I Know. It's Been a While... AGAIN!

I know it's been a while since I blogged about anything. Not too much has happened, but then again, a lot has. I suppose it would depend on how you look at it.

So, picture this....

A place where one could go during the day for the tastiest baked treats on the planet, prepared by the most awesome mad scien... I mean baker in the state. A place where one will find absolutely NO mainstream (Pepsi, Coke) products to drink, but rather a wide array of mixed nonalcholic drinks and what I lovingly call "microsodas". A venue to sing karaoke...A place where one can enjoy the adventures of the video game challenge, or a poetry and story night... even DJ dancing to various genres throughout the month.... a place where one can enjoy a party dressed in their Alice in Wonderland best or time warp with Rocky.....

All while never having to deal with the drunks or risk getting a DUI while going home.....

Now, I know there are a lot of people who think that they HAVE to have alcohol to have a good time, but what if you're underage? Yeah, well, that's where The Silent G comes in. All ages all the time to enjoy pretty much anything one can find in a regular bar and then some.

Now, The Silent G isn't open for business yet as it is still in the planning stages. Who am I kidding. It's been in the planning stages for about five years now. I have been dreaming of this for so long that I can almost taste it. My friend (the mad scie...baker) is excited about this, too. We've gone so far as to look at a few places, and I think that I'll be ready to open in the early spring.

How about your thoughts, opinions and whatnot. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please don't downright knock my idea down. I can't stomach naysayers.... I know it is going to be a long, tough road, and one that may end in failure, but nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that.

I am looking forward to all the hard work and fun that this will entail. Sure, the economy is rough right now, but I also believe that this will be a great project. Let me know what you think!

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Back from The Trip

I don't have a lot of time to get into the details of the trip right now. I'm at the library and my time is almost out. Suffice it to say that it was AWESOME. I went with a friend of mine and she'd never been to California before, and she was definitely in love with it.

We ended up going to Reno, San Francisco, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, then back to Reno and then home. I am currently working on video collages and photo stuff.

Oh, by the way, during this trip Two Girls, One Road was born. We had so much fun that we are going to start taking regular road trips. Probably most local stuff for right now, but the goal is to provide the viewers with a taste of the trip as seen through normal peoples' eyes. That would be us.. normal people.. hehe.. Anyway, we haven't worked out all the details just yet, but when we do we'll probably have a blog and a website dedicated strictly to Two Girls, One Road.

Keep your eyes out as our first trip has been broken up into several segments. All filled with pictures and video commentary. We hope you enjoy them just as soon as we can get them posted.

Stay tuned....

Raven had a wonderful time in California with her aunt. She was happy to see me and had a good time on the second half of our journey. That's all I have time for at the moment.....

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California, Here I Come!

Tomorrow is the day. I work until 2pm then by 3pm my friend and I are gone to California to pick up Raven. My friend and I are taking a side trip to San Francisco to see the sights. She's never been there, and I haven't been there in quite a few years. We plan on seeing many things while we are there.

Reno hopefully will be good to us as well. She's never been to Reno and is looking forward to playing on the one armed bandits. Me too if truth be told, but money is tight, so playing responsibly is top priority.

I can't wait to see Raven again. She's been having a lot of fun with her aunt. I know she misses me, but will be sad to leave California.

More to come. Working now, and time is tight.

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Been another while

Chaos ensues, and it's been a while since I wrote last. Suffice it to say that I have been busy even with Raven in California.

This week has been a week of changes on top of all the changes that I have gone through with work the last few weeks. My schedule has been cut back to 22 hours per week, and I am still stressing out over what I will do for daycare when Raven gets back. I'm not letting that worry me too much, or trying not to. I have a few options that I will be looking into this week before I leave to go get her.

Another newsworthy note is that I am back into martial arts. A very odd form that I had never really heard of before now. Wing Chun. I don't even plan on getting into a fight, and I have never been on one before, but I find that having something to do helps me focus. And it's helped me to focus on other areas of life, like conquering my new job duties. My arms were bruised all this week, and my muscles sore, but I love it.

There isn't really anything else worthy of noting so I'll leave you to tend your lives.

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Something I Swiped From PB... Thanks! (Where's my Jelly!)

I swiped this from a friend, Psycho, and I thought it was a really great quiz. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did taking it.

Sheesh, when's the last time I said that about one of those quiz things.......??

How Many Things Have You Lived Through?

I have read a lot of books.

I have been on some sort of varsity team.

I have run more than 2 miles without stopping.

I have been to Canada.

I have been to Europe.

I have watched cartoons for hours.

I have tripped UP the stairs.

I have fallen down an entire flight of stairs.

I have been snowboarding/skiing.

I have played ping pong.

I swam in the ocean.

I have been on a whale watch.

I have seen fireworks.

I have seen a shooting star.

I have seen a meteor shower.

I have almost drowned.

I have been so embarrassed I wanted to disappear.

I have listened to one CD over & over & over again.

I have had stitches.

I have had frostbite.

I have licked a frozen pole and got stuck there.

I have stayed up til 2 doing homework/projects.

I currently have a job.

I have been ice skating.

I have been rollerblading

I have fallen flat on my face.

I have tripped over my own two feet.

I have been in a fist fight.

I have played videogames for more than 3 hours straight.

I have watched the power rangers.

I attend Church regularly.

I have played truth or dare.

I have already had my 16th birthday.

I have already had my 17th birthday.

I've called someone stupid.

I've been in a verbal argument.

I've cried in school.

I've played basketball on a team.

I've played baseball on a team.

I've played football on a team.

I've played soccer on a team.

I've done cheerleading on a team.

I've played softball on a team.

I've played volleyball on a team.

I've played tennis on a team.

I've been on a track or cross country team.

I've been swimming more than 20 times in my life.

I've bungee jumped.

I've climbed a rock wall.

I've lost more than $20.

I've called myself an idiot.

I've called someone else an idiot.

