Still Adrift

Dairy Saga

2010-02-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

Alright, well, it's more of a saga for me than anyone reading this. I've been doing the no dairy thing for a few weeks now and it is proving to be much more difficult than that I thought. Admittedly, the hardest part is not avoiding the obvious dairy products, but the products that have dairy in them. I've had two bad experiences because of this, one intentional and one not. The not one was just my ignorance.

One night I had a big piece of chocolate cake w/chocolate icing. While I'm sure the cake mix took oil (I did not make it), it being chocolate, there was probably some form or milk in the cake and/or frosting. At the time, I didn't care, because I figured it wasn't a straight dairy product, so why would it matter? Well, and maybe it's a coincidence, but I woke up the following morning congested w/a really bad sinus headache. And I hadn't had a sinus headache for about two weeks prior to this happening. Interesting.

Then, this past Saturday, I went to the grocery store. I was mindful of everything I bought except for one thing: frozen waffles. Once in a while I get into this habit of toasting some waffles, putting butter on them and eating them that way for a snack. I was in the freezer section, saw the waffles and thought they sounded yummy. Not only did not not cross my mind that I bought waffles, that normally contain milk, but I bought buttermilk waffles. So, I did not clue into this fact until AFTER I hate them. Um, hello Amanda. So, I woke up yesterday morning with a massive sinus headache and this one was bad enough for me to stay in bed until the early afternoon.

So far two things have seemingly caused a sinus reaction. I find it interesting because, I have been eating biscuits, which according to the ingredients, have milk, but they have not bothered me. My ultimate experience will come before my follow up appt. w/my doctor next Friday. I bought a 12 oz. container of milk and I am going to drink it one night before bed and see how I feel in the morning. I'm a little concerned, part of me is thinking that if the stuff I ate w/just some milk in it caused bad sinus headaches, what is the actual product going to do. And mind you, these two headaches I've had were far worse than "normal" sinus headaches I have. I really think this will be the only way to dry and definitively tell. Though, I guess it won't be too definitive unless I'm actually tested, but it'll be the closest thing so far.

Yep, there's my saga. I'm actually very saddened that I may be allergic to dairy. I'm a big fan of dairy products...and ya know what makes me the saddest? No cheesecake. :( *sigh*

Music: The White Stripes - I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)

Water in the Trunk

2010-01-25T18:26:00.000-08:00

I am pretty frustrated at myself. A few months back when I made a trip to Tulare, I decided to unscrew my antenna from my car because it was starting to bend and break (it's a rubber antenna and not the one that came on my car). Last month it rained for a day or two and I remember afterwards getting into my car and noticing a moldy type smell. I got into my trunk one day and noticed that the corner of the trunk where my antenna is was wet. I had a roll of paper towels that was soaked and the carpet in the trunk was wet. At the time I assumed the water was coming in through the screw hole that the antenna screws into.

So, for some idiotic reason, I never put my antenna back on and having the down pours that we had last week, I now have a ton of water in my trunk. Well, it's not puddled, but the carpet is soaked. I was able to pull the top carpeting out (Thanks to Ong for giving me that idea) and it is now sitting my balcony so it can dry out. There's some padding around and under my spare tire that is soaked and when you press down on the padding, water puddles up. I'm also a little concerned because my battery is in my trunk, but everything seems okay with that. The plan is to leave my top carpeting out to dry and I am hoping with that being gone, it will give a chance for the other padding to dry. Oh and there's also the funky ass smell - though, I think it was mainly coming from the top carpeting.

I called my dad because I wasn't sure what to do, he suggested I go buy some silicone to put around the base of my antenna where it attaches to the car just in case that is where the water is leaking. I did that and I also put some around another part of the antenna. Oh and I also put the antenna back on my car. I am fairly confident that the water is coming from the antenna area because I initially felt dampness right underneath there. I've also had this antenna for over 2 years and I've only gotten water in my trunk when the antenna was unscrewed from the car.

Since my antenna is starting to break (it's wrapped in electrical tape right now), I figure I will contact the dealer at some point and get an estimate and see how much it would cost to get the right antenna back on my car. But if this works for now, I am in no rush.

But, yeah, can only be mad at myself. I was the dumb ass who didn't put the antenna on after the first time. *sigh* Sometimes I wish I knew what I was thinking.

Also, thank you to my dad is who is always there whenever I am having an issue, especially when it comes to my car. It is much appreciated and means a lot.

