The Good News

Okay. I spent the entire day standing in a hot shower with shower soother tabs, drinking gallons of tea hot soup, taking vitamin c and zinc and my antihistamines. It appears to be backing off.

It seems more likely that it was a case of hay fever. The sore throat passed but a semi mild fever hit last night and broke in the middle of the night. I feel better (Thank you Tylenol Sinus/Allergy PM), still congested, but I don't feel like total ass like I did yesterday.

So now Aaron and I are packed up. I have little packs of decongestants all over the place in case they confiscate a little pack here and there. We're pretty jazzed. We're now just waiting around before we head out to my parents. We're going there for lunch then heading out. We're taking off from Newark so it should take a wee bit to get there. We'll be taking off at 5ish. I really feel like I'm bouncing off the walls.

By the way, thank you Vizma for sending the book. I am about half way through it and really loving it. I may have to pick up the second book before we leave, but I think I may just stock up on magazines.

I can't waaaaait!

Go Effing Figure

Of all the times to feel like ass, why today? Why the day before I am set to go on an 8-ish hour long plane ride?

It started late last night, I started feeling a bit stuffy then the sneezing started. Then I woke up this morning I was unable to breathe, congested as all hell, achy, throat was hurting... I pretty much had the early signs of a sinus infection (minus the fever)! Feck me! I am going to be hitting CVS in a wee bit to stock up on Tylenol Cold, Sucrets and the saline nasal spray damn it. I am going to be miserable as all hell tomorrow on that plane. But damn it I'm going to try to keep my head from exploding.

So far I'v managed to take a hot, hot shower and have been drinking warm liquids (tea, soup, etc) by the gallons. Blech!

Another Lake Monster?

And here's the latest in odd monster stories. This one's from Canada.

Cammy: A New Canadian Lake Monster?

Apparently Champ, the Lake Champlain monster has a neighbor. BTW, the drawing is a depiction of Champ. Did you know, there is apparently a law in Vermont and New York that prohibits the killing of a lake monster, just in case the stories of Champ end up being real?

Muuuuust Resist. Musssst Re-siiiiist

I think I figured out that my wee shopping problem is exacerbated by the holidays. Everywhere I go I see thingies that I must have and I don't know why. Well, no, that's not true, I know why. I want to get more stuff to decorate the place for the holidays. I just don't need any more stuff. But that's hardly a deterrent any longer.

I can't help it. I like making the place look festive, whether it's Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, hell I'd even decorate for Arbor Day if I found stuff I liked enough. But then there's the whole, sticking to my budget thing. *shake my fist vigorously at it* And the whole not having enough space to go as big as I want since we're in an apartment. But mostly the issue is the money situation. When I was working I'd usually allow for about $100 in random spending per paycheck. This was for anything outside of bills and groceries. Sadly, that is now out the window.

The bane of my financial existence, aka HomeGoods, however, keeps putting new stuff out and it just keeps getting cuter. Damn it! Those bastards just keep putting stuff on sale. And I'm fairly certain they have subliminal messages playing though their speaker systems. Luckily, I've been able to avoid the place for the most part. I did have a hell of a time today, though. I had to pick up a few things for the trip and it honestly took every last ounce of self control to keep extra things from leaping into my cart. Sigh... I made it though.

I definitely need to get a job. Perhaps that way I could actually get a thing or two and not feel like I'm wrecking my budget.

Getting Ready For Europe

Woohoo. As Spongebob would say, "I'M READY! I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready..."

In case you haven't figured it out, I'm ready for Europe. I just finished buying the last of the travel size thingies. I have a lot of travel sized stuff left over from the wedding day emergency kit, but I had to replenish a few things and pick up a few items for Aaron. I also did a bit of hunting for the better price on a memory card for the camcorder.

Now all I have to do is get a packing list together and actually pack. I'd do it now but I think it's still wee bit on the early side. Grr... I wanna go now.

