Well I have good news and bad news....
I got my weekend job back. Haha get it? Its the good news *and* the bad news.
No really, here's what happened. Last night, the night before my last day of working there, Matt found out he will not be receiving financial aide for this semester since he is on fast track, which means he will be graduating early. So now we both have to work our butts off to get home by April.
Which, works out just fine because before the break, Courtney (gym boss) asked me if I would be able to take on more hours at the gym and I said "Totally!" So now, as it hilariously and ironically turns out, instead of having weekends, I will be getting more hours at the gym and working my weekend job.
So much for 2011, the year without Wal-Mart. New Years isn't so bad though. Needless to say I didn't much feel like partying so I canceled the four I had planned and just stayed at home with Matt. We picked up a pizza and ate junk food and played Borderlands. He just stepped out to go see his friend play a concert down the street but I didn't really feel up for it. He will be home before midnight so we can kiss and then turn in.
After all, we both have to work early tomorrow. As usual :)
Friday, December 31, 2010
And to top it all off I just spilled apple juice all over my face.
Well. Things have definitely taken a turn for the worst. Instead of filling out my termination papers today, like I have dreamed about for 8 months, I will be asking for my job back. Times are tough. I really can't say more at this time. Even Denzil cant really comfort me through this one.
Monday, December 27, 2010
I don't know a thing about uploading pics here....
Do you ever feel like you're really late for something important. And you promised a bunch of people you would be there. But you got delayed and the whole time you are just fretting knowing people are going to be like, "where is she?" "she said she would be here?"
Well that's how I feel right now. I did, in fact, have all last week off, (except of course for my second to last day of indentured servitude) but most of that was filled with pre-Christmas and some MUCH needed Ahhh-time. Thennnn, the day before christmas eve when I was finally ready to blog - the internet went out. Yep. I wish I could say I was surprised. And of course, since Matt and I are the only couple left in Rexburg right now, not to mention our dinky apartment building, it took FOUR DAYS to get someone over here. Granted it was Cmas and all, but still. It sucked. So I'm sorry for the unseen delay, but here I am.
In other words: It's not my fault. Frank.
Speaking of internet. Ours sucks. Its slow. It only works 65% of the time. And worst of all, we can't connect to the Playstation Network!!!
I know! No movie downloads. No PS store. No online game play, which in turn means no Little Big Planet. No Netflix. *sniff*
One day, a couple of weeks ago, they (meaning whoever-the-heck runs the internet here) decided to update the internet and were lazy about blocking all the game networks so everything ran smoothly for about two days. During which, I got all excited and went out and bought Matt CoD: Black Ops and a blutooth headset. When I got home, they had gotten around to blocking the ports. sigh.
Oh well. Four more months.
Any way, Christmas was great! I got a camera. Along with tons of other cute stuff. Like a key necklace that has "Matt" & "Connie" engraved in it with our birthstones. So pretty! So here's a bunch of pics of Denzil and Cmas morning. I hope I do this right.
Nope. Turns out I can't do it right. Aubrey I need your help!!!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Yay!!
At last! I has a kitteh :)
Denzil is in my lap as we speak and has been since last tuesday. He is a siamese mix, five month old kitten. The story of how we chose him is kinda funny. There is a cat shelter in rexburg that my friend volunteers at every week. She set up a time where matt and I could go in and look around.
The only way I can describe this place is by calling it the House-o-Cats. It doesn't look like a shelter at all with one giant room full of shiny cages and scratching posts in every corner. It is literally a house. O cats. But I love it! You walk up to the house and scurrying across the porch are cats. You walk in the door and the fur and cat food just hits you, almost as hard as the swarm of kitties that prance up to meet you.
Denzil was the first little guy that came up to me. His dark ears perked up when he saw me and I was mesmerized by his bright blue eyes. As soon as I reached down to pick him up he jumped up into my arms and nuzzled his face under my chin. His creme colored coat was so soft. He was colored exactly like my beloved childhood stuffed kitty, Cappuccino.
"Oh he's purring!" I said dreamily. "Look Matt, he likes me."
"I knew this would happen," he replied with an eye roll. "You would fall in love with the first one that came up to you."
Realizing his point, I reluctantly set Denzil down and walked with Matt over to the kitten room. He really wanted us to get a little kitten, so we could train it sooner, and Denzil was practically half grown. He already had his shots and was neutered, so he had graduated from the kitten room.
The kitten room was great. Just what you think it would be. You sit in a chair and watch all the kittens play and half of them jump up into your lap and demand attention. A little black kitten took claim of Matt's shoulders while a sweet little polydactyle kitten curled up in his lap. I could tell he liked her too. Polydactyle means that the cat is born with an extra digit. So they kind of have a thumb, but really it just looks like they are wearing mittens. So from now on in this post I will call her mitten kitten.
I liked mitten kitten too, but I had my heart set on a boy. With all my experiences with cats, boys tended to be more affectionate. So I played with an orange stripped kitten named Scout and a multi named Gage. I liked this other fluffy grey kitten but Matt was worried about the long hair shedding, so I put him out of my mind. Both Gage and Scout were really cute and fun. By the time we left Matt and I had it narrowed down to those three, (Mitten, Gage, and Scout) but I just couldn't make a decision and since Matt said I had the deciding vote, I thought it best to sleep on it.
I thought about the cats all the next day. Mittens was so tiny and she really seemed to have a thing for Matt. Gage was so sweet but not very playful. Scout was sweet too, but I noticed he was kinda sick and I just didn't want to take the risks right off the bat. But then I still couldn't get Denzil out of my mind. I told Matt this and he said the same thing. We decided to bump off Scout and add Denzil to the runnings.
That night we went back to House-o-Cats with a kitty carrier. We were going home with a kitten.
We put Denzil, Gage, and Mittens all together in a room to help us decide. After sometime I narrowed it down to the two boy kitties but in the end chose Denzil as a tribute to Cappuccino and for his pretty blue eyes. But to Matt I justified that it was because he was already neutered and had his shots.
My friend gave us some food and a little folder with all of his information and vet dates in it. Denzil walked right into the kitty carrier and didn't meow at all on the way home.
I know he's the first one I saw, but I pride myself on the fact that I greatly considered other kitties before picking him. I'm sure I made the right match though. He gets along great with both Matt and I. He sleeps with us and follows us to every room. Its so cute to see Matt interact with him. When I got home today, Denzil was curled up in his lap while he as at the computer.
"Hi, how are you?" he asked.
"Glad to be home," I sighed.
"Well, we are glad you are home too."
"We?" I asked.
"Yes, we." He replied.
Denzil's shelter name was actually Cheif, but that...didn't fit at all. But we didn't name him for days because he hadn't come up with the perfect one yet. I asked my kids at work what I should name him, and I got suggestions everywhere from Marshmellow to Circle. *shrugs*
Finally Denzil just hit me. He looks like a Denzil, and it was also the first one Matt agreed too :)
Denzil is in my lap as we speak and has been since last tuesday. He is a siamese mix, five month old kitten. The story of how we chose him is kinda funny. There is a cat shelter in rexburg that my friend volunteers at every week. She set up a time where matt and I could go in and look around.
The only way I can describe this place is by calling it the House-o-Cats. It doesn't look like a shelter at all with one giant room full of shiny cages and scratching posts in every corner. It is literally a house. O cats. But I love it! You walk up to the house and scurrying across the porch are cats. You walk in the door and the fur and cat food just hits you, almost as hard as the swarm of kitties that prance up to meet you.
Denzil was the first little guy that came up to me. His dark ears perked up when he saw me and I was mesmerized by his bright blue eyes. As soon as I reached down to pick him up he jumped up into my arms and nuzzled his face under my chin. His creme colored coat was so soft. He was colored exactly like my beloved childhood stuffed kitty, Cappuccino.
"Oh he's purring!" I said dreamily. "Look Matt, he likes me."
"I knew this would happen," he replied with an eye roll. "You would fall in love with the first one that came up to you."
Realizing his point, I reluctantly set Denzil down and walked with Matt over to the kitten room. He really wanted us to get a little kitten, so we could train it sooner, and Denzil was practically half grown. He already had his shots and was neutered, so he had graduated from the kitten room.
