another bad kitty video

I just saw this video and I couldn't resist. Anyone who has ever had a kitten knows exactly what this guy is talking about:)

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve I will spend the day working, then I will head over to Sarasota to ring in the new year by partying downtown and watching some balls drop.

I hope everyone has a nice and New Year's Eve!

Tag, I'm it!

I got my first jury duty notice in the mail yesterday. I just laughed. I actually think it's pretty funny. I hear there usually a bunch of sitting around in a room and waiting. That doesn't really bother me that much. As long as there is coffee and I can bring a book and knitting, it actually sounds like a good day! And I'll still get paid. Just as long as I don't selected for an actual trial :)

Break out your dictionary!

I have a novel idea! If you are going to write graffiti on a wall for everyone to see, make sure you know how to spell! Especially if what you are going to write is a a cute little saying.

Boo! Hiss!

Yesterday I got a cell phone text message spam, trying to sell me stocks or something. This morning I had another waiting for me when I woke up.

Not ok. Not when I have a limited number of text messages that I pay for. Can people find any more ways to be obnoxious? What little bit of privacy can they take away from us next?

Fruity Goodness

When I moved into my apartment about a year and a half ago, my neighbor started planting a bunch of little papaya trees. I've watched and waited patiently as they have grown big and produced an abundance of green fruit. For the past few months I've walked by these trees and wondered when the papayas would actually start to ripen.

Finally the other day my neighbor surprised me with two ripe papayas. He said that when they finally start to turn yellow, he'll pick them and let them ripen in his window sill. I finally tried one of them today, and they are delicious! It was the best papaya I have ever tasted and it came from my front yard. :)

ahh, the dreaded question

Every year it's the same thing.

Mom: What would you like for Christmas?

Me: Uhhhh... ?!?!??!?

Mom: I'd like to get all my shopping done.

Me: Uhhhh....

I really have no clue what to ask for. Why was it so easy when you were a kid? All you had to do is pick up the toys-r-us catalog and start reciting the pages.

Actually I do have an idea of something I want but a). I really think it is too expensive to ask for and b). I really couldn't see my mom going out and buying a Nintendo Wii.

Now challenge 2 is to figure out what to buy everyone else. The only person I have any idea for is Daniel, and I've got about 50 ideas for stuff he would like.

And they call it kitty love

Today Milo has decided that he has fallen totally and completely in love... with the Mac. Every time I have attempted to do anything on the computer, Milo has climbed on my lap and then proceeded to jump up on my computer desk for a serious make-out session. He starts on the right side and does some serious chin rubbing, head-butting, and forehead mashing on the corner. When that's good and loved up, he'll slowly make his way to the other side rubbing as he goes, and finally repeat the process on the left corner. If I don't stop him he'll go at it for over 20 minutes.

At least he has good taste.

Oh boy!

I guess this is the sign I've needed. Now I'll have to start my girl-band with Lynlee.

At least I'm not the only one

I'm pretty sure this has happened to me before. In fact I think my cat does this on a regular basis.

Growing hair on my chest

Over this nice long weekend, I took advantage of my days off by not doing a heck of a lot. Pretty much I spent most of the time hanging out with Daniel watching movies. Since Daniel is a lot more knowledgeable in current movies than I am, I pretty much gave him control over the DVD selection. Here is what we watched: Spiderman 3, Fantastic 4 -Rise of the Silver Surfer, 300, Transformers, and Saving Private Ryan (on cable).

Half way through our movie marathon Daniel started laughing and asked me if I had started sprouting hair on my chest due to the abundance of testosterone driven action. Not yet, but I'm sure it's not far off. But I do have to say that I've pretty much enjoyed all the movies. Some more than others, but I can't say I've been disappointed.

It's been a while, so here's a nice classic AH

I'm not usually into long hair (or denim shirts for that matter), but there is something very AHish about this man. I had a crush on him way back in my adolesence when he first appeared in Northern Exposure. To tell you the truth, I think it's his voice.

Let's hear it for John Corbett!

Bye bye PC!

I've officially made the switch. After fighting with my PC for months, it finally took a big dump last night. I am fed up with dealing with all the crap, so I made the switch to a Mac!

I heart my new iMac!

Oh the hours of joy we will have!

Halloween and Birdz

I am such a ham. Here's my Halloween costume. I had so much fun at work :)

fluffy bunneez

We've recently had some little fluffy bunnies move into our courtyard. They are not the little wild brown ones with the white tail, they are the colorful domestic kind. I contacted some rescue operations in the area and they don't seem to have the capacity to take them. I kept on getting referred to other agencies who kept referring me to other agencies. The last one helped me by telling me how I might catch them and keep them as pets. With 2 cats? No way. I'm afraid if I call the humane society to pick them up that they will just be put to sleep. So for now they are happily hopping around my yard. My neighbor feeds them all sorts of yummy food, so they are doing quite well. Here's a picture of the most brave one that will come up to take food from you.



This one is black with a little white dot on his nose. There's 3 others: a white one with gray ears, a full white one, and a really pretty brown calico with really big ears.

Well, that's good to know

Being the librarian I am, I can't help but to look up information on new or interesting things I encounter. If you read my last post, I wrote about the suicidal gecko on my car. I had never seen that type of gecko before, so I wanted to try and look it up to see what kind it was.

I searched the web and found a really cool website on geckos. GeckoWeb. I browsed for geckos by region and quickly found a picture that match the little guy on my car perfectly. I started reading about him and found this out:

"They are quick to bite when annoyed, and a big adult is capable of drawing blood."

Great. And I was trying to capture this thing with my hands. Maybe it was a good thing that he ran away and hid.

Anyway, if you are a dork like me and interested in finding more out about him, here is some info on him. http://www.geckoweb.org/profile/pachydactylus-bibronii

suicidal geckos

I don't know if the world of geckos is going through hard times, but I've seen a few geckos doing some really crazy and suicidal things. Wednesday morning I heard Milo meowing at something in my living room and recognized it as his hunting chatter. He had a little house gecko cornered up by the ceiling. As with any creature he might trap up on the ceiling, he thinks if he meows at it and asks nicely it will just come down and let him chew it up. I tried to rescue the gecko, but it managed to hide. I had to go to work, so I let it fend for it's self. When I got home later on in the night, Milo was in my bedroom staring at the same gecko. I didn't know who was more cruel; Milo for terrorizing the little gecko all day, or the gecko for teasing Milo and giving him a sore neck from looking up all day.

Last night I was going outside to the laundry room and a huge house gecko ran right in. Milo noticed him immediately and went into hunt mode. This time I was able to lock Milo into the bathroom while I caught and released the gecko. Happy ending on this one.

Then later on last night I got into my car and went to the gas station. As I got out to pump gas, I saw this little brown gecko clinging on to the roof of my car for dear life. I tried to catch him, but he hid in a little crevice by my windshield wipers. I had to let him go and get on my way. When I got to about 45 mph the little guy decided to run up my windshield and and leap off. I was near the grassy median, so I hope he made it.

Yes, I am a bitch... A bitch with a blog - Part 2

This post is a little delayed, but I just had to write about this one.

