New view

Our neighbors cut down some of there trees and this is now our lovely view!

Goal #13

Goal #13 for 30 for 30 - Walk to work everyday possible


 When I lived in Australia I loved walking to work and taking public transport to anything I needed. I had many friends in oz that didn't even have their licenses because it was so easy to get around without a car. I truly miss living in a place that has great public transport and shops close enough to walk to. I would be so happy if I never had to drive again! Last November we bought a house 2 miles away from my work. I told myself that was close enough I can walk it. Now getting up earlier to walk is quite a challenge but I want to keep it up and walk to work everyday I possibly can!

Teaching

I am really excited that I have been given an opportunity to teach a class this fall! This is something I have always wanted to do and now I get the opportunity! It is a great class to have as my first one as well because majority of the assignments are already assigned. It is their last class needed in the masters program and they have certain criteria they have to met. I still want to do my own spin on it and add to the required criteria. There are also a small number of student's in the class so I hope that will help create a nice environment for everyone to open up and discuss what is happening at their internships. It will be interesting though as some of the students if not all will be older than I am. I am used to this though in my job of being the "young" one but hopefully I earn thier respect just as I did at work by showing them that being "young" doesn't mean I don't know what I am doing! Whatever happens I know it will be a great experience and I can't wait to begin :)

Goal #12

Goal #12 - Go to a Professional Football Game 


I have been to a lot of college games but never to a professional game for football. I have been to hockey, basketball, and baseball so I feel I should add Football to the list :) Plus I just love being a part of the crowd and cheering for a team to win. There is such a good vice at these games (as long as they are winning that is!) and I love to be a part of that energy!

Comic Con 2011

It was amazing! I was sad that I only got to go for one day. I briefly thought I would be able to go for a second day as the guy working the ticket booth had pity on me and my sob story and told me I could get a ticket... I was thrilled, ecstatic! He then told me that I to get my ticket I had to talk to people at one other station. So i walked over there confident I was now going to get a ticket for the second day and not have to sit at home while my husband and friends enjoyed! I walk up to the girl working and say the guy at the other booth said I could have a ticket for Friday because... and explain my wonderful sob story. She looks up at me and just says NO. WHAT?! But, but... he said yes... he said I cou... please!? NO. The hope I had gained in the past 5 minutes came crashing down and I was now more depressed about it because I had been given hope that had now been taken away... sad, so sad. But the one day, the one glorious day I did have there was amazing!

We started the day out at the Breaking Dawn, Part 1 panel. I was actually pretty impressed with this. I have not been a fan of Kristen Stewart but she impressed me and was actually funny. I felt for her when a very pregnant woman asked her where she drew her inspiration to be pregnant in the film... she just had nothing to answer... she has never been pregnant and made it up! Robert Pattinson was actually very awkward and it was kinda funny! The previews they showed us looked good though my friend and I were discussing during the panel that we have no idea why it is 2 parts or where they are splitting it because this panel was only supposed to be on part 1 and they mentioned numerous times only on part 1 but we felt that what they described was almost the whole story... so that should be interesting!

We then tried to get into the Game of Thrones panel. We didn't realize that they did not clear out the ballrooms after each session so people were getting in early and staying put so after 2 hours of waiting we did not get in :( I was bummed but we decided to hit the showroom floor instead...

This room is MASSIVE! So much was going on and the people watching was amazing! :) We were wandering around and all of a sudden I look over and go wait... is it... maybe... yes it is Elijah Wood! He was just chillin at a booth! He is teeny tiny! It was not a stretch to make him a hobbit because he basically already is that size. It was crazy!

