What a weekend!
I actually got to have Friday and Saturday off this week . . . which probably won't be happening again until I go back to Iowa and who knows when that will be. Friday I went shopping for some new clothes for my new job. I didn't buy any clothes but managed to come home with a few things we need for the kitchen as I left nearly everything I had in college with my parents since I only brought down here what could fit in my car and Matt didn't have much. While I was trying to go to a beauty supply store I managed to get lost in an area of the city that I am unfamiliar with and appeared to be somewhat dangerous. So, I just went home instead of trying to find the store!
When Princess got home, we decided to eat at Cactus Flower for the first time. One of his friends told him that it was way better than Vallarta's because CF is "California Style Mexican". We ordered their wine margaritas and I had enchiladas verde con camarones while Matt had the other "classic" enchiladas with chicken. Honestly, I didn't really care for the food -- especially for the price which was a bit expensive for Mexican food. $15 for enchiladas?! I'll take my $7 enchiladas from Vallarta's any time! At least the wine margaritas were AWESOME! Then, while we were trying to figure out what to do with our Friday night we went to one of the local "dive" bars that we had heard good things about. It didn't really seem like much of a dive bar to me -- in fact I really liked it, but I prefer places like that. Especially when its an older crowd and blaring insanely loud music. I like to be able to sit down and have a conversation with whoever I'm with without having to scream so the other person(s) can hear me. Eventually we went over to a friend's place and just kinda hung out for a couple hours.
Saturday morning we started looking for a new place that would be closer to where I work since it will probably take me over an hour to get to work from where we currently live. The first few places were ok but nothing really stood out to me. Then we got to the last place. We both LOVED it! Its a condo on the water and absolutely gorgeous with a great view. However, its only slightly closer to my new job since its right by the front gate rather than the back gate -- but it will still save me 15-20 minutes driving time. The parking is also poor -- and Princess has a nice car that he loves more than most things in life so that is also a concern. We are looking at another condo tomorrow night. I never saw the ad online but Matt says they are really nice as well, and in a more desirable location for me -- also with a spa across the street!
We spent the rest of the afternoon changing the tires on Matt's car -- well...he changed them. I watched and looked up recipes on my phone. I found a pretty tasty spinach artichoke dip that I made for dinner that night along with some zucchini and rib-eyes we picked up at a butcher shoppe we had never tried. Our meal was DELICIOUS! Growing up in Iowa, my family had steaks frequently since it was so accessible. But there really is a different in beef that has been corn-fed and beef that was grass-fed, and with those cows that were allowed to freely graze in a pasture the meat is much better! Sooooo much better actually that I only want that from now on! After dinner I baked some brownies and we also had wine n cheese later in the night for a snack. Matt and I also decided to try to relive our college years by playing beer pong. I actually used wine which definitely was NOT a good idea since I had to work Sunday morning!
Work was work as usual. I forgot what I was like to work a Sunday lunch in the south though. While most restaurants get a church crowd, its seems to be even more so down here since religion seems to be a bigger part of people's lives here. My tables were asking me to pray with them! That had never happened to me before, but it actually made me feel a lot better since I was kind of having a bad day (not because of the hangover). It also reminded me that I need to do more praying and try to find a church down here which I set out in my day zero plan. After work I came home and just relaxed for the evening. Matt had to do some stuff for work so I got some alone time and was in bed at like 8:30. That was def a good thing since I had to get up today at 5:30 and am NOT a morning person. It was worth it though -- I think I am really going to enjoy my new job!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Thursday 5
5 things that have made you..
Happy
Giddy
Grateful
Joyful
Gleeful
1. Getting a new job! I interviewed in February -- the day of my dad's heart attack -- and I called them back two months later and they still wanted to offer me a job! I took my drug test yesterday, now we are just waiting for it and a background check to come back. I'm not worried about either since I don't do drugs and have never been arrested!
2. Work being busy! Its currently the slow season at my current waitressing job since people are going down to the beach restaurants more. However, it seems to be the bad tippers that are going elsewhere because I have been getting at least 15% on the majority of checks :) Last night I got $20 TWICE on $70 checks
3. Being back in Florida with Matt. We have had a great frist week back with each other and had a lot of fun! Love him!
4. Mom & Dad's health! Our family really is blessed -- mom's cancer is in remission and my dad is still here with us!
5. 3 rolls of sushi for $11. Yes I am serious and no I didn't get it at the grocery store. This sushi is high quality from a Japanese restaurant we found. I went in today for their lunch special even though Matt n I usually go on the weekends I wasn't feeling well last time so I went and picked some up today. Soooooo wonderful!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
YES!!!
I got a phone call from the HR dept of a place I interviewed with the day my dad had his heart attack. Since I was away for such a long period of time I figured that the company would have filled the position(s) and no longer be interested but I called them back yesterday anyways. Today they called me back and offered me the job! I have to go do paperwork tomorrow and probably take a drug test. Then orientation is on Monday! However, even though I will be working full-time I'm not going to be making nearly enough to offset quitting the Lob so I will still have to work a few shifts/week there. I was hoping to be able to quit but oh well. Its not like I have anything to do down here anyways, especially since I don't know many people.
I just hope to be able to have my weekends open so I can spend them with Matt. It gets a little difficult during the week not seeing him and then having to work all weekend while he doesn't have to work. This fall things will pick up for him though and he will hardly be home from what I understand. However, I've also caught on to the fact that Matt prepares me for the absolute worst and this usually aren't that bad. Welcome to the Navy -- I have to tell myself that pretty often. They always throw things at you when you least expect it and when its very inconvenient. Just the way it is though.
Anyways, I better get ready for a night at the Lob. Since I am dirt poor from not working for two months!
