Has It Really?

It has! It's been over 2 weeks since I last blogged! Egads!

I can explain. I tried to log on several days while at work, (and I always forget to get on at home) but every time I tried, an error message popped up saying the internet was down or something, even though it clearly wasn't, because all my other websites were running. Anyway, I was afraid blogger had been blocked! But I tried again today and was pleasantly surprised. I have been wanting to talk about my Christmas prank and how beautiful it was!

So a few weeks ago I had someone over in servicing distract my coworker for a few minutes so I could get onto his computer and steal an embarassing picture I saw there the last time I was messing with it. Unfortunately it wasn't there any more, but he did have one that I could use. So, I emailed it to myself to use later. Now, remember how he thinks I am his secretary? Well, he kept asking me to send out Christmas cards for him, so I saw my opportunity. I took the picture of him, added a Santa hat and the leg lamp from A Christmas Story, the words "Merry Christmas from Chris Bangerter" and VOILA! Instant Christmas card. I then proceeded to put a copy of this card on the desks of....everyone on our floor.

This was the night before Christmas Eve. Yeah, I was a little bummed that I had to work on that day, so I thought this would brighten my spirits a little. It really worked. When I walked in that morning, I could hear people talking about A Christmas Story and the lamp and everything; it was really funny. Then when he came in, I heard someone tell him thank you for the card and laughing, and he was saying, "Oh...you're welcome!" and then I heard him laugh and say "Oooohhhh" when he saw it. He came over to his desk and started talking about how it wasn't nice of us to do something like that to him, blah blah, and who was it, etc. I told him he really should have seen it coming. He agreed, and I was much pleased. And for all of you out there who don't believe me, no, I do not like him. If you knew him like I do you would understand. Haha. He told me once that I have to clean up after him because I am a girl. Yeah.

So Christmas was really nice too. Everyone really liked the gifts I got them, so that was good, and I got some awesome stuff too! A really nice set of pans and some new stuff for my kitchen and bathroom! I didn't have time to make the hoodies like I wanted, but I'm going to start on them soon. I did make the bags, and they all liked those. Lisa especially. O_o I was almost weirded out by how much she liked hers. Plus we had yummy Danish rice pudding for breakfast. :D At least I think it was Danish.

I am finally selling my old car, and I decided that with the money I get for it, I am going to buy me some nice bedroom furniture! I'm so excited! I can get the bed, three chests of drawers, (two large, one small) storage unit, and end tables I want from Ikea with money left over to spend on a rug, mirror, or whatever else I want! I'm going to be remodeling the whole room, (it will be two rooms in one) so this is way exciting for me. I'm also registered for school in the spring, and I'm going to get a loan so I can get it all done the rest of the way from there, then transfer to UVU probably to get my bachelor's. It will be very nice this upcoming year, to not think I'm being such a loser and actually getting things done!

I thought I'd have more to write about, but I'm all out of ideas. Everyone have a fun and safe New Year!

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth

And that's what I shall do today. I will fill this paper (blogspace) with the breathings of my heart (some quotes, lyrics, exerpts that I like) and why I like them. Others' words help me bring out my own, I guess. :D

I'll start with something I just read in Paradise Lost, spoken by the character of Satan:

"The mind is its own place, and in it self Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n."
We all know Satan to speak lies to us, but deception is sometimes not as harsh than the truth can be.

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." ~Anton Chekhov
To me, being able to SEE has been one of my most cherished gifts. To be able to see through words is a most pleasant alternative.

"There is no surer method of evading the world than by following Art, and no surer method of linking oneself to it than by Art." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Ah, looks like art is the answer to all our problems! It's also funny to think that most of us want to both evade and link ourselves to the world.

"Man will begin to recover the moment he takes art as seriously as physics, chemistry or money." ~Ernst Levy
Oh, that this would ever become a reality! I think we would all be able to see the beauty around us and be grateful for it, and gratitude most often leads to happiness; ours as well as others'.

"Great art is as irrational as great music. It is mad with its own loveliness." ~George Jean Nathan, House of Satan
Mad with its own lovliness! Stability, while being able to be interpreted many ways, has never been what I would consider the most lovely. Flaws and uniqueness are what build character and confidence, in my opinion.

"Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit softly." ~Theodore Roosevelt
I cannot express how much I adore this man. I think that what he says here is essential to our self-respect and goals for the future. And hilarious.

It was hard to pick one phrase from Thoreau, from whose mouth came some of my favorite sentences ever:

"Men profess to be lovers of music, but for the most part they give no evidence in their opinions and lives that they have heard it." ~Henry David Thoreau
The same could be said about so-called lovers of almost anything! If we were all as civil, educated, humble, respectful, artistic, creative, happy as we say we are, imagine the benefits to ourselves and those around us! And what's stopping us from being what we want to be?

"They make no mention of the beauty of decay." ~Tears For Fears, Break It Down Again
I've always enjoyed a lyric that has made me stop and think and say, "Oh, that's very true!" Decay often leads to rebirth, and that is a truly beautiful thing, if not dark. I also enjoy a bit of the dark. :D

"I am a lyrical soul, bound to get carried away." ~Roisin Murphy, Sow Into You
How else could I describe myself? There probably isn't any other way, haha.
"By daily dying I have come to be." ~Theodore Roethke
This was one of my favorite philosophers I learned about in high school. I wondered about what he meant by this phrase, but then I remembered something an artist said once, about giving so much of himself for his art, so that it would come alive, that it seemed he lost his personality. Maybe by giving of ourselves, we find what we really are.

"This is how it works: you're young until you're not. You love until you don't. You try until you can't. You laugh until you cry, you cry until you laugh, and everyone must breathe, until their dying breath." ~Regina Spektor, On The Radio
I love the simplicity of this. It's all true! You do what you can until you can't anymore. But when and why that is, all depends on you.

