Addiction

Last night I finished New Moon - almost 600 page book in less than 24 hours. I'll have to admit that I wasn't liking it quite as much as the first one until the end. The middle of the book was not my favorite at all. But by the time I got to the last 4-5 chapters or so, I was hooked once again. Now on to the next book, Eclipse which I already read the first chapter out of the back of New Moon...unfortunately, the book set I ordered is not here yet and won't be till Friday or Saturday because of the holiday. Which is probably a good thing...I need to get some things done around the house tomorrow on my day off and if that book were here, I'd probably have my nose in it all day and get nothing done. I need to get the xmas decor and the tree down and put my house back to normal. Whoo hoo...I can't wait {that was serious sarcasm}.

Tonight we are going over to the Sheeley's for NYE party. Heathers parents always have such fun parties. Plus, on our budget, we needed to do something cheap this year. I'm sure I'll have some pics to post, although I always say that and never post them because I typically write my blogs at work and don't have any pics here. Maybe on Thursday, I'll find some time in my day to post some. I also have some funny ones to post from this years Christmas Eve Eve party of drunk Heather, that I promised her I wouldn't post on Myspace...but I didn't say anything about my blog...hehe

New Moon (Twilight Saga Part 2)

Last night, I got home, made the flank steak I marinated overnight with some potatoes and corn and debated on what to do with the rest of my evening. I really had enjoyed the last couple of days, well, Saturday anyway; curling up on the couch with Bella and my Twilight book. I had started reading Midnight Sun on the Internet, Stephanie Meyers rough draft of the Twilight book, only from Edward Cullen's point of view, but I really wanted to continue with the saga. The Internet reading was good for killing time in my downtime during the day. So, last night after I found out Crystal wasn't finished with the 2nd book, Tony and I trucked up to Books-A-Million to buy the rest of the series. Unfortunately, they didn't have all of them. They did, however have New Moon, the sequel to Twilight in paperback, which I purchased. I proceeded to go home and order the 4 books set from Barnes&Noble.com as well as the soundtrack - there is a piano ballad called Bella's Lullaby which I really like, not to mention Linkin Park, Paramore, etc. I listened to it last night, and it literally put Bella, my dog to sleep. As Tony watched the Mizzou game, I got comfy in the chase and started to read. Before I knew it, it was 12:00, Tony was in bed, and I was a good 200 pages into the book. I didn't want to put it down, but knowing that I had to work today, I figured it was a good thing to do. I'm hooked...I never thought I would be. Tony and I had a conversation on the way home from the book store about how he didn't know I could even read...he had never witnessed it. I corrected him - of course I could read, in fact, I used to read a lot when I lived with my parents. I just hadn't found a book that I was really interested in until now.

At the book store, I looked everywhere to find the books - except for Teen Fiction. I cannot believe that these are books for teenagers. Well, yes, I can, but I can't believe I'm interested in a teen novel. I know its not only me; many of my friends, who are my age, are infatuated with it, and at the movie theatre, I think there were more "adults" there than teens. Could they possibly have made a mistake in what category to classify this?

Regardless, I can't wait to get to lunch, so I can pick it back up again and have visions of sexy ol' Edward Cullen. Who cares if he's only 17...you know how many women would want an experienced 80 something year old man in a 17 year old body full of vigor and energy...whoo! Technically, he's older than me...and as most of you that know me, I've always liked the older ones...

The Twilight Saga

Its been quite a while since I blogged, but I've been oh so busy with the holidays, and not much to blog about other than Christmas shopping, cookie baking and things not too exciting. I spent a nice Christmas with my family, in fact, Tony, Bella & I stayed at my parents house Wednesday thru Friday. We got lots of amazing Xmas presents, 2 of which Tony hasn't left alone; his shop-vac my parents got him and the new power washer Aunt Joan got us. Oh, and he was ecstatic about his new dart case (in GREEN!!!) from my brother and his new St. Louis Blues 3rd jersey (its the new one with the strings at the top and the arch on the front), that was from me. I got many nice things as well, a printer, a full length mirror, $$, pots and pans, pedi-paws (I'm excited to try this, if Bella will let me), wedding pics from my bro and Al, clothes, and best of all, a gift certificate to the movies to see Twilight, which Tony and I saw Saturday night.

At church on Thursday, Crystal gave me the first book in the series to read, which I picked up on Saturday, finished it, and went to see the movie that evening. In my opinion, the book is much better than the movie, although I'm glad I saw the movie because I waited to read chap 1 of the next book, until after. Now I have pictures in my mind of the characters, the setting, etc. I'm addicted. I read that Chapter last night, and I'm going today on my lunch break to by the second edition. For something that I thought was a kids book, I couldn't put it down. I've been told that they have the new rough draft of Stephanie's next book, I think its called Midnight Eclipse, which is actually the first book, Twilight, only from Edward Cullen's point of view. I plan on reading that off the website, then when the book comes out, I'll read it again.

I haven't been this involved in reading in a long time. I'm a very picky reader...If I'm not hooked by the 2nd chapter, I'll never finish. However, if I am hooked, then I won't put it down. It was a relaxing Saturday. I haven't had a day like that in what seems like forever!

Reality Check

Its been quite some time since I've posted a blog. When I first started this, it was an everyday ritual. I've become quite the slacker in my postings. Its still a ritual for me during the week, to visit the site, read all my girlfriends blog pages, and then to sit and stare at mine trying to come up with something interesting, something that others may care about, and preferably, something upbeat. However, what I've learned about blogging is, it doesn't necessarily have to be positive and full of sunshine. In the beginning, I said I was going to write about whatever was on my mind; positive or negative, happy or sad, opinionated or not...this was my blog. I'm going to try to get back on track with things and start posting again everyday, or hopefully at least once a week.

