Thursday, January 31, 2008

January?

Well, January is over. That was some ride. Carolynn ran a marathon. Catherine got glasses. My sister got married in secret. And today, the last day of the month, my Grandpa sold his mobile home. Good for him. That place was craptacular. (That’s a David word for you.)

Now we just have to get Grandpa all packed and moved out. It looks like February will be jam packed. This weekend is the Super Bowl. According to my polls it looks like most of you will be watching and all of you think the Patriots will win. The following weekend I am going to Pala with the old folks to see The Wallflowers and maybe win a little money. I am taking the Monday after that as vacation and that Friday the 15th I am taking off too so that will be two 3-day weekends in a row. Then at the end of the month, my mom and I are going with her cousins to see the NASCAR. All that and moving Grandpa. It is going to be a busy month.

Five Songs I Never Want To Hear Again Thanks To Guitar Hero For The Wii

Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar
Barracuda by Heart
Slowride by Foghat
Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones
School’s Out by Alice Cooper

Thursday Meme

This usually appears on Trisha's page, but she wasn't in the mood for it today. So being the friend I am, I am covering it for her.

The Thursday Meme courtesy of Booking Through Thursday.

Sometimes I find eccentric characters quirky and fun, other times I find them too unbelievable and annoying. What are some of the more outrageous characters you’ve read, and how do you feel about them?


Well, I think probably the most outrageous character I can think of this minute would be Cee Cee Bloom from Beaches by Iris Ranier Dart. One of my favorite books of all times, Cee Cee in the book is nothing like the movie... she's a druggie and a slut and a horrible person, but in the end she is a wonderful lovable character. She is even more so in the sequel, I'll Be There. Then there are other books where the people just annoy me. In our online book group, Readers Anonymous, we just read Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston and I found all the characters in the book to be annoying and stupid. Cee Cee is outrageous and over the top, but I enjoyed it. The people is Happiness were more real and regular, but they annoyed me. I guess it just depends on the book.

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I am so glad I don't do this every week. Seriously, I had to think about it and everything.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Weird

Today one of the computers at work went out and I came home and got my laptop to work from. It seemed funny seeing my work stuff all sitting there along side me regular stuff. I was using something called remote desktop, and it allows me to log into work stuff from my laptop. I still think it is strange. Now that my boss can see I can get work stuff done from my laptop, I hope he does not get any ideas.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Another Day, Nothing Exciting Happened Again

There just has not been much to say lately. I go to work, I come home. Yesterday Carolynn went on a field trip. You can check out her pictures on her page. Catherine has been getting used to her new glasses. Everyone says she looks fabulous. She is certainly enjoying being able to see.

Carolynn also finished her first reading challenge book. Check out her review.

That is it for today.

Finished


I finished Just as Long as Were Together I thought it was really good. Stephanie has a best friend named Rachel but when Stephanie moves more near to Rachel she meats another girl name Alison. Alison sad her dog talked but she said that so Stephanie would like her and Stephanie believed her too. Than it was thanks giving were she found out her parents were separated because he was traveling around with his job but he really did that so he could think it over witch made Stephanie mad. Then Rachel kept a secret from her she moved to 9th grade math a week after school started. On Christmas, she went to her dad’s apartment and she thought he had a flink named iris. Then there was the ground hog dance and when Rachel was picking her outfit she sad she was a liar because she didn’t tell them her parents separation and it started a fight and she was not her friend any more. The day of the dance Stephanie’s dad gave her a necklace for her birthday because it was her birthday. Then at the end of the dance, a boy kissed her. Then by the end, her dad was coming back to his own office and she and Rachel said sorry ands were friends again.

Field Trip Day

Yesterday I went on a field trip to a museum the science museum and the history of man museum. We went into this dome and watched a movie on science, we saw all the science things, and we have to touch them.

Then we went to the other museum were we saw the mummy’s it was gross.





Sunday, January 27, 2008

Hitched


So my sister got married earlier this month. She wasn't telling anyone until now, so I didn't say anything. I didn't know for sure until yesterday. But she did it. Chris joined the Army and left for boot camp almost two weeks ago. And there you have it.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Saturday In The Car


Catherine in the car.

