It was bound to happen. Everyone who knows me knows how many enemies I have. Stacks of them. Most people generally hate me. But people generally like Parker, so it evens out. Well, not anymore. Parker and I officially have out first enemy here in Cleveland.
When I moved in to this house, my landlady, Debbie, told me all about my next-door neighbor, who was a retired professor from Delta State and she said when she lived in the house, she spent many a night, sitting on his porch, talking with him-- that he was interesting, and well-read and collected art and was a great neighbor. She also said he liked dogs, which was good since she had two dogs while she lived here.
Now, obviously, I've not met a whole lot of people here yet (though I'm lucky that the ones I have meet have been super nice and super friendly!), but I was really looking forward to meeting this guy. I had dreams of discussing politics and Faulkner over plates of brownies I'd baked (yeah, that should have been a warning right there! I don't bake!) and he'd be a great neighbor and he'd think I was a great neighbor. As part of my hopes and dreams, I'd been noticing whenever he was outside and I'd try to walk slowly to my car or to the door, so that we'd have a chance to speak. He's never spoken, or even waved at me thus far, but I have enough faith in my general charmingness that I just knew, if he met me, we'd be great neighbors. Debbie even said, more than once, that she thought he'd really like me.
Well, he doesn't.
This afternoon, after I got home from work (my first official day! Yay!), I let Parker out in the backyard, where she did both "jobs". I changed clothes and grabbed my ipod and we headed out to walk to the park since she'd been cooped up inside all day. We walk outside, and I stop, while standing in my yard, on the sidewalk, to untangle my ipod cord, and I then realize, too late, that Parker has stopped in his yard, and is going to the bathroom. No. 2. She does it in just a second, which is unusual-- typically, she walks around sniffing for a while and I can tell she is about to do it, so I can drag her somewhere else if its a bad place. Well, this happened so quickly, I had no time to react, and I tried to pull her, but she'd already done it. It was over in like 10 seconds. So fast.
But apparently, not fast enough to get past Mr. Professor. Yep, before she was even done, and while I was both fussing at her and dragging her through the yard, while she was still half-bent over, he yanks open the door and steps outside onto the porch, in a t-shirt and boxers and yells at me "Don't ever let that dog into my yard again. I better not see him again."
I'm mortified and immediately feel my chest get tight and I get nervous and I say, "Oh, I am so so very sorry, I'm so sorry, it happened so quickly and I'm so sorry, it won't happen again", and before I can even finish this sentence, he screams "You should be keeping him on the sidewalk-- you can drag him on the leash, but don't ever let him in my yard again." He then slams the door.
It was awful. I was sick to my stomach. I was nearly in tears. I mean, I'm sure that its not nice to have random dogs going to the bathroom in your yard, but there are a lot of dogs in this area and I've seen them walking, with their owners, obviously (!), up and down this street all the time. Plus, I saw another, larger area of you-know-what, not far from where Parker had been. Further, she had just gone to the bathroom, and therefore, I didn't really expect her to go again within 5 minutes, so I wasn't paying attention. And, Parker has never been in his yard-- not once, I don't believe, since we got here-- going to the bathroom or even sniffing around. I've purposely kept her out of his yard, just to be polite.
Anyway, the whole situation was awful and everyone knows how badly I hate for people to not like me, so this is a huge test of my new "happy life" wherein I don't worry about stuff like that. I'm failing this test, cause I'm really upset about the whole thing. I was nearly in tears my entire walk, and I cut the walk short so that we could walk back past his house and I could keep Parker on the sidewalk and he would see that I "take directions well".
Once we got back home, I went over there with a baggie and picked it up. I also picked up the other dog stuff that wasn't my dogs. See, aren't I a really nice neighbor? I'm super sad about the whole thing.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
# 87 Cooking up a storm...
Today has been an excellent day! I didn't work, of course, but I did get confirmation that I'll be working tomorrow, so that's a relief. I cleaned up a lot, organized my closet and extra room, took a walk around the walking trail downtown, and went to the grocery store.
My friend Katherine, over at "Its a Great Life if You Don't Weaken" posted an interesting recipe earlier this week and I was inspired and decided to try it myself tonight. Its Chicken with Peanut Curry Sauce. Katherine is a fantastic cook and likes to just make recipes up and tweak them to her liking, so borrowing her recipes is usually a really good and yummy idea!
Plus since I don't really have anything in my fridge or cupboard, its good for me to go buy everything I need so that I can get stocked up again! I had a little trouble finding "coconut milk" but told myself that plain milk would be ok. I think it was just fine! The recipe turned out really good! I feel really grown-up and adult with my own house and going to the grocery store and making a really yummy dinner. In order to combat that adult feeling, I'm now watching America's Next Top Model.
Here are some pictures of Katherine's recipe! I always want to eat a really good meal on Wednesday nights because its Top Chef night and I usually get super hungry watching all their cooking!!
Cooking the onions and the curry-- which smelled really wonderful! On cooking shows, you know, they always talk about how great the stuff they are cooking smells and how it permeates through the house and blah blah blah. But this really did smell good! It made me feel like I was a really good cook, when in reality I'd only put the onions in a pan with some curry at that point.
The finished product-- look at how nice it looks with the green bowl and plate. Now, if this were Top Chef, Tom Colichio would be fussing at how its all one color and I should have done a better job of presentation. Well, Tom can suck it. I think it was a fabulous meal!
