Medical Records

Mr. Plush E. Horse recieved a double ocular removal and face reduction by Dr. Saffy on Thursday morning. He patiently waited in the recovery room until Nurse Stephanie could restich his face. Nurse Stephanie also repaired the neck lacerations of a one Ms. Pinky Flamingo at the same time. Both are considered to be in stable condition, and await the doctors attention.

Boredom

Almost everyone I know is out of work right now, and I pretty much should be too. This week I’ve been sitting at my desk doing everything I can to do some work. But it’s painful. I ended up windexing my desk yesterday. And I read everything on Craigslist. And all the news on every site. And everyone’s blogs. And I reply to all my emails. And then I sit here and try to think of other websites to go to. Online I’ve shopped, looked at pet stuff, recipes, and gossip only to name a few. I also found the Forward Garden, which I am tempted to start sending to all of my friends. No, no… I’m just kidding. I don’t want to lose all my friends for the sake of a drunk driving forward, or two or 900 (yes, there’s that many). And there isn’t a single manager in the building. My boss is supposed to be here, but she had some sort of stomach flu. So really, who even knows that I’m here, and who even cares because I’m not doing anything? If I’m sick of just sitting here does that count as going home “sick”? Someone save me!!!

The Cost of Stupidity

Yesterday I had to have my washing machine fixed. It was only using hot water no matter what setting it was on. I was positive that I tested it correctly, and on cold, warm, and hot it all came out hot. Barbara even tried it. But yesterday the washing machine repair guy told me that it was just that the hoses were switched, so he switched them back and somehow, it seems to work. He could change it from cold, hot, and warm. Even though I SWEAR I tried everything. So how much does it cost to be a freaking idiot? $71.99 and that was with the $10 off coupon for reading the fine print. Apparently I’ve done something to weaken my karma. Bah!

And if you’re wondering why I have lovely ads on my blog now… well I was clicking around on the template while bored at work yesterday and thought I’d test it out. I’ve never been against free money, and it seems like it isn’t that offensive so I put it up there. And I’d love to see what ads Google thinks relate to my blog, since that’s who runs it. So if anyone totally hates it, let me know and I’ll get rid of it.

Solid Gold

Look what emode says about me. They're so nice.

Stephanie, you're a Gold!

We don't need a psychic to tell us that you're giving off a Gold vibe. You couldn't ask for a better color — a glistening gold aura is as good as it gets. A lively blend of yellow and orange, gold people are happy, playful, energetic, sensitive, and generous. Always up for adventure, you'd give a friend in need the shirt off your back. You're spiritual, too — all those halos in old paintings aren't colored gold by coincidence. Almost childlike in the carefree, joyful way you live your life, you're popular and outgoing with your large circle of friends. Chances are you're so full of light and energy that you sometimes find it hard to sit still and chill out. Instead, you're constantly looking for excitement, no matter how risky or impulsive the occasion. Happy-go-lucky and always laughing, you truly are as good as gold.

Dirty topics

I’m bored at work and am just in a babbley mood. Really, the only thing I’ve done in the past two days is yearly accruals, which are important but not very time consuming. And if they should be I must be either very efficient or I did it wrong. Oh well.

I live by the dumpster at my complex, and I’m pretty sure that it’s the only one. Being that there is only one dumpster for 26 buildings causes problems around times like Christmas. It was overflowing and the guys cleaned it up yesterday, and magically by this morning it is overflowing again. It’s like people come like trolls under the cover of darkness because they know they’re wrong for just throwing their trash out there. And there’s a papasan chair sitting out by the recycle bins like someone should just sit down and admire the beauty of the overflowing dumpster. I know that a lot of people got tv’s and computer monitors for Christmas. And someone got a vacuum. And people throw things away around Christmas too – like a couch, a deep fryer, and the before mentioned papasan. It’s an interesting study in garbage. And another interesting study is that I spelled papasan wrong and Word couldn’t figure out what I meant but Google could. Google must have a chip in my brain to read my every thought. Freaky. And another disturbing topic – my dog likes to eat deer poo. Gross but true. Those little pellets of deer feces are incredibly enticing to her. Ick.

