Step Brothers

Stupid movie, REALLY stupid. Like supremely stupid. But I laughed, a lot, so what can I say? The whole point of the movie was to be funny, which it was. I have a sick sense of humor, so what can I say?

OMG

How cute!!


Bengal Kittens! Want!

New Glasses

I went for an eye exam yesterday, and just as I suspected my eyes have gotten worse. I'm pretty sure that's why I've had all those horrible headaches lately. I got a neat picture of my retina taken (and seriously I had no idea that's what it looks like!) and I did this little video game thing to test my visual field, and I WON! So anyway, here are my new glasses, I think they are cool and funky, but I might decide to just fork up the money for another pair that aren't so "funky" looking.

WOW, just WOW

I'm excited. First of all, I'm glad I finally picked a winner. This is only the 3rd election I've ever voted in, and it's the first time the person I voted for actually WON. I'm feeling hopeful right now, and it's a good thing. I know that Obama is not going to be able to live up to all the hype. No one ever does. I refuse to put him up on a pedestal, because he's just a himan being, like anyone else, and the higher up the pedestal you are, the worse it is when you fall. We've got a lot of work to do to fix the problems we're in, and it's going to take a long time. Let me tell you though, in the next 4 years, when I see the president come on the TV to address this country, I'm not just going to flip the channel. That's a good thing.

WTF Mormons?

Not those guys, but two other Mormons just came to my door to talk about Mormonism or whatever. Thankfully I was cooking a veggie burger on the stove when they came by, so I had the perfect excuse not to talk to them. I hate being rude to people, which definitely makes me a sucker for people peddling shit either at my door or on the phone. I wish I could have told those poor boys that their religion is a cult and a complete JOKE, but oh well... guess they will just have to go on believing in their false religion until they see the light some day.

A friendly reminder

It wasn't all that long ago that woman-kind fought for the right to vote. There were many women who fought long and hard for us to be able to exercise our right to participate in our own government. Let's not take that for granted and blow it off.

The Horror!

I had a nightmare that McCain won the election next week! OMG, talk about frightening. Please everyone, vote for Obama.

Hilarious and depressing

Penny Pinching?

Do you find yourself cussing when you checkout from the grocery store because what used to cost you $50 now costs you $85 or more? I know I am. I found this neat article listing 20 healthiest foods for under $1 a serving. If you're looking to save money at the grocery store without resorting to eating ramen noodles, check it out. I'll tell you something she didn't mention in there, frozen veggies. They are often cheaper than fresh, but usually are higher in nutrients because they were frozen right after harvest, versus being shipped hundreds of miles. Plus they are already cleaned and chopped for you, so half of your prep work is taken care of. Frozen sliced zucchini and yellow squash is great to stir fry up and mix with garlic and serve with some whole wheat pasta. I like a little bit of pesto sauce, but marinara works well too. Good luck!

For those who have a lot of debt

Read this

A few years ago I found myself in an enormous amount of debt. Thankfully I got the bank of mom and dad to help me out, but I will never have the option again (not because my parents wouldn't help me out, because they would, but because I have too much pride to have my parents bail me out again). Right now I only have my car loan and student loans to pay off so I'm not doing too badly actually, but I could be paying it off faster. I really wish I had the discipline that this girl had. I have been talking to Aaron about getting rid of the cable TV, but he won't listen. I still say that we don't NEED it. I have cut back on the amount of eating out I do, but we still go out to eat on the weekends a lot. Bottom line is, I could probably do more to get my debts paid off. This article is inspiration for me.

Awwww, the cutest thing in the world

Yes We Can (hold babies)

It's pictures like these that make me hear a faint ticking of my biological clock.

If you didn't have a reason to be worried before...

*warning this video is graphic*

Updates

So, I've decided to get "back on track" so to speak on my weight loss journey. I started posting on my other blog again detailing my ups and downs. Ugh. I've been doing well since I started over again, one week ago! Lol, I have faith that I will keep up with it this time. I had a rude awakening when I stepped on the scale last Friday and saw how much weight I had really put on! Eek, freaky!!!

The new medicine seems to really be helping me out. I feel more clear-headed and somewhat optimistic about life. Although, considering the situation our country is in, I don't know if I really have the right to feel that way. I absolutely DREAD the idea of a McCain/Palin administration, something that unfortunately is not out of the question as of right now. I hope and pray that it doesn't happen, but unfortunately there are people out there who don't see it the way I do. The consequences of McCain being our next president are dire. DIRE. We can not have 4 more years of the same crap that got us into this crazy mess we are in right now.

Ok, went off on a tangent there. I don't think I can clearly express how frightened I am of McCain though. It shakes my bones.

Aaron and I have been discussing moving. Not any time too soon. Probably within the next year or so. Possible we might even move to Chicago, which, even though I hate the winters there, I would love being back in my hometown. Now that I've been away for a few years and have been able to grow up a little, I think I could live there and not fall back into the same self-destructive behaviors I had before I left. Aaron's "baby mama's" (for lack of a better term) husband has a job offer for a place in Illinois somewhere and Aaron would like to be near his son. Who knows, it's still a long way away.

I've been working a lot lately and I really need a vacation, but I'm totally broke because everything is so damn expensive now. I swear $100 worth of groceries used to last a lot longer than it does now. Whatevs, it could be worse I guess.

I say NO to fall

Everyone seems to be excited about fall, but I'm not. Let me tell you why!

1st of all I have fall allergies which are kicking my ask right now and I hate it. Anti-histamines aren't doing a whole lot for me right now and I'm constantly dealing with a painful sinus headache. Secondly, fall means that it's going to be getting colder, and I hate the cold. Yes yes, I grew up in Chicago and I should be used to it, but I left Chicago. While I miss a lot of things about that wonderful city, the weather is certainly not one of them. Finally I always get a bad case of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD if you want to be short about it. Fall means the days are getting shorter, and it means that for a lot of the time I will be leaving in the dark and getting home in the dark every single day. Gets me super down I tell ya. I hate it. I think I'm gonna move to Aruba.