I've cried myself to sleep.

I've had (or have) pets.

I've owned a spice girls CD.

I've owned a britney spears CD.

I've owned an N*Sync CD.

I've owned a backstreet boys CD.

I've mooned someone.

I have sworn at someone of authority before.

I've been in the newspaper.

I've been on TV.

I've been to Hawaii.

I've eaten sushi.

I've been on the other side of a waterfall.

I've watched all of the Lord of the Rings movies.

I've watched all the Harry Potter movies.

I've watched all of the Rocky movies.

I've watched the 3 stooges.

I've watched "Newlyweds" Nick & Jessica.

I've watched Looney Tunes.

I've been stuffed into a locker/I have stuffed others into lockers.

I've been called a geek.

I've studied hard for a test and got a bad grade.

I've not studied at all for a test and aced it.

I've hugged my mom within the past 24 hrs.

I've hugged my dad within the past 24 hours.

I've met a celebrity/music artist.

I've written poetry.

I've been arrested.

I've been attracted to someone much older than me.

I've been tickled till I've cried.

I've tickled someone else until they cried.

I've had/have siblings.

I've been to a rock concert.

I've listened to classical music and enjoyed it.

I've been in a play.

I've been picked last in gym class.

I've been picked first in gym class.

I've been picked in that middle-range in gym class.

I've cried in front of my friends.

I've read a book longer than 1,000 pages.

I've played Halo 2.

I've freaked out over a sports game.

I've been to Alaska.

I've been to China.

I've been to Spain.

I've been to Japan.

I've had a fight with someone on AIM.

I've had a fight with someone face-to-face.

I've had serious conversations using IM.

I've forgiven someone who has done something wrong to me.

I've been forgiven.

I've screamed at a scary movie.

I've cried at a chick flick.

I've watched a lot of action movies.

I've screamed at the top of my lungs.

I've been to a rap concert.

I've been to a hip hop concert.

I've lived in more than 2 houses.

I've driven on the highway/been on the highway.

I've driven more than 400 miles in a day/been in a car that went more than 400 miles in a day.

I've been in a car accident.

I've done drugs.

I've been homesick.

I've thrown up.

I've puked on someone.

I've been horseback riding.

I've filled out more than 10 myspace surveys.

I've spoken my mind in public.

I've proved someone wrong.

I've been proven wrong by someone.

I've broken a leg.

I've broken an arm.

I've fallen off a swing.

I've swung on a swing for more than 30 mins straight.

I've watched Winnie the Pooh movies.

I've forgotten my backpack when I've gone to school.

I've lost my backpack.

I've come close to dying.

I've seen someone die.

I've known someone who has died.

I've wanted to be an actor/actress at some point.

I've done modeling.

I've forgotten to brush my teeth some mornings.

I've taken something/someone for granted.

I've realized how good my life is.

I've counted my blessings.

I've made fun of a classmate.

I've been asked out by someone and I said no.

I've slapped someone in the face.

I've been skateboarding.

I've been backstabbed by someone I thought was a friend.

I've lied to someone to their face.

I've told a little white lie.

I've taken a day off from school just so I don't go insane.

I've fainted.

I've had an argument with someone about whether cheerleading is a sport or not.

I've pushed someone into a pool.

I've been pushed into a pool.

I've been/are in love.

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I have lived through 110 things. Find out how many things you have lived through by taking the survey at TheTopTens

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All Good Things End

Well, the spiraling energy that has been building up has finally come crashing down around my head.  As of tomorrow I will no longer be in Work Force Management at work.  I have been given the opportunity to go back on the phones, which some of you are saying, "Awesome!  You're still employed, great job!"  To that I say that they are setting me up for failure of mass proportion.  Not only am I not qualified to be in the training class next week, I haven't taken a phone call in over a year.  So many things have changed since I was a phone advisor that I am not sure how long it will take me to get back into some semblance of a groove.

Yeah, they were trying to cut back on costs and they were chopping positions in several sites.  Unfortunately, I'm the only one who got chopped in this building.  They went by seniority and even though I've been in this position for over a year, I am still the "new girl" and so off I went.  It really wasn't fair because I felt that they should have gone by performance.

I suppose I could go on and on about how unfair their decision was, but I'm almost a bigger person than that.  I will tackle the transition class to my best ability, and see what happens from there.  I am thinking that I will probably continue to look for a new job and see where that takes me.  I really don't want to be unemployed as I am a single mom and as it is I make too much to get any assistance, but almost not enough to survive on.  Daycare is expensive you know!

Raven is still going to visit her aunt in July.  That has to happen.  The only other thing is that I will have to find daycare for her for the few weeks before school starts and then she'll go back to her current daycare which will be located on her school premises.  I just hope that with all the changes going on I will still be able to get down there to pick her back up.  I have no clue what my schedule will be like after next week.

This training class scares me to death.  Technically, I'm not qualified to be in the class, but they made an exception for me so that they could keep me from being laid off.  (Personally, I thought they should just lay me off and allow me to collect unemployment for a bit so I could find a new job, etc....)  I am freaked out because of the length of time it has been since I've taken a call.  I'm freaked out about the fact that I know nothing about the products that they will be talking about.  I do know that there will be people there who will be willing to help me and most of them are jaded because I'm the one who keep asking them to take an extra call when it's busy.  None of the phone advisors like my job very much.  I don't think they dislike me as a person, but I am gearing up for some animosity when I get out there.  I hope that they will be a bit more grown up than that.

What's more is that they just had a class that would have gotten me halfway qualified.  Two classes, actually.  I wish they had the foresight to know that they were going to kick me out of my current position a few weeks ago, at least then I would have had a fighting chance to get ready instead of being set up for the ultimate failure.  I guess I can make all the wishes I want, but it isn't going to change the fact that I'm being screwed here.

I will keep my mind open to all the options that the universe might present me with.  It's all I can really do.... really.