The kitten room was great. Just what you think it would be. You sit in a chair and watch all the kittens play and half of them jump up into your lap and demand attention. A little black kitten took claim of Matt's shoulders while a sweet little polydactyle kitten curled up in his lap. I could tell he liked her too. Polydactyle means that the cat is born with an extra digit. So they kind of have a thumb, but really it just looks like they are wearing mittens. So from now on in this post I will call her mitten kitten.
I liked mitten kitten too, but I had my heart set on a boy. With all my experiences with cats, boys tended to be more affectionate. So I played with an orange stripped kitten named Scout and a multi named Gage. I liked this other fluffy grey kitten but Matt was worried about the long hair shedding, so I put him out of my mind. Both Gage and Scout were really cute and fun. By the time we left Matt and I had it narrowed down to those three, (Mitten, Gage, and Scout) but I just couldn't make a decision and since Matt said I had the deciding vote, I thought it best to sleep on it.
I thought about the cats all the next day. Mittens was so tiny and she really seemed to have a thing for Matt. Gage was so sweet but not very playful. Scout was sweet too, but I noticed he was kinda sick and I just didn't want to take the risks right off the bat. But then I still couldn't get Denzil out of my mind. I told Matt this and he said the same thing. We decided to bump off Scout and add Denzil to the runnings.
That night we went back to House-o-Cats with a kitty carrier. We were going home with a kitten.
We put Denzil, Gage, and Mittens all together in a room to help us decide. After sometime I narrowed it down to the two boy kitties but in the end chose Denzil as a tribute to Cappuccino and for his pretty blue eyes. But to Matt I justified that it was because he was already neutered and had his shots.
My friend gave us some food and a little folder with all of his information and vet dates in it. Denzil walked right into the kitty carrier and didn't meow at all on the way home.
I know he's the first one I saw, but I pride myself on the fact that I greatly considered other kitties before picking him. I'm sure I made the right match though. He gets along great with both Matt and I. He sleeps with us and follows us to every room. Its so cute to see Matt interact with him. When I got home today, Denzil was curled up in his lap while he as at the computer.
"Hi, how are you?" he asked.
"Glad to be home," I sighed.
"Well, we are glad you are home too."
"We?" I asked.
"Yes, we." He replied.
Denzil's shelter name was actually Cheif, but that...didn't fit at all. But we didn't name him for days because he hadn't come up with the perfect one yet. I asked my kids at work what I should name him, and I got suggestions everywhere from Marshmellow to Circle. *shrugs*
Finally Denzil just hit me. He looks like a Denzil, and it was also the first one Matt agreed too :)
Friday, October 22, 2010
What a week.....
This week I feel like I've been running around like crazy, between work, hanging out with friends, babysiting, and more work. But I guess it was all worth it because this morning I called in for the weekend and am currently lounging on my couch watching my favorite movie eating black berries. I think I deserve it.
What Matt and I also deserve is our trip to SLC tonight to go see Say Anything, Saves the Day, and Motion City Soundtrack. We are going with a group of friends but after wards we are going to IHOP (tradition) and then Matt booked us a room at the Anniversary Inn!! Since it is a friday night, the only thing left in our price range was the log cabin themed room, but it will be nice and cozy with the fireplace and gold speckled waterfall. (can't wait to see what that is) There was actually a choice between that and the Train Car room, which was nice but I just couldn't get over the fact that they made the hot tub look like it was in a train tunnel and the train was coming right for you! Yeah that's relaxing....
So anyway. Super excited for my trip/weekend off. Not much word on the cat yet. My landlord called us on Wednesday, but left us no message. We haven't been able to get a hold of her since, but I know she is crazy busy. This is why I didn't want to get my hopes up, but we'll see. Meanwhile, Aubrey is being the bestest friend ever, and maybe later I'll explain what that means.
Hope everyone's weekend will be as fun as mine :)
What Matt and I also deserve is our trip to SLC tonight to go see Say Anything, Saves the Day, and Motion City Soundtrack. We are going with a group of friends but after wards we are going to IHOP (tradition) and then Matt booked us a room at the Anniversary Inn!! Since it is a friday night, the only thing left in our price range was the log cabin themed room, but it will be nice and cozy with the fireplace and gold speckled waterfall. (can't wait to see what that is) There was actually a choice between that and the Train Car room, which was nice but I just couldn't get over the fact that they made the hot tub look like it was in a train tunnel and the train was coming right for you! Yeah that's relaxing....
So anyway. Super excited for my trip/weekend off. Not much word on the cat yet. My landlord called us on Wednesday, but left us no message. We haven't been able to get a hold of her since, but I know she is crazy busy. This is why I didn't want to get my hopes up, but we'll see. Meanwhile, Aubrey is being the bestest friend ever, and maybe later I'll explain what that means.
Hope everyone's weekend will be as fun as mine :)
Friday, October 15, 2010
I Can Has Kitteh!!???
At this point in time, I can't really get into the details but.....
We might be getting a cat!!! Dream come true! (Of course, now that I said it, I just jinxed myself. So we'll see)
But I'm so excited and we will find out for sure in a couple of days. Our land lord has a no pet policy, but we've found a couple of ways around that. One being that we offered to pay an extra deposit and have the cat declawed. When we called her on Saturday, she seemed pretty optimistic but said she had to check with her husband and would get back to us on Monday.
With Matt and I being the animal lovers that we are, having no pets for two years seems like a decade. I just love the personality and humor they bring into the home. And Matt and I are at the point in our marriage where we are ready for a change, but still don't feel like it's quite time for kids yet. Maybe soon, but we don't see a BYU baby in our future :)
All in all, I'm not getting my hopes up. Right now I'm just feeling really anxious and nervous. So I'll keep you posted on the subject but right now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go research brands of kitty food and google how to make forging toys.
We might be getting a cat!!! Dream come true! (Of course, now that I said it, I just jinxed myself. So we'll see)
But I'm so excited and we will find out for sure in a couple of days. Our land lord has a no pet policy, but we've found a couple of ways around that. One being that we offered to pay an extra deposit and have the cat declawed. When we called her on Saturday, she seemed pretty optimistic but said she had to check with her husband and would get back to us on Monday.
With Matt and I being the animal lovers that we are, having no pets for two years seems like a decade. I just love the personality and humor they bring into the home. And Matt and I are at the point in our marriage where we are ready for a change, but still don't feel like it's quite time for kids yet. Maybe soon, but we don't see a BYU baby in our future :)
All in all, I'm not getting my hopes up. Right now I'm just feeling really anxious and nervous. So I'll keep you posted on the subject but right now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go research brands of kitty food and google how to make forging toys.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Hiya!
Wow. Its been awhile. Well, we are all settled into our new place and loving it. We are diggin' the urbany feel. And since our apartment faces the inside alley, I've been getting a lot more peace and quiet lately.
Matt's doing well in school, but struggling with OchemII. He says the teacher is different, and harder, and uses different words for the stuff...I don't really know what exactly what "stuff" he's talking about but he makes it sound like a big deal. He says the mechanisms are easier to grasp than he thought. Which is good, but I still don't know what he's talking about :) Since he's in school now, I don't see him much, except for when I take him to and from work, and when he crawls into bed at 2am.
Don't worry. He's the kind of person who can run just fine on only 6 hours. Speaking of which, I really need to get some if I'm gonna be at WM for 10 hours tomorrow. (only 8 actually working, but still)
I'll give more details before the weekend is up.
Matt's doing well in school, but struggling with OchemII. He says the teacher is different, and harder, and uses different words for the stuff...I don't really know what exactly what "stuff" he's talking about but he makes it sound like a big deal. He says the mechanisms are easier to grasp than he thought. Which is good, but I still don't know what he's talking about :) Since he's in school now, I don't see him much, except for when I take him to and from work, and when he crawls into bed at 2am.
Don't worry. He's the kind of person who can run just fine on only 6 hours. Speaking of which, I really need to get some if I'm gonna be at WM for 10 hours tomorrow. (only 8 actually working, but still)
I'll give more details before the weekend is up.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
My Life In Boxes
Well, it's Tuesday - three days before we go on vacation - and not much progress has been made with our moving situation. Except that Betty went out of town until further notice.