Then while wandering more and checking out the G4 booth that was filming X Play and getting an awesome Hunger Games pin and poster we here some commotion... over at the HBO booth the whole cast of Game of Thrones was signing autographs! WHAT! So we walk over and realize that only special people who were in a lottery got to get autographs but I can try to get close, right? The boys say there is no way I will make it to the front. There were at least 100 maybe even 200 people very tightly packed in front of me. I say I am trying and my friend follows. Somewhere halfway through I lose her but keep moving forward. The security is screaming to back up, threatening the fire marshal will make them leave and cancel this portion and there is mass chaos. I continue to weasel my way up the front. I am oblivious to what is going around me and am focused on the goal. My husband tells me that it was hilarious because he would see me pop up and then disappear closer and at one point security made a chain with their hands up saying get back  and I popped up behind their arms! I finally was there and was right in front of them! I made it! I look for Peter Dinklage because he plays one of my favorite characters and couldn't see him. There was a huge Lego Batman in front of me so I weasel a bit more and get to the side almost into the signature line not sure how I have gone unnoticed yet and suddenly in front of me is Peter. I yell to him and he looks up and smiles at me! This is what I was able to capture!

So great! Not only did I get a great shot of him but then he got with his cast mates and posed again for me! It was amazing and totally made my day! :) It was so fantastic and I cannot wait to go again :)

Goal #11

Goal #11 for 30 for 30 - Participate in Yoga at least once a week

I started yoga this summer and am loving it! I tend to stop doing things though after a couple months because I get bored or move on but I want to make sure to stick with this! It is calming which is something I really need and is a great workout! So I need to do some yoga at least once a week, but hopefully more!

Goal #10

Goal #10 for 30 for 30 - Read at least 5 classic books

I love to read but most of what I read is popular fiction and I tend to stay away from the classics. So, I decided I should make it a goal to read at least 5 of them especially since they are usually free to get on the Kindle there is no reason to not (other than I always seem to find other books I want to read first...)!

Goal #9

Goal #9 for 30 for 30 - Scrapbook every major event 


I love to take pictures and I love to scrapbook! Scrapbooking takes a lot of time because I spend so long figuring out my layouts to be just right so I have fallen a bit behind in my scrapbooking. Though I use shutterfly now and that is amazing! I love doing it digitally and with their new features it is even better! But to make sure to keep on top of it I decided to make it a goal! The books I make are so great to look back and remember all the good times and to me make the best souvenirs of any event!

Simple Ways TSA Could Make Customers Happier

I just ran across this article and couldn't agree more! I have had nothing but bad experiences going through the security line at the airport and a thank you or welcome would go a long way...

Simple Ways TSA Could Make Customers Happier: "
Why do multimillion and multibillion dollar companies and organizations maintain counterproductive business practices that are at fundamental odds with their missions? Why do they do things that seem designed to piss off their customers? Are they just so trapped in their routines that they don't realize what they're doing?


As if TSA's relationship with the public weren't bad enough, it got strained even further a couple of weeks ago when news reports of its search of an adult cancer patient's diaper boomeranged all over the internet. If TSA really wants to improve its image, it wouldn't be hard to do. Here are just a few things that would transmogrify public attitudes about the agency.

