Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Goodbye to R's Grandpa

Many *hugs* for my friend, R, and her family who lost a good man this morning. I feel like I've been at the hospital with her every day for the last month with all her phone calls. I'm glad her grandfather isn't in pain anymore, and glad that he passed quickly with all of his family around. The doctors and nurses also had grown to know and care for him so it's a loss for many people. <3 <3

Big Dance House

The Big Bang Theory: 3x02 Hee heeeeee I hate hate hate crickets right now. This house is famous for golf ball sized ones around this time of year. It's certainly holding true so far. I've killed so many I should be getting a title any minute now.

So You Think You Can Dance: Audition 6x04 Atlanta Not everyone can choreograph, but god, I hate what the self-help culture has done to people. I was having a conversation about that yesterday. Bettering yourself is one thing, having confidence is great, but blind faith that you'll be the best at everything you do is unattractive and annoying. Not listening to anyone who tells you different is not confidence, it's arrogance. Never let anyone stop you or kill your dream, that's not the same thing as not listening, not seeing your real self. It drives me mad when I see people argue about how great they are, when they're clearly not. Continue to follow your passions for yourself, but not everyone is going to be #1.

House: 6x02 "You might have saved my balls" LOL I really liked the video game. Especially the Foreman & 13 characters!!

The Good Wife: 1x01 This show was recommended by my husband, it stars Julianna Margulies who used to be on ER, Matt Czuchry who used to be on Gilmore Girls, and Chris Noth who used to be on Law & Order: CI. All very good actors and I kind of liked the episode, the story is relevant to today's news, it's a law show which I like, it's dramatic, it's political.. I'm still not quite sure though, but it was a great pilot.

The Good Wife: 1x02 I'm liking it more. The end was hard to watch though. I realized a few things early on in the episode but I don't want to spoil it.

Dollhouse: 1x09 I <3 Adelle now.. I wonder if she's a doll though.. She's a bit too perfect in the role.

Dollhouse: 1x10 Horsies!! This is a very interesting episode. I'd love to be able to do this.

Doll Castle

Gotta catch up on some shows.. running out of space on my hard drive!!

Castle: 2x02 Not too much to comment on. It was a good episode. :)

Heroes: 4x03 This new guy is bugging me. I can't place where I've seen him before and I don't want him messing things up for everyone! The deaf lady is very very interesting though. Claire's new best friend is creepy and somethings just not right about her. I think she killed Claire's roommate to get close to her.

Dollhouse: 1x06 This was a good episode. Starting to get some underlying story information and clues to how things will work out. I knew that girl was a part of it!! Right from the first time I saw her.

Dollhouse: 1x07 WOW everything is turned upside down and people go nuts and very much out of character. I found it pretty amusing :) Felt weird seeing Eggs giggling uncontrollably though, but I think this aired before that story line on True Blood :)

Dollhouse: 1x08 Such a good episode! I wish they had gotten out for real. That would have been so interesting. My friend was right, it is getting good. Very good.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Monday Roundup

Today's TV run down: Heroes, House, Lie to Me (PREMIERE!), The Big Bang Theory, & Castle..

I'm catching up on last seasons Dollhouse after my friend, L, suggested that a few episodes after I left off were really really good. 1x05 has guest star Brian Bloom, I'm always struck by his eyes whenever I see him.

The Amazing Race: 15x01 Good start... so funny in Japan. DUCK GOD!! Dunno who I would want to win yet. I liked Jessica but that didn't turn out so well. Lots of anger this season.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Today's TV run down: Heroes, House, Lie to Me (PREMIERE!), The Big Bang Theory, & Castle..

I'm catching up on last seasons Dollhouse after my friend, L, suggested that a few episodes after I left off were really really good. 1x05 has guest star Brian Bloom, I'm always struck by his eyes whenever I see him.

$ $ $ $

I had a meeting with my advisor at the nearby University of Phoenix campus today to go over everything and fill out the financial aid paperwork. I spent a good hour with her, she was very sweet, answered all of my questions, told me that another campus would be opening in November and it would be a bit closer to me than the current one. I'm hoping all the aide comes through.

I had to lock Princess up in her crate because even last night I went out to the store for 30 minutes and she caused havoc in the dining room. She was pretty pissed at me when I got home and kept trying to nibble me to death.. but it's so cute it's hard to be mad. :)

It was such a windy but nice day today. This morning was strangely warm, a bit humid but it felt good being outside with Princess. Lately I've been having to wear a light jacket in the mornings. Then it turned cloudy with so much wind, it knocked over everyones trash cans.

On the way home from the appointment I stopped to treat myself to 5 Guys hot dogs & fries. The manager of Michael's was in there and I saw that she recognized me and she said hi, but I'm not sure she knew why she recognized me. I was supposed to get a call early last week about work but never did. Maybe this will spark some action, but still I wish it was more hours.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Flash-Number-Order

TV time again.

Law & Order: 20x01 I was pretty let down. The beginning and end were good, but I wish they'd gone a different way with the story. I was more drawn in by the brother & sister as characters than I was about the trial.

It's getting tough to write these reviews without spoiling things for anyone who hasn't watched yet :)

Numbers: 6x01 Larry: "The Milky Way tastes like Raspberries" An interesting start, the case was pretty good. Still don't know why I like a math show :p

Flashpoint: 3x01 Oh man.. Very intense. I cried a bit. That's all I'll say.

I've got nothing else but Anime left till tomorrow. Amazing Race, Family Guy & American Dad coming!

Good, Bad or Stupid?

So I decided to talk to a rep for the University of Phoenix about getting a degree and what my options for financial aid are. The woman I spoke too seemed confidant that I could get approved for enough to cover 1 year which is 8 5-week classes. I'm thinking of getting a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Classes would be 4 hours once a week. I don't know what the hell I'm doing, I'm nervous as hell and worried I won't get the money, or it'll be too hard, or what kind of job I can get after. I still want to take some side courses and learn Spanish and jewelry techniques and maybe some secretarial courses.

