If you know me, you know that I'm not particularly "girlie." I don't wear dress often (this seems to be changing lately though), I don't wear a lot of makeup, I consider a ponytail an "up-do", I don't like pink, I hate massages and pedicures (but I do like manicures), I play a lot sports, etc. But there is one thing that I am very girlie about: I am terrified of all things that can possibly be considered bugs, especially if they fly or jump.
I can understand why some bugs exist, even if I don't like them. Like bees. I don't consider bees to be evil because although they do fly and sting and can definitely be considered a bug, they also pollinate flowers and make honey, so I accept them. But there are other bugs that have no reason to exist other than to make my life miserable. Like crickets, who have absolutely no redeeming quality.
My fun with crickets predates my memory. All I know is that I have always hated them and they have always tormented me. When I was young, I'm sure my parents expected I would eventually outgrown this fear, which they consider completely irrational. Every few year, a part of me will finally agree with them that it is irrational and I do my best to be brave when faced with this creature from hell, but then a cricket goes and attacks me again and I realize my parents are crazy and my fear is totally rational.
Let me give you an example. When I was 18, I went away to college. This was my first time ever on my own, and while it was scary, it was also very exciting. I knew nobody at my school, and even my roommate didn't show up for about a week, so I was completely alone. Feeling lonely and being the girlie girl that I am, I decided hitting a tennis ball against a wall for an hour would make me feel a lot better. It did, and to top it off, I met a really cute guy on the courts, we hit for a while and eventually ended up becoming friends.
So where does this evil cricket come into play? Come to find out the town where my school is located gets invaded by crickets every few years, and lucky me, this was that year. For about a month, you could not go anywhere without stepping on a cricket. There was a smell from all the dead crickets that permeated everything. They were invading the rooms on the first floor, and had I lived on the first floor, I would have dropped out of school. In the midst of this wonderful cricket invasion, this guy calls me to see if I want to play a quick game. It's dusk, and while there are crickets around all day, I know they'll start coming out in force soon. But a cute guy just asked me to play, so I stupidly say yes.
Everything is going great for the first few games. But then the sun goes down. And the crickets come out. A lot of them. They're swarming around the lights, you can hear them hitting the ground, their chirping is incredibly loud. But I'm playing tennis with a cute guy. I should probably mention at this point that there had been some flirting going on over the past few weeks.
So we're hitting and joking around, generally having a good time, when I cricket decides now would be the perfect time to dive-bomb me. I'm not sure where it came from (must have been an undercover cricket), but I know that one minute I'm in the middle of my backswing, and the next I'm being attacked. I scream, my racket goes flying one way, the ball goes another way, and the cricket has a heart attack......and the cute guy is rolling on the ground laughing. I blame that cricket for us never having a date.
Now for those of you who think like my brother, that crickets are more scared of me than I am of them, I'd like to point out the fact that you're wrong. Just stop and think about it for a minute. Do you attack things you are scared of? No, of course not. I'm scared of crickets, so I have never attacked one. However, I have been attacked by crickets, so they must not be scared of me.
And why exactly am I talking about crickets in the middle of the night? Because a cricket got into my house today. I put on a brave face, sprayed it with Raid and then flushed it down the toilet. While my brain knows it's dead and can't possibly do anything, my "irrational fear" believes that the toilet water actually washed away the Raid before it was completely dead and it came back to life, swam back up through the pipes, crawled out of the toilet, and is just waiting for me to go to sleep so it can get its revenge. That's not irrational, right?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Wardrobe Malfunction
Before anybody gets any ideas, no it was not that kind of wardrobe malfunction!
I fractured my foot about 2 months ago, and while I'm pretty much healed at this point, I still haven't been released to wear heels. Normally this would be no big deal, except that all of my pants are the perfect length to wear with heels. I normally wear jeans to work, which means I can wear tennis shoes too. And since I normally do not wear heels with jeans, this means most are the right length.