Cheers

I’m looking forward to New Years Eve and the new year. I’ve got a lot going for me this year (or at least that’s what I tell myself for motivation). I’m continuing with my Masters. My classes are Abnormal Psychology and Systems Theories (aka – family therapy). Those sound pretty interesting to me and I’m really excited about them. I even have a professor that I’ve had before and I know that her teaching style works really well for me. I’m on the Austin Humane Society’s fundraising committee now. This means that I get to help plan Barktoberfest – dogs and Halloween together, what could be more fun? And I’m on Southwestern’s Alumni Council in charge of Homecoming and Reunions. Later in January I get to go party it up with the board of trustees at their retreat in San Antonio. OK, probably not much partying is going to happen. I’m intimidated of course, because I’ll probably be the youngest there, but for all you SU alumni out there – I really want to make homecoming something fun for people our age too. I’m definitely keeping busy. And my resolutions… I definitely am making one to floss more. My dentist told me that he’s never not completed a resolution, but after he thought about it for a second he also told me that he’s never made one. So, me flossing is my resolution for him (in absentia or something like that). Another resolution is to not want as much, and do more for others. And even that is slightly selfish because it goes towards my karma. There’s nothing out there that really doesn’t benefit you, but if that’s what benefits me then I guess it’s ok. So cheers to the new year a few days early.

Climax

Christmas is another one of those things that you build up to and then it's over. It's like a wedding, or the Halloween party, or a surprise party, etc. You work on it, decorate, buy stuff, be merry, etc. and then all of a sudden it's done. I came home and unpacked - putting my new gifts in the places that would be their home, and if you don't know my apartment well enough you might not even realize that anything is new. I've found all the leftover baked goods and candy to take to work tomorrow to share in the calorie cheer, and I've made a pile of stockings and left over Christmas cards to pack up for another year. It's even 78 degrees so if all else fails that makes it feel like Christmas was months ago. To tell the truth though, even though it was a great Christmas, I'm glad to be home and back on to my routine. With the 3 cases of Pibb Zero that I picked up for myself of course. Now I'm looking forward to a weekend with friends and New Years Eve!

Exhausted

I’ve had it! In my apartment there’s an exhaust fan in the bathroom that turns on when you turn the light on. It’s all good and well except that I hate it! I can’t hear anything over it. And it’s worst in the morning because I like to listen to Good Morning America while I get ready. I have a 13-inch tv, but that’s still too big to be carting into the bathroom! I try to turn the tv up really loud, or use the mirror in my room, but nothing quite works as well as me ripping the fan out of the ceiling would. I really love to get the news, and the good folks on GMA are funny and delightful in the mornings. I wish I had a little portable tv that I could take in the bathroom so I wouldn’t miss Charlie, Diane, and Robin banter, and the weather guy that’s there now is pretty funny too. Instead I have to go read what happened on the abcnews.com. Does anyone either know how to disable a bathroom exhaust fan, or have a wee tv I could borrow? Sigh…

I want to ride the freaking gondola!

This weekend went by too quickly. Friday night I baked for all the people at work. I tested my cookies out on my friends and they said they were good, and since no one has died yet I baked for the people at work. Obviously I’d rather people at work die than my friends if I had to make the choice, but I trust my friends to tell me the truth. Saturday I did some marathon shopping with my dad and sister for Christmas. I got a vacuum cleaner, a spice rack, and a bunch of other goodies including a grinder for my sea salt that I have been naively eating in large chunks. They each got a present for my pup too. A collar from my dad and a duck from my sister. And of course I got presents for everyone else too. Sunday I had brunch with Jason’s mom and him and then we took her to the airport. Then we drove to San Marcos to meet Sara at the outlet mall for a trade off of Christmas presents and lemon bars in the back parking lot. We were walking around the new section of the outlet mall when I saw it – a large fountainish body of water with two gondolas. I soooo wanted to ride them, even though it was a little cold outside. I went all 10-year-old on Jason and shouted, “I want to ride the freaking gondola!!!” I did everything in my power to make it sound like a good idea to ride around a fountain in a gondola, but it didn’t work. So, if anyone wants to head up to the outlet mall sometime and wants to dip into a gondola…let me know. Later Saffy and I went over to Jason’s and she met the new boxer, Stella for the first time. They seemed to get along ok, even though Saffy is sort of a little meanie when she plays. I’m going home Tuesday night to help out the grandma with her present wrapping, and to hang out with my family. If you don’t hear from me again – Merry Christmas!