So with a pounding heart no other choice, I googled the owner's name and called her directly. I'd heard through someone who use to live there that she was not a pleasant person and HATED to be called at home. But I was that desperate. I'm a planner. If I can't plan things, my gears lock up and I can't function.
She didn't really seem like she was upset that I called. She gave me her cell and said that she would figure things out and call me tomorrow. Shhheww! I may not be able to move on thursday but at least I will have an answer.
Meanwhile, to keep myself sane, I've been packing up all the crap I've managed to shove in this shoebox. Any time I start to feel anxious, I point at something and say, that can go in a box. After picking out the perfect cardboard container from our pile in the corner of our living room. I carefully wrap up my valuables in free newspapers we took from the grocery store, say a silent farewell and close the lid. The packing tape is loud and reassuring as it strips off the roll. It soothes me.
This method has proved effective since I am running out of things I can pack. We are pretty much down to the bare essentials now. Just for fun I will list them in order of importance:
T.V.
PS3 & accessories
DVDs and some books
Christmas lights that have been hung in the kitchen since '08.
Otter Pops
hair straightener
Kippy
work clothes
So with a pounding heart no other choice, I googled the owner's name and called her directly. I'd heard through someone who use to live there that she was not a pleasant person and HATED to be called at home. But I was that desperate. I'm a planner. If I can't plan things, my gears lock up and I can't function.
She didn't really seem like she was upset that I called. She gave me her cell and said that she would figure things out and call me tomorrow. Shhheww! I may not be able to move on thursday but at least I will have an answer.
Meanwhile, to keep myself sane, I've been packing up all the crap I've managed to shove in this shoebox. Any time I start to feel anxious, I point at something and say, that can go in a box. After picking out the perfect cardboard container from our pile in the corner of our living room. I carefully wrap up my valuables in free newspapers we took from the grocery store, say a silent farewell and close the lid. The packing tape is loud and reassuring as it strips off the roll. It soothes me.
This method has proved effective since I am running out of things I can pack. We are pretty much down to the bare essentials now. Just for fun I will list them in order of importance:
T.V.
PS3 & accessories
DVDs and some books
Christmas lights that have been hung in the kitchen since '08.
Otter Pops
hair straightener
Kippy
work clothes
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Moving
Well, things in general have been going good, but I finally have something to talk about.
WE'RE MOVING.
Back in February when Matt and I bought Toki, we decided a good way to save money was to protest our rent going up $30 every semester and move to the cheapest place in town. Seriously. If our apartment now is a shoe box, this place is a hole in the wall. But I really don't mind. We will be saving over a hundred dollars a month for the rest of our short duration here and best of all, we won't be surrounded by the dorms, the school, the tennis courts, and thirty other apartment units. I just might get some peace and quiet.
We went on the waiting list in February and tried to sell the rest of our contract but couldn't con anyone into buying our shoe box for about two hundred dollars more than what it was worth. About every other month I had to call the manager of our new apartment and remind her that we were the people on the crumpled up post-it note that should be first on the list if only her website wasn't remedially made by someone from Idaho who doesn't understand that in the great land out east phone numbers can in fact have zeros in them.
But I digress....
No. No I don't.
This manager, we will call her Betty, is either the biggest ditz on the planet or doesn't care about her job in the least bit. She has at times left me speechless with her level of unprofessionalism. At the end of July I was getting antzy because she still hadn't called me to let me know we had an apartment for September. So once again I took matters into my own hand.
I called her up and was like, hey, its Mrs. Post-It. I asked her if she knew whether or not we would have an apartment for fall, because if not, I needed to start looking for another place. She told me she was waiting one more day to hear back from two people about whether or not they were going to renew their contract and that she would call me tomorrow. If I didn't hear back from her the next day, I should look for another place, she said.
Fair enough.
About 3:30 in the afternoon and no call. Surprise, surprise. I call her, and here are the actual words that passed between us.
Betty: Hi. I'm glad you called. I was about to leave in 10 minutes. I have an apartment for you if you are still interested.
Me: We are still interested. When can I come sign the contract?
Betty: Today before 5 would be great.
Me: Oh, it will have to be Monday because I work until 7 tonight. I'm on my lunch break now.
Betty: Well that's a problem because I have to have this contract signed by today.
Me: (Stunned. Taking a moment to gather my composure.) Wow. Had I known that I would have made other arrangements but I don't get off work until seven.
Betty: (sighs) Well, I have family coming in town tonight but I guess just stop by when you get off work.
Me: Thank you. You are too kind. I'll see you at Seven.
Fast forward a bit. I am still stunned that she wouldn't even tell me if I got the apartment I would have to sign on it that day. But when I left the house a little voice inside me told me I would need to bring my checkbook.
Now. Below I will give you a brief description of what transpired at our meeting. PLEASE let me know if you feel anything I did or said was out of line.
I found her apartment/office and when I arrived she asked her what appeared to be two year old son if he wanted to go with mommy or stay with daddy. Daddy, lounging on a bean bag chair mumbled, "He wants to go with mommy."
That's professional. Not that I minded, but I wouldn't take my kids to work. Especially not when there is a perfectly capable adult at home to watch them. But whatever.
So upon MY request we go see what is to be my new home, and she knocks on the door. I can hear someone scuffling and talking inside but no one comes to the door.
"Well, I guess their not home," Betty says. "Should we go back up and sign the contract?"
Again, stunned. "Wait, what?" I stammer in disbelief. "I can't sign for something I haven't seen."
"Well they aren't home," she says matter-of-factly. I'm starting to wonder what she is hiding.
"Actually, they are. I heard someone inside. Don't you have a key?"
"I do, but this is their home and I'm not just going to barge in."
"Well I'm not going to sign into a legal contract on something I haven't even seen. I've been scammed before."
At this point, she made an effort to pick up her son and hold him close to her. Her doey eyes turning all defensive. "You don't have to sign the contract," she said.
"How would I know if I want to sign it if I haven't even seen the place? I can't do that."
I was about to plead with her and ask her if I could come back tomorrow or monday and try again, when by only the grace of God the current tenants emerged from the den of mystery. They seemed happy to let me take a look around. I didn't notice any gaping holes in the wall or creepy stains in the carpet and the toilet flushed just fine. But still. I'm not stupid enough to sign on a place I haven't seen.
So when Betty and I go up to sign the contract, I asked her if I needed to pay the deposit today. When she said yes, I said, "Glad I thought of that."
We talked about when we can move in. The current tenants had paid for the entire month of August but were planning on moving out early for part of the 7 week break. I told her we were going on vacation on the 20th and wouldn't be getting back til the end of August. It would help us out a lot if we could move in on the 19th. She told me she would have me get with the current tenants so we could arrange way I could buy out the last half of their contract for August.
When I told her I didn't have the money to do that she said, "Well I'll just call you then if they move out before the 19th.
Yes, I'm sure you will, Betty.
WE'RE MOVING.
Back in February when Matt and I bought Toki, we decided a good way to save money was to protest our rent going up $30 every semester and move to the cheapest place in town. Seriously. If our apartment now is a shoe box, this place is a hole in the wall. But I really don't mind. We will be saving over a hundred dollars a month for the rest of our short duration here and best of all, we won't be surrounded by the dorms, the school, the tennis courts, and thirty other apartment units. I just might get some peace and quiet.
We went on the waiting list in February and tried to sell the rest of our contract but couldn't con anyone into buying our shoe box for about two hundred dollars more than what it was worth. About every other month I had to call the manager of our new apartment and remind her that we were the people on the crumpled up post-it note that should be first on the list if only her website wasn't remedially made by someone from Idaho who doesn't understand that in the great land out east phone numbers can in fact have zeros in them.
But I digress....
No. No I don't.
This manager, we will call her Betty, is either the biggest ditz on the planet or doesn't care about her job in the least bit. She has at times left me speechless with her level of unprofessionalism. At the end of July I was getting antzy because she still hadn't called me to let me know we had an apartment for September. So once again I took matters into my own hand.