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Out of Control Spiral

I know we've all been there, but I am going to blog about this anyway because blogging helps me get the chaos into some semblance of order.  I feel like I'm spiraling out of control.  No, it's not a drug spiral although sometimes I feel like that would be easier. Ok, not really.

Anyone who has been following my blogs knows that I work some pretty funky hours.  During the time that I'm not working I volunteer at the VA hospital and I do volunteer work with Soldiers' Angels.   Someone told me to be careful that I didn't spread myself too thin with everything that I'm doing.  I thought that I was doing great, and in the beginning, I was.  I was motivated to write letters, put together care packages, send out post cards and all that wonderful stuff that goes along with being an "angel".  Don't get me wrong. I still LOVE being a Soldiers' Angel, but there are times when I feel unmotivated to do much.

I think the real reason I am feeling so very down is because my apartment is STILL a mess.  I have also been working tirelessly on my costume for the midsummer festival.  A lot of people have helped me work on and pay for the components for the costume.  Pictures to come.  I don't feel like I deserve all the help that my friends have given me for this.  I guess I have a hard time dealing with that because I have always been the one to do everything for myself, whether I have friends or not, in a relationship or not.  I suppose that is another story.

I dropped the ball the other day with a project that I was going to try to help out with.  I ended up not being able to go and do what I said I was going to do, and that really irritates me.  I didn't keep the line of communication open and even though it looks like the project will still go forward, I still feel bad about dropping the proverbial ball.

The Midsummer festival is this Sunday so after that I won't have to worry about my costume anymore.  Actually, my part in the construction is finished.  The only thing left is the wings, and my friend working on them will be done by Sunday so I'm not worried so much about it.  They are looking great.  I can't wait for the festival.  It will be so much fun.

Ok, so I know that I'm not feeling very good because my apartment isn't clean.  I know that I had gotten all excited about doing spring cleaning a few weeks ago, but I never got around to finishing it.  I have loads and loads of laundry to do and even though I weeded my garden a few days ago, it needs it again already.

Some of you might say that I need to take a break and take some time for myself.  Well, I already did that when I went to Utah.  I put all my SA stuff on hold for the most part.  I also think that is the reason that I'm not feeling as together.  I am now having to regain the momentum that I once had.  It's not as easy as I thought it would be.  But, no matter.

I think I'll end with that.  Thanks for reading.

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"Who Vacations in Orem, Anyway!"

The last five days were pretty awesome if I do say so.  I wasn't at work, so that made it all the better.

The drive to Utah did not take as long as I thought it would.  Raven and I left the house around 7am and arrived in Salt Lake City by noon.  There we met up with a friend that I haven't seen since high school.  Seeing him again was really great.  His family is very nice.  His wife was especially nice and very understanding.  She was a lot of fun to talk with.  They gave me an open invitation to come visit anytime.  I was especially surprised by the fact that he carried a picture of he and I in his wallet.  It is the same picture that I have in a photo album, one of us sitting on Santa's lap during my senior year I believe.  He also showed me something I thought I would never see again.

When I was younger, I was a lot more creative and I used to write a lot of poetry and short stories.  I had written him a poem and given with them a set of candles.  He told me that he would send me the poem.  I remember the premise, but not the actual poem/story.

We met up with my mom and stepdad in the park, and it truly has been a while since I've seen my mother.  She looks great for her age, but she still looked a lot older than the last time I saw her.  I will be very glad when she finally moves back down to the Lower 48.  They have been considering moving to Emmett, which is not far from where I live.  I think it would be nice to have her closer.

The whole point of the trip was to watch one of my cousins graduate high school.  I have not seen her family in roughly 13 years, less my uncle who is a truck driver and has made several trips to the Boise area.  None of my cousins really remembered me, my sister or my mom, their aunt.  I am not surprised by that, but it felt really weird.  I don't like being so out of touch with family.  They moved around a lot to various states following the work, but still.

The graduation itself was the same as every other graduation I have been to, including my own.  The smart kids made speeches and the staff spouts off how this class is the most special and talented of any of the classes they have ever had the pleasure of teaching, just like every class before them.  Just once, I would love for the speech to be about how we barely made it, and the future might be so bright that we actually need a flashlight instead of shades, but the illusion of future success is important to young minds, I suppose.  Overall, it wasn't terrible.

My sister and I spent Sunday together.  It is no secret that we don't really get along that great, but this trip we didn't really have any issues.  Sunday was a bit odd for us.  Since Orem is so heavily populated with Mormons, the Orem mall wasn't even open.  I'm not much of a mall rat, but my sister needed to find a dress for a wedding she is attending.  We found out that the Provo mall was open, so we drove on down.  It wasn't that far.  We arrived to find that the mall didn't open until noon.  We got there around 10am.  NOON??? Really?  Might as well not have been open at all that day for as much good as it did for us.

We drove back toward Orem and found a Savers thrift shop had opened.  It was previously closed the first time we drove by it and I assumed that it was closed on Sunday.  I was glad that I was wrong.  My sister ended up finding the cutest skirt.  Actually, I found it for her, but it looked great on her.  She ended up saving tons of money that she would have spent at the mall.  Sucks to be the mall!

We ended up going back to the hotel for the rest of the afternoon.  There wasn't else much to do anyway.  While we were at Savers I found a Brad Thor novel to go with the set.  It is a book that doesn't come until later so it will sit on the shelf until I've read the rest of the books.  I also found a brand new copy of Star Trek Next Generation: Q & A.  It is a 20th anniversary novel that stars Q, my favorite Trek villain.  I have never done this before, but I read the entire thing in one sitting!  Six hours, roughly 400 pages.  I really scared myself with that one.

I did drag my sister to sing karaoke with me on Saturday night.  We ended up at a cafe, yes a CAFE, and when we got there, there were only three patrons in the entire building.  I like it that dead.  It give me a chance to try new songs with little chance of sucking in front of too many people.  By the time we left, there were about a dozen people in the cafe, and I had sang about a dozen songs.  The crowd, such that it was, was really tough and we left out of sheer boredom.

