Note to Self

April Fools Weekend

2006-04-02T23:23:00.000-04:00

Ok, weird last couple of days. Maybe not weird, but... yeah.

Thursday night was interesting - I caught up on last week's OC, did the ever-so-awkward stuff exchange (I hadn't realized how much stuff I had over there!), then proceeded to drink way more than necessary (or intended!) with Christina. I didn't feel the hangover until 9am the next morning. Needless to say, work was FUN.

I finally started feeling better around noon after a chicken sandwich. Remembering I'd already had plans to do Target Team Member happy hour, I made it through the rest of the workday and by 430pm, was feeling good enough for some Bloody's at Sally's. And beers at the new Library. And Red Bull vodka at Stub and Herbs. And whisky something at the Local. That took us to the Lodge. I HATE THE LODGE. HATE IT. And after this weekend, I can't say that's changed at all.

I spent Saturday being extremely lazy, staying in bed until noon, taking a nap at 4 and finally getting in gear to work at Stella's at 6. Slow night at the fish cafe and I was cut by 9:30. I stuck around for mojito (apparently Stella's are the best - and I have to agree - it was a pretty great Mojito!, thank you Katie!), and a quick dinner. I was going to go out on the town for Melissa's birthday, but started not feeling so great and was being really bothered by my eye that started feeling swollen and itchy.

Turns out I have pinkeye. I have not had pink eye since.... I don't know, I was little. I didn't know adults got pink eye. But yes, I have it and it looks like either I was crying all night out of my right eye only, or maybe like I got hit in the eye. =( The good news - or at least the irony of the situation and proof of my mother's belief that I have lived an absolutely charmed life - the irony is this. May 31, 2005 was the last day I had any kind of medical insurance whatsoever, the day I was no longer covered on my parents' insurance. Today, marks 'three full months of service and the first day of the next pay period' which means I have insurance that starts today. I love that I went (hang on let me count...) 10 months without any kind of medical mishap and the day I get insurance, I get pink eye. Well, I got prescription eye drops and was very excited about it.

Wow, my life really isn't that exciting is it? Christina and I made breakfast burritos this morning and then went down to River Oaks because we heard they opened the course yesterday. We got down there around 2 only to find out the pro shop had closed at noon, so we couldn't even get a bucket of range balls which is all we'd wanted to do today since it was raining somewhat anyway. So, we sat in the bar and had bloody mary's (thank you Nancy), and decided on our availability for the summer.

And here I am, waiting for Grey's Anatomy to start in about 15 minutes, hanging out with my cat, and thinking about cracking open a beer... any takers?

Celebrate THIS

2006-03-14T00:47:00.000-05:00

Tonight Jacqie came over to hang out and have some serious girl time with me and Christina. Jacqie and Christina are hereby known as Jac and Xtina.

Anyway, I bought a bottle of red, white, and champagne for tonight. I decided that given the circumstances, we needed the champagne and we would make a list of things to celebrate. This is our list:

- Doni got a job at Target (after being afraid for a month that a petty misdemeanor might get in the way).
- Xtina did NOT get stuck in the snow or thrown in a ditch this morning
- joe didn't die today. (Jac's friend who's an air force pilot, in training)
- In 8 weeks, Xtina is done teaching guitar lessons!
- new golf course employment!
- GOLF
- promotion potential
- Doni is awesome.
- St. Patty's Day!
- being IRISH
- Interesting Heritages
- guilty pleasures - Flavor of Love and the OC
- VACATIONS!
- Our cats are the coolest
- Jac's fish are so cool
- Rachel, the goldfishl, wears lipstick
- Connections!
- hot tubs
- $$
- We have an awesome apartment
- great $5 champagne
- St. Patt's Day!
- no baggage
- Christina -3!
- Doni has great hair
- Xtina has thick hair
- Jac - JACQUELINE: great name
- D: Doniree, also a great name
- embarassing moments
- great jewelry
- $$ for weekends
- MALIBUs
- double dating, new guys, and being set up with coworkers' brothers!
- open-mindedness
- gay men
- CHAMPAGNE
- pink pen
- pretty flowers (from my roomate!!!)
- banana choc chip muffins
- honey bbq chicken wings
- SPRING
- cute sandals
- being a girl!
- Sarah Si
- tax season will be over soon
- BREAKFAST CLUB
- Molly Ringwald
- John Cusack
- will and grace
- just Jack
- chapstick

and then some. I have a lot to celebrate. =)

Valentine's Day

2006-02-15T23:33:00.000-05:00

2366

2005-12-18T22:17:00.000-05:00

"Welcome to Lauderdale, population 2364," the sign says. Well, there's two more people in this bite-sized suburb after this weekend. Christina and I moved, efficiently and successfully over the course of Thursday and Friday night, and then all day yesterday. Andrew was a HUGE help, here for the whole thing, helping my dad with the big stuff, keeping me on task for sure. Our apartment, by the way, is super cute. Christina has all sorts of stuff from living on her own for the past 5 years... I have nothing to contribute, but it's also kind of nice not having double of anything.

Anyway, hopefully a longer update follows later... but for now I have Christmas cards to finish!

Nothin' but Rambles

2005-12-11T01:50:00.000-05:00

My head is positively spinning with health care and benefits information. Week One at Target HQ was a definite success, but my brain's a little HR-fried, for sure. There are 16 others in my training class (all girls), and I'm really enjoying getting to know them. And my trainers are fantastic, especially for the amount of information we're covering and how well they're presenting it. I've never understood all the inner-workings of benefits and now I already know more than I ever thought I'd need to!

In other news... Christina and I found out yesterday that we don't get our keys early (oh well), and can pick them up on Thursday, the official start of our new lease! I think my plan is to move a few things in Thurs and Fri night (clothes, random stuff, boxes, etc) and then do the big move on Saturday with the rented truck and all the furniture. I am sooooo excited to cut this commute in half! Granted, I've stayed at Andy's half the nights this last week for that very purpose, but it's going to be really nice when I'm able to come and go from my own apartment without the 70 mile round-trip commute.

Then again, I haven't been going straight home anyway - ma's been in the hospital since Monday night. She finally got the surgery she needed yesterday morning and has since been doing MUCH better. She had an infection, as well as some stones in her gallbladder, which irritated the pancreas (pancreitis), so they had to wait until that settled down before operating. That finally happened on Friday morning. But she's feeling a lot better, though definitely sore. It was kind of scary watching the ambulance drive away on Monday night, but we opted for that since she could barely walk to the car for dad to drive her. So I've been stopping by there every night after work (except Thursday) and staying for a few hours at a time.

I'm so excited for her to come home!

I worked at the Oaks again this evening and I never thought I'd say it, but it felt good to get back on my feet again. I've been sitting in a chair at a desk for 40 hours all week, and while I was looking forward to that (and still really like it), it's such an adjustment from being on my feet all day instead. I'm excited to get my own desk at work once training's over - Jess has already colored me a picture to hang in my cube! It's Winnie-the-Pooh and says, "Best friends are the greatest gift." What a doll! :-)

Ok, that's all for now - not terribly exciting, I know, but I'm a little brain-dead and my legs are tired. And I have to be back at work early in the morning.

TTFN :)

Oh, and my hair's just barely long enough for a half-ponytail. I find that a little exciting.

Target, HGTV, the Gap, Lauderdale

2005-12-04T12:14:00.000-05:00

Well, let's see. I finally start working tomorrow, and I'm getting a little bit nervous. Not necessarily for the job itself, but just a new routine and not being home so much. But it'll be worth it once I start getting paid again, that is for sure.

Hmm... my little bro (one of my closest friends of about 5 years now) was on TV yesterday, so Jess and I went over to his apartment to watch his debut. His landscaping crew was part of a project on a HGTV show called "Landscape Smarts." They called him the mason (he's not really) and a stone guru (he is pretty smart), and the show will be aired 12 more times. Then he made breakfast for everyone who came to see him. Jess and I stayed over there with his folks, sister, bro-in-law, and a couple of friends until about 2:30, talking, and then baking cookies Mr. Benedict's way.

And... Friday night Jess and I did a promotion for the Gap (looking to make a little extra $$) at the Hollidazzle (Sarah, I saw your sister, but didn't get a chance to say hi). It was a pretty disorganized event (our client is based in Atlanta and really had no idea what this market was like up here), but we managed, and ended up with a cute ensemble of gloves, a scarf and a hat - compliments of Gap's winter line this year, so getting paid for easy work plus freebies equals not a bad deal.

And today... I'm pretty much just hanging around, getting stuff in gear for tomorrow, running a couple of errands, and then heading over to Andy's so that my commute tomorrow isn't quite the headache it would be if I were commuting from CG.

I'm supposed to call my landlord on Thursday about getting the keys then, so there's a good chance I start moving this weekend! (In between the hours I'm putting in at River Oaks on Saturday and Sunday night...)

I think I'm going to learn to snowboard this winter.

George Carlin Theory

2005-11-29T19:01:00.000-05:00

"The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A Death. What's that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get that out of the way. Then you live in an old age home. You get kicked out when you're too young, you get a watch and you go to work. You work forty years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You do drugs, alcohol, you party, you get ready for high school. You go to grade school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities. You become a little baby, you go back into the womb, spend your last nine months floating... and you finish off as an orgasm."

Wassail, Wassail

2005-11-27T00:27:00.000-05:00

Dad took us to see Manheim Steamroller tonight at the Xcel, and it was fantastic! We first met Phil and Roxie (ma and pops's best buddies) at Bascali's in St. Paul (little pizza joint at Como and Snelling), had four delicious kinds of pizza (I had three pieces despite not feeling so hot and not being hungry at all), then we trekked down to the Xcel and saw one of the coolest shows I've ever seen.

That aside, I've been feeling like crap pretty much all day. I stayed in bed this morning when Andy left for wrestling, but could never fall back asleep. I was a teeny hungover from the wine last night, but the kind of sickness I'm feeling is NOT a hangover... So I tried to sleep for a couple of hours, but gave up when Andy called about 11 and wanted to go out to breakfast. So I mustered up enough strength to get dressed and meet him downstairs, then had breakfast at the Uptown Diner. Again, I was a little disappointed. I had a Denver Omelet the first time I went there and there wasn't any cheese on it, so it wasn't that great, and then this time, I had the Florentine Omelet which is swiss, tomato and spinach, but WAY too much spinach. But I felt a little better after eating, came back, helped clean up the beer cans from last night, and then laid down again. And again, couldn't fall asleep. So I just watched Dogma for about an hour, wishing I was sleeping. Finally, I left and came home to get ready to go out with the fam, which was kind of a struggle since my energy level was so low.

