100th Post

And it's 100 degrees out.

Forgive my lack of effort.

Playing Catch Up (Part Four)

When we got home the house wasn't a scene out of a horror movie. There wasn't even a lot of dishes left for me to do. The cats didn't hate us either, always a plus. I unpacked right away, I am guessing purely inspired by the three bowls we had just prior.

That night we decided to finally venture into the bar next door. After the prices of drinks in California, $3.25 was a welcome change. So... we ordered drinks and played pool. Progressive for me dangit. After a couple hours we headed home, with me with a head start. I wasn't willing to risk the bar bathroom especially given that they had just dragged a guy out of the men's room who had passed out in a very unflattering position. Tall would have gotten a picture but he was afraid of waking the guy up.

On a side note, the other day I finally got an MP3 player, just a one gig little thing but at least the hubby can stop complaining about my country music taking up room on his. I know this has nothing to do with anything but I'm listening to it right now so I just thought I would bring it up.

Alright, moving onto the juicy stuff that happened while we were gone:

Prissy moved out. The only thing more that I know about this is that they are no longer MySpace friends either. Oddly enough, they both moved us higher on their top friend's list. It's weird though, I caught a look at Hairy's phone on the way home from the airport and she is still his background picture. So out of the loop.

Hairy's roommate turned 21 and there was a party at Li'l Mama's. We've been told the party was for his birthday but I've seen the pictures. It was only Li'l Mama's friends, I didn't see one of Hairy's roommates friend's unless they were mutual. I kind of wonder if she simply threw a party because we were out of town, I really wouldn't put it past her. The weirdest part? Tall was there. Tall was at his ex's party. That's the weird part, the best part would have to be that the party got raided by the cops. It sounds like it was some sort of record here for the number of MIPs given out in one night. Li'l Mama was on the receiving end of one of those tickets. Ha!

Li'l Mama, Sassy and Tall are all MySpace buddies now. I don't seem to be the only one surprised. A couple of the party pictures on Li'l Mama's MySpace are of Tall, one with a comment from one of Li'l Mama's best friends basically asking "wtf?!" That and Tall and Sassy exchanged "Missing you." Heh, let's hope we don't go through some more back and forth with those two. One way or the other people, it's getting old.

Hairy's roommate bought a BB gun. Not by itself a bad thing, it's what he's doing with it that concerns me. The day we got home he took Ketchup up into the attic to shoot cans with it. What? For one, no one is supposed to be in the attic, it's actually supposed to be locked but cheap locks are easy to break into. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen. Completely unfinished, open beams, rusty nails. Not only do I not want the possibility of BBs coming through my ceiling but you step wrong and all of a sudden there is going to be a foot hanging through, we've seen the results of it in another apartment. I bitched to Hairy about it, he said he would talk to his roommate about it because he didn't like the sound of it either. I would rather the landlord not find out about this because no one needs to get in trouble, but seriously if it happens again, I don't see any other alternative. It's just a bad idea all around.

Tall apparently stopped by the building a lot while we were gone. He hung out with Li'l Mama, Hairy and Ketchup. Should we be offended? Since he turned 21 we have barely seen him, we go out of town and he shows up? Pfft.

Li'l Mama was the first to post a picture comment to our vacation pictures on MySpace. I just don't get that girl, and really I'm not sure I want to. She is leaving town for vacation on the fourth of July, even better actually, she is leaving the country. I think we should throw a party, ha!

I couldn't believe it Tuesday when we got home from a trip to Big Lots. Our Bum was sitting on the deck waiting for us. It's been almost a year. I opened my door and yelled, "are you kidding me?" He laughed and said nope. Seems like he was in the area because he was at the hospital. He woke up the other day with a deflated lung. Fun, huh? This is the same guy who coughed his eye out during a hit.

It was great to see him. I told him about the fifteen year old boys in Iowa that think I'm cool, he said "you are cool ____," awww. He brought us a bubbler as a "please don't hate me for being gone for so long" gift. Believe me, we couldn't hate him. He's the adopted child (who's older then me) that I never knew I wanted. He's that dirty stray that you just can't turn away.

He always shows up when he is having trouble with his girlfriend Poor Me. We're his safe haven from her. I asked him before he left if it would be another year. He said probably not. I'll hold him to it dammit.

Alright, so that's it for now. I am all typed out and for the moment I can't think of anything else to say on the above topics. Thanks to that morning wake and bake I am hungry so off I go to hunt and gather.

Later!

Playing Catch Up (Part Three)

I've decided to start calling my mom's best friend Gidgit. Don't know why really but it fits. Anyway, we get up Saturday with the only plans in mind being getting together with Gidgit. She get's it, she has known my grandma since she was five. We were looking forward to the uncensored atmosphere that comes with Gidgit. We get all dressed and ready and head out to face grandma. She asked if we had gotten into contact with Gidgit yet and we said nope but we had plans to get together today so we weren't worried. Gidgit then calls, her ears must have been burning.

Grandma answered, and why not, it's her phone. She went on to tell Gidgit that we had just been talking about her, blah blah blah the normal small talk. Then grandma tells Gidgit that we have an "appointment" at five and we needed to be back by then to go out to dinner with the serious uncle. Um, what? It had been brought up that maybe we would join the serious uncle at a Japanese BBQ restaurant that evening. Nothing solidified and seriously something I wasn't interested in so why all of a sudden were we committed to cut short any time we get with Gidgit?

So we had to be back at five, whatever, we'll deal. The fun uncle had printed off the menu to the place, grandma asked if I looked through it, I said yes, she asked if I would be able to find anything to eat there and of course I responded no. She told me that I would and left it at that. My grandma has to be right, either that or it's the desire to fight, whatever the cause this was the theme of nearly every conversation with her the whole vacation.

So we hopped in the car with Gidgit and rode to temporary freedom in Seal Beach. We wandered Main Street and smoked cigarettes, she unlike everyone in my family knew it was my business if I wanted to smoke. She took us to Woody's and we chowed down on cheese fries and an appetizer sampler, her and the hubby with beers and I with a mimosa (for lack of a better choice.) We got to bitch and rant about grandma and my mom to a sympathetic ear and believe me it was nice.

Around four we had finished scraping the plates clean and were outwearing our welcome within the Woody's fine establishment so we left and with a little time left we had Gidgit help us locate not only a 99 cent store but also a head shop. With time to spare we began the short drive home, just in time for the fun uncle to call and inquire as to where we were. We got home to grandma's and the hissy fit began. "You only have two minutes to get ready!" What? Apparently no one had bothered to tell us that it was a five o'clock reservation and WE were holding things up by being late with Gidgit. After a little huff of anger as grandma ranted "I told you..." no you didn't but that's besides the point, I asked just how ready we were supposed to be to go to this place, considering I looked just fine and if this was a fancy place, it's another thing that was coincidently left out. With an attitude that I can't quite describe she said "at least wash your face!" Ha! Whatever, the hubby and I kind of made a run for it and hopped into the fun uncle's car to escape to this dinner that I didn't even want to go to.

Before I even got a chance to really complain about the irritant she caused, the fun uncle cut me off and said "that's just grandma" and that was the end of the conversation. Why does being the matriarch give you this kind of power and why the hell do I take it so personally? Ugh.