Sorry Katherine

I totally thought Tropic Thunder was hilarious.

OMG I love this

Apparently this has been all over the interwebs for a while, but this is the first time I've seen it. Hah!

Elephants are f'in cool!

That is all

Sexy dreams

I had a sex dream involving Michael Phelps. Even though he looks like a totally goofy gorilla with flipper feet, according to my dreams, he's really good in bed.

Also in the dream - squirrels/lemurs in my parents pear tree eating their pears, a taxi driver who fell asleep at the wheel while driving me to Michael Phelps's house and nearly killing us, and rain coming down from the ceiling in the downstairs bathroom of my parents house. There was way more weird stuff too, I just don't remember it all.

Introducing Adrianna!

Here she is with her aunt Susan

Here she is with my dad (her great uncle), Jack.

And here she is with her proud mommy, Lynn.

They all went to the zoo today, I'm totally jealous.

Hilarious

Bulgarian "Music Idol"

Annoucing

I have a new cousin (first-cousin-once-removed)! My cousin Lynn brought home the lovely Adrianna a couple days ago from Guatemala. Perfect excuse for me to go home and visit. Will post pictures as soon as they are sent to me.

Question

Should I dye my hair brown? Would that look totally weird?

It's been a little over 2 weeks

Since I started taking this new medicine, and I do feel slightly better. It's subtle, but I can tell that I have a little more energy than I did before and I'm not feeling completely numb anymore. I still have a ways to go, obviously. I know the medicine doesn't cure everything, but it does help to just take the edge off (so to speak) so I can do what I need to do to make myself happy.

Dinah blow your horn!

I have this song stuck in my head for some reason. Pretty lame if you ask me. Aaron says it's about someone getting blown up with dynamite, but I say it's about sex. Perhaps it's sex and dynamite? KaPOW!

p.s. yes I know I'm a total dork

A step in the right direction

I hope. I went to the doctor today, he sent me home with a prescription for anti-depressants. I hope they help.

Help me OVBC members

For some reason I had a flashback of a scene from a novel I read some time ago, but I can't remember where it's from. It involves a man, a father, who gets a phone call late at night from a little boy who thinks he's calling a radio station. The man answers the phone and pretends to be from the radio station and tells the boy that he won the contest and his prize is free oranges. The next day the man takes the oranges to the little boys house. I'm a little fuzzy on what happens next, I know that the little boys mom comes home and the man goes into her house and bla bla bla. The man is not a pedophile or anything, he just really wanted to do something nice for someone. Man I really can NOT remember where this came from. I really hope that I'm not making it up completely.

Anybody have any idea what book this is from?

I love these

Yay!

I just picked up my car from the shop! You can't even tell it was ever in an accident, it looks so purdy.

Another year older

Not to sound morose or anything, but I think this is going to probably be the most depressing birthday I've had since my 15th, where I spent almost that whole summer crying by myself in my bedroom. I'm not gonna do that this year, but I feel just as lost and confused. Must be this quarter-life crisis everyone is always going on about. There's no real reason for me to be depressed, I have a decent job, I have a boyfriend who loves me, I have family and friends who love me, but I just feel directionless and joyless. Don't know what I want to do with my life, and I feel like I have to make up my mind soon because I'm getting to that point where it's not OK to just be an aimless 20something.

I've been thinking of going back to school and going for a complete career change. I have been thinking about going to nursing school. I think it would be something that I would be really good at, since I'm really good with people, I'm caring and patient and cool in a crisis. But then I think about the fact that I'm going to have to take math and chemistry and I get a little nervous. I think about the fact that nurses have to see some really depressing shit all the time and I wonder if my tender heart can take it.

I really have a need to help people and I don't feel like the job I'm doing now is what I want to do with the rest of my life. So I don't know...

I wanted to have a little birthday celebration, but to be honest I'm just not in the mood.

Little Jetta Blue

My car is still in the shop, it's been a little over 2 weeks since I had my accident :( I talked to my damage adjuster yesterday and they are still waiting on some part to come in and it could be the end of the week when my car is ready for me to go and pick up. I so want my car back, I miss it. I've been driving around a rental Rav4 and I can't wait to turn that gas hog back in you have no idea. I was hoping that it would be ready by tomorrow, it would be a great birthday present, but *sigh*, it's not in the stars for me.

So cheesy!

But also super cute!

Very frustrating!!!

So I've been perusing this website www.80stees.com and they have some totally awesome t-shirts there. Like this one:Ya know, like my ultimate favorite childhood cartoon. Only the sizes totally suck. You see because a "ladies" extra large shirt is the same size as the "Adult" size small, which is too small for me. Because ladies who would be interested in a Strawberry Shortcake t-shirt are not adults, so they don't need adult sizes. Bastards.

Want want want!

German Shepherd Puppies!!! OMG!!!

Whoa

Weird. My birthday is about 10 days away. I'll be 27 years old. Scary dude. Quarter-life crisis, here I come!

A survey in pictures

This is called a Google image meme - and I tag anyone reading this blog to do it too! The rules are, answer each question, plug your answer into google image search and pick a picture from the first page of your search results. No cheating!

Age on your next birthday:

A place you'd like to visit:


Your favorite place:

Your favorite object:


Your favorite food:

Your favorite animal:


Your favorite color:


Town where you were born:


Town where you live now:


Name of a past pet:


Name of a past love:


Best friend's nickname:


Your screen name:


Your first name:


Your middle name:


Your last name:


Bad habit of yours:


Your first job:


Name of grandmother:


College/grad major:

Hulk SMASH!

Edward Norton is my one and only true boyfriend, so of course I liked the movie. Even though it was a little silly. Even though Liv Tyler was HORRIBLE. Still worth it to go see this movie just to see my boyfriend nearly naked several times.

