Oy to the world!

She lives!

2004-10-07T05:41:11Z

Yes, it's true. I am still alive ... just extremely busy with my new job.

I don't have much time to post right now, but here are the basics:

1. I've been in Arizona just over 4 months and I'm still happy about the move.
2. The foundation of my house has been poured, and the lumber for the framing just showed up today!
3. My new job is good, but I have a bunch of retarded drama-queens (and kings) working for me.
4. I often work 18 hour shifts at my new job (and don't get any overtime pay).
5. I'm dating a really cute guy named Kirk.

and finally ...

6. I miss everyone very much! I'm sorry I've been MIA lately. If work ever calms down, I promise to catch up on reading, responding, and writing.

Cheers!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ...

2004-05-24T21:14:11Z

The Good
After 4 very difficult interviews, I got the job in Arizona that I really wanted. Thank you to everyone who said prayers, crossed fingers and toes, sent well wishes and luck, etc. I do appreciate it.

My job starts on June 7th, and I'll be making more money than I make now, which is VERY unexpected. Given that the cost of living is lower in Arizona, I expected to take a cut in pay. I must say, I am rather pleased with the situation.

I guess I'm still a little worried since I don't have a written offer yet. I accepted a verbal offer which included salary, but until I sign something, my stomach will stay in knots.

Also, it looks as though the lot I've been waiting for will open tomorrow, which means I could very well be in my new house by Christmas. That would be so very exciting!

The Bad
After a month of waiting, I finally brought my new Labrador home. She's a two year old sweetheart who looks almost identical to Tess, just a little bit longer, thicker hair. She and Tess immediately took to each other, and Lola got used to her after one night. So what's the problem?

On Saturday, I decided to do some "test runs" to see what would take place when I left. So I would leave the yard and go hide around the corner. Every time I did this, Sydney (new dog) would climb the five foot wall with ease, and end up in the driveway, just a few feet from the street. This, of course, is a problem. This is how dogs get hit by cars. So I was forced to leave the dogs inside anytime I left over the weekend, and much chewing on bad things took place.

My house is much too small for big dogs to stay in all day, so I have been sick with stress and guilt for about 48 hours. I can't eat or sleep, and finally had to make the decision to relinquish her back to the Lab Rescue group. I will be dropping her off in about an hour, and the tears won't stop.

The only thing that is helping is that there is a lady with a big house and a big yard (with very tall fencing) who is going to see her tonight and hopefully take her home. *crosses fingers*

After this short experience, I've pretty much gotten over my desire to get another dog while Tess is still alive. Aside from her medical problems, she really is a perfect dog, and I don't need to bring another dog into the mix. Tess is perfectly happy hanging out in the yard alone, as long as I come home at night to let her snuggle with me and Lola.

Well, this is ... unexpected!

2004-02-03T23:08:00Z

So, I spent the weekend in Arizona visiting my sister. My mom ended up going with me, since she and my dad have decided to move out there, and she wanted to look at more model homes.

We spent the entire day Saturday walking around empty lots and looking at houses. I thought they were nice, and was excited to help my mom find the right house for her.

Well, when I walked into about the 30th house, I fell immediately in love. Finding a house for myself was the last thing on my mind, but ... I am going to eat my words of "I'll NEVER leave the beach." Yes, that's right. I'm moving to Arizona. I HATE being hot, so air conditioning is going to become my very best friend!

I will be purchasing a four bedroom house on a golf course, and my mortgage payment will be the same as I'm paying in rent for a studio right now. I have a job lined up (I will be taking over my sister's accounting job when she has her baby later in the year), and I am stoked. It will be a few months until I go, but I'm already decorating my house (in my head). Good times.

While I was looking forward to having some distance from my mom, I truly feel like this is going to be great for me. Not only will I be getting an amazing house (that isn't even built yet), but I'll be getting a fresh start all around. A new pool of men is going to be great! In the words of someone crazy on Starting Over, it's time to go from "surviving to thriving."