Let me tell you, people just don't get it. I give people ample warning. I mentioned several times to these girls that I have a blog or two, and I like to post. Every time I made one of these comments, all I got from them were some blank looks and some comments to each other asking why this weird girl keeps on mentioning her blogs.

Because I'm going to write and tell everyone on the internet about how stupid you are acting. Geez.

Anyway... A couple of weekends ago, we went down to my friend's house in Homestead for his birthday bash. The original plan was to spend the weekend on his boat for Columbus Day Regatta, but windy weather and the threat of thunderstorms kept us on land. So we altered our plans to just spend the weekend at Leslie's house and celebrate his birthday with a party.

Normally when we go down to Leslie's house, there is quite the assortment of personalities. Some of these people are not normally the type I would choose to spend time with, but generally most everyone is friendly and hanging out with them for a weekend is not a problem.

This time was completely different. To make a long story short, there were a total of 4 girls in the group I went down with. There were 3 other girls there who decided that we were the mortal enemy. First of all they acted like we were out to try and steal their boyfriends away and they needed to protect them. Sorry ladies, let me tell you how much that is not an issue. The other problem they had was this whole territorial thing. It's like they laid claim to Leslie's house and even Leslie himself. It really reminded me of a bunch of dogs lifting their legs and pissing on everything.

Here are just some of the things that they were doing: Giving us the stink-eye or just plain staring us down, rushing up to their boyfriends and hanging on them whenever one of us was in a 5 foot radius, pretending to have a violent cough or sneeze while actually shouting out quick little comments like "I hate her", or just plain making rude comments about one of us out loud whenever we turned our backs.

Please girls, try acting your age. All this catty behavior was ridiculous. It's completely unnecessary and all it does is creates a hostile environment for everyone around you. Just because we were the intended targets, don't think that it didn't effect the majority of the people there. I even went so far as to ask one of the girls what was going on. I got a response that resembles what I normally get out of the middle school kids that I work with. "What? Huh? I haven't noticed anything. Oh... I'll have to have a talk with her. I haven't done anything." Ok.

The whole reason I'm writing this is to just try and remind people to act civil. I'm not asking you to put me on your Christmas card list, I'm just asking you to treat other people with respect and act like adults.

And now I will hop down from my soap-box. Thank you.

Any day now!

Here's my latest update from Ravelry!


Found you!

* You signed up on August 30, 2007
* You are #30079 on the list.
* 418 people are ahead of you in line.
* 14748 people are behind you in line.
* 57% of the list has been invited so far

Just one more way for the computer to suck up my free time. Drat.

2 DAYS!!!!!

I am so excited I can hardly sit still! 2 days until IKEA opens up around the corner. Well, not exactly around the corner, but 10 miles isn't so bad!

I can't wait!!!!!!!

hee hee *snort*

I know that this really isn't that funny, but I can't stop laughing. I'm watching the evening news and they flash up this shot from a security camera. The story went something like this:


"Police need your help identifying a suspect. The man seen here in this picture taken from a security camera is wanted for questioning. The suspect went to a drive-thru of a local McDonalds and ordered over $7.00 worth of food. He refused to pay the money, insisting he only had $1.75 and that's what he would pay. When the employees refused to give him the food for $1.75, he then pulled up to the drive-thru window and forced it open. He started waving a gun around and tried stealing his bag of food. He only got away with some ketchup."

Ohhhh... Geez. I'm still laughing. I've always said that the evening news was the most entertaining thing on TV in South Florida.

My favorite!

He might not be an AH for everyone else, but he's my favorite AH!

Let's hear it for Zach Braff!

And we have a winner!

Here is my latest contribution to the AH contest: Zachary Levi.
I think this guy is too cute. I'm a sucker for the slightly geeky :)

great book

I just finished one of the best books I've read in a long time. And it's a YA! That's a teen book for you non-librarian folk. If you like super-natural/vampire stories at all, check this book out.

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer


Rather than write a big long review, I'll leave it to you to pick up. Right now I'm going to get back to reading "New Moon", the second book in the Twilight saga!

And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Stephenie Meyer will start writing for adults!

Yes, I am a b*tch... A b*tch with a blog (or 2)

Well Cheryl, we'll chalk this one up as another one for our book. Really, where do we meet these people? Do I have an a**hole/psycho magnet planted somewhere inside of me?

A couple of weekends ago I decided to go to Sanibel Island for a little weekend trip. While I was there I ended up meeting a bunch of local friendly folk. They were all really nice and a lot of fun, but one guy in particular seemed a little fond of me. Before I left he invited me to come back to the island to visit again when I had more time to stay. I had such a good time I was more than ready to go back. We exchanged phone numbers, but he didn't save mine in his phone right and ended up loosing it. So he tracked down my work phone number and called me there. I thought that was kind of nice. Nothing too weird so far. He just told me he had a good time and invited me back 2 weekend from that time.

Then ever since then, it's gone down hill. This man has been loosing points left and right. First of all, his conversations were not what I would call stimulating. I'm not sure this chap is too bright. Then to add to that fact he called WAAAYYY too much. Ok buddy, I just met you. Three calls a day is a little too much, especially since I am at work at that time. And let me give you another hint. It's not a good idea to ask a girl that you've met less than two weeks ago if she would consider moving to your island if you found her a job. But then again you were drunk... maybe you don't remember that.

So I start getting really uncomfortable at this point. Basically, by yesterday I decided that I am definitely not interested and that going for a visit was far from a good idea. Now today was the clincher. I hadn't talked to my parents for about 3 weeks now, so I gave them a call to see how they were doing. During the hour he called 9 times. I don't answer call waiting while I talk to my parents, that's just rude. So by the time I get off the phone I'm a little more than irritated. He calls again right the minute I hand up and I decided to just go ahead and put an end to it. I told him he crossed the line and I'm not interested in seeing him again. He responds by getting angry and yelling at me, which is fine. I said all I can say so I hang up.

He responds back by calling me twice right in a row which I let it go to voicemail. He leaves a message both times. He told me I was an asshole and a bitch. Well maybe that's so. But I have a blog. Now everybody knows you're a psycho :)

And one more side note... he's tried calling 7 more times since I've started writing this. Since when has dating become so risky? It's just absolutely ridiculous.

I should write children's books

Today I was going through some of the picture books at work and weeding out some of the ones that that are beat up, moldy, or just don't make the cut anymore. I found this little gem hidden amongst the shelves. Here's the first page of "Meatball", by Phyllis Hoffman :)

"My teacher Julia has curly black hair and round wire glasses. Every day she wears big earrings, a baggy blouse, and dungarees. In the morning I’m the first one in school. “Hiya, Meatball!” she says, and gives me a hug. My real name is Marilyn, but she calls me Meatball because she says I’m round and yummy."

I don't think a teacher could get away with saying something like that these days. Then again, she does wear dungarees.

I'll never have to buy that stuff again

For a while now I've noticed something weird happening with my mouth. I'd wake up, brush my teeth, shower, and get ready for work. During my drive to work, I started noticing something funky going on in my mouth. It was like a layer of skin was peeling off. I started to get really concerned that something was wrong. Then I started noticing it at other times. I finally figured it out after a few days. The weird mouth thing was only happening about a half hour to an hour after I brushed my teeth! The culprit... that funky new toothpaste I bought. This toothpaste is some crazy super-duper max 12 hour protection stuff. I'm thinking that 12 hour protection was in the form of a thin layer of a slimy film. YUCK!