I just hope to be able to have my weekends open so I can spend them with Matt. It gets a little difficult during the week not seeing him and then having to work all weekend while he doesn't have to work. This fall things will pick up for him though and he will hardly be home from what I understand. However, I've also caught on to the fact that Matt prepares me for the absolute worst and this usually aren't that bad. Welcome to the Navy -- I have to tell myself that pretty often. They always throw things at you when you least expect it and when its very inconvenient. Just the way it is though.
Anyways, I better get ready for a night at the Lob. Since I am dirt poor from not working for two months!
So Great to be Home!
It seems to me like I haven't written for ages...like a week maybe? Well I got back to Florida Friday afternoon. Usually Matt gets home early on Fridays but since the memorial service for the men who crashed in Georgia was Friday morning, he had to attend meaning that he had classes afterward. He told me about a lot of things they do for the families of those lost and its really amazing how great the military and government are.
Soooo when I got home, I made a quick trip to pick up "Friday beer" as Matt likes to call it and then ran back up to our apartment to change into a swimsuit so I could lay by the pool all afternoon and relax before he got home. It was great to finally have some time alone and even greater to be able to spend it by the pool. The best thing about the afternoon though was when Matt came down to the pool -- I hadn't seen him in two months! Being apart is nothing new for us and will be a normal part of our lives but it definitely doesn't get easier with experience. Anyways we decided to get ready and go to the beach where we shared a large dinner at Crabs and later met up with some of his friends at Capt. Funs where we hung out the remainder of the night. The cab ride home was especially a treat since all of us had drank wayyyy more than we should have. One of our friends recorded 5 minutes of the conversation that was mostly Matt and me saying off the wall things that involved wheelchairs, starbursts, and various body parts. He still hasn't played it back for us but managed to do so for their squadron yesterday.
Saturday we went to pick up my car which took FOREVER because everyone was going to the beach -- the bridge was so backed up. By the time we got there, we just decided to leave since there was no parking for Matt's car -- nor did he want to have it down there cuz it would get full of sand. So we ended up coming back home and meeting up with friends at the beach on Perdido which as definitely less crowded. That night we had everyone over for a barbecue by the pool and hot tub. The burgers didn't quite get done but we ate them anyway. And the zucchini had too much balsamic vinegar so we had to throw it away but I'm pretty sure we all enjoyed our Friday evening! Which Matt n I topped off with a "sleepover" in the living room. Since PrettyMouth moved out we don't have any furniture except for a table and T.V. in the living room so I made Matt take our mattress to the living room so we could watch a movie. I fell asleep right away though, haha.
Sunday we spend by the pool -- he studied and I read....and the BEST part of the weekend was dinner Sunday night. Matt had told me that we were going to have date night but wouldn't tell me the where. Needless to say I figured it out Friday within the first couple hours of being home since he is so easy to read -- THE MELTING POT! He didn't have to save that for a surprise...it was soooo good. We did the Big Night Out just as they had it with the Mojo cooking style. We also ordered a bottle of wine that went well with our meal. For dessert we did the turtle preparation and Matt ordered a port wine while I had a glass of merlot. I must say that we both really enjoyed our evening together and we want to go back again -- just for dessert and cheese some night soon.
Soooo when I got home, I made a quick trip to pick up "Friday beer" as Matt likes to call it and then ran back up to our apartment to change into a swimsuit so I could lay by the pool all afternoon and relax before he got home. It was great to finally have some time alone and even greater to be able to spend it by the pool. The best thing about the afternoon though was when Matt came down to the pool -- I hadn't seen him in two months! Being apart is nothing new for us and will be a normal part of our lives but it definitely doesn't get easier with experience. Anyways we decided to get ready and go to the beach where we shared a large dinner at Crabs and later met up with some of his friends at Capt. Funs where we hung out the remainder of the night. The cab ride home was especially a treat since all of us had drank wayyyy more than we should have. One of our friends recorded 5 minutes of the conversation that was mostly Matt and me saying off the wall things that involved wheelchairs, starbursts, and various body parts. He still hasn't played it back for us but managed to do so for their squadron yesterday.
Saturday we went to pick up my car which took FOREVER because everyone was going to the beach -- the bridge was so backed up. By the time we got there, we just decided to leave since there was no parking for Matt's car -- nor did he want to have it down there cuz it would get full of sand. So we ended up coming back home and meeting up with friends at the beach on Perdido which as definitely less crowded. That night we had everyone over for a barbecue by the pool and hot tub. The burgers didn't quite get done but we ate them anyway. And the zucchini had too much balsamic vinegar so we had to throw it away but I'm pretty sure we all enjoyed our Friday evening! Which Matt n I topped off with a "sleepover" in the living room. Since PrettyMouth moved out we don't have any furniture except for a table and T.V. in the living room so I made Matt take our mattress to the living room so we could watch a movie. I fell asleep right away though, haha.
Sunday we spend by the pool -- he studied and I read....and the BEST part of the weekend was dinner Sunday night. Matt had told me that we were going to have date night but wouldn't tell me the where. Needless to say I figured it out Friday within the first couple hours of being home since he is so easy to read -- THE MELTING POT! He didn't have to save that for a surprise...it was soooo good. We did the Big Night Out just as they had it with the Mojo cooking style. We also ordered a bottle of wine that went well with our meal. For dessert we did the turtle preparation and Matt ordered a port wine while I had a glass of merlot. I must say that we both really enjoyed our evening together and we want to go back again -- just for dessert and cheese some night soon.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Ne Plus Ultra
Today was once again an interesting day. I was right that Dad would not get released today -- we were told the earliest he would be released would be Thursday. I hope so because my mom is supposed to be in her best friends wedding on Saturday -- but its probably not going to happen with all the tests they want to do. Its beginning to look like he is a definite candidate for a transplant, especially when reading between the lines of what the doctors say. Like yesterday one of the surgeons said 10 years ago, life expectancy for someone who survived what he did was 18 months -- yikes! But she said 10 years is also possible, which is also scary since Dad is on 45. In either case I think that a transplant would be a good thing.