I wanted to include some lyrics from My Brightest Diamond songs, but they can be kind of dark, and while I like them for their creative construction, I'm afraid people would think I'm grotesque or something. :D I'm not entirely.

While there's plenty more where this came from, I think I've bored you all enough. :D

Who's excited for Christmas, raise your hands!

I Have It

I have what I need to proceed with my Christmas prank. XD

Ah, the splendor and fast-paced season that is Christmas. The time of the year most often spent visiting loved ones, making cookies and candies, decorating, singing, and reminiscing of Christmases past. What I am trying to say, is that I think I'm going to have to buy gifts for my friends and family, instead of making them like I planned, since I am running dangerously low on time. I think I will finish making them and just give them away when they are done. It will be a bit on the spontaneous side I think, but that's become a thing to be expected when it comes to me, so I'm not really worried.

Today I finished my book and passed it on to my coworker. I recommend it. Some of you are probably aware of my infatuation with Mr. Darcy, so the book I was reading, An Assembly Such As This, would be no surprise. It's the Pride & Prejudice story from Mr. Darcy's point of view. Pamela Aidan does a pretty good job of keeping the language in the proper era, as well as keeping with the story, but making it different enough to keep readers familiar with P&P interested. It's a Trilogy, so I'm off for the second book. But in the meantime, I will be reading Paradise Lost.

So I think I would like the Canon 40D digital camera. It's very nice. 10.1 megapixels, tilt correction, dust reduction....phwoar, I want this camera bad. Hopefully I will be able to afford it after the holidays. :D

Love At First Sight?

The Dark Knight comes out on DVD today! I am giddy with joy and excitement. XD But I have to wait until later to go get it because I left my preorder receipt at home. :( But, it will wait for me! I can make myself have patience! I will have to distract myself though, to make the time go by faster. And I will distract myself with solitaire.
About that...my work wants us to cut down on our outside-of-work internet use. Understandable. So I'm reduced to playing solitaire when there's nothing to do and no one to help, to reduce the excess use of bandwidth. It's no big deal, but I can't blog as much. Which is probably all for the better as well.

So I came across this article today while reading the news. Never before have I read something by someone so incredibly misinformed. This article suggests that the Bible does not necessarily revere heterosexual marriages and that it does, in fact, support gay marriages. Besides that statement being utterly ridiculous, it's very plain to see that the writer was either not familiar with the Bible in any way, (and therefore should probably not be writing an article on interpreting it) or has been welcomed into that ever-growing circle of those with the cunning ability to twist anything into what thay want it to represent. I would not base my own beliefs on the words of someone who probably only looked at a few passages that might support their point without searching for further explanation, if the former. If the latter, it is an unfortunate thing that there are many different versions of the Bible, most of which were added to or taken from purely to fit with what early religious groups wanted in their worship and actions, so I can see how someone would be able to misinterpret scripture and/or be able to more easily mold what is said to fit their purposes. It makes me so glad that I have access to the most correct of them all.

The article can be read here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/172653/page/1

The second page made me laugh (after it made me mad). It is so strange to me that those who do not believe in Christ or God or religion or whatever, refuse to believe in Jesus's divinity or the apostles' greatness until the prospect of them also being HUMAN comes into play - then we hear things like, "If Paul was so spiritual, why didn't he get married?" while I am thinking, "If you are so anti-spiritual, why are you trying to win me in a battle of scripture?" Nowhere in the Bible does it say Paul was never married. (At least not the most correct Bible.) He may not have been married after his conversion, but does that automatically mean he was NEVER married and was going against the church? He couldn't have been divorced or a widower? (Found my proof on LDS.org) Here's another fun exerpt from the article: "Twice Leviticus refers to sex between men as "an abomination" (King James version), but these are throwaway lines in a peculiar text given over to codes for living in the ancient Jewish world..." Sooooo what you are telling me is that you are taking the scriptures seriously and literally in your professional research, but this particular passage does not count? Because it makes the title and purpose of your article a complete lie, making you look like a fool? That makes perfect sense. How honorable.

The author concludes, saying that homosexual partners should be allowed to marry in the same sense that straight couples are, because we are all God's children. That is very true, we are all God's children, and he loves us no matter what, but homosexuality is not of God, and His sacred ordinance of marriage should not and will not be tainted. Are you also saying that we should allow murder, stealing, infidelity and substance abuse, among others? Last I heard, most people as a whole are firmly against those abominations. You can't pick and choose, honey, make up your mind. I stand by what I have always said: If it were ever meant for people to be homosexual, there would not be two specific genders, whether you believe in God or science. It's that simple. Fight it all you want.

Sure, I may not be the nicest of writers, but that's a bit better than baseless, incorrect writers. But still, everyone's entitled to their opinion.

My coworker (who thinks I'm his secretary) hasn't been messing around with me much lately. I think it's because I refused to buy him a bagel last week, because I knew he would never pay me back. He wouldn't. He never keeps his word, everybody knows that, so I have learned my lesson. However, he is still going to get a really nifty Christmas present from me. And by that, I mean a big ol' prank. :D

Went to Temple Square last night. It was loverly, since we had the first snowfall of the season going on. :) I found my soulmate - a Jonathan Rhys-Meyers look-alike! and LDS! (assumedly) - but he vanished too quickly. I was soooooo disappointed. I'm seriously crushed. Wilted. Heartbroken. *sigh* That was as close to love at first sight as I think I will ever get. lol

You'll Never Believe It!!!