Needless to say dinner was less then entertaining. It was this weird restaurant where there was a grill in the middle of the table and the bring all the food out raw and you cook it yourself. Considering you had to cook it yourself, I doubt the bill should have been as much as it was. Yes the hubby enjoyed it, he always enjoys new food endeavors. Me? While the hubby, my two uncles and the serious uncle's wife ate I sat and drank soda. There was seriously not one thing on that damn menu for someone as picky as me, regardless of weed/munchie status.

So with the hubby full and me not even interested in eating we head back to grandma's and promptly grabbed her car and left again. First we visited the head shop pointed out by Gidgit, which oddly enough is just like three blocks from grandma's. We bought a little tiny bubbler direct from the distributor because everyone was pissed having had to wait for the owner for over four hours at that point.

We then went back to that 99 cent store and browsed for a while, in search of nothing in particular but disappointed with the lack of souvenirs to take back home to friends. By around nine we figured it was late enough to head back, pretty secure in the knowledge that grandma would be in bed. We were right and slipped right past her door into our room. After that we sat down with a recently purchased fountain drink from McDonalds and a half of pint of Canadian Mist whiskey and drank ourselves to sleep.

Sunday we got up and were basically right out the door again after committing to a snaky dinner with grandma at five. We head down to the Huntington Beach Pier again, the crowd having easily doubled in comparison to the other day. We walked around, bought post cards and sea shells and a few other cheap little items. My feet were hurting still, it's amazing how good a nap sounded.

After a couple hours we headed back to grandma's to drop off the car before going out to the beach to get a little sun on the remaining pale spots. With a couple of beach towels in tow we again head out across the sand, a little better in flip flops (except for the blister between my toes that they caused.) We found a nice little spot and laid down, the hubby even shedding his tank top for the first time.

We were out there less then an hour. It was hot, windy and the hubby was starting to burn at lightning speed. This little excursion, maybe only forty-five minutes, caused the hubby to develop some horrible blisters that to this day haven't gotten much better, actually they have gotten worse with a whole new batch showing up across his stomach just yesterday.

We went back inside and read our books until grandma rang the proverbial dinner bell. Dinner consisted of various fruits and vegetables, a plate of rolled up meats and cheeses, chips and dip and dinner rolls. Really, nothing I wouldn't eat and thank goodness, I hadn't eaten yet that day. The only thing grandma fought me on was this brie cheese dip she had. She insisted I try it before even giving me the chance to decline. I tried it, it was okay I guess but according to her it was fabulous and I just didn't appreciate it.

After dinner the hubby and I went out to the beach one more time. We brought a zip-lock bag and grabbed some sand to take back with us and sat and watched the sun begin to set. It was our last day and we ended it in peace.

We went to bed early that night, our flight was an early one so we were leaving for the airport at five. We set the alarm for three thirty to leave time for showers and the final packing. Around two thirty we got up due to the lack of being able to sleep. I took a shower but the hubby was unable, big fatty blisters had popped up on his shoulders over night and he didn't even want to move.

The plane rides home were interesting. I had to carry the backpack due to the hubby's pain and the flight attendant was not helping every time she slammed into his shoulder on the way down the aisle. It was became obvious we were over Oregon when the skies became gray. "Local temperature 64 degrees and overcast." The hubby and I high fived.

Once on the ground we grabbed our luggage and headed outside. I was wearing that skirt I bought at Rite-Aid on day one and there was a breeze, it was the first time in a week that I had been cold. It was wonderful. After a few minutes we saw Hairy's familiar Volvo pull up, his new roommate with him, and it was a glorious sight. We were definitely home.

Okay, I think I am going to reserve the rest for "Part Four" because there is actually a lot to tell. Stuff that happened while we were gone and what's happened since we've gotten back. Shit's screwy I will tell you that much.

Playing Catch Up (Part Two)

So, picking up where I left off...

The following day was day one at Disneyland. We were smart enough to begin the day with sunscreen though already tender from the previous sun exposure. You just don't burn the same way up here. After a few moments in the heat of early morning and some confidence browsing at the people around me, I decided to shed my outer layer and go in my tank top. Yes, me. Believe me, this was a weird moment for me. The hubby said I looked great, no reason to worry. He's my hubby, he's supposed to say that, but this time, I was really trying to believe it. It was too hot to argue.

We hit a lot of the favorites, beginning with Pirates of the Caribbean, definitely at the top of both our lists. My feet were already aching and the few designated smoking areas provided hard yet thankful seats upon to rest. It's weird smoking at Disneyland, it feels like I am breaking the rules. We hit up the Haunted Mansion, it was closed last time so it was the hubby's first experience. In line he said "do you smell it?" Huh? Smell what? Well the weed of course. After we boarded the "doom buggies" and the ride got underway, I finally smelled it. Someone was smoking weed in the Haunted Mansion. "Pass it over here!" The hubby exclaimed. "Yeah!" Another chimed in. This was the closest we came to the familiar herb the whole trip. After the ride we were even looking for who would be making a bee line for a food cart, no luck.

Don't tell Disney this, but we got breakfast for free. We found a stand in Adventure Land that had all sorts of fruits and vegetables and picked out a tray of mixed fruits (marked at $4) and a twenty ounce Coke (marked at $2.75) and wouldn't you know it, but there was pretty much no one around. In the attempt to find where to pay and who possibly to pay to, it became obvious that we could easily just walk away and no one would be the wiser. If this makes us bad people, so be it because believe me, we more then made up for it in my opinion with all the food and souvenirs to follow.

You know you are getting older when you don't have to do every ride. We did all of the big ones besides the Matterhorn. I've never been the biggest fan and since the hubby really isn't a roller coaster person he was fine passing it up. We even did Splash Mountain and got soaked. We didn't bother paying the $18 for the photo though, the hubby's expression was uneventful and as for me, I was hiding behind him.

Late afternoon we head into Downtown Disney and had an expensive Screwdriver at Uva Bar before heading over to the House of Blues for the Battle of the Bands concert. We went in as soon as the doors opened (an hour before the show started) and got some more expensive drinks and took some pictures. The first band was Guns Don't Argue and they weren't bad. A little harder then we prefer but they had a good sound. Unfortunately I can't find them on MySpace. The second band was awesome. They were called Albatross and the lead singer was this big burly guy who got up and screamed into the mic in between wandering off stage and taking swigs from a flask. They too do not have a MySpace. The third band was called the Damn Automatics. They weren't bad, a little trendy, maybe trying too hard. They did a cover that was good, I will check the little video I took on my camera and figure out what song it was. These guys you can find on MySpace. The fourth band... well we actually ended up leaving during them. They were called Kansas City Gunfight (and yes you can find them on MySpace) and they were way too emo for my tastes. Overly dramatic flock of seagulls hair thrashing from the eighties pretty much says it all. We stepped out onto the balcony and I enjoyed a cigarette amongst the punk influenced sea of tattooed people. Oddly enough I didn't feel completely out of place. Still in a tank top, I was tattooed too. The gift shop girl liked my ink, how about that for validation.

