Eat It (Weird Al)

Tonight, Jeff & I met up with our Groovy Franken Friends for part 2 of trying something new: International Cuisine. Tonight, we had Greek food at Costas Opa's in Fremont.

The service was terrible, but the food was delicious!

We started out with some tasty appetizers that consisted of lots of pitas & some dips for them. I think most of us were pretty full after the appetizers, but that was only the first "course".

Next came the soup. I had the Fasolada (bean & veggies), while most of the others had avgolemono (a lemony soup). Yummy.

Above, is a picture of my dinner plate after I had already had several bites from my Happy Greek platter. There's a beef slouvaki, dolmades, mousaka & spanakopita, along with rice & veggies.

At Costas Opa, they have belly dancers for entertainment on Friday & Saturday nights. Here's a picture of the dancer tonight. She performed for about 35 minutes & was pretty good for what she did.

Next cuisine? Someone threw out Chinese Harbor as a suggestion, though I don't know if we'll really go there next.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Not too warm weather

2. My Groovy Franken Friends

3. Dolmades (am I the only one who likes these??)

4. On the Lot

5. Band Aids

Finally (CeCe Peniston)

Somewhere between 5 & 8 weeks ago, I started putting together this 1000 piece puzzle. Yesterday, it was finally completed. Thanks to Erin, Penny, Katt & Jeff for your help on it. It took about a month & a half to put it together & about 5 minutes to take it apart. I've got two other puzzles, but those will have to wait. Jeff says I can't use the dining room table for the next puzzle (while the puzzle was out, the table was out of commission for use). Since I have a stamp camp in 3 weeks, I can't use my card table for my puzzle... So, I'll have to wait on starting the next puzzle when the stamp camp is over.

I bought a book on Friday on tent camping in Washington. It looked pretty good (when I bought it), but now I am considering returning it. There's a map in the front with a bunch of "tent sites" marked with numbers. Throughout the book, there's several campsite details, but I don't see where the detailed pages match the map locations in the front.

With summer quickly approaching, I'm looking forward to camping with my groovy franken friends & floating down the Yakima a few times each, at least.

I'm also looking forward to going to a few more M's games. My next game is Friday - it's the collectable train car giveaway night (I have all the collectable train cars so far). Anyone interested in getting a group together & eating some overpriced garlic fries & hotdogs this summer? Mmmmmm....

Finally, this comes from Kim's brother's blog:

Please take a moment to remember those who gave their lives and why they fought. Regardless if you think this war is worth their lives, the point is that they thought it was worth it. Thank God that my day is in November, the day for those who served and did come back. Monday is their day because they didn't come back.


Today, I am thankful for:

1. Camping
2. Rafting
3. Cooking
4. Walking
5. Shopping

Dancing Queen (Abba)

I think most people who really know me know that dancing is a passion of mine. I've always said if I could do anything & be successful at it, dancing is what I would choose. Needless to say, I love almost all things dance. I love watching dancing movies (Dirty Dancing is at the top of my list of all time favorite movies, with Center Stage & Footloose also in my top 10 fave movies). I used to love dancing at the clubs in my single days (you could always find me at Polly's on a Friday or Saturday night). Even to this day if a good catchy song comes on the radio or tv, I can be found bopping around to the beat. In fact, just a short while ago, I was dancing to Jump (Pointer Sisters) in the living room.

So what about this dancing bit? Well, one of my favorite shows has just started up again tonight: So You Think You Can Dance. Yay!!

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Ballet
2. Jazz
3. Hip Hop
4. Swing
5. Breakdancing

What a Feeling (Irene Cara)

Last night, Steve & Airi hosted a potluck & poker night for the Groovy Franken Friends. This was the first time in quite some time (at least it seems...) that we've all gotten together and played Texas Hold'em poker. If I were a gamblin' woman, I would have bet money on Steve to win the most monies for the evening. As it turns out, that would have been a losing wager because I was the one who won the most. I turned my $10 into $61-something. Not too shabby considering Steve is the pro poker player of this circle of friends.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Chili & baked potatoes
2. Nickel-Dime-Quarter poker
3. Steve's culinary skills
4. Generosity among strangers
5. E True Hollywood Story

Again (Janet Jackson)

Once again, some of us groovy franken friends got together for a health conscious potluck at Trina & David's house. We brought a WW caesar salad & asparagus, Kim brought a yummy nacho appetizer of baked blue corn tortilla chips & lowfat cheese, beaners & tomatoes. Kat brought a whole wheat pasta salad. David & Katt brought a shrimp salad (not sure how this one was as I didn't have any. Shrimps = grody). The Warkinator showed us his mad BBQ skills on the grill with the ribs & steaks. Yumm-O! Last, but certainly not least, Trina made a delicious dessert using some No Pudge brownies, chocolate pudding, cool whip, strawberries & bananas. MMMMMMM....

I'm looking forward to the next potluck. I like to eat.

I went to Vancouver, BC for a Stampin' Up regional conference Thursday night & came home Friday evening. I wasn't sure what to expect at the border. Going in to Canada, it wasn't all that bad. The gal grilled us as to why we were there, but the wait itself was nothing. Coming home was another story. We left the Convention Center at 5:30 & it took 2 hours to get to the border from the Gastown region. Much of that was driving through the rush hour traffic & the other part of it was the line to get back into The States.