But today I had to meet with a client, so no jeans. I hate wearing flats with skirts, so that leaves slacks. I had a hard time finding slacks that fit. The ones I wore 3 weeks ago were a little snug, but a pair a size bigger were too big. A pair that were too small 3 weeks ago now fit perfectly. I know, that makes no sense, but welcome to the world of women's clothing. I grabbed a blouse to match and was ready to walk out the door.......except for one small problem -- shoes.
Like all of my slacks, these were a little too long. So my options were 1) wear heels anyway and hope I don't cause any damage to my still healing foot, or 2) wear flats and hope the client doesn't think I look too sloppy. Seeing as how option 2 doesn't involve pain or the possibility of permanent damage, I went with option 2 and hung out behind the desk the whole time, where the fashion faux pas was a little less noticeable.
While today ended up working out ok (but not great), I'm debating whether or not to have shorter slacks in my closet, just in case. I don't plan on fracturing my foot again, but I am pretty clumsy. Any thoughts?
I fractured my foot about 2 months ago, and while I'm pretty much healed at this point, I still haven't been released to wear heels. Normally this would be no big deal, except that all of my pants are the perfect length to wear with heels. I normally wear jeans to work, which means I can wear tennis shoes too. And since I normally do not wear heels with jeans, this means most are the right length.
But today I had to meet with a client, so no jeans. I hate wearing flats with skirts, so that leaves slacks. I had a hard time finding slacks that fit. The ones I wore 3 weeks ago were a little snug, but a pair a size bigger were too big. A pair that were too small 3 weeks ago now fit perfectly. I know, that makes no sense, but welcome to the world of women's clothing. I grabbed a blouse to match and was ready to walk out the door.......except for one small problem -- shoes.
Like all of my slacks, these were a little too long. So my options were 1) wear heels anyway and hope I don't cause any damage to my still healing foot, or 2) wear flats and hope the client doesn't think I look too sloppy. Seeing as how option 2 doesn't involve pain or the possibility of permanent damage, I went with option 2 and hung out behind the desk the whole time, where the fashion faux pas was a little less noticeable.
While today ended up working out ok (but not great), I'm debating whether or not to have shorter slacks in my closet, just in case. I don't plan on fracturing my foot again, but I am pretty clumsy. Any thoughts?
Monday, August 22, 2011
Shopping
I hate to admit this, but I love shopping for office supplies. In fact, I could almost start my own OSSA (Office Supply Shoppers Anonymous) group. I don't know what it is, but there's just something about all the pens and pencils and highlighters and notepads and folders and clips and all the other cool little stuff that I enjoy buying. Maybe it's because there's so much more variety than when I was a kid, or maybe it's because it makes me feel like I'm playing dress-up and I'm pretending to be an adult. Whatever the reason, I just like it.
Now that I have my own office, I get to pick whatever office supplies I want, not settle for whatever the boss happens to pick. Of course I have to pay for my own supplies, but I still feel like a kid in a candy store. But since I am just starting out, I am somewhat overwhelmed at the moment. Obviously I've bought pens and highlighters and folders and everything else before, but never all at the same time.
For example, usually when I run out of pens, and go find another pen that I like. There are certain things that I like in a pen, and considering that you have to decide on qualities such as length, weight, ink color, point size and barrel thickness, just to name a few, selecting that perfect one might take a good 30 minutes. And once I find that perfect pen, I still need to decide how many to buy. You want enough so that you don't have to buy more in a couple of weeks, but not so many that if you made a mistake in selecting you "perfect" pen, you don't end up using a pen you're not happy with for the next year. And don't forget to account for lost pens or pens that walk away.
At this point I have pretty much purchase no office supplies. Why? Because like I said, I'm somewhat overwhelmed at the moment. But also because I still have some of this stuff left over from when I was in school. I'll have to buy some supplies that I never used before, like file folders, but I haven't built up the courage to walk into an Office Depot or Staples just yet. In the meantime, anybody know where I can find an OSSA meeting?
Now that I have my own office, I get to pick whatever office supplies I want, not settle for whatever the boss happens to pick. Of course I have to pay for my own supplies, but I still feel like a kid in a candy store. But since I am just starting out, I am somewhat overwhelmed at the moment. Obviously I've bought pens and highlighters and folders and everything else before, but never all at the same time.
