bumblepug

terry shiavo

terry shiavo passed this am.  not much to say on this because i think this is something that has caught far too much public attention on a matter that should've remained very private.  more than anything, it's made me and probably thousands of others see the importance of a living will.  unlpug me after a year or two, please, and if i'm married, let my husband decide the rest.

no good transition here...

(hmm...maybe better than i thought...)

on the way home yesterday, amanda and i almost got in a very bad car accident because soccer mom lost control of her minivan.  she swerved across 3 lanes and i was so much in shock from what i had seen in front of us that all i could do was grab amanda's arma nd say "stop, stop, stop, stop!"  that didn't help her much because she couldn't see from her side, but we did stop in time and i'm so glad the out of control van gained control.  thanks to the good drivers around this woman, we were all safe!

last night i had dinner with amanda and lindsay and made good on many outstanding calls, even if it just meant leaving 20-minute phone messages.  what i think was marianne's home phone answering machine had a guy singing the 3's company song so i hope this was the right number.  if not, somebody will be thoroughly entertained with my message.  good thing i didn't leave my number.  i think the guy singing was her live-in boyfriend so it should be good.

i bought the most awesome coloing book for me and ralph- funny farm animals.  i bought some crayons to go along with them- and is there anything that smells better than new crayons?  i started colroing last night and it's quite addictive- as long as they stay sharp.  the sharpener in the box is really good for nothing!  i thought the coloring book would be a good way for us to spend time together since we haven't connect four in a while.  curse that computer!

work has been really busy lately and i'm looking forward to a long weekend since i've requested some vacation.  i won't be going to amanda to byc but i'm sure she'll paint the town red for both of us!  have fun!  eat for me!  shop for me!  watch shows for me!

anyways, i'm craving a movie and some sleep.  perhaps i'll do both tomorrow before or after our massages!

as bobby's world crumbles

after i made the entry on bobby's world yesterday, several hours later i came back to the office to hear that wildlife rescue had been called to get him because he was sick.  my response to this is, how do you know when a bobcat is sick??!  apparently you know when they are lethargic and sticking close to civilization.  he was hanging out more than usual.  i think wildlife rescue captured him yesterday and i hope things turn out on the upside for little bobby.  maybe they'll find the details in his bloodwork.  best wishes for bobby's health so we can see him back in the wild kingdom!

on the topic of health, there's an exhibit at the masonic center called the universe within and apparently there are something like 200 preserved body parts to show how the human body works and what varying types of health look like in parts of the body.  it's going to be in town for 6 months and i can't wait to drag somebody with me to see it.  an example of something they mentioned on the news that was on display is a brain of a stroke victim- apparently, it looks drastically different than a normal brain (poor, grandpa- my grandpa's had several strokes!).  i'm not some creepy weirdo; the human body has always fascinated me. 

to change the topic drastically, i need to work on creating a budget and some sort of a financial plan.  i want to pay off my credit card!  any budgeting tips out there?  i need some software or something to make this easier!

i just had pom juice and my head hurts from how sweet it is.  i bought it because 1.) it was on sale (usually it like $9), 2.) it has tons of antioxidants, and 3.) even if it tasted like crap the bottle doubles as a uniquely-shaped vase.  i'm not sure getting a headache every morning is worth it's claimed rewards though.  i'll see how the week goes.  i could have a headache from having high anxiety last night at 2 am and watching sabrina the teenage witch until i fell asleep.  once i was a sleep, ralph wisked dog off my legs and took her to bed at which i became really upset with because she's my sleeping and relaxation pill all in one.  that motivated me get off the couch and go back to bed.

to do (i'm tackling the fun stuff this week):

complete rt application and send out

sit down and budget with amanda (c'mon, i'll make sure i have some cinastix- no frosting- for you to make this fun!)

replenish omega 3 supply and convince ralph to buy a supply for himself

buy tea supply

exercise

make bed, hang clothes, clean bathroom

clean car

clean fridge

take dog to the beach or the park with dolce

calls: des, debbie, connie, marianne, and irene

stop shopping!

congratulations amanda!

this is amanda's year...she got engaged, finished her graphic design cert, and she just got into cranbrook (which i predicted, again, prrof of me being psychic)- her first choice for grad school!  congratulations, all your hard work is paying off!

i'm going to miss you but you're headed for a great adventure!