I called her up and was like, hey, its Mrs. Post-It. I asked her if she knew whether or not we would have an apartment for fall, because if not, I needed to start looking for another place. She told me she was waiting one more day to hear back from two people about whether or not they were going to renew their contract and that she would call me tomorrow. If I didn't hear back from her the next day, I should look for another place, she said.
Fair enough.
About 3:30 in the afternoon and no call. Surprise, surprise. I call her, and here are the actual words that passed between us.
Betty: Hi. I'm glad you called. I was about to leave in 10 minutes. I have an apartment for you if you are still interested.
Me: We are still interested. When can I come sign the contract?
Betty: Today before 5 would be great.
Me: Oh, it will have to be Monday because I work until 7 tonight. I'm on my lunch break now.
Betty: Well that's a problem because I have to have this contract signed by today.
Me: (Stunned. Taking a moment to gather my composure.) Wow. Had I known that I would have made other arrangements but I don't get off work until seven.
Betty: (sighs) Well, I have family coming in town tonight but I guess just stop by when you get off work.
Me: Thank you. You are too kind. I'll see you at Seven.
Fast forward a bit. I am still stunned that she wouldn't even tell me if I got the apartment I would have to sign on it that day. But when I left the house a little voice inside me told me I would need to bring my checkbook.
Now. Below I will give you a brief description of what transpired at our meeting. PLEASE let me know if you feel anything I did or said was out of line.
I found her apartment/office and when I arrived she asked her what appeared to be two year old son if he wanted to go with mommy or stay with daddy. Daddy, lounging on a bean bag chair mumbled, "He wants to go with mommy."
That's professional. Not that I minded, but I wouldn't take my kids to work. Especially not when there is a perfectly capable adult at home to watch them. But whatever.
So upon MY request we go see what is to be my new home, and she knocks on the door. I can hear someone scuffling and talking inside but no one comes to the door.
"Well, I guess their not home," Betty says. "Should we go back up and sign the contract?"
Again, stunned. "Wait, what?" I stammer in disbelief. "I can't sign for something I haven't seen."
"Well they aren't home," she says matter-of-factly. I'm starting to wonder what she is hiding.
"Actually, they are. I heard someone inside. Don't you have a key?"
"I do, but this is their home and I'm not just going to barge in."
"Well I'm not going to sign into a legal contract on something I haven't even seen. I've been scammed before."
At this point, she made an effort to pick up her son and hold him close to her. Her doey eyes turning all defensive. "You don't have to sign the contract," she said.
"How would I know if I want to sign it if I haven't even seen the place? I can't do that."
I was about to plead with her and ask her if I could come back tomorrow or monday and try again, when by only the grace of God the current tenants emerged from the den of mystery. They seemed happy to let me take a look around. I didn't notice any gaping holes in the wall or creepy stains in the carpet and the toilet flushed just fine. But still. I'm not stupid enough to sign on a place I haven't seen.
So when Betty and I go up to sign the contract, I asked her if I needed to pay the deposit today. When she said yes, I said, "Glad I thought of that."
We talked about when we can move in. The current tenants had paid for the entire month of August but were planning on moving out early for part of the 7 week break. I told her we were going on vacation on the 20th and wouldn't be getting back til the end of August. It would help us out a lot if we could move in on the 19th. She told me she would have me get with the current tenants so we could arrange way I could buy out the last half of their contract for August.
When I told her I didn't have the money to do that she said, "Well I'll just call you then if they move out before the 19th.
Yes, I'm sure you will, Betty.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Really Really Sorry
I know I haven't written in a while. I know that. I'm sorry.
MY LIFE IS JUST SO BORING RIGHT NOW!!! I like it. But to everyone else it's probably boring. There isn't much to even say about my trip home. Except that it was relaxing.
Sorry to both of you guys who read this. Please forgive me :)
MY LIFE IS JUST SO BORING RIGHT NOW!!! I like it. But to everyone else it's probably boring. There isn't much to even say about my trip home. Except that it was relaxing.
Sorry to both of you guys who read this. Please forgive me :)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Adventures In The Chair
I am a self-proclaimed procrastinator in two things: filling the gas tank, and going to the dentist. You can guess which one gets me into more trouble.
Its not the needles. Really. (even though I know from personal experience which spot in your mouth is the most painful to receive anesthetic) Its not the numb lip, or the little bib they put around you just in case the local anesthetic causes you to loose control of your saliva glands. It isn't even the instruments that mimic the shrieks echoing from the darkest depths of hell.
No. What keeps me far away from any animated teeth wearing shades and grasping toothbrushes like sabers, is the ridicule. That's right. Dentists are snobby, money hungry, and just down right mean! And not to mention creepy.
Here's how I see it. If I'm going to shell out HUNDREDS, maybe even THOUSANDS of dollars I expect not necessarily respect but to at least be treated like a human being.
You have to understand....I got braces when I was in 4th grade, and didn't even get them off until I was a freshman in high school. Braces are a life changing event. Believe me, I could dedicate and entire blog just to the horrors of headgear. Its not like you go to the orthodontist one day, and he's like, "Here's your braces, have a nice day!" Oh no! Check-ups every 8 weeks. And usually with check-ups come....*grimace*.....tightening.
The Ortho tries to dress it up and make it "fun" by letting you choose the shade of rubber band he so sadistically wraps around your tooth. "Well it's December now. How about some Christmas colors, eh?"
Eggh. Anyway. That's not the worst of it. Every check-up the ortho would be "frustrated" because the progress wasn't going the way he'd expected. He'd complain that I wasn't brushing right or not wearing my headgear. (even though I had the dark circles from sleepless nights to prove it!) I would always think, well, stop crabbing at me. I'm 13. I didn't put these on myself. ;/
But probably the most disturbing visit was the last one, when he presented me with Polaroids of my progress through the ages. I was non-nonchalantly flipping through them when I found ones of my eleven year old self passed out cold in the chair.
"Oh, that's when you fell asleep," he played off. "Isn't it cute?"
Just for the record, I don't ever remember being asleep there. EVER.
I'll admit, getting my wisdom teeth surgically removed was probably the best two weekends of my life. They basically consisted of skipping work, sleeping, watching movies, eating ice cream, and taking controlled substances in two hour intervals.
Few years back I had a root canal and had to go to an "specialist." The entire two hours I was in that chair he never said one word to me that wasn't some sort of a command. No "hello, I'm the guy with the drill," no exchanging of pleasantries, nothing. I might as well have been a Mitsubishi.
But I digress....
Over the last few years, there have been several occurrences where a normal person would have gone to the dentist. I never got a crown on one of my root canals. This negligence resulted in a swirling black hole where enamel should be on my back molar. Last year, my front tooth filling was pulled off by a starburst, leaving behind an embarrassing brown spot. Oh well, I thought. At least I'll fit in better at Walmart.
For a few months I ate on the right side of my mouth, because if the other side came in contact with anything like salt, sugar, hot or cold beverage, I would sometimes feel a sharp pain jetting up into my upper jaw. The pain would eventually throb into the neighbor teeth until it was calmed by ibuprofen. But eventually ibuprofen stopped working. And even extra strength Tylenol stopped soothing the pain. Once I started waking up in the middle of the night and swallowing any pills I could find, hoping and praying that I would wake up alive the next day, I knew my fate was inevitable. I was going to have to go to the dentist.
With a heavy heart, I broke the news to Matt at 4 am. We have no insurance. This was going to be a doosie. Over two thousand dollars, according to the only dentist that was open on a Saturday. Luckily, he was so busy, he just prescribed me some awesome drugs and rescheduled me for a week later. Leaving me plenty of time to search for a cheeper, I mean, second opinion.
And I found one. Following rumors and doing my homework saved us about $800. And I'll say, this place was more like a day spa than a dentist's office. An LCD t.v. A fire place in the corner, (next to the chaise, of coarse) and headphones. The hygienist put a fancy pillow under my knees and a gas mask over my nose. I really want to bottle that stuff and bring it home. That stuff is great. The best way I can put it into words, is that I was (excuse my french) tripping balls. I was totally disconnected from my body, having a "meaning of life" conversation with...someone....I think it was a Care Bear. The green one. Or maybe the yellow one. And when I closed my eyes, I learned the most intricate secrets of the universe. To bad I can't remember any of it.