They had closed down the tram to the parking area for a grad night so with poor signs and bad directions it took forever to get to the car. My feet were throbbing. Along with the essential sand blasting of my feet the day before, I had a nice blister sitting center of the ball of my left foot. To make things worse, a similar blister was trying to make it's way to the surface on the same spot on the right foot. I was looking forward to sleep.

After five hours or so of broken slumber it was off for day two at Disneyland. We stopped by Rite-Aid first, the hubby needed a hat. His forehead was already peeling and his scalp was on the way to the same fate. After that we made a stop at McDonalds, can you blame us after yesterday's prices? My chicken sandwich tasted horrible but at least the fries were good. Oh yeah, had I forgotten to mention? My appetite went to shit with the lack of weed. Everything I ate either tasted bad or I just plain didn't want it. I was forcing myself to eat simply because I knew I needed to. I even bought a SlimFast to hold me over.

Even though we had a park hopper pass, we spent the whole time at Disneyland. California Adventure just isn't as entertaining when you don't like big roller coasters. I went this second day in a tank top as well, proud of me? I am. It was friggin' hot and sleeves would have sucked. After several hours in lines with brief rides in between we head off to Downtown Disney again to relax and cool down before meeting up with my doppelganger.

My dear doppelganger, you are beautiful. I recognized you instantly and it felt like you did the same. The Rainforest Cafe was great, you were right about the yummy drinks and I love my souvenirs glass and the stuffed frog. It was great getting a chance to sit and talk face to face like normal people instead of there being an internet between us. I hope we get a chance to do it again sometime.

After a few drinks, a few pictures and sadly saying our goodbyes to my doppelganger, the hubby and I headed back into Disneyland for the fireworks. We didn't get the best seats but the show was still amazing. I got a ton of pictures and a few really nifty videos. We didn't realize what a mass the people would be after the show and ended up shuffling along until we could escape to Pirates of the Caribbean for a final adventure before heading home. Along with a rosier glow, we had some nifty little souvenirs to bring home. It was great despite my protesting feet.

Okay, time for another break. The hubby just got home from work early and strategically got rid of Ketchup by encouraging a coworker to take him out to play pool. I still have two days of vacation and what's happened since I've gotten back to blog about though so rest assured that I will return.

Love you blog!

Playing Catch Up (Part One)

I'm home! Did you miss me?

So much to post about! I might as well start at the beginning...

We left Tuesday afternoon after paying a painful seven dollars each for a drink at the airport. Little did we know those would be the cheapest drinks on our trip. We had a three hour layover in San Jose (and that airport sucks just so you know) and then on into Orange County. The fun uncle picked us up and took us to grandma's, can you believe within five minutes she was already on my case?

I had to call my mom to let her know we arrived safely, I decided to use the cell phone and grandma offered me the use of her phone because of how much our phone costs. Polite offer but I declined saying it wouldn't take very long anyway. She went on to say "that's right, ____ doesn't have long conversations." Wow. Great. Starting early I see. This was a direct dig to the less then shaded insults she inflicted on me a couple weeks ago. I had hoped that it would have been dropped but whatever, right? I'm on vacation dammit.

We went to bed, early but it was best to avoid more friction because had we stayed up, so would she. The next morning we got up and all ready to go before even coming out of the bedroom. She rattled off the list of breakfast items she had but we managed to talk our way out the door with her car keys. It was time to explore.

First we head off to Rite-Aid, for no other reason then we knew where it was. I needed a cigarette. Can you blame me? Not only had been hours (since the San Jose airport, longer then in a long time for me) but grandma was itching me the wrong way too, ugh. Thank goodness the hubby understands. We hopped across the street and had Weinersnitzel to eat, we don't have too many of them up here so why not. After that we headed down to the Huntington Beach Pier.

It was a hazy day and silly us didn't even think about sunscreen. We wandered for about an hour before heading back to grandma's to go out on the beach. Lucky for grandma she has lived her town for a long time so she has a house just a stone's throw from the beach that was purchased before the prices skyrocketed to seven and eight digit numbers. That town is constantly changing and people with too much money have taken away most of the novelty of a small beach town. The number of original "beach shacks" is drastically declining, it's a little sad to see history change for the sake of progress. One house even looks like a castle, I mean really, is that necessarily?

We trekked out to the beach and soon learned that the term tenderfoot was an understatement. I used to be able to walk across the street, down the beach and straight into the ocean without much notice of hot ground. No longer, oh my goodness it hurt. Back on went the crocs and I suffered with sand in my shoes until we reached the cool relief of the Pacific. I can walk across hot gravel at home but hot sand? I was no match. This is where the blisters on my feet began. We took as much solace in the water as we could before heading back up onto the hot sand. A short trek down, literally only four blocks and we took a few snapshots of Sandra Bullock and Jesse James' house. Pretty. We couldn't stop and play lookie-loo though, there was people standing on the patio, heh. A couple more blocks down we stepped back off the beach to the greenbelt, the sidewalk running down the center of town.

Time to head back to grandma's to get cleaned up for the Angel's game. My feet were already starting to hurt as we walked home and up the stairs. As I was washing the sand from my shoes can you imagine my surprise when I realized just how pink my reflection in the mirror was? Forehead, nose, cheeks. My three quarter length sleeves left my wrists and hands a rosy shade and the Capri pants left another stripe across my ankles. The best parts? The right side of my chest was beet red and the holes in the crocs left dots on my feet. Ha! This was day one!

It was getting late but we decided not to risk it and put sunscreen on before heading off to the game. My fun uncle had gotten us tickets right by the left field foul line, about ten rows back. I'm sure he'll catch one sooner or later. He slipped us fifty bucks and told us it was food and whatnot. We started things off with some $9.50 drinks, a margarita for me and a Southern Comfort concoction for the hubby. Ow. Hot dogs came a little later, we couldn't go without getting an Angel Dog.

My uncle knows way too much about sports and was able to name everyone without hesitation. Of course rooting for the Angels, it was sad of course when they didn't win, loosing by one lousy point in the tenth inning. A guy four rows ahead of us caught a foul ball after it bounced off another guy's head. He then proceeded to get one of the security guards to sign it. The guy later was kicked out of the game at the end of the ninth inning.

For now I am going to take a little break in my story to take a nap, ha! Not because of the story but because I am friggin' tired. I didn't sleep well the whole trip and I am still catching up. If I nap now maybe Ketchup will too and that way he will actually be awake later when I'd like to be up and doing stuff. It's always nice when our schedules sync enough to function. Anyway, I will be back later, I promise (I have too much to say to give up now, hehe.)

Later!

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

The last post before vacation and it's number ninety-five. Nice, huh?

First off, on the top of my pretty little head is the topic of gossip. I am going through withdraws. Now I hear a little tiny bit somewhere and it's just like, "What!? When the hell did this happen?" This building used to be flowing with it, now it's just the occasional trickle. I feel so out of the loop with these people that I used to know more then anybody wanted or needed.

Li'l Mama is cozy-ing up to Sassy, and Tall... and Hairy, (a point of friction for Prissy of course) and I am so confused the steps that led us here. Your ex? Your ex's ex? Your "friend's" boyfriend? Is there something strange going on here? Weird MySpace comments all around I tell ya.