Surviving a Kiddie Party

Today was Munchkin #3's birthday party. All four of the munchkins on my side were there as were a few other miniature people from the area. They were fine at first then by the end of the evening, they started getting a wee bit cranky. It wasn't so bad although I had to pull the "I'm an adult, I win" card a few times. I have to say, I hate using it, but damn is it effective in quashing arguments.

Only one kid gave me any kind of a real issue. He wasn't one of mine. Mine know that when Titi gets serious, she means business. Especially since I'm the first one to let them get away with a lot. The kid didn't listen to me when I went to take an item away that would cause nothing but trouble. He caused my coffee to spill when he yanked on the thing. I told him that he then HAD to get me a paper towel to clean. He responded with, "I don't have to do anything." I gave him one more chance. I told him, "This isn't your house and you are not being respectful to an adult. Do as I say or I'll take this to your parents." He ran. I thought he went to get me a paper towel. He booked and went to play outside. His older brother got me the paper towel when I called out to the kitchen to see where he was. I cleaned up and brought the situation to his parents. I hated doing it. But the one thing I can't stand is when people issue a warning to a kid and don't follow through. The kid ended up apologizing and I told him I didn't want to do it, but he left me no choice. We were cool after that. Still, I hate doing adult stuff like that.

Speaking of being an adult, I have never felt so old in my life. Early this morning I went over to my parents. Ralph and Terri (oldest brother and sister-in-law) were there with their little ones so while they were getting ready I entertained Munchkin #1. We got to talking about birthdays and she let me know that she was going to be seven soon (In May, but I suppose that is soon in a child's world). But that wasn't what made me feel old. She asked me how old I was. I responded with "old enough kiddo." But she still wanted to know. I told her I'm 32. I have never seen the kid's eyes pop open wider in my life! But it was also coupled with, "WOW!" Great. Thanks kid. I'll remember that when I'm shopping for your seventh birthday gift! Sigh...

Yee Har-Har Me Mateys!

Avast! Smell the ole brine in the ayer and the feel the spray in yer face. It be that time of the year again. Tomorrow, Sept. 19th be ye ole International Talk Like A Pirate Day. So dust off yer hornpipe, fill yer cup with grog and keep it till yer loaded the gunwales, ye lubber! Yarr!


Here's some fun from TalkLikeAPirate.com:

Top Ten Pickup lines for use on International Talk Like a Pirate Day
10 . Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
9. Have ya ever met a man with a real yardarm?
8. Come on up and see me urchins.
7. Yes, that is a hornpipe in my pocket and I am happy to see you.
6. I'd love to drop anchor in your lagoon.
5. Pardon me, but would ya mind if I fired me cannon through your porthole?
4. How'd you like to scrape the barnacles off of me rudder?
3. Ya know, darlin’, I’m 97 percent chum free.
2. Well blow me down?

And the number one pickup line for use on International Talk Like a Pirate Day is …

1. Prepare to be boarded.

Bonus pickup lines (when the ones above don't work, as they often won't)
-They don’t call me Long John because my head is so big.
-You’re drinking a Salty Dog? How’d you like to try the real thing?
-Wanna shiver me timbers?
-I’ve sailed the seven seas, and you’re the sleekest schooner I’ve ever sighted.
-Brwaack! Polly want a cracker? … Oh, wait. That’s for Talk Like a PARROT Day.
-That’s the finest pirate booty I’ve ever laid eyes on.
-Let's get together and haul some keel.
-That’s some treasure chest you’ve got there.


Top Ten Pickup Lines for the Lady Pirates

10. What are YOU doing here?
9. Is that a belayin' pin in yer britches, or are ye ... (this one is never completed)
8. Come show me how ye bury yer treasure, lad!
7. So, tell me, why do they call ye, "Cap'n Feathersword?"
6. That's quite a cutlass ye got thar, what ye need is a good scabbard!
5. Aye, I guarantee ye, I've had a twenty percent decrease in me "lice ratio!"
4. I've crushed seventeen men's skulls between me thighs!
3. C'mon, lad, shiver me timbers!
2. RAMMING SPEED!

