Tales Of An Ordinary Girl

DELETING THIS BLOG

2007-04-03T11:47:00.000-05:00

Things are going well with my livejournal so I will be deleting this blog in the next couple of weeks.

Come see me there. Crystal's Graphics Journal

ON HIATUS

2006-12-27T12:45:00.000-05:00

This blog will be on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. It may be forever, it may be 1 week.

You can see all my journaling & graphic display at my livejournal: http://crystalsc.livejournal.com

I've already posted my christmas pictures there. I hope you won't quit visiting me because I've moved there. I still love blogger but it's getting increasingly difficult to work with; it's always going down. To get the new, improved version you have to get a Google account which I don't want. Plus, I can just navigate around livejournal a lot faster (and I pay for lj). On Livejournal, all entries have "tags". If you want to skip my graphic design posts and only see journaling posts they all have the tag "life".

Hope to see you there!

Christmas Fun

2006-12-17T14:48:00.000-05:00

The other night we had the christmas party for my husband's company. It was a lot of fun. The only negative part was that I forgot to set our vcr and I missed The Office christmas special. DAMNIT!

The company gave away extremely nice door prizes of which we won 1. We got 3 gift certificates for "dinner and a movie"; a restaraunt, an ice cream parlor and a movie theater.

One of the door prizes was a gift basket from Bed, Bath & Beyond and the owners made all the men sing to their spouses. It was HILARIOUS. That was probably the one and only time my husband will sing to me. BTW, he didn't win that one.

We used the movie passes last night when we took a nephew to see Eragon. It was a good tween/teen/family movie. A pretty young stud in it. The movie felt a bit rushed and had some weak spots but overall, nice, easy entertainment.

Coming up this week I have secret santa and holiday lunch at work. Then of course it's christmas. So, if I don't get another chance to blog,

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Best Weekend In A Long Time

2006-12-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

My sister came to stay with me this weekend. We had the best time just being together. Friday night we went to eat and just talked and talked. Saturday she ran errands with me and then we hit the mall. That night we picked up our brother and went to see Casino Royale and then Sunday she watched Buffy for me. (I say "for me" because I begged her).

Let me tell you how much I loved Casino Royale. THIS MOVIE KICKED ASS!! I'm soooooo ready to go see it again. I would post my whole review here but I don't like to place spoilers on here because there's no way to hide them. But suffice it to say I think this is THE best James Bond and J.B. movie EVER. No joking.

My sister brought her new pup, Max to stay as well. He's a yorkiepoo that only weighs 1.5 lb. and he was SO sweet. He was very well behaved too. He entertained himself with the toys for long periods of time. And he was very sweet and cuddly. He and my Lucy Lu hit it off immediately and played for hours. It was cool, because Lucy usually just ignores other dogs.

Nora and Max:

Check out these magnets I bought for myself!

And this card I got from one rockin' friend:

My dogs aren't spoiled at all:

What to do? What to do?

2006-12-08T11:04:00.000-05:00

I bumped up my Livejournal account to paid status today. I am just on there so much and I wanted the extra features that I figured, what the hell?

But now that I'm paying for it, I feel like I need to use it to the max. So, I'm thinking of blogging there instead of here now. I'm not sure. I like blogger for plain diary-type use and it's easier to personalize. But Livejournal offers more features and a better "community" atmosphere. People don't seem to use blogger much anymore.

I'm gonna have to think on it for awhile.

I listened to a morning radio show here in Greenville. I felt like I was cheating on my favorite dj (you know who you are!). It was a good show. But I'm more of a "grab that old, worn out pair of comfortable jeans" kinda gal. You know what I mean?

Because my favorite dj requested pictures. Here's me in a little photoshop play:

GO FROM THIS:

TO THIS:

AND THEN MAKE THESE:

Weekly TV Review

2006-12-02T11:11:00.000-05:00

Crystal’s TV Review
Vol. I, Issue I
Week of 11.27-12.3.06

For my first weekly tv review of my favorite shows, I wanted to make a dynamite post. Unfortunately, I've worked my ass off today and I'm exhausted so my comments are going to be brief for the most part. And obviously, some shows, while I love them dearly, just don’t inspire a lot of commenting. And my “reviews” are mostly lists of parts that made me laugh or didn’t. So don’t expect a NY Times style review.

