there are lilacs!!!!

I had a good weekend. I spent Friday relaxing and reading. It looks so pretty outside, but it’s still so cold. I don’t know about you, but 50F in January feels a lot warmer than 50F in April, and the temps have barely been making it out of the 50s these days. I know this is typical here, and I know I whine about this every year, but the fact is that I am so ready for it to be warm that it’s not even funny. Oh well. At any rate, I didn’t go anywhere Friday because I just wanted to stay inside where it was warm and dry and full of cuddly cats.

It’s not fair that it looks like this outside:

…but feels like this:

(At least the lilacs are out, right? They smell so good, you guys! I love lilacs!)

Anyway.

Speaking of cats. Helena is back to peeing in bad places again.

It had been years since she’s done that (although I’m just suspecting that maybe she’s been doing it all along and I’ve been mistakenly blaming Crookshanks, who is more apt to poop in a naughty place rather than pee, but he has a history of that as well), but it started again when I bought a bath mat for the tub. You see, our tub has gotten slippery over the years and I didn’t like feeling like I was going to slip when I went for a shower. So I got a bath mat from TJ Maxx which was probably my first mistake because it had a nasty skunky rubbery scent to it. But it was comfy and kept me from slipping! Then, Helena started peeing on it. We got rid of the mat and she just kept peeing in the tub. Now, as far as a cat peeing somewhere naughty, the tub isn’t the worst place, right? I even joked that it was time to start toilet training her. She had the room right, you know?

But then it got worse. Adam got a new couch, identical to the one we had before. (Don’t ask what happened to the other one. It’s a long sordid story best left in the past.) Not the most comfortable couch ever, but it does the job. Except I started noticing a pee smell from the slipcover. Adam would wash it, and then it would appear again, this time in a different spot. We removed the slipcover, and Adam put a table cloth over the couch. The table cloth looks and feels like fabric, but it does not absorb liquid. If a cat pees on it, the pee gets on his/her foot, thus theoretically discouraging further elimination on the couch. HAH. HA HA HA HA!! See, I wasn’t completely convinced it wasn’t Crookshanks because as I said, he has a pretty checkered history, that one. THEN Adam actually CAUGHT Helena in the act.

Seriously? Seriously? WTF Helena. She’d been so good all these years! (Or maybe not, now that I think of it.) We have THREE litter boxes for those brats. I’m tired of cleaning up after cats who can’t/won’t eliminate in the proper places. Hmph. Maybe I’ll just start peeing anywhere *I* feel like it. How would you like that, huh?

Cats are the gifts that keep on giving. IN THE ANNOYANCE DEPARTMENT. Why does this happen whenever I practice yoga at home??

every damn time!

Hmph. Well I’ll just keep lowering from chatarunga (which is hard enough as it is!) on to him every day and see if that changes his tune.

They’re lucky they’re cute and cuddly and so darn loveable.

Yesterday, I went to bookstore because although I have a couple of eBook copies of The Secret Garden, I really wanted a hard copy. I found a paperback that wasn’t too expensive, and a copy of the Bhagavad Gita that was also very nicely priced. Yesterday evening, I watched Juno and Mean Girls, played some games, and read The Secret Garden–the hard copy. I PARTY HARD, Y’ALL.

So, randomly. I LOVE getting packages. And sometimes that means I go shopping online just so I can have packages arrive for me. Today, I finally used some of the $35 I had in Amazon credits to get a copy of The Secret Garden/A Little Princess DVD combo pack, a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s baby mild soap, and the black and white Skull Shores Frankie Stein Monster High doll. So excited! I used to collect all the Monster High dolls, but now it’s just out of control. There are too many. I decided to focus only on Frankie Stein because she’s just awesome.

This pic is outdated. I’ve gotten at least one new one since.
I wish I was more creative with posing them. Some people are great at it.

Once I get this particular doll, my collection will be complete, at least until they come out with a new Frankie Stein. Then my sights will be set on the Katniss Barbie. WHO IS AWESOME.

