*moving to http://minako.hakanai.net/blog"*

 
Friday Five

1. Would you say that you're good at keeping in touch with people?

Not really, although it really depends on the situation. I've gotten a bit better though, since technology has vastly improved. I'm terrible at responding to letters, but now that there is email and instant messager programs, it's a lot easier for me to keep in touch with people. My real trouble comes from my memory. I always remember that I need to contact someone or do something at the most inopportune times and then don't remember when I can actually do something about it. Speaking of which, I really need to call Kathy. ^^;; And I need to remember to put that stuff in the mail for Karl. I'm terrible. -.-;;

2. Which communication method do you usually prefer/use: e-mail, telephone, snail mail, blog comments, or meeting in person? Why?

Again, it does depend on the situation but for the most part, I prefer the telephone or in person. I like actual interaction - seeing the other persons facial expressions and hearing the tone of their voice. It makes it all that much more personal to me. Also, I've been in several situations where there have been misunderstandings when using email, snail mail, instant messenger programs and the like. Emoticons help convey the meaning behind the words, but those don't always work right either. That's why I think actual interaction is so much better. Mistakes can still be made, but still...

3. Do you have an instant messenger program? How many? Why/why not? How often do you use it?

Yep, I have quite a few. AIM, Y!IM, MSN, ICQ, and a few obscure ones too. I only really use AIM and occasionally Y!IM when the people I talk to decide it's time for a voice chat. I have several screennames for them on top of that. @.@ I log on to AIM everytime I get online at home. However, sometimes I talk to people, sometimes I don't. It's really handy way to stay in contact with people. I wish more of my friends used it regularly so it would be easier to get in touch with them.

4. Do most of your close friends live nearby or far away?

Most of my close friends live far away. When I relocate though, it will put a couple of them just a bit closer to me. ^.~ I can't wait.

5. Are you an "out of sight, out of mind" person, or do you believe that "distance makes the heart grow fonder"?

Well, considering most of my close friends live far away, that means I am a distance makes the heart grow fonder kind of person. ^^;; Actually, it depends on the situation (I feel like a broken record ^^;;). If it's someone I care for and miss, then definitely I think about them a lot when I'm not with them and absense makes the heart grow fonder. However if it's someone I want to forget and don't like, then it's out of sight, out of mind.

 
I probably shouldn't be on the computer right now. It's really storming here. Lots of rain, thunder and lightning. Oh well. >.>

But the lightning is so pretty! And who cares if the roads are flooding a little? If it wasn't storming so bad, I think I would go stand out in the rain.

And Ami, you'll be happy to know, I managed to hang a sheet up over the window so I got to sleep in my bed without anyone looking in. That was a plus. I called the office this morning and told them about it and my blinds were hung when I got home from work today.

oooh... the thunder has made a stupid car alarm go off twice now...

 
I was going through the days I missed on my Far Side calendar and on Monday, September 16, this was the comic for that day.

For some reason, that always makes me think of Karl. Wonder why... >.>

=D

 
Here's the picture of my grandma I mentioned earlier.

 
Well, I'm back in Michigan now. Fun fun.

My cat is alive... a bit hungry and a bit mad at me, but she'll get over it. There was nothing more I could have done anyways.

While I was gone they finally got around to putting in my new windows. They are nice and all, but does my apartment ever stink from them. @.@ Oh, and they didn't put my blinds back up. >.< Already I have had several guys walk past the windows and yell something at me since I've been on the computer. -.- And I have to sleep with people being able to look in. I'm half contemplating sleeping on the floor.

 
*screams*

Paul wants to take the video camera to the funeral service!!!

To quote me and my family: No fucking way!!!

 
I'm sitting here and my eyes are all red and puffy and sore. I'm running on very little sleep and a headache to beat all headaches. I feel like crying but right now I don't think I could right now. As my sister's fiance describes it, it's like dry heaving. Not fun at all. My mind keeps going a mile a minute and it won't stop.

