31 December 2010

flowing in 2011

Ah, the requisite New Years post.

How did I do on last year's resolutions? I kind of exercised, I kind of cooked, my self-confidence pretty much stayed the same, and I've started to spend more time with friends now that I'm not in school and I have slightly more energy. This working weekends thing is killing me. I need my day to sleep in and laze around! Fortunately tomorrow is the last weekend I'll have to work in a while. Yes, I'll be ringing in 2011 while I'm sleeping.

I figured I'd also see how I did on my list:


I've since realized that I will probably never become a runner. I'm okay with that. Mountain biking never quite happened either. I still think that'd be fun. I didn't visit 5 new places, but I made it to three. I'm also okay with that. Overall, I had some fun completing those tasks.

I even accomplished one thing on my list of things to do before I die. (I now floss very regularly, haha)

I'm making the same resolutions I make every year, but they're less like resolutions and more like life aspirations.

I also feel like it's time to shift gears in what's important to me. For the first time ever, my focus is not on grades.

I'm in a whole different age bracket and a whole different agenda. First of all, I need to be organized financially and set a budget instead of pissing money away on whatever I want. I admit, it's been fun, but I can't do it forever. I need to pay off as much debt as I can now while my bills are still minimal. Is it ironic that on my new list of stuff I want to do in 2011, the first thing is gamble in a casino? Maybe.

But anyway, after I get stable financially, I don't know what else I'll feel like I need to do. Just going with the flow...

Happy New Year!!

30 December 2010

old

Added to the list of things that are freaking me out because it means I'm getting old:

Old-lady chest.

Suzy took a close-up picture of my necklace while it was on the other night, and it was then that I noticed freckles and wrinkles. Oh my gosh, I have old lady sun-damaged cleavage! It's not noticeable unless you're up close, but it's there and it's only going to get worse.

WHY didn't I wear more sunscreen when I was younger?

Do you think they make wrinkle cream for cleavage? Ashley- this is a job for you. Find me a product!

In other awesome news, my diploma finally arrived. No pictures yet because I want to get a badass frame for it.

Also, in more old-people news, I checked out my statement the other day and I've paid $500 in credit card INTEREST last year. I've stopped using the card since last year. It's pure interest. I was horrified and put paying that damn thing off on the top of my disposable income list. Credit cards are EVIL.

Of course it was handy when I had no money as a student, but then it comes back to bite you in the ass. Evil.

Like the dishes waiting to be washed in my sink. I wonder where Suzy is...

*update a few hours later*

I'm having the best time drinking wine and baking cookies for a fun work lunch tomorrow while Suzy pops in every so often. About the fun work lunch: my boss likes to throw "just because" lunch parties. Like nacho Friday. I'm SO EXCITED.

29 December 2010

hmph.

There is no light in my kitchen and it's raining in my bathroom. It was -supposed- to be fixed and I JUST paid a bunch of money to get it re-painted! NO!

This is what I get for living in my parents' garage.

I have to wash my sheets again, and my mom is making me go work out.

Crab. Sauce.

28 December 2010

oOooOo sparkles

Opened my Christmas gift from Chris this afternoon. It was a little awkward because I opened it in front of his mom and because there was a shmoopy note that I was scared to read in case it was really good and I got teary-eyed and that would be just really awkward.

Who needs a shmoopy note to get teary-eyed?


I was not expecting diamonds this year.
It's absolutely beautiful and sparkly and it couldn't be more perfect even if I'd picked it out myself.

It just ups the missing-ness like 5000-fold.

26 December 2010

antics

I was making cookies in my new toaster oven (what a great invention btw) when Pumpkin came running in with something in her mouth. Another lizard! The one from last week is currently living underneath my bathroom sink and sometimes when I pee I catch it peeking its little head out. Pervert.

This one she brought in, chased under my desk, and came tearing out from under it in a crazy cat frenzy. Now she keeps looking at me in that crazy cat way and tearing around the place.



I just hope it doesn't crawl up my leg or anything weird.

Trying to convince my mom to go shopping because I'm stir crazy. I would use my fun new cooking appliances some more but we had a fiasco on Christmas Eve and the light switch for the porch light (and a few of the Christmas lights) and my kitchen light is out.

So it's very dim in my kitchen and very annoying to cook. It's actually annoying to do anything in my room because I like a very bright room and the light on the fan is just not cutting it. I keep thinking to myself, "Man it's dark in here" and I'll flip the switch out of habit before I remember that it's out.