Today's blog is about reality. I've been living my life in a huge bubble that has recently started to leak and I've been introduced into the world that I refused to live in...hence the fact I took refuge inside this bubble. I don't know what I thought my life was going to be like; all fun and games, partying everyday, no cares about anyone or anything, living by the seat of my pants and day by day with no light at the end of the tunnel or a plan for the future in sight. I just got a rude awakening. I've always been very independent; earned everything I have, and never relied on anyone (other than my parents in a time of need) for help. I'm proud of that, of my independence. Then Saturday, I had a conversation with someone who was talking about marriage most of the day. She wanted to know why guys are so scared to get married because her step-son is petrified, even though he knows that his current girlfriend is his soulmate. As the conversation continued, the more she said, the more I realized that guys are not the only ones...I've always said that I didn't need anyone and would never marry. Over 1/2 my friends are divorced, in the process of divorcing, or contemplating it. I think its been a fear of failure. A fear of losing my Independence. We continued our conversation, although through most of it I sat quietly and listened to how much she loves her husband, and while he's not her first husband, that's why hes her second. He makes her laugh everyday, and to her that is important in a relationship. It got me thinking about a lot of things; I've been selfish, not because I don't want to "lose" the above listed, but I've been selfish to myself for not wanting to be truly happy with someone. As well as selfish to them for not letting them in. Then she said something to totally knock me off my stool. She told me, "I'm one of the strongest, young females that she knows. I can take care of myself, and don't rely on a man to do the job for me. I know how to appreciate everything I have, because I worked hard for it and it wasn't given to me. I value respect, and don't put up with disrespect because I'm worried about someone taking something away from me. Now I just need to learn how to share. Share my possessions, share my thoughts/feelings, and share my life with someone else. Being strong is a good thing, it will keep your relationships strong when you finally meet someone that you are willing to "share" with."
It made me realize, my youth is getting dimmer, I can't party like I used to, don't really want to either. I'd rather spend a Saturday night on the couch with a good movie, just not every Saturday night, lol. I've decided to start something new, a new perspective and a plan for my future. I know all this won't fall into place overnight, but at least it is something to work towards.

On another note, I'd like to ask why if I'm such a strong person, why I do not have the strength to do laundry. I absolutely hate laundry, wish I was rich and could just buy new clothes rather than wash the dirty ones. I have piles everywhere, all sorted, just can't bring myself to throw them in. Actually, that's not the part that bothers me. Its the folding that I hate...

My Blog Title Says Its All...

My blog title, Chaos, Comotion, and Emotion says it all. I couldn't think of a better way to describe the past couple of days and the weekend to come. My best gal Val, is getting married on Saturday and has chosen me as her maid of honor. It also just so happens that this week has been somewhat chaotic with other activities and things that must be done. Tonight is the rehearsal dinner, which is where the emotion comes in to play. I'm not typically an emotional person, but here lately, I don't know whats gotten in to me. 2 Sunday's ago, Tony and I were at Ameristar eating breakfast, and I just broke down crying in my eggs for no reason. All because Val was getting married in 2 weeks. I don't know where all this emotion is coming from. I'm so happy for her and Kev, but in a way I feel like I'm being deserted. Left to fend for myself in a barren land full of wild beasts and carnivores. I'm getting teared up as I write this blog. Val is like a sister to me and she's moving on to start her life with someone else. Soon she will be having children and I'll be an Aunt, but what about all the wild and crazy nights, the margaritas, poker, etc. What about the plan that we had for Garrett to put us in the same nursing home in Florida when we are old and crazy? Am I being selfish because I don't want to share my best friend with someone else? I'm sure if the tables were turned, it would be different so why do I feel this way? I need to grow up. I'm living my life as if I were in my early 20's and I'm very quickly approaching 30!! This is a normal course of life for normal people...guess I'm just not normal.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll post some pictures of the wedding sometime next week.

Father/Daughter Talk

My father and I had a talk Sunday while at Fast Eddies. He was pointing out how all my friends are either married, divorced, or have a child who the grandparents are practically supporting (this only applies to 1 person). They all have something going on in their lives - all in the departments I've been lacking in. He told me that makes me the smart one because I'm not married, therefore can't get divorced and award him custody of my child because I can't support him or her. I've always said that I never wanted to get married. Over 1/2 of the weddings I've been to in my lifetime are mostly all now divorced, with the exception of some of the most recent ones and a few from a couple years ago and after watching several of my friends go though that mess, I figured its just easier not to do it. I think that people get married for the wrong reasons now days, AND its way too easy to get divorced than it was years ago. I've been fortunate that I didn't make any stupid mistakes and marry someone just because I wanted a big party and a white dress OR end up getting knocked up in my crazy single days and having to deal with a deadbeat father.

Still talking to my father, I pointed out all the weddings I've attended just in this year, the year prior and those close friends of mine over the last 5 or so years. Then I started bringing up the people that I know that got married that I didn't attend their wedding because it was out of state or in another country. For example, just this year I've had Crystals, my brothers, my cousins, Heather's brother, Valerie's. That doesn't include all the weddings of people I know that I didn't attend. Next year will probably be even more ridiculous. The funny part about it, the majority of the weddings that I've been to in the past year or two are all people younger than me. Why is that? Probably because most people my age are already married...and having children. Which brought me to my next point (which Rachel's blog today was about)...all the pregnant people this year. I probably know at least 10 people who are pregnant or had a baby this year. I'm surrounded by babies! Literally, BOTH of my neighbors just had babies in July and August. I told my dad that I'm broke because of all the wedding/baby showers I've attended this year and all the weddings I've been a part in. My dads only response was, "It never ends...in a few years, you won't be going to weddings or showers anymore, you'll be going to funerals only you'll be spending your money on flowers and charity contributions. Instead of celebrating a new start or a new life, you'll be celebrating the end of one." Celebrating death? I think he meant celebrating that person and the life they lived while they were still alive. Although, I've never been to a funeral that was a fun party. Its typically quiet and sober. I'm not looking forward to those days ahead.