Swimming was awesome while we were there.  The weather was great.  I got back home to grey skies and RAIN!  More rain!!!  I couldn't believe it.  I couldn't even go swimming when I got back.  I managed to let Raven go swimming for a short while yesterday, but it was too cold for me.  Brrrrrr...

Anyway, long story short. The trip was good.  I am glad to be home.  I have so much cleaning to do that I don't know where to start.

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Raven's Quote de la Semaine

I've decided that these are too good not to repost.  My daughter.. My 5-year-old Raven says some of the most interesting things. Most kids do at that age.  Little do they realize just how intelligent they actually are.  Or, perhaps it is just that childlike wisdom that we tend to lose as we get older.  Anyway, on with today's Quote of the Week:

"Food needs our brains!"

Now, like you I am sure that she meant t say "Your brain needs food", but I have really pondered the absolute meaning of that particular statement. It rather coincides with the fact that I am getting ready to go back to school and quicker than I thought.  Apparently, the deadline to get everything taken care of is tomorrow.  My enrollment advisor emailed me some paperwork that I need to fax him tonight before I leave for my trip tomorrow.  Classes start a few days after I get back.  Wow!  That was quick.

Anyway, back to "food needs brains".  I have come to determine, just as you have I'm sure, that food in this case is knowledge and brains is of course our minds, and there is so much knowledge out there that needs a place to live.  Going back to school is a great way for that knowledge to find a place to live.  Reading books, talking with people, developing confidence and esteem... all great ways to perpetuate a living place for food.  

I find great inspiration in Raven.  She is bright, fearless, and less a few minor flaws, confident in almost every way.  She has friends, she's smart, funny and loves being in the spotlight.  I'm pretty much none of those things, and I often wonder where she gets it from.  

After I finish my business degree (because let's face it, an AA is about as useful as a GED these days) I am going to pursue another degree.  Something challenging and something that will allow me to find a career that I might make a buck or two at.  I'm not going to say what it is just yet as I don't want any naysayers to chime in.  I am also not sure if it is what I will really be pursuing, but I think so.  There are times when I feel a little too old to be going back to school.  I'm in my mid-30s and think about the fact that if I go back for a Bachelor's degree, I'll be 40 by the time I finish.  I MIGHT get employed in that particular field and even then I'll be competing with those who are younger, stronger, smarter or whatever.  Then, if I do get employed, I'll have about 15 to 20 good years of working left.  I might be able to save up for my retirement.  Darn, I wish I had listened to my dad when I was 18.

Ok, enough of my own naysaying.  The fact is that food does need my brain and I will be glad to open it up and let it in.  How could I not?

Green and Crunchy

Wow!  That could bring up a lot of different images, couldn't it?  Well, get your minds out of the gutter, People!

I'm talking about my salad.  I harvested a few leaves of lettuce from my garden this morning and they were delish!  I think I'm going to enjoy having a salad bar growing in my back yard!  now, if only the tomatoes would hurry up and grow.

That's all.  Oh, and there's no refund on getting the last three minutes of your life back.

It's in the fine print.....

What I Want to Be When I Grow Up: Part Too!

So lately I've been caught with a case of the dreads over my current job.  Most people my age have not just a job, but a career.  Both of my siblings do.  My brother is in construction and my sister has her teaching degree.  She's been having a hard time finding a job as a teacher, but at least she's finished college.

It has come down to me dreading walking into work on most days, even though my job is easy, but stressful.  I think that it has become TOO easy.  Although, they are getting ready to change things up yet again, so we'll see what happens with that.

I have come to determine that I am one of those souls who will just have to spin a roulette wheel to figure out what she wants to be.  I know it sounds like I'm obsessing about this, but my dad always told me I should have learned a trade of some sort.  I'm getting to the age when I'm feeling almost to old to learn a new trade or go back to college.  I know that is ridiculous, but that is how I feel as of late.  I never really developed any talents that could be beneficial to my financial situation.  In other words, I should have taken up car mechanics instead of karaoke.. LOL

I am perusing the plethora of degree paths that can be taken online or at a local campus.  I had tried to get information about being a physical therapy assistant, but the information lady was rather presumptuous when I her if any of the classes were available online.  Obviously it is a hands on type of program.  I'm not THAT naive for crying out loud.  But when she said that there were no classes offered online for the program because their students require dedication, I about fell out of my chair with rage.  As if I have no dedication whatsoever.  Well, screw you lady.  I guess you won't be seeing my $390/credit tuition any time soon.

But, that is where I come to my conundrum.  I require online study because of my work schedule and how INFLEXIBLE it actually is.  I am sure that if I tell them that I need a specific schedule so I can go to school to learn widgetmaking 101, they'll laugh me right off the phone.  The truth is that I was going to school online for about two years and had two more to go when I got burnt out.  Actually, I hit a class that I wasn't doing very well at and decided that the program wasn't for me.  I don't think I'm ever going to get out of taking a Statistics class.  It's a tough class.  I could go back and finish my AA degree.  I only have four classes left, but ... ok, but nothing.  I should just do it.  speaking of which, I should check my email.  I sent them an email requesting info on how I would go about getting those last four classes taken care of.

Ok, just got that email back from my advisor.  Looks like he's interested in getting me going on that.  Goodie for filling out FAFSA forms!

Ok, now that that is over with, I can go on ranting about other things.....

I haven't started packing for that trip yet. I'll be doing that all on Monday.

Wait, I was talking about career paths.  One that peaked my interest was court reporting.  Don't ask me why.  My mind is full of chaotic thought patterns.

Gotta run for now.  Thanks for reading!

::endtransmission::

Road Trip!

