is it a sign?
My Neopets account just got frozen. Apparently the administrators are under the impression that I posted something inappropriate on the message boards. As I don't remember doing so, I have submitted a request for my account to be unfrozen. In the meantime, I started a second account, which I've been meaning to do anyway. I still can't do anything though because the verification email hasn't arrived in my Yahoo mailbox. So, I can't get into my old account, and can't use my new one... Guess it's time to get the crochet project out...or I could read that book that's been sitting at my right for a week. Darn these addictive activities...

PS, it's DAMN COLD here. It's currently 24 degrees, with 91% humidity...I'm wearing a ski jacket, with a polo and a sweater underneath, and I'm INSIDE!

Music review
Heard a new song on the radio yesterday: Home by Michael Buble'. It's from his third album, but this is the first I've heard of the guy. Checked out his website, and I'm thinking he's going to be my new favorite male solo artist. He's from Vancouver, and is a "classical pop" enthusiast. (Read - SWING!!!) I find this very interesting as the song I heard had more of a modern country ballad feel to it. Obviously, the guy's versatile. I intend to run out and purchase his albums as soon as possible. :) Feel free to peruse his site yourself, if you so desire. Here's the link.

If you haven't read the comments on the previous post, do so now. My dad mentioned a site that is worth visting as well. It's a newspaper columnist's personal site, and has some interesting things to see and read. (I thought the stock certificates were neat.)

Gotta love Sarah McLachlan
Mood:  lyrical
Now Playing: Black & White
unravel me
a distant cord
on the outside is forgotten
a constant need

to get along
and the animal awakens
and all I feel is black and white

the road is long
the memory slides
to the whole of my undoing
put aside
I put away
I push it back to get through each day
and all I feel is black and white
and I'm wound up small and tight
and I don't know who I am

everybody loves you when you're easy
everybody hates when you're a bore
everyone is waiting for your entrance so
don't disappoint them

unravel me
untie this chord
the very centre of our union
is caving in
I can't endure
I am the archive of our failure

and all I feel is black and white
and I'm wound up small and tight
and I don't know who I am

everybody loves you when you're easy
everybody hates when you're a bore
everyone is waiting for your entrance so
don't disappoint them

everybody loves you when you're easy so
don't disappoint them

don't disappoint them ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had my "surfacing" CD in the stereo alongside Vince Gill's "I still believe in you". Oddly enough, Sarah lasted just long enough for me to finish steaming my artichoke (which was my dinner until Jim got home from duck hunting at 8), with some time for kitty snuggles while I waited for the timer to go off. Then Vince came on to serenade me while I ate. After that, I set the CD player to repeat this song, as I'd been trying to learn the lyrics to it for a while. As I listened to it, I realized it has somewhat of a "gotta move" rhythm to it. So, I just let it repeat and repeat and I danced my little heart out. Hey, with me, when the mood to exercise strikes, I don't hesitate. It doesn't happen often. Anyway, I danced around in several styles, got my heart pumping, stepped in time to cool down (short circuit around my living room). Then I sat on the floor and engaged myself in a pointless activity I do from time to time: transcribing the lyrics. Trouble is, none of the lyrics from this CD are printed on the jacket/book thingy. (Maybe that's a moot point, why would I be writing them out if I had them printed in front of me? Then again, I have done that before...) So, I'm sitting there, listening to this song for what must have been the 20th time, and I think I've got it down. I came into work tonight, of course I have that song stuck in my head (along with every other song I've heard in the last 6 hours). Not necessarily a bad thing, but I decided to post the lyrics here. Since I didn't bring the notebook I'd written them in, I had to look them up. Lo and behold, I had three words wrong, and all of them totally change the phrases they're in. Man, now I have to decide whether to sing it my way or her way...
In case you're wondering, here's what I heard, with corrections in parentheses:
- and all I fear (feel) is black & white
- everybody hates when you're a fool (bore)
- I am the archive of our faith (failure)

FYI
Topic: Wedding Plans
The lodge pictures that were previously available online from HP are no longer there. But don't despair, I have transferred the pictures to a permanent online photo album, courtesy of the nice folks at Angelfire. The address is http://www.angelfire.com/jazz/lamentoso/photos. Visit at your leisure.... I shall add comments and other pictures as they become available. Have a smashing day...Ta-ta!

As promised
Topic: Wedding Plans
New dress picture. (I hope I can find it, cause I really like this one better than the other.)

I've pretty much given up on the homemade dress concept. I just don't think it would save me any time or money in the long run. So, off to the bridal shops I go! Whee!