I don't know why I'm on the computer but I had to do something to try to get my mind off of it a little bit. I read my friend's blogs trying to focus on the things that are going on in their lives and that worked for a little bit. I avoided mine like the plague though. I checked my email but I had nothing but junk mail so that didn't do much. I mean, how much thought do you have to put into clicking those little boxes and then pushing the delete key. And then I thought hey maybe I'll go blog.

So here I am blogging about the very thing I was trying to avoid.

My grandma passed away on Saturday, September 14, 2002 at 9.20 am EDT.

She went relatively peacefully but the night beforehand was shear hell. I got here about 10.30pm or so Friday night. She was kind of out of it, but she knew I was there. She told me how sweet I was for coming down again for the second weekend in a row. She had the biggest smile on her face. She had asked me to leave Tora at home because she didn't want to give Paul something else to complain to her about so I did and she thanked me for that. I explained to her that it wasn't a hard decision. She is the most important thing. We talked for a little bit longer. I delivered Karl's well-wishing thoughts for him and then we talked about him a little bit. They may have only met each other for two days, but she really liked him. I wish they had gotten a chance to get to know each other better. I forget what we talked about after that, but our conversation was one of the last, if not the last... damn, I can't think of the word... conversations that she had.

By about 11.30 pm, she started hurting really bad. She was given some morphine and even that wasn't helping. She started talking in Croatian (my grandpa spoke Croatian fluently and had taught her some choice words when they were married) and when she spoke in English we couldn't really understand what she was saying. About midnight I think (the night is really mostly a blur after this point) we finally understand that she is saying that she misses my sister and wants my sister. At that point, we knew it wasn't going to be long.

I called my sister and told her that grandma wasn't doing well and that she was asking for her. I think my sister was out of the house and on her way down in less than two minutes. My sister lives about an hour away. It's the families speculation that she asked for my sister because she knew out of the family that she was the closest to, she was the farthest one away. I was ever so glad that I decided to make the trip home this weekend. It was hard enough driving knowing that my grandma wasn't doing well, but the trip would have been so much harder knowing that it was close or that she was actually dying. After I called my sister, I called my uncle who lives about 45 minutes away. After that, we called my brother and sister and my aunt and my other uncle.

At this point my grandma kept screaming "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" over and over again. Every time it felt like I was getting stabbed. Mom called the hospice and got permission to give her more morphine to try to make it so it didn't hurt so much. We tried to convince her to take a nap... telling her it wouldn't be too long until the next person was going to be walking through the door and that she needed to be rested for their visit. She was fighting so hard - she didn't want to sleep and that made it so the morphine didn't help. She needed to try to relax. Every time she almost fell asleep she would wake herself up. It was like she afraid that she wouldn't wake up.

Finally the whole family was here (minus three cousins) and she was still screaming out in pain. We were all a wreck. She would talk about how she misses someone and then it started switching to she'll miss someone. I finally broke down and had to talk to Karl. I don't know how long we talked but it helped tremendously. Afterwards, I went back inside and they had managed to get grandma relaxed enough to sleep. She woke up a few times and would start screaming again but she would go back to sleep.

The grandkids broke up into little groups and left the living room so we wouldn't wake up grandma. The kids stayed to watch and take care of grandma. Around 3.30 or 4 am, I fell asleep. When I woke up about 7 am, my uncle and his wife had left, but everyone else was still there. Only my mom, my uncle, and my aunt were awake though. I then sent my mom in to go take a nap and my aunt napped in the chair in the living room. So that left me and my uncle. We talked a bit and I spent some time with grandma, careful not to wake her up though. She had pulled her oxygen off several times the night before and it still wasn't on. She was breathing really heavily too. I decided I was going to get a book and try reading a bit but I didn't have the concentration for that.

At 9 am my mom wakes up and my grandma was starting to get a little more vocal. She had been moaning in her sleep a bit for the past hour or so. This was nothing terrible. She wasn't screaming in pain or anything, just moaning a little louder. She seemed like she was starting to wake up, so my mom thought it would be a good time to get her changed, that way they could give her the pain medication afterwards.

