Friday, February 27, 2009
Also
If you're looking for a new bank or a new savings account, I highly recommend INGDirect. I've been with them about a month now and I absolutely love them. They'll mail checks off for you at no charge, you earn interest on your savings account that's added monthly, and if you recommend people (wink wink) you get a little finder's fee. They really are great, you have total access to your money, and I'm using it for all my bill paying stuff because you can schedule the payments to go out and they won't send out the check if you don't have the money-- instead, they'll send you an e-mail and remind you to add money to your account because you have a bill due. Pretty awesome if you ask me. So that's my little plug-- I like being with Suntrust, but the INGDirect is really super easy and the interest is a really nice perk.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Hooray shopping!
Went to Target today and bought some really super cute stuff for Analia, I kinda wish some of them were in my size! Apparently there was a run on all the 2T clearance stuff that was there last week, but I still got a pair of cute little twill capris, some dark pink chino-type shorts, a brown and pink tank top, a pink shirt with little gingham trim, and a multi-colored sundress. I'm trying to see if I can upload directly from the camera since I don't have a card reader for a microSD since I have a couple pictures. Aaaaand, it worked!
See, the shirts and the pants match each other and will go with several things she already has and the sundress is just flat out cute.
Also, Meg had her baby today!! Welcome to the world, Vera Kavanaugh, we're so glad you're here! She picked a beautiful day to come-- 65 and sunny, like the world was expecting her. :D
Well, here's to hoping we get a commercial break soon or I'm going to be watching Burn Notice at 1a and mom's going to be mad at me for not helping move David's stuff out; in my defense, I did help out for like 20 minutes last night without being asked and this is the only show I insist on watching at its normal time because I know that there are people who will spoil it. Also, as I have just found out, David and my brother are both type A enough that they don't want someone else getting in the way!
Did my tax return last night, so now I'm just waiting for it all to come back-- I'm being responsible AND having fun; half will go to pay off a credit card and the other half will go towards a ticket to Austin this summer. I can't wait!!
<3 Burn Notice!!
See, the shirts and the pants match each other and will go with several things she already has and the sundress is just flat out cute.
Also, Meg had her baby today!! Welcome to the world, Vera Kavanaugh, we're so glad you're here! She picked a beautiful day to come-- 65 and sunny, like the world was expecting her. :D
Well, here's to hoping we get a commercial break soon or I'm going to be watching Burn Notice at 1a and mom's going to be mad at me for not helping move David's stuff out; in my defense, I did help out for like 20 minutes last night without being asked and this is the only show I insist on watching at its normal time because I know that there are people who will spoil it. Also, as I have just found out, David and my brother are both type A enough that they don't want someone else getting in the way!
Did my tax return last night, so now I'm just waiting for it all to come back-- I'm being responsible AND having fun; half will go to pay off a credit card and the other half will go towards a ticket to Austin this summer. I can't wait!!
<3 Burn Notice!!
By the way
For my good pals here, if you want to keep up with the wedding stuff I'm putting it over on a Wedding Blog so that you guys don't have to listen to so much of it if you don't want ;)
Just kidding, I'll still yap on and on over here, but all the pertinent information will be there. Place and time, contact info, hotel information, all that good stuff.
Just kidding, I'll still yap on and on over here, but all the pertinent information will be there. Place and time, contact info, hotel information, all that good stuff.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Cylon Attack!
I'm catching up on all my shows now, and first on the list is Battlestar Galactica! I've missed a lot, so I'm starting at Season 3 and moving through it all. I'm not used to watching it on Friday nights, so I'll probably end up doing what I'm doing now and catching it all on DVD if the SciFi channel doesn't keep them up long enough. It's really intense so far, which isn't surprising because that's what BSG does, but I'd forgotten how good they are at it!
I'm a couple episodes away from being caught up on NUMB3RS, all caught up on House and 30 Rock and The Office, next up is Fringe and CSI. Yes, my life really is that boring...
Going to Borders tomorrow to spend the last of my Borders gift card from Valerie and Matt on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack (which I was pleased to see had all the songs I wanted on it) and then swing by Target to pick up a few things for Analia. They're having some seriously awesome clearance on the stuff from last summer, so I get to fill in the blanks for next to nothing! Wheee! I need to remember to take the blankets by Hagar's House (a women's shelter in downtown Decatur) because I totally forgot today.
Jeremy's going to be able to come up next week, and we'll probably have lunch or dinner with my godmother Gail (who's doing the wedding service) and her husband Tom, and he's going to replace the exhaust manifold on my car so it'll be shiny and new and I won't have to worry about it cracking any further. I had a decent night at work and since I've done a good job at not spending too much this month, I can afford a new one which is only $150 for shipping and gaskets and everything! Yay for having a cheap car to fix!! After that, I can pass emissions and my car will be legal and I can start visiting Florida and even make a trip or two to Memphis to see people and hit up a couple hockey games.
Oh, fun story, the problem I was having with the Mass Air Flow Sensor? Turns out the shop unplugged it when they were looking for electrical problems and never plugged it back in! It was a five minute fix once Jeremy got here and now it's running wonderfully. It's certainly nice having a handy fiancee!
I think that's all the interesting stuff for now, so I'll sign off. Ciao for now!
I'm a couple episodes away from being caught up on NUMB3RS, all caught up on House and 30 Rock and The Office, next up is Fringe and CSI. Yes, my life really is that boring...
Going to Borders tomorrow to spend the last of my Borders gift card from Valerie and Matt on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack (which I was pleased to see had all the songs I wanted on it) and then swing by Target to pick up a few things for Analia. They're having some seriously awesome clearance on the stuff from last summer, so I get to fill in the blanks for next to nothing! Wheee! I need to remember to take the blankets by Hagar's House (a women's shelter in downtown Decatur) because I totally forgot today.
Jeremy's going to be able to come up next week, and we'll probably have lunch or dinner with my godmother Gail (who's doing the wedding service) and her husband Tom, and he's going to replace the exhaust manifold on my car so it'll be shiny and new and I won't have to worry about it cracking any further. I had a decent night at work and since I've done a good job at not spending too much this month, I can afford a new one which is only $150 for shipping and gaskets and everything! Yay for having a cheap car to fix!! After that, I can pass emissions and my car will be legal and I can start visiting Florida and even make a trip or two to Memphis to see people and hit up a couple hockey games.
Oh, fun story, the problem I was having with the Mass Air Flow Sensor? Turns out the shop unplugged it when they were looking for electrical problems and never plugged it back in! It was a five minute fix once Jeremy got here and now it's running wonderfully. It's certainly nice having a handy fiancee!
I think that's all the interesting stuff for now, so I'll sign off. Ciao for now!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Terra Cotta Awesomeness
Today I had the pleasure of seeing the famous Terra Cotta army of Emperor Qin, known as China's first Emperor. Since I paid an obscene amount of money for my college education, I had the privilege of attending a luncheon where Dean Micheal Drompp of Rhodes College's Asian Studies department spoke briefly about the history of the man. He is known not only for standardising language, writing, roads, currency, and weights and measures, but for unending cruelty and strictness in enforcement of the law. Dr. Drompp shared a story that Qin once fell asleep and as it grew cold, the Keeper of the Imperial Hat covered him with the Imperial Cloak. When he awoke, he asked who had covered him and he was told the Keeper of the Imperial Hat; he punished the Keeper of the Hat for overstepping his bounds and the Keeper of the Imperial Cloak for not fulfilling his duties.
Terrified of death, Qin spent his life trying to avoid it, but finally decided to build a mausoleum that would echo his greatness in life. There are a suspected 7,000 soldiers and so far 1,000 of them have been unearthed since the discovery of the first one in 1973, and the High Museum is showing around 10-13 statues from the outer ranks of the mausoleum (I tried to find a schematic of the site, but am unable to-- I'll continue to look and will update with a link when I find one) along with a collection of artifacts from the era.
The collection itself is incredibly interesting, and the audio tour that goes along with it extremely informative. Curators from the British Museum and the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum (where they live in China when not on tour) describe the rise of Qin, the different forms of money seen in display cases (pre- and post-Qin) and the weapons-- impressively preserved bronze pieces from arrows to spear tips. Stone weights and new coins follow them as examples of what Qin did
for the empire. Jumping back, briefly, the exhibit introduces itself with the kneeling archer (seen to the left) which was really quite exquisite. The High's curators set up the exhibition so the warriors were not behind glass, but instead on platforms with a knee-high barrier surrounding it; this made viewing easier as there was no inch-thick glass to distort light and take away from the amazing detail on each and every one of these statues.
