Under the Arch

I'm sure we've all felt at one point or another that we are only writing for ourselves, craving some sort of feedback, a pat on the back. Everyone wants to know that if they're talking, someone's listening. Even better, when they don't have to. The internet and the blogging world are fluid and it only takes a click of the mouse to move on to something more interesting. I joined this little community on a whim and when I started, I was most worried that I didn't have enough to say. There were days when I struggled(and, boy, did I struggle), but, for the most part, it was relatively painless. I did gain some readers(yay!) and some new reads(double yay!) so, I have to say, it was a positive experience that I will be repeating next year.



As for now, I won't promise to write every day, but I can promise to write more often, and I hope you'll keep reading. Yay, I did it!

(the final one!) but, this seriously made me laugh so hard I was crying. If you haven't been reading Crystal's blog, you are missing out. If you found this as funny as I do, check out her archives. (but make sure you pee first, just in case)http://boobsinjuriesanddrpepper.blogspot.com/2007/11/now-with-more-va-jay-jay-uptown-with.html

Next on the agenda? Breakfast. The three of us went to the McDonalds in mid-town and sat down inside to eat before my sister left us to go to work. Across the street is the Walgreens and there were people lined up in the parking lot for....something. After breakfast, my mom and I went back to her house to unload our finds and make room for more. Then, we met up with the rest of the girls. This is the part that makes the whole thing worth it. All gathered together, we drive to Fairview Heights, home of the closest big mall. All the available women from my mom's side of the family go together, shopping, chatting, eating...we have a great time.



There was the year that my cousin Mallory got her ears pierced for the first time. She was fine until her mom also pierced hers, and Mallory passed right out in front of Claire's. We all stared at her for a couple of long seconds and someone said, "Mallory, honey, that's not funny." We still laugh about it now, the poor kid. I've never seen anyone pass out like that, she landed flat on her back.



There was the year my mom dared me to have a mixed drink at lunch. Mallory and her friend watched me wide-eyed the whole time, to see what would happen, I guess. By the end of the lunch, I was throwing french fries at them.

I can understand why you would want to stay home on this day that brings out the crazy in many people, but tradition in my family includes bargains, chatting, and no boys allowed.

Cheers.
(Only 1 more day!!!!)

I don't have enough time to continue the black friday saga, but there is a funny thing that happened on thanksgiving that I forgot about. My little brother is 20 and like most guys, is not exactly up on the small things a guy can do to improve his appearance. I took one look at him thursday and told him that I was going to pluck his unibrow while he slept. Apparently, he took me seriously because he found a pair of tweezers and told me to knock myself out. Hee. It was awesome. At first, he was all, "This doesn't hurt." But, before long he was muttering, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" with every swipe of the tweezers. (Double hee.) I took him into the kitchen to show Mom and she was so impressed she asked me to trim his bangs. It was beauty day for Jared and he took it like a champ, only sighing pitifully once or twice. Next week, I'm gonna teach him about exfoliating.

Yes, I am one of the crazies that gets up at 3:30am the day after thanksgiving to fight the crowds for bargains. Why? I think it's fun. I know, I know. Let me explain.

I don't have any kids. Other than my parents and siblings, I don't have a list of people I HAVE to buy for. I rarely even buy anything on black friday. So, why do I do it? The thrill of the hunt.

At 4am, my mom and I were at JCPenney's when they opened. My only real purchase of the day was here. A chunky black necklace that was 50% off. But, we picked up the free mickey snowglobe for this year and some jeans for my nephew. By 4:30am I was standing in the toy dept. at Walmart, right up next to the pallet of Transformers toys that were on sale for $10. (The Walmart in my hometown is a superwalmart, open 24 hours, so you just go in and at 5am when the sale starts is the first you are allowed to touch the sale merchandise.) By 4:45am, it was getting crowded in there and I overheard a woman ask someone how this works. All wide-eyed she said,"You can't take anything until 5, when the sale starts?" (Seriously? Are you new here?) Keeping an eye on anyone who might try to edge me out of snatching distance, I silently snickered at the idiots still trying to maneuver around with a cart. (Suckers!) Most of the carts were being abandoned in the side aisles, which was going to make things difficult later. At 5am on the dot, the associates guarding the pallets gave the signal and I snatched up 4 of the Transformer 2-packs and made my way down the aisle to the tonka dump truck, snatching a pack of matchbox cars on the way. I detoured through an actual toy aisle and snagged an empty cart to deposit my booty. As I started to make my escape, a girl that I knew in high school spotted me and marveled at the amount of stuff I had already. (Yeah, I know. I Win.) Then, I met up with my mom (in charge of electronics) and my sister (charged with the task of getting the computer for $398). My sister hates this kind of thing and was appalled at the women scratching and kicking for the $5 kid's Pjs. My mom and I just looked at each other, we've been doing this for years, nothing shocks us. After Walmart, we went back to JCPenney's to get some more jeans for my nephew, with my sister this time, and then on to Bath and Body Works for the $5 Wallflowers (regular price $12.50, they make great office gift exchange gifts, and it's good to stock up). By the time we had wandered around Sears to find jeans for my brother and made it back to the car outside JCPenney's, the sun was finally up.
Whew!
to be continued.....