And thanks to Katherine for the recipe-- she has graciously allowed me to post it here for you guys as well!!
3 chicken breasts cut into cubes
1 medium onion cut in half and then into thin slices
1 medium red bell pepper cut into thin slices
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
3 or 4 medium carrots grated
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 Teaspoons powdered ginger (a little fresh ginger would be even better)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons peanut butter
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup coconut milk
salt and siracha or red pepper to taste
a couple of squeezes of lime juice if you have it
chopped fresh herbs...I used basil (because that's all I had) but green onions and cilantro would be awesome
Heat a little olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and curry powder and cook for 2-3 minutes until onions start to soften and curry becomes really fragrant. Add chicken and cook for about a minute to brown slightly. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook for about 3-4 more minutes until peppers begin to soften. Add chicken broth and stir to deglaze pan then add tomato paste and stir to blend. Add coconut milk, peanut butter, ginger and carrots and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If sauce becomes too thick, add a little chicken broth to thin it out. Add salt, pepper, lime and herbs to taste. Voila!
Katherine wants me to point out that the measurements are more approximate and should be regarded as such-- both she and I tend to cook without measurements, and just "eyeball" it, so you might be a bit more careful than us. Also, I only used one chicken breast and thus had a lot of sauce for just a bit of meat, but it turned out fine. It think next time, some rice or Thai noodles, would be good too! As stated above, I used milk instead of coconut milk and I also deleted the peppers from the recipe since I think bell peppers are gross.
My friend Katherine, over at "Its a Great Life if You Don't Weaken" posted an interesting recipe earlier this week and I was inspired and decided to try it myself tonight. Its Chicken with Peanut Curry Sauce. Katherine is a fantastic cook and likes to just make recipes up and tweak them to her liking, so borrowing her recipes is usually a really good and yummy idea!
Plus since I don't really have anything in my fridge or cupboard, its good for me to go buy everything I need so that I can get stocked up again! I had a little trouble finding "coconut milk" but told myself that plain milk would be ok. I think it was just fine! The recipe turned out really good! I feel really grown-up and adult with my own house and going to the grocery store and making a really yummy dinner. In order to combat that adult feeling, I'm now watching America's Next Top Model.
Here are some pictures of Katherine's recipe! I always want to eat a really good meal on Wednesday nights because its Top Chef night and I usually get super hungry watching all their cooking!!
Cooking the onions and the curry-- which smelled really wonderful! On cooking shows, you know, they always talk about how great the stuff they are cooking smells and how it permeates through the house and blah blah blah. But this really did smell good! It made me feel like I was a really good cook, when in reality I'd only put the onions in a pan with some curry at that point.
The finished product-- look at how nice it looks with the green bowl and plate. Now, if this were Top Chef, Tom Colichio would be fussing at how its all one color and I should have done a better job of presentation. Well, Tom can suck it. I think it was a fabulous meal!
And thanks to Katherine for the recipe-- she has graciously allowed me to post it here for you guys as well!!
3 chicken breasts cut into cubes
1 medium onion cut in half and then into thin slices
1 medium red bell pepper cut into thin slices
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
3 or 4 medium carrots grated
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 Teaspoons powdered ginger (a little fresh ginger would be even better)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons peanut butter
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup coconut milk
salt and siracha or red pepper to taste
a couple of squeezes of lime juice if you have it
chopped fresh herbs...I used basil (because that's all I had) but green onions and cilantro would be awesome
Heat a little olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and curry powder and cook for 2-3 minutes until onions start to soften and curry becomes really fragrant. Add chicken and cook for about a minute to brown slightly. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook for about 3-4 more minutes until peppers begin to soften. Add chicken broth and stir to deglaze pan then add tomato paste and stir to blend. Add coconut milk, peanut butter, ginger and carrots and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If sauce becomes too thick, add a little chicken broth to thin it out. Add salt, pepper, lime and herbs to taste. Voila!
Katherine wants me to point out that the measurements are more approximate and should be regarded as such-- both she and I tend to cook without measurements, and just "eyeball" it, so you might be a bit more careful than us. Also, I only used one chicken breast and thus had a lot of sauce for just a bit of meat, but it turned out fine. It think next time, some rice or Thai noodles, would be good too! As stated above, I used milk instead of coconut milk and I also deleted the peppers from the recipe since I think bell peppers are gross.
# 86 Ten Great Things About Today... So Far...
I read a really great quote last night (on the internet, so you know its totally true)--
What You Think About Expands.
And I do think its true. I've been surrounded by all sorts of negativity here recently, and most of it I've brought on myself. I'm sure all of you avid readers know some, if not all, of the stuff that's been going on in my life lately, but you might not know that I tend to obsess. Majorly. About everything-- how I should have done this, didn't do that, need to think this, could have said that-- how I should stop thinking about what I should have done, how I messed up a situation, forgot someone's birthday, what a terrible attorney I am, didn't call my friend back when I should have, why am I depressed, what should I be doing with my life, about why I got myself into some of these situations in the first place and does it make me a bad person that I've let people treat me kinda crappy (I mean, aren't all these questions annoying? I'm annoying myself with them, so I'm SURE you readers are annoyed! If you want to avoid my self-introspection, skip down!!)?