OMG! OMG! OMG!!!

Baby Red Pandas!

Frowny Face :(

You can see my bumper on the ground behind the car there. Got into this accident while trying to make a left turn onto Bragg Rd. from the Giant parking lot on Rt. 3. No one was hurt, thankfully, and insurance is going to cover everything. Sad day for my little Jetta, but it will get fixed and look like new once everything is all said and done.

Gonna have to give a shout out to Jenn who woke up from her Saturday afternoon nap to come and pick up Aaron and me and take us to the safety and comfort of home. Thanks!

Pad Thai Cindy

This isn't an "authentic" recipe, but it's damn good if you ask me (you can ask Jenn too, since she ate it once)

Pad Thai

For the sauce, 1 quart sauce pan put:

• 3 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
• 3 Tbs lime juice
  
• 4 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 Tbs hot anything (dried chopped red pepper, jalepenos, chili paste, whatevs)
• 1 Cup vegetable broth
• 3 Tbs peanut butter

bring to a boil, add hot oil, set aside

The rest:

• Chop an variety of vegetables: broccoli, green onions, green bells,
  red bells, yellow bells, etc etc
• saute so they are wilted
• add your sauce
• Boil rice noodles
• Throw it all together.

I like to add tofu to this recipe too, although I'm sure some sort of dead animal flesh would taste good too (if you're into that kinda thing :)

This weekend

Was prtty lazy if I do say so myself. Friday night I did NOTHING, all by myself. Saturday night Aaron and I spent the night at his parents house AGAIN because they were out of town AGAIN and needed us to watch the dogs AGAIN. So we watched some movies together. Aaron's such a good sport. He watched P.S. I Love You with me, and he even liked it somewhat and only made fun of me a little bit for crying every 15 minutes. What a nice boyfriend I have.

Birthday Wish-List

So far, I want new furniture, all over my apartment! I hate everything we have, but I also have to be cheap about this. So first things first, I want this baker's rack to replace the cheap-ass computer desk that we are currently using as a microwave stand.

I also want a new microwave, one that's not MASSIVE and possibly uses less electricity.

Also I want new bookshelves and to get rid of the dining room hutch that is in the living room and only collects mail and other junk we throw on it.

New couches, PLEASE PLEASE I need new couches. Of course with new couches comes the need for new coffee/ end tables. If only I were insanely rich, I could get a whole new house!

I will be registering at Target for my birthday, not that I expect anybody to buy me anything.

Vegetarian Nightmare

That's about the only way I can describe the "dream" I had this morning before punching the snooze button for the 30th time.

All of my friends wanted to go out to eat at this one particular restaurant. It's like a steakhouse, but intead of bovine steaks they served human steaks. First thing is everyone is standing outside while a man grabs 1/2 a human female carcass (similar to a hanging 1/2 bovine carcass) and proceeds to chop it up into flanks, etc. Of course I'm freaking out because that's disgusting and wrong and gross and what have you, and everyone is ignoring me. Then the realization comes to me that all these people being served up for dinner were probably murdered, because no one would serve the meat of an animal that died of natural causes right? So I start freaking out even more and everyone then just starts to make fun of me for being a squemish vegetarian and not being "adventurous" enough to even try something new, etc. etc., and then waving their human burgers under my face and laughing.

OMG, it was horrible.

This just makes me smile

I really am a klutz

I fell down my outside steps this morning going to the car. I had a whole bunch of stuff in my hands, and I was grabbing for my keys and when I turned my heel was right at the edge of the step. I slipped and twisted it and fell right on my bum! It's good thing I have so much padding back there.

New Blog and a New New Recipe!

So I started a "weight loss" blog, you can visit it here

I've been annoyed with myself for not sticking to it better about being healthier and losing the last 30 lbs that I want to lose. So the new blog is meant for me to talk about the struggles I've been having and also talk about some of the successes I hope to have. So there ya go, go ahead and read if you want!

Also, a new recipe which I have to say is one of my FAVORITES that I've made in a while. Even though it's healthy and fairly low-cal, the delicious-ness of this recipe make it DANGEROUS!

Tabbouleh with Mint and Pistachios

• 1/4 cup fine bulgur
• 3 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. honey
• 1 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios
• 1 cup finely chopped curly parsley
• 1 small cucumber, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped (1/3 cup)
• 4 green onions, finely chopped (1/3 cup)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint
• 3 Tbs. olive oil

1. Place bulgur in large bowl and add 1/3 cup boiling water. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and honey, and let stand 5 minutes more, or until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff bulgur with fork, and stir in remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 6.
   

Nutritional Information

Per SERVING:

Calories	137
Protein	3g
Total fat	10.5g
Carbs	10g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	107mg
Fiber	3g
Sugars	2g

This recipe was in my April issue of Vegetarian Times magazine, which is AWESOME. Although I have to tell anyone trying the make this that it takes a while for the bulgar to absorb all the liquid and I would suggest putting a large plate over the bowl to let it steam and keep the heat in.

Recipe Time!

This recipe got me through the broke years while I was in college a living with my broke-ass ex-boyfriend (he was my boyfriend at the time though).

Super Quick & Easy Beans & Rice

3 cups white rice (standard rice cooking technique: 1 part rice to 2 parts water, or if you want to get fancy, you can add a boullion cube to it for extra flavor)
2 cans of beans (any kind really, I prefer one can pinto, one can black) drain and rinse
1 can of corn
1 16oz jar salsa (I prefer Pace, although any brand will do)

Mix it all together and you have dinner for yourself all week long. The ingredients on this list are probably less than $10 depending on the brands of things you end up buying. It's super filling, and nutritious as well.

This is a fallback recipe for me whenever I'm running low on cash, or whenever I'm in the mood for comfort food. Hope you all enjoy!