Music: No Doubt - Ex-Girlfriend

Rain Weenie

2010-01-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

It's been quite the wild weather week in Southern CA. I have always chuckled a little at Southern CA because anytime there is a slight sprinkle, everyone freaks out and it's the top news story on all of the stations. Last week when they were talking about Southern CA having 8in. of rain, I kept thinking they were exaggerating. Yeah, I don't think they were.

I hate the rain, I really do. Actually, I think the rain is good - I definitely understand the importance of it and I know we need it. I just hate being out in it. I hate that feeling of being cold and wet - shoes wet, feet wet, pants wet up to my ankles. And, half the time, having an umbrella doesn't do any good. I have yet to master getting gracefully in/out of my car w/an umbrella without getting wet. I also hate lightning/thunder storms. There's no real logic there, I just do.

I also hate driving in the rain. It just makes me so uncomfortable. I already don't trust anyone else on the road, so I really don't trust them when it's raining...and some people are just plain stupid when it comes to driving in the rain. Yeah, go ahead and tailgate me...if I have to stop suddenly, you probably won't have enough traction to stop before hitting me. Jerks. I'm not one of the slow pokes, but I am careful.

So, I am quite enjoying the break in the rain and it's nice to see the sun. Don't suppose it will last long though, I hear it's supposed to rain at some point next week. The one thing I enjoyed about this last week? The cold air and actually having a winter.

Music: Sheryl Crow - Diamond Ring

Nine

2010-01-16T21:59:00.000-08:00

I just got back from seeing Rob Marshall's film Nine. The minute that I heard he was directing a new film, a musical, I knew I wanted to see it. Rob Marshall directed Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha, both of which I really loved.

The movie is about a famous Italian director who is having trouble writing his next big movie and looks for inspiration from his wife, his mistress, his colleagues, his starlet and other various women he's had previous contact with, but it's only when he separates himself from his life, that he gains his true inspiration.

Nine wasn't glitzy like Chicago, but just like Chicago, it had some gorgeous shots, awesome choreography (which Rob Marshall does himself), great actors and singing. One of my favorite shots starts off looking at water washing up on the beach and has it slowly recedes you see the figure of a man reflected in the remaining water on the sand. Ugh, it was beautiful. The musical numbers were also done in the style of Chicago, as a part of the characters imagination, which works very well when turning a Broadway play into a film. I really enjoyed the music as well and as I mentioned, the singing was great. I'm pretty sure I will be buying the soundtrack.

From what I've read, I think the movie wasn't as great as people/critics anticipated and I think a few people in the theater weren't too happy with it. Or the ending. I liked the ending myself...and while I admit, the movie wasn't as good as I hoped, I still really loved it and got right into the middle of it. For me, that's how I know a good movie...the emotion vested into it.

I say, if you're a fan of Chicago and/or Rob Marshall, go for it. It's not as good as Chicago, but it's good.

Music: Rob Thomas - All That I Am

No Dairy, What?

2010-01-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

After being sick for 2 weeks and my sore throat never going away, I decided to make a doctor's appointment. He's treating me for a sinus infection. Thinking back, I probably didn't have a cold, it was probably sinus the whole time. Most of the time when I get a cold, I get major chest congestion. This time I didn't, I barely had any and most of my coughing was a hacking, throat tickles cough. He also thinks my eye infection was attributed to my sinuses as well.

So, he starts the appointment talking about my sinus issues. I saw him back in March 2007 and complained about my sinuses - he mentioned something about cutting wheat out of my diet and then sent me for an xray to make sure I didn't have a cyst in my sinus cavities. Um, okay. This time, he brings up the wheat again, but also mentions dairy products. He informed me, which I did not know, that all people lose the ability to digest dairy - he said some stop at 10 years old, some stop at 100 and everyone is in between. He suggested that I stop eating dairy for two weeks and see how I feel. I do find this interesting because not too long ago I was wondering if I was lactose intolerant and I cut out dairy for a little while. Unfortunately, I can not remember how my sinuses may have reacted. I suppose he's considering an allergy to dairy, not just intolerance, but maybe it's all the same?

I'm a little nervous about cutting out dairy, but I know I can do it. I guess it just sucks - no milk, ice cream, cheese :(, yogurt, etc. I figure I am going to focus on the main dairy products (i.e. the ones I mentioned). A lot foods seem to have milk products in them, but I am just going to cut out the dairy products themselves, if that makes sense. I think If I went hardcore, I'd have a hard time finding stuff to eat - though, might not be a bad thing?