I went to see Twilight. That's right. Twiiiiilllliiiiiight. I figured it couldn't be worse than the book - they can't cut any plotlines, (there weren't many to begin with! Bwahaha) so most of the excess romance would be cut, right? Well, yes, that is true. But I still laughed at the cheesiness of the movie. (Sorry guys, I tried!) Many people said that you couldn't really feel how much Bella and Edward were in love, and I do agree with that, and I didn't believe any of the actors really were the people I had read in the book, except Alice, Jacob and Jessica. (Carlisle was NOTHING like I had pictured - I was so devastated!) The sparkling was cheesey, the lines were cheesey, and overall, I thought the movie was cheesey. I don't know if I would feel that way had I not read the book - I probably would have liked it a little better. But all in all, I didn't have high hopes for it, and I was still disappointed. :( What a bummer.

I'm very anxious right now. I'm nearing the end of my book, A Game of Thrones, and I'm going crazy! They killed my favorite character, (I shouldn't be surprised, but I really thought he was going to live!) and he didn't even die nobly! He died in treachery and young, stupid arrogance! I'm so angry, I cannot even begin to express it - only that I'm hoping his family gets their vengeance! My friend told me it ends well (a major cliffhanger, but well just the same) and basically that they get what's coming to them, so I can't wait to get to it!

I'm also registering for some more classes in the spring. I'm so happy - it's been almost a year since I've gone to school and I really miss it. I'm also thinking of getting a job at UPS because they pay for school and have hours that would work with my schedule. Pray that I can find something!

Thanksgiving was good - I didn't get to make the rolls, but I was also in charge of family portraits. It was funny, I was outside for probably about an hour with bare feet, taking pictures, and I didn't even realize until I got inside that my feet were numb. :D What a doofus. But I got some good posing practice, and I think I did a pretty good job. Maybe I'll post some of the pics.

The girls in my family made cookies over the weekend as well! It was so much fun; it invited the Christmas spirit and the cookies were so yummeh! Tierney made the dough all by herself (used the Kitchen Aid and everything!) she's getting really good. I'll post the pictures we were taking for that also. And if I can get some from from my cousin of the Twilight outing. :D

So, I get to decorate a tree! I have had Christmas tree decorations for a few years and this year my parents said we can set up two trees, and I get one for my decorations! I'm so excited! I'll post pictures of that too! Pics all around!

Frustrating

Ok, apparently I have this huge problem with frustrating myself. I suppose that I think about things too much, but I guess that in the long run, that's a good thing. I don't know, but lately (as always) I've been thinking about my future career. Some of you will know that I have gone through several majors that I have "decided on" but have continually changed my mind, obviously. Lately I decided that I was going to stick to my illustration major, but I was thinking again yesterday: With the economy going down the drain, would that be a wise choice? Will people have need of an illustrator/designer? Will the economy get better? Is it even as bad as I lead myself to think? And then I started thinking of my other options (again). If I were to change my major to languages and learn maybe two in school and more on my own, or through extended schooling, that would most likely score me a more stable career, maybe in the government or entertainment or translating. Also, being bi-lingual is a perk on almost any application. Before, when I was considering language first, I had been really asking for help and was really torn, but one morning in the midst of all this questioning I read a scripture that could not have been more of an answer: D&C 90:15 - "And set in order the churches, and study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues, and people."

Truth be told, I wasn't expecting an answer like that; I hadn't even prayed out loud requesting an answer yet, but I had it in my heart, and proceeded to pray about it after, to which I felt really good about it. But I feel really good about doing other things too. I have felt that I should go into art, language, photography, classics...but I can't do them all! I don't have the money, and I feel like I need a degree as soon as possible so I can start making enough money to support myself. I have 20-something credits in art already, and if I change majors I will have to start over. I also feel like art is something that is generally judged by talent and not degree, and I may have some talent now, but I want to be as good ad I can be, because art is still a competetive field. I can also somewhat easily learn languages on my own, but that is something that will need documentation to prove, I think. So I'm kind of stuck in a rut, and if anyone has any advice, I'd be more than happy to receive it. I'm running out of time, haha, I want to start school again in the spring. I did decide one thing for sure, though - I am going to get this DONE.

So now to talk of other things. That is, assuming I can come up with anything interesting.

I have been "hired" as my coworker's secretary. Every day he comes in and asks if he has any messages. Lately I have been having a hard time coming up with sassy replies; it's kind of sad. I used to say things like, "Oh, your mom called and wants to tell you that you should start washing your underwear more often." or "Santa Claus called and wants to know if you still want those Transformer bedsheets." He usually has an answer: "I don't wear underwear, I'm Batman." or "Heck yes I still want those Transformer sheets. How nice." I should really up my productivity. Oh, I'm getting paid in burritos, by the way. Invisible burritos, apparently. Sadness.

Oh joy, I have so many awesome patterns now (Joann's has been having sales!) so now I just need some extra time to....oh who am I kidding, I do have extra time. Not much, but it's still there. I probably won't have any come springtime though. Rats. Anyway, I have been really into sewing lately. :D I want to get on it, there's a lot I need to learn if I want to start designing and making my own clothes. (I breifly considered fashion design as a major to change to as well. Bwaha) Anyone know where I can get an asjustable dress form for a reasonable price?

This week for Thanksgiving I get to make the rolls. Joy and yum! And I have the Friday after off! Yessss! I get to visit family longer! It's about time! I have been coming in to work on all the paid holidays we've needed someone, so it's about time the other person does one. Hmmm...maybe I will do some Black Friday shopping this year. Think that's wise? My aunt sprained her ankle at RC Willey on Black Friday once...

Now, I need something visual on here, since this post is kind of boring, (and I'm kind of bored as well) so I google-imaged the letters of my first name and picked the ones I liked the best. Just because.

Voila!