Backsliding

For some reason I just can't seem to stay focused on eating right and losing weight. I will do well for one month and lose 5 pounds, then do terrible the next month and gain it all back. I guess it's good that I'm at least "maintaining", but I don't want to maintain, I want to lose. Specifically I want to lose 10 pounds by my birthday, which is July 10th, I'm not sure if that's a reasonable goal or not though. It's about 6 weeks away, so as long as I stay on track, I'm sure I can do it. Really the most important thing I need to do I guess, is step it up in the exercise department. I think I will try to take up jogging. Anyone want to join me?

Survey schmurvey

A. Attached or Single - attached
B. Best Friend(s) - Aaron
C. Cake or Pie - Pie
D. Day of Choice - Friday
E. Essential Item - chapstick
F. Flavor of Ice Cream - Haagen Daaz Extra Rich Caramel Cone
G. Gummy Bears or Worms - sour patch kids
H. Hometown - Chicago, Illinois
I. Indulgences - laziness
J. January or July- July (my birthday month!)
K. Kids - Q-Tip & Javier, and psuedo stepson Ezra
L. Last movie I saw in a theater - Iron Man
(M is Missing in Action)
N. Number of siblings - brother
O. Oranges or Apples - both, depending on the season
P. Phobias or Fears - heights
Q. Quote - "Who Would Jesus Bomb?"
R. Reasons to smile - Anything
S. Season - Summer
T. Tag 4 - I have no one to tag but Jenn
U. Unknown fact about me - It's so unknown, I don't even know it
V. Vegetarian or oppressor of Animals - vegetarian, duh
W. Worst Habit - binge eating, and constant self doubt
X. X-rays or Ultrasounds - Ultrasounds are pretty rad
Y. Your favorite Food - Mexican or Thai
Z. Zodiac - Cancer

Mystery Solved

So I figured out where the nearly $100 went. I pre-ordered the WiiFit from Amazon, and they finally charged me for it. I thought I was charged for it when I first ordered it, like 2-3 weeks ago. Phew! Thank goodness it wasn't a frugal identity theif!

This is for Olivia!

Sorry it took me so long to post this! It's such a cute picture though!

Where does it all go?

I looked at my bank account online just a few minutes ago, and I seriously can not recall where at least $100 went this weekend. I have racked my brain, and I just can't figure it out. It obviously was not that exciting, whatever it was.

What Else Could a Woman Possbily Need?

New Car!

2006 Volkswagen Jetta!

I know that it's completely NOT a Honda Fit, which is what I had in mind when Aaron and I set out this morning. We went to Pohanka Honda first, and they have ZERO Honda Fits on their lot, and none of the Honda dealerships within 75 miles have them either. They are very popular. So we decided to go see what was at Carmax. I test drove a Ford Focus, and it was alright, but I wasn't super excited about everything. Then I test drove a Toyota Corolla, and I liked it better than the Focus, but still not totally happy. It didn't have cruise control, which is a biggie for me because when I go to work I usually use cruise control for about 75% of my trip. The salesman then suggested I consider a Jetta. I went to the bathroom after the second test drive and salesman and Aaron looked at Jettas. When I came out Aaron pointed me to that beautiful beast you see above. It is a smooth ride, it has "leatherette" seats, and a kickin sound system. I honestly feel like I'm driving a luxury vehicle. It was a little above the price range I was looking at, but honestly, I'm pretty happy about my decision. Plus, it has this really awesomely cute little detail in the headlights:


It's the VW logo, OMG, so cute!

Coincidence?

Aaron told me tonight that his parents' dog, Jackson, has had the same stomach issues all week that I've had. We dog-sat for his parents over the weekend. Hmmm...

It's time...

For a new car. My POS Dodge failed inspection, and it will cost me somewhere close to $700 to fix it. Not worth it, IMO. My grandfather bought that car for me from his friend for about $1,000, 3 years ago. I think I've got my money's worth from it. I'm gonna go out this weekend and look for a new/used car. I'm thinking a Honda, probably a Civic or a Fit. I'm excited, and nervous about it at the same time.

My Mother, the Public Health Nurse

She called me this afternoon and I thought I would mention to her that I have been having nausea, vomiting and the big D since Tuesday. You know what she suggested it might be? Noro Virus, that virus that you here about spreading around cruise ships. I swear, she has turned me into a hypochondriac.

Yuck

I think I have a mild case of food poisoning :( My stomach is all screwy and I just want to lie down, but I'm at work and they kinda frown on that sort of thing here. The really obnoxious thing is that I really feel like I have to puke, but I can't, and I also can't MAKE myself puke, so I'm just gonna have to ride this one out.

Wiiiiiiii!

Aaron bought us a Wii the other day, and seriously, it's super fun! I'm not into video games at all, usually I just get frustrated cuz I can't figure out all the buttons and shit, but the Wii is super easy, even if you suck. My arms are super sore from playing boxing and tennis and baseball. And I pre-ordered the WiiFit, cuz I'm a dork.

People are weird

Someone just told me that I had too many vowels in my last name. Crazy people. 3 vowels, and sometimes y. My name is still pretty Anglo if you ask me.

Today is a weird day

I was having a weird dream this morning that today was Friday, imagine how horrible I felt when I found out it was only Wednesday. Hump Day.

To those of you who have been in Fred for a long time...

I need to find a GOOD primary care physician. I want someone who will actually sit and LISTEN to me and talk with me and not just try to shuffle me out the as quickly as possible. I had a good doctor who has retired, and his replacement was not someone I actually want to ever see again. She didn't listen to anything I had to say and pretty much pushed me out the door with both hands. So, if any of you have a doc that you like, and feel comfortable recommending, please...

Time goes by fast

For real, it's almost MAY people. That's month number 5! It feels like just yesterday it was New Year's! WTH???

Surveys are for losers!