Display Statue / Figure / Mannequin

I'm going a bit nuts, I can't for the life of me find what I'm looking for. I have been searching for days for a unique figure to display my jewelry on for photos. I'd like something like a half mannequin or bust, but near life size enough to display long necklaces. The theme of which reflects my interests, such as an anime or game character, or a goddess or fairy. Sexy but not nude, solid enough in color to make the jewelry the focus. I know, it's a very tall order, I'm certain it's out there though!

Here's some examples that I think are nice but are either not quite right or are too expensive or large.

Middle Eastern Woman Mannequin
Bronze Costumed Dancer
Cleopatra Bust
Diana / Artemis Huntress (the second one, made of bonded white carrara marble)
Jessica Chobit Statue by Joe Simon
Dark Ivory Statue

Anyone have any idea of where to look?

Friday, September 25, 2009

Ice Ice Princess

Again not much sleep.. I think I need to stay up for like 2 days then I'll be able to sleep. Oh well, cleaning day! I've got it down to about an hour total, which is pretty fast I think even if I have no furniture or dust collecting items.

It's a rainy day so Princess hasn't wanted to go outside much. We likely won't be going on our walk and I was hoping to mow the lawn today. It was supposed to rain all week but didn't until now. :/ The front yard is getting a bit high.

Really hoping my order of beads comes in today so I can make my brother's commissioned necklace & earrings. It's burning a hole in my brain. :) They shipping on Wednesday and it's usually pretty fast, dunno about that fast though. Probably won't get them till Monday.

I'm going to look into some more temp agencies today I think. Hopefully I'll get something! So I found 4 places but I have to go in person on Monday with my applications and resumes. I also have to go buy dress shoes on Monday because I still don't have mine :/

No beads today :/ That sucks.. but I figured. After I cleaned the house this morning I took the trash to the curb for tomorrow's pick up, so I don't forget. When I went to check the mail, I noticed that the can had been moved and opened. It was empty! I guess another company picked up in my neighborhood this morning and grabbed mine too. I hope I don't get a bill and have to fight it.

Princess' new favorite toy: Ice Cubes. I have a dispenser on the freezer and she knows the sound now and expects one everytime I get a glass of water. She looks put out if I don't and I've seen her trying to figure out how to get them herself.

I had Cheerios twice today, the milk is going to go bad on Tuesday and I'll be damned if I'm going to waste it. Still a lot left though.

Super CSI-Flash

Tonights shows are Law & Order, Numb3rs and Flashpoint :) I'm looking forward to all 3!

CSI: 10x01 What an INTRO!! Best premiere intro by FAR!!! Very Very good episode and the ending.. +++

Supernatural: 5x03 LOL Dean: "2 things I know for certain.." The plot thickens, Sam is in big troubles, Dean is buddying with Cas. The world is definitely in the apocalypse :) More episodes now!

Flashforward: 1x01 New show this season, my husband suggested it. From what I know it's supposed to be a Lost spin-off and I was never interested in Lost. We'll see though, it sounds cool anyway. Was boring till the blackout.. now, hmmmmmmmm mysterious. So many people I recognize from other shows & movies too. John Cho, Courtney B. Vance, Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, Alex Kingston, Seth MacFarlane, Gabrielle Union, and Dominic Monaghan.

Catching up on Young & The Restless and calling it a night, maybe.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

It's always early in CA

Nice! I got ANTM AND SYTYCD this morning :)

Watched SYTYCD: 6x03 Still in auditions, some great routines always get shown but they spend so long hyping up the bad ones and then they're just typically bad dancers who think they're good. It felt like they spent 10 minutes on the guy in the blue tights while they should have spent at least half of that on the good dancers. That's what I came to see, and not all of them are going to be shown in the Vegas week episodes either so I'd like to see more good routines in auditions.

ANTM: 13x04 Again I don't want to ruin the results for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. I really liked the challenge outfits and the photo shoot theme. The girl who went home was one of my favorites but lately her behavior has been pretty awful.

Eastwick: 1x01 This is a new show this season that my husband recommended that I watch. It feels a bit like Desperate Housewives in the beginning. I think Joanna is the prettiest of the 3 women but her character is the most cliche. She's played by Lindsay Price who's mother was Korean and her father was German/Irish, she's very unique looking. I really like Rebecca Romijn's character, Roxie, and Sara Rue's character, Penny Higgins. So far so good.

CSI: NY : 6x01 Nooooo my favorite character.... :( Good episode, lots to look forward too for this season.

Bones: 5x02 Slow episode, too much action, not enough science.

The Mentalist: 2:01 I missed this show :) I <3 Jane & Cho they're so awesome. I wish I could be like them :p This episode felt short though with 3 different plots. Still it was good and I can't wait for next week!

Vampire Diaries: 1:03 Starting to get sick of it. Not only is Stefan too great at everything and no one is really suspicious but Elena's best friend, but he's got scrawny chicken legs and his brother is too anti-hero. Little girls probably love this.. The only interesting character so far is Elena's best friend and I can't even remember her name. I'll give it another episode then probably drop it from my list.

I think that's it for today folks.. catch more premieres and show bits tomorrow.

Happy Birthday ISABEL!

So tired. Slept better than the last few nights but still so tired. The neighbor's cat is pissing me off, it's taking over my back yard. Everytime she sees it, Princess gets so distracted that she doesn't go to the bathroom. All she does is stare at and chase the cat. It's nice that she stays outside longer but if I'm in a hurry it will get very annoying.

I got some great pictures of Princess and the cat today. They were being quite playful. Princess stayed outside for a long time with the cat, which is good, but I'm not sure she went to the bathroom, which is bad. She also threw up again today, hopefully that was the last of the Great Destruction of 09.

It's been quite a boring day, no call from Michael's so that sucks, no other job calls either. It's my niece's birthday and I sent her a card and a small gift and my brother D said she got it and would call me, but hasn't yet.