Don't Look

My mom used to always tell me that things come and go as you need them. If you need something, it will come to you. I lost one of my favorite earrings once and found it on the middle of my floor one day months later. Obviously it came back to me (and yes, I did vacuum in-between the time I lost and found it). I think it's the same with dating, friends, money, lost socks, decorating or present ideas, pets etc. Another example of this is that I somehow got a standard of living pay increase even though my company isn't doing too well. It just shows that the money knows I need it. Or something like that. And I got an adorable little dog right before living alone. Maybe it's just karma, but my advice is to not worry too too much about things, and it will all be ok. I think one of my New Years resolutions will be to not complain about what I don't have, and to not look too hard for anything. I'll work for things, but looking is out of the question! And my others resolution is to floss more since I heart my dentist.

The Holiday Hop

I’ve been doing a lot of Christmas shopping and paying for it all with my credit card – just to keep it all in one place. Although, paying for it with a credit card almost makes me spend more money because my thought process isn’t “do I have the money for this” but more like “eh, I’ll just put it on the card.” Which I know is horrible. Sometimes when shopping for the perfect gift I get a little crazy. I just see things that make me think of people and then I buy them. I was wondering – if I reported my credit card stolen would they make me pay for all the stuff I bought? Just kidding. Everyone knows I’m too much of a goody-two-shoes for that. I really do wish the world were like Star Trek though where there is no money. If that were the case I’d get you all new cars for Christmas, or heck, a starship!

Dilemma

I was making Christmas cards out the other day and I began to wonder…what are you supposed to do when your friend lives with a boy? I know when you live with a roommate you shouldn’t make the one card for both of them, and when it’s a husband you do. But what about a boyfriend? Putting both full names on there takes up a lot of room, and just putting first names – will they mail that? Is it offensive to just send the card to your friend? That’s what I ended up doing so if anyone takes offense to that, sorry guys. Just drop me off at the Delt house.

Living Alone 101

Here's some advice for anyone living alone, or heck, even spending a night alone. Don't download Thriller onto your ipod on accident and have it come on while your back is to the door. I know you can't control that, but it just takes a little precaution. First, don't use headphones if you don't want to be freaked out - since most other noise is blocked you'll have no idea at first if it's real. The beginning of the song is a door opening and footsteps. Even for us with nerves of steal, it's a little freaky when you're unprepared.

Baking 101

I'm hosting a girl's night for my friends, and the people that can make it are bringing cookies to trade. A mini cookie exchange if you will. I was at Wal-Mart this morning buying some baking supplies, some snack supplies, and some drinking supplies. As I began to put stuff on the belt, the lady behind me asked if it was my baking weekend. I smiled and said "yes, something like that" And she said "I see peanut butter, marshmallows, butter, flour, sugar...and some tonic to wash it all down with!" and then her elderly lady friend said "THATS not what the tonic is for" and laughed. So, I was busted by a grandma and yes, that might be why my baking doesn't always turn out like it should. I don't know. But maybe when I'm old I'll bust some youngster in the same way and reminisce on the good ol' days of baking for my friends and drinking with them.