Today we spent the day running errands all over town. First, we took all the cans and bottles to the recycling center. Then we went to the SuperCuts so David and Carolynn could get their hair cut. Carolynn looks exactly the same, just more even. We went to the pharmacy and to the bank. Then we went to the mall to pick up a few things. We had lunch at Pat and Oscar’s while we were there. Then we went to the Wal-Mart. We got Guitar Hero for our Wii. I think we now own all the best Wii games and all the kids will want to hang out here.


At Pat and Oscar's

In the afternoon, Catherine and I had appointments to see the eye doctor. My glasses broke in October or whenever it was that my cousin was here. (She did not break them; she was just here when it happened.) I got a new pair today and some sunglasses too. Our little Catherine has the same eyes as her mom and got her first pair of glasses today too. Here is a picture of her with her new glasses.


Catherine's new glasses.

Then we went to the Circuit City to spend the gift cards my Grandpa got us for Christmas. We got some movies and Catherine got a Wii game called Cooking Mama. It looks cute, but we have not tried it yet. There are people playing Dance Dance Revolution right now.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Dance Dance Revolution




David bought the girls Dance Dance Revolution for the Wii today. They are seriously loving it. I don't know that the downstairs neighbors will love it as much, but they are the people with the annoying ball bouncing kid, so as long as they don't start dancing before 9 or after 10 we shouldn't get too many complaints.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

I Don't Do Mornings!

Check out Carolynn's Ocean View to find out why Carolynn made me get up at 6:30 in the morning on a Saturday.

Click Here!

Keebler Kids Marathon Mile

Today I woke up early and I ran a mile marathon. I was about the 10th person to cross the finish line. I got a medal and a shirt. I ran through Legoland. It looked cool in Legoland. There was a lot of cool stuff in there. After the marathon we to McDonald's and I got a McGriddle. Then we went shopping at Stater Bros.


This is me getting my number for the marathon.


This is where we were lining up.


This is where I waited for the race to start.


This is the start line. I am ready to begin!


This is where I ran.


This is me getting to the finish line.


This is me after and was breathing really, really hard. And I have my medal.


This is me and mom. Mom didn't run in the race. I would of had to wait her if she did.


This is me eating my victory breakfast, a McGriddle.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

NASCAR- Non-Athletic Sport Centered Around Rednecks

It looks like my mom and I will be attending the NASCAR Races with my mom’s cousin at the end of February. It will be a heck of an adventure. I have no idea what all the details are yet, but it is going to be fun. I do not know much about NASCAR and the only one I know is Lightning McQueen… Nevertheless, other people we know enjoy the races so we can check it out. My Grandma is going to be at the races on Sunday. We can see her there. I learned today that her favorite driver is #48 Jimmie Johnson. Helen loves NASCAR too. My mom think’s she remembers seeing the #20 around Helen’s house. I did a Google search, and learned #20 is Tony Stewart. I think my friend Cari and her family enjoy the NASCAR stuff and I am positive my friend Heather’s husband is a NASCAR enthusiast. I do not know who their favorites are, but if they let me know and I happen to see them, I will take a picture or something. I learned from this NASCAR website that there are 43 drivers. I also learned that Jimmie Johnson is the #1 racer so far. The #2 racer is #24 Jeff Gordon. I learned from my Grandma that Jeff Gordon is the owner of the car Jimmie Johnson races. I also learned from her that Jimmie Johnson is from right near her in El Cajon, CA. I am just a wealth of NASCAR knowledge. It is amazing what a person can learn online or from Grandma.

Just so you know the rest of the top NASCAR racers…

3. Clint Bowyer (#7)
4. Matt Kenseth (#17)
5. Kyle Busch (#5)

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Testosterone

They finally came to take a look at my oven. The ignition switch or something like that is faulty. They ordered a new part, but it will not be here until next week on Tuesday or Wednesday. This means we cannot bake anything for a week. Tonight we had potato cheese soup. I usually bake corn bread to go with it, but… Tomorrow Catherine was going to make her famous baked tilapia, but I guess we can try it pan-fried.



David bought a Rambo DVD Ultimate Collection. It came with all three Rambo movies and a movie ticket to see the new Rambo movie that is coming out soon. That is way too much violence and testosterone. I would much rather see a whole bunch of chick flicks. How about a Matthew McConaughey DVD collection? It could contain How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, The Wedding Planner, and EdTV. It could come with a ticket to see the new movie Fool’s Gold. Now that is my kind of testosterone.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Did Anyone Care?

Complete list of winners of the 65th annual Golden Globes announced Sunday at a news conference held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in Beverly Hills, California.