For example, usually when I run out of pens, and go find another pen that I like. There are certain things that I like in a pen, and considering that you have to decide on qualities such as length, weight, ink color, point size and barrel thickness, just to name a few, selecting that perfect one might take a good 30 minutes. And once I find that perfect pen, I still need to decide how many to buy. You want enough so that you don't have to buy more in a couple of weeks, but not so many that if you made a mistake in selecting you "perfect" pen, you don't end up using a pen you're not happy with for the next year. And don't forget to account for lost pens or pens that walk away.
At this point I have pretty much purchase no office supplies. Why? Because like I said, I'm somewhat overwhelmed at the moment. But also because I still have some of this stuff left over from when I was in school. I'll have to buy some supplies that I never used before, like file folders, but I haven't built up the courage to walk into an Office Depot or Staples just yet. In the meantime, anybody know where I can find an OSSA meeting?
Friday, August 19, 2011
Brownies!!
I've been on a bit of baking kick lately. Actually, I've been on a wanting-to-bake kick lately. Even though I've been craving cookies and cake and brownies and everything, I haven't actually made anything....until tonight.
My sister-in-law has a recipe for Cinnamon Salt Brownies. I'd never heard of them before, but they're brownies so they have to be good, right? Um, yes. :) So tonight, I made my first batch of these brownies. They're easy, delicious, chocolate-y heaven. And what's the best part about these brownies? That you don't have to soften any butter!! So that means if you're like me and don't get that craving until 10 pm, you can still having some yummy deliciousness in your tummy in half an hour.
If you'd like to try them, check out the full recipe here.
My sister-in-law has a recipe for Cinnamon Salt Brownies. I'd never heard of them before, but they're brownies so they have to be good, right? Um, yes. :) So tonight, I made my first batch of these brownies. They're easy, delicious, chocolate-y heaven. And what's the best part about these brownies? That you don't have to soften any butter!! So that means if you're like me and don't get that craving until 10 pm, you can still having some yummy deliciousness in your tummy in half an hour.
If you'd like to try them, check out the full recipe here.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Missing My Shuffle
I never thought I would say this, but I miss running. Ok, who am I kidding? That's not true. But I do miss my shuffle. Huh?
I have two iPods, a nano and a shuffle. The nano has a ton of music, and I usually listen to it at work. It has a wide variety of music, and I just listen to whatever I'm in the mood for. The shuffle has only a small fraction of the music of the nano. The shuffle is what I listen to when I'm running. It's full of upbeat songs to keep me motivated and on pace.
In early June, I fractured my foot and I have not been able to run since then, so I haven't been able to listen to my shuffle since then. I miss my shuffle. :( I know what you're thinking, why not just listen to the shuffle some other time? Well, because it's what I listen to when I'm running. I know that's not logical, but that's the way my brain works. Let me see if I can explain.
For the first time in my life, I can't wait until I'm able to run again. Why? Because that's when I get to listen to my shuffle again. If I allow myself to listen to it whenever I feel like it, it loses it's specialness. Right now, it's my motivation to get back on the road. I could (maybe should) find motivation elsewhere, like because I want to fit into a smaller pair of jeans or I want to be healthier or whatever. But right now, my motivation is listening to my shuffle, and the way I see it, motivation is motivation, so I'll take it wherever I can get it.
I have two iPods, a nano and a shuffle. The nano has a ton of music, and I usually listen to it at work. It has a wide variety of music, and I just listen to whatever I'm in the mood for. The shuffle has only a small fraction of the music of the nano. The shuffle is what I listen to when I'm running. It's full of upbeat songs to keep me motivated and on pace.
In early June, I fractured my foot and I have not been able to run since then, so I haven't been able to listen to my shuffle since then. I miss my shuffle. :( I know what you're thinking, why not just listen to the shuffle some other time? Well, because it's what I listen to when I'm running. I know that's not logical, but that's the way my brain works. Let me see if I can explain.