It's All About Werewolves Anyway

Here we go. The day of dread. Utter defensive vampiric dread. I'm going to get it all out of my system now so that when every woman in my workplace gangs up on me for being practically the only female here who isn't enraptured by those books, I can keep all my clever insults inside and not get mauled by the wannabe undead cheerleading squad. No, I did NOT go see the Twilight movie at midnight, nor will I consider paying good money to go see it until it hits the dollar theater. Then I'll think about it. I really have nothing against the Twilight series, but what I do think is that it was grossly over-exaggerated. It's kind of sad to me when a book as uninteresting to me as Twilight (Sorry Twilight lovers! Really, I am.) gets a ridiculously huge amount of recognition, when amazing books of a much higher caliber go unnoticed and ignored. That's really my only thing. I can totally understand how people can love a book with little plot or action that's made up with an overindulgence of romance. Romances are great, just not for me. Please don't hate me. :D

Aaaaaaaand I just remembered that I was supposed to bring green onions for the potluck today, so I will be ending this post short.

TSO

Ok. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert last night was absolutely AMAZING and I think I love them.

That's all.

Of Books and Music

Yesterday I read Of Mice and Men. Great book, but definitely not what I expected. But once I think about it, I don't really know what most classics are about. Catcher in the Rye was totally different than what I imagined, because I didn't know a thing about it. I'm sure most of the books on my list will be the same. I'm still excited to read them though. There's something addicting about those kind of books - the honesty, the irony, the hopes, dreams and failures. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is like that. I like a happy ending, but I remember an honest one. Anyway, I'm thinking For Whom The Bell Tolls next. :D

And I just found the neatest indie band I've heard in a long time. Katzenjammer. Check them out, I dare you. http://obscuresound.com/ They're the last band on the page.

I kind of like Rockettothesky and Peter Moore as well. 3rd page. That is a very good blog. :D

Newness of Job

I am so sick of being bored all the time at work - It's a good place, but I have needed something new for a long time, so if any of you know of a job I would be interested in, please let me know.

Why I'm Doomed: Part I

I just realized something about myself: Every time I walk out of the bathroom at work and make my way down the hall to my desk, I subconsciously tug on my right earlobe. I will never know why, unless I go to a psychologist and have it analyzed, but that will never, ever happen.
Also, whenever I simply enter a certain restroom on the north side of the building, I am immediately reminded of My Little Ponies. This, however, I have an explanation for: the smell. The air freshener had that vanilla-plastic smell that seemed to be a staple of all toys made in the 80s. While that air freshener has long been replaced, I still get that memory of my childhood forced into my head by that bathroom. How funny is that?

I have to express my extreme pleasure in the fact that someone from one of our branches was here today and actually came to meet me! She had a snack for us note custodians too! I was so happy, because my small (two person) department is often overlooked and forgotten, which can be a good or a sad thing, depending on the vistor, of course. But in general, I like to put faces to the names I am constantly emailing as well as the next person, so today was mark-on-my-calendar-worthy. Except that I did not mark it on my calendar.

And how's this for dumb - I think I would like to keep my illustration major. I went just about full-circle there. But if making my life harder is wrong, then I don't want to be right. Wait...

P.S. I named this post "Part I" because I'm quite sure that there will be other instances made aware in this journal that will only further explain why I'm doomed. Call it a precaution, if you will.

Creativity Rears It's Awesome Head

Ok, I'm such a nerd, but I want to post this because I love it so much. You might not know this, but I absolutely love the iconic symbols of reindeer. Deer in general are fabby, but when Christmas comes around, I start getting excited because I get to pull out all my reindeer stuff to decorate with. Every year I buy a decorative reindeer as well as a stuffed/cutesy reindeer. So I was at Joann's recently and saw the coolest little deer charm (I have been on this gigantic creative streak lately, and I have been wanting to make all sorts of stuff, like food, jewelry, and clothes) so I needed to make something with it. It's nothing much, but here's my little deer necklace:

I have worn it three days in a row - that shows you what sort of a dork I am. But I am upset because people keep thinking it's a chihuahua. :( Anyway, one day I will be good enough so that I can actually play a bigger part in the development of such pieces, instead of just buying the pieces and putting them together. I've been reading up on jewelry-making during today's slow hours. :D

Here are a couple other things I've been keeping myself busy with:

First: My coat. You have no idea how exciting this is for me. I have had the pieces for this coat cut out for I think three years, and I am only putting it together now. Victory! I have a hard time making sense of the pattern instructions, so I have been having my mom basically tell me what to do while I go do it. I need to have her tell me what everything means, pattern-wise. All I have left to do is the hemming, buttons and pockets, I believe.

Second: Those earrings. Yeah, they look a bit odd, but they are for a friend, and they are more for collections sake than for wearing, since they have a mutual meaning for us both, but this friend loves flashy stuff, so she will wear them anyway. I just wanted to post them because I was pleased with how they turned out.

I'm also doing some secret fun Christmas gift stuff, so stay tuned!!

Pro-Integrity!

I was reading up on some celebrity presidential opinions today, and I was going to say I was surprised at what I read, but I'm really not. They're candidate choices mean nothing to me - I know we all have our freedom to choose and that's great, but what always gets me is the lack of respect that celebrities (and not only them - I've been reading about a surprising amount of average-joe disrespectful voters) have in regards to everyone going against their prime choices. To me, when someone flaunts an unnecessary dislike toward a presidential candidate in the form of insults, it's an easy way to tell that said person probably doesn't have any knowledge about all parties, (likely not even a substantial knowledge of the one they are supporting!) and a general absence of integrity. This is what scares me more than any potentially unfit presidential hopeful - a nation of free voters without the ability to vote intelligently.
I will say though, that I was happy to see a few celebrities who gave their opinions tactfully by praising the opposition instead of degrading them. And I don't mean to lift myself above the majority either, because I am certainly working on being more knowledgeable about all of my options, but for heaven's sake, I don't say that I'm going to leave the country if so-and-so wins. That's just stupid. But hey, if you want to leave the country, don't let Lady Liberty hold you back. It will just up the intelligence ratio here a bit anyway.