Anyway, enough whining about being sick... My NyQuil (I heart NyQuil) is kicking in, so I'm going to try to get some real sleep and hope that all my aches and pains are gone in the morning.

Also, today is Day 1 of 14 for my new toothpaste that's supposed to whiten while I sleep in just two weeks! We'll see.

Goodnight.

Fold Your Cities Map in Half

2005-11-21T13:50:00.000-05:00

Since I always get a blank stare when I tell people I'm moving to Lauderdale.

That's where I'll be as of December 15th!!!

Best Red Bull Groupie EVER

2005-11-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

Last night was ridiculously awesome.

Jess and I started by meeting Andi (her boss) and Mike (his Iowa counterpart) at Ichiban's Japanese Steakhouse downtown. AMAZING - I'd never been here, but I've heard plenty about the flying spatulas and bowls of rice as they prepare your food right in front of you, but I'd never seen it for myself. We made it in time for their happy hour, which is a discounted price on their entree combos. $20 gets you two meat/seafoods (I chose filet mignon and scallops!), soup, an awesomely-flavored cucumber salad, rice, fresh stir-fried veggies, and dessert. Our chef came to our table and prepared our main course as servers brought us soup, salad, and rice in the meantime. It was awesome - the food, the show, the service, the price, everything. And the company was absolutely fantastic - I love being a Red Bull groupie!!!

Then, Jess and I moseyed back to Lakewood Isles to pick up Miss Steph and headed to the Stadium Village part of campus to the Oak Street Cinema for the premeire of The Community Project. This movie/documentary is unbelievably awesome if you're big into snowboarding. If not, well, it was still entertaining. I think I got drunk smelling the Petron and the schnapps that the boys kept passing back and forth...

Anyway, after the premiere, we walked across the street to Stub n Herbs for the "Rail Jam." If you didn't see it, it's going to be quite tough to explain, but basically they constructed a ski jump in the parking lot of the bar with a rail at the end that they'd jump onto and scale across... like skateboarders, except on snowboards. We, being there as guests of one of the sponsors (this was a Red Bull AND Oakley event), got our little wristbands for the outdoor party and some free silver bullets (mmmm coors...).

When they ran out of free beer and it was too crowded to get a beer inside, Andrew, Jess and I walked down the street to Sally's to catch the end of their Thurs night special. We sat and talked for about an hour, calmly, with no trouble getting a beer, and then headed back to the Rail Jam to say goodnight to the Red Bull crew before heading home.

I won't share any more details here, but... I got to sleep and wake up with the man of my dreams, so yeah... yesterday was perfect. :-)

Today: happy hour with the girls to celebrate Steph's upcoming week off (yea!!!) and to hang out before we do our separate Turkey Day things. Then I'm headed to Andy's so that I can take him bright and early tomorrow morning to his PRAXIS test (teaching licensure).

My landlord also told me today that he has a surprise for me and Christina that we're going to fall over from excitement about... But we don't get to know til we move in (December 15!!!). So... yeah... Me, Christina, Roxy and Tommy move out to Lauderdale (280 and Larpenteur) in a month!

I heart Etta.

2005-10-30T22:44:00.000-05:00

you smile
oh and then the spell was cast
and here we are in heaven
for you are mine at last

My So-Not-Expert Opinion on Music

2005-10-27T21:40:00.000-05:00

I was listening to "Rites of Passage" by the Indigo Girls this afternoon as I was driving home, and started thinking of that as well as other CDs I enjoy. Here's my list of albums I've got (in no particular order) that I find good enough to talk about.

*Disclaimer: I do not pretend to be a music critic of any kind... I'm just talking about what I like (albums I tend to not get sick of).

1. Indigo Girls "Rites of Passage"
2. Barenaked Ladies "Stunt"
3. Eve 6 "Horrorscope"
4. Jem "Finally Woken"
5. Incubus "Make Yourself"

To be continued... maybe. What's your favorite?

Manicure x2

2005-10-21T10:17:00.000-05:00

So I might have to get my nails done again next week.

On another note, the new kids doing the Welch's Juice commercials aren't as cute as the little blonde girl that used to do them.

I heart Panera.

2005-10-20T00:14:00.000-05:00

I keep forgetting how wonderul this place is. I woke up with a craving for an apple cinnamon bagel with hazelnut cream cheese, but by the time I got here is was lunch time and I opted for the "you pick two" instead. Those kinds of options are perfect for me, since I want all the variety I can get for my money. (This is why at Applebee's I love the "pick two" part of the menu, so I can get ribs AND steak. Anyway, I tried the new Chicken Tomesto (It took me a few minutes to figure out that meant tomato and pesto) which was awesome, along with an old, reliable favorite - the Creamy Chicken Wild Rice soup... Campbell's, eat your heart out. Wow.

Then, after sitting here like the other losers working on their laptops (except they're working; I'm playing), I decided I needed a cup of my favorite Hazelnut House Blend coffee so I got one of those to-go for my ride to work.

It's a Rainbow night tonight... I will not complain because I haven't worked a full shift there in over a week. (I worked a whole hour yesterday!) . But I intend to stay my 7 hours (I am trying to save some money, after all), and not complain about it. (Unless maybe JT is working and I can stick him behind the SD for a couple of hours).

*Damn, this coffee is hot.

I got new tabs for my car yesterday, so as to avoid a ticket for expired tabs, followed by a suspended license for an unpaid ticket, followed by a "public nuisance" as a result of driving after suspension. So yeah, new tabs = no public nuisance.

I also got my nails done for a reason I'm not going to talk about until it's over so as not to jinx it. There. I thought you needed a little suspense in your life.

That's all for now - I'm off to grocery-land.

Updatish

2005-10-11T23:22:00.000-05:00

1. I've said it a million times, but this time I mean it. Even if it smells good, looks good, whatever - just say "No." "NO LEANN CHIN." Oh, who am I kidding... It never smells or looks good.
2. I forgot how good "F R I E N D S" is.
3. My legs are tired. (37 hours on my feet in the last 3 days! I know... I'm a whiner).

That's really all I have the mental capacity for now... I'm going to go back to watching Friends, working on my resumé and getting to bed... I get to sleep in a little tomorrow! Then, take Roxy to her dr. appt.

Anywho...g'night =)

Quarter-Life Crisis? Hardly.

2005-10-06T13:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, not really. I'm just struggling with the same question most everyone else is... only for about the 10th time...

What do I want to be when I grow up?

Just in the last week, I've gone from not wanting to teach, to wanting to be a counselor first and instead, to thinking about teaching, to applying for an admin. position at a downtown real estate company, to considering a Ph.D. program starting next year, to job-seeking at colleges around here in the admissions deptartments.

Mom says it's ok to keep changing my mind.

Thank goodness, because that's what I seem to be the best at. Everyone keeps telling me I'm young, I'll figure it out, and I've got plenty of time.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you, BUT... I just feel the need to be working towards something. Like to be in a job that'll get me closer to doing somethingin all the fields I'm interested in, or going back to school, or something. I'm getting tired and bored... I know I go through this "I need a change" thing every year or so, but this time it's not just a change I'm looking for, but a direction. I'm ok with not being all grown up with - in fact, I relish it. However, I do want to be doing something that's getting me further advanced in a career or whatnot other than customer service.

Other than this mini-crisis, I'm keeping plenty busy with work. I worked just under 60 hours last week and next week will be very similar. I have tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday morning off and I am so ridiculously excited to be able to do some things on my own time. Like I'm in the middle of a french manicure right now. Just because I can.

Tonight's date night. :) Drew's taking me to Stella's Fish Cafe in Uptown, somewhere I've been meaning to check out for months. Tomorrow's a Doni-Jessie, then Doni-Jessie-Steph day/afternoon... Jess and I are going to have lunch somewhere new and exciting (don't know where yet - open to suggestions!), then find something to do all afternoon... possibly have a pineapple pizza dinner w/ Miss Stephanie. In the evening, I'm planning on seeing Pat McCurdy at O'Gara's in St. Paul with whoever else plans on showing up there... So if you're interested, show up! Other than all that, I'm going to not think about lottery tickets or liquor bottles (unless I'm the one drinking it...) for a couple of days.

Adios. =)

You Can Pick Up Your Relationship Baggage at Carousel 6

2005-09-25T23:05:00.000-05:00

My first boyfriend taught me how to conform to the expectations everyone else had of my life and myself.
My second boyfriend taught me how to be defensive, how to argue, how to expect to fight.
My third boyfriend taught me how to keep my mouth shut, how to forget everything I needed and be on his timetable.

With these kinds of lessons, it's easy to see why I'm having a hard time processing the first no-drama, no-hidden meanings, most low-maintenance (ok, only low-maintenance) relationship I have ever been in. For the first time in my life, I don't have to force anything, don't have to figure out my next move, don't have to worry about how to make my schedule match his, because I know that at some point, it's just going to. We'll manage to find time for each other.

This is a hard thing for me to accept. We (I) bitch and moan about wanting effortless, fall-into-place, no-drama relationships, and yet when they jump up and bite you (me) on the nose, we (I) don't know what else to do with all the free time except try to figure out what could possibly be wrong.

How the hell do you leave baggage and expectations of past relationships in the past and start new with a clean slate? It's a waste of time comparing this to all the things in the past that didn't work out, but I'm listening to myself invent things that aren't there, just because it seems more "normal" to have a relationship with drama. Why can't I accept that this actually might just fit?

Because, actually... it really does. Hmm. Maybe that's what scares me.

To Write of an Experience is to Enrich It

2005-09-19T00:42:00.000-05:00

I had the good fortune yesterday to work dairy/frozen with Jesse and Joel last night instead of cashiering on Register 13 (one of the express lanes) for 7 hours. Since I was pretty much Jesse's little puppet (which I'm sure he loved), and he was pretty much just Joel's little puppet (which I loved), I basically tagged along behind Jesse all evening, working alongside him and finally getting some time to catch up, share stories, and of course, ruthlessly insult each other. However, one particular topic of conversation has stuck with me over the last day (not surprisingly, of course). Jesse and I were discussing first of all why someone would save tangible evidence of a painful experience - an email, a letter, a picture, etc. We concluded that the experience of feeling emotion, even though it is sometimes painful, is valuabe in an of itself, especially for someone typically rather stoic in general. The second reason he offered was that keeping things like that also serve as a milemarker of sorts for events in his life, citing an overall bad memory, especially the more time had passed. I understood this completely, seeing as I've kept a journal off and on nearly as long as I've been physically able to write.