But being the semi-frugal person that I am, I can't just throw it away, I have to finish it up. Until then, I will just suffer. Gross.

Oh my gosh, they did it again!

I'm sitting here knitting sipping on a left-over frozen margarita from Taco Fiesta. I have the TV on, but I'm not really paying attention to it, just kind of half listening. All of a sudden during a commercial break I hear a familiar tune. Well maybe the tune isn't so familiar to me, but the vocals an music are unmistakable. It's my friends The Icicles! They had another major corporation feature one of their songs for a commercial!

The first one was for the Motorola KRAZR, featuring "Sugar Sweet". The new commercial features "LaTiDa" for Target! I'm glad that their music is getting such great national recognition. They are fun little Indy rock band from Grand Rapids.

Here's their myspace page. Take a look and check out their music
The Icicles Myspace page

YAY FOR THE ICICLES!

Question...

Does this "no wearing of white after Labor Day" rule really apply to us in South Florida? I mean, it's still summer here. We're still in the 90's every day. We'll still be having summer like weather until around December. So why can't I wear lighter clothing so I don't sweat my ass off? I don't know about everyone else down here, but I'm nowhere near wanting to break out the fall wardrobe. In fact, I don't think we even have fall here. I've only noticed two season myself... rainy and dry. Or hurricane and not hurricane.

Fun on an island

This weekend I decided out of the blue to take a little road trip. I had never been to Sanibel Island, so I thought now would be as good a time as any. I tried inviting a few people to go with me, but everyone either had school, work, or other pressing plans. So I decided to go solo. Why not? I'm getting tired of the same-old same-old. I want to get outside and see something new, enjoy the scenery and sunny weather.

So Saturday around noon I took off. I wasn't even an hour into my little excursion when I had my first little mishap. As I was driving down Alligator Alley, this big SUV was in the process of passing me. Right then this little bird chased a bug into the path of the truck. The bird saw the truck just in time and changed his course... right back into my path. There was nothing I could do. I just heard this little "dunk" and I knew I hit the poor little guy. I looked in my rear-view mirror.... uh oh. I didn't see any sign of the poor thing. I had this sinking feeling that he was still with me. So about 12 miles after I hit him, I finally got to a rest stop where I could pull off. As soon as I get out of my car, my worst fears are confirmed. There's the little wing sticking up from the grill of my car. I get to the front and that poor thing is stuck in the grill of my car. I darned near started crying. And not only was I sad about hitting the cute little thing, I had to figure out how to extract him from the grill of my car. Poor little guy :(

After I take care of the little bird situation, I head back on the road. Fortunately I have a pretty uneventful trip the rest of the way. The drive was beautiful and traffic wasn't bad at all.

I find the beach and decide to go on a shelling walk, since Sanibel is famous for it's sea shells. This is where I have my second little mishap. I take my beach bag with me. I have my towel, my purse, sunscreen, a bottle of water, and various other little things. I go to wade in the water so I stuck my flip-flops in there too. As I'm walking down the beach I'm constantly stopping to get in my bag for one thing or another. I even stop for a rest and go for a dip. After a while I check the time and decide to head back to my car before the parking meter expires. By the time I get back I am slightly overheated and very hungry. I go into my bag to retrieve my flip-flops. There's the left one... ok... where's the right? hmmm... Not in my beach bag. Well that sucks. That's the only pair of shoes I had brought with me. I'm clear on the other side of the state and I have one flip flop. So I put another hour on the meter and go for another walk on the beach. Since I got in my bag oodles of time on the walk, there is no telling where it could be. Luckily I did find it pretty quickly. Whew! Lesson learned! I will keep a spare pair of flip-flops in my car from now on. Or at least pack 2 pairs of shoes.

After those two little mishaps, the rest of the trip goes surprisingly well. I go to grab some dinner and think about what I'm going to do for the night. Should I try to find a hotel, or should I relax for a couple of hours and then drive home? I pretty much had decided to head back home when the restaurant I'm in starts to fill up. Most everyone there are locals. The next thing I know, I'm hanging out with the locals having a great time. They are so friendly, I'm having a great time. There's men and women, everywhere from their mid-twenties to retirees. They talk me into staying on the island for the night. I even got hooked up with a great deal on a place to stay. You see, everyone on the island seems to know each other, so a couple calls are made and I have a little cottage for $70. Not too bad, really. I hang out with a group of people for the evening.

One of the people I had hung out with owns a bike rental shop. So the next morning I head to the shop and get hooked up with a free bike and a tour. I get introduced to even more people and hang out by the pool at an ocean side resort. Unfortunately I have to leave around 1:00.

I had so much fun. I seriously had to force myself to leave. Everyone was so friendly, very laid back, and really down to earth. The whole atmosphere of the island is relaxing and laid back. I'll definitely be making some trips back there again. And now after hearing how much fun I had, all my friends want to go with me. Funny how that works.

Ouilts

I had the honor of attending the museum member's opening of the Quilts of Gee's Bend exhibit. It was truly a fascinating experience. I've never quilted myself, but I've been fascinated with the art for for a while now. I think that once you pick up one of the fiber arts, you learn a respect and appreciation for other forms.

This exhibit actually overwhelmed me with emotion. For anyone who may not be familiar with the Quilts of Gee's Bend, here's a little history for you. Quilts of Gee's Bend

These are not only beautiful pieces or art, there is so much more wrapped up in them. These women lived in a poor rural community that was pretty much isolated from the rest of society for years and years. The women who quilted used what ever fabrics they could get their hands on. Most of the fabrics were recycled clothing or whatever materials they could get their hands on.

I was actually moved to tears when I read the story behind one quilt in particular. A sign next to the quilt said that woman had originally helped her mother make the quilt following the passing of her father. She said that when her father died her mother took all of his old work clothes and started cutting them up. Her mother said that she wanted to make a quilt from his work clothes so that when she was lonely she could curl up under that quilt for some love. When you look at the quilt you can see the marks on the fabric from where cuffs used to be. You could see the old, deep set in stains. You knew this was a man who worked very hard for his family and you could see the love, care, and dedication put into making a lasting memory of him.

Anyone in the South Florida area must make a point of going to see this exhibit. If you are free this weekend try to go to some of the opening ceremonies. Eighteen of the quilters are here, and you don't want to miss getting to see them. And they sing the most amazing gospel music.

Bye bye long weekend :(

This was one of the best weekends ever!

Friday evening I headed off to Tampa with Lyn. We had an absolute blast, despite the fact that it seemed like anything and everything that could have gone wrong did. It was just proof to me that good company can overcome bad weather any other obstacles that can come up. The army boys that we stayed with turned out to be the most wonderful hosts. They were the sweetest, most respectful, and genuinely kind guys I have ever met. I met quite a few people this weekend, and I just have to say that we have some amazing people watching over this country. Unfortunately a few of the guys that I met are being sent over to Iraq in the next few weeks. I'm hoping they stay safe and will be able to come home the same people that they are now.