Irregardless, I think my aunt and I are going to go hit the road tomorrow morning sometime. I am soooo excited to get back home to my princess even if that does mean cleaning, cooking, and working two jobs. I have been sitting around sooooo much lately, I'm ready to get up and get moving.
Word of the day according to dictionary. com: ne plus ultra
1. The highest point,a s of excellence or achievement; the acme; the pinnacle; the ultimate.
2. The most profound degree of a quality or condition.
Irregardless, I think my aunt and I are going to go hit the road tomorrow morning sometime. I am soooo excited to get back home to my princess even if that does mean cleaning, cooking, and working two jobs. I have been sitting around sooooo much lately, I'm ready to get up and get moving.
Word of the day according to dictionary. com: ne plus ultra
1. The highest point,a s of excellence or achievement; the acme; the pinnacle; the ultimate.
2. The most profound degree of a quality or condition.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Still in IC and a survey
My whole family was very optimistic about this trip to IC for Dad's second opinion, figuring they would just do an MRI and run a few blood tests....wrong! Dad started to nauseous yesterday afternoon and when we first got to the hospital today they did some bloodwork. While meeting with the doctor, we were told that one of his medications was in a toxic range because his body wasn't metabolizing it very fast -- therefore building up in his system so they decided to admit him for at least 24 hours so that he can be watched and they also want to change some of his medications so I bet he is in the hospital for two nights. My aunts feel the same way. Tensions are also high with Mom and I, which is nothing new for the past two months. I'd get into it what happened today but there really is no point. I went shopping with one of my aunts and we got pedicures, then came back to the hotel and had a beer. I feel a little more at ease. My other aunt just gave me another beer. hahaha.
Who is your man? Matt aka Princess
How long have you been together? 1 year
How long did you date? we've been dating for over a year
How old is your man? 24
Who eats more? this isn't even up for debate. he is eating every chance he gets
Who said "I love you" first? i think i did...i don't really remember
Who is taller? he is. i don't know any women that are 6'7"
Who sings better? hahah we are both musically challenged
Who is smarter? i guess i will give this to him tho we both have different strengths.
Whose temper is worse? oh my. i would say his is worse but i get upset more often.
Who does the laundry? lol most of the time i do it.
Who takes out the garbage? he does after I ask and beg for 2 weeks because it has built up in our pantry which i find disgusting but I cannot bear to take out the trash unless forced by my parents or if living alone.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? usually me.
Who pays the bills? He definitely does right now as I haven't even been home the last two months. Hopefully once I am home and things are more organize I will be
Who is better with the computer? he is...I can pretty much upload pictures and get online...thats about it!
Who mows the lawn? our landlord!
Who cooks dinner? me, if I'm not working
Who drives when you are together? Depends. Its about half n half
Who pays when you go out? him
Who is most stubborn? I have no idea. I would say myself
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? due to the stubbornness it depends. Usually him
Whose parents do you see the most? lately I have been seeing a lot of mine while he's been in FL....
Who asked who out? hahaha he begged me to take a break from studying and to go to dinner with him since I had been staying up late every night for a week -- I hadn't eaten all day so I went lol
How long have you been together? 1 year
How long did you date? we've been dating for over a year
How old is your man? 24
Who eats more? this isn't even up for debate. he is eating every chance he gets
Who said "I love you" first? i think i did...i don't really remember
Who is taller? he is. i don't know any women that are 6'7"
Who sings better? hahah we are both musically challenged
Who is smarter? i guess i will give this to him tho we both have different strengths.
Whose temper is worse? oh my. i would say his is worse but i get upset more often.
Who does the laundry? lol most of the time i do it.
Who takes out the garbage? he does after I ask and beg for 2 weeks because it has built up in our pantry which i find disgusting but I cannot bear to take out the trash unless forced by my parents or if living alone.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? usually me.
Who pays the bills? He definitely does right now as I haven't even been home the last two months. Hopefully once I am home and things are more organize I will be
Who is better with the computer? he is...I can pretty much upload pictures and get online...thats about it!
Who mows the lawn? our landlord!
Who cooks dinner? me, if I'm not working
Who drives when you are together? Depends. Its about half n half
Who pays when you go out? him
Who is most stubborn? I have no idea. I would say myself
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? due to the stubbornness it depends. Usually him
Whose parents do you see the most? lately I have been seeing a lot of mine while he's been in FL....
Who asked who out? hahaha he begged me to take a break from studying and to go to dinner with him since I had been staying up late every night for a week -- I hadn't eaten all day so I went lol
Who proposed? no one...yet
Who wears the pants in the family? me! hahah
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Ready to go!
After being home for nearly 2 months as a result of Dad's heart and lung failure, we are finally about to get on the road to a different hospital for a second opinion. Dad has been home for almost two weeks now and is coming along very well. Yesterday we went for a drive to see some of his buddies and took his new camaro around the lake since it was sooooo nice out. But anyways, we are going to Iowa City for some tests tomorrow and from there my aunt and I are planning to drive back to Florida, figuring that if the doctors decided to do any surgeries it won't be for a couple months since he is recovering so well. I can't wait to get home to Matt and get back to work! But anyways, its time to get on the road!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Poland in Mourning
Today's word of the day according to dictionary.com is: pyrrhic victory which means "a victory achieve at great or excessive cost; a ruinous victory.
I'm not really going to comment on this today. I was looking at my twitter and saw a tweet from Obama about the plane crash today in Russia. I thought "Great. My aunt got on my twitter account and followed Obama." But I looked up the plane crash because it is a very significant event worldwide.
BBC had a video of the crash site which was incredibly horrifying to watch -- there really isn't much left of the plane that was carrying many prominent Polish officials including President Kaczynski as well as many other prominent officials. My condolences go to the people of Poland and I hope that the government is able to recover quickly and run well.