bobby's world

today a couple of co-workers spotted bobby (our resident bobcat- at least this is the name i have given him because it seems to make the most sense).  he's (or she, who knows at this point?) grown quite a bit from when he was a wee lad.  a few weeks ago i mistook him for a house cat and we were hanging out 2 feet apart while i was outside chatting on my cell.  thank goodness he walked away before i followed through with my plan to pet him.  i guess had i gotten closer i would've realized that he was in fact a bobcat and not your average garfield.  that had potential to go really bad.

today bobby was hunting something in the cat hunting position that looks like they're going to pounce.  probably a gray spotted squirrel (they're named something like that).  from the telescope we have in a meeting room, i could see his every move perfectly.  what a striking face!  green eyes, fuzzy fur, and bat-pointed ears.  what a sweetheart!  i hope he is a she so we can have more bobbies walking around this spring.

fly me to the moon...

or anywhere else but please don't make me road trip!  this past weekend i spent easter in o.c. with ralph's family.  i had to buy a one-way ticket to get there since i missed my ride (the night before) so i caught a ride on sunday for the return.  i've decided that if i go anywhere that is more than a 4 hour drive, i must fly!!!!  it could cost $500 and i'd still rather fly.  there's nothing fun about being in a car (oh, i guess watching i love lucy and eating junk food from gas station stops) for me since my legs and back are incredibly claustrophobic.  i guess raod trips are fun when they have lots of stops in areas i've never been before.  for example, i'm still looking forward to a road trip from atalanta to the fla keys.

anyways, enough complaining.  easter weekend was nice.  it was my second easter away from my family (the first being my freshman year at bu) in an effort to offer ralph a holiday.  i missed my family because we normally picnic but i was okay with being away.  we spent some time with his family and friends which was nice because i don't get to see them all that often.

on friday night i had a slight case of upset stomach, and a headahce that lasted nearly all weekend developed.  i hate headaches!!!!  more than that, i hate dry heaving in a brewery trying to get the bugs out of my stomach.  that night, we hung out with some of ralph's friends (at the brewery) and i met some hermit crabs- those sure are gross.

on saturday we went to this bar with a small dance floor with his friends and it had great music!  i'm glad his friends peer pressured him into dancing because i would've had to dance on my own.  they were doing some wild stuff on the dance floor so it was cool to be out there to watch, and to work up a sweat.  earlier we celebrated his grandma's bday with his family and melissa got a coke bath.

sunday was easter.  we went to church and i could barely hear the mass because we were in an odd location since it was so crowded.  better next luck year on this. 

all in all, it was a relaxing weekend because i was either eating or sleeping. 

hoping for a better week

last week was terrible for me, and for a lot of people around me (thanks, full moon!).  ralph's car and computer broke down.  amanda had a bad week, and so did my mom.  i think this one will be better. 

already things are looking good because:

my state taxes were accepted- looks like they were rejected last time because i had transposed a 3 and a 9.

i've watched bridget jones's diary: the edge of reason about 20 times now and i can't stop getting the skiing part of of my memory laughing bank- this is a good thing.

i watched some i love lucy with ralph on the drive home last night, and i laughed enough for the month.  who knew it was so funny?!

i had lychee and green tea gelato after lunch today, and amanda and i are getting tea after work!  yes!!

my rt application is shipping out on wednesday.

i get a free restaurant lunch tomorrow, which also happens to be tuesday, my favorite tv night!

we're having a bridal lunch the following day for a co-worker; then it's dinner with lindsay and amanda for a late bday celebration.

payday- enough said.

tentative dinner plans with anthony and christine on thursday.

amanda has something cool lined up for friday evening.

i'm going to hang out with marianne and more this week(end).

there's a chocolate factory tour somewhere in here, for real.  my dream finally comes true!

and, i'm trying to sketch in 1.5 days worth of vacation!

oh, and there's a carpet cleaning on the horizon, finally!

can things get better?  one can only hope!

happy easter!

yay, easter is fun!  today i'll probably be somewhere sunny with a bunny.  ahahaha.  have a good day!

the point of a college education

what is the point of a college education? 

the other night ralph was looking at his college transcript and listing classes he had taken.  they sounded very similar to the classes i had taken (we majored in the same thing at different schools); pointless.  we both wondered, what did we really learn?  how do these have anything to do with what we do now?  and, why would we be more likely to get a job than someboday who didn't have a college degree?

