When God closes a door...LITERALLY!
Topic: House Hunting
Ok Sparky, here's the deal...

We didn't get the house in Neligh. They didn't rent it to someone else. They SOLD it! I guess a couple came up from Texas and offered them $150k. I don't blame them for taking it. That's a pretty good chunk o change for a 100yr old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. But still....dangit. :(

However.....

We are going to view a house in Plainview today (30 miles). The ad we saw in the paper was for a 3 bedroom, $275. Jim called on it, and it had been rented. But, the lady had another house available! It's a 2 bedroom for $250. We're the first people to look at it, and unless there's something seriously wrong with it, we're going to take it. It will be available June 1st, so we don't have a whole lot of time to pack. There's a couple of young ladies living there now, so it shouldn't be too torn up. And the best part is, not only is she ok with the cat AND the chinchilla...SHE DOESN'T MIND IF WE GET A DOG!!! I guess the lady's son has a German Shorthair, which is the breed Jim likes the most. So, they talked about dogs, and he told her that he used to be AKC certified to judge shows. So, from that, she knows that he is capable of training a dog to behave the way it should. We won't be getting a puppy anytime soon, but it's nice to know that we have the option.

We saw a listing for a mobile home south of town for $350. We went out there and looked at it. It looked ok from the outside. Just for kicks, Jim checked to see if the door was unlocked, and it was! The place was an absolute dump inside. I can't believe the guy has the gall to ask for that much money. There were rat droppings in the cupboards, and Jim said he could smell cockroaches. We aren't sure exactly what the heat source is, there's a gas gauge on the side of the house, and floor vents. But, there's a huge woodburner in the living room. I housesat a mobile home with a woodburner once. It didn't cut it. I was sleeping in a room halfway down the hall from the stove, and I had to wear long underwear under sweats for pj's. I also had two blankets and two comforters on the bed. You could say it was cold in there, and it would be an understatement. Suffice it to say we were less than enthused, and headed back to the car. If we were really desperate, I could probably handle living there for a couple of months, but no way would I pay that much to live in a lousy place like that for very long.

Just in case you're interested...
Topic: Wedding Plans
Here's a picture of the dress I have picked out. Not sure yet who's going to make it for me. I am accepting suggestions! If anyone knows a seamstress (or seamster, men can sew too!) in my area that is good with a sewing machine and doesn't charge too much, PLEASE let me know! :)
My aunt Mary would do a wonderful job, I'm sure. Trouble is, she's in Denver. Much too far to go for fittings. But, unless something changes, she may be my only option. I know this captivating young man in Columbus, but can't seem to get ahold of him. Anyway...

Click here to see the picture.

Now see here...
Mood:  mischievious
Now Playing: It's the end of the world as we know it
I am slowly but surely dragging Jim into the 21st century. As of this very moment, we both have blogs, and a couple of websites. Granted, he doesn't use his as often as I'd like, but I'm guilty of that too sometimes. (Sorry scooter) And he has a much better excuse than I do. A mere 8 months ago, had you mentioned the word "blog" in conversation with Jim, he probably would have perked up, thinking you had said "bog", which is close to "marsh" (his natural habitat). Now he not only knows what a blog is, he has one of his own. Now if I can just get him to post more often than twice a month... :)

We own a DVD player, and it's one that cost more than $30. We'll be purchasing a new computer sometime in the near future. And we're discussing whether to use a cell phone as our home phone. That will involve some compromise. Jim's convinced that cell phones are evil. He says if we get one, the only time it leaves the house is if we go on a trip. And even then, it stays off unless we need to call someone. I'm trying to talk him into getting two, one for the house, and one for me to carry around. Wish me luck! :)

FYI
Just created two new websites, one for Jim and one for myself. They're wish lists, so visit whenever you're shopping for gifts for one of us! :)

Jess' Wish List: http://www.angelfire.com/jazz/lamentoso/wishlistjess.html

Jim's Wish List: http://www.angelfire.com/ne2/gremlinscout/wishlistjim.html

This is how I feel at work sometimes...