Much needed rest...

Today starts off the new work week, which I'm actually quite excited for. It provides a time for me to catch up on some much needed rest. Most normal people rest on the weekends, I do mine during the week since I'm able to sit in one place (my comfy chair) for several hours without being rushed from one desitination to the next.

Within the past couple of weeks and weekends, I've been so busy there has been little time to catch up on rest I've desperately needed. This past weekend was another busy one. Friday night, I had a jewelry party at my house, which proceeded to end with a full night of intoxication and our own version of playing Rock Band in the basement. Only we don't use the electronic game devices, we use the real thing. 1 Ipod, 1 drum set, 2 guitars (one lead, one bass) and a microphone. Val and I sang vocals, Tony played the drums and the ipod provided the rest. All I can say is alcohol is a hell of a drug. It makes one go from very intelligent, to instant idiot. I don't really remember going to bed because Tony carried me upstairs after I passed out on the couch in the basement, but I think it may have been around 4 AM. Saturday, Tony played in a washer tournament at Spanish Lake park and I went out shopping for Heather's birthday gift. That evening to celebrate Heathers existance, we went to a wine bar in Kirkwood that was pretty cool, at least the girls all thought so, and then ended the evening at Trainwreck on Manchester. Actually, Tony, Jeremy, Heather, Mike and I ended our evening at the waffle house and stuffed our faces. We entered our sleeping quarters at 3:00 AM. With less than enough sleep, Tony and I woke on Sunday at 7:30 AM to head to my parents to finish their electrical service that Tony started for them the previous weekend. Poor Tony was in a lot of pain. At 1:00, Tony and I and my parents we left to head to Fast Eddies where we met the Sheeley family to once again celebrate Heather becoming yet another year older. We stayed there till around 8, when Tony and I left with my parents to go to Tony's in Alton when I got my favorite, pepperloin. We finally made it home and in bed by 10:30. It was a hell of a weekend, but we survived. Next weekend, we have Halloween, Mike Sheeley's wedding, and hopefully, a day of recovery.

New Blogs

I've been slacking in posting new blogs, sorry to those of you who find enjoyment in the chaos I call life. Although I don't post everyday, I do come to the site everyday to check for comments because I do love reading peoples comments on my posts and to read the other blogs that I follow. I'm excited because another friend as followed in the public venting of blog writing and I have a new blog to follow. I don't know why, but reading about others lives is more interesting than reading a book. If anyone else that reads my blog has one of their own, please let me know so I can share in the day to day happenings of your life.
I read a blog this morning that was talking about knowing that fall was here because of all the hustle and bustle that's starting to happen with weekend becoming more and more chaotic trying to juggle multiple things in one weekend to please everyone and fulfill the duties of family. As I posted a comment for her on my busy happenings I started thinking about my hectic schedule. I between the get togethers that I'm hosting, the weddings, and birthday's coming up, I'm already exhausted knowing that little bit of relaxation time that I usually set aside on the weekends is coming to an end. Shortly following all of that, here come the holiday's which means work Christmas functions for Tony and I, family functions, and of course, our annual Christmas party. I hosted it last year and it has not yet been determined who will have it this year, but I'm guessing it may be me again.

Last weekend was Val's bachelorette party, an event that took weeks to put together. West and I started her off on a scavenger hunt making her go from house to bar to casino to find people and clues of where she needed to go next. I thought it was a lot of fun. The party officially started at Rookies where we dined and drank until the bus picked us up. Everything was going great. I never seen so many peckers in my life. I think they were attached to Val everywhere! I'm not exactly sure why bachelorette party's are infatuated with these male extremities, but everyone seems to have a good time when there's a peter involved. I booked a party bus, which showed up almost an hour late and we went bar hopping. Val had a great time and as far as I'm aware so did everyone else. I was stressed all night. The bus being late started it, and it just escalated from there. I think I was the most sober on the trip except for Aunt Joan, my 72 year old aunt that loves to party. She drove our drunk butts home stopping every 10 minutes to make sure we were not puking in her new enclave. Fortunately, I have help in planning these wedding adventures that the maid of honor is typically responsible for planning. Kim, Val's sister is also the matron of honor. She took care of planning the shower which is tomorrow. I'm getting excited because all these party's and showers mean one thing...the big day is right around the corner.

Getting Older Sucks!

I've come to realize that the older I get, the stupider I get, the lazier I get, I've become less immune to certain things, and my body just doesn't recover as quick as it used to. When I was in my early 20's I could go out all night, booze it up, drive home with one eye, get maybe 2 hours of sleep, get up, go to work and repeat the cycle. Now that I'm getting older, it takes me at least 2 days to recover from a night of what I like to consider hard-core drinking, although its only a quarter of what I did when I was younger. The question is, did I just party so much that I thought a hangover was a normal feeling? Did I not know how good it felt to NOT be hungover? Now, I'm making myself sound like an alcoholic and it really wasn't that serious but it is something to ponder. Last night, I had a total of 7 beers and while I felt fine and not intoxicated, my body felt differently this morning when I woke up. I know I wasn't all there last night, when I got home, I let the dog out, passed out on the couch and woke up 2 hours later to her barking. She was ticked when I finally woke up and let her in, she would have called me a bad mother and flipped me the bird if she could have. I proceeded to go upstairs at this point and go to sleep which I did instantly. 7:00 came VERY early this morning. I couldn't get my eyes to focus, my stomach felt like a bottomless pit, and I was achy. The pounding in my head was my body's way of saying "Hey stupid, you knew this was coming...what were you thinking?". What I was thinking was I didn't drink that much or so I thought. I actually felt much more intoxicated this morning than I did last night. Is that because the alcohol seduced my brain into believing that I felt fine? Alcohol is a hell of a drug....a legal drug. I just really don't understand how alcohol is legal but yet pot is not. At least if I would have smoked a joint I would have only been really hungry, which means my stomach would not have felt like an empty pit this morning, I would have been completely ok getting out of bed this morning because I would have slept in a coma-like state, and I would not have had cold sweats, achy body or the pounding headache. I don't get it. I'm not a pot smoker by any means, but wouldn't it make sense to have smoke shacks than bars? So basically I have a choice between my lungs and my liver, so here is to you, liver. May you live a long life below my ribs digesting my food, producing proteins, and getting rid of the bad stuff.