So, I guess I'll see. It's all in the name of my health and in recent months, more than ever, I've been more aware of my health and what I need to do to better it. I've taken small steps forward and big steps back, but when I am feeling back to par, things are going to happen. They have to. And I'm sure cutting out dairy will be more healthy anyway.

Oh yeah...I will decrease my chocolate consumption, but I can't cut it out completely. OMG can you imagine? No chocolate? Scary thought.

Music: Rebekah Del Rio - Llorando

Softsoap

2010-01-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

Not sure if you are familiar with the Softsoap brand - they mainly produce hand soaps and body washes. I have always loved one particular type of hand soap they make, it looks like this:

I was introduced to this soap when I first moved to Fullerton about 7 year ago. I moved to go to school and was moving into a dorm on campus. I happened to live w/the RA and she bought this soap for our bathroom and I fell in love with it.

I don't recall ever buying it on my own - I always bought the generic brand of soap because it was a few dollars cheaper. Through the years, I've come into contact w/this soap and I would always tell myself that I needed to break down and spend a few more dollars to get this soap because I loved the scent. Truth is, the scent takes me back to 2002 when I first moved. I find it comforting and smelling it makes me smile. Honestly, I do find it odd that I have this attachment to this soap because of the three years I lived in the dorms, the first year was my least favorite I think. But perhaps the scent reminds me of my first experience of independence in my life - of being on my own, being younger and having a plan. On my last shopping trip, I finally bought the soap.

It's very interesting how scents can take us back to a moment or time in our lives. Definitely shows how complex our brains are, associating a scent with a certain place and time. I have an old perfume at my parents' house that, if I smell, takes me back to 7th grade and the crush I had at the time. Or the Sun Ripened Raspberry body spray that I have from Bath & Body Works takes me back to my early high school years.

I guess scent is a nice way to remember a former time.

Sick Habit

2010-01-05T20:36:00.001-08:00

First, let me clarify that this post will be about a habit that I have when I am sick - not a disgusting habit that I have.

So, being sick sucks and being sick and alone sucks even more. There's one thing I always do when I am sick - it helps me feel better, it comforts me and helps me not to feel so alone. I will always pick about 4-5 movies and watch them over and over.

When I know I will be napping or at night when I know I am hitting the hay for good, I will pop a movie in and put it on repeat that way the same movie plays over and over all night long. Sometimes I will turn it off, but often I leave it on until I wake up. And, a lot of times after I wake up, I will watch the movie till it's over and THEN watch it again in it's entirety.

When I am not repeating the same movie over and over, I will still watch the same movies over and over. So, instead of watching the same movie over and over, I will watch the same 4-5 movies back to back.

This particular time, I set up my 13 in. tv, which used to be in my living room, in my bedroom area on top of my dresser. I then brought my dvd player from the living room and set it up. And for 4 1/2 days straight, I laid in my bed and watched movies. These were the movies I watched over and over: The Adventures of Milo and Otis, You've Got Mail, Jurassic Park, Grumpy Old Men, A Christmas Story and War of the Roses. For some reason, watching these movies over and over never bothers me. I love it and find it very comforting.

Now, I also watched these movies while being sick, but only watched them once: Catch me if You Can, Public Enemies, The Object of My Affection, First Wives Club, The Shop Around the Corner, Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers.

The last two nights, I've slept w/Jurassic Park playing all night. I don't know, I guess it might seem weird, but when you don't feel well, you do what you can do to help yourself feel better.

Oh and overall, I am feeling better - I'm still a mucus factory and my throat and head hurts from hacking up a lung, but I am at least able to function. And my eye infection appears to be gone. I'm still using the drops to make sure.

Now, I think it's time for bed...not sure which movie I will have on tonight...

Music: Johnny Cash - In My Life

Welcome Twenty-Ten

2010-01-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

I did not do anything to celebrate a new decade...in fact, I was asleep and it was only the Disneyland fireworks that woke me up and then I figured it was midnight. So far, not too impressed w/2010, but I guess I am biased. I am sick and, as found out today, I have an eye infection. Apparently two unrelated things. Just very odd - don't believe I've ever had an eye infection before.