Today I read and read and read. Then I headed out for a hatha yoga class. The class was fantastic, even though we had to do that blasted utthita parsvakonasana which I hate! (There are some poses which make me all verklempt when I have to do them, this is one of them. I should make a post about that someday.) Anyway, I was rewarded with a lot of wonderful forward folds and deep twists, and you guys know how I feel about forward folds, right? The teacher would say something like: “When you’re ready, come out of the pose” and I’d be thinking “But I’m not ready to come out of this fold!” But I’d come out because well, I didn’t want to be stuck behind everyone else in the class, right?

So, Sunday is winding down and another week begins. Here’s what’s on my plate:

· yoga classes
· yoga teacher training
· yoga teacher training lecture
· yoga teaching practice
· library
· urban priestess workshop
· master teacher roundtable
· reading
· homework
· farmville (shut up, it’s fun and relaxing)
· life

What about you?

(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)

I’m tired. I need a full day where I don’t have to do anything but read and sleep. I really should not allow myself to indulge in such a day until all my chores are done, but meh. I also should not be blogging at 1am but there you go.

Christmas is 46 freaking days away. Time is FLYING. I have all of these “to do” items that i put in my iProcrastinate in early/middle October. When it’s the middle of October, November due dates seem far away. Well, now all that stuff is coming due now and I’m kinda like WHOA. WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN? In fact, two of my items are past due. FAIL.

I started Christmas shopping in earnest Monday. I was out with my friend Angelo, and we hit Bloomingdales, Filene’s Basement, and many other assorted stores along Michigan Avenue. I was able to knock out a good chunk of my shopping for Adam. Go me! I also let Angelo treat me to a white chocolate raspberry mocha from Starbucks. I very rarely indulge in Starbucks, and I get this particular coffee drink once or twice a year. It was yummy.

Adam and I went out to the ‘burbs yesterday. I found the most awesome store at the Westfield Fox Valley mall. It’s called Funk-E-Breeze and it’s the store that Hot Topic and Spencer Gifts WISH they could be. I wanted just about everything in there, but I settled on buying lots of incense. Because mmm, incense.

We hit Anderson’s Bookshop, the best bookstore in the whole wide world. Seriously, you should be jealous of that bookstore because it is *just that awesome*. This bookstore gets folks like Tyra Banks, Weird Al, and Jodi Piccoult. And they *hand sell* books. They listen to what you like and suggest books that are similar. Awesome. Anyway, Adam’s an author, and he went to Anderson’s to sign stock. How cool is that? But you know what’s even cooler?

You can win copies of Adam’s books!

EXTRAORDINARY is an epic tale of love, magic,
mystery, musical theatre, and unicorn poop.
UNICORN POOP people!
You know you want to read it.
Honestly, it’s my favorite one by him thus far.
Check out the entry post here.

Adam also writes under the pen name S.J. Adams.
(I think Adam thinks S.J. is real. Seriously. I get concerned.)
SPARKS is a John Hughes-esque novel about a
Full House-obsessed girl
who attempts to get over a crush
by embarking on a “holy quest” with
a couple of misfits who have invented a religion.
Check out the entry post for this book here!

Yay! And that’s all for now. Til next time!

Linking up with:

Whoo!

(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)

Last week, I had two really good days. It all started Friday morning. I had to get up super, duper early, which normally would not be a good thing for me. I am not a morning person at all! I’m a night owl all the way and often wonder if I’d do better if I lived on the other side of the world. But knowing me, I’d still end up a night owl somehow.

But anyway, this time it was OK to be getting up at 7am because I was going to get pampered! Late last year, I purchased a Groupon voucher for The Spa on Oak for a one-hour chocolate massage and one-half hour cinnamon sugar scrub. I was ready to redeem it (I’m always afraid I’m going to forget to redeem those vouchers and they’ll expire!), so I made the appointment and grabbed the first available slot. Hence the early morning wake up time. Anyway, when I was checking in, the lady behind the counter asked if I wanted to upgrade, for free, my sugar scrub to a facial! Of course I said “yes.” I’d never had a facial before and I’d been breaking out like a fifteen year old.