For the first time in my life, I can't wait until I'm able to run again. Why? Because that's when I get to listen to my shuffle again. If I allow myself to listen to it whenever I feel like it, it loses it's specialness. Right now, it's my motivation to get back on the road. I could (maybe should) find motivation elsewhere, like because I want to fit into a smaller pair of jeans or I want to be healthier or whatever. But right now, my motivation is listening to my shuffle, and the way I see it, motivation is motivation, so I'll take it wherever I can get it.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
How I Hate Thee, Printer
Up until today, I never really understood how some people could hate computers so much. It's not like they mess up on purpose; they just do whatever you tell them to do. If a computer does something wrong, it's because you told it to do it that way. Now I'm not a computer whiz, but I can do basic repairs and work through some issues. But every now and then, my computer decides to not play nice. Today was one of those days.
I had a very important meeting at 1:00 pm today. At about 12:10 pm, I realized that I completely forgotten to print something out. But I wasn't worried. I was at home, and home is 5 minutes from the meeting location and has a printer. So basically, I figured I had plenty of time. Fast forward to 12:52 and I'm running out the door, nerves frazzled, praying I don't hit any red lights, traffic, or random construction, and that there's parking right by the front door.
So what exactly happened in those 42 minutes? My computer and printer decided to go on strike. At first, my computer was playing nice. I hit the power button and it came to life. I put on my shoes while I waited for the sign-on screen. I entered my password and walked away to let it boot up while I fixed my bag. Let's say all this took about 2 minutes. But here is where the problems started. I would normally go into detail about those problems, except I have no idea what exactly those problems were. All I know is that it took about 8 minutes to open the folder with the document I needed to print. And then it took about another 4 minutes to open the actual document, only for me to realize that it wasn't the latest draft. Great.
So now I grab my laptop (which was thankfully already on and online) and email myself the final draft. Back to my desktop. I have no idea how long it took to open the internet browser so I could retrieve the email I just sent, but I gave up after 11 minutes. I grabbed a flash drive, got back on my laptop, saved the document, put the flash drive in my desktop, and waited, and waited, and waited. It took another 4 minutes to open the flash drive so I could retrieve my document. Once the folder is open, add another 3 minutes to open the document, and I'm pulling out my hair. In case you're keeping track, it's now 12:42 pm.
So now all I have to do is print the document. This is the easy part, right? Of course! So what's the easiest, fastest, most fool-proof way to print? Hit the print button. You've seen it; it's the one that looks like a printer. But by now, you've probably guessed that it wasn't that easy. I hit print, and nothing happens. I wait. Still nothing. I'm about ready to kill my computer, but seeing as how this will get me no closer to having the document in my hands, I yell at it instead. Yes, I am literally standing in front of my computer yelling at it. After an eternity (or about 8 minutes), those two wonderful pieces of paper pop out and I can finally head to the meeting.
Have I mentioned that I have a dog? Well, this whole time she's been looking at me like I'm crazy. She can tell something isn't quite right, but obviously has no idea what. What she does know is that I'm yelling at the computer, and I don't usually yell at the computer, so it must have done something wrong. Anyways, I digress. The reason I mention the dog is because that's where my last few minutes go. She is confined to the kitchen while I'm not home, so I need to get her in there. I always put her bed and bowls in there with her, and I should have been doing this while yelling at the computer, but I was frazzled and didn't. So now I have to do that.
And that's how it took me 42 minutes to print a two-page document and why I now want to shoot my computer, or printer, or both. And also why I really need to get wireless printing from my laptop to my oh-so-wonderful printer set up as soon as humanly possible.
I had a very important meeting at 1:00 pm today. At about 12:10 pm, I realized that I completely forgotten to print something out. But I wasn't worried. I was at home, and home is 5 minutes from the meeting location and has a printer. So basically, I figured I had plenty of time. Fast forward to 12:52 and I'm running out the door, nerves frazzled, praying I don't hit any red lights, traffic, or random construction, and that there's parking right by the front door.