The detail on these soldiers is exactly what makes them so impressive. The High Museum's marketing did them a great disservice in making the exhibit appear to be a large collection of soldiers, putting out advertising that depicted a large portion of the 1,000 soldiers. People show up, see that there are only around 10 soldiers and feel like they've been gypped. The audio tour does quite a bit to emphasize the detail on each individual soldier, a different item number for each one, but anyone who doesn't realize the audio tour is free or doesn't care to take it (the majority of fellow visitors had the headsets, but there were quite a few who did not) isn't going to get that. I think that if there were a large number of soldiers, the thing that makes this exhibit so unique would have been completely lost on the public. Perhaps it is because of the marketing bungle, but everyone seemed to be really enthralled with what they saw so I think that the majority of people are overlooking it.
The final two rooms include a selection of different soldiers and one
of the horses with his bridle and saddle (seen to the right). Bronze replicas of original chariots and four are at the rear of the larger room behind the soldiers as the originals were too delicate to travel; the antechambers to that room include a mockup of the workshop with workers building both a warrior and a horse from bottom up, and musicians playing to dancing cranes on a river bank (though there is an argument that the statues may also have been fishing since there is no evidence left of what they were holding in their hands-- picture of one seen below).
In all, I highly recommend the exhibit. If you don't have the fortune of an Asian Studies professor, the audio tour will more than suffice and IS included in the price of admission. Leave behind your impressions from marketing, and instead focus in the incredible detail in each and every statue. I would not suggest less than an hour to go through the exhibit, and would take more time if you have it so that you can be sure to really look at each piece and enjoy the entire collection.
All photos are from the TimesOnline UK site artle "Terracotta army at the British Museum."
Terrified of death, Qin spent his life trying to avoid it, but finally decided to build a mausoleum that would echo his greatness in life. There are a suspected 7,000 soldiers and so far 1,000 of them have been unearthed since the discovery of the first one in 1973, and the High Museum is showing around 10-13 statues from the outer ranks of the mausoleum (I tried to find a schematic of the site, but am unable to-- I'll continue to look and will update with a link when I find one) along with a collection of artifacts from the era.
The collection itself is incredibly interesting, and the audio tour that goes along with it extremely informative. Curators from the British Museum and the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum (where they live in China when not on tour) describe the rise of Qin, the different forms of money seen in display cases (pre- and post-Qin) and the weapons-- impressively preserved bronze pieces from arrows to spear tips. Stone weights and new coins follow them as examples of what Qin did
for the empire. Jumping back, briefly, the exhibit introduces itself with the kneeling archer (seen to the left) which was really quite exquisite. The High's curators set up the exhibition so the warriors were not behind glass, but instead on platforms with a knee-high barrier surrounding it; this made viewing easier as there was no inch-thick glass to distort light and take away from the amazing detail on each and every one of these statues.The detail on these soldiers is exactly what makes them so impressive. The High Museum's marketing did them a great disservice in making the exhibit appear to be a large collection of soldiers, putting out advertising that depicted a large portion of the 1,000 soldiers. People show up, see that there are only around 10 soldiers and feel like they've been gypped. The audio tour does quite a bit to emphasize the detail on each individual soldier, a different item number for each one, but anyone who doesn't realize the audio tour is free or doesn't care to take it (the majority of fellow visitors had the headsets, but there were quite a few who did not) isn't going to get that. I think that if there were a large number of soldiers, the thing that makes this exhibit so unique would have been completely lost on the public. Perhaps it is because of the marketing bungle, but everyone seemed to be really enthralled with what they saw so I think that the majority of people are overlooking it.
The final two rooms include a selection of different soldiers and one
of the horses with his bridle and saddle (seen to the right). Bronze replicas of original chariots and four are at the rear of the larger room behind the soldiers as the originals were too delicate to travel; the antechambers to that room include a mockup of the workshop with workers building both a warrior and a horse from bottom up, and musicians playing to dancing cranes on a river bank (though there is an argument that the statues may also have been fishing since there is no evidence left of what they were holding in their hands-- picture of one seen below).
In all, I highly recommend the exhibit. If you don't have the fortune of an Asian Studies professor, the audio tour will more than suffice and IS included in the price of admission. Leave behind your impressions from marketing, and instead focus in the incredible detail in each and every statue. I would not suggest less than an hour to go through the exhibit, and would take more time if you have it so that you can be sure to really look at each piece and enjoy the entire collection.
All photos are from the TimesOnline UK site artle "Terracotta army at the British Museum."
Friday, February 20, 2009
Deep Breaths
I wish I could fly off to Phuket with Valerie this weekend, I could use a step back from everything! I'm really stressed because I haven't been making much at work and I have this whole paying for the wedding thing, not to mention the lots of tiny things that are stressing me out about the wedding thing, and trying to pay the rest of my bills... it's really stressful. I try to take deep breaths, but sometimes it gets overwhelming. I'm also a little bit irritated that since the economy is down, nobody's stocking the inventory they usually do which means that my brilliant plan to get lots of fun decorations from Valentine's Day clearance was severely thwarted!
To escape, I'm turning to making cards and thinking about going back on the citalopram to help me manage and be able to take a step back and look objectively at things. I'm going to start a new budget as of Monday that's a little different than the one I've been working on (which assumes a certain amount of income every month) and instead put away money for the things I know I'm going to have to pay-- $100 for prescriptions, $70 for the phone, $30 for gas (since I don't really go much of anywhere), $30 towards the wedding (I'm trying to put in at least $10 a week), and then at the end of the month I'll split the rest amongst my bills and send off checks. I'm hoping that will help me relax a little bit, and maybe end up with a few extra bucks here and there for all these babies that are popping up! In the next three or four months, Krystal, Meg, Kimberly, and someone else (gah, why can't I remember!) are all having babies!
Baby shopping will be totally therapeutic, the clothes are so adorable and two of the babies are boys and one's (Cy) father does ATC for the Marines and the other's (Peanut for now) mom used to be a First Officer at XJT and this afternoon at Target I found some little cammo socks and onesies and bibs with airplanes and jets on them. I also found the perfect blanket for Vera (Meg's baby girl), it's totally 60's and Meg will love it. I had to keep myself from buying all the totally adorable little print dresses on clearance for Analia-- they'd be perfect for Singapore and would look SO cute on her! And they had them in toddler sizes since we won't see them until Christmas and shipping anything over an ounce (aka, a letter) is just insane! If they go down under $5 each, I may still pick up a couple to keep around-- being kid's clothes, they don't take up much space, and Valerie's said that trying to buy kid's clothing over there is expensive and not very cute. There were even some little oshkosh twill capris which would be good since it rains a lot and wet hems are no fun!
Yes, we have concluded that I just need to have my own little girl so I can dress her up and not have to worry about spoiling other people's children...
Anyway, I need to go move my car so that dad can park in the morning and then hit the hay! He didn't realize he was going to have to have his eyes dialated (hello, they have to look at a busted vein in your retina-- what about that makes you think you'll be able to drive afterwards?) so I'm taking him in the morning and he's taking me for breakfast afterwards.
Ciao!
To escape, I'm turning to making cards and thinking about going back on the citalopram to help me manage and be able to take a step back and look objectively at things. I'm going to start a new budget as of Monday that's a little different than the one I've been working on (which assumes a certain amount of income every month) and instead put away money for the things I know I'm going to have to pay-- $100 for prescriptions, $70 for the phone, $30 for gas (since I don't really go much of anywhere), $30 towards the wedding (I'm trying to put in at least $10 a week), and then at the end of the month I'll split the rest amongst my bills and send off checks. I'm hoping that will help me relax a little bit, and maybe end up with a few extra bucks here and there for all these babies that are popping up! In the next three or four months, Krystal, Meg, Kimberly, and someone else (gah, why can't I remember!) are all having babies!