I'm not really going to comment on this today. I was looking at my twitter and saw a tweet from Obama about the plane crash today in Russia. I thought "Great. My aunt got on my twitter account and followed Obama." But I looked up the plane crash because it is a very significant event worldwide.
BBC had a video of the crash site which was incredibly horrifying to watch -- there really isn't much left of the plane that was carrying many prominent Polish officials including President Kaczynski as well as many other prominent officials. My condolences go to the people of Poland and I hope that the government is able to recover quickly and run well.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
My Most Admired Professor at ISU
Getting up-to-date on current events is giving me a sense of nostalgia. That of being back in Dr. Pirro's international relations and foreign policy classes. Dr. Pirro was always a professor that I had profound respect for, though many students feared her. In fact, on the first day of her international relations class in which I had never heard anything about her prior to that, she successfully intimidated me.
Dr. Pirro is a stickler for punctuality and attendance. One must be early every day, and under no circumstances leave her class early. She will in fact follow a person out and make them come back inside. Her classes were said to be difficult because she expects top performance from her students. Which, to me, is no surprise since she is a graduate of an Ivy League school and also taught a few Ivy League schools and now is deeply involved with the United nations.
She expects a lot but she also gives her students adequate time to put into exams and projects by giving take home tests that typically consist of 4 short 1-2 page essays as well as a long essay. This happens to be my favorite type of exam simply because I find it much more enjoyable and easy compared to simply memorizing facts and regurgitating them onto a short answer or multiple choice exam. Maybe that is why I did so well in her classes.
Though I said she gives ample time for projects I was a victim of hers during class at one time. The assignment was a group project in which each group was assigned a region in the world, my group's was Africa. Each person in the group was then to choose an important policy area and do a comprehensive policy analysis and then prepare a 10 minute maximum presentation that was to include recommendations for future policy. I chose HIV/AIDS policy, believing that there would be a plethora of information making it easy to prepare a presentation. Well I was right about there being an extensive amount of information, but this doesn't always make it easy to prepare a presentation in which one has limited time! I got really into the project but my presentation ended up being approximately 30 minutes -- thankfully she didn't cut me off, which was a good sign that I had done well.
In conjunction with this project we had also been assigned a book about the Iraq "war" to read which would prepare us for one of her exams. Coincidentally, the week of my groups presentation was also the week of the exam -- and I was taking 5 other courses at the time -- FML!!! I'm pretty sure I didn't get much sleep that week but I ended up with an A on the exam and and A on the project which made it worth it.
Another thing that I respected about Pirro was that during her group projects she put slackers in their place. It was rather important that everyone do their share of the project and be prepared to present on time. Since we were scheduled to present before the drop deadline and the project came up at the same time of the exam, one can imagine what happened. I think there were 4 people that dropped out of our group -- and she told us that if someone dropped we would have to cover their topics. However, these people decided to drop the night before -- there was no way that the few of us remaining were going to be able to cover that much information with such short notice! So what did this great woman do? When these students arrived with their drop slips she refused to sign them without taking our whole group for a meeting in which we were given the privilege of telling the person what we thought of their actions. It wasn't pretty -- and she said that if we decided as a group that that person didn't deserve a signed drop slip, she wouldn't sign it! Ultimately, because there were those of us who understood the consequences of an "F" on a transcript we allowed her to sign everyone's drop slip. But she did cover the information those people should have covered herself. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be those people getting the 3rd degree from their peers for what pieces of crap they were!
Anyways, Dr. Pirro was always a woman and professor I had a lot of respect for in college. She was in fact my favorite professor. Bobby Hollinger was a great one as well -- what professor has class at a bar n grill?! Bobby did!
What inspired this again was getting caught up on current events. While reading them I started doing a mental policy analysis and preparing a presentation that would include what I would recommend to B.O. Yes I will refer to him as B.O. as I am definitely not a fan. I can't help but disagree with his recent agreement with Russia, as I wrote yesterday. I think its a joke...I mean really Medvedev's name is on it, but Putin is in control! Also, having a large nuclear arsenal that is up-to-date is essential for deterrance. I really don't understand how decreasing the size of it is going to deter Iran and North Korea. They are going to continue to pursue nuclear weapons regardless of the size. Decreasing the size and quality of it is going to show the world the weaknesses of the United States....not to mention he is changing the policy as to when such weapons will be used! What a joke B.O. I want a t-shirt with Bush's face on it that says "miss me yet?" and on the back says "change it back!"
Dr. Pirro is a stickler for punctuality and attendance. One must be early every day, and under no circumstances leave her class early. She will in fact follow a person out and make them come back inside. Her classes were said to be difficult because she expects top performance from her students. Which, to me, is no surprise since she is a graduate of an Ivy League school and also taught a few Ivy League schools and now is deeply involved with the United nations.
She expects a lot but she also gives her students adequate time to put into exams and projects by giving take home tests that typically consist of 4 short 1-2 page essays as well as a long essay. This happens to be my favorite type of exam simply because I find it much more enjoyable and easy compared to simply memorizing facts and regurgitating them onto a short answer or multiple choice exam. Maybe that is why I did so well in her classes.
Though I said she gives ample time for projects I was a victim of hers during class at one time. The assignment was a group project in which each group was assigned a region in the world, my group's was Africa. Each person in the group was then to choose an important policy area and do a comprehensive policy analysis and then prepare a 10 minute maximum presentation that was to include recommendations for future policy. I chose HIV/AIDS policy, believing that there would be a plethora of information making it easy to prepare a presentation. Well I was right about there being an extensive amount of information, but this doesn't always make it easy to prepare a presentation in which one has limited time! I got really into the project but my presentation ended up being approximately 30 minutes -- thankfully she didn't cut me off, which was a good sign that I had done well.
In conjunction with this project we had also been assigned a book about the Iraq "war" to read which would prepare us for one of her exams. Coincidentally, the week of my groups presentation was also the week of the exam -- and I was taking 5 other courses at the time -- FML!!! I'm pretty sure I didn't get much sleep that week but I ended up with an A on the exam and and A on the project which made it worth it.
