aiyatorra

My parents sure know how to make the holidays all about them...

Arianna, Aaron, Em and I are at my house at the moment. Arianna and I had planned to go over to my parents together, so she stayed over. I was supposed to work last night, but after they told me that we didn't have a truck and probably wouldn't be there long anyway, I opted to go home. (I was kinda pissed. I was prepared to work a full shift.) So, shortly after Arianna dropped me off at work, I called her back and asked her to come get me. Shortly after that, I called Em to tell her that I was going home.

This is where the drama starts. Earlier that evening, Arianna asked me why Em never comes to our family gatherings, or is around for the holidays. I told her that usually she has Maddy, so it's easier to stay on her side most of the time. But the other part of it is that my Mom insists that the holidays are for family, as in, our immediate family. In the past, my mom was like that about my friends, too. The only exception was Michelle.

Arianna was surprised to hear that, so later on during a phone conversation with my Mom, she felt compelled to bring up Em coming to Thanksgiving. (She also kinda bummed about the holiday in general because Nessa isn't here and it's not going to be the same with just my parents and us there.) My mom wasn't really in the mood to talk, so she just said that she'd talk to her about it in the morning. As promised, my mom called first thing this morning, insisting -- yet again -- that we essentially drop everything and come over so that we can talk things out. WTF.

We still haven't left. lol Arianna said that she and my dad have their cell phones off, so they're not answering. I've taken a shower and had some coffee, and I'm about to make something to eat. I'm not in a huge rush, as you can guess.

Em's sleeping. She said she'll probably go home after the drama with my parents plays out, but I don't really want that. This will be the second year in a row that she hasn't been to my parents at Thanksgiving and I think it's fucking ridiculous. Her family invited me to their dinner this evening. Why can't they get with the program?

Every fucking holiday without fail, it's a goddamn cluster. There's always an excuse. And the last time I brought this up, my mom said that I still needed to talk to my dad about my 'lifestyle change'. The fuck. What's there to say? Dad, I like girls and I don't feel bad about it. And you know what, I'm getting especially tired of jumping through all these fucking hoops with my parents every time I dye my hair, or blow my nose, or decided to date, know what I mean? I stopped owing them an explaination for the things I do since I moved out of their house.

Anyway. I guess we'll have to wait and see how it goes.

My favorite Columbian is back and better than ever. I've heard bits and pieces of her latest album, She Wolf, and it finally feels like she's starting to solidify herself as an artist marketable not only to the Spanish-speaking world, but the English-speaking one as well.

When I heard she had a new song out in English (not counting "She Wolf"), this was the first performance I came across on YouTube. It is, in a few words, a hot mess. She looks great and the song is probably one of the first in English that I really, really like from her. I'm also LOVING "Give It Up to Me" with Timbaland and, of all people, Lil' Wayne. Mucho groovy.



And speaking of looking great, her second Rolling Stone cover is off the chain. Girl is SMOKIN' hot on this cover. Much better than her first, if I have to say. I have gratefully scooped it up and been drooling profusely over it ever since. ;)



And in other Shakira-related news, we just got copies of "She Wolf" in last week at work. Methinks Santa should leave me one in my stocking this year... I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I didn't get the second job. I'm kinda pissed about it still, but whatever. It obviously wasn't meant to be.

So... I continue to search. SOMEBODY HIRE ME, FOR CHRIST' SAKE!

E-hem. Not bitter.

I changed my layout and my default user pic. I borrowed the icon from a pic out of Runner's World magazine. Lolo Jones is mucho fierce. And if I was an Elite athlete and could work out x-amount of hours a day, I'd look like that, too. lol

I had today scheduled off, but they called me this morning to ask if I would come in. Since I didn't have any other plans, I said yes. I've been trying since one o'clock to take a nap so I wouldn't be completely out of it at work later, but without much success. I may have to lay down soon, though. I'm feeling cranky, so the tiredness must be setting in at last. I was hoping to get at least four hours in, but it looks like I'll have to settle for two. Even that's better than nothing.

I haven't heard anything back from the kennel I applied at. I've decided if I don't hear from them tomorrow or at the very latest, Monday, I might as well forget it. Sigh. I would've been nice to work so close to home...

I'm home this weekend, otherwise. Tomorrow is Halloween and I have it off. I plan to sleep in and be kinda lazy. (Although, I would like to get a run in. I was rifling through my RW mags and motivation is slowly creeping its way back in.)

Speaking of motivation, I'm sort of debating on whether or not to participate -- albeit at the very last minute -- in the 2009 Seattle Marathon. The half marathon, anyway. Em has been trying to decide what to get me for our anniversary this year, and I happened to mention that it was going to make me sad to not be in that race. So she said I could either have jewelry or a racing number. lol It's a tougher decision than you might think, believe me. Even though I *did* request that weekend of the race off like, 6 months ago, and was denied, I could still technically participate. I would just have to work later that day. And if I get that other job, then trying to fit those two things in may be impossible.