Winter Weather Walking

Yesterday as it was sleeting I had to take my dog on her usual walk up to the front of the complex to use up her energy. She has lots of energy and sharp teeth, so when I don't do it she's just too playful, which can hurt. So, I put on two pairs of socks, a thermal, a puffy coat, a hat and gloves. She wore her harness and nothing else because she is always hot. She loved the cold weather and the sleet even - I could tell by the way she bounced around. Later that night I got a surprise visit from the rmt who braved the ice and cold to come hang out for a little while. It's always nice to know you're worth bundling up and driving on ice for. This morning Saffy tried walking on the sidewalks that were covered in ice and she just slid around. I think her feet finally got cold and for the first time ever she started directing me back in the route to the apartment. Today work is cancelled so I'm going to bake some cookies and put up a few things that I have left to unpack.

Don't Jinx It

Many people have asked what the deal is with me, and a certain someone I happen to hang out with a LOT for not dating. I don't want to name it because that might jinx it, but here’s my answer, to the best of my knowledge we seem to be exclusively not dating. Exclusively as in not trying to date other people, and not dating as in, not dating each other. How does that work you ask? Well, we suck at officially dating, so whatever we’re doing works. It seems like we turn to each other for things we need, and when I see his name on my caller id I’m happy. I like to just hang out with him even if we aren’t doing anything in particular. He loves my Saffy and I love his Oscar (and NO those aren’t pet names for body parts!). We’re both odd in our own ways, and neither of us mind. Hopefully he won’t mind the horrid color I dyed my hair last night.

Weekend Update

Friday night we got to check out Barbara’s new digs with a girls night at her place. Apparently we started too early because everyone was drunk by about 9. I then had to get up at 6am to take Saffy for her 7am hair and nail appointment. She was done by 10 and we drove to San Antonio to take Santa pictures with Sara and Duncan. The photos were adorable and I’ll post them as soon as they email me my copy. Sunday I did some furniture shopping with Jason, and Monday I took off from work and ran errands. I took some clothes to Buffalo Exchange and out of about 100 things they bought 4. I guess it’s something at least. Not a very exciting weekend, but next weekend I get to have a girls night at my new place. My internet at my apartment should work today so soon I’ll be writing posts from home and will have more time to work on them so hopefully they’ll be better.

Old Habits Die Hard

I officially am going on a diet. I am telling you all so that if I break down and eat pumpkin ice cream, or even better, mint chocolate chip, you can all frown at me and ask for a bit and “accidentally” drop it or something. Anyhow, so in my transfer from oh so bad foods, I have found a few transitional foods that are pretty yummy. First off is breakfast. If you take a wheat tortilla and put peanut butter and apple chunks inside, it makes a yummy breakfast wrap. And then for lunch, I had pita bread with broccoli, mozzarella cheese, and light ranch. That was also scrumdiddleyumpcious. I will also be going on the “I am poor” diet soon, which is what happens when you start paying $200 more a month in rent and paying all your utilities (which on a media researcher budget is a lot of money). The other day Sara and I emailed about yummy brussels and green beans, and honestly it helps because it made me crave veggies instead of chocolate. If you ever want to talk about vegetables - I'm your girl! And for happy hours and stuff, I appreciate everyone’s support and appreciate you keeping the chips out of my reach. Old habits die hard.

Go Home a Hero

The other night I went to the grocery store. It was my first shopping since moving so I was expecting it to be a little expensive. I went to Randalls because it was pretty much deserted. Once I got inside I discovered why - it's really freaking expensive! I've only just stopped in there before - never tried to do all my shopping there. As I walked down the aisles I started to feel panicked at how much my groceries were going to cost. Even a generic bottle of salad dressing was $2 there, and the cheap Berringer wine was $7.95 instead of $4.95. That's just ridiculous. I couldn't bear it anymore and started going backwards and putting stuff back. The $2 tortillas that were .98 cents at HEB and the small feta for $2.95 when you can buy the large for the same price at HEB. The only things I couldn't bring myself to put back were some vegetables, so I bought those to commemorate the experience and remind me to never go back. Ever. They didn't even have fresh broccoli for crying out loud! I then scuttled over to the HEB across the street, where I liked the way the layout throws you right into the groceries, and I saw two people from work. Although, I never did manage to find the eggs.