30 December 2012

progress

Yesterday I took my faucet apart to fix it. I had it all apart when I realized I hadn't brushed my teeth or washed my face yet. So I put it back together.

It doesn't leak anymore. I didn't change out any of the parts. Hm... Okay!

We got the grass painted in Calvin's room, which we were both nervous about free-handing, but it turned out okay! Then Ash put the border up, and I made the curtains. We tried to put up the curtain rod, but were unable to get the damn screws in the wall. I tried using Collin's power drill, but I only succeeded in putting dents in the wall. So we taped them up to get the effect.


I can't wait to get the animals on the walls, and get some furniture in there! It's going to be such a cute boy's room. It's hard to believe there will be a baby living in there in a few months. Gah! Being an aunt is going to be so much fun.

I didn't get anything done that I needed to get done yesterday because of that headache. It's looming, but hopefully I can knock some stuff out before it's back again. Like the damn ever-present sink full of dishes.

29 December 2012

magic pills

Dear headache/ migraine/ monster,
I know you're doing your best to ruin my life, but I have Wal-phed magic pills with the good stuff in it that you have to swipe your driver's license for. So you can go ahead and suck on that while I go about my day.
You fucker.

-Jen

Things.

I had a dream last night that somebody took my nail polish mid-manicure and I was pissed. I ran around bitching at everyone trying to find it. I never did find it.

No matter how careful I am, pancake syrup always seems to end up everywhere.

Going to fix my leaky bathroom faucet while dad is gone. If I try to fix it when he's here he'll notice and get mad because I won't do it right-- even though I have this internet tutorial to follow. It's been dripping for months and he's not fixing it and it's getting on my nerves. Here's hoping I don't make it worse...

This



looks cool. Can you imagine a whole field or patch of this?

Been randomly catching a lot of Friends episodes lately. I love the ones where Monica and Chandler have their secret relationship.

I love chevron anything right now. Just yes.

Getting into the baby mindset again. Painting, curtains, bunting, baby shower... it's happening.

28 December 2012

beam

Today, I had to work late to help fix something that hadn't gone quite right. It was all computer stuff, so I mostly gave feedback and did a little bit of testing while the computer people worked on it.They all worked remotely, so we communicated via phone and email.

At one point, the computer lady (who I'd heard was a bit of a hardass) made a little conversation while we were waiting on something to run. She said that she'd heard from my boss that I was new to this particular area of testing. I said yes, that was true. Then she said, "Well you're doing quite well."

I can't even tell you how I beamed at myself from the inside. You go, me.

I've been feeling rather under-used since I'm still technically learning, even after a month. You know I'm itching to start my own projects.

I could sense the computer lady's apprehension about working with me, since this is really my coworker's project and they've communicated extensively about it for months. I also felt somewhat responsible for the problem, even though I was just a bystander and was attempting to help pick up the pieces. So it felt really good to have her warm up to me, and have her say something like that.

I gotta say, I left feeling pretty darn good.

26 December 2012

mess & mis

So many leaves... those stinking things are everywhere. Pumpkin keeps playing with them. All I keep hearing is "rustle rustle." (At least I hope it's Pumpkin....)

I'm kinda ready to go back to work. I've had enough of being a slothful boozy glutton. My body is crying out for a vegetable that's not wrapped in bacon.

Les Mis was awesome. Of course I think Anne Hathaway can do no wrong, so that pretty much made it for me right there. I made it through to the end without tears, but then I forgot about Fantine popping up at the last scene and that notion went out the window. Not a dry eye in the house. We all filed out of the theatre in a crowd of sniffles.There were a few people whining about how it dragged on, and a few bored kids. As Suzy put it, "It's a damn musical about the French Revolution. What did you expect?"

Since I've just seen the Broadway version, I could not help but make comparisons. Most notably, Eponine didn't win me over in the movie, but when we saw it in November, her "On My Own" damn near brought you chills. A few small differences here and there, but overall they are both enjoyable. I will be purchasing the DVD and I'd go see the Broadway version again. I'm officially one of those people who loves Les Miserables.

Parentals leave for the Ukraine today. They were up at the crack of dawn all excited. They're running around not knowing what to do with themselves.

I'm just sitting here drinking coffee, ignoring the huge mess on the floor.

25 December 2012

gifty

Man. My cell phone cozie smelled like smoke after last night, so I washed it and it shrunk. Merh. Now I have to make another one. Or, I should probably do the smart thing and get a case for it.

It's Christmas day, there is food and booze everywhere, and everybody is randomly crashed in random places.

This Christmas has been very stress-free. I didn't buy a single gift.
One, because I don't have any extra money.
Two, because instead of buying siblings gifts, this year we decided to just pool whatever money we would have spent and give it to my parents for their trip to Kiev. Made mom cry. That's a win.