1. Stop the Shouting. No human being responds well to someone shouting 'Remove all laptops! Take out all liquids, aerosols, and gels! Remove all items from your pockets, that means ALL items!' at them at 6 AM--or any other time of day. Imagine walking into a Toyota dealership to find a uniformed officer there yelling, 'If you want a Camry get in the left line; if you have credit question go to the right!' The best way for TSA to improve customer service would be to start treating people like customers instead of animals. They should establish a 'no yelling or you're fired' rule. This alone would transform the atmosphere around the screening areas. And people might actually pay attention.
2. Lollipops. Give lollipops to kids after they go through a screening. It would immediately signal customer appreciation, sensitivity, and basic humanity.
3. Advanced Courtesy Training. TSA agents rarely say thank you, they bark orders at you, and they generally treat you like an idiot because you aren't 100% proficient at a procedure that they perform countless times a day. TSA should conduct extensive staff training on the language and habits of basic courtesy.
4. Usable Comment Cards. Agents should be required to greet customers with their first name. 'Hi, I'm Ann, and I'll be searching your bag.' When finished, the agent should hand the passenger a zen-simple comment card that says 'Ann' with numbers 1-10 underneath so that you can circle a score and drop it immediately into a comment box. If you want customers to believe you care about their feedback, prove it: Make it super-simple for them to tell you what they think.
5. A Context of Friendliness. Shifting the context of customer-interfacing operations from one of intimidation to one of friendliness does not mean ceding the power necessary to keep airports secure. Using the comment card feedback, for example, each day TSA could place a large poster at the entrance to the security area with a photo of the agent voted friendliest the previous day, with a headline, 'Yesterday's Most Courteous Agent, According to You.' Staff could be trained to utter a simple, 'Welcome,' when you enter the line. Bins could be ordered in bright saturated colors, instead of Big Brother gray. Hell, maybe they could even have 'Hi!' written on them.
6. Simple Equipment Innovations. A TSA agent in Boston designed an apparatus that sends empty plastic bins from the end of the line along a sloping, roller-lined rack and feeds them back onto the conveyor belt, thereby placing the bins at your fingertips as you move along the conveyor. You can grab bins as you need them instead of lugging two or three by your fingernails from the start of the line. The innovation eliminates human labor involved in endlessly transferring bins from the end of the line to the front. The machine is ingenious. The agent had it fabricated with his own money. Yet the manager told me the Feds want it taken down because they didn't design it. They should do the opposite. They should order one for every TSA line in America. The labor savings and time savings would pay for equipment in a month. The innovation would demonstrate care and concern to the general public, and would make everything easier and faster.
7. Magic Bin and 1,000th Passenger Programs. Put a star on the bottom of every 100th bin. The customer who gets that bin wins a voucher for a refreshing beverage at one of the airport concessions. The 1,000th passenger each day gets a voucher for a relaxing 15-minute massage at one of those airport mini-spas. Signs in the queue could alert customers to the programs, which would alter the spirit of the operations area. These two programs would create substantial positive word-of-mouth advertising. People would start saying, 'You wouldn't believe what happened to me in the TSA line the other day...' and it wouldn't be that they got strip-searched.
8. Relaxing Music. Security is the most stressful part of the travel experience. Acknowledge that and reduce the stress by playing spa music in the TSA areas.
9. Family Assistance. Families traveling with strollers and car seats and formula bags have a tough time. Station a family assistant in the queue area to help families get all their stuff through the lines.
10. Value Proposition Messages. Long lines are an advertiser's dream. TSA should put up advertising boards touting their value: '278 flights delivered safely yesterday from this station' or '6,887 passengers delivered to their destinations without incident yesterday from this station.'
11. Late Program. Eliminate stressed-out passengers from the line by offering to put people at the front of the line for a $35 fee if they are at risk of missing their flights.

It took less than an hour to brainstorm a few imaginative ideas like this (no sarcastic 'it shows' comments, please). Imagine if TSA leaders were to do a little bit of design thinking themselves. The agency has the opportunity to reverse the antagonistic dynamic that has developed between it and its customers. In the process, it could make customers dramatically more cooperative and happy, and improve safety at the same time.


What are your imaginative ideas?

"

Woo!

So yesterday was my weigh in and while I didn't lose much and seem to be maintaining weight this morning I thought I would try on an old paid of pants and just see... and they fit! YES! I am now fitting into pants that I haven't been able to wear for 3 years! This has gotten me more motivated to keep working! I actually just downloaded an app to help track food and exercise so we will see if that will help me towards my goal. So far I have noticed that it does help me not want to eat as bad because I don't want to log in the cookies, soda, etc... so we will see!

Goal #8

Goal #8 for 30 for 30 - Travel to somewhere I have never been before


I had this one more defined but decided I didn't want to limit myself. I had specific destinations but realized that sometimes life happens. Originally I thought I would be going to Italy or Costa Rica this year and instead reality has happened and that most likely will not happen as our wonderful needs the love more. So I just want to make sure that I get some travel in even if it is more local I want to make sure to keep travelling and going places I have never been to broaden my horizons :) 

Indecision

I usually have an issue where I have no books to read and have to go hunting for another one but occasionally I get myself in a situation where I now have a choice and no clue which book to pick up first! I have a ton on my kindle asking to be read and also a stash at work from my friend with some great choices as well... but which one to start with! Do I start a new series? Or a stand alone book? I usually prefer series as I like seeing the ongoing saga of characters and their worlds... but I that know soon I will have the 5th Song of Fire and Ice book to read once my husband finishes reading and want to be ready for that when he is done. I do not do well reading two books at once - I get too invested into each book and can only handle one at a time. Plus I read so fast I might as well finish what I am on before moving to the next one. Maybe I will pick at random... and one of my friends because I should't hold onto it for too long. I don't like when people do that to me so I do not want to be a hypocrite! Alright, I will just grab one from the shelf where I have the borrowed books and I am now ready for lunch :)

Awesome Room

I would totally stay at this hotel. What a view! I just hope though when you wake up you don't see a shark...

