i love my job.

today, at about 3pm, my boss came up to my desk and asked, "white or red?". i must have looked terribly confused... as that's not normally a midday work question.... out of context, you know? so he clarified, "well, you've said before you don't drink beer... so, white or red?" OH! RED. i'm still confused. he then walked off, only to return minutes later with a GIANT glass of pinot.

what? my boss just gave me wine? while at work? i'll take it.

i went back to working (er, gchating), my spirits lifted, only to have him come back to my desk about a half hour later to tell me to shut down my computer, put the phone on night service, and come to the back office. i do as i'm told, and come to discover the entire office sacked out on our leather couches, choice beverages in hand, in front of our fireplace and giant plasma... to play some wii. apparently this was the "celebrations" portion of our "potluck and celebrations" party today, which i thought was just your run of the mill potluck. i love celebrations!

so, for the first time in my life i've stayed at work past 5... discovered that my office keeps a fully stocked bar in the conference room, throughly enjoyed that pinot, and got down with some wii and the best co-workers... well, ever. oh... and i was sent home w/ two bottles of wine to go. WIN!

that time i tried putting money into savings..

...and not take it back out? yeah. like that could ever happen.

well, it did... for about two weeks. i decided that i really really really needed to start saving money. i have a savings account... but, i don't really ever put anything in there.... and when i do, i just take it back out when i find something i need... er want.

i figured now was the perfect time to start this new habit. with christmas coming, i'll be getting money and presents and won't need to spend my own money on myself... right? wrong.

for some reason, during a slow bit at work, i decided to venture over to banana republic's website. i just so happened to click on their sale button... and then i just so happened to put 2 or 3... okay, more like 5 or 6 items (dare i say 7), into my "cart". and then, i just so happened to click on the checkout button (that's so handy that they store your credit card number, isnt it??)... and THEN, my new habit went straight out the window.

at first i felt moderatly guilty. then that went straight out the window too. new clothes are WAY too exciting to ever feel guilt over. especially when i haven't bought anything for myself in two weeks. right? RIGHT? except now the buyers remorse is starting to settle in again. damnit.

in another day or two i'll forget about my little spree... and then when my package is delivered it will be a delight all over again.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!

brr ugh blech.

long story short, it's REALLY FUCKING COLD. like... below zero cold. on top of that, as of yesterday, we've been buried in 14+ inches of snow. of course, since it's so fucking cold...said snow has NOT had the chance to melt... like, not even a little. what does that mean? each and every road, in... out... and all around madison is basically one big ice sheet. frozen snow... packed down and hard as concrete. awesome.

especially awesome when my normally 15-20min morning commute took me 1 1/2 hours.

what's more awesome than that? my normally 20-30min commute home (why does it always take longer to get home??) took me *drum roll please* TWO AND A HALF HOURS! are you fucking kidding me? madison is small enough that it should never take you that long to drive from one end to the other. EVER. i could have driven to fucking chicago. i could have gotten home faster if i'd walked....

all those happy little snowy thoughts that i was thinking yesterday, when i was in my pajamas and wrapped up in bed and drinking a never ending supply of hot chocolate, have flown right out the window... or, they would have... if it wasn't frozen shut.

i also had a minor mishap with the hubs jeep today. you have to manually put the damn thing (jeep and i have a very love/hate- mostly hate relationship) into 4 wheel drive... which i thought i'd done while on a trip to the post office mid-morning. all was fine and dandy until i started making my way up one particularly steep hill. what did the jeep do? it started sliding backwards! i'm gunning the thing for all that it's worth... and it's going backwards. slipping and sliding BACKWARDS into the busy intersection behind me. FUCK! i was able to stop it by hitting the breaks and slowly coasting back into a snow bank (crisis ultimatly diverted).. and i was througly panicked for a good handful of minutes... before looking down and realizing that jeep was not in 4 wheel drive (good morning blondie)... meaning it was in "rear wheel drive" (FML)... meaning, why the FUCK would anyone make a real wheel drive vehicle (esp on an SUV!)? i slipped it into 4 wheel and plowed up the hill without incidident, but... i may be scared for life. or at least throughout the weekend.

all the more reason to get my car dug out of it's little snow cave this weekend.

and on that note, i'm off to bed. i think i need to be out the door by 7am tomorrow, if i want to have a chance in hell at making it work kinda sorta mostly on time.

when is it summer again??

snow hurts my feelings.

remember when i was talking about that blizzard last night? they seriously weren't lying... seriously, they weren't. this is what i discovered upon venturing out of my apartment, and attempting to get to work. someone had even already built a snowman!
that halfway dug out jeep is my husbands... that snowball, er... car, next to it is mine. clearly, my car won't be going anywhere for quite some time. i attempted to plow his car throw the knee-deep snow and failed miserably. a lovely gentleman was kind enough to help me push the damn jeep back into it's spot....
looking down my street... if i didn't HATE snow so much, i'd actually thing it was kind of pretty.

amazingly, building maintence did manage to get half my sidewalk shoveled. nice work maintence, nice work.

AND.. much to my delight, my boss did call to say that work was closed and not to come in! wohoo! if only he had made that call about an hour earlier... before i got soaked trying to get there. oh well, i'll take what i can get!

brrrr

in case you haven't heard, it's snowing. and when i say it's snowing... i mean it's fucking snowing. madison has declared a "snow emergency". i hope that means i don't have to work tomorrow. the windows on my apartment are on a slant... kind of like skylights... b/c we live on the top floor. apparently, this also means that with the onset of snow, we can no longer see out them. the snow has piled up... we're snowed in. it's more or less like living in an igloo... which is cool for now. i'm sure the thrill wear off by the end of the week.



anyways, since i can't see out my windows, i decided to venture out on my terrance. big mistake. big. HUGE! they weren't kidding when they called blizzard. IF i have to go into work tomorrow, i'll be about 3 hours late just because i have to dig my car out before i can get there. i also just sent a frantic email to my building manager, begging for a spot in my buildings heated garage. i hadn't done so sooner, b/c it's about $150+ for a spot in there, and i thought i was brave enough to battle the $75/mo. outside lot. i'm not. what the hell was i thinking?


upon setting foot outside, this is what i came across:

see those little dark blobs towards the pictures upper right? (no? that's okay, i really can't either) ONE of those is my car. the other, is my husbands. hopefully.. if i DO have to go into work, i will be able to get one of those guys to plow through the madness.

also, where did my feet go?? (yes, i'm wearing a puffy coat and 'jama pants shoved into my uggs... so what.)

one would think that after 26 years of this crap, the novelty would have worn off on me... but, alas... it's kept it's hold.

so... please pray i don't have to go into work tomorrow. pretty pretty PRETTY PLEASE!!

don't drink and cook.

for dinner tonight, i am making a beef and beer stew, out of real simple. it smells completely amazing and has been in the oven, stewing away, for about two hours. per the recipe, after two hours, it's time to take the stew out, add the potatoes, and put it back in the oven for another twenty minutes.