Another thing that I respected about Pirro was that during her group projects she put slackers in their place. It was rather important that everyone do their share of the project and be prepared to present on time. Since we were scheduled to present before the drop deadline and the project came up at the same time of the exam, one can imagine what happened. I think there were 4 people that dropped out of our group -- and she told us that if someone dropped we would have to cover their topics. However, these people decided to drop the night before -- there was no way that the few of us remaining were going to be able to cover that much information with such short notice! So what did this great woman do? When these students arrived with their drop slips she refused to sign them without taking our whole group for a meeting in which we were given the privilege of telling the person what we thought of their actions. It wasn't pretty -- and she said that if we decided as a group that that person didn't deserve a signed drop slip, she wouldn't sign it! Ultimately, because there were those of us who understood the consequences of an "F" on a transcript we allowed her to sign everyone's drop slip. But she did cover the information those people should have covered herself. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be those people getting the 3rd degree from their peers for what pieces of crap they were!
Anyways, Dr. Pirro was always a woman and professor I had a lot of respect for in college. She was in fact my favorite professor. Bobby Hollinger was a great one as well -- what professor has class at a bar n grill?! Bobby did!
What inspired this again was getting caught up on current events. While reading them I started doing a mental policy analysis and preparing a presentation that would include what I would recommend to B.O. Yes I will refer to him as B.O. as I am definitely not a fan. I can't help but disagree with his recent agreement with Russia, as I wrote yesterday. I think its a joke...I mean really Medvedev's name is on it, but Putin is in control! Also, having a large nuclear arsenal that is up-to-date is essential for deterrance. I really don't understand how decreasing the size of it is going to deter Iran and North Korea. They are going to continue to pursue nuclear weapons regardless of the size. Decreasing the size and quality of it is going to show the world the weaknesses of the United States....not to mention he is changing the policy as to when such weapons will be used! What a joke B.O. I want a t-shirt with Bush's face on it that says "miss me yet?" and on the back says "change it back!"
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Down in the Megrims?
Today's word of the day, from dicitonary.com, is megrim \MEE-grim\ meaning:
"1. A migraine
2. A fancy; a whim.
3. In the plural: lowness of spirits -- often with 'the'"
How ironic that today (in addition to the past few weeks) I've been feeling a bit down in the meegrims. While I am sure that the major reason for this is the amount of stress I have recently experienced with Mom's breast cancer and Dad's massive heart attack its become a normal daily feeling. Especially since I feel like I am in fact 12 years old again. It amazes me that when I was 17, it was no problem to leave me alone on the farm and to move to another town 40 miles away; yet, today at 23 its a struggle to let me out of the house. I truly feel like a prisoner, especially for someone that cannot stand being cooped up in the house! Anyways, both of my parents are doing much better now and I am hoping to go home next week. I can't wait.
Since I have been here so long with little to do I found myself spending an exceptional amount of time on Facebook. I really didn't have much else to do. Especially with T.V. being the bore that it is, there really aren't many options when you are in Iowa during the cold winter, and most of your friends are still in college or moved away. I hope to never see another episode of CSI or Law n Order btw! But anyways, yesterday I decided to deactivate my Facebook account. Its been pretty weird the past 24 hours...I've actually been productive. I got up this morning at 8am (something I haven't done the whole time I've been here) and went and got my new social security card, NIACC transcripts sent so I can go to UWF, and a handicapped parking permit for my dad all before 11. Not to mention I made it to Dad's appointment in Clarion, went with my aunt to buy a new t.v. for Dad, grocery shopping, and helped cook dinner. Not much for the typical mom, but for me especially compared to the past two months it was quite a bit and I'm exhausted! I hope to be able to get that much done as well as work and go to school when I get home. Keeping busy like that will probably help me tolerate Matt's crazy schedule that drives me absolutely insane. Oh and in addition to all that I read 150 pages of a biography about Leonardo da Vinci!
I also continued my goal of reading 3 news articles each day. Compared to my amount of current event exposure and absorption in college that is nothing! I'm quite unsure about B.O.'s Nuclear Arms Treaty with Russia. In fact it makes me quite uneasy -- I have a sneaking suspicion that it was simply a political move and that neither party will comply AND/OR both parties have developed technology far more disastrous than such.
Also Spirit airlines is going to begin charging a $45 fee for carry-on luggage! I've never actually heard of this airline, but that's also why it is going to be an interesting move. The logic behind doing so makes perfect sense: since airlines currently charge a fee to check luggage, many people carry as much as possible themselves onto the plane making overhead compartments cramped and delaying boarding and deboarding. The $45 fee is actually more than what it costs to check luggage, so for this particular airline may actually be beneficial. Its only a matter of time until we see other airlines following suit.
Anyways, it seems that my body has some kind of limit in which it allows itself to be awake. I'm feeling pretty exhausted so I'm going to read me some da Vinci and fall asleep...
"1. A migraine
2. A fancy; a whim.
3. In the plural: lowness of spirits -- often with 'the'"
How ironic that today (in addition to the past few weeks) I've been feeling a bit down in the meegrims. While I am sure that the major reason for this is the amount of stress I have recently experienced with Mom's breast cancer and Dad's massive heart attack its become a normal daily feeling. Especially since I feel like I am in fact 12 years old again. It amazes me that when I was 17, it was no problem to leave me alone on the farm and to move to another town 40 miles away; yet, today at 23 its a struggle to let me out of the house. I truly feel like a prisoner, especially for someone that cannot stand being cooped up in the house! Anyways, both of my parents are doing much better now and I am hoping to go home next week. I can't wait.