Gonna try to go to sleep early, get up and make a new list of jobs to apply for.. I need to get out of this mess.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Too Hot For TV

Been watching more Blood+ The story line is sooooo good. Almost halfway through all the episodes and now I'm really learning what happened! Poor Saya, poorer HAJI!! Fuckin DIVA..

There's a ton of premiere's this week. Today's are: Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, CSI: NY and a new show my husband recommended I give a look, Eastwick. It'll take awhile for me to get all these shows but I'll be writing about them soon :)

So You Think You Can Dance Canada: Loved all of the performances but especially liked Kim, Melanie and Vincent. Best Routine I think was: Melanie & Cody followed by Jayme Rae & Daniel. I like Corynne but she just wasn't very good at the salsa. I'm not a big fan of Emmanuel or Cody. The results show aired tonight but it always takes me a few days to get it.

Law & Order: SVU: 11x01 Soooo good to have Benson & Stabler back. The plot was a little thin for a premiere, it's all been done. Wentworth Miller was far too cliche a character. The acting was very well done and made even the bland story worth watching. The victim really out-shined though, if the new guy sticks around at all I'm sure we'll be seeing her again too.

Criminal Minds: 5x01 I'm a little confused about the bad guy, maybe I missed an episode last season or something. Poor Hotch :/

I actually got the SYTYCD CA results show tonight. Going to watch that next. /sad I don't want to spoil the results for anyone who hasn't watched it yet, but the girl kinda grew on me week after week. She wasn't one of my early favorites but she's had some awesome routines that changed my mind. The guy was sweet but never really stood out for me, though in the last routine he had one amazing lift that I had to watch twice.

Watched The Daily Show & The Colbert Report. Think I'm gonna call it a night. Still need to find ANTM and SYTYCD. :/

Recovering..

I was up all night with Princess. She howled a few times and I was worried that she might have eaten some of the plastic from the peanut butter jar because I didn't find nearly enough. She made it through, I took her outside every hour and she went or tried to go to the bathroom each time. So after some thorough cleaning up this morning I think she's doing much better but we're both very tired.

Decided to forego the Princess walk today since she's been sick all night and I'm exhausted, and it looks like rain.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Happy Fall

I was tossing and turning all night, up and down.. Not a good sleep at all. Sucks so much, I was trying to go to bed early so I would be well rested to handle my hours of stressing about this interview. Oh well.

Princess and I have a tight schedule today but she doesn't realize it. I spent an hour outside with her this morning waiting for her to go to the bathroom but she was too distracted by the neighbors cat. :/ We'll have to take our walk early, at like 1pm so I can get ready at 2 to leave for my interview by 3. Hopefully traffic on the way there won't be bad but I know it'll be awful coming home. I probably won't get back till 6pm well after her dinner & bathroom time. I'm really hoping she doesn't go in the house, I'd put down a puppy training pad but she chews them up.

Finally got a hold of last weeks So You Think You Can Dance Canada results show. Just in time for tonight's performances. Also grabbed the season premieres of Big Bang Theory, House, Heroes and Castle. So far I've only watch BBT but it's hilarious :) Sheldon's mom is Aunt Jackie from Roseanne with a Texas accent and great quotes :)

Starting to get really anxious while I get ready for my interview. What to wear, what to do with my hair, what to say, what to do, how early to leave, should I feed Princess before or after, will she be ok while I'm gone a few hours... I must have changed my shirt 5 times before I finally changed my pants instead. I don't have any dress shoes, they're still in Toronto in the boxes there. :( Oh god.. It's almost time to leave.

It didn't go well. She didn't like that I haven't worked in 7 years, she didn't like that I didn't have experience with those reports and she didn't like my shoes. She gave me a lecture on etiquette for interviews and what's expected in the job market today. The only thing the lady said she liked was my personality and smile. I don't get it, it's an IT company, I was more dressed up than most of the employees, I know I shouldn't have worn sneakers but it's all I have right now. She said to brush up on my skills, get certifications, get better clothes and come back next year.

Princess was not good.. she ate everything that was on the counters.. including my car title and insurance papers, a whole box of dog biscuits, a jar of peanut butter and my bill receipts. Now she's howling, I assume from a massive tummy ache. So I can also look forward to cleaning up doggy vomit and diarrhea for the next few days.

I'm really disheartened right now, I just wanna drown in ice cream and cookies but I have neither and really shouldn't with the diet & budget anyway. I'm just gonna watch some shows, try to sleep and forget today.

Just watched Castle's premiere from yesterday. Such a good episode, he's so cool :) House premiere was really awesome.

Monday, September 21, 2009

When FB Games get out of hand

My internet went out last night :( I was in the middle of doing something so I waited for it to come back. So I didn't get much sleep. About 4 1/2 hours.

Some chick had a hissy fit on Facebook Fairyland because I didn't post when I spotted a Rainbow Dragon. Whatever. I spent a ton of gold and time trying to get it, it wasn't her first one, I was tired and took a short nap instead of posting. Even if I had it would have been lost in all the spam her garden is getting right now as people fight over watering. /sad

I got called to go to an interview tomorrow at 4:30pm. It's about an hour away if traffic is good. I don't think I meet all the requirements so it will probably be a waste of time, but whatever, I've got time. The worst they can do is say no, I'm not hiding the fact that I don't know some of the things they want, like "Experience with data analysis, specifically trending and exception reporting are critical.​ Advanced Microsoft Excel skills are necessary including pivot tables, and complex charting, crystal reports and preferably sequel reporting." Probably will be a big deal. Oh well. At least they called me. I'm still a bit nervous, and I don't have any other shoes but sneakers till my husband mails my boxes :/

It's hot and sunny today so I finally went to vacuum the ac filter under the house. After opening up the small doorway and using a stick to kill spiders and wipe away webs, I was standing at the door talking to Princess about not wanting to go in and she ran in. :) The whole time I was down there (more than 20 minutes because I had lots of trouble getting the damn cover back on) Princess was down there with me, exploring. She didn't want to leave. She's such a strange girl :)

Then we went for our walk, didn't really see anyone, waved to the mailman and the cop who lives down the street. Princess saw her first squirrels I think, she's so funny when she's curious, she stands up tall and stiff. I swear her neck is 2 feet long and her big ears stand straight up too..