And then I realized it's been awhile since I've journaled, except for a few random things I wrote last spring and have since discared almost altogether. (Funny how scary it is when your own thoughts stare back at you with such honest reality that it hurts). And then I was inspired to start journaling again. For real. These, as boring and trivial as you may find them, do provide a good reflection of what's going on in my life at the time (since I share my Franklin Covey secrets with you), yet some of the big things (the things I think that I wouldn't dare go public with - sorry) are left out and stored in my faulty memory.

So I have these great intentions of daily (weekly?) updates of my own, because this particular time in my life is pretty awesome. I'm so close to zero - aka out of debt - (and steady income) that I'm planning on moving in just over 3 months; I'm dating Mr. Wonderful; I actually think I'm really going to enjoy this teaching business (which I was scared I would get into in the observations and hate, but I don't at all). So... yeah. This is a time in my life I want to remember; I think I'm going to start documenting more.

50/50

2005-09-13T20:28:00.000-05:00

- Dad and I golfed today at Bellwood Oaks on the south side of Hastings. I golfed a 113, which is a pretty good score for me. : Happy:
- Jess and Steph came out to the Grove for a Walker Family dinner. :Happy:
- I found out my grandfather is likely either in the onset of Alzheimer's or dementia. :not so happy:
- Northwest is considering filing for bankruptcy. :not so happy:

Good day turned... well, not so great.

Sap

2005-09-13T01:17:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,
Done looking.
Your Truly

Good Day Wednesday

2005-09-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today was a good day. I slept in til 930 or so, had a couple of cups of coffee w/ ma, then got a lot of stuff done here, like laundry and a little bit of file-organizing. I called Moehrle around 11:45 to see if I could score some company for lunch, and sure enough, he had nothing going on either. So he picked me up and we headed to my new favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch - Las Margaritas. We got all caught up on the summer (him=camp, me=mostly work) over margaritas, then came back to my house where we hit golf balls off of the hill I live on top of and then watched some of the Twins game. It's always really nice to catch up with him. It's just always great to know we'll pick up where we left off last. That's the thing about old friends; they're just like that.

Anyway, then I went to work and that was an easy day. I got to work with Sarah (weeee!), which is always a treat and has been really fantastic lately because I think we've worked together more in the last two weeks than in the last year. Awesome.

So then I came home, had a glass of wine with ma (I love how we bond over caffeine and alcohol), then headed downstairs for the little bit of Doni-time I get tonight. I caught up with Andrew, manicured my nails, and discussed plans with Jessica for tomorrow's viewing party of the OC season premiere! Woo hoo!

So this was a fairly boring recap of my day, but whatever - it was a good one for no specific reason and deserved documentation. :-)

Your Weekly (or so) Look at My Planner:

2005-09-06T23:02:00.000-05:00

Wednesday: PHS 1230-2pm; Rainbow 3-10
Thursday: HHS 9am-12pm; SEASON PREMIERE of the OC Party!!
Friday: I think I'll be working at River Oaks from 9-close if I can steal Pauly's bev cart shift. =)
Saturday: River Oaks 3-close
Sunday: OFF, and hopefully catching up with the girls!
Monday: River Oaks
Tuesday: River Oaks
Wednesday: PHS and Rainbow
Thursday: HHS
Friday: River Oaks til close, then PARTY in Uptown with my girls and my boy and his boys! :)

My New Toy

2005-09-05T20:12:00.000-05:00

I bought new shirts on Saturday. I returned them on Sunday and bought the iTrip instead. =)

Ode to One

2005-09-04T18:33:00.000-05:00

'hey you. isn't "one" the best SATC episode ever?
well, i think it is. i think it's the music.'
~ from Michelle :)

Yes, I agree completely. Well, with the exception of the finale... and maybe "The Catch." (I cry every time I see Harry propose!) And then with Miranda and Steve in the laundry room with Brady's birthday cake and when Magda walks in and they're blushing because they just figured out they're in love with each other. Not to mention the eye candy that is Smith Jarred .
*sigh*

Turns out we're schmucks like the rest of 'em, Chelle.

Who Needs a Rooster When You've Got Recycling?

2005-09-02T23:59:00.000-05:00

A content, satisfied, subdued-euphoric feeling set in as I hit play on the last episode on the DVD. Season 6, Part 1 was coming to an end. No, "Sex and the City" is not the reason for my content state of mind, though it certainly isn't hurting. I woke up this morning to... garbage trucks, I think. Yeah, it must've been recycling because I remember hearing glass. Sometimes I forget what it was like to wake up in the city. I forget that you get used to the noise, the sirens, the recycling, the voices. It makes me kind of excited to move back out there, sooner or later. Sometimes I think I want it to be later. I'm just about to break even, hit zero, and I want to move out later, when I've had time to actually save some money. But mostly, I want it to be sooner. I want to be closer to my friends, my man, my city, my restaurants, my streets, my lights. Today, I woke up at daylight, to the sound of recycling, a gorgeous man sleeping next to me, and a little bit of a headache as I remembered the martinis at happy hour the day before. A leisurely morning later, we found ourselves having the most enormous portions of hashbrowns I've ever consumed, at the Uptown Diner. I headed to work just after that, made more than I'd expected on what started out as a very sleepy day at the golf course, and came in early to help my bartender close. Afterwards, Andy "Drew" (you'd have to see the board at work to get that) met me at work, helped Cheryl and I close, and then headed with me to the closest fine fashion emporium (ok, Kohl's) to find suitable dress attire for the wedding he'd be going to this weekend. Being quite efficient, this only took us about a half hour, and then he went his way out to his sister's place in Savage, and I went mine, to my folks' house here in the 'burbs. I enjoyed my absolute most favoritest of home-cooking, a couple of glasses of the Walker house red (Ravenswood), disc 3, season 6, part 1, "Sex and the City," and a thoughtful goodnight phone call before I realized it's just about 1am, and I have to be at work at 8 in the morning. So, it's here, at the end of a wonderfully steady-paced, beautiful midwestern Fall Friday, that I finally say goodnight.

Messy Freewrite

2005-08-31T23:54:00.000-05:00

I have a bazillion and twelve things running through my mind right now, but quite fittingly, have absolutely no words. Or at least none coherent, because here's what I've got in my head:

family love friends hurt heartbreak falling want to scared future past remedy old things that I don't want to carry with me want family to be a part of big things, important things, scared for future, busy, stressed, love, relationships, two, pair, duo, split one alone, side by side together hold christmas family everyone new old exciting hopeful sad scary

Yeah. YOU make sense of that. I certainly can't.

On the upside, there are things I'm really excited about. Like school starting tomorrow and deciding to dive head first into what could be the best thing I've ever known, even if it means opening myself up for being hurt yet again. If I don't open myself up to the possibility of something real, I'll never have it. So there's that risk there, but it may be worth it. And there are other things that scare me... like the idea of losing something I've considered so stable. Losing someone who's just always been there, always been a part of a crucial pair, a crucial twosome in my life. I have a lot of mixed emotions right now, of being happy and confused and excited and head over heels and scared out of my head.

So, I'll finish this glass of wine and get some sleep. I'd planned on having lights out by midnight, but 10 after will be close enough. G'night. :-)

Miss Walker vs. Boss Walker

2005-08-31T22:49:00.000-05:00

This helped a little in my decision-making about my career path:

Me: So, she quit, huh?
Him: Yeah.
Me: That kinda sucks.
Him: It is what it is.
Me: I feel kinda bad for her, ya know?
Him: You're not going to like management very much if you're going to feel bad for people. :-)

And then I thought about it, and I realized that that's why I'm going into teaching and perhaps eventually counseling. And that's why I'm not going into business or management. Because I get involved, I like to get to know people, and I connect with people sometimes and want to help them when they ask and want to be involved when they let me. So, thank you Mr. Co-Bossman for putting this into a little bit of perspective. I haven't ruled out the offer completely yet, but I do have a little more to think about and a little better understanding of the kinds of things I might or might not be cut out for.

Career Path

2005-08-31T13:12:00.000-05:00

Tough choices? Sure, just when I get in gear for one path, a curveball is thrown. But do I want to make that kind of commitment? And it wasn't necessarily an official offer, just something to think about. If I take it, will I ever come back to what I just decided to work for? On the other hand, if I take it, I could make a lot of things happen that I've been wanting for a long time... like getting things paid off and moving out sooner than I would otherwise. *sigh*

For now, I'll take the added tasks and new responsibilities. Yesterday was pretty interesting, and even a little fun.

Back to High School

2005-08-31T10:17:00.000-05:00

This week:

Wednesday: finish big room decluttering project, work 3-10
Thursday: Hastings 8-11, Park 1230-2; State Fair!, sleepover :)
Friday: sleep in, work 12-close at RO
Saturday: 8-3 @ Rainbow, hang out w/ Christina
Sunday: 8-3 @ Rainbow

Can't Get Enough of This Song

2005-08-29T23:06:00.000-05:00

... so I bought the album and the whole thing's pretty decent. This girl's got a pretty awesome voice.

Read some Byron, Shelly and Keats
Recited it over a Hip-Hop beat
I'm having trouble saying what I mean
With dead poets and drum machines
...
I'm gettin off my stage
The curtains pull away
No hyperbole to hide behind
My naked soul exposé
...

Natasha Bedingfield, "These Words"

I Knew it When...

2005-08-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

We were absolutely exhausted. We'd put in 13 hours at work, bartending, cleaning, stacking chairs, schmoozing with the guests, etc., and it was 1 in the morning when we finally left. We changed out of black and whites, into sweats and t-shirts, and geared up for the road trip ahead of us. Some loud music, cool air, and a couple of Red Bulls (thank you, Jess!), and we headed north to Nowhere, Wisconsin (more specifically, somewhere near Trego and Spooner). About halfway or 2/3 of the way there, we were jammin' to whatever classic rock or country station we could pick up (because as the Cities stations start going in and out of reception, that's just about all the great state of Wisconsin has to offer as far as radio goes). At some point, we got bored with the radio, so Andy put in his recently purchased Styx CD and started rocking out (pretty hardcore too) to the first 25 seconds or so of each song. We listened to a couple in their entirety (you can't pass "Sailing" without belting it out, all the way through, most imporantly through the "Come Sail Away" part), but the moment that sticks out in my mind the most is the point in one song where it went from a slow, piano, rock-ballad intro, into a full out, belt-it-out-at-the-top-of-your-lungs, rock out rock song. And just like the music, he went from slow, steady, quiet singing, to all out belting, head-banging, and air drum solos.