I stole this from Jenn, who stole it from Dark Fury!

1. Your middle name? Louise, so Cindy Lou is not just a cute nickname, it really is my name

2. Your favorite color? Blood Red

3. Your birth month? July

4. Do you think everyone should act their age? Depends on their age

5. Would you rather live in a mansion or cottage? A townhouse in a big city

6. Is your home perfectly spotless or lived in? Lived in, by several people before us

7. Do you love your life? Sometimes

8. Do you want kids? Yes

9. Are you in a relationship? Yes, with a sometimes wonderful manboy

10. Do you have a soul mate? Better question, do I have a soul?

11. City life or country life? City

12. Sports or theater? Theater, I always go see a show when I go home to visit.

13. Books or movies? I like them both

14. Poetry or Music? Music

15. Dinners out or at home? I honestly think that I can get a better, more satisfying meal at home than I can at a restaurant, although it is nice to go out sometimes

16. Romantic is a walk in the woods or on the beach? I think walking can be romantic no matter where you are, just the act of being next to each other and talking and holding hands and enjoying each others company without having to spend any money.

17. Home in the Mountains or on the Beach? Beach, the mountains are too dangerous, that's where snow leopards live

18. Mornings or nights? Evenings

19. Is the glass half full or half empty? The glass is just too large for the amount of liquid that it is holding.

20. Coffee or tea? Coffee

21. Beer or Soda? Sody

22. An energy drink or juice? Water thank you

23. Are you the Driver or passenger? Passenger

24. Are you the Leader or follower? The one hangin at the back being super slow

25. Are you pessimistic or optimistic? Realistic

26. Save the Whales or Save the Rainforest? Why do I have to choose, they both deserve saving.

27. If given the option, would you give money or food? Depends on who is asking and why.

28. Would you give someone a second chance? I've given more than just second chances to some people, and I will continue to forgive the people I love when they fuck up, because I would hope they would do the same for me.

29. What’s the hardest thing for you to give? I can't give up a grudge, I can carry it around for years.

30. Why?
Probably because I'm a cancer, although that's most likely a copout. I'm a very sensitive person, and easily hurt.

31. Honesty even if it hurts or a white lie to make them feel better? White lie, always, I'm a wimp.

32. What’s the one thing that really sets you off? Arrogance

33. Tough love or forgiveness? Both

34. One for all or All for one? Depends on the situation

35. What’s your top regret? Not having the self esteem to get out a bad relationship before it actually did long term damage to my fragile psyche

36. What’s the one thing you would change about your life? There's more than just one thing I would change

37. What’s the one thing you would like people to know about yourself? I would do anything for my friends

38. What’s one thing you would change about yourself? I would be less lazy

39. What do you think of the phrase "Good Intentions"? The road to hell

40. Do you believe in love? Of course I do

41. Can love die? OMG yes, it can die a slow horrible death too

42. Is love blind? Love itself isn't blind, but it can make you blind


43. Whats the one thing you could never forgive? I can probably forgive anything if the person is worth it.

44. Do you believe in second chances? This question has been asked and answered.

Hey Katherine!

Question for you, since you are expert in all things related to beauty products. What product can I use to make my hair look shiny that won't also make my hair feel greasy and weighed down?

I have fine hair and so I normally use a volumizing shampoo/conditioner and then volumizing mousse and blow dry, but sometimes I feel like my hair just looks kinda dull. So I would like to be able to make it look shiny and bouncy and volumonous.

Tagged!

So Katherine tagged me and I will oblige her and anyone else reading my blog with my 6 unspectacular quirks:

1. I have one ridiculously weird long hair that grows on my right big toe, that every once in a while I will see it and pluck it out.

2. When I was little I would eat jalepeno peppers straight out of the jar, and sometimes I still do.

3. A while ago I bought an arm band for my ipod to use while I am working out, but so far I have only used it when I am cleaning.

4. I'm extremely jumpy, and Aaron find it hilarious to sneak up behind and me yell "Cindy!" and watch me jump 35 feet in the air and scream like the busty blond girl in the horror movies, and then he laughs hysterically for 15 minutes straight. My old boss used to do that too.

5. I read books while the TV is on

6. I'm write with my left hand, and eat with my left hand, but I throw a ball with my right hand, but for everything else I can use either hand.

That's it, are you guys as un-impressed as I am?

In desperate need...

Of a haircut. Earlier this week this lady said to me, "Wow your hair is getting long, it looks cute, but I like it better when you cut it like this (and she was motioning with her hands around her chin, showing the length she would prefer my hair to be.)" I'm positive she was just basically telling me "Cut your hair, hippy."

I also need a queen or king sized mattress, because Aaron and I sharing a full size mattress with two fattass cats just isn't working for me anymore, I always wake up squished to the side of the bed almost falling off.

Also, I need a cat who doesn't drop nuclear weapons of mass stinkdom in the litterbox in the morning so I wake up to most nauseating stink in the whole world. GOODNESS! I think something crawled up his butt and died.

More money is also needed, thank you very much.

It's Thursday!

That means tomorrow is Friday, which is basically the weekend! Hooray!

Daily Horoscope for Cancer

With the powerful Moon back in your sign, it's difficult for you to have certainty about your feelings because your moods can shift from one moment to the next. You may want to pour out your heart to a friend or lover and yet minutes later withdraw into the safety of your secret cave. Don't make any long-lasting decisions until your emotions have settled down.

Interesting

I always find it fascinating when my horoscope is right on, like synchronicity or something.

Wasp Sting

Try saying that 5 times fast!

There is a wasp in that little space between the regular window and the storm window. I don't know how it got there, but it's just walking up and down and back and forth looking for a way out, but there is none. I kinda feel bad for it, because it's just going to die in there, but at the same time, if I open the window and the storm window to make a space for it, I run the risk of getting myself stung and possibly letting it lose into the apartment which puts the cats at risk of being stung too. So basically, I'm killing the wasp, and I feel kinda bad about it.

