If we all work together, we can beat this reality thing!

Trans-Dimensional Dream

2009-07-14T07:51:00.005-04:00

I'm dreaming regularly again. I'm not sure what the difference is between the times where I dream a lot and when I have a dream drought.

I woke up this morning with the sensation that I dreamed, but I didn't immediately remember it. Bits and pieces are starting to come back to me.

There was this place that was like a gateway between worlds. It was a room, almost like a room in a basement, that was filled with ocean. I can't say filled with saltwater and sand, because it was more than that. The room was dark, so I couldn't always see where I was swimming.

There was a guy down there that knew a lot about this mysterious room. He talked to me about his techniques for swimming and studying there. One was to bury himself in the sand instead of swimming. I went to try it, but I was too close to the door. There, instead of sand, was this fleshy air or liquid filled membrane type thing. If I stepped on it, it would try to suck me down, and I wouldn't be able to move. It was right by the door, and the door opened from the top, at an angle, so it was easy to step on.

At first I didn't know the room was a portal, I just knew it wasn't a part of our world. Then the guy showed me the door at the back of the room. It lead into this old west type of town, on another world of course. Thinking back, it reminds me of Stephen King's Dark Tower series.

There was only one kid in this town, a little boy who had strong telekinesis abilities. He was a mean, spoiled brat, but no one could discipline him, or he would shatter a mirror or cause some sort of destruction. He also liked to hurt animals.

I walked out of the tavern, and I saw this animal that had a hurt leg. The animal was like a cross between an okapi and a kangaroo, but the size of a cat. I tried to help it, and I found out that I had some healing powers in my hands. But these guys took it to heal it, but I wasn't sure if they were actually healing it or being mean to it.

Also lately, I haven't been waking up to an alarm. That's really weird for me. I don't even have it set right now. I'm waiting for the day I oversleep before I turn it on, or until it starts getting dark in the mornings again. I suspect that I can wake up because it's light outside.

A Flying Dream

2009-07-13T09:28:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure if the dream I had last night counts as a typical flying dream.

First, we were downtown, and we saw a huge sign that said, "Parking for Boystown, Chicago." Apparently it was a shuttle that showed a movie while you rode to Chicago. I don't think I actually got on the bus, but we did check into it. In my dream, we were close enough that it was just out of town parking, not the 5 hours away that it would be in real life.

Then we were planning some sort of presentation for an arriving guest. There were little kids that were going to sing, and I was going to fly in. I was wearing an outfit and had a motor and wings strapped to my back, and I was supposed to land at 3:30 on the dot. I took off from the top of a big building at 3:00, because I didn't know how long it would take me to get there. Instead, I got there in just a few minutes. I didn't use the motor, I just flapped and glided on the currents. But I landed, because I was afraid of running out of gas and crash landing.

Right before I woke up, I was talking to one of the organizers about getting me fueled back up to do it again, but we were concerned about getting me flying back in on time.

Things I Want To Buy

2009-07-10T09:25:00.003-04:00

I've had the idea for this post in my head for a while, but I've been hesitant to post it. It's a very materialistic thing.

At any rate, there are things that I would buy if I had the money. But they are too expensive for me to ask for as gifts. So until I start making more money or win the lottery, the probability of me getting any of these is low.

Amazon Kindle 2 or Kindle DX

I've mentioned this one before.

They just lowered the price to $300. That $50 isn't going to make that much of a difference to me.

I'm a bookworm, so being able to read any book I want, anywhere, at any time, is very tempting. But what really makes me lust for a Kindle is the free wireless internet connection. Not only can I read my books, then I can turn around and post a review to my Goodreads account.

The Kindle DX is supposedly better for textbooks, which would be helpful as I'm planning to go back to college this fall.

Wii with Wii Fit

I'm looking at about $350 for this too.

I really need to exercise more, and the only routine I've ever stuck to was tai chi. Part of my problem is that I'm very insecure about my appearance. If I didn't have to leave the house to work out, I would be much more likely to stick with it.

I'm also a video game junkie. Exercise + video games = hopefully a more healthy Michelle!

I've promised this as a gift to myself when I lose a certain amount of weight. Unfortunately, I'm struggling to meet that goal, so I don't see a Wii in my immediate future.

Slam Man

Apparently, Slam Man has been discontinued. I'm not sure if there's a replacement yet. When available, it was around $200.

Slam Man is punching bag with light up sections. I've seen other torso shaped punching bags, but no others that light up. I like the idea of basically playing a different type of whack-a-mole and getting a good workout. And letting off frustration after a long day.

A massage with Andreas

$60 for 1 hour, $90 for 1:30

This guy sets up at Bloomington Farmer's Market every weekend and offers free short chair massages. He is awesome, but the free chair massage seems SO short. I have a ton of tension in my neck and shoulders, and I would love to have it worked out.

And finally,
Tuition

I decided too late in the year that I wanted to go back to school. Most financial aid and scholarship deadlines are long passed. My plan is to take what I can at Ivy Tech, to save money and because they have evening classes, and then transfer to IU, and ultimately somewhere where I can focus on what I really want to do (grad school out of state, probably). Ivy Tech is $95 per credit hour, and I'm looking at about 32 credit hours there. Then on to IU at $199.40 per credit hour.

I'm hoping to get scholarships or financial aid for next year, but I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do about this year yet. I'll probably do 2 classes in the fall and 2 in the spring. I'd like to avoid having a loan, but that might be what I have to do.

So really, this is just a bit of another kind of dreaming. And hey, my birthday is next week... *wink*

My Husband Was Kidnapped Last Night

2009-07-06T09:51:00.002-04:00

If you know me by now, you've already figured I'm referring to a dream.

[Insert standard whine about how I've been slack blogging lately.]

I had a dream about Amanda Palmer last week, so if I'm going in order, I should post about it first.

Verbal Terrorism Productions was hosting Amanda Palmer playing in the auditorium of my old high school. After the show, Jada, me, and an old friend from high school, helped AFP pack up. First, we took her out the most straightforward way. As we were walking out with the first load, she asked about an old teacher. I told her that he was on the other side of the building, but she said she didn't mind taking the long way for the second load.

Afterwards we hung out in the parking lot. There was a couch and a tv stand, and AFP brought a video game console. We all sat and chatted for a while, and never ended up playing video games. Before we knew it, she had to get on the road, so we helped her pack the rest of her stuff up and she left.

Photo by by No Detour Ahead

Then last night, I had a dream about Brian. That's the two of us at Marc & Michelle's wedding. This is likely the only time I'll ever see Brian in a tux, so I'm spreading these pics all over the place.

I stopped at a discount store on my way to work to buy some stuff for a little girl's birthday party. It ended up taking hours instead of the quick stop that it was supposed to be.

While I was at the store, Brian was going to visit a friend that moved away. His friend was supposed to pick him up, take him to his house, and then bring him back later.

Outside the store, I saw a nice leather chair and accessories in the dumpster. It was exactly the type of chair we had been looking for, and in perfect condition, so I wanted to take it home. But it wouldn't fit in my car.