i guess what it all boils down to is that we stuck it out for 4-5 years and went in debt for a piece of paper.  i'm glad i didn't know how little the classes mattered then because then because it would've all seemed so pointless.  as it turns out, ralph taught himself everything for the career he's in now, and mine has been entirely on-the-job learning.

no recommendations here, just venting, and getting ready to pay my student loan...

good friday

last night i missed my ride for easter weekend because it was crucial for me to be at work today.  ugh, one-way ticket here i come! 

today is good friday and the things that have been good about it so far are:

1a.) some crazy man (or woman) was screaming so loud for an hour that they woke me up at 7 am.  i wanted to call the police to capture them but how does that work exactly...do you just call 9-1-1 and say there's a crazy person outside waking the whole neighborhood, can you come get them?

1b.) because i woke at 7 am (thanks to the screaming) i was able to do the dishes, straighten my hair, put on makeup, pack my bags, return the videos, get gas, go to the bank, and walk dog.  i love crazy people!  more than that, i love living in an area that is drowning in them!  it's amazing how much can be accomplished in the morning when you wake up early.

2a.) bush's approval ratings are at an all time low at 45%.

2b.) the realization that he won't be our preseident in 2008!  oh, that's so far away!

3.) all my transcripts are in so i'm going to send out my rt application on monday.  i guess i can work on it this weekend and spend from now until june praying that i'll get in this time!

in preparation for easter, here is something really cute worth checking out.

hope you have a happy day!

happy birthday shannon!

for your bday i bought you another pug!  just kidding, but don't you wish?!  i'm glad our babies are friends and that you're our neighbor.  have fun in your cute leopard dress, wear comfy shoes, and don't get into too much trouble!  lotsa wishes for good luck and good times on your special day!

happy birthday irene!

so i hear from a little birdie that it's your bday!  i hope you have a stress-free day, a rest from the bike, the track, and the pool, and a wild night!

i wish seinfeld would've covered this

the other day a freind's friend was fired because her manager heard from another co-worker that the firee called her a "bitch."  now isn't that hearsay?  is this really a reason to fire somebody?  how many workers don't call their boss names is the real question!  ok, not really though...

when your friend gets fired but you invite them to dinner before they get fired (or before you knew they were fired), do you have to pay for them?  does the answer change if they live with their parents and don't really need to support themselves? so the loss of income is no big loss though the loss of job (being fired)  probably crushes thir insides.

maybe the apprentice will tackle this issue in a future episode since seinfeld is off-air.

am i going crazy?

the answer is probably "yes" most of the time but today it's truly not me, it's typepad!  i've received several emails wishing dog a happy birthday so one of a few things is going on here...1.) people think dog's name is lindsay (which it's not; lindsay is my former co-worker and friend), 2.) typepad has already posted the entry i did on dog's bday even though it's not suppose to post unil 4/18/05 because i marked it as a "future" post, or, 3.) i wrote soemthing about it being her bday but i didn't notice that i made it seem like it was yesterday or today when really it is a few weeks away (4/18).  what's going on here?  if you know, please let me know how you saw a post or material relating to dog's bday.

i feel like crap today and i wish i would've stayed in bed.  this is a so-so week that i'm sure only an easter basket full of candy and gossip mags can solve!  my hormones are out of control and i want sweets despite my "sweet strike."  i'm so cranky today that my bones hurt and my head aches.  now i know what crabs feel like!  also, my jeans shrunk or i ganined weight!  probably a dash of both!

on top of the unsolved mystery listed above (dog's bday thing), there is the issue of my state taxes being rejected!!!!  why?  my taxes are the simplest ever- i have an income and some student loans and that's it!  nothing fancy.  nothing that warrants my taxes being rejected!  i think the governator has something to do with this.  to top it off, the reject code is 679 (a discrepency with my agi from last year on line 0020 which i interpret as line 20 since nothing is numbered 0020) and line 20 has nothing to do with agi.  no wonder i've never done my taxes myself.  i'd rather pay somebody to deal with such annoyances.  then it's their problem, not mine.  then it's their ass rotting in jail for tax evasion, not mine!  ok, i'm overdramaticizing this a bit.  it'll all be solved tonight once i re-file using a 1040ez (is this for state or federal?) and kick the 540 c1 to the curb.  why were federal taxes much easier?  i've already received my $ from them.  more on this later but watch out for esmarttax.com because they're not there to help after they give you error code 679!