Goal #7

Goal #7 for 30 for 30 - make cookies from scratch

I am not a baker or cook. I am actually quite terrible in the kitchen and my husband is the one that does all our cooking. This is because he enjoys to cook and because when we first moved in together I attempted to cook and he started critiquing it and I said if you are going to do that then you can cook and so he did! I have always wanted to be able to bake marvelous things and I have friends and family you can and I am a bit jealous of thier ability. So I have decided I will learn how to at least make cookies from scratch even if they are terrible at first I will continue until I get it down!

Goal #6

Goal #6 for 30 for 30 - Eat a vegetable at least once a week 


Anyone who knows me knows that I hate vegetables. I have tried a variety of them and I just do not like them. My husband made it is goal one night to find a vegetable that I like and all day made all sorts of veggies. And I found one that I actually will tolerate -zucchini. I am trying to be healthier and while working out and walking to work are all great, I do need to start eating better and that includes vegetables. And since no one will count potatoes for a veggie I need to find some more veggies that I will eat! So my goal is to not only eat at least once a week (which I know doesn't sound like a lot but for me it is!) but to also find more veggies I like!

Phone

I finally got a smart phone! I am testing out how it works on the blog... So far so good. I am also shocked at how well I am typing as there is no physical keyboard! That's all for now! Time to watch some lovely TrueBlood!

Goal #5

Goal #5 for 30 for 30 - Start a garden


I actually started a little garden in my planter box this year and really enjoyed it! I used to think I had a black thumb but I started from some bulbs and it was so neat to watch my plants grow and blossom! Because of this I would like to actually make a garden area in my backyard with landscaping, maybe a pond, but most importantly all sorts of bright vibrant flowers :)

Goal #4

Goal #4 for 30 for 30 - Paint the Library 


We have a room in our house we have declared as our library room and once day I would love to build built in shelves along one whole wall to hold onto all my books (as the bookshelves I have now are not cutting it!). I realize that might not happen right away as it will involve a lot more work and money but I do want to paint it and make it a nice cozy place to sit and read and of course I need my signature teal wall :) 

Goal #3

Goal #3 for 30 for 30 - Put money into savings every month 


I was going to set a certain amount but then realized some months are tougher than others and some are better so I decided to leave it at just making sure some money is going into savings. You never know what life will bring you and it is always good to have a plan B and something to fall back on! :)

Harry Potter 7 Part 2

I read Harry Potter in 97 when the first book came out and no one knew the boy with the lightning scar... now 14 years later it has come to an end. It was an amazing ride! 


We showed up at the theater last night and received our special HP 3D glasses to look like Harry's glasses. Which was a nice touch so thanks to whoever thought of that! You could feel the excitement in the air and everyone one was buzzing and as always I was highly entertained by some of the costumes :) 


I feel the movie did an excellent job! I made sure not to reread 7 beforehand though as I have done this in the past and then just spend the whole movie focused on what is different. Instead I read up to 7 and saved it for this weekend after the movie. There were tears at points and I am also so impressed with the actors who have really made the characters come to life. 


My brain is still a bit foggy from staying up so late and getting up so early for work so I will just leave it at the movie was epic and and era has ended. 

Today is the Day!

It all ends today... the final Harry Potter is released! I can't believe it is finally here. I am so excited and at the same time a bit sad. I have been in this world for 14 years now. I read the first book in 97 when it came out and then waited never patiently for the next book! And then they started making movies and I got to relive the magic on the screen (which of course never compares to the books!) and now the last one is here. After this I will have no Harry Potter to look forward too. Luckily, I can continue the magic over and over when I reread or rewatch, ah the beauty of books and movies :)

Now it just needs to be midnight so it can start!  I have my clothes all ready to go and will add my scar right before :) 12 more hours to go...