Anyway... Yesterday I came back from Tampa and then ended up hanging out with Nancy and co. that evening. We had pizza and mojitos on the beach from Primanti Brothers. Then we went to the Parrot and enjoyed some cheap beer and people watching.

This afternoon I was invited to Jenny and Nancy's house for a BBQ. If you have never been to a BBQ hosted by a latino family, I would highly suggest it. The food is amazing, and there is a TON of it. And Latin American mothers LOVE to feed you. Literally. If you turn your head for one second, your plate will be full by the time you turn around again. When they decide you need to eat more, it is not a question or a request.

Tonight was Knit Night with the Betties at the Falcon Pub. Since I didn't need any more food, I opted to just have some Strongbow. Torii surprised me with a cute little pirate magnet and some little pirate decorations that can serve various purposes from buttons, to doll props, to cake decorations. This night was another case of being blessed with good company.

Too bad the weekend has to end.

Loooonnnnnggg weekend!

By the luck of the draw, I managed to get an extra long weekend without having to take any time off of work. I worked this past Sunday, so I got the following Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. Monday is Labor Day, so that was a good bonus, and Tuesdays are my normal day for going in late. That means I have from Thursday at 5:00 p.m. to Tuesday at 1:00 all for my very own.

Tomorrow I think my friend Lynlee and I are going to take a little road trip to Tampa! There we will meet up her her friend who will be hosting a little BBQ that night. The next morning we will take off and play in Busch Gardens for the day. I've never been to Tampa before, so I'm looking forward to the new experience. Plus, I might have failed to mention that the people we are visiting are all Army boys. Don't worry, I'll be good :)

Sunday morning we will have to head back to Lauderdale. The rest of the weekend is up in the air, until Monday night. That's when I'll be meeting the Betties out at the Falcon Pub for some yummy food and hard cider! How can you beat a weekend like this?

Bad date book

Cheryl (tejedorita dulce) and I have long talked about writing a book about all of our bad or humorous dating experiences. I recently posted about the ex who emailed me, essentially telling me that he saw a huge disaster and thought of me. And then who could forget Cheryl's date asking her if she would shave his back? The funniest part being that they had just started dating and she didn't even know him that well. Really... when do you reach the back shaving stage of a relationship?

Anyway, that is just a taste of what we have to offer in our book. I think Cheryl and I should start thinking about titles. If anyone has suggestions, let us know!

Oh the joys of being a woman

OK. To any man that might be reading this, you may want to skip this one and move along. I'm sorry if this post may be crass, but I can't help it.

So I am experiencing the great thrill of being a woman right now. Among a multitude of other symptoms, my back hurts so bad I can't sit up strait. In my desperation I went to the internet to see if there is possibly anything I can do that might help my situation. Here is the suggestion that they gave me. "Lie down on your side and bring your knees to your chest. This will help relieve back pressure." Ok, here's the problem. There are about two extra gallons of water that's flowing around in my abdominal area. There's no way that my knees are getting any where near my chest. Another piece of advice that they give... "Try sexual activity." I'm not even going there. I'll just say one thing. Besides the obvious, if any man gets withing 20 feet of me right now, he'll probably loose an eye or something.

I just need to go into hibernation at times like these.

Hey, I saw a train-wreck and I thought of you!

Last Tuesday while I was at my parent's house in Michigan, I got on their computer to see if I could print out my boarding pass. I decided to skim through my email to see if there was anything important going on. To my surprise there was a email from the estranged ex-boyfriend. The same boyfriend who after a 7 month relationship decided to cut things off by just dropping off the face of the earth. No explanation, no goodbye, no nothing.

So out of the blue he decides to honor me with an email. Here is what he had to say...

Hope your doing well. Sorry we ended so poorly. The bridge collapse made me think of you. Hope your family was safe.

"Hope your doing well." He hopes my what is doing well? English buddy, "your" would be referring to a possession of mine. "Sorry we ended so poorly." We? No buddy, it's all on you. I didn't do anything poorly. "The bridge collapse made me think of you." ?!?!?!?!?! What the?!?!?!?! Gee, I saw a huge disaster and I thought of you. Really, do men think before they speak/type? "Hope your family was safe." Ummmm... I guess that's a nice sentiment, but if he was referring to the aforementioned disaster, my family lives over 500 miles and 4 states away for Minneapolis.

Nice try buddy.

I'm back!

I just returned a few days ago from a vacation of sorts and spent a couple of days recovering. My vacation actually consisted of going home to see my family, attend a family reunion, and clean my remaining possessions out of my parent's house.

It was tiring, but a lot of fun. It was especially good to spend time with my little niece. She is something else! She's a super cute, super smart, super funny, and quite the sassy little 2-year-old. And there is no doubt that she is my sister's child :) There's far too many cute stories to try to put them all on the computer, but I think my favorite one is a conversation we had while we were in the Bi-berry (aka library).

Me: Keira, here's a couple of special books. This is "The Grandma Book", and this is "The Grandpa Book." Since we are going to see Grandma and Grandpa, I thought you would like to have a couple of special books to read with them. What do you think?

Keira: I go see Gamma and Gampa today?

Me: Yup. We're going to go to a big park, and Grandma and Grandpa are going to be there.

Keira: Is Aunt Becky going to go to the park today with Gamma and Gampa?

Me: Yup, I'll be there too. In fact, I'm going to ride in the car with you and mommy to go see Grandma and Grandpa.

Keira: Oh... *sigh* Today is a happy day for me!

Me: Awwww :) Today is happy day for me too! (as a little tear wells up in my eye).

Dang she's a cute kid! If I can figure out how to get the pictures from my new phone to the computer (not as easy as my old phone apparently), I have some cute pictures to share.

Ain't technology great?

After a weekend like this, I want to dump all on my technological toys and go live in a cave. It started out with my computer on Friday. I'll keep a really long story short and just say that there is some really bad adware/spyware out there. I'm pretty good at running antivirus and adware programs, but there is so much crap out there. Just do yourself a favor and make sure you have some really good anti spyware/adware programs and run them often... and make sure you update your definitions frequently. I run two different adware programs and this particular bug that got me literally wormed it's way on and opened up a floodgate. And it has ways of hiding little bits and pieces throughout your system that will automatically reinstall the program every time you delete it. So you have to go through and find the little bits and pieces and delete them manually. I'm proud that I managed to do it and not delete something important.

I'm really tempted to toss this blasted computer and get a Mac.

My other little technological mishap had to do with a cell phone. Basically it's taking a really long cab ride right now. So I got to go buy a new cell phone today! YAY! Just what I wanted to spend my money on. But I do have a nice new phone, and it's a cool little toy. No need to buy that iPod I've been wanting, because this phone is pretty fancy!

The downfall is that I was pretty stupid and didn't back up any of the phone numbers off my old phone. So now I have a nice new phone and I don't have any numbers to call. But at least I have a cool phone!

My favorite place

Since I don't have much time to post, I'm just going to put up a pretty picture. This is one of my mornings on the beach before heading to work in the afternoon. It was a beautiful morning, even though it wasn't too sunny.