So... I have until the 18th of this month to make some kind of decision. Late registration. I think if I do get the job, I won't bother. But if I don't, I really should do it regardless of my schedule. Of all the races I've done this year, the Seattle Marathon was the one I was looking forward to doing the most. It's popular, lots of people do it, and it happens to take plan during my favorite time of year, so why shouldn't I? Plus, it'd put a little fire under my ass to get up and get out the door to run. I've been really inconsistent about that this year. It's a catch-22. I really want another job (read: money), but I'd also like one last race to end the year on a good note. I guess I'll have to wait and see how things play out.

I'm off to try and nap. I might post again in the morning, just because.

I may have acquired a second job, finally.

( Read more... )

I love coffee in the morning. :)

Partied a little too hard this weekend. (Saturday) I don't even remember most of it. There's a reason why I don't drink...

Needless to say, I think I'll be laying off the sauce for awhile.

The biggest accomplishment I made yesterday (see 'things to do list' below) was by far the flea bombing project. I've been putting that off for months now. I'm glad it's done. I just hope that this is the end of our flea dilemma. If I never have to see another flea, another bite, or another scar on my leg as a result from scratching myself to death, I will be one very happy camper. And so will my poor cat. Now all we have to work on is her worms... *barf*

I enlisted the help of my friend Colton to get my animals between my apartment and my mom's house. They happened to be headed out as we were dropping them off, so it worked out pretty well. We had to clear Harley and my rabbit out of my house first, set off the bombs -- one for the living room and one for my room -- and then evacuate the place. After we dropped the kids off, we were both hungry, so we went out to Azteca in Ballard. I'm surprised to say that the food was actually good. (The Azteca on this side is crap.) After that, we came back to my house to air out the place a bit, then went to get the kids again. By the time we came back the second time, you could hardly tell there'd been pesticide in the house.

I vacuumed, then as I was finishing, I made a comment to Colton about how nice it would be if I had a Dyson vacuum like his mom has. He offered to go get it and let me use it -- as he went on to rave about how fantastic and amazing it is, lol. OMG. You would not BELIEVE how much crap came out of the vacuum. Mind you, this was after I had already used my own. It is a fine piece of machinery, let me tell you. It's easy to manuever, easy to use... And it picks up SO MUCH STUFF out of the carpet. Put mine to shame! You just can't compare the two. I went over my entire apartment with that thing -- moved the furniture and everything. (And my stuff ain't light, either. Since I didn't get a run in, I declared that I made up for it with all my pushing and lifting of my couches and stuff. lol) I may have to ask Santa Claus if he'll bring me one this year. If Em and I do end up co-habitating in the spring, it could come in handy for the small zoo we'll be raising together...

After Colton went to take that back, we sat around and watched Entourage on DVD. I drank some wine. That was about it.

I haven't done all that much today. I had some coffee this morning, checked Harley for fleas again, brushed her, gave her some dewormer... Took out the trash. Looked at houses and jobs online. That's about it. There are a few things left from my list I could try to work on before I have to get ready for work. Colton went home to take a shower and do some other stuff at home, then he said he'd be back to take me grocery shopping. He's a good friend. :)

1) Laundry
2) Clean out the bunny cage
3) Clean my bedroom window
4) Sort out storage closet in living room
5) Make Martha Stewart PB&J cookies :)
6) Run / Take a shower
7) Go grocery shopping
8) Take animals to Grandma's house
9) Set off flea bombs / vent out house / vacuum
10) Run / Take a shower*

* Yes, I put this one here twice on purpose.

You know, this list seemed a lot shorter in my head. I guess I better get a move on...

Yep, still want me a dog. A little, black and tan one named Kobe. ;)

Well, here's the latest...

I applied at REI, but they told me when I got there to fill out the application that they'd pretty much hired all the people they wanted. Douches. Their loss. I also applied online to Costco, but have heard nothing. Heh. I've given up on applying online anymore because I NEVER, EVER hear back from people. It's ridiculous. There was this restaurant in downtown Edmonds I considered applying to, but two days later, their posting on Craigslist disappeared. That didn't take long.

I did find a posting for this place called the Diamond Knot Brewery. It's this place in Mukilteo, right next to the ferry dock, that Em and I went to last weekend. It's cool. Busy, high-volume place. I could handle it. They're looking for servers. I think I might have to look into that one.

Still haven't scoured the mall for any opportunities, and I'm kinda leaving it out until I've completely exhausted all my possibilities 'cuz you know my contempt for that place as a whole.

Still at my other job, in the meantime. It's...tolerable, but some days that's questionable. I don't think I really want to stick around for the holiday season this year, but if I can't find anything else, I won't have a choice. Eh. I'm not looking forward to it...

Got kind of a busy weekend ahead. I took four days off and I plan to enjoy every bit of it. I'm so glad to be away from work for awhile. My friend Colton, whose been staying with me for awhile, left for a therapy appointment, then we're going to head out to Ikea in Renton. Later I might meet up with my friend Clarissa for dinner and then I'm supposed to hang out with Jeremiah tonight. I'm kinda hoping he'll want to go out to R Place. Mama needs to get her booty shake on! ;)

It's been awhile.

