I'm a Winner!

or maybe that's Whiner, I can never remember.

As you can clearly see to the right I won mine sweeper at 32X24 with 200 mines, this is the first time this has happened in the 8 yrs I have been trying. And No I didn't cheat. (I took a screen shot and assumed the resolution was fine shows what I know.)

Obama is president (and not dead yet). and I am working from Home. See all Winners.

On top of that I am apparently popular for the first time in my life, in the last week 3 people from my past have contacted me to say hi (Indra thinks they want me to join their facebook thing). One was my first crush, I was silly and immature and all those things you are suppose to be as a teenager in Lust and everyone but him knew it. Still a great guy but now taken (well duh, I would have taken him ions ago) Second was a guy from high school, he was the strong quiet type but his friends where jerks to me, never hung out, never talked, no clue why he decided now 15 yrs later that I am interesting but OK. Lastly is a girl who called me stuck up because I was quiet and yelled at me for talking to her cousins (funny the things you remember). Once again not friends never hung out talking was limited to her being mean to me, but now she wants to chat. In this case I think it is a case of she kissed a girl and I am gay and she has a shorter memory then me. As my mother once said, its not that she didn't like me its just that she care one way or the other.

I am not sure what to do with this sudden largess of interest in me. Do I spill everything and hope they run away? do I chat them up and play nice? Do I even want to talk to them? Brad at least the answer is yes, Him I liked. Kevin and Jen, not sure, I really want to know what they want before I decide.

Its Donut time!

I have discovered that the local grocery store puts out its fresh warm donuts at 8am. And they are good, not to greasy, not to sweet and warm, mmmmm. Now there is a reason to get up early.

TMI

I started my period on Sunday, TMI I know but it is relevant, I am having a terrific craving for chocolate chip cookies, and strangely enough corn bread. I just ran out of chocolate chip cookies but with luck I will have cornbread tonight (If I remember to get eggs)and there are more cookies at home, I just have to make it through the next 8 hours.

We got a new dog this weekend a very nice black Schnauzer mix. He is very polite and very shy. He even has a dignified, civilised name, Ashton. I would post a picture but he is black and there are enough black blobs on the Internet and I don't need to add to them. If we get a decent picture I will post it.

Betrayed!

Indra has been holding out on me. I'm shocked, and apparently its been going on for months, with out her telling me. There are not words to describe how betrayed I feel. She has been watching House with out me! She tells me it is my own fault since I was the one that told her to watch it on the computer since we don't have cable. But still she didn't share?

The lovely picture you see to your right is a coworker, who I will not name, he wore this getup for our customer service week pajama day. His excuse is this is what he wears to deer camp so he doesn't get shot. Personally if I saw that first thing in the morning I think it would be justifiable homicide.

this latest blogging lapse is due to a second round of poison ivy. We are currently blaming the dog for my latest episode. Once again I itched all over and to top it off I got a sinus infect and spend three days an itchy irritable achey mess before the meds finally worked. All in all I spend a week to distracted to do anything and then this last week has been a tax deadline and I have been busy. But with any luck that is changing. I am once again healthy ish, and definitely less harried.

In the news is I am set to start working from home in a a week and a half, and I am looking forward to that. I have grand plans to knit more, watch the shows I have missed this yr, sleep late and cook more. Heck I may even try to do more house work. Another big plus is the money saved in gas and with access to the pantry in food.

I keep telling myself that I will eventually learn how to handle money but then the lack of money to handle keeps getting in the way. I am getting better though and that has me feeling pretty good. I was complaining about the lack of cash in my life the other day and my in ability to get ahead, when a co worker offered this bit of wisdom, "You know that life you don't have? you have to give that up to get ahead." unfortunately that is soo true.

See Below.

Its been a bit, I just get so overwhelmed at times, so many things to write, not enough time (or sleep) and then there is always tomorrow. Not that I procrastinate or anything. But still I can put things off forever if need be.

My life is like a roller coasted you go up the bottom drops out you crawl back up and then get jerked to the side. the whole time you heart is franticaly beating and you have a death grip on the wholey inadequate safety bar. And as exciting as it all is eventualy you get tired of the white knuckle thrills and just want off. Right now I am doing a slow crawl to the top. Maybe this time I will actualy make it.

I have been enjoying my cooking, but I simply have not had enough time to knit. I keep saying after I have my craft room clean and organized, still hasn't happened though. I did actualy start a shrug for Bridget's baby. And have plans for a second. But Xmas is getting ever closer and I am sooooo not ready.
Wouldn't it be nice if you could just save the money you usualy spend on presents and get yourself something nice?

Is it sad that the highlight of my work week has been training and the time off the phone, while the highlight of my home life this week has been, well Indra? Makes me want to cuddle up and never leave home (that may just be my cold toes talking though).

I am getting frustrated with my knitting, the lace knitting I was doing is taking more concentration then I have at the moment. And since I am pattern free on my childrens stuff I am ripping alot to get what I think is the right proportions. fortunately kids are small and so it goes quick. I am almost ready to actualy knit me something, It is just hard finding a pattern I am sure I will like and then yarn that is afffordable and nice. I am gearing up for socks. I am thinking about locking myself in the craft room for several hours over the weekend so I can get some knitting time in. I just need to find some motivation.

Me again

Its been a bit, I was busy, I was sick, I slept for a week, and I played alot of catch up. And as soon as I get behind I feel guilty and then don't write anything and fall even further behind. Cause I had things to share and then different things and it all got overwhelming. So from the top here is my last several weeks.

I am vested. Surprised the heck out of me. I got a stock offer that I still don't understand which reminded me of one I got when I first started working here that I didn't understand either. My boss was shocked and decided that I needed to understand at least a little about this stock thing so took me aside and went over everything and while I still don't really understand most of it, I do get that I am vested and should I choose to 'exercise' my stocks I can have cash. Cash I understand, it is that thing I have in my hands momentarily before it evaporates.

I participated in out companies Idea Jam and won. This is a big deal. Lots of recognition, 500$ spotlight and a day off the phone. I was excited, my boss did that girly shrieky thing, Indra was all happy and proud, it was good. I am good at the idea thing. I just need to figure out how to capitalize on it.

The air conditioner in the bedroom broke. I was lucky enough to be able to be able to sleep on the couch in the craft room, poor Indra had to suffer. We were miserable for a week until I could afford a new one.

Then we got sick, achy sensitive to everything, exhausted sick. The air moving across my skin hurt, fortunately I slept most of that week, didn't eat much of anything and did absolutely nothing. It sucked.