I know I'm a bit late...

But I have to chime in on the previous conversation between a couple of Betties (Torii and Cheryl). I just have to submit my entry to the whole ass-hat discussion.

My entry is Curtis Stone, the "Take Home Chef."

I've even started shopping at Whole Foods and getting gussied up in the hopes that this man leans oven my shopping cart and asks me if he could come to my place to cook dinner.

I ask you: How would you like to see this man bending over your hot stove?

Must... read... on...

I've spent the entire day hanging out with Harry. I'm exhausted but I can't make myself stop reading. Not only am I totally absorbed into the story, but I'm so worried that someone will spoil something for me. Just like the jerk that published the book review in the New York Times, I'm afraid someone will go blabbing on TV or something.

I vowed I would not turn my TV on or listen to the radio until I've finished it. Earlier today I did need to take a break, so I took a risk and turned the TV on to the Food Network. I'm feeling pretty confident that Alton Brown or Paula Dean won't be leaking Harry Potter spoilers. But you never know.... back to reading I must go!

I love tourists :)

Recently I've been so busy that I haven't been taking much time for myself. I've come up with this bright idea to relax a little and it's been working out wonderfully. Every time I have to work in the evening, I get up early and hit the beach by 9:00. It's so quiet and so peaceful, and VERY relaxing. It's an awesome way to spend maybe an hour or two by myself and just unwind. Except when someone comes along and interrupts your alone time

Today I have to be to work at 1:00, so I decided to go to the beach. I'm sitting on the edge of the water for about an hour and a half when I decide I need to go. I start to pack up and I see this this guy walking down the beach. He spots me, and starts heading up my way. He's got goggles on his head, the biggest grin you've ever seen, and he's sporting a.... I'll just say that he must have been pleased with the view he had he walked down the beach checking out all the girls.

As he tries to make small talk, I'm trying my hardest not to look at him or crack up. He can't figure out why I'm laughing. He also can't understand why all the other people around us seem to be laughing too. I busy myself with packing up my beach bag, and trying to not look at him. Finally he gets the hint that I won't go swimming with him like he wanted me to and he leaves. "Maybe next time", he says. Yeah, sure buddy.

And then he moved on to the next group of girls about 25 feet down the beach. Everyone in the vicinity lost it and started cracking up. As I walked off the beach, some people that witnessed the whole thing gave me a thumbs.

I'm pooped...

I've been running around like crazy at work. I have one major project that I've been working on for about 2 months and I have a week to wrap it up. Then I have 2 major programs I've been trying to plan in between. The first of which was today. We'll just say that I had somewhere between 80-90 small children, and probably about 30-35 adults. An exact count was impossible, because it would be like trying to count a bunch of ladybugs in a box. When you have that many preschoolers in one room, let's just say they don't sit still. And they kept coming, and coming, and coming... At one point I just stood in the middle of the room with a look on my face that resembled a deer in headlight.

The funniest part about the whole thing was when I looked at myself in the mirror after the event. My hair was standing on end, I had this wild and crazy look in my eyes, and I had this mysterious twitch in my cheek.

Now I plan on spending the rest of my evening sipping on a beer and finishing my beanie for the Charmed Knits KAL.

I has a flavor. Does you has a flavor?

I don't know about you, but apparently Patrick Stewart has a flavor.

http://icanhascheezburger.com/tag/flavor/

My friend sent me this link earlier today, and I've been giggling ever since. Call me easily amused but I think it's darned funny.

I got screwed... or at least my burrito did

The other day I had a serious craving for mexican food, so I decided to try something new. I went to this restaurant that I've been wanting to try for about a year and a half now. It was ok, but nothing spectacular. As I was leaving the restaurant I was thinking that I would go back, but I wouldn't go out of my way to do so. At least I thought so until I tried eating my left overs. I'm down to the last couple bites of my burrito when I bite down on something hard. I pull out part of a little aluminum screw or nail or something. I didn't bite down on it and break a tooth or anything, so I'm not going to make a huge deal about it. I just don't think I'll be eating there anytime soon.

Soundtrack of my life meme

I took one of those surveys where you are supposed to put your iPod on shuffle and let it create your soundtrack. I had to use my iTunes since I don't have an iPod. I did have to cheat and forward through some stuff since I have a lot of random junk and samples jumbled up amongst the songs. But other than that I stuck to the rules of no cheating. I'm shocked at some of the results. I think my iTunes knew what I was doing!


Soundtrack of my life

Opening credits: 12:51 - The Strokes
Not bad for an opening son

Waking up: Section 9 (Light & Day/Reach for the Sun) - Polyphonic Spree
Hahahaha! Best waking up song ever!

Average day: New Slang - The Shins
I love this song. My average day must be pretty mellow.

First date: We're Going to be Friends - Jack Johnson
That's cute :)

Falling in love: Can't Help Falling in Love - Eels (remake of course)
Complete coincidence. Like I said, I think my iTunes knew what I was doing!

Love scene: Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine
Hmmmmm... my purchase of the Garden State soundtrack seems like it's coming in handy. I love Zach Braff's taste in music.

Fight scene: The Reason - Hoobastank
Not only am I ashamed to admit that I downloaded this song, but it's couldn't have picked a better time to play!

Breaking up: Irreplaceable - Beyonce
Hahahahaha! I downloaded this after I got dumped last fall!

Getting back together: Let Go - Frou Frou
Again, thank you Zach Braff

Secret love: Hanging by a Moment - Lifehouse
Yet another song that I am ashamed to admit that I downloaded

Life's okay: Like Humans do - David Byrne
Don't really remember downloading this

Mental breakdown: Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
Hahahaha!

Driving: Gasolina - Daddy Yankee
Ajajajaja! Love my reggaeton!

Learning a lesson: You Belong to me (remake) - Ben Taylor
Ok, I guess this works. Maybe.

Deep thought: Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley
Wonder what my deep thought is.

Flashback: One Headlight - The Wallflowers
Yeah, this song is pretty old.

Partying: Lo Que Paso, Paso - Daddy Yankee
:) love my reggaeton!

Happy dance: Mister Brightside - The Killers
Yeah, I'd dance to this

Regretting: Overkill (acoustic) - Collin Hay
Too funny! Actually I think this song is about regretting. I swear I didn't cheat!

Long night alone: Into the Ocean - Blue October
Isn't this a song about drowning? Hmmmm....

Death scene: Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Pretty dramatic I guess.

Closing credits: Bubble Toes - Jack Johnson
Nice peppy way to end the soundtrack!

Camisole of Death progress

Tonight at knit-night I finally finished the back of my camisole of death that I've been working of for a while. I'm very proud of it. I only really have one mistake/design element. The good news is that it is something that can be easily fixed with a little thread and a couple of good knots. Shhhh... trade secret :) There are also a couple of minor design elements that I might be working on correcting. You see, the pattern called for increases. I've known how to do increases since about the time I learned how to knit, but I discovered that they tend to create a little hole. Carol finally taught me how to remedy this, but it was a few inches too late. We'll see if I can live with the little tiny holes or not. Most likely I may be playing with a little more thread. Now I know. Tomorrow I will start to tackle the front!