Baby shopping will be totally therapeutic, the clothes are so adorable and two of the babies are boys and one's (Cy) father does ATC for the Marines and the other's (Peanut for now) mom used to be a First Officer at XJT and this afternoon at Target I found some little cammo socks and onesies and bibs with airplanes and jets on them. I also found the perfect blanket for Vera (Meg's baby girl), it's totally 60's and Meg will love it. I had to keep myself from buying all the totally adorable little print dresses on clearance for Analia-- they'd be perfect for Singapore and would look SO cute on her! And they had them in toddler sizes since we won't see them until Christmas and shipping anything over an ounce (aka, a letter) is just insane! If they go down under $5 each, I may still pick up a couple to keep around-- being kid's clothes, they don't take up much space, and Valerie's said that trying to buy kid's clothing over there is expensive and not very cute. There were even some little oshkosh twill capris which would be good since it rains a lot and wet hems are no fun!
Yes, we have concluded that I just need to have my own little girl so I can dress her up and not have to worry about spoiling other people's children...
Anyway, I need to go move my car so that dad can park in the morning and then hit the hay! He didn't realize he was going to have to have his eyes dialated (hello, they have to look at a busted vein in your retina-- what about that makes you think you'll be able to drive afterwards?) so I'm taking him in the morning and he's taking me for breakfast afterwards.
Ciao!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Feeling Icky
I was feeling ok today and then about 445 my head just totally clogged up. Bleh.
Work was generally uneventful, but I saw Suehyla for the first time in ages which was really nice-- I've missed her so much! I showed her pictures of me and Jeremy, some of Analia, and we caught up on some general stuff.
Hopefully I'll rest well tonight and get up and do my Target errands in the morning, clear out the last of the stuff from the storage unit, aaaaand go to work. Becca's coming to get her cards (which I think turned out really well) tomorrow, so that's a little extra money, and I'm going by Showcase to get my new camera (birthday/Christmas present from dad) since the one I bought from Dill finally died this afternoon. I don't remember how old it was when I got it from her, but it's been two years since I bought it and it was old then-- definitely lasted a while!
Finished Bones this morning so when I watch the one from a couple weeks ago, I will officially have seen every Bones they've made! I watched Death Race with Jason Statham which was a totally awesome action flick, but I made it halfway through the Unrated Version and didn't see anything different from the original... maybe I'll finish it tomorrow, but I'll probably just send it back since there's plenty of other stuff I need to watch on my Netflix queue!!
Anyway, I'm going to go wrap up some stuff before bed, and try to put the Salt Water Taffy Sara sent me from Savannah (I couldn't go so she sent me some-- I got it in the mail today and it totally made my week!) away... I would eat all of it all at once if I could, but I don't want to make myself sick!
Work was generally uneventful, but I saw Suehyla for the first time in ages which was really nice-- I've missed her so much! I showed her pictures of me and Jeremy, some of Analia, and we caught up on some general stuff.
Hopefully I'll rest well tonight and get up and do my Target errands in the morning, clear out the last of the stuff from the storage unit, aaaaand go to work. Becca's coming to get her cards (which I think turned out really well) tomorrow, so that's a little extra money, and I'm going by Showcase to get my new camera (birthday/Christmas present from dad) since the one I bought from Dill finally died this afternoon. I don't remember how old it was when I got it from her, but it's been two years since I bought it and it was old then-- definitely lasted a while!
Finished Bones this morning so when I watch the one from a couple weeks ago, I will officially have seen every Bones they've made! I watched Death Race with Jason Statham which was a totally awesome action flick, but I made it halfway through the Unrated Version and didn't see anything different from the original... maybe I'll finish it tomorrow, but I'll probably just send it back since there's plenty of other stuff I need to watch on my Netflix queue!!
Anyway, I'm going to go wrap up some stuff before bed, and try to put the Salt Water Taffy Sara sent me from Savannah (I couldn't go so she sent me some-- I got it in the mail today and it totally made my week!) away... I would eat all of it all at once if I could, but I don't want to make myself sick!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Entirely Frustrating
At work we pool our tips-- for those of you who don't know what that is, it means we toss all our tips in and split them evenly between everyone who works that night. Saturday was (obv) Valentine's Day which is a big night for us. I left early, but I pulled in about $113 in tips. I was sorely disappointed when I got to work today and found out that I only got $54 of that. Apparently it dropped off severely after I left, so my hourly plummeted. While I was still miffed, I didn't feel quite so bad when I found out that the two coworkers who were there from 4-past midnight only pulled $80, and the one who left after me about $10 more than I did. Nobody broke $100, which is kind of dismal in the long run. I think I had top sales, I pushed the specials and the second and third teir wines ($10-$12.50/glass) and sold between $88-160 per table (including two tops), so I'm going with a not so great night. On the upside, I won the $100 prize for the "bottom line" challenge for January! I'm aiming to win the prize every month, so I'm brainstorming lots of ideas to aim for the ultimate $200 prize!
Anyway, Jeremy was up this weekend and it was really great to see him. We watched a couple movies, cuddled up a bit, and went to lunch with Alexandros at Fritti-- which I was pleased to see Jeremy liked! Fritti is this fantastic Italian restaurant sistered with Sotto Sotto, they're known for their authentic Neopolitan pizzas. We had a pancetta, caramelized onion, and hot pepper pizza and split some calamari with Alexandros, then went to see Coraline. We missed a showing of Coraline that wasn't an hour and a half away, so we went ahead and saw Slumdog Millionaire.
If you haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire, stop reading this and go see it. Absolutely stunning film, the acting is amazing and the direction is brilliant, and the story is much more interesting than I ever gave it credit for from online synopses. If you don't know the synopsis: A "slumdog" coffee boy in Bombay goes on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and makes it to the final round. He's taken in to the police under suspicion of cheating after winning Rs. 10k and as the movie goes on, we find out the things in his life that cause him to know the answers to questions that someone with no formal education and no money should know. Some of it is extremely sad and some of it is funny and some of it is uplifting, and the ending is just... it's a perfect parallel climax and denoument all at once, it's just brilliant. I would be entirely happy if they won Best Picture, and I think it would be a triumph for the Oscars to get back on par with a win like that.
Plus, I have three words that mean this movie rocks above all else: Bollywood Dance Scene.
What, then.
Alright, there's not much else to say, so I'm going to work a few more minutes on the cards I'm doing up for Becca and then hit the hay so that I can not only help finish out the storage unit but go to Target and get some new Sharpies! And a bunch of other stuff. Yaaay for gift cards!
Anyway, Jeremy was up this weekend and it was really great to see him. We watched a couple movies, cuddled up a bit, and went to lunch with Alexandros at Fritti-- which I was pleased to see Jeremy liked! Fritti is this fantastic Italian restaurant sistered with Sotto Sotto, they're known for their authentic Neopolitan pizzas. We had a pancetta, caramelized onion, and hot pepper pizza and split some calamari with Alexandros, then went to see Coraline. We missed a showing of Coraline that wasn't an hour and a half away, so we went ahead and saw Slumdog Millionaire.
If you haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire, stop reading this and go see it. Absolutely stunning film, the acting is amazing and the direction is brilliant, and the story is much more interesting than I ever gave it credit for from online synopses. If you don't know the synopsis: A "slumdog" coffee boy in Bombay goes on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and makes it to the final round. He's taken in to the police under suspicion of cheating after winning Rs. 10k and as the movie goes on, we find out the things in his life that cause him to know the answers to questions that someone with no formal education and no money should know. Some of it is extremely sad and some of it is funny and some of it is uplifting, and the ending is just... it's a perfect parallel climax and denoument all at once, it's just brilliant. I would be entirely happy if they won Best Picture, and I think it would be a triumph for the Oscars to get back on par with a win like that.
Plus, I have three words that mean this movie rocks above all else: Bollywood Dance Scene.
What, then.
Alright, there's not much else to say, so I'm going to work a few more minutes on the cards I'm doing up for Becca and then hit the hay so that I can not only help finish out the storage unit but go to Target and get some new Sharpies! And a bunch of other stuff. Yaaay for gift cards!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Jeremy's Coming!!!!
First off, Happy Birthday to Valerie!!
I'm headed to bed because Jeremy will be here tomorrow!! The reservations picked up for Valentine's Day last night... 14 in an hour and a half. Seriously? You waited until the day before? Wow.