Anyway, all these things swirl in my mind, and for the last 8 months or so, I've taken a mental break from doing anything except thinking all these negative thoughts. Thoughts I didn't even realize were negative until more recently. So I've changed some of these things in my life-- work, location, etc., but some are harder to change. And its not been a great thing that the last month or so, and especially these last two weeks, I've basically had NOTHING to think about except all my thinking-about-things-issues! I can see how my negative and wacky thinking about everything little detail has expanded in my mind and into my life. And it ain't pretty, folks!
So, I'm going to adopt this new mantra of "What You Think About Expands" and start focusing on all the positive in my new life up here in Cleveland! I'm including some pictures but I've not found my camera since I went home last week, so that's a bit of a speed bump.
1. A new book I'm reading-- These High, Green Hills by Jan Karon. Its one of the Father Tim/Mitford series-- I read several of these a few years ago, and I like them-- they are simple, easy, uplifting books. I tend to think books like these are more like "junk food" books and that I should be spending my time reading books that are "good for you" like books about curing cancer or the philosophy of Ghandi, etc. But, I'm over that. I'm 25 years old, dangit, and if I want to read a silly novel, I can. At least it doesn't have Fabio on the front.
2. Joining the Bolivar County Library yesterday-- I got a cool keychain card and checked out two books--
and (this one is for Katherine!)
3. The fact that I literally have 19 dog toys strewn about my living room. Parker has taken every single toy out of her basket, and once she gets one out, she walks away and get another one. Plus, she's found my bedroom slippers and two (different) socks that are also on the floor. Despite the fact that I've tried to clean this up already and she just gets the toys and socks back out, I love it. It makes me happy to have her-- toys and all. God knew exactly what he was doing a couple years ago when she came into my life. He knew that one day, I'd be living in Cleveland, a bit down on myself, and I'd need Parker and all her toys to be all over my house to make me laugh. She's currently curled up on top of the pillow beside me on the couch-- moving toys all around makes a girl tired!
4. Leftover tomato basil soup from Newks-- I love leftovers. I love them. It makes me happy to cook only if there are enough leftovers for the next day. I love getting Chinese takeout so I can warm it up the next day and mix it all together for a fantastic meal! This soup is leftover from Sunday night with mom and dad in Oxford, and its just as good today!
5. That I got to see some of my friends this past weekend in Memphis-- Katherine, Courtney and David-- we had a great time! Plus, I got to see Elizabeth Hoffman, a friend from law school, and its been a super long time. She gave me a shout-out on facebook today and it made me laugh. She has a really funny blog-- check it out here.
6. I left this morning to get breakfast, and as I came back, there was a man spraying weedkiller stuff on my yard. He was cutting my yard as well. I was a bit confused. Turns out, it was my landlady's husband, Roger, and he will be cutting my yard every so often. He's super nice and he quoted me a really great price that was $5.00 less than I'd previously been told, so I kept my mouth shut! Its nice not to have to worry about the yard, and since I have a pretty nice yard, I'm glad someone else will be worrying about it.
7. My house is looking pretty fabulous, if I do say so myself. If I ever find my camera, I will take pictures. I've got a few things on my wishlist (I'll blog about that another time-- I'm sure some of you never got me a gift for my birthday/new job/housewarming/generally being a great person/etc. and are wondering what to buy).
8. I've decided to get dinner from Hey Joe's-- my favorite place to eat in town. They have fabulous hummus.
9. I've got a super cute outfit planned for tomorrow because...
10. I passed my drug test! So I'm starting tomorrow! I will be heading to Indianola, Ms, for my first "official" day. To save gas money (since I have no money!), I'm riding with Anne Marie, the girl who will be training me and also lives in Cleveland. I'm super excited. I'm also a bit relieved!
What You Think About Expands.
And I do think its true. I've been surrounded by all sorts of negativity here recently, and most of it I've brought on myself. I'm sure all of you avid readers know some, if not all, of the stuff that's been going on in my life lately, but you might not know that I tend to obsess. Majorly. About everything-- how I should have done this, didn't do that, need to think this, could have said that-- how I should stop thinking about what I should have done, how I messed up a situation, forgot someone's birthday, what a terrible attorney I am, didn't call my friend back when I should have, why am I depressed, what should I be doing with my life, about why I got myself into some of these situations in the first place and does it make me a bad person that I've let people treat me kinda crappy (I mean, aren't all these questions annoying? I'm annoying myself with them, so I'm SURE you readers are annoyed! If you want to avoid my self-introspection, skip down!!)?
Anyway, all these things swirl in my mind, and for the last 8 months or so, I've taken a mental break from doing anything except thinking all these negative thoughts. Thoughts I didn't even realize were negative until more recently. So I've changed some of these things in my life-- work, location, etc., but some are harder to change. And its not been a great thing that the last month or so, and especially these last two weeks, I've basically had NOTHING to think about except all my thinking-about-things-issues! I can see how my negative and wacky thinking about everything little detail has expanded in my mind and into my life. And it ain't pretty, folks!
So, I'm going to adopt this new mantra of "What You Think About Expands" and start focusing on all the positive in my new life up here in Cleveland! I'm including some pictures but I've not found my camera since I went home last week, so that's a bit of a speed bump.