I also didn't get a ton of stuff.

So what did I open this morning? A Bissell shampooer thing. Completely frivolous and I love it. EVERYTHING WILL BE CLEAN. Also got some socks.

And that's about it. It's refreshing not to have a mountain of gifts, especially because I've been all about removing the clutter lately. Just a few small tokens here and there. This year it was more about hanging out with family & friends instead of focusing on the gifts. I rather enjoyed it.

Not to say that I didn't miss the rush of picking out something nice for everyone, and getting excited to see people open things. Next year will probably be back to normal, but with everything else going on lately, it was really nice to have a break from the stress and Christmas Greed.

Keeping with that theme, Suzy and I are going to see Les Miserables today. Ashley, too, if we can convince her to go.

P.S. I can't wait for that cold front to come through tonight.

24 December 2012

eve

I'm hiding in my room because my mom is in a cleaning frenzy and I don't want to be put to work.

It's too damn hot here. I hate Houston's weather, especially in the wintertime. It's just a yo yo effect of temperatures and humidity and it SUCKS.

It's Christmas day in Japan. Chris says they're not doing anything special for Christmas, but I think they at least get a special meal.

Frank and I were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee, when my mom hugged my dad and he goes, "Wait, let's move to the kitchen so we can make out." Ah, parentals. Leave some of the mystery for the rest of us.

Mom's making a batch of nut cups, so that will be my diet for the next few days.

It's going to be a long day. Let's get this show on the road.

241...

So many things I'd like to get out of my head.

To start, if you happened to catch any crazy posting, disregard. Nothing ever happened.

I just discovered that if you google 241543903 and hit images, it's kinda neat.

(Go do it. I'll wait.)

People are random and awesome, huh?

I wish we had made Christmas cookies because I could really go for one right now. 

I would also like to say that I love my husband. He takes so much of my random crap in stride.

I'm pretty tired. The rest can wait.

18 December 2012

the style nowadays

My little sister is going out in a see-through skull-patterned top and she looks great.
Even my dad dug it --- my dad dug a see-through shirt on my sister. You know it's gotta be cool.
I feel cool just being associated with her, haha. Such is the usual.

17 December 2012

back from the dead

with a shaved head.

After a short hiatus, zits are slowly coming back, in what seems to be full force. The current regime did its job- they were subdued enough that makeup covered them when I got hitched, but it's not a long-term solution. It may be because I haven't been taking the zinc. It was just too hard to keep track of on vacation. I've started taking it again, but I'm also glad my super awesome health insurance is effective in January. I am covered up the wazoo by two really kickass health insurance plans- both free. One's included with my benefits package at work, and one because of the whole military spouse thing. Read: I can finally see the dermatologist! Butttt not till next month.

I hate getting out of the shower and seeing 5 missed calls, 3 facebook messages, two text messages, and a voicemail. Once again, I missed the sporadic narrow period of time that Chris has found to communicate. Hmph.

I just found out my seeester is coming home tomorrow! Yay!!

16 December 2012

glitters is gold

Today. I put whipped cream on my waffle. And in my coffee. A LOT in my coffee.

Woke up and it's raining outside. Checked the forecast on my phone, then checked the forecast for Japan. He's blissfully sleeping under a clear sky at 70 degrees, and I'm waking up to dim light and humid rain. A world apart.

I had dreams last night about our wedding. Not the way our actual wedding went. This one was on Jupiter. There were pretty lights and my dress was sequined and intricately embroidered and was gorgeous. One of his friends was a dj and everybody was dancing and I had to pee a lot, which required a very creative dismantling of the dress every time. We drank a lot and I eventually wandered off and he had to come find me. He scolded me, then said it was time to go, but I thought it was too early and we should keep partying. Then he made the good point that the bride and groom aren't supposed to be the last to leave. So he grabbed my hand and we left. It had a floaty, dream-like quality to it, not like those dreams which are very clear.

Still haven't figured out what to do about Christmas gifts. I don't get money until the end of the week, and it's all going to be funneled straight into bills. Hrm.

I painted my nails red with green glitter to help induce the Christmas spirit. Like the trendy ring finger that's different but still cohesive?



While I'm at it, I would like to talk about the Nikon Cool Pix S1100. I've had this camera for about a year, and I hate it. I absolutely hate the touch screen navigation. It's annoying, there's a delay, and it's not very easy to use. More importantly, I hate the quality of the pictures it takes, especially snapshots. Half of them come out blurry on the auto setting. Who has time to adjust settings when you're out and about? A snapshot should just be quick, and the auto setting should produce decent pictures, not unusable crappy pictures. Overall, it's just not a very trusty camera. I miss my clunky old Canon that took great pictures-- even after being dropped and enduring abuse that would destroy any other camera.