...and the number one Female Pirate Pick-up Line:

1. You. Pants Off. Now!

Traveling The World

At this time next week, I will be deep in the boot and being really tempted not to try to speak Italian like Peter Griffin or trying not to laugh my head off thinking about it. Because you know I will. That, or Aaron will keep bringing it up under his breath and then it'll all be over.

Even though I have our new suitcases sitting directly behind me, I still can't get over the fact that the trip is pretty much already here. I'm in the middle of trying to plan out the meals for the remaining days, but I'm so not going shopping before we leave. It'll just likely go bad sitting there. I've paid my bills for the month and I've made arrangements to have things taken care of until I get back. I'm not going to be posting since I'm not sure when and if I will have access to a computer but really, that's kind of a good thing. Besides it'll be nice to remember what it's like to not be so connected. And yet, I just decided to get back into the whole Twitter thing. Go figure. But yes, this time is just going to be about us and enjoying ourselves.

The one thing I WILL be doing while on vacation is taking plenty of photos and photos of Pony. I got him yesterday from my friend Tam and he has already made himself at home on my drum kit. He also scared the beegeezes out of me when I woke up from a nap. I put him on the back of the couch but I suppose in my shifting he flopped a bit, so when I woke up he was angled just right and staring at me, at eye level. I jumped a bit. I then put him at the top of the computer monitor but Aaron wasn't liking him staring at him while he was working on stuff. So he made his way to the drum kit and he seems happy there. Kind of all bad ass. :)

But it's all good. Aaron has been spending a lot of time online lately. He's planning the next big vacation. Well, not big as in the Italy/Germany adventure, I'm talking he's working on a big group vacation. He got the idea about a week or so ago while we were having lunch with our friend Marie. We got on the topic of vacations and how much fun it would be to get a big group of friends to go on a cruise. We've actually got a great number of people outright committed and ready to book and a few who are strong maybes. We going to be doing a 7-day Bermuda cruise toward the end of April, leaving from the West Side, so no planes involved. Huzzah!

Based on the people who are ready to go, like, tomorrow, this vacation should go down as one of the most fun trips in history. I'm almost ready to endorse this as a bi- or tri-yearly occurrence. Spacing them out a bit will give people time to plot (not plan, but plot) and save. I am so excited!


In case you didn't get the Peter Griffin thing, here it is:

Giddy

Good lord I have a great feeling about this one. I think I did really well yesterday. Granted I still have to finish up. One of the people I interviewed with ran out of time and had to be dragged out to get to a meeting with the CEO. BUT he said he wants me to contact him so we can finish up.

But other than that, there were really excellent signs that yesterday went very well. I sooooo can't wait. I really hope I got this job. Again, it would be such a lovely way to come home from an awesome trip.

Oh yes, next week Aaron and I will be heading off to Italy! We'll be roaming the northern half of Italy, checking out Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa and a few other cities in between. Then we'll hit Berlin! I am so effing excited. We should be getting our new luggage today. And some time before we head out, I should be getting pony in the mail. Teehee. Pony will soon be an international traveler. (Explanation: Pony is a little stuffed pony. He normally ends up hanging around with the likes of my friends Vizma, Tam, 'Chele and Cathy. While in their posession, he normally ends up in interesting photos. This will be my frist time to have Pony with me.)

So while I'm gone, I will try my best to fill you all in on what's happening via text. However, I'm just not sure how well that'll work. I still haven't been able to get the hang of actually getting my phone to cooperate for e-mails. But I still have some time to iron out the kinks

Breathing and Drinking Coffee

I have an interview todya and I am so excited. I am pretty much reciting what I'm going to say and trying to remember all I learned about the place over the last few days. Wish me luck.

The Gay Fish Strikes Again

If you're a fan of South Park you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. The other night on the Video Music Awards Kanye West made a fool of himself for like, the third year in a row but this time he stole a moment from Taylor Swift who was in the middle of making her acceptance speech for her first Moon Man. She got another chance at making her speech later in the night when Beyonce was gracious enough to give up her time for Taylor.

Since then people have been expressing their thoughts on the incident and Kanye, including President Obama!