Tried a new snack, which I accidentally grabbed at the grocery store. I thought I was grabbing Dole's Pear Fruit Cups but grabbed a Dole Creme Parfait Apples & Creme fruit cup instead. I didn't think I'd like it, thought it would be too heavy or sweet and it was pretty sweet but it wasn't heavy. I kinda liked it actually.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Slow Sunday

Last night: N came online at 11:30pm and said he had time to watch episode 19 of Haruhi which I've been dying to watch for the last month! That was super awesome, the episode itself was a bit of a let down, the end of a 8 episode groundhog day series, but I'm so glad it's over and we can get back to the real story :)

Went to bed sometime around 2am, woke up at 6am when R called, then back to sleep at 7am till 8am. It's Sunday though so I'm thinking I'll go get the paper and the light bulbs I need then call it a day and nap.

Lunch was the same as yesterday, 260 calories for Ham, Pepperoni, Cheese, Lettuce & Mustard Sandwich.

In order to be happy, you need 3 things: Something to Do, Something to Love, and Something to Hope For.

Took Princess for her walk, a group of little girls ooooh'd and ahhhh'd at her :) She loved it!

Just heard that my nephew, D, just got back from the hospital. They think he either has common pneumonia or swine flu. The doctor's didn't know which. Right now he's in quarantine in his room and has to wear a mask. If ever there was a time to send him lots of books & video games it would be now :/ I don't know if his PSP ever got working again. Last I heard they thought the battery needed to be replaced but didn't hear if that worked. Poor kid :( He's going to miss so much school and fall behind, and be bored.

Dinner is a new option. Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Grilled Whiskey Steak with Roasted Potatoes and Vegetables. 250 calories. The size of the bowl is very deceiving, it's less than half full. The sauce is a nice and light tangy bbq, the meat over steamed a bit, I would have rather used my own meat, but the vegetables came out well. Corn, Green Beans, Red Potatoes, Carrots, Onions & Tomatoes. Not a bad option when I'm craving something heartier.

Watched Episode 5x02 of Supernatural. Excellent episode, great twist. <3 <3 Dean

Spent a little time trying to get a good picture of the necklace I made my Grandma for my mom. It's a long necklace so laying it down just didn't give it's length. So I hung it on the doorknob, moved my desk lamp to shine on it and laid down on the floor to get a good angle. Princess was amused by my antics. I got a pic of her from the floor after she got bored of trying to figure out what I was doing. :) Now my brother has commissioned a necklace and earring set for his former teacher. If only my sales would start up on Etsy :) I'd feel a lot better than just having family purchasing.

Gonna watch another episode or two of Blood+ and try to sleep. I don't know when I'll hear from work so I'll have to be ready.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Where there's Smoke there's F I R E

My neighbor had been cutting tree branches all day yesterday, which is what he was burning, but last night I guess he cut down some of his big trees completely. I had the windows open at around 7:30pm when I heard a crack and falling tree sound and a thud with a crack. I went outside with Princess to see what was up but it was too dark to see. He had a huge bonfire that night though that got so high he had to hose it down a bit because the ashes were spraying into a nearby tree and falling on his roof. Turns out this morning I see a huge tree fallen onto his wooden fence, totally smashed and he'd built it himself. His poor doggies spent all day tied up to his porch. If I knew them better I'd have offered to let them run around my yard with Princess. She'd have loved the company.

Went to bed around 11, woke up at 7:45am. Chatted with Reina for awhile while I fed Princess and sat with her outside. It smelled like a nice smokey fire all morning, and it was nice, cool and crisp out too. Then I went to the Post Office and to the Grocery store. My last shopping trip was $65 a little more than the $50 I budget per week but it lasted 11 days. This trip was $75 and I'm so pissed I forgot my coupons :/ Hopefully it'll last as long or longer.

Downloaded some music from my very very long list. I wanted 1 or 2 songs per album but had to download the whole thing. Things like Lady Gaga - Paparazzi (stuck in my head right now, especially after watching the video OMG ERIC) Rob Thomas – Diamonds, Kristinia DeBarge – Goodbye, Kelly Clarkson – I do not hookup & Already Gone (also stuck in head), Jordin Sparks – Battlefield, Keri Hilson – Knock you down, The Fray – Never Say Never.. Nice to have some new music finally, I've been playing it all day when I'm not watching a show.

Watched some Law & Order: Criminal Intent, these last few episodes have been better. The finale was pretty darn good. I'm really starting to like & hate Jeff Goldblum in it. His character is so odd, I can't really relate to him, but he's funny so it sort of saves him from outright hatred.

Made Lunch: Ham, Pepperoni, Cheese, Lettuce and Mustard
80 - 2 Slices of Bread
25 - 1 Slice of Cheese
75 - 3 Slices of Pepperoni
70 - 6 Thin Slices of Honey Ham
5 - Dollop of Spicy Brown Mustard
5 - Few bits of Lettuce
----
260

Started looking at Tub & Shower styles. Mom wants to replace the tub, shower and tiles in both bathrooms to prepare for selling. Maybe the cabinets and sinks too, with some paint. It'll look nice :) Gotta get measurements then really narrow down the options and call in a guy my dad knows who installed the windows.

Took Princess for her walk, a little girl was following us on her bike a ways. We stopped so Princess could sniff it. Again same route as yesterday so .8 mile.

Got the beads in for the necklace mom commissioned, I had parts of it done so I put most of it together but I need to make a few more of the clover links. Maybe tomorrow, don't want to push my thumb too much. It already looks so elegant, I think she'll love it, I do!