I love the traveling by car.  There is so much of this country to see.  I have made two trips nearly across the country, and though I didn't get pictures for one of the trips, it was lovely nonetheless.   This trip will take me from Boise, ID to Orem, UT.  I have never been to Orem that I am aware of.  I have been to Salt Lake city a few times when I was younger.  Not the most pleasant of journeys, but then, not all of the country is comprised of beautiful scenery.

I have heard that this particular trip is quite nice, mostly flat, and that is fine with me.  The weather should be great for traveling the 7 hours or so.

The purpose of this trip you ask?  I will be going to a cousin's high school graduation.  Sure, it seems like a long trip to go just for that, but my mother will be flying down from Alaska.  I haven't seen her in about three years, not since the D.C. trip.  It is hard with her being so far away from the rest of us.  I guess now you could say that my entire family is scattered between here and there.  It will be a fun trip nonetheless.

I did manage to get my car cleaned out and unpacked from the Reno trip earlier this year.... FINALLY! hehe.. I am such a procrastinator.  I got all my laundry done.  Now I just need to concentrate on getting my bags packed, groceries shopped for.  I don't plan on eating out a whole lot while I'm there.  It's just too expensive.  A friend is going to loan me a portable DVD player, so Raven will be occupied on the trip, and it also plays CDs so if she falls asleep, I'll be able to listen to music.  Since my radio is still not playing tapes my mp3 player will be useless.  Not that I have a lot of music on it right now anyway.  I have all my CDs from my DJing days, though, so I'm covered.

I am looking forward to not worrying about working for those days.  What I need, though, is a vacation where I don't have to cover other days in the week just to get the days I want off.  I don't consider that a real vacation at all.  I am thinking of taking a week off this summer, hopefully I can have my son with me then.  Not sure about that, though. It would be expensive to get him here.  We'll see what happens, though.

So, for this trip all I have left to do is pack and get my mapping together.  I'm almost there!

What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

Sounds like an easy thing to decide, right?

When I was young, I wanted to be an astronaut.  That was until I found out how much science was involved.  Science isn't my strong suit.

I also wanted to be an interior designer.  Then I found out that I have NO fashion sense at all and I can't draw.

I also wanted to be a wildlife biologist.  See reasons for not becoming an astronaut.

There was a time when I wanted to own a bakery.  This was the only career choice that my parents actually  ever gave me any encouragement with, but obviously that didn't happen.  I'm not that good at baking, but nothing a little practice couldn't cure. 

I went to school to be an audio engineer, but ended up moving to a state that didn't have the program, so I never finished.

I went to school online to get my business degree, but didn't finish that, either.  I could probably go back and finish the last four classes and get my AA.  At least I could say that I finished SOMETHING.

I have also considered being an event planner.  Haven't followed through on that.  I haven't decided yet.

Today I checked on another program... physical therapy assistant.  There was a time when I wanted to do that, and actually applied for a job in a physical therapy office. I didn't get the job, but I thought that it would be nice.  It's an expensive program, and I'm already paying on the loans for the business degree that I didn't get.

Personally, I think I'm screwed.  I don't want to be stuck in the job that I am in now for the next five years.  Sure, it pays the bills, but the hours are horrible, and finding help with Raven is getting harder.  I'm ok with her until July, but I'll soon need to find someone to help me again with her on Thursdays.

It's getting to the point where I'm about ready to give up.  I can't do that, though.

One of these days I will figure out what I want to be when I grow up......

A Few Updates

Hello one and all!

Not my broccoli

Today the weather is so nice that I just don't want to be caged in an office all day.  I know what will end up happening.  I will go pick up Raven at the sitter's house and go straight to my garden to pull weeds.  That is what happened a few days ago after work.  It felt so good.  I love just staring at the plants, watching them grow, smelling the flowers.  I am happy to say that the 4th corn seed finally sprouted so I'm back to a block of four plants.  My broccoli are doing great as is my mint that I can't keep contained....my own fault for not planting it in a container.. lol....  I think the chives are doing better.  They haven't totally died yet, so the transplant was ok, I think. Oh, and I also saw the ever tiniest tomato sprout this morning when I went out to check.  My row of lettuce has sprouted and doing really great.  The only thing I am waiting on is my row of green onions which may or may not take off.  My green onions that I transplanted are still alive, but they don't seem to be growing very much.  I guess I should be thankful they aren't dead.  The morning glories have sprouted and are doing fine.

Not my chives

Ya know, it is such a satisfying feeling to be able to watch things grow from seeds.  My dad usually buys plants that have already been seeded and ready to transplant.  While I can see the convenience of doing a garden that way, saving time and stress, I think that whenever possible I will plant from seeds.   Perhaps that is part of my Marigold downfall.  I planted them from containers.. hehe..  Which reminds me, I still need to replant them.

Ok, enough of the garden... on to other things having to do with humanitary (is that even a word?)
service.

The Boise VA Hospital

Yesterday I went in to the VA hospital and picked up a volunteer packet.  I'll be volunteering once a week on Mondays.  I think I have managed to secure care for Raven on a weekly basis.  Yay for neighbors.  The volunteer coordinator seemed really nice and I think that I can make some sort of difference, and if not, then it will be good for me to get out of the house on my days off.  I refuse to have another day like I did on Monday.  I did nothing, not even get dressed.  Sheesh!

I have been stressing a little bit over Raven's daycare this summer. I was trying to find a less expensive route, but I think that I will end up paying a bit for her daycare in addition to having her at the daycare.  My neighbor, a stay-at-home mom says that she would be willing to help me out on Thursdays and Mondays.  Sweet, I say.

So, altogether, things are coming along really good.  I am still climbing out of the financial hole I dug myself a few weeks ago, but otherwise, I am doing great.

I am looking forward to my cousin's graduation in June.  My mom is coming down.  She hasn't seen Raven since the D.C. trip a few years ago.  It will be good to see her again.  We're having pictures done. I hate having pictures done most of the time.  I need to dye my hair before then and find something suitable to wear.  It's going to be summer and all I have are jeans.  bleh.