The conference itself was pretty okay. I was really super excited to be there in the morning & then after lunch, I just wanted to go home. I was tired (I had very little sleep the night before) & was just having troubles staying alert. I did get some great ideas & samples of projects. And let's not forget the best part: a free stamp set that will appear in the 2007-2008 catalog. Yay!

What's on the agenda next? Get myself (& Jeff) a passport. I think it's much easier to travel with a passport than having to get out the birth certificate/drivers license



Speaking of drivers licenses... sorta... I went to renew my tabs last week & saw in the licensing agency place a poster with a bunch of special license plates. I contemplated getting one & then decided against it thinking that's $40 I don't need to spend. Well, then I kept thinking about it & changed my mind. So, this is going to be my new license plate... Except it won't say, "SMPLE"; it'll have numbers on it.

Work is going okay. We're still in the middle of our merger. Our overtime has been eliminated until the wknd of the merger when we will be having mandatory overtime. Our department is at maximum occupancy for our space & we are getting one of the other CU employees & so what does this mean? We are moving to another area of the same floor & I will have a window as part of my cubicle. Yay! Not a terrific view or anything, but a window is a window

Funny story... I went to Jeff's cousin's bridal shower at Emerald Downs last weekend where one of the friends of the bride (I think she's also a bridesmaid) looked SO familiar to me. We didn't really get a chance to talk to figure it out, but as it turns out, we were in 3rd grade together. Yes, I looked through my old class photos until I found her

My March of Dimes walk is next Saturday. I hope the weather holds up. The last 3 years I've done it, the weather has been gorgeous (for that early in the a.m.). I'm really pleased with the amount of money I've raised so far this year. Thanks to everyone who has helped to support me in this very worthwhile cause.

Today, I am thankful for:
1. Lasting friendships
2. Sunshine
3. Sunglasses
4. Aspirin
5. Waking up at the butt-crack-o-dawn

The Gambler (Kenny Rogers)

I'm back & finally blogging about my trip to Las Vegas. Overall, I had a good time & would love to go back before the end of the year to go check out Celine Dion. This is her last year performing, afterall.

So, in case anyone reading is interested, here's the trip in a nutshell:

Sunday - we arrive at the airport & have lunch at Qdoba while waiting for our take-off time. Not a bad wait. Not a bad lunch. I was even able to buy a new shower sponge thingy & shower gel as I had forgotten to pack my own. After landing, we picked up our checked luggage (we had to check luggage due to those darn fluid restrictions) & headed off to our hotel, The Excalibur. Kat & I unpacked & then it was off to the Rio for our 7pm showing of Tony & Tina's Wedding. T&TW was just okay. I'm glad I saw it because I had heard of it before & wanted to see it, but I wouldn't see it again. It was just... weird. Different. A bit too chaotic for me. It's an interactive dinner/theater where you're a guest at Tony & Tina's wedding. After T&TW, we caught a (free!!) shuttle back to Caesar's Palace, walked over to the Bellagio & took a few pictures & walked back to The Excalibur.

Two things I didn't know about prior to this trip: The Aladdin is now (or is becoming) Planet Hollywood. The sign currently says, "Planet Hol". The Barbary Coast is now Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon. And, while we didn't stop for greasy late night breakfast "goodness", I did read the sign on the side of the building that read it's now $4.95. So much for cheap eats. Heh.

Monday began with breakfast at the Sherwood Cafe, the 24 hour diner at The Excalibur where I had a philly cheesesteak & fries. Yumm! Not the most conventional breakfast, but it was mighty tasty nonetheless. We then went over to The Luxor, Mandalay Bay & MGM Grand to check out the lion exhibit. After that, it was off to the M&M Factory & Coca-Cola Store. Yeah.... I just can't get excited about candy & coke like Joanna can. Man... Well, she didn't buy anything, but still... I could have gotten by on this trip without going to these two stores.

On the way back to our hotel room, we stopped and picked up 3 Yards of Margaritas. Mine was peachy & mighty tasty. It was right about this time that my head started pounding. I don't think I can blame the 'alcohol' because I really don't think there was much in it. But I was in pain pretty much the rest of the day from this point forward & we still had lots to do. We went to see Tournament of Kings at The Excalibur & afterwards, we caught the hour long $2 busride up to Fremont Street so Kat & Joanna could check out the Fremont Street Experience. I did muster enough energy to play some $5 craps.

Tuesday wasn't so bad. We started out with breakfast at America in the NYNY Hotel & Casino. I did have eggs, hashbrowns & toast here. I was, afterall, still not 100% from the day before. Well, that & all they had to offer was "breakfast" foods at the time we were there. From here, we walked to (& through) the Desert Passage at the Aladdin/Planet Hol where we each bought some aloe lotion stuffs. Next stop, Paris where Joanna had to have her pastries. By the time Kat sat down with her Creme Broule, Joanna had already downed her 4 pastries. This is a pic of Kat's creme broule. Very tasty, Kat. Thanks for sharing even if others didn't want to. Next, we were off to Caesar's Palace where we picked up our Elton John tickets. And, you can't go to Caesar's Palace without doing a little shopping in the Forum Shoppes. Joanna bought some opal earrings there. Ch-Ching! Let's just say, opals aren't cheap & leave it at that.