So what exactly happened in those 42 minutes? My computer and printer decided to go on strike. At first, my computer was playing nice. I hit the power button and it came to life. I put on my shoes while I waited for the sign-on screen. I entered my password and walked away to let it boot up while I fixed my bag. Let's say all this took about 2 minutes. But here is where the problems started. I would normally go into detail about those problems, except I have no idea what exactly those problems were. All I know is that it took about 8 minutes to open the folder with the document I needed to print. And then it took about another 4 minutes to open the actual document, only for me to realize that it wasn't the latest draft. Great.
So now I grab my laptop (which was thankfully already on and online) and email myself the final draft. Back to my desktop. I have no idea how long it took to open the internet browser so I could retrieve the email I just sent, but I gave up after 11 minutes. I grabbed a flash drive, got back on my laptop, saved the document, put the flash drive in my desktop, and waited, and waited, and waited. It took another 4 minutes to open the flash drive so I could retrieve my document. Once the folder is open, add another 3 minutes to open the document, and I'm pulling out my hair. In case you're keeping track, it's now 12:42 pm.
So now all I have to do is print the document. This is the easy part, right? Of course! So what's the easiest, fastest, most fool-proof way to print? Hit the print button. You've seen it; it's the one that looks like a printer. But by now, you've probably guessed that it wasn't that easy. I hit print, and nothing happens. I wait. Still nothing. I'm about ready to kill my computer, but seeing as how this will get me no closer to having the document in my hands, I yell at it instead. Yes, I am literally standing in front of my computer yelling at it. After an eternity (or about 8 minutes), those two wonderful pieces of paper pop out and I can finally head to the meeting.
Have I mentioned that I have a dog? Well, this whole time she's been looking at me like I'm crazy. She can tell something isn't quite right, but obviously has no idea what. What she does know is that I'm yelling at the computer, and I don't usually yell at the computer, so it must have done something wrong. Anyways, I digress. The reason I mention the dog is because that's where my last few minutes go. She is confined to the kitchen while I'm not home, so I need to get her in there. I always put her bed and bowls in there with her, and I should have been doing this while yelling at the computer, but I was frazzled and didn't. So now I have to do that.
And that's how it took me 42 minutes to print a two-page document and why I now want to shoot my computer, or printer, or both. And also why I really need to get wireless printing from my laptop to my oh-so-wonderful printer set up as soon as humanly possible.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Caffeine High
I am very sensitive to caffeine, a lot more so than most people. How sensitive? Well, you know that headache you get when you skip your morning cup of coffee? I get that after drinking decaf for a few days. What most people don't realize is that decaf coffee is not completely decaffeinated. Depending on the brand, decaf coffee still has anywhere from 1% to 10% of its caffeine remaining. And that little bit is more than enough to have an effect on me.
So why the caffeine lesson? Because yesterday I was craving an iced mocha. Normally, I get a grande decaf iced mocha. Yesterday, in my infinite wisdom, I went with a venti iced mocha. Yep, that's right -- more coffee with full caffeine. When I walked in yesterday, I was hot and I was thinking venti means more coldness. However, in my rush to get that coldness, I completely forgot about the caffeine. So not only did I get a drink with full caffeine, I got one that has an extra shot of espresso!
Fast forward to 3:00 am. I was still awake. I drifted off somewhere between 3:00 and 4:00. Fast forward to 7:30 am. The dog was now awake. I didn't get much sleep after that.
So why the caffeine lesson? Because yesterday I was craving an iced mocha. Normally, I get a grande decaf iced mocha. Yesterday, in my infinite wisdom, I went with a venti iced mocha. Yep, that's right -- more coffee with full caffeine. When I walked in yesterday, I was hot and I was thinking venti means more coldness. However, in my rush to get that coldness, I completely forgot about the caffeine. So not only did I get a drink with full caffeine, I got one that has an extra shot of espresso!
Fast forward to 3:00 am. I was still awake. I drifted off somewhere between 3:00 and 4:00. Fast forward to 7:30 am. The dog was now awake. I didn't get much sleep after that.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
84 Degrees!!
I live in North Texas, which if you don't know, has been in the midst of a horrible heat wave and drought. We had 40 straight days of 100+ degree temperatures, and I don't even remember the last time it rained. Everything is brown, and summer in Texas is supposed to be green, not brown.