Tagged!

I was tagged by Steph to fill out this 8 things Quiz:

T.V. Shows I like to watch

1. The Office
2. Bones
3. Ghost Hunters (TAPS)
4. Most Haunted
5. That cake show with that one guy. :D
6. Golden Girls
7. History's Mysteries
8. ... (It was hard enough to find 7 - I don't watch a lot of TV)

Eight things that happened yesterday

1. I cleaned the heck out of my room. And it's still a cluttered mess!
2. Ate two burritos.
3. Had the house to myself.
4. Went to work and bored myself to death.
5. Finished Inuyasha.
6. Had my date canceled. (Thank heavens!)
7. Went to Smith's.
8. Went to bed late.

Favorite Places to Eat

1. Subway
2. Tepanyaki
3. Wendy's
4. Rumbi Grill
5. Mad Greek
6. Blimpie's
7. IHOP
8. Grandma's

Eight Things I'm Looking Forward to

1. Getting my degree.
2. Getting a puppy.
3. Remodeling my room.
4. Learning a few languages.
5. Getting a job I love.
6. Finishing my coat I started 3 years ago.
7. Paying off my car.
8. Traveling.

Eight things on my wishlist

1. New bed
2. New dresser/armoir
3. House
4. Dress form
5. Puppy
6. Food storage a-plenty
7. More time
8. Money for school

Eight People I tag (if you want)

1. Emily
2. Teresa
3. Lindsay
4. Lindsay
5. Kyle
6. Erika
7. Alyssa
8. Krista

(I don't remember if any of you got tagged by Steph already - sorry)

Happy Checker Checks Out ACV

The checker at Smith's treated me extra nice today. (I know it was extra nice because I shop there often, and usually go through this guy's line.) So the thing is, I don't know if he was being super nice to me because he was in a really good mood or something, or if he noticed I was purchasing tampons and he thought he better stay on the safe side. :D

Today I also bought apple cider vinegar and a little thing of honey so I can start drinking this so-called miracle drink and see what it does for me. In 8 oz. warm water add 2 tsp. ACV and 2 tsp. honey. Here's one website that tells us the many, many uses of ACV and its benefits:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art38036.asp

So it's supposed to help you lose weight too. I don't need to lose a whole lot, but I'm hoping it will help with my asthma and build up my immune system. It's also an energy booster. Now that's something I could use a lot more of. I'm all for natural medicines, so I'm pretty excited about this - I've heard lots of good things. And it's so cheap, too! I bought my bottle of ACV for a dollar and my honey for two! Rock on, rock on.

BaconSalt

Ok, I had to post again today because I was just informed about this website that I have linked to in my sidebar, and I want to make you all aware of it:

BaconSalt "Everything Should Taste Like Bacon"

http://www.baconsaltblog.com/

First of all, I am going to buy me some of this.
Second, I didn't know there were people like me who love bacon so much that they have chosen to blog about it. (I don't blog about bacon, but you get what I mean.) But lo and behold, this BaconSalt blog has linked to other bacon-inspired blogs, which contain yummy recipes and crazy-awesome pictures of bacon in its many different forms: art, architecture, clothing, etc.

Peace through pork.

Rantrantrant...Rant!

Lookit!

Kind of a crappy picture, but see how cute it is?! I got it Thursday. There are six heads, so I don't know if I should give it one or six names...haha

This weekend was an interesting one - I'm trying to think of a word that would describe it, but I've got nothing. I went shopping with a guy friend who insisted on picking out clothes for me, then taking me to a mirror and telling me how the lines and shapes accentuated my curves. Oh, it was strange, and yet very amusing. The Kohl's employees got a kick out of him. And he's straight, by the way. And there's nothing between us. Haha

Then I had a date that was fun, but a little disappointing. And to top it off I now have a date with a different guy who I don't really want to go out with at all. I'm disappointed already, and I haven't even gone on the date yet.

Stop. Rant time.

You know, people always tell me that I need to give guys a chance. I do. I believe that everyone deserves a chance, and I'm willing to go on a date with almost anyone because I know that what you see is not always what you get. But on the occasion that I don't feel anything for them after that date, and don't want to continue going out with them, I'm sometimes told that I need to give them another chance. Why should I? When I get stuck going out with someone who doesn't respect me and my wishes at all, and who keeps throwing himself into business that isn't his, (It happens with me a lot more than you'd think) I'm not going to play the pleasant and docile female. I'm not old-fashioned. I don't want people telling me I'm too severe or harsh anymore, because in all reality, I'm not. If I'm going to try my best at being the most awesome wife that I can be, I sure as heck am not going to lower my standards one bit to be rewarded with anything less than an amazing husband. I haven't found what I want yet in anyone that I've dated so far, so please do not criticize me because I refuse to be unhappy. It's my life, and if I never get married here on Earth, that's fine. I know I can provide for myself. And I'm still doing what I should be doing, so I have no reason to be afraid of being alone for eternity. Don't get me wrong - I want to get married and have a family, but I'm young and I've got plenty of time, so I'm willing to wait until I find the perfect man for me, and if any people think I'm being unrealistic, they're wrong.

Thanks, and have a nice day!

"Weeee are building family fuuuutuuures"

Yesterday our attorney person recorded everyone at work singing a part of the company song for a video they want to play at the Christmas party.
Get this - nobody even knew we had a company song. It's to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad", we found out.