I will miss the beach terribly, but I think it will make surfing much more special when I do make trips back to the beach.

pearliegirlie @ 2004-01-29T15:33:00

2004-01-29T23:42:35Z

As always, there's something physically wrong with me. This time it's my back (I've had a bad back for years). I tweaked it really badly a few weeks ago, so I've been spending my non-working hours in bed, heavily drugged. I've almost completely weened myself off of the medications though, so I'm happy about that. I've just started walking for exercise again, which is mostly helpful for me emotionally. Yay.

Of course, as soon as I hurt my back, things really picked up at work, and I've barely had a moment to catch my breath during working hours. Today is slower, and tomorrow will be very slow, but things will pick back up on Monday.

I'm driving to Arizona tomorrow for the weekend, so I should be able to relax a bit before Monday rolls around. Tess loves being in the car, so a six hour drive should make her happy.

Sorry this is such a boring post, but hanging out in bed does not make for much interesting conversation (unless I had been haning out in bed with a hot guy!).

Gag me. Seriously.

2004-01-07T22:28:48Z

For any of you Starting Over followers ...

I won't try to hide the fact that I can't stand PJ. Everything about her irks me. But now this! Do you know what PJ stands for?

Princess Jennifer

I'm not joking.

This is a long one ...

2003-12-29T23:29:52Z

The Fight
On Christmas Eve, I went with my parents and my brother and sister to see Return of the King. I had already seen it, but was more than happy to see it again. On the way home, my dad said, "You know, I didn't realize until the very end that Frodo and Sam were hobbits." What the what? How could he not know that? He blamed it on the fact that he slept through the first two movies. Heh. My mom invited me and my siblings to stay for dinner since she had some really good stroganoff in the fridge.

So, I put one spoonfull of rice on my plate and my mom says, "Don't forget there's tomorrow, too." This translates into, "You shouldn't be eating rice, fatty. Especially since tomorrow's Christmas and there will be more food." So, I put the rice back in the dish, washed my plate, and walked out of the kitchen. My mom and I have VERY deep issues when it comes to my weight. She is constantly on my back about how much I weigh, etc. (She's the same way with my dad, who is not big at all). So my mom and I got in a huge fight, because I HURT HER FEELINGS. What the frell?

Anyway, there was yelling, crying, etc., and for the millionth time, I told her I didn't want her to EVER say anything again about what I was eating, or how much I exercise, or anything to do with my weight. I am the only one out of ten kids whom she harps on. Yes, I am the only one who can gain weight, but that is no excuse. And I am currently wearing a size 6, so she can shut the frell up. Seriously. Anyway, things settled down, and a couple of hours later, when I was leaving, she said, "I hope I didn't ruin your night." I told her she didn't at all, and that I hoped I didn't ruin her Christmas spirit. She replied, "Oh, it'll come back." Bitch!

Heh. My sister made the funniest comment to me the next morning. She said, "You know how anorexics look in the mirror and see themselves as fat, no matter how skinny they are? Well, that's kind of how mom is, except that when she looks in the mirror, she sees you and dad as fat, no matter how skinny you are." A ha ha ha!

Christmas
In our family, we have a pretty cool Christmas tradition as far as gifts go. We each put money toward a chosen charity for the year (rather than spending the money on a bunch of gifts for everyone), and then buy one generic 40 dollar-ish gift that everyone would like. We then play a white-elephant type of gift exchange game where gifts can be stolen, etc. I drew number one, which meant I had first pick of the gifts, as well as the final pick at the end of the game. Well, wouldn't you know that everything I opened was stolen from me. I opened more gifts than anyone that day, and ended up with a vibrating pad that goes on the back of a chair, which I wasn't too excited about. Well, my little sister sort of wanted it, because her pregnancy has been bothering her back, so after the game, she asked if I wanted to trade. Ummm, hell yeah! She got the vibrator (hee!) from me, and I got the Alias:Season One DVD Set from her. The perfect gift for me! Wheeeee! I'm having people over on New Years Eve for an Alias marathon.