Jill said that if we get many more, they'll need me, but if they don't get more than like two more than I can have the night off. I could really use the money, but I'd really rather spend time with Jeremy. I know I'll be seeing him for the rest of my life, but right now I'm lucky if I see him once a month!
Anyway, for your random quotient today, this is my re-vamped more random "25 Random Things" meme from Facebook. I decided that the first time around a) made me sound like a mean person and b) wasn't actually all that random. Voila:
1. I think Jack Black is a comedic genius
2. I went to Japan with our band and drill team in high school for nine days, during which time I marched in the local Cherry Blossom Parade, performed (danced) at a famous, historic castle on a mountain top, and played with monkeys.
3. I. remember. everything. I even remember picking up a 12 pack of Cokes and the bottom falling out and they all rolled in to Scott Boulevard (which turns in to Ponce). I don't know how old I was, but since my brother wasn't born I'm going to go with five.
4. When my mother was 9 months pregnant (two weeks to due date) with my brother, I choked on hard candy we'd gotten at my after school program-- she had to stop in the middle of Ponce de Leon so she could give me the Heimlich maneuver. 9 months pregnant.
5. I stayed involved with Girl Scouts up to high school, at which point I switched to Venture Crew which was kind of like a co-ed boy scouts; it was focused more on the orienteering and outdoors stuff.
6. I still have the recommendation letters that Suehyla and Shrader wrote for my fine arts scholarship. Even though part of me feels like I let them down, reading those letters somehow makes me feel like I haven't.
7. In the same folder as the rec letters is a letter Kelly Goad wrote me our sophomore year of college for my birthday. They're all part of an ultimate collection I've labeled "Things that Make Meg Happy" that I look at when I'm feeling down.
8. I like making presents and cards for people-- especially people who have done something extraordinary for me. I've been told it's creepy and weird, but I don't understand what's so creepy about being appreciative.
9. I hate Dickens. Hate him. But I did my senior paper on Bleak House and have contemplated writing a paper on every topic I can possibly think of related to the book. It's just that brilliant.
10. I used to want to study some combination of psychology, neurobiology, and genetics-- ultimately studying the nature vs. nurture question (graduated high school with honors in science). Emory rejected me, however, and that's how I ended up at Rhodes with an English degree...
11. I hate chick flicks. Seriously, the chick-flickiest I get is "When Harry Met Sally" or "Love Actually"-- I hate watching women, especially strong actresses, fit themselves in to a generally whiny and irritating persona.
12. I used to be extremely messy, but somehow I am now verging on type A when it comes to cleaning and organizing.
13. I was going to be named Maureen, but my mother's family pitched a fit-- Maureen was the name of her mother's next sister who died when she was 2 of influenza (most likely, it was 1929) and they were convinced it was bad luck.
14. I was also supposed to be named Re(a)gan, but since Reagan was president at the time, my parents didn't want everyone thinking they'd named me after him.
15. My father is a pretty well-known photographer in Atlanta, and salesman at a well-frequented store. I have had people (in Atlanta and Memphis) recognize me from pictures on his desk.
16. I danced for 15 years, including performances at Seven Stages, and a Fernbank Museum of Natural History (aka, Big Fernbank) fundraiser, and even helped teach a class for little ones.
17. I have an encyclopedic knowledge of movies, tv shows, and actors. I can place almost anyone and I freaking rock at six degrees of Kevin Bacon. You don't want to play me at Scene It-- I will slaughter you.
18. In case you couldn't tell, I'm a bit of a night owl. This was a problem at Rhodes because the birds would start singing at 130a like it was 6a and I would freak out and run upstairs to get ready for class... and realize it was only 130a.
19. I have had mono, the flu, and a sinus infection all at once. I do not recommend it.
20. I really hate Tom Cruise. I love Top Gun (who doesn't), but I hate Tom Cruise. His performance as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder, however, may be the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. I can't listen to Flo Rida's "Shawty Low" without seeing it in my head.
21. When I was in "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" in high school, I was the female half of a two-person cast-- our first performance for an audience, I forgot to resurrect Aslan. Luckily, five year olds don't really think about that kind of thing.
22. In high school, I would sit at lunch with Scott and a few other friends and together we would work on crossword puzzles. Yeah, you heard me. What about it?
23. I love comic books, love them. My mom grew up on Batman (who is totally better than Superman) and so I was raised on it as well-- my favorite, though, is the X-Men. I wanted to marry Gambit when I was little.
24. I have always been berated by people from North of the Mason-Dixon line about how racist the South is, but was SHOCKED when I went to Ohio to visit Tim to hear people say things that I have never in my life heard here. I was also severely disappointed at the amount of [reverse] racism in Memphis, I've never been so disgusted in my life in either case.
25. I think that 80's music is a cure-all genre. It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, or what you believe in-- Rock of Ages comes on and you just don't care anymore. Know why? 'Cause we ALL want rock'n'roll.
I'm headed to bed because Jeremy will be here tomorrow!! The reservations picked up for Valentine's Day last night... 14 in an hour and a half. Seriously? You waited until the day before? Wow.
Jill said that if we get many more, they'll need me, but if they don't get more than like two more than I can have the night off. I could really use the money, but I'd really rather spend time with Jeremy. I know I'll be seeing him for the rest of my life, but right now I'm lucky if I see him once a month!
Anyway, for your random quotient today, this is my re-vamped more random "25 Random Things" meme from Facebook. I decided that the first time around a) made me sound like a mean person and b) wasn't actually all that random. Voila:
1. I think Jack Black is a comedic genius
2. I went to Japan with our band and drill team in high school for nine days, during which time I marched in the local Cherry Blossom Parade, performed (danced) at a famous, historic castle on a mountain top, and played with monkeys.
3. I. remember. everything. I even remember picking up a 12 pack of Cokes and the bottom falling out and they all rolled in to Scott Boulevard (which turns in to Ponce). I don't know how old I was, but since my brother wasn't born I'm going to go with five.
4. When my mother was 9 months pregnant (two weeks to due date) with my brother, I choked on hard candy we'd gotten at my after school program-- she had to stop in the middle of Ponce de Leon so she could give me the Heimlich maneuver. 9 months pregnant.
5. I stayed involved with Girl Scouts up to high school, at which point I switched to Venture Crew which was kind of like a co-ed boy scouts; it was focused more on the orienteering and outdoors stuff.
6. I still have the recommendation letters that Suehyla and Shrader wrote for my fine arts scholarship. Even though part of me feels like I let them down, reading those letters somehow makes me feel like I haven't.
7. In the same folder as the rec letters is a letter Kelly Goad wrote me our sophomore year of college for my birthday. They're all part of an ultimate collection I've labeled "Things that Make Meg Happy" that I look at when I'm feeling down.
8. I like making presents and cards for people-- especially people who have done something extraordinary for me. I've been told it's creepy and weird, but I don't understand what's so creepy about being appreciative.
9. I hate Dickens. Hate him. But I did my senior paper on Bleak House and have contemplated writing a paper on every topic I can possibly think of related to the book. It's just that brilliant.
10. I used to want to study some combination of psychology, neurobiology, and genetics-- ultimately studying the nature vs. nurture question (graduated high school with honors in science). Emory rejected me, however, and that's how I ended up at Rhodes with an English degree...
11. I hate chick flicks. Seriously, the chick-flickiest I get is "When Harry Met Sally" or "Love Actually"-- I hate watching women, especially strong actresses, fit themselves in to a generally whiny and irritating persona.
12. I used to be extremely messy, but somehow I am now verging on type A when it comes to cleaning and organizing.
13. I was going to be named Maureen, but my mother's family pitched a fit-- Maureen was the name of her mother's next sister who died when she was 2 of influenza (most likely, it was 1929) and they were convinced it was bad luck.
14. I was also supposed to be named Re(a)gan, but since Reagan was president at the time, my parents didn't want everyone thinking they'd named me after him.
15. My father is a pretty well-known photographer in Atlanta, and salesman at a well-frequented store. I have had people (in Atlanta and Memphis) recognize me from pictures on his desk.
16. I danced for 15 years, including performances at Seven Stages, and a Fernbank Museum of Natural History (aka, Big Fernbank) fundraiser, and even helped teach a class for little ones.