(oh, i forgot to mention, that when i started cooking, i decided to pour a glass of wine... because i always like to have a glass of wine while i'm cooking. and, while, for the past two hours i've continued with that trend. i have a pretty good buzz going. don't judge me.)

anyways.. the two hour buzzer went off and i took the pot out of the oven and set it on top of the stove. i add in the chunks of potato, grab my wooden spoon to mix them in, grab the pot handle to hold the pot still whilst stirring... OW! OW! MOTHERFUCKING OW! THAT GODDAMNED POT IS ABOUT 350 DEGREES!

i scream in pain. drop the spoon. and completely forget what you're supposed to do when you burn yourself. dave is laughing hysterically, b/c he knows fully well that i'm half in the bag, and i've lost my appetite.

ugh.

i've managed to get the potatoes in, the pot back in the oven, and the timer set for the remaining twenty minutes. this better be some damn good stew.. my hand fucking hurts.

i'm pretty sure my hand is blistering. i'm pretty sure i hate stew. i'm pretty sure i love wine... except when it impairs me in the kitchen

don't drink and cook kids, don't drink and cook.

book report: her fearful symmetry

to say the least, this book is ABSOLUTLY TERRIBLE... and it's disgusting that niffenegger was given a $5million advance to write it. i am throughly disappointed, as The Time Travelers Wife is one of my very favorites.

where do I even begin with this one? the characters? flat... dull... nothing to really make them stand out from one another. even the voices of the american characters are wrttien with british spelling and slang. and- there were WAT to many of them... that niffenegger dwells on... that really have NOTHING to contribute to the "story"- if you can even find the actual story amonst all the dribble. had i turned something like this into any of my writing professors, i'm fairly certain i would have been reemed out and sent back to the drawing board.

i should have just put this one down halfway through and let it go, but i was so sure that it would be worth it in the end. i remember it taking me awhile to "get into" Time Travelers Wife, and i just assumed it would be the same deal with Symmentry. nope. it's not. this books is DULL DULL DULL- DULL AND POINTLESS AND WEIRD AND SCATTERED from start to finish. shall i continue?

what i find to be most disappointing, is that the book had serious potential. the characters could have been great, the story was incredibly unique and COULD HAVE BEEN fascinating... but, i got the sense that niffenegger wasn't even trying. it was as if she'd gotten her money, carlessly and thoughtlessly puked out a few hundred pages, and was done.

to spare you all from a completely angsty rant- i will leave at the fact that this book is so hurried and terrible and "unfinished" that i am nothing short of EMBARESSED for both the writer AND the publisher, for allowing this monstorsity to hit the shelves and tricking readers into thinking they're about to get into something great.

don't bother. seriusly.

oops...

hmm... i haven't posted anything in quite awhile, have i. i even seem to have lost a handful of readers... oops. sorry kids, i didn't mean to be a bore. i guess i've just been busy!

i started my new job two weeks ago... and... I. LOVE. IT. the job itself is nothing terribly fascinating, but the people are AWESOME, and i've whole-heartidly decided that for me, who you work with is SO much more important than what you're doing. my mood has done a complete 180. instead of coming home angsty and irratable, i come home in relativly high spirits... even the husband noticed, and, who are we kidding... he doesn't notice much. i love him, but it's true :)

so, with the new job, i've been busy learning how to do new things all day, and haven't really had the oppertunity to get online (which, i can do! i have the internets back! wohoo!). i guess that's my excuse for neglecting the blog world? yes... yes, that is my excuse.

ANYWAYS... i had a wonderful thanksgiving! we spend it w/ husband's family, and what can i say, i love 'em. i really did luck out on the inlaws- and no, i'm not just saying that because a few of them read this thing. i think we did a thorough job offending grandma with our hilariously inappropriate dinner conversation and had i not been wearing a ridiculously comfy skirt (elastic waistband!) i would have definitly joined in on the after dinner sweatpants.

i hope everyone else had a fab holiday, survived black friday (if you are INSANE enough to go out there- i am not) and i wish you all a good weekend!

i'm so in love w/ this lovely girl...

....and this song i particular:

Lykke Li: "Tonight"


yes, i am most certianly in love with this girl. haunting, isn't it?

my day:

• wake up
• skip shower... i'm never seeing these degenerates again, who cares if i'm offensive.
• make coffee
• put on cute outfit
• put on different cute outfit
• boots or flats? 10 minute decision.
• leave for work
• drive to work
• get to work 10 min late
• drink coffee and catch up on dailykos
• drink coffee and catch up on blogs
• drink coffee and stare mindless at computer
• put on lipgloss
• wipe off lipgloss... put on different lipgloss
• wipe off lipgloss... put on different lipgloss... again
• facebook
• lunch!
• go to mall at lunch
• buy out barnes & noble
• buy out gap
• buy out victoria's secret
• buy lunch
• bring lunch back to work to eat.. as lunch hour is now over
• eat lunch and catch up on dailykos
• eat lunch and catch up on blogs
• facebook
• google john cusack
• google myself
• google funny cat pictures
• google my husband
• put on lipgloss
• wipe off lipgloss.. put on different lipgloss
• wipe off lipgloss... decide on balm instead
• look at overflowing inbox
• look at empty outbox
• contemplate just going home
• shurg... and decide to post shitty blog

can you tell how productive my last has been? whoops.

lolsaurus.

i think this might be the saddest little batman i've ever seen:

the scene: me, on the couch.... slightly liquored up and watching private practice (ugh). a baby is born, the mom dies, i cry... grab a cat, cradle it, and walk over husband in his "office", while he's up to his eyes in a midterm paper.

me: chloe feels like a baby.
husband: she's a cat.
me: i know, but she feels like a baby. i want a baby.
husband: no you don't.
me: maybe i do...
husband: no... you don't.
me: i think my clock started ticking.
husband: *looks at me and rolls his eyes* go tick on the couch.

and that... is why i love my husband.

yaaaaaawn

i am having the most worthless day i've had in a LONG time, which is really saying something b/c i have a lot of worthless days. i don't think i've really done any actual "work"... i've mostly just been sitting here and fucking around with my ipod. i think i can blame it all on my "i hate this job and it's my third to last day so why bother? i mean, what are they going to do... fire me??" attitude.

but now my ipod's died... my phone is about to die... i've already taken way too many "bathroom breaks" and i'm sooooo ready to just get up and walk out the door and never look back. damn me for believing in karma!

i hope everyone is having a MUCH more productive wednesday than my sorry ass........

yay me! OR- apparently my lazy ass is super employable.

so... remember how much i hate/dispise/dislike (etc.) my job? to the point that i really don't give two shits about what i do and secretly (or not so secretly) hope to get fired (did i mention my supberb work ethic)? well... those days are headed out the door!

no, i did not get fired.

i got a new job!! it's actually a job that i had been interviewing for back in august... they hired someone else... that someone else apparently blew, and they came groveling back to me. okay, so there was no groveling, but i like to feel important enough that there could have been a little groveling.

i'm starting on monday (screw two weeks notice) and even if this job blows a little... there is no way in hell it could blow as much as my current daily dose of crap.

although... i will miss the green eyeshadow and man ponchos, they do make for some great blogging.

YAY ME!

things that make you go "hmmmmm..."

so, i just got really happy and geekily excited when i reaized i had 50 followers! then... about 3 seconds later, i realzied that my 50th follower was... myself. how did i start following my own blog? i mean, i love myself to the point that it would make sense.... but, how?? can i become my own friend on facebook too?

honest [s]crap.

yay! V, my delightfully sassy cousin-in-law and favorite blogger, has tagged me to do the honest scrap survey! i've done it before.... but, as mentioned in my previous post, i love talking about myself so i'm down to do it again.

the rules:

• post 10 things about yourself that not many people would know. (okay, but this will be kind of hard since i'm pretty open and there's not a lot i keep to myself.)