I do remember this. Dr. Dentist waited till I was completely under to say, out of no where, "I really hope your husband appreciates you." To which I replied, "Its all good."
That's what Care Bear said anyway.
Its not the needles. Really. (even though I know from personal experience which spot in your mouth is the most painful to receive anesthetic) Its not the numb lip, or the little bib they put around you just in case the local anesthetic causes you to loose control of your saliva glands. It isn't even the instruments that mimic the shrieks echoing from the darkest depths of hell.
No. What keeps me far away from any animated teeth wearing shades and grasping toothbrushes like sabers, is the ridicule. That's right. Dentists are snobby, money hungry, and just down right mean! And not to mention creepy.
Here's how I see it. If I'm going to shell out HUNDREDS, maybe even THOUSANDS of dollars I expect not necessarily respect but to at least be treated like a human being.
You have to understand....I got braces when I was in 4th grade, and didn't even get them off until I was a freshman in high school. Braces are a life changing event. Believe me, I could dedicate and entire blog just to the horrors of headgear. Its not like you go to the orthodontist one day, and he's like, "Here's your braces, have a nice day!" Oh no! Check-ups every 8 weeks. And usually with check-ups come....*grimace*.....tightening.
The Ortho tries to dress it up and make it "fun" by letting you choose the shade of rubber band he so sadistically wraps around your tooth. "Well it's December now. How about some Christmas colors, eh?"
Eggh. Anyway. That's not the worst of it. Every check-up the ortho would be "frustrated" because the progress wasn't going the way he'd expected. He'd complain that I wasn't brushing right or not wearing my headgear. (even though I had the dark circles from sleepless nights to prove it!) I would always think, well, stop crabbing at me. I'm 13. I didn't put these on myself. ;/
But probably the most disturbing visit was the last one, when he presented me with Polaroids of my progress through the ages. I was non-nonchalantly flipping through them when I found ones of my eleven year old self passed out cold in the chair.
"Oh, that's when you fell asleep," he played off. "Isn't it cute?"
Just for the record, I don't ever remember being asleep there. EVER.
I'll admit, getting my wisdom teeth surgically removed was probably the best two weekends of my life. They basically consisted of skipping work, sleeping, watching movies, eating ice cream, and taking controlled substances in two hour intervals.
Few years back I had a root canal and had to go to an "specialist." The entire two hours I was in that chair he never said one word to me that wasn't some sort of a command. No "hello, I'm the guy with the drill," no exchanging of pleasantries, nothing. I might as well have been a Mitsubishi.
But I digress....
Over the last few years, there have been several occurrences where a normal person would have gone to the dentist. I never got a crown on one of my root canals. This negligence resulted in a swirling black hole where enamel should be on my back molar. Last year, my front tooth filling was pulled off by a starburst, leaving behind an embarrassing brown spot. Oh well, I thought. At least I'll fit in better at Walmart.
For a few months I ate on the right side of my mouth, because if the other side came in contact with anything like salt, sugar, hot or cold beverage, I would sometimes feel a sharp pain jetting up into my upper jaw. The pain would eventually throb into the neighbor teeth until it was calmed by ibuprofen. But eventually ibuprofen stopped working. And even extra strength Tylenol stopped soothing the pain. Once I started waking up in the middle of the night and swallowing any pills I could find, hoping and praying that I would wake up alive the next day, I knew my fate was inevitable. I was going to have to go to the dentist.
With a heavy heart, I broke the news to Matt at 4 am. We have no insurance. This was going to be a doosie. Over two thousand dollars, according to the only dentist that was open on a Saturday. Luckily, he was so busy, he just prescribed me some awesome drugs and rescheduled me for a week later. Leaving me plenty of time to search for a cheeper, I mean, second opinion.
And I found one. Following rumors and doing my homework saved us about $800. And I'll say, this place was more like a day spa than a dentist's office. An LCD t.v. A fire place in the corner, (next to the chaise, of coarse) and headphones. The hygienist put a fancy pillow under my knees and a gas mask over my nose. I really want to bottle that stuff and bring it home. That stuff is great. The best way I can put it into words, is that I was (excuse my french) tripping balls. I was totally disconnected from my body, having a "meaning of life" conversation with...someone....I think it was a Care Bear. The green one. Or maybe the yellow one. And when I closed my eyes, I learned the most intricate secrets of the universe. To bad I can't remember any of it.
I do remember this. Dr. Dentist waited till I was completely under to say, out of no where, "I really hope your husband appreciates you." To which I replied, "Its all good."
That's what Care Bear said anyway.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Matt Starts School
Its only been two days, but take one look at our apartment and you'll know it is currently occupied by a student. A backpack, fully stocked, sits anxiously by the front door. Books and binders are scattered about the couch and coffee table. The computer in the bedroom constantly displays a document written in some sort of foreign math format.
When Matthew is home, he is distant - with good reason. He is either nose deep in a heavy text book, frantically scribbling on a piece of paper, or hunched over the computer desperately trying to stay awake. I only utter a few select phrases to him, and he usually only responds after a long pause. I really don't mind. I mostly feel sorry for him.
This brings mixed feelings on my part. After a long, somewhat leisurely, semester off, we are both excited he is progressing in his schooling again. But I'm also suppressing my worries. He is taking some difficult classes, and while I'm confident he can do it, I don't want him to be overwhelmed. I also can't help but think back to last summer. It sucked. Many times we passed each other on the stairs and I only saw him to kiss him goodnight and good morning. While others packed up to go camping or travel to see family, we shlepped off to our jobs, exhausted. We were, however, very blessed to spend a weekend with his sister after a lot of fanagling and maneuvering.
I'm hoping this summer will be different. I know it will be on my part at least. I know what to expect from him right now, and I honestly have come to terms with it. I think I will enjoy our time together a lot more now. I know "dates" will be fewer and farther between, but we can still have little moments during the day when his mind isn't on school or work. I know that on these dates he may feel the need to trace the PH formula on the restaurant table cloth. But it's all part of his learning process. I'm also working less hours at the job I hate than I was last summer. I have a feeling that's going to help a lot.
But I'll let you know how it goes.
When Matthew is home, he is distant - with good reason. He is either nose deep in a heavy text book, frantically scribbling on a piece of paper, or hunched over the computer desperately trying to stay awake. I only utter a few select phrases to him, and he usually only responds after a long pause. I really don't mind. I mostly feel sorry for him.
This brings mixed feelings on my part. After a long, somewhat leisurely, semester off, we are both excited he is progressing in his schooling again. But I'm also suppressing my worries. He is taking some difficult classes, and while I'm confident he can do it, I don't want him to be overwhelmed. I also can't help but think back to last summer. It sucked. Many times we passed each other on the stairs and I only saw him to kiss him goodnight and good morning. While others packed up to go camping or travel to see family, we shlepped off to our jobs, exhausted. We were, however, very blessed to spend a weekend with his sister after a lot of fanagling and maneuvering.
I'm hoping this summer will be different. I know it will be on my part at least. I know what to expect from him right now, and I honestly have come to terms with it. I think I will enjoy our time together a lot more now. I know "dates" will be fewer and farther between, but we can still have little moments during the day when his mind isn't on school or work. I know that on these dates he may feel the need to trace the PH formula on the restaurant table cloth. But it's all part of his learning process. I'm also working less hours at the job I hate than I was last summer. I have a feeling that's going to help a lot.
But I'll let you know how it goes.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Feb, Mar, Apr.
For a couple of reasons, I've fallen out of the blogsphere for a while. Mostly because its hard for me to write when I don't have anything to write about. For the last couple of months, the blogs that I read all seem to consist of topics like, "I'm having a baby!" or "I graduated!" or "We're moving!" "We bought a house!" "Baby pictures!" "I got the job!"
Which are all great, happy things. But the most breaking news in my life would have to be...."I bought new jeans!" I'm not unhappy with my life, (except for one teensy weensy part of it....226 days) but in this place it constantly feels like everyone is rushing past my while we are just slowly creeping along. I'm very hesitant to get to know people, since most likely they will be leaving this land of limbo before I do.