When Trina went to Vegas a couple weeks earlier, she mentioned eating at Emeril's restaurant at the MGM Grand. I couldn't imagine spending that much money on a meal & said we probably wouldn't do that. But then there was this seed planted in my head... it *would* be fun to eat at a fancy schmancy restaurant. So, that's what we did. We ate at Emeril's other restaurant, Delmonico, in The Venetian. It was remarkable! The service was extraordinary & the food was outstanding. Two thumbs up from me.

After Delmonico's, Joanna rushed off to the MGM Grand for her show, Cirque du Soleil's Ka while Kat & I headed back over to the Coliseum at Caesar's Palace for the Elton John concert. I'm glad we went albeit weird. He sounded fine, but he had random film playing in the background that made no sense to me. But what really made no sense was the inflatable fruit & other stuff on stage... like the banana with 2 cherries at it's base. The hotdog. The lipstick. The ice cream cone. The boobs hanging on the wall. It was just so random. Afterwards, Kat & I walked back to the hotel. It was a relatively early night for everyone since we were waking up at 6am the next morning.

And here we are... home again.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Past & future vacations

2. Friends who don't drive me crazy after a day together

3. Ranch

4. Digital Cameras

5. Using my own bed & towels.

Fun Fun Fun (Beach Boys)

Two posts, back to back. Whoa!

We got home about an hour ago from Kim's place in Ballard. Lots of good eats shared among friends. My favorite was, by far, the artichoke dip. Yumm-O!

Next time we play Scene It, I want The Warkinator on my team!


Today, I'm thankful for:

1. Overtime
2. Roast beef
3. Edamame
4. Laughter
5. My husband (I love you!!)

What's Going On? (Four Non Blondes)

It's been a long while since I've posted anything. So, what's going on?

Jeff & I went to see Rod Stewart at Key Arena a few weeks back. Good show, but the (old) man can't dance & should stop trying; he just looks silly.


Jeff went to AZ with Randy to catch a few M's Spring Training games & hang out with Ryan.

I am leaving in a week to Las Vegas with Joanna & Kat.



Joanna wants to get rid of her cat because it's now "high maintenance" (it poo's on her carpet & she doesn't like it (!!)

I am putting in a day of overtime tomorrow to work on merger stuff. Ch-Ching!

Had some mighty tasty ribbies at Famous Dave's for David's birthday on Wednesday.

I'm still trying to collect monies for my March of Dimes walk on 05May07. Please, feel free to donate at the above link. You can use credit, cash, check, paypal.

My jury duty is over. I had a really good time doing it. It was fascinating; I wasn't bored at all. I imagine if I wasn't selected for a jury, I might have a different opinion of it. In a nutshell, my case was a civil lawsuit between two neighbors where one had cut down 147 trees on the other's property, claiming they had permission. We found in favor of the plaintiff, claiming the defendants didn't have enough 'proof'. The plaintiffs will win upwards of $260,000!

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Leftovers

2. Bleu Cheese

3. Google Images

4. Vacations

5. Puzzles.

If You Wanna be Happy (Jimmy Soul)

I really didn't have anything specific to post about tonight so this post may be very short & sweet or it could end up being random & long. We'll see how it goes...

I had this whole bit typed up & then deleted it all because I think it was a little 'too' deep for the mood I'm in right now. As random as it is, this was all I saved & I'm leaving it at that:

I believe having a positive outlook on life has been something I've been blessed with & for that, I am thankful.

I have to post about my great find over the weekend. I got a coupon in the mail a few weeks back for a free (yes, free!!) panty from Victoria’s Secret. Also, in the flyer was a mention of $25 off 2 bras. All girls (& probably some guys too) know how expensive VS is so when you have free anything from there & $25 off other stuff, you gotta jump at it. The bras I normally get I couldn't find (& I was in a hurry so I didn't want to take too long searching) but I found one that was similar for $24 each, but on sale for 2/$39. And, with my $25 off coupon, that came to $16 & change for 2 bras & a panty. Score one for me!!

There's this billboard at the Auburn train station that's had my eye for the last couple weeks or so. It clearly reads, "5 tacos + soda for $4.99". I love tacos & I love cheap. Why hello, Taqueria El Reconsito. Jeff & I finally checked out this hole in the wall, chain restaurant on Saturday & had our fill of tacos. A serious dive, but from what I understand, the authenticity of the cuisine was very close to that of Mexico. Yumm!

In other news, I think my lump is healing nicely. It's not really tender to the touch anymore. The bruising has faded. The hole isn't crusted over & nasty. I'm not wearing bandaids anymore. As Bo Bice would say, "it's a good thing."

Speaking of American Idol... Did anyone see the result show last week? I am not a fan of Kellie Pickler, but did she get a little augmentation in the bustal area since her last AI appearance? Yikes! She looked like she was about to have a wardrobe malfunction & bust out of her top!