So my mom goes and starts getting the stuff ready that she needs and the phone rings. I answer and it's the hospice guy checking to see how the night went for grandma. I defer the phone call to my mom and I go over to grandma. Mom starts telling him about last night and then all of a sudden my uncle states that grandma stopped breathing. She wasn't struggling for breath... she just stopped. One instant she was there, the next she was gone. My mom, still on the phone with the hospice guy, tells him that she just died. At this point my aunt bolts awake in the chair and I run around the house to the various rooms of sleeping people waking them up to tell them and let them say their final goodbyes.

I don't remember much from then on. Everyone was heartbroken. Tears, and crying, and phone calls. Letting everyone know. I remember that my aunt asked the hospice guy who showed up a little later not to call the funeral home people to pick her up until after my cousin from PA (2 hour drive) got a chance to show up to say goodbye. That was freaky beyond belief. Everytime we walked through the living room, there she was. The worst part of all is that my cousin didn't know that she was still going to be there. We had thought that he had asked for her to be there but he hadn't. He thought she was going to be gone. No wonder he passed out later... landing on me as well as my mom and my sister. That made my headache 100 times worse. I'm not exactly sure what part of him hit me, but it was quite a blow to the head. After the funeral home came, it was even harder to look at the empty bed. I tried to nap a little bit later after everyone left, but I couldn't sleep. Mom couldn't sleep either. So we started cleaning up the house. That day seemed to have lasted forever.

I dragged myself to bed at some point. I don't remember when. I slept heavy and hard... shear exhaustion will do that to a person. I do remember that it was a dreamless sleep. I fought going to bed though. I knew when I woke up I would find out that it wasn't all some terrible nightmare. That it was actually reality.

Sunday is an absolute blur. Lots of talking and remembering. Mom and I had been in the house since it happened, so my unlce and my sister insisted on us getting out of here for even an hour. So we went to the house and visited my niece and nephew. That was nice. We went back to grandma's and spent the rest of the day there until we all decided we were hungry and needed to get out of the house again so we went to Applebee's for a late supper.

The calling hours were yesterday. They made grandma look so beautiful. Like she did before she got sick. We went through tons of pictures on Sunday and found her high school graduation pictures. I've scanned one of them and when I get back to Michigan, I'll see if it turned out okay (the computer I'm on is really bad and makes all images look bad). The calling hours were hard though. Funny, in the hour before actually calling hours when it was just the family it was okay. That was until my grandma's husband wanted a picture of my grandma lying there. I find that terribly morbid and horrible and wrong. I wanted to scream and stop him.

When everyone started coming and offering their condolences, that's when I started losing it. I was trying so hard to be strong for mom... not always successfully though. It was weird, some people provoked more tears than others. And it wasn't even in a way that would have been predictable. The one the surprised me the most was my mom's real father's wife. Basically, the person who took my grandma's place it my real grandfather's life. I totally lost it when she came up and hugged me. I don't have any idea why. It's not like she said anything different from any of the other people, but it just got to me for some reason. And I didn't react nearly like that with my real grandfather.

It was nice though. They had polkas playing in the background. My grandma loved to dance and she loved the polka. Apparently she really loved the chicken dance too. I really wish I had more memories of that stuff. And they had Sonja Roses in the family bouquet just like we asked. Those were the flowers she was carrying when she married my Grandpa Frank. He was the best too. She really deserved to have him with her for the rest of her life, but unfortunately he passed away in 1987.

The funeral is today and I'm dreading it. This is it, the last goodbye. This is when reality is really going to strike.

Karl has really helped me through this all. He is truly wonderful. I know that he wants to be here with me helping me through this in person, but unfortunately things aren't that easy. I hope he realizes how much I appreciate everything. My uncle has the same situation. His girlfriend lives in Michigan and is unable to come down for any of this. So they talk on the phone like Karl and I. So my uncle and I use each other. Both of us are wishing our significant others are with us so we've taken to being there for each other when we need hugs.

So much for trying to put this all out of my mind for a little while...

 
1. What was/is your favorite subject in school? Why?

My all-time favorite subject would have to be algebra. I've always liked any math class though. I just get it. It makes sense to me. Therefore making it really easy. =)

2. Who was your favorite teacher? Why?

My favorite teacher would have to be Mr. L, my high school band teacher. He started at my high school my senior year (we had numerous band directors in my years going through school... he was my 4th high school band director) and I can say that was the most fun I've ever had in band. He is one of those few teachers who are actually able to connect with the students. He was our friend, but we still knew he was our teacher and everyone respected him. He treated us like people and you can tell he loves his job.

