Crazy American's...really are we?

Alright, I'm going to vent about something. I work in a lab with a lot of foreign individuals and they were actually complaining to me about the lack of jobs available to them because of people from their country coming over and taking the jobs away.

Really? Are you complaining to me about the lack of American jobs availalbe to you. I honestly had no response to them. And then they proceeded to rant on about how they felt sorry for the Chairman of GM that was "forced" to resign after reducing his salary to $1.00 a year. Hello, I'm sorry, what planet did you step off from that a $25 million pension wasn't an acceptable severance package?

Seriously, they were upset because he was made to be the fall guy? Okay, lets step back a minute and re-evalute things. I am a running a multi-billion dollar corporation. Its sales are in the toilet, I'm bleeding money out every pore and my executives don't seem to know what the phrase "stop spending" means. Should I still keep my job? I think not.

I find it interesting that Americans and foreigners living in America have differing views on American politics. Yes, we helped bail out the failing Auto industry, but just because we helped them, doesn't mean that someone didn't have to pay for the screw up to begin with. But their opinion is that who better to fix the problem than the people that have been working there and know the industry.

Well I agree with that on a certain level, I also agree those are the same individuals that got us in this mess to begin with. We might seem like crazy Americans to the rest of the world, but why is the rest of the world trying to cross our borders? Why is the rest of the world coming to our country and taking our American jobs? America must be doing something right, even if we are in a recession right now, we're still leading the pack.

Sibling Squables...We've all had them

Ok, those of you with children will appreciate my blog today. Brothers are something that I never had to deal with growing up. I have two sisters. My younger sister and I were inseparable as kids. We did everything together. We had a lot of the same friends and played a lot of the same games, toys, activities etc. Well I had less in common with my older sister, she was three and half years older than me and she was off scouting boys with her girl friends when I was still throwing my Barbie doll off the end of the boat dock to see if Barbie could swim. (Barbie’s pool was not nearly big enough.)

Well my boys are at a disadvantaged five and a half years apart. And although they love each other unconditionally, right now, I know that Alex wishes he was an only child. For some strange reason, unbeknownst to me, or Alex, Connor has gotten into his little head that Alex will take him to school on Monday mornings.

Now Alex has power lifting on certain days. On those days, Alex leaves very early in the morning and returns to the house as the rest of us are actually climbing out of bed. So SOMETIMES, Alex will ask Connor if he’d like a ride to school. The fact that Connor has a cool older brother that plays Varsity Football and Baseball; and he’s offered to drive him to school, that rates way above the yellow school bus! So Connor has now decided that this should happen every Monday regardless of Alex’s schedule.

Well this morning Alex didn’t have Power lifting due to a game this evening and Connor missed his bus ride. And let me just say….it was not pretty. When you wake a teenager that has an additional hour of sleep left, that is not a pretty site. To top that off, add to that his little brother who says, “Well he always takes me on Mondays so I didn’t hurry.”

Yup, not the right response from the ten year old.

So needless to say, chaos ensued at my house this morning. I had the older one refusing to take the younger one. I have the younger one yelling that “Alex is going to kill me once he gets me in the car!” They can be such drama queens at ten.

Finally I’d had enough. My head was killing me and I was trying to get ready for work. I didn’t need all of these theatrics before a long day at the office. Your home is supposed to be a place of rest and right now it was the Wild Kingdom and my boys were fighting for rights to king of the jungle.

I’m assuming that Alex eventually took Connor to school because when I got out of the shower Connor was gone and my house was quiet. I’ll have to check for Connor tonight to make sure Alex didn’t assault my youngest (haha). I keep asking Jared if its normal since he has a brother, and he assures me that brothers fight. Its what they do.

All I can say is, I don’t remember ever hauling off and decking one of my sisters; but then again, that was a long time ago. I might have gotten a few good swings in that I forgot about. But it was purely self-defense – I assure you!

Its so hard to be alone - But no one should have to be

This past weekend I watched an episode of the "Dog Whisperer" with Cesar Milan. The case involved a wheelchair bound woman named, Anita Brandenburg, with a service dog named Beau.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/player.html?channel=39678

This dog is amazing. He opens doors for Anita, Beau will turn lights on and off. He will even knock items off the grocery store shelf and then pick them up with his teeth and place them in the cart for her. He truly is a gifted animal. But he's more than animal to Anita. He is the only family or friend that she has. She is truly alone in this world. She is a modern day hermit in today's society. There is no one else to help her.