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Forgiveness
2. My health
3. Somebody moved my cheese
4. Diversity
5. Not having ‘quiet hours’

Overjoyed (Stevie Wonder)

As I was laying in bed this morning, I was kinda hesitant about getting out of bed because I knew this was the day that the wick was to come out & after experiencing the pain I felt on Sunday & Monday, I was NOT looking forward to inflicting that upon myself once again. I did, however, suspect that it wouldn't be nearly as bad as just a few days ago because the wick hadn't been in as long as that one was.


So, I got up. Went potty. Pulled the gauze off my leg. Yep, wick still there. Look out hot shower (doctor's orders), here I come. I still wasn't looking forward to pulling it out, but carried on about my business by washing my face & then onto my hair. After I rinsed my hair, I look down to see my wick is missing. It must have fallen out with the water pressure on it (it wasn't a very long wick to begin with). Yes!! I don't have to pull it out, afterall. Needless to say, I was superthrilled!


What's more, I poked at it a little bit to see if more pus/stuff would come out & it didn't hurt at all. Woo!! You can kinda see in the picture where the hole is & how big it is. There is a little bruising around it, but the skin is mostly irritated from the tape being on it.

Amerian Idol is in full swing. This week, the boys were FAR better than last week. The two that I thought were the weakest & likely being sent home were Sanjaya & Brandon, though that saddens me because I really liked Sanjaya in his auditions & want to see more of him. A couple of the guys sang songs that I didn't know or like & so it was really hard for me to tell if they were singing them good. For example, I wasn't impressed by Sundance (I'd like to see him go home) & the judges just raved about him.

Tonight, after watching the girls perform, there are 3 that I would not be surprised if they were voted off: Antonella, Haley & Alaina. I don't think Antonella will be going home this week for two reasons - 1. I think she's this season's Kellie Pickler (cute, but ditzy & can't sing) & 2. there's some buzz going around about some naked pictures of her on the internet. I haven't seen them, so I don't know for sure, but I think she'll get a fan base because of it.



Today, I am thankful for:


1. Mountain surprise
2. Bike shorts
3. Having multiple TVs
4. Approved overtime
5. Marie Callender's delivery

Better Off Dead (Bad Religion)

So today, I pretty much wanted to die. Okay, not really, but severing my leg at the groin would have been A-OK with me. Man, this whole infected sweat gland thing isn't fun. Lucky me, eh?

So, when I went to the doctor on Saturday, she said it was looking good & healing nicely. Yay me. She left the wick in & said to pull it out about 1/4" each day & come back on Wednesday. Uh... What?

Sunday afternoon, I went to take a shower & gave my wick a tug to no avail. It hurt like a mutha. At that instant, I swear I was about to pass out. I started shaking & sweating, nausea nearly took over me & I was out of breath. If Jeff had seen me, he probably would have dialed 911. But, I'm strong (sometimes); I knew this would pass & it did... several minutes later. I covered up the wick w/a waterproof bandaid & got in the shower. Near the end, I started feeling a bit woozy once more & quickly got out so as not to fall down in the tub. As Ryan would put it, "that's bad." I spent the rest of the day on the sofa.

This morning (monday), I went to give my wick a tug again & it wouldn't budge, but it did hurt an awful lot (& once again, the sweating & shaking ensued). So, I left it alone & carried on about my business & went to work. I called the doctor & told them that this wick pulling wasn't working for me & made an appointment for later on this same day. The doc looked at my leg, said it was healing nicely as well. Then she took out the wick & Oh My Goodness!! At that point, I wanted to die. She said she could leave it be & use a local anesthetic on it (like they used when they cut it open 5 days earlier) & try pulling it out once it was numb. I told her it wasn't necessary because her pulling the wick out felt just like the needle giving the anesthetic did (a local pinpoint "prick" feeling) & that it would be over soon, so please hurry :o)

She was going to just leave it open & let it close, but then at the last minute, she changed her mind & put another wick in. NOOOOO!! But, she said to go ahead & pull it out on Wednesday. Basically, what had happened with the first wick was my lovely goo (pus) had kinda grown on/around the wick & it was blocking it from coming out with ease. Again, lucky me. But, with this new wick, it will only have been in my leg for less than 2 days (surely not enough time for the goo to attach itself to my wick... or is it??).

So, what's on the agenda for now? Moist heat compresses on my leg. Continue with the antibiotic regimen. I have the option of going back in on Wednesday, but I'm guessing that won't be necessary. Well, we'll see. Seeing how my luck has been, I'll be back, I'm sure.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Mid-day busses going home
2. Lamb in Love
3. Drive thru dining
4. Food Network
5. Independence

Lump (Presidents of the United States of America)

Last Friday, when I went to bed, I noticed a marble sized lump on my inner thigh. Of course, I poked & prodded at it all night long to make sure it was really there or if it had gone away yet. And, of course it hadn't. Instead, I think I made it bigger or at least more tender & gave it a bruise. My first thought? I have leg cancer. My second thought? Who gets leg cancer?