17. I have an encyclopedic knowledge of movies, tv shows, and actors. I can place almost anyone and I freaking rock at six degrees of Kevin Bacon. You don't want to play me at Scene It-- I will slaughter you.
18. In case you couldn't tell, I'm a bit of a night owl. This was a problem at Rhodes because the birds would start singing at 130a like it was 6a and I would freak out and run upstairs to get ready for class... and realize it was only 130a.
19. I have had mono, the flu, and a sinus infection all at once. I do not recommend it.
20. I really hate Tom Cruise. I love Top Gun (who doesn't), but I hate Tom Cruise. His performance as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder, however, may be the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. I can't listen to Flo Rida's "Shawty Low" without seeing it in my head.
21. When I was in "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" in high school, I was the female half of a two-person cast-- our first performance for an audience, I forgot to resurrect Aslan. Luckily, five year olds don't really think about that kind of thing.
22. In high school, I would sit at lunch with Scott and a few other friends and together we would work on crossword puzzles. Yeah, you heard me. What about it?
23. I love comic books, love them. My mom grew up on Batman (who is totally better than Superman) and so I was raised on it as well-- my favorite, though, is the X-Men. I wanted to marry Gambit when I was little.
24. I have always been berated by people from North of the Mason-Dixon line about how racist the South is, but was SHOCKED when I went to Ohio to visit Tim to hear people say things that I have never in my life heard here. I was also severely disappointed at the amount of [reverse] racism in Memphis, I've never been so disgusted in my life in either case.
25. I think that 80's music is a cure-all genre. It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, or what you believe in-- Rock of Ages comes on and you just don't care anymore. Know why? 'Cause we ALL want rock'n'roll.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Family Tree
So I'm up late (which is bad since I've been pretty good this week) because I've gotten sucked in to my mother's side of the family tree. My father's side is pretty cool, too, but I think that when you have some badass Southern women in your family, you really can't go wrong. There are also some really awesome names, for example:
My father's grandmother (Rebecca, for whom I am named)- Arvazena (middle name)
My father's aunt- Gazell
My mother's grandmother (Flora, for whom I would like to name my daughter)- Anzilly
My mother's grandfather (Flora's husband)- Tullious
My granny- Marjorie Mavorette (named for a French actress who died, Mimaw saw it in the paper and thought it was pretty)
Flora's sisters- Hettie, Minnie Leota
Flora's stepmother- Stella
Mom's dad- Leo (middle name)
Granny's sister- Maureen. I was to be named for Maureen, but my granny and mimaw and all the others were convinced it would bring bad luck-- Maureen died when she was two of influenza (1927-1929)
Mom's aunts- Della, Zelma Dean
Mom's other assorted aunts- Gussie Vera, Myra Nell, Eva Pearl, Hautie Ardilla
Mom's other assorted uncles- Theopholis Wahtheu, Byron
I know my extended family tree isn't all that interesting to everyone, but I just thought those were some really awesome names. Now I'm never going to figure out what to name my daughter-- guess I'll have to have two :P
The database I used is pretty cool, the Edenfield Database, and very well researched. I have a few blanks to fill in for them, and I'm actually going to help because they're really involved!
I was telling Krystal earlier that my favorite story is actually about Rebecca, my father's grandmother. She was Native American, her grandfather (I believe) being the chief of the Creek Nation Tribe in Colbert County (named for him, Chief Colbert) and when her husband died and she was left with a whole mess of children (six or seven? my aunt Gazell being the youngest), the state of Alabama declared that she couldn't own land because she was Native American. She camped out near her property and when the corn was ripe, she took the children and they harvested all the corn and walked to Memphis. That's right, walked. That's somewhere between 150-200 miles.
Speaking of Memphis, my Aunt Gazell was named when her father went to the Memphis Zoo and saw a Gazelle-- he asked a keeper the name of (in his opinion) the prettiest animal there and was told "That there's a gay-zell" so he went home and spelled it best he could and her name is pronounced "gay-zell".
OK, I'm going to stop boring you with my family stories and try to hit the hay-- lots of stuff to get out of storage tomorrow and then Jeremy on Saturday! Huzzah!!
My father's grandmother (Rebecca, for whom I am named)- Arvazena (middle name)
My father's aunt- Gazell
My mother's grandmother (Flora, for whom I would like to name my daughter)- Anzilly
My mother's grandfather (Flora's husband)- Tullious
My granny- Marjorie Mavorette (named for a French actress who died, Mimaw saw it in the paper and thought it was pretty)
Flora's sisters- Hettie, Minnie Leota
Flora's stepmother- Stella
Mom's dad- Leo (middle name)
Granny's sister- Maureen. I was to be named for Maureen, but my granny and mimaw and all the others were convinced it would bring bad luck-- Maureen died when she was two of influenza (1927-1929)
Mom's aunts- Della, Zelma Dean
Mom's other assorted aunts- Gussie Vera, Myra Nell, Eva Pearl, Hautie Ardilla
Mom's other assorted uncles- Theopholis Wahtheu, Byron
I know my extended family tree isn't all that interesting to everyone, but I just thought those were some really awesome names. Now I'm never going to figure out what to name my daughter-- guess I'll have to have two :P
The database I used is pretty cool, the Edenfield Database, and very well researched. I have a few blanks to fill in for them, and I'm actually going to help because they're really involved!
I was telling Krystal earlier that my favorite story is actually about Rebecca, my father's grandmother. She was Native American, her grandfather (I believe) being the chief of the Creek Nation Tribe in Colbert County (named for him, Chief Colbert) and when her husband died and she was left with a whole mess of children (six or seven? my aunt Gazell being the youngest), the state of Alabama declared that she couldn't own land because she was Native American. She camped out near her property and when the corn was ripe, she took the children and they harvested all the corn and walked to Memphis. That's right, walked. That's somewhere between 150-200 miles.
Speaking of Memphis, my Aunt Gazell was named when her father went to the Memphis Zoo and saw a Gazelle-- he asked a keeper the name of (in his opinion) the prettiest animal there and was told "That there's a gay-zell" so he went home and spelled it best he could and her name is pronounced "gay-zell".
OK, I'm going to stop boring you with my family stories and try to hit the hay-- lots of stuff to get out of storage tomorrow and then Jeremy on Saturday! Huzzah!!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
No, really
Can I just say that TV Shows don't creep me out (with the exception of old school X-Files when I was 8, which might explain a lot) but the episode of Bones with The Gravedigger was seriously creepy.
On another note, I found some awesome old stuff in the storage unit. I still need to bring back a couple more things, but there are a bunch of things I made in preschool and kindergarten, and my old Girl Scout uniform and sash with badges and all that. I'm especially excited about that because I do have some loose badges that I've been wanting to put on a sash and was almost ready to just go buy a new sash to put them on so they had a place to live-- this is quite exciting, I may even post pictures!
Edit
While I still want my stuff, the Girl Scout uniform (upon closer inspection) is actually my mother's from when she was little.
On another note, I found some awesome old stuff in the storage unit. I still need to bring back a couple more things, but there are a bunch of things I made in preschool and kindergarten, and my old Girl Scout uniform and sash with badges and all that. I'm especially excited about that because I do have some loose badges that I've been wanting to put on a sash and was almost ready to just go buy a new sash to put them on so they had a place to live-- this is quite exciting, I may even post pictures!
Edit
While I still want my stuff, the Girl Scout uniform (upon closer inspection) is actually my mother's from when she was little.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
And again and again
Another slow night at work, but I used my time fairly wisely and applied for a job with the Thrashers, an office coordinator position for their practice rink, and looked at a couple other jobs at Georgia State including the Greek Adviser position which has some pretty heinous turnover. It would be a total 180 from what I'm used to at Rhodes, so I'm a little bit uncomfortable because I know E. Berry did a BAD job at Rhodes coming from a big state school, but the difference between us is not only in the pounds per square inch of makeup on our faces, but also that I recognize that there are major differences in the two systems. It also pays between $30-40k per year. Could definitely live on that one.
I'm working Wed and Thu night, and then Saturday, but if we don't get more reservations I might just ask off. There's no reason for us to have extra people there if there isn't money to be made, and since my fiance is coming in to town and I don't work Saturdays... I'm so out first.