All and all, I am feeling better. Am feeling a little run down after going out this morning, but I know it's because I've been doing nothing for 2 1/2 days, so I need to build my energy back up. I suspect I will be good to work on Monday...red swollen eye or not.

Another thing that has yet to impress me about 2010 is my computer appears to be sick as well. I am rapidly losing hard drive space and I don't understand why. A few weeks ago (I think), I got a warning stating that I was low on hard drive space, so I did disk cleanup, at that point it had been a while, and after that I had a total of 2GB worth of hard drive space. Since then, I've been getting the same message, stating that I am low on hard drive space, so again, I do disk clean up, I delete things, I move things to my external hard drive and nothing seems to be working - it actually only seems to make it worse. For example, yesterday morning I had like 300MB left on my hard drive, I did some stuff and freed it up to 700MB. I came back later that day, it was down to a little over 100MB and when I checked it again, it was up to 500MB. And now, it's saying I have 36MB worth of hard drive left. I have no effing clue what is going on. I have only deleted and moved things, I have not added a thing. So, I guess the best I can do is make sure my crap is backed up and hope for the best. I don't have the money to replace a computer right now. Here's hoping it doesn't crap out on me.

Oh and I did successfully post a blog everyday from Nov. 1, 2009 - Dec. 31, 2009. I thought about doing one for everyday this year, but I don't think I will. I think I will just be more mindful about blogging more frequently and since I have been blogging everyday, I hope it is easy for me to stick with.

Alright, time of some OJ and my bed, I think. Happy weekend, all.

End of a Decade

2009-12-31T10:26:00.000-08:00

So a new decade will be starting in a few hours...and I had this idea of going through my blog posts and noting significant things that I have happened, but I think I can remember them all:

2002 - Moved to Fullerton, started going to CSUF
2004 - Got my first car and first real job at Target
2005 - Graduated from CSUF with my Bachelor's
2006 - Quit Target, started working at the animal hospital, got in a car accident which resulted in my car being totaled
2007 - My grandma passed away, my mom was diagnosed w/cancer, I moved out on my own (no roommates)
2008 - My mom was cleared of cancer, started my current job
2009 - I honestly can't think of any real significant thing that happened to me this year. I think for me, it was a pretty stagnant year, which I guess depending on how you look at it, could be good or bad. I've known a lot of people, though, who had a crappy year in 2009, so I hope nothing but the best for them in 2010.

Whatever it is you are doing to celebrate the end of one decade and the beginning of a new one, be safe and have fun. Me? I will be home and in bed likely, as I am sick. What a time to come down w/sickness. I'm bummed that I will be alone. Ya know, New Year's Eve is like Valentine's Days older brother. If you don't have a significant other, it kinda blows. And, being sick just makes it a tad bit worse. Oh well. It is what it is.

As far as resolutions? I don't really believe in them. Why do you need a new year to start to do something? I think July 17th at 4:37p is no different than January 1st.

Hmm, I think I need to lay down - this is taking a lot of energy.

Happy New Year everyone! *cough*

Rough Night

2009-12-30T06:56:00.000-08:00

I took some nighttime meds last night was good until about 2am when I woke up feeling horrible. I kept trying to go back to sleep, but it wasn't happening. I didn't want to take more nighttime meds since I was planning to work today. For some reason it took me an hour to realize that I could take the daytime meds just for the relief. I finally did that around 3a and fell asleep shortly after. I then got up at 610a. I'm pretty damn tired, but...I need to try and go to work. We're already a girl short and I am behind on my work. I figure I can try to go and if I get to feeling too bad, I can always come home. My plans is to stop by Walgreens on my way to work for some better tissue (my nose is freaking raw) and some more meds.

Hooray for sickness!

It Finally Happened

2009-12-29T19:52:00.000-08:00

After 2 1/2 years, I have finally gotten sick. Go me. I woke up this morning hoping it was just an extreme allergy issue, but nope. I am convinced and am freely using the "S" word. (Sick). I got home from work and went to bed and now I am up to eat and then probably go back to bed. Two words: Sick sucks.

Absolutely Livid Day

2009-12-28T19:27:00.000-08:00

Remember lazy girl that I complained about a few posts back? Well, she is on vacation in Tennessee this week. For the team I belong to, it is our standard to try and help out others when they are gone; it's not expected of us to do all of their work, but to try and maintain it. Mainly for the clients, but also so not one person is left behind.