So, I got to spend the morning getting pampered. The massage was a combination of Swedish and deep tissue. I am no stranger to getting massages–I try to get one every couple of months if I can–but it had been a while and it was really nice. Then the facial. That was nice as well, even with the extractions, which really felt like I was being pinched. By the time it got too uncomfortable, it was over. My chin hasn’t felt this smooth since before I can remember.

After my morning of pampering, I headed down Oak Street, which is a chi-chi street in the city. Lots of high-end boutiques. I wandered into Juicy Couture and made my way upstairs, where all the running suits and sale items were. I ended up getting a cute tee-shirt. Then I made my way to the beach. I hadn’t been to the beach since the day I hung out with Mylin, and it was so beautiful out, it just seemed like the right thing to do. I sat right in the sand and read, enjoying the warm sun and soft breezes.

After that, I did a little shopping on Michigan Avenue. That wasn’t as much fun because for some reason, there are a LOT of tourists downtown still, even though tourist season is over, and THEY WALK SLOW. They like to walk five abreast and just saunter down the street. It’s hard to get around them! But I managed it, and I found some really cute socks in TopShop, and some great deals on tops at Gap. I’m talking shirts and tanks for just a few dollars, and long sleeve tee-shirts for 9.99. I love long sleeve tee-shirts. They’re great for winter and fall weather, and nice to wear under sweaters or hoodies. I even got colors that aren’t grey or black, if you can believe that! Wait, I may have gotten one grey shirt or tank. I guess there is no denying what I like, but really should wear brighter colors this winter. Maybe that’ll help keep me from being so depressed come February. I am in the market for sweaters, but finding a normal sweater is always a challenge for me. They’re all shaped weird. The ones I DID love, from TopShop, were out of my budget. So, I didn’t come home with any new sweaters. I guess that’ll wait ’til the next check comes in.

After my excursions, I was finally tired and made my way home. Spent the rest of the evening relaxing and reading and playing on the computer. I started to feel nauseated and a migraine was settling in, so I took it easy.

Saturday, I went to the library and checked out six books, then I had brunch with a former co-worker, now friend. We ate at this place called Angel’s. Just happened to find it by looking on Yelp. Four and a half star review? Yes, please.

This is what I had:

You know you’re jealous. I’m jealous right now and I got to enjoy it already! I had bacon, pancakes with strawberries, and scrambled eggs. Orange juice for my drink. It was really good and the price was pretty good, too. Our waiter was interesting. My friend and I hung out so long that he brought me a free margarita! OK, any place that doesn’t mind if I sit and chat for three hours AND gives me a free drink to boot? WIN!!!

So, those were my two really good days. I caught a cold Saturday night and my migraine started up again–BIG TIME–so the days weren’t perfect. But I can’t complain. I just can’t believe it’s already going to be Friday again. Seems like this week went by in a flash. And it may have, seeing as I spent three days of it lying in bed trying to get over a migraine and a cold (which is gone now YAY).

Is it just me, or does every cold get worse? I really don’t remember them laying me up for three days when I was little, or not even a year ago. Being sick is the pits, and today is the first day I feel 100% again. So YAY for that. I should probably get back to yoga practice tomorrow, huh?

That’s all for now. ‘Til next time!

(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)

See that title? ^^ You might agree if you read this entry. I’m just sayin’.

I am 100% back to being a night owl. I stay up until 4 or 5am, I roll out of bed at about 11:30am, and then I fall asleep on the couch about 3pm, and again at about 8pm. Then I’m up all night. Party! Woo!

The good thing about it is that I don’t have anywhere to go during the day mostly, and if I DO have something to do, I am functional enough to get it taken care of. For example, Tuesday, I got up and cleaned like I was crazy! I took down and put away all the Christmas stuff, cleaned the kitchen, living room, my side of the bedroom, the litter boxes, and Aidan’s room, and finished it off with that nice, hot bath. I even used my Cinders bath bomb–and that was a limited edition one. I hardly EVER use my LE bath bombs because well, they’re LE. I can’t get them again.