When I got on the train tonight, the guy sitting behind me had obviously come from the airport with his giant suitcase. Other than that initial glance, I didn't pay attention to him again until I was getting off the train at my stop. He stepped off the train too and we passed each other. For just a moment, we looked at each other and I realized he had the prettiest blue eyes I had ever seen. I wish now that I had talked to him, even if just for a moment.

My Grandmother is crazy. She's mean and she's cruel and she's not someone I've wanted anything to do with for years now. Over the last couple of years she has slowly descended into her own version of dementia, while taking my parents along for the ride. Thanksgiving was a treat, let me tell ya. My father is now terrified that this is the fate that awaits him and I fear for that too.
Thanksgiving morning, my grandfather called my dad to tell him that grandmother had taken off down the road on foot. After driving like a bat out of hell, he found her in one of the neighbor's yards with her dog sitting on the ground. (I think the high here was 36 on thursday) She refused to get up or go home, because she said my grandfather had broken her tv. (we later found out she had unplugged it for some reason) Meanwhile, one of the neighbors had called the police and an officer showed up to investigate. My dad talked her into walking back to her home with the officer by explaining to her that the officer would be able to file a report about stolen dolls. (no dolls were actually stolen, but she is convinced that the caregivers my parents hired to keep an eye on her have stolen from her)
She's been making stuff up like this for years, but now she's so far gone that she believes her own bullshit. My parents have seen a lawyer, but she's not gone enough mentally to commit her to a nursing home without her consent, which she would never give. I dread the day that she wonders into the highway and causes an accident. She's a danger to herself and others, but there's very little that can be done at this point. I don't feel sorry for her, and maybe that's a mark against me, but she has never been the sort of woman who made it comfortable to be around her or married to her son, and I deeply resent her for the pain she has caused my mother over the years. If that's not enough, my nephew is four. Last week, he came up to my sister and asked why grandmother said that his cousin Ashlin is bad. "She's not bad," he said, "Why did grandma say that?" How can you expose a child to that? The whole situation is sad and pathetic and makes me so angry.

I promise to have something more substantial tomorrow......until then, here's a photo...or two.

We're a bunch of Jeep nuts. This is me and my brother a couple of years ago. Since 2002, this past summer is the first summer we, as a family, have missed Camp Jeep. Camp Jeep is an owner celebration offered every summer by Jeep so that we can spend 3 days playing in the mud with fellow weirdos, just like us. So. fun.

This photo was taken after singing the national anthem for the eleventy-billionth time for a promotion that Jeep was doing for the National Anthem Project. We lined up our Jeeps to make an american flag and sang our little hearts out while they taped the whole thing from a helicopter.

And the finished product...Stars, Stripes and Jeeps forever. Hee. The arrow is pointing to my brother's Jeep Wrangler. So, if you ever saw this commercial, I was there, true story.

Got this link from Kendra and it cracked my ass up. It's a story of a girl, a dog, and a lot of sweet potatoes!

Tonight, I was eating some cookies that my mom made me last weekend (mmm, mom cookies!) and Angel started to give me the look. It's weird how when you have a pet, you start to be able to identify their moods and non-verbal "hints". This was not the innocent "I haven't done anything, please don't look under the bed" look, or the "I'm starving, my bowl has been empty for FIVE WHOLE MINUTES!" look, and it wasn't the panicked "I have an important meeting, and nothing to wear" look that usually procedes a mad tear about the apartment. This look was the "Look into my eyes, I will seduce you into doing my will. GIVE ME THE COOKIES!" Then she reached up to pat my cheek and smell my cookie breath. She's so funny.

These were all taken on a sailing ship that you can take from Navy Pier in Chicago. If I had the money...and well somewhere to sail, I would totally take up sailing.

This is actually a myspace survey that popped up on my bulletins, but I thought it asked some interesting questions. I'm not going to tag anyone for this, but feel free to steal it if you are looking for topics to write about during this NaBloPoMo thingy.

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments. What is it?
1. Produce: Strawberries
2. Bakery: Bagels
3. Meat: Chicken boobs
4. Frozen: Frozen pizzas
5. Dry goods: Does wine count?

Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?
1. T-shirt
2. Jeans
3. Hoodie

If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words or sentences would I be most likely to hear?
1. What?
2. Thanks so much!
3. Sorry
4. Bloody Hell
5. Shut. up.