My whole team has been behind since November...between team building, meetings and holidays, we are all struggling. So, in this instance it is a little frustrating to have to work on not only your work, but a coworker's as well.

None of us have ever really helped out lazy girl before because, out of the 6 of us, she usually has the least amount of work. This time we are delving into her work and, oh. my. god. She is so freaking behind it is not even funny. We are not maintaining her new work, we are freaking doing her old shit! Each one of us had some of her work today and we each ran into several instances where she was lazy about her work - taking 2-4 weeks to make a return phone call or not properly looking at the records to make sure we have everything. And who has to do all of this work that should have been done a month ago? US! I could go to Tennessee and fucking strangle her. She's known for MONTHS that she was going on vacation and she made no attempt to get herself caught up. I can guarantee you she just thought, "well, the others will deal with it." UGH.

Oh and another thing I am pissed about is my supervisor did not properly communicate to us who was doing what work of the lazy girl's. She, of course, is also on vacation this week, so we can't even bring all of this to her attention. We had a quick 5 min. meeting to discuss that she and lazy girl would be gone but that's it. All of the sudden we're all getting tons of extra work that we were not expecting. I think we are going to bring it up to my supervisor when she gets back next week. Not sure if it's proper of us, but obviously my supervisor is not paying attention to lazy girl's work and since the rest of us are having to make up for it, we think she should know.

I know there are these types of people in every job, but seriously? Have some fucking respect for your coworkers. Maybe you are a lazy ass and don't care about your job and have a horrible work ethic, but the rest of us don't. I know for sure I have lost tons of respect for her and that I never want her touching my work when I am gone.

Back in Fullerton

2009-12-27T20:35:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am, back in the OC after being in Tulare for almost 4 days. I have to say it was a very nice trip and was a lot of fun. I was able to make it to the bar a few nights for some drinking and dancing - nothing too crazy of course. I was able to spend time with my friends and my family, which is always awesome.

The suckiest part is that my mom got sick Christmas morning and spent all day Christmas and yesterday in bed. I felt so bad for her. I know she felt bad for being sick while I was there, but I know she can't help it. What's good is that she is feeling better today and hopefully she'll be back to 100% in the next few days.

The most interesting thing that happened? I spoke to my sister on the phone for the first time in over 2 years. The last time I had spoken to her was when my mom was in the hospital in San Francisco back in the summer of 2007. It was kind of odd to talk to her and it felt kind of forced. My mom received a Christmas card from her earlier last week, but I never did. I thought I'd have one when I got back today, but nope... no Christmas card. It's very interesting - I think this is the first time my mom has received a card and I have not. I sent her one, though...she even thanked me for it. Just not quite sure what to think about that. But, I am VERY glad that she called my mom and talked to her - that meant more to my mom than she will ever understand.

Anyway, that's was my Christmas in a nutshell. Back to the grind tomorrow.

Friendship Necklace

2009-12-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

Just got back from doing a gift exchange with my best friend. When I was in town for my high school reunion, we both came to Target and came across this Friendship necklace.

I'm sure you can read the saying on the card, but on the actual necklace, it says. "I am thankful your path crossed mine." We immediately fell in love with it and decided to buy each other one for Christmas. Though we did have to get different chains...it came w/a 16in. chain. Seriously, who has a 16in. neck.

Anyway, I absolutely love it and I can't wait to starting wearing it. And, ya know, it's so true. I don't know what I'd do w/o that girl.

Oh and she also got me the Public Enemies dvd (yay!!) and a pair of christmassy socks. ;)

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a fabulous day! :)

Milestone

2009-12-24T12:06:00.000-08:00

Here ya go folks, my 1,000th blog post!! Yay!! Only took me about 9 years to get here. ;) I hope you've had as much reading as I have writing. Let's hope it doesn't take me another 9 years to hit 2,000!

Happy Christmas Eve!

The Plan

2009-12-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I FINALLY get to spend Christmas with my parents. The last time I spent Christmas with them was in 2006. Right now my only enemy is weather. I'm planning to leave today after work since my dad is worried about fog on Thursday morning. And, well, I think I'd rather drive at night than in the fog. Of course, all of this is on a "play it by ear" basis, but I'm 95% sure I will be leaving after work tomorrow. I'm also really hoping my supervisor will let me leave early, but I won't get my hopes up. I figure no matter when I leave, I will hit traffic, so that's not really a factor.