Since I had taken so long in the store, I figured Brian would be home by now. I gave him a call to see if he knew of anyone who would have a truck to take our chair home. But when I called, I found out that Brian's friend hadn't just moved an hour or so away, he moved to New York state! His friend had only come back in town to pick up some sweaters, and gave Brian a call and took him back to New York with him! Brian was stranded, and we were trying to figure out how to get him back home.

I decided I would drive out there to pick him up. It was a Saturday, so I could drive there, possibly get a couple hours sleep, and then drive him home on Sunday. When the dream ended, I was hurriedly packing a bag.

Happy Memories

2009-06-27T19:14:00.004-04:00

After my blog post yesterday, I feel like I need to give some blog time to another childhood friend. (And yesterday's post was a downer, I need a better one to lighten it up in here a little.)

Like I mentioned, my mom and I moved in with her boyfriend (now my stepdad) when I turned 8. I went into the 3rd grade as the new girl. I didn't seem to fit in anywhere, and when I never seemed to have trouble making friends before, now I felt alone. I tried making friends with the girls I shared a desk with at school, but they weren't always very nice to me.

But in 4th grade, everything changed again. My mom and stepdad were now engaged. I had a new teacher who was very nice and made me feel like part of the class, not like the outcast I felt like before. I was making friends. Halfway through the year, I even had a boyfriend (although in 4th grade, boyfriends were a secret). At the time, I was "best friends" with a girl named Stacy. That would last about a year and a half. More importantly, I became friends with Jessica Treece.

Jessica and I had our ups and downs, but as the years passed, our friendship became closer.

In 5th grade, my supposed best friend Stacy challenged me to a fight, because then the cool kids would let her into the popular crowd. When that day came, I drug my feet as much as possible going to recess. It wasn't that I was afraid of fighting her, instead I just didn't want to fight a friend. We went to the middle of the track away from the playground. She had all the popular kids standing on her side, and a huge group of people. I had only a few people on my side, including my little boyfriend, and Jessica.

The fight didn't last long. We circled around for a while, then I pinned her arms behind her and climbed up on her back. I was trying to pin her to the ground, but I was quite a little kid, and didn't have the weight to do it. Then a teacher came over and we had to go to the office. We didn't get in trouble, partially because our old 4th grade teacher vouched for us.

But that ended that friendship, not officially, but we never really hung out after that. She had made her choice. Instead, I hung out with Jessica. I remember sitting in the playground helping her make models of UFOs for her presentation for her advanced placement class.

In 6th grade, we went into middle school. It was hard getting adjusted to the bigger school and different style of classes. My mom had a baby. Mostly, I didn't see many of my old friends, and some had even moved away. But at this point we were both in the advanced placement classes, so I got to see Jessica all the time.

That doesn't mean it was all peachy. The friends that Jessica and I sat with at lunch decided that they didn't like Jessica. They said mean things about her, and convinced me I shouldn't be her friend. They wrote a sort of break up letter for me and gave it to Jessica.

I still feel bad about it. I should've never let them convince me to do that to her. I betrayed Jessica then, and I broke her heart. I saw what I had done, and regretted it, and chose Jessica over the other girls.

In 7th grade, Jessica had a crush on one boy, and I had a crush on another, and the two of them happened to be friends. When it came time to dissect frogs, we had to be in groups of 4, and managed to get ourselves hooked up with them. The 4 of us, plus another one of their friends, worked together on projects for the rest of middle school. We made knights armor for medieval times out of cardboard. We made a video about Alaska. We were silly and giggly and high on sugar.

Sometimes the boys did their own thing, like making a tv show called BABS (made from their initials). So we did ours, we made a radio show named JAMS (Jessica and Michelle show). We'd play silly music (a lot of stuff from Dr. Demento) and ramble on about silly things. We had an episode named Chemicals where we read the labels on the backs of personal hygiene items like lotion and hair spray.

In high school, our group of friends just got bigger, and we worked on several episodes of the XYZ Files (a ripoff of the X files). In one episode, Willy Ketchum and Agent Q (Jessica) were tracking The Chameleon, who could hide himself in his surroundings and stole candy from babies. The Chameleon took a mall rat hostage (that would be me), and the detectives saved the day. We made many more episodes, and they were always a blast.

When we took a family vacation to Sea World, Jessica came along. After high school, Jessica and I took a trip up to Wisconsin to go to the Renaissance Faire. We couldn't find the place, and decided to stop at a gas station for directions. Jessica was driving, and she turned into the gas station, heading straight for a median. I said, "median," but she drove right over it. I said, "I said 'median'!" She replied, "Well if you would have said THINGY!"

After stopping in the gas station, we found out that the Faire was only open on the weekends. So we decided we weren't just going to go back home after driving for so long. We went back to Chicago instead and ended up in the Field Museum and stopped by the Observatory. We had a blast!

After that, we both got boyfriends, and our time together dwindled. The boyfriends became our husbands, and life, well, happened. I moved 200 miles away. I am happy I moved, I love it in Bloomington, and there's only 2 things that make me regret moving: Jessica, and my sister. I do wish I was up there so I could spend more time with them.

Jessica mentioned maybe coming down to visit later this year. I hope she can. We could go to the Indianapolis Zoo. Of course I've been there before, but it will be so much more fun with her there. Or we would have a ton of fun at the Children's Museum.

At any rate, Jessica is a true friend, and one that I couldn't see my life without.

Memories

2009-06-26T15:37:00.003-04:00

Lisa Bucholtz was my best friend through most of my childhood. We met when I was 3, but I don't know that for sure, that's just what I was told. I was so young, I don't remember how we met. We lived at the same apartment complex.

When I was 5, my world got turned upside down. My parents divorced. Lisa and her dad moved away. My mom got a boyfriend, and we moved in with him. He was a loser, and after a few months, pretty close to my 6th birthday we moved out into a tiny 1 bedroom apartment.

My mom didn't drive, so we walked everywhere. One day when we were walking somewhere, we saw Lisa's grandma. It turned out that Lisa lived just a few blocks away from us! I have so many memories of the 2 years that we lived in that little apartment that it feels like many more, especially to a child.

Lisa's dad was a terrible father, and most times when I went over to her house, we were alone. But, we really did stay out of trouble. We'd play and listen to music. Lisa had Purple Rain on 45, and we listened to it over and over again. She also had Bad and Thriller, and we wore them out. We'd make plans to start on our pop group, so we could beat the Jacksons at being the youngest singers. We'd talk about how cute Michael Jackson was (this was pre-plastic surgery).

Around the same time, there came a summer when my mom was working days at the fast food joint, and I was baby-sitter-less. Her boyfriend (who is now my stepdad) had a coworker who had a teenage daughter. This daughter had mornings free, but something she had to do in the afternoons during summer. So she would watch me in the mornings, then I would spend an hour or so in the afternoon hanging out at my mom's work.

I didn't really like this babysitter. I was bored a lot. She would make me go outside and play, but I wouldn't have anything to play with. I'd get inventive and use things like the bug candle on the table as a toy (as witch's pot, or a torch, or a hat, you get the idea) and get in trouble for it. She broke the handle on their downstairs bathroom door, and blamed it on me. I still remember her elaborate accusation, "I heard you shaking the door handle from upstairs!" But sometimes she'd color in my coloring books with me and we'd watch CHIPS and Charlie's Angels. I liked those times, and later when FX was a new channel, I would watch Charlies Angel's nostalgically.