The last little bit of news is that I have volunteered to head up the TVW's Murder Mystery Dinner this year.  I've never done one before, but I am going to assist our group's leader who usually does it, and it is going to be so much fun!  If any of you reading this are in Boise, be sure to stay tuned.  It will take place in November sometime.  No other details have been set in stone, but when they are, you'll be the first to know!

I can't wait!

It Was Mother's Day or Something

Happy belated Mother's Day to all my fellow mothers out there.  Yeah, not having a home computer really bites right now, so this is of course, late.

As for me, I didn't do much of anything for Mother's Day.  Raven made me a few things in school, and brought home a live snap dragon that we proceeded to plant in the garden.  It was a little lopsided and really in need of planting by the time we got it home, but I think it will be ok. I put a plant holderupper on it, so it should grow fairly straight and strong.

I managed to call my mom and tried to call my stepmom.  She was unavailable as she was visting her mom and dad or something like that.  My dad did say that she got my letter, though, and enjoyed it very much.  My mom didn't get her letter until yesterday, but she still liked it.

Even Vile called me on Sunday to wish me a happy Mom's Day.  I don't usually call him for Dad's Day because let's face it, he's not much of a dad to Raven.  He did tell me that he thinks I'm doing a great job, like he would know, but it was nice of him to call.

Yesterday was a day of doing nothing.  I didn't even get out of my jammies.  I didn't write any letters, which I am a little bit behind.  I watched movies all day long.  I didn't even going out into the garden.  I really feel like a lazy lump on a log. I hate days like that.  Raven spent most of the time in her room because it was too windy and cold to go outside.  I really don't like days like yesterday.  I have tomorrow off, and I am vowing to NOT have a day like yesterday.

Tomorrow I am going to spend some time in my garden, write several letters and get my living room finally cleaned up.

If I am feeling extra adventurous, I'll clean out my card.  I still haven't totally unpacked it from the Reno trip in February.

Shame on me!

Dear Supervisors of the Almighty Floor...

There is nothing worse than being in a position where you have to make sure that there are certain things happening, and when you try to make sure they do happen, you get questioned for trying to figure out why they aren't happening they way they should be.  That is pretty much my job description.  And, frankly, I'm getting tired of it.  I am tired of being told my my bosses how to do something, then get questioned by the people that aren't my bosses and when I answer their questions, they just ignore me anyway.  Or make some dumbass remark about what I have to do.

I am NOT here just to answer chat and fill in a report every 15 minutes.  It's my job to wonder why advisors aren't on the phones when they should be and to let the supervisors know when that is happening. It is my job to be the eyes of the floor, even though technically I can't even SEE the floor due to the ugly grey wall they constructed.  It is my JOB to let you know when you have an advisor in an unauthorized aux code.  It's my JOB to let you know if you have an advisor that hasn't logged on yet or is back late from lunch or to deny a late arrival.  It isn't my job to hear a bunch of crap about how I do my job.

I wold appreciate a little bit more respect when it comes to making these decisions. I would appreciate you not going behind my back and letting them do whatever they want anyway because you can erase it later.  We still get questioned over why it happened, and that is something that you, Supervisor, don't understand.

I am frustrated with this place.  I will have been here two years on the 18th, and I can't say that it will be a very happy anniversary.  I've been at this job a little over a year.  If I had known that it would be this bad, I would have stayed on the phones.

I think it is time to actively seek employment elsewhere.  I don't really want to because I like the pay here but it isn't worth the constant stress and the constant disrespect and pushback that we keep getting from the supervisors.

I would give just about anything to be able to work a "normal" schedule where I wasn't working 12 hours on Saturdays, too.  I don't mind working on the weekends, but 12 hours is a bit ridiculous.

Yeah.... that's what I've got to do.....

Spring Cleaning Part Deux

Yesterday didn't go quite as planned.  I was really looking forward to getting my living room and kitchen cleaned.  Instead, I opted to clean my room.  My room isn't huge, but it is a bit bigger than my last room, which makes it huge.  And, it was covered with nothing but dirty laundry.  Shame on me.  I straightened and rearranged and I even vacuumed the floor with that annoying smelly stuff that you dust on your carpet.   It didn't even help the room to smell any better. I think I've had it for so long that the sniff evaporated out of it, but I can always pretend.  I did light some Egyptian Cotton incense, and wow, does that smell great!

But, unfortunately, I'm not finished with my room. I still have all that laundry that was on my floor to do, as well as washing my sheets.  On the plus side, I did get around to finally putting on the pillowcases that I washed a month ago.  That felt nice against my head last night.

I did manage to get a load of dishes done, but ran out of detergent for the dishwasher. I suppose I will have to go back to the old ways and wash them by hand.  I am also out of laundry detergent.  I am NOT going to do my laundry by hand.  I can just imagine myself trying to pull a "Snow White" or something and try to wash them on a whateveryoucallit.

Raven's room is pretty much done. I suppose it will be time to go through her clothes that are up in the closet and pull down the shorts and tank tops and such.  I think it is also just about that time to go through her clothes and figure out which ones can be donated due to her growing like a weed the past season.  Most of her jeans have holes in the knees, so they will make for perfect cutoffs this year.  I might not have to buy anything but new jeans for her.  Wouldn't THAT be awesome!  Oh, and I need to vacuum her room.  She has been doing a great job keeping her room and even her bed free of clutter.

So, I guess the next part will be to clean my kitchen or living room on Sunday.  Yeah, that sounds about right.  I don't like spending a WHOLE day cleaning, even if it does get it over with sooner.  I want to have some fun or just relax to a movie or something.

Well, it is back to the grind for me.  I swear that I will go blind looking at a computer screen all day long....

Spring Cleaning, Part 1

There is something in the air today.  Well, the last few days, really.  Actually, I just look at my home surroundings and about want to throw up, it's so cluttered and filthy.  I haven't been able to do much since I sprained my ankle last week, but I have just decided that it is time.....