I also had my yearly review, something I hate. and while I am ok (notice lower case) I have lots of room for improvement. Lucky me my boss has decided I have potential and need to be making more money (she really is all about the money) so I am now her 'project'. Step 1... upgrade my wardrobe (she actually suggested this would be a good investment for my stock money), Apparently being an overweight woman means I have to pay more attention to the image I project and I should dress for the job I want not the one I have and I need to 'brand' myself so I have image recognition and well lots of ands.. Indra is all on board with this and I am acting like a Barbi doll (she is talking about making me wear a thong so I don't have panty lines). First step is apparently a grown up purse.

That's not the only thing to change though. I have decided my life needs overhauled. I am tired of getting the short end of the stick and then getting beaten with it. So I have talked to Indra and made it clear that my priorities are shifting and I am going to be coming first in my priorities instead of her. And so if she wants to continue as she has been she is going to have to help me with my goals. Not that I am one hundred percent sure of my goals, they are mainly just gotta change.

So I signed up for my companies weight loss challenge (winner is person who loses highest percentage of body fat) and am making my lunches a priority, lots of fruits and vegetables. I am going to watch portions and Indra is going to exercise with me (sweating to the oldies, the man maybe a hyperactive chipmunk on speed but he does good work). If I win I am getting a Kitchen Aid mixer, this is my incentive. I may print out a picture to drool over to remind myself why that second cookie is not a good idea (and maybe the first cookie should be passed on as well.)

I am also going to be putting alot of effort into my environment. I need want to stop living like a college student. And I am damn tired of fighting the dishes. So I am either going to stop eating, get all plastic or make dishes a higher priority than WOW. darn it

The dog keeps find dehydrated lizard carcasses to chew on. Indra thinks he has a stash somewhere. It is disgusting. We decided that Not our Cat should be named Heifer, because she is a bossy cow and she has black and white markings. In case you didn't catch it she is becoming ever closer to being our cat. I am not pleased.

Alliteration

I would like to thank Jeanne for some pretty powerful positivity. I managed to get the past rent worked out and on a more even keel financially (money is still good though).

With that load of stress less I am feeling better. More energy the whole 9 yards. And I even feel vaguely Optimistic about the future. Heck I may even go buy a lottery ticket (that will put Jeanne to the test).

The picture today is my poor toe after I sat in a chair that was on it. And yes it hurts. What amazes me is how many other people say they have done the same thing! I thought I was one of the few that were that klutzy.

Since this is my second self inflicted wound in as many weeks I am avoiding the kitchen tonight (at least that is my excuse). Last weekend The bandaid for the blister on my booby caused a boo boo. (hows that for alliteration!)

When we bug bombed the house I turned off the gas to the oven. The oven is a pain to relight and during the hour long fight I dropped the lighter on my breast causing a burn that blistered. Neosporing and a Bandaid helped that heal but the bandaid took the top layer of skin off when I went to remove it, Causing a fresh boo boo on my boobie. Ain't that fun. (no picture of the boobie, this isn't that kind of blog).

Suckage

Life sucks. I haven't been posting because life has been spiraling out of control. you would think I would be use to it by now but I doubt I will ever get use to the feeling of the word falling out from under me and being slammed up against reality. And once again I say I am too old for this.

Financial problems is a young persons game, and as much as I would like to deny it I am not a young person anymore. I have spent my whole life trying to climb out of the hole I started out in. Every once in a while I will get a peak over the top and then the floor drops out from under me. So once again I say Life sucks


expect it to be a little bit before the next post.

PS: money and positivity welcomed

Celebrating Independance

Remember when you were a child and you were convinced that grown ups had all the fun? No one made them go to bed and their was no one to say no to the cool new toy and they didn't have to do things they didn't want to. Let em tell you that was the life. Even if that life only occurred in my child's imagination.

Being an adult has been a big let down, not that I really want to be a child again but I sure would like to relive some of the highlights. The boundless energy, someone else cooking and cleaning up after me, feeling like the weekends lasted forever. I miss that.

This weekend was the 4th of July and we celebrated Independence. Every once in a while I feel compelled to remind people just like our childhood view of being a grown up, Independence has its down side too. Its called responsibility. There are days I am not sure it is worth it. As I told Indra this weekend I could really use one weekend when the hardest decision I had to make was what to wear. For just that one day someone else would cook and clean and take care of things and I could do whatever, even if it was nothing. Cause I can do alot of nothing.

So enough philosophy. On to business, I was in training all last week and therefore was unable to blog. Something about paying attention and learning. They also switched my schedule and I had to be in at 8:30 am, unfortunately my brain doesn't function well until 9am. that gap caused me some issues. I am really not a morning person. (and the chairs in training are killing my back, (Indra says it sounds like sex only painful when I try to move at night).

Last weekend we went to a pick your own place I found, and got 1.5 gallons blueberries and .5 gallons blackberries. This prompted some canning. My jelly did not set (not that I expected it to since I played fast and loose with the instructions) but blueberry sauce / syrup is still plenty good in my book. I had forgotten how much work it is to can and more importantly how hot it gets. In the process of canning I managed to slice my finger open on a pair of tongs. I also burned my tongue tasting things (and I would do it again in a heart beat, very nummy). Despite this I want to can other things, I had started to forget what real food tastes like and how much better home canned is than store bought.

This weekend was thankfully a long weekend. I had a flat tire on the way home on Thursday and then Friday had to go back for them to see if they could figure out why my tires are going bald so fast. I of course got too hot and that shut down Friday and Saturday for me. Indra has been down sick (or at least thoroughly miserable) and was starting to feel well enough Sunday to be bored crabby. I spent alot of Sunday trying to make up for two days of nothing. I almost made it too, if my back hadn't hurt so much I would have gotten the laundry done.

I have been lax on my knitting, to hot, the dog has been invasive, the needles to slippery, and my eyes were not focusing. I think those are all good reasons but I still feel guilty. I have new bamboo needles to help with the slipperyness and have decided to use a cookie sheet instead of a pencil box to magnetize my lace pattern to. I don't know when I am going to be able to go thru the craft room and return it to order and functionality. Right now my back hurts too much and I am overwhelmed, by everything.

Pickles

I love Steven Colbert he is almost a good enough reason to get cable. Recently he showed up with some 'facial damage' and an unwillingness to share the origin of the damage. Colbert has claimed it could have happened by smashing watermelons with his head or by "practicing for a walk-on role in Cirque du Soleil and overestimating the number of French Canadians my forehead would support."

So while my sympathies go out to him, I got to ask 'French Canadians'? Why French ones?

Speaking of face damage I have some of my own, after swapping the comforter that was causing me so much problems out for another I slipped up this week and used Indra's blanket. Now my face is once again a mess and that makes me want to scratch and rub til it feels better (I may convince her to take a picture tomorrow). What I really need is a well loved quilt worn to satin smoothness, cause ALL the modern bed coverings have to much texture for me, or the thread count is to low. :( UPDATED: This picture was take three days after I relized what my problem was imagine it all swollen red and abraded.