5 years is a good long time

My mom just called me to let me know that she just had her five-year cancer screening and everything is clear which puts her in the "cured" category. Woo-Hoo, everyone break out your noise makers and party hats!

Ask and ye shall receive

Banana Ginger Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup crystallized ginger
2 large mashed up over-ripe bananas
2 eggs
6 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup 2% milk

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
In large bowl thoroughly whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt , and ginger
Whisk the eggs is a small bowl. Whisk in the mashed banana, butter, and milk until thoroughly combined. Scrape this mixture into the flour mixture and whisk just until evenly moistened. Don not over-beat. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. It will reach the top of each cup.
Bake 18 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out dry. Remove the muffins from the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Banana Ginger Muffins

I was bad and didn't eat my bananas! So when life gives you nearly black bananas, you make banana bread, or since banana bread is so boring, I made banana ginger muffins. They are so yum yum yummy!

Totally Weird

I had a dream just before waking up that I was a nurse in a refugee camp in Africa somewhere and all the little kids were sick with cholera and dying and we all had to evacuate and there was nothing anyone could do to save them. It was very sad, I don't where all that came from. :(

Apparently...

My ex-boyfriend is "totally pissed" at me for something, don't really know what, but I'm supposed to call him. Like that's gonna happen. Why would I call someone just to have an argument with them? Especially when we broke up FOUR YEARS AGO, that's about six months longer than we were actually together. Tell me why? Morbid curiosity would be the only reason, and even that isn't strong enough right now.

OooooOOooo, I hope it rains today

That would be so awesome, I love the rain.

Monday Morning

So today is my third anniversary with Aaron, awww, isn't that sweet? I'm at work today, and there is NOTHING going on at all, the test that we were supposed to do today got cancelled because there was low visibility on the river, so we're sitting around twiddling our thumbs. Today Aaron is also getting his tonsils removed, poor guy. He's out of surgery by now, and probably feeling pretty groggy. Tonight he's probably gonna sleep all night long, but I have to stay home with him anyway just in case he gets really sick or something. So yay, excitement all around.

So exciting!

This is my mom, with the possible newest member of our family, Adriana, the little girl from Guatemala that my cousin Lynn is in the process of adopting. If everything goes as planned, she will be coming home with Lynn summer this year. Lynn will be a great mother, and my mom will have a little baby she can dote on and play grandma with, and maybe she will stop bugging me for a while :p So I really hope that everything goes smoothly and that this adorable little girl gets to join our family, everyone keep your fingers crossed.

Tuesday Dinner Night

So Jenn M and I have dinner together on Tuesday nights, and we switch off who cooks. This week was my turn and it was Enchiladas Verdes (that's enchiladas w/ green sauce). It was pretty good, but a little bland. The enchiladas were filled with pinto beans and onions and garlic, then covered in green salsa and cheese. It was pretty good, but a little bland. I think if I made it again I would put in a little salt, use more sauce and added some jalepenos.

Jenn and I have been doing these dinner nights since January I think, and I've really been enjoying them. It's nice to have someone to experiment in the kitchen with, and someone who's not afraid of vegetarian food. I think a lot of people are afraid of vegetarian food because they think it's all tofu, which it's not, and tofu is actually good if you have the patience to cook it correctly. If anyone wants to know how to cook it properly, let me know. I'm all about it.

People always ask me "You don't eat meat? What do you eat?" Pretty much everything else. There are so many other options out there. I can see how in this country, and the way that people are raised, it may seem like a diet without meat would be minimal, but trust me, I'm never starving, and I truly enjoy the food that I eat.

Easter

I just got back home after going to Richmond with my grandparents for Easter lunch with my great-aunts and cousins/2nd cousins. It's always nice to see those folks again, cuz I usually only see them once or twice a year.

My grandpa is getting around better than he did after he first had his stroke (just before Christmas). He walked (with his walker) a good ways from my car to my great-aunt Charlotte's house, and up some stairs even. It worries me though, to see that while he's walking with his walker, my grandmother (who is 81) will stand next to him and hold onto the waistband of his pants to make sure he doesn't fall. I can only imagine one day when he loses his balance and she tries to hold him up, that they both fall, and then there are 2 disabled elderly people in the family, and then what? Ugh, scary.

He's also starting to "get his affairs in order". He went and emptied out his storage unit that's got all kinds of odds and ends in it and is giving away the stuff that's worth anything. He's been working on a book detailing the genealogy of our family for the last 8 years, and is finally getting it printed. He's re-doing his will, writing up a living will, etc. All of this scares me, but I understand it. He's 83 years old, he had a stroke recently, he's got prostate cancer, and he's just not going to be around that much longer. People in this family have good genes and tend to make it up into their 90's, but even still, you just don't know.

My mother does the same crap. She had cancer about 4 years ago, and after she finished all her treatment, she put herself on a "five year plan". She wants to make sure she does everything she's ever wanted to do in life before those five years are up. She's written a play, which is on its way to being performed at this little theatre in Chicago. She finished up her thesis. She's been globetrotting like nothing you've ever seen (she was in England last week, and today she's in Guatemala). She also wants to have grandchildren, so you can imagine who she's been bugging about that one.

It's hard to see people talking about and preparing for their own death. I have to admit, it's something I'm completely terrified of. I don't want to imagine my life without any of the people who are in it right now. You can't escape it though, it happens to everyone.

Enough of this morose shit already, here's a puppy:

Bubble Tea

This is bubble tea. It's a catch all term for a sweetened drink that may or may not actually contain tea. It could be a fruit smoothie, or even coffee. There are lumps thrown in it, usually tapioca balls, or even seaweed jelly. They're grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!