i'm sure my day would be better if i would've just located the astronaut ice cream at fry's last night, and had i not bought a "new" scrathed up version of bridget jones: the edge of reason.  now, i have to go back to fry's, even if the scratched version works because i want the new thing to look new!!!  i hate fry's (sorry ralph; sorry irene)!  they can't even keep their astronaut ice cream stocked!!!  the cashier helping me last night insisted that i buy the astro ice cream and he told me it's somewhere in aisle 5, 6, or 7.  that didn't really help but neither did the woman who worked there who was standing in aisle 5.  some people just have no clue what astro ice cream is and when you try explaining it to them, it requires that they have knowledge of the english language or that i have knowledge of their language.  simply put, her english was poor so she had no clue what i was talking about and she suggested i check the freezer at the front of the store.  ok, at least the ice cream part made it through.  so, no astro ice cream.  the cashier was as let down as me because he was having me find the astro ice cream not only for me, but also for his lunch break- i'm fairly certain of this since he was so set on me leaving with the astro ice cream.  anyways...thank goodness for fried bananas and homemade coconut ice cream at thai delight.  yeah, like this is really what i need after a dinner at outback steakhouse!  we saw amanda at the thai place which is no surprise because we all love the thai place! 

ralph just im'd me about his new phone.  i'm sure you'll hear all about it from me or him soon enough.

laughing at the expense of others...

ok, nothing against sarah jessica parker (sjp) but i nearly pee'd in my pants when i read this piece from the superficial.com about joss stone (who has an awesome voice) as the new face of gap.  this writer is so funny!

happy birthday lindsay!

i hope you have a relaxing day and a lively evening!  maybe the cafeteria will make you a cake today!  if you were still here i'd certainly make one as an excuse to eat cake!  no surprise there, huh?! ;)

overturned car

on the way in to work this morning, the traffic was heavier than usual.  a brand new bmw (go figure) was stranded in the middle lane of the freeway so that took forever to pass and by the time i got there, the car was moved to the shoulder but of course, everybody had to look.  then, on my exit, there was an overturned car and i saw the man crawling out.  boy was that surreal!  i'm not sure how the car was able to gain enough momentum to turn because the exit is always congested and you can rarely get going faster than 5 mph.  i hope he's okay.  a big crowd had formed to help him out and i saw police on their way to the scene so i'm sure he's in good hands.

last night shannon and i did some shopping.  i had to return something and i forgot my receipt, argh!  i'm not a huge fan of the mall (even though i love shopping) so i was concerned i'd have to go back since i didn't have the receipt for my exchange and the store is one where you actually need it.  luckily, they were able to locate my purchase in their computer system by me telling them the date, time, and aprroximate amount of the purchase.  good thing for technology!  i can't believe they were able to do that!  it worked and i bought 2 new tops and a pair of earrings instead of that green dress.  what was i thinking- a green halter dress?!  i guess i was thinking it'd be good for st. pat's!

ralph and i had homemade chili and mac and cheese, again.  i was totally craving sweets and that passed after i ate.  good thing for protein and fiber!  i'm not sure if i can eat chili for a third night.  tonight is a take out night, i think, since it's scrubs and law and order night.  anthony, christine- come on over!

as we ate dinner, nothing was on tv so after watching 10 minutes of the tv guide channel (yes, ralph also says i'm the only one who watches the tv guide channel), i defaulted to mtv, then vh-1.  the matchbox 20: behind the music was on and in 15 minutes of watching it, i gained some respect for rob thomas who i had always been annoyed by.  he and his wife are so sweet and so in love that you could feel it just watching them.  i was surprised to see legends like willie nelson and carlos santana in awe of his musical ability.  hmm, maybe they are on to something?

i started reading (after tv session) the mystery of love by don miguel ruiz (author of the four agreeements), and i think these books should be required reading for the world!  it's nothing we don't already know but it's good to be reminded every once in a while.

today i'm going to lunch with aunt b and then i have a long long meeting about summer meetings.  my favorite, a meeting about meetings.  those are quite popular around here.  i want to go back to bed!