Since I have been here so long with little to do I found myself spending an exceptional amount of time on Facebook. I really didn't have much else to do. Especially with T.V. being the bore that it is, there really aren't many options when you are in Iowa during the cold winter, and most of your friends are still in college or moved away. I hope to never see another episode of CSI or Law n Order btw! But anyways, yesterday I decided to deactivate my Facebook account. Its been pretty weird the past 24 hours...I've actually been productive. I got up this morning at 8am (something I haven't done the whole time I've been here) and went and got my new social security card, NIACC transcripts sent so I can go to UWF, and a handicapped parking permit for my dad all before 11. Not to mention I made it to Dad's appointment in Clarion, went with my aunt to buy a new t.v. for Dad, grocery shopping, and helped cook dinner. Not much for the typical mom, but for me especially compared to the past two months it was quite a bit and I'm exhausted! I hope to be able to get that much done as well as work and go to school when I get home. Keeping busy like that will probably help me tolerate Matt's crazy schedule that drives me absolutely insane. Oh and in addition to all that I read 150 pages of a biography about Leonardo da Vinci!
I also continued my goal of reading 3 news articles each day. Compared to my amount of current event exposure and absorption in college that is nothing! I'm quite unsure about B.O.'s Nuclear Arms Treaty with Russia. In fact it makes me quite uneasy -- I have a sneaking suspicion that it was simply a political move and that neither party will comply AND/OR both parties have developed technology far more disastrous than such.
Also Spirit airlines is going to begin charging a $45 fee for carry-on luggage! I've never actually heard of this airline, but that's also why it is going to be an interesting move. The logic behind doing so makes perfect sense: since airlines currently charge a fee to check luggage, many people carry as much as possible themselves onto the plane making overhead compartments cramped and delaying boarding and deboarding. The $45 fee is actually more than what it costs to check luggage, so for this particular airline may actually be beneficial. Its only a matter of time until we see other airlines following suit.
Anyways, it seems that my body has some kind of limit in which it allows itself to be awake. I'm feeling pretty exhausted so I'm going to read me some da Vinci and fall asleep...
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
word of the day?
Yesterday I wrote about my Day Zero Project. I can already cross one of those items off my list: "dye my hair back to blonde." I wouldn't say that I am completely finished since the color isn't quite where i want it but its blonde. I also mentioned that one of my goals was to blog 3x/week and another was to learn 3 new words/week and keep a record of it. Well...what a coincidence: I can do a new word using Dictionary.com feature "word of the day" each time I write a blog!
So today's word of the day on Dictionary.com is:
"Grok" pronounce "grawk" and it means: "to understand, especially in a profound and intimate way. Slang."
I especially like the quote they have listed:
So today's word of the day on Dictionary.com is:
"Grok" pronounce "grawk" and it means: "to understand, especially in a profound and intimate way. Slang."
I especially like the quote they have listed:
"The electeds can say "I feel your pain" when the teleprompter tells them to, but our current existential crisis isn't something they grok."
-- Reverend Billy Talen, Alternet, February 27, 2010
I looked up the piece since I had never heard of Billy Talen. He's an advocate for the anti-consumerism movement and has apparently been jailed numerous times in his protest efforts. Interesting character, though I am not on the same page as Billy Talen.
Marketing companies are successful because people lack self control and cannot fight off the urge to give in to what society tells them they should want/have/need. There's two sides to every story but I don't see a problem with this unless people allow themselves to be manipulated. Yes, I have a degree in Psychology and it all makes sense to me how it works, but I think a person is capable of training their brain to withstand all the stimulation it is constantly exposed to. And if people want to blow their money on an authentic designer bag rather than buying that knock off that is significantly cheaper so be it. I know I won't be doing that unless I have money growing out of my ears. But that's just me. I don't see a need for things like that. And the corporate companies capitalized on people's weakness but I think that today people are generally aware of what's happening. Maybe I'm wrong but I would like to believe that people aren't that naive.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Day Zero
Since I have been back in Iowa at home all the time I've had a lot of free time on my hands so I've been browsing blogs and what not. On one, and forgive me for not remembering whose now, I discovered something called the Day Zero Project. The whole idea of it is people make a list of 101 things they would like to complete in 1001 days. In all honesty, I've never really written down any goals -- I always kept everything in my head (a trait which I apparently got from my dad) -- so yesterday I used my afternoon to think of 101 things I would like to do. This should be pretty helpful since Matt and I are always looking for something to do other than sit in front of the T.V. (which I absolutely hate!). Some of these things are personal and some are things that Matt and I will be able to do together. Hopefully I can get them all finished -- going on a trip to Barcelona might be a little difficult though with limited income and Matt's career. I am thinking about saving $5 for each one I complete and then using the money for either the Spain trip or a shopping spree. For each that doesn't get completed I am considering donating $5 to Children's Miracle Network, the organization my sorority -- Phi Mu -- was affiliated with.
Here is a copy of my list:
1.) Make a custom recipe book
2.) Send a secret to PostSecret
3.) Run a half marathon
4.) Go to a concert
5.) Go camping
6.) Get a massage
7.) Lose 10 lbs
8.) Deactivate Facebook
9.) No fast food for a month (or longer!)