Prison Break
What a great episode! Fast. Surprising. And what a cliffhanger! It was fantastic! I certainly wasn’t expecting it. Can’t say Sarah’s disguise is very disguise-y but hey, they want the viewer to know who she is. I was scared she was going to slit her wrists. I know that’s what the writers wanted you to think and it worked! I loved Sucre’s face when the guy handed him a parachute. Blonde guy is even creepier. I wouldn’t have thought it possible! A

Heroes
I like Heroes very much but I’ve always thought that the material isn’t extremely unique. Many many sci-fi shows and stories have had characters with these abilities and sentiments. But it’s okay because the show is still presented with just enough unique properties that it doesn’t come away looking like a rip-off. HOWEVER, this episode had Sylar’s speech about being “special”. It reeked of Voldemort’s in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As soon as he started talking, I was thinking “Oh, that’s not good.” Bad move Heroes writers.
Also, I just wasn’t too impressed with the episode. It didn’t really offer any new information except how Sylar gets his powers. The thing that I’ve always loved about Heroes is that it keeps the story moving. Every episode it gives you something instead of dragging you along a la Lost. But last night’s episode wasn’t in that vein. Oh well. Even the best shows have their off-weeks, right? (Beer Bad anyone?) C

Gilmore Girls
“Wolfe Girl” – LOL! That was hilarious!
“Since when does a block of fermented cheese celebrate a wedding?” LOL
The whole midwife thing is hilarious.
For the first time, I felt bad for Luke. I was glad he finally put his foot down about his rights as a father.
Lorelei is obviously worried that people will judge her for marrying Christopher so soon after her break-up with Luke. She’s probably right too.
Doyle & Paris scorching the floorboards! LOL
“Suddenly I’m very nervous about my man-date with a farmer!” LOL B

Veronica Mars
Good episode. Loved the ending with Logan getting himself put into the jail cell. Mercer’s ass is grass! A university without a greek system? That would be so weird. I can’t say I like the protest girls. I think you defeat the purpose when you behave the way they do, which Veronica actually said in this episode. I felt so bad for Dean Cyrus. I like him. Was he dead at the end or just beat up and knocked out? I couldn’t tell. Veronica’s buddy was particularly funny in this episode which was needed to offset the heavy second half. I love watching Kristen Bell act. B

Boston Legal
Damn I love Alan Shore. He always gives the best speeches. But this exchange was heavenly:
Espenson: “What have we got now?”
Shore: “One of my overly-long closing arguments, but they’ve been known to work in the past.”
I love how everyone else sits around and whines, “What are we gonna do about this situation? Whadda we gonna dooooo?” And then Alan just walks in and DOES IT. Espenson “Hands” was great as usual. It’s nice to see his character grow. I’ve always loved the relationship between Denny and Alan so it was awesome to hear Denny say that he thought it was crazy for fidelity to be limited to intimate relationships. Alan’s profession of love was wonderful. It gave me warm fuzzies. B

Bones
The case was decent. But as far as character development: I’m tired of Brennan being “put into danger” every other episode so we can see how much Booth cares for her. And wasn’t it just last week that Brennan and Hodgins were buried alive and they were in traumatic shock? That wasn’t something you just move past. Hodgins was seriously shook up. He wouldn’t just be fine by the next episode. D

House
Usually shows take an asshole character and soften them up as time goes on. Yet House gets more assholey. I can’t believe Wilson has never hasn’t held him down and beat the snot out of him. Poor Cuddy. House was just cruel to her. I used to like Cameron. I’m very close to hating her now. She’s SO judgemental and nosy. B

My Name Is Earl
Randy preparing for Catalina was so sweet. The gay guy is always fun.
Randy spontaneously shouting “Ricolla!” was funny. Other than that though, this episode left me a little cold. C

The Office
Karen: "Jesus"Michael: "Apollo Creed" LOLDwight bending over with the money in his pocket was hilarious. Pam watching Jim & Karen Prison Mike "I've never been caught"Jim "Well, you're in prison, but okay." LOLMichael locking them in the room & pouting. LOL And the bitch mother shushing them for wanting out because she had her baby at work! Jim setting up Pam was funny. It seems a weird line for them. Will they be able to just joke around like they did before with Karen in the picture? The ending with Andy singing to Pam was funny because I love the look on Jim's face but I couldn't understand a word that Andy sang. B