Also, I'm not usually about commercials, but these two are crackin' me up-- Hulu Commercial) people are working WITH Alec Baldwin's crazy instead of against it, and Hyundai Commercial) as a Hyundai owner for 11 years... yeah, I totally love it. I do not own a Honda, they are not even made in the same country!
Aaanyway, that's about all for now, just thought I'd let y'all know I'm back in the job search. I'm nervous about it since this may or may not come back like I need it to, and because I don't know if I'll be here 9 months from now. I don't want to not move with Jeremy, wherever he ends up if it isn't in Georgia, it's been long enough already and we still have six months left. The state of the economy is rough, and getting rougher. I'm not saying the new stimulus bill is perfect, but House and Senate opposition needs to suck up that bitter stuff they've left in their mouths and pass it-- the demise of the country is not worth their pride.
I'm working Wed and Thu night, and then Saturday, but if we don't get more reservations I might just ask off. There's no reason for us to have extra people there if there isn't money to be made, and since my fiance is coming in to town and I don't work Saturdays... I'm so out first.
Also, I'm not usually about commercials, but these two are crackin' me up-- Hulu Commercial) people are working WITH Alec Baldwin's crazy instead of against it, and Hyundai Commercial) as a Hyundai owner for 11 years... yeah, I totally love it. I do not own a Honda, they are not even made in the same country!
Aaanyway, that's about all for now, just thought I'd let y'all know I'm back in the job search. I'm nervous about it since this may or may not come back like I need it to, and because I don't know if I'll be here 9 months from now. I don't want to not move with Jeremy, wherever he ends up if it isn't in Georgia, it's been long enough already and we still have six months left. The state of the economy is rough, and getting rougher. I'm not saying the new stimulus bill is perfect, but House and Senate opposition needs to suck up that bitter stuff they've left in their mouths and pass it-- the demise of the country is not worth their pride.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Twofer
Spent the day catching up on laundry, have my delicates (knit dresses, nice shirts, etc) to do tomorrow since they have to hang up to dry, but just about everything else is done! Yay!
I'm almost done with Season 1 of Bones, and I'm not really sure why I didn't like it in the first place. I absolutely love it now, especially the episode "The Man in The Wall". It's about the rap industry and I find that geeks + the rap industry (at least in TV) equals hilarity and awesomeness. Don't believe me? Check out this one or the NUMB3RS episode with Three Six Mafia-- both are classics, and actually give the rap industry its due through the geeky main characters.
I did pick out a china pattern, I went with the Mikasa Cameo Platinum-- I thought the little details added enough cuteness without being overly done. I liked the Parchment one E liked, but it was just a bit too much, I think. With a simple design, it won't take away from whatever I'm serving, but it will be enough to stand out on its own. Plus I don't have to be paranoid about whether or not the raised dots will come off... I also picked out good silverware, Oneida "Jackson" which is quite reasonably priced for the quality you get with Oneida (fun fact, they were originally a small company of silversmiths out of Pennsylvania, I believe Quaker) and they've got a little bit of the curve from the plates.
Work was slow tonight, only one table, but it was a really fun couple from the neighborhood who came in and had a couple bottles of wine and talked to us for like three and a half hours. We talked about airline stuff, dentists, cars, silly things we did when we were younger, living in Atlanta, living other places, college, just about anything you can think of. I don't expect this week to be too busy, since Valentine's Day is Saturday. I brought Jon the cards I did up for Amy (one from him and one from Carter), and though I forgot to take pictures of them, they'd be easily re-doable. I need to remember to send Valerie's card tomorrow-- though at this point it'll be late, so I might just wait and let Jeremy sign it for himself!
That's about all for now, I'm going to pop in some Six Feet Under (since I have seriously under-used my Netflix potential for the month) and keep plugging through my room. I won't have my chest of drawers or vanity back up for another month or so because I'm going to sand them down and re-paint them before I bring them up. I haven't decided what color I'm going to use since I'd like to keep them around for my kids and obviously I don't know if I'll have girls or boys! I'd really like to do red, but that's a given, so if anyone has suggestions other than red let me know and I'll gladly post pictures of the finished product.
I'm almost done with Season 1 of Bones, and I'm not really sure why I didn't like it in the first place. I absolutely love it now, especially the episode "The Man in The Wall". It's about the rap industry and I find that geeks + the rap industry (at least in TV) equals hilarity and awesomeness. Don't believe me? Check out this one or the NUMB3RS episode with Three Six Mafia-- both are classics, and actually give the rap industry its due through the geeky main characters.
I did pick out a china pattern, I went with the Mikasa Cameo Platinum-- I thought the little details added enough cuteness without being overly done. I liked the Parchment one E liked, but it was just a bit too much, I think. With a simple design, it won't take away from whatever I'm serving, but it will be enough to stand out on its own. Plus I don't have to be paranoid about whether or not the raised dots will come off... I also picked out good silverware, Oneida "Jackson" which is quite reasonably priced for the quality you get with Oneida (fun fact, they were originally a small company of silversmiths out of Pennsylvania, I believe Quaker) and they've got a little bit of the curve from the plates.
Work was slow tonight, only one table, but it was a really fun couple from the neighborhood who came in and had a couple bottles of wine and talked to us for like three and a half hours. We talked about airline stuff, dentists, cars, silly things we did when we were younger, living in Atlanta, living other places, college, just about anything you can think of. I don't expect this week to be too busy, since Valentine's Day is Saturday. I brought Jon the cards I did up for Amy (one from him and one from Carter), and though I forgot to take pictures of them, they'd be easily re-doable. I need to remember to send Valerie's card tomorrow-- though at this point it'll be late, so I might just wait and let Jeremy sign it for himself!
That's about all for now, I'm going to pop in some Six Feet Under (since I have seriously under-used my Netflix potential for the month) and keep plugging through my room. I won't have my chest of drawers or vanity back up for another month or so because I'm going to sand them down and re-paint them before I bring them up. I haven't decided what color I'm going to use since I'd like to keep them around for my kids and obviously I don't know if I'll have girls or boys! I'd really like to do red, but that's a given, so if anyone has suggestions other than red let me know and I'll gladly post pictures of the finished product.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Yeah, I know
So, here's my attempt at some better news since the last post was kind of depressing...
Yesterday, I went to go to Em's, but my car's doing something new so I came back home and took mom to David's to help him get his scooter over here, and went from there. We went to Macy's and looked at some china patterns and narrowed it down to about seven patterns (which I have now put down to 4).
Mikasa Cameo Platinum
Mikasa Parchment (I wish I wanted gold on my table, I love this version)
Lenox Opal Innocence
Lenox Lace Cotoure
I haven't gone through and done my pros/cons on all of them yet-- I like simple and clean and classic, something my daughter will like, or that my daughter-in-law won't hold with two fingers when I pass it on! I didn't used to think I wanted formal china, but I remember having nice dishes for holidays and special occasions and I really liked that. Plus, Macy's keeps putting this stuff on major clearance!
After the china hunt (and the turning up of our noses at "designer" china-- I love Kate Spade, but stick to purses, not china) we headed over to the American Girl store which was totally exciting. I'd never been in the store before! I found out a couple months ago that my Samantha is being discontinued, but I found out last night that Pleasant Company apparently hasn't owned AG in quite some time, so my dolls really are collectibles. Addy also is, and would be moreso if they put serial numbers on them as she was in the first batch ever made. I pulled out my stuff and found that there were a few things missing, but overall everything's in good condition and the dolls still look fantastic. I'm putting in for some of Sam's accessories (they're on backorder and being discontinued, so there's no guarantee I'll get them) and I'm going to start building up my Addy collection since she's my other one. I'm dying to get Analia the Josefina doll (since her genetic father was, correct me if I'm wrong, Hispanic) but obviously I'll have to wait a few years for that. We'll put something aside in the special "spoil the niece fund" since Aunt Meg is likely to be worse than most... I'm also eyeing some cute little rompers for Krystal since Cy's due in March and even though they won't need them for a while, they don't have many neutral colored things past about 8 months (they already have a little girl, Gwennie) and could use some. Good news? They're on a military base and Target should ship them, and if not, then I'll just ship it from here since I won't have to pay "real" Japan postage!