Any bets on how long it takes my dad's friends to fix it? I swear I'd rather pay someone to come and fix it in a day than wait 3 weeks to get it fixed for free.

25 December 2010

dear 6lb 8oz baby jesus...

Happy Birthday.

If the majority of the family wasn't hung over this morning, you'd think we were all still under the age of 10.

Out of bed before 7am in a joyful unwrapping frenzy. Much laughing, many thank yous, some spiked coffee, A Christmas Story marathon on tv, and by 830 the living room was destroyed.

The rest of the day we lay around in gluttony, sloth, boredom, or a mixture of the three.

We all got some exciting gifts. Luke got a new alien-something-or-other brand laptop. Sue got the new camera she's been wanting. Frank got the bowl tickets. Ash and I didn't get anything super big or expensive, just thoughtful and fun gifts. In my pile:
  • socks (I needed some!)
  • a long beaded necklace from Suzy that I can't wait to wear
  • Xpress Redi-Set-Go (YAY!!! I'm so excited) and a Twin Draft Guard- needed for my bathroom since it's not very well insulated.
  • Frankish got me a toaster oven that seems like such an adult appliance and I've always wanted one, especially because heating up the oven in July sucks balls. I can even make cookies in it!
  • a label maker! Everything's going to be labeled...
  • new robe and slippers which I'm currently rocking.
  • a foot spa. This is a running family joke because one year we got one for my mom. When she opened it, she looked less than thrilled and said, "Is this really what it is??" Apparently she'd had one before and hated it, and needless to say it was returned. Usually we're pretty spot-on with her gifts (Fiestaware is always a winner), and usually she's pretty grateful, but for some reason that foot spa struck a nerve. Anyway, I've been wanting one to soak my poor tootsies after being on my feet all day, so I was pretty happy.
I'm very lucky to have such a loving awesome family, even if we manage to cancel Christmas every year. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

    23 December 2010

    it's the...

    night before the night before Christmas!

    I don't know why I'm so not into food lately. It's very un-me. My cupboard and fridge are stocked full of ingredients and I just open the door and look... and don't want to do anything with them. Then I pop some popcorn or grab a carrot.

    Been a brutal week at work. Not even worth going into all the crappy things that happened this week, at work or not at work. I come home just drained. It's almost over, then it will be Christmas.

    And I have a fresh clean bed again, down to the insanely-hard-to-get-on zippered mattress cover. Because of something shitty (cat pukey?) that happened last night. But I'm glad I have it because it soaked all the way down but didn't get on my brand new mattress. That would have really sucked.

    It's also getting cooler again. Which improves one of the crappy things at work- the AC is out and it gets really warm and uncomfortable in there, which only makes smaller crappy things much worse.

    Here's to Friday/Christmas eve! Let's hope it's a mellow day.

    21 December 2010

    wham bam

    Running on two hours of sleep last night. Frank had people over and I could hear talking until 2am. Too bad I still had to get up at 4am. Not his fault, I don't think he realized how easily I could hear them. 

    Tonight was our annual "Whole family goes out to get mom's gift."

    As usual, it was a little chaotic. We all piled into my car and headed to the mall, stealthily avoiding most of the traffic. Once we're in the mall, Frank announces that he's nauseous which has me nervous, because I've narrowly avoided several frank-almost-puking-in-my-car situations.

    Anyway, we power through the mall, dodging miserable person after miserable person, zipping by clueless wanderers who think they're the only person in the word, and pick up my sister at the chanel counter in Dillard's. We already know what we're getting, so we loudly clamor and pick out her gift, buy it, and head back through the mall. But first, we had to avoid a clueless old asian couple standing directly in front of the down escalator. Without missing a beat, we maneuver past much like a Flying V pattern and get the hell out of there.

    Hit up another store, knowing exactly what we want. No-nonsense.

    We've got this down to a science. We were back home within an hour. No one fought, no one canceled Christmas, and no one puked in my car. My mom thinks we have some master plan and the trip to the mall was a fake-out. I think it's fun to let her think that we do. :o)

    Overall, not our funnest trip, but also not the worst. I can't believe Christmas is only a few days away. And I need some freaking sleep.

    20 December 2010

    herm.

    So I haven't talked to Ashley in a few days and I feel like the universe is off-kilter. I smell a makeover in my future. :o)

    My white elephant gift for the Christmas party at work tomorrow is: a pineapple and a bottle of my favorite wine. Props to Sue for the pineapple idea that I stole. It was only 99 cents at Randalls!