That's pretty much when it clicked. =)

I might update you on the events of the weekend later, but I'm warning you... it'll just make you jealous. ;-)

Good Quote :)

2005-08-27T13:01:00.000-05:00

"A bit of lusting after someone does wonders for you and is good for your skin." ~ Elizabeth Hurley

I'm Alive, I Promise

2005-08-26T23:44:00.000-05:00

I talked to Jess on Wednesday-ish and since I'd been idle for something like 2 days, she called to make sure I was still alive and all. (Which, obviously, I am). So for those of you concerned about my whereabouts, and since they're all over the place, this is my weekend:

Tomorrow: I'm getting my ass out of bed early to help Jess and Steph move from Dinkytown to the edge of Uptown and SLP. At least that's the goal. And I get to see Ma and Pops Reisner and Ma Snyder! That reminds me, I've already taken care of my request off for BOOJA, Steph's family's yearly shindig in Sauk Rapids. I am so excited for some of that tasty stuff, all sorts of homemade goodness, and maybe even Trivial Pursuit or Scrabble again. Tomorrow afternoon/evening/night, I have to work 3-close for a reception, but it's less than 200, no set up for the next day, and no buffet table to take down. Here's hoping we're outta there by 1am, because straight from the Oaks, we're swinging by ma and pops house to drop off a car then heading up to Nowhere, Wisconsin, for a secret little getaway. =) Considering I'm going to be up at the crack of dawn to move boxes, and Mr. Spraetz is going to be up at the crack of dawn for a final Saturday shift at Lifetime, I think the drive up there's gonna be a sleepy one. Dear Jess, we might need some Red Bulls for the road trip!

Sunday: Well, I'll be up at the campsite all day Sunday and through the morning on Monday.

No cell phone reception, no Internet, no planner. And surprisingly, I'm ok with that. It's going to be a good weekend. =)

Wake Up Slow

2005-08-24T23:21:00.000-05:00

Let's see... I had a drink date that lasted two days, I finally have tunes in my car again, I got a huge chunk of my financial situation in order, had my first meeting as a Counseling Intern at Hastings this morning, and set plans for a little getaway for the weekend. It's been an awesome week, to say the very least.

Getting set up today at HHS felt so productive and has got me so excited to get started. I have a very flexible schedule of 8-11am on Tuesdays and Thursdays at HHS. I got my parking pass, met the other counselors again, sat in on the dept. chair meeting, and talked with my contact a bit about what I'll be doing. Then I came home and emailed my PHS contact and will set that up more concretely next week, Tuesday. I start officially at HHS on Thursday, the 1st of Sept., and hope to start the same day at PHS. Finally seeing all this come together has got me really excited about what I'm doing - and that's a good feeling, to finally have some direction!

So, tomorrow worlds collide when I introduce River Oaks to Rainbow (or one in particular to 50 of Rainbows finest drunks and baseball fans, or maybe just beer fans). Tomorrow we battle the State Fair crowd for parking spots as we herd in to tailgate and watch the Saints' game. It should be interesting, but I've been looking forward to this since Porter started setting the whole thing up back in June or so.

And then there's work on Friday and Saturday, but I'll be heading north on Saturday night after work so that I wake up Sunday morning in the woods, ready to golf, canoe, grill, relax, and get away before everything gets crazy. I'll come back Monday afternoon from this little vacation, get things set up with Park on Tuesday, and be in gear for the semester. I think I'm ready. =) Actually, I'm really excited about this year.

Here's the little ditty I've got stuck in my head at the moment, c/o Jack Johnson:

Can't you see that it's just rainin'
There ain't no need to go outside

But baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you
this song It's meant to keep you
From doin' what you're supposed to
Like wakin' up too early
Maybe we could sleep in
I'll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now

And we could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just rainin'
There ain't no need to go outside

But just maybe, laka ukulele
Mama made a baby
I really don't mind the practice
Because you're my little lady
Lady, lady love me

Because I love to lay here lazy
We could close the curtains

Pretend like there's no world outside
And we could pretend that all the time
Can't you see that it's just raining
There ain't no need to go outside

Ain't no need, ain't no need
Can't you see, can't you see

Rain all day and I don't mind

The telephone singing, ringing, it's too early
Don't pick it up
We don't need to
We got everything we need right here
And everything we need is enough
It's just so easy
When the whole world fits inside of your arms

Do we really need to pay attention to the alarm
Wake up slow, wake up slow

But baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you this song
It's meant to keep you
From doin' what your supposed to
Like wakin' up too early
Maybe we could sleep in

I'll make you banana pancakes

Pretend like it's the weekend now
And we could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just rainin'
There ain't no need to go outside

Ain't no need, ain't no need
Rain all day and I really, really, really don't mind
Can't you see, can't you see

We've got to wake up slow

"Who gets this drunk?"

2005-08-22T00:04:00.000-05:00

This is a good fit. =) I went out to Savage last night for some birthday fun... met the Ebels again as well as a bunch of their friends. It was kind of a crazy, rowdy group... or maybe it just seemed that way since I showed up at the end of the party, sober, and a bit tired from work. Either way, it was a great time. I'm sorry to say I missed the huge-ass, super slip-n-slide. Apparently Scib saw something on the Internet about this... and I walked out into the backyard to find a huge tarp on the grass. I was told they'd covered it in baby oil, dish soap, anything slippery they could find and made a baseball game out of it. I believe a tree was first base, a kiddie pool was second, the keg was third, and the corner of the tarp was home plate. I was so sorry I missed that, as I heard it was the slip-n-slide of all slip-n-slides. I was, however, just in time for a little drunken pinata smashing. I didn't get to take part, seeing as the third smasher smashed it wide open, littering the garage floor with Nerds and Sweettarts.

My date had been up since 6am and drinking since about 2pm, and was on the way to a drunken slumber a little after the pinata-smashing. This was completely fine with me, since I'd been working all day and was quite tired myself. So it was an early-ending night, restful sleep, and a wonderful morning. We enjoyed a cheeseburger brunch on the deck, recapped the night before, and plotted how to spend such a beautiful Sunday. (Ok, they did that... I took off shortly after and headed to work).

Quote of the night:
Girl stumbles in room where my date's passed out and I'm trying to sleep, looking for her shoes as she's preparing to go home. She's muttering to herself a bit about where her shoes could be, when she pauses, sighs, and says, frustrated, drunk and exhasted, "Who gets this drunk?" Pause. "Oh yeah. Me." It was all I could do to keep from laughing, but I didn't want to scare her, so I giggled silently to myself as she found her shoes and walked out of the room, bidding goodnight to whomever had crashed there.

Saturday night was a good night. =)

So What if it's Cliche, It's Mine.

2005-08-19T23:50:00.000-05:00

Fall makes me a little nervous. I mean, this year I'm supposed to be putting into place those "coping strategies" Colleen and I used to talk about. For those of you out of the loop, Colleen was my therapist (how cliche, I know) almost this time last year. Anywho, things have [obviously] been on the upswing for the past 6 months or so, but fall makes me nervous. I'll have two part-time jobs, two internships, and will be trying to get into gear for school again next year. I have debt to pay off, goals to reach, and relationships to keep up. Just the thought of everything makes my head buzz a little and makes me wonder... do I have a strong enough grip on these so-called "strategies"? Or am I taking on too much and just setting myself up for all sorts of head-popping and heart-stopping?

On the other hand, what makes this year different is that I'm actually working towards something this time. Last year, I think a large part of all the anxiety was the complete lack of direction I had, not to mention the frequent freak-outs about graduation in general. But all that's out of the way, and I've managed to roll with it quite nicely. And right about now... things couldn't be any better. Well, with the exception of the money stuff, but you've gotta admit: I've made a helluva lot of progress. So maybe this year, with goals in mind and something to work towards, I'm less likely to crack.

Yeah, I think I can cope.

Me: We just can't agree on anything! We see things completely differently and neither of us wants to meet in the middle.
Her: You're saying he sees things in black and white, while you tend to see the grey areas?
Me: (pause for thought). No. Actually, I prefer to think I see things in color.
Her: And when you start teaching, and working, and living, you can teach, work, and live in color.

On Track for Something

2005-08-16T11:48:00.000-05:00

Today I begin the application process for the University of Minnesota's M.Ed./Initial Licensure program. I'm starting today just by filling out the application. I'll get my 100 hours of unpaid work experience in this fall with Mr. Hyland at Park High School and Naomi at Hastings High School. As far as I know, I'll be observing with Mr. Hyland as he teaches different subjects within the Social Studies umbrella. With Naomi, I'll be sitting in on counseling sessions, observing and facilitating discussion groups, and she'll also be setting me up with a teacher or two that I'll be observing.

I'm nervous. Why? Because I haven't decided that this is what I want to do with my life, although, honestly, most of the time it is. So this fall will be for me to test the waters and see how much I really like these high schoolers. Wish me luck... social studies is hard to get into... Think back to your Social Studies teachers. They were all old guys, right? Or old ladies? Yeah, these teachers teach forever, meaning there's not much turnover and I'm stuck waiting til someone retires. But, this is what I like, so this is where I'm going.

I Should Start Hitch-Hiking

2005-08-15T20:17:00.000-05:00

$2.69/gallon here in the Grove. Yowza. I'd hoped to wait til I had to work tomorrow and would be in Eagan, since it's usually a few cents cheaper out there, but no such luck; my gas light came on while on my way to work this afternoon. And speaking of work, today had to be one of the easiest days yet. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, I had more people that usual before my leagues, and my league drank a bit and tipped really well tonight. Oh, and I got out early since they golfed quickly and finished early-ish.

Nice little Monday. =)

Perfect Sunday

2005-08-15T00:16:00.000-05:00

Forget that I worked til 3am last night. Today was the best Sunday in a long time.

I went home and crashed hard - and quite comfortably - around 5am. Slept til 1pm, had a relaxing, leisurely breakfast at The Egg and I in Uptown on the patio with some bees that wouldn't leave my jelly alone. Then drove around Uptown looking at the kinds of apartments and houses available for rent, somewhat thinking of a plan of attack for when Christina and I start looking. Then I got dressed for work and rushed down to the course only to find that a couple of us weren't needed for the banquet. Andy and I decided that since we were there, we might as well golf, so we got 9 holes in with Mike (a regular). I was 1 under 7's, which isn't my best, but is still consistent, so I'll take that.

Then a spaghetti dinner with a couple of glasses of dad's choice vino, some good conversation out on the deck, and a little time with Mernda and her friends, and I'd call this one of the best days in a long time.

Anti-Vandalism

2005-08-12T10:23:00.000-05:00

Dad and Phil are putting motion-detected spotlights up today. Hopefully this deters any more stupid vandals. The police told Mernda yesterday that the other night, every car that was parked along 90th St (like behind Cub) had their tires slashed. This is annoying.