Goal 2

Goal #2 for 30 for 30 - Take a Photography Class

I have always loved taking pictures. I love landscapes, and portraits, and just catching that little moment of a day. My family usually doesn't even bother to bring a camera to events anymore because they know I will have both of mine with me and spend the day shooting and capturing what I can. This does usually result in me looking as if I didn't attend any event as I am in no picture but oh well. I would like to further this passion of mine and actually take a class and learn what more I could be doing. :) 

Spider

OMG I had to kill a spider last night! For those that ready a previous post you are well aware of my spider phobia and I had to fight through that last night. I have a friend staying the weekend so I went to the guest room to clean up and wash the sheets. I start pulling off the sheets and flip over a pillow in the process. On the back of the pillow was a black ugly looking spider! I scream and freak and freeze (as if it is a snake and freezing matters)! I then begin to call for my husband aka spider killer and then remember he is out on business! NOO! So I stare at the spider some more resisting the urge to run and cry. I contemplate just walking out of the room and pretending nothing happened but I know if I do this that I will worry the rest of the night that the spider will crawl on my in the middle of the night trying to eat me or who knows what else it would get up to! So I spot a magazine in the room and decide this will be my weapon! I stare some more and finally work up the courage and smash it! Woo killed it... OH NO its not dead and now it is MOVING! OMG! I smash the magazine down again and press all my weight onto that magazine for a good 5 minutes! I finally feel safe to lift the magazine and see he looks pretty smushed. To be safe though I carefully without getting to close to the spider get him on the edge of the magazine and quickly walk as fast as I feel I can without dropping the magazine or potentially awakening the spider in a zombie state which can only be worse than its real state to the bathroom. I quickly flush him down the toilet and then flush again just to be safe. I then call my husband to tell him he has failed at his job which he tells me he is more than happy to give to me which I quickly tell him he is rehired as spider killer and to get home quickly!

30 for 30

I have decided to create a list of 30 things to do before I am 30. I have seen a few of these lists my friends have created and thought it would be a good idea! I like lists and some things I have always been meaning to do and never have and again because of my competitive nature I will want to be able to cross everything off. Also, I am giving myself some time to complete this as I know it will be needed! I will come up with a goal each day and then begin. :)

So the first goal to go on my list is: Set a target weight and stick to it

I actually already have my target weight but put it on the list anyways so I feel more compelled to stick to it!

Yoga

I am a very competitive person so after many failed attempts to diet/exercise on my own I decided to make a competition! It is just between my husband and I but we set monthly goals and prizes :) for whoever could lose the most. We are basing this off of % of weight loss since he could lose more than me and I feel guys lose it easier as well! We decided to have it go for 6 months for now so it will end November 1st and if he wins he gets a new sound system (boring!) but if I win we get to have a weekend getaway!

So, my coworker convinced me that I should join her for yoga twice a week. I started out not too sure about it. I am not very flexible and as majority of the people there were coworkers I was a bit self conscious. But in the spirit of competition I decided it could only help with my goal so I agreed. Well it has only been 3 weeks now (and I actually have only been making it once a week) and I actually am loving it! I am still pretty terrible at it but yesterday I actually was able to touch the floor! I don't think even in High School I could do that!

Plus, Tuesday is my weigh in day and so yesterday I had even lost another pound! This is the smallest I have been in over 2 years :) Granted I still have 20 pounds to go for my overall goal and to win the big prize!  I still haven't gotten my prize from winning last month but that's ok. I just like winning and being able to gloat to my husband! But I feel the addition of yoga to my weekly routine might be what helps me win the big prize in November.