Due to tension at home, my youngest sister has moved in with me. I only asked that she help out with food every now and then and help keep the place clean. (And, unless I'm there, her boyfriend is not to be hanging around. Or else she can find somewhere else to stay. He's kind of a douche. And that's being polite.)

Nessa has successfully moved to Pennsylvania. As far as I know her divorce has been finalized and she's already moved on to another boyfriend. He's a bit of a douche, too, but for reasons I can't say here. The Jerry Springer twist of it all is that he's my sister's ex-husband's best friend. Barf.

My parents have recently acquired a 5-wheel RV and my dad just bought a truck. Dodge, turbo-diesel. Said they got a good deal. My dad's birthday was on the 6th of this month. My uncle (mom's brother) Jason is due to come up for a visit and my mom wants to do a late birthday party for the two of them. I'm not sure when Jason's birthday is, but I think it's coming up. That should be interesting. I haven't seen him in awhile.

I still haven't found a second job, but I did find a listing for REI on Craigslist the other day. I would love to work there. I need to hurry up if I'm gonna get in on that, though. I think they're going to stop taking applications tomorrow. I'm also thinking about applying at Costco. It's time to leave my current job, I think. I always say that, but this time I think I'm ready for it. I love the people I've met there and there are certain aspects of the job itself that I enjoy, but it's not challenging anymore. And I know I'm worth more than what I'm making, so...

More importantly, while I need to make money to support my current living expenses, I do want to get back into school as soon as I'm able. I need to figure out how I'm going to make that happen.

Other than all that, not much else is going on. I've been at Em's for the last three days. I work tonight, so I'll be headed back that way soon. We're trying to formulate a plan at the moment.

I'll keep you posted with any new details. Ciao.

Unfortunately, the Boston Terrier I emailed about is in Spokane AND they want $400 for her. So... That's not gonna work for me. :( She's cute as hell, though. I'd take her in a heartbeat if things were different. Oh, well. It's not meant to be.

I did come across a Tibetan Spaniel/Chihuahua mix on Craigslist today who is 5 months old and super cute. She's black and brown and white. She and her owner live in Mountlake Terrace, which is close to me. The lady lost her roommate and she has children, so she can no longer financially support the dog. I emailed her with my information earlier today, but probably won't hear back from her until tomorrow or later this week. We'll see...

My lady and I are making plans to attend Pride this year -- my first! I'm looking forward to it. I hope to run into some familiar faces in Seattle. I'm also racing that weekend (June 27th-28th) for the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon, so it's going to be busy. I'm so, so excited.



It's beautiful, isn't it? Have a safe and happy Pride, everyone. ♥

You can read all about my race from last Sunday in my running LJ, Hott Leggs and see pictures on both MySpace and Facebook.

I'm hoping I can get a nap in here sometime before I have to go to work. (And I would like to hit the track across the street from work before I have to clock on. Ha, we'll see how that goes.) I've only slept for two hours since I got home at 6:30am! GRR!!!

This is the cutie that I sent an email about. ♥♥♥

So I figured out a temporary solution for the last problem I posted about. Rent is paid for the month. And I'm gonna leave it at that.

What I'm more pleased about is my job search. Since last week, I've applied for about four jobs. I just sent in my resume to the fourth one yesterday. If I'm progressive and follow up with them about at least considering me for an interview, I may have a shot. (It's a part time job as a receptionist at a Vet's office not far from here. I've tried applying for a position like this before, though, and didn't have any luck. We'll have to see.)

( Read more... )

I anticipated -- with much anxiety -- that when I logged onto my online banking this morning that I would be sadly disappointed by the amount of money I would find in my account. (Today is payday.) NO SURPRISE, I was right. But what pisses me off even more is that I put in a request for vacation pay on Wednesday to make sure I got paid for the Sunday I took off last week and it's apparent that they didn't fucking PUT IT IN.

I'm seriously FUCKED. My rent is due today and I'm a hundred dollars short. On top of that, I have a loan payment due that will likely bounce if/when it's posted on Monday. FUCK!

Somehow I need to figure out how to come up with a hundred bucks before the office closes today. And the last thing I want to do right now is ask anybody for money.

So as soon as I can take care of that problem -- somehow, some way, God willing -- I'm going out to find a second job. I can't live like this anymore. It makes me feel so pathetic to have to worry about money like this all the time, to the point where I make myself sick. I need to be able to take care of this, even if it means my social life will suffer. I don't want that, but right now, I don't have a choice.

I love dogs. Mostly big dogs. But especially big, black and tan ones with short stubby tails. What dog is this, you ask? Why, the best friend/protector/hunk-o-fur there is...

A Rottweiler!



( Read more... )

OMG, what a circus, man. That's about all I can say. (Well, no, there's more but my laptop is spazzing at the moment.) I'll fill you in soon!