Amazingly the baking and knitting groups I have joined appear to be doing good things for my stress levels. Which is good, because normally I would be comatose with stress right now. Instead I am looking forward to this weekend. I keep making the money stretch but pretty soon now it is going to all snap back in my face. It won't be pretty. Nope, not at all.

I need to bake bread this weekend and Indra has pointed out that while I mention my food blog I have been remiss in giving people a handy dandy link on the side. If you will look to your left you will see I fixed that. :) I also have alot of food blogging to do, And knitting, I am already 1 week behind in my KAL, and trust me that is alot of knitting. Lastly I need pictures of me, the food, the knitting, and who knows maybe the random pet.

That doesn't even get into the cleaning I need to do this weekend and the budgeting I am dreading, absolutely dreading. So I think I am going to be a bit busy.

Some days I really wish I could get an even break, I don't need millions of dollars I would just like to start in the black. I don't need everything handed to me, I am willing to work hard for what I get. But I would like the basics, A bed that doesn't sag, shoes that aren't falling apart, a car that isn't racing my bank balance to destruction (I'll give you a hint, the car usually wins). And maybe most importantly I want to be able to go to the right drs and get the right meds with out it being a choice between our health and our bills.

I do need time to knit and pretty needles and lots more yarn. I need, really really need a Kitchen Aid mixer (with flames down the side). I need a walk in Pantry and a Freezer (a BIG! freezer) and I wouldn't mind some refrigerator drawers for produce. I need a Dress Makers Dummy, and a selection of fabrics. And I need a miniature pony, I'm not kidding, it can wear little shoes to protect the floor and sleep in the bath tub, and I will name it Pickles.

Gravey

I have been busy, As usual it is a mixed bag.

I got a new computer, this one actually works and can run WOW. the computer is a 03 Dell, but it was so clean inside you would have thought it was factory fresh, I almost took a picture. It has been 4 years since I have had my own computer, and that is a sad thing for a techie. So having a computer is very good news for me. It needs a memory upgrade rather desperately and the mouse still has balls (oh the horror!). but the processor is good and it feels sooo good to be able to get online at home and not have to share with Indra.

The code to upload images to my forum is still not working and no one on PunBB site has given me any suggestions. I had hoped to be able to sit down this weekend and figure it out, but no such luck. This really frustrates me. It should be so easy. And it is hard to get people to participate when things don't work right.

I have been really enjoying my food blogging, and not only because of the good food (or the very pretty pictures of other's food). I have enjoyed the process of making things. Since Indra has so many food Issues I tend to go for the tried and true, not to mention easy. I have missed real food and now I am rediscovering the joy of cooking.

Due to car problems last month Money is still tight enough to make the extras I want to buy a bad idea (though I will admit to buying some of it anyway.) If I can hold out another month and a half and get one of my knitting patterns sold we should be ok. Right now that feels like a very big gamble.

Since I am cooking more and spending more time in the kitchen my housekeeping has improved. I am keeping up with the dishes for the most part. And in an effort to keep the dog from eating things he shouldn't the floor has been kept pretty picked up. I don't think I have kept up with the house keeping this well for more years then I am willing to admit. I am sort of perversely proud.

We have flies, the flies are driving Indra crazy and then crazier. I am blaming the dog door being broken. but either way I do not know how to make them go away. Shoo Fly! Shoo!, just doesn't seem to be working. I am going to have to take a look at the fly trap we have this weekend.

I Finished my swatch for the Slow Bee Mystery Shawl and received the first clue. I even finished casting on the 181 stitches it requires and winding my yarn into balls instead of cones. If I manage to find some time to knit before Friday I may even be ready when they release the next clue. I am justifying knitting lace instead of working on my patterns by not sorting through all my paper for my notes, because A. it is too hot and B. I don't know where they are, and C. organizing my paper is a big job and I don't have the energy. I have a feeling these excuses aren't going to last for long.

In general despite difficulties my life isn't half bad. I really don't know what I would do with a stress free life, not that I wouldn't like to try. I have My Indra and all the rest is gravy.

How do you Rate as a Spouse?

I found this Marital Test on a blog I frequent, Bag and Trash, home of the Monster Yarn. The history of the test was interesting, unlike alot of these tests it wasn't some bored nerd pulling questions out of thin error it is an actual survey used by psychologists in the 30's for marital counseling.

I took both the husband and wife test and Indra will be happy to know I make a better husband than wife. I also took the test for Indra (aren't I helpful) And I may have been a little harsh either that or I was way to generous on mine. either way here are the results. Have fun :)

72 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!

94 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

And here is Indra's...

58 As a 1930s wife, I am Average Take the test!

Dear Diary...

Every so often I swing by The Anti-Craft to see what is new. This time it was Bacon Angels. You got to love the creativity of some people.

I have been busy this week, When I wasn't working I have been trying to figure out why my forum isn't taking the new code to allow me to upload images to posts. so far I haven't cracked it yet. If I don't figure it out this weekend I may have to look into alternatives. Which quite honestly, would suck.

I have also been trying to make up for the cleaning I didn't do Sunday, I think I finally broke even last night which is good it means I can knit tonight and go shopping tomorrow and not end up to far in the hole come Saturday.

Yesterday Cookie Caught a lizard and drug it inside to play with. I always feel bad for their victim but as I told Indra it is just cats being cats and I am not going to punish them for it. On the other hand I am also not going to pick up any remains until after they stop moving. cause ICK!, just Ick! ::shudders::

I figured out why my face was breaking out so bad, the comforter I had on my bead has to much texture and was rubbing my face raw at night. I changed to just a plain sheet and my face is already getting better. I am very relieved because I was afraid it was my glasses causing the problem.

The evil Git gave me a computer, It would be a really good computer except for 2 things, it only had 128 mb of memory and the video card was an generic onboard one from Intell. Which means until I find the right driver I have a screen resolution of 640 X 720 and 4 colors. with luck though I will be online with my own computer by this weekend.

PS: I promised Indra when her father dies I will spank her and make her eat steak. Apparently this will make her feel better. And people think I am strange.

Never Enough Time

See my plant? This is one of my garden successes, Bee's Balm. I never knew its blooms would be so pretty.

My Jasmine is apparently not getting enough sun to bloom though it is growing well. The Rosemary is flourishing and the only thing that keeps it from being a photo op is the funky split down the middle that makes me want to remove half the plant. The Sage and Lavender are recovering beautifully from Deans mowing last yr and I am looking forward to them next yr. The Salvia is thriving and if I ever remember I will get pictures of it.