One of the blogs I read is a girl who mostly writes about the stuff she likes to read and watch. I couldn't do much of that either, since most things I like aren't very popular and I'm kind of embarrassed by them.
So with nothing important to say, I've just said nothing at all. My father-in-law, who is one of the two people that read this blog, has been missing it, which is kinda nice to know. So for his sake, here is what's been going on the last few months:
I'm still working. At the gym and WM. The gym is great. Its hard work, but it feels good to be using a skill I have to make a living. A meager one, but a living nonetheless. WM still sucks. Even more so, now that they instituted this new program that makes us write down everything we do and take our breaks at specific times. We have about as much independence as kindergartners during nap time. Not to mention it makes every weekend an 18 hour period for me to think about the terrible decisions I made in high school and college.
That's basically all thats new, er, going on, with me specifically. I'm thinking about making a decision. Something that would change a lot of things. But I'm not going to make any official announcement until I tell my parents. Matt is still working full-time, but getting ready to go back to part time as the new semester starts. I'll be praying hard for him everyday, since he's taking a lot of brain melting classes. I know he can do it, but not without a lot of studying and patience.
I'm getting excited for the warm weather. There was a blizzard today :) Yesterday was really nice though. We took a walk without jackets on. And this morning, I had to shovel out the car.
*shrugs*
Which are all great, happy things. But the most breaking news in my life would have to be...."I bought new jeans!" I'm not unhappy with my life, (except for one teensy weensy part of it....226 days) but in this place it constantly feels like everyone is rushing past my while we are just slowly creeping along. I'm very hesitant to get to know people, since most likely they will be leaving this land of limbo before I do.
One of the blogs I read is a girl who mostly writes about the stuff she likes to read and watch. I couldn't do much of that either, since most things I like aren't very popular and I'm kind of embarrassed by them.
So with nothing important to say, I've just said nothing at all. My father-in-law, who is one of the two people that read this blog, has been missing it, which is kinda nice to know. So for his sake, here is what's been going on the last few months:
I'm still working. At the gym and WM. The gym is great. Its hard work, but it feels good to be using a skill I have to make a living. A meager one, but a living nonetheless. WM still sucks. Even more so, now that they instituted this new program that makes us write down everything we do and take our breaks at specific times. We have about as much independence as kindergartners during nap time. Not to mention it makes every weekend an 18 hour period for me to think about the terrible decisions I made in high school and college.
That's basically all thats new, er, going on, with me specifically. I'm thinking about making a decision. Something that would change a lot of things. But I'm not going to make any official announcement until I tell my parents. Matt is still working full-time, but getting ready to go back to part time as the new semester starts. I'll be praying hard for him everyday, since he's taking a lot of brain melting classes. I know he can do it, but not without a lot of studying and patience.
I'm getting excited for the warm weather. There was a blizzard today :) Yesterday was really nice though. We took a walk without jackets on. And this morning, I had to shovel out the car.
*shrugs*
Monday, March 1, 2010
Joyeux Anniversaire!!
My Burffday. (cuz that's how black people say it)
My birthday started out like any other day. I got up sometime around 8 am, and picked out my sweatpants for the day. Being that this was a special day, I chose the snazzy black velvet sweatpants and matching jacket that Kaye got me for Christmas. I absolutely love it. It's pretty much the most professional sweatsuit I've ever seen.
On the way to work I grabbed breakfast at Jamba, a special treat I do about once a month. No one really knew it was my birthday, but I didn't mind. I used the time to quietly soak in the concept of 25. I actually have a strict "NO WORK ON BIRTHDAY" policy. But I'm only at the gym on Mondays for about 2 1/2 hours anyway. Everyone tells me how much my kids miss me when I'm gone so rather than finding a sub I just celebrated with them.
After work I just took the next few hours to relax. I took a long shower and layed around while my hair dried watching Marie Antoinette, a birthday tradition I started about three years ago. Its one of my favorite movies, for lots of little reasons I have a hard time explaining.
All the while, Matt was running around doing errands. It was weird to sit there and let him do everything. During the afternoon he was in and out of the apartment twice, bringing in shopping bags and making phone calls. "Is that what I look like?" I wondered.
Monday was not only my birthday, but also the only night that Matt, myself, Scott and Chelsea were all off work. We owe them dinner for a lot of help they gave us during our car crisis. So we went to 5 GUYS. Best. Burgers. Ever. And fries. Don't even argue with me.
After dinner we met more friends at this little joint in Rex where you can play laser tag and mini-golf. I decided I wanted to go out and actually DO something for my birthday, and that is pretty much the only indoor activity in Rexburg except the rock wall company that is in the gym I work at. :/
I'll be honest, laser tag could have been better. I've only been twice before, and both times were really fun, the main reason being our group of friends were the only individuals involved. But this particular night at The Craze was hoppin'. Lots of FHE families wanted to play laser tag and The Craze shoved as many people in that room that standard fire codes would allow. So, being under the impression that I was going to play laser tag with MY friends on MY birthday and was instead forced into a room of strangers, the majority of them being pre-adolescent boys who do nothing all night but first-person-shooters, I was a little perturbed.
It was literally like shooting fish in a barrel. And more often than not, I was a fish. Once I figured out my strategy of crouching in one place and shooting anyone that came near me, it was fun.
After The Craze, we went back to my apartment lounge and had burffday cake. A few days earlier, Matt and I went to the grocery store and picked out a cute little white chocolate and strawberry number.
This is how dorky the people are I hang out with are: When "Happy Birthday" was sung, I heard three different languages!
Aubrey said Matt did a really good job picking out my presents and I'll say I have to agree. Since I was debating so long about whether or not I wanted a birthday, I never really told him what I wanted. When he would ask me, jokingly I would say, "A basket of assorted kittens, or one puppy." But he took all of my interests and hobbies in mind and did a great job. I love him :)
My birthday started out like any other day. I got up sometime around 8 am, and picked out my sweatpants for the day. Being that this was a special day, I chose the snazzy black velvet sweatpants and matching jacket that Kaye got me for Christmas. I absolutely love it. It's pretty much the most professional sweatsuit I've ever seen.
On the way to work I grabbed breakfast at Jamba, a special treat I do about once a month. No one really knew it was my birthday, but I didn't mind. I used the time to quietly soak in the concept of 25. I actually have a strict "NO WORK ON BIRTHDAY" policy. But I'm only at the gym on Mondays for about 2 1/2 hours anyway. Everyone tells me how much my kids miss me when I'm gone so rather than finding a sub I just celebrated with them.
After work I just took the next few hours to relax. I took a long shower and layed around while my hair dried watching Marie Antoinette, a birthday tradition I started about three years ago. Its one of my favorite movies, for lots of little reasons I have a hard time explaining.
All the while, Matt was running around doing errands. It was weird to sit there and let him do everything. During the afternoon he was in and out of the apartment twice, bringing in shopping bags and making phone calls. "Is that what I look like?" I wondered.
Monday was not only my birthday, but also the only night that Matt, myself, Scott and Chelsea were all off work. We owe them dinner for a lot of help they gave us during our car crisis. So we went to 5 GUYS. Best. Burgers. Ever. And fries. Don't even argue with me.
After dinner we met more friends at this little joint in Rex where you can play laser tag and mini-golf. I decided I wanted to go out and actually DO something for my birthday, and that is pretty much the only indoor activity in Rexburg except the rock wall company that is in the gym I work at. :/
I'll be honest, laser tag could have been better. I've only been twice before, and both times were really fun, the main reason being our group of friends were the only individuals involved. But this particular night at The Craze was hoppin'. Lots of FHE families wanted to play laser tag and The Craze shoved as many people in that room that standard fire codes would allow. So, being under the impression that I was going to play laser tag with MY friends on MY birthday and was instead forced into a room of strangers, the majority of them being pre-adolescent boys who do nothing all night but first-person-shooters, I was a little perturbed.
It was literally like shooting fish in a barrel. And more often than not, I was a fish. Once I figured out my strategy of crouching in one place and shooting anyone that came near me, it was fun.
After The Craze, we went back to my apartment lounge and had burffday cake. A few days earlier, Matt and I went to the grocery store and picked out a cute little white chocolate and strawberry number.