After AG, we ran through Target where I got a pepper mix and a pot in which to plant said pepper mix-- I'm extremely excited, I've wanted to do a garden for a while, and though I can't plant anything in the ground here, there's a porch with a railing wide enough to place small pots on, so I can at least have a potted garden. I won't know until they've sprouted, but it's a mixture of Big Red Cayenne Hybrid, Anaheim Chili, Ancho, BIker Billy Hybrid and Hungarian Wax seeds. The rest of the night was watching Bones season 3, so tonight I'm starting from the beginning and I'm about halfway through the second disc of season 1.
Anyway, that's about all. Hopefully, my peppers will sprout and I can put up some pictures of them. Jeremy's hopefully on the way to feeling better and will be on his way up this weekend! Yay! More soon, I'm sure!
Yesterday, I went to go to Em's, but my car's doing something new so I came back home and took mom to David's to help him get his scooter over here, and went from there. We went to Macy's and looked at some china patterns and narrowed it down to about seven patterns (which I have now put down to 4).
Mikasa Cameo Platinum
Mikasa Parchment (I wish I wanted gold on my table, I love this version)
Lenox Opal Innocence
Lenox Lace Cotoure
I haven't gone through and done my pros/cons on all of them yet-- I like simple and clean and classic, something my daughter will like, or that my daughter-in-law won't hold with two fingers when I pass it on! I didn't used to think I wanted formal china, but I remember having nice dishes for holidays and special occasions and I really liked that. Plus, Macy's keeps putting this stuff on major clearance!
After the china hunt (and the turning up of our noses at "designer" china-- I love Kate Spade, but stick to purses, not china) we headed over to the American Girl store which was totally exciting. I'd never been in the store before! I found out a couple months ago that my Samantha is being discontinued, but I found out last night that Pleasant Company apparently hasn't owned AG in quite some time, so my dolls really are collectibles. Addy also is, and would be moreso if they put serial numbers on them as she was in the first batch ever made. I pulled out my stuff and found that there were a few things missing, but overall everything's in good condition and the dolls still look fantastic. I'm putting in for some of Sam's accessories (they're on backorder and being discontinued, so there's no guarantee I'll get them) and I'm going to start building up my Addy collection since she's my other one. I'm dying to get Analia the Josefina doll (since her genetic father was, correct me if I'm wrong, Hispanic) but obviously I'll have to wait a few years for that. We'll put something aside in the special "spoil the niece fund" since Aunt Meg is likely to be worse than most... I'm also eyeing some cute little rompers for Krystal since Cy's due in March and even though they won't need them for a while, they don't have many neutral colored things past about 8 months (they already have a little girl, Gwennie) and could use some. Good news? They're on a military base and Target should ship them, and if not, then I'll just ship it from here since I won't have to pay "real" Japan postage!
After AG, we ran through Target where I got a pepper mix and a pot in which to plant said pepper mix-- I'm extremely excited, I've wanted to do a garden for a while, and though I can't plant anything in the ground here, there's a porch with a railing wide enough to place small pots on, so I can at least have a potted garden. I won't know until they've sprouted, but it's a mixture of Big Red Cayenne Hybrid, Anaheim Chili, Ancho, BIker Billy Hybrid and Hungarian Wax seeds. The rest of the night was watching Bones season 3, so tonight I'm starting from the beginning and I'm about halfway through the second disc of season 1.
Anyway, that's about all. Hopefully, my peppers will sprout and I can put up some pictures of them. Jeremy's hopefully on the way to feeling better and will be on his way up this weekend! Yay! More soon, I'm sure!
Friday, February 6, 2009
The whole story
Got an e-mail from mom about the "restructuring" meeting they were called in to this morning:
We're still trying to figure out how Emory's lost so much money, I think it's because they spend too much and have probably had students leave due to high tuition. Anyway, thanks to all of you for your prayers and happy thoughts and love-- the last day has been a nail-biter and while this obviously isn't the best thing, it's better than being immediately turned out in to the street.
This is one of the kinder restructuring meetings I've attended as these things go.
My severance package is 8 weeks - I can take the package and not come to work or I can come to work and be easily available for interviews and such. If a job is not found by April 3rd then I can use accrued vacation time to take personal leave. After that time I would be eligible for unemployment.
I will be given hiring priority for open positions for which I am qualified. There is one for which I am the obvious candidate but it is not a given.
Recruiting and career coaches were there to tell us what they can do for us and were encouraging about helping us find another place to be and that we would be receiving highest recommendations. There are six of us affected. Our building which is a rental will be vacated after April and other remaining staff will be shipped to other buildings.
I'm okay, I know the senior director of operations and that she will do everything she can to place those of us here who are being displaced. But of course, these things are not easy.
I am grateful for your love and support.
Martha
We're still trying to figure out how Emory's lost so much money, I think it's because they spend too much and have probably had students leave due to high tuition. Anyway, thanks to all of you for your prayers and happy thoughts and love-- the last day has been a nail-biter and while this obviously isn't the best thing, it's better than being immediately turned out in to the street.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Hitting Home... Again
My mom is going to be called in to a meeting tomorrow morning where she will be given her severance package. With five other people.
Yawn
I've been bad the past couple nights and stayed up late, which I really can't do tomorrow since I made enough money to head to Savannah and back! I'm really excited and though I wish I could trade cars with mom (my radio is busted and I have no CLUE which fuse it is that needs to be changed!) I know the panda can make it down there and back. She's good for the highway driving, didn't give me any trouble on the trip to Morrow, and I probably won't do too much driving when I get down there, so I'm not too worried. Next week is supposed to be warmer than our current subzero week, so maybe I'll get a chance to work on the exhaust and look at the MAF sensor, see what I can figure out-- for Jeremy, it's a $20 part. For me, of course, it's a $150 part... if it has to be replaced, it has to, but I'd rather not fork over another week and a half's worth of pay! Same deal with the exhaust-- David could probably help me replace it, but it would be SUCH an enormous project.
In other news, the Kellys invited me to go with them to the Charleston Food and Wine Festival and stay with them on the Barrier Islands. Bobby Flay will be there, so if I go, Em and I will have to go heckle him. It would be SO much fun, but it's the week I'm supposed to go see Jeremy. I guess we'll see if he has a job that he'll be working, and if so then I'll go another weekend. I mean, if spring comes and business picks up, I can drive down there Friday and leave on Monday which is the entire weekend, so I'm trying to talk him in to a job. He's not quite as bad as I am about getting fidgety and frustrated with nothing to do, but he's getting there!
I got my postcards for the save-the-dates today, which is super exciting! They're even prettier than they were online, so we just have to get the printer upstairs, get the template figured out, and print 'em out! There's a LOT of addressing to do, so that should keep me busy. I'll catch up on my tv shows and write addresses! Since it'll be a couple days, I'm going to go ahead and start addressing them on one side to be printed on the other side, that way I can just stamp and go! Yay!
As sad as some of the Cold Case episodes are, I absolutely adore the period music. It's pretty awesome. Especially the ones from the 80's and 90's.
Not much else going on, still trying to settle in to the new place, and still getting used to the fact that I actually have a place to put my stuff now! It's still mostly in boxes, it's kind of a strange feeling to have adequate space after living in compact, crowded space for five or six years... I miss my friends, even though Em's close, I just don't see her that often because of our schedules. I also don't really have the money to go to lunch with Laura every week like we'd like. As much as I loathe Memphis, I miss being so close to my friends. Oh, well, less than a year now and I'll have my own household.
Now-- more early 90's Law and Order. Oh yeah.
In other news, the Kellys invited me to go with them to the Charleston Food and Wine Festival and stay with them on the Barrier Islands. Bobby Flay will be there, so if I go, Em and I will have to go heckle him. It would be SO much fun, but it's the week I'm supposed to go see Jeremy. I guess we'll see if he has a job that he'll be working, and if so then I'll go another weekend. I mean, if spring comes and business picks up, I can drive down there Friday and leave on Monday which is the entire weekend, so I'm trying to talk him in to a job. He's not quite as bad as I am about getting fidgety and frustrated with nothing to do, but he's getting there!
I got my postcards for the save-the-dates today, which is super exciting! They're even prettier than they were online, so we just have to get the printer upstairs, get the template figured out, and print 'em out! There's a LOT of addressing to do, so that should keep me busy. I'll catch up on my tv shows and write addresses! Since it'll be a couple days, I'm going to go ahead and start addressing them on one side to be printed on the other side, that way I can just stamp and go! Yay!