When it didn't go away on Monday, I made an appointment with good ol' UW Physicians. My doctor poked at it some, asked if it hurt (yes, but not unbearably so) & then diagnosed it as a "not uncommon" infected sweat gland. Doesn't that sound pleasant? She wrote a prescription for some antibiotics & told me to take a hot bath (as hot as I can stand) several times a day or put a heating pad on it & come back on Wednesday to drain it. I like baths, but that wasn't going to work for me. I took one that night & the next day after work, bought a heating pad.

Wednesday, I went in to get the sucker drained. Two doctors looked at it this time (one was consulting the other to see if it was liquified enough to be drained). They decided to give it a go. The most painful part of the day was getting the local anesthetic. That needle hurt!! But, once it was numb, I didn't feel the scalpel cutting my skin. Didn't feel the doc squeezing the pus out of it (by the way, the pus looked like mom's secret sauce - you know, ketchup & mayo mixed together). Didn't feel her inserting the gauze into the hole (yes, INTO the hole). She sent me home with some gauze, tape & a medical glove to put it in. After my fun appointment (which lasted close to an hour), I went into work & only then, after walking for a short ways, did it start to hurt. The doc had offered some drugs (vicadin) for the pain, but I didn't think I needed it. And, I survived without it thus far.

So, here I am with what looks to be a candle's wick poking out of my leg. It hurts some, but it's not totally excruciating. I think I'll survive.

Saturday, I go in to get my wick either replaced or removed. I'm not sure which. Either way, I'm honestly NOT looking forward to it. Thinking about the wick makes me nauseaus. Literally.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Doctors able to see me 'last minute'

2. Aleve

3. Bruno's

4. American Idol

5. Food Network

Sunshine On My Shoulders (John Denver)

This morning, I woke up about 10 minutes after 8 & the sky is, for the most part, blue. I absolutely love it when I go to bed & it's been kinda nasty out or dark & grey and then the next morning, it's so clear outside. Seems it's most often like this in the spring. I love it!

Thursday night, I had gone up to Joel's & Mickey's house to check out their Fortune presentation. When I was just about home, the time/temperature sign at the bottom of the hill said it was like 49° & my car said 51° (my car, for some reason is always 2° higher than that particular sign). Mind you, this was close to 11pm. I was kinda surprised how 'warm' it was for how late it was for how early in the year it was (it's still only mid-february afterall).

I thought the Fortune concept was interesting, but since I still have a few unanswered questions, I won't post my opinion on here of the whole thing just yet. Joel, I'll get those questions to you in the next week or so. I'm not necessarily interested in becoming a manager, but just have general questions on how it'll all work out, etc.

Tonight, Jeff & I are hosting a potluck & games night with our friends. It originally started with Trina & David coming over as a thank you for having Jeff & I over at their house several weeks ago for dinner & a really bad movie. She asked if we wanted to invite others over & make it a group shindig & I said sure; I love my friends so c'mon on over. I'll be making some meatballs in the crockpot. Mmmmm!

Yesterday at work, I was chatting w/a co-worker via email about our plans for the 3-day wknd (President's Day is on Monday, ya know). She said she was going up to her cabin on Camano Island & invited me & Jeff to come along to hang out & play games. I said no because they're going up on Sunday & I have a Stamp Camp on Sunday & we wouldn't get there til late anyways. But, I invited her & her husband to our game night. It might be a little awkward because Mindy & I have never actually hung out outside (or inside) of work; she works at our Kirkland branch & I'm downtown Seattle. We talk on the phone a bit (when she has work related questions). Anyways, though I have a feeling they won't come, I hope they do. It's nice to make new friends. Kat & I have talked about this before: you don't get many opportunities to make new friends when you're older. And we all know about the social butterfly that I am.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. My Valentine
2. Rod Stewart
3. Kitchen scales
4. Melonballers
5. CHOCOLATE!!

Lady in Red (Chris de Burgh)

It's been a pretty busy few days since I last posted. At least it seems that way.

Friday, a bunch of us met up in Seattle at Bandit's Bar for two reasons: to help celebrate Kim's 31st birthday & to meet the love of her life, Henry. It was quite crowded as Kim is the popular gal with all her friends so unfortunately, we didn't get to spend as much time as I think any of us would have preferred to spend with either Kim or Henry. But, from what I can tell, they are both very much into each other & are quite the happy couple. Sounds like there's some great plans for them to see each other in the not *too* distant future as Henry is coming back to N. America & some possible co-habitating plans are in the works.

I wonder what it takes to get a passport these days... I see some traveling in my future...

Saturday, Jeff & I took 3 big garbage bags full of clothes to the Goodwill. We also tried to give them 2 microwaves, but they wouldn't accept 'em. Not quite sure why on that one. They work just fine. If you're interested, leave a message on here. The microwaves are free. I was *kinda* sad because I did give away my prom dress & two other formal dresses I had. Okay, not like I'm ever going to wear any of 'em again, but they were pretty dresses. Or, at least back in the day, they were.

Saturday night, Jeff & I spent the evening together, playing cards, watching a little tv & drinking. I had my fair share of Smirnoff Ice. I've got two bottles left & after that I am done. Blech! I wasn't totally wasted, but was in bed before midnight. Of course, that's not any measure of anything... I'm usually in bed before midnight on every other night.