Scrubs
The show I’m most loyal too, started back last night for it’s possibly last season. I have watched this show faithfully since the pilot episode. Last night made me laugh but it didn’t feel like classic Scrubs to me. Of course, neither did the beginning of season 5 and I think it turned out to be possibly the best season. I miss JD’s old look with the swept back hair. Pregnant Carla dancing against Dr. Kelso was funny (and I’ve always loved Bye Bye Bye).
I loved the touch of JD wearing a scarf in Vegas. That was cute.
The line “A Joe Piscapo look a-like contest?” cracked me up.
“Hardly seems like a punishment for the kid from Kenya.” LOL
The charades part was funny.
Overall though, this ep wasn’t very good to me. But it has to tie up loose ends. It’ll get better I know. D

Grey's Anatomy
This is another show that I have watched since the pilot. I ADORED it the first season but since then my love has waned quite a bit. I still think it’s a great show but it doesn’t enrapture me like it did. Thanksgiving night I missed it for the first time. I had forgotten it would be on during the holiday. That said, I have no idea what happened between Burke and Yang or how it went down. But I can tell that everyone knows.
George’s Dad made me cry. Izzy was right when she said “Her patient lives so she gets to scrub in.”
I can understand why Meredith feels the way she does about her half sister and stepmom. Her Dad made the choice to keep her away. But I do wish she’d try to let them in. (Every time I look at her stepmom though, I think of the sex scene in St. Elmo’s Fire). Izzy telling Sloan that she’s not his coffee girl – yay! I was disappointed she did it the second time though.
Man, Bailey was some kind of pissed. At first I thought it was just too much but then her explanation near the end of having her talent questioned made me understand her a lot more.
The twin patient saying “Can you make sure his ass is bigger than mine?” made me laugh.
The blonde doctor that was such a bitch (saying George was a pain in the ass – hello! That’s his dad!), she makes me think that that must’ve been what Ellis was like. Derrick and Sloan laughed together! That was a cool moment.
Chief’s speech to Bailey was beautiful. The first beautiful one he’s had in a very long time. B

Men In Trees
Nice beginning. I like the peaks at life in NY. Liza squealing she was engaged and thrusting her finger into Marin’s face was funny. And may I just say how much I love Anne Heche’s acting? It’s so REAL to me. Very real reactions.
Mai: “I got no china. Ironic, huh?” lol
Jerome cracked me up as always with his comment about the other guys practically humping him. Patrick phoning Marin for the radio show was too cute! I love that Jane is still calling Sam “Plow Guy”. Very cute. But they’ll need to stop that soon or it will get too old. McDreamy & McSteamy on Grey’s already gets on my nerves. When they pointed out bathrobe lady in the diner I cracked up. Jane’s comment about bochalism (sp?) was funny too.
Okay. Let’s be honest. Sometimes Jack can be a real a-hole but then he has those redeeming moments where he REALLY redeems himself. And when he drunkenly called Marin and said “I think I’m falling in love with you.” SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!” It was insane how happy that made me. I got butterflies in my tummy! But I knew as soon as he said that the ex would be back. So I hated having seen that. I do worry that the relationship has been a bit rushed between Jack and Marin. I mean, it’s only the 10th episode and they already think they are in love? Will the show remain exciting if these two hook up? Will Marin loose the focus of self-reflection which is supposed to be the premise of the show? So many questions.
Ben and Theresa just don’t do anything for me. I don’t feel the chemistry. I like Sarah and Ben much better. I miss Sarah. She’s listed as a regular cast member. I wonder what happened to her.
And Annie.
Now I’ve saved the Annie talk until last because it was by far, the most important issue in the episode. Let me tell you how horrible I felt for Annie. VERY. I understood her sadness over not seeing her family at the holidays. I thought it was awfully rude of Buzz to wait until the last minute to tell her he couldn’t take her and, my gosh, but that dinner scene was sooooo uncomfortable. For every girl who has every dated a guy who’s family didn’t make you feel welcomed (like me!), you FELT that scene. When they made her hold the camera and didn’t give her the slice of pie, I wanted to smack them all. But it felt so good to see Annie getting some backbone. I liked the line “I’m always excited for you Patrick.” Because she is. She’s always been supportive of him. I’d like to see how Patrick reacts to this tumultuous time with Annie. How he reacts will be an indication of how he truly feels for her. He says he loves her but does he really know? She’s his first girlfriend right? A

Smallville
Repeat episode so I won't fully review it, but I will say that the special effects on this show are why I keep coming back. Plus Clark making a joke was nice. That's a rarity.