All of Anita's family is deceased. She doesn't belong to a church, so she has no interaction with anyone. I think that when Cesar heard her story, he was more concerned about her own self exile than about Beau's anxiety with riding the bus. He immediately made the decision that she needed to be involved with children and showing off Beau's abilities as a service dog.

Cesar's generosity towards Anita gave her the confidence that she needed to reach out to new people and begin making contacts; possibly new friends. And i hope that she was able to make some good friends to help keep her company, because the thought of her being alone, breaks my heart.

I think that we all take our friends and family for granted. I know that I do. I have two wonderful sisters that I don't tell near enough; I love you. Or my parents for that matter. No matter how mad we get at one another, for all eternity, we are family. Whether we like it or not amends need to be made because your family is your life. And we should all cherish the ones that we have.

I'm blessed to have a wonderful man in my life who I love very much; and I've waited a long time for someone like him. But the wait was well worth it because he's an amazing man, father and friend.

We don't have to be alone. You're alone if you choose to be alone. There are people all around us everyday. At church. At work. At the grocery store. All over the place. All we have to do is reach out and make that connection and someone will reach back.

I did, and I made the best friend in the world. Granted, we're separated by 1600+ miles right now, but that's only for the short term. Once I can get relocated, we'll be together permanently. But my point is, If you make that leap, someone will be there to catch you.

For Anita it was Cesar and the children. For me it was Jared. There's no telling who yours is...but he/she is out there.

Bad Day....

I am not having the best of days....

I've run out of my anti-anxiety medication. I'm tired. No one has made me laugh today. And to top it all off, I was helping another group out by writing some test cases for them and their PM told me I wrote the wrong thing. UGH!~ Even if its usable stuff, its always disappointing to let someone down.

Not even the "Calgon take me away." line can fix this dreary day. The best thing would be to go home, order a pizza from Mr. Jim's, snuggle on the couch with Jared and watch a great movie!!

Oh Wait, he lives in SEATTLE!!!!!!!!

This darn day keeps getting better and better!

I seriously need some sleep!!

I've not been sleeping lately. I don't know if its because I'm now putting in long days with two jobs or the stress of having to look for a new full time one...I have no idea. But I'm exhausted! I need some serious nap time!

I've not been myself lately at all. I've been crabby and I seem to be snapping at everyone. And that is just not who I am normally. I need help! I've been taking some Melatonin at night, which helps, but eventually wears off and I can't get back to sleep. So I'm left tossing and turning trying to wish myself at least a couple hours of sleep.

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to function when you are so tired that your eyes want to remain a constant state of closed. You can't drive very well, you risk the possibly of ramming into the car in front of you. You certainly can't do your job; God forbid you send that inappropriate email to "Reply All" and your boss gets a hold of it. And we definitely can't go out. There's no telling who we'd end up bringing home with us!! I'll just stop right there!

So I would say that sleep is definitely an important factor in our lives that we need to keep up on; I'm just having a very difficult time doing just that. I'm miserable. I'm up at 3am doing laundry because I have nothing else to do. Normal people are enjoying their R.E.M. dream state and I'm unloading the dish washer and mopping the floor.

I think I'm going to talk to my neurologist. After all, I pay him plenty of money anyway, maybe he can run a sleep study on me and find some crazy reason why at 4:15 in the morning, I'm finally ready to go to bed when the rest of the world is beginning to wake up.

Changes are coming

Have you ever been on the receiving end of teasing? Its not so fun at times. I love dishing it out, but it’s a completely different ball game when I’m on the receiving end! I’m an extremely sensitive person and I have a tendency to take everything literally and to heart.

Its very hard to live in a glass house and not throw stones. We all criticize. We all see things that we would have done differently or would have said better. But how do we control the urge to not act on the natural instinct to fit in and just be one of the guys?

I’ve been trying to do that lately, and its just not working out for me. Its just not who I really am and someone called me on it today. I’m glad that they did because it really opened my eyes to the situation so that I could take a step back and appreciate my actions for what they were.

I always try and live a life that glorifies my Heavenly Father. But recently I have been lacking in certain areas. And I can feel a difference in my soul. I can’t put my finger on just one area, but I know that something is missing.

I am making it my personal goal to grow spiritually and emotionally over the next several weeks and see if things start to come around for me. I’ll update my progress on my blog so you can see how things are advancing.

Until Then….
Melissa

New Job....

So I started my part time job yesterday. I loved it!! It was fun and a serious change of pace than my normal day job. I took a sales position at a local clothing boutique and being around people and helping them put cute outfits together is really a lot of fun.