For my 8th birthday, the 3 of us moved into a house in a neighboring city, and life changed drastically again. I still got to go over to Lisa's house, but obviously no where near as often. But we remained best friends. At one point, Lisa moved to Arizona to live with her mom for a year, and we got to talk on the phone occassionally. But she moved back. She even came over to my high school for a year.

Then she dropped out of high school our senior year. She babysat for my sister for a while, but when the school year ended, she wouldn't hang out with me or return my calls. (Granted, I was busy falling in love with Brian at the time.) We ended up finding out that she stole my mom's identity as well as my own. She charged up thousands of dollars in our names. She ended our friendship via credit report.

Now I'm just sad that I don't have that kind of a deep friendship anymore. (Well, I have my husband, my best friend in the whole wide world, but that's different than having a best girlfriend.) The news has made me think of her a lot today. Every Michael Jackson song that plays, every Charlie's Angels episode that's mentioned, makes me think of those times. Even though not everything was happiness, I still look back fondly.

RIP Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.

Dreams and Costumes

2009-06-21T08:42:00.005-04:00

I've been slacking on this blogging thing, so I expect this to be a long post.

I had another dream about Neil Gaiman last night. I don't know why my dreams about him are so unusual, especially compared to dreams about my other favorite celebrities.
In the dream I had about David Bowie, (not sure if I ever blogged it) after trying to get his attention all night, he was waiting in my car when I was ready to leave, and we drove around all night listening to music.
In the dream I had about Gideon Emery, he threw a party, we became good friends, and he headed off to try to woo a girl.
I even had a dream recently where Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom were headed off to do typical male macho stuff. Neil Gaiman was in that dream too, but not in too unusual a way.
But in the other Neil Gaiman dream I had, he was trying to seduce me. The strange part is that I never really thought of him that way before I had that dream. He's an awesome storyteller, brilliant and creative. I have a lot of respect for him, and it seems degrading to think of him in anything but a friendly manner. And it seems that I'm a latecomer in discovering that additional, let's say "charisma", in him. And that's still not what I usually think of when I hear his name. And in addition, him and Amanda F. Palmer are now A Thing, which is the coolest matchup in the world.

So in my dream last night...

I went out with my parents and some friends. They gave me something, and I had to wake up early to take care of it before 8:30 am.

I woke up super early, around 4 am, but it was light out and a sunny day. Somehow I ended up on Neil Gaiman's doorstep on some kind of errand. He invited me inside, and I stepped just inside the front door to take care of whatever business I was there on. Whatever it was, we ended up chatting about something totally off subject. I was wearing my heels, and stepped out of them (probably to give my feet a rest). Inside my left shoe, I carried a picture for sentimental value. The picture kept changing, at one point it was my grandpa, at another it was my sister, and when he picked it up, it was my prom picture. He complimented me on it and said I looked pretty.

Then he invited me into his living room. The far wall was covered in cabinets and bookshelves surrounding a little desk with a typewriter/computer. There was someone at the desk typing furiously away, an assistant of some kind, who ignored us and we ignored them.

Neil had blankets and pillows on the floor, and we ended up on them. We were fully clothed, but laying together, and basically cuddling and spooning. (It reminds me of when Brian and I were dating. He had a futon mattress on the floor of his parent's house, and we would do only as much as we could get away with.)

He mentioned that he was lonely. I was confused, because I knew he had AFP. He said that wasn't it, that his personal assistant had moved away and he needed a new one. As much as I wanted to say that I would be his personal assistant, I knew I wouldn't be able to perform the job as well as someone else, so I didn't say anything.

Then we were watching people skiing on the internet, except instead of a computer screen, it was a hologram. We could chat with the people there. I was going to put in my name and where I was (Bloomington, IN, not Neil F Gaiman's house), and he asked me to put in his info too.

I feel a little guilty dreaming about him this way, but at the same time, it was definitely a pleasant dream.

Switching gears, we've decided what we're going to be for Halloween. Yes, it's only June, but that's not too unusual for us. And Brian proposed it this time. We were watching something that mentioned Steampunk, and he said he thought it was cool. My heart skipped a beat, and I excitedly picked up the computer and showed him the world of Steampunk. He said, "Let's do that for Halloween!" Totally.

So the preparation begins. We'll be buying some stuff and making others. We'll buy a coat for Brian, and a bowler hat and a vest. He hates anything other than jeans, so I'm hoping he can get by in black jeans and it'll look okay. He's already got the boots, and a shirt that will work nicely. We're now collecting gears and other stuff to make him a gun of some sort, and anything else we can think of.

For me, I plan to make my skirt and jacket. I found this pattern that I think will be perfect for the jacket, and I've already got an appropriate pattern for the skirt. I think I also have a shirt. I'm not sure if I'll make or buy the petticoat, it depends on cost I think. I'm certainly buying the corset, that's one of those things that really has to be made right. I'll need to buy some boots or shoes too.

And my signature style now is wearing my sunglasses on top of my head. I started that in high school, and it's just stuck with me. It's not like I ever planned it, that's something a lot of people do. It's a convenient way to carry sunglasses without wearing them. But it's rare for me to be without a pair of sunglasses, even on a dreary day, so I always seem to have a pair on top of my head. So for my costume, I'm going to make a pair of glasses style goggles that'll go on top of my head in the typical sunglasses spot. It'll be perfect.

Now I'm excited and am ready to hit Goodwill for supplies...

You'd Lose Your Head If It Wasn't Attached

2009-06-11T21:39:00.004-04:00

Well, not exactly. I don't tend to lose things. I forget things.

I'd set my head down in the spot that I always put it in, and promptly leave the house without it, not even realizing it was gone until after I needed it.

I wouldn't exactly call myself forgetful. I can remember abstract ideas, the steps to complete a task, the specifications of a project.

Instead, I will fully admit, I am absent minded. My theory is that my head is so full of stuff that mundane things, like remembering to buy milk at the grocery store, escape me.

Tonight, Brian went up to Indy to pick up his tux for Marc & Michelle's wedding. While there, he called me to let me know he was out of Boost (what he has for breakfast every morning), and was I planning to go grocery shopping? I said that although I hadn't planned to go tonight, we were out of a few things, so maybe that would be a good idea.

I went to the grocery store. I bought fruits and veggies. I bought meat and cheeses. I bought milk and tea. I indulged myself, and got a pint of ice cream. I splurged on some organic chicken strips. I saved a buck and bought the store brand baggies. I took my purchases to the cashier, gave him my Kroger card to scan, passed my bags (that I remembered for once!) to the bagger. The bagger looked at the bags like a monkey doing a math problem (at least it wasn't this bad), but eventually got all my purchases in the bags. I loaded my bags in the trunk, and met Brian at home, who helped me bring them in. I put them in the cupboards and in the refrigerator, and as I was putting the last item away, cheese into the cheese drawer, I realized something.

I had forgotten to buy Boost. THE thing that prompted me to the grocery store was still, sitting silently on the shelf, at the grocery store.

But you know, if you want to print 1 copy of your document to a Xerox 700 digital color printer and then release the rest of the copies from the printer, you go to File, Print, Properties, Info, Select "Print and Hold", scroll to the bottom of the page, and in the very last box type in "1234." Just don't ask me to pick something up for you at the grocery store.