3. What is your favorite memory of school?

I would have to say my senior band trip and my senior class trip. Virginia Beach and Washington D.C. respectively. Lots of fun. Funny how those really aren't memories of school just school functions.

4. What was your favorite recess game?

Double dutch. The fourth grade teacher Mrs. McGraw would go out and twirl and there would always be a line to jump. Who wants to jump regular jump rope when you can jump double dutch. I also loved twirling around on the bars. I don't think they have those bars there anymore. They probably decided they were too dangerous or something like that. That's sad though... it was so much fun!

5. What did you hate most about school?

Waiting for the bus. My parents live literally two blocks away from the elementary school. When I started going to the high school we had to walk to the elementary school and catch the bus there to go to the high school. For the most part, it was fine. Except in the winter. Standing outside in the cold waiting for the bus to arrive. It usually ran late too. Every once in a while, they would open up the first set of doors to the elementary school when it was really cold. 30 people don't fit so well in a very small enclosed area. At least you got a little warmer just by being squished with so many people. I remember times when we had really bad ice storms and literally sliding all the way to the school only to have them cancel school once I got there and then had to somehow go back uphill to my house. I was so glad when I was finally able to drive to school.

 
*looks at the date*

It's been a year and a half now for Karl and I. I'm very lucky.

*smiles*

 
I very much agree with that article that I posted on how to commemorate September 11.

I refused to watch any of the specials today. I didn't watch the news. I didn't talk about what happened a year ago at all. I'm very sad over what happened, but I don't need to see it again. I'm never going to forget the images from that day.

I didn't forget though. I remembered the events. But I remembered them as much as I did yesterday and as much as I will tomorrow. The feelings and emotions that people were expressing today shouldn't just be limited to today.

 
Another article I think is worth reading...

 
Ok, I felt I needed to separate this from the previous entry. This is a very difficult subject for me. And while it may sound like I'm writing this for you, I'm really writing this for me.

My grandma is dying. She's been sick for a very long time, but over the past year and half, it's gotten progressively worse. She has MS. Multiple Sclerosis. The worst and most aggressive kind. When she first started getting sick, none of us knew what it was. If we only knew what was to come. The things she used to do to try to make herself better were the very things that actually aggrevated it even more.

She is one of the greatest people I have ever known. She's shown me nothing but love. She's been there for me through everything. She always has the perfect advice. I remember shopping trips with her when I was little. We would go out to eat, go to the grocery store, go to the book store to get me a new Nancy Drew book, and then I would stay the night at her house. We would watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy together, drinking hot chocolate. I remember all those times I was over at her house late at night and her helping me type up a report that was due the next day. I remember spending New Year's Eve with her after my grandfather passed away. She always made the best pork and saurkraut. I remember the stash of bulk candy she had in the cupboard above the sink, just to the left. I remember mom always saying that I could only have 2 pieces, but grandma winking at me telling me it was ok to take three. I remember that even if I doubted myself, she always had the utmost confidence in me and everything I did. I remember when she took me with her on her trip to England. That was an absolute blast. I only wish I had been a little older so I could better appreciate everything. That's how my spoon collection started. She bought me one from the Tower of London and various other ones throughout the trip and my collection is still growing to this day.

My grandma means the world to me. She's always been my favorite grandma and although it may sound a little conceited, I know that I am her favorite grandchild. We've always had this bond. I am really going to miss her. More than I can ever say.

My grandma is completely bedridden now. Losing the one thing she valued above all else - her independence. She's lost her dignity too. She's been remarkably strong through it all. Truly an inspiration. But it's taking a toll on her. She's in so much pain and it hurts me to see her like that. The morphine doesn't even help. There's a war going on inside of me. Part of me wants her to go. To be at peace. To not hurt anymore. But the other selfish part of me doesn't want to let go. She's gotten so much worse here in the past few weeks.