Weekly Blog or just no news?

I realized that I haven't written a blog for about a week now. I come on this site everyday with the intention of writing something, yet nothing ever gets posted. Is that because I don't have the time or because here of late, I've had nothing passionate to write about? Today I felt the urge to just talk about a number of random things. Last nights debate, the weather, the obscene amount of weight I'm about to gain because McDonald's has monopoly again, the new diet I started this week until I found out today that monopoly was back at McDonalds, my relationships, my struggles. This could get quite long if I share all of this today, but if I don't get to it all, I'll have something to refer to when I have time to write the next blog and can't come up with anything to talk about.

First, lets talk about McDonalds. I'm not a huge MickeyD's eater, but occasionally I get a craving for their fries or a cheeseburger. However, on the flip, I'm addicted to monopoly and have been since I was a kid. So, for the next few weeks, I'll eat a ton of chicken sandwiches and blow up like a balloon, or a chipmuck storing nuts for the winter. My mom said it would be cheaper and healthier if I didn't play the game, but I can't do it. Its like an addiction. She also said that if I win the $$ isn't going to fix my waistline. Boy is she wrong, if I won $1,000,000 I could get lipo which beats any diet. Why not shed lbs in minutes rather than months and years. Heck, I'd do that now if I could afford it. Which leads into my new diet. Val's wedding is coming up 1 month and one week from today. I have got to shed some lbs before then. That being said, I started dieting on Monday. Breakfast is a piece of toast or english muffin with margarine, lunch is whatever I have time for and dinner is whatever I feel like making. The actual diet is the t-burn that I started to take again and Wii Fit, when it comes in, for exercise. As some know, I took the t-burn (after it was approved by my doctor that it didn't have effedra (sp?) in it) a few years ago and lost 65 lbs. I kept the weight off for a long time, until I bought my house and got stressed about not having a job. Its still a diet though, just in pill form.

Ok, on to the next topic...my horrible luck. Yesterday while on my way into work, I had a blowout. Apparently I ran over (or someone sabotaged me) a swiss army knife and it punctured my tires in multiple places. I had to buy 2 new tires, which are low profile performance run-flat tires at about $300 each. I was not happy. Not to mention it rained, so I was wet, cold and ticked off. My luck has not been there lately...I wonder if its because I don't forward on the emails that tell me I'm going to get struck by lighting and die in the next 7 minutes, 18 seconds if I don't send it on to 35 people in the 4.5 minutes following reading it. Maybe I should start sending those on and tag a note on the heading..."sorry guys, I need all the luck I can get right now..." That's usually what the heading is on the ones I receive.

I think that is about all for today. I need to get back to work.

Its been a while...

Its been quite a while since I posted anything on here or followed any of the blogs I normally read. I've been a little busy lately, but its been good, until yesterday. Yesterday, my old company, Wachovia (damn them...everytime I hear their name I feel a little anger) decided to go under and Citibank came in to try to save them. In a very short period of time, my stock plumeted to zero. I lost a shitload of money instantly (as in thousands-double digits). Thats a lot of freaking $$, I was completely pissed and let it ruin my whole day. Previously being a stock broker before making my way back into IT, I started thinking like one and found new light of my situation. I can write off my loss against my gains $3k per year until my losses are absorbed. Of course, I won't have any gains this year because of how crappy this market is. But then that got me thinking, why not take advantage of everything being on sale. I like sales - lord knows I look at every sale ad that comes to my house! Instead of making the worst out of an already bad situation, I'm going to start dumping money into the market to try to re-coup some of my losses. Granted, I won't make any money this year or even the next probably. But if I just bought shares for less than $10 when 6 months ago (when the economy still wasn't doing very well, therefore having a negative impact on the market) they were selling at over $25, I think I just got myself a pretty good deal. The market has proven over decades that it will eventually come back and the ones that stuck it out made tons of $$. I'll take a gamble...if I lose it all again, I'm just going to jump off my roof.

Wii?

Last night, Tony & I went to the Cardinal's game with Val & Kevin. We had an absolute blast. Val got free tickets for spending way too much money on her cardinal's credit card and treated us to one of the best experiences I've had at the new stadium. We were in the Best Buy Luxury Suite. Plasma HD TV's everywhere, couches, even a TV in the refrigerator door! The food was phenomenal; ballpark franks, brats w/ sauerkraut, nachos with the works, kick-ass chicken strips, deli sandwiches, fruit tray, cheese tray, and the dessert tray - which I took a whole plate of the brownies home with me. It also included free beer and soda. What more could we ask for. Little did we know our box came equipped with PlayStation3 and a Wii. I have never played the Wii before and have always wanted to try it as I've heard adults have more fun with it than kids do. Val and I tried the boxing game. Jesus - that was the best workout I had in a long time; I was sweating, out of breath, and laughing so hard, not to mention the other people in the room, I couldn't breathe. It was hilarious. Val was crying she was laughing so hard. I beat her and the proceeded to play a 4 year old, who kicked my butt. Val videotaped it and we laughed about the video tape for the next 2 hours. I still laugh every time I watch it. Hilarious!! I've decided that I need to get one of these Wii games. Just for the exercise benefit alone. I'm going to go look at them this weekend. A free ticket to a game is going to end up costing me a couple hundred probably!! But maybe it will get me into somewhat of shape, which is more than my gym membership is doing right now.