Way to end the year ...
This has been a pretty tough year for me. Just a lot of not-so-fun things going on. I'm hoping that next year is a lot better. Well, my body has decided that the year should end with a bang, so I've got a TERRIBLE cold. I seriously feel like death right now. I'm at work, but I'll be crawling back into bed as soon as I get home. Grrrr.

Nice going, idiot.

2003-12-19T04:54:30Z

So, my computer is underneath the TV in my "bedroom," since the TV is on one of those hanging TV wall unit thingys.

Anyway, I'm sitting at the computer reading email, and I take a sip of Diet Coke at the same time I look up at the TV. And what happens? Diet Coke right up my nose. That stuff hurts like a mofo. I can't imagine what kind of burn comes with snorting the other kind of coke. Now my nose won't stop running. Stupid klutz.

She alive ... ALIVE!

2003-11-14T18:28:31Z

I've had quite an interesting couple of weeks. Early last week, I suddenly had very severe pains in my stomach area, but didn't think too much about it, and thought it would go away. After about seven hours of suffering, I finally went to the ER. After numerous blood tests, an ultra sound, and some other not-so-pleasant procedures, they determined that I had an ovarian cyst that ruptured. I stayed in the hospital over night where I was receiving fluids and morphine through an IV. Throughout my stay that night, I had blood drawn about 8 times, each time in a different place. Youch! I didn't like that at all.

I was released the following afternoon, and felt relatively fine since I was still doped up. Unfortunately, after a little while, the pain returned, and the vomiting went into high gear. I ended up staying in bed through Sunday, with the exception of a quick trip to my parents' house to get some Mylanta, which really didn't help. Can I just say that I am totally sick of crackers, soup, and warm coke? Ugh.

I returned to work this past Monday, and all week, as soon as I get home, I put on my pajamas and get in bed. I'm just completely drained. The good news is that the sharp pain is gone ... but I still wake up each morning with a stomach ache. Well, until today. Today is the first day I actually feel like I'm better, with the exception of still lacking energy. By the way, the reason I've been having stomach issues rather than pains in my girlie region is because when the cyst burst, the fluid decided to journey up to my stomach area, and that's where it did it's evil magic.

In other news, my parents and I are leaving for Florida on Sunday morning. We'll be spending a week with my oldest sister. The point of the trip is to help her complete the remodeling, painting, and decorating of her house. Of course, based on the past two weeks, I probably won't be much help. *laughs evilly* Hopefully I'll have a good time regardless of what I can or can't do.

Hugs to all of my friends. Hope you're all doing well.

Amanda update ...

2003-10-03T23:34:11Z

Hey everyone! Amanda spilled some wine on her computer, so she won't be around until her new computer arrives.

I read her all of the comments from her last entry, and she asked me to say thank you to everyone. So ... thank you!

Second (and I believe last) date ...

2003-09-19T05:54:19Z

So, blind-date boy and I had a second date tonight. We went to the beach to rock climb (ha!), which didn't turn out very well, so we walked around the beach at sunset, which was quite nice. Conversation was still great, but the general feeling I was getting from him was more of a buddy-buddy type, rather than an I-want-to-jump-your-bones type. Why does that ALWAYS happen to me? *sigh*

After the beach, we went back to his house and had shish kabobs with his mom, grandmother, sister, and brother-in-law. There was lots of laughing and talking taking place, and I felt like I was able to be myself, so I thought that was good.

When he brought me home, he was kind of like, "Well, uh, thanks. See you around." Heh. See you around. Is that the kiss of death or what? Oh, well. I have already resigned to the fact that I will be forever single. *whines*

Morbidity update (since Benz is in class)

2003-09-12T13:26:57Z

Johnny Cash and John Ritter both died last night.

Not surprised about Johnny Cash, but John Ritter! Wow. That is shocking and so, so sad.

I guess I really am blonde!

2003-09-12T00:04:53Z

I put a little faith in my mom and let her set me up on a blind date with her friend's son. Well, we had the big date today, and I have a new crush! Woop woop!