This really is just a no brainer for me! I can earn extra money and not have to stress out about the normal day to day operations of my 9-5 job. A bonus with this...I get a store discount. =) I just need to remember to not spend all the $ I make.

Okay, I'm seriously going to try and sleep now. It's 3am and I'm still awake. Not great for someone who has to be focused and alert for testing in the morning.

Until Later...

Life is spontaneous~ So I have to be

You know when you have your plans all mapped out and everyone else around you has the same plans? That just happened to come into play this week and the trip that Jared had scheduled to come into town in April got cancelled.

I was heart broken! It was going to be this great reunion with both my sisters and brother's in laws here in Dallas. Life had other plans this week and didn't care what Jared's or my schedule looked like. But you know what, things actually worked out for the best!! I've now flipped my trip and now I'm going to Seattle for Jared's birthday in April. Yeah!

What I thought was a sad and upsetting situation turned into a great opportunity to celebrate my guy's birthday with him. Where as before he was going to be in Dallas the weekend before his birthday. So it all worked out for the best. Now his sweet girls and I can make him dinner and bake him a cake. Meat and Potato pie and carrot cake - all his favorites.

So I need to get used to a little spontaneity in my life and things will be fine. Because there's always a silver lining somewhere to be found.

You're not Vain, You're taking Pride in Yourself!

What a crazy day its been! Do I tan or not? Ugh, what's a girl to do? I hate wearing pantyhose so I have to tan my legs. I hate the self tanners because they all seem to turn me some wretched shade of burnt orange.

Girls, you have this argument, well maybe not this argument, but something similar to this every day! We all do. How to keep ourselves looking nice. But I wonder, does that make us vain or prideful?

• Vain is defined as: excessively proud: excessively proud, especially of personal appearancance.

But I think if you're just taking Pride in your appearance, does that really make you Vain?

I enjoy getting my nails done and going for a pedicure once a month. I don't consider this a vain habit. I do this so that my nails are kept neat and clean and my feet are nice and polished so that I can wear opened toed shoes. Is this a luxury? Absolutely! And its also the first thing in my budget that goes when I can't afford it for the month.

I go every six weeks, like clock work, and get my hair cut. Why, because I can't stand split ends. Is this vain? No, I take care of my hair. I grew up with long hair and the way to take care of your hair was to keep it trimmed about every 6-8 weeks. So I got in the habit of getting my hair cut. It keeps my hair healthy and shiny. If I choose to let my layers grow out, I just get a small amount trimmed off to keep it healthy.

Its one thing to care about your appearance, its another to be prideful and boast about how beautiful you are. Now take for instance Paris Hilton, I would consider her a vain person. Someone needing constant attention and reassurance about how beautiful she is.

I recently watched a TV program called "True Beauty". The whole concept of this show was to take amazingly beautiful people and see what they did in different situations. But what the contestants didn't know is that they were being filmed EVERYWHERE. They were being judged on their inner beauty as well. When all was said and done, it was sad to see how "ugly" these beautiful people really were.

One of the things I love about Jared is that he's a Hair guy. He will notice a woman's Hair before anything else. (well maybe not the first thing...but for my blog sake, that's what we're going with!) He'll tell you that if a women will take pride in her hair that she'll take pride in the rest of herself. And you know what, he's right. And I have to be honest, the rest of the Misfits agreed with him.

So the next time you want to get your Hair done, or your nails done, or buy that new dress - GO FOR IT! It's not vain. You're just taking pride in your appearance.

Have a Great St. Patty's Day All. ~

Stimulus Money for Good Grades - Are you Kidding Me?

I just heard the following news report on NBC News Channel 5 in Dallas. I am surprised, saddened, and disgusted all at once. The fact that Rep. Deshotel is trying to PAY students to make good grades is troublesome. But the idea that he wants to take it out of the Economic Stimulus Package? That goes beyond crazy.

How about we feed the thousands of hungry school kids that are only getting one meal a day because of the School lunch program? Or how about hiring back some of the many teachers that were laid off because of budget short falls? Read the story below and give me your thoughts on the subject.

Good Grades + Bad School = Payday?
By FRANK HEINZ
Updated 11:05 AM CDT, Fri, Mar 13, 2009

Students who earn good grades at bad Texas high schools could earn cash from the state. Democratic state Rep. Joe Deshotel, of Beaumont, proposed a pilot program to give students at low-performing schools cash for good grades in core subjects.

Under Deshotel's plan, schools rated academically unacceptable would be selected through a lottery to participate in the program. Freshmen at those poor-performing schools could then earn $50 for each A, $35 for each B and $20 for each C in core classes of English, math, science or social studies.