While I was there this past weekend, she told me not to come down anymore. That about ripped my heart out. She doesn't want me to see her like that. When I'm there, I help my mom take care of her. Change her bandages, change her sheets, and anything else she needs. She thinks she's a burden and thinks that ruins my visit when I have to help. I tell her that I'm more than happy to help. Then I tell her that I'm going to come anyways because I love spending time with her. She told me this weekend that I'm the best holder-upper. Another skill to add to my bucket of intangibles.

The lawyer is supposed to be coming to the house sometime this week so my grandma can get all of her affairs in order. Once that is done, she's going to go into hospice care so she can get stronger doses of morphine and hopefully not be in so much pain. I don't think it will be long after that.

So at some time in the near future I may disappear suddenly. And I don't know for how long I will be gone. When I get that phonecall, I'm heading straight for Ohio. Hopefully I'll make it in time to say goodbye one last time. And I'm not going to want to sit in an empty apartment all alone afterwards.

 
My fortune from lunch on Friday: Grant yourself a wish this year; only you can do it.

My niece turned 4 last week and there was a huge birthday party for her this weekend. I still can't believe how much my parents' house has changed since my sister and her family moved back. Anyways, the party was a hit. Ashley had a blast. She is so spoiled - she got so much stuff. She really liked my gift. She even came up and gave me a kiss and a hug after she opened it. All 4 of the Goodyear blimps were flying around the area that day and they literally flew right over the house. So we all went outside with Ashley and Tyler and waved to the people in the blimps. They loved it. I still think Ashley thinks Mommy arranged it, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

Later that evening, my sister and her fiance got in an argument. She decided she didn't feel like sitting around the house anymore and wanted to complain about men so she suggested we go out. So her, my mom, and I went out to Rio Bravo. She really wanted a margarita and thought she could take advantage of the Ohio law that you can get alcoholic beverages if a parent is with you. Rio Bravo didn't choose to honor that rule and my sister was rather disappointed. She still left the waiter a big tip, even though he refused to serve a drink to my mom because he knew it was really for my sister. We had a nice late dinner though... talked about all sorts of stuff. My sister and her honey must have worked things out then later, because when I saw them the next day, everything was back to normal. Well, as normal as they get at least.

Sunday I felt awful though. Turns out I had the beginnings of a nasty migraine. That broke out full force yesterday. I was so incredibly busy at work too. When I got home, I had to make sure that everything was away from my windows so the guys could come today and replace them. I bet these windows will actually be able to lock! It's really hard to clean when your head feels like it's going to explode. Finally I gave up and just collapsed in bed. I don't even remember doing that actually. I woke up early this morning and finished what I needed to do. And then the stupid window people didn't get to my apartment today. -.-;;

I played interactive Lingo tonight and I actually made the final leaderboard! *.*!!!

 
yes, yes... I'm going to work on that post but first MG showed me this article and I liked it enough that I thought I would share. It turns out he posted it on his blog too, but I still want to post it.

---

One way to commemorate Sept. 11: Live your life
By BILL FERGUSON
Warner Robins (Ga.) Daily Sun

I've been debating with myself for some time about whether or not I should devote a column to the coming anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. I am doing so now, but only reluctantly.

I had all but decided that there was little point to my joining the cacophony of Sept. 11 commemorative stories and opinion pieces that are certain to dominate the news media over the next week. This particular event has been reported so extensively and commented on so widely that it is difficult to imagine that there is anything left to say on the subject that has not already been said many times.

Besides, I've never been much of an anniversary person. Why do we make a big deal out of reliving an experience (whether it is a good one like a birthday or a wedding or a tragedy like Sept. 11) just because the earth has made another revolution around the sun since the event occurred?

Instead of celebrating a birthday once a year, wouldn't it be better to remain mindful of the miracle of life every single day? Instead of exchanging gifts once a year on the anniversary of one's wedding, wouldn't it be more appropriate to treat one's spouse with affection every chance we get?

Now Sept. 11 is about to roll around on the calendar again, and I suppose I am expected to watch the old footage of the twin towers collapsing, listen to the status of our military campaign to root out terrorists around the world, and tear up over the patriotic speeches every politician and talking head will offer up to commemorate our most recent day of infamy.