Supernatural
Repeat episode so I won't fully review it. But seriously, Dean should just sleep with me now. He's so wonderfully funny, pissed and tortured all in one in this episode. And the line when he walks up to Sam and the Bearded Lady staring at each other and says, "Did you get her number?" KILLS me EVERY.TIME.

Brandi Carlile and Jem

2006-12-01T16:54:00.000-05:00

Took advantage of the boss' absence this afternoon. I thought Michaela might to see the Brandi Carlile icons I made. Also, a trip down memory lane for all the other 80's kids out there with Jem & The Holograms (& Misfits).

A Day In The Life...of Crystal

2006-11-27T15:03:00.000-05:00

My Top 5 Favorite Beatles Songs

5. Eleanor Rigby
4. A Day In The Life
3. In My Life
2. Come Together
1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Yesterday we had a department meeting, the first since I've joined the team. Apparantely the department head has been promoted to a new position and will be moving over to the corporate office. They are bumping up another guy in our department to head of the table. Not long after the meeting, I was in my boss' office as he was showing me how to complete a worksheet in the computer and new head guy calls and asks to see me when available. My boss irritatingly rolled his eyes and said, "See! Now you're going to be in peak command." I thought it was kinda cute. He doesn't want to share me. I understand this of course. He is told that they are hiring me as his assistant but if everyone else keeps asking me to take care of tasks for them, then when will I be able to help him?

I forgot to get my aspirin today and my claritan. I already have a headache and it's 8:21 am. Uh oh.

I watch Prison Break because it's the one of the two shows that Hubby doesn't like to miss (the other one is House). But I don't usually consider Prison Break as one of my "won't miss" shows. Well, last night's episode was fantastic, let me say that! Great cliffhanger if ever there was one!

I have posted the first challenge for my Men In Trees icon challenge community. Please join so you can vote on icons! And spread the word. I'll love you forever and forever!
Btw, the show airs Thursday night at 10pm EST on ABC, right after Grey's Anatomy. You should check it out if you haven't already. It's a fun hour of tv.

I spoke to my sister for over 30 minutes last night. It's crazy how fast time flies. She is living on her own for the first time, renting a house with another girl. It brought back so many memories. She's struggling with roomate issues (i.e. getting yelled at for not washing dishes, etc...) I told her that is all part of learning to live with someone who grew up in a different style household. I also said that it gets easier as time goes by and not to worry. All she can do is try her best to be mindful and respectful of the other person's wishes and to have a calm, rational discussion about it with the girl if at all possible. It's best to get all those cards out on the table as soon as possible. I love feeling like I can help my sister out with some stuff because I have been there. At the same time, I'm worried that I'll come off as too preachy to her.

I do wish she felt more of a connection to family. It's probably not her fault. She didn't grow up with any except her mom and our brother. I, nor our older brother, was around her much because of the situation with her mom. So, she's never really had time for a bond to form although I think we've been getting closer over the last few years. But on Thanksgiving I called her and left her a message to invite her to come over and see me, our older brother and his son (her nephew). Last night she tells me that she went to a friends house. She didn't even go see her Mom and our younger brother. That saddens me. I know she's 18 and spending time with your friends is extremely important to you at that time, it was to me, but I never gave up my family at the holidays.

Turkey Day Fast Approaching

2006-11-21T14:15:00.000-05:00

I have created a livejournal community for icon challenges of the tv show Men In Trees. I'm so in love with this show. If you know anyone who enjoys icon making or the show, please send them over. Even if you're not an icon maker, join up so you can vote on all the pretties! Challenges will begin when we have 10 members or next Monday, whichever comes first. (click the pic to visit the site)

BTW, someone named Olivia commented on this blog and said she wanted to link it. I have no easy way of telling where you left the comment to respond to it. Please comment back on this post and let me know where you want to link it to. I'd greatly appreciate it.

I'm so looking forward to Thanksgiving holiday. I didn't realize how much I missed my family until I began thinking about going down there this weekend. We'll probably stay Thursday and Friday night. I might be ready to come home Friday evening but Hubby might not, so we'll see.

The new job is going well. A little slow. The boss is so busy he doesn't have much time to train me, so I've had days (like today) where I have done nothing but play on the internet. I'm trying not to get used to it though.