Dinner is Lean Cuisine Swedish Meatballs, 300 calories. The microwave instructions are hard if you don't know how to set your microwave at half power, like me. Hand-me-down's don't come with instructions. Still it's got a good gravy and the meatballs are a nice change from mostly veggie stuff.

I was outside watching Princess play while on the phone with AR when Princess dashed to the fence and stood statue still staring at something. I walked over and the neighbors outdoor cat was laying there staring back at Princess. They did that for about 10 minutes then I grabbed onto Princess' collar and tried to shoo the cat away, it just slinked into the bushes. Princess stood there staring and sniffing for awhile longer then kept trying to crawl into the bushes. I walked over again and held Princess and the cat dashed under the barn. After 20 minutes though I decided that Princess wasn't going to go to the bathroom as long as the cat was there so I brought her inside. I hope the cat doesn't make trespassing a habit! Princess doesn't growl or seem aggressive at all, just really really curious and stiff but when the cat runs, she chases.

The neighbor behind my house, K, has a gorgeous wolf-dog and he was walking her around the block so I waved. Then he came by again with his retriever so I walked over and said hi, and he came down to the fence so I could pet him. The wolf-dog is a girl and she and Princess probably wouldn't get a long, but she happily sniffed at the retriever through the fence. K told me some disappointing news for wolf-dog lovers in California though, they've apparently decided to ban them and if a county worker says your dog is a wolf-dog (wolf looking dogs like Husky, Malamute, Akita are especially vulnerable) you either have to give it up or spend $3000 to get a DNA test to prove it's not. Breed banning is so stupid :( Ban bad OWNERS and get tough on puppy mills and abusers!!

Watched a few episodes of Blood+, I'd never heard of it at all so I didn't know what it was about but I like it. The first few episodes are cheerful & gruesome. I'll probably watch up to episode 10 tonight and then try to get some sleep. Good luck, self.

Friday, September 18, 2009

A little bit of Everything

Still not sleeping well. I went to sleep around 3am I think and woke up at 8am to feed Princes and had a 2 1/2 hour long chat with R. She's going through a lot right now with her family, her Grandfather's health, her "boyfriend"..

I started cleaning the house while I was on the phone with R. Just wiping things down and sweeping, starting the laundry. Things that wouldn't be too loud because the connection on our phone calls is usually bad enough, plus it's been really windy on Guam and she talks to me while she's outside.

Vampire Diaries, episode 1x02. Still not sure if this will be another silly teen drama + Vampires. I don't hate it yet, but it is sliding towards too cheesy.

Called Michael's. I had my interview 2 weeks ago, I already bought 2 sets of work clothes and was just waiting to hear back on the background check. I spoke to the Assistant Manager who had interviewed me and she said that they've had to scale back hours for everyone and that she'd call me some time next week if she can schedule me some hours for the week after. :/ At least she said my background check went through ok.

Bones, episode 5x01, season premiere! Cyndi Lauper as a psychic :) I'd worry about spoiling that little tidbit but it's the first 5 seconds of the show. Not a bad premiere episode. I "liked" the crime and Cyndi Laupers character.

Finally got my order of Samhain 2009 Scent from Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs that I ordered a month ago. Love the scent, wasn't quite impressed with the purchasing & receiving experience. A week ago I tried to find out where my order was through the CCNow tracking number but it came back saying there was no such order yet the money had been taken out of my account, very confusing and I'm sure the system wastes a lot of their time answering emails like the one I sent them asking WTF? It took them 4 days to answer that email too, letting me know they would be shipping it out soon.

Walked Princess, according to google directions we walked a total of .8 mile. My neighbor was burning some tree branches in his front yard so I stopped to talk to him and his little daughter wanted to pet Princess. I told her to hold out her hand and let Princess sniff it, which she did but then she backed away and wouldn't come any closer. Same thing when my neighbor tried to pet her. She's a bit skittish around cars and apparently other people, or it could have been the proximity to the fire that was bothering her.. clogging up her ability to smell "nice people".

Watched more of last seasons (8) Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Not really impressed with these episodes, but I want to catch up and get them off my hard drive before all the other shows start up next week.

Mowed the backyard, such a gorgeous day. Slightly on the warm side but so breezy that with the windows open the house is pretty cool. Around 77-80 degrees outside, sunny and bright with a nice breeze, perfect weather actually. Nice timing too because I just got my electric bill and /sigh gonna have to keep the AC off as much as I can. It's turning out to be a nice golden fall sunset too, I already see the glow on the freshly mowed grass. :) Tonight's a new moon!

Made dinner: 2 Oscar Mayer hot dogs which I've decided I do not like plain, too salty for my non-smoking, dieting taste buds, on low-cal bread with low-cal cheese, bit of onion and mustard. Yumm!

Here's the math (which I double checked 800 times because I suck)
260 -- 2 Hot Dogs
32 -- 2 Slices of Cheese
80 -- 2 Slices of Bread
5 -- few bits of onion
10 -- dollops of Spicy Brown Mustard
------
387 -- Dinner <3

I'm in the mood to make some jewelry, but my thumb is a bit sore and after mowing today I won't risk it for a day or two. My mom commissioned a necklace for my Grandmother's birthday to match the earrings & bracelet she and my brother bought from me already for her. I'm waiting on an order of Fancy Jasper rounds and gold chain to complete it. It'll be quite fancy I think, at least in my head. :) I've used some hand-jigged gold tone 20 gauge wire clovers as links. Stay tuned for pics on my flickr &/or Facebook in a few days.