swimming in transcripts

i'm currently swimming in transcripts (well, at least my coffee table is).  the rt program i'm applying to needs 2 from each college and high school.  that means i need to collect and send them 12.  i'm still waiting for 2 schools, i think...bu and my high school (they're going to have to hit the archives for this request).  i hope they get here soon so i can send my application in a lot earlier than the may 1st deadline.  i guess i could work on a groveling letter in the meantime since they do not request or require a personal statement.

plan b (if not admitted to rt program- was waitlisted last year), mmm, not sure.  quit job, cash out retirement, and open a restaurant?  it could work.

test drive

yesterday i test drove a volvo v50- the newest addition to their line-up.  it's a sports wagon and maneuvers like one but i'm not sure i'm ready to pay that much money when school may be in my near future (??).  dealing with the salesman was a nightmare and i think they made the sales room as hot as hell so you give in to their pitch just to get some fresh air- it didn't help that i was majorly feeling weird from the tea i had drank prior to going to the lot!  no big surprise but i just wanted to test drive it, get the bottom line price, and leave.  i wasn't really going to buy the first car i've considered.  who would do that?!

to get us out of their fast ralph said he didn't like the car even though we spent 30 minutes saying how much we liked it.  another thing that got us out fast was telling them that i was looking into hybrids to save on gas, etc.  use those reasons if you need to escape a car salesman.

earlier that morning i road my bike to dsw with anthony.  i'm still surprised i went because i'm totally out of shape and couldn't buy shoes since i had bought some gold ones the day before.  i was so exhausted that my ears were burning.  every time i cycle hard, my ears start burning.  what's up with that?  only with cycling though- not running or swimming.  maybe my equilibrium is off?  anyways, i want to start riding to more destinations that have a purpose because that will get me off my butt like the old days before i owned a car.

last night i cooked my tail off.  i love those moods where i want to make enough food to feed an army.  i made mac and cheese and chili but i'm not quite sure how ralph and i are going to finish the dishes by the end of the week without turning into chili or mac and cheese.  i think we need to throw a comfort party feast.  ah, off to eat more chili...

career quandry

every spring i find myself looking for a new career (spring has sprung; yay, happy spring!).  it's hard to decide because i have a lot of interests and i'm scared to make the leap to any of these as a career because i may not love my choice.  i like being a job that is challenging, allows for creativity, and has a lot of problem solving- along with great earning potential ($$$), a flexible schedule, and fewer hours than the norm (i think i need to move to europe).  what should i be when i gow up?  i think i knew the answer to this better when i was 6 than i now know at 26.

here's a list of things i'm considering with my thoughts.

chef (would love to go to culinary school but have heard from people in the bus that it's not a necessity.  i should look for a restaurant i like and ask for a "stage" (i think this is what it's called) and basically i could be apprenticed.  i like this because it saves thousands but i don't like the lack of structure.  hmmm...i do still love cooking but i've been eating out a lot lately and not cooking.  so, how much do i really love cooking?)

esthetician (i love taking care of my skin because it used to have a lot of problems.  i really notice healthy skin on other people.  i think if you're good in this bus (like robin), you can make phat dough and work few hours if you're well-like and have a strong client base to support you.)

massage therapist (i love getting massages but does that mean i want to give them?  touching strengers might creep me out.  i think if you're good in this bus (like maria), you can make phat dough and work few hours if you're well-like and have a strong client base to support you. can i get a massage now?)

respiratory therapist (challenging, i'd get to help people all day, walk around, and wear a uniform (i like wearing uniforms- weird, huh?!).  i'm applying to the rt program again with the hopes that they'll accept me this time since they wait listed me last time.  job is in demand and i'd get paid well and possible have an easy schedule.)

lawyer (hmm...in divorce or real estate.  i like the idea of going to law school ten times more than being a lawyer.  though i'm always a stressed out ocd student because i obsess about grades, readings, etc., etc.  i'm a bit of a perfectionist and i don't like getting b's whichi might have to settle for if i get in to law school.  still scheduled to take june '05 lsat.)

i'll find my path sooner or later.  let's keep our fingers crossed for sooner and maybe i'll be seeing you in a spa, law firm, restaurant or hospital soon!