1. A new book I'm reading-- These High, Green Hills by Jan Karon. Its one of the Father Tim/Mitford series-- I read several of these a few years ago, and I like them-- they are simple, easy, uplifting books. I tend to think books like these are more like "junk food" books and that I should be spending my time reading books that are "good for you" like books about curing cancer or the philosophy of Ghandi, etc. But, I'm over that. I'm 25 years old, dangit, and if I want to read a silly novel, I can. At least it doesn't have Fabio on the front.
2. Joining the Bolivar County Library yesterday-- I got a cool keychain card and checked out two books--
and (this one is for Katherine!)
3. The fact that I literally have 19 dog toys strewn about my living room. Parker has taken every single toy out of her basket, and once she gets one out, she walks away and get another one. Plus, she's found my bedroom slippers and two (different) socks that are also on the floor. Despite the fact that I've tried to clean this up already and she just gets the toys and socks back out, I love it. It makes me happy to have her-- toys and all. God knew exactly what he was doing a couple years ago when she came into my life. He knew that one day, I'd be living in Cleveland, a bit down on myself, and I'd need Parker and all her toys to be all over my house to make me laugh. She's currently curled up on top of the pillow beside me on the couch-- moving toys all around makes a girl tired!
4. Leftover tomato basil soup from Newks-- I love leftovers. I love them. It makes me happy to cook only if there are enough leftovers for the next day. I love getting Chinese takeout so I can warm it up the next day and mix it all together for a fantastic meal! This soup is leftover from Sunday night with mom and dad in Oxford, and its just as good today!
5. That I got to see some of my friends this past weekend in Memphis-- Katherine, Courtney and David-- we had a great time! Plus, I got to see Elizabeth Hoffman, a friend from law school, and its been a super long time. She gave me a shout-out on facebook today and it made me laugh. She has a really funny blog-- check it out here.
6. I left this morning to get breakfast, and as I came back, there was a man spraying weedkiller stuff on my yard. He was cutting my yard as well. I was a bit confused. Turns out, it was my landlady's husband, Roger, and he will be cutting my yard every so often. He's super nice and he quoted me a really great price that was $5.00 less than I'd previously been told, so I kept my mouth shut! Its nice not to have to worry about the yard, and since I have a pretty nice yard, I'm glad someone else will be worrying about it.
7. My house is looking pretty fabulous, if I do say so myself. If I ever find my camera, I will take pictures. I've got a few things on my wishlist (I'll blog about that another time-- I'm sure some of you never got me a gift for my birthday/new job/housewarming/generally being a great person/etc. and are wondering what to buy).
8. I've decided to get dinner from Hey Joe's-- my favorite place to eat in town. They have fabulous hummus.
9. I've got a super cute outfit planned for tomorrow because...
10. I passed my drug test! So I'm starting tomorrow! I will be heading to Indianola, Ms, for my first "official" day. To save gas money (since I have no money!), I'm riding with Anne Marie, the girl who will be training me and also lives in Cleveland. I'm super excited. I'm also a bit relieved!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
# 85 Parker's Park
After I finished my cupcake reward from my half-day of pseudo-work, Parker and I took a walk. It was beautiful weather and on the other side of the block is a nice little park with baseball fields and tennis courts and walking trails and a playground. So we headed out for a walk. Unfortunately, if you've ever walked with and/or near Parker, you will know that she has to stop literally every 4 feet and smell something. Even if its something she's smelled a dozen times prior on a street she's walked down 100 times prior. So, we started out slow. Very slow. Which gave me time to untangle my ipod cord.
We headed over to the park which was apparently THE place to be for children ages 4-10 who are interested in sports and their parents-- there were at least 6 games of t-ball, baseball, softball, etc., going on, and as we were walking away, a small car pulled up and, no lie, 9 kids got out of the vehicle and one adult. Parker was a hit-- she always is-- and lots of the kids came up to pet her. One in particular tried really hard to pet her but she kept trying to run away-- I'm not sure why- he was wearing Ole Miss pants, so presumably, he was a nice kid.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the walk, which lasted only about 30 minutes, was the pace. We literally stopped dozens of times. Mostly because Parker had to use the bathroom every five minutes. I actually counted-- she went to the bathroom 13 times. I mean, there towards the end, it was just a drop or two. She's just so stubborn though. I was really annoyed-- I mean, is it necessary to mark your territory that many times? Now we are snuggled up on the couch, about to watch NCIS!!
We headed over to the park which was apparently THE place to be for children ages 4-10 who are interested in sports and their parents-- there were at least 6 games of t-ball, baseball, softball, etc., going on, and as we were walking away, a small car pulled up and, no lie, 9 kids got out of the vehicle and one adult. Parker was a hit-- she always is-- and lots of the kids came up to pet her. One in particular tried really hard to pet her but she kept trying to run away-- I'm not sure why- he was wearing Ole Miss pants, so presumably, he was a nice kid.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the walk, which lasted only about 30 minutes, was the pace. We literally stopped dozens of times. Mostly because Parker had to use the bathroom every five minutes. I actually counted-- she went to the bathroom 13 times. I mean, there towards the end, it was just a drop or two. She's just so stubborn though. I was really annoyed-- I mean, is it necessary to mark your territory that many times? Now we are snuggled up on the couch, about to watch NCIS!!