Ok, ok, I'll blog, sheesh.
Now Playing: Are You Happy Now - Michelle Branch
Here I am, in all my (ahem) radiant glory. Well, not exactly. I'm here, but I'm far from radiant, unless you count in my oily skin. Forgot to wash my face before I came to work. Oh well. It's back to the night shift for me. And what a night it's going to be. We have some serious storms rolling through, and the lightning is flashing quite often. It's very muggy in here, so I've got the big fans going. I think they're actually the air conditioner, but I'm not sure. (eyes crossing in perplexion)

Still haven't heard back about the house we applied for. Jim's dad is getting pretty annoyed with us, he wanted to be moved out about 2 weeks ago. Jim's been watching the paper like a hawk, and has called on every house that is reasonably priced, but we're not getting any responses. Frustrating.

Other than that, I don't have much news. Everything is as it has been. Work, sleep, eat, repeat in no particular order. Have lost over 25 pounds of the 50 I gained from taking stinking Effexor. Am hopeful that the other 25 will continue to diminish before I walk down the aisle. Sarah says I already look skinny. Skinni-er, maybe, but not skinny enough for me.

It's raining, it's pouring
Mood:  lyrical
Rain, rain on my face
It hasn’t stopped raining for days
My world is a flood
Slowly I become one with the mud

Chorus:

But if I can’t swim after forty days
And my mind is crushed by the thrashing waves
Lift me up so high that I cannot fall
Lift me up
Lift me up - when I’m falling
Lift me up - I’m weak and I’m dying
Lift me up - I need you to hold me
Lift me up - keep me from drowning again

Downpour on my soul
Splashing in the ocean, I’m losing control
Dark sky all around
I can’t feel my feet touching the ground

[chorus]

Calm the storms that drench my eyes
Dry the streams still flowing
Cast down all the waves of sin
And guilt that overthrow me

[bridge]

[chorus]

Lift me up - when I’m falling
Lift me up - I’m weak and I’m dying
Lift me up - I need you to hold me
Lift me up - keep me from drowning again

Just realized that there is a pretty good explanation for my sour stomach, and it has nothing to do with the Slim-Fast bar.

I made a pot of coffee about midnight. Well, thinking that I should make it stronger than usual to keep me awake, I put in an extra scoop. I didn't realize until it was too late that the grounds were Columbian, and pretty strong already. So the coffee is pretty damn strong. And, to make it worse, it sat warming for two hours before I finally had a chance to pour myself a cup. I'd be willing to bet that it's the coffee merrily eating away at the lining of my stomach that's giving me a bad taste in my mouth.

Only an hour and a half left of my shift. Then I have to decide whether to go to bed, or stay up for a while. Have some shopping to do, and I'll probably end up working 8-12 Fri morning, so I should stay up. BUT.....I'm so tired I doubt I'll make it past 10am before giving in and going to bed. Only time will tell, eh?.....We shall see.

Jagged Little Pills
Just ate a Slim-Fast Chewy Granola Chocolate Chip meal bar. Just have one word for the taste left in my mouth - EW. Didn't satisfy me at all. In fact my stomach is MORE upset after eating it than it was before, when I was just hungry. Will not be purchasing that one by the box. Definitely glad I tried it first. Stupid Hy-Vee stopped carrying the ones I like in boxes, and it's too expensive to buy the singles. So, I'm trying new flavors. Have a feeling that I'll just end up buying the ones I like somewhere else. I know Walmart carries them. Well, I know they did a couple of months ago. Anyway, enough about food.

Learned an unpleasant lesson last night. Was tired of fighting the battle against the sandman while working, so I sent Jim to the store for No-Doz. What he came back with was not No-Doz. It was the generic equivalent of Vivarin. Unfortunately, the tablets weren't coated, and when I took one, it didn't go down the hatch right away. I guess it decided it enjoyed the tropical climate in my mouth, because it latched onto my tongue. I managed to get it loose, and tried to guzzle it down with some soda. Well, I guess that didn't convince it, because it got stuck in the back of my throat, and wouldn't go any further. I gagged, hacked, etc for a couple of minutes, and finally got it to go down. Tears were streaming down my face, you know how it is. For the rest of the night, I was a chronic swallower. You'd think I would have learned my lesson the first time, but NOOOO, I had to give a repeat performance four hours later, when I took another dose. I was better prepared the second time, and had the lid off of my water bottle. In fact, the bottle was halfway to my lips when I popped the pill in the second time. No matter, it still got stuck in my throat. Over 25 hours later, my throat still hurts from those damn little pills. Never again. And get this. To add insult to injury, later on I was reading the box, and realized that the pills I had taken contained nothing more than 200mg of caffeine. I could have achieved the same effect without the pain if I had just made a pot of coffee. Talk about aggravating. Why does this stuff happen to me?