The good thing is that after you do a super cleaning like that, you get a grace period where there’s nothing to do until things get messed up again. There are always dishes to do, though, and GOD knows that trash can is the bane of my existence. Good Lord that thing stinks to high heaven every other freaking day and it’s driving me up a wall. Has to drive Adam crazy too, having to take the trash out all the time. I try not to put things in it that will seriously perish in a matter of hours (like old meat or leftovers) but something must have escaped my notice (i.e. Adam put it in there) and it turned this evening, because I have a SUPER sensitive sniffer and bad smells just get stuck and nothing I do can make them go away or mask them. They just seem to linger and linger while my Nag Champa burns away in vain. *sigh*

Saturday aka today is … wait for it… GROCERY SHOPPING DAY. To prepare, I did something I have not done in a long time. I CLIPPED COUPONS. Because see, lately, I’ve been getting these recipes off of Pillsbury.com, and a lot of them use the Crescent rolls. Adam says the rolls are expensive, so I decided to go online and see if they had coupons. AND THEY DO! So I’m going to stock up on them and do a happy dance because there are so many neat things I can make with them. For New Year’s Eve, I made these ham and cheddar crescents, and cheese ‘n pepperoni crescents. I made the cheese ‘n pepperoni ones again a few nights ago. They’re easy and tasty and leftovers can go in the fridge and be reheated in 30 seconds in the microwave. I want to make a bunch and have them ready to go as snacks. I mean, they are the PERFECT snack or appetizer, and for night owl me, who doesn’t want to eat a huge meal at 3:30am, one of those things is just right.

Anyway, I clipped lots of other coupons too, not just Pillsbury ones. Funny thing is that I don’t eat a whole lot these days. Only when I am working in an office do I eat a lot more than I should, and I do eat normally when I am out and about. Here at home, it’s easier to get caught up in whatever I’m doing (usually reading or puttering around on the computer) and not eat until my stomach threatens to kick my butt from here to New York if I don’t fill it with something other than water or lemonade. I get THIRSTY, but not so much hungry. I’m not a good “family” shopper. I lived alone for a while, then Chris did most of the shopping, then I lived alone again, then Adam did/does most of the shopping. He knows how to go and buy things like meat and other items to successfully put together meals, and he does it without too much thought. Me? I have to pore over sales papers and make lists and more lists and clip coupons and study recipes and do it all over again. And I STILL tend to go for the more easy and quick stuff, hence my new obsession with those rolls and everything that can be done with them.

I also ordered a 6-unit case of Apples and Cinnamon Cream of Wheat. See, for years, one could go to a grocery store and buy entire boxes of all sorts of flavors of Cream of Wheat. There was Apples and Cinnamon, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Strawberries and Cream, and Maple Brown Sugar. And of course, the different varieties of Original. My mother said that when I was little I loved Maple Brown Sugar, but as I got older, I started to love Apples and Cinnamon the best. And I ate it for years and years and years and years and years. My favorite breakfast was Cream of Wheat and bacon. Apples and Cinnamon, but I also like the way my grandmother, Madia, made the Original for me. Then, my favorite flavor started disappearing off the shelves. Well, not really disappearing. It started hiding in the Variety Pack boxes, as did the Strawberries and Cream. So, I switched to Brown Sugar Cinnamon and added applesauce to it. Got the same flavor with no lumpy apples, and then THAT one disappeared into the Variety Pack as well. By this time, I was learning a couple of things:

1. Anything I liked, I mean really liked, was suddenly going to likely be off the shelves in a matter of months if not weeks.
2. If something disappears into a variety pack, be prepared kiss it good-bye before long.

This has happened with SO MANY of my favorite foods. A LONG LONG time ago, Doritos once made Sour Cream and Onion Flavor. My cousins and I ate that stuff like we were crazy. Then suddenly, they were no more. Other flavors came and went, but nothing was like those our Cream and Onion Doritos. But we got over it, my cousins and I. And we moved on. To Nacho Cheese. And we’ve been happy with Nacho Cheese ever since. Actually, I am speaking for myself here. They probably are not as particular as I am about Dorito flavor. Anway, the nacho cheese had BETTER NEVER go away or there will be one pissed off little Ronica here in Chicago.