So here are my thoughts on the whole thing. The man is an goober with an overblown ego who seems to think that the world should revolve around him. He may be talented, true, but his attitude may end up overshadowing it completely if he's not careful. *plink. plink* There are my two cents.

On another note. The good folks at Comedy Central have a block of South Park on this evening. They're only showing the fish sticks (gay fish) episode. HA!

I Should Stick to The "Guitar"

Today was a joyous day. I came home from the supermarket and Marshall's (I was sooo good today. I only bought what I went in for) and met up with our UPS guy. He had literally just dropped off our new drum kit for Guitar Hero World Tour!

I put the groceries away, made Aaron a snack (forewent taking my new clothing purchases out of the bags) and got to drumming. Erm... I stink. I'm used to playing guitar on the hard level, so going at the easy pace and losing every now and then is really embarrassing. But at least I have my toy back and it work. Roar!

I'm such a dork.

Keep Things Tidy And We Wont Have Issues

I swear it always seems like my two children (Aaron and Evan) are always the messiest on the days I clean. I'm talking about, minutes after I clean.

On Saturday I spent some time vaccuming and sweeping. I didn't want to spend my entire day cleaning so I saved the bathroom and steaming the floors for yesterday. I ran some errands and low and behold, I get back home and find dirt paths leading from the door to Evans room and to mine. Now, I made it a rule that if you enter the house, you take off your shoes. It's an old habit from my Mom's family, I can't help it, I'm Asian. Aaron wanted this rule enforced because we had the floors redone. Why then were there two sets of muddyish footprints? I screamed. Evan took it upon himself to clean since Aaron was asleep. I later almost flipped my lid again when the livingroom looked like a videogame store blew up. I began to clean but made it obvious that I was not going to finish by myself (I kept moving in the way of the TV and asking questions about where covers were, etc). They took over the cleaning.

Then yesterday comes along. First thing I did was clean the hell out of the bathroom--it wasn't dirty or anything, I just like to keep bathrooms and kitchens as immaculate as humanly possible-- and finish the floors. Minutes after I finish, Aaron comes home, takes off his shoes this time (the staredown could have had something to do with it) then heads into the bathroom. I walk in there to get something after he finished and immediately got really pissed off. He spilled mouthwash around the floor and just left it. I screamed. I understand that spills happen. Hell, they happen every day, but why leave them?!

So yeah. He cleaned up after himself, but I stil got the swiffer out and gave it a once over. Sigh... It's always worst on cleaning days, I swear.

Football

I'm so annoyed. Every team I was rooting for today lost. UConn, Norte Dame and Ohio State. I just hope tomorrow ends up better. I was so excited that football season started again. Blech.

The United States

I don't know why but I'm always kind of appalled that more people do not know their own country. I used to be one of these people back in the day (in Jr. High and early on in High School), then I made it a point to learn the things that most U.S. citizens should know, such as how the government works, who the Supreme Court Judges are and other things like where states and their capitols. I learned most of it from school and the rest I learned on my own. The capitols took me a bit but then the Anamaniacs came along and came up with a song that made it impossible for me to forget them.

I bring this up now because Aaron and I were watching, "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" and he outright admitted that he is terrible with geography. This includes placement of countries but also the U.S. States. I think this is kind of a shame. I mean hell, I'm still pretty bad with placing a lot of countries in Africa and the Baltic States confuse the hell out of me, but I can at least get the round about areas correct. The states and capiols though, those I'm great at.

So in case you're feeling up to learning something or just refreshing your memory, here you go.

September 10th

According to the Associated Press 2,972 souls were alive and well at this time, eight years ago. They were going about their lives with their families, friends or perhaps they were having an argument or a fight about something that is now irrelevant and most likely forgotten. At this time eight years ago, most of them were getting ready to settle in for the night or getting things in order for work the next morning or perhaps making sure they packed everything they needed for their flight. They were completely unaware that they were about to run into the other end of the dash between their date of birth and their date of departure.