parking in the city

i surprised ralph with a visit to the haight area and dinner at habana.  why haight?  i wasn't sure if he had ever been there before (aside from eating at restaurants and waiting on that street), and if he had been there, i wasn't sure he'd ever had the chance to shop around.  it was a nice day, we did lots of walking, but i think there were more shopping opportunities fro me than for him.  more women's clothese and things tended to be more my style than his.  i think haight is a little too grungey for him.  we witnessed a "punk" protest and i'm not quite sure what they were protesting.  the gap?  they were beating the windows at the gap but you can't tell me they never shopped at gap.  we had just left gap 10 minutes before they took over the streets so i was happy to not be in there during their rage. 

dinner was excellent; i just wish i had been able to eat more.  we had dessert at ghiradelli and it was way too sweet for me.  i've weaned off my sweet tooth so things don't taste quite the same any more.  the only real sweet i crave are those butter cookies with pretty icing at whole foods (the ones i rene bought during her visit) and 82% cocoa bar by scharfenberger (sp?). 

the whole time we (me and ralph) were in the city, we had great luck with parking.  i think i'm my own good luck charm in the parking department but ralph insists that he's my good luck charm because one cannot be their own good luck charm. 

before heading out on our adventure, christine and i got mainucures/pedicures at manicure beach.  it was a rather sterile environment and it felt like things were run like a factory, assembly line and all.  if i'm going to pay that much again, you bet i'm going to a salon for something a little more cozy and relaxing.  also, the people were twiligh zone-ish.  great french manicure though.  i suppose i'd go back for their tues/weds. 2 for 1 deal in order to save money.  ugh, looking at my nails now and the french mani better last!  what a great reason to not wash dishes for a week!

dermalogica review

i love dermalogica!  i knew lindsay used it and she liked it but we have different skin types so i wasn't sure how it'd work on my skin (stupid thinking considering they have something for everyone).  shannon has similar skin as me and she was singing it's praises the other day so i decided to try it out by purchasing one of their sampler kits (includes wash, masks, lotion, toner, and spot treatment), and i love it!!!!  in 5 days time my skin looks great!  best of all, it doesn't feel overly dry like what most other brands do to treat oily skin.  if you have problem skin, even nice skin, i recommend this product line despite it's price.

singing in the rain

with the combination of me listening to itunes at work all day and the rain, you can imagine i've been doing a lot of singing in the rain, and singing to ralph in order to get these songs out of my head.  most of the time he doesn't recognize the song because 1.) he rarely listens to the radio since he has i-pod fever, and 2.) i think i'm tone deaf so the song never sounds quite the same when it's performed by me. 

on the morning walk with dog, there was certainly no reason to sing in the rain (yes, the rain is back!).  we (me and dog) both dislike the rain and on a normal day this prompts her to take care of "business" really quickly so we can both go inside that much faster.  today we were standing outside for nearly 20 minutes pacing the same block and she never went poop.  how annoying, though she did pee like 5 times.  when we got inside she was expecting a treat, but sorry, no treat for no poop.  i hope there isn't a big mess on my carpet at noon- when she next goes out.  maybe she needs more fiber.  oh, or maybe it was the fiber ralph added to her diet last night by giving her some of his honey-bran muffin that caused this lack of "movement."  better luck at the noon walk.

smells like jesus 'round here

yup, believe it or not a south dakota couple has captured the scent of jesus in a candle.  they call it his essence but if i were them i would've called it heaven scent!  one might wonder, what exactly does jesus smell like?  well, when i "saw the light" after passing out from low blood pressure, i didn't cath a whiff, but according to the bible (this is what they say (psalm 45), this is not from my body of knowledge), when he returns, his clothes will smell like myrrh, aloe, and cassia (what is cassia- a flower?!).  they've sold approximately 10,000 candles which just goes to show you that people will buy almost anything.  for the bargain price of $17.95 per candle, you too can have your very own jesus-scented room by calling 877-psalm-45 (no joke- ugh, why am i advertising this?!).  why couldn't i have come up with this ingenious idea?!

st. p day flake

later that evening...

i totally flaked on my plans to go to the pub (see below).  i just wasn't in the mood to be around a bunch of people, i'm not drinking, and pub food sucks- more or less epending on where you go.  instead, we rented some movies (vanity fair and wimbledon- my picks) and i fell fast asleep 30 minutes into the movie.

i must be getting old.

happy st. p's day!

yay!  today is the day of wearing green and pinching those who aren't!  well, i guess if i pinched one of my co-workers i'd be presented with a harrassment notice of some sort so i'll pass on that today and remember my elementary school days where that sort of thing was acceptable.  maybe schools are too pc nowadays to allow such shinanagans!  tonight we're going to paint the town green at some local irish or english pub- yet to be determined.