# 84 Unofficial First Days and Starting Over...
So I'm officially living in Cleveland. Full-time. No plans to leave. A bit scared. Sorta excited. I moved week before last but then went home to Laurel for a while and then onto Memphis and Oxford. So, I've not really been here that long till now! I've spent most of my time unpacking boxes, hanging pictures, re-arranging furniture, lamenting on the massive number of trash bags full of clothes I have, reading, fixing my internet connection and just generally enjoying my time off. When I was home last week, I brought back lots of stuff that I'd left in Laurel. I was able to bring back Parker's toys, which I'd forgotten (I'm a bad mother), and Parker has shown how excited she was by pulling each toy out of the basket and bringing it to another part of the room, and then walking away, returning to the basket and getting another toy. She's emptied the entire basket twice. I've decide she has way too many toys.
So I'm sure many of you readers are wondering when, or, more precisely, IF, I will ever start my job. Yes, I'm wondering as well. I got the call last week that I could start immediately, on Friday. Yay! But, then, I got another call saying I had to take a pre-employment drug test before starting. So, Friday morning, I headed over to take the drug test. And while I wasn't really worried about failing the TEST, I was a bit concerned with all the procedures that go along with the test. I had to show my license three different times, but to only two different people. Then I had to empty my pockets and lift up my pants legs to mid-calf. I had to remove the cardigan I was wearing over my t-shirt and place all my things (wallet, cell, cardigan, etc.) into a large drawer that the nurse then locked. I then had to wash my hands with water, no soap, and then go fill up the cup, to the line, but I couldn't flush. I was so stressed out by this time, but I think I passed. I was told the test would take up to a week for the results to be returned to DHS. Later that day my boss told me not to worry about coming in Monday since the results wouldn't be in, but to plan on Tuesday, which would work out fine since there would be court in Clarksdale.
Unfortunately, Monday afternoon I got the call that Tuesday was a no-go as well. Now I'm beginning to get a complex about this. Beginning to worry that this is all some sick joke! But Anne Marie, the girl who will be training me, called and suggested I go to Clarksdale anyway, unofficially (and unpaid!) to watch the hearings and see how things were done. Since I'm super bored, I took her up on the offer and headed there today. I worked super hard so I rewarded myself with a cupcake from Crave. Its the first time I've been there when they actually had a cupcake I wanted to try. I'm not interested in flavors other than chocolate or vanilla, which apparently sell out super fast!!
Its really hard work when you have to work from 9:00 a.m. till nearly 3:00 p.m. I'm a tired girl!!!
So I'm sure many of you readers are wondering when, or, more precisely, IF, I will ever start my job. Yes, I'm wondering as well. I got the call last week that I could start immediately, on Friday. Yay! But, then, I got another call saying I had to take a pre-employment drug test before starting. So, Friday morning, I headed over to take the drug test. And while I wasn't really worried about failing the TEST, I was a bit concerned with all the procedures that go along with the test. I had to show my license three different times, but to only two different people. Then I had to empty my pockets and lift up my pants legs to mid-calf. I had to remove the cardigan I was wearing over my t-shirt and place all my things (wallet, cell, cardigan, etc.) into a large drawer that the nurse then locked. I then had to wash my hands with water, no soap, and then go fill up the cup, to the line, but I couldn't flush. I was so stressed out by this time, but I think I passed. I was told the test would take up to a week for the results to be returned to DHS. Later that day my boss told me not to worry about coming in Monday since the results wouldn't be in, but to plan on Tuesday, which would work out fine since there would be court in Clarksdale.
Unfortunately, Monday afternoon I got the call that Tuesday was a no-go as well. Now I'm beginning to get a complex about this. Beginning to worry that this is all some sick joke! But Anne Marie, the girl who will be training me, called and suggested I go to Clarksdale anyway, unofficially (and unpaid!) to watch the hearings and see how things were done. Since I'm super bored, I took her up on the offer and headed there today. I worked super hard so I rewarded myself with a cupcake from Crave. Its the first time I've been there when they actually had a cupcake I wanted to try. I'm not interested in flavors other than chocolate or vanilla, which apparently sell out super fast!!
Its really hard work when you have to work from 9:00 a.m. till nearly 3:00 p.m. I'm a tired girl!!!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
# 83 Birthday Celebrations, AutoZone and Quincy...
Well, I'm finally back! Did you miss me? I've been gone so long, I've nearly forgotten what its like to blog!
Here are some things going on in my life:
-- Still no update on when I will be starting the job. I keep hearing April 1, but thats mostly because I keep saying "Maybe it will be April 1st" to myself (quietly when I'm in public, obviously). So I think I might have started that rumor myself.
-- I've been in Laurel the past few days and have really enjoyed being home! I also worked in Decatur yesterday and it was super hard to say goodbye to everyone up there. I also broke down in tears Monday night at Mi Casita, thinking about how much fun I was having with my Aunt, my Mom and my Em, and how I couldn't just have random dinner time fun with them as often as I do now. It was embarrassing and probably everyone in Mi Casita thought I was crazy!