First Day of Fall

Today, we entered into one of my favorite seasons, Fall. I love the fall weather; the much cooler temperatures, hoodie sweatshirts, the changing of the leaves. It also brings with it one of my favorite holidays, Halloween. I'm looking forward to the upcoming bonfires, trips to the haunted houses, pumpkin patch, possibly apple picking, but most of all, a boat ride down the Mississippi to take in the breathtaking view of the bluffs admiring the colors of the changing leaves. This has been something my family has done since they've been boat owners, although we haven't done it in the last 3 years. Hopefully, the river will go down so that we can make our usual fall trip.
This year, fall also brings with it graduate classes, the 1 year anniversary since my house was completed - therefore my first Halloween party in the new place, and one of my best buds nuptials. One of my closest friends Valerie, will be tying the knot with her high school sweetheart, Kevin. I couldn't be happier for the two of them and I'm looking forward to being a part of their special day in November. Along with that comes the showers, bachelorette party, rehersal dinner and anything else to help the bride. Not to mention I have another wedding 2 weekends before hers - another of my best friend's brother is taking the plunge. I'm also planning on hosting a poker tournament sometime this fall, before it gets cold so that people can get out of the stuffy basement and relax in the cool temperatures of the outdoors - possibly have a bonfire pit and roast some marshmellows and make smores. YUM! I've yet to decide on a date because I have something going on it seems like every weekend from October to mid November. Then Thanksgiving, and following that the countdown to Christmas. My calendar is screaming for an empty date...will I ever get a break from all the chaos? Chances are, not anytime in the remainder of this year.

A Dreaded Decision

Today, my decision to return to school to obtain my masters was finalized. It was a dreaded decision. I really didn't want to go back to school again, but feel that I would majorly benefit from another degree. I'd rather just get it over with rather than do it later when I might possibly be juggling more such as being married with children. Tony is in his last year of his electrical apprenticeship, so I figured we could make the best of it and do homework together. I'm sure it will pay off in the end. I think the part that I dreaded most was adding another 20K in student loans to my already large student loan debt. I could have bought a BMW or Cadillac with the amount of money I spent on my schooling, but a car wouldn't last as long as an education would. Maybe once I get these loans paid off in 2027, I can get my car then...

It took me a while to determine what degree I was going back to obtain. My bachelors is a BS in Information Technology, so I was going to go for the Master of Information Systems, however, if I should ever make the move to go outside of IT as I did once already, I'm kind of screwed with my degrees. But since I'm an IT person, I thought I should keep my degree in the same field that I'm currently in and have been in for a few years now. But then I started looking into an MBA - Master of Business Administration - this degree I could take anywhere, but it doesn't necessarily pertain to my field, however its the life experience that counts. Then I found the perfect compromise. MBA with Technology Management Concentration. Its a mixture of both. Perfect!

So, I start my first class in the next couple of months. I have so much going on between October and November with weddings, that I didn't need to add anything else to my plate right now. My first class will be Management, imagine that. Exciting...I can't wait...to get this over with!

Lack of Sleep

So this morning started the schedule of once a month production installs for me at work. These installs start at 2 AM, so I have to be in the office about 1:30 AM. Due to my normal sleep schedule getting in the way, I was not able to adjust going to bed so early and therefore was unsuccessful at getting any sleep. Tony had hockey practice and was walking in the front door as I was waking up from my oh so short nap. I've come to realize I have bigger issues than lack of sleep. I do not function, (i.e can't follow my normal dressing routine, can't drive, and I definitely had problems getting out of my car once in the parking lot) this early in the morning unless there is alcohol involved. I know, sad, isn't it? Ironically, the team brought in some white castles for everyone and even those didn't even smell scrumptious without with gurgling acidic alcohol in my tummy. For next months install, I'm going to have to start my morning off right with some Bailey's and Coffee or Hot Chocolate. We'll just consider that a night cap, or should it be morning cap?

Sorry, today's blog is going to be cut short...unfortunately, my brain is not working well enough to effectively communicate my thoughts. Possibly more to come after some sleep this afternoon.

Cooking 101 - YUMM-O!

In my quest to become more domesticated, I've recently been watching more of the food network trying to teach myself how to cook. I'm proud of myself. Sunday evening, I made chicken spedini for dinner, but it was my own version. Basically, I took all my spedini recipes and combined the parts that I liked about all of them to make 1 totally awesome version...or at least I thought so. I was so impressed with this, that I decided to blog the recipe so that all can benefit from my creation. Bon Appetite!

Ingredients:
1 pkg chicken breast filets
1 cup olive oil
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup parmasan cheese
1 Tbs minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs + bread crumbs to bread the chicken
Asiago cheese cut into 1 - 2 inch cubes depending on how much cheese you like
1 stick butter
1/2 cup lemon juice

I typically buy a package of chicken breast filets or tenders (pkg of 5) and slice them in half long ways - but I'm only making it for two people.

Marinate chicken, minimum of 1 hour in the following:

1 cup olive oil
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup parmasan cheese
1 Tbs minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs

After marinated, take tenders and wrap around cube of asiago cheese and secure with toothpick (from own personal experience - don't use colored toothpicks).

Roll chicken and cheese in breadcrumbs and place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes.

I served mine over noodles and added a lemon butter sauce...which I sometimes add garlic too.