The new plants are setting in and I should probably give them a once over with a little pruning and TLC. Lowes had Peonies for 13 dollars, I was so tempted, but this is really not the right time of yr to plant it and I do not have the time or money. Next yr I really want to put in Strawberries and Raspberries and expand my herb collection. something to look forward to.

I feel like I accomplished very little this weekend. of course I feel like Sunday was a total loss. Saturday I got up at a reasonable time and took care of all the dishes and did some baking, and well that felt like quite alot for a Saturday morning, we spent all afternoon with our friend Esther. Which means we got home late and bed even later.

Sunday I got up to early to talk to Lori about R2R. I am having trouble getting the upload images to work on the forum, and I can still not find the mod for group invites I want. I went grocery shopping before Indra woke up, got home and made her breakfast and then took a nap, baked and then took a nap, baked some more, Some where in there I did manage to do some laundry and take some pictures before I passed out for the night. I was still exhausted this morning. And now the kitchen is a mess, because while I baked I didn't clean up.

I got the first clue for my Slow Bee KAL. I have already learned alot like how to do decreases easier. I have also learned that, Cones do not travel well, that even with 20 rows 19 stitches across you need to count your stitches every row and have some way to keep track of what row you are on and mark it on the pattern. As soon as I have finished it there will be bad pictures. I promise :)

Oh Yeah!

I promised a while ago to tell everyone one about my fun with Kool-Aid. I did not have as much fun as who ever dyed these lambs (they were for a children's day at a library). I am really considering getting a white pet just so I can dye it like these lambs they are adorable. On to the show, here is what I did.

I was originally dyeing the yarn for my Slow Bee KAL but it turned out that the yarn was to think and their wasn't enough of it. Who knew Lace yarn was so thin! Now I have about 1000 yds of hand dyed angora blend I get to play with.

So I started with a sweater that was a very pale pink and rather ugly and did alot of very careful unraveling. I discovered that unraveling directly to my swift is a real time saver, unfortunately I have two sweaters already unraveled and sitting in big fluffy heaps waiting to be wound up. Oh well someday I will be either that bored or that desperate, until then it isn't getting any more tangled.

I then looked over the Kool-Aid I had on hand to see what I had to work with, it was a rather poor assortment since we don't really drink the stuff. But I rounded up enough for these samples and I was more impressed with the lemon lime then I had thought and the reds were really lovely. Who knew Kool-aid could be so, well Cool?

The colors I decided on were blue lemonade with a touch of the lemon lime. I ended up dying it twice because I didn't think the colors were dark enough (still don't) but it turned out pretty nice). I am not sure if the problem was my math or something in the procedure but I am happy with the results even if they are little more subtle then I had planned.

LOOOT!!!!!

I got Loot! Lots of glorious loot. I am all about the loot. The only bad thing is it isn't free loot, no ransacking involved. :( Still it is CHEAP loot and that is almost as good.

Yesterday was our city wide garage sale, and I managed to hook up with the Queen of all garage salers. She shops like I play WOW. Look another one, and over there two more, I know I can't carry anymore but there is another one, and it is after lunch, but we haven't checked that out yet. This is my LYS owner. She is about a foot shorter then me and was wearing high heels and I still couldn't keep up. And to add insult to injury I was dripping wet and she was as cool as a cucumber. It was great!

I spent 60 bucks, I had only planned on spending 30, but then again I hadn't planned on spending 5 hours shopping either. As you can see I got some great stuff (my Flickr will have it all labeled), the best buys were the chair for 20 (Indra has claimed it and it is off limits to me and the dog), the two lamps for 5 (best part is they use regular light bulbs), the ceramic lined roasted for .50 and the sink Mandolin that was brand new still in packaging for 1.

I also got this and have once again been labeled Dumb Ass by Indra. Apparently my manager handing me a bottle of sunscreen at work on Thursday should have been a hint that I am one of the truly pale people and need protected from the evil day star. I told Indra that as a hint went it was a little to subtle for me.

K is for....

K is for Knit Knacks, Font is Knits and Scraps

Some of the little Knit Knacks I have collected. If you are interested Flickr tells you what everything is.

I've been Tagged!

Lori of
Lip Smacking Goodness, My partner in crime in developing the new Recipes to Rival savory challenge, Tagged me! I have mixed feelings about this first of all these type of things frustrate me and second of all it means someone reads my blogs. Irritation and elation are warring with in me. I think I am going to let elation win and hope this isn't like a chain letter and as soon as I do this one three more show up.

So here goes....
What was I doing ten years ago?

1998, I was graduating college and Falling even more in love with Indra, We were handfasted in December. I also experienced my first real prejudice, One really nice apartment would rent to two girls but not two lesbians.

What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:

1. Pick up freecycled gas grill (surprise Indra)
2. Grocery Shopping (have to figure out the list first)
3. Get rest of letters posts for the Recipes to Rival blog
4. Find chart for dwarf coat (I am remaking it to fix issues)
5. Post my K to my blog and ravelry group

5 Snacks I enjoy:

Chocolate
cheese
Apple
Celery (especially with peanut butter)
Pie (there is always room for Pie!)


Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

I have had this planned since I was 6. Pay my bills. Fix my house (took me 30yrs but I finally figured out I don't want a huge house I want a well designed house.) Invest! Help my Family. Help others (healthcare for young and elderly, food programs, education). And I want to take all the people that have been there for me over the yrs out to a really nice restaurant and give them nice presents as a thank you. I also want to go on one shopping spree where I don't look at price tags.

Places I have lived:

Mt Ayer, IA
Nevinville, IA
Creston, IA
Shannon City, IA
Denton, TX
Indra will kill me if I give my current location so I will say Hicksville, TX just north of Dallas

Jobs I have had:

Farm Hand on a Dairy farm, College Cafeteria worker, Stocker in Grocery Store, Waitress (I wasn't very good at it), Mall Survey Taker, Home Health Care (live in caretaker for elderly), Library Aide (Special collections), MSN Phone Support, Corporate Computer Helpdesk, Best Buy Trainer, Kirby Salesman, And Currently Computer Helpdesk for Tax Software.

I tag……
Wendy of Earth Whisper Fiber Arts.
Bron of Bron's Blog II
Rachael of Yarn a Go-Go
Leslie of A Friend to Knit with (she started my interest in the food blogging world.)

Act 2, scene 1

May was a disaster that appears to be moving into act 2.

The car broke again Friday. And so I am having another long weekend. If I am lucky I will be back to work Thursday. It is going to take another 200$ to fix the car. I have taken out all the loans I can. I know of no one who has money they could loan me. And if they did I have no idea how or when I could pay them back.