Big news on the home front

I don't know how I'm really going to take this one.. I just got a call from my parents last week. They told me that they had some big news. To make a long story short, they bought a new house and put the home that I was born and raised in on the market. In some ways I want to be nostalgic for the house, but in other ways I'm really happy for them. It's going to be a good thing, but it's a little sad at the same time. When I go home to visit in August, this will be the last time that I set foot in my childhood home. There's other things that will change as well. Now when I go home to visit my parents, I will be nowhere close to my GR or the Bucktown (the city I grew up near). If I want to visit these places, I will specifically have to buy a plane ticket to get there. None of these combining trips that I've been doing.

Yeah, right.

Even though I moved down to South Florida 2 years ago, I still have kept my Michigan cell phone number. Yesterday when I was getting ready to leave work. I grabbed my phone and saw that I had a missed call. The number was 616-458-4444, definitely a Grand Rapids number but not one I recognized. The voice mail went something like this...

"Hi Becky, this is Lyndsie and I'm calling in regards to a prize that you've won through the win a cash prize drawing that you entered. I do have a prize here waiting for you so if you would just call 616-458-8122 and ask for Lyndsie you can claim your prize."

I googled the number and it came back to 2 businesses. One was called The Electric Company, and the other was Lewis Marketing. I'm guessing it's the the marketing. Either a company I've done business with in the past sold their database, or someone entered my name into a drawing for a joke. I wouldn't put that past some of my GR friends either, since that sounds like something I would do :)

I'm thinking about calling Lyndsie back to mess with her.

YIKES!

I just learned a really disturbing fact after reading Zach Braff's blog... Did you know that there is a doggie chew treat called the Bully Stick? And do you know what it is? It's a dried bull penis!



I think it would be pretty disturbing to see my beloved pal chewing on that and knowing what it really is. Ick.

tagged

On May 23rd I got tagged with a meme by Skulls n bats. I'm just now getting to it. Typical Becky :)

The rules:

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

1. I was born in South Bend, IN. Home of the Fighting Irish!

2. I rarely eat meals in my apartment. I mostly eat in restaurants. I also won't eat fast food, that stuff will kill you. Unless you count Pollo Tropical as fast food... I loves me some Tropi-chop!

3. I have a fear of germs, and it's getting worse by the day. I make a point of washing my hands at least once an hour while I'm at work, not including bathroom breaks and before eating anything. And I use hand sanitizer between washings. Public places are germy.

4. I only go to the movies about twice a year at the most. I haven't even seen Pirates of the Caribbean III yet.

5. I'm single. I wouldn't mind meeting that special someone, but being single doesn't particularly bother me that much either. I'm having fun, and I'm a pretty happy person as I am.

6. I have a great family. I'm not just saying it because they may be reading my blog either. I really do like my family. After working with the public for so many years, I've learned that not everyone can say that.

7. I can be a pretty big procrastinator. This is especially true when it concerns having to go to the post office. Bills are one thing, but presents and cards are a completely different story. Christmas cards... forget it.

I'm supposed to tag 7 people to blog this meme. I don't think I know 7 people who have blogs that haven't already been tagged with this. So if you read this and want to give up 7 random facts about yourself, leave me a comment with a link to your blog!

It's been a while...

But I'm back. Many different factors including the dreaded illness, weekend trips out of town, and an inventory have kept me away from the computer, but I really don't want to go in depth with them right now.

Just because I haven't been writing, doesn't mean interesting things haven't happened. So here's a couple of stories that may have warranted their own blog entries.


#1 My Two Year Anniversary-
So last weekend was my 2 year anniversary of moving to south Florida. I decided to go out and celebrate it a little bit. I wanted to spend a little time by myself at a place where I could enjoy the ocean view, think a little bit, and sip a couple of beers. I chose a quiet little Irish pub on A1A called McSorrley's. After about one beer I decided that I needed to use the restroom. I went into the stall and was minding my business when I feel something on my leg. I look down to find a big old palmetto bug running up my leg! To you non-southern people, a palmetto bug is a gigantic cockroach. So that huge freaking bug run up my leg, through my shorts, and ended up on my thigh. I screamed (of course) and flung that thing across the room where it commenced to running around in circles. I somehow managed to run out of the restroom stall dressed, with out peeing on myself. Now for some reason I am more scared of bathroom germs than huge bugs, so I couldn't bring myself to run out of the bathroom without washing my hands. As I'm doing so I'm whimpering and stomping my feet. Mind you the bug is still running around in circles looking for a place to hide. As soon as I finish washing my hands I run out of the bathroom half screaming and half laughing. The people in the bar thought I was crazy until I explained what happened. Once I got the story out, a couple of them bought me a beer. They really believed me when the same roach came after another girl a little while later. He's now in roach heaven thanks to her boyfriend's shoe.

#2 The Vine
The other morning I woke up and started getting ready for work. I got out of the shower, dried off, and was walking from the bathroom to my bedroom when I saw it. There was a huge vine growing into my bedroom through one of my windows. I swear it wasn't there before. That vine was about 2 feet long. When did that get there? The only thing that I can think of is that the vine only started to grow into my window... I think it was possibly pulled the rest of the way. At least that's what the little kitty teeth marks lead me to believe. Either way, I think this might be a good sign that my landlord needs to cut back the Air Potatoes. It's not quite Kudzu, but it's pretty close.

#3 The Pirate
Last night, by the time I got out of work and worked out, I really didn't feel like cooking. So I took a trip to Flanigans. What can I say? I just got done working out, I needed some wings. Anyway... As I'm sitting there enjoying my wings, some of the people at the bar strike up a conversation. One of the people is this older guy sitting across the bar. Next thing you know, he starts telling all these jokes. At the end of each punchline, he opens up his mouth really big and in a loud booming voice, growls like a pirate! "ARRRRRRRGGGG!" You know that made my day. The guy next to me is cracking up and almost yelling, "Dude! He's a pirate!" Between the two of them I was highly amused. Glad I decided to eat at Flanigans. It's always an interesting experience there.

When will this torture end?

Stomach flu. Started feeling the symptoms late Monday night with body aches (sorry Betties), and it slowly progressed from there. I've had a fever of over 100, headache, body aches, stomach cramps, and haven't been able to hold down solid food for 4 days. Finally went to the urgent care center yesterday. The doctor basically said I'll live and it will pass. Not bad news really, but not what I wanted to hear. At this point I wish the magic pill fairy had a secret potion that would make it all better. It's awful.

New Project

Here's the newest project I'm working on... Don't mind the plate of breasts.
Camisole of Death


I'm knitting in Brown Sheep's Cotton Fleece. I'm totally in love with this yarn. It's so nice and soft, and it feels like it will be a nice cool summer knit... perfect for the tropics :) I chose the color "Perry's Primrose" because I wanted something feminine, yet a little dark. It also has a little shine to it so it will probably be something good for the day or evening. I can't wait!