Sauce:
1 stick butter
1/2 cup lemon juice
garlic powder to taste

Guilty Pleasures

I learned something about myself over the weekend. I've become lazy as I've aged. I recently switched my cable from Dish Satellite to AT&T's new U-Verse. Saturday, they came to install the new service so I had my satellite disconnected as of the same day. From the time I got out of bed Saturday (6:30 AM), I had no TV - not even local channels since there is not a TV in my house hooked up to the antenna. Since there was nothing to watch on TV, I was forced to clean the rest of my house that didn't get straightened by my mother on Friday. It was the only alternative to sitting in silence, bored out of my mind, waiting on the cable guy. Over the past week, I've been sick, so I haven't had a whole lot of energy - which was also the case on Saturday morning. After making myself breakfast, doing the dishes, and 1 load of laundry, I decided to get out the carpet cleaner and clean the carpet upstairs (Bella, my dog, had gotten sick and made a slight mess). I started where the stain was and after about 12 strokes of vacuuming with the carpet cleaner, I was done for. All I wanted to do was watch TV - and I had no TV to watch. I proceeded to go downstairs and write a blog about the new decor my mother had helped me with the night before, when my internet went out. Perfect - the AT&T man was coming anyway. After 5 hours of install and patient waiting, the cable guy informs me that due to the hurricane in TX, there is an outage to the STL area with no anticipated outage time. Great...now what? I was without cable until 7 PM last night. Tony and I were about to go insane...no TV, no internet. What were we to do? It would be to logical to pick up a book and read that, or to do something constructive. We have officially become couch potatoes. I don't typically watch a whole lot of TV anyway, but I watch a TON of movies. Unfortunately, all the movies we own, we have seen millions of times and we had just watched most of them recently. The more I thought about how TV dependent we were the more annoyed I got. I made a punch list of things that need to be done around the house, items that should be done weekly, and a punch list of things that I want to do in the near future. From now on, we are going to start doing one item a night/weekend before we resort to comfy clothes, comfort food, and a waste of an evening watching the "boob tube" as my father refers to it.

Which brings me to another issue. I've put on quite a bit of weight in the last couple of months/year. I went from 130 to 160 in less than a year. Why? Probably because I've been spending too many hours in front of that illuminated box in my living room eating bon bons and popcorn. And it doesn't help that I haven't been very active - I have no exercise in my agenda at all. I have a gym membership that I don't use and exert very little energy in a days work. My daily punch list should include EXERCISE in it, but unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to add that entity. I hate exercise, I don't like feeling winded, and I hate sweating. However, I had to put an item on my punch list that gave me some activity in my sedentary lifestyle...so in denial that I needed this, I decided that Bella has put on some weight and needs some activity as well. My punch list item is to walk the dog at least every other day. Sorry Bella...

Home Interiors

This was my post from Saturday, however, I didn't get it posted before my Internet went off...it finally came back on last night...geeh...

I moved into my house last year in November. As some know, my I had my house built, so it came with no blinds, curtains, etc. For the last year, my walls have been blank with the exception of a few pictures that I bought here and there, but otherwise, empty and plain. As of last night, I finally have some decor that went up on the walls and the downstairs actually looks like someone lives here, compliments of my mother. She is an awesome interior decorator and does wonders when it comes to hanging things, matching colors and knowing what will look good and what will not. And the best part about it is, she LOVES doing it. I'm finally relieved. Of course, I would love to have some blinds (other than the paper ones I currently have) and curtains. Perhaps those will come by this time next year. I didn't realize the expense of owning, maintaining and decorating a house to make it livable. Its almost a full time job. Throw a husband and a couple of kids in the mix and I don't know how women do it and stay sane! I'm in utter amazement now that I'm a homeowner. Those of you with houses and families, you are my hero's! I've decided that I need to return to school so that I can make more money and hire a cleaning lady.

Seriously though, I am planning on returning to school to get my MBA with a concentration in technology. This is a huge step for me because I absolutely HATE school. I don't have the patience or urge to ever attend class. However, I've learned that get anywhere in life, it requires pain and suffering...and this to me is about as painful as it can get. Thank god its only 78 weeks...god...that sounds horrible.

Emergency?

Yesterday, I didn't post anything as I was home sick and couldn't really conjure up anything to to write about. Wednesday afternoon, I left work early because I wasn't feeling well, went to my mom's who proceeded to tell me I had pneumonia and took me to the emergency room. My neck was also twice its size from swollen lymph nodes and it really worried her. Those that know me would know that I hate going to the doctor and must feel like I'm about to take my last breath for me to go. I felt pretty bad, but not bad enough to go the the emergency room. However, because she is my mother and she worries, I thought I would ease her mind.

We got to Christian NW Emergency Center at 2 PM. I signed in and proceed to wait in the waiting room until 4:45 when they finally took me back for more waiting. Now, I was pretty sick, coughing every 5 minutes and spreading my sickness. Mom and I were discussing what if my grandmother, who has leukemia, were in the waiting area. She has no immune system and therefore if she was in the same area I was in, she would definitely end up with pneumonia and could possibly die. People who come in that are spreading germs should be quarrantined once they get there in my opinion. How bad would it suck to come into the hospital to get some stitches on a cut and end up back in the emergency room with pneumonia a week later because some broad in the waiting room was hacking up a lung and her germs spread to you while you were waiting for your stitches?? In no way was this hospital in any hurry to see patients. What is the point of going to the emergency room if they don't treat your illness as an emergency? Granted, my sickness was not an emergency, but seriously, there were 5 people in the waiting room when I arrived and it took them 3 hours to treat 5 people? I finally left at 6:25 PM with 2 prescriptions and a diagnosis of severe acute bronchitis.