Also On Friday I was told that the rapidly spreading burning itching swollen rash on my inner thighs (where my short legs had hit me on sat) was definitely an allergic reaction to something, maybe poison ivy, and that the solution was a cream applied twice daily and plastic bags taped over it 'to keep it moist'. Also an ice pack between my legs helped some.

Also while I was at the Dr she took a look down my throat. I apparently suffer from Tonsilliths, like monoliths but in your tonsils, also called tonsil stones. Two things about them, they make your breath reek, and they irritate the hell out of my tonsils.

So to recap feel horrible, poor and stinky. Doesn't look like Act 2 is going to end very well for me.

J is for...

J is for Jello! font is Johnyokonysm.

Warm pudding is a comfort food for me when my throat hurts. The warmth soothes and the the thickness coats my throat and the sugar is a natural antiseptic. Besides that it just plain tastes good. and Jello is of course the preferred brand.

Drama Queen

This weekend was long, and work has been busy and eventually I'll stop apologizing for not posting regularly. But I wouldn't hold my breath.

Quite litterly this weekend was long. I left work early Friday because a co-worker handed me free tickets to the musical 'Ring of Fire' 3 hours before it started. Luckily my boss let me go and we got there as there were calling 3 minutes to closing the doors. Indra and I enjoyed it greatly, if for no other reason then we were together and we liked the music. For the record it was not a play or even a musical it was what I would call a revue, lots of music very little talking and almost no plot. still good though.

On the way home though is when the real drama started. In a bad part of Dallas my car started making grumbly grinding sounds and flashing the oh no your in trouble light. I ignored those lights just once in my life and had to get a new engine. And contrary to popular opinion I do learn from my mistakes. So I pulled over immediately. At this point it is 11pm on a Friday night every one I knew was either asleep, not answering their phone or more then an hour away. I checked with the convenience store clerk where we stopped and they said even if I had parked in front if I left the car unattended it would not be in one piece when I returned.

I need my car. I like my car. And I couldn't afford a tow all the way home. So I tried a sorta friend more of acquaintance co-worker and got lucky. Since the car was still working, sorta. and I couldn't see anything under the hood that shouted I'm going to explode I decided to see how far north I could get before it truely died. I wanted to get at least to a safer part of town. as luck would have it I got all the to Mckinney before it stopped and parked it in the hospital parking lot. The next morning I called our car guy and he went to get it. And more drama ensues as the part he needs isn't in stock anywhere it is late Saturday and the earliest he can get it is Tuesday. Not alot of choice there, so Tuesday it was.

You know those 4 days with out a car were some of the best I have had in a long time. I got almost all of the chores on my list done (close enough for me), kept up with the dishes, got plenty of sleep, did some baking and dyed some yarn. The only down spots were a slight worry about where the 300$ for the car was coming from and if the little grocery shopping I had done would be enough (I had to get creative but nobody died so it is all good).

Wednesday came and I headed back to work to discover I was missed and we were very very busy and that soon I am going to be even busier as I am getting another product to support. And the possibility that the hated manager would be back. SO I have been busy and that is why I haven't posted anything recently, well that and cause Indra hogs the computer.

And that was my weekend folks.
I have some more pictures to take and then I will post about dyeing my yarn. I did bake and posted on my food blog, High on the Hog. I decided that it is going to be a real blog and not just a place to link to, so now you have two places to read for me, lucky you.

I found an artist that I absolutely love! Andy Goldsworthy is a artist naturalist, environmentalist and genius. So I thought I would share, I would suggest a Google image search to start with. He is well worth the effort.

Lucky Charms

Have you ever taken a close look at the shapes in Lucky charms? not the marshmallow bits but the oat bits. I did today and was surprised by their obvious X-tian overtones.

There is of course the fish and an X, both ancient symbols of Christianity. Also a clover (symbol of the trinity) and a tree. I find this in sharp contrast to lucky horseshoes and pots of gold.

I tried googling for an answer and found plenty on the marshmallow shapes but nothing on the oat ones other then someone mentioning that they had noticed the fish and what did others think.

Just something to contemplate the next time you are scarfing down some marshmallowy goodness.

life

Last weekend was very productive for me. I still didn't get everything done but I have resigned myself to that. What I did get done was enough. I cleaned out the pile of boxes in the craft room and sorted my yarn. I found I had both more and less yarn then I thought, Less variety but it took up More room. We cleaned off the bookshelf in the kitchen and moved the table. Did some laundry, swept the floor, and played way to much Baldur's Gate. Throw in my Sit and Knit group and you have a very good weekend. I am thinking even with an extra day this weekend isn't going to be as productive.

Freecycle came thru for me this week and I have a very nice full length mirror and a little metal cabinet that is just the right size for a end table and will give us some extra storage room. I am liking the house a little barer then in the past. Especially the bedroom. We need more storage / organization though, book shelves are top of the list to keep the clutter down.

I have been busy browsing the web this week, lots of food blogs and I signed up for my first Knitting KAL. I am not sure how I am going to manage my time to keep up with everyone but I am looking forward to it. I am hoping that I will be able to do more cooking and baking, the food blogs are really inspiring me, but I am just so tired when I get home, and there are so many other things to do.

On time

I am on time for once with my Quotage. So here goes....

Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

I was busy this weekend, got alot done but never enough. I was busy this week too, and I expect I will continue to be busy. I am however less stressed.

National Bad Idea Day

This morning on the way into work KERA had a commentary about how May 18th should be National Bad Idea day. Not only did this make a better post heading then I'm an idiot it made me think about some of the bad ideas in I have had as well as those of others.

My current bad idea was rubbing a possibly poisonous plant on my arm to see if it was poisonous when I am very sensitive to such things. I now have a rash on my arm, not only where I rubbed the leaves but crawling the rest of the way up my arm, despite washing thoroughly right after application. I think the plant was poisonous.

Indra was definitely a good Idea but some of the things I let her talk me into were definitely Bad Ideas. Lets just say Rick and Sarah and leave it at that.

But really when I stop and think there aren't that many major decisions I would change and chances are I would have the same bad ideas the second time around.

This is just to good not to share. 'Dogs in Elk' was sent to me years ago and it still makes me howl in laughter.

Kits, Kats, Sacks and Wives

More browsing of food blogs has left me feeling insuffecient. And made me want all sorts of things so I can make goodies of my own. Like Marshmallow's and cakes and pie and salady things. I want a budget, darn it, that has room for good eats. I want a life that has time to do 'Tuesdays with Dorrie' and the umpteen other cook alongs I have found. On the other hand I made smoked tuna cassrole last night, it was easy, I just turned the heat up and scorched the tuna helper a little. Haute Cuisine or bad cook, your call.