If I don't get a chance to post again before Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving to you!!

I am so tired

2006-11-18T21:09:00.000-05:00

that I can feel it in my eyes. I woke up this morning and started going and didn't sit down until 7:30 pm tonight so I'm exhausted.

We have tons of HUGE trees here at my house. The neighor whose yard connects to ours in the back built an apartment RIGHT ON the property line. I'm not exaggerating it really is exactly on the property line. Well, the humongous trees disperse tons of leaves which must be gathered up because there's just too many of them and I hate for them to stay up against the house holding water.

We have noticed that many people burn their leaves here. So, we start burning our leaves. I've pulled the hose out and wet the ground all around the circle of fire and my husband is standing there watching it with a shovel, a rake and the hose in case he needs it while I am raking up more leaves to add to the pile. (At the same time another neighbor across the street in the front of our house was burning too). Well, I notice the lady whose backyard connects to ours and who so inconsiderately built an apartment RIGHT ON the property line is standing outside talking on the telephone and complaining about me and my husband and our burning. Suddenly she yells at me (i've never spoken to her before), "You've got those leaves burning and my apartment is right there! Don't you think that's a little bit dangerous? It would only take 1 leaf blowing over into my apartment and it'd be on fire!" Now when someone is just outright nasty to me I tend to, well turn into a bitch. I snap. So I very waspishly said back, "Actually no, I don't. My husband is watching it and we have a hose ready. I don't particularly like that you built your apartment right on the property line but there's not much I can do about that."

Not too long after that, the fire department showed up. They were really nice and told us we were doing everything correctly but suggested that next time we just give them a call beforehand to let them know we will be burning and perhaps burn smaller piles to keep the smoke down. I would love to have heard what they said to my neighbor.

I was so pissed though at the neighbor. Not that she called the fire department but that she spoke so nastily and didn't speak to me first. If she had just come up to me and said, "You know I'm really uncomfortable with you burning here and would really appreciate it if you didn't." Perhaps we would have done it in a different location, but she didn't even give us that opportunity. When did people just stop talking to others and go straight to authority?

Some goings on

2006-11-13T15:51:00.000-05:00

I haven't watched any Buffy or Angel in 2 1/2 months. I'm starting to feel the effects of this.

MUST. WATCH. SOON.

I went to Kmart today to look for a spice rack and a broom rack. Of course, they didn't have them. They never seem to have what I'm looking for. *aggravated* But I did find this picture on clearance for $5.00 And while I generally don't like pictures of flowers, I loved the colors in this one. Pink, Orange and Gold. Of course, you can't really see it that well because I had to take the photo with my crappy cell phone which makes all photos look radioactive. But here 'tis:

Not bad for $5.00, huh?

I bit my fingernails. I feel so ashamed. I went months with beautiful long nails. I worked in the attic two weekends ago and broke every one. Then I began biting them again. It's like a compulsion. It's awful.

Hubby and I spent the weekend buying and installing shelving in our teeny tiny kitchen. It's so organized - it's FABULOUS!! Now, if I can only make him not mess it up.

Some times I wonder if my husband doesn't secretly like for me to yell at him. He will do things he KNOWS pisses me off. He must like to hear me bitch.

I discovered there is a Greenville "Browncoats" chapter. Last week they were having a screening of Serenity - admission going to Joss Whedon's charity of choice "Equality Now". I was looking forward to going and meeting some people and completely forgot. I was so bummed. Everyone at my new job is nice but no one is near my age and so there really isn't any potential here for friendships. I hope I can attend the next Browncoat get-together.

I'm looking forward to watching Heroes tonight. I'm pleased with how this show is developing. They aren't dragging it out - they keep it moving and I appreciate that. Unlike Lost which is still saying the same crap in SEASON 3!! I'm so done with that show. My new favorite show, Men In Trees, is now moving to Thursday. That's 7 out of 10 shows that I watch will be on on Thursdays. Isn't that crazy? Other upcoming TV moments of interest this week: 1.Jim's return on The Office. I'm so psyched. I think they are going to do one of two options A. Jim and Pam start dating and new girl pines for Jim or B. Jim and New Girl start dating and Pam pines for Jim. 2.Supernatural - this show is ALWAYS good and Dean is so fucking hot. He should so do me.