My biggest worry, is that as of yesterday morning, there's a chance of rain in Tulare and southern CA and also rain/snow on the Grapevine on Sunday the 27th. If the chance gets stronger, then I'll be heading back to Fullerton on Saturday.

While I would hate my trip to be shortened, I need to be comfortable when I drive and ya know, I get to be there on Christmas, which is the important part, right?

Christmas Vacation

2009-12-22T20:57:00.000-08:00

I love this movie, always have. Even after all these years, it still makes me laugh. Here's some of my favorite lines:

Clark: Burn some dust here. Eat my rubber.
Rusty: Dad, I think you mean burn rubber and eat my dust.
Clark: Whatever, Russ. Whatever.

Clark: 'Tis the season to be merry.
Mary: That's my name.
Clark: No shit.

Clark: Russ, go get the hammer.
Ellen: Clark, what do you need a hammer for?
Clark: I'm gonna catch it in the coat... And smack it with the hammer.

Clark: The most enjoying traditions of the season are best enjoyed in the warm embrace of kith and kin. Thith tree is a thymbol of the thpirit of the Griswold family Chrithmath.

Rusty: Dad, this tree won't fit in our back yard.
Clark: It's not going in the yard, Russ. It's going in the living room.

Clark: Hey! If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is! Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?

Hehehe.

Lazy Coworker

2009-12-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

I'm sure we all have one at work, right? Or one we used to work with? It's the one person who always finds time to get up and walk around, chat and does the minimal amount of work to get by. I have to say that the one that we have at work drives me nuts. Today, she was saying something about how she did 27 calls and was shocked that she had done so much. I mumbled, "welcome to our world - we do it everyday." She half-asses everything, tries to get out of doing stuff and she constantly tries to get people to side w/her when a certain issue comes up about a phone call. It really is infuriating because I know the other 5 of us are busting our asses. And she has less work than us, so theoretically, so she could finish her work and maybe help out one of us. But it never happens. Her biggest thing is she will offer to help and then never do it. (I think I have mentioned this before). Oh and she is lazy in every sense of the word - not just about work. If we're having a short meeting, maybe 5 minutes, she has to sit. Sometimes we'll have a little pow-wow and bitch session for a few minutes and she always says something like, "well, if we're gonna chat, let me get my chair." Or, if you have an extra chair in your cubicle, she will come sit down to tell you a 30 second story. That drives me batty! Really, you can't stand for 5-10 minutes? How in the hell did you ever work in an animal hospital??

Her personality and mine just don't mix. I'm nice to her and all, and you know, she is very nice and does mean well, but dammit, is she lazy. Just annoying.

Awesome Food Day

2009-12-20T21:52:00.000-08:00

So, today was full of great food. First, I started off the day with some eggs, toast and awesomely prepared bacon. Then, made some fudge (my first time ever) and that came out wonderfully. Then, made some ginger bread cookies, which I had never had before and realized that are pretty damn good. (Even better w/cream cheese frosting...mmm). For dinner, there was awesome Chili Colorado...awesome meat, sauce, cheese, sour cream...and it ended with some rum balls. Which weren't too bad...though, I am thinking that I might not be a big fan of dark rum. So yes, awesome food day and big thanks for Merc & Ong for letting me participate.

Just a quick, totally unrelated note...I was very sad to hear bout Brittany Murphy. I first saw her in Clueless, which my friends and I loved, and well, I still do. It was one of those movies I "grew up" on. She was a great actress and very shocking and sad news.

Killer Back Pain

2009-12-19T22:03:00.000-08:00

I have been having some mean lower back pain for the last 1-2 months. I can't quite figure out why I've been having it or if anything has changed in my routines to cause it to hurt. It basically hurts from my hips to the middle of my behind. I'm finding that I can not lay, sit or stand in a certain position for too long w/o it hurting and I have never had this problem. I wake up in the middle of the night to change positions and it hurts like hell when I move. And, it's really a bummer, my back seems to hurt worse when laying on my stomach which is my absolute favorite sleeping position and now I can barely do it. Part of me is wondering if it is stress, but I normally carry that up around my neck and shoulders.

I have also been having trouble w/my left hip...though I think I remember having trouble w/my hip last year when it got colder. How sad is this? I'm only 28.