But that was for the future. He laughed as he thought of something to do tonight. Maybe they would go out and mutilate some crops and form the cattle into circles. That would confuse the humans!

Wensday's pregnancy has been called into question it is a possibility that the slight chubbyness is the result of good food and a safe home rather then Kittens. This has caused mixed feeling at our house. Kittens are cute and cuddely unfortunately they grow up to be cats.

California has declared it inconstitutional to ban gay marriage. I am sure tonight Indra will be all excited about that and want to know if there is someway we can go to California to be married. I am already married and don't need a piece of paper to prove it, and really it actually kind of offends me that I have to go to anouther state to get said piece of paper. All in all it reminds me of my mantra 'People are stupid', makes me kinda irritated.

Rain Rain go away

It started raining last night and is still going this morning, it is making my head all muzzy and I am a tad chilly. It is making me crave soup or good old fashioned home cooking. I made Swiss Steak last week and it sounds delicious right now. What I really want though is a thick stew with lots of meat and veggies and nice crusty bread to go with it. I am not sure what I am actualy going to end up with, it probably depends on how I feel when I get home.

I've spent the last couple days playing with my food blog (must put link on side panel) and browsing various goodness, but the weather today is just dragging me down. I need to do some research for my knitting patterns and just don't have the concentration. So I am being a bit Random. As a plus I found this goody, Flogos!

Funny Face

Yep, its been that kind of day and week. And I gotta tell you it is still better then tax season. I still want a do over, but you know with my luck I would do even worse the second time around.

Work is still busy, busier then tax season for the most part, but still less stressful. House work is slowly getting completed, and I think Indra and I are both happy with where we are heading. She has started cooking with me and I am enjoying that. She has also said she will help me find the time to get my knitting patterns written up to sell and format them all pretty like. Indra rocks!

I have still not got the mac set up, apparently I need a mac keyboard, cause the normal one I had typed funny (though that could have been the Dr Pepper Indra spilled on it). I really really want to get it running, I miss being able to browse and type at home.

My craft room is going to be great once I am done in there it is already a soothing place to read (or whatever) I need to get storage arranged though so I don't have a stack of boxes anymore for the dog to 'find' things in. It will also give me more floor space to play with. I already have some ideas for 'decorating' but they will have to wait, I have alot of other house to clean first.

Poor Old Micheal Finnegan..

Ok good stuff first. Best is this lovely tree with a rose bush growing up through it. It was simply beautiful. Indra wants one and I am seriously thinking I would like to recreate it as well. Think how pretty it would be growing up through an evergreen! (for more images check out my Flickr account)

Continuing on the rose theme is the Fudgy Chocolate Layer Cake I made for Clay's Lisa's Birthday party on Sunday. The cake is by me and the rose is a minicake from Kroger since my decorating skills are negligible. I used a recipe from one of my favorite books and while Indra said it was great I found it a little dense and dry though the frosting is lovely. Everyone else seamed to like it so I guess it was a success even if it goes on my don't do again list.


Now for the bad news, My payday loan went thru and left us almost broke, then John cashed the rent check for April and left us in the red and there is still the rent check for May to go through. And even with another Payday loan (which I really can't afford) that second rent check isn't going to go unless Indra's tax rebate is bigger and sooner then expected. In theory at the end of that month I should get a bonus of about 600, that will definitely help and I was hoping would put us back in the black but I am not holding my breath at the moment.

In the not so bad news Wednesday is definitely expecting and looking at her I expect her to drop at any moment, which means probably in the next three weeks since she is a little kitty and probably showing early.

busy

I have been busy this week. Work released an update to last years program that went about as expected, that is poorly so we were busy at work. And I discovered the world of food blogs, So many people taking pictures of food and sharing recipes, it makes my mouth water. So I started a food blog of my own.

It will most likely be nothing but a list of recipes and some pictures that I can link to from here. Looking at some of those blogs I swear those people must run around with a camera everywhere, and what kind of looks are you going to get whipping out a camera in a restaurant to take pictures of your food?

I signed up for 4 food challenges and figured out how to get the little link picture thingies on the side. I am so proud of myself. :)

I is for...

I is for Indra and I. Font Informal Roman.










Indra and I were handfasted on December 20, 1998. She is the most Important thing in my life. I could not Imagine life with out her. She is Intelligent, Irascible and Impressively Intuitive. I was Intrigued by her and her Ingenuity Immediately. And while at times she can be a tad Immature (who am I kidding, alot Immature) she has Improved my life Immeasurably. In short, I love her with all my being. So it will be Indra and I for eternity. (she may even forgive me for posting a picture of her in an Immodest corset)

backtracking

It has been a bit since I last posted, the reasons are the usual. Not enough time, busy, stress, and illness. I ran a fever the weekend we moved, fever chills the whole nine yards. It was Wednesday before I went back to work and Saturday before I felt decent. Saturday Indra went to see Iron Man and I conked out at home, slept the whole day, it was great. Sunday, was housework and my Sit and Stitch. It was great to get to go again.

I don't really have an excuse for not blogging Monday or Tuesday, other then I just didn't But I was busy today so there is alot to catch up on.

Indra's surprises were a Pomegranate tree and a Blue Girl rose, she was thrilled, and most determined Dean not mow them over. she was with out Internet until today and I was afraid she was going to have a nervous break down. She actually had to resort to cleaning to keep herself occupied. We got the Internet just in time for her mouse to go south. It started double clicking on nothing , which made it hard to play solitaire. So tonight we went and got a new mouse.... and keyboard... and mouse pad (20$, it is fancy). The trade off is I get the computer tonight.

My brother emailed me out of the blue. Apparently he had lost all my contact info and now after several yrs of my father not being able to remember my phone number or address he found me again. I talked to him on the phone and emailed him several times. Relationships are hard work even those you are born with. Maybe if we had telepathy it wouldn't be so hard to talk to people.

I was reading journals and browsing pictures and stumbled across the Daring Bakers website. It had instant appeal to me, pictures, recipes and people to share them with. So I signed up. And then I started thinking, I wanted to have some incentive to cook other things as well, and after a little searching I found the answer. Taste & Create, A blog recipe swap type thing. So I signed up for that too.

I now have the daunting task(at least to me) of going back over past entries and adding recipes so I can participate in the Taste & Create challenge. I started by marking all my food entries with a tag (I must use tags more) And bartered some computer time from Indra for adding recipes tonight. I think what I am going todo is use links instead of writing out the whole recipe in an entry. Indra has volunteered to create a web page for me somewhere to link to and it will be alot easier for me to format and type up my recipes separately instead of while blogging.

H is for ...

Home Sweet Home, Font Harrington. It is not much to look at but it is Ours! and soon we will be living in it again. We are painting the bedroom on Saturday and moving in on Sunday. We have been gone 6 months due to financial issues, and are desperate to get back.