Sunday, I awoke with a headache, but was still able to do all the things I wanted to / had to. I cleaned house some (there's always dishes to do around here...). I made yet another crotch pot meal - split pea with ham soup. Yum! I went to David & Katt's house for some Superbowl goodness. And, I watched several cooking shows I had recorded.

Today, I am thankful for:
1. Aspirin
2. Hot & Spicy drumsticks
3. Easy to make split pea soup
4. Belly dancing classes
5. Tupperware

I Wanna be Rich (Calloway)

I got an email from my boss this morning saying she had my review done, she tracked down the paperwork & would I be available at 3:00 for my annual review? Holy cow & heck yeah. My review was actually processed on time & ready for me on time. This is awesome! Now I had to wait all day (well, til 3p anyways) to see the results. I knew it wasn't entirely bad because she eluded the other day that I did, in fact, get an increase. Just how much was that increase going to be?

A year ago, when I started working in the department, I had a goal in my mind of how much of an increase I wanted. After realizing I was slacking in an area or two, I thought to myself, "there's no way I'm getting my desired increase." I was, however, pleasantly surprised with the amount she gave me. It was less than my desired amount, but more than what I thought I was getting. Actually, it was just about in the middle of what I had originally wanted & what I thought I would get.

What's also cool, in my opinion, is that I'll be getting promoted to the next "tech" level shortly, so that's another 5% increase in pay. Hopefully, that will happen within the next month. Ch-Ching!! I so can't wait.

With my additional income, I'm going to work at paying off my car even faster. According to the online calculators, I *should* have it paid off by 9/08 rather than 5/09 IF I am diligent in making those extra payments.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Grilled cheese sammies

2. Chicken noodle soup (condensed)

3. Bourbon street salad from Beba's Deli

4. Raisin bran cereal

5. Fiber One &/or Kashi cereals

I Fought the Law & the Law Won (Bobby Fuller)

I hate it when I'm trying to scam someone/something & they stop my scam mid-way through. I got a call a couple weeks ago saying I had entered some drawing & while I didn't win the "grand prize" - a bbq, I did win a free trip to one of 4 places - Orlando, Jamaica, Cancun or Las Vegas plus dinner at some restaurant. Sweet... Sorta. All I had to do was listen to some 90 minute spiel about this new "travel agency". Nothing to sign up for. Nothing to buy. Just to "think of" this travel agency next time I wanted to do some travel. Okay, I can do that. I've sat through a Trendwest presentation before & I suspected it was a timeshare-type deal I was going to have to listen to.

He'll deny it, but I swear Jeff said he would sit through this thing with me. We bailed on the presentation I had signed us up for because Jeff wasn't happy about having to do it & I would rather have spent time with my husband, not in a hostile mood. We went to dinner instead & had a great time.

A day or two later, the people called me & asked what had happened & would we be willing to reschedule. Sure, I'll reschedule & I'll go alone this time. Only, I won't tell them that I'm going alone because they're expecting Jeff to be there.

So, I show up without Jeff & the receptionist gal tells me we're going to have to reschedule for when the both of us could make it. I then tell her point blank that if that's the case, I'm not interested in what she has to sell me & I walk away. We'll see if they call back to "reschedule" once more. I suspect not, but if they do, someone will be getting an earful from me.

Is it wrong to scam? Sure. Do I feel bad about trying to scam this company? Of course. Am I angry they wasted my time? You better believe I am. She turned me away, claiming the need to reschedule, without knowing my situation. She was quick to pass the judgement & for that, I would not go back. Incidentally, I did sit through a TrendWest presentation several years ago, alone, because my significant other wasn't available at the last minute.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. The law

2. Law enforcers

3. Law abiders

4. Boston Legal

5. Leftovers

Whoomp! There it is (Tag Team)

It's about time that I get another update on my blog. I was going to use Staind, It's Been Awhile for my blog title, but I've already used that once before. And, it's my goal to not duplicate my song titles. So, Whoomp, there it is...

I've started to listen more & more to 92.5 (Moving) and less & less of 101.5 (STAR). I don't think my tastes in music has entirely changed, but I'm liking that I can hear Neneh Cherry's Buffalo Stance, Usher's Caught Up, Christina Aguilera's Aint No Other Man & Tag Team's Whoomp, all while getting ready for work in the morning. They're fun songs with an upbeat beat that makes me wanna shake my moneymaker. How am I supposed to booty-pop to Anna Nalick's Breathe, Hinder's Lips of an Angel or Sister Hazel's Mandolin Moon? It's just not happenin'.

Kat, Joanna & I have booked our trip to Las Vegas for April 8-11th. I think we got a pretty kick-ass deal: we're staying 3 nights & paying only $280 each & that includes air & hotel (at the Excalibur). It's not the best hotel on the strip, but honestly, how much time do you actually spend in your room? I wanted to try out a hotel I haven't stayed at before. It was a toss up between the Excalibur & Luxor. Excalibur won because it was slightly cheaper. I'm saving all my money for shows.