No thanks. I think I have a better idea.

I think I'll keep the TV off on Sept. 11. I won't turn on the radio or pick up a newspaper either. If anyone around me wants to talk about exploding airplanes and anthrax envelopes, I'll smile and politely make my exit.

Maybe I'll get up early and take a walk, reminding myself how lucky I am to have my health and the freedom to go where I please. Afterward I'll eat breakfast slowly, savoring every bite. There are plenty of people who go to bed hungry every night, and I should remember to give thanks that I've never been one of them.

Then I'll go to work just like I do every weekday. I'll try to be as productive as possible, because that's what I'm paid for and I'm glad to have a good job. After work I'll go straight home, because I like spending time with my family and I know that there is no greater gift than to have a happy, stable home life.

In short, I plan on living my life on Sept. 11 pretty much as I will on Sept. 10 and Sept. 12. Maybe I'll be a little more aware of how blessed I am and how proud I am to be an American, but that's about the only concession I'll make to the mentally-disturbed religious fanatics who needlessly murdered thousands of my brothers and sisters last year at this time.

Sept. 11, 2001 is in the past and there we should leave it. I will never forget that day, but I have no desire to relive it.

 
blah... I had this long blog all typed up and I went and clicked a link and it disappeared -.-

I'll retype it later. -.-

 
Ok, for some reason my post from earlier somehow disappeared, so I'm reposting. ^^ I was going to say something else but I forget what it was. Oopsie. I'll figure it out here soon I hope. Oh well, tonight is the afterwork social gathering on the patio and the food is ready downstairs.

I just got forwarded this email and it's so funny that I thought I should share! =D

*****

Cristie Kerr won the LPGA Golf Challenge in California on Sunday, April 21, 2002. It was her first win and needless to say, she was quite thrilled. The photographers suggested that she kiss the trophy, as is the tradition. But I think that the LPGA Challenge folks might want to consider a redesign of their trophy...

See the picture...

 
*.*!!!

I love this job search site I found!!! I log in this morning and see:

Your personal profile has appeared in 7 employer search results.
Your resume has been viewed 2 times by employers.

And I've only had my resume up since about lunch time yesterday! So it's not as good as a job offer or anything, but at least I know people are looking at it!

*dances*

 
Friday Five

1. What is your biggest pet peeve? Why?

It irritates me when people lie. I tend to put a lot of faith and trust in other people - you know, give them the benefit of the doubt and everything. It feels to me when I'm lied to that the person isn't respectful of me or my feelings. And it makes me feel stupid for trusting them.

2. What irritating habits do you have?

I'm sure various people will have their own opinions about this. Perhaps I should ask them... ^^;; What most irritates me about myself is that I can be very pessimistic about the things in my life. I always imagine the worst. I'm also an emotional person and I'm not able always to hide them.

3. Have you tried to change the irritating habits or just let them be?

Yes, because I find them irritating. I've gotten a little bit better at hiding my emotions... particularly at work. That's very important. As for the other, I try to keep that in check. I can usually handle it anymore, but when I get overly stressed or when I'm pmsing (tmi I know), I don't handle it nearly as well. That applies to the emotional thing as well.

4. What grosses you out more than anything else? Why?

Extreme physical injuries. I know that sounds really weird, but I remember sitting down with my family watching tv one evening and my sister was flipping through the channels and came across this American Gladiator-esque sports competition program. They were competing on this mini-mountain type thing that was spinning. The contestant had to get to the top but he had to get by these two huge guys who would do anything to prevent it. Some how or another during one of the attempts the contestant breaks his ankle. I'm not talking a small break. After it happened, he was sitting on the bottom with his leg sticking out and his foot was just hanging there. It looked like he completely sheared his ankle in half. @.@;; I felt like I was going to be sick. My family says I went completely pale and I was about ready to pass out. I get that funny feeling anytime I see anything like that. It happened when I saw my friend break her arm and even when I see those skating/skateboarding outtakes where they really hurt themselves. ^^;;

5. What one thing can you never see yourself doing that other people do?

That's kind of a funny question. Had I been asked that question 2 years ago or so, some of the answers I would have considered would be things that I have done or in the process of trying to do. It would include meeting people from the internet, falling in love with someone I met on the internet, and moving to be with him. I'm not complaining. I wouldn't change it for the world.