-- I'm thinking about getting a mani/pedi tomorrow. I'll take pictures cause I know you will all want to see. Despite my mom's pure hatred for any unique colors like black, navy, gray, etc., I love those colors-- I think they are fun and modern and since I've had a boring, conservative job the last few years and I've strived (stiven?) to make myself look older, more mature and more intelligent, I've stayed away from anything except the occasional clear polish (I know, I'm a wild one!). But now that I'm in between jobs, and when I do finally start the job, I will be mostly training and its a very casual job, I think I'll try a new color. Saw this one in a magazine today and LOVE it!!
Its called Chinchilly from Essie! Love it!!
So last week was my birthday-- did anyone know that? Probably not, I'm a bit shy about it! And my super cool friend Sonji offered to cook a birthday dinner for me Saturday night and I, of course, jumped at the chance-- Sonji's a great cook and I adore her family!
The night was a total blast-- I thought it was just going to be me, Sonji, Clay and the kids, but it turned out my friend Becky and her boyfriend Chad were there as well as one of my favorite people ever-- Dr. Adam! Adam is our doctor friend who lives in North Alabama and he and Clay and Sonji are great friends and are so fun to hang around!! Those three are really funny! Sonji cooked a good meal, as always, for me, and it was topped off with some homemade strawberry cake and homemade icing-- YUM! I got some super cute gifts (I'll take pictures later!) and, to end the night on a high, I got my car fixed! Its a one-stop shop there, at the Rose House!!
My headlight had been out for a week or so, and I tried to get the guy at Advanced Auto in Newton to change it, but he apparently didn't do it correctly. So I'm telling this story, of how the guy, Whitney was his name, tried to change the light at night, but dropped the screws and it it took forever to find them in the dark, etc. And Adam says he can fix it. So, they head outside and come back in a few minutes with the little lightbulb. They tell me and Sonji to head to Newton and buy a replacement bulb.
Now Adam is a doctor, and he is obviously quite smart. And Clay is super clever and smart about vehicles, and outdoor stuff and buildings, etc. But, those two guys were obviously not thinking. They sent ME and SONJI to buy something. At AUTO ZONE. There was no way this wasn't ending badly.
But me and Sonji are up for the challenge. We head into town and get a chance to catch up on some stuff, which was nice. And we arrive at AutoZone and it looks really dark, but there are a couple cars and one man outside, smoking. So, I roll down the window and ask if they are still open. He tells me yes, obviously thinking I'm an idiot. So we head in and proudly announce to the clerk that we need another one of "these" bulbs, which is a headlight for a 2006 Altima. He looks on the computer to see if it is in stock and says they don't have it, but can order it. Its $99.00. WHAT? I paid $7.00 the week before at Advanced Auto Parts. Now, granted, the light didn't work. But still. So we decide there must be a problem and he suggests we go back to Advanced Auto Parts, and so we do. But it has already closed. So, we call Clay and he tells us to go back to AutoZone and ask for Quincy-- a guy he does a lot of business with there.
Tentatively, we do so, knowing, we look like total idiots now, not just the somewhat idiots we looked like before. And we try to explain to Quincy what the situation is. And he tells us that we are wrong, that the light we had was a FOG light, and not a HEAD light, which explains the price difference. We call Adam and try to explain to him. He thinks we are chuckling. He tries to explain it to us. We decide that perhaps it was a mistake, sending us to do this job. Perhaps? Most definitely.
We finally decide to get the cheap bulb, ignoring Quincy's dubious looks, and with the promise that if it doesn't fit, Adam will pay me back for the $7.99 bulb. We head home, triumphant.
It fits. I can now see both sides of the road. The light bulb might only last a week, but so far so good. I'm happy. Sonji's happy. Adam and Clay are happy. They've learned a valuable lesson. Never sent me or Sonji to buy anything at AutoZone. Or anywhere other than the Belk shoe department!
Here are some pictures of the night!
Adam is a bit camera shy and wanted to "minimize his internet presence" and thus didn't really want to be on the blog. But I'm nothing if not persistent!
Sonji and Bentley-- one of the sweetest, most beautiful kids! I love her! I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of Gatlin that night, but I'll get one another time!
Sonji and her extensive collection of flyswatters-- in such pretty colors. Not sure why she's chosen to collect these, instead of say, pottery or picture frames, etc! Ha ha! Just kidding!
The headlight whisperers-- Clay, Adam and Bentley! I think it was right before this picture that Adam said it wasn't that impressive of him to change a headlight-- after all he'd "built a car from scratch!" But I was impressed! And thankful!!
Here are some things going on in my life:
-- Still no update on when I will be starting the job. I keep hearing April 1, but thats mostly because I keep saying "Maybe it will be April 1st" to myself (quietly when I'm in public, obviously). So I think I might have started that rumor myself.
-- I've been in Laurel the past few days and have really enjoyed being home! I also worked in Decatur yesterday and it was super hard to say goodbye to everyone up there. I also broke down in tears Monday night at Mi Casita, thinking about how much fun I was having with my Aunt, my Mom and my Em, and how I couldn't just have random dinner time fun with them as often as I do now. It was embarrassing and probably everyone in Mi Casita thought I was crazy!
-- I'm thinking about getting a mani/pedi tomorrow. I'll take pictures cause I know you will all want to see. Despite my mom's pure hatred for any unique colors like black, navy, gray, etc., I love those colors-- I think they are fun and modern and since I've had a boring, conservative job the last few years and I've strived (stiven?) to make myself look older, more mature and more intelligent, I've stayed away from anything except the occasional clear polish (I know, I'm a wild one!). But now that I'm in between jobs, and when I do finally start the job, I will be mostly training and its a very casual job, I think I'll try a new color. Saw this one in a magazine today and LOVE it!!