amanda and i never went hiking yesterday as planned (this almost always happens when the equation is me+amanda~exercise).  we were too tired from our heavy lunch so we decided to get exercise in another way...we walked dog and then had dinner and went shopping.  shopping provides lots of exercise because you have to walk a lot to find the right things worth trying on, carry heavy clothes, and try on clothes which is like a lot of stretching.  i can talk almost anything into being exercise.  hiking would've been a lot cheaper for sure.  we went to old navy and they had a bunch of really nice stuff.  i'm sure it'll be demolished by the end of the year (their quality isn't the best) but at least it'll provide some stylish clothes for me to wear at a quarter of the price.  then we went to nordy's rack which was dangerous!  they have so many nice clothes for way cheap!  i bought a pair of polka dot dress slacks (nothing tacky, they're black with very, very, very small khaki dots) for $50 and they were originally $210.  what a bargain!

on the way into work i realized that the dream i had two nights ago about having a baby that turned out to be a pug made sense.  really....watch.  shannon, my neighbor has a pug (dog's boyfriend) and one of her good friends was having a baby yesterday (and i didn't know thatuntil last evening).  so maybe, i felt the "baby" energy and predicted it's birth (well, this is not a true prediction since they knew about it but i didn't so it was a prediction for me).  the baby in my dream was a pug because it was linking the event to shannon- since it's shannon's friend.  yeah?  this works.  weird dream and this is the only way i'm able to interpret it without seeming to weird.

anyways, we're having lunch at neiman marcus cafe, again (better make a reservation in case they are booked full due to a special menu).  i think it's our new #1, i'm just bummed that we never went there when lindsay was here.  speaking of lindsay, it's almost her birthday as well as all the other aries i know (debbie, shannon, dog- did i miss anybody?  no aries guys?)- what does l want for her bday?  my life is full of them (aries), including dog.  i want to have a party for dog but she only has 1 friend and a half (the cat who glares at her when she visits dolce).

my rambling will end here for the day unless something incredible eventful happens, which i'm fairly certain is not in my cards today.

let me leave you with an irish blessing:

may there always be work for your hands to do;

may your purse always hold a coin or two;

may the sun always shine on your windowpane;

may a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;

may the hand of a friend always be near you; and

may god fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

what everybody is thinking...

ralph and i were watching the ashlee simpson show last night and he pulled up this link to show me.  it's funny and points out what people are thinking but nobody is saying.  i'm sure she's nice but the link will still make you laugh.

hunger pains

today amanda and i went to my favorite thai place for lunch.  on the way there i was so hungry i thought i was going to collapse!  well, is it still collapsing, if you're sitting down?  i guess it just becomes passing out!  as soon as we got there i asked for a bowl of rice and really confused our waitress.  amanda clarified things for her and my rice was at the table in less than 2 minutes.  that helped a bit but it took a while for the shakes and spacey feeling to go away.  why do i get so hungry?!?!  it's the worst!  i'm always learning the lesson that i need to carry food (oh, and my allergy epi-pen); sometimes the best way for me to learn is to have a bad experience like this.  anyways, lunch tasted like heaven!  i don't know that heaven has a taste but let's just pretend it does.

i drove us back to work (in her re-vamped car) and she gave me sunglasses to wear because the sun was blinding me but they were totally lopsided.  it made me think that one of my ears must be higher than the other (my sister has this problem with sunglasses) but it turns out the glasses were totally broken from being stuffed in a small compartment.  they had purple lenses and made things look awesome.  i should wear purple tinted glasses more often.

dl set-up itunes on my computer and it makes the day go by a lot faster!  i've cracked into the shared itunes which has let me listen to music that i don't have.  today my favorite songs are: when you say nothing at all (ronan keating),  somewhere over the rainbow (performed by isreal kamakawiwo....-long last name, not sure hot to spell?), burn one down (ben harper), and breathe (joss stone)- guess i'm in a calm mood today.

i'm going hiking after work and i'm certain to be sore afterwards because i haven't worked out in a week and i haven't hiked the entire trail in months.  it should be fun, the weather is perfect, and it's supposed to start raining again.  i better soak up the sun while it's here!

happy birthday gram!

today is gram's bday!  we're going to picasso's to celbrate the big 7-3!  i've never been there but their menu looks good and i love trying new restaurants.