Rice Krispies made Double Chocolately Chunk Treats for years. Then they disappeared into a variety pack. Now you can’t even find them in those, or if you can, it’s very few and far between. I’ve found a few little stores around Chicago in office buildings that will sell an individual one, and I usually make the mistake of buying the whole display and then the jerks raise their prices because they know they have a fanatic on their hands, but as far as getting a multi-pack box from Target or something like that? Nope. I even wrote and asked them about it. And finding the individual bars is like finding a needle in a haystack. Then, out of nowhere came these Rice Krispies Stix. They were like the treats you could break them apart like a Kit-Kat bar. I liked those even better than the treats, but those were gone within WEEKS of being debuted. Those didn’t even make it into a variety pack. They were just … GONE.

When I was in 6th grade, Quaker made Granola Dipps. I loved them. Naturally, they disappeared. Then they came back for a while, then disappeared into the black hole that is Walmart. I spotted them at Strack and Vantil last year, and then they disappeared. Adam found them at Dominick’s, I found them at Jewel, and I think they might be at a Target here and there these days. Every time they go on sale, Adam and I buy about 15 boxes to stock up. They are hard to find and probably going to go away again. They are also very expensive when they are not on sale. That’s the other reason we stock up. Not only do I tend to like foods that disappear, I tend to like foods that are expensive.

In high school, Carnation made these really yummy breakfast bars. You could get them next to the Instant Breakfast drinks. They were so good. I loved them. I’d started eating them during my senior year of high school, and the song Freak Me by Silk was popular. I had the single and the single had a certain mix on it. To this day, if I hear that mix of that song, I crave those stupid breakfast bars. Carnation changed the formula on them and make them gross, then discontinued them. A few years ago, Skippy made these yummy peanut butter bars covered in chocolate. One was peanut butter and marshmallow. Yum. It was a crazy flavor that was soon addictive. Yeah, that was gone within three months.

These things are not discontinued but you can’t get them in Chicago: Cherry pies at McDonald’s (they are SO superior to the apple ones) and BBQ Fritos. What the green hell? No BBQ Fritos? Oh sure, they have Chili Cheese ones (blech) and those honey BBQ Twists (not the same) but no plain old BBQ Fritos? *shaking my head* Messed up. And Twinings JUST discontinued the Tastes of Summer tea, which I LOVE. I have only ONE pack left. I’d been blowing through them, not realizing how precious and limited my supply was. Are my tastes THAT obscure that everything I fall for must disappear?

ANYWAY, back on topic. Now, if I go to to the grocery store, the only Cream of Wheat I can get all in one flavor is Maple Brown Sugar, my original favorite flavored. And Original, of course, when it doesn’t cost $89794888947. EXCEPT–Amazon.com has cases of Apples and Cinnamon Cream of Wheat for $25! Guess who ordered herself one right after the Christmas? (It had been on my wish list but no one picked that gift to send me from it. Not that I am complaining. It’s probably one of those things that makes people go “She can’t seriously want Cream of Wheat for a present” like they say “There is no way she really wants a thesaurus for Christmas”–oh but I would LOVE a thesaurus for Christmas, or the Chicago Manual of Style….)

******NEWS FLASH*******

I JUST FREAKING FOUND A CASE OF THE DOUBLE CHOCOLATELY CHUNK RICE KRISPIE TREATS ON AMAZON.COM. HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP I HAVE HIT THE MOTHERLODE. $8 FOR SHIPPING BUT IT JUST MIGHT BE WORTH IT.