So, my mom gave this kid (I call him a kid because he's 5 years younger than me - oh, how I love younger men!) my number on Tuesday night, and he called last night to see if I could go to lunch today. I accepted, but we had to make it a super early lunch because he had to fly to San Francisco at 2:00pm. So, we agreed that he'd pick me up at work at 11:00am. The only problem with the earliness is that I had a dentist appointment that would surely leave me with a numb lip, so I warned him ahead of time.

So, yes, when he came to get me, my lip was very numb, but I was able to make a fairly decent smile. Yay. Oh, my mom had told me I would have to get to know him before I thought he was cute. Dude, she was totally wrong. I thought he was cute right off the bat. Nice clothes, great hair (just cut off his afro last night, actually), modern glasses, and a wonderful smile. Mmmm, cute boys!

We headed to a quaint little cafe, where we were so enthralled with our conversation that we forgot we had to look at menus and order. Ha! Anyway, the conversation was easy and fun the entire time, and I was very excited when he mentioned something about "the next time we go out." Woop!

After we ate, he came back to work with me and we talked for about 15 minutes before he had to run home, grab his bags, and head to the airport. He kept saying his dad would kill him if he was late, so off he went after giving me a FANTASTIC hug (some guys just don't get it), and saying he'd call me when he gets back in town. Sweet! Overall, it was a perfect blind date! Major bonus points for mom!

What's the meaning of my title, you ask? Well, about 20 minutes after he left, I realized I had left my keys in his car. It was an accident. I swear! I'm much too old to play silly games like some girls. So I called him, and he brought them back to me. I told him he didn't have to, because he would miss his flight, but he said it would be okay because they were flying in his dad's plane! Um, wow, your dad has his own plane? Anyway, he was VERY late, so I made a little "get out of jail free" card, with a note telling his dad it was my fault he was late. He chuckled when I gave it to him, but I feel so stupid about the whole thing. I have this fear that the key incident will prevent him from calling again. Why, oh why, did that happen? Oh, well. I'll still crush on him for a while!

In other news, I'm pregnant. Just kidding!

I promise!

2003-09-11T23:31:00Z

I promise to get caught up with all the journals I've been lagging on. Things have been super busy at work, which means my internet time has decreased. Also, at night, I've been trying to get to sleep rather than stay on the computer (which still isn't working). Anyway, I promise to catch up.

Well, that's interesting ...

2003-09-05T16:49:35Z

So, living in Southern California, I see a lot of interesting things, but last night (early this morning, actually), I saw something in person that I normally only see on the news.

I babysat for my brother until well after 1am, and I was so tired driving home that I decided my normal habit of speeding was not a good idea. So I was on the freeway, around 1:45am, driving the actual speed limit, which is highly out of character for me. Anyway, this guy comes flying up behind me, then changes lanes and blows right past me. Not 2 seconds later did six, SIX, police cars with lights and sirens pass me. There was a high-speed pursuit going on, and I was right in the middle of it for a split second. It was pretty cool, and I suddenly had a burst of energy. Too bad I couldn't chase the cops. I would have liked to see the ending.

I'm so, so tired.

2003-09-04T16:23:14Z

So, yeah, I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately. I'm dead tired all the time, yet I can't seem to sleep. I get home from work and have almost no energy to do anything. I do manage to muster up enough strength to take Tess for a walk, and spend a little time playing with Lola, but that's about it. You would think my exhaustion would help me sleep, but no. I'm averaging about 2-3 hours a night, which is not enough considering I work a 60 hour work week. *yawns*

ETA: There are great white sharks hanging out at my favorite surfing spot. Now that's just wrong. Wrong, I tell you! Me hates the sharks.

Still alive ...

2003-08-31T04:45:44Z

I promise to write all the details later, but I wanted to let you know I'm still alive after jumping out of an airplane at 13,500 feet today! It was amazing!

Can't say I'll still be alive after speaking in church tomorrow ...

I totally stole this ...