Not Bad for a Monday

2005-08-11T23:33:00.000-05:00

Today = excellent.
Tomorrow = promises to be the same: I'm bevvin' for a group notorious for being big drinkers (and tippers!) and will be going out on the town with my girlfriends tomorrow night. Too bad Kyle couldn't make it up here, but we're still going out in his honor... or maybe just to go out for real and all together.

Music-less

2005-08-11T15:44:00.000-05:00

Two reasons I'm really sick of not having music:

- Rush hour and sitting in traffic SUCKS even more
- The sound of my blinker is really starting to annoy me. It seems ridiculously loud when there's no music.

I hate vandals.

2005-08-11T06:33:00.000-05:00

Earlier this summer, my sister's car was broken into (right outside our house) and her CDs stolen. 4 days later Jesse H's window was smashed (outside our house) and his stereo stolen. Two weekends ago at 7 Corners, my window was smashed and CD player stolen. And this morning, Miranda woke up to find her passenger side window popped out, cables cut, and what looks like an attempt to steal her battery. (Again, from right outside our house). This is ridiculous.

Thursday's To-Do List

2005-08-10T23:40:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow's Thursday, which means it's my Monday. Things to accomplish:
- finish laundry
- work
- hopefully get out of work early so I can golf before the RO meeting
- RO meeting where Jesse bestows his years of experience, wisdom, and knowledge with the new crew of closers and big shots at the Oaks
- There are rumors about people doing stuff after the meeting, but if I join them I'm keeping it short because the most important item on my agenda tomorrow is:
- Doni-Jess time =) I haven't seen her since Friday and the withdrawal is beginning to hurt.

Do-Nothings

2005-08-10T22:59:00.000-05:00

What an awesome evening! I did absolutely nothing important and loved every minute of it. Absolutely unimportant things:
- Watched the Rangers/Red Sox game (this was a good game, actually)
- Watched 'Frasier' with my dad
- Caught up with Crecia
- Sister talked w/ Mernda
- Drank 3 Capri Suns (one's just not big enough!)
- Ate 4 Double Stuff Oreos with a big glass of milk =)
- Updated twice

Oh, I forgot to mention in my recap of the last couple of days the awesome battle scar I have from yesterday. My foot slipped while I was getting into a cart and I have this awesome 3"x2" bruise on my shin that's still a bit swollen and definitely ugly shades of purple and red. I still have the bruise on the back of my arm that I can't explain...When exactly did I become accident-prone?

Golfer Tanlines

2005-08-10T18:55:00.001-05:00

Another reason I believe I can call myself a golfer (though still a rookie):

I'm starting to get the tanlines. You know, white feet and an awesome line where my shorts stop.

I golfed today and shot a 57 on the front 9. That's twice in a row now I've broken 60. Woo hoo! I'm shootin' under 7's. And am growing increasingly addicted to this game.
Yesterday was the annual employee tournament - Awesome! I was on a team w/ Xtina, Russ, and Scottie K. They pretty much drove everything we needed (except we used my drive on #3!), and Christina and I did our part for the team with some good chips and putts. We'd just finished putting on the 7th hole when the skies completely opened up and the rain started pouring. #7's right by the clubhouse, but in the time it took to get our stuff back on our carts and hit the gas, the rain was coming down sideways. We drove straight into the garage downstairs and left our stuff there to go up and wait it out in the clubhouse with everyone else. We were absolutely soaked - Russ was disappointed that Christina's white tank top was knit (aka, no wet, white t-shirt fun for him). We waited out the rain with some pizza and [more] beers, then my foursome headed back out to finish the front 9 and play the back. We played against Ellis, Andy, Mark, and Scottie P, and had a very enjoyable, lightly competitive match for the next couple of hours. Andy and Scott (who I play with on a somewhat regular basis) both noted my improvement. =)
After that, 4 or 5 of us had planned to hit up Uptown for Rudolph's awesome late night happy hour, but the rest of them bailed, leaving only two of us to finish the night off right. 5 Salty Dogs and a not-so-great glass of wine later, I was stumbling up the hill, ready to call it a night. But a good night it was, to complete an awesome off-day Tuesday.

Today was relaxing - I slept in til noon, teed off at 1:12 w/ Janice and Andy, then took my car to Goodyear to see what they had to say about my tire. As it turns out, there was something stuck in it in a place they couldn't patch, so I bought a new tire. Brought it back here, did a little How to Change a Tire 101, came in, showered, had dinner, and now I'm relaxing. This weekend's going to be a busy one. I have a meeting at work tomorrow night, and afterward I hope to get some Jess time in. There are stories to share and some quality time is needed!

Jess quote of the day: "you know doni, you are kinda like my version of porn"

Your Private Glance into My DayPlanner

2005-08-09T01:56:00.000-05:00

Tuesday: get new tire, employee golf tournament at the Oaks, followed by more drinking with A-Dubs and Xtina
Wednesday: golf w/ Janice
Thursday: work @ RB til 3:30, then mtg at RO @ 5:30
Friday: bev/banq 11-cl, then OUT with the ladies :-)
Saturday: RO all night, but at least with a helluva bartending crew
Sunday: I just can't get enough of the Oaks.

'97 Chevy Malibu for Sale

2005-08-08T22:29:00.000-05:00

I really dislike my car. Or rather, I greatly despise the luck I have had with it. If you've known me for a year or better, you know how just about everything under the hood was replaced last summer, domino-effect, one broken piece after the other. I put something upwards of 2 grand (ok, mom and dad did, but I have to pay them back still) into repairs for that car. Ever since then, I've had annoying little things to deal with. Like last year, when I had a flat tire on the way to work. Or a month or so ago when I dented the headlight on a garbage dumpster at the Old Chicago in Uptown. (Ok, that one was my fault.) Or last weekend when Minneapolis vandals busted my window and stole my worthless CD player. Not to mention the ongoing problem of sometimes my car just doesn't like to start the first time. And there's that funny occasional smell, like something crawled up into my vents.

Tonight, we add yet another flat tire to the list of reasons I'd love to push my car off a bridge. Dad mentioned I should keep an eye on it a couple of days ago, so I did and noticed yesterday morning that it was looking pretty sad. I took ourselves right up the road to the EZ Stop and paid 50 cents for 35 psi's or whatever. That got me home, to Eagan and back, and then to work tonight. However, I periodically checked on it while I was working to find it slowly, but surely, losing air.

Thank God for AAA. I called them (I hope I haven't used up the 4 you get in a year, because I've called them a few times...), and they were out at River Oaks in about an hour, changed my tire in about 10 minutes, and sent me on my merry way.

Oh well... I'm headed out for some apps and beverages at the wonderful idea that is the Applebee's Late Night Happy Hour. Ruby's (for their anytime 2-for-1's) was my first choice til I remembered I was hungry, and that's where our neighborhood bar and grill kicks Ruby's ass.

Tomorrow is the annual Employee Drinking (er, ahem, I mean Golf) Tournament, and this is my first year. Should be a swingin' time (no pun intended.)

=)

Sat/Sun

2005-08-08T10:47:00.000-05:00

I made it home on Friday night exhausted, but in one piece, and woke up early Saturday morning to get packed for Paulapalooza and meet up with Paul and his bro to head up to Sauk Rapids. We got there, met the folks, got the new pontoon ready for the afternoon, and hung around playing games and enjoying the weather while we waited for people to show up. After we had enough to constitute a party (and full boat), we took the boat (and three coolers of miscellaneous beers and drinks) out for a ride, did a little swimming and horsing around at the sandbar, and soaked up some sunshine. It felt so good to relax after a week and a half of long days between my two jobs. More people were there when we got back, and we continued the drinking and started the grilling. I LOVE grilling and I think this part was one of the best parts about the whole day - well, that and being on the river. We drank into the evening and until nearly midnight when the sun and everything started to catch up with us and we started getting tired. Paul, Jesse, and I were the last ones up, and ended the night sitting on the end of the dock by the river, talking, maybe seeing a shooting star and/or satellite, and enjoying the quiet. (Note: See Jesse's website for a few pictures of the day)

Paul slept like a baby on the air mattress; I wasn't quite so fortunate. I tossed and turned a bit before finally falling asleep, but when I did sleep, I slept soundly. Until a passing train woke me up or something. We hung around for sometime while Paul's laundry finished, and alternated watching a really cheesy Eddie Murphy movie ("The Golden Child"? I think?) and Zoolander. Sometime around noon, we took off for the Cities again, and here I am, watching the Food Network and drinking white wine with my dad, and recapping the weekend.

So... some good stories, new friends, and few inexplicable bumps and bruises later (ok, maybe I do know where a couple of those came from ;-)), the weekend was a raving success.

Cheers. :-)

Friday

2005-08-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

I was supposed to take Xtina to work Friday morning at 6am, but we were pleasantly surprised to discover that as a result of a drunk dial Xtina made to one of the pro shop guys the night before, he was coming over to pick her up and bring her to work and I wouldn't have to. I heard something about an unfortunate shoe box in his car, but that's beside the point... All I know is Xtina had a very rough morning. Drew and I went back to sleep after seeing that she made it out alive, and woke up around 10, to go back to Prescott for Christina's car. We brought it to the Oaks for her, stayed for a bloody and some breakfast Pauly just put in front of us because he accidentally made something twice (maybe he had a rough morning too?), and recapped a few things from the night before with those unfortunate few who had to be at work in the morning. Discovering that Kadlec's shoe box was not the only thing Xtina's hangover touched, we drove my car down to the garage to hose off the door where she uh, missed, the night before. I had to take my car in for an oil change and we decided it would be something of a common courtesy to hose off the door before turning it over to the people about to make it run better.

So, Andy and I took my car to Goodyear to get the oil changed, did a little shopping (ok, playing) at the Snyder Drug Store across the parking lot while we waited, and when all that was done, I drove him back to Applbee's to get his car (I'm such a good little chauffeur/friend/sobercab), and then I came back home to finally take a shower.

Sometimes I forget how much I love the non-smoking bars in Hennepin County until I'm back in a smoking bar in some place like Prescott.

I called Royale Spalon to see if Sarah Si had any openings for a little pampering and made a 2:45 appt when I discovered she did. We got to catch up, which is always really nice.

Anyway, I came back home to find my memory card had come, so I spent some quality time with my computer putting that in. And finally my computer is running a bit faster :) Then I met up with Jess to go check out McKinley Place playing between Tuggs and Vic's at St. Anthony Main. I enjoyed a margarita (I am on such a kick for those lately) while we waited for Melissa to meet us there. We got some quality girl-time catching up in before Andy (this time he was only Andy all night, no Drew) met us there. We splurged on more girlie drinks before switching to the cheaper alternative of beer, and finished the night by dancing to our favorite McKinley Place tunes and the songs they cover so well. Jess, Meliss, Andy, and Jason and I sat at Tuggs after the show for awhile, enjoying cold beer, beautiful summer evening weather, rekindling old friendships, and the beginning of new ones.