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?
1. Read
2. consuming caffeine of some sort
3. checking my myspace/email

Sweet, you just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We're talking a 3-hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?
1. reading
2. writing
3. watching the tivo
4. sleeping, maybe
5. Thinking quietly

We're going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?
1. Penguins
2. butterfly house
3. elephants

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on TV. Of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?
1. Heroes
2. Bones (wait, is David Boreanez married?yes? dammit)
3. Oprah (but only for the favorite things show)
4. Grey's Anatomy

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?
1. gold medal ribbon
2. vanilla
3. chocolate

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?
1. sony bean mp3 player
2. ID sleeve with driver's license, debit card and metro pass in it
3. pink scarf and hat
4. yellow wallet with blue heart
5. blackjack cell phone with picture of my nephew on it

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?
1. Travel writer
2. Book editor
3. Teaching anything
4. event or child photographer

If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?
1. Take some time off, you don't have to power through school like it's a race, enjoy yourself, it's gonna take you forever anyway.
2. Don't ever think "This is all I deserve", cuz there's no such thing.
3. You WILL get boobs, and they will be fabulous.
4. You will never be as skinny as you are right now, and much happier for it.

I've already told you about the Pioneer Woman and Dooce, now let me introduce you to three more amazing ladies that you may not have found yourself......

First up is Crazy Aunt Purl, the knitter, and one of the crazy cat ladies I like to visit. She started her blog after going through a nasty divorce and taking up knitting. She's a southern woman living in Los Angeles and she's just one of the most honest writers I've ever come across. She inspired me to take up knitting this winter and I made the appointment for my first lesson this friday. She has been on a tour for her first book the past couple of months, which I loved. She's hilarious, go visit, you won't be disappointed.

Next is Bitchypoo, who really IS the crazy cat lady. She fosters kittens for a local shelter and has a bunch of cats of her own, so there are always funny pictures of cats to look at, if that's your thing. (It happens to be mine.) She's also funny and sarcastic and always manages to somehow make her life seem more interesting than it probably is.

Last one for today is Wide Lawns, who lives in South Florida, and has had a truly amazing and sometimes tragic life. Crazy things seem to happen around her all the time, and she had the pleasure of meeting Crazy Aunt Purl when she came to Miami. Here, she describes it best...."Yeah I know, everyone's family is crazy. But yours doesn't need a flow chart to explain and it doesn't blend convicted felons, watermelon salesmen, Baptist missionaries and orthodox Jews. You didn't move 29 times and go to 8 different high schools and your sister isn't really your aunt. Lastly, you didn't have a monkey. I survived all of this and now I live in South Florida around a bunch of lunatics in a place where (like Hemingway said) the lawns are wide and the minds are narrow." She tells great stories, stop by and say hello.

That's all for now...see you tomorrow.

I'm going to my hometown tomorrow to hang out with my sister since it's her birthday today. I am the older one by three years, but you'd never know it to look at us. She has gotten very matronly and old since she had her son four years ago. (not that there is anything wrong with that, frankly, having a child probably saved her, she was wild and crazy in ways I have never been) But, anyway, she is now the steady, responsible one, and I am the one who dresses fashionably and doesn't have any real interest in getting married and "I can't be counted on for anything". (the despair, the despair) It's sort of hard to be in on the family politics and guilt trips when you live over an hour away, and I like it that way. NEVER, not in a million years, would I move back. Hmm, I got off track.....the purpose of this entry was to tell you that I'm writing a second entry tonight for tomorrow that can be posted by a trusted friend and you can look forward to more links to some of my favorite blogs while I'm getting a pedicure and hair cut with the girls and snuggly time with my friend's new baby. I don't know, it's been a weird day.

Last week, I noticed that a house down the street has their xmas lights up. Wow, they must really like xmas. I...am ambivelant about the whole thing. I like giving gifts. I like the lights and the decorating. I like the food. I REALLY like the food.

My sister and I were discussing gifts for the parents, we decided to get them a DVR through dish network. This way, when my dad says repeatedly, "What did they say?" my mom can do the instant replay thing and he can hear it again. Even better, my sister and I will stop getting yelled at for calling during Survivor. And no more will we have to go to dinner early so that they can be home in time to watch it. We siblings will program it for them and show them how to use the remote and after about 5 minutes of, "Technology, bah! What do I need this for?" they'll be calling us to ask if we knew that it would record ALL episodes of Survivor, even if it's on another channel! (I love my parents, I really do, they are the biggest dorks.)

So, I have a problem. A shopaholic problem. A shopaholic shoe problem. A shopaholic boot problem. These are on their way to my house right now.