Students would be paid half of their earned money at the end of each grading period and the other half at graduation -- a move undoubtedly designed at boosting the state's graduation rate.

Deshotel said the dropout rate "is unacceptably high in Texas." He adds that if the cash rewards help to lower that rate, the Legislature could look at expanding the program. It remains to be seen if the program ever plans to pay students at higher-performing schools for earning the same grades as their peers in lower-performing schools.

Funding for Deshotel's program would come from the $6 million for education the state is expected to get from President Barack Obama's stimulus package.
Texas is not unique in this idea. Other pay-for-grades programs are in place in Chicago; Baltimore; New York; Tucson, Ariz.; and Washington, D.C.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC Dallas-Fort Worth

SOME THINGS ARE SACRED

While strolling through the Internet I stumbled across an article about a show that I watch on a regular basis. As I was perusing the article a chill began to crawl down my spine and I knew that this was not going to end well.

This show, which usually makes me laugh, was going in a direction that it did not need to be going. And I knew that after I was done reading the article, that I would never be able to watch this show again. Which was sad because I really did enjoy it. I took it for what it was, entertainment, and not reality.

But when you go beyond the entertainment aspect and touch on areas that are sacred and you know that should be "Off Limits", then you've gone too far and it no longer remains a TV show. It becomes more of a documentary.

I'm not going to name the show, as I refuse to give it publicity. I will say that what is considered special and sacred in normal everyday life, should remain special and sacred for this shows sake as well. And they had an "understanding" with a certain group that certain things would not be brought into the show "production".

Well those producers have gone back on their promise and now it seems that even the most sacred areas are fair game. This truly saddens me not only for deep personal reasons that will remain mine; but also because I did enjoy this program and the characters involved.

I've lost the respect of the Actors, Writers, Producers, but most of all the Executive Producer. He has let me down the most. That he would allow this to go to production and offend so many people, just breaks my heart. I guess the opportunity for ratings out weights the chance to do what's right.

And since this show is the only reason I carried this channel, I no longer need to have this premium service. So I owe Heavenly Father two thank yous.

1. Thanks for the Head's up on the program I'm NOT supposed to watch.
2. Thanks for the money saving opportunity by dumping the channel, I can save about $12.00 a month off my bill.

Have a Blessed Day you guys. And remember, if something is sacred and not for public information, its not because its a secret, its because its special and you need to be worthy first. STRIVE TO BE WORTHY and it will no longer be a secret.

I'm out of Control

He's got his friends and recently, I was invited into the boys club for a peek at what goes on. Its been rather invigorating to say the least. But I think I might be cramping his style a bit. Usually your girlfriend is the soft girly girl that you want to come home to at night and cuddle up with on the couch. Not some loud mouthed, trash talking, Hockey loving chick who can run with the boys.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a complete girly girl! I get my nails done and pedicure at least once a month. (More if the budget allows!!) I love to dress up. SHOES and handbags are my addiction. At last count, I was up to 130 pairs of shoes. Its a sickness I know. I need to check into shoe rehab.

But when my Redwings or the University of Michigan Football is on - The evil Melissa emerges. I grow horns and my eyes begin to glow an eerie shade of red. I will attack anyone who stands in my way of victory. And God Forbid you say anything bad about my teams; you've just signed your own death warrant!!

This is not the same sweet girl that attends her weekly Sacrament Meetings and Relief Society at church every Sunday. This is not the same sweet girl that loves to sit and talk about Scripture with anyone that will listen. And this is certainly not the same sweet girl that LOVES to feed the LDS Missionaries when they come to knock on the door for lessons or just to visit.

Nope, this is EVIL Mel. Trash Talking, Word Vomit spewing Ugly Mel that will take out your Momma if given that chance!! (j/k btw, I won't literally hurt your mother, but I'll make you feel like I will.)

I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I'm a mean competitor when it comes to sports competitions. And if you know me there's two things that you knows for certain:

1. The Redwings are the greatest Hockey Team of All Time!!
2. Ohio State Sucks!!

Those are pretty much the rules that I live by. And I'm pretty sure that this is not what my beloved signed up for when he told me I was the sweetest person that he'd ever met. I guess I had Evil Mel under control that day. I wonder if it was baseball season? Either way, Evil Mel needs to be reigned in, because I'm cramping my guy's style a bit.

Maybe I'll go take a bubble bath and watch a documentary on how to make spoons.

Later everyone!