Jeez, did I manage to use every label I have in this post? Oh, nope! There's still Anime & Birthdays, Games, Holidays.. etc.. got more work to do :p

Another Week

I went to the Orthopedist on Tuesday morning. First of all when I got there, the rather rude receptionist (RRR) informed me that my appointment was at 8am. I said that there's no way I made an appointment at 8am. I feed Princess and let her out at 8am. She just rolled her eyes. Anyway, I didn't actually have an appointment with the doctor but his assistant. She said there's a cyst (more like a callous) forming on the major joint and told me that the surgery would cost $1k for them, plus the anesthesiologist, plus the hospital fee, plus the pre and post-surgery appointments. It'll add up, the appointment on Tuesday cost $110 :/ As much as my first appointment in NH cost and that included a cortizone shot. I did meet the doctor, he came in to asses me for surgery. He said that he's not terribly worried about the cyst at this point, that if I have to hold off on the surgery for awhile then he sees no problem with that. So they gave me a small splint that I have to wear every night for the next 6 weeks then go back to get checked up. Or I can book the surgery.

I grabbed a bunch of anime now that I'm out of tv to catch up on. I grabbed Cowboy Bebop & Blood+, I still have Sexy Commando, Code Geass & my friend gave me Samurai Champloo. More shows start up next week, Heroes, House, Big Bang Theory, Castle, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Mentalist, Flashpoint, Numb3rs.. wow that's a lot. So You Think You Can Dance Canada is down to 12 people next week, I'm not sure who got eliminated this week, I haven't gotten the results show yet :( The routines this week were so good! The guest judge this week was Karen Kain, I'd never heard of her before but she just seems to define CLASS, her comments about hip hop and stuff were cute. So You Think You Can Dance USA is still in auditions. Bones started up last night, though I haven't watched the episode yet, probably tonight. America's next top model is down to 12 I think, my favorites left are Jennifer, Nicole, Sundai, Ashley, and Lulu.

I've been playing Guild Wars a bit too. I joined a nice guild to try to learn more about the higher end game. I've been so frustrated that I want to finish the story lines but I'm at the max level and I've been failing missions with the npc henchmen. There's so many high level armor and weapons that I need to learn about getting. Everyone seems great so far!

I haven't heard back from Michael's yet, it's been 2 weeks since my interview. I need to call them today and check up on it, but it's saddening that they didn't call me themselves. :/ That's bad enough, but I applied online for Geico's call center and I have some call center experience, Geico is always advertising on the radio and billboards that they're hiring when no one else is, they have great training so no experience is needed.. I got an email the next day saying that I was not selected. :/ :/ :/ Come on!!!

I've got some chores to run, then house cleaning and Princess playing today. Feeling a little sniffly with all the rain lately.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Iron Tummies

Both Princess and I were sick today. We both threw up this morning, but I was the only one who had to clean up :p Damn her for not having thumbs, she can have mine. Hopefully she'll be all better tomorrow, I dunno if I will, I'm still quite nauseous and dizzy. I did try to go out and play with Princess, because she's still a puppy with a ton of energy, but even then she was just going through the motions. She ran after the ball but when she got to it, she just kinda of stood there and looked around or wandered off.

I haven't heard back from Michaels about when I can start working. I'm getting a little low in funds and more bills are due soon. The hours I'll get won't cover the bills at all but it'll slow the hemorrhage. I keep looking for more options, but I haven't found any in awhile.

My thumb has been triggering a lot lately and hurting too. I tried to pick up my plastic case of beads and I almost dropped it because my thumb couldn't support the weight. It happens randomly so it caught me off guard too, that and it hurts when it happens. I have my Orthopedic appointment next week and with my luck, like the last time I went to the Orthopedic in NH, it won't be triggering or hurting on that one day. :/ Maybe I'll mow the lawn the day before, just to make sure it'll be at it's worst. I've got to mow anyway but it's been rainy for the last few days.

I just finished catching up on Heroes today. I really liked the storyline for Season 3. Up and Down, Resolved then Twisted.. But now I don't have any more tv to catch up on except Ugly Betty and I can't find episodes 1-10 anywhere. So I'm tv'less at the moment, more shows start up soon, but I've been catching up on entire seasons per day so I doubt it'll be hard to keep up. I knew I'd be out of tv so I tried downloading some new sims to play with, but it kept failing and crashing the launcher/download utility, then the game itself was running so slow that I ended up quitting twice without saving my progress. I keep looking for a MMORPG to play on my Mac so I have something to do and can actually talk to people. I do have Guild Wars still, and that's free to play, but the people I've run into there have all been annoying kids. I tried dragging my friends, AR & F, into the game too but AR had her computer stolen and F never has time.

The people I talk to the most in the last few months have been my dad and my friend, R. Neither of them are people that I can call up and chat with but they're both good about calling and chatting with me on a regular basis. Still I need to find people that I can chat with when *I* need to kill the silence, or stop my brain from over thinking or just to tell about things that happen as they happen instead of having to wait until my scheduled chat sessions. Finding someone that I could actually hang out with, go to a movie with, would just be +++

I'm dying to do some fall activities. Everyone knows that fall is my favorite time of the year. I love things like hayrides, and fall markets, and preparing for Halloween. I may actually get to hand out candy this year! I haven't been able to do that in 7 years. I doubt that I'll be dug out of my debt crater by then, even if I were to get a full time, well-paying job tomorrow, so I won't be able to decorate the house or anything.

Still trying to figure out what to do about my mom's constant threat to kick me out of the house. She hasn't mentioned it again since the day she said it, but it'll keep happening anytime I don't do exactly what she says. I've lived under threat of homelessness for the last 9 years. First when I lived in my parents house in NY, then in Canada. The main reason I never felt at "home" in Toronto, even though I loved being there, was because at any time, the government or my husband could want me out and I'd have to go. Now I'm in my parents house in VA and the same threat applies. I'm just tired of living that way. I want stability and assurance that the only reason I'd ever have to leave is because I wanted to go. I just don't know what I can do about it in my current situation but I'm thinking.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Oh why do you forsake me Hersheys?

Yesterday I got a notice from the website where I list my jewelry for sale, Etsy.com, apparently they got a notice from a lawyer for Hershey's that one of my jewelry pieces was violating copyright and they had to take it down. So I checked which one it was and it was a piece I named Jolly Ranchers.. because the beads look like Jolly Ranchers. /sigh So I renamed it and put it back up, but Hershey's? that really hurts my soul.. Especially after the milk chocolate incident.