Pampering the Jess
Mood:  smelly
I ran out of cleanser for my face a couple of days ago, and ran out of moisturizer yesterday. I've been using Biore, but never was really happy with it. Well, yesterday was payday, so this morning, I decided it was about time I bought myself a little present. Last time I did that was about 6 months ago. I bought 15 pairs of earrings from Claire's. Today I went to Clinique at Herberger's, and got the full treatment. I used Clinique years ago, and liked it, but got into financial turmoil and couldn't afford it anymore. While Jim and I aren't exactly rolling in dough, my check this week was a little bigger than usual (thanks to some overtime). So, I decided to get the 3 step skincare kit, which set me back $57.25. Jim was rather alarmed that I had spent so much on stuff to wash my face with. But, I explained to him that it will last about 6 months. That breaks down to less than 50 cents per day, as compared with his $2.50 per day smoking habit. He quit complaining after that. The only redeeming factor of his continued smoking is it gives me a way to justify spending money on me that I probably shouldn't. I did not, however, splurge on the $17 makeup remover, though I wanted to. Had to draw the line somewhere. :) I don't think I went overboard. I feel kind of bad about spending that much money for skincare, but I look at it as a wedding preparation. I want my skin to look as good as possible, and it's not going to happen if I keep using stuff from Walmart. :)

Am reading the third book in a series of 10. The series is "The Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan. It's good, if you're into fantasy. He doesn't use the typical words like troll, ogre, that sort of thing. He has those sort of characters, but changed the names of them. It's refreshing. :) Check it out.

Bloggity blog blog
Blog. There, I've done it. Will blog again when something newsworthy happens. Until then, you'll just have to be patient. I don't see the point in reporting that we did laundry yesterday. Because unfortunately, that's the most exciting thing that's happened to me this week. So like I said, you'll just have to be patient. Rest assured that if something happens, I will post as soon as is practical.

Sorry, sorry sorry
Unplanned moratorium, I guess. Not much news. Have Rendezvous with the Boy Scouts this weekend. The very last one. Ever. They're selling Camp Butterfield next spring. I don't know what the reasons behind the sale are, but I'm pretty sure there are politics involved. Other than that, just work eat sleep repeat, with a change up now and then. Trying to stay out of trouble. :)

Dum de dum
Topic: Wedding Plans
I had a stroke of luck, or something. Went to the library last week, and they have a couple of short shelves in the entryway where they have books and magazines that have been taken out of circulation for sale or giveaway. There was a stack of outdated Bride's magazines from 2000 in the giveaway pile. I, of course, grabbed the whole stack and ran, giggling wildly. I have since pored through 6 of them, torn out pictures of dresses I like, and read articles until my eyes crossed. No wonder the dishes are stacked all the way from the counter to the bottom of the cupboards! heh heh (grimace) In the course of said perusing, I have realized that the pattern I bought intending to have made is no longer really what I want. I'm not changing my mind drastically. I'm just considering the practicality of a 2 layer dress. I've found several with the elements I want combined into one dress. In fact I found what is most likely the PERFECT dress. Unfortunately, it was in one of the 5 yr old magazines, and by one of the designers that is no longer as widely spread. (Or so I presume by the fact that there are about a third as many dresses by this company in the current issues.) Today I returned the movies we borrowed on Saturday, and borrowed the 2 most recent issues of Bride's, just to see how the styles have changed. As expected, the things I like are no longer very popular, which will make finding an inexpensive dress off the rack that much harder. But, I still have hope. I plan to go through the David's Bridal website again, and look for something close to my current ideal, which is both similar and different than the picture previously posted. (whee, a bit of alliteration for you poets out there...) If I find another picture that's closer to what I'm looking for, I'll try to put it on here for all o' y'all to look at! :)

I want bells to ring, a choir to sing...
Topic: Wedding Plans
a white dress, the guests, the cake, the car, the whole darn thing. But, unlike Shania, I think EVERYONE needs to know right now. Well, maybe right now is a bit of an exaggeration. Tomorrow would be ok. :) James Ashton Vaughn and I will be joined in holy moley on June 3, 2006. The irreverent event will take place at the Group Lodge in Niobrara State Park. I have a dress design figured out, but have yet to decide the most cost effective route. I have three options: 1. buy off the rack; 2. buy a base dress and make a jacket to go over it; 3. make the whole thing from scratch. Still don't know who is going to do all this magic sewing. I have Andy's phone number, but I am uncertain whether I should trust him. He seems a little flighty, and this is important. It's not a costume for a play, it's a wedding gown. Then again, I guess a wedding is a play of a different kind. Anyway, I digress. We have very few details figured out at this point, but are discussing things on a daily basis. Will update this as often as possible.

Huh, something I just realized. He still hasn't actually proposed...hmmm. Hope he doesn't forget! :)