case you haven't seen one of the hundreds of articles online: http://news.yahoo.com/fc/entertainment/steve_irwin

Skip and Go Naked

I'm sick. Blah! It's just sinus congestion that has plugged up my right ear. I was hoping it would just go away, but it has been three days, so I broke down and bought some decongestant. I hope that works, I really don't want to have to go to the doctor.

Anyway, this upcoming long, holiday weekend is indeed going to be very long. Sarah and I are headed to East lansing Saturday night ot hang out with Danielle. Then we will be up at the crack of dawn to have a breakfast tailgate for the first MSU home game of the season. Game time is 12:00. After the game, I'm hopping in the car and driving all the way to Buffalo. That will take about 5 hours from Lansing. I really hope Sarah comes with me, because the drive sucks alone, but she has to work on Sunday and all her co-workers suck and never switch for her. Instead the just egg our house!! (See Sarah's blog for details.) Once I/we get to Buffalo we will probably go out Saturday night and sleep all day on Sunday. Anna's other friends, Jacque and Sandra, will also be there, but they are leaving on Sunday, I think. I/we will not drive home until Monday though. Even though it's going to be a tiring weekend, I'm looking forward to visiting Buffalo again. I will not be able to go there for at least 4 months because of school, and by then Anna may not even be in Buffalo anymore (she had a job interview in Milwaukee and she will move if she get the job offer.)

As for tonight, I'm going to family dinner for my grandpa's 87th birthday. Then I'm coming home to do some packing for the weekend and of course watch the MTV VMAs because Justin is going to perform. I'm so excited!! :-)

Gloomy Day

Today is one of those cloudy days, the sky is gray and it makes me tired. I am bored at work. Although, if it rains, I now have a window seat, so I can enjoy watching the peaceful rain drops. I do have meetings later today. We have one of our company's executive leaders visiting today. And he will be here on Monday also, with another higher-level executive. So everyone was running around this week, nervous and such. I'm like, whatever. If I even meet him while he's here, he won't remember me. One lady even asked me what I was going to wear!! I held back my laughter. Anyway, things are slow now that I no longer support L. I still have two things to turnover, but the daily activities are over. Ding, dong the witch is in Texas with a new person to bark at!

Well, this weekend will be nice. Anna is coming home and she will be staying at our house. Tonight will be dinner (I'm actually going to cook) and drinks and season finale episodes of Monk and Psych. Tomorrow Anna and I are going to a concert at Ford Field. Get ready to laugh...it's a country concert. Our friend, Beckii, asked us and it sounded fun. I don't mind country music, I just don't listen to it regularly. Luke, aka mini-wink, is also supposed to go as well as Whatshisface. Beckii was the one person who wanted to go the most, but she is now in Japan for work :( On Sunday, the Winklers are having a party in Lansing for their grandma's 90th birthday.

Back to work. Happy Friday everyone.

Let's Light Up

I recall watching Tom and Jerry as a child and I remember laughing. I do not remember the urge to light up because Tom (a cartoon cat) was smoking a cigar (a cartoon cigar). Maybe that's because I received an education as well. I understood that a cartoon of a smoking cat was not real and in no way was telling me I should smoke. Maybe that's because I had parents that contributed to my education and explained to me the smoking was bad and cartoon were not real. I get angered when I read articles like this because in this day in age, no body takes responsibility for their children. They point fingers and blame cartoons and music and movie for their children's behavior. Maybe if they got of their keysters and spent time with their kids, we could enjoy all forms of entertainment, even classic, silly cartoons...

Easy Mac

So, the orthodontist told me I'm looking at $6,000 worth of work to straighten my teeth. And the $6,000 is the price if I don't need surgery... HA! yeah, right. No thanks, I'll live with crooked teeth. He said my jaw should have been stretched wider when I was younger to make room for my teeth, so just getting braces isn't the solution. I'm going to get a second opinion.

Last night I had a date with Whatshisface. It was good. PF Changs for dinner, yum! Then back to my place to watch Dodgeball, which he had never seen. I love that movie, I laugh every time. Anyway, it was a good date. He's still holding back, quite shy. I think he's just afraid he's going to mess it up so he's nervous about everything. I'm hoping after another date or two, he'll loosen up and relax a little and be more himself. I'm optimistic, but if he doesn't relax it won't last very long...

Tonight I'm coming home to spend time with the pups. It's the finale of So You Think You Can Dance. I hope Benji wins. It is also Project Runway night.

Also, on the work front, I have been successfully pushing off work for L. I'm just not doing it anymore. I think she's mad, but oh well. She did get mad when she saw I changed managers. She told me she would have never let me go in that case. Even though she was the one who told me to find a new job...! She's very hard to understand. I turned over some work to another admin who is in Texas. L doesn't want her to be the one, but I don't care who it is as long as it's not me. The last thing to dump is the financials. We have a meeting on Friday, I think it's going to get ugly, but I'm tired of being walked all over. Time she learns how to do a few things for herself.

Lunch time! Well, not quite, but I'm hungry. Have a nice day.

Bananas and Rumbutans

My porch calendar has a very pretty picture this month. The caption explains that the porch is in Bali , and a "bamboo roof provides shelter and bananas and rumbatans are the snack of choice." I wish that was my porch.

Anyway, drinks with Whatshisface on Friday went well. We had good conversation. We talked for about 2 hours over a couple drinks. Then I headed to Julon's to watch Psych with Mike and Jessica. I love that show. James Roday is super cute, even though he vaguely reminds me of Joe (old friend from GM Card days). We also watched House. I have recently started watching that show. It's very good, in my opinion. On Saturday, I cleaned up the house a little bit. Then I was lazy. Napped on the couch with the Tiger game on the TV. They lost, again. They on a 5-game losing streak...yikes. Hope they snap out of it. Then Saturday evening Jessica and I car-pooled to Jay and Eric's. I concur with Mike, it was a very nice condo. I want a nice, shiny, new place like that. I was also in love with the strawberries and chocloate dip, and the Hostess tray of goodness. On Sunday, I did nothing. I mean, I went to my parents' house as usual, but I did no work. No cleaning or laundry or dishes or anything. I should do more of that.

Well, it's Monday. And I'm at work. And I want to be home. But I have an orthodontist evaluation at 6:00. I have a feeling it's going to be very expensive. :(

Drop It Like It's Hot

3:00 on Friday afternoon. The only better time of the week is 5:00 on Friday afternoon. I'm just hanging out, waiting for an ok time to leave. I finally finished the horrendous financial reports. They were two days late because I procrastinated too much, but hey, they're finished, right? They ended up not being as bad as I expected, but still time consuming. 6 hours yesterday and 4 hours today. Yuck.

So, I had lunch yesterday with Whatshisface from work. It was ok. He is very nice, and also very shy. We did have good conversation though, so at least there wasn't any awkward silence. I think we are going to meet for drinks later. I have a date with Jessica to watch Monk and Psych with her at Julon's, so it won't be an all night date. (but Jessica, if you read this, I might be a little late for Monk...) It should be interesting. I totally forgot how awkward it is trying to date. Not really knowing the person, trying to learn things about each other but still not really knowing someone. Hoping there will be good chemistry, afraid there won't be.

Can't Make Me Do It

I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really do not want to deal with these financial reports! I have no desire to even look at them. I just want to go home, walk my puppy, sit on the couch and eat a yummy greek salad. I have to do laundry tonight also. How exciting is my life??