I'm a snitch

Tonight I had the wonderful opportunity to be a snitch. If you are wondering what that is, I volunteered to work a murder mystery game called Clueless on Las Olas. People who want to participate buy tickets which give them a program that explains the event. Inside each program there is a scenario of a murder mystery. They are then given the locations of different stores throughout Las Olas where they can find 6 clues. The clues can only be deciphered with hints that they can buy from the snitches. The snitches are planted in different spots throughout Las Olas, but they are also free to roam. Each clue has two hints, so the participants have to do some wandering if they want to pull everything together. Once they have all the clues and hints, then they have to put it all together and solve the murder mystery.

The atmosphere was so much fun. People were all having a good time. Everyone was joking around and playing in character. If you ever have the opportunity to participate in one of these, do it. If you ever had a chance to be part of one, better yet.

The only bad side of being a snitch was that I had to walk up and down Las Olas at night wearing a fanny-pack and a t-shirt that said "SNITCH" on it. But it was all for charity, so I will gladly swallow my pride for an evening.

I love Florida

Today I had a cool experience that you can pretty much only get in Florida (unless you leave the country). For lunch today I decided to grab something from the cafe at work and take it down to a park by the river. As I sat there reading and eating, I heard this weird sound coming from the river. I looked up in time to see a herd of manatees coming up for a breath of air. I was so excited, this was my fist manatee sighting ever! I wanted to jump up and down shouting, "look everybody, manatees!" But seeing as the only person near me was a homeless guy sleeping on a bench, I had to settle for text messaging my friend Kolene. It was so cool though!

finish line

I'm making this a night dedicated to finishing up some projects. I'm moments away from finishing the sugar 'n cream tank top. Next I'm going to finally weave in the loose ends of my baby afghan for my friend Carrie.. seeing as she sent me a picture of the wee little one the other day. Next I'm going to finish up the felted bag I started eons ago. Then maybe sometime soon I can talk Mimi into holding a little felting party at her house *wink wink*.

I'm going to kill my cat

Of course I'm talking about Milo. Corduroy is perfect... except for when he pukes on my bed, but I'm not talking about that now.

This morning somewhere around 5:04 a.m. I awake to the sound of shattering glass. Not really a comforting sound to a single woman. After my heart resumed beating, I was able to pull myself off of my ceiling and assess the situation. I didn't hear any further noises, so I decided that it was something inside the apartment that broke and not a burley man climbing through a window.

I then got out of bed, put in my contacts (since I managed to loose my glasses), put on a pair of flip-flops. I walked into my living room, turned on the lights and was greeted with the site of broken glass from wall to wall to wall.

Milo had been playing up on my counter top and managed to knock my brand new blender off the counter. Now besides the fact that I have to clean up broken glass at 5 a.m., I was really fond of that blender. It's a long story, but basically I am really fond of all my fun kitchen gadgets and appliances. And that was one damn cute blender.

And how do I know it was Milo? Because he has recently become obsessed with climbing up on the counter and opening every single one of my cupboards. When I surveyed the damage, half of my cupboards were open... and there's black fur on my counter.

Anyone want a little black kitty? Free to anyone with insurance. Here's a picture of him looking innocent.

Progress!

Here's a picture of the Sugar 'n Cream tank-top! I'm really happy with it so far. I was afraid that the Sugar 'n Cream yarn would knit up to look like a large washcloth, but it's actually turning out really nice. I'm pretty happy with the pattern that seems to be coming out of the variegated yarn. It almost looks like a feminine camo-pattern. Which makes me wonder... where would one be able to hide in pastel blue camo?

tasty new project

Now that the everlasting baby blanket is done, here is my new project!

Sugar 'n Cream Tank

I'm using the color "Faded Denim"

I'm excited to be knitting an actual garment for myself! Until now I've only knitted scarves (including lace work), washcloths, blankets, and hats. Not to mention that I have pretty much given away most of what I've knitted. I'm keeping this.

Mission accomplished!

I have finally finished the baby blanket that never ends! Well, not finished 100%. I still have to weave in some loose ends and washing and blocking would probably be a good idea. My cats have been laying on it since it was about the size of a dishcloth. They will be a little disappointed to have to give up "their" blanket, but they will get over it. Maybe I'll knit them a little something with some of the left over yarn.

Hey Mr. Seahorse

I'm looking for a seahorse knitting pattern. Like the kind of pattern you would use for a dishcloth. If anyone knows of any, please send them my way. I do have some graph paper so I may try to design my own, but I'm not quite sure of my talents. The knitting part I have down, it's the drawing part that worries me.

Happy Daylight Savings Time!

This time of year always amuses me. About two weeks prior to "springing ahead", the issue of Daylight Savings Time always starts making big news. And every year it never fails to show how many people get pissed off by having to turn their clocks ahead. Really, it's not that big of a deal. Is this actually the worst thing in your life right now? Or is it that you just don't like someone else telling you what you have to do? Why is it such a big deal? It's just an hour. It's not like we are forced to turn our clock 12 hours ahead. Plus, how often do we choose to screw up our internal clock when we voluntarily fly to different states our countries.

Personally, I like the extra hour of daytime. That's one more hour by the beach or another hour that I can be out enjoying the outdoors without worrying about the insecurity of darkness. People just need to start focusing on the positive aspects and learn to deal with a little bit of inconvenience. Or maybe they just need an excuse to bitch.

Panic attack

Yeah, I panicked a bit. I was in my apartment, minding my own business when I realized I had left my cell phone in my car. I put on my flip-flops, grabbed my keys, and went to go out the door. The only problem was my door handle wouldn't budge. I checked to make sure it wasn't locked and tried again. No go. I tried everything I could think of, and that blasted door would not budge. Realizing that my phone was in the car, I knew I was stuck. The panic attack started about now. I went around and looked at all of my windows to see if there was some way of climbing out. I have some kind of weird bar things on my bedroom window, and my front windows don't open in a way that would allow me to climb out. I started working on the door knob again. I tried everything I could think of and it didn't budge one bit. I really started panicking. So I did the only thing I could think of. I broke out my tool box and started going to town on the knob. I unscrewed the screws and took the inside part of the knob off. I tried to figure out the mechanics to see if I could turn the bolt mechanism by hand. That was a big no go. The next thing I know, the outside portion of the knob falls off... outside. I realized my mistake immediately. Door knobs are installed when the door is open, and that bolt was not going to budge. I could look through the hole and see out the the great outdoors, but that was about it. If nothing else I guessed I could yell to the next person who walked by, but how embarrassing is that? So without any other options, I just took out my hammer tried to wrench that bolt out of the door. SUCCESS!

I figured I would just go and buy a new door knob. Luckily it didn't look like it got too bent up, so I decided to try and reinstall it. As I was trying to put my door back together, one of my neighbors walked by. She gave me a puzzled look so I explained what I was doing. She laughed and told me I had it lucky. Apparently the same thing happened to her the other day. The only difference was that she had just gotten out of the shower. While still wrapped in her towel, she stepped out of the door for a second to let her dog out. When she went to go back inside, her door got stuck like mine did. I guess I can't complain too much. Besides, I managed to reassemble my door and it works just fine... mostly.

I'm an addict

Recently I've been popping pills left and right. Well, actually they are more like small hockey pucks and you dissolve them in water. Yes, I have discovered the joy of Airborne, the super multivitamin effervescent things that are supposed to boost your immune system to keep you from getting colds.