I've had some crazy ass dreams this weekend. One had my getting my foot ambutated by Dr. Christian Bale. WEIRD!!

Some livejournal awards I've won recently for icon entries:

The Week In Review 11.3.06

2006-11-04T12:10:00.000-05:00

So my first week of my new job as passed. I think it went very well. My boss told me he thought so too so that was nice. I didn't really learn too much about what I will actually be doing on a regular basis. Walt, my boss, likes to take things in baby steps I've noticed. So much of my week was meeting people and learning the overall operation of the company. I think I'll have a lot of down time next week too because Walt is going to be in a lot of meetings and then traveling. I hope I won't be too bored.

I went shoe shopping and some of my friends will be highly proud of me. I bought 3 pairs of high heels and 1 pair of flats. All of which you'll see throughout this post. I love Payless. I had to have the flats to keep at my desk because if you walk out into the plant you're not allowed to have heels on. But they require you to dress up and I can't always wear flats with a skirt or dressy clothes.

Today I'm going to go up in the attic in search of my Ed Grimly lunchbox and thermos because I hate taking my lunch in a plastic bag. Also I'm going to try and decide which pictures I want to take to work to decorate my space. I would like to take my Singing In The Rain picture that I used at Dietary but this office has really high ceilings - 12' and the wall space is just huge. So the SITR picture will just look too tiny. :( I've got a bit of time to decide. I don't want to actually take the pictures until I get my new furniture and the office is rearranged and that'll probably be a couple of weeks.

Yesterday I had to work with this young guy who has been doing a certain task for my boss which I will now be doing so he was training me on how to. Well, he didn't hold back on his opinions of people. He told me that my suite mate was "lazy" and "a piece of work". I knew that she talked a lot and from everything she said I thought, "Man she sure knows a lot of sick people." Well, from what this guy said, she's a drama queen. I was like, "Oh goody." {sarcasm!} In one of her redneck tales the other day she used the "N" word which I am totally NOT cool with. I didn't say anything then but if it continues I sure will.

I now have a fine collection of spices and herbs. I bought a lot and little jars. This morning I poured them into the jars and labeled them. My hands smell like nutmeg. :) So far, from my Rachel Ray cookbook, I've made Israeli Spice Chicken, Honey Mustard Barbequed Chicken, and Maple Mustard Pork Chops. I've loved them all but hubby only liked the spicy one. He doesn't like sauces that have a sweet taste to them. If we ever agreed on a food dish, I would keel over from shock!

New Job

2006-10-30T20:27:00.000-05:00

I started my job today. It went well. Turns out I don't have my own office, I share one with another woman. It will take me awhile to figure out if I like her or not. She told me right away that she is a redneck and that she loves John Deere. I was like, "Oooooooookay." But she'll probably think the same thing when she sees my Buffy pictures, so to each his own. As long as she isn't rude in my personal space or bitchy, we'll be fine. The bosses took me to lunch which was nice but a bit awkward. The tour of the plant was more interesting than I expected. It's amazing the speed at which the weaving machines weave. And it boggles the mind to think of how much those machines cost. And in a way, the weaving is beautiful. Overall, I'm very happy. Everyone was very nice and welcoming and I think I'll have a great experience here.

And it's only Thursday

2006-10-26T09:16:00.000-05:00

bought 5 pair of slacks and 2 sweaters for new job
had physical for new job which made me fully feel my looming 30
been sick with a sinus infection and not sleeping well
treated myself to The Little Mermaid platinum edition and enjoying watching it
felt old realizing The Little Mermaid is 17 years old
got my oil changed in my car and paid too much for a 10 min. service
ate horribly - must get back to fruits and veggies
watch too much tv and spent too much time on pc

I Got The Job

2006-10-20T18:41:00.000-05:00

that I wanted. I am very pleased. It's going to be a major learning experience but it seems like a good company. I'll be making $5,000 a year more than I was in Columbia and that makes me a very happy camper. Hubby & I were supposed to go out tonight to celebrate but of course he has his first emergency at work. :( I don't start until the 30th. I wish it was a bit sooner. Once I know I'm going to be doing something, I like to jump right in. I will continue to work at the temporary job for the next week.