2003-08-28T22:32:49Z

PAST
First grade teacher's name: Mrs. Branfield
Last word you said: Liars!
Last song you sang: The Scientist - Coldplay

PRESENT
What's in your cd player: Motherland - Natalie Merchant
What color socks are you wearing: None. I'm wearing thongs.
What's under your bed: Two skateboards
What time did you wake up today: 5:15 am

FUTURE
Where do you want to go?: Europe.
What is your career going to be: I'm still not sure.
Where are you going to live?: Near the beach, hopefully.
How many kids do you want?: 1-3

CURRENT
Current hair: Pulled back in a claw
Current clothes: Black shirt, jeans, thongs
Current annoyance: I haven't taken a crap in three days
Current smell: Cardboard boxes
Current longing: Ben & Jerry's ice cream
Current desktop picture: Shirley Manson
Current favorite artist: Garbage
Current book: Atkins Diet Revolution
Current worry: What to do with my life
Current time-wasting wish: Lounging at the beach (in the shade)
Current hate: Dishonest people
Current favorite article of clothing: My corduroy jacket
Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex: Lips
Do you believe in an afterlife?: Yup.
One person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to: Wade
One person you wish were here right now: Some random hot guy
A line from the last thing you wrote to someone: I have to run upstairs to do some work.

Where's the love?

2003-08-28T03:37:04Z

I hate everything.

I hate my jobs. I hate my bosses. I hate my house. I hate my landlords. I hate my debt. I hate my car. I hate my clothes. I hate my body. I hate my personality. And I REALLY hate my mood.

This is my credit you're frelling with, you jackholes!

2003-08-21T16:59:01Z

So, I finished grad school almost two years ago. Somehow, my student loan has been in it's grace period the whole time, and it is now time to start paying the damn thing off. Well, since my grace period is getting close, I have gotten a million offers to consolidate my loans at very low interest rate. I picked the one that seemed the best, and sent in my application a few months ago. My loan counselor was really nice, and told me she'd be sending me email updates on the status of my loan.

Two months later ... I had not heard a word, and was starting to get stuff from the company currently holding my loan. So I called the new company and left a message asking the status. Then I called again and left another message. Finally, after not hearing back, I sent an email to the info center. That was over two weeks ago. I finally got a return phone call yesterday, and was informed that they had received my application way back when, but for some reason the loan processor did not process my loan, and managed to completely lose my application. Thanks for letting me know that a few months ago you big jerks! They will honor the low interest rate, but I have to reapply, meaning it will take ANOTHER 6-10 weeks to process.

So, I've been on the phone all morning going back and forth between the new company and the old company. Turns out the old company has the power to deny my request to consolidate my loans with another company, meaning I'd be stuck with a high interest rate. But will they give me an answer now? Of course not. Ugh. Why do people have to suck so badly?

I am so, so annoyed about all of this. If this hurts my credit, I'll be mighty pissed.

Stitches again?

2003-08-16T22:04:46Z

Yep. Teaching a teenage girl how to surf on our camping trip. Got hit in the head with the center skag (fin) of my board when the girl decided to bail on the board and it flew back and hit me. Went to the Military Infirmary and got two stitches. TWO? Meh. That's nothing.

Oh, she also put two HUGE dings into my board. Bugger!

This is kinda funny.

2003-08-13T03:16:39Z

<td bgcolor="#000000">Username (no caps)</td><td bgcolor="#DDDDAA"></td></tr><td bgcolor="#000000">You will mess around with</td><td bgcolor="#DDDDAA">Randy Harrison </td></tr><td bgcolor="#000000">You will have sex</td><td bgcolor="#DDDDAA">All the time after you get married </td></tr><td bgcolor="#000000">He will like it when you</td><td bgcolor="#DDDDAA">Kiss him sweetly </td></tr><td bgcolor="#000000">You will get lucky on</td><td bgcolor="#DDDDAA">March 10, 2008</td></tr>

You Celebrity Whore by poolofjello

Created with quill18</a>'s MemeGen!

So, I fool around with, and marry, a GAY MAN? I don't think so. Homie don't play that! If it were a straight man, the sex would be right on the money! Marriage, where are you? Me so horny!

Lovely weather for a swim, no?