American

This video made me laugh out loud - some of the HP guys trying to speak "American" 

http://www.mtv.com/videos/movies/671803/american-talk-2-with-the-potter-cast.jhtml#id=1644133 

Morning

I am not a morning person so having to get up at 4:30am today to take my husband to work is not my idea of a good time. I really do not understand the people that wake up so early all chipper like. The ones that tell me oh just exercise in the morning its so much better... I think not. It is bad enough just sitting awake at this moment but to contemplate running... that is just crazy talk! I used to be a night person. In college my roommates would get annoyed because I would be awake till at least 2 or 3 every day. But lately I have not been able to do that and now if it is past 11 I am ready for bed! So I guess that means I am an afternoon person? Not really sure, but I know I will never be a morning person!

Geek Mecca

So next week I will be going to Comic Con for my first time. I am pretty excited about this as I think it will be very entertaining people watching! All the costumes alone will be fantastic entertainment! And the program just came out as well which is even more exciting as I now know all the cool things I can see including Game of Thrones panel, Breaking Dawn, showing of Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog, and much more. 

When I first heard I was going I was not to sure about attending. It was supposed to be a boys trip that ended up including girls. I am not one to miss out on things and I especially love people watching which this is sure to have! But as we have drawn closer I have found I am pretty excited to see what this is all about and if I some how run into Neil Patrick Harris or Nathan Fillion I will be in heaven those guys are amazing! 

I also am attempting to fit in and bought a "geek" shirt. The boys already have plenty but us girls decided we needed to fit in as well so we went on a mission to find shirts as well. I should be getting mine soon will be proud to show off being in the Evil League of Evil :) 

Ninja

I have a coworker who calls me ninja and this is why... haha

Life in an Indian call center

I found this article really interesting...

Life in an Indian call center: "Mmechanic sez, 'Andrew Marantz wondered how BPOs [ed: Business Process Outsourcing, AKA call centers] train Indians who have never even known a Westerner to sound and act like one. Since the call centers wouldn't let a journalist in to their culture-training sessions, Marantz decided to become a trainee himself. The resulting article from Mother Jones magazine is alternatively funny, sad, and thought-provoking.'

During our second day of culture training, Lekha dissected the Australian psyche. It took about 20 minutes.

'Just stating facts, guys,' Lekha began, as we scribbled notes, 'Australia is known as the dumbest continent. Literally, college was unknown there until recently. So speak slowly.' Next to me, a young man in a turban wrote No college in his notebook.


'Technologically speaking, they're somewhat backward, as well. The average person's mobile would be no better than, say, a Nokia 3110 classic.' This drew scoffs from around the room.


'Australians drink constantly,' Lekha continued. 'If you call on a Friday night, they'll be smashed--every time. Oh, and don't attempt to make small talk with them about their pets, okay? They can be quite touchy about animals.'


'What kind of people are there in Australia?' a trainee asked. 'What are their traits?'


'Well, for one thing,' Lekha said, 'let's admit: They are quite racist. They do not like Indians. Their preferred term for us is--please don't mind, ladies--'brown bastards.' So if you hear that kind of language, you can just hang up the call.'

My Summer at an Indian Call Center


(Thanks, Mmechanic!)




"

Dark Side

I love my Kindle in fact I might love it too much because my husband thinks he has lost me to it! I say now he knows how I feel when he plays video games and is lost to me J

Now a year ago if you had told me that I would love a Kindle I would tell you that you were crazy! I was adamantly against them. I thought that it would ruin the reading experience, my eyes would hurt from the flashing and that nothing could replace the feel of a book in my hand.

I was wrong! I decided that maybe it would be a good idea to have one when traveling because I usually take anywhere from 3-6 books with me depending on how long the trip is. I hate to check luggage if not necessary and the books were taking up precious luggage space! So I rented on one from my work (which is awesome that I can do that!) and tried it out… amazing! It took no space at all and was really light!

After 5 months of borrowing my works Kindle I finally got my own. I do not think a day has gone by where I haven’t read on it. And I actually was just given a book and secretly wished they bought me a kindle copy instead… blasphemy I know! Now don’t get me wrong some books like Harry Potter I will always want in print. At my house we have a study/library room but the problem is my bookshelf is already full! What’s great about the kindle is I can now choose what to buy print or not to keep my shelf full. So Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Anne Rice all get bookshelf space but now the more fluff books I read can just take digital space!