Top Ten Things Women Shouldn’t Do in Public

Recently, the good people at AskMen.com revealed their list of the “Top Ten Things Men Shouldn’t Do In Public,” which included definite no-no’s like picking their noses and peeing conspicuously, and debatable no-no’s like crying (Come on, what if his dog just died? What if he just watched The Notebook for the first time?). Interestingly, they said proposing to your girlfriend on a subway was a “bold” public move—something that really ought to top the list of forbidden public acts, if you ask me (I mean seriously, a subway? Is there a danker, drearier place on Earth to ask a woman to spend the rest of your life with you?).

Anyway, there’s no reason men should have all the fun, so in the interest of equality we’ve got a list of our own. After the jump, the “Top Ten Things Women Shouldn’t Do In Public.”

1. Apply Full Make-Up: Okay, look. Refreshing your lip gloss after a meal is one thing, but putting your whole face on while riding the bus or subway (where no one should do any proposing!) is so not cool. Set your alarm ten minutes earlier, and do your makeup before you leave your apartment. A woman has to retain a little mystique, you know.

2. Pull out Your Thong from Your Butt Crack: If it’s so uncomfortable in the first place that you have to go digging in places you really shouldn’t, maybe it’s time to switch to underwear with a little more coverage, hmm?

3. Sit Cross-Legged While Wearing a Skirt: Just don’t.

4. Show Off Your Midriff: I don’t care if you’ve got washboard abs, if you could bounce a quarter of your belly, or if you’re only sixteen. Unless you’re on the beach, at the pool, or working for tips, no one, I mean no one, should be running around with an exposed midriff. It’s just not classy.

5. Talk on Your Phone in a Public Bathroom or Dressing Room: Bathrooms and dressing rooms are sort of like Vegas. What happens in them should stay in them, and you with your phone broadcasting every sound to God knows who and subjecting the rest of us to some inane conversation that can absolutely wait until you no longer have your pants around the ankles is not honoring that sacred code.

6. Ask Your Boyfriend If He Loves You: It’s uncomfortable for him; it’s uncomfortable for us. Save your strange pillow talk for when you’re horizontal.

7. Tweeze Errant Hairs or Pop a Pimple: While I understand the temptation of removing any evidence that you’re less than perfect, doing so in public not only underscores your imperfections, it makes you look, well, kinda nasty.

8. Criticize Your Boyfriend: Sure, he may deserve it—especially if he’s treating a waitress like crap or ogling other women, but there’s a time and a place for everything and in public when everyone can hear your private conversation is not it.

9. Adjust the Girls: We’ve all been there before: a boob slips below your underwire or heads too closely to your armpit, but until you find a private spot, resist the urge to reach into your bra and readjust.

10. Pee All Over the Toilet Seat: If you do happen to have bad aim, remember the old adage: If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat!

By Wendy Atterberry of TheFrisky

reposted from: http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22323/66737-top-ten-things-shouldn-t-do/2

DJ Misses His Daddy

I have proof that my cat DJ loves Jared more than me!! As I was logging into my email tonight, Jared's blog came up on my Internet. DJ laid across my laptop and proceeded to read his "daddy's" Blog from yesterday.

DJ loves his daddy, and daddy could be talking about the time space continuance and that would be right up there with the spawning habits of Salmon for all he cares. Its Daddy's Blog!! He reads it because he loves him.

Now if you've read previous posts I've written about this cat, you know he makes it his daily chore to cause trouble in my house. And by trouble I mean make everyone else in the house miserable. He knocks things things off tables, chases the other cats and beats up on Blake Frank the dog. But he loves on his daddy the second he sees him.

He's only two years old and I've had him since he was 6 weeks. And the MINUTE Jared walked in my house, this cat stopped being my little love bug, and turned into the spawn of SATAN! That will be a year the end of May. Jared ruined my cat.

But that's ok because I've spoiled Jared's dog rotten and turned him into a girly man! So I guess its a trade off.

PoBoy Hates Me ~ My life is over.

There's nothing else I can say. I don't know how to respond to his bully behavior on the play ground today. I guess I'll take my ball and go home. I hope that "Lisa" brings him great comfort and joy in the future. I'll be sure to send him Next season's NHL Hockey schedule to post on the refrigerator. I know that he would hate to miss a game.

NOTES TO SELF:

P.S: Rent "Serenity" and watch section about Mr. Universe and his virtual wife. Develop sympathy for those that are alone and need to invent relationships.

P.P.S. Get the AMTRACK schedule as we are no longer flying in Airplanes!!