(P.S. Glitter reminded me of this song-- take a moment to jam like it's the late 90's.)

15 December 2012

about it.

Laundry. Cat loves puking on my bed. Merh.

Started developing my financial goals + budget for the new year. Things are going to change with moving out and paying actual rent. It's a little scary because I'm not going to be able to say, "Hey mom I don't have any money to pay rent this month." That won't be ok.

Chris called from Japan early this morning, but I missed it. He's trying to stay motivated, and I'm trying to stay positive. Truth is, I think we're both pretty much over it. Come home and let me squeeze you.

Headache looming. Fridge is empty. Groceries need to happen soon. Feeling kind of mopey. Got the A/C running on December 15th. Sauce-age.

Hm. That's about it.

14 December 2012

fire & phone

Wealp. Chris has started his next (and last!) deployment. Time to adjust again.

Work is good. This week has gone by super fast. We had fire safety training yesterday and I got to put out a "simulated" fire. They used to put out real fires in the parking lot, but they have a building in that spot now. Bummer. That would have been cool. I've never used a real fire extinguisher. There was a fire on my stove once, but it was small and I just put a lid on it. It's just as well because those kitchen ABC extinguishers make a huge mess.

I feel like I spend more time being frustrated with my new phone than I do talking on it. If I have time to fiddle with it, I can usually do things correctly. When I'm in a hurry, it's a different story. I haven't developed the new habits associated with this phone. Just this morning, my alarm went off and I pushed the snooze-- or so I thought. I'm glad I woke up in time to see that it wasn't going to go off again. Even answering a phone call is more difficult than it should be. On the plus side, I downloaded a Tetris app. So that's fun.

Time to go to work. I hope today goes by fast.

10 December 2012

name.

My friends keep mentioning how my new name keeps throwing them off. I agree- It's so weird and cool seeing my new name. I mean, the name itself is familiar, but I'm just not used to it being mine.

I get a piece of mail and it looks weird. I see it out of the corner of my eye on a screen at work and I double-take. I have to think before signing something or putting my initials on a document.

Hearing people say it (or attempt to say it) is also so strange. It's weird telling people how to pronounce it. The whole situation is just new. I mean, I've had the same name for 28 years. It's a hard habit to break.

There's one new habit that I wonder how long it will last... With every new piece of mail or email change or credit card, I have to double-check, and sometimes triple-check, to see if it's spelled correctly. It's 11 letters of mis-spelling waiting to happen. So far, so good. But I'm going to catch it if does happen.

Also worth nothing: If I get a piece of mail or something with my old name, it's suddenly a little foreign. It's like I'm stuck in limbo between being disconnected from my old name, and adapting to this new one.

I think that's pretty normal.

09 December 2012

good life

Random risotto craving at 7pm.

You know what? IT'S OKAY! I have time to make it! Because I don't have to wake up at 4am!
*happy dance*

Also, a serious cold front is supposed to come through tonight. DIGGING IT.

Risotto, wine, cold front, not witnessing 4am? 

Life is good.

catnip, candy, technology

Pumpkin is totally digging this catnip mouse and it's hilarious. She never plays with toys unless they're interactive- like you've got to be dangling something in front of her before she pays attention. But she likes this one! It must be the catnip, which she has also never paid attention to before. I always thought she was one of those cats who didn't react to it, but maybe she does just like it just a little.

Found out last night that Chris leaves the country much sooner than I expected. Not looking forward to being out of regular contact for 7 or 8 months. But, the sooner they deploy, the sooner they can come back. I hope he gets to experience some cool stuff this deployment. Actually, let me clarify: I hope he gets to experience some non-life-threatening cool stuff this deployment.

Helped Ashley and Collin paint the baby's room yesterday. A very nice light blue. It looks like a little boy's room. Next up is the jungle decals and a little more paint, then I make the curtains and one of those triangle banners. My heart goes, "Squee!" every time I think about it.

Regarding the pawn shop idea, I took a couple pieces of old jewelry to this place. It wasn't creepy or seedy or weird, as I feared, and the guy gave me twice as much as I expected. It wasn't a huge amount, but it was overall a very nice experience!

Akhtar's first annual gingerbread house party was fun. I was running late and didn't have time to make gluten free gingerbread, so instead I made some rice krispie treats. Worked like a charm. I took this picture on my phone, then had to figure out how to set up gmail on my phone. THEN I was able to email it to myself so I could put it in this post.


Between fiddling with my phone and calling Chris about 5 times, I figured out how to use some apps & the internet, and also learned about using wifi vs using wireless. Gettin' a little more savvy each day!

07 December 2012

gogogo

What an interesting week. I'm tired. I feel like Monday was a month ago. Lots of changes in my personal life lately, and changes with work, too. The whirling dervish just might be winding down now. I'm ready for routine.