And Another One Bites the Dust

The last of my closest friends from Chicago is moving away at the end of this month. I can't blame her really, she's going to Hawaii, they have much better weather there. But now when I go home, she won't be there to go with me to Joyee's and get bubble tea. Who's going to get bubble tea with me now? There are still other folks there that I love to see, but none that I'm exactly close to, so it's not the same. :(

More YouTube fun

And now for something completely different

I really wish I had half the talent this guy does.

Happy B-Day Joey!

Today is my brother Joey's birthday! He's 32 today, what an old farty pants. Joey got hit by a car a couple weeks ago and broke his leg, but he's healing ok and I hope that he is feeling well enough to have a good birthday, even if he is an old farty pants old man.

Book Club Tonight!

I hope everyone got my email the other day, I never got any responses to it, which makes me a little nervous I guess. But the meeting is tonight, at my house, 622 Greenbrier Ct. Apt. 204 @ 7pm.

Ho Hum...

I haven't blogged in over a week, sorry. I have nothing interesting to say. I'm a little down lately, but I'm sure that will turn around soon enough. Spring is on the way.

Goodbye February!

Can't say I'll miss ya!

Hey Katherine

I lied, I didn't email anybody last night. I was feeling all icky and puny so I didn't even touch the computer after I got home. I will try my hardest to email tonight.

I'm officially a "white person"

Because I <3 Mos Def. I don't apologize for this though. I think he's infinitely talented, so there. Also, I just bought two Lionel Richie songs from iTunes, which I will say, puts me into a special category of "white people". I also bought a D'Angelo/Erykah Badu duet. I'm sure my music selection seems totally weird to the casual observer.

A quick look at my iPod shows:

Outkast
Mos Def
Musiq
Gnarls Barkley
The Roots
Erykah Badu
Blondie
Aphex Twin
and Bjork

I'm sure there's a music snob out there with something snarky to say about that.

Total Lunar Eclipse of the Heart

Total lunar eclipse tonight, if you're a cancer like me, that means something apparently. Darn moon, always messin with my emotions and crap.

Book Club Suggestions

For everyone who has expressed an interest in starting a book club with me, let's hear some suggestions on the fist book to read.

Currently I am reading Margaret Atwood's Robber Bride, that would be a fun one to discuss I think.

Let's hear it folks!

My new favorite thing

Chocolate Silk Soymilk, it's the best!

Somebody Please Stop Me

I just got an iTune account, and I am tempted to buy everything!

Ben & Jerry's, health food?

I sure hope so because I almost polished off an entire pint by myself, just now, the Stephen Colbert flavor.

Diet Soda Can Make You Fat?

According to this story, yes

I've always known that artificial sweeteners aren't exactly health food, but actually make you gain weight in some magical "changing your brain chemistry" way, sounds crazy. I could probably give up diet soda, not a big deal, but what the hell am I gonna put in my coffee, I can't very well drink it black YUCK. A while ago I remember hearing about a no-calorie natural sweetener called stevia, I wonder where I can find that and try it out.

Hmmm

I have nothing to say. Bla bla bla, it's a crappy day, I woke up an hour late because my alarm didn't go off this morning, because we lost power in the middle of the night. Lame.

Pictures!

Aaron and me in front of the blurry Buckingham fountain on New Years Eve.



My brother Joey in front of the same fountain, same night.



My family, taken on Grandpa's 83rd birthday at my grandparents house. You can see why my grandfather likes to brag about always being surrounded by beautiful ladies. From left to right there's Meredith (cousin), Ruth (grandma), Jessica (aunt), Beverly (aunt), and Sarah (my mother), and I'm hoping you can figure out that the only male in the picture is my grandpa Louis. I took the picture that's why I'm not in it. We all kinda look like alike don't we (even Meredith who's adopted)?



Chili peppers, for no reason whatsoever.

Procrastination

I'm totally putting off cleaning the litter box and vacuuming because I really just don't feel like doing it, but it's gotta get done dammit!

I'm also dissapointed that I have such an obnoxious computer nerd boyfriend and he's done something to the computer so that when I plug in my camera I can't get it to come up on the screen so I can get our pictures fron NEW YEAR'S off of it. There's that procrastination again.

Book Club

I've always wanted to be a part of a book club. Considering that I read a lot, and when I read a book I always want to talk about it, like we did in school. But I don't know very many people in the area, I've only been living in Virginia for 3 years, and while I've made a few friends, I still don't know nearly as many people here as I did when I lived in Chicago. It just happens that way when you live somewhere your whole life, you tend to accumulate friends and acquaintances. Of the friends that I have met, most of them are not big readers like me, so starting a book club with those folks wouldn't be all that easy.

Olivia and Katherine have expressed an interest, which is great, but you two ladies are the only ones I know around here who read. If you want to have a three person book club with me, I'm all about it. If you know anyone else who wants to be a part of it, even better.

I propose we meet once a month, I figure that's a good interval since we are all busy people and all, and I think having more frequent meetups would be more difficult to fit into everyone's schedule.

Mostly I'm interested in a book club because my reading has been pretty redundant lately, and I would love to have some recommendations for other books to read.

Here's a short list of some of the authors whose books I've read most recently:

Jodi Picoult
Jennifer Weiner
Joyce Carol Oates
Margaret Atwood
Toni Morrison
Kurt Vonnegut

I've been reading mostly female authors lately, mostly because I enjoy being a reverse sexist and all that. For a while there I read like, 5 Margaret Atwood books in a row, and then I even re-read A Handmaids Tale and The Blind Assassin. She's great really, but sometimes she can be kind of a downer. So then I got into Jennifer Weiner because she is totally chick-lit and entertaining and happy-endingish, and when I am done with her books I tend to feel a little better about life for some reason. I read Jodi Picoult on a suggestion from a friend and I like her stuff, but at the same I hate it. It reads like it was meant to be a movie or something. I'm not quite sure how I feel about Joyce Carol Oates, she's good and I really enjoyed reading her novels, but they don't leave me feeling all that great, and sometimes that's OK, but I guess at this point in my life I don't really need any help feeling depressed. I don't even think I need to explain why I love Toni Morrison, I first encountered her in high school required reading, but I LOVE her, and I could read her books over and over again. Kurt Vonnegut is an old standby, I just know that I could pick up any one of his novels and that I would totally love it, at least that has been my experience so far.