Went to Dollar Tree today and got a bunch of little snacks for the trip. Trail mix is yummy. I love any and all dollar stores, despite the fact that I bought three watches before one finally worked for longer then two minutes. I bought a spare for this reason.

Everyone just went over to the bar. Ketchup, Tall and Hairy just left after not much time here unless you include using our living room as a dining room for dinner. Would have been nice for an invite but whatever. We may end up over there if we get bored enough. I still have never been there even though it's next door. I hate feeling left out, if only I could get it through my thick skull that I do it to myself.

I hope Ketchup is coherent enough to get the hubby's demonstration tonight of the cat's feeding routine. I'll be pissed if he screws up. He's been proving more and more at work that he just doesn't care. He had better not take that attitude when it comes to my kids. I wouldn't with his and his are even the real kind, not the feline kind.

Okay, moving on, nervous about flying, yeah. My stomach has been in a knot all day, hell if I know why. It's not like I think we are going to crash or anything, it's just the whole experience of it that psychs me out a little.

So it's a lame post, I know. I had to write something today, as the grand goodbye or something, because after this my dear blog, you will be alone for a week. Do you think you can handle it? I hope you don't get too lonely. I will have bunches of lovely stories to tell if it makes you feel any better.

To everyone (besides my dear doppelganger who I shall be seeing in a few days) who may visit my blog, like you Uncle Chuck- if you still visit, I apologize for the lack of my glorious entertainment here in my wordy wonderland. This is post number ninety-five, if you get bored, read the achieves! I am not always this boring, I swear! Maybe I'll even include a few Disney inspired photographs when I return, you never know.

Finally, have fun this next week, I sure as hell intend to.

Flying High

One day and fifteen hours until take off.

Wow.

Butterflies.

"If the butterflies in my stomach were cows, I could start a dairy farm." A quote by Burt in the movie The Fastest Indian.

I am getting really excited and slightly apprehensive. I can't wait for being actually on vacation, we need it, badly. What I am not really looking forward to? My mom's best friend called me yesterday and she seems more worried then I am about interaction with my grandma. I am pretty much hoping to stay out of the house as much as possible to avoid friction. To make that situation worse? My mom so lovingly told me to consider it this way, "it could be the last time you see her." Morbid, I know, but really a rather familiar aspect to my family. For probably seven years my grandma kept telling me that our dog "won't be around forever." I was young but duh, we had one dog who had already passed away, I knew the drill. I didn't need the reminder every few days.

Now relating this concept to my grandma? She has been trying to divide her stuff up for probably the last ten years. She had to clean out my great aunt's house when she died and didn't want to put her family through that when her time came. She's one step away from having little post-it notes on everything saying who gets what. I don't want to consider this the last time I see her. I want to consider her the same grandma I have always seen her as. An old fashioned tough bitch who is worth being admired. I love her, I always will. I don't want to picture her as this elderly ailing woman that is going to be going before I am ready. Why does everyone want me to think that way? I am not denying the enviable, just trying not to dwell in that bad place. Is that wrong?

Okay, back to the excitement of vacation, it's a much better topic anyway. Flying is the first hurtle. I haven't in the air in nearly a decade. It should be an adventure. My uncle (the fun one) is picking us up from the airport, I can't wait to see him. Wednesday probably will entail a day at the beach and ending with a baseball game. Yay! Disneyland Thursday and Friday and to just add a cherry on top I just may meet my dear doppelganger in person. Just so you know, I am going to want a picture of us together. Saturday is reserved for my mom's best friend and I am sure the family will have something planned for Sunday.

Monday means back home, hopefully it will all be in one piece. Who knows with just the cats and Ketchup here. The hubby won't be heading back to work until next Wednesday, let's hope he hasn't forgotten how to cook by then, hehe.

As for tonight and tomorrow? Laundry and finish packing, drinking and smoking enough weed to maybe get the perma-high to last our whole week without. Sounds like a good plan doesn't it?

I'll try and get another post in tomorrow, especially since I won't be updating this little beauty for a week.

Love ya blog!

Weighing the Issues

So I am not sure how it happened, but my skinny pants fit. All of them. Even the one or two I have that I would go through the high school effort of laying down on the bed just to button the button and never wanted to wear if the occasion came to sit.

My bigger pants? Where they once hung on my hips without (much of) a problem, now end up falling even in just the short trek from one end of the apartment to the other, at least without the aid of a belt or just holding them up the whole damn way.

Unfortunately I think I have Ketchup to thank for this. My eating habits have gone even more to shit since he joined us in our humble abode. I start the day out with a cereal bars or granola bar... and end with a halfway balanced dinner and a lot of alcohol, nothing but water and soda in between. I'm doing it to myself, I really can't blame him. I just don't feel like eating. Which is why I finally added the cereal bars and granola bars, just so SOMETHING was in my stomach.

I wish it was a good thing, the not wanting to eat I mean. I just end up feeling like shit and I know that's not healthy and a sure way point myself in the right direction for diabetes. Part of it is lack of drive to not only cook (or prepare as the case my be) but to actually eat, the other part is I am horribly neurotic about my teeth. I get a slight gum ache and I have dreams of my teeth falling out.

Yeah, I know, silly. It started when I was twenty and finally got my first cavities (at the fault of my orthodontist for leaving my braces on for six years, three years longer then needed) and only increased ten fold when I chipped a tooth two years ago. Not having been able to afford dental the past few years work is probably part of the reason for my concern as well. The hubby tells me not to worry about it. It's kind of like telling me not to breathe for a little while, it just doesn't work out as well as one would hope.

Okay, so back to my skinny pants. I have no clue how much I weigh. Two months ago it was like 248 but since I don't own a scale I won't know again probably until my next depo shot appointment in July. (I just renewed my ID and lied about it, is that bad?) I can't really say I care about the number much, it's the way I feel in clothes and within my own skin and most importantly my health. I know I can be a perfectly healthy big girl, but not with my eating habits and certainly not with cigarettes in the mix.

Alas, I am weak and severely lacking in will power. I'm not making any new years resolutions but that's only because I don't want to set myself up to fail just yet, I'll wait until I like my chances a little better. (And yes, I know that sounds like a horrible excuse and a stall tactic.)

Anyway, the hubby still isn't home yet (he works at a 24 hour restaurant and it's graduation season, you do the math) so I am going to go fix myself a drink and enjoy our free preview of the movie channels.

Later 'gator!

Questions With An Answer

I only do a survey like this every six months or so, so enjoy it!

~

Are you a girly girl?
I prefer the company of guys, but I like being the girl in the group.

Last person you hugged?
My Hubby, or maybe one of the cats.

Small or big purses?
I used to rarely ever carry a purse but now that I do, it was a little one and now a big one, both hand made by yours truly. I just have too much crap to carry around now!

Did you dress up on Halloween?
Not typically. It's my favorite holiday but I end up decorating the apartment, not myself.

Where is the weirdest place you have slept?
Um... can't say there have been too many weird places. Car? Plane? Train?

Last person you hung out with?
My hubby! (Ketchup worked last night.)