• tag some other people. (i don't really feel like tagging other people, so i'll just talk about myself. thanks.)

1. i'm a perv... and i find there to be nothing more hilarious than crude humor and sex talk. when my bff and i get together, i think we might be really offensive. want an example? head on over to youtube and search for "john lajoie- show me your genitals" (part 1 AND 2- i'd post the video, but i'm at work... and, that just seems wrong). now, imagine the two of us singing this song, word for word, with some really sweet dance moves...in the middle of a crowded bar, or even a not so crowded bar... or even if we are the only two in said bar. i'm laughing just thinking about it. but, i can flip the switch like THAT, and come off as the most prude-ish and polite little lady you could ever meet.

2. i'm a music snob. i WILL judge you based on your musical preferences. i refuse to listen to the radio-- manufactured top40 bubblegum pop? no thanks. i prefer actual talent and hot beats. there are few things more exciting to me than discovering an amazing new group and loving the shit out of them.

3. i have a sharp tongue.... and i frequently forget to think before opening my mouth. which is kind of funny, because a lot of people think i'm reserved and painfully shy- which, usually just means i just don't like you. sometimes it works out alright, sometimes it doesn't. but, at least you can rest assured that my opinions are honest and i'll never tell you that you look good if you, in fact, look like a giant pile of decroded crap.

4. sometimes i feel like my husband and i have practially nothing in common. and, to be honest, i like it that way... and i'm positive he feels the same. it allows us to have our own independent lives and friends and interests, but we still have each other. if that makes sense... kind of like checks and balances. i think the worst thing a couple can do for their relationship is to spend too much time together. never allow yourself to be lost just because you've met that amazing person! trust me... they will thank you for it.

5. i LOVE altoids. sometimes (okay, always) i eat them like they're a snack food... it's probably not healthy. but, at least my breath is always fresh?

6. i can count my best friends on one hand. actually, it's probably more like half a hand. i don't especially like meeting new people and it takes me a long time to warm up to someone. i don't tolerate bullshit... and i can see right through a fake smile. this is also probably way half of my aquaintences (note the word "aquaintence") are men. my best friends mean the world to me, and i go out of my way to show them that every day.

7. i fucking hate thongs. i can't say i even own one. there is nothing LESS sexy than a string shoved up your crack. besides, unless you're an airbrushed victoria's secret swimsuit model, you don't have the ass to pull it off... follow my lead, spare yourself the shame, and cover that shizz up.

8. web md has me CONVINCED i'm developing multiple sclerosis. fuck you, web md.

9. if you haven't noticed, fuck is my favorite word. nothing gets your point across like tacking a "fuck" on the end. my second favorite word is cunt. can you tell i'm loosing interest in this post?

10. i love bumper stickers. actually, let me rephrase that: i love OTHER PEOPLE'S bumper stickers, as i also find them tacky and would never put one on my car. madison is full of great bumper stickers. to date, my favorite read, "draft SUV drivers first". that one got a real LOL out of me. i may or may not have taken a picture. a great bumper sticker in front of you can totally make traffic more tolerable. okay, not really... but that was me being optimisitc.

and.... there you have it. ten things about me that you probably already knew, or never really cared about knowing. i guess this means it's time for me to get back to work... er, actually start doing some work. whoops...

swoon.

my plan was to make my 101st post into something notable, but... i then realized i had nothing terribly notable to post about. so, instead, i will just show you something (out of MANY things) i WANT. deal with it.

Dior "oui" necklace- it only runs a cool $1,125... but, a girl can dream... right?

also... V (over at *uncorked- whose blog you SHOULD be reading, if you aren't already) tagged me to do the "honest scrap survey"! i've done it before... but, who are we kidding, i LOVE talking about myself, and whatever way to do it? i figured i'd save that little gem for tomorrow, so i'm sure to have something to help me pass the time at my damn job.

i can't handle it.

today... while eating my cupcake lunch, in the office break room, a man came in... wearing a poncho. let me repeat that for you, a MAN came into the breakroom wearing a PONCO. a PONCHO. on a MAN. did i mention that this MAN was wearing this PONCHO over a dress shirt? like... a crochet sweater poncho.

someone complimented him. he responded that he liked how well the PONCHO and dress shirt matched.

at that point, for fear of choking on my cupcake... i had to get up and vacate the premesis.

(also- and this has absolutly nothing to do with this post, but i don't feel like creating a whole new post... but, i absolutly HATE it when co-workers send emails that are grammatically incorrect and full of spelling/punctuation errors. i know i'm really bad at all that here (hell, i don't even use capitals- ha), on my blog, but i am meticulous when it comes to work emails. i don't care if it's just a quick note- get it right. if you don't, you just come across as an unprofessional idiot. i just received an email, that should have been about 5 or 6 sentences- but, instead it was just one long stream of words. SO IRRATATING. use a damn period! then again... these people do wear green eyeshadow and ponchos....)

*** UMM ALSO... THIS IS MY 100TH POST!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I WASTED IT ON PONCHOMAN AND WORK EMAILS........ DAMN. I'LL MAKE SURE #101 IS A WINNER. ***

heros in a half shell?

i think my boss offically thinks i'm legally insane. there was the time where i accidently emailed her about my paris hilton dance party... and just now, she caught me googling "sexy ninja turtle". please don't ask- we're already in preparation mode for next halloween.

on top of that- i went to see one of my friend's band play last night... didn't get home until the wee hours of the morning... and i'm wearing last nights makeup with a lovely hangover...

at least it's friday?

i hate hair.

currently, my hair is an EXTREMELY shaggy/awful/grown out version of this:

but, i think i want it to look like this (but blonde, obvi):

so now... the question is do i go the easy route, and get my hair cut back to how it was (which i like)- even though everyone and their fucking mother (including MY mother) has that haircut? OR- do i put myself through the long and painful process of growing it out? which would be sweet and worth it in the end, but probably means being forced to suffer through a few awful looking styles to get it there. PLEASE... your thoughts.

srsly??

i *think* i've mentioned on here before that my current office is one EPIC epidsode of "what not to wear". when i look at 98% of the people around me... i am shocked and appalled. it's like 1985 meets a trailer park meets walmart.

today it has reached a new level.

i have officially discovered who buys tinkerbell green eye shadow... and proceeds to wear it, smeared up to their eyebrow, NOT ON HALLWEEN. yep, that's right... one of my co-workers. don't worry, at least it's matched to her tinkerbell green shirt.

fail. fail. FAIL!

where are stacy and clinton when i need them?

old navy?

today, over my lunch break, i decided to make a quick trip to old navy. they're my "go to" for cheapo tshirts and tanks (i'm sorry, but i refuse to spend more than $10 on a damn tshirt... okay, unless it's REEEAAAALLLYYYYY cute and more than just plain cotton), and they were having a special with longsleeve t's for $7. i was planning to run in, scoop up as many t's as i could find- in my size and monochromatic wardrobe color pallate, and get out of there. i really wasn't expecting to venture much futher into the store than that first tshirt table... but, i did... and i was shocked! THEY HAVE CUTE STUFF! i feel like, ordinarly, when i browse their racks... everything looks cheap and poorly made, and rarely fits well. apparently not anymore? apparently they're stepping up their game? i like it.