Thursday

2005-08-08T10:45:00.000-05:00

So this weekend was a major success, and even better - it started on Thursday. I got home from work Thursday afternoon with just enough time for a power nap before heading to Applebee's here in the Grove for the start of Jesse Miller's Going Away Party. I discovered a new favorite margarita: Applebee's Perfect Margarita. Served in a martini glass (and they give you the shaker with all the delicious extra, good for 4ish refills, kinda like getting the extra goodness when you get a malt), strawberry-flavored with a sugared rim, it was delicious. Andy (who will later start answering to "Drew" instead) ordered the regular flavored margarita, which had a big green olive in it, a lot like a martini. This added a little bit of extra saltiness and was also awesome.

So we had drinks and apps there, figured out how we were all getting to Prescott, and headed across the border to a place called Scabs. There was a sign above the door as your exit that says "Thank you for picking Scabs." Eww. Anyway, we spent some time on the porch there, played pool, then headed down to the Saloon down the hill. Here at Pointe St. Croix, the only alcohol of choice was cans of beer - no taps, no bottles, no liquor. Just cans. Awesome. Both places were right on the river and it was a perfect night to be outside drinking. We finished up back at Scabs, where the bartender gave us hugs as she thanked us as we left. Sue (boss lady) started calling my tattoo a "tramp stamp" and argued that despite it's religious implications, she highly doubted Jesus told me to "put a tramp stamp right above my buttcrack." Most of us got quite toasty, and Drew, Xtina and I had a little sleepover at my place (since there was no way either of them were driving anywhere). They both crashed right away, and I have this weird memory of Drew barking at something someone said... I think a reference I made to the Colorado Bulldog he never ordered.

I Know You Wanted to Peek at My Calendar

2005-08-02T00:17:00.000-05:00

The Last Three Days: 32.5 hours of River Oaks

yowza.

The Next Three Days:
Tuesday: Rainbow 9am-noon, golf, catch-up-on-the-weekend dinner w/ the girls (since they were both out of town), then quality boyfriend time. aka drinking his patented (don't even think about stealing 'em) Orange Sodie Pop Floats (for grown-ups only) and watching cartoons :)
Wednesday: Rainbow 3pm-830, then unwinding (finally, a little, maybe...), packing, laundry, etc.
Thursday: Rainbow 8am-3:30pm, then J Miller's Going Away Party w/ the River Oaks crew
Friday: SLEEPING IN, FINALLY. And then headed up to Sauk Rapids in a pimp ride (no joke, I love it) with the boyfriend for Paulapalooza... aka GONE FOR THE WEEKEND aka NO WORK FOR THE WEEKEND aka DRINKING AND SUNNING AND RELAXING AND NOT EVEN HOME ALL WEEKEND.

Me = definitely excited.

My Blonde Moment

2005-07-31T02:24:00.000-05:00

I honestly don't have a noteworthy count of blonde moments, but I had a mild one earlier at work. Jesse, Jen, Chris and I were cleaning after tonight's helluvan event (280, plated, wine, champagne, mother of the bride from hell, two bars), and we were talking about different kinds of doctors since Jesse is leaving in a couple of weeks for med school.

Jen: If I were going to be a doctor, I don't think I'd mind being a pediatrist.
Me: Ehhh, I don't like kids.
(a few seconds pass)
Doni: Wait, that means you'd be a foot doctor. (thinking Jen's the one who made the error and meant pediatrician)
Jen and Jesse: *laugh*
Me: *things click and I realize, I am the weak link here*

Un-creativity and Chicken Salad

2005-07-29T14:44:00.000-05:00

I hate my resumé. For one thing, as I've mentioned before, I am most qualified for customer service. Gross. For another, it looks like absolute shit, being one of only three templates offered by Microsoft Word: Mac Online (seeing as Word is a Microsoft program and I have the ":Mac" version, my options are fairly limited). Paul's got Pages, so maybe that'll allow for something a bit more aesthetically pleasing than my current, boring draft. Or perhaps, seeing as I don't have a visually creative bone in my body, it'll allow for a bit more freedom in what I can figure out and teach myself.

On another note, mom makes the most delicious chicken salad. It's one of those things (kinda like Pasta Roni and sometimes Papa John's Pineapple pizza) that doesn't really fill me up, so I just keep eating it. Or like now, when I'm licking the bowl.

30 Minute Meals

2005-07-27T17:59:00.000-05:00

Rachael Ray is absolutely ridiculous, but she does have some tasty ideas. Alton's even crazier, and even better. I love Food Network TV.

It's all in the hips.

2005-07-27T00:09:00.000-05:00

I think I can count golf as a hobby now. Three times in the last week, and 4 upcoming plans to do so in the next 2 weeks. Minus the crazy sexy sunburn tan lines, this is great. :-)

Find Your Passion

2005-07-26T21:31:00.000-05:00

"Find Your Passion." This was the "promise" my dark chocolate Dove Promise (these are my favorites, aside from Sour Patch Kids) offered. "Find your passion," like it's that easy. Finding it's the easy part; finding a way to make it happen, on the other hand, when all you're qualified for is customer service... now that's the tricky part.

On the upside, I'm applying for two internships and one job. Might as well try everything, right?

Open Close

2005-07-25T23:34:00.000-05:00

a vault guarded
a door locked
an envelope sealed
an entrance blocked

impenetrable, mysterious

questions asked
answers learned
doubt erased
trust earned

intrigued, sincere

Happy Birthday, Jesse

2005-07-25T02:01:00.000-05:00

Nice night out w/ the hubby and other Rainbow hooligans... It was nice to go out with these folks again. I know, I know, it's been far too long. But I got to endure Joel making fun of me (and past relationships... god damn kid knows three guys I've dated and thinks they're all losers... loser.)

And there's more... as there always is, but I've decided to keep those things to myself. As usual.

G'night.

Lights Out

2005-07-24T12:26:00.000-05:00

24 hours later, Cottage Grove finally has power again. Mom was going a little crazy not being able to cook, or have a/c... I prefer electricity, obviously, but I have to admit... doing a little writing by candlelight last night was kinda cool.

But today I get a hot shower, food other than cereal, and internet. So I'll take that.

On another note, I am just itching to do SOMEthing... I've been searching for grad programs, internships, jobs... etc... I've found a few that interest me... In Lancashire, England, Toronto, Canada, Kansas City, MO, and Baltimore, MD. Hmm. I've gotta get this $ thing under control so I can do something real when I decide whatever it is I want to do.

For now... It's customer service and free golf.

All Grown Up?

2005-07-21T23:54:00.000-05:00

Rachel, Me, and Crecia
Senior Prom
April, 2001

Rachel, Me, Crecia
This summer
June, 2005

Movie reviews:

2005-07-21T01:46:00.000-05:00

Movies I've seen recently:

Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Wedding Crashers
Fantastic 4

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (wow, Angelina and Brad are HOT) was fun, light-hearted, but still action-packed and definitely entertaining. The plot was kind of loosely thrown together, but it still makes for a fun flick. Great date movie.

Wedding Crashers: HILARIOUS. And Vince Vaughn was an asbolute riot. Think Old School, but this time he's the star, in his typical, enjoyable, shooting his mouth off, crass fashion. This movie is just about as quote-able as Old School with just as many guilty belly laughs.

Fantastic 4: I'm no comic book expert (but my boyfriend is and he seemed to enjoy it quite a bit), but this movie is great, fantasy, superhero fun. It'll leave you wishing you had your own super powers (I would LOVE to be invisible... or be able to fly). The guy from Nip/Tuck (I forget his name...) is phenomenal as Victor Von Doom. And the Storm siblings (Johnny and Susan) make for some great eye candy, especially in their skin-tight space suits.

So yeah, that's my personal opinion, amateur reviews on recent flicks seen.

On a mini-rant: BOO to closing off all the necessary downtown streets to get to the 7th St. parking ramp and Block E. We drove out to Eagan to see the movie instead of paying cheap for student discount tickets downtown. However, we were then able to have dinner at Old Chicago and I got to add a beer to my tour. And the drive was like a bonus - spending a little extra time with a very cute guy. So this really isn't a rant at all.

Hidden meaning?

2005-07-21T01:43:00.000-05:00

How much of what we say is what we actually mean? And how do we know when we're supposed to read between the lines? I like to think I'm fairly straightforward, both in dealing with my own thoughts, and I tend to read others the same way. So I suppose I lose my way a little when I have to take a winding road to figure out where I'm supposed to be headed.

Wish List

2005-07-19T11:49:00.000-05:00

- digital camera
- iTrip
- more RAM
- new car
- Haughty Melodic
- Guero
- new cell phone (one that takes better pictures and has BlueTooth)
- dinner here (it's my favorite)

Crazy BS (pic)

2005-07-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

Party crowd:

Running of the Bullshitters

2005-07-17T18:32:00.000-05:00

The Coolest Bar Crawl I've Ever Done

Apparently, they also do this in San Fransisco and South Africa. You can bet your pesos I'll be there again next year.

A preview of the kind of night we had...

Bender Weekend

2005-07-17T17:27:00.001-05:00

What a successful first weekend off all summer!

Friday night started on Friday afternoon with Miss Steph. We prepped for the beach party that would later happen at her place - and by prep I mean clean, etc., but most importantly, we filled a cooler full of water bomb balloons (thanks mom!).

[Side note of historical value]: a couple of years ago there was a massive water fight at Steph's old apt. (I was not a part of this one - didn't know Steph yet). Anyway, LAST summer, at Sean Brown's Tie Party, (which, coincidentally is almost exactly a year ago), we decided to bring back the water war with a huge tub of water balloons. However, the plan backfired when all the guys (ok, namely a couple) dressed not only in ties, but in suitcoats, got a bit, um, upset with us for drenching them. Knowing we deserved it, we let them douse us with water later, but still, the fact remained that their suitcoats were soaked. This year, the theme being a beach party, and with temps in the 90s and heat indexes (indices?, jk) in the 100s, we knew no one would mind a little cooling off. So that's the historical note.

Anyway, after getting the ammo set and the apt cleaned, we did lunch at Panera in Uptown where we shopped for some white pants for Saturday night's Running of the Bullshitters. (More on that later). Then we went back to get beached out, the boys got the kegs, and set up the beer and the grill for some summer fun. Oh, and Jarrett wore Steph's pink bikini top. The whole time. LOTS of boob high-fives ensued.