Do you call anybody by their last name?
I did in high school, I knew several people in JROTC.

Do you wear makeup?
When the mood strikes me, or when visiting grandma.

Ever cried at a movie theater?
Probably. It wasn't until the past few years that I found myself tearing up at movies and television.

Can you put on mascara without opening your mouth?
Come to think of it... no.

Have you ever been called a bad influence?
Not to my face, ha!

THIS OR THAT:

Eyeliner or Mascara?
A tiny bit of both.

American Eagle or Hollister?
Ugh. The only brand names I own cost a dollar from a thrift store.

Heels or flats?
Flats, cheap imitation Crocs or flip flops.

Skirts or jeans?
Jeans, I am still discovering my inner girly girl.

Hoodies or jackets?
Hoodies, of course. I have a big cozy gray one that I just love.

Heels or sneakers?
Sneakers, I don't have the balance or tolerance for heels. Didn't we just answer this question?

Straight or curly Hair?
Straight with half hearted dreams of being curly resulting in it always looking like I just took a pony tail down. (You know that tell tale line left behind, I'm not alone here.)

Are you currently frustrated with a guy?
Always, ha! I love them all anyway though.

Do you like your life?
I can see a few points along the edges that can use some work, but in general, it's a good life.

Have you ever jumped in the pool with your clothes on?
The last few times I went swimming it was in shorts and a t-shirt, does that count?

Have you ever NOT been able to get someone off of your mind?
Yep, both in good ways and in bad. I tend to obsess.

IN A BOY:

Cowboy or Gangster?
Cowboy, without the mullet and tight jeans, ha!

Preppy or Punk/Goth?
Punk/Goth, without the emo, hehe.

Well-educated or Dropout?
Considering my hubby's qualifications here, a well-educated dropout. He dropped out of high school due to the bull surrounding it but quickly received his GED. This guy loves to learn, reads just for the hell of it and is a holder for some of the most obscure information you can think of. He's one of the smartest people I know!

Contacts or Glasses?
Glasses, my hubby looks weird without them.

Funny or Serious?
Serious when need be, but I couldn't imagine life without laughter.

Romantic or Daredevil?
Romantic, I don't need a daredevil to worry about on top of everything else.

Good Dancer or Good Singer?
Singer, but it's always nice to see a boy bust out doing the macarana every once in a while.

Smoker or Non-smoker?
Ha! What we smokin'? Weed is about it. I wouldn't want a guy who smokes cigarettes, it would make it harder for me to quit when I finally work up the gumption.

Who do you like?
I like people who like me.

When was the last time you talked to your number 1?
Hmm... my birthday party over a week ago. Damn Tall.

Have you ever kissed anyone who's name started with a J, K, P, or T?
Two outta three.

Do you prefer warm or cold weather?
Cold, hands down. Snow! Rain! You can always do something about being cold, another layer, another blanket. When your hot? There is only so many layers you can take off and only so high you can turn up the fans. Plus, the heat brings out the bugs. No thank you.

What do you currently hear right now?
King of the Hill on the television, a couple of fans going and some workers replacing the roof on the house next door, finally.

Where will you be in an hour?
Right here, doing the same thing probably. The hubby and Ketchup are off cashing their checks and buying... some... green stuff.

Where is your cell phone?
Since I share it with the hubby it's with him. With AIM I get my own little five digit code that I can text with so we haven't needed to get a second phone yet.

What time did you go to sleep last night?
Around two, a little early actually but the hubby had to get up early to cash his check this morning.

What/who woke you up today?
The hubby, he wasn't feeling well and couldn't sleep anymore because of a headache. I feel for him, I really do, but I plan on reminding him of this next time I wake up before him and he doesn't want to wake up.

When was the last time someone yelled at you?
Not too sure... I'm pretty sure some of the MySpace messages I have received lately could be considered yelling.

When was the last time you talked to one of your best friends?
He walked out the door a little while ago to go cash his paycheck.

Have you done anything you regret in 2008 so far?
Um... not yet I am pretty sure, give it time though, it's only June.

Where is your best friend?
The main one is at the bank, another in California. :o)

Who was the last person to make you laugh?
The hubby, he's just a quick witted fella.

Anything annoying you right now?
Probably. Give me some time and I'll come up with a list.

Worrisome Wanda

Can you believe it? We passed DEQ! Our piece of crap, duct tape covered car is now registered for another two years. Hallelujah. Hopefully by the next time we have to go through all this we will have sold it to some dim witted buyer who likes the appearance of dents.

It's one less thing to worry about while we are on vacation, bless Hairy for making it happen.

To make things even better, I just paid the gas and electric so we don't have another bill to worry about until a week after we get back. Yay! I'm pretty dang happy about it.

So! Onto other matters.

Ketchup is ticking me off more and more. This guy... like doesn't GET anything. For example, last night, he was all shocked when some guy had some hacking cough fit on XBox Live. The hubby pointed out quite earnestly that Ketchup himself sounds way worse then that. Ketchup was like "really?" Yes really! The hubby went on to tell him that he wakes us up every morning with the "lighter flick, pause, horrible hacking cough." Hmm. Wanna guess how I woke up this morning? Ugh. I don't even get what he is still smoking. He burned up all his weed several days ago (funny considering he actually bought 50% more then last time and that lasted him just fine, I knew it wasn't all in my head about him smoking more.) So all he is smoking now is the yucky stuff built up in his pipe. I will tell you now that if I found out he was scraping our pieces I would be pissed. That's how all our pieces break dammit.

So after the hacking cough I got up and took a shower and after I got out and sat down, literally as I was reaching for the XBox controller to turn it on, Ketchup beats me to the punch and starts a four hour session of Call of Duty 4. Gee... don't worry. I didn't want to play or anything. I mean... it's not like it's MINE. Oh wait! It is! Ha! Getting tired of his lack of awareness and even worse timing. He didn't work yesterday, and he didn't even try to play. He works tonight and he decides to play four hours of video games and not sleep whatsoever before an eight hour graveyard shift. Which means he will have gotten a few energy drinks. Which means he will be up playing a marathon of video games in the morning. Which means he again won't get any sleep for another eight hour shift.

Dude. I sacrifice my schedule and my home for this guy and it's like he can't even be bothered to do things for himself let alone anyone else. I can't tell you how glad I am about getting away for a week. I wish I didn't have to worry about him home alone in our apartment though. (Not that I am full on concerned, just worried as to where neglect will get us in the long run. Like how many dishes will I be left with and if the landlord is going to figure out he is here, stuff like that.)

Three final notes: The show M*A*S*H makes me happy. I don't know why. And second, look up Barenaked Ladies newest CD entitled Snacktime. (On their MySpace you can hear several of the songs and maybe download a couple.) There are some awesome tracks on this new album geared for kids. I love it! And three? Four days, twelve hours, fifty six minutes until take off.

Okay, love ya!

The Downside to Being Tall

Ha! Sassy found out Tall is "seeing" someone else, and threw a hissy fit. She posted a blog on her MySpace ranting about wanting to curb kick the bitch and that she's not even attractive and he only left her for some different ass. Two years of her life down the drain. Ha! I literally laughed out loud.