That right there was a sign that nobody should have come in to work. And yet we did.

We sang it, too. With smiles on our faces. But that was only because we were laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation was. :D Yes. He made us "head-bob".


Gah, it seriously smells like someone's butt in here.

The Smell of Victory and an Irritated Coworker

Today my coworker/prank victim asked me if I was the one who "messed up" his computer. He was referring to the time I print screened his desktop and set it as his desktop background, then removed all his desktop icons and placed them in a folder marked "Hey Chris". So technically, yes, it was me. I did this a week or two ago, but he never said anything about it until now. The conversation today went something like this:

Chris: ...it's been harder since the icons on my desktop won't work. Heather, are you the one who did this?
Heather: Did what?
C: Put this folder marked "Hey Chris". I have to go into it to get to my icons, since the ones on my desktop won't work. I've had to deal with this for a while, it's annoying.
H: I don't understand what you are saying the problem is. Your icons don't work?
C: Yeah, I think you did it.
H: No, I didn't.
C: Do you promise you didn't do it?
H: *pause* Chris, what makes you think I would do something like that to you? (I never promised I didn't. :D )
C: You're the only one who knows stuff like this.
H: Accounting is full of clever people. But thank you.
C: Your uncle is the I.T. manager.
H: My uncle won't teach me squat.
C: Can you fix it though?
H: ....Sure. I can come take a look at it.

Basically I'm gonna keep doing this until he figures out who it is. He probably doesn't care though. Like I said before - I think he likes the attention.

I need to finish my Halloween costume soon or else I won't have it done in time. I want to be a pirate, but I have my standards. I don't want my costume to look cheap, and I don't want to look whoreish. That's a problem, because most of the pirate stuff nowadays is both cheap and whoreish. I wanted to make it all myself, but I don't have the time, nor the talent. If anyone has anything that would help, I would be greatly appreciative, whether it be somewhere you know that has good pirate accessories or clothes, or somewhere I can find something to alter to the point that it looks piratey. I'll probably be taking a trip to the DI today. :D Yesssss good ol' DI.

Meeeowww

Behold the product of sheer feline malevolence (or maybe just playfulness):

There is a matching set of claw marks on the opposite side of my back, like I was receiving some sort of "hug of death" from behind. This, friends and family, is what happens when you choose to do your hair without a shirt on when you have a half-senile kitten in the room who loves to attack anything that moves. In this case, the power cord to the straightener. And did I mention that this particular half-senile kitten has 7 claws on each paw? I didn't? Well now you know. Sadly, you can't tell by looking at the picture that the kitten is a deadly mutant cat, since only 4 of the claw marks are visible, so it looks like I only got attacked by a deadly regular cat, which is far less cool.

The assassin in question:

Cosmo, kitten extraordinaire.

See how cute she is when not delivering a sadistic reign of terror to her environment?

Taking Control of the Fly Population

Flies bother me. There has been a fly buzzing around the ceiling by my cubicle for the past couple weeks, and I see little ones here and there that appear out of nowhere, so I did the most logical thing I could think of.

I ordered a venus flytrap.

Toasties!

That, my friends, is what they call grilled cheese sandwiches in New Zealand. And that has absolutely nothing to do with today's post, but it's what popped into my head as I was thinking up a title. Yeah, sometimes I wonder how my brain works, too.

So, I have stopped being overly-nauseas every morning, and only get somewhat nauseas at random times during the day. I have, however, developed some headaches and fatigue, and yesterday I could not feel some of my fingers. Haha! But I think that has more to do with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which I suspect I may have. But anyway, some of you have been expressing worry for me, and I appreciate your concern, but I want you to know that I am doing much much better and am perfectly fine. :D

Oooh and it was so nice and cozy when I woke up this morning, since we have had fires going in our wood-burning stove since Friday/Saturday. Oh! And we got the sod put in our yard Saturday, so it actually looks like - guess what - a yard! It's so pretty. I'm very excited about it. So is the rest of the family. :D

So, I have this friend who basically ran away from home, but it was when she was 19 or so, so I don't know if it can be considered running away ... anyway, she is having a baby today, which is a wonderful thing, but I am very worried about it, since this is her second child, and her first child she neglected to the point of having him legally taken away from her. She moved back here and is living with her mother I believe, so I hope that will do them good, because I would hate to see the same thing happen to this baby. I know she's a good person, but it broke my heart to hear about what happened to her first son, and I know her and her boyfriend/husband (not sure they ever got married) have it in them to do better. I think it's best that she has her mother with her now, and hopefully she can get motivated to do her best for her family. I'd like to go see her sometimes, so pray that I can help somehow.

Ok so...I just got a call from my mother, and she has told me that I no longer want or need to get married and have a family, and that I am going to stay with her forever, or become a hermit (the original plan). I told her I might disagree, but she said I won't, so it looks like I will not be getting married ever, and I will work all day, every day, since I will have no further obligations, and retire early and buy an island or a mountain and there live out the rest of my days in fierce solitude and probably raise chickens, cows and the like. Apparently for real now. Because my mother says so. We are going to "fool the fates", as she said. Since, you know, my Patriarchal blessing says I will have a husband and children. Just to let you all know, when I disappear, that's what I will be up to. Raising chickens in a remote center of the world. *pout* Thinking about that as a real possibility kind of makes me sad. I think I would rather do the "date one man every day for a month" thing that my mom dreamed about, lol. I just might write a book about my adventures in dating. I could fill up a book with that. It might even give hope to the female population who thinks that their dating experiences couldn't be worse or weirder. Haha.

Oh bother...