    Also, is alcohol inappropriate for a work event? I mean, the bunch I work with are not exactly teetotalers and it's not like we're going to drink it at work. And it's not like I bought a six pack or a 40... actually that would be pretty hilarious and possibly more appropriate for a white elephant. Meh, whatever. It's already wrapped!






    Oh yeah, Padre won Best Lighting again this year.
    It really is a cool experience walking up towards the door.

    19 December 2010

    +

    Clean sink, you are my favorite.

    17 December 2010

    funka mess

    My coworker uses that phrase and I think it's hilarious. Thank goodness for awesome coworkers, am I right?

    No appetite lately. I'm hungry, but have no desire to eat. Unless it's random snack-age that's sitting out and requires no preparation and I eat it just to make the hunger go away. Like those damn chocolate covered cherries on the kitchen table. Or the chex mix I made last weekend. I can make a meal out of cherries and chex mix.
    I also have been wanting unusual amounts of wine. I usually crave a glass a week, if that, but I've wanted one every day this week. All wine and no food... hm.

    This may just be me, but do you ever over-analyze your interaction with people? Not talking about people you know well- like your friends and family, but people who you only sorta know but still have to cultivate a friendly relationship with. Like coworkers or a new boyfriend's mom.

    Well, there's a person in my life who falls into that category that seems to not be digging me that much. I can't help but feel that the 'love' is just not there. There's no downright rudeness or anything, just a connotation. Maybe it's for real and maybe I'm just feeling down and over analyzing everything, but it's certainly not helping my mood. I can't think of anything I did to provoke the non-likingness. I've been perfectly warm and friendly. I guess if they truly do not like me than there's nothing I can do about it and they can suck it. If only it were that easy, haha.

    Work tomorrow morning. I just want to crawl into bed and stay there for a while. And for nutritious food that I want to eat to magically appear.

    Also, I need this.





    And no, don't buy it for me.

    I can't wait till Christmas is over and I can post "I want this!" guilt-free without feeling like I'm hinting at gift ideas haha.

    16 December 2010

    Bummer dude.

    You know what the biggest bummer of today was?

    How about spilling coffee all over the center console of my car? Of course I add sugar so now it's sticky coffee all over my center console.  Which reminds me- I should go clean that up.
    No, it was not the biggest bummer.

    Was is the chemistry analyzer freezing for no reason, mid-aspiration, during a hectic must-get-results-out time, that required a complete restart including calibration and qc? Needless to say I did not meet my deadline.
    Nah. That wasn't it.

    Was it accidentally stepping in a mysterious sticky spot on my kitchen floor without realizing it, and tracking it around everywhere?
    Nuh uh.

    Standing in the unreasonably warm and painfully slow post office line for 45 minutes?
    Not really.


    It was why I was at the post office.

    It made me so sad to have to mail Chris' Christmas gifts. I don't want to have to mail them; I want him to be here.


    I love this time of year. The cold days, the snuggly nights, getting excited over gift giving and Christmas parties and cute things like mistletoe and hot cocoa and the cozy glow of christmas lights at night time.
    This year I'm surviving off of text messages that I get while I'm asleep in my huge empty bed, and trying not to be jealous of couples walking blissfully hand in hand while I'm at the mall shopping for and thinking about the one I'm missing.

    It sucks. (45 seconds in)

    14 December 2010

    Toooos day

    All day long I kept thinking it was Wednesday, and I kept thinking that yesterday must have been a day some time last week. No WAY it was only yesterday. But it was. Busy days. I am quite tired.

    A hot cup of extra strong coconut chai tea (decaf, of course. It's nearly bed time!) with a splash of soymilk and a spoonful of sugar. Mmm. For some reason I enjoy soy milk better in my tea than regular milk.

    I was chatting with my mom while she wrapped some of my siblings' gifts, but I've now been banished to my room while she wraps some of mine. She keeps yelling, "Don't peek!" even though we both know I won't. Then as they are wrapped, she peeks her head in and shakes the gift in front of me going, "OooOOOOo I wonder what it iiiiisssss." Then she closes the door and yells, "Don't come in!" and puts it under the tree. And the cycle continues.
    I just love Christmas.

    I love hot showers and glorious beds too. Maybe I'll get lucky and catch some How I Met Your Mother reruns before I conk out.

    here comes mom again... I need to record this, hahaha

    13 December 2010

    adult-ful-ness.