World Oceans Day

2009-06-08T07:28:00.000-04:00

I've been very fortunate to be able to travel with my grandparents. Even when my parents couldn't afford it, I still got to go on the great american family vacation with my grandparents.

When I was 6, my grandparents took me, my aunt, and my cousin to Disney World. Honestly, I don't remember a whole lot about it. The one thing I do remember is visiting the ocean for the first time. Unfortunately, it was a cold, overcast day, so I couldn't go in. There was no one on the beach. I was wearing my favorite little pink dress. We took off our shoes and stepped in. I had wadded the skirt of my dress up in my hand to keep it from getting wet. Then I went looking for seashells. By time we got back in the car, the skirt of my dress was soaked. And ever since that trip, I've wanted to go back.

My grandparents took me many other places, and I loved every trip. But my favorite was the last one we took. When I was 16, they took me to Key West. The trip itself wasn't that great, it was hot and they wanted to stay in the hotel room, and grandma had some sort of reaction to something and her cheek swelled up. But I still fell in love with the city. There were two things in particular that stood out to me. The first was the aquarium. During feeding time, they gave tours of the aquarium and taught about the animals as they fed them. I learned so much about not only the animals and their environment, but about animal rescue.

And of course, the second thing about Key West that made me fall head over heels was the ocean. We stayed at a hotel that had it's own beach. The beaches in Key West are man made, but that's not what mattered to me. I walked up and down that beach so much while my grandparents were in their hotel room. I was entranced by the horizon, where the vast expanse of water met the sky.

So when we got married, my first choice for a honeymoon was Key West. I married a former sailor who loves the sea almost as much as I do. He fell in love with Key West as much as I did.

Then a few years ago we went on vacation with my dad and stepmom. The purpose was to visit my grandparents who now live in Florida, but he wanted to go to Key West too. With my dad's help, we got to go again. And we got to go out on a boat for a day, and go kayaking and snorkeling. While kayaking, we saw a sawtooth shark. And when we went snorkeling, I never wanted to come back. I got to see the reef and the wildlife first hand. We saw a nurse shark. I wanted to stay out in the water forever.

That night after the sun had set, Brian and I went out on the pier near the bed and breakfast. We just stared at the ocean. It seemed to go on forever. The horizon line disappeared, and the ocean became the sky.

There are many more times I visited the ocean, and I feel so at home there. Someday, I will live near the ocean. If I've ever had a transcendental moment, it was while staring at the sea.

ABC's of Michelle

2009-06-01T12:09:00.003-04:00

I got tagged with this on Facebook. But I hate tagging people back, so I thought I'd just post it here and hope other people will put in my comments a link to their own version.

A- Age: 27

B - Bed size: Full, as in both full-sized, and containing 2 people and 2 cats, with the majority of the space going to the cats.

C - Chore you hate: Cleaning house. Yeah, I'm not a domestic diva.

D - Dog's name: No dog. 2 cats, Jack and Sami, 2 fish, and a turtle, Floyd.

E - Essential start your day item: Glasses. Otherwise I run into things (like walls) and trip over things (like cats).

F - Favorite color: Man, I hate this question, I am so wishy-washy on favorite colors. It depends what it's for. I like wearing green and black. I also like jewel tones and in-between colors, like peach, turquoise, and mauve.

G - Gold or Silver: Generally silver. Although I love jewelry that combines both.

H - Height: A little taller than a midget, 5'2"

I - Instruments you play(ed): I played clarinet in middle school. I still have it.

J - Job title: Graphic designer

K - Kid(s): No, no, no, no, NO. Passionately don't want any. I prefer to steal other people's kids, load them up with sugar, and hand them back.

L - Living arrangements: Rent a townhouse in a very friendly neighborhood.

M - Mom's name: Laura

N - Nicknames: MzHartz, Mizz, Em Zee, Mitch, Mel

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: None.

P - Pet Peeve: People who aren't aware of their surroundings. "Yes dude, that light is green." "Why yes, I would like to get through the grocery aisle, thankyouverymuch." "No pedestrian, that is not a crosswalk and I would prefer not to run you over (wait, maybe I would...)." "Well, that answers my question, you CAN go slower."

Q - Quote from a movie:"Gentlemen, there's no fighting in the War Room!"

R - Right or left handed: Right

S -Siblings: Complicated. I have half sister who I call my sister, because we're close like sisters, Elizabeth. I also have two other half sisters and an ex-stepbrother.

T - Time you wake up: My alarm is set for 6:15. It goes off, I hit snooze. Repeat that until my alarm clock says 6:55. But my alarm is set about 10 minutes fast, so I guess I really wake up sometime around 6:45.

U- Underwear: hikini, modern brief, low rise brief, whatever you want to call it. Panties that cover my butt but not my belly button.

V - Vegetable you dislike: raw tomatoes. I can deal with them cooked into something, like salsa or chili, but can't stand them on their own.

W - Ways you run late: Getting distracted by something, or overcommitting myself. "I should be able to visit X and still make it to Y by 13 o clock..."

X - X-rays you've had: teeth, and an ankle that just turned out to be severly sprained.

Y - Yummy food you make: Lately everyone has loved my peanut butter muffins.

Z - Zoo favorite: Hm, that's a hard one. When I was little, I loved the lemurs at our tiny little zoo. Now I prefer zoos or aquariums that are actually rehabiliating the animals. I loved seeing the manatees at the Mote Aquarium. The sea turtles both there and at the Key West aquarium are cool too. I also like how they let the wild dolphins swim freely in and out of the Key West aquarium.

Dreams, Dying, and Racing

2009-05-25T10:16:00.003-04:00

This is one of those dreams that will bug me for a while:

I had some incurable fatal disease that I was succumbing to, so I decided to have myself put to sleep. I had friends and family around me, the male nurse (who I think was also a friend) stuck the needle in me, I laid down and closed my eyes, and everyone left. But, I didn't die. I was still awake and alive.

I drove away in a rented convertible, but the injection that was supposed to kill me made me drunk. I was driving dangerously, but I wasn't worried, because I was just going to die anyway.

I picked Brian up, and we went to the beach. There were concrete barriers separating the sand from the water. I was doing dangerous stunts off of them with an unknown female friend.

At every point in the dream, I was expecting to die at any second. I had already planned my death out, so there was nothing left on the "Things to do before I die" list. In fact, many people didn't even know I was still alive, and I didn't want to tell them, because I could die before they found out. It was a very interesting perspective.

That dream was actually 2 nights ago. I didn't have the chance to blog about it yesterday because we went to the Indy 500. The race was fun, although we ended up walking around the infield too much looking for friends. I got burnt, but I don't feel it yet because I'm so sore. I am tempted to go again next year, but just sit in the infield. This year our tickets were in the stands, and it was just too crowded, especially for the heat. At the end we sat in the infield, and I really enjoyed the extra elbow room.

At any rate, I also had a dream last night. I don't remember a lot of it, except that I was back at the same beach with the concrete barriers. Sometimes it was warm and beachy, but other times it was covered in snow. There was also something about staying in a guest bedroom at someone's house or in a suite at a hotel. Also, Gid was in it. He was going to stop acting and move from LA to go to New Jersey to play college basketball. Obviously, I didn't like that decision.