so, in addition to my 800 tshirts, i walked away with these lovely little finds... and only the coat was over $30!:

there were a few other gems that caught my eye, and i could have easily added them to my pile, i figured i should draw the line somewhere..... but seriously, what's better then a load full of shopping bargains on a day when you accidently woke up 5:30am?

did i ever mention that i'm blonde?

i will give you THREE guesses as to who didn't reset her alarm last night, and therefore woke up at 5:30 this morning..... uuggghhhhh.

the ghosts of halloweens past:

L.O.FUCKING.L

(me and my best- i was a nurse, she was a fire fighter... and, apparently, together we fought crime. halloween circa 2006)

happy halloweiner!

you know me... any time i can work "weiner" into my everyday vocabulary, i'm game. that may, or may not, have something to with the fact that my brain rivals that of a 14-year-old boy when it comes to sexual humor.

moving on. dressing up! i'm actually REALLY excited for halloween this year... probably because we actually have plans. saturday night, we're going to my sis-in-law's place, and if you read V's blog, you already know this... but, there will be about 35 people there... all dresses as fairy tale characters. i. love. it.

my character? tinkerbell. i love tinkerbell. i'm also forcing my poor husband to go as peter pan. much to my dismay, he was able to find a costume that does not involve green tights. i would have had endless amounts of fun giving him hell for wearing tights.... oh well.

tonight, he and i are going to a costume party hosted by some people in his MBA program. i'm less excited about this b/c it involves me having to walk across madison in the cold, in my teeny tiny fairy costume. my solution? tinkerbell wants to wear jeans... and boots... and maybe no wings. can i just wear my "dress" and call it a costume? tinkerbell gone city chic.....

anyways, i hope everyone has a fun halloween! i'm sure i'll have some great pictures to post, come monday.

the one i love.

in the past, i've sworn up and down that i would never let my blog get "too personal". maybe it's because i know that both my sister-in-law and my cousin-in-law are both readers, and it feels somewhat awkward to let myself completely open up... but, either way, it's just seemed weird.

let me preface what i'm about to say with the fact that i'm about 4 (ok, possibly 5, or maybe even 6, or maybe i've actually lost count) glasses of cab deep, and given the "time of the month", feeling a little overly emotional.

i've mentioned before that i'm having an extremely hard time with the fact that i RARELY get to spend quality time with my husband, since he's starting grad school, and a vast )and i mean VAST) majority of his time goes towards all things MBA. it's not that he and i were EVER one of those couples that were glued at the hip and did absolutly everything together... in fact, i'd say we were the exact oppisite. but, we always ate together, and had all those little wonderful moments together: cooking dinner... eating dinner.... cleaning up... venting about our days... curing up on the couch and watching bad tv.

that has more or less gone out the window.

now, more often than not, i come home to an empty house (albeit, one full of VERY hungry kittens), make myself a half-assed dinner (a salad and mashed potatoes do not constitute a meal), and proceed to pour myself one glass of wine after the other until he comes home. on a good day, that's not much before i'm getting ready to go to bed. and- when he does finally make it home, he's generally so overloaded with work that he immediatly sits down and is right back at it.

sometimes i'm REALLY good at dealing with it. i call my mom, or my grandma, or one of my favorite friends... and just babble away the time until i'm ready for some peace and quiet. tonight is one of those times that i was NOT.

i thought things were going well... i shopped a bit after work, had dinner, relaxed, and had a generally pleasant evening. husband came home.... all was well, and i went about cleaning the kitchen. i grabbed my ipod, and decided to listen to music while i cleaned, so i woudln't get "too chatty" and distract him from what he needed to get done. my ipod happened to be set to shuffle and a particular song happened to come on. this particular song, is one that i listen too, and have always listened too, when i've felt down and wanted to remind myself of what i have and who i have and how grateful i am for that... i'll just post a video of it, as i'm not sure just the lyrics will get it right.



after listening to it once through, while elbow deep in a sink full of dirty dishes, i ran over to him, and said... "i want you to listen to this... it's what i listen too when i'm having a terrible day and want to just have a moment with you."... and proceeded to stick my earbuds into his ears.

he listened for about thirty seconds, looked at me like i was on drugs, took out the earbuds and said, "i dodn't get it.". and... immediatly went back to what he was working on.

it broke my heart.

now... i know that i am left-brained to a fault. i can listen to a song... and no matter what i'm doing, if the melody and lyrics are just right, my brain takes over and i will instantly become completley consumed by what ever i am presented with.

i get that not everyone is like that.

but, for some reason, i just couldn't deal with it tonight. if the roles were reveresed, and he had come to me and said, "listen to this... it's what i listen too when i'm having a terrible day and just need to be reminded of you.", my world would have come to a SCREECHING HALT and i would have LISTENED and COMPLETELY OBSORBED what was presented to me.

that is the difference between my husband, the absolute love of my life, and me. i don't hold it agaisnt him- we're just different that way. but sometimes... when i've had, and tried to deal with, a particularly awful day... it just slams into me a little harder than it should.

and... with that, i apoligize for the overly whiney and emotional post.. but, i supposed it has to happen once in awhile, right?

should we talk about ghosts?

in honor of halloween, and because everyone else and their mother are talking about ghosts, i am jumping all over that bandwagon. none of my "hauntings" are recent- or even in my adulthood, but they still freak me the fuck out.

when i was a kid, my mom and i lived with my grandparents, until i was about 7, in a big old house in milwaukee's north shore. one of those dreamy tudors, that were built sometime in the '30s and oozed with dreamy woodwork. the woman that owned the house, before my grandparents bought it in the mid-1960's, had died in her sleep in one of the back bedrooms. that bedroom... became my bedroom. thanks mom. great idea. let your kid sleep in the dead lady's room.

when i was still a baby, my mom would often sleep in my room with me. she said that she'd often wake up with the feeling that someone was staring at her, and when she'd open her eyes, nobody would be there. she'd also feel the sensation of someone sitting on the side of her bed, someone rubbing up and down her legs (over the blankets) while she slept, and sometimes even feeling the blankets slowly being pulled off her from the foot of the bed. i asked why she didn't just sleep in her room, and she said that even though she felt a presence, she never felt threatened in any way, and that she liked sleeping in the same room as me.

i'm pretty sure, that if i had been in her shoes, i would have snatched up my kid and absolutly found somewhere else (uh... there were 5 other bedrooms) to sleep.

the first "experience" i remember, took place when i was about 5. i was sitting in my bed (the same bed my mom used to sleep in), at night (when i probably should have been asleep), reading a book... when, i felt a hand (palm and all five fingers) press against my back. i can still vividly remember the feeling. i remember leaning over the side of my bed, lifting up the dust ruffle, seeing nothing, and getting back to my book... why i wasn't screaming in terror, i don't know. i was 5. the hand pressed my back again. i remember the second time being a little harder than the first. still... for some reason, i wasn't scared. the hand pressed against my back a few more times, but i just kept on reading. eventually, my mom noticed that i was still up and came in to yell at me. she asked what i was doing... and i replied that i was reading my book and that mrs. harriet kept tapping me on the back, and that i thought she wanted me to go to bed too. i'm pretty sure at that moment- my mother looked at me like i was the little girl from poltergiest (hell, i looked enough like her) and snatched me out of bed to sleep in her room.

mrs. harriet was the woman who had died- and, according to my mom, nobody had ever told me about her, for fear that i'd be scared to sleep in my room. of course, she didn't tell me that until many years later, when we were sitting around the dining room table at my grandparents new house, sharing stories of creepy things that had happened in the old house. just about everyone who had slept in that room, and it had been just about everyone in the family's room at some point (my mom is one of 5 kids), had some type of experience that couldn't be logically explained. the thing that i still find to be the most creepy, and still sends a shiver down my spine, even though my grandparents haven't lived in that house for almost 20 years, was that none of the three dogs or two cats that my grandparents had throughout their time living there, would set foot in that bedroom. even if the only person home at the time was sleeping in there, they woudln't come in. they'd sleep in the hall, right on the other side of the door, but never IN that room.

am i allowed to say this?

i mean... it is my two year wedding anniversary and everything. BUT- last night, i had a sex dream about john cusack. and... it was glorious.