And then yesterday, a small threat of rain. I was happy, until it lasted all of 5 minutes (maybe less). It cooled off a little, but only enough to ensure that we would not break the record for consecutive days over 100 degrees. After weeks and weeks of record breaking heat, we missed that record by one day when the temperature topped off at 99 degrees. It seemed too cruel to be real. True, it wasn't as hot as it had been in the previous weeks when temperatures were reaching 107, but it was still pretty darn hot. Add to that the fact that the official temperature is actually taken in the shade, and it just felt like after all that, we just got cheated out of a record we had already earned.
So where does this 84 degrees come into play? Well, yesterday was just cruel, but today was amazing. I have no idea what the high for today was, but I know it didn't come close to 100 degrees. In fact, I went to run a few errands this afternoon, and the bank marque said 84 degrees. I know these are not the most accurate things around, but it sure felt nice out. It was overcast pretty much all day with a slight breeze blowing.
Yes, it was super humid outside and I know these cooler temperatures will soon be gone (the high for tomorrow is expected to reach 102 degrees), but for one day I got to take my puppy for a walk without worrying about either of us having heat stroke. And if you listened really closely, you could hear the grass singing and the trees breathing a sigh of relief. Let's hope tomorrow's forecast is off by 20 degrees.
And then yesterday, a small threat of rain. I was happy, until it lasted all of 5 minutes (maybe less). It cooled off a little, but only enough to ensure that we would not break the record for consecutive days over 100 degrees. After weeks and weeks of record breaking heat, we missed that record by one day when the temperature topped off at 99 degrees. It seemed too cruel to be real. True, it wasn't as hot as it had been in the previous weeks when temperatures were reaching 107, but it was still pretty darn hot. Add to that the fact that the official temperature is actually taken in the shade, and it just felt like after all that, we just got cheated out of a record we had already earned.
So where does this 84 degrees come into play? Well, yesterday was just cruel, but today was amazing. I have no idea what the high for today was, but I know it didn't come close to 100 degrees. In fact, I went to run a few errands this afternoon, and the bank marque said 84 degrees. I know these are not the most accurate things around, but it sure felt nice out. It was overcast pretty much all day with a slight breeze blowing.
Yes, it was super humid outside and I know these cooler temperatures will soon be gone (the high for tomorrow is expected to reach 102 degrees), but for one day I got to take my puppy for a walk without worrying about either of us having heat stroke. And if you listened really closely, you could hear the grass singing and the trees breathing a sigh of relief. Let's hope tomorrow's forecast is off by 20 degrees.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
DTPA Claim?
I just realized how long it has been since I've written anything. Oops!
Anyways, I've always wondered how Nabisco could possibly know that Oreos were milk's favorite cookie. Yes, I know it's just a slogan, but couldn't that be a DTPA claim? I'm sure some creative lawyer out there could make a claim for false or misleading advertising or something similar.
A couple of days ago, I went to the grocery store and bought, among other things, milk and Oreos. When I got home, I put all the bags on the counter. When I grabbed the bag that held the milk, it was wet. Great -- a leaky milk carton. I threw away the bag and cleaned the counter. I was putting away the remaining groceries when I grabbed another wet bag. You guessed it, the one with the Oreos. It was the only other bag that got wet with the spilled milk.
I guess Nabisco was right after all....
Anyways, I've always wondered how Nabisco could possibly know that Oreos were milk's favorite cookie. Yes, I know it's just a slogan, but couldn't that be a DTPA claim? I'm sure some creative lawyer out there could make a claim for false or misleading advertising or something similar.
A couple of days ago, I went to the grocery store and bought, among other things, milk and Oreos. When I got home, I put all the bags on the counter. When I grabbed the bag that held the milk, it was wet. Great -- a leaky milk carton. I threw away the bag and cleaned the counter. I was putting away the remaining groceries when I grabbed another wet bag. You guessed it, the one with the Oreos. It was the only other bag that got wet with the spilled milk.
I guess Nabisco was right after all....
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