As for the current, I could go extreme and say that I don't see myself ever committing a violent crime but I think the question was asked with something a little more 'practical' in mind. Although an occasional drink now and then is fine, I can never see myself going out and getting completely trashed. Lots of people I know talk about getting drunk all the time. It's a Monday morning ritual at work here, everyone telling how trashed they got over the weekend. -.- Perhaps it's my family situation as I was growing up or maybe it's me not wanting to lose control of myself (at least not on my own terms) that turns me off to it. Other people can do what they want (obviously) and I'm not saying it's wrong. I'm just saying it's wrong for me.

 
I made a yummy supper tonight. *.* I was actually in the mood to cook today. I marinated chicken overnight in italian dressing, then grilled it up and wrapped it up with lots of lettuce, some tomatoes, and some cheese in a flour tortilla. Oh so good.

Well I was going to make it a complete week without eating out for lunch, but I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon and we're leaving early for it and heading to China King for lunch. But still, the rest of the week I brought in lunch. Definitely easier on the pocketbook and better for me in general. I've decided I'm going to finish off that weight loss goal of mine since I'm oh so close and tone up so I don't feel so loose in my skin. The Tae Bo twice a week should help with that. I have managed to cut down on my caffeine intake as well. ^^

I found a new job search engine that actually turned up results that sound really appealing to me. Let's hope that these jobs actually exist unlike some of the other ones I have come across. -.-;; That is so evil of them. I'm also considering having my resume professionally done. The only real downside is that it's a nice chunk of money. But I'm thinking that once I have it done once, I could probably continue updating it on my own without a problem. I need to do some research on that. I know my resume isn't as impressive as it could be.

Oh oh oh!!! Jessica may be coming down to visit me in a couple weeks!!! I can't believe Matt is going to let her come down here! *.*!!!

 
Cool quote from Kita, courtesy of a Tenchi fanfic (Aikon Muyo she thinks):

Washu: love is chemistry, sex is physics, but kinkiness requires engineering

>=)

 
Can M&Ms go bad?

I found half a bag of M&Ms in my cupboard tonight from around Christmastime. ^^;; As you can tell, I haven't been in that cupboard since about... Christmastime. ^^;; I was just thinking that I was really in the mood for a little bit of chocolate, but I'm not sure if they are still good. ;_;

I've decided that I'm going to start trying different foods. Particularly ones I think I don't like. This stems from a conversation that Karl and I had while I was in Arizona about my dislike of olives. You really shouldn't say you don't like something before you really try it. ^^;; I really need to stop being so picky about the foods I eat.

On that note, I have discovered I like split-pea soup. My friends mom made some the other night and offered me some. It was actually pretty good.

surprise, surprise... after all this food talk, I'm hungry. Perhaps I should eat supper.

 
Argh! The battery in my watch died! -.- Unless it is 3am and I got to work really really early.

At least I had already planned on stopping by the store tonight. I need to get my niece a birthday present. I think I should get her a really noisy toy. >.> And my sister would just love me soooo much for that. >=)

 
As you can see, I haven't been able to move over to hakanai yet. Apparently there's some password issues or something that's being difficult. Oh well. It will be straightened out eventually. Karl's smart like that.

Gives me time to put the finishing touches on my new layout. From what I have done, I think I'm going to like it.

My cat is strange. Why bother buying fancy cat toys when she literally gets hours of enjoyment out of the plastic ring from the milk jug... @.@;;

 
Thanks for your concern everyone, but really it was nothing earth shattering. I was just really tired and didn't feel like going into everything that had happened that day. Not that anything really exciting happened anyways. I've just been really stressed lately for various reasons. Sorry ^^;;

You guys are great. *hugs*

 
So many things to talk about, but I don't feel like going into it right now. Maybe later.

At least I don't have to work tomorrow.