2003-07-25T22:53:21Z

This morning, I was working in hell (my brother's house), and I was cleaning leaves out of the pool with one of those really long mesh scooper things. So I'm leaning over the edge of the pool as I work on leaves that are stuck at the bottom. I managed to net the particular leaves I was going for, and started to back up to pull the scooper out of the water. Well, I was not aware that the dog had decided to join me, and I stepped on him. In an attempt not to hurt him, I did a little jumpy dance-ish thing, lost my balance, and fell into the pool. D'oh! Luckily, I have a good sense of humor, and laughed my ass off. Ah, such is my life. Hee.

Anyway, I figured I would go home and change, since I only had about 40 minutes of work left. Boy, was I wrong. Since it was very hot outside in the sun, and all of the leaves were not yet gone from the pool, my SIL had me stay and finish the pool. "Since you're working outside, you won't get the house wet, and the sun will dry you off." BITCH! Uh, my shoes are soaked, and I don't really want to work in wet jeans which really won't dry for a long while. She wouldn't budge. I loathe my SIL's existence. Grrrr.

On a happier note, Ruby was given an (almost) clean bill of health. She's not allowed to jump up or down for 2-3 weeks, but other than that, she is doing great. Hooray for Veterinarians who know how to take good care of animals! Woop woop woooooop!

Ruby!

2003-07-19T22:48:03Z

My landlords/friends are currently dog-sitting for a 4 month old Dachshund puppy named Ruby. When Wife Landlord (WL) first called and told me they would be dog-sitting for 10 days, I was worried for little Ruby, because I was informed she'd be spending a lot of time in the yard with Tess, my 75+ pound black lab. Even though Tess is very gentle, and loves everyone, I was still worried.

Well, as it turns out, Ruby hasn't spent much time in the yard after all. And when she HAS been in the yard, either myself or WL have been there supervising.

Now, WL is a florist, and spent the majority of this morning getting ready for a wedding. She was tossing the flower stems onto the floor of the garage, and Ruby was eating them. Uh, WL, since you're a florist, aren't you aware that Hydrangeas are poisonous? Apparently not, because Ruby ate them, and spent about an hour puking right outside my house. Ugh. But me, being the concerned animal lover, stayed outside making sure she would be okay. After an hour or so of no more throwing up, I decided she was probably okay, and went into my house, where I had to calm down my jealous pets. Hee.

I hadn't been in my house more than half an hour when I suddenly heard WL screaming and running toward my front door. I opened the door, and she was crying and screaming and freaking out. I asked what was wrong, and she said that Husband Landlord (HL) had just driven over Ruby. Dude, he drives a big truck, and his wheel went right over her. So I go tearing out of my house and onto the driveway, where HL is putting a squealing Ruby into her carrier. I was somewhat relieved by the squealing, because that meant she was still alive. So I said I knew exactly where the Emergency Vet was, and ran back to my house to grab shoes and keys.

Once I got back outside, WL was in the truck, and HL said they needed me to take Ruby by myself, because they had to get to the wedding with the flowers. As always, Amy to the rescue. I'm so used to taking sick animals to the vet that I was okay with going by myself. I've become very good at remaining calm during stressful animal episodes.

As soon as I got in my car, I realized that MY vet works on Saturdays, so I immediately called and said we were on our way. It took about 15 minutes to get there, and I had Ruby in my lap. I was pleased to see that her tail was wagging, but when I tried to adjust her position on my lap, she squealed. Not good. So we went into the vet, and the vet's assistants asked if she could walk. In all of the madness, I hadn't even checked. I set Ruby on the floor, and her little hind legs wouldn't work. She dragged her little body with her forearms. It was so sad I nearly started crying.

I went into the little dog room, and the vet came in to check her out. Even though Ruby couldn't move her hind legs, she did have feeling in them, which was wonderful. Anyway, 4 hours later, after x-rays, IVs, and sedation, it was determined that she had been bleeding internally (but it had now stopped), and has pressure on her spinal cord, which is why she can't walk. Hopefully, after 5 days of "bed rest," and a continuation of antibiotics and pain medication, she'll be okay. So on Wednesday, we're headed back to the vet.