I am going with my girlfriends to the Journey, CheapTrick, Heart concert at Riverport this weekend. It is supposed to storm (damn you Hurricane Ike!!). Tony told me that if I go, I am definitely going to have pneumonia by Sunday for sure!! I don't feel all that bad anymore, just a horrible cough, that hopefully the Z-Pack they prescribed me will cure. I really don't want to miss this concert, but then again, I really don't want to be hospitalized. Decisions, decisions...

On another note...one of my favorite holidays is quickly approaching. This is my first Halloween in my new house so we are going to celebrate by handing out candy to all the kiddos in the neighborhood, decorating the garage to be a haunted garage complete with icky things for the kids to stick their hands in (i.e. eyeballs, brains, etc). Anyone is welcome. Bring your kids and take them trick-or-treating around the neighborhood (there's a lot of houses) or bring some candy and sit in the "haunted garage" and hand it out to all the kids. I know some people like my parents and my brother & sis in law live where they don't get any trick-or-treaters so this its a treat for them to hand out candy...besides if we have a handfull of people all handing out candy at one house, we will be the favorite of the neighborhood. Feel free to dress up...I think my brother is...I might if I can come up with something. I can't wait!!! Oh, and I will be making a large pot of Chili and another pot of chili with no beans- and have sides of all the fixins and some appetizers and ghoulish desserts. No one has to bring anything but your choice of beverage, but if you would like to, you are more than welcome!

Election Issues

Recently, I've been reading up and watching a lot of TV regarding the election issues. This is the first election that I've actually followed because I'm finally at an age were these issues can effect me. I was raised republican by my parents, but now that I'm an adult I believe that I have the right to vote for whatever party I feel will benefit me and the economy better. I feel the same about religion. Just because you were raised a certain belief, doesn't mean that you can't convert to another as an adult. Parents are intended to raise you as they see fit and bring you up the way they feel that you should be raised. My parents did a great job at this, but I'm on my own now and have a right to my own beliefs, opinions, and ideas.

That being said...as I stated in my first blog, this is my own opinion and the way I feel. I know that politics and religion are touchy subjects to talk about, but this is my blog and I would like to express my feelings, opinions, and discuss my thoughts on certain issues. That does not mean I want to battle someone of which candidate is better, however, if you would like to comment on the issues or reasons you feel differently than I do, that is acceptable. I will never look differently upon someone for having a different outlook, opinion, or idea other than what I have. That is what makes us all different. We would all live in a pretty boring world if we all thought the same, looked the same, and did the same things. So, feel free to comment...

Issue #1 - Health Care - McCain
I'm going to have to back John McCain on this one. I do not necessarily agree with Obama's proposal of a national health insurance program for individuals who do not have employer-provided health plans. I come from a family of small business owners and this plan would require employers who do not provide health insurance to pay into a national health insurance program. My question is, what if the employee only works part-time - are they still entitled to insurance benefits? I do support McCain's proposal for health care tax dividends for low-income Americans, medical malpractice reform and encouraging small businesses to get together to negotiate lower rates with health care providers.

Issue #2 - Iraq - McCain
Obama wants to remove 1 combat brigade each month with a complete withdrawal of combat brigades within 16 months. While I would love nothing more than to bring our troops home I feel that everything that we have been over there doing the last few years would be for nothing. The Iraqi government would take control and mass chaos would break out all over again. I do not ever want to see another attack like 9/11 in my lifetime. I support and appreciate all the soldiers that are over there, have been over there, and lost their lives fighting for this country. McCain wants to deal with the Iraqi insurgency by securing the population and work on establishing a stable government. I'm all about fixing the problem first, then removing the troops after.

Issue #3 - Economy - Obama
Obama wants to put $75 billion back into the economy with tax cuts and direct spending - strictly for working families, seniors, homeowners, and the unemployed. It would also include another $45 billion if the economy would continue to worsen. McCain wants to lower the corporate tax rate and give a research and development tax credit. I understand that companies are suffering and laying off people because of their losses, however, its because people are not spending money - or generating revenue for corporations. I agree that money should be dumped into the economy, but I don't know if providing it to corporations is the right way to go. I believe that it should go into peoples pockets.

Issue #4 - Immigration - null
Both candidates have the same views on this issue

Issue #5 - Foreign Policy - Obama
Obama wants to reconcile with the government, end the war, and bring our troops home. I agree with this, but not with bringing home 1 combat brigade a month. I think that everything McCain strategy in Iraq needs to be put in place first, then this. He is also willing to meet with nation leaders - friend and foes. He wants to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine, he wants to strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty so that country's that break this will face international sanctions. And finally, he wants to stop the killings in Darfur. I support all of these. McCain wants to develop a national missile defense to secure our homeland from missile attack and blackmail by rogue regimes. He wants to increase the size of our armed forces (which I understand as "draft"). And finally, he says that military action is an option in Iran, but would consult with congressional leaders before taking action. I support Obama more in this issue...

Issue #6 - Energy and the Environment
I need to do some more research on this issue. Right now I'm torn between the two, but don't know a lot about the subject.

Issue #7 - Abortion/Gay Marriage/Stem Cell Research - McCain
I'm pr0-life, with restrictions. I do not believe that someone who is raped should be forced to have the child. I do not believe that someone who could possibly die during childbirth or while carrying should be forced to have the child. It should be their decision. I need to do more research on this topic as well to find out if there will be restrictions if roe vs wade is overturned. As for gay marriage - whatever floats your boat...leave it up to the state to determine if they will allow it or not. I agree with stem cell research on embryos that would be discarded. Guess for now, until I get all my details, I'll have to go with McCain for this one.

So as of right now, McCain is in the lead based on the issues and my thoughts listed above...however, I still have one undecided issue that Obama could get my vote for, which would tie the two. So, how do I vote if they tie? I guess I'll have to weight out my issues in order of importance and the top 3 issues win. More to come...