They knew nothing of what the next day would bring and they knew nothing of what the future would hold for their loved ones and neighbors. And they knew nothing of the bastards that were planning on snuffing out thousands of lives that following morning and for the following eight years (and beyond). To those soulless cowards-- who this time eight years ago were hell-bent on wreaking havoc on the world--On behalf of all those affected, I give a big FUCK YOU! I sincerely hope your special place in hell is extra painful tomorrow and every Sept. 11th.

To all those affected by these bastards on Sept. 11, 2001, and those who lost family and friends in the military conflicts since then, I genuinely wish things could go back to the way things were tonight, eight years ago. I also pray that God and time has or will heal their wounds. God Bless.

Starting New Chapters

I still can't get over the fact that some of our friends are married with kids. It's trippy to think back to some of the more questionable/irresponsible things they've done in the past and now here they are, raising miniature people or trying to conceive.

Aaron and I were recently at a friend's house hanging out with friends and their kids. And while I'm extremely happy for them and their new families, every now and then I kept thinking, "ooh, I know what you did in a dive bar once while really, really drunk' or, 'I know you're with your significant other but you so cheated a few times and not so long ago.' Kind of wrong, I know, but like I said, these were just the thoughts that popped in there.

Granted, I know no one has a spotless past, but still... it's kind of trippy watching people you know become parents. It really does change everything.

So anyhoo, it looks like the dearth of job interviews may be coming to an end, or at least a short reprieve. I have an interview set up for next week and I got a call for another one which I hope to set up tomorrow. So I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope like hell one of these pans out. It would be so lovely to rejoin the workforce and be able to pick where my life left off.

Thank you so much to Funny Girl for the award!

If you haven't been over to her blog, I really recommend it.She's another one with good music on her blog. :)




Here are the rules for this award:

1. “The Honest Scrap” award is not one to hold all to your self but it must be shared!

2. The recipient has to tell 10 true things about themselves in their blog that no one else knows.

3. The recipient has to pass along this prestigious award to 10 more bloggers.

4. Those 10 bloggers all have to be notified they have been given this award.

5. Those 10 bloggers should link back to the blog that awarded them.

Here are my 10 true things about me that I don't think people know:


1. As modern as I like to think I am, I'm really an old fashioned girl.

2. I've yet to watch all of, "The Godfather" movies.

3. I like to overindulge once in a while. It doesn't matter if it's a yummy snack or shopping. Every now and then I HAVE to do it.

4. I like to watch Aaron sleep. He doens't know about it, but every now and then I like to sneek in there and watch him. It's kinda creepy, I know. But it's relaxing.

5. Every now and then I have to sit down and draw. I mean for hours. I'll just sit and doolde away till the urge passes. I'm not sure why or how this started, but there you go.

6. Sometimes I get lost in my own imagination while doing completely mundane tasks like folding laundry.

7. I like people-watching at the park and wonder what their story is.

8. I can't stand snobs even though I tend to be one from time to time.

9. I think I want a puppy more badly than I think I want a kid (it's the whole permanence thing).

10. When we have kids, I think I want a boy first.

The 10 Recipients are:

I think I'll bend the rules and open this to all the people I follow and who follow me.

I'd feel terrible singling some out and leaving out the rest.

Dear God, My Eyes Are Bleeding!

Well, they arne't really bleeding, it just feels like they may well do just that at any minute.

I've been applying for jobs for a good portion of the day and it's staarting to take its toll. With the exception of the 20 minute-ish nap I took today, I have been staring at a computer or printouts for job ads. I print them out in case the DOL cracks down and wants to see if I've been trying to find a job and where I've applied. This way, should they ask, I can hand over a few big folders of stuff. Take that! But I digress. So yeah, I'm feeling kind of shot at the moment.

I normally have somewhat of a template for letters but I do actually customize every one as well as the "Objective" line on my resume. It's a pain in the ass to do it this way, but it doens't looked canned. the onyl problem with this is what every time I send one of the damn things out, I have to go through it with a fine-tooth comb to make sure I don't have any parial old sentences or botched up tenses. Sigh, this is the part that kills me. Blech.