***Dies Dead***

Speaking of shipping, Adam and I tried out Amazon Prime for our holiday shopping and freaking loved it. LOVED IT. My trial membership expired on the 7th. See, it offers free two-day shipping with no minimum purchase. Two-day shipping, you guys. And no scrounging around the site trying to find something eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping to push that total to $25 when you are at $23.47 (and you KNOW that happens more often than not.) You can order something for $9 and still get it in two days, and still get it free. And getting the package with the PREMIUM sticker on it was pretty cool, I do say so myself. We were certainly spoiled. But to keep it will cost $79.99. When Amazon Prime was a free trial, that free shipping was a great deal. It doesn’t seem so great after you pay $80 up front for it. But Adam said we probably spend that much trying to make the Super Saver Shipping eligibility by buying stuff we don’t need to get to $25 (because come on, I know that I’ve never managed to spend under $30 when I was going for SSS anyway–how about you? It’s not really possible. The total is usually just under $25 or a bunch of dollars OVER $25, right?). Maybe I’m just trying to talk myself into signing up for the stupid thing. I dunno, I will have to seriously think about it. I’m glad I tried it, though. It really helped make Christmas easier for us.

Still a little bit bummed that the holiday season is over. But there is a lot to look forward to in 2010 and I know that I’ll back into the swing of things mentally before long. Especially when I find this site with loads of beautiful clothes that I can ill afford to be buying these days. Some day, my friends. Some day I will have that pin stripe skirt and and those alderlass trousers. And there is this pair of shoes… oh God, these shoes! *calming breath* Oh yes, my friends. Some day.

In the meantime, I will try to sleep. And during the day, I will take a break from reading the Series of Unfortunate Events (I am currently in the middle of Book The Fifth) and venture out to the grocery store and possibly Target (we need printer paper and Iams cat food). If I am lucky and feeling up to it and if I can convince Adam, maybe a trip to Barnes & Noble as well. I have a $25 gift card that’s burning a hole in my wallet.

Going to try to sleep now. G’night… er, morning. :O

P.S. Just so you know, if Pillsbury stops making their Crescent Rolls, I will take it personally.

(Originally published at Anywhere Is...)

Who’s getting a paid LJ account? Anyone?

Not I, said the Ronni. At first, I’d definitely planned on it. I was going to save and have enough for it… and I actually do, but I think I’ll simply wait for the next sale to come along. Another two years won’t hurt anything.

I shopped a little bit last night. There are HUGE sales everywhere. I had a $5 gift card to Barnes and Noble, and their 2008 planners are all 20% off. I ended up paying 94¢ for the planner! Wooo. And it’s pink. I’ve never had a pink planner before. My 2007 one is red.

I have so much fun filling out my new planner every year. That’s probably a very dorky thing to do, but I get into it. Different pens, stickers, self-stick notes. Everything. I still have my Dates & Data from my last year in college. I like to save my planners, see what I was up to back in the day. I love the B&N’s planners start in June/July of the current year. I can start using my new one next Friday! And I can leave the red one home for backup.

Yesterday was my first trip to Easton in a long time. That place is designed to make one hungry. All the restaurants pumping out their good smells and making my wallet wiggle. I resisted, though, and went home and made dinner. Yay me.

It’s the first day of summer!! YAY!

(Originally posted at Anywhere Is...)

Double Rainbow on Easter morning 2006

Hola!

Late update, or early, I guess, huh? I’d planned to do it Saturday evening, but a trip to Best Buy beckoned me, where I picked up a digital SLR camera! I got the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and I LOVE IT. I haven’t even gotten a chance to play with it fully, but so far, it’s awesome. I know that I’m going to want lenses next. Heh. I just really wanted a nice camera to take to the Grand Canyon with me. Not that my Sony isn’t nice, because it definitely is, but there is something magical about SLR. I’m going to be totally loaded down when we go out there. YAY for fun pictures!

Speaking of fun pictures, here are a few from the past week:

Another rainbow picture.

Dinner at O’Charley’s on Monday. SO yummy!!!

ROCK ON!!!

Morning Commute.

My week in review:

Monday – work, evening out with friends, including David who was in town for Easter. Yummy O’Charley’s.
Tuesday – work, the cookout at Craig’s.
Wednesday – work, then life group/party at my house. Cookout food, movies, fun.
Thursday – a trip to Half-Price books where I loaded up on CDs, a few books, and bookmarks. I spent over $30, so I got the free tote bag!
Friday – work, then RELAXING the rest of the evening. Reading, watching TV, just trying to dump my brain.
Saturday – wrote, relaxed, napped, shopped, at dinner at Red Lobster. Yummy. Aidan also threw a minor fit and broke the fish bowl (no fish were in it, thank goodness!). No fun. Ha.