I have come to terms with going to the “dark side” as many said and am really enjoying it J Now off to ready another book… 

Twitter

This is hilarious and sadly so true!

Vampire

I had a professor ask one of my classes if you could live to 100 would you? I immediately raised me hand that I would. I realized that I was one of a few. Most were worried about being old, senile, etc but all I could think about was all the amazing things you would be able to see in 100 years. I think this is part of what draws me to vampires.

I have always been fascinated with the supernatural – in fact when I was a baby my mom took me to a store to pick out a stuffed animal. She thought I would choose a quite animal and instead I grabbed a green witch. She tried to convince me that this was not the toy I wanted and that I really wanted a cute animal but I wouldn’t let go of that witch and so she caved and bought it for me. I actually still have this witch at my house!

I think vampires fascinate me the most though because the fact that they are basically immortal. As long as they avoid the sun and stakes they are good to go for thousands of years. The things that you could see and learn in a thousand years would be amazing. To have been able to see history as it is happening and the new technologies that come along would be quite astounding!

As I stated earlier I have always been fascinated with vampires so please do not think I jumped on the “twilight vampire bandwagon” as I was a fan long before twilight! Though I do appreciate the recent vampire craze as it gives me a lot more material to read! But before twilight was Buffy who was just kick ass! But I was brought in for Angel (and no not just for his looks!) because he was a demon with a soul and the struggle he dealt with was so interesting to watch. Then someone introduced me to Anne Rice and her character Lestat I got lost in the 10 something books she wrote about him. Again, the history he saw, the struggle of being evil, or having to drink blood but not kill, all fascinating. He even can’t handle it anymore and attempts to kill himself to find out he is too old and sun won’t even hurt so how to deal with that. Yes, there was twilight as well but I was more fascinated by the family trying to go against their nature and not drink human blood. I find that this is a common theme with vampires and the story (at least the ones I like) are about them trying to save their humanity (see Being Human, even TrueBlood) and the struggle to not be evil and give in to what was thrust upon them.

My friends often ask me knowing of my vampire fascination if I would be one. This is a hard question to answer because first of all there are so many different rules out there of what it means to be a vampire. Would I still have my soul? Would I be able to go out in the sun? Would I remember who I was? My answer would depend on the answers to those questions, to which fantasy world rules we happen to be using.

James Bond

This made me laugh :)

Chair

This is the picture of the chair I built this past weekend! I learned to stain (which wasn't that hard) and even how to get it off my skin... though part of me was tempted to leave it on so I looked like I had a tan! I felt very accomplished once I had finished and was quite proud of myself as I sat and enjoyed a drink on the 4th while sitting in it!

4th of July

I had a lovely 4th of July yesterday. We hung out with my brother in law, sister in law, and my niece at our house just hanging in the pool and relaxing. It was quite a lovely day though hanging with my in laws reminded me of the last time I was with them on a 4th of July and it was not so lovely...

A few years ago my in laws all decided to go to San Diego for the fourth. It seemed like a good idea and started out well. My one sister in law announced to everyone that she was pregnant and everyone was in a good mood. The plan for the evening was to take a boat out onto the bay to watch the fireworks. So we all get into the boat and everyone is having a great time! Now, you need to realize that I have a tiny bladder. I have to pee all the time. Usually I can put it in lock down mode when I know I will not have access and that was my plan for this trip. But my friend who was along kept passing me drinks, cuz it was the fourth after all and you need to celebrate. So after 3ish hours I kinda have to pee. I ignore this and continue chatting and playing games and stop drinking assuming at some point we have to take a bathroom break. Well apparently everyone else was on lock down mode and there was no discussion of making a bathroom break. After another hour I am moving into the danger zone of really having to pee. I continue to chat making comments about having to pee and hey maybe we should stop by the bathroom before the fireworks start... no response. Another half hour goes by and I am in serious pain. This is not funny anymore and I am seriously contemplating jumping over the boat so I can pee in the bay. Of course this still gets no reaction from anyone but my husband and friend who think this is hilarious! They are actually begging me to just jump into the bay so they can see this happen... my in laws in the meantime are ignoring all of this and my pleas and continue to play games. I try the games thinking this will distract me... no such luck. Finally, when I get up my resolve to just jump into the bay, which I am not looking forward too because who knows what is in there and it is pitch black to prepare for fireworks my sister in law who is pregnant says... I kinda have to pee. And immediately we rush to the bathroom stop. Are you kidding me! Hours of pain and now because someone else has to pee we go to the bathroom! I would have been more upset but I was just thankful she mentioned it and we finally got to go to the bathroom. Also a lesson for future if I ever want something I need to convince her to say it and it will happen! So we make our way to the other side of the bay to the bathroom and it is taking forever! We finally dock and I stand up to jump over and instead everyone else stands in front of me and slowly starts to chat and make their way off the boat... WTF! I decide this is no time to be polite and push my way through and jump off the boat to the pier and sprint to the bathroom! I made it just in time and learned quite a lesson that night too. 