Yesterday after taking Princess for a walk, I went out to buy khaki pants and black polo shirts, which is the uniform for Michaels. I went to target and didn't really find much, it took me forever to find 2 pairs of each that fit decently but I'm not really happy with them. I ended up going to the men's section for the polo shirts because I hated the sleeves on the few girls polo shirts I found. The two I bought were on clearance even.

Then I went to Michaels to get some supplies because I'd made a gold necklace but didn't have any gold clasps. I don't use gold much. Kinda on a gold & brass kick lately, must be the time of year. :)

Then I went to the grocery store, always fun. Then I went outside to play with Princess, she's go so much energy and has been getting a little bratty stuck in the house with the rain. I noticed the backyard grass was ready to mow so I did.. Still having to mow once a week, hopefully it'll start slowing down soon. The front yard doesn't seem to grow as fast, which is awesome.

I finished up watching CSI, Mental and The Listener. All ended up being great seasons, I finally got into Mental. I had watched the pilot and didn't really care for it, but it finally grew on me, too bad it's cancelled. :/ The Listener was really good, surprisingly so. My only complaint is that everyone on the show will know about his abilities if he keeps up the rate he's been telling them. :)

Now I've been watching Heroes. I don't know why people were complaining so much about it post season 1. Season 2 was a bit slow but 3 has been awesome so far. /shrug

So You Think You Can Dance premiered it's 6th and first fall season yesterday which I can't wait to watch. America's Next Top Model premiered it's 13th and first all short girls season yesterday as well. Today we get Supernatural back for season 5!! (yay Dean). And a new show starts that I wanted to check out, just in case, called The Vampire Diaries. Has about a 90% chance of being teeny boppery and corny but we'll see.

That's all I've got for now.. Tune in later.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Inevitability

Long story, but the result is that my mom wants me out of the house because I hung up the phone on her, not because of her, but because of what my brother was yelling for her to tell me. Given her track record she'll likely change her mind in a day or two if she hasn't already but she hasn't said anything else since. I can't take her holding homelessness over me, even though I knew it would happen and will happen repeatedly. Just trying to figure out what to do.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

All In

I felt really lazy today but Princess always has other ideas. She pulled a few things off of the counters to get my attention. We went on our walk, and I played in the back yard with her while she dashed around like a maniac. She's been going to the bathroom on the deck lately which is bad, so I was trying to keep an eye on her and stop her, but she won't go while she can see me. Not sure what to do about that.

I meant to go out today and pick up a weed wacker, not sure if they're on sale this weekend but pretty much everything is for Labor Day weekend. I wish I had a few $20's to blow on the Michael's sales. I've got my eye on some gold, copper and silver chains.

I finished off the bracelet I was working on yesterday. I love the pattern and how it looks finished, but it was very repetitive. I had an idea for a necklace while I was finishing the bracelet so I made that right after. Job well done I think. I'll add them to my various pages tomorrow, I still have to name them, usually naming is pretty easy for me, or at least not this hard. I can't think of anything for either piece!

Other than that, it's been an uneventful day. I finished up the last few episodes of House. The last one of season 5 was pretty good. I haven't watched the whole series, at least not in order but I enjoy it. I wish there was a doctor like that for my mom!

I also finished up the last few episodes of CSI and trying to find the last few episodes I need for Ugly Betty & Canada's Next Top Model so I can catch up on those. I'm not sure how I feel about Grissom being gone from CSI, don't know if I still like the show without him, Sara or Warrick. Still Nick, Catherine & Greg are great characters.

I've been on the diet for 3 weeks now, and I eat 3-5 times a day. I'm having a hard time getting to 1000 calories per day still. I need some cheap options to fill in with. Preferably something that will be filling, cheap, last at least a full week & still have some taste. Any suggestions?

Saturday, September 5, 2009

What a day, What to Say..

First of all, I got the job. It's part time only, unless people quit I'll only be getting anywhere between 4-30 hours a week. They have to do a background check on me and that could take a week or two so I don't actually know when I start, or how much I'll make an hour actually. I forgot to ask. :/ I was too nervous. So the good news is that I have work coming, but the bad news is, I'll still need to find another part time job.

It's been a busy few days with Princess here. I've had to hand feed her because she eats too fast thinking she has to get as much as she can before someone else gets it and might get stomach bloating. We've gone on walks around the neighborhood, she's now discovered that she really really likes being indoors, I have to beg her to go outside now. She's sleeping in the bedroom on the floor next to me now so her fear of the carpet seems to have gone. We went out to the backyard to play a bit this morning and I saw a big black snake near the deck, it had it's head raised out of the grass which is pretty tall right now in the area around the deck because I don't have a weed-whacker to cut it. Princess dashed towards it and it slithered under the deck. Of course now I'm paranoid that I'll accidentally step on or near it, or that it's under the house in the crawl space when I have to go under there next week to vacuum the air conditioner filter. :/ I'm gonna call the exterminator guy we use and see if he can do anything. I hate snakes.. haaaaaaate.

I didn't put Princess in her crate last night. I was up late and I don't crate her until I go to sleep because I think that's just mean that I get to stay up and play and she doesn't. Plus she was perfect when I went out running errands yesterday so I figured I'd give it a shot. She was great. I don't think she touched anything and she seems pretty clear on only peeing outside anyway. She's already ripped open her plush hedgehog squeaky toy, it no longer squeaks. She still loves it though so I'll take the squeaker out and stitch the little bugger up. She dragged the pillow I put in the crate for her out today and started chewing on it, but she reacts quickly to stern words. Almost makes me feel bad to say NO because she cowers, but then she rolls over and wants belly rubs. :)

I clean the house every weekend but since I had nothing else to do after my interview yesterday, I got started early. Princess did not like the washing machine while it was running and kept running over to it with her head cocked to the side. Then while I was sweeping the floor she was bouncing around in front of me trying to chase it. She's too cute sometimes, just a big baby goofball!