...I can't reach the last little bit of my soup. It's all the way on the bottom of the container, and it won't drip very fast. I could just hold the can upside down over my mouth for a while....I have nothing better to do......or I could go get a spoon.

It's been an icky week, since my medication has been making me ill. I missed out on two days of work. Ha - it's funny: I am back at work today, and still have time to spare, with all the catching up I had to do. Something is seriously wrong with that. So, I'm waiting for my coworker to leave his desk so I can flip his screen contents upside-down. (ctrl + alt + down arrow - doesn't work on all computers though, so I hope it works on his) That will cure the boredom for a little bit. I need to think of something else to do though. I would read, but I want to finish my other book - The Catcher in the Rye - first. I can't find it online, or I would finish it now. I think I'll do some office yoga while I wait for shipping time to come:

http://www.healthandyoga.com/HTML/news/evamarie_office.asp

P.S. ctrl + alt + down arrow does not work on my coworker's computer. In fact, my computer is the only one I tested that it worked on. Disappointing.

Real 50

I just realized that my last post is not actually my 50th post. It was my 49th. Which makes THIS post my 50th. It's a bit anticlimactic, no?

50

Hey huzzah! I believe this is my 50th post! I take congratulations in the form of money and turkey bacon.

I spent the weekend at my cabin for Conference, (awesome stuff) and returned with some photos for your viewing pleasure. I have nothing else interesting to add, except that I lost all my pool games to my 11 year old sister. On to the photographs (altered slightly to bring out the color and contrast - except for the b&w one...it's obviously a little more than slightly altered) :






It was raining a lot, so I utilized the ever-present raindrops and hovering fog as much as I could. If you couldn't tell, I like to get up close and personal with my subjects. :D In your face! Raar!

Mountain Scene-riffic

This morning, my cube neighbor and I got caught rearranging the keys on our other neighbor's calculator. He wasn't supposed to come in for another 10 minutes or so; it was pretty irritating. I managed to get all the keys rearranged before he got to his desk, some even upside-down, but he still saw us, so it was all in vain. He ruined everything.
He then walked into someone's office and locked us out (he was pretending to be mad but he likes the attention) while my cohort "fixed" the calculator. He kept the 1 and the 9 in switched positions. :D

I was so bored yesterday that I went through Time's 50 Coolest Websites List where I found this site:

http://www.someecards.com/

Beware - you may be getting an ecard from me soon.
And today, I killed early-morning boredom with this website:

http://www.alphabetsynthesis.com/

You can create your own alphabet and save it on your computer as a true type font! My alphabet is sexy-awesome. But I haven't figured out how to use the font yet....

This just in: he finally texted back!!! Elation!

Oh, and hopefully I'll be going to my family's cabin this weekend to enjoy conference in the loverly mountian scene, so I won't be blogging all frickin weekend, much to your dismay. Haha! That was a joke, see, because I rarely blog on the weekends anyway. -Ahem- Yes.

Co-Worker Convo

I am very loved in my office. Let me share with you an example of what I mean:

I have been coughing a lot lately because of my asthma, allergies and such, and people are always bringing it up. Here's a conversation I was in just a moment ago:

Me: *Cough cough*
Coworker: Heather, are you still coughing?
Me: Um....yes?
C: How we gonna get you to stop?
Me: I took my medicine today...
C: I know how we can get it out of you.
Me: *Rolls eyes* How?
C: We'll shoot it out of you.
Me: ........Pardon?
C: We'll SHOOT it out of you.
Me: And how will that help me stop coughing?
C: You'll be dead.
Me: ............Thank you. That's very kind.
C: Hey, if you die, do I get full custody of Christoph?
Me: *Thinking* Yes. Yes, if I die, you may have Christoph. (Christoph is my rubber band ball - this coworker refers to it as our child.)
C: Sweet.
Me: That doesn't mean you can kill me, however.
C: What?
Me: You may have Christoph if I die of natural causes.
C: Hmmm....natural causes....
Me: .......At home.
C: ....at home....in bed? That's the worst way to die.
Me: Dying of natural causes at home in bed is the worst way to die? That sounds pretty nice to me.
C: But you're going to get shot.
Me: ......If I die I'll make them serve cottage cheese at my funeral. And you'll have to eat it.
C: EW!

You can see why I put his stapler in jello. :D

According To Plan

Today, my coworker came in on this beautiful Monday morning to find his stapler mercilessly encased in a tomb of strawberry and cherry jell-o. (Long live Jim Halpert!) I'm still trying to decide if he's really upset or not. It's all deliciously funny. Quite worth all the labor I put into it. Wait - I hardly put any labor into it. And that makes it all the better. :D

One setback, however: When I put the jell-o on his desk, I couldn't find the decoy stapler that I used to replace his stapler. I couldn't sit there forever looking for it, so I just left without the decoy. So when he saw the jell-o, I heard him say: "This isn't even my stapler! Mine's right here!" (Holding up his stapler from wherever he had it hidden - I was a bit angry.) But then it got much more hilarious when I heard another member of accounting say, "That's MY stapler!" (Because the decoy WAS, in fact, his stapler that we had stolen for that very purpose.) Bwahaha.

Second setback: The victim was convinced that it was my cubicle neighbor (and one of the two other people who knew about all this) who was the culprit, so he put the jell-o on his desk as "revenge". Now people are thinking that the prank is on my neighbor. (He doesn't have a stapler, so they think it's his in the jello. Well...his is with the other coworker - the one who we stole the stapler from as the decoy. Hahaha it's absolutely beautiful.) This is a problem because my neighbor will wonder why the jell-o is on his desk and might rat me out, so I have to catch him when he comes in and tell him that our target switched the jell-o. *Sigh* Why can't things just go according to plan?

So, I'm going to try to get a picture of the jello-ed stapler to post here, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. I didn't have time before I set it up. Ah well.