So, here is the thing. Lately, I’ve been craving and eating a TON of fish. Well, I guess that’s relative, but yeah. Just fish drenched in lemon juice. That’s what I had tonight and it was sooo yummy. I feel kind of bad, though. I’m eating Freddie and Flossie’s relatives, in a way. but I guess not. Anyway, I’ve been TRYING to eat better. French fries are so dang good, though. However, I’ve increased my intake of fish, veggies, and salads, so that helps, right? I’ve been eating too much red meat, though. I should definitely try to cut that down.

I had the scare of my life. After we were done in Best Buy, we were ready to leave, of course. Aidan stood in the corridor and would not come out. When Chris went to go and get him, he took off into the store and disappeared. I went after him, and couldn’t find him. I alerted a couple of employees, and the guy at the guard desk locked the doors and everyone was on the lookout. Aidan finally came running back up to the front. I didn’t know whether to spank him or hug him. So I picked him up, hugged him and said “You’re in BIG trouble MISTER!” And I was NOT joking.

I get Aidan duty ALL day later on. That will be hard. I’m trying to figure out what we can do. I definitely have to call itskels to see if she wants to go to Old Navy, then I might take Aidan to Bob Evans or something. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. He was up Saturday morning at 7:45am!!!!

I also have to go to the library and drop off some books. I’d LOVE to go to the park, but darned if it’s not supposed to storm tomorrow. BOOOOOOO.

I need to get some rest, though. I’m going to have a busy day. ‘Til next time!

(Originally posted at Anywhere Is...)

Magical Night of Giving was so neat! I got my Christmas shopping started YAY!!!!! I was listening to Christmas music in my car, and yes, I’m in the spirit. A little bit early, but not by much. They stamped my hand and I got all sorts of discounts in loads of stores. Hallmark had a special–buy one roll of regular wrapping paper ($4.99) get a mega roll free. Kaufmann’s had a spend $50 and get a $10 gift card for free. Everywhere had a “spend this and get that” or at least 10% off everything in the store. Free makeovers and hand massages in Sak’s, door prizes. I didn’t see the WNCI guys there, though. Maybe they were at the other mall. Oh well, I had fun anyway.

First highlight of the evening the wrapping paper light saber fight that Kristen and I had:

Then, we tried on dresses.

Here is me and Nikki, matching!

Here is the dress I FELL IN LOVE with. I wanted to buy it so badly, but I don’t have anywhere to go in it, and spending $150 on a dress just because it’s pretty is just not practical!!! But anyway, here I am:

My Mid-Summer Night’s Dream Dress

I had a good time tonight. It’s always great to hang out with a fun bunch of gals. I can’t wait for our fondue night. :D

G’night!!!

(Originally posted at Anywhere Is...)

Hello from Amazon.com.

Good news! We’ve just lowered the price of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” from $17.99 to $16.99.

You don’t need to do anything to get the lower price–we are automatically issuing you a $1.00 refund. This refund should be processed in the next few days and will appear as a credit on your next billing statement. We’ll also send you a follow-up e-mail to confirm the refund once it has been completed.

Thanks again for shopping at Amazon.com. We hope you enjoy your book!

(Originally posted at Anywhere Is...)

Aeropostale now has online shopping.

This could be very bad for my wallet.

I LOVE that darn store.

Off to do my hair now. Good times (not so much).

Later…

(Originally posted at Anywhere Is...)

I am no longer allowing myself to go to Barnes and Noble without supervision. I tend to have a severe lack of self-control when I’m in there. I LOVE books, guys. And around every corner I find one, two, or three more that I want. Last night, I picked up:

- Ten Minute Yoga for Flexibility & Focus (from the Bargin Bin)
- Away Laughing on a Fast Camel: Even More Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
- Webster’s New World Power Vocabulary vol. 2 (from Bargin Bin)
- Angry Little Girls.

I WANT THIS: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Drooooool. Call me sad if you want, but I love dictionaries. LOVE.THEM.