As sad as some of the Cold Case episodes are, I absolutely adore the period music. It's pretty awesome. Especially the ones from the 80's and 90's.
Not much else going on, still trying to settle in to the new place, and still getting used to the fact that I actually have a place to put my stuff now! It's still mostly in boxes, it's kind of a strange feeling to have adequate space after living in compact, crowded space for five or six years... I miss my friends, even though Em's close, I just don't see her that often because of our schedules. I also don't really have the money to go to lunch with Laura every week like we'd like. As much as I loathe Memphis, I miss being so close to my friends. Oh, well, less than a year now and I'll have my own household.
Now-- more early 90's Law and Order. Oh yeah.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Oh, right, the organizing...
Now I just have to organize all my stuff in the new house... we're trying to figure out the heat because it's doing some strange stuff. Mine and Casey's side of the house is always hot, but Mom and David's side is always cold, which explains the thermostat wars we've been having the last couple nights. We think we're going to get a digital (programmable, hopefully) thermostat to put in so we know exactly what the temperature is-- right now, it's one of those tap the lever just so kinds that you can't really get any accuracy on.
I'm in a little better mood going in to this next week, but still anxious. I feel like my days are an exercise in futility at work, I just don't make that much money. If I make enough to do something to my car and do gas down to Savannah and have an extra $15, I may go to the brandy tasting. I may go anyway since dad's going and it's a nice neutral place for us to spend time and not worry about anyone getting bent out of shape. It's also nice to spend time with Jill, my boss, who rocks my world-- for the vodka tasting we got a free glass of our Prosecco (my FAVORITE of our new wines) which totally made my night! Emily might also get to go, so that would be fun. I need at least one night a week out, but I also can't afford to spend the money. I'll do Savannah this weekend (and may have to miss the staff meeting-- I mean, how often do I get to go to Savannah? Hint: Last time, I was wearing a green Girl Scouts uniform!), then Daytona at the beginning of March, and I need to get to Memphis hopefully by the end of March or April, but definitely in May for graduation-- All my babies are graduating! I can't believe my last little sis and my grand little are seniors!
I don't have any major expenses for the wedding coming up in the near future, but I need to be careful about making sure I save since there's going to be about $2k paid out between October and December. We've kind of come to the conclusion that I'll put my money towards paying down my bills and paying for the wedding, Jan and Marc are giving us some money that we'll use partially to pay for postage (insanely expensive, I tell you what!) and then put the rest in a high-interest savings account for our Singapore/Thailand/Japan honeymoon! Jeremy's money in savings will go towards paying for moving and a deposit on where we live, and then we'll combine our debts and try to pay them all off in the first 8 months after school. This should be utterly feasible with the exception of the student loans which could be done with in two years. Ambitious goals, but we really don't want to end up in debt. It might mean we won't have the fanciest place to live and we'll have to hold on to our dinky old cars, but we want to make sure we can pay for prenatal care when we have kids, give them a good house and get safe cars to drive them around in.
As for the wedding itself, I know TJ's (Trader Joe's) will give me a good price on the wine (sorry kids, no Nobul at the reception!) and there's a great place my friend Julie hooked me up with that will give me a phenomenal price on the beer (since I want to do all local brews- whooo Sweetwater!!) and I've been to weddings without a champagne toast before so I'm not sure it's necessary, and it would save us a couple, maybe a few hundred. I'm doing all the gifts for bridesmaids, family, and groomsmen by hand, and the parts that aren't by hand are either inexpensive or I can get a deal on them with Jill's distributor contacts. I got a Martha Stewart Weddings last night and I'm not that big of a fan; I liked the bit on bows, gave me some cute decorating ideas, and I did find a cool candy site, but everything was so expensive! Come on, this is supposed to be Wal-Mart's chic DIY queen! I think I'm just going to take it back to CVS and see what the other magazines look like. I also found a bunch of silver ornaments that my mom has packed away that are really cute and simple, so I've already got decoration! Next up, white tulle! HEY, DILL! WHAT TIME IS IT?!
As of now, and this will hold if we're living in Georgia, Jeremy's going to bake the cake, and I'm going to make some of Paula Deen's sausage balls and get my bridal party to chop cheese like there's no tomorrow! I think between Costco and the Farmer's Market I can throw a darn good party!
Anyway, it's bedtime. I'm trying to get to bed by 2/230a at the latest. I would like to work my way down to 1a, then to midnight. I'm thinking about getting a second job part time and need to get myself on some kind of regular sleep schedule! Hopefully, I can keep myself busy catching up on my teevee on Hulu (they're running this season of Battlestar Galactica!! Geek alert!!), running through my queue on Netflix, and organizing all the boxes that need to be unpacked!!
I'm in a little better mood going in to this next week, but still anxious. I feel like my days are an exercise in futility at work, I just don't make that much money. If I make enough to do something to my car and do gas down to Savannah and have an extra $15, I may go to the brandy tasting. I may go anyway since dad's going and it's a nice neutral place for us to spend time and not worry about anyone getting bent out of shape. It's also nice to spend time with Jill, my boss, who rocks my world-- for the vodka tasting we got a free glass of our Prosecco (my FAVORITE of our new wines) which totally made my night! Emily might also get to go, so that would be fun. I need at least one night a week out, but I also can't afford to spend the money. I'll do Savannah this weekend (and may have to miss the staff meeting-- I mean, how often do I get to go to Savannah? Hint: Last time, I was wearing a green Girl Scouts uniform!), then Daytona at the beginning of March, and I need to get to Memphis hopefully by the end of March or April, but definitely in May for graduation-- All my babies are graduating! I can't believe my last little sis and my grand little are seniors!
I don't have any major expenses for the wedding coming up in the near future, but I need to be careful about making sure I save since there's going to be about $2k paid out between October and December. We've kind of come to the conclusion that I'll put my money towards paying down my bills and paying for the wedding, Jan and Marc are giving us some money that we'll use partially to pay for postage (insanely expensive, I tell you what!) and then put the rest in a high-interest savings account for our Singapore/Thailand/Japan honeymoon! Jeremy's money in savings will go towards paying for moving and a deposit on where we live, and then we'll combine our debts and try to pay them all off in the first 8 months after school. This should be utterly feasible with the exception of the student loans which could be done with in two years. Ambitious goals, but we really don't want to end up in debt. It might mean we won't have the fanciest place to live and we'll have to hold on to our dinky old cars, but we want to make sure we can pay for prenatal care when we have kids, give them a good house and get safe cars to drive them around in.
As for the wedding itself, I know TJ's (Trader Joe's) will give me a good price on the wine (sorry kids, no Nobul at the reception!) and there's a great place my friend Julie hooked me up with that will give me a phenomenal price on the beer (since I want to do all local brews- whooo Sweetwater!!) and I've been to weddings without a champagne toast before so I'm not sure it's necessary, and it would save us a couple, maybe a few hundred. I'm doing all the gifts for bridesmaids, family, and groomsmen by hand, and the parts that aren't by hand are either inexpensive or I can get a deal on them with Jill's distributor contacts. I got a Martha Stewart Weddings last night and I'm not that big of a fan; I liked the bit on bows, gave me some cute decorating ideas, and I did find a cool candy site, but everything was so expensive! Come on, this is supposed to be Wal-Mart's chic DIY queen! I think I'm just going to take it back to CVS and see what the other magazines look like. I also found a bunch of silver ornaments that my mom has packed away that are really cute and simple, so I've already got decoration! Next up, white tulle! HEY, DILL! WHAT TIME IS IT?!
As of now, and this will hold if we're living in Georgia, Jeremy's going to bake the cake, and I'm going to make some of Paula Deen's sausage balls and get my bridal party to chop cheese like there's no tomorrow! I think between Costco and the Farmer's Market I can throw a darn good party!
Anyway, it's bedtime. I'm trying to get to bed by 2/230a at the latest. I would like to work my way down to 1a, then to midnight. I'm thinking about getting a second job part time and need to get myself on some kind of regular sleep schedule! Hopefully, I can keep myself busy catching up on my teevee on Hulu (they're running this season of Battlestar Galactica!! Geek alert!!), running through my queue on Netflix, and organizing all the boxes that need to be unpacked!!
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