MOTION PICTURES:
—Picture, Drama: "Atonement."
—Actress, Drama: Julie Christie, "Away From Her."
—Actor, Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood."
—Picture, Musical or Comedy: "Sweeney Todd."
—Actress, Musical or Comedy: Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose."
—Actor, Musical or Comedy: Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd."
—Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There."
—Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men."
—Director: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."
—Screenplay: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men."
—Foreign Language: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," France and U.S.
—Animated Film: "Ratatouille."
—Original Score: Dario Marianelli, "Atonement."
—Original Song: "Guaranteed" from "Into the Wild."

TELEVISION:
—Actress, Drama: Glenn Close, "Damages."
—Actor, Drama: Jon Hamm, "Mad Men."
—Series, Musical or Comedy: "Extras," HBO.
—Series, Drama "Mad Men," AMC.
—Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
—Actor, Musical or Comedy: David Duchovny, "Californication."
—Miniseries or Movie: "Longford," HBO.
—Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Queen Latifah, "Life Support."
—Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Jim Broadbent, "Longford."
—Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Samantha Morton, "Longford."
—Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jeremy Piven, "Entourage."

Life Is Short



On my first week or so working at Jenna Baskets, in May of 2006, a woman called to place an order. I had no idea what I was doing yet and I was the only one here. However, the woman was very kind and was very understanding that I had just started. She told me not to worry, everyone was new sometime.

About a week later, the same woman, Pat Norris from Butterfly Nurseries in Vista, California, came in to purchase baskets. She brought me a plant (pictured at the top), so I could have something on my desk for my new job. She was so nice. As long as I have been working here, she and her husband Victor were some of my favorite customers. This summer Victor passed away. He had been sick for a long time. I learned this morning that Pat passed away last week on Thursday. My heart goes out to her family and to the people at Butterfly Nurseries.

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On another note, much more positive, today is my friend Paula’s birthday. Just so you know, she is old… older than me. (By like 2 ½ months, but that counts.)

Sunday, January 13, 2008

This Weekend... THE LIST

1. I am reading Love In The Time Of Cholera. So far, it is very good. It is keeping me hooked, as I want to learn what happens to these people. The downside is it is very descriptive and sometimes I just do not care about what they were wearing that much. In addition, there are no chapters. I like to read and stop at chapters.

2. I spent a good portion of yesterday working on reading websites. There are three that people seem to use: LibraryThing, Good Reads, and Shelfari. The chicks in my book group use these and my friend Trisha uses them too. I was pretty sure I was already signed up with Good Reads and LibraryThing so I started there.

I went to LibraryThing first. I messed with it for a bit and I did not like it. It was not user friendly. At this point, I figured all of the other sites would be just as boring as that one and I didn’t need to get involved in them.

Then I got an e-mail from Good Reads. I get those now and again telling me that my account was still there. So, I figured, why not? I went to Good Reads. Well, this site was way better then LibraryThing. I cleared what ever I had done when I started it (April 2007) and started over. I spent the morning adding books and getting it all set up with my stuff. You can check it out by clicking here. I also have a button for it on my sidebar.

After I spent all that time on Good Reads, I had just about decided that there was no need to try Shelfari. Then I went to my book group site to post about my new Good Reads stuff, and I read that Trish really preferred Shelfari. Then I remembered she had written something about them on her blog a while back, so I checked for that. In addition, another chick in the book group was also a fan of the site. After that, I figured I could at least check it out. Therefore, I did, and it is great. The people are friendly; the site is very user friendly and very enjoyable. You can check it out here. There's a list on my sidebar too. This one turned out to be my favorite of the three.

3. I did my errands. I got my grocery shopping done. I balanced up the ol’ checkbook. I paid the electric bill. I went with David to upgrade his phone. He got a new Razor. (It was the free upgrade one.) I did a little cleaning.

4. Carolynn was sleeping over at Jessica’s house last night, so David, Catherine and I went to the new Denny’s down the street for a bite to eat. Then David wanted to go to the Barnes and Noble to get a new book. I need a new book like I need a hole in the head, but I can’t go in and not come out with a new book. I figured I could just get one from my book list. However, I did not even do that. I brought home A Is For Alibi by Sue Grafton.

5. The oven is not working again, so Shake and Bake pork chops will be, well, I do not know. If you have a good pork chop recipe, let me know. I will try foodtv.com.