What I've Been Up To

2006-10-15T22:24:00.000-05:00

So this job has asked me to think long term. They want to start training me on my own account (there's another temp that has been there 3 weeks and they haven't given her one yet). So it felt nice to hear that they think I'm a good worker. Especially after working at Dietary for 6 years where I felt so unvalued and uninspired. The supervisor and I had a heart to heart and she was very frank with me which I appreciated. I told her, "To be honest with you, if I am going to think long term I'd like to know more about the company and what it offers it's employees." I made it clear to her that I didn't want to overstep my bounds since I still work for the staffing agency. I told her what my long term goals are (graphic design) and what I need $ wise. I also told her I was not happy sitting next to the girl she wanted me to sit next to and she let me sit at another desk. It still has it's problems, but at least I don't have to sit next the snotty slut.

Yesterday Hubby & I took the dogs to a park in Traveler's Rest (about a 30 minute drive). We just wanted to walk the nature trail and enjoy the woods. The nature trail was up a mountain and was very tricky terrain with tree roots every step of the way. My right calve has been sore today. We didn't know that there was going to be a fall festival going on at the park. But it was nice to hear the live bluegrass music while hiking at checking out the local vendors. Every kid wanted to pet our dogs which Abby was not happy about. Overall, it was a lot of fun though. Today I raked the front yard and edged around the stepping stones in our yard. The weekends go by too fast.

On the nature trail there was a small waterfall that was marked with a sign that read:

Pictures of the festival:

I have been trying, in my spare time, to enter icon challenges at Livejournal. Here's some icons I have made for them:

My lineup is:
Monday: Prison Break, Heroes
Tuesday: House, Boston Legal (Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars when House is a repeat)
Wednesday: Bones, Lost
Thursday: (this one is tricky because I have to tape a few)My Name Is Earl, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, Smallville, Supernatural (come January will add Scrubs)
Friday: Men In Trees (I LOVE this show. It's just FUN.)
Saturday:none
Sunday: maybe Cold Case but that's not a must-see

1st Day On The Job

2006-10-10T21:46:00.000-05:00

I started this position today. It was okay. I'm a little torn about whether I like it or not. It's gonna take me awhile.
The work I would be doing is not exactly what I was hoping to get. It's customer service, order entry, follow-up - middle man type stuff which to me, isn't challenging or interesting. I was really hoping to be in a creative sort of position where I can learn or have fun at the same time. BUT there is a formatting department in this company so perhaps I could eventually move there. Everyone was really nice to me except the girl that I will have to sit directly next to. Go figure. Maybe she was just having a bad day though. I immediately got the snobby vibe from her though.
I was shocked after having worked at "The Barn" that not only was there a break room but a HUGE break room which included free popcorn and a fountain soda machine. Best part: lounge area with leather sofas, huge LCD flat panel tv (which was airing Animal Planet) and an X-box. There was a basketball goal outside too which I'm told the guys sometimes use at lunch. The girl's bathroom was painted pepto-pink with some really cool home-made art. So that was cooky fun.
From all of that I thought it would be a bit more laid back but it wasn't. There was little to no laughter heard throughout the day. And no music :(

Now for the superficial. I know this sounds petty of me but it's me and I can't help it. I almost squealed for joy when I discovered they can wear jeans and t-shirts. Seeing as how that's all I wore at The Barn for 6 years it's pretty much all I have left in my wardrobe. Plus it's just comfortable. I work better comfortable.
Which leads me to my EXTREMELY superficial part. Well, it's not to me but it might sound like it to someone else.
The cubicles are tiny. I mean TINY. My work station is probably about 3.5 ft. long and there are girls on either side of me. Plus a constant flow of traffic behind me. Plus being a print shop there are just piles and piles of papers everywhere. It's very messy looking. I have mild claustraphobia. I don't get sweaty but I do feel extremely anxious when I have piles of boxes or papers around me plus people pressing in on me from all sides. I hope I can deal with that.

I feel so stressed about trying to decide whether I like it or not. And I don't know why I feel that way. I have no other options on the table right now so I really just need to do it.

They use mac's in this office which I've never used so that's something I'll get to learn.

I had gotten entirely too spoiled being home for a month.

Bringing Some Money Home

2006-10-09T14:52:00.000-05:00

I start a temp to hire position in the morning. It's a little less than I was hoping to be making but it's in a company that interests me. Cox Custom Media - they handle creation of newsletters and other direct mail/advertising needs of businesses.
The agency told me there is a lot of potential for promotion and growth here so that's good. If I make it to permanent placement there would be a pay raise and I need that. And at least this keeps me from having to get a job in retail which I didn't want.