Bzzz

I must have tasty blood because bugs love to bite me. I am glad that vampires aren't real because I feel they would want some of my blood too! Now, I find bugs annoying and I am not the biggest fan of having them around me but there only two bugs that I really hate, spiders and bees!

Bees really like me for some reason. I don't know what it is but they land on me ALL the time! I have had them go up my shorts (not cool little bees that is not your honey pot!), up my nose (I freaked when that happened and inhaled sucking the guy farther in before blowing him out and running away screaming!), and probably everywhere else on my body I could think of. Somehow I have been lucky enough though to only have been stung once. But it was horrific and quite traumatizing I do not want to ever experience it again! I was working at a Day Camp up at Rancho Del Rio and was serving dinner to the girls. We were actually inside a tent to be away from bugs but one very persistent bee somehow got in. He landed on my back by my shoulder and a girl saw and screamed, "PICKLE A BEE!! AHHH!" I stepped back to look at her because I didn't know where it was and in stepping back hit my back against the tent causing the bee to sting me. Now the sting probably wouldn't be so bad if it didn't happen where it did. They took me to the first aid area and realized it was swelling badly and so they decided it needed to be iced up... well to do that with the sting on my back meant they had to ace bandage this huge ice pack into my back therefore making me look like Quasimodo. To make it worse this was the one night of the DAY camp where we were actually spending the night at the camp with the girls... awesome, I have to now sleep on the ground with this and spent the whole night being called Hunchback of Notre Dame. Needless to say I am still not a fan of bees.

While on the subject and because I feel like it I will also share an embarrassing story about a spider. I lived in Australia for 2 years and while I love almost everything there is to that country I really hated their bugs. They were terrible! and the worst were their spiders! They have this one in particular called a huntsman that I really hated. Everyone said it was a nice spider, one of the good guys. Um... if its a "good" spider why is it called huntsMAN. Come on now... really, I don't buy it! Plus it's the size of my hand how can that be good! So anyways I was working at the preschool where I was a teacher and I go to the bathroom. Just doin my business and mind you this is an inside bathroom in the middle of a building... so I wash my hands, grab a paper towel, walk over to throw it in the bin, look up as I am throwing the towel away and AHHH literally 2 inches from my face was a huntsman! I SCREAM bloody murder and go running out of the bathroom, I can't even speak when the other teachers gather around ask what is wrong. I just point going Sp.. Sp... shaking the whole time. Finally, one of the other teachers go into the bathroom and come out LAUGHING! She tells the other oh it's just a huntsman, he won't hurt you. Aww, let's just put him outside. Like he was a bad dog that had gotten inside! This thing was evil I tell you and wanted to eat me and they just put him OUTSIDE! Craziness! They all thought it was hilarious and made so much fun me of! I tell you two weeks later at my house a huntsman showed up in our house and I know it was the same one. He came to taunt me with his little beedy eyes. And again my boyfriend at the time refused to get rid of him, he wouldn't even take him outside!! So for 3 nights I did not sleep as I swore he would come find me. Every morning I would get up and he would be in the same spot and I would just stare him down letting him know he couldn't get to me. After the third day he just disappeared. Hopefully to go torture someone else I haven't seen him again and hope I never do!