Anyway, that's the end of my ramble about books. I would love some suggestions on other authors to try, and anything about a book club.

This is how I feel today

Don't ask me why, because I have no idea. I am beholden to my irrational emotions.

Obligitory

This is just a post to say that I am gonna post something more interesting later, perhaps with some pictures or something even.

Who's interested?

I am totally interested in starting a book club here in Fredericksburg. I know some of the ladies who read my blog are big readers, so maybe some of you would like to get together to talk about books together? Whaddya think?

Dinner night

Last night Jenn and I did our first official "Dinner night" (even though we ate dinner at her mom's house and watched a movie that one time). It was pretty good, I made a vegetarian corn chowder, and it was AWESOME. I was debating whether I should bring the leftovers for lunch today, but I decided that I would rather have it for dinner.

I bought this cookbook this weekend and honestly, it is one the coolest vegetarian cookbooks I've ever bought. Although, take into account that I've only made one recipe out of it yet, but it was AWESOME. I also skimmed through the rest of the book and there are a lot of recipes that I am excited to try.

There's something about...

I think I already mentioned this, but I signed up at the beginning of this month to do 8 "Personal Touch" sessions with my Jazzercise instructor. Well last night I had a session and it really kicked my butt. I was so sore last night when I got home that I could hardly brush my teeth without shaking, I was so weak that I almost felt like I was gonna puke. I suppose that's a good thing, but last night it didn't feel so great. I'm alright today, but we'll see when the soreness kicks in.

It's 13:12, do you know where your food is?

Mine is in the fridge at home and it better not let me eat all of it tonight, because I have to weigh in tomorrow morning at Weight Watchers and I want it to be a good one. I wasn't on my best behavior this week, seeing that I went to Grandma's house 2x for dinner (once on Sunday, and again on Tuesday evening). Also I just got my monthly bill yesterday so I was defnintely doing some hormonal eating, and I'm sure I'm carrying some extra water weight right now. So it's not gonna be pretty. But if I can manage to keep a lid on it tonight, it may not be so bad tomorrow morning when I step on the scale for the moment of truth.

I don't know what my problem is lately. When I first started Weight Watcher's I did so well about saying "No" to certain foods, or at least being able to stop myself from eating too much of certain foods, and it's like right now I have no self control whatsoever and I just eat whatever is in front of me and I eat a TON of it. Could be because it's winter time and I tend to eat more in the winter for whatever reason. Who knows, all I know is I need to have more self control, and I don't know where to get it, it's not like you can buy it in the store or anything.

Lame.

And another thing

Q-Tip had blood in his poo this morning. That bastard, he should know that he's only allowed to get sick when I have money to take him to the vet.

Alright

So so far I have failed. I smoked a few cigarettes over the weekend, I don't know why, but I just wanted to. I'm very dissapointed in myself though, so I guess that's a good start.

I also CAN NOT stop myself from eating lately. Like I KNOW that I shouldn't eat tortilla chips by the handful, or 4 donut holes, or 3 brownies (they were small), or whatever else, but I just can't stop myself from doing. It's like I think to myself AS I'M EATING "I shouldn't be doing this" and then I go and grab another. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

It's Day 4 now

I'm feeling pretty good, but I am still in the mood to eat the whole world :(

I started my "personal touch" sessions with the instructor at Jazzercise and it was pretty good, although I'm not sore like I was told I would be, but it's only the first day after, sometimes it hurts more after the second day? I dunno, I'm gonna keep it up though and see how it goes.

Tomorrow evening is the annual awards ceremony for my company and I totally forgot about getting something dressy and formal to wear, so I'm gonna have to go shopping either tonight or tomorrow after work and hope I find something that I like, which is hard to do when you're last minute shopping. Grrr.

Day 2, no cigarettes

Diane, make a note of this:

It's day two without smoking and I feel like eating the world. I need some good old fashioned apple pie.

Anyway...
I haven't had any smokes today and I forgot to buy myself some gum, so I feel like munching munch munch munching and I don't have enough snacks to last me all day. In fact, of the food that I brought for myself today all I have left is my pasta salad for lunch and a small can of V8 juice and some applesauce. I think I am going to have to make a trip to WaWa or Sheetz and get myself some chewing gum and soda to tide myself over. I wonder how long it takes before the need for an oral fixation goes away and I will feel like normal again?

Happy January 7th!

Monday monday/ can't trust that day

So I started using the patch this morning, the nicotine patch that is. I haven't had any cigarette's yet today, which is a good start. I'm NOT going to have any cigarettes for the rest of my life! That's going to be my mantra everytime I get a craving for a smoke. No cigarettes EVER!

Saw Sweeny Todd last night, I liked it but Aaron didn't. Saw Olivia and Katherine there, that was cool. The movie was really dark and graphic, but I liked it.

Saturday I layed around and was lazy all freakin day, I felt kinda bad about that, but whatevs, I must have needed that.

It's a new year!

How about that? This year I promise to not get depressed and try to stay as positive about life and all that as possible. I'm back at work today and totally dragging, but that's ok because it looks like everyone is. Really all I want to do is go home and go back to bed, but that's not possible today so...

Aaron and I flew back from Chicago yesterday, it was cold and snowy there, and now it's pretty cold and snowy here, so it's like we never left. I was really dissapointed because they cancelled the fireworks at Buckingham Fountain on New Year's Eve, which really sucked because those are the best fireworks ever :(

I have nothing exciting to write about now, so I'm just gonna end this. Laterski!