10.) Write a message in a public bathroom
11.) Go back to school
12.) Bake an apple pie
13.) Take a dance class
14.) Stick to a budge
15.) Buy a car
16.) Get a puppy
17.) Get a gym membership
18.) Make my own dress
19). Start a savings account
20.) Go on a hot air balloon ride
21.) Get a new passport
22.) Drink only water for 2 weeks
23.) Start going to church
24.) Go to Barcelona
25.) Read 3 biographies
26.) Run 5 miles without walking
27.) Hollow out a book
28.) Make a list of 50 women i admire
29.) Don't eat out for one month
30.) Take a cooking class
31.) Buy a leather jacket
32.) Go rock(wall) climbing
33.) Go to a museum
34.) Have a picnic
35.) Learn to knit/crochet
36.) Organize bathroom
37.) Get a pedicure
38.) Bake a cake from scratch
39.) Have a dinner party
40.) Tie-dye something
41.) Grow a herb garden
42.) Take scuba lessons
43.) Go to a comedy club
44) Learn CPR
45.) Organize makeup
46.) Go horseback riding
47.) Clean/Pack apt and move
48.) Blog 3x/week
49.) Get a towel rack and shelves for bathroom
50.) Workout 30 mins/day for 5 days/week
51.) Save $30/week that would have been spent on cigs/alcohol
52.) Take a trip to Destin with Matt
53.) Throw a birthday party for BallGrumble
54.) No drinking for one month
55.) Read 5 novels
56.) Get a decent job in PCola
57.) Find an organization to volunteer with once a month
58.) Get a plant(s) for living room
59.) Clean kitchen every night
60.) Go through closet and take some clothes to Goodwill/Plato's Closet
61.) Be more resilient
62.) Remove makeup every night
63.) Continue to remain tobacco free
64.) Get a road bike and ride it regularly
65.) Read 3 articles on BBC daily
66.) Do meal-planning weekly
67.) No more energy drinks
68.) Get up early and at the same time every day
69.) Vacuum every Monday
70.) Make bed every day
71.) Get a new camera and take a lot of pictures
72.) Spend a day at the zoo
73.) Go wine tasting
74.) Go to Farmers Market
75.) Do the gallbladder cleanse
76.) Use a daily planner EVERY DAY
77.) Frame and hang diplomas (both of mine and Matt's)
78.) Secret from BallGrumble
79.) Go to yoga once a week
80.) With new camera, make a 365 day photo album
81.) Learn how to windsurf
82.) Go para-sailing (again)
83.) Paint a sign with favorite quote
84.) Put away $5 for each completed task, then go on a shopping spree or on trip to Spain
85.) Choose a theme to decorate living room and do it
86.) Take pictures of everything on the list possible and make a scrapbook
87.) Establish an emergency fund of $500
88.) Learn shorthand
89.) Buy bedroom curtains and hang them
90.) Go hiking in Arizona
91.) Get professiona photos of me and Matt for Christmas cards and send them
92.) Get involved in Escambia County Republicans
93.) Go to a Spurs game in New Orleans or Orlando
94.) Visit/Surprise Brittany in Dallas
95.) Learn 3 new words every week for a year, make a file/blog of them
96.) Leave a secret in a PostSecret book
97.) Rent a limo for a night witha group of friends
98.) Dye my hair back to blonde
99.) Make the homemade spice rack Dad and I saw on T.V.
100.) Find a healthy way to deal with anger
101.) Make 10 new mix CDs for my car
A lot of these I can't begin until I'm back in PCola. Like getting involved in local politics and changing daily habits associated with home (there's a few I listed). And yesterday, my mom and I began the process of dying my hair back to blonde! So I guess I can already cross one off the list! So here is a picture of me taken a few weeks ago:
And one once mom had my hair pulled through the cap:
And the final result:
I was messing around with a photoshop like program today so thats what I came up with. Woot. Thats another thing I want to re-learn. Photo-editing and graphic design. I took a class in high school and was very good at it then. Not so much anymore, but I'm sure I can pick up on it again, right?
Here is a copy of my list:
1.) Make a custom recipe book
2.) Send a secret to PostSecret
3.) Run a half marathon
4.) Go to a concert
5.) Go camping
6.) Get a massage
7.) Lose 10 lbs
8.) Deactivate Facebook
9.) No fast food for a month (or longer!)
10.) Write a message in a public bathroom
11.) Go back to school
12.) Bake an apple pie
13.) Take a dance class
14.) Stick to a budge
15.) Buy a car
16.) Get a puppy
17.) Get a gym membership
18.) Make my own dress
19). Start a savings account
20.) Go on a hot air balloon ride
21.) Get a new passport
22.) Drink only water for 2 weeks
23.) Start going to church
24.) Go to Barcelona
25.) Read 3 biographies
26.) Run 5 miles without walking
27.) Hollow out a book
28.) Make a list of 50 women i admire
29.) Don't eat out for one month
30.) Take a cooking class
31.) Buy a leather jacket
32.) Go rock(wall) climbing
33.) Go to a museum
34.) Have a picnic
35.) Learn to knit/crochet
36.) Organize bathroom
37.) Get a pedicure
38.) Bake a cake from scratch
39.) Have a dinner party
40.) Tie-dye something
41.) Grow a herb garden
42.) Take scuba lessons
43.) Go to a comedy club
44) Learn CPR
45.) Organize makeup
46.) Go horseback riding
47.) Clean/Pack apt and move
48.) Blog 3x/week
49.) Get a towel rack and shelves for bathroom
50.) Workout 30 mins/day for 5 days/week
51.) Save $30/week that would have been spent on cigs/alcohol
52.) Take a trip to Destin with Matt
53.) Throw a birthday party for BallGrumble
54.) No drinking for one month
55.) Read 5 novels
56.) Get a decent job in PCola
57.) Find an organization to volunteer with once a month
58.) Get a plant(s) for living room
59.) Clean kitchen every night
60.) Go through closet and take some clothes to Goodwill/Plato's Closet
61.) Be more resilient
62.) Remove makeup every night
63.) Continue to remain tobacco free
64.) Get a road bike and ride it regularly
65.) Read 3 articles on BBC daily
66.) Do meal-planning weekly
67.) No more energy drinks
68.) Get up early and at the same time every day
69.) Vacuum every Monday
70.) Make bed every day
71.) Get a new camera and take a lot of pictures
72.) Spend a day at the zoo
73.) Go wine tasting
74.) Go to Farmers Market
75.) Do the gallbladder cleanse
76.) Use a daily planner EVERY DAY
77.) Frame and hang diplomas (both of mine and Matt's)
78.) Secret from BallGrumble
79.) Go to yoga once a week
80.) With new camera, make a 365 day photo album
81.) Learn how to windsurf
82.) Go para-sailing (again)
83.) Paint a sign with favorite quote
84.) Put away $5 for each completed task, then go on a shopping spree or on trip to Spain
85.) Choose a theme to decorate living room and do it
86.) Take pictures of everything on the list possible and make a scrapbook
87.) Establish an emergency fund of $500
88.) Learn shorthand
89.) Buy bedroom curtains and hang them
90.) Go hiking in Arizona
91.) Get professiona photos of me and Matt for Christmas cards and send them
92.) Get involved in Escambia County Republicans
93.) Go to a Spurs game in New Orleans or Orlando
94.) Visit/Surprise Brittany in Dallas
95.) Learn 3 new words every week for a year, make a file/blog of them
96.) Leave a secret in a PostSecret book
97.) Rent a limo for a night witha group of friends
98.) Dye my hair back to blonde
99.) Make the homemade spice rack Dad and I saw on T.V.