This is how dorky the people are I hang out with are: When "Happy Birthday" was sung, I heard three different languages!
Aubrey said Matt did a really good job picking out my presents and I'll say I have to agree. Since I was debating so long about whether or not I wanted a birthday, I never really told him what I wanted. When he would ask me, jokingly I would say, "A basket of assorted kittens, or one puppy." But he took all of my interests and hobbies in mind and did a great job. I love him :)
Friday, February 19, 2010
279 Days
First of all, Kudos to Stacey for knowing who Lady Yuna is. I honestly wasn't expecting that ;)
I have good news. (imagine that) Stay tuned.....
So. The deadline I've been dreading for a while now has begun to rear it's sparkly little head. My 25th birthday.
25 has always been a big deal to me. Never mind I'm halfway to fifty, inching older every year has never bothered me. Back in the day, of my nine year old mind, 25 was how old Barbie was; with her shiny plastic heels to match her pink corvette, her rock star boyfriend, her glamorous job as a flight attendant, and of course, her magical endless closet. That is what 25 was to me.
Now a days, 25 has brought me the hot blonde guy, a cute car, and a pretty sweet closet and the boobs to go with it. Frankly, I have the most glamorous job you can have while wearing sweatpants and a babydoll tee. But in all honesty, the Barbie in me blossomed a little early.
I remember my 22nd birthday vividly: Lounging in my walk in closet, bare legs flung against the angel wing mural I painted myself. Admiring the way my tan ankles looked in my gold glitter peeped toed heels as I gabbed to my bff, absentmindedly twirling a blonde lock through my fingers. I was telling her how stoked I was that the cute blue eyed boy I hadn't seen since highschool called to wish me a happy birthday. <----guess who) The birthday card and rose from my disposable crush tossed aside on the floor beside me. All the while, my roommate waiting impatiently for me to hurry up and get ready so he could take me out for a drink.
So I've had my fun. And I kept what was important from those experiences. The blue eyed boy, and the gold glitter shoes. (I took a picture of the mural and then reluctantly painted over it when I moved out.)
The thing is, when I pictured my life at 25, I never imagined I would be working a crap job at a place I hate. I didn't know how, but I always thought I would amount to something better than that. sigh.
I'm a gym coach through the week, and only work there on the weekends to supplement hours, I know. I do realize this. But I'm just not sure the parents of my students do....Don't, for one second, think I don't notice the slight frown in their scrutinizing eyebrows after they say, "Oh, you *work* here." Yes. Sadly, I do. The job, itself, I don't mind. I fold clothes. I answer the phones. whatev. The other five and a half hours of the day, I go bother Matt, browse the magazines, and take power naps in the bathroom. If it weren't for the costumers, it would be a pretty fun job. I don't even mind the mindless questions. But there is no end to the amount of disrespect I have to grin and bear through. And so it was last weekend that I reached my breaking point.
Observe:
I was sniffing the candles and testing the new throw pillows, minding my own business, when they called me up to "people greet". I politely declined. I told them I didn't do that, but it turns out I was the only one in the entire store who was available. Still, I refused, pointing out that "people greeting" is a useless job and was not the best use of my time. Do you know what the manger's insistent excuse was? Do you???? And I qoute, "It's store policy. You have to do it, or you will be coached." Coached is the ninny pants way of saying "written up". I had no problem with being handed a pink piece of paper I could crumple up and toss away, but I figured my husband might be upset.
Long story short, I swallowed the last few ounces of my dignity, gazed into the eyes of strangers and uttered muted hellos. It was terrifying, I assure you. As the nightmare unfolded, I began to remember all my high school teachers threatening us with this very experience. Stay in school, or all you will amount to is a people greeter at walmart. I began to think back and reflect on the decisions of my life that had lead me to that moment. Matt must have noticed the tears beginning to well up in my eyes because he came over and heroicly took my place. I heart him.
He didn't mind it, he said. It reminded him of being on his mission.
It was after that I decided that I had the ability to decide this was going to be over. I wanted a light at the end of the humiliating tunnel. That's why I chose Black Friday. 279 days from now. To support Matt on the one day of the year hell breaks loose on earth, I will fight honorably beside him. Then I will hang up my name badge forever, and together we will celebrate with a long nap and chinese food. Matt graduates a few months after that anyway. We'll live...one way or another.
Later I'll post about my trip home. It was a good one :)
I have good news. (imagine that) Stay tuned.....
So. The deadline I've been dreading for a while now has begun to rear it's sparkly little head. My 25th birthday.
25 has always been a big deal to me. Never mind I'm halfway to fifty, inching older every year has never bothered me. Back in the day, of my nine year old mind, 25 was how old Barbie was; with her shiny plastic heels to match her pink corvette, her rock star boyfriend, her glamorous job as a flight attendant, and of course, her magical endless closet. That is what 25 was to me.
Now a days, 25 has brought me the hot blonde guy, a cute car, and a pretty sweet closet and the boobs to go with it. Frankly, I have the most glamorous job you can have while wearing sweatpants and a babydoll tee. But in all honesty, the Barbie in me blossomed a little early.
I remember my 22nd birthday vividly: Lounging in my walk in closet, bare legs flung against the angel wing mural I painted myself. Admiring the way my tan ankles looked in my gold glitter peeped toed heels as I gabbed to my bff, absentmindedly twirling a blonde lock through my fingers. I was telling her how stoked I was that the cute blue eyed boy I hadn't seen since highschool called to wish me a happy birthday. <----guess who) The birthday card and rose from my disposable crush tossed aside on the floor beside me. All the while, my roommate waiting impatiently for me to hurry up and get ready so he could take me out for a drink.
So I've had my fun. And I kept what was important from those experiences. The blue eyed boy, and the gold glitter shoes. (I took a picture of the mural and then reluctantly painted over it when I moved out.)
The thing is, when I pictured my life at 25, I never imagined I would be working a crap job at a place I hate. I didn't know how, but I always thought I would amount to something better than that. sigh.
I'm a gym coach through the week, and only work there on the weekends to supplement hours, I know. I do realize this. But I'm just not sure the parents of my students do....Don't, for one second, think I don't notice the slight frown in their scrutinizing eyebrows after they say, "Oh, you *work* here." Yes. Sadly, I do. The job, itself, I don't mind. I fold clothes. I answer the phones. whatev. The other five and a half hours of the day, I go bother Matt, browse the magazines, and take power naps in the bathroom. If it weren't for the costumers, it would be a pretty fun job. I don't even mind the mindless questions. But there is no end to the amount of disrespect I have to grin and bear through. And so it was last weekend that I reached my breaking point.
Observe:
I was sniffing the candles and testing the new throw pillows, minding my own business, when they called me up to "people greet". I politely declined. I told them I didn't do that, but it turns out I was the only one in the entire store who was available. Still, I refused, pointing out that "people greeting" is a useless job and was not the best use of my time. Do you know what the manger's insistent excuse was? Do you???? And I qoute, "It's store policy. You have to do it, or you will be coached." Coached is the ninny pants way of saying "written up". I had no problem with being handed a pink piece of paper I could crumple up and toss away, but I figured my husband might be upset.
Long story short, I swallowed the last few ounces of my dignity, gazed into the eyes of strangers and uttered muted hellos. It was terrifying, I assure you. As the nightmare unfolded, I began to remember all my high school teachers threatening us with this very experience. Stay in school, or all you will amount to is a people greeter at walmart. I began to think back and reflect on the decisions of my life that had lead me to that moment. Matt must have noticed the tears beginning to well up in my eyes because he came over and heroicly took my place. I heart him.
He didn't mind it, he said. It reminded him of being on his mission.
It was after that I decided that I had the ability to decide this was going to be over. I wanted a light at the end of the humiliating tunnel. That's why I chose Black Friday. 279 days from now. To support Matt on the one day of the year hell breaks loose on earth, I will fight honorably beside him. Then I will hang up my name badge forever, and together we will celebrate with a long nap and chinese food. Matt graduates a few months after that anyway. We'll live...one way or another.
Later I'll post about my trip home. It was a good one :)
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Nerd Alert
Not much has happened since the last post, but its been a crazy couple of weeks.