It wasn't two years, it was a year and a half with several intermissions in the last six months. She is the one who left him. She is the one who slept with someone else first and I think she has even moved on to yet another guy. (I wish parents would teach their girls more self respect then that. It's sad, sex is not something casual and shouldn't be treated as such.) So Tall found a girl who for the moment is on the same page as him as to what they want. So? Sassy already moved on, why is she throwing such a public fit?

The best part of the whole MySpace blog was the comment to it. From none other then Li'L Mama! Tall's other ex! Ha! Just something snooty like "Already? I smell a pattern." They are going to start a club or something, I just know it.

~

Sidetracked... just this minute I got a notification that I had a picture comment on MySpace. (I have MySpace IM running in the background on my computer and it has all these nifty notifications.) Okay, a little bit of a surprise but whatever. I open it and care to fashion a guess as to who it was from? Li'l Mama. (Doppelganger- I don't know if her MySpace is private again or not but that's her!) She posted "<3" on our default picture. Um... color me confused. Wasn't it her who just the other day insulted each and every person who has a couple's MySpace page, something that just had to be a dig at both me and Hairy's roommate? Wasn't it "fucking stupid" and "gay"? Ketchup just asked if she was bipolar. Considering the hubby's mom is bipolar I try not to throw the accusation around loosly but you know... it might just explain that girl.

~

Back to Tall, I hope the bastard visits soon. My hubby doesn't get it, he texts Tall every couple days and half the time forgets to tell me about it so I just feel neglected, heh. Oh well, gotta live life, right?

All Typed Out

Alas, no true inspiration sprang upon me for a juicy post, even though I had a prime opportunity. Birthday dinner with my mom. Two eight dollar margaritas and a personal pot of fondue later and I am quite full, and without the signs of verbal battle. Not too shabby.

As much as people think it's strange that my mom and I don't talk or see each other as much as we "should," I think we actually have developed a better relationship because of it. She doesn't end up yelling at me about pointless things (as much, she still rode my ass about writing grandma a thank you note) and I don't end up crying in the middle of dinner and wishing I was home with my faithful hubby and bong. All in all, that's progress.

We came home from dinner to find Ketchup had invited a friend from work over. I don't mind the guy, that's not the issue, the issue is this is the second time he has invited him over to our house without really informing us of it first. Come now Ketchup, this isn't rocket science, it's common courtesy. Can you believe we actually had to ask the guy to stop taking out the garbage because we are trying to hide him from the landlord? And then he went on to take out the garbage just hours after. Oh Ketchup. Please. I can't win.

Tomorrow marks a week until we leave, and as I told my dear doppelganger earlier, I feel the butterflies a brewing. I don't know if we are going to have enough money to thoroughly enjoy ourselves, and even if we did, I don't know how to stop myself from worrying about the bills back home as we hand over each and every little valuable dollar. God I hate being cheap sometimes. We've been broker (is that even a word?) then this before and with that ever appealing kicker check on it's way I really have no reason to panic.

"Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum." From the song Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Lurhmann.

Believe me, I get the analogy, I just can't seem to apply it to every day life. As my hubby always says (and it typically proves true) everything will work out. I get it, I even believe it. It just doesn't always make me feel better in the moment though.

Back to fun in the sun. Tomorrow we go pick up a suitcase we are borrowing from the hubby's mom. It's been so long since I have packed for anything and I have always had an issue with over packing. This creates a lovely mixture that is sure to cause one problem or another. Tomorrow I hope to also make another trip to the thrift store. The hubby needs some shorts for the trip and I am always open to buying new clothes on dollar tag day.

The hubby, Ketchup and Hairy were working on the car a good chunk of the day. At times, we are damn lucky that Hairy is going to school for auto repair. After a few minor fixes and checks (including pulling out the computer and running a brief diagnostic, hehe, who knew cars had brains) we pretty much narrowed it down. The oxygen sensor is shot. It was supposed to come up with some reading on the multimeter and it came up with squat. So the car is running better now, but probably still won't pass DEQ. Next step, replace the oxygen sensor and try again. I am crossing my fingers and toes on that one.

While they did that, I spent the day talking to people. First with an ex coworker of the hubby's. This gal is great. Second was an old friend from high school (grade school really) who sent me a message out of nowhere. He's doing great, a couple of other old friends that he still hangs out with are doing great. To make things better? He has XBox Live! Another video game buddy! And then I talked to my lovely doppelganger, making plans for a possible vacation get-together. A big yay. And then another out of nowhere person sent us a MySpace message, an old neighbor, one of the "frat boys," actually a boy Li'l Mama went to high school with (however he actually went on to graduate.) It was this weird message, something about disappearing without a trace on the fifth night of the full moon. Yeah, it didn't make any sense to me either. The hubby and I responded with (being light hearted, no reason not to be, he moved away, nothing more then that being the reason we haven't spoken in nearly a year) "are you hitting on me?" His response was another bit of mindless babble and something about disappearing. We responded, "will you be there?" And given... this is a kid, nineteen year old dumb kid, and he responded crudely with something along the lines of "only if your wife's fat ass is there." Um... what the hell? Where did that come from? So yeah... I spent the day talking, all the while expecting a response that never came from Sassy.

Oh! I just remembered! Li'l Mama out of nowhere posted a bulletin on MySpace, something she doesn't do very often. The whole point? To say that couples who share a MySpace page are (and to quote her mature choice of words) "fucking stupid" and "gay." Nice. Not only is that an insult towards me and the hubby, but Hairy's new roommate as well, someone she claims to be friends with. Ha! From what Hairy says, she is just pissing people off right and left. Sometimes I am glad that our friendship has since fizzled. The problem? She lives twenty feet away. Yay.

Drama! Oh my goodness, the drama lurking within the MySpace pages!

Okay... I gotta go now. I think the hubby feels neglected, he has channel surfed through every channel at least twice and he keeps asking "how are you doing over there?" Hehe, I love my hubby.

You Know...

My dear, I just realized...

I am going to miss you while I am on vacation...

but at the same time, I'll be closer then I've ever been.

Huh... the things you think of after a few drinks on an empty stomach.

Yay corndogs!

Love ya!

Banging My Head Against the Wall

Sassy.

Hmph.

First off, I deleted the girly blog. It's original intension was to help Sassy cope with a relationship going south, but since that relationship is now dead and buried, there's very little reason to continue. I still have the account, I probably end up turning it into something eventually, who knows.

At my birthday party, a drunken Tall told me something interesting. You know all those times that Sassy came crying and whining to me for advice? Even with me saying as many times as I possibly could that I wasn't telling her what to do, just what I would do in that situation, she would go and bitch to Tall after words that I was telling her what to do. (Well, gee, I'm sorry, if you'd rather listen to Tall's mom who tells you things like it was your fault that Tall cheated on you, by all means go for it.)

I hate nineteen year old girls.

I had this same problem with Li'l Mama and Prissy. At nineteen, girls think that anyone saying anything to them is trying to be their parent. They friggin' came to me dammit! Grr.

Sassy finally contacted us. She left a comment on our MySpace for my birthday. After a month and a half it was "hope your birthday party is great, wish I could have been there." Um... because she hadn't bothered to contact us, the only reason she knew about the party was because she continuously was calling Tall during it. Wish she could have been here? Pfft. On impulse and the hubby's suggestion, I deleted the comment.