Money is still an issue, I think it will always be an issue and I really wish it wasn't. I am not good with money and I am not making enough to be bad with it. Consequently I am always walking the tightrope over utter ruin. It would be nice to have someone that would take care of it all for me cause I gotta be honest the worry and stress are about doing me in.

Like I have told Indra, If I can get to the place where I am not constantly worrying about the necessities (rent, water, electric) I can live on very little. I grew up poor I can make food stretch forever and the library will take care of my entertainment needs, I am not a fashion plate so goodwill clothes are fine, But the stress of meeting those basic necessities are about killing me. And when I am stressed I don't have energy or inclination to cook and I spend money on things I really shouldn't. Thus enabling a vicious cycle.

Sooo anybody got those winning lottery numbers?

Heeeere's Jonny!

Quote of the day. I think it sums everything up nicely.

“Ah, yes, the old ‘they haven’t killed us all in our sleep yet’ argument, very comforting,”

Deviations

from my DeviantArt Account.

Life got 'complicated' in 07. That's the best word for it really. Lots of drama and despair ending with more of the same (thankfully in a slightly lower key of miserableness.)

On the plus side is We still have the house, I have a computer that I can browse the Internet on at home, I am getting better at managing the money. I have finally seen the specialists about my sleeping and sinus problems, I have interest in buying my knitting patterns.

On the down side the usual, the house needs work I can't afford, The computer is a mac and we don't have Internet back on yet, There is not enough money to manage, the Dr didn't help, I don't have time to knit or the concentration to create patterns.

I could go on but you get the idea. I am stressed, depressed and very very tired. Not at all creative feeling.

We should be back in the house next week, with any luck I will start adding computer art since I no longer have access to a scanner. Until then my creative impulses are being channeled into painting the house, planting some flowers and other general decorating type things, basically making the house ours again after being gone 6 months.

Free! Free at last!!

It is official, Tax season is OVER! The last week and a half or more I have been working like crazy sleeping crappy and eating even worse. Consequently I have been a wee bit out of it, dragging bottom, strung out, not doing very well. SO no journaling, no thinking and no well anything, ask Indra if you don't believe me.

I am spending this week at the house cleaning in preparation to moving back in. I am missing Indra like crazy but on the plus side I am getting to sleep and feeling human again. It is nice, I could definitely get use to this sleeping thing. Which brings me to the quote for the day...

“Rest, now,” Martha said gently, seeing how tired the Doctor looked and diagnosing exhaustion. Luckily, the prescription for that was simple. Take two naps, and smash your alarm clock in the morning.

Besides cleaning the house I got lured in by the beautiful weather and did some gardening. I have decided, that since Dean is a little shaky on good plant vs bad weed, that I am going to plant things in groups and put metal stakes in the middle so he will stop mowing everything I plant. Hopefully it will work. I am getting tired of replanting the thyme. And as an additional bonus it gives me something to tie the sage and lavender too so they don't grow flat to the ground in self preservation.

I got to tell you I am loving the plants at Lowe's! They had Turnips! and Peas! and all sorts of goodies. I got Greek Oregano, Sweet Basil, Cinnamon Basil, German Thyme, Carolina Jasmine, English Peas (sweet), A white Rose bush that smells Divine and two surprises for Indra (that is a hint in case you read this) I did not however get the Turnips.

I love Turnips, always have, but I just couldn't see planting them in front of the house. No way I looked at it could I convince myself that Turnips were decorative. At all, In any way. And since I am doing all my planting at the front of the house that means no Turnips :(. If the peas work out though there will be more next yr and Sweet Peas (flower not edible). I really really want to finish the fence so I can put Raspberries in the back yard and I have been thinking of Peonies. Spring is definitely in the air.

G is for Glovely

G is for Glovely, Font is Guttenberg, Pattern is Nona Knit's I-cord Gloves.

I promise this is the last time i will use this project for a letter. But I really really like these. And the seam on the thumb has me all worked up, isn't it beautious?

Quotage

For the quotes today I decided to pick a selection of quotes that fit me. Enjoy the abundance.

I believe everybody in the world should have guns. Citizens should have bazookas and rocket launchers too. I believe that all citizens should have their weapons of choice. However, I also believe that only I should have the ammunition. Because frankly, I wouldn't trust the rest of the goobers with anything more dangerous than string. ~Scott Adams~

Fate will lead he who will follow and drag he who will not

The Teutonic reputation for cruelty is not undeserved; they have operas that last for days.

I'm already going to hell, but I'd like to at least keep the handbasket.

Remember, always be yourself. Unless you suck.

"Luck is my middle name," said Rincewind, indistinctly. "Mind you, my first name is Bad."

Those three had more baggage than all of United, Delta, and Northwestern put together.

The most important thing is to be whatever you are without shame. – Rod Steiger

You won't be gay...you'll just be expanding your horizons.

That would have been the smart move, but no one ever accused me of being smart. Well, this teacher in the third grade did once, but I proved him wrong by sticking chalk up my nose.

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be misquoted and used against you.

"I was on fire," Harry protested, looking up in alarm. "Whatever someone says when they’re on fire shouldn’t count.

I'll leave the panicking to you; you're obviously much better at it than I am.

“In the beginning there was nothing. God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light,” she said gently, then gave him a quirky grin. “There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better.”

It’s not insanity if it actually happens!

I Wanna....

I wanna travel.
I wanna have stuff.
I wanna eat at fancy restaurants with out having to save for a night out.
I wanna buy something with out having to check the price tag.
I wanna garden.
I wanna lot of fancy yarns.
I wanna be feel healthier and be healthier.
I wanna have nice clothes that look good on me.
I wanna make Indra happy.
I wanna have enough I can share with others with out stretching myself thin.

I wanna lots of things, but I don't think any of it will make me any happier then Indra already does. It will just make my stress a little less, or at least different.

F is for..

F is for Five Fingers. Font is Freebooter. Pattern is
Nona Knits I-cord Gloves.

I am fascinated by this pattern it is so cool to have five little fingers floating around on a pair of circulars just waiting for the rest of the glove. I kind of feel like Goldilocks, the first glove was too big, the second one was too small, and the last one was just right. Guess that means I am going to have three pair of gloves instead of just one when I am done.

Oops I did it again...

I missed updating this week despite composing several entries in my head driving to and from work. I had a bumper sticker to share 'Save the Planet, More Trees, Less Bush!' and a billboard, 'I am so over you Sarah Marshall', I was disapointed to find out it was an ad for a movie and not a more personal statement.

It was a rough week though, long hours not enough sleep and way to much stress. I will be so happy to get back to our own place. So let me give you the quotes I had picked out in honor of the new car and the old one not dying yet...