While attempting to write a paper at Denny's the other night, I overheard some 19-20 year olds arguing over the answers to a trivia game. One of the guys loudly protested the answer of "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" He claimed not only to have never heard the expression, he also didn't believe that there had been a song of the same name. I was sitting there laughing at this kid and how lame he was to have not even have heard of the stupid song when I realized that the song was released nearly 20 years ago............I. am. so. old. (le sigh)

The Burger King countdown thing is pretty amusing, this is the only version I could find on youtube, the song starts 30 seconds in....



The song is truly awful, and the amount of jewelry the lead singer is sporting scares me. Growing up in this era has scarred me for life, I will not, to this day, date a guy that spends more time getting ready than I do.

note: I checked on wikipedia, the album was released in 1989. I was 12.

Here is a video of Angel playing fetch...sorry it's so dark but you get the idea.

This is what she's been doing tonight.....

The pink on her toes are called Soft Paws. They are little rubber caps for her nails that keep her from clawing me or the furniture. Best. thing. ever.

Nicole tagged me for a meme. I'm supposed to name seven random facts about myself and then tag others to do the same. Soooooo, here we go.

1. I have only broken one bone in my life, which is frankly a miricle cuz I'm a klutz of epic proportions. The interesting part of this story is how....my mom was passing me to my grandma when I was about 8 months old and they dropped me. I didn't cry, so they didn't realize I was hurt until I tried to crawl and kept falling over.

2. I hate contemporary furniture. I love modern, clean lines or fussy antiques, which is probably sort of odd.

3. I read incredibly fast, I mean ridiculously fast. And since I love to read, I spend a lot of money on books.

4. I'm sort of a slob, which has a lot to do with being easily distracted.

5. I don't like chocolate cake.

6. I'm almost always cold.

7. I think tivo is quite possibly the best thing ever. It makes life for us absent-minded people much easier.


Ok, and now I have to tag some people. I hereby tag....

Gwyn

Kendra

What I'm Wearing: black t-shirt with an ouline of a monster holding a plate of cookies that says "Come to the dark side, we have cookies" (hee.), jeans, and my chucks


Yesterday, I needed to finish up an assignment for my night class at work, so I didn't have a chance to blog. After class, I changed clothes and headed to Edwardsville, IL for the movie shoot. My friend, Randy, is a student filmmaker at a local community college and he's in the middle of his second short film. When he asked if I would be an extra, I thought I would be background, walk in the room, walk out again, easy peasy. I get there and Randy gives me the script and then shows me what he wants me to do. All of a sudden I realize that, holy crap, he wants me to act. Not a lot, really, two words and a giggle. So, while quietly freaking out about that, I also realized that I hadn't blogged yet, and I wasn't going to be anywhere near a computer for the rest of the night. Luckily, my friend stepped in to cover for me and here we are. Filming was a neat experience, I think I did the giggle at least a dozen times, but it was great to see Randy in his element, it's obvious that this is what he's supposed to do, I really hope it works out for him. Anyway, I didn't get home until 4am, thankfully the only thing I had to do today was a doctor's appointment. That's it. I'm exhausted, good night.

Update: I'm watching the shows I tivo'd last night and gah! What are they trying to do to me? I cried through Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy! Dr. Bailey cried! She cried! Ahhh!

haha don't ask about the title lol This is actually Bri's friend Sarah, unfortunately Bri couldn't make it tonight for your blogging pleasure because she is currently helping out a friend with his student film. he had originally asked her to just be an extra and now he is giving her lines and now shes freaking out! haha anyway Bri will be back tomorrow to bore you yet again!

le sigh

What I'm wearing: black t-shirt that says "The Goonies Never Say Die", arizona boot leg jeans and my chucks again (just cuz I love them that much)

I like hats. I never remember to wear the darn things, but I really like an interesting hat. I was at Target yesterday and I stumbled across a little section of interesting hats hiding behind the belts. Buuuut, I just can't make a decision. Help me out, would you?

Hat #1

Hat #2

Vote in the comments!

kthnxbai

What I'm wearing: plain red t-shirt, gray terry shorts, and my grinch head slippers (yeah, I'm still in my pjs. I love sundays)

I have a cat. She's a love slut. She's not happy unless she is right up next to me, watching my every move......unless the food bowl is empty. Then she looks a little more like this....

AH HETS U. GET UP AND FILL MAH BOWL HUMAN!

The fine print says:

Note: Times may vary depending on how excited you are about using your new FreeAgent Go data mover.

Hee.

This is pretty self-explanatory...three pillar candles with no other light...soft focus so that you can barely tell what they are...I just like it

Self-portrait

This sculpture is in front of a building at SouthWestern Illinois College (SWIC) in Belleville IL. I took a couple of art classes here one semester and this was my self-portrait shot. You can see the figure that is me just about in the middle of the reflective ball. It's mini-me. :)

Alright, that's all I've got for today, I promise to be more interesting tomorrow.