Shout Out to the Misfits ~

So, I'm dedicating this Blog to the Misfits. Who are the Misfits you ask. The Misfits are my adoring boyfriend, Jared's best friends. I have to be honest, the past year plus that Jared and I have known each other I have heard A LOT of stories about the this Band of Brothers. Most of them can't be repeated. But I will say, my favorite is the story about duck hunting, a truck, and and a quick getaway!!! The parties involved know what I'm talking about. =)

What I think is awesome, but somewhat ridiculous at the same time is the fact that they all have "nicknames or gamertags" and none of them go by their real names. They have been friends for years and truly enjoy each other's company.

Recently, I have had the absolute pleasure of getting to know these guys through several chats. They have involved me in conversations and treated me like a member of the group and not like an outsider. I can honestly say I love these guys. Although Ken sucks! Why? Because he doesn't know anything about Hockey. He's a faker and thinks Zetterberg is a tool. So Ken is on the Family list.

Frog and Ray are my new Best friends! Fellow Redwing Fans. Kindred spirits. =) Jeep and his wife Christina are also right up there because they are big Hockey fans. Even if they are Capital fans. Hockey fans all support each other and stick together. Not to mention, they have the cutest puppies ever!

Then there's Norm. Norm is AWESOME!! He is a chef for FUN. If any of you know me, I love to cook. Norm has these incredible photos on his blog of dishes that he's made for his wife. He's the best husband ever. =) The rest of you Misfits need to take a lesson from Norm.

Seabass is close to Jared so I'm hoping that he can keep him company while I'm 2000 miles away! And he and his wife are both actors! How cool is that!

There are other members of the "fit" crew, but those are the ones I've met so far.

And btw - Ken doesn't really suck - but he's been harassing me about Zetterberg, so this is my way of getting back at him! He's actually one of the most friendly guys I've ever met. I consider him the Big Brother of this group of Misfits. He seems to keep everyone together.

They are just a great bunch of guys that I look forward to getting to know better. And who have told me they like me better than Jared! =) Hahaha. So Jared better watch it - Or the Misfit's will bump him from the group.

Blessings All~

Mel's Day of Self Indulgence

Wooohoooo! I got a new job! Well I got a second job. So I still have my day job, but I’ve added an additional job in the evening as well. So remember when I said the other day that I was no longer going to live my life to make everyone happy? Well today was a day of pampering for me!!

Today started off like any other Saturday morning, I woke up with my 10 year old son Connor crawling under the covers with me to “Snuggle Bunny” as we call it. We wrap up in each others arms and rock back and forth saying “Snuggle Bunny, Snuggle Bunny, Snuggle Bunny.” Then he gave me a big wet kiss and ran out to jump on X-Box 360. His cronies were waiting and that took priority over momma and snuggling in bed. I was lucky I got what I did.



OK, so I crawled out of bed and hopped in the shower and I got ready. You know the drill, primp the hair, do the make up. I had to make myself "pretty."


I ran up to the Outlet Mall where I’d interviewed the night before at a popular clothing boutique. I was told to stop in and say hello to the Regional Manager. Which is what I did, and low and behold I had an on the spot interview that I wasn’t expecting. Then she asked me if I would do a “Working Interview” which is basically greet the customers and help them with whatever they need for about 15 minutes and see how I do. I nailed it!

She took my references and said that she would have me on the schedule by the first of next week! YEAH! Now you might ask why I got a second job. I am trying to save some extra money since I do have a son that is going off to college in 16 months. And with the current state of the economy; you never know when you might need something else to fall back on.

Now, comes the pampering part!! I decided to treat Connor and me to a lunch at Pei Wei. It was so good. =) I had the Chicken Pad Thai. It had just the right amount of spice. When my lunch date was completed, I went for a Manicure and Spa Pedicure.

Now if you’ve ever had your nails filled, it’s a pain to have the pedicure and nails done at the same time. I had all the time in the world today, so I had my nails done first and then my tootsies enjoyed the luxury of a LONG HOT SOAK in the floral scented water. Can you say Heaven on Earth!

Then I decided that I’ve been looking a bit pale. Even though I’m Italian, I’m not naturally blessed with the darker complexion. So I popped on over to the Tanning salon next door and got myself a nice nap in the tanning bed for 20 minutes while enjoying the latest downloads on my iPod. I hope the other customers next door didn’t hear me signing. “That’s Amore” has been in my head for several days and I just had to hear my fav, Dean Martin, sing it to me. Although I must say, Ken and Norm come in a close second...although I never heard Jared pipe up and sing a note!!