100.) Find a healthy way to deal with anger
101.) Make 10 new mix CDs for my car
A lot of these I can't begin until I'm back in PCola. Like getting involved in local politics and changing daily habits associated with home (there's a few I listed). And yesterday, my mom and I began the process of dying my hair back to blonde! So I guess I can already cross one off the list! So here is a picture of me taken a few weeks ago:
And one once mom had my hair pulled through the cap:
And the final result:
I was messing around with a photoshop like program today so thats what I came up with. Woot. Thats another thing I want to re-learn. Photo-editing and graphic design. I took a class in high school and was very good at it then. Not so much anymore, but I'm sure I can pick up on it again, right?
Sunday, April 4, 2010
the past couple months...
Hello everyone! I've deleted all of my past posts. However, given the past 2 months (almost) I really think its time to get back into writing. All the stress I went through while in college doesn't come close to what I have been going through recently. Valentine's Day/weekend was insane at work, but I was rewarded by Matt bringing me roses while I was at work. To top it off as I got into my car after my shift, it was full of balloons, as well as some chocolate and a gift certificate to a spa.
When I got home, all I wanted to do was relax as a result of all the rude people that had been in that night. Two of my last three tables managed to make me cry because they were so rude! The other table gave me and excellent tip as they had observed how I had been treated and the lack of help my co-workers gave. So yeah, the rest of the night when I got home is pretty much a blur since I was soooooo exhausted.
So, I got up the next morning and prepared for an interview at a mental health facility in town. Matt and I went out for breakfast and ran a few last minute errands. Just as we were getting home, I received a phonecall from a family friend from my mom's cell phone. Turns out that my dad had a massive heart attack and I was to take the first flight home I could get. So I went to my interview, which believe it or not actually went well considering the stress and shock I was experiencing. But I flew to Tampa and stayed with my aunt that night and the two of us caught a flight home the next day.
For the next few weeks my dad was in an induced coma in which his heart and lungs both failed. There were many long days sitting at the hospital just waiting. Waiting for a doctor to tell us something. Sitting there worrying about what you could get told every day for 44 days is worse than having a job and going every day. Seriously. Finally they took him off the heart pump. Then one day they decided to wake him up. He got to come home Wednesday, on Mom's birthday which was nice. However, its still a waiting game. He goes back to the doctor tomorrow so maybe we will know more. Like the possibility of a transplant. I hope that's not the case.
There's so much to the past month and a half that has just destroyed me as a person. Like I said, sitting at the hospital everyday just waiting is worse than having a job. It's no way to live at all and completely depressing. The part that pisses me off the most is the fact that my mother seems to think she and dad are the only ones affected. Like this doesn't affect my mental health at all. I'm supposed to be happy and all that stuff. Well this has put my entire life on hold. I'm probably not going to get that job I was basically offered. I may not even be able to go back to the Lob since I have been gone so long. My relationship with my boyfriend is in pieces that I'm beginning to believe cannot be put back together. But my dad is still alive. He's still here, so that's something to be thankful for.
When I got home, all I wanted to do was relax as a result of all the rude people that had been in that night. Two of my last three tables managed to make me cry because they were so rude! The other table gave me and excellent tip as they had observed how I had been treated and the lack of help my co-workers gave. So yeah, the rest of the night when I got home is pretty much a blur since I was soooooo exhausted.
So, I got up the next morning and prepared for an interview at a mental health facility in town. Matt and I went out for breakfast and ran a few last minute errands. Just as we were getting home, I received a phonecall from a family friend from my mom's cell phone. Turns out that my dad had a massive heart attack and I was to take the first flight home I could get. So I went to my interview, which believe it or not actually went well considering the stress and shock I was experiencing. But I flew to Tampa and stayed with my aunt that night and the two of us caught a flight home the next day.
For the next few weeks my dad was in an induced coma in which his heart and lungs both failed. There were many long days sitting at the hospital just waiting. Waiting for a doctor to tell us something. Sitting there worrying about what you could get told every day for 44 days is worse than having a job and going every day. Seriously. Finally they took him off the heart pump. Then one day they decided to wake him up. He got to come home Wednesday, on Mom's birthday which was nice. However, its still a waiting game. He goes back to the doctor tomorrow so maybe we will know more. Like the possibility of a transplant. I hope that's not the case.
There's so much to the past month and a half that has just destroyed me as a person. Like I said, sitting at the hospital everyday just waiting is worse than having a job. It's no way to live at all and completely depressing. The part that pisses me off the most is the fact that my mother seems to think she and dad are the only ones affected. Like this doesn't affect my mental health at all. I'm supposed to be happy and all that stuff. Well this has put my entire life on hold. I'm probably not going to get that job I was basically offered. I may not even be able to go back to the Lob since I have been gone so long. My relationship with my boyfriend is in pieces that I'm beginning to believe cannot be put back together. But my dad is still alive. He's still here, so that's something to be thankful for.
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