10.27.07 OR, two years and we still like each other!

well... i should really make that say SEVEN YEARS and we still like each other, since hubs and i started dating in feburary 2002... but, tomorrow we will be celebrating our two year wedding anniversary. i seriously can't believe it's been two years... i know everyone says that, but it's true. so much has happened in two years! mostly good... some only moderatly good... a little not so good at all, but i woudln't trade anything. okay, so that was a lie... i still wish someone would have just bought our damn condo. :)

grumble.

(how many blogs do i have with that title now> probably at least 35.)

happy monday, everyone. or... not so happy monday, if you're having the morning that i am. i woke up early, yet still managed to be near 15 minutes for work (i'm really not known for my punctuality). i got semi-reemed out, by my boss, for something i didn't even know i'd done wrong (great training, 'eh?.) and... i just realized that my sweater is actually mostly sheer. it's a really thin black knit turtleneck, and after being here for 2 hours this morning, i wandered into the bathroom... only to notice: HELLO BRA! at least it's a black bra... at least i'm wearing a bra? guess who's off to buy a cami at lunch today? that's right. this guy.

my weekend was really nothing notable.
i cleaned...
i did some laundry...
i discovered i'm completely obsessed with navy blue nail polish, channel's "blue satin" in particular.

now... i'm back it. er, pretending to be anways. at least i have an awesome weekend coming up: halloween! i'm going as tinkerbell. i even bought some tink colored eyeshadow and nailpolish. just for the record, lime green eye shadow, on my skin tone, is an absolutly terrifying sight. although, i'm sure that would go for just about any skin tone... do people really buy lime green eye shadow... when they aren't dressing up as tinkerbelle?

dear abby.

last week i wrote a letter to "dear abby". i am an avid reader of hers... everyone's problems always seem so much more immediate than mine. but- on this particular day... i was PISSED. no other word... pissed. sick of it. pissed.

what?

my weight.

my letter went something like ths:

dear abby,

i'm writing to you, not so much for advice, as i am to inform your readers.

i recently started a new job, and already, i've caught co-workers, people who don't even know me, gossiping about my weight. this is something i've been dealing my entire life. for the record- i'm 5'6 and weigh about 110 (give or take a few) pounds.

i am not unhealthy. i do not starve myself. i love food- and if i choose, i could eat the average person under the table. however. i see my doctor regularly. i am blessed with my mother's family's amazing genes. i eat healthfully, and maintain a healthy lifestye. let me repeat- i. do. NOT. starve. myself.

yet- people always jump to the conclusion that i DO starve myself. i simply must be anorexic. there is no other explanation for my frame.

i unstand that i am not built like the "average" american woman. yet, i can not tell you how many times i have had perfect strangers come up to me and comment on how thin i am- that clearly i need to eat more- "go eat a sandwhich".

it is hurtful.

just as it is unacceptable to go up to a complete stranger and call them fat, it is unacceptable to go up to someone and call them too thin. one's weight is one's own business. you don't know that person's history. if they ARE sick, if you are a stranger, it does them no good to call them out on their problems. if they aren't, you're doing just as much harm.

like i mentioned before, weight is a very touchy and personal subject for just about everyone. i am healthy. i am tired of being assumed sick. please remind your readers that comments on ANYONES weight are downright rude and simply unacceptable.

sincerely,
skinny in wisconsin.

__

dear abby has not yet published my letter. however, while reading her column today, i cam across a very simliar letter. this particular writer IS sick, but the message is all the same. please read:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEAR ABBY: I am extremely thin and have struggled for years with eating disorders and an unhealthy relationship with food. It's difficult for me to go out with family and friends because everyone watches me -- from what I order to how much I consume -- and comments on it. If they decide I haven't eaten enough, they make hurtful comments about my weight.

What I need people to understand is that it is just as hurtful to make fun of someone who is thin by calling him names such as "Stick" or "Bean Pole" as it is to mock a fat person.

Some of us are thin because we are ill, whether it is physically or emotionally. Making fun of us is tasteless, hurtful and unhelpful. -- ROBERT IN N.Y.C.

DEAR ROBERT: I'm glad you wrote, because your letter provides me with the opening to remind my readers that joking about someone's appearance isn't clever or funny. It's cruel. While the target may take those comments with apparent good humor, no one likes to be ridiculed. And frankly, when it happens, it demeans the speaker more than the person at which it is aimed.

****

i relate to this reader. even though i am NOT sick, i still struggle with many of the same problems. when i go out to eat, people notice what i order and how much i consume. when people have decided i haven't eaten enough, for their tastes, they have no qualms about making their thoughts known.

i don't really know where i am going with this... but, i only hope that people will be able to see that just because i am thin, and people like me are thin, that we are not SICK. we are fine. we are healthy. PLEASE- don't treat us as if we are the oppisite.

good morning, sunshine.

if only that were the case..... instead: more clouds. more rain. more bleh.

what's even MORE bleh? i just dumped a full cup of coffee all down the front of my brand new, never be for worn, even though it's been sitting in my closet for months and is now a sale item, silk top from white house black market. poor shirt... and there isn't a tide pen in sight. even if there was, i think the damange is too extensive for one little pen to tackle.

(for the record: that "guarenteed spill-proof" coffee mug... is only guarenteed spill-proof if you actually close it before taking it out in one swift move with your elbow.)

i'm an idiot. or- why you should ALWAYS check the recipient of your emails before sending...

i thought i was replying to an email from my mom. i actually replied to an email from my boss. what did my email say?

"PARIS HILTON DANCE PARTY AT MY DESK THIS MORNING-- I KNOW YOU WISH YOU WERE HERE!"

omg. omg. omg.
FAIL. EPIC. FAIL.

let's talk about my favorite song.

i have been tagged!! the lovely C, over at Girl V. World, has tagged me to this fun little survey. of course, this does come along with some rules... some of which i will follow. i will answer the following questions... but, i'm not in the mood to tag six lovely ladies to follow suit.

** The rules of accepting this award is that I have to answer the following questions and then pass the award on to six other bloggers. So...

Where is your cell phone: proably lost somewhere deep inside my cavernous purse.

Your hair: finally fits into a ponytail! err.... ponynub?

Your mother: i'm actually borderline obsessive about her.

Your father: is so much better than YOUR dad. he even skipped football to take me to see baby tigers. (yes, i am 26 years old and still go to the zoo with my dad, and love it as much as when i was just plain 6)

Your favorite food: wine.

Your dream from last night: i don't really remember my dreams... which, is probably a good thing b/c i'm sure they're pretty fucked up.