Here's Dean's version~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS6-b7CONDI

And no day would be complete without making yourself dessert. So Connor and I decided it was “Sundae Night” and on tonight’s menu - mint chocolate chip sundae with Hershey’s Chocolate syrup, Cool Whip, and a cherry on top!

This all about me stuff ROCKS!!!

P.S. Alex had a baseball tournament today which is why he wasn't here to partake of the activities with us. And according to his Dad, he had a heck of a day too...That's my All-Star Athlete. =)

Movie Quote Day...

My pity party for one is over thanks to the Misfits! I want to thank Jared for the invite into the conversation to cheer me up. Love you Babe!!

Ken – Yoko Ono is one cracked up psycho chick!! Long live the Rat Pack!!!

Norm – PLEASE – don’t tell me what goes on in the high school bathroom. I can’t afford more therapy!

Itchy – Tell Jim that Veronica and the twins will call him later.


http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/74/the-landlord-from-will-ferrell-and-adam-ghost-panther-mckay

Ok, one of mine and Jared’s favorite things to do is quote movie lines to each other. We will throw them back and forth for hours; laughing our butts off. MOST of our quotes come from Will Ferrell movies. And I've included the Will Ferrell meets his Landlord. This makes me laugh, even though, honestly its a bit inappropriate, its funny in a closet sort of way.

Top movies that we quote:
“Talladega Nights”
“Step Brothers”
HBO Mini series: “Generation Kill” (my personal Favorite)
“Little Giants” – I love this movie!!!
“Little Rascals”

Add your favorite Movie and quote if you want. Lets get a stream going…

Little Rascals:
“Dear Darla, I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit. You're scum between my toes! Love, Alfalfa”

Its never good enough!

Do you ever feel like no matter what you do or say, its never good enough? I mean you work yourself to the bare bones and give your heart and soul to something and you don't even get an acknowledgement that they recognized your achievement.

I'm almost to the point now where I want to give up. One thing about me, is I have always been a pleaser. I've always wanted people to be happy. No matter what I do, if they're not happy I will do what it takes to make it right. I've always been that way.

I think it comes from being a middle child. I'm a peacemaker by nature. I'm also a Libra which makes my zodiac sign the scales - Balance. That describes how I try and keep things. I want everything balanced. Everyone needs to be happy.

Well sometimes not everyone is going to be happy. And usually while making everyone else happy, I've been neglecting myself. And honestly, I’ve neglected my own happiness for way too long now; allowing everyone else around me to go on with their lives as though mine didn’t matter.

I like to do special things for people to make them feel good. To let them know that someone is thinking about them. I don’t expect anything in return. I do it because I love them or care. A lot of times, I’ll just be praying and I’ll get an impression from God and it’ll be, “hey so and so needs a note of encouragement today.” So I’ll automatically send an email or run down to the store and pick up a card and drop it in the mail.

That’s just who I am. I’ve always been that way. And I don’t want to change, but I find that its getting harder and harder when no one returns the kindness. And sometimes I just need a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes, it would be nice to open my mailbox and see a card in there; because right now, I’m just feeling very under appreciated. It seems like all I ever do lately is give, give, give. I’ve not been on the receiving end in a while.

Maybe I bring it all on myself. Maybe I over do it and expect too much from people. Or maybe I would just like to get a thank you card in the mail once in a while. I don’t know.

Maybe I’m just tired because its 2:15 in the morning and I can’t sleep because once again, I have to stay up because my son forgot that he had to wash his baseball uniform for a game in the morning. Of course he told me this at 12:30am. So here I sit waiting for the washer to stop so I can throw it all in the dryer!

See what I mean? He’s in bed sleeping…I’m awake doing laundry. I rest my case!!

Its definitely not the same via text as in person!

Trying to watch a Hockey game with your boyfriend via text message is painful to say the least! Especially when you’re hoping the team he’s rooting for dies a slow painful death in the bowels of Hell. The smack talk just doesn’t come across as mean and hateful as you’d like it too.

So last night I turn on the VS. Channel, looking for the Redwings game, and what do I discover? The Pittsburgh Penguins are on!! GAG!!!! OK, I can hang with this, I text Jared immediately, because I know that he’s got to be watching this game. Only to discover, he’s not. Jared doesn’t realize its on VS.

Jared immediately heads to his favorite hangout, Mahoney’s – this place is AWESOME, and begins watching the game. WoooHooo, let the torture begin! Of course I don’t realize that the Tampa Bay Lightning SUCK and I don’t have a Snow Balls chance of even scoring again. But it doesn’t matter. Those of you following my Blog know how I feel about the Pen’s and the Capitals – they are the bane of my existence. So they have to go down!