Down with the Sickness...

For all the hard work and long hours I've been pulling lately trying to survive, my body has decided to reward me with a sickness. At first I thought it was allergies because my eyes were watery, my throat itchy, but now I think I may have a sinus infection. Not only to have have the previous 2 symptoms listed, but also a horrible cough, fever, stuffy head, congested lungs, and pressure in my ears. As I sit here typing, I'm trying to chew gum to get rid of this horrible snot breath I have and breathe through my mouth at the same time. Typically, I'm able to multi-task but apparently not right now. I've bitten my tongue about 5 times so far, yet I continue to chew. Apparently the cold meds have gotten to my brain and have caused it to not function properly. For example: this morning on my way to work I completely missed my exit, then turned on my left turn signal to make a right turn and sat at a stop sign in a daze until the vehicle behind me started honking, which scared me, so I hit the gas and almost hit a car coming from the left.

The reason I bring this up is because the medicine I took stated on the box that it was the non-drowsy formula. So maybe it didn't put me into a coma, but it altered my judgement and ability to think coherently. I could have killed myself all because I was driving to work, with a common cold, which I told cold medication for.

Here's my other peeve: Last night I realized I only had enough cold medicine to take then or skip that dose and wait until morning. I wanted to stop and get some more late yesterday evening so that I could take a dose before bed to help me rest and then again to get me through work today. But then I was reminded that the pharmacy was closed and unless I drove all the way to a 24 hour pharmacy, I would not be able to get any because of the meth makers. That really irritates me. I'm sick, I can't get medicine unless I drive to a 24 hours pharmacy because someone decided to use my cold medicine to produce crystal meth to make their teeth fall out. At that point, I wanted to track down a meth head and kick his teeth in for him, save him the habit and ask him for my medicine which he was going to use to concoct drugs. Living in St. Charles, I'm sure there were some that live closer to me than the 24 hour pharmacy.

Monopolies

I'm having some difficulties dealing with Ameren, the only electrical supplier available to power up my home with electricity. Back in May, I received my bill and I noticed that it had *FINAL BILL* in the corner of it. It was delievered in an envelope enclosed with a flyer notifying that this would be the last bill at the fall/spring rate. The next one would be billed at the higher, summer rate. So I assumed that was what the final bill indicator meant. I assumed wrong. I called in early July to notify them that I had not received a bill since May. They told me that my balance was $30 something dollars (which I thought seemed awfully cheap) however, I paid it. Then last week I called again to notify Ameren that I, once again had not received a bill. I gave them the billing address and they told me that the bill had been paid, on time, since May. I found that odd, so I asked, "Who paid it, I didn't." Then....are you ready for this...the lady on the phone says, well ma'm, the bank has. This address was repossessed by the bank. WHAT?!?!?!? I told the lady that was impossible, there is no possible way that the bank could have repossessed my home because I didn't even hold a mortgage on the property. So she put me on hold for what felt like a few hours and told me she was checking into it. When she came back on the line she said that the bill was asked to be taken of my name effective in May (when I received the *FINAL BILL* notice). I had received no phone call, email, post mail, anything notifiying me of this. So I calmly asked the woman to swich the bill back into my name as this was a mistake. She then tells me she cannot do this without first getting permission from the current bill-payer, the bank. I was furious. How could you take it out of my name when I was the current, bill-payer without my permission?? So she tells me that it is out of her hands and she is going to have to refer my "case" to the resolution department. They would call me with an update in at least 48 hours.

So, 48 hours later...no phone call. I call again, no status. Then on Saturday, I recieve a bill from Ameren in the mail for over $300, due on September 15. Again, my blood pressure raised. Why should I be responsible to pay this bill, they were the ones that screwed up, not me. The bank was the one that requested service at my address to be moved to them, let them eat it for the headache they caused me.

Now, I'm going to dispute this, but its not like I can refuse to pay it. If I do, they will shut off my electric and there is not another electric company that can supply me with power. I don't think it is fair that Amerun can monopolize the electric industry when it comes to power supply. My only alternative would be to install solar power, which typically isn't enough to run my furnace or use the wind, which those of you who have been to my house know that the wind will blow you over. However, that would require an investment probably close to the purchase price of my house.

SO, bottom line is that I will proabably have to pay this stinkin bill...but I'm not going out without a fight!

A New Start...

This is my first blog...I found an interest in reading a friend of mines, so I decided to start one of my own to share in the chaos, comotion, and emotion that occurs in my day to day activities. I don't know that I'll use it as a daily journal, but it will give me something to do in my downtime and a place to vent my frustrations.

I've had a rough past couple of months. My builder went out of business without paying any of the contractors who actually built my house, which in turn are suing me for the money they are owed. I definitely found out that I am in the wrong occupation in the process of going through these lawsuits. My lawyer gets to charge for paperclips...who charges for paperclips???Is it more for a larger paperclip rather than a smaller one? What is this world coming too?!?

Aside from that, up until this past Tuesday, I've been unemployed. I started a new job on at a company called Financial Network Inc. So far so good...seems like a good place to put down some roots. I have also been working part time at a restaurant by my house trying to make some extra money, well actually to make ends meet while I was unemployed. Today is the first Friday night I've had off in a long time and I'm excited for some much needed playtime. The plan is to go out to Val & Kevin's and play some poker for $$, hopefully I win, which will just be the icing on the cake and a way to end one of the most normal weeks I've had in months.

The last few months, I've been in somewhat of a state of depression not knowing whats going to happen with my house, my job, my relationship with Tony due to my excessive drinking as he calls it. Honestly, I don't drink that much, but I was drinking during the week because that became my weekend when I was working every weekend. I'm looking forward to a fresh start, with a new job, and new attitude.

So this concludes my first blog...I need to save some stuff to post later on down the road.