Yesterday on that oh so informative forum of MySpace bulletins (insert sarcasm here) Sassy did one of her legendary posts in the quest to piss someone off. Not Tall this time, can you guess who it was? ME! A nice little rant about immature people who were once friends and delete well meaning comments and kick people while they are down all tied up with a lovely bow at the end with a "fuck you."

I couldn't help it, I responded. Doing my best to raise the bar of maturity (not one swear word buddy!) and simply stated that considering the lack of communication over the past month and a half, that we had assumed she moved on with her life, blah blah blah, basically that if she had wanted to continue to be friends with us, she would have.

By the way, to kick someone while they are down, don't they have to be down first?

I just got a response a little while ago saying a bunch of self serving bitching. She doesn't know if we really like her or were just putting up with her. (One, that means she doesn't know us very well, and two, never bothered to figure it out?) She was giving us space. (Us? Space? Why?) It was apparent after she and Derek broke up that this is the way it was going to be. (What is she talking about?) There's a fine line. (Again, what?) And we should have contacted HER because SHE was the one going through a hard time. (Because we called her all the time before, right? Not. Wouldn't she be the one who needed space?) She was going to marry Tall. (Heh, no she wasn't, the whole marriage topic was the final nail in the coffin for them.) She misses us, but apparently that doesn't matter either. (We didn't go anywhere, she's the one who moved.)

In a way I was just reminded of Poor Me, Our Bum's girlfriend. This whole letter was a dig for pity which I am just not willing to feed into.

Again I responded. I told her that giving us space was a cop out. She was the one going through a hard time. She was the one who drew that "fine line" that she was too afraid to cross. She was the one who assumed that we were only Tall's friends. I told her that if she didn't want to be friends with us, that's fine, but not to blame us. We've always been here supporting and loving her. She had made the excuse that Tall was probably always here. I told her that wasn't even close to being true, however we had received calls, texts and messages that all let us know that he continued to want to be friends with us. Something she has only done the opposite of and instead we had just been waiting in the dark for someone we had thought was a friend to never contact us. We've always been here, nothing about that has changed.

I am not going to let her turn it around on me. I have cared about this girl for a year and a half now and while I may never have become friends with her without the aid of Tall, I hadn't assumed until well after their break up that our friendship would end because of it. Tall may of course be the better friend between the two, but I have never seen the need to blow someone off just because someone else didn't like them anymore. Plus, I know Tall would never ask me to do so, something I am not too sure would be the same if it were the other way around and Sassy were the one I were closer friends with. (I guess it helps that I have been through this with Tall before, with Li'l Mama, again a situation where Tall turned out to be the better friend. I wonder if the consistency is Tall, or the nineteen year old girls.)

The words in her letters are either a clear sign of her pettiness and desire to try and hurt us (more likely me, she obviously directing it to me, even asked how I would feel if the hubby and I broke up) or proof that she really didn't know us that well after all. Either way it makes me sad, another female friend I just couldn't keep. It's times like this I wish there weren't nearly a thousand miles between us my dear doppelganger. I love the fact that you are not nineteen.

I hate nineteen year old girls.

A Year Older

First of all, I had a pretty good birthday.

Our little punk rocker friend was the first to arrive, followed by Tall, followed by Hairy and Prissy, followed by Ketchup and then followed by a friend of the hubby's from work. A couple friends of Tall's were supposed to come, we'll call them the Mooch and the Mooch's girlfriend. They never showed, which basically ruined Tall's plans. He had wanted to go over to the bar next door and play pool, at the same time, he was the one who invited the Mooch and his girlfriend, well the girlfriend isn't of legal drinking age yet. Don't know if Tall thought that one through very well.

We didn't go to the bar, but who needs to spend a fortune when we had a decent amount of alcohol at home? Between me, the hubby, our little punk rocker friend and one drink to Prissy, we polished off a bottle of tequila (margarita style) in no time flat. (Everyone else brought their own alcohol.) Drunkards with access to thirty plus balloons can be hilarious. I'm really going to try and remember to upload some pictures to MySpace here soon.

I wasn't expecting gifts. I really wasn't. (My family has been pretty decent, money, money and more money for our vacation. That and one of my uncles sent me flowers, um, yay I guess.) Our little punk rocker friend got me a card, a tin welcome sign and a tin mug that says "Good food, good friends, good times." Tall got me a bottle of Three Olives vodka, his first alcoholic gift, he was so proud. And Tall and Prissy got me a picture box that had some fabric, thread, ribbon and an awesome (like so awesome I wouldn't have bought it for myself) pair of fabric scissors. The hubby got me just what I asked for, a strand of lights with little paper lanterns on each bulb. I have a thing for novelty lighting, heh, if you only knew.

Our trip to California is quickly creeping up. Ten and a half days. I'm getting nervous, I always get nervous before I travel. I don't think I handle being out of my comfort zone very well. Even the hubby can't wait for Disneyland, a believer once we step foot inside the park several years back. As I said before, we plan on going to the House of Blues one of the days we are at Disneyland. I just checked the website again for the days we are going to be there and while the Friday show of some Latin guy I have never heard of is $42.50-$47.50 a ticket, the Thursday night show is a punk battle of the bands at only $10 a pop, so that just may be doable. Our little punk rocker friend would be so proud if we attended, I should ask him if he recognizes any of the bands. (I'm looking them up on MySpace as we speak.) Pretty good considering we were just planning on having lunch there. Given my picky tastes, I wonder if I can even find something on the menu.

As far as my phone call with grandma? She's probably decided to ignore it my now. My mom did call her like she said she would and while I was hoping for this grand story of their throw down all my mom told me was that they argued and that she had been drinking. That much I could have guessed. Now I'm supposed to send my grandma a thank you note. Not for her comments but for her financial contribution to our trip. Great. I asked if anyone but my aunt actually sent thank you cards in my family. My mom said it didn't matter, this was us and this was what we were going to do. I should have asked her when the last time she sent a thank you card was. Betcha it's been a long damn time. Ah the joys of the double standard. I wonder if there will ever be a day when I just say "fuck them all" or if I will just deal with it until the end of time because it's family and that's what you do.

And Finally, my dear doppelganger, instead of leaving a dozen comments I figure I will just respond to you here, being the lovely loyal reader that I know you are. First off, thank you for the cake, it was delicious! Second, I'll read anything you want me to read hun, emails, books, even receipts. :o) Also, through your words, I'd pretty much assume Senator is a decent guy. Please try not to let what anyone else thinks become an issue. Whether he is the one or not, you should at least enjoy yourself figuring it out. People are petty, there is always someone to object to anything and everything. The only thing that matters between you and him, is you and him. It's great to be close to someone, take it slow and don't let the little outside things matter. Talk, always talk. By the way, you are pretty so believe it. Don't be terrified, be exhilarated. It's new, it's good and there is no pressure for it to be anything more then you want it to be. No matter what happens, be happy. You deserve it.

Margaritaville

Ha, and I thought I wouldn't get to post to day, I should have realized the hubby wouldn't want to wake up at my insistent prodding.