Moving on, (wow it's getting stormy outside...) people came, people drank (a LOT), and the water balloon fight went over much better this year than last. We brought the cooler out where anyone else could get to it and get in on the action because we WANTED the boys to retaliate (reminder: heat indexes in the 100s). It lasted all of 3 minutes, but did the trick to cool us down. Next year, I'm hoping for Super Soakers. =)

We drank A LOT at this party, and I'd like to say I can't believe how much we drank, but I know this crowd; I can believe it. 2 kegs, 3 bottles of jag, a bottle of margarita mix (thank you Jesse and Chambo) and miscellaneous half bottles of liquor and half a case of beer that other people brought. I did my first jag bomb (almost all in one gulp, but not quite. I'm getting there, shut up.). Aren't you proud? But yeah - that's a lot of booze.

I finally got to meet Adam's girlfriend - who is as cute as I expected, although taller. I felt bad for being a bit inebriated when I did finally get to meet her, but I'm sure we'll meet again. I also finally got to introduce my boyfriend to a few important people (like Adam). He's getting rave reviews from my friends, not that I'm surprised. =)

Anyway, he and I left sometime due to high levels of drunkenness and the goal of making it home before passing out. We made it, safe and sound, didn't quite pass out right away... even made it out for a nice little walk in the park. =)

Friday night's beach party was a hit!

Moving on to Saturday: I woke up quite pleasantly (though a bit hot in an apt w/ a/c in the room of a roommate who keeps his door shut). Grr. Paul and I went to my folks' house so I could drop off stuff and pick up stuff I'd need for the evening to come. Grateful for the a/c, and hungover and exhausted from the night before, there was an accidental, but much needed nap. Woke up 2 hours later, got all my stuff together and went to IGH to see "Wedding Crashers."

[Side note for movie review]: Awesomely hilarious. Steph says it's up there w/ Old School. I agree. It's pretty fricken hilarious.

I got out of the movie and back to campus in time to get to Steph's and get ready for the Running of the Bullshitters.

[Explanation]: You know Pamplona? The Running of the Bulls in Spain? Well, same idea, but a bar crawl in downtown Minneapolis and we all dress up in white with red sashes and take to the streets.

We ripped up the shirts a little to make them fit better (and personalize them), donned our white pants (even Mr. Brown, though his were his sailor roommates. Still stlyin', of course), and hitched a ride from Loren to Harvey's, where the party started. There was Sangria and Coronas (even though Coronas are supposed to be Mexican, but we'll look past that), oh and we got free beers when we first got there because the bouncer denied Sean entrance telling him, "I know this is a fake ID." (It's not; it just happens to be from Cali, from when Sean lived out there a couple years ago). The asshole bouncer then told us, "You're welcome to find a cop and prove me wrong." 10 minutes or so later, a cop walked up to the bouncers (after running the license and ensuring its validity), telling them the ID is good. We were more or less escorted in (ok, Sean was), and the bouncer grabbed beers for us to apologize. I love beer when it's free.

So that's where we started the night. About an hour and a half and two whistle blows later, we (all 400 of us dressed in white pants, white shirts, and red sashes) were running down 1st Ave, screaming and cheering, and heading to Rosin's. That was Bar #2 on our list and where the dance party started. And where Steph and I took a picture with a "bull," lips wrapped around his horns. And where Jess got a picture on the back of a bull.

[Note]: The "bulls" were guys dressed in black wearing helmets with bull horns attached. They're the ones blowing the whistles and chasing us from one bar to the next.

Two whistle blows later, and we were herded to Old Chicago. More dancing, more drinking - Steph kept pushing Jess and I into guys, I think suggesting to us (however blatantly) that we should dance with them. So we met some nice guys and nice girls (those two met a couple of cute Aussies). I got randomly kissed by shaggy-haired Guinness guy. By randomly I mean, he walked up, grabbed my head, planted one, smiled and walked off. That was a first.

Anyway, two whistle blows later and we ran/stumbled/etc. up to our final destination - O'Donovan's at 1st Ave and 7th Street (across from Block E and the Target Center). We'd been singing "Ole!" all night - which is THE staple party song among my particular group of friends. At O'Donovan's they actually played the REAL, Bouncing Souls song and we went NUTS. I left a guy at the bar who was going to buy me a drink (it was taking too long anyway) to go find my friends and be a part of the commotion. All of a sudden on the dance floor, there appeared two chairs... Jarrett and I were pretty quick to get on them and start dancing, but a bartender or bouncer was just as quick to pull us down and take our chairs away.

Us girls didn't stay at O'Donovan's long... Steph was "DONE-ZO" and in need of greasy food and water. So we left the boys to hail a cab to Santana's where we got some cheese curds and french fries. We made it home, safe and sound, curled up on the couches at Steph's place and slept like babies.

For about 2 hours.

At 3:15am, Sean and Jarrett came in, rowdy, loud, and demanding we continue to party with them. Steph was still feeling a bit under the weather, and Jess would have none of Sean's attempts at licking her toes. (Jess is NOT a feet person). For whatever reason, the boys left me alone (except a pillow thrown at me by Sean and a failed attempt at invading my space). We were just all grateful they ended up home, and not in Chicago.

[Long story short]: Jarrett's 21st birthday last summer included Sean and Jarrett stumbling home-ish and into the light rail. Wondering where the light rail went, they hopped on. Discovering the light rail went to the airport, the only logical next step would be to fly somewhere. Chicago it was, and Steph and I both received phone calls from very drunk and very exhausted boys, from a number of places en route to Chicago (because at some points, they weren't sure where they were headed, just that they were leaving town and going SOMEwhere).

We heard tales of scary south Minneapolis, middle-aged women that wanted all over Sean's mohawk, and Jarrett's misguided and failed attempts at making friends with some of the city's finest thugs.

I'll say it again: this weekend was a RAVING success.

Today has been the perfect recovery day: McDonald's breakfast, recapping the night w/ Sean and Steph, then laying out on the hill at my house with the girls, running through the sprinkler when it got hot. We cooked ourselves a lovely Italian dinner, and here I am, alone in my room finally getting this all down so I don't forget it, and anxiously awaiting the thunderstorm promised this evening.

My work week starts again at 8am tomorrow morning, but I'm not worried. I've got a tee time on Tuesday, a facial on Thursday, and I'm sure some unplanned excitement in between.

Cheers, mates. =)

My Stand-In Muse

2005-07-14T07:04:00.000-05:00

I find my inspirations in the most unexpected places. =)

Saturday (Tuesday) Night

2005-07-13T12:12:00.000-05:00

Last night was my Saturday night. And I had an awesome time, bar-hopping different-than-the-usual bars, with Crecia and others. We started at Billy's on Grand for Sarah's birthday celebration, had a couple of unexpectedly delicious cocktails, and met two of Sarah's friends that were quite awesome. One girl talked about her upcoming trip to Europe and I got really antsy to travel...

Anyway, Creesh and I left them to head to the OC in Uptown and meet up with Christina and Andy (my golf partners/co-workers at the Oaks). Our plan was to watch the All-Star game w/ them, but we got there too late for that and just in time for karaoke... wow. That was awesomely entertaining... Andy and I rivaled whoever karaoked "Bohemian Rhapsody" in our own duet from the booth we were sitting in.

A few Blarney Stones, Snakebites, and Black and Tans later, we hiked down to the new Drink bar, where I ran into Adam (little brother!) and Ashley (who everyone knows and I see out everywhere). I think the new Drink is the old Bilimbi Bay... because the roof patio seemed awfully familiar.

Either way, fun night, fun crew... Got home around 2:30am after I dropped Crecia off at home in the boonies (Afton) so that Raya wouldn't have to come get her. I love Raya :)

2005-07-13T08:52:00.000-05:00

Slow, whiny songs should be banned from karaoke bars.

And I miss Crecia already.

I beg to differ...

2005-07-12T17:45:00.000-05:00

A Less-Than-Sucky Dove Promise

2005-07-07T23:04:00.000-05:00

"There's no excuse not to dream."

I opened and read this mere moments after daydreaming about what direction I'm going w/ my life and the direction I WANT to be going w/ my life...

... what's stopping me?

Uh, oh Those Summer Nights

2005-07-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

What a lovely summer afternoon. I met Jess at her place after work, and we stolled into Dinkytown for happy hour at the Blarney where we were joined my Mr. McBrown and Miss Steph. Dinner and drinks later, we decided to take advantage of the summer sunshine, bought ice cream and cones at Rainbow and met the neighbors (Steph's neighbors, plus Candace, who coincidentally lives in Jess's old room on 4th St.) at Van Cleve park for ice cream cones and Bocce ball. A very pleasant - and lightly competitive (largely thanks to Steph) - game or two later, we headed back to our respective homes or other plans (for me and Jess, home, for the rest, bowling).

Now I'm lounging in front of the Twins game with a beverage, daydreaming about the upcoming weekend, which promises already to be a good one.

Tomorrow: A-man and I hit up the golf sale at the State Fairgounds, in hopes of finding me some affordable equipment and taking care of a few of his own club needs.

Saturday: mini-golf and movie date with cute boyfriend guy

Sunday: easy afternoon banquet at the Oaks, and not until 2pm.

Cheers!

Everyone's a Diva with Lauryn Hill

2005-07-07T21:10:00.000-05:00

Heading east on 94, almost to my exit on hwy 61, I was cruising in my Malibu (which I love to hate), jammin' to some Jane's Addiction. I glanced over at the girl in the car next to me, shoo-boppin' and dooby-doo'in to something she was listening to. I kinda smiled, both somewhat making fun of her, but at the same time, I got a kick out of how much she was enjoying whatever she was listening to. Catching a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye again, I realized I couldn't exactly belt out the song I was playing. So I switched the station, hoping to tune into her karaoke bar. I tuned into the next station on my dial and heard Lauryn Hill and the Fugees and their rendition of "Killing Me Softly," and I, too, became a diva in my own space. It was kinda funny watching her sing, while I was singing the same thing, as if we were a nightclub-style duet in the middle of the highway.

Love Spell, Promises, Golf, and Angelina

2005-07-07T00:58:00.000-05:00

Stolen from Michelle, who stole it from her friend, Jessica... and because it fits right along w/ previous posts:

beauty products i can't live without..
bareminerals foundation (or anything)
Almay eye make-up remover pads
tigi "root boost"
neutrogena oil free moisture w/ spf 15 and light tint
eye liner
something Love Spell scented

On a different note, I am really disappointed with the quality of the Dove Promises promises these days. They used to be clever, and thought-provoking. Now they say dumb stuff, like "Decorate your life," and ""Write a real letter instead of an email." That's not a promise; I want my money back. It's kinda like the fortunes in the fortune cookies at Leann Chins not actually being fortunes, but saying stuff like "Honesty is the best policy." I think these two folks teamed up and decided to write sucky promises and fortunes.