Your favorite drink: oh... oops. see "favorite food".

Your dream/goal: to not become a looney alcoholic by the time i'm 40?

What room are you in: my living room / office / dining room / laundry room / kitchen. (my apartment is very tiny)

What is your hobby: pouting.

What is your fear: oh god... where do i even start with that? what AREN'T i afraid of. i'm afriad of my goddamned shadow.

Where do you want to be in 6 years: hi'd be happy with staying where i am now, but six years older.

Where were you last night: in the tub.

Something you are not: conservative.... in every sense of the word.

Muffins: I LOVE MUFFINS. especially muffins with frosting, also known as cupcakes.

Wish list items: dior "oui" ring.

Where did you grow up: milwaukee's north shore.

Last thing you did: made hot chocolate... decided the hot chocolate was boring... added peppermint schnapps. my mouth is oh so minty fresh.

What are you wearing: black yoga pants and my bra. what? i'm home alone and it's hot as hell in here.... so, why am i drinking hot chocolate?

Your TV: hasn't been turned on in about 48hours.

Your pets: ARE MY CHILDREN. fuck off...

Your friends: are my favorite things.

Your life: complicated....

Your mood: content...

Missing someone: nah.... i'm happy being alone with my itunes.

Vehicle: i have only had one car for my entire driving life. he is 10 years old, rattles like hell, and i'm madly madly madly in love with him... yes, him.

Something you're not wearing: socks.

Your favorite store: pop deluxe... and bop. heart state street.

Your favorite color: black.... seriously. that probably says a lot about me, but i love it. love. it.

When's the last time you laughed: about .3 seconds ago... when i looked on the couch, behind me, and saw that my kittens are making out.

When's the last time you cried: ugh.... i cry during commercials.

Your best friend: loves bob dylan.

One place you go over and over: market basket... where they have a decent wine selection and the man behind the counter knows me by name.

One person who emails me regularly: crate & barrel.

Favorite place to eat: swig.... milwaukee's third ward. YUM.

okay... it's official. i have found the absolute most HILARIOUS book review on goodreads. it's for eclipse (twilight book... #3, i think) and while reading, i was laughing so hard, i just about spit coffee all over my desk. regardless of wether you've read any of these books (i've only read the first)... this is F.U.N.N.Y. this guy gets the "voices" of bella and edward SPOT ON- and uses them to portray a conversation between himself and stephanie, the author. this is what i meant when i said that meyer's writing was so terrible that it's almost embaressing. so, PLEASE... enjoy:

******************
"You gave it three stars?" she asked me, biting her lip and holding her breath.

"Yes," I finally answered with my marble lips, cold yet strangely comforting, even warm. "Stephenie, don't forget to breathe."
...more "You gave it three stars?" she asked me, biting her lip and holding her breath.

"Yes," I finally answered with my marble lips, cold yet strangely comforting, even warm. "Stephenie, don't forget to breathe."

"Oh, of course." A storm seemed to rage in her for just a moment.

"I gave it a three. It's good." I would never lie to her, could never lie to her. Yet, somehow, she felt it was a lie and brooded in stillness for a moment that seemed to last an eternity.

Finally, I broke the aching silence. "I gave it a three because the vampire lore was that good -- the extended plotline and the setup for a decent fourth novel were all enjoyable." There, I said it. Would it be enough for her? No, it would never be enough.

"But you absolutely hated the tent scene with the [spoiler removed:], and you wanted to send Bella straight to vampire hell for her self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self-obsessed self-ness by the end."

We paused and I noticed sobs erupting from deep inside her.

"Stephenie, breathe, and stop biting your lip, it's getting really annoying. Quit with the crying already. Yes, all of those things are true, and if I could release myself from your books, I would. But-"

"But?" she asked longlingly, her fingers caressing my face while my fingers caressed her face and somebody else's fingers were somehow caressing both our faces because you can never have too much face-caressing going on -- whose fingers are those, anyway? (note from me: OH. MY. GOD. i die.)

"But despite how much I hate Bella by now, I really want to find out more about the Volturi and the process of becoming a vampire and whether Bella is somehow part of an ancient bloodline that stirs up all the vampires and werewolves whenever she's around. That's why I gave it three stars, and that's why-" I gasped, she gasped, we both forgot to breathe and bit our lips, "-why I will be reading the fourth book as soon as it is out."

Finally, I remembered to breathe and stopped caressing her face, looked into her eyes and with my godlike, cool, marble lips, asked, "Satisfied?"

Smiling, she answered, "Yes, very."

***************
like i said before... NOT my writing. but, i felt it was so perfectly acurate, with both the style and the review, that i just HAD to repost it... and i figured we could all use a good laugh. the real author can be found here.

ugh.

all i want in life, at this exact moment, is a nice full glass of PINOT NOIR. all i have in life, at this exact moment, is a fucking glass of PINOT GRIGIO. times like these..... break my heart.


PS. like my 3 seconds of dedicated image creation??? har har

I have a confession to make...

....okay, so it's not really a confession... at all. as, anyone that knows me well, already knows this. but, i am TERRIFIED of driving on the freeway. call me lame... call me a baby... call me whatever you like, i don't care. i chalk it up to about four years ago, when my anxiety was absolutly out of control, and i had a few awful awful panic attacks that almost resulted in me passing out and driving off the road. of course, anybody who has panic attacks knows, that i was not *actually* about to pass out... but, try telling yourself that when you're in the midst of it. impossible.

prior to moving to madison, i could EASILY weasle out of having to get on the freeway. where we lived in illinois, it made more sense for me to take the back roads, to get to my parents in milwaukee, than it did to take the freeway. a.) we lived so far west of chicago, that it would take just as long to hike back east, as it would to just hike east once in wisconsin and b.) chicago traffic is so ridiculous and unpredictable that when i did take the freeway, it ended up taking just as long/if not longer, b/c of all the time i'd spend sitting in a glorified parking lot.

now that we are in madison... there is absolutly positivly no good way to get to milwaukee, aside from hopping on the freeway- which is really a straight shot and only takes about an hour. i have mapquested just about every alternate route there is... all of which would take me twice as long and would probably end with me getting lost in hicksville usa, and panicking over that, instead.

long story short, on friday... straight from work (since i basically work on top of the freeway) i am going to try and be brave and drive myself to milwaukee. no big deal, right? then why am i already starting to FREAK OUT!!?? i don't know what it is... i LOVE driving as fast as a i can get away with, i'm a surprisingly aggressive driver, and it's only an hour of my life.... but, no matter what i do, my mind is being a little shit about it. does anybody else have this problem?? and... if so, how do you deal with it?? i seriously can't be the only whackjob out there.....

the only solution i've thought of, thus far, is to try a book on tape... maybe if i have a story to get absorbed in, i won't focus on my irrational anxiety?? or- maybe it's high time i buck up and get MEDICATED.

heads up:

when sitting at your desk, and wearing a corset belt, do not sneeze. it will crack your ribs. that is all.

mmmmhmmmm... there is nothing more satisfying than a relaxing AND productive weekend. amazingly, even after getting 12 hours of sleep, both friday and saturday nights, and taking a plethora of naps... i still managed to get EVERYTHING done, that i had planned on doing, over the course of the weekend. well, everything, that is, aside from spending obsessive amounts of time with husband- poor guy was locked up, in the UW library, all weekend studying for midterms.