Its called Chinchilly from Essie! Love it!!
So last week was my birthday-- did anyone know that? Probably not, I'm a bit shy about it! And my super cool friend Sonji offered to cook a birthday dinner for me Saturday night and I, of course, jumped at the chance-- Sonji's a great cook and I adore her family!
The night was a total blast-- I thought it was just going to be me, Sonji, Clay and the kids, but it turned out my friend Becky and her boyfriend Chad were there as well as one of my favorite people ever-- Dr. Adam! Adam is our doctor friend who lives in North Alabama and he and Clay and Sonji are great friends and are so fun to hang around!! Those three are really funny! Sonji cooked a good meal, as always, for me, and it was topped off with some homemade strawberry cake and homemade icing-- YUM! I got some super cute gifts (I'll take pictures later!) and, to end the night on a high, I got my car fixed! Its a one-stop shop there, at the Rose House!!
My headlight had been out for a week or so, and I tried to get the guy at Advanced Auto in Newton to change it, but he apparently didn't do it correctly. So I'm telling this story, of how the guy, Whitney was his name, tried to change the light at night, but dropped the screws and it it took forever to find them in the dark, etc. And Adam says he can fix it. So, they head outside and come back in a few minutes with the little lightbulb. They tell me and Sonji to head to Newton and buy a replacement bulb.
Now Adam is a doctor, and he is obviously quite smart. And Clay is super clever and smart about vehicles, and outdoor stuff and buildings, etc. But, those two guys were obviously not thinking. They sent ME and SONJI to buy something. At AUTO ZONE. There was no way this wasn't ending badly.
But me and Sonji are up for the challenge. We head into town and get a chance to catch up on some stuff, which was nice. And we arrive at AutoZone and it looks really dark, but there are a couple cars and one man outside, smoking. So, I roll down the window and ask if they are still open. He tells me yes, obviously thinking I'm an idiot. So we head in and proudly announce to the clerk that we need another one of "these" bulbs, which is a headlight for a 2006 Altima. He looks on the computer to see if it is in stock and says they don't have it, but can order it. Its $99.00. WHAT? I paid $7.00 the week before at Advanced Auto Parts. Now, granted, the light didn't work. But still. So we decide there must be a problem and he suggests we go back to Advanced Auto Parts, and so we do. But it has already closed. So, we call Clay and he tells us to go back to AutoZone and ask for Quincy-- a guy he does a lot of business with there.
Tentatively, we do so, knowing, we look like total idiots now, not just the somewhat idiots we looked like before. And we try to explain to Quincy what the situation is. And he tells us that we are wrong, that the light we had was a FOG light, and not a HEAD light, which explains the price difference. We call Adam and try to explain to him. He thinks we are chuckling. He tries to explain it to us. We decide that perhaps it was a mistake, sending us to do this job. Perhaps? Most definitely.
We finally decide to get the cheap bulb, ignoring Quincy's dubious looks, and with the promise that if it doesn't fit, Adam will pay me back for the $7.99 bulb. We head home, triumphant.
It fits. I can now see both sides of the road. The light bulb might only last a week, but so far so good. I'm happy. Sonji's happy. Adam and Clay are happy. They've learned a valuable lesson. Never sent me or Sonji to buy anything at AutoZone. Or anywhere other than the Belk shoe department!
Here are some pictures of the night!
Adam is a bit camera shy and wanted to "minimize his internet presence" and thus didn't really want to be on the blog. But I'm nothing if not persistent!
Sonji and Bentley-- one of the sweetest, most beautiful kids! I love her! I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of Gatlin that night, but I'll get one another time!
Sonji and her extensive collection of flyswatters-- in such pretty colors. Not sure why she's chosen to collect these, instead of say, pottery or picture frames, etc! Ha ha! Just kidding!
The headlight whisperers-- Clay, Adam and Bentley! I think it was right before this picture that Adam said it wasn't that impressive of him to change a headlight-- after all he'd "built a car from scratch!" But I was impressed! And thankful!!
Friday, March 25, 2011
# 82 Continuing to settle in....
Even though I am back in South Mississippi for a couple days, I've got internet so I will use this opportunity to post some more pictures of mine and Parker's first few days in Cleveland!
Monday was a fun day! We woke up late and we went outside to let Parker go to the bathroom. Since I still didn't have any water, I did not have the same luxury! However, the good thing about not having water? All the usual hygienic morning routines weren't necessary. So instead of brushing my teeth, washing my face, showering, washing hair, etc., I just walked out the door. I didn't even change out of my yoga pants/t-shirt pajamas. At least I wasn't wearing my zebra print ones!!
Now, I'd been told Cleveland is serious about their water and I'd learned that first hand last week when I couldn't get my water turned on over the phone/fax as I'd previously been told since the supervisor was "out on Spring Break". But the water lady was super nice, and graciously allowed me to use their bathroom, while she was working on my paperwork. But I found another serious aspect to the Cleveland Water-- they don't like late bills. Bill is due on the 10th of each month. If its not paid then, they assess a $25.00 fee. If the entire amount isn't paid by the 20th, even if the 20th falls on a weekend, they assess a $30.00 fee and immediately turn the water off. Yep, they are serious. As my landlady says, you can "get electricity turned on in Bangladesh easier than getting water in Cleveland". But, we finally worked it out and BONUS-- they gave me a big old roll of trash bags-- since they handle the trash as well. And every April and October they pass out another roll! Sweet!