(I used to hate them in 3rd grade–I’m sure my teacher would be shocked to see the word buff I’ve become.)

I’d actually love one of those dictionaries that are so large they have to have their own stands. Like the ones at the library. Whoa.

OR THIS: Twenty Volume Oxford English Dictionary set. $1,350.00!!!! Sacre bleu & Mon Dieu!!!!

Went to Target yesterday and went a little bit crazy. I got a Sonicare Toothbrush and whoa. I love it. I used a sonic toothbrush years and years ago before they even became “trendy,” and I loved it then. But the company stopped making them, and it got to the point where it would never hold a charge anymore, so no more sonic toothbrush for me. Until last night! YAY!

I’m hungry.

OOoooOooo! It’s supposed to be such a pretty day today!! Temps in the 70s, sunshine! My favorite kind of weather! Ooo, Spring please hurry. I am so sick of the winter and cold and greys. I’m ready for nice weather and parties and cookouts (yummy hamburgers on a grill!) and parks, driving barefoot, game nights, and fun,fun,fun!

(Plus, Chris got a big a$$ bonus so we’re finally getting air conditioning! PARTY-TIME!!!)

So UNFOCUSED! Mmyeah, can you say SPRING FEVER??!?!??!

I should get new glasses. I love my drill mounts but they are a right pain in the arse to maintain. They loosen way too often.

And if I want a job in Communication, I’m going to have to leave Nationwide. I’ve lost count of all the jobs I’ve applied for and gotten rejected every single bloody time. If they’d just INTERVIEW me they could see…but they keep yanking in people off the streets. Grrrrrrr. How can someone off the street know more about the company than someone who’s worked here for SIX YEARS?

I know what it is. They see “Administrative Secretary” and immediately think “she’s stupid.” I don’t know why I even bother, here. Secretaries get no love, no respect. So, I’m going to have to keep looking elsewhere.

Everyone keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I am ripe, absolutely RIPE for a new career; one that is closer to my passion of editing/proofreading/writing.

Switching gears…

Have you ever had a feeling, unexplained, that something yummy and exciting was going to happen? I’m getting that feeling now. It’s rare; this blind optimism, this anticipation and tingly hope. I wonder if it’s because it’s sunny and warm outside? Or maybe because I’m wearing lots of pink today? Or perhaps it’s because I’m finally starting to feel more normal and less sick!! I feel like I have energy for days. IT’S GREAT!

I almost broke down and bought one of those “Gossip Girl” books, but decided against it because I prefer first-person told stories over third-person told stories, especially in YA novels. Then I almost bought Broken China, and I think I still might, actually.

Has anyone read those A-List books? What do you think?

Ack. My reading list is growing quicker than my income. Methinks it’s time to head to the library again. Reserve and self-checkout is a beautiful thing. Quick, painless, and I come away with BOOKS!!!!!

You are Deb and you could drink whole milk if you
wanted.

Which Napoleon Dynamite character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Bahahaha! I like Deb. And I use Caboodles.

—————–

Fill out PLEASES!

I __________ Ronni.

Ronni is __________.

Ronni & I are __________.

I wish Ronni and I were __________.

If I were alone in a room with Ronni, I would __________.

I want Ronni to know __________.

I think Ronni should __________.

Ronni needs __________.

I want to __________ with Ronni.

Ronni reminds me of __________.

Someday Ronni will/may __________.

Without Ronni, __________.

The worst thing about Ronni is __________.

The best thing about Ronni is __________.

I am __________ with Ronni.

Is it just me, or do some of those questions seem loaded?

Speaking of questions, I’m REALLY behind on my “ask me anything” thingamabopper. Bear with me. I’ll get to them soon.

Game Night. It’s time to start planning! I guess I’ll wait ’til after we get the air conditioning to have it so people won’t be overly warm in our house. Last year’s was SO MUCH FUN, I can’t wait to have another one. *dances* Game Night Game Night Game Night PARTAY!!!!!!

McDonalds for lunch today, I think! YAY!

I love it when I’m in a great mood.

‘Til later!

(Originally posted at Anywhere Is...)