I hate that the landlords wouldn't let me keep her at my place, since I know I could take better care of her than anyone else. But no, they want her at their house since they were put in charge of her. Yeah guys, you've been doing such a good job! Anyway, they now get to call Ruby's owner, who is vacationing on a ranch in Montana, and tell her that they ran over her sweet little puppy. I don't envy them at all. Even though it was a very sad and very sucky accident, I'm glad I was around to help.

Hopefully, tonight will be fun. I'm going to see the Dixie Chicks with my sisters. I'm not a country fan at all, but at least the Dixie Chicks aren't as twangy as most country bands/singers, and I do like a couple of their songs. Oh, and I will be dressing totally goth ... just to fit in. Hee.

Yo ho, yo ho, 'twas girls night out for me!

2003-07-13T21:57:11Z

Every once in a while I have a whale of a good time when I go out with my girlfriends. I say only once in a while, because most of the time we hang out, I am made to feel like a loser because I'm the only one who doesn't have a husband the brag about. What. Ever.

Anyway, last night was really fun! We first went to see Pirates of the Caribbean. I absolutely loved it! Orlanda Bloom was hot, hot, hot, and can come make out with me anytime he pleases! But I must say, Johnny Depp made the movie. He was charming and funny and oh, so cute!

After the movie we went for Chinese food. We spent two and a half hours at the restaurant because we were having so much fun being chatty and all. Of course, they talked about their husbands a lot, but we actually talked about other things, too. So I was able to be an active participant in a great deal of the conversation. Yay!

For the highlight of the evening, we went to a karaoke bar. If I've never told you before, I love karaoke. And I don't even need alcohol to enjoy it! Actually, I find it rather odd that I enjoy karaoke so much, and here's why: 1) I have a huge fear of getting up in front of crowds; and 2) I do not have a good voice ... I can carry a tune, but my voice is not pleasant, and still cracks. But I had fun anyway, and sang the following songs:

*Landslide-Stevie Nicks (group performance)
*You're The One That I Want-from Grease (duet)
*Special- Garbage (solo)
*Ironic- Alanis Morissette (solo)
*Kind & Generous-Natalie Merchant (solo)
*Bitch-Meredith Brooks (group performance)

So, yes, I sang quite a few songs. And even though I sounded awful, I had a great time. Hee - you know you're a bad singer when, as you're walking off the stage, the DJ says, "Don't worry about your voice. It's just karaoke. Having fun is all that matters!" Bah ha ha ha! That translates to, "You really suck." Everyone in the bar laughed and laughed and laughed. Oh, and I laughed too. I had no shame, so it was great! Of course, it didn't hurt that there we drunk people taking their turns at the mic who also sounded like crap ...

Zen, take me away!

2003-07-12T04:00:05Z

I am a product of my father, as far as driving is concerned. I grew up unconsciously learning how to drive by observing him behind the wheel. He is neither a defensive nor an assertive driver. He is an agressive driver, and this has been passed down to me. In general, I am not an agressive person at all, but when I am driving, it is a totally different story. I get pissy, I yell and scream, I cut people off because they cut me off first, etc. It really is frightening.

Well, last week, there was an incident that made me so angry I was ready to jump out of my car and have a fist fight with the guy driving the other car. I don't know that I have ever had such an episode of road rage in my life. I was pissed.

A couple of days later, I was stuck in traffic, and was watching a guy in a convertible ask another guy in a convertible for directions. Because they were talking, one of the guys allowed for a tiny bit of space to get between himself and the car in front of him. We're talking maybe two car lenghts, in stop and go traffic. No biggie. Well, the guy behind him went off. Started honking and yelling and waving his arms. He looked like such an ass, all over two freaking car lengths. I was so embarrassed that I decided I never want to have people look at me like I was looking at that guy.

So I've been trying really hard to find a sort of Zen-like state when I am in my car. And you know what? It's starting to work. I am consciously telling myself to remain calm when someone does something I don't fancy, and it is making a huge difference. Now, if only I could get my dad to give this a try ...