gram is great and she has amazing skin.  i hope she's with us for another 73 years which would put her at centenarian (i think this is the word i'm looking for) status. :)

new words

the new dictionary has been released and 57 new words have been added.  let me find more on this...

some of the new words:

wedgie

weapons of destruction

webmaster

Taliban

love is in the air

the surprise engagement party for joe and amanda was a hit!  i'm so happy that we were able to pull it off and acutally surprise amanda- who is impossible to surprise!  i hadn't been able to blog about planning, etc. since she reads this, and i went out of my way to throw her off by blogging about making "dinner" for them on saturday.  yay fake blog entries!

the party was a lot of fun and it was nice to spend time with amanda's friends from chicago, though they had quickie trips.  the food denise and sandra made was exquisite, and the decorations turned out really nice.

something tells me this is the beginning of a long strand of engagement parties of people in my life.

return of the jesuits

i'm not a jesuit but when i go to mass i go to a jesuit church (well, mission). 

last sunday ralph and i made an honest attempt to be there on time but we were a little late.  neddless to say, since the season of lent is upon us, there wasn't a seat to be found.  we stood in the back and could barely hear the sermon (which is my favorite part, yes, i'm a dork!).  i love sermons- casn they make that "t" for me?!

the temp in the mission was extraordinarily hot as you may imagine would be of a place built 200 years ago, without modern conveniences like "ac" or "windows."  ralph said 30 minutes into mass, "i can't breathe."  i said, "let's get you some fresh air so you don't collapse."  we went outside so we could both cool off and get some o2 to our brains.  some guy was standing awfully close to us so he must've been stealing our air or something inside church.  we decided to leave early since we had missed a lot and didn't want to go back into the steaminess.

i also ran a red light (and expressed my shock it in lots of nice words) on my way to mass so maybe that was a sign that we should've gone straight to the beach.  :)

hopefully things go better on our next attempt! ;)

feast-full

tomorrow denise and i are experimenting with fancy tapas dishes, tres leches cake, and sangria.  we've invited amanda, joe, lee, and amanda's friend (who will be visiting from chicago (i think?) can't recall name right now) to the feast!  should be lots of fun.  i'll post recipes if things turn out tasty!

new things in dog's life

dog has a new appreciation for dandelions.  she's always loved their "puffy," "make a wish" phase but she didn't eat them back then.  now she sniffs the yellow flower and tries to eat them.  i think they're poisonous to dogs so i always get her in time but it is cute to see that even she takes time to smell the flowers. 

dog is head over heels in love.  she's always had a thing for dolce but now she gets "heartbroken" (as my mom puts it) when she's not with him.  since dolce is my neighbor's pug they have been fortunate to see a lot of each other and i'm beggining to think he's her addiction.  funny dog, love hurts.

dog needs more baths now that the weather is warming up (it's been mid 70s-80s).  i think in the dog worls there is a correlation between dog age and dog smell- as age goes up so does smelliness factor.  this may be true of humans, too!  good thing for ac.

i'm back

after a long hiatus, i'm back!  i just didn't feel like writing because i was in a blah mood and trying to work out those kinks instead of passing them on to people in a good mood.

a deep tissue massage moved things along quite well.  i'm addicted to massages now- this is a dangerous thing!  i love it, although i felt like i was on benadryl for 2 days.  guess i had a lot of gunk that needed to be released and left me feeling way sleepy.  i thought i had narcolepsy for a week.  anyways, i went shopping at whole foods after my massage to find "lemon flavored" omega-3 because the fish burps weren't cutting it anymore and i saw steve young (former 49er super star).  that was cool.  i was star stuck (kinda) so i had to call ralph right away because i thought he'd be excited.  i've seen him (steve young) around town running errands several times before so i'm assuming he's really enjoying retired life, as much as i'm enjoying working life!

today is a beautiful day!  the sun is shining (went for a short hike during lunch and my scalp feels burnt) and i found my new summer anthem.  ralph must be ecstatic about this news because i'm not sure how much more he could hear i'm still in love by sean paul featuring sahsa (yes, sean paul the former fish was named after this sean paul).  so the new song is by dub fx and it's called tell me what you want (not to be confused with the spice girls' song).  it's hard to find because they are a local band but their web site lets you listen/download the goods.  enjoy!