So there, I've ranted and I feel much better now.

Happiness

I love it! One of my all-time FAVORITE movies and a great song, all meshed into one. Enjoy.

I do have a few things rattling around in the noggin' I just wanted to share this will yall.

It's About That Time

I love the crisp feel in the air over the last few days. It's sad that the summer is coming to a close, but the fall is coming. Which for me, is fabulous (except for the allergies). It means baking, lots of hearty soups, apple picking and best of all Halloween!

Now as a person who grew up in a Born Again Christian home, this was always a kind of odd time of the year for me. When I was little we all used to have fun dressing up and going trick-or-treating. Then once we got a wee bit older, my parents pretty much banned dressing up and celebrating. From a religious point of view, I can see why since it's a pagan holiday with kind of a "dark" undertone. But then again most of the holidays are based on pagan practices. Hello, Christmas Tree and just about everything fun about Easter. But since Halloween was the one that included dressing like creatures of the night, out it went. This, however, never stopped me from having fun. I swear working on my costumes and getting them out of the house made me feel like a spy smuggling national secrets during the Cold War. Luckily, I had close friends in the neighborhood who understood and were more than willing to help out. This is also a good reason why I am pretty good at creating a costume out of anything. :) Thanks Mom and Dad!

But yes, I am now an adult and have been pretty much enjoying the holidays as I please, pretty much since college. This year, I think I am going to have to throw a good ole (small) Halloween party. I wish I could make it an official bash but alas, the place is too small and the parking is very limited. Ah well. So yesh, I've been throwing a few ideas around in my head and I think I've got a few good things going so far. I definitely think it will have to be a zombie movie theme playing on the large screen with Rocky Horror at midnight.

But I digress... So far, I've only managed to start on the fall look for our apartment. I've updated a few things like the eucalyptus sprigs and have a nifty runner for the foyer table and I have swapped some of the photos in the frames around the place and I think I'm going to add a few more fall touches in the kitchen. I'm so excited.

Is It My Birthday?

Teehee. Two awesome things happened today. I got my Guitar Hero III game back working. A sad thing happened and it got scratched up. Our friend Daren lent us a disc polisher and tah-dah, it works again. Sweet!

Then there's this...

The headline reads...
The Chupacabra Caught?

Now, most of you know I have a strange fascination with all things odd, especially the odd creatures. BUT apparently the famed Chupacabra, which originated on my wee Island of Puerto Rico went for a swim and landed in Texas?




Eh, according to what they show on a CNN video, the thing looks like an odd looking leathery dog but with really long, long legs. Some are even wondering if it's possibly linked to the Montauk Monster. Who knows? Perhaps this one didn't go swimming alone? It is always safer to swim with a buddy.

So yes, these are the things making me smile today. :)

A Good Swift Kick

Who knew that the typical male way to fix things actually worked. IE: if it's broken try hitting it. If it doesn't fix it, hit it again.

Yesterday I went on my bike ride to my parents. My poor POS bike has seen better days so it wasn't a surprise that it would pull some kind of shenanigans mid-ride. I decided recently that biking instead of driving to my parents is a good alternative workout to throw into the mix. So there I was on the bike path, right smack along the half way point, I hear a "whirrrrrrr....." and the bike comes to a pretty fast stop all on its own. It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't been on an uphill and pedaling like crazy. But there you have it. When I got off the bike I saw that the back tire was off kilter. Really. The tire was up against the frame. A very nice biker guy stopped and tried to help but he didn't have any tools on him. I was mad. He got on the phone to call his buddy (who had tools) who was a wee bit ahead of us to see if he could help. I was relieved but still pissed. That's when it hit me; what would Aaron do? He'd get mad and kick the thing. So I did.

The tire fell back into place to my surprise. I tested it out a bit and all seemed well. At least well enough to get me home, anyway.

I still have to figure out what to do to fix the bike, but at least I have somewhat of a better understanding for the male repair methodology, other than making one feel better by hitting the source of frustration, that is. Who knew.