* We picked out a car from my dad's lot. An '05 Ford Focus. The selling point was it's low mileage. I wasn't planning on sticking the name on the car like Sister Rosalina, but then my dad called me and said he had the stencil guy at his lot and wanted to know it's name. Long story short, we named him Toki :/
* We got a loan for Toki. Then, miraculously, Matt learned that because of his GPA, he is receiving extra grant money in the spring that equals our car payments for one year. He's so smart :)
* I got a hair cut.
* Matt did not get a hair cut, but I'm diggin it.
* By the grace of God, and our generous friends, we've managed to find rides to work for the last three weeks!!!!
* I have successfully gone without a migraine for one month!!!
Lastly, its fictional character week on facebook. This is who I picked. Ten points if you know who she is. But most of you probably don't. *shrugs*
This is Yuna from the video game Final Fantasy X and FFX-2. I'm not really sure if we have a similar personality, but I do like her, and have cosplayed her on a few embarrassing incidences. She's not a stupid girl, like so many in popular lit now-a-days. Boys were none of her concern in the first game, as she was too busy saving the world. Granted, the second game was based around trying to find the cute boy that disappeared at the end of game one, but when it became apparent that he was history, Yuna easily moved on with her life. Of course the story would have sucked if she wasn't reunited with him after all. But Final Fantasy has never let me down. And she has guns. AND she flies around on an airship with her two best gal friends fighting monsters and conspirators. That sounds like fun to me.
Here are some other candidates that may be in some part close to my quirky personality:
* Rouge from Xmen
* Sheldon from Big Bang Theory
* Alice from Wonderland (the book version)
* Bio Robot Girl from "The Outsiders"
* Gwen Stefani
* We picked out a car from my dad's lot. An '05 Ford Focus. The selling point was it's low mileage. I wasn't planning on sticking the name on the car like Sister Rosalina, but then my dad called me and said he had the stencil guy at his lot and wanted to know it's name. Long story short, we named him Toki :/
* We got a loan for Toki. Then, miraculously, Matt learned that because of his GPA, he is receiving extra grant money in the spring that equals our car payments for one year. He's so smart :)
* I got a hair cut.
* Matt did not get a hair cut, but I'm diggin it.
* By the grace of God, and our generous friends, we've managed to find rides to work for the last three weeks!!!!
* I have successfully gone without a migraine for one month!!!
Lastly, its fictional character week on facebook. This is who I picked. Ten points if you know who she is. But most of you probably don't. *shrugs*
This is Yuna from the video game Final Fantasy X and FFX-2. I'm not really sure if we have a similar personality, but I do like her, and have cosplayed her on a few embarrassing incidences. She's not a stupid girl, like so many in popular lit now-a-days. Boys were none of her concern in the first game, as she was too busy saving the world. Granted, the second game was based around trying to find the cute boy that disappeared at the end of game one, but when it became apparent that he was history, Yuna easily moved on with her life. Of course the story would have sucked if she wasn't reunited with him after all. But Final Fantasy has never let me down. And she has guns. AND she flies around on an airship with her two best gal friends fighting monsters and conspirators. That sounds like fun to me.
Here are some other candidates that may be in some part close to my quirky personality:
* Rouge from Xmen
* Sheldon from Big Bang Theory
* Alice from Wonderland (the book version)
* Bio Robot Girl from "The Outsiders"
* Gwen Stefani
Monday, January 4, 2010
The Wizards of Winco
Its been one helluva week.
Rosie is still at the shop. Kenny spent practically the whole day taking her transmission out. I knew the task would be time consuming, as he has cursed the engineers of my Dodge on countless occasions. I was with Aubrey today when he called her, and I heard him mumble that Sister Rosalina needed to go back to the convent.
Aubrey was kind enough to pick me up from work and let me tag along with her to Winco. Ah, Winco - such a magical place. I don't know how they get away with it, but somehow this grocery utopia is able to offer the commoners of Rigby, Rexburg, and Idaho Falls namebrand goods at peasant prices. Aubrey and I don't get there very often, but oh when we do - the treasure is certainly worth the quest.
Enough of that...
New Years was a bust this year. *shrugs* A couple of years ago, My roommate and I threw a kick ace cocktail party for all our friends. We decorated our apartment, dressed up in our cutest dresses, and invited the cutest boys we knew. Matt and I agreed it was the best New Years ever. I figured there was no reason we couldn't do it again. Well, turns out there were a lot of reasons we couldn't do that again.
Reason 1: Walmart. Matt was scheduled to work till 11 that night. And I was scheduled to go in at 7am the next day. Yeah, party not happenin. I had planned on just going to bed. Of course that didn't happen. I have to many family and friends on the other side of the country who love me too much :)
Reason 2: Matt felt like he was dying. A day or two before he had been complaining of a pain in his belly. When it moved to his lower right side I panicked and took him to the doctor. (new years eve) Turns out Matt's blood work came back fine, but the doctor was confident it was the early signs of appendicitis. He told us to go home and wait until it was "for sure". Well we did go home. And the pain went away. And we read on the internet that the pain goes away for a lot of people. And then weeks later it comes back 10 times worse. *shrugs*
Reason 3: We live in a shoebox.
So this last week I've tried not to get too stressed. Preschoolers don't respond well to stress. But it's hard.
We have great friends, and have been relying on them for rides lately. But I'm not sure that we will still have great friends if we do that for three weeks. If the transmission just has a leak, we will just wince and pay the four hundred dollars. If the transmission is ruined...that's another story. My dad has a couple cars we could buy, but we won't make it to Missouri until the end of this month.
Since removing Rosie's transmission is an all day project, I'm not sure if Kenny actually had a chance to look at it. So he has yet to tell me my fate. If he does know something and is hesitant to be the bearer of bad news, well then...he's a mechanic. He should get use to ruining people's lives.
JK.....*shrugs*
Rosie is still at the shop. Kenny spent practically the whole day taking her transmission out. I knew the task would be time consuming, as he has cursed the engineers of my Dodge on countless occasions. I was with Aubrey today when he called her, and I heard him mumble that Sister Rosalina needed to go back to the convent.
Aubrey was kind enough to pick me up from work and let me tag along with her to Winco. Ah, Winco - such a magical place. I don't know how they get away with it, but somehow this grocery utopia is able to offer the commoners of Rigby, Rexburg, and Idaho Falls namebrand goods at peasant prices. Aubrey and I don't get there very often, but oh when we do - the treasure is certainly worth the quest.
Enough of that...
New Years was a bust this year. *shrugs* A couple of years ago, My roommate and I threw a kick ace cocktail party for all our friends. We decorated our apartment, dressed up in our cutest dresses, and invited the cutest boys we knew. Matt and I agreed it was the best New Years ever. I figured there was no reason we couldn't do it again. Well, turns out there were a lot of reasons we couldn't do that again.
Reason 1: Walmart. Matt was scheduled to work till 11 that night. And I was scheduled to go in at 7am the next day. Yeah, party not happenin. I had planned on just going to bed. Of course that didn't happen. I have to many family and friends on the other side of the country who love me too much :)
Reason 2: Matt felt like he was dying. A day or two before he had been complaining of a pain in his belly. When it moved to his lower right side I panicked and took him to the doctor. (new years eve) Turns out Matt's blood work came back fine, but the doctor was confident it was the early signs of appendicitis. He told us to go home and wait until it was "for sure". Well we did go home. And the pain went away. And we read on the internet that the pain goes away for a lot of people. And then weeks later it comes back 10 times worse. *shrugs*
Reason 3: We live in a shoebox.
So this last week I've tried not to get too stressed. Preschoolers don't respond well to stress. But it's hard.
We have great friends, and have been relying on them for rides lately. But I'm not sure that we will still have great friends if we do that for three weeks. If the transmission just has a leak, we will just wince and pay the four hundred dollars. If the transmission is ruined...that's another story. My dad has a couple cars we could buy, but we won't make it to Missouri until the end of this month.
Since removing Rosie's transmission is an all day project, I'm not sure if Kenny actually had a chance to look at it. So he has yet to tell me my fate. If he does know something and is hesitant to be the bearer of bad news, well then...he's a mechanic. He should get use to ruining people's lives.
JK.....*shrugs*
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