although, his absense did aid me in keeping on task. without having him around to bug, the apartment is, once again, absolutly spotless. all of our "summer clothes" are packed up and ready to be taken to my parents, next weekend. the pantry is fully stocked, after a little jaunt to trader joes (have i ever mentioned how much i LOVE trader joes? i see a post in the making....). i finished twilight, decided i needed to stick to grown-up books... and, i even got a little shopping out of my system, during the perfect oppertunity to smuggle bags into the house, without husband noticing. SCORE!

now it's back to work... which, i won't say anything terrible about (today), because i'm pretty sure they are monitoring my every move. lovely, eh? if so- 'ello computer techies *kiss* *kiss*

i hope everyone's weekend was equally as nice and let's hope this week goes by quickly!

book review: twilight

okay... i did it. i read twilight. as much as a i desperatly wanted to hate this book, i didn't. i didn't LOVE it, but i also didn't HATE it.

the book is horribly written- to the point that i am almost embarressed for meyer. it's so full of fluffy details and cliche metaphor after cliche metaphor that i had to put it down and walk away on more than one occassion. i think the entire first half went something like this:

edward: i'm dangerous.
bella: i don't care.
edward: but bella, i'm dangerous.
bella: but edward, i don't care.
edward: i'm dangerous.
bella: you're beautiful.

if this particular conversation, along with the overload of mundane details (ex: do we REALLY need to hear about every meal dear bella consumes?), the book would be about 50 pages long. it reminded me of a professor assigning you 35 pages to write- you finish your story in the first 10- and then fill the remaining 25 with whatever comes to mind.

with that said- i can see how the beautiful and mysterious edward cullen can easily steal the hearts of every teenage girl out there. he's sexy. he's a vampire. he's madly obessivly in love with bella. i get it. what teen doesn't want the dark and dangerous older guy brooding after them? ala- my teenage obsession with angel, from buffy the vampire slayer.

dispite meyere's lack of actual literary talent, she can obviously tell a story. i finished the damn book in about three days. all too many pages of it. my guess: if robert pattison (swoon) hadn't been cast as mr. cullen, twilight woudln't be the cult hit it's become.

am i glad i read it? sure. did i enjoy it? for the most part. do i feel the need to immediatly run out and get the remaining three books in the serious? no. will i read them all eventually? possibly. would i mind if edward, with his amber eyes, alabaster skin, and perfectly chiseled grecian god good looks , climbed into bed and kissed me with his stone cold icy lips and sweet breath? definitly not.

okay, break over.

who are we kidding? like i could actually quit my blog. let's chalk that idea up to a terrible day at work and lack of seeing my husband, combined with a side of PMS and a messy apartment. work is still terrible and i never see my husband, but the PMS is gone (for now) and the apartment is finally clean again. i have [somewhat] mellowed the fuck out. pardon my french.

so... umm, updates? i HATE my new job. it's quite possibly the most heinously boring job in the entire world. i've never really had a job i've HATED before. strongly disliked, yes... but not HATED. well, at least not while i was still working there.... the good/bad news, is that my company was officially bought out, as of the first of this month, and i may not have this job by the end of the year. odds are the madison office will be closing... and, my ass will be out on the streets. i've already started half-assedly looking for new jobs... but, the motivation isn't really there, since (as of now) i have a steady paycheck. woe is me. husband, please finish school so i can procreate and stay home and drink wi... i mean, stay home with my babies.

speaking of husband, i feel like i no longer have a husband. i suppose i don't really have a right to complain, as there are so many women out there who go months and years without seeing their military hubs... when mine has just been kidnapped by grad school. i keep telling myself that it's only for two years... but... i miss him. sad face. the ONE perk to him constantly being gone until 10 or 11 at night? girl shows. i can watch as many girly tv shows as i want... and nobody is here to complain. tonight, being "greys night", i'm actually pretty okay with him being gone. that is, until 9pm rolls around, my show is over, and i have to go to bed by myself again. oh! and i can get my fill of keith and rachel (olbermann and maddow...) without his running commentary coming from the other room... so, i guess it's not all bad... but, it's definitly not all good. i'm hoping that tonight, he'll at least get home before i go to bed. i think i've seen him for a grand total of MAYBE 4 or 5 hours this week- not counting sunday.

can i also talk about how thankful i am to be 26 and married, and not a drunken college student anymore? how many people say that?? i think i might be the only one. this past weekend we ventured up to our college for their homecoming, with my best friend and her boyfriend. husband and i went to the same college as V, who has posted a few lovely words on the subject (ahem, gang fight), and i honestly thought i'd never set foot in the town again, after leaving. this was the second time i ventured back, and although i had FUN with my friends... i'm so over that lifestyle. staying out until all hours and pounding down as many drinks as a girl my size can is fabulous for a weekend.. but, i'm quite certain a weekend is all i can handle. i'd much rather have a glass of wine, watch a movie, and be in bed by midnight. is that sad? meh.

lastly- i have a confession to make. i know that V (apparently i have a lot to include her in tonight) will be slightly horrified with/disappointed in me. i went to best buy, during my lunch hour today, to buy a charger for my ipod. i also planned on buying a magazine to read over the rest of my lunch, but apparently this best buy doesn't sell magazines. best buy also (apparently) only sells books that have been made into movies. since i didn't really have to time to make an additional trip to barnes and noble, and i've already read the lovely bones (LOVE), time travelers wife (LOVE), and my sisters keeper (HATE x 5000)... all that was left was... dun dun dun.... twilight. i can't believe i just wrote that. i can't believe that i bought it. so far, i'm 67 pages in... and the book is HORRIBLY written, obviously for the high school set, and yet somehow has managed to draw me in. let's say... ala dan brown, who's prose is also ridiculously terrible, and (yet) i somehow managed to read divinci code in a day. i'm sure i'll be finished with the damn book by the end of the weekend, and i like to think i won't feel the need to read the rest of the series. we'll see... i mean, i'm so uncool that i like going to bed by 9pm... so who am i to try and be cool enough to not read twlight? with that said, i still dispise harry potter. (although, to my credit, i did push myself through the entire first book before deciding that i hated it.. so... maybe the same goes with twilight? le sigh).

okay... i'm done now.

i think i need to break from blogging... actually, i suppose i already have, since it's been about 10 days since my last post... but, i've kind of lost interest in this whole deal. so, instead of wasting everyones reading time with completely mindless and uninspired posts, i'm just going to walk away... for now. i'm sure i'll get back into it at some point.

anyways... happy blogging to the rest of you!

and, i bid you adieu.

for now.

it's official...