I'm about halfway done with my newest bracelet. I spent a long time adapting the pattern from a metal ring I saw and picking the colors from my stash. I knew I wanted to use a gorgeous metallic amber color I have, but I first matched it with a bright metallic cranberry which just got lost with the amber. It's subtle, reminds me of looking at something with black light that's only faintly glowing. I may still finish it with those colors but I started over with a bright metallic navy blue instead and it's much more pleasing to me. Not quite the fall-autumny pattern I've been toying with in my head, but I haven't figured that one out yet. I'm still slowly working on adding descriptions and bits to my Etsy.com store, but inspiration takes time. :)

Got 2 more bills coming up next week, thankfully both are small. Still, it's really starting to add up.

I've been having a hard time getting my brain to stop thinking lately. It just goes on and on, around and around. Every detail about every aspect of my life and I wish it would just shut up. For 5 minutes. I've been trying to drown it out with catching up on tv, playing with Princess, making jewelry.. nothing is working, not as well as good long phone chats with friends does. Those are few though.

A couple of shows start their fall season next week, and I am pretty much caught up on the major ones I think. Since my last post about it, I've finished off Chuck, CSI: NY, Criminal Minds, America's Next Top Model, Flashpoint, Family Guy, Secret Diary of A Call Girl, Supernatural, and Law & Order: SVU. Now I'm watching the last few episodes of House, then the rest of The Listener. I'm missing a few episodes of the last season of Canada's Next Top Model but that doesn't start again until next spring I think, so I've got time.

I almost didn't watch ANTM's last season, reality shows are hit or miss once they've ended. You can get spoiled on it so easy. I enjoyed the last season though, I thought they had some great shoot ideas and really had some teaching lessons that seemed really useful. The next season is supposed to be the much talked about short-girl season that caused a huge scene at one of the auditions.

Flashpoint had a really cool guest star in one episode. Peter Outerbridge, who played the Chief Scientist, David Sandstrom, on the show ReGenesis. I've seen a few other cast members in other shows lately too. Mayko Nguyen who played a Bioinformatics Researcher, Mayko Tran, was on an episode of The Listener. Greg Byrk, who played the Executive Directors Assistant then the Executive Director, Weston Field, on ReGenesis was on the first episode of The Listener and is scheduled to appear on Flashpoint soon. He played what was probably my second favorite character, next to Carlos Serrano, played by Conrad Pla.

The Listener has been a pretty good show though I haven't found any information on when the second season will air. Another face I recognized guest starring was Sebastian Pigott who was a contestant on Canadian Idol Season 6 along with his brother, Oliver.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Bastien, Say My Name..

I barely got any sleep today. I passed out around 5am and woke up at 7 to get showered and dressed. Left at 8am and didn't get to the Kennel until 10:45am, met Princess and drove her home, didn't get back till almost 2pm. Long drive!

Princess was neglected and starved at a Puppy Mill. She had to fight up to 20 other dogs for scraps of food. The rescue worker said that Princess was in the worst shape of all of them, so it was obvious she wasn't winning. She's got some scars on her legs and face. She's still obviously way too thin, but her coat has grown in and her personality is curious and happy. She's been scared of the house, the rescue lady said Princess has never been in a house before. She took to the backyard right away and was rolling in the grass until I finally got her to come inside to eat.

UPDATE: More info on Princess from the Rescue Group
She was in a coma twice and had pretty much lost her will to live. Not surprising when you consider she came to us weighing 50 pounds (a good 35 pounds underweight), with constant diarrhea, and covered with lice. But we weren't going to lose her and slowly Princess recovered. It's hard to believe this happy girl with the bright eyes and so much personality is the same dog.


She's been too afraid to come into the bedroom with me. It's the only room open that has carpeting. She sits at the far end of the hallway watching me while I'm on the computer. She's ok coming into the room on her leash though, so I took her around a few times. Right now she's laying down just outside the door so I guess that's great progress for today :) I'll have to put her in her crate tonight, she's not house-trained. I don't know if she'll like it or not. I got the biggest one they had so there should be plenty of room. I gave her a spare towel and an old pillow for now but I'll have to get her some blankets.

The rescue lady said that the name Princess doesn't suit her very well. I agree. She's more tomboyish, curious and when she gets up to follow me somewhere she's like a lightning bolt. I'm going to try to come up with a better name for her. So far I'm leaning towards Firefly, Windy, Leia, or Pepper. but it'll have to be approved by mom :)

When I got home with Princess there was a message from the manager of the Michael's store near me to schedule an interview! Yay my first one :) but /scared too. I set it up for Friday at noon. Wish me luck! Pics of Princess are here:

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Princess

I've had no luck with even the temp agencies I've contacted. :/ Something needs to happen soon! I've been here trying to get a job for 3 1/2 weeks.

I haven't been sleeping well still. My parents had asked me before I moved here if I would pick up a dog they want from the Rescue Group and keep her until I could drive her up to mom's house. At first I didn't think it would be a good idea until I found a job. That's taking so long though and it's really quiet and lonely in the house. So I accepted. Today I picked up food & water bowls, choke chain, raspberry leash, raspberry collar, engraved tag, toys, extra large house training crate, scooper for the yard, a yard stake that's supposed to attract the dog to only potty in one part of the yard. Her name is Princess and she'll be spoiled like one alright :) I am picking her up tomorrow morning! I'll definitely need a vacuum soon!

I fell off my diet for a few days, but I felt so sick and gross that it's not hard to restart. I got some more variety of low calorie food & snacks, not just Lean Cuisines this time.

I've made a bunch of new jewelry lately but still no sales. I'm still working on fixing up my Etsy shop to try to attract customers. My next project will be a nice autumn-y peyote bracelet in Amber, Red & Green. I just have to decide on the pattern I like. Any ideas?