Jim called and checked on the progress of our potential house today. They still haven't made a decision about who they'll rent it to, but I guess we're on the "good list" because we were so friendly. All I'm going to say is it's easy to be friendly when you're as worked up about something as I was about that house. It is just plain awesome. Sure, it's not new, and hasn't been for almost 100 years. And sure, it's not really a convenient distance from work. But if I had my choice between a little cookie cutter house in town and that old house with the homey feel, the old house wins hands down. The fact that it's only $300 a month is icing on the cake. The only downside that I see (other than the 45 min drive time) is that I may actually have to start cleaning regularly. It's way too much house for us, but I think we could use the room. And we'll grow into it! Robert can have his own room for when he visits. And, if he ends up living with us on a more permanent basis, that's even better! Stevie and Mr. Jingles can have their own rooms. The house is approximately 10 rooms on two floors, with a multi-room basement. That's not counting the closets. Oh, and the rent includes the use of two outbuildings - a hay barn, and a long, low building (chicken house?) that we'll use for storage, and maybe park my car in. Unfortunately, the beams are too low to park the truck in there. But, the storage shed/garage is about 30x150 ft with a cement floor. Plenty of space to store all of our extra stuff, and probably some other people's too. I know Mom has some things in a storage shed we rent in Columbus. It would be nice to have free storage space, and so much of it to boot.

Not sure what if anything is going on for Mother's Day. Sarah's supposed to get back to me. She says Mom's been invited to a square dance that night! I'll most likely be working day shift, so I probably won't even get to see them. Hopefully some time in the next week, Jim and I can take Mom shopping for her present. We decided to finance her garden, since she doesn't really have the money to do it herself. Not sure what exactly she's going to plant, but tomatoes, okra, and kohlrabi are almost guaranteed to be on the list.

Anyway, that's about all I have to say for now, and it's quite a bit more than usual. How much do you want to bet that Scooter checked twice to make sure she had the right blog? :)

Jumping on the Bandwagon
Mood:  lyrical
Stay With Me - Into The Woods - Stephen Sondheim

WITCH
What did I clearly say?
Children must listen.

RAPUNZEL
No, no, please!

WITCH
What were you not to do?
Children must see-

RAPUNZEL
No!

WITCH
And learn.

Why could you not obey?
Children should listen.
What have I been to you?
What would you have me be?
Handsome like a Prince?

Ah, but I am old.
I am ugly.
I embarass you.

RAPUNZEL
No!

WITCH
You are ashamed of me.

RAPUNZEL
No!

WITCH
You are ashamed.
You don't understand.

RAPUNZEL
It was lonely atop that tower.

WITCH
I was not company enough?

RAPUNZEL
I am no longer a child. I wish to see the world.

WITCH
Don't you know what's out there in the world?
Someone has to shield you from the world.
Stay with me.

Princes wait there in the world, it's true.
Princes, yes, but wolves and humans, too.
Stay at home.
I am home.

Who out there could love you more than I?
What out there that I cannot supply?
Stay with me.

Stay with me,
The world is dark and wild.
Stay a child while you can be a child.
With me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mother Mother - Tracy Bonham

Mother mother, how's the family?
I'm just calling to say hello.
How's the weather, how's my father?
Am I lonely? Heavens no...
Mother mother, are you listening?
Just a phone call to ease your mind.
Life is perfect, never better,
Distance making the heart grow blind.

When you sent me off to see the world,
Were you scared that I might give birth?
Would I try a little tobacco?
Would I keep on hiking up my skirt?

I'm hungry, I'm dirty, I'm losing my mind,
Everything's fine.
I'm freezing, I'm starving, I'm bleeding to death,
Everything's fine.

Yeah, I'm working, making money
I'm just starting to build a name.
I can feel it around the corner,
I could make it any day.
Mother mother can you hear me,
Sure I'm sober, sure I'm sane.
Life is perfect never better
Still your daughter, still the same.

If I tell you what you want to hear
Will it help you to sleep well at night?
Are you sure that I'm your perfect dear?
Now just cuddle up and sleep tight.

I'm hungry, I'm dirty, I'm losing my mind,
Everything's fine.
I'm freezing, I'm starving, I'm bleeding to death,
Everything's fine.

I miss you.
I love you.