Here I Am

2006-10-04T18:41:00.000-05:00

Still trying to find a job. A staffing agency told me today they have a good position they are going to submit my resume for. They've told me that before though and nothing happened so my expectations aren't too high.
I'm in that middle state of experience. I'm overqualified for administrative assistant positions - I've been too specialized in advertising but I'm underqualified for graphic designer or marketing positions meaning I don't have a degree with my name on it. It's all very frustrating.
I did have an interview on Friday that went well. At least, I thought it went well at first, but the more I think about it the more doubtful I become. I felt very at ease and seemed to have a good rapport with the men. But they have left me a little confused. Several comments they made left me feeling convinced I had won them over but then other comments threw me off of that theory. They said, "You should read up on our products and where our company is going." Good sign. They want me to stay up-to-date with the company." "We'll let you know one way or the other." Eh. So that makes it sound like I'm definately not a shoe-in. I think I want this job though so, keep your fingers crossed.

What I did last night:
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof - Paul Newman & Elizabeth Taylor

Iconess

2006-09-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

Haven't done this in awhile:

Buffy/Angel:

Lucy

BtVS

AtS

David Boreanaz

Gene Kelly

Award

Next Step

2006-09-29T15:10:00.000-05:00

Had an interview today. It went pretty well. Now is the dreaded wait. I hate this part.

Pimpage

2006-09-24T15:27:00.000-05:00

I've got my cafepress store open. It's not fully loaded or customized yet. I only have my Ariana-"Mutt" designs up. I will be adding Boston Terrier & Chihuahua designs. Plus for the "Cause" section there will be designs promoting 'anti-litter' 'historic preservation' and other causes I feel passionate about. All of these will feature my own photography.

I'll let you know when it's completed so you can let all your friends and family know!

Paws & Causes

Nostalgia

2006-09-23T11:07:00.000-05:00

I miss this style of telephone.

They were so comfortable to use. Easy to balance on your shoulder.

Premiere Recap

2006-09-22T09:42:00.000-05:00

Pure "The Office" Love:
Oh my gosh! But that kiss will go down in History!! I was laughing my ass off! What killed me the most was how Pam couldn't take her eyes off of them. While others were looking away she was riveted. lol And Jim's face when the new guy freaked out over the calculator in jello! That was perfect. I love how you get the idea that the camera man is on Jim's side.

And when they were checking out gay porn and Dwights says, "Damn it! Pop ups!" lol

It's so funny how even though Michael is just the worst sometimes you feel bad for him when someone puts him in his place. When Oscar yelled at him, I felt bad for him. Isn't that crazy? He deserved everything Oscar said to him. I've always loved Oscar. Him and Stanley are two of my favorites.

One thing I never understood is Ryan is supposed to be one of the main characters - I think he's listed in the credits as a regular yet he's probably the least shown or interesting character.

And what was up with Meredith putting sanitizer on her tongue?

I so wanted to beat the shit out of Angela.

I also watched the season 3 premiere of Grey's Anatomy last night which I did not realize premiered until after I had posted yesterday. It was good. It's going to take me awhile to get back in sync with these characters. They are so emotionally draining and I've already distanced myself from that. I found it odd that Burke was there until the end. But Katherine Hiegel was brilliant in her heartbreak. The flashbacks were nice and as usual I like Addison more than Meredith. Not only do I think she's prettier/sexier but I think she is a far superior actress. I hated the quarantine. Every show has pulled that. The flashbacks of course though made me think of my favorite Firefly episode "Out of Gas" which handle flashbacks better than any other show ever. What I didn't understand from Grey's is: Was Izzy's significant because it included Alex or the fact that she was told she wouldn't make it as a surgeon?

How Fing Excited Am I

2006-09-21T11:13:00.000-05:00

for the season 3 premiere of The Office tonight??

I told my husband the other night while looking over the fall tv schedule, "We have a big problem on Thursday nights" He laughed at me and said, "It's just tv." But it's GOOD tv.
The Office, Grey's Anatomy, Smallville and Supernatural, Survivor & My Name Is Earl are all on Thursdays! Earl I can watch in reruns so that doesn't bother me. The Office I LOVE so I don't want to miss that and the others are all series shows (meaning each ep lends to a season long arc). I need Tivo!!

C'Mon! Let Jim get him some!