On a less-hilarious side note, I have my examination today, and it's not going to be fun because I have to drink, hmmm...what did they say? a million gallons of water for it to be effective. Waaauuuugh I'm gonna die. :(

Sadly, I will not be able to get a picture because the jell-o has been disposed of. :( It was quite a funny ordeal, though. I'm very pleased, and quite satisfied for now. However, there is someone (who found out it was me) that wants to be in on the next one. Oh, there will be a next one.

Haha

The doctor gave me lots of drugs.

Disappointment

I did NOT get the reaction I was hoping for.
This morning, I taped the "missing change" I, uh, stole yesterday on the underside of the poor, unsuspecting owner's telephone receiver. I heard him get it about an hour after he got in, and THAT WAS IT! No happiness, irritation, confusion - nothing! I am so disappointed; you have no idea. But let me tell you one thing: This. Means. WAR.
He is not going to stop getting pranked until I get an appropriate reaction out of him. We'll see how he likes his jell-oed stapler on Monday. He would probably enjoy it, actually. Hmmm. Well, first things first...I need a deep enough jello mold to fit a stapler comfortably. :D I want to do Jim's brilliance justice. (You may remember my post about how I have been craving a helpless victim to prank on until the end of time, so you can celebrate my elation with me.)

And now for something completely different: I have been getting bored with my music collection lately. (I never thought THAT would happen - it seems I have something for every possible mood - but it's true.) So I humbly request your help in notifying me of all of your favorite artists so I can get my download on. :D I know you will do me proud.

Oh heavens....I think I just blew cheese out my nose. O_o

Passing the Time

Today is so incredibly slow at work, that I have been looking for anything that will pass the time. I have started a new book (The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - I finished Pride & Prejudice a while ago, and recently finished Mansfield Park, but I think I am a little Jane Austen-ed out and need to take a break from her for a bit), as well as some of Edgar Allen Poe's stories (The Masque of the Red Death, Berenece). I have also held several lengthy conversations with other bored coworkers, ranging from hair products to squirrels. The lastest diversion has been the acquiration of a coworker's stapler (To be put into a large amount of jell-o, of course), as well as the 60 cents he pooled for winning last week's super bowl challenge. He freaked out when he noticed the money was gone, and still doesn't know who took it. (He only asked me if I stole it once - I was actually pretty shocked) He hasn't noticed the stapler because we replaced it with another. I don't think I'll do the jell-o until next week though, because we have a board meeting tomorrow. We are expected to dress professionally, (despite it being casual Friday) so I figure they'd want us to act similarly. :) As for his missing change, I figure I'll tape it to the inside of his desk drawer or to the bottom of his keyboard, so that he can find it on his own and I won't have to reveal myself and my cleverness.
So I had a dream last night that I was the maid of honor for someone's wedding; that someone I don't know. I had on the most amazing dress, and I don't exaggerate. It was so much better than the bride's dress, which is a big no-no in real life, but in dreams I can be as dang sexy as I want and everyone will still love me. Moving on - everyone in the wedding party was sitting down on their own bathroom stall toilets. It was funny because we all knew they were bathrooms, but when you sat down, the bottoms of the stall walls were so high that you could see into the next person's stall easily, so we were all sitting around and conversing. This guy (best man maybe?) two stalls down (Ha! That sounds so funny) passed me a piece of cardboard. It had this deep, intellectual quote on it that was supposed to be romantic. Looking back on it, I don't really see the romance since it was written on a piece of cardboard and, let's face it - we were surrounded by toilets, but I remember thinking of it as a very sweet gesture, and was smitten when I woke up. How weird is that? Hahaha. I don't ever plan on meeting the man of my dreams in a bathroom stall for a wedding, though I really wouldn't be surprised at something so odd happening to me. At all.

Happiness Is

I have this nasty habit of copying things that other people do in their blogs. Especially Lindsay, but I suspect that is because we have similar brains. O_o Scary. So I took this from her blog - she made a list of the things that make her happy, and I'd like to do the same, since sometimes I need a reminder that it's not always the big things that make us feel good, but the little things that make us realize we make our own happiness. (Wise words indeed, Lindsay :D)
So here's what I came up with:

-Getting invited places
-Late-night gospel discussions with my family
-Toe rings
-Getting caught in rainstorms (Not just looking at the rain - getting caught in it somewhere where there's no one to tell you "Come inside or you'll catch cold!"
-Being complimented
-Receiving a letter (Not an email....a letter. They are more personal, and it shows that someone was willing to take time for you)
-True Gentlemen
-Creating something - art, poetry, music, food - anything
-Running over soda bottles/cans with my car
-Dressing nice when I don't have to
-Contributing to a good cause
-Riding my bike
-Photographing the perfect moment
-Having someone play with my hair
-Learning
-New socks
-Silly holidays
-Babies that like me
-Mr. Darcy
-Modest, stylish clothing
-Being able to eat what I want
-My Patriarchal blessing
-Really awesome scars
-Music - the poetry of the air!
-80s movies
-Exotic plants
-The work of Richard Avedon and Joyce Tenneson
-Neat Statues
-Winning things
-Lingerie
-Motorcycles
-Yard sales
-Furniture shopping
-German shepherds
-The moles on my eyebrow, arm, back, and little toe

So those are some of the things I could come up with. I think I have a pretty solid list. And I just want to say that I've had lots of fun being here in St. George. I really miss seeing all my family down here, and watching them grow. I swear, there are new little people every time I see you St. Georgians. And I have to gloat because I got to see all of the new cute babies before almost anyone else from up north! Bwahaha!

P.S. The wedding photography went well. :D I like the results and am overall really happy with everything I've done and learned.