And on a completely different rant, I'm getting sick of Jared the Subway Guy.

But, I am listening to some great music (The American Analog Set) that makes me think of cuddling, sleeping, and all the other fun touchy feely stuff, and I had a really awesome day/night overall.

Mark and I golfed this afternoon and I shot 5 better than yesterday on the back 9. The blister on my right hand (wrong hand for a blister) is pretty painful, though. Then, I picked up cute boyfriend guy from class and took him out to forget some of the stress of finals week. (Finals week in July SUCKS, by the way. At least I can tell it does.) We saw "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," which was a pretty kickass movie. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie make for a pretty HOT lead duo. Adam Brody had a role there too, so I got to swoon a little; it helped make the Seth Cohen withdrawal a little less painful.

All in all, great day, awesome evening.

my stylist and friend!

2005-07-06T13:41:00.000-05:00

I enjoy being a girl!

2005-07-06T13:11:00.000-05:00

When I have a brand new hairdo
With my eyelashes all in curl,
I float as the clouds on air do,
I enjoy being a girl!

I can't help it. I love the salon thing. I love that I've always had friends licensed to do hair and needing guinea pigs to try stuff on. I went to see Sarah Si today (who most frequently does my hair and other salon services). We did a little blonder color and an awesome haircut... then she waxed my eyebrows and I made an appt for a new service next week. I can't help but love all the girlie salon stuff - who doesn't love being pampered?

I love off days... I slept in (til 930!), headed to Woodbury, and I'm back here now, with an adorable black kitty napping in my lap. I have an open afternoon (perhaps a lunch deal thing), which I intend to relax, maybe get some laundry done, and then I'm taking a hard-working, stressed-out very cute guy out to unwind for an evening.

Happy Hump Day!

FORE!

2005-07-05T18:07:00.000-05:00

Ok, not really.

I like golf though. =) And I don't suck!

Abra-Cadabra

2005-07-03T23:38:00.000-05:00

"You can't turn a ho into a housewife."

My husband, apparently upset that I've found a new guy, trying either to reconcile this idea in his head, or maybe it was just a sad attempt at a personal stab.

=)

High Heels, pt 2

2005-07-01T14:02:00.000-05:00

So the heels were a bad idea. That was Wednesday night; it's now Friday and my feet STILL hurt. =( I did just fine for a good three hours or so, but then it hurt to walk. Yesterday morning when I woke up, I had to stay off the balls of my feet because they hurt so bad.

Ok. Enough whining.

I just had the weirdest (unprovoked) flashback to the dining hall at Mankato. I can see the purple and gold, and the Taco Bell and the Pizza Hut. WEIRD. All of sudden I'm in the student union again. Wow, I don't miss Mankato. Except the girl who lived across the hall from me, but we lost touch a couple years back.

Ignore my bitching

2005-07-01T01:07:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok. So I'm not going to quit. But I did send updates to both my bosses about my availability - hoping to regain my sanity, I'm only going to be working one job each weekend, instead of torturing myself with super long days and sore feet. Granted, I'll occasionally do both (or maybe just on Fridays), but no more of this losing track of where I'm supposed to be each weekend because I end up working both jobs all weekend, every weekend.

And I'm taking a weekend off mid-July just for me, and another sometime in August for a kickass birthday party in Sauk Rapids.

So ignore the bitching, I just needed to get it out of my system and mentally explore the option of finding another job. If I do, however, find a better job, then I'm outta here. But. Until then, I'll manage.

Tomorrow will be an awesome day/night. =)

Priorities

2005-06-29T15:45:00.000-05:00

On Jun 29, 2005, at 3:28 PM, Brightwell, Chris ((Contractor-SAIC))
wrote:

Subject: UAH vs Minnesota State

Dec 31, 7:07pm in Mankato.

Any interest?

-----Original Message-----
From: Doni Walker [mailto:doni@dimwell.net]
Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 3:41 PM
To: Brightwell, Chris (Contractor-SAIC)
Subject: Re: UAH vs Minnesota State

Yes, but that might be Heather's wedding date.

Let me check w/ Mernda.

~ D

On Jun 29, 2005, at 3:34 PM, Brightwell, Chris ((Contractor-SAIC)) wrote:

Pfft. Weddings.

THIS IS HOCKEY.

How Pregnancy Happens

2005-06-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

Found this linked to this one girl's blog and LOVED it. Hence, I am sharing it with you.

How Pregnancy Happens

"We'll make a lady of you yet..."

2005-06-29T12:43:00.000-05:00

You know I mean business when I bust out the high heels.

Ok, so not really, because anyone who knows me knows I can't really do heels. But I decided sometime this spring/summer that walking in heels was something I needed to learn, so tonight's going to be a trial run. I'm borrowing Miranda's self-labeled "hooker shoes," and I'm hoping no giant catastrophes (such as embarrassing falls) ensue.

Scary!

Maybe I should pack a pair of flip-flops in my purse just in case...

Job prospects?

2005-06-28T23:43:00.000-05:00

Two minor prospects... I applied as a shift manager at a local coffee joint. Hey, it'd be flexible evenings and weekends at a job I might not hate.

And I e-mailed an old instructor about a job in a field I could actually be fairly passionate about (and still work with teenagers). Sexuality education... we'll see. Maybe somehow, we can combine writing with psychology with adolescents with sexuality with sex ed.

Bitch ass

2005-06-28T19:41:00.000-05:00

Stupid people make me cranky.

To Quit or Not to Quit?

2005-06-27T13:16:00.000-05:00

That is the HUGE question. I'd decided yesterday that I'd stay on once a week or so so that I could go back to the job in the fall, when I'd need a flexible evenings and weekends type job. I even left a note for my scheduler about the whole thing. But then I talked to Steph - who's so wonderfully opinionated and tells you exactly what she thinks instead of just nodding her head and saying, "Ok." Steph started asking why I don't just quit altogether... If I make enough money at my second job and still could during the fall. It's really just the fall I'm concerned about, since my internships are unpaid. But Steph's point was that, at this point, I don't have to do something I hate anymore, just because I think I might need it. So I'm going to talk to Sue (boss at River Oaks) about what kind of hours I can add this summer and what kind of hours I'd have in the fall. I want enough money to continue the awesome debt-getting-out-of progress I've made this summer, enough to be able to make my loan repayments, and enough to save so that I can move out.

I'm going ot give Rainbow another week, before I make any decisions. But I can almost promise that after working two of of the midnight shifts, that I'll be ready to call it quits.

But can I afford to?

2005-06-26T02:19:00.000-05:00

200 people drank:

$825.75 in booze
PLUS
30 bottles of wine
3 kegs of beer

WOW. Anyway, my feet are killing me... 14 hours on them will do that to you. Good wedding tonight though - young, crazy, rowdy, but friendly (good-tippin') bunch of folks.

Before that, it was Rainbow. There are new dumb rules. i thought seriously of quitting, and I've actually since considered thinking about it. I just don't know what i want to do... So I'm kinda stuck til I do.

No instruction book in the game of dating

2005-05-04T23:33:00.000-05:00

It's funny. We swear up and down we don't want to play games. And maybe we don't, but that doesn't change the fact that the dating game is still somewhat scripted. That there are still certain rules to follow. I heard recently - and I don't remember where - that while guys appreciate a girl who makes a move, they are intimidated by a girl who makes too many moves. Something to the effect of, girls should make it obvious they're interested, but guys want to feel like it was their idea to go out or whatnot. Hmm.

OK, so that's kinda what I'm trying to do. We'll see. :-)

Sketchy to-do list of my last week of classes

2005-05-02T13:41:00.000-05:00

Today's Monday. My last Monday of classes. Actually, my last Monday here since I don't have class next Monday. That's awesome

I'm going to write two papers today. Tomorrow I'm going to debate (in Spanish) in favor of TV censorship. I'm also going to hand in one of the papers.

After the debate, the only thing left I have to worry about for Spanish is the final, which really isn't a final; It's the reading portion of the LPE (Language Proficiency Exam) that we have to pass.

Graduation is in 13 days. (Provided I pass all my classes...).

13 days. It's kind of starting to hit me.

It's murky out there in sexland.

2005-05-01T13:22:00.000-05:00

"What the hell does it mean to be straight or gay or bi or whatever? And why does it matter?

Labels are indeed for cans and for lazy authors, and for people who are generally uncomfy without everything being put in neat little boxes. Labels are hopelessly pointless. I know several women who were out and proud and fully lesbian identified for decades who are now allegedly Mrs. John Straightypants. Then there are women who were once staunch straights who are now shacking up with chicks... It's murky out there in sexland. Humans have been screwing anything that'll hold still long enough since the beginning of time, and tryng to figure out what and why in order to catalogue it is all a big fat waste of time."

~ Jen Sincero

Jen comments that she's known all sorts of men and women that identify themselves in all sorts of ways, yet the lines of who they choose to sleep with still get blurred to the point where we have to stop and ask, "What the hell do these labels mean anyway?" And in my own research (aka talking to my own friends - mostly girls), I've found this to be a repeated phenomena.

My question: Is there anything wrong w/ this kind of sexual openness and exploration? Is it a good thing, a positive thing to be so non-discriminatory and open to any kind of experience? Or does it just reflect a sexual indecisive and even selfishness?

I'm not an alcoholic. I'm a professional drinker.

2005-04-28T20:13:00.000-05:00

I'm two beers away from completing the Cinco de Mayo mini tour at Old Chicago. (I'm REALLY only one away, but Jesse's started cheating to try to outbeer me, and he stole my Corona Light.).

Mmmm. Beer. Ok, I'm off to fiesta...

Plan of Attack?

2005-04-28T19:28:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this week, these are my plans for, well, my future. I'm pretty much set up to volunteer/observe/teach!? at Hastings next fall. So I'll rack up 100 hours of that, apply to the U of M's post-bac teaching licensure program, do that, teach, then, while I'm teaching (yea, salary! - even a small one...), I can be at the UWRF graduate program pursuing my M.S. in Counseling.

These are the plans thus far.

I got my haircut today. I think the stylist was hitting on me. That's ok; she was cute. :-)

Making the Blog Switch

2005-04-27T16:21:00.000-05:00

I started playing w/ Blogspot because I'm "researching" blogs for a paper in a New Media Culture class. I'm already a Xanga blogger, but I thought I'd see what other blog sites offer for set-up, comments, groups, etc., and just check out how they compare. So, here I am on blogger or blogspot. Consider this my trial run.

La Vida, Segunda Parte

2005-04-27T16:13:00.000-05:00

Just playing around... thinking about making the switch...