These things are great! I think they may actually work, and they give you a little pep! You gotta try these.

This kinda bothers me... but not really

The other day I saw a guy get hit by a car while riding his bicycle. It could have been avoided, but in a way they were both at fault. It was dark, the bicyclist was wearing dark clothing, and he didn't have a light on his bike. The car that hit him was turning right on a red light. I think he did more of a rolling stop, but there were 4 lanes of traffic blocking his view. Technically the car was totally at fault, but the bicyclist should have taken some more precautions... at least I would have if I were riding a bike in south florida.

The thing I feel the worst about is how much it hasn't bothered me. Don't get me wrong, I do feel bad for the guy, but it didn't surprise me. People drive like maniacs down here, and pedestrians take a lot of risks. No bicyclists follow traffic laws or take silly precautions such as wearing helmets or bright clothing. You will also never see a person walking use something as trivial as a cross-walk. The "I don't care" attitude is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Unless you live in South Florida, you have no idea how many times I see people do incredibly stupid things.

So when the light turned green for me, I just went on my merry way. Besides, the guy that got hit was able to get up out of the road on his own, and the guy who hit him stopped and made a phone call, which I'm assuming to was 911. And if you had to get hit, this would be that place to do it. We were right in front of Broward General Hospital. As far as being a witness, I wouldn't have been a very good one. I didn't actually see the car hitting the biker, I just looked up in time to see the guy laying in the road and his bicycle in the other lane all crumpled up.

You say it's already February?

Where the heck did January go? This year is flying by already. Things have been going well in the world of the knitting pirate librarian. I had a little bumpy start to the year, but I knew it wouldn't last.

Here's a quick summary of the highlights.

The knitting: Right now I'm in the process of knitting a baby blanket for my friend. She is due in April, so I think I should have plenty of time... I hope. I was attempting to do some lace work, but I think my choice of yarn for the project was not the greatest. I've abondoned it for the moment, but will pick it up again after the blanket is done... with different yarn of course.

The pirating (the social life): I've actually met a really nice guy a week ago today. I won't go into knitty-gritty details, except to say that things are going really well. It was such a surprise and so unexpected. We have a ton in common and we really enjoy spending time together. I'm sure I'll be blogging about him more about him later. I'll call him OG for now. That pretty much covers my social life. I pretty much just have just been hanging out with OG. Met quite a few nice people through him. Ika has been super busy with school and work, so haven't seen her. She's going to move back to Broward within the next few months, so I'm sure I'll be seeing more of her.

The librarian: Things are going really really well. I'm very happy that I have made the transfer :) I am so incredibly happy with my job at the moment, I can hardly describe it. I'm not going to say I don't have any stress or bad days, but I love my job, and I love what I do for a living.

Thats about it for now :)

Grand Rapids Michigan, oh how I hate you.

Dear Grand Rapids,

These are some of the reasons why you suck. Not that I need to tell you, because you probably already know.

1. City income tax. Not only do the suckers in the state of Michigan have to pay an income tax, but you have to soak them for an additional 1.3% And come on, what do they really get out of this money? NOTHING! See below reason why you suck for further explanation.

2. Parking. You ain't got none. And the few spaces you have go at a premium. $0.25 per 10 minutes? That must be because you have so many wonderful places to go that are worth the cost. The only other cities who charge more are New York and LA. Gee, and you wonder why downtown GR is like a ghost-town with tumbleweeds blowing through the streets.

3. Garbage pickup. $1.25 per garbage bag? Again... Just what the hell does your tax money go for?

4. Public schools. No tax money going here! Look at your state standardized test results, particularly on the 12th grade. Here is the percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards... Reading-50%, Science-33%, Writing-34%, Math 29%. Again... just where the hell do the tax dollars go to?

5. State of Michigan unemployment rate- 6.9% Second highest in the nation, only under Mississippi. Mississippi... Dear Lord, beating Mississippi does not give you bragging rights. Alaska beat you for goodness sake.

6. By the way, your economy stinks! Take some more money from education while you're at it... I'm sure the less educated your citizens are, the better your economy will get. You'll be out of the red in no time! But who cares if colleges increase their tuition... your residents won't be accepted anyway. No graduates, no problem!

7. Weather. What's the temp right now, buddy? About 20F you say? Yeah, it's about 79F for me right now. We'll get a high of 81 tomorrow. What's that? You'll only get up to 17 tomorrow with about 3 inches of snow. Good luck with that.

8. What time do your bars close? 1:45? How boring. That would be about 4:00a.m. here, unless you're talking about the Hard Rock which would be never... and is only a 10 minute drive.

What I've read - Catch up

Great. I'm already getting behind on this!

Two books to add.

#1 Beyond the Deepwoods (part 1 of the Edgewood Chronicles) - Paul Stewart.
Pretty amusing, very imaginative, and tons of cool illustrations throughout the book. Although I did feel a little foolish reading a book in public with lots of pictures. I know, I'm ridiculous!

#2 Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashares.
I've been wanting to read this book forever. I'm not too sure why I waited this long. A good, quick read if you are in the mood for a little chick lit. Although I found Bee to be a bit annoying. Bee and her glowing hair. Gack.


Goal - 3/50

Bad day

Yesterday wasn't so hot. First I locked myself out of my apartment. I fortunately had a neighbor who was able to help me break in to my place and retrieve my keys. Then moments after grabbing my keys, I got into my car ready to go. Unfortunately the car wasn't so ready to go. I tried to start it and got nothing but a bunch of clicks. So I called on my neighbor once again. We looked at the engine and scratched our heads for about 10 minutes before he decided to try giving the battery a jump. The old girl got started right away. After talking to him for a moment, I realized that this was the original battery... about 6 1/2 years old! So I went to buy a new battery.

While I was getting the battery changed, the guy called me over to my car to show me something in the engine. He informed me that the serpentine belt is on it's way out and I should replace it very soon... not cheap, and I trust him. The place that I took the car to doesn't do that type of repair and he didn't slip me a referral to his buddy's shop or anything, so I don't think he's trying to take me for the money. On my next day off I'm taking my car to the dealer to get an oil change. I'll ask them to poke around to see if there is anything I need to have done and see if they give me the same verdict.

Great. But I don't think this is an indication of how this whole year will go, it was just a bad day.

#1 - Reading 2007

First of all, I have decided to try and keep track of how many books I read this year. My goal will be 50. I got the idea from a group in livejournal. I think I may end up being shocked at how little I actually read. I would read 1000 books a year if I could, but I just can't find the time!

So here is #1
Gregor the Overlander - by Suzanne Collins
Children's book

Gregor is babysitting his two year old sister, Boots, when they fall into a mysterious underground world. There they meet strange people, and gigantic talking rats, cockroaches, and spiders. While trying to get back to their world above the ground, they become the catalyst of a gigantic war between the different creatures.

The story is fast-paced, action filled, and a good basic sci-fi/fantasy. It's ending obviously points towards sequels, so anyone craving more is sure to get their fill.

Progress on goal:
1/50

Total pages read:
320