Originally, we talked about going to Las Vegas because Joanna wants to see the Cirque Du Soleil show Ka. I wanted to go because I wanted to see Celine Dion before she ends her concerts there (she's not going to perform beyond this year, I hear). As it turns out, she's on vacation for the 2 weeks around the time we're there. So instead, I'm going to watch another from my list: Elton John. I'm actually really excited to see Elton John. I'm weird, I know...

So, either I'm SOL on the Celine Dion show or I'm just gonna have to go back before the year is over. I suspect SOL is the more likely option.

Well, I've made it one year in my department at work. It's so crazy how fast the time goes by! What's really cool is that my boss actually has my review done on time. She's fairly notorious for being late with those things. What's even more cool is that I will be getting an increase. I was pretty worried because there is one area of my job that I have not been doing. At all. Not because I don't want to do it (okay, maybe a little), but I just don't "get" it. And, because I don't get it, I just don't want to do it. BUT, all that is changing. I'm starting to see all the pieces of the puzzle & it's becoming clearer & clearer to me what it is I'm supposed to be doing. I hope my raise is more than a piddly nickel.

And by the way, my old boss still sucks. Funny thing is we do these surveys on each other & without revealing my sources, I hear she tied for the lowest rating. But, I guess the joke's on us because she's not paid like the rest of the staff who gets rated, but rather like the senior managers (who aren't rated at all). She gets a payout regardless of how little the staff likes her.

I bought a Fix It & Forget It - Lightly cookbook. It's light meals for the crock pot. So far, I've tried 3 recipes. The first two were decent (I thought. Jeff didn't like them until day 2), but the one I made yesterday was nasty boring. It's supposed to be a sweet & sour chicken over potatoes, but it was SO very bland. Blech! Ick! Grody!

Last Saturday, Kat & I went to Aimee's Tastefully Simple party. The lady she used was MUCH much better than the lady I used. It seems to be a successful party for her. So much so that she may start selling it herself. If you haven't heard of or tried Tastefully Simple, next time I have a party, you should definitely come. The foods are SO tasty & VERY easy to make. The dips really only take sour cream, mayonnaise or cream cheese. And, if you're watching your figures, you can use the non/low fat options. Oh, and the beer bread is divine!!

A couple Friday's ago, I went up to Joel's place & played the wii. I'm trying to convince Jeff that we need to have one of these. Though I didn't play a super huge ton amount, I had a blast. That game is fun.

My cousin Deborah's daughter, Julia, was in the hospital last week with RSV. Fortunately, she's out of the hospital now & doing well. Seems like it would be scary to have a child with RSV. They had spent several days in the hospital with her. She was hooked up to a few monitors & stayed under an oxygen tent. Abe, her dad, has some videos & pictures on his blog, too.

I'm happy to announce that one of my favorite shows has started up again. American Idol is just starting with their in-city auditions. Next week, they should start my favorite part of the show: when they go to Hollywood & start kicking people off.

My Stampin Up business is doing really well right now. I've had 2 camps in the last 3 weeks or so & 3 more coming up over the next month. Yay! One gal I work with asked me to do a camp for her and her friends who are "experienced" stampers. They want more "advanced" techniques. I thought this was going to be challenging for me, but I don't think it will be afterall. My biggest "challenge" (if you can even call it a challenge) is hoping they like my projects enough to want to continue having me do camps for them. With the help of the SplitCoastStamper gals, I don't think it will be a problem.

At Aimee's Tastefully Simple party, Shayna (the consultant) said that when her neighborhood does their annual yard sale, she gets her friends who are also DSAs for various companies & invites them to set up tables in her home with their products. She invited me to participate with my Stampin' Up stuff when they do this. I'm super excited about this opportunity.

Lastly, the Superbowl is this weekend. We had invited folks to our place to watch, but David & Katt has decided they want to throw a party instead. We weren't going to throw a "party", but rather just watch the game, the commercials, eat some nummy grub & drink a drink or two. So, we're going down to P-town to watch & enjoy our FrankenFriends.

Okay, see what happens when I don't blog for awhile? My blog is super long.

Today, I am thankful for:
1. My fabulous hubby who washed my car & changed my wipers without being asked
2. Mariners Collector Train Night 30th Anniversary Car
3. Being able to sell stuff using retired stamp sets
4. SBC Cocoa Trio
5. Employment

The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades (Timbuk 3)

In the past, I've had a few cases where I just *knew* something was up. A premonition, perhaps? A hunch, perchance? Maybe I've got a little psychic capabilities within me. Here's the 3 that come to mind when I think of these things:




1. I was dating a guy who took me to a bbq where I met a bunch of his friends for the first time. When he introduced me to one of his female friends, with absolutely no reason to think this, I thought, "I wonder how far along she is..." Shortly after, a bunch of girls were standing around her, shrieking their congratulations to her as she just announced she was pregnant. Oooh, weird!




2. Remember that old movie Parenthood? I loved that movie when I was younger. Okay, I admit it, I still get a chuckle out of it (when your sliding into home and your pants are filled with foam.. diarrhea.. diarrhea..). Anyways, one day out of the blue, I was just wondering to myself, "I wonder whatever happened to Ivyann Schwan..." She's the one who played the little girl, Patty. A few days later, I went to a Mariner's baseball game & she sang the National Anthem. Oooh, creepy!