I was wrong, THIS is a star studded dream

2009-05-21T08:04:00.002-04:00

Last night I had a dream with a large group of my favorite celebrities in it. With one big exception, but it was still a nice dream.

Bloomington was on the coast, but we didn't have a sandy beach, just a cliff where the water could be reached by climbing down the rocks. The city was having a music festival that was running from 4-10pm. I had to work late and somehow didn't make it there until nearly 10, but the party was still hoppin'.

Neil Gaiman was there. He read part of a book then did a meet and greet. I got to go up and briefly shake hands with him.

I had one of those glass tables with an umbrella, and I was sitting at it with a friend. Somehow I became the local expert on our shores, so people kept asking me questions, but I didn't mind. Johnny Depp was part of a group of guys who were climbing down and/or jumping into the ocean. Orlando Bloom came up to me and asked me a question about how they were playing in the ocean, because he wanted to join them. All the excitement about going into the ocean was happening around my table.

The girl I was sitting with said she wanted to go in the ocean too, so I said I'd show her a place that wouldn't be so busy with rowdy guys. She put on her swimsuit, but I just stayed in my regular clothes. I hadn't brought a change, and I would just show her how to get there, not go in.

Most of the shore faced west, but I took her to a section that was to the north. I was showing her which rocks to climb on when a huge wave came in and got me soaked. I left her to go find a towel.

I sat in my towel and dried off for a while, when I decided I wanted to stare at the sea for a bit then go home. Neil Gaiman had a tented area by the shore, but it was after the meet and greet, so people had to leave him alone. As I was standing next to it looking out at the setting sun, Neil was doing weird stuff, like sniffing along the ground like a dog.

Then he set out some cheap freebies for people to take. There was stuff like foam 3-D puzzles, plastic thingamabobs, and pencils. It was the type of stuff you'd get for tickets at an arcade. I browsed the stuff and picked up a foam puzzle, but realized it was the one he was personally working on, so I put it back. I ended up picking up a couple pieces to this plastic Design the Interior of the White House set.

When I returned to my friends, Marc and Jada were signing books of lyrics for Winafreds songs. We had seen ada signing them earlier, and when she had tried to give us one, we told her Marc already gave it to us. Really, we just didn't want to take the book without Marc signing it. So when we saw them signing, we wanted a book, but we couldn't ask for it. Marc did give us a book that he signed especially to us, with something that said we were included in some of the songs. But he got my name wrong! I wondered if I should correct him, but decided not to and just accept the gift graciously.

Lots of stuff in that one that really just reflects things in life and thoughts in my head.

How Success Changes

2009-05-19T12:05:00.002-04:00

Is it possible to reach the ceiling of success?

In 8th grade, I decided I wanted to be a graphic designer. Throughout school and my career, I figured out the type of designer I wanted to be. I was frequently pushed towards Web Design, and although I did it, I didn't really enjoy it. I know I wouldn't enjoy being in a team of designers, or being an art director, I value the one on one with the customer too much. Give me a project, and I'll happily retreat and design it without even realizing that time is passing.

I'm finally a graphic designer, just the type I want to be. So perhaps the next step is the type of company I want to work for? I've always enjoyed the atmosphere of a small business. In addition, I want to be a member of the team, not an employee. Baugh Enterprises is my ideal fit.

I love my job. So what's the problem? Well, first, I don't love Indiana. I tolerate Indiana, and I do believe I am in the best city in the Midwest. But the Midwest has a lack of oceans (and at least likely will during my lifetime), and this terrible habit of getting cold and snowing every year. Our plan to move to Bloomington was only temporary. Bloomington was supposed to be a stepping stone to somewhere better (read: warmer and by the ocean), not our permanent settlement. But, I must admit that I love my job enough to stay in Bloomington.

But that's not the only problem. One of the best things about my job is the people I work with. But I am by far the youngest person in the office. In the next 10-15 years, I'm betting everyone else will have retired, or at least want to. I'm not sure what will happen to Baugh then. At the very least, this office dynamic that I love will be gone. I think in the owner's hopes and dreams, they would like to sell it to someone else. I have no interest in buying it, and who knows what reporatoire I'll have with the new owner. The harsh reality is, as much as I love my job right now, I don't think this is where I'll retire from.

So just get another job, right? Same problem. I really do love my job and am doubtful I could find another position as good as this. I believe I have reached my career goal, and I'm only 27. Now what? Do I just stop trying to go any further and be happy and contented where I am?

Now that doesn't sound like me at all. So I'm playing with the idea of going back to school for an entire career change, and it could turn out to be the best of both worlds. By day, I could be working at the job I love. At the same time, I could take college courses on my way to a new degree. By going only part time, if that, it'll take me a long time to finish, but in this case that's a good thing. By the time I graduate, it will be time to move on. If not, I can continue coursework to get my Masters.

In what, you ask? I'm not saying yet, because I'm still rolling this idea around in my head. It will mean sacrificing some of my pet projects, which may make some people unhappy. I hope they don't take it personally. I will say that I'm considering something that involves some other careers I have been interested in in the past.

My first step will probably be to take a look at Ivy Tech again to see if there's any classes I can take there that would transfer to IU. Ivy Tech is cheaper, and they offer a lot of evening courses, so I can get some of the basics out of the way. I'm afraid that I might have already done that though.

The next step will be to take the SAT. I took the PSAT in high school, but somehow got around taking the SAT. I think it's because I started college credits in high school and went to multiple colleges, I just got lucky and they never checked. But I have a feeling that I will need to take it eventually. I do wish I would've taken it in high school while that knowledge was still fresh.

So I'm thinking of starting a new, long, slow journey. Wish me luck.

Baby Tomato*

2009-05-12T09:34:00.002-04:00

Yeah, so I didn't do too well on the blogging every day thing. Perhaps I'll try again another month.

Brian left for Chicago on Thursday to go to Marc's bachelor party, and came back on Sunday. He had a blast. He says he wishes I could've come, and I do believe him, but I think the trip up there and hanging out with the guys did him good. He's been in a great mood. I think he needed the mini-vacation. He's even agreed to wear a tux for the wedding! I've never seen him in a suit, I can't wait!!

I went camping with the neighbors Friday night through Sunday. It had been raining on Friday, and it was so muddy! I got my tennis shoes soaked, so I took them off and just put on flip flops. By the end of the night, the strap on one shoe was broke and my feet were covered in mud.

Saturday I had to go back to Bloomington to take care of some errands. I went to Farmer's Market with Miranda and Andora (the cutest baby ever), then we went to Bob Evans for lunch. It was great to hang out with them for a while. Andi is only 9 months old, but she's so smart! I read her a book, and pointed out words and colors, and she paid such good attention. She didn't even try to take the book from me.

After taking care of things in Bloomington, on my way back to where we were camping in Brazil, I stopped at the store and got me a pair of rain boots and a new pair of flip flops. The rain boots were a blessing! Of course, we did the typical camping stuff: fishing, hiking, canoeing, grilling, drinking, drinking, drinking, etc. Ted fell in the cold lake twice. It was a big group of us, neighbors and friends of neighbors. I've said before how much I love my neighbors.