    The favorites party was a success! All of my pictures were taken hastily with no one paying attention, so everyone looks like tards, haha.

    But it was a lot of fun and everyone left with an assortment of goodies. It felt like my birthday!

    Been checking into figuring out how much I could (hypothetically) afford if I were to purchase a house. Not something I plan to do in the near future, but I figure I'd better start planning and saving now so I can be prepared when I decide to do it. I definitely don't want to rent once I move out of my parents' garage. No sense wasting my money when I can afford to own. Plus, it's a good time to buy.

    But anyway, that means more saving and less things like big girl beds and shopping trips. I plan to implement a more stable savings plan once my student loans go into repayment in February. Eesh.

    Ok, time to drink wine and get ready for tomorrow.

    10 December 2010

    hoo boy

    Tell me why I still woke up at 4am on the dot on my day off- more wide awake than I'd ever be when I actually have to work. I couldn't fall back to sleep for about 45 minutes.
    Oh my gosh, I've turned into one of those people!

    Off to meet my weekend goals- after a bowl of cinnamon chex and a large cup of coffee. Gotta wait for traffic to die down.

    I have also decided that I love this etsy shop. SO cute!!

    09 December 2010

    boomchicka

    I had to laugh... Thanks Akhtar



    I have tomorrow off since I worked on Sunday. It's been a tiring week training but I think my job was made easier because my new coworker is just so awesome.

    I can't WAIT to sleep in! My amazing new bed is very hard to vacate in the morning, especially since it's gotten cold. It will be glorious to lay in it as long as I want to tomorrow.

    Got the lab results back. Goodish news! Since my last tests done in October, my hemoglobin is back up at the low end of normal, but my red blood cells are still on the small side and my average cell hemoglobin is still low. However, it shows that I'm improving. My cholesterol and LDL are both still above normal, but my HDL is 69, which is pretty kickass. So it's not perfect, but at least I'm seeing some improvement after all the changes I've tried to make.

    My goal this weekend is to:

    -complete my Christmas shopping, including stocking stuffers

    -Throw a great Favorite Things party (complete with yummy snacky menu) (I also have to figure out what I'm bringing)

    -Finish my Pay it Forward crafts (about halfway done)

    07 December 2010

    huh?

    • So apparently turning 26 has automatically given me under-eye circles. I've never had them before, but on my birthday makeover at Chanel, Ash busted out the under-eye cover up. And over the past few days, people have commented on how tired I look. First Lomas  and now dark circles? NOOOoooo. Next thing you know, it'll be gray hairs and wrinkles! I'm WAY too close to 30.
    • We finally got someone hired! She's a sweetheart with a great personality, a quick learner, and she's efficient. I really like her, and I hope she doesn't leave like the last girl I trained!
    • I just knew they were going to pick the Skeeters for Sugar Land's new baseball team. My parents have figured out what the slang for "skeet" means and I think I've heard my mom say "ejaculate" enough for a lifetime, LOL!
    • Today I got measured as part of the Curves program, and I found out that my seriously keep-them-put sports bra takes 2 inches off my chest. 
    • By this time every year, I have tons of gift ideas. I have hardly any this year. Especially for the boys. Why??
        • I can't figure out what to eat for dinner. :o/

        06 December 2010

        dun dun dunnnn

        I woke up this morning with my lamp still on, in the same position that I fell asleep in. I didn't wake up once last night. I slept through 6 text messages, 1 phone call, the lamp, the cat, and the fact that I still had my glasses on.

        I'm still tired.

        Ugh, second Monday. Which I just realized is the first Monday of the month which makes it extra busy. Also, I'm out of cinnamon chex. Also, I feel this headache that I've been battling all weekend trying to come back.

        Today, your omens are not looking good.

        05 December 2010

        dejavu

        All day long today felt like Monday, because I had to work today. I keep catching myself thinking it's Monday.
        Tomorrow is really Monday.

        How not fair is it to have two Mondays in one week?

        Quick pics of the awesome gingerbread houses Akhtar and I made yesterday, from scratch. Gluten free baby. They taste delicious.

        Mine:



        Akhtar's:

        01 December 2010

        horrifying

        Oh my gosh.

        Not again. I can't even begin to imagine what this must be like for her. Newlywed and a baby on the way, she was so incredibly happy. And that poor child. My heart is breaking just thinking of how she must feel.

        You're going along, living your life, blissfully happy, and BAM. Tragedy.

        How do things like this happen?