Spring Cleaning!!



Yes, it is that time of year again when the animal get twitter-pated, or perhaps that was a month ago, I don't even know anymore, but what I do know is that spring is FINALLY in the air, and so is my desire to clean my apartment.  I have spent the last several weeks looking around at my habitat and I've decided that it is time to make my place a home again.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm living it a total pigsty, although my mother would probably say so.  It isn't the cleanest for sure, but it isn't the messiest, either.  Raven has actually done a great job keeping up her end of the clean room bargain.  I did have to get after her a few days ago, but she did her job, and now it's done.  Now, it's my turn.

I still don't have a computer at home, so part two won't come for a few days.

Stay tuned. Who knows, I might even take before and after pictures.

That's Not Where the Tennis Ball Goes

A lot has happened the last few days.  Oh where do I start.  I guess I will start with the hole I dug myself with my bank.  I got a letter stating that they had reversed the provisional credit.  Which to me meant that they had already done it.  Yeah, I won't make that mistake again.  Suffice it to say that my account is now almost $300 in the hole and I've got rent due and all of that nonsense.  I'll be able to get back on track around the end of May.  Don't know exactly how that happened, but oh well.  Lesson learned.

I also did a number on my ankle on Wednesday.  As I was getting out of my car and walking with books in hand to the library on my second step, I went head first into the parking lot rolling my ankle in a HUGE pot hole that I didn't see next to my rear tire.  I spent yesterday at home nursing it, missing a day of work.  Hopefully they will use some of my paid time off to cover for those missed hours.  I can't afford to be out any hours right now due to my bank account being so empty.

I had considered the thought of getting a payday loan to cover the missing balance, but that would be a major headache that I really don't need right now.  I'll just suck it up and go from there.  I probably would have been ok if I hadn't gone ahead and made that daycare payment so freaking early, but it was either then or never and they require the payment up front for the first month's care.

I'm sure I mentioned that Raven's daycare is closing today.  That really sucked, to be sure, but it is what it is, and that's all I can say about that.  It was a really great daycare, too.  I wonder if I could get the daycare to reverse the amount of the care for the month and then get it to them when I have it.  That wouldn't matter, though because I would still be out that much money anyway.  Oh man, whatever am I going to do!  Suck it up like a big girl and keep in mind that money doesn't grow on trees.. LOL I just tell myself that it could have been a lot worse.

So, I sprained my ankle on Wednesday, and I ended up hobbling to the library.  It took a good ten minutes for me to realize what happened while I was in the parking lot.  I tried calling for help, and Raven in turn was yelling, "Someone help my mom!"  It was quite adorable, really when I think back to it, but I didn't get any help.  I was dirty and banged up pretty badly.  I'm sure I looked like a fright when I finally did make it to the counter.  I asked the librarian who I could sue for the pothole in the parking lot.  I didn't really mean to sue anyone, but I wanted them to know that I had been injured in their parking lot.

I went to the bathroom and cleaned up.  If I didn't absolutely need to get the names for SA, I would have left. I was three names behind, and I wasn't leaving without them and a few new books for Raven.  I think that the adrenaline was getting the better part of my judgement.  I was only there less than five minutes, though, which was good.  The lady that was sitting next to me at the computer tables had gotten up and was talking to the head librarian.  She came over to me and asked if she could pull my car up for me so I didn't have to hobble all the way out to it.  I handed her the keys, logged off the computer, checked out Raven's books and waited for my car.  I thought that was really nice.

I don't have medical insurance, so I didn't go see a doctor.  A friend of mine brought me some crutches last night.  I had taken a scalding hot bath to try to ease the pain which helped while I was in the water, but ended up not lasting long afterward.  I took some Tylenol Arthritis (650mg) each, and that helped a bit, too.  I took some this morning, but forgot to bring the rest with me.  I am thankful to have a desk job right now.  I'm actually not using the crutches because they slow me down.  Yeah, I know I should stay off my ankle, but I do have a nice ankle brace on it, and I managed to get my shoe on this morning even though my ankle is still the size of a tennis ball.

So, I am hoping that I have enough cash to get gas for the next week.  I don't get paid until a week from today.  Needless to say I won't be going anywhere on my days off.  I have about $11 to get me gas until then.  Can I do it?  I think I can.

Stupid gas prices.....

Death by Steak Knife/Drowning by Water

Sadly, I have to report another "death" in the family.  Death by steak knife probably isn't the best way anything can go, but that is what happened.  On Saturday evening I decided, against my better intuition (ugh!), that I was going to try to install the software for the printer that my friend gave me.  It got through about three or four of the installation items, then stalled.  I tried to get the disk out.  I called a friend who knows a lot about mac minis.  We couldn't together get the disk out.  I finally decided that I would need to take drastic measures to get the darn thing out and grabbed a steak knife from my kitchen and after an hour of prodding, trying begging and frustrating, I finally got the disk out.  It was scratched up beyond recognition and will probably not be readable in any future disk drive.  I tried to turn the mini back on, and the light went on, then immediately went out for the last time.  Goodbye, dear mini, you served your purpose well.  I will miss you.

On the bright side, the computer that needed the new power supply is in the hands of a friend who is a computer programmer.  Don't know why I didn't think to ask him in the first place, but he has it, and he said he could fix it good as new, OS and all.  Sweet.  He said he might be able to get it back to me today.  I really hope so because the names for LWT are starting to pile up because I can't get to that site at work.  It's been blocked for some reason.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will get the computer back if not today, by the end of the week.  I hope he didn't have any issues.