When I woke up on Sunday, I was still so tired. But hey, I had stayed up until 4:30 am drinking, and I didn't have a headache nor a desire to pray to the porcelain god, so I thought I was doing pretty well. I had coffee, a Mountain Dew Throwback, and some bacon, but I still felt so tired, weak, and shaky. I figured I just needed some food. We made lunch, but after lunch, I was still feeling bad. Some people decided to stay another night, but I was feeling so worn out that I decided to go home.

I got home, showered, and fell asleep before I could do much more. I woke up when Brian came home, called my mom, got some food in me, and went to bed. Brian was so helpful when I was feeling so bad. I love that man.

Then yesterday, I was still feeling terrible. Last night when I went to bed, I felt a bump on my back. I scratched at it and came back with a tick. I hate ticks. I can deal with spiders, snakes, scorpions, lizards, mice, etc., but blood sucking parasites creep me out. I've still got the heebie jeebies from it. Brian eventually got the rest of the tick out with tweezers, but that thing had burrowed in there pretty good. It was attached firmly enough that I wonder if it had been there since Friday night. I'm wondering if that's why I was feeling so bad.

Then, finally, I was about to climb into bed when I noticed a wet spot. Jack had peed on the blanket that Brian had taken with him to Chicago. It was probably covered with the smell of their cat, Zoot. And with both of us being gone, the litterbox needed attention. So I'm sure it was Jack's way of being mad at us, but I was so mad. So we stripped the whole bed just in case, remade it with clean bedding, and I attempted to sleep. And my wonderful husband stayed up and washed all the old bedding. Have I mentioned how much I love that man?

*Baby Tomato = Ketchup = Catching Up Get it? Okay, pretty bad, I know.

Weddings

2009-05-06T22:24:00.001-04:00

Wedding season is coming up, so I'm seeing lots of wedding topics coming up in blogs and such.

We had a Renaissance wedding. It was nice and small, and romantically under a willow tree that we used to sit under when we were dating.

As you can tell, during the ceremony, I was all smiles. Then I quickly got tired of pictures and plastered the stupid fake-smile on my face. Frankly, if we were to do it all over again, we would've gone straight to the honeymoon and eloped while we were there.

(Oh, and speaking of weddings, that Marc guy on the right has about a month left of bachelorhood.)

But I'm still glad we had a unique wedding. And I like it when couples do something fun for their wedding. For example, this Star Wars wedding:
I love that the flower girl is R2D2!

We celebrate our anniversary every year by going out of town and doing something special together. We've been to the Indianapolis zoo, the Children's Museum, stayed in a log cabin in Brown County, and this year we'll be going to the Newport Aquarium. But we're terrible (especially me) about remembering the exact date. We changed it a couple times as plans changed, and now I have a terrible time remembering the final date.
Brian is actually better at remembering that our anniversary is July 25th (ha! [I think. Or was is the 26th? ...]).

Feed the Hungry - Vote For My Bag

2009-05-05T15:54:00.005-04:00

Kroger is holding a contest for a reusable bag design. Using only their graphics, I came up with this:

The prizes are:
* 5 Runners Up will receive a $100 Kroger Co. gift card.
* 4 Finalists will receive a $250 Kroger Co. gift card.
* 1 Grand-Prize Winner will receive a $1,000 Kroger Co. gift card and may see his/her bag in stores.

Well, I've thought about it, and as nice as a couple weeks free groceries would be, there's people out there that need it more than me. So I've decided that if I win a gift card, I will donate it to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.

So please, VOTE NOW, VOTE OFTEN (really, you can vote once a day), and FEED THE HUNGRY!

Cars I've Owned

2009-05-04T14:03:00.004-04:00

Gid mentioned all the cars he's owned on Facebook (including an MGB that Brian envies), and I've posted this on the Freeze Frame Radio forum before (in fact, this is nearly a cut and paste). But since the only thing I remember about my dream last night is being out of shampoo while washing my hair, I thought I'd post it here.

Oh, and I name my cars.

Name: The USS Slug
1977 Buick Century, sludge gray
Purchased in 1997 for $200
Driven for: 1 hour

I bought this car from my stepdad's friend. My stepdad fixed it up, and had it ready for my birthday. After my party, my friends and I went to a movie, and of course we all piled into my new car. The one thing that didn't get replaced was the thermometer. On the way home from the movie, the engine overheated, water got mixed in with the oil, and the engine seized.

Name: Louie
1982 Cutlass Supreme, iguana blue
Purchased in 1998 for $600
Driven for: 9 months

I loved this car. It was this blue color that sometimes looked green, black, or gray, so I named it after the iguana from the Budweiser commercials. The seats were so comfy. But this car started stalling at random intervals, so it wasn't trustworthy anymore (ha! like any of my cars were!) and I got a good deal on an ugly van. I joked that I just wanted a car to get me from point A to point B, not necessarily back again.

Name: Frankie T. Van
198something Chevy Minivan, gray
Purchased in 1999 for $100
Driven for: 1 month

I bought this site unseen. My stepdad had a friend that was selling it really cheap, and my stepdad was my mechanic. So he took a look at it, test drove it for me, purchased it on my behalf, and drove it home for me. I took it out for a drive, and the transmission seized up the first time I drove it. My stepdad flushed the transmission, which gave it another month, but it just couldn't make it. That's okay, I didn't really like the van anyway. (Although I did take advantage of the extra space in the back, with Brian's help...)

Name: Quatro
1989 Cutlass, primer gray
Purchased in 1999 for $600
Driven for 1 year

I named this car Quatro because it was my 4th car. I killed this car. I stayed too long at work during a weather advisory for a mixture of sleet and snow, and I shouldn't have been driving on the slick roads. There was this one hill on my way home from work that was also a curve. I cranked the steering wheel and pumped the brake, but the car still kept going straight. It hit the curb on one side of the Burger King exit, became airborne for a second, and landed smack on the other curb (and these were pretty high curbs, maybe a foot high). I broke both axles. A policeman came up as I was calling my stepdad. When he saw me crying, he asked if I was hurt. No, much worse, I was car-less.

Name: Aldo Nova
1973 Chevy Nova, red with white stripes
Purchased in 2000 for $700
Driven for 5 months

This was such a pretty car, but it was a disaster! Someone had put a sunroof in it, which of course leaked. All the window seals were rotted, which of course leaked. Of course, I didn't know how much the car leaked until I drove it through a car wash. Also, if I went over 45 miles per hour, the entire car would shake. I only drove this car long enough until my parents bought a new car and sold me their old one.

Name: The Lumina
1992 Chevy Lumina, dark red
Traded in 2000 for the Nova, which sold for $600
Driven for 4 years

I was delighted to get this car! A car that had been made fairly recently compared, and was, gasp!, reliable! This was the car that got us down to Bloomington. Then one day it wouldn't start, leaving us stranded. It was probably a cheap fix, the starter or the alternator, but I was done. At that point, I was sick of crappy cars, I wanted one I could trust.