I ran a couple other errands and hurried home to be there when the water guy arrived because the lady told me I needed to be there. So, imagine my concern when I turned on to Victoria Avenue and realized, several blocks away (its a long road!) that the water guy was parked in front of my house. I was super worried that he was about to drive away before I could get there. As soon as I got close, I started honking my horn to get his attention and I flew into the driveway, jumped out and started waving my arms at the water man, who was sitting in the driver's seat of his vehicle on the street. He looked at my like the madwoman I am, and rolled down his window. Out of breath, I explain to him that I was there, and please don't leave without turning on the water and I'm sorry I wasn't there when he got there. And he calmly says "It's ok ma'am, your water is turned on. You didn't have to be here." Yeah, so I looked like an idiot! But yay! I had water!
However, my elation over hot water was short-lived when I realized that gas had not yet been turned on so my water wasn't HOT! Still no shower for Jess. It was getting ugly.
In the meantime, and in an effort to get my mind of my dirtiness, Parker and I explored the backyard. Its super cute with a little bench and an area where a fountain used to be. Parker loved it.
We met this little guy on the empty baker's rack beside the back door. Suggestions for names?
Then we went back inside and kept on unpacking boxes. We also unloaded all the stuff I'd bought at Wal-Mart the previous night (the ridiculously long line didn't even bother me as I met a very nice lady in the checkout who told me all about Cleveland and wished me luck when she was leaving!). I bought this super cool party people iHome for my iPod-- it changes colors and everything! This is the blue color but it also has purple, pink, orange and green. Its going to be awesome for all my rocking house parties. With all my new friends I'm gonna make!!!
Since all good stories must come to an end, you will be glad to know the gas finally got turned on and I finally got a hot shower! Which was wonderful! And then, to make the day even better, my sweet Betsy came arrived in town right before dinner. Now, that's an entire other post...
Monday was a fun day! We woke up late and we went outside to let Parker go to the bathroom. Since I still didn't have any water, I did not have the same luxury! However, the good thing about not having water? All the usual hygienic morning routines weren't necessary. So instead of brushing my teeth, washing my face, showering, washing hair, etc., I just walked out the door. I didn't even change out of my yoga pants/t-shirt pajamas. At least I wasn't wearing my zebra print ones!!
Now, I'd been told Cleveland is serious about their water and I'd learned that first hand last week when I couldn't get my water turned on over the phone/fax as I'd previously been told since the supervisor was "out on Spring Break". But the water lady was super nice, and graciously allowed me to use their bathroom, while she was working on my paperwork. But I found another serious aspect to the Cleveland Water-- they don't like late bills. Bill is due on the 10th of each month. If its not paid then, they assess a $25.00 fee. If the entire amount isn't paid by the 20th, even if the 20th falls on a weekend, they assess a $30.00 fee and immediately turn the water off. Yep, they are serious. As my landlady says, you can "get electricity turned on in Bangladesh easier than getting water in Cleveland". But, we finally worked it out and BONUS-- they gave me a big old roll of trash bags-- since they handle the trash as well. And every April and October they pass out another roll! Sweet!
I ran a couple other errands and hurried home to be there when the water guy arrived because the lady told me I needed to be there. So, imagine my concern when I turned on to Victoria Avenue and realized, several blocks away (its a long road!) that the water guy was parked in front of my house. I was super worried that he was about to drive away before I could get there. As soon as I got close, I started honking my horn to get his attention and I flew into the driveway, jumped out and started waving my arms at the water man, who was sitting in the driver's seat of his vehicle on the street. He looked at my like the madwoman I am, and rolled down his window. Out of breath, I explain to him that I was there, and please don't leave without turning on the water and I'm sorry I wasn't there when he got there. And he calmly says "It's ok ma'am, your water is turned on. You didn't have to be here." Yeah, so I looked like an idiot! But yay! I had water!
However, my elation over hot water was short-lived when I realized that gas had not yet been turned on so my water wasn't HOT! Still no shower for Jess. It was getting ugly.
In the meantime, and in an effort to get my mind of my dirtiness, Parker and I explored the backyard. Its super cute with a little bench and an area where a fountain used to be. Parker loved it.
We met this little guy on the empty baker's rack beside the back door. Suggestions for names?
Then we went back inside and kept on unpacking boxes. We also unloaded all the stuff I'd bought at Wal-Mart the previous night (the ridiculously long line didn't even bother me as I met a very nice lady in the checkout who told me all about Cleveland and wished me luck when she was leaving!). I bought this super cool party people iHome for my iPod-- it changes colors and everything! This is the blue color but it also has purple, pink, orange and green. Its going to be awesome for all my rocking house parties. With all my new friends I'm gonna make!!!
Since all good stories must come to an end, you will be glad to know the gas finally got turned on and I finally got a hot shower! Which was wonderful! And then, to make the day even better, my sweet Betsy came arrived in town right before dinner. Now, that's an entire other post...
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