That’s it. That was the whole weekend. The kids go back to school tomorrow. Carolynn should be starting her book list soon. She was waiting for school to start for some reason.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Finally Friday

I have been so busy at work that I feel like I have not properly rested in a week. I have a bunch of errands tomorrow, so tonight, with David’s help, I am taking the night off. David is watching the kids and I am in my room, alone. I have Rachel Ray on the TV, a bag of tacos next to me, and a large Pepsi on the nightstand. I also have a book to read and some candy for later. So here I am, in my jammies enjoying the peace and quiet. And I took time out of my relaxing schedule just to tell you about it. Don’t you feel special?

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Everyday Can Be An Adventure

Not much is going on really. I have been working. The kids have been home playing Wii and Webkinz. The cable was out earlier today and the girls were without their Webkinz. It was almost tragic. We have no big adventures planned for January. After the holidays, it will be nice to just stay home or at least stay local. Carolynn took down all the Christmas decorations so the house looks somewhat naked.

February should have a bit more excitement. I am going to see The Wallflowers at Pala with my parents. Pala is always fun. Grandpa is so funny at Pala. He thinks it’s the “happiest place on earth”. I say Bryan Adams there with my dad and we all saw a tribute to The Monkees. The tribute band sucked. Bryan Adams was good though.

A new adventure possibility was brought to me today. My mom’s cousin Shari works for NASCAR and can probably get us in as ushers or something at the races in February. That could be pretty cool. Other Aunts, Uncles and Cousins could be joining us. I do not really care for NASCAR, but it will be a new adventure. I can get many pictures of everyone and meet some new people. Then that can be one more thing that I can say I did. In addition, I am pretty sure my Grandma, my dad’s mom, is going to be at this particular race and I know she’d be glad to see us.

Here is a picture of Shari. She is Aunt Gloria’s youngest daughter. Aunt Gloria is my Grandpa’s sister.



Here is a picture of my Grandpa with his other sister, Aunt Margie, and my mom’s cousin Wendy.



Well, it is looking like the fun start to a new year. There will be plenty of adventures to get started on our year of adventure.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Busy and Fat



Okay, not that fat… but not that thin either. I need to be healthier now so I do not have health problems later. Therefore, I made it my goal to get 30 minutes of exercise everyday. So far, I got 10 minutes. That is better than nothing. I made a counter and put it at the bottom of the page. I got the counter from the blog of a girl in my book club. It was a cute idea and maybe if everyone else can see it, it will be a motivation.

I have been busy at work, so I am glad to have a break from my usual internet workings. I am not blogging here everyday and I am not all on top of my e-mail. I really should catch up because I think there is a cable bill in my e-mail that wants my attention.

I had started to read The Kite Runner, but today Jo Anna brought me Love In The Time Of Cholera and I kind of want to read that one first. After Happiness Sold Separately, I need some great romance.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Disappointment

I finished my book club book. I did not enjoy it. I started The Kite Runner after that. So far, it is good, but the Arab and Muslim words and stuff are a little hard to follow as I am not familiar with them. But I am still enjoying reading it. Next, I will read Love In The Time Of Cholera. Jo Anna from work is lending me her copy. I lent her my copy of Water For Elephants. I will read that after I finish my next two.

I was thinking, I am going to get through my reading list pretty quickly. This is probably not a bad thing since school will start again soon and then the summer promises adventure and busy times. I have no idea what the rest of the year will bring after that.

I am sort of glad I finished my blogging challenges. I like that I don't have to write everyday if I don't want to. I needed a break anyway.

Friday, January 04, 2008

Change and Adventure

2008 will be a year of change. It will be an adventure. My parents and my Grandpa are moving to Pahrump, Nevada. My sister may be getting married. Her boyfriend has joined the Army, so who knows what may happen. Everyone is getting older. The kids are all growing up. There will be some big changes here too. However, now is not the time to make all of them public. (Some of you already know.) In June, I will finish my AA in Communications: Radio and Television. Welcome to the year of adventure and change!

Today I made a chicken stew that was delicious. I made it up myself too, using ideas I got from hours of watching the Food Network.

My sister was here for a few days. I did not even kill her. It is nice to have visitors. It is nice when they go home too. She and her boyfriend Chris were fine, but it is different when there are extra folks in your already small and cramped apartment.

The kids still have another week of vacation. They have been playing Webkinz and Wii.