Name: Pleasantly Blue
1999 Saturn SC1, 3 door coupe, blueberry blue
Purchased in 2004 for $8000
Driven for 4 years

Aw, my beautiful Blue! What a good car. The few times it broke down, it did it at the most convenient places, usually with a mechanic on site. I loved this car, and I miss it. I've heard it now has a new engine and I might see it around town. I sold it last year after the engine seized. I shopped around for a new engine for a while, but eventually decided a new car would be a better investment.

Name: Luvie
2005 Pontiac Grand Am, silver
Purchased last year for $10,000

Compared to my old cars, this one is pretty boring. But it drives great and is dependable, and I like it. In fact, when we were on vacation I drove a brand new Charger, and I like the way my car drives better.

What will my next car be? I'd like to get a motorcycle (probably a Buell) and a truck. The motorcycle would be fuel efficient, sporty, and great for around town. The truck could be for when I need to carry any sort of anything (groceries, passengers, dead bodies, that sort of thing), and it could haul the bike if needed.

NaBloPoMo

2009-05-03T22:10:00.002-04:00

Yeah, I signed up for another one of those things. I used to blog every day, and I've fallen out of the habit. So I've signed up for National Blog Posting Month, blogging once every day for the whole month of May.

So of course, today I'm coming up blank. I don't remember my dream last night. I took a nap today and dreamed then even, but lost it as soon as I opened my eyes.

And today's been a pretty boring, do-things-around-the-house type day.

So, what's interesting? Hmm...

Brian scored us free tickets to the Indy 500. I'm excited!

I got my first batch of veggies from the farm share. It was some green onions, chives, radishes, a turnip, some herbs, and some oyster mushrooms. I've never had turnips before. I don't know if I should cook it or just eat it raw. But the mushrooms are really good. I've been using them in everything.

Next weekend, Brian's going to Chicago for Marc's bachelor party, while I'm going camping with the neighbors. It'll be weird camping by myself.

Brian just brought in laundry. The cat followed him upstairs so he can lay on the laundry until I put it up. I wear a lot of black. I should put it up before all my clothes are graciously decorated with gray fur.

When Is A Bad Dream A Nightmare?

2009-05-02T10:07:00.005-04:00

I had a terrible dream last night.

Brian had been walking somewhere, and got in some sort of gruesome surprised-he's-still-alive accident. No one knows exactly what happened because no one was there. They severed his arm and leg to take to the hospital to be treated, and left him on the floor in the living room laying on a sheet. There was blood everywhere, and he was in tons of pain. He kept passing out from all the pain. I didn't understand why they didn't take all of him to the hospital, but they said they didn't need to take him to the hospital if they just took the needed parts.

I felt so bad for him, I wanted to help him somehow. I could give him a hug without causing him too much pain, and he seemed to like it, so I gave him lots of hugs. There was a big guy, a relative or something, he was close to Brian but not a friend, who kept telling me to give Brian hugs for him.

And a woman. She kept telling me to give hugs for her, and Brian would tell me to give hugs back. She was his girlfriend or wife or something, and I was just a friend.

There was also something about me riding my bike down the street, taking a shortcut through a hotel, and winding up riding my bike through a museum inside the hotel. The museum had won awards. There were these stairs that would be flat floor, then you'd stand on it, and it would turn into stairs or an escalator. I stood on the wrong part of the floor that didn't turn into stairs, and I had to roll through these moving walls without getting crushed. Then I entered another room that was part of the museum that might have had something to do with food, and I met a woman but I can't remember who she was. I do remember that I was very excited to meet her in the dream.

So when does a bad dream become a nightmare? I consider this just a bad dream. Perhaps because now that I'm awake, I know it's just a dream, it doesn't feel real. Or because the horrific parts of the dream didn't wake me up, and there's no evidence that I was physically distressed.

But the content of the dream is a nightmare. Since Brian doesn't drive, he walks alone a lot. There's always that fear that something will happen to him.

And then there's that whole other woman thing. But that's less of a nightmare, because in the dream, I was still his friend.

And you better bet, I give Brian lots of hugs. From me.

Another Star Studded Dream

2009-05-01T08:54:00.004-04:00

I've been slacking on my blog lately. I've been down in the doldrums (again), but I think I'm coming back out. And I've been dreaming about work, so the dreams have been pretty boring.

I almost didn't share the dream I had last night, but that's because I liked it so much. And because I'm inadvertently becoming a bit of a fangirl, so I'm a bit embarrassed by it. At any rate:

We were going out to dinner in an area of town that has a bunch of indoor/outdoor restaurants strung together. I was trying to get from one restaurant to another, when a big family decided to have their picture taken. Their group shot blocked my exit. So I hid behind them so I wouldn't be in their picture. But they kept taking pictures and getting goofier in each one. In the last one, they were posing in a way that I could no longer hide behind them and finally had to stop them to get out. They were mad that I was hiding behind them the whole time.

When I got to our restaurant, I saw my friend Jessica at a table by herself. I invited her to join us, and we had a great time, catching up on old times. After that, we bid her farewell and headed off to a party we were invited to.

When we got there, we found out the party was hosted by Gideon Emery and his roommate named Thurston, who went by "Thurst." Thurston was a big guy, but super nice. Gid invited us in, and I stood in the living room conversing with other guests, including Bree (someone I met through Gid's blog comments who I've become friends with on Facebook). He came in and sat down without insisting I sit. I appreciated that, because so many people insist I sit, when I like to stand until I'm comfortable. After Gid sat down, I sat down, and generally enjoyed myself. Gid and I hit it off, and we talked for a long time.

Gid decided this was going to be a birthday party, so he randomly decided to celebrate a few people's birthdays, including mine. He had sent birthday cards, but he sent them to his house, and passed them out to us. (Mailing them to himself was weird, even in the dream.) He had written our names and his address on the front in a wide glitter pen. Then he served cake, and we all got 2 peices of something diffent, none of the peices were the same type of cake. I was worried about being allergic to mine, but I was afraid it would be rude, so I just ate it and hoped for the best.

During the party, much alcohol was consumed, and some of us spent the night instead of driving home. Brian and I slept on the couch. In the middle of the night, a girl sneezed or coughed or something, and it woke Gid up. He got really mad, and literally threw her out. Then we all went back to sleep.

In the morning, Brian and I woke up and were just quietly talking on the couch. Gid woke up, and we scooted over to make room for him, and we all sat on the couch and talked for a while. Thurst eventually came out and joined us, although he was sitting on the living room floor talking on the phone for a while. He was talking to a girl that both him and Gid had a crush on. Gid was getting ready to go to some game type thing that she would be at, and he needed a black pen. I looked through my makeup case, but could only find eyeliner. Then I finally looked through my purse and found a black pen for him. Gid took off on his bike to go to the game thing and hopefully hit it off with the girl.

The Thurst had to go too, and it was time we went home, so we left. But after we left, we realized I had left my purse, with my keys inside, but Gid and Thurst were already gone, so we had no way to get back inside. So we walked home and decided we would call them later.

A Good Day

2009-04-18T19:36:00.002-04:00

This will be a boring post.

I am calling today the first real day of Spring, and it was lovely!

First, this is my first Saturday off since January, so I already had a feeling of freedom. But my good day actually started last night.

After work, we went over to Hobnob's Corner in Brown County and had a wonderful dinner. They had duck! After rolling home, we spent some time outside with our neighbors, chatting, drinking hot tea, eating crackers, and playing Battleship. It just felt so good being outside.