3. I used to work in a building where the employee bathrooms were in plain view of my cubicle & one day, the branch manager walked into the bathroom & it just popped into my head, "Janet's pregnant." I didn't know Janet on a personal level so I couldn't exactly come out and accuse her of being pregnant. But when she did make her announcement, I felt like I had already known. Oooh, strange!


So, what does this have to do with anything? Well, today was kinda another one of those days. Tonight, Jeff & I were driving towards Federal Way when out of the blue, I asked him, "If I knew we were going to be rear ended, would you want me to tell you?" The reason I asked was if you "know" you're going to be in an accident, you tend to tense up & it can hurt worse than getting his without knowing/without tensing up. Lo & behold, we were driving to Azteca when boom, we were rear ended. Oooh, freaky!

Thankfully, everyone was okay (as far as I can tell thus far). We were at a stop light where I stopped, then pulled forward a little bit more to turn right & almost went, but there was a car coming & so I actually stopped again. That's when the little Acura hit us. He had gone under my car a little bit & I could only tell this when we got out of the cars & looked at whatever damage was done. My car was fine. His, however, was not. His hood was smashed up a little bit, one of his headlights was broken & there was black all over the front end of his hood, from my spare tire that hangs below the trunkal area of my Xterra. I wish I had my camera with me.

He said we had two options - exchange info or not exchange info. Since he didn't have insurance (bad driver!!), he'd prefer if we didn't, but understood if we did want to go that route. He knew it was his fault & since the damage was to his car only that he'd have to pay for whatever to fix it. Since there wasn't any damage to my car, I didn't see any reason to involve the authorities or our insurance companies.



Today, I am thankful for:


1. 10 free Ateca dinners, courtesy Speedy Auto Glass
2. $5.99 movies from Best Buy
3. 40 free Blockbuster flicks
4. 1 Jesus shoe & shell necklace found in borrowed suitcases
5. 7 grams of fiber in my air-popped popcorn

Santa Claus is Coming to Town (various)

Well, technically it's Christmas day. I'm so sleepy. It's 2:30am right now & I have no idea what I'm still doing up. I'm not a little kid anymore, waiting for my parents to go to bed so I can sneak downstairs & peek into my presents. In fact, I think Jeff is wrapping gifts for me & the only thing that separates us is a sofa.


Earlier this evening, we did our traditional Christmas Eve deal where we get together with our friends. We did a gift exchange at David's house in Puyallup, which by the way is incredible. We did dinner at Denny's. We didn't, however, leave our big tip for our server. We didn't have the worst service ever, nor was it the best. I think most people felt it wasn't that great & so, let's not leave a tip. It was decided that we would collect our monies (& then some??) & donate it to a charity of sorts instead. I'm not sure if it was 100% decided, but many were leaning towards some kind of animal charity such as the Humane Society. I'm cool with that.


We did our version of the white elephant gift exchange. I don't know if we did it right, but we did it & we had fun. I went home with a drink making set (comes with shaker & some other utensils used to make drinks). I'm really excited with what Jeff came home with (since I'll most likely use it more than he will) - some small bowls that are perfect for storing small amounts of food or for food preparation (maybe holding some chopped onion or something like that, a silicone basting brush (coulda used one of these yesterday) & a DVD: Love, Actually. The weirdest gift would have to be from Steve - a shocking game. You hold on to these joystick-like things & when the music stops playing, the last person to press their button gets shocked. When David, David, Katt & Steve were playing.. it looked pretty darn painful. I'm glad I didn't end up with that gift!



Oh, one funny thing happened tonight during our gift exchange. We hadn't planned for everyone to do a gift exchange for everyone, but Jeff & I wanted to give a picture from our Hawaii trip to everyone who was in it - a picture from our wedding day where we all stood giving our best impression of Frankenstein. Great minds think alike because David & Katt had the exact same idea. So, now we all have two copies of the funniest picture ever!


Jess - I don't know if you read this anymore, but if you do... happy belated birthday. Hope yours was spent with those you love. I was thinking about ya.


Today, I am thankful for:
1. My Stupendous Spouse
2. My Fabulous FrankenFriends
3. My Dynamite Dad
4. My Incredible In-Laws
5. My Kooky Kitties

Do Re Mi (Julie Andrews)

I'll be the first to admit we have a pretty crazy work dynamic in my department. My boss is sometimes the root of all that's evil, but mostly, she's just being her micro-managing self & I accept her for who she is. And, it's those times when she's being her goofy self that I really laugh out loud & enjoy working with her.

The other day at work, Faith was talking aloud & all she says was, "So...." to which Debbie answers (like she often does when someone says "So..."), "A needle pulling thread."

Usually, this mini-convo ends right there, but Faith continued with a, "La..." to which Debbie answers, "A note to follow so"

I pipe in with, "Ti..." to which Debbie answers, "And A". That was followed with about a minute of uncontrollable laughter as I was not expecting that answer from my boss of all people!

I love my job.

Today, I am thankful for:
1. Sense of humor
2. Envelope systems that work
3. My shortest post yet
4. Non-Lasagna
5. Employment