Yesterday I got my licence renewed and believe it or not it was the easiest trip through the DMV I have ever had. We picked a number and that number was called. I was shocked.

Also yesterday, our car failed DEQ. Hmm, really sucks. We have almost until the end of the month to try to make it pass before we have to get a trip permit. That goodness for Hairy going to school to learn about cars.

We went to the grocery store yesterday and it turned into a scary flash back to high school. First we saw this one girl, a slutty little thing from high school that I could never admit to actually liking. Imagine my surprise when I saw her pushing around her fourth kid in the shopping cart. Fourth. Twenty-four and it's her fourth. Some people should be sterilized. Second we saw another girl, someone who I was actually really close friends with until I got tired of being screwed over. I didn't see her at first, I noticed her mom long before I noticed her. I turned to tell the hubby who I had seen and took notice of the look spread across his face. I gave another gander and realized who had walked right past me and the chick was repeatedly giving me backward glances. I'm going to assume she misses me, it didn't end well. I can't believe how big her kid has gotten. Third we saw yet another girl from the high school glory days. This third girl was immature beyond belief (thought she actually had a chance to marry one of the guys from 'NSYNC) and took some weird pleasure in hitting oh my hubby (then boyfriend) but then again she wasn't the only one. All in all? I felt like running from that grocery store. Friggin' haunted I tell ya.

Tonight is our margarita celebration, so far it looks like it's going to be me, the hubby, Ketchup, Tall and Hairy. Our little punk rocker friend might also stop by, as well as a guy the hubby and Ketchup work with. Any way you look at it, I need more female friends, ha! It's raining today so our barbeque will be inside on the electric grill, which is fine really, I wasn't really looking forward to hauling all the supplies down the stairs into the parking lot.

So hey, rent finally went up, a fifty-five dollar increase for this dump. This whole thing was supposed to make this place more official for when the landlord passes it on to someone else to take over. That may have been the original goal but he's doing some screwy stuff so I am not sure how it's supposed to be accomplished. The landlord wants to charge five dollars a day for guests. That a hundred and fifty dollars a month. I will tell you right now that Ketchup doesn't use a hundred and fifty bucks a month worth of water so what the hell is the money for? To make it just that much more official, he will bring it down to two dollars a day if the guest is willing to do janitorial work around the building. He wants to charge by either the couple or the individual and really it doesn't make any sense.

Basically according to these new rules, we should be paying seven hundred dollars a month for an apartment less then four hundred square feet and a laundry list of problems. Using the same logic, Hairy should be paying eight hundred to nine-fifty for his apartment. No where in this town are these prices worth it. With all this logic, suppose the landlord will charge Li'l Mama for her boyfriend or even the kid? Probably not. How about Prissy's dog? Gonna charge for that?

The landlord claims that all the increases are to compensate the rising costs of garbage and water, blah blah blah. I would even believe it if it weren't for the fact that random people use our dumpster all the time because the landlord never bothered to fix the lock. I'm not paying for stranger's garbage to be picked up. I'm also not paying extra for unreliable hot water and water pressure, problems that have only gotten worse, not better. At this point the landlord kind of guesses that Ketchup is staying here. I don't plan on confirming it because I certainly don't plan on paying for it. I wonder if the landlord knows that his residents are looking for better options elsewhere. I wonder if the landlord knows how easily they will find it.

We used one of those online calculators to figure out how much our kicker check should be. Honestly, if we seriously get a check for that amount, it just may renew my faith somewhat in the American government. If that check is what that website says it is? We will once again financially be in a place to move. I don't know if we will be able to upgrade to exactly what we want (due to the monthly requirements) but we can sure as hell find better then this. I'm too skeptical to set my heart on it though, it seems so far fetched and I certainly don't want to be let down.

So yeah, I've mentioned the issues we were having with our car insurance. Yesterday we fixed them. We have officially left Farmers, I will miss my agent but I won't miss the bill. (Our agent is such a cool guy, he said we can still call him for advice or whatnot whenever we want. Plus he is giving us some forty-five year old sourdough starter. Awesome!) With the new company we found, it's literally half price. No kidding. Extremely easy and painless. If only everything can be that way.

Anyway, time for me to go and get ready. The hubby's mom is taking us out to eat (probably Subway, one of my personal favorites) and then we have some grocery shopping to finish up before tonight.

Am I busy? Sure feels like it, heh.

Gone South

I wasn't in that bad of a mood today. Took a nap, got started on some chores (despite the sleeping Ketchup) and then the phone rang.

The best way to put it: I was kicked in the groin by Doris Roberts' evil twin.

My grandma decided to call after one too many martinis (which it was probably my mistake to answer the phone to her after five) and let me know just how bad of a daughter I was and I was ripping the family apart because I hadn't called my mom recently. She went on and on about how my mom thinks I don't want to talk to her and my aunt has such a good relationship with her kids, she just doesn't understand how my mom and I don't get along. Apparently I should feel bad about the fact that my mom basically ran away almost thirty years ago and rebelled and my grandma can just see it happening again. What the fucking hell? The only thing I shot back at her was that my mom hasn't called me either. No matter though, the way she responded, it wouldn't have mattered what I said.

Choked up to say the least, I let her say whatever she wanted to say. After obliviously changing the subject a few times she realized she had upset me. Oh, no, she didn't mean to do that, just to let me know I am letting the family down.

Within minutes of hanging up, I called my mom. No answer. I called again. Still no answer. Texted the hubby, saying I wished he was home. Called my mom again, finally she was there. I couldn't even get through the first sentence of what my grandma had said before breaking into tears.

My mom couldn't believe it. She claimed to have never said anything like that to grandma, she knew better then that. She was pissed and apologized repeatedly for her saying it was the martinis and she was in a "mood" because my aunt and one of my uncle's are making her do a will.

Does that really give her the right to take it out on me? I asked my mom if she was sure she hadn't said anything to grandma, she said she was sure. I asked her if there was something that wrong between us that she would come to me, she said of course.

My mom said she was going to call my grandma and got off the phone. I haven't heard from her since.

Time for me to drink.

I hope the hubby comes home soon.

Short and Sweet

(Just like me, ha!)

I need to vacuum today, seriously. And do the dishes too. Most likely I'll come up with a half dozen other things I need to do as well.

Ketchup will be in my way all day.

Yay.

It's the hubby's Friday, followed by a four day weekend. I'll give a real "Yay" to this one.

Among other things: Dollar Tree on Monday. Thrift stores on Tuesday. Barbeque (probably indoor and electric given the prospective weather) and margaritas on Wednesday. I'll officially be twenty-six on Thursday.

Sixteen days until we leave for California! Disneyland here we come!

I'm not really the type to check my horoscope, let alone believe in it, so why did I take a peek this morning? Tuesday is supposed to be a good day for me, "like a breath of fresh air." The eighteenth through the twentieth (right in the middle of our vacation) is supposed to be bad, "boiling waters." What struck me though was this:

Keep in Mind This Month: Give yourself plenty of chances to experiment with different attitudes and approaches instead of waiting for the one "'right"' way to appear.

Why does it have to sound so true?