I didn't sleep in as much as I wanted to this morning, but it was still great! It was so nice to wake up to sunshine! After peeking outside, I knew I couldn't stay inside today.

I went to Farmer's Market and perused the booths there, and of course, made a few purchases. Afterwards, I walked over to Bloomingfoods to pick up a few more things. They had their brunch out, and I got some biscuits and gravy, yum! I ran into Jada and Bethany, and sat outside to eat with them. It was nice to sit outside and chat with friends again.

Then I had to do a few errands, go to the library and the grocery store. But while I was out, I got some more pots, some potting soil, and some seeds. Since it was so beautiful outside, when I got home, I sat outside and repotted some plants. I also planted some impatiens for the shady side and some morning glory for the sunny side.

Then for supper I made some BBQ ribs with some mashed potatoes and salad. It was perfect!

And if you hadn't noticed, while I was cooking, I redesigned my blog. Soon, I'm going to change my website to match.

I'm not sure what we're going to do next, but I'm hoping to run into the neighbor's outside again.

Chicago On My Mind

2009-04-15T09:41:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I wonder if my blog is purposeless. It's just me rambling. I think I should be more focused or funnier. And then I think, "What do I want from my blog?" I want a space to ramble, and perhaps for people to comment. So I guess I'm right on track. I wish more friends and family would read my blog. I wish more friends and family had blogs I could read.

Moving on, I've mentioned us 3 Michelles before. Brian's best friend's (Marc B., the best bassist in the world) fiancee is named Michelle, and her best friend is named Michelle. So, when Marc comes to town, we create Michelle³. Michelle³ B. emailed me yesterday about her bachelorette party. A sex toy party, followed by a drag show, in Chicago, sounds like a blast! But it's going to be the weekend that we'll be in Florida. I'm sad.

So that's probably what was on my mind when I fell asleep last night and dreamed...

A group of us went to a club in Chicago to see Marc's band. The place was packed and everyone was rocking. The band that played after them was really good too. We all had fun and we all had a bit to drink.

We ended up back at someone's house post show, and it was time to go home. I only had a couple drinks and I was one of the few fit to drive, so I volunteered to take everyone home. I had a gold colored SUV, so I had room for everyone. An older lady who was part of the friend group who hadn't had anything to drink volunteered to drive my car home and drop everyone off.

The next morning, I had to take my car in for an oil change, and I waited in a doctor's office for it to be completed. The lady I had met the night before who drove my car was also in the doctor's office. We talked a lot while we were both waiting, and became good friends.

Consequently, I did take my car in for an oil change this morning.

Please, Be A Good Customer

2009-04-13T14:11:00.003-04:00

I haven't been in much of a writing mood lately, even though I've dreamed and I've had ideas for blog posts. Last weekend I dreamed of doing taxes, and making love to my husband on a bed inside a naughty lingerie store/night club. (Those were 2 totally separate dreams by the way. Unlike some people I know, I don't find taxes kinky. "That's it big boy, gimme all your deductions! I'll file your 1040 all right! You sure know how to track your schedule C expenses...")

Right now I'm wondering about a client.

First, he's a difficult customer. He's the type that procrastinates and then expects me to put his projects in front of everyone else's. And of course, he's one of many customers like that.

He can be a jackass too. My male coworkers are treated with respect, where I feel like he tries to walk all over me.

One time, he grabbed the back of my leg. I was already restraining myself because I was pissed off at him, so he got lucky that I didn't punch him. That time. I did accidentally hit him once, and I must admit, it felt good.

He's married and has at least one kid, so I don't *think* he's trying to come on to me. I think he's just a male chauvinist pig. But...

He gave me some materials for a project recently, and they reek of cologne. I've been working on the project today, and it's been bugging me for a couple reasons. One is the obvious, it stinks. But it also reminds me of something. During lunch, when I was away from the stench, it occurred to me.

My ex boyfriend and I wrote letters to each other a lot. Like many romantic pen pals through time, I sprayed perfume on my letters before sending them off. When I got his letters, they smelled of cologne. Of course, at the time I loved it. Now I keep all those letters in an infrequently opened box, but when it does get opened, the stale cologne and old paper seems less appealing.

And that's what this stuff my client gave me smells like. Although expected, he's actually not one of those guys that bathes in cologne before coming into my office. Which makes the perfumed sheets of notes and glossy brochures even more suspicious. Did he purposely fragrance these papers?

Perhaps it's just a ploy to get me to work on his project faster. If so, it's working, because I want this stuff out of my office.

The Answer is 42

2009-04-10T15:19:00.001-04:00

My boss just played into this perfectly.

Somebody asked how much a stamp is, and someone answered, "42."

Me: That's the answer.

My boss: Um yeah, it is.

Me: No, it's the answer to the ultimate question.

My boss: What question?

Me: THE question. About life, the universe, and everything.

My boss: So what's the question.

Me: That's the point, we don't know.

Wrapping Up Loose Ends

2009-03-30T09:09:00.002-04:00

I notice I tend to mention things that frustrate me on here, but never follow up on them. So here's a State of the Michelle address:

Old Business:

The allergy diet is done. I'm still allergic to corn and egg whites, and in addition, I'm also allergic to bananas and chocolate. Corn makes my throat tight and my blood pressure drop, which is Not Good. But it appears that I can have very small amounts of corn, such as the tiny bit of corn starch that's included in the tiny bit of baking powder used in many baked goods. Eggs give me stomach aches and probably hives, but again, it appears that eggs baked into things like cakes are okay. Bananas give me stomach aches. Dark chocolate makes my hands swell, but milk chocolate seems okay. My doctor said if I abstain completely, there's a possibility the allergies may go away. Since it's only a chance they might go away, I don't think I'm going to limit my diet completely (especially of chocolate).

Speaking of diets, I'm not doing so well on 25 Weeks. I think now that the allergy diet is done, I can focus more on a regular normal low-calorie diet. Also, tax season will be over soon, which will give me more time to dedicate to exercise.

I dreamed last night, but I don't remember it.

My stress levels are much better. Winding down at the tax office (is it a bad sign when doing taxes is relaxing?), then followed by dinner and drinks with friends helped. It was Matt's birthday, so I got to meet a few of his friends. Conversation was great, and I got to see Marc and Michelle, and Michele and Vatche. I miss going out with them.

Brian doesn't have any news from his job yet, so he's still not working. But he should be getting unemployment benefits. I actually prefer having him home, but we need the income.

New Business:

There's a TV News week long class at IU for highschoolers this summer. Considering my sister wants to go into video production, this would be a great opportunity for her. Plus she'd finally be able to stay with me for a week in the summer. Since she's struggling a little in school, I think something like this would be great for her record when she starts applying for college. But again, she's struggling in Math and it looks like she'll have to take summer school, which would conflict. This is the only time I ever regret moving. I love Bloomington, especially compared to Northern Indiana, but I could so help my sister with her homework.

Finally, I'm thinking of redesigning my website and blog. I have access to Flash now, and I'm not all that concerned about my website being high on search engines, so I might do my site in Flash. And I'm frustrated with how narrow my blog is, I need a bit more space in my posts.

Overall Outlook: I'm in a pretty good mood today.