... my cats eat better than a majority of the american population. is that sad? possibly... but, not for them. when my cats were put on a diet by their vet, i took it upon myself to research the crap out of cat foods and came to a startling realization. a vast majority of commercial cat (AND dog food) is actually TERRIBLE for your pets. example? cats and dogs can't digest glutens. what do you find in most commercial pet foods? corn and wheat. you are essentially feeding your little furbabies filler... with very very very VERY little nutritional value, most of which they don't even digest. do you want another example? the first two ingredients listed on the back of the back should be always be animal products... protein! if you read the ingriedints on the commercial stuff... usually the first, and almost always the second listing, will be corn.

after sampling a few all natural/organic pet foods, i found a favorite... and figured i'd share: by nature. the cats love it. the weight control formula actually got them to loose weight. and, the ingredients read like a farmers market. organic chicken. organic brown rice. organic carrots, sweet potatoes, cranberries... i could go on for hours. there is nothing in this little bag, aside from gluten-free goodness and vitamins/minerals. why would you ever feed your animal something that you couldn't eat yourself? i mean, if you ever had a taste for kibble...........

now, to spoil them even more... while at the store tonight, buying the kids the aforementioned glorious cat food, i decided to pick them up a little kitty drinking fountain. this thing chills and purifies their drinking water... and keeps it in a constant state of motion, to prevent it from sitting out and filling w/ bucket loads of bacteria. the husband yelled at me for dropping $$ on a water dish... but, what's the point of feeding them great food if their water is terrible? i mean.... when we got home from our labor day weekend get away.... there was actually MOLD growing in the bottom of their water dish. ew.

okay, i'm done ranting. just call me the crazy cat lady...... :)

the good news... and the bad.

first... the bad. i like to get the negatives out of the way, so the shiny happy moments can come through.

for those of you who know me, it's common knowledge that i don't do sports. i don't watch them. i don't play them. i don't enjoy them-- at. all. the issue? football season. my husband lives and breathes all things bears. in the past, this hasn't been a huge issue. he watches the bears... i do my thing... and all is right in the world. but NOW, he's in school... studying for his mba. which means, he hardly has time for me to begin with. now... through january, his free weekends will be consumed by football. not just the pro shit on tv.... but the badgers when they're at home. i may as well be single. well.. with the exception of the whole not making out with oodles of cute boys thing. i guess i need to plan lots of girls weekends?? ugh..... i. hate. football season. HATE. HATE. HATE.

how much do i hate football season? i can't even respect rivialries. i'm from wisconsin. a supposed "packers fan". my dad bought me a packers sweatshirt... i wear it, it's comfy. dave bought me a bears sweatshirt. i wear it. it's comfy. do i care that there's something taboo when it comes to owning and wearing rival teams' sweatshirts? NO. so sue me.

MOVING ON.

the positive!!

remember when i was bitching about my new jobs whole internet restriction thing? i have found two major websites i am allowed access to. the first.... goodreads. yes! the second, BLOGGER. YES!!!! i *almost* posted a blog at work today... and then panic set in that my work may be monitering my every move, and i'm not really sure i wanted to have them reading what i was writing. i mean, not that i have bad things to say about my new job (aside from their BULLSHIT internet policies) but, still......

now i just need access to facebook and gmail and all will be right in my world.

a girl can dream, right?

book report: the abstinence teacher

tom perotta is one of my absolute favorite authors. after having read election and little children, it was love. but, i can't say the same for this particular read- perotta's latest. even with his typical writting stye flowing.... it just didn't cut it. which, was a HUGE disappointment as i had EXTREMELY high expectations.

first off- the book is distractingly political. it focuses entirely on the uber christian/church vs. state controversy, etc. though i agreed completely with ruth, one of the main characters, i still found it to be completely overwhelming and tiresome.

ruth, a high school heath teacher, in a hyper conservative and overly bible-thumping town, is forced to teach an "abstinence only" curriculum. as predicted, she gets herself into an extreme amount of trouble for telling her students that oral sex isn't all bad and what she's having to teach them isn't the most accurate source of information regarding birth control. she directs her students to planned parenthood... shit hits the fan... and i thought this was going to be the main plot of the story.

BUT- i was wrong. a second main character is introducted. tim, the recovering addict/born again christian, is ruth's daughter's soccer coach. he digs his own grave by leading his youth soccer team (sponsered by the community, none the less) in a prayer circle after a big win. needless to say, ruth (near athiest) is outraged, and leads the charge against coach tim.

i'm going to leave the plot there. naturally, it's much more involved than that, but i don't want to get hung up on the details. i felt the book was rushed, and was surprised at the lack of character developement. all of the stock characters fell tooth and nail into their intended stereotypes and it was all too predictable for my taste. and- as a fan of perrota, this was entirely unpredicted.

i was expecting so much more... and am hoping that my next perotta read, joe college, redeems my loyality. BUT- hefore that happens, it's on to another read from my "2009 busy bookworm challenge" list, memoirs of a geisha. i have heard such wonderfully amazing things about this book, that my expectations are through the roof. this will be either the books greatest strengh or it's weakest flaw.

either way, happy reading.

I LOVE CATS!

'nuff said.

oye.... okay, so i haven't blogged in about 17 years. i am getting TERRIBLE at keeping up with this thing. see, i used to blog when i had nothing to do/didn't want to do anything at work. then... i was unemployed... and i had everything in the world that i wanted to do, aside from sitting at my computer. NOW, i am re-employed.... and the company i am working for has a VERY strict internet usage policy. we are limited to 30min of personal usage, and then it somehow automatically blocks all none company related websites. what kind of craptacular garbage is that?? how do they expect me to get any sort of work accomplished when i can't be checking facebook every 3 seconds, writing blogs, reading blogs, and gchatting?? they're lucky i have internet on my phone... so i can at least keep up with the facebook and emails... but, not the blog. sad times my friends, sad times. i guess, for the sake of my sad little blog, we need to hope that i get back into excessive internetting in my spare time. although, i will continue to remain bitter that none of that spare time will involve company time. did i say "meh" yet?

ANYWAYS- i should probably stop whining, because i did have an awesomely relaxing and fun long weekend up at the in-law's cabin. how did i get so lucky to marry into a family with a cabin? and... a REALLY REALLY nice and new a sparkling clean cabin, at that. i mean, this "cabin" is nicer than my house... and possibly any house i've ever lived in... haha.

we got up there semi-late on friday night (hub's has class until 5... every friday... what kind of CRAP is that!?) and had a VERY yummy dinner. saturday was extremely relaxing and i, believe it or not, got in a kayak. this may come as a shock for those that know me, as i prefer to not exert myself physically OR participate in outdoor activities... but, i will be the first too admit that i love that kayak. so fun and much easier to paddle than a canoe. especially if you do a few big strong paddles and then just coast down the river........................ :) saturday night we all camped around a backyard bonfire with wine in sippycups (reason # 4897344 that i love my inlaws) and i, at least, got semi-embaressingly drunk. i hope i didn't say anything too dumb. odds are not in my favor with that one.

on sunday we went to the apple orchard! call me lame, but this is something i have been wanting to do F.O.R.E.V.E.R. so i was THRILLED when i was informed there was an orchard near the cabin. we picked apples and blueberries and i was happy as a clam. monday we headed home fairly early... with the intent of beating traffic... and, that failed miserably. i am so thankful we only had to make it as far as madison, and not all the way back to illinois. when traffic started to kill us, we were able to find an alternate route and bail and fly home.

sunday night, my best friend and her boyfriend invited us over for dinner and game time. we played "in a pickle". has anyone else ever played that? i hadn't... and it was pretty damn hilarious. the game consists (in a nutshell) of cards with words on them... and you need to arrange the cards so that the item listed on each card fits into the item before it. exampe: "eyelash" --> "egg" --> "paris" --> "universe". i know that doesn't really sound hilarious/amusing... but add two bottles of wine and you have a great night.

aaaaaand... that brings us back today. when i started my new job... found out about the internet usage policy... and felt sad about my life. har har :) i'm hoping this lovely bottle of pinot (noir-NOT grigio) will soften the blow. let me tell you, sleeping in for the past month makes 8am pretty brutal. woe is me, right? :)