Anyway, I can deal w/the hip, but I really need to figure out this back thing. The constant ache is just annoying. I did some stretching this evening and that seemed to help. So maybe stretches and drugs...and maybe my heating pad.

I feel old.

Music: Kanye West - Heartless

Gift Exchange

2009-12-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

We did a White Elephant gift exhange at work today. It was cool. I made out with a South Park Christmas ornament and a Pooping Penguin. Apparently, you put these little candies in the mouth of the penguin, you wind him up and then he waddles and poops out the candies. Gotta love gag gifts. I actually picked my gift based on the gift bag it was in; it has a black cat on it. And I also didn't trade...well, I did, but not during the White Elephant part. My friend at work got a Hello Kitty mouse pad and post-its, so I traded my ornament for that. She's a big South Park fan, so it works.

There were a few awesome gifts though...the same friend mentioned above bought the movie Spice World and the male in our department picked that one (that as actually after he picked some bath salts, but somebody took that from him). And this same guy brought wine, cheese and crackers - only it was 2 buck chuck and Handi-Snaks. Freaking awesome. Me? I wasn't too creative. I just regifted a picture frame that was given to me last year. Lots of creativity in the people I work with, though.

Me vs. Cotton

2009-12-17T18:08:00.000-08:00

I was sitting in the dentist's chair when I came up w/this blog post..

I hate cotton. It freaks me out. I have a hard time touching cotton balls, gauze and and some materials. What freaks me out the most? The thought of any of that, and clothing, in my mouth. Imagine my horror each and every time I go to the dentist and they put dry gauze in my mouth. I had to "try on" a crown today and when she cemented the temporary back on, she placed dry gauze in my mouth to keep things dry. My tongue was touching a piece and I was freaking out. I had to bite down on some and my lips were seriously quivering. I honestly had to go to a happy place and take myself out of this situation. (My teeth are cringing just writing this...) I realize this probably makes me a bit of freak, but ya know what? I don't care. Cotton is freaky, dammit.

A little side note having nothing to do w/cotton...
My dentist gave me a prescription and I went to Target to fill it. I guess this week there is a coupon in Target's ad that if you bring in a new prescription you get a $10 gift card. Well, I had no idea and while I was waiting for my prescription, I grabbed a few items. I came back to the pharmacy and the chick was like, "I should give you my coupon." So she gives it to me...I pay $4 for my prescription and then she rings up my other items, which came out to $11.71...she then gave me the $10 gift card, so I only had to pay a $1.71. Score! I totally appreciated that and told her she was very nice to do that for me. I have seen those advertisements before, but I always assumed that you had to be a new client, not just bring in a new prescription. That totally made my night...and almost made up for the dry gauze in my mouth.

Office Sickness

2009-12-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

Alright, so, illness has been running rampant in my department the last few months. And, it's so bad, that some people are on their 2nd leg of getting sick. I have been fortunate - I have not been sick. Not even a little bit. Granted, my allergies are a constant bother, but no cold, no flu, nothing.

I think this is interesting for a few reasons: 1) I generally don't take any preventative measures. Once in a while I get in an Airborne or Emergen-C habit, but it doesn't last long. I just recently started taking a daily vitamin again and I rarely eat right or get enough rest. Yet, I don't get sick. 2) I've always been notorious for getting sick at least a few times a year. The last sickness I remember, which knocked me on my ass, was the July 2007 (I remember the month cause my old roommate got married and I went to her wedding sick and drugged up).

I definitely consider myself lucky. I must be doing something right. Either that or my year-round allergies have replaced my twice a year colds.

What You Dislike In Others...

2009-12-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

...is what you most dislike in yourself. I read a quote that said something to that effect recently and it really got me thinking. I started looking at some people that I wasn't too fond of, thought about why I didn't like them and then compared them to myself. I found the statement to be a little true.

I do think that some people are just annoying, which I don't think will necessarily reflect back on you. But, I certainly think traits do. For example, I've been able to pick up on traits that my supervisor has and some of my coworkers have, that drive me nuts. And, sadly, I can recognize those traits in myself or remember a moment when I did the same thing they did.

Thinking about this stuff is a very good reflective tool. By being able to recognize such traits, I've been able to prevent acting a certain way. This has to be good - chances are if something bugs one person, it probably bugs another person as well. I suggest giving it a try - maybe see if you can find a correlation between the things people do that drive you nuts and yourself. You might be surprised...I know I was.

Music: James Brown - Try Me