Xander quickly pulled over, as his engine made noises that he didn't know were possible without an extensive special budget and George Lucas being involved.

and

“Okay, then,” Dawn agreed, “Floor this thing.”
“This is Giles’ car, Dawn,” Xander sighed.
“Would leaning forward help?”
“Probably...”

I finally got the pictures of my pouch (sounds better then purse) uploaded and thought I would share it. It is almost perfect. I would like the strap to be a little shorter and am thinking of reinforcing the bottom and sides so it isn't quite do pouch like. Ain't it purty though?

Also added today (why yes I have been busy) are some more links on the left.

I'm a Big Kid Now!

I feel all grown up. I have a car that runs, my own phone, And soon I will be moving into my own home. The surprise for Indra on Monday, was the new phone and I got a hair cut. My hair was driving me absolutely bonkers. I was actually contemplating cutting it myself. So when I found myself with an hour free I got it cut. It is wonderful. I have been walking around in a new phone, haircut and car haze all week.

Continuing the trend of non fanfic quotes here is one from my favorite poet.

A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold. ~ Ogden Nash (1902 - 1971)

My new phone is a 'slider' and a lovely shade of brown. So I am making a purse to carry it and the rest of my pocket trash so it doesn't get all banged up. I am making a purse and not a pouch like previously so Indra won't diss it. I am using my brown S.R.Kerster, the real worsted acrylic and King Cole Smooth DK, Teal Acrylic. Yes it will be in Ravelry and soon there should be pictures (maybe even pictures taken with my phone!).

I finished my Easter Egg Bunny Cozies and let my friends claim their favorites. I still have several left and am not sure what I am doing with them. If anyone wants one let me know asap, and I will mail it out. The taken ones have been tagged in Flicr.

Good Day

I am having a pretty good day, and yesterday wasn't bad either. I had homemade egg noodles with chicken and mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. And Sunday we went to see that car and it was nice! It is the first car I have owned that wasn't old enough to drink.

I finished knitting bunnies and have found new homes for some of them but there are still plenty left. And today I started a new project (I decided I needed a little purse because the pocket method of tranporting everything isn't working.) I measured for Lisa's cardi Saturday, and it will take less hexagons than I thought, but the arms are going to be a bugger to fit together.

I got Indra a couple suprises I think she is going to love. they certainly have me all bouncy in anticipation. I am predicting much squeeling and bouncing. But more on that latter... when she can't ruin the suprise by reading.

The image is the rough for a T-shirt contest Work is having. When finished there will be a hot dog on it.

How do you rate?

Indra sent me this link yesterday 'Rate Your Blog' I was PG-13 yesterday and G today. I really didn't think I had changed that much over night but obviously I was wrong.

Have I mentioned recently how great my friends are? I don't have many but the ones I do have are really really good. For example Frog and Lisa took us in and our three cats, two bunnies and a parrot for 6 months. Now thats good friends! And now Clay and Lisa are selling us a silver 97 Nissan Sentra for 700 dollars! Happy Unbirthday to me!!!! (the best part is I don't have to go shopping on Sunday)

Thought I would share this little tidbit from earlier today. Darn her she is right way to often.

[11:56] temperama: You did it again btw
[11:56] indra: what?
[11:56] temperama: I started my period today
[11:56] indra: i did what again?
[11:56] indra: *rolls eyes* i did not start your period for you
[11:56] temperama: It annoys the snot out of me when you blame my emotions on hormones and then annoys me more when you are right
[11:57] indra: rofl
[11:57] indra: sorry baby you are irrational all on your own but i KNOW those irrational bits of you and can pick out the hormone driven addons

Happy Birthday to me

Yesterday was a horrible day. It was my birthday. I loathe and hate my birthday. I have a horrible history with them, the first one I remember I gave myself a headache. Another one I got Chicken pox from one of the guests. I have had birthday parties where even my own cousins didn't show up. I had an angle food cake with a 45 degree angle on top. All in all not a good experience. But I think for pure misery yesterday has to have been in the top 5. I waited all day for Indra to wish me a happy birthday and it was almost 9 pm before she finally did. She was online by 12 and talked to me then nothing. All day others said Happy Birthday but nothing from the most important person in my life. It hurt and I was miserable. She didn't do it on purpose she just didn't want to say Happy Birthday while I was at work. I got home and we cuddled and I felt better. And next time she will know that I am a fragile flower filled with angst and insecurities.

The end of the world has come I found chocolate that I refuse to eat. This is me who will eat baking chocolate in a pinch. But Black and Green Organic chocolate sucks ass! It has this floral after taste that reminds me of lilacs or that nasal spray they keep trying to give me for allergies (and what sadist thought allergy medicine that smelled like flowers was a good idea). And before you ask, it wasn't just me, everyone I shared it with agreed, what a waste of money.

I saw a woman today with gorgeous hair. She was black (of course) and had these silver braids. They were thick and wrapped around her head into a coil / knot / bun on the back of her neck. Some days I really do wish I was black, they can do some of the coolest things with their hair and get away with outfits I can only dream of wearing. That and it would be nice to fry after 5 seconds in the sun.

I have been feeling particularly needy recently. Which means I want to go shopping and buy chocolate and books at a minimum. And I would really like to go splurge on things for me. I am hoping Birthday cake (chocolate with peanut butter frosting) homemade chicken and egg noodles with mashed potatoes, and a new car this weekend will take care of these urges.

PS: Almost forgot. Here is the quote of the week.

"Luck is my middle name," said Rincewind, indistinctly. "Mind you, my first name is Bad."
-- (Terry Pratchett, Interesting Times)

In No Particular order...

I worked both days this weekend (and both days last weekend) and I will admit it is getting to me and I really need some down time (I have Sunday off). The was unable to go car shopping this weekend because Lisa got sick (and I worked) so that will be this coming weekend. I am actualy kind of hoping for Saturday rather then Sunday.

We were talking about the price of food this weekend at work. I said if I was paying 11 buck for a meal it had better include Indra and kissing. Brenden made a comment about it being a cheap date. I of course pointed out the by the time you add in drinks desert and a movie for two it wasn't that cheap. Besides Indra Loves me I can get kisses for McDonalds, and she hates McDonalds. A couple other guys agreed with me and poor Brendon was reminded of his status as a single guy.

NPR has a show called Radio Lab that I love! Saturday the show was about laughter. What I found interesting was this story about a laughing epidemic on the shores of Lake Victoria. Well that and the fact that most of the time we laugh it isn't because of something funny accourding to studies. Apparently laughing is a social que that translates in part to look at me being all non threatening, playful and safe. Which explains why it is so creepy when a bad guy laughs.