Yesterday I did nothing.  I didn't even get out of my jammies.  I didn't go out to my garden to do any weeding.  I couldn't bear to look at all the marigold that are now dead due to the morning frost we had a few days ago.  I couldn't bear to look at the corn stalk that withered to a nice lush brown due to that same frost.  I couldn't look at the swimming pool that formed even though I leveled the garden out AND put up a wall to prevent the drain off water from flowing into the garden.  All of the flowers that were on that side of the garden ended up completely underwater except for the watermelon, and that only because it is in a high hill.  Oh well, I can always replant the marigolds in May when I should have, and I can replant the corn.

On the bright side, the bearded iris is doing really good.  I mean REALLY good.  It hasn't sprouted any flowers yet, which is nice because they probably would have  withered and died, too.  The lettuce and broccoli are doing good so far as well.  The morning glories that I planted haven't sprouted yet.  The package said about 7 days.  I think it's been two weeks.  Oh well, they probably drowned.  Gah!

It's another day at work today, in case you were going to try to put a huge hold in my dead computer theory.  Tuesdays are just about the worst work day that there could be.  Except for Saturdays.    I won't even get into it.

I hope that you are all having a great day.  Spread some of the love, would you?

Garden, Daycare and Soldier Mail

It's been a while since I wrote last.  It's been a busy several days.

I have been busy handmaking cards for a Soldiers' Angels card signing this Sunday.  It probably won't be a very big event, I am having a small info booth at a business yard sale, but I do hope to get the word out about SA nonetheless.  People will be able to get information about SA as well as write words of gratitude or thanks on a card for one of our heroes.  I have made over 100 cards, which may not seem like a whole lot, but that will be over 100 heroes who will get extra encouraging words from home.  And who knows perhaps we will get a few more volunteers to adopt a hero.

I've gotten a few letters and an email from some heroes.  It always makes me smile whenever I do hear back from someone I've written.  Speaking of which, I am a little behind on sending out my letters.  I reduced my name intake to 6 names per week instead of 14.  It was just getting unmanageable.  On the bright side, a friend of mine gave me a printer.  An older printer, but one that will work with my mac mini, so I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth.  The only thing I need is to get the cable from her that connects the printer to the computer, and I'll be all set.  She even hooked me up with four extra cartridges of ink.  I'm doing the happy dance.  With that, I will probably be able to increase my names every week.

Concerning my garden; I guess I don't have as green of a thumb as I thought.  For the most part, the plants are doing good, but the heat hardy marigolds haven't liked this cold spell one bit and they are mostly dead.  I was warned about that, so I have no one to blame except myself.  It has been raining a lot, so they probably drowned.  They are only supposed to be watered a few times a week.

The swimming pool did end up coming back even though I leveled it out.  I decided that I needed to take more drastic measures, so I went to home Depot and bought a few of those clamshell border rocks.  So far, they have been working great.  I wish I had thought of that sooner.  And, even though they only border most of one side, they still look good.

Raven's daycare is closing at the end of April.  This is both bad and good.  Bad because, well I hate to see any business close down...bad because they were a great daycare/preschool and Raven learned a LOT of things there and made a few good friends.  Good because I will be enrolling her in the daycare program that is on the school premises where she will be attending kindergarten this year.  I am hoping that she will be getting to know some of the kids in her class before she gets there.  There's nothing like being the new girl and not knowing anyone.  Raven isn't that shy, but I also don't want to put her in that position if I don't have to.  The bad thing is that she will only be going to that site until the end of the current school season.  They don't have a summer session there anymore, so I will have to transfer her to a different site that does.  My friends who pick her up for me on Thursdays and Fridays are going to kill me...lol  When the school season starts, Raven will go back to her school and have care before and after school on the days I work.  When I don't work, I will get a few hours in the afternoon all to myself.  Whatever will I do with myself!!

I think that is all the updates I actually have.  Sad, isn't it?  Thanks for sticking with me.  I really need to do something more exciting with my life.

An Adventure to the Other Side of the Fence

The last two days off were really great.  Spent time in the garden.  (See previous post).

The other thing we did was to send out all the packages we had ready for our heroes.  All in all, 1 APO box, 2 flat rate bubble envelopes, and three smaller envelope sized packages.  Hey, I do what I can.  Anyway, I decided that I was not going to take the chance on getting the snatch at the regular post office, so Raven and I drove a shorter distance and went to a very large post office in the other direction.

The line was to the door.  I stepped inside to start filling out the numerous customs forms, which always takes at least 20 mins alone.  I have some on order, but they haven't shown up yet.  When I was finished, two elderly people allowed me to go ahead of them.  I thanked them very kindly.  (The first awesome thing about this post office.)

When I finally got to the counter, the clerk greeted me with a smile (the second awesome thing about this post office).  He took my packages and even told me how much I saved with the APO flat rate box.  $12.95 vs 31.+.  Thank goodness for flat rate boxes!

I had two regular sized envelopes, not the short ones, but the long ones, that were full of coupons for one of the teams I am on.  I was certain that he was going to charge me extra because they weren't very uniform, and I thought they might be a little heavy.  The first thing he did was to take out this really cool gadget that has the max width of a letter cut into it.  He slid the letters (both) through the hole, and charged me a whole $0.44 for each envelope with the coupons. (the third awesome thing about this post office.) Wait, what?  That's right.  I got charged the regular price for each of the coupon envelopes.  If I had gone to the other post office, the woman would have made me put two ten cent stamps on each envelope.  The other post office doesn't even HAVE one of those nifty thingamajigs with the hole cut into it to check the width.  I told Ed, that was the clerk, that the other post office needed one ASAP.  It's possible that they just don't use it, but I think they don't have one and if they do, they don't care to use it.

Oh, I totally forgot the best part.  While I was at the counter, and we were in the middle of doing my packages, an older woman stepped up next to me to ask the clerk a simple question.  What makes this the best part?

He answered it.

I really give credit to the Post Office on Ustick and Cole.  They are friendly, courteous, speedy and they keep their calm under pressure.  The line stayed steady to the door, but it wasn't the same people in line for more than ten minutes.

I think I found my new post office.