Now tell me, when you get a “GOAL” over text, does it have the same effect as someone screaming in your ear GOOOAAAALLLL!!!! NOPE. I agree. It just was not the same. And then to make matters worse, my almost 11 year old son, who loves the Redwings – I’m sure because I do – has decided – that he’s a Penguins Fan. Huh? What? Not in my house! So I’ve got this Mutiny going on in my bedroom as I’m trying to yell at the TV and my cell phone about how much the Pen’s suck.

And then the clouds parted and the angels began to sing….My REDWINGS were WINNING!!!!!! Hallelujah. Its about time the Stanley Cup Champions showed up; after that pitiful showing Saturday night in Nashville. But then I saw Hossa got seriously hurt, even though I hate him, I feel I’ve jinxed him, so no more Hossa bad talk.

Anyway, I really miss watching Hockey with Jared side by side. Last year during the Stanley Cup was when our relationship began. It kind of just happened over Hockey and a couple of Shiner Bock beers. So it has a special place in my heart. This texting crap is no fun! Although its better than nothing, its still not the same.

I can’t wait until we can sit and watch a game together again and I can tell him how bad his Pen’s suck and that Crosby needs to go back to the playpen and he can look at me and tell me that Osgood is a Tool and that the nursing home is looking for him. Then I’ll run to the kitchen and get a couple more beers.

P.S. Both the Pen’s and the Redwings won last night. But the Capitals LOST! So, I was happy. =)

My brain took an unscheduled Vacation

Do you ever get the feeling that your brain went on a vacation and forgot to tell you? Well I woke up this morning and my body went to work, but my brain went to the Jamaica. The entire morning my mind has been hanging out in the “greenroom” of the Tonight Show, while the rest of my body has been trying to pull it together.

I was sitting in a meeting with a group of people for this big project that I’m on. I’m one of the veterans on the team; and I’m looking at this acronym “SOP”, for the life of me I can’t figure out what that means. Any other day, I would have known and never done what I did next, but I just had to open my big mouth, “Hey, what does SOP stand for.” I ask, and its like an out of body experience because I’m standing back and I can see all of this taking place. Its scary out here!

I apparently just grew two heads and 27 arms because from the looks I just got and the jaws that dropped, that’s how BAD my question was. “That would be Standard Operating Procedure.”

I knew that! I know that. I can’t believe that those words just came out of my mouth. I wanted to curl up into a fetal position and disappear under the table. And I’ve got new Project Managers in this meeting who now think I’m a complete imbecile. And I am one of their lead testers. Great, they must have all of the confidence in the world right now!!

Who told my brain it could take a day off??

But, I’m not done, things get better! So my meeting was on the 20th floor today. And instead of taking the regular elevators, my co-workers and I take the freight elevator which allows us access to every floor instead only specific floors. Otherwise we’d have to go all the way to the lobby and switch elevators to get back to the 6th floor.

Well, we get on the elevator and since I’m operating without a brain today I hit the BASEMENT button. I have no idea why, except for the fact that I used to work in the basement. Well here’s the thing about the basement button, once its selected, no other button can be entered until you go to the basement.

So we had to go to the basement first and wouldn’t you know there was a guy in the basement with a ton of equipment (it was the freight elevator after all) to get on and go to the 5th floor! The floor BELOW ours. So we had to wait for this guy to get on and load all his crap. Then we could push our floor – 6 – go to his floor 5 – get off and unload all his crap – then we finally got off the elevator 15 minutes later.

We would have been better off going to the lobby and riding two elevators to begin with. At this point I just want to crawl under a rock and die because two of my co-workers are talking in Hindi and I heard my name mentioned once. My boss is making fun of me and I know he’s never going to let me live this down and I’m convinced now more than ever, that my brain is staging a coup!

I need a Diet Dr. Pepper. Maybe a little bribery will bring things back in line.

Anti-Bachelor from this moment on!

I am so mad at the Bachelor, Jason Mesnick, right now I just don't know what to say!! He is the lowest form of scum known to man. I can't believe that he asked the poor girl Melissa to marry him, and then he broke up with her on national TV because he decided that he picked the wrong person. And then had the nerve to pick Molly after dumping Melissa. Srsly??

What a scumbag! I can't believe that I just wasted an entire season on this jerk. How do I get my life back from the 8 weeks that I just spent watching this stupid show? I'm never watching this show again. And I mean it.

Good night everyone. I'm going to go pout now!!