Work is delightful. Today my boss asked me if I missed my old job. I looked at her, smiled and said, "Not one single tiny bit." I feel very comfortable and motivated there. I've been coming in at 6am all week to train, and Monday I go in at my normal schedule. I'm curious how I'll adjust, but I have a feeling I'll be just fine. I can't wait to get started on some of the projects they're planning. Enough training- let me at it!

I have adjusted remarkably well to the lack of Chris. I don't know if I'm just getting used to this situation, or if I've been so busy and that's helped. I still get twinges, but the "mourning period" is not as intense as it usually is. That in itself makes me a little sad. I want to be used to him, not the lack of him.

I spent a few hours last night on my new space phone, and somehow managed to delete all of the features on my home page. It took a while to figure out how to individually put some of them back. I think as far as texting and phone calls go, I've figured it out. I haven't even touched the "smart" stuff. At the very least, I can talk on my phone for longer than 3 minutes now and it doesn't die. 

And that, folks, is a successful week.

05 December 2012

clothing & money

Dear girl who works at the bank,

What made you think it's professional to wear a mini skirt and thigh high lace-up boots to work today? You look super trashy. I'm surprised they didn't send you home to change.

Enough about inappropriate work attire.

On the other hand, I've been looking super cute lately. No more frump girl in stained scrubs and tied-up hair. I may have done a little clothes shopping, but my wardrobe still needs updating. I have no clean pants to wear tomorrow. I didn't realize I only have 3 pairs of work pants. So tomorrow it's either a skirt or I'm doing laundry tonight. I haven't decided what's best.

What I do know is that things will have to make do until I get paid. Already pretty broke since it's been two weeks since my last payday, and will be 2 more until the next one.
Seriously considering declaring this year "No-gift Christmas." I simply can't afford it.

I actually have some old jewelry that I've been meaning to get rid of. It will certainly help pay a few bills, even if it's not a lot. Has anyone ever sold something to a pawn shop before?

04 December 2012

easy cheese and rain boots

After-dinner snack of (apparently expired) Easy Cheese and Fritos, washed down with wine. What? There is literally no food in the fridge and I'm hungry. And thirsty.

On a possibly related note, one morning during his visit Chris rolled over, put his arm around me, grabbed up a handful of belly fat, and started squeezing. Oy, man. Not cool. I vow to have that taken care of pretty quickly. Just not tonight.

When I get back into my normal eating schedule of making dinner/ taking leftovers for lunch, I think it will be easier to regulate. Also I really need to get to the grocery store. There's nothing but junk food around here.

Today was good. And, I got pinkish purple rain boots.

03 December 2012

come back...

So it's just me and the kitten again. Well, actually, kitten is running around outside at the moment. So it's just me. and wine.

Chris couldn't sleep last night, which means I couldn't sleep last night. We woke up early this morning, and Akhtar drove Chris to the airport while I headed to the Medical Center to start my new job.

What followed was a good, but exhausting day. Lots of new employee forms to fill out, lots of meeting people, lots of standing around while people explain stuff. I love the people and the work, and overall I'm excited and think this will be a great thing for me.

I came home weary, and dug into the pile of mail sitting on my desk.

First thing I opened was a new social security card. Would have come in handy today when I tried to change my name at work and they wouldn't let me because they needed it. So my boss just set me up with all this stuff, only to have to change it all tomorrow when I go to HR and change my name. Awesomeee.

Also received a new debit card, and some forms needed to change my name on the car note. For the record, my new name is too long to fit on the card. I kinda love that.

It still amazes me that all it takes to change my name at one company is making a phone call and spelling it out, yet at another they need a form filled out, a certified copy of the marriage license, a copy of my social security card & birth certificate, fingerprints, and dna sequencing from a piece of both mine and Chris' hair-- in a triple-thick padded envelope, delivered by a leprechaun.

Even within the same company- my checking and savings accounts were taken care of by one visit, but the credit card linked to those same accounts requires a completely different process-- and nobody thought to mention that to me, even after I asked the lady if the credit card was taken care of and she assured me it was. It's enough to drive me INSANE. (got no brain)

To add to the crazy of today, I ordered a new space phone, or a space phone~ lite. It's not exactly bells & whistles galore, but in a couple of days a bonafide smart phone will be delivered to my door. I'm kinda excited. And have no idea how to use it. I figure it will keep me distracted from the fact that there's suddenly no more husband hanging around. And I'll be able to receive picture messages again.

Today was a stressful day, as days with lots of big life changes are bound to be, and I miss Chris so much I don't even know how to handle it, but it's also a day of new beginning, and it's something that I've needed for a long time.

Even with the stress, I have something to look forward to. I have a purpose. Because at the end of the day, today and every day, all I have to do is walk through a patient waiting area to give myself a really big fat reality check. I think that daily perspective will go a long way.