Screw the Partridges -- There's a New Band in Town

So today, my parents, my sister, and the four of us drove 45 minutes to visit my brother and sister-in-law. While there, Kyle (my brother) broke out his XBox and turned on "Rock Band," which is basically XBox's version of the infamous Guitar Hero for Wii. The thing is, with the XBox version, there's also a drum set. AND  a bass guitar. So while we were there, the whole gang of us fought over took turns playing the different instruments. Poor Gracie. She only wanted to play the drums. But the ignorant mean people adults in the room were greedy and wouldn't let her play nearly as much as they did.

I think we may put together some sort of nation-wide tour. Because seriously... we kicked some serious ass when we played Weezer and Black Sabbath. Sweet.

My brother jamming on the drums...

 

My sister and Grace concentrating on their parts...

 

My brother, Steve and my sister-in-law kicking some Rock Band ass...

 

Hannah, realizing the game was too hard for her, settled for playing the air drums...

Happy Valentine's Day!

OK. So I'm a day late, but at least I said it. Steve and I don't really "do" Valentine's Day. No cards. No flowers. No gifts. But I'm cool with that. LOL! I never really saw the fascination with Valentine's Day actually.

But the kids enjoy it. They get all sorts of cards, candy and presents -- what's not to like? LOL! Anyway, here are a few shots of the girls yesterday after school, checking out their V-Day loot.

 

 

Something important to me...

I have two dear friends who both have sons that have been diagnosed with autism. I have learned a lot about autism from both of them and I admire the two of them SOOO much for what they've done to make their sons' lives as "normal" as possible.

One of my friends is a special ed. teacher in Chicago and the Early Childhood department in her school district has put together a team for the Chicago Walk Now for Autism.  The walk is on Sunday, May 18th, and my friend is accepting donations on a website. If you have a few extra dollars to spare (Or even one! Every little bit counts!), can you click on the link below and offer a donation? It would mean so much to me, her, and all of the people out there dealing with autism on a daily basis. Thanks gang! Love ya!

Go support Tracey & Billy!

Holy SHIT!

Sorry for the title, but that was my comment tonight around 5:15 when I walked past my computer and checked my email. Remember a few weeks ago when I interviewed for that job? The one that I really, REALLY wanted -- partly because it sounded interesting, but mostly because I could work from home 99.9% of the time? Well, a few days afterwards, I emailed the woman who interviewed me (who happens to be the president of the company) and just thanked her for contacting me, having me come in, etc. The truth is, I was just hoping she'd respond and give me some sort of hint of how I did, if I was being considered, when I'd know their decision, etc. But she never responded. I was bummed, but since I hadn't asked any direct questions in that email, I realized she didn't HAVE to respond, and let it go.

A week later, I still hadn't heard either way and it was driving me insane. Normally, I don't get that obsessed over an interview or a shot at a job. But I had felt like I really did well in the interview. Sometimes I leave an interview with a feeling that I didn't do horrible or anything, but that I (or the interviewee) just wasn't "feeling it." But this one was different. I KNEW it was the place I was supposed to work. So I emailed her again. I wasn't insane or anything. It was literally 2 or 3 sentences long and just said that I was still anxious to hear their decision and politely inquired if they had made a decision or not yet and that either way, I'd be good. Once again -- nothing. Not an email. Not a phone call. Nada.

It was a serious blow to my ego. I'm okay with not getting a job. The competition out there is stiff right now and there are a TON of technical writers better than me, so I don't mind if someone else gets a job I want. But no response at all? Damn. I felt like a leper. I was seriously wondering what psychotic thing I had done or said that made the woman afraid to even respond to my email. I convinced myself she had decided I was a prostitute based on the outfit I had to wear that day (since it was the only one that fit). I was a basket case.

I had kind of let it go again, but it still irked me. I mean, as the president of a company, wouldn't common courtesy tell you to respond and at least say, "I'm sorry, but we gave it to someone else." Great. Now I know and I can continue my job search.

But anyway...

At 5:15 or so tonight, I'm walking past the computer and see I have a new email. I glance and see it's from her. The woman who interviewed me and then caused me serious self-esteem issues for the past 2 weeks. I think, "Shit. Do I open it? She wouldn't have ignored me a week ago if I had the job." But I sucked it up and clicked on the sucker. This is what I saw...

"Allison,

I am sooooo sorry not to contact you back.

We have been struggling internally with making a decision on exactly what we wanted to do. But we have decided and want to know if you are still available?"

Oh my god! Now, I made myself not get my hopes up yet. Asking me if I'm available doesn't mean I have the job. It just means they may have narrowed it down to a few people. So I take a deep breath, and respond with something along the lines of "Absolutely I'm still available."

I now sit in front of my computer, obsessively waiting for a response. It was kind of late in the evening, so I didn't know if I caught her before she left for the day, etc. But about 10 minutes later, I got this...

"Wonderful!  Thank you for your patience.

I will put together an offer letter and send it your way.

When do you think you would want to start?"

Glass shattered when I screamed. OK. So not really, but it was close.

I GOT THE FUCKING JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Words cannot describe the joy I felt. The weight that was lifted off my shoulder at the moment I read that email. I can WORK FROM HOME! And for the first time in 2.5 years, we'll once again have full medical benefits and dental insurance and a 401K. And I'll have a steady paycheck. And when Hannah starts kindergarten in September, I can put my babies on the bus every morning and be here every afternoon when they get back off the bus. And I can take them to their after-school stuff and be around when they need me. And if one of them gets sick at school, I can go right down the street and bring them home. Life doesn't get any better than that, my friends.

And I must admit, that beyond being excited about it because of the financial stability thing (which is HUGE right now for me), I'm excited about the job itself. The company as NEVER had a technical writer before, which amazes me since they're a computer software company. I mean, if a client buys your software, shouldn't you have a writer who writes the user guide and stuff? What the hell? So this is an entirely new position for them too. Their existing documentation and website SUCKS, which is where I'll come in. They also want someone who can test their software. I have experience in that too, which is how she came to call me when she saw my resume. They were going to hire 2 part-time people... one to do the writing and one to do the testing. But then they saw my resume online and thought it might be cool to hire one person to do both jobs. (I'm assuming that's what she meant tonight when she mentioned the "internal struggle" within the company.) So I get to go in and start from scratch. I get to revamp and reorganize and do things the way I want to, which totally kicks ass.

So anyway, I know this is totally rambling and probably of no interest to anyone else reading this. But I am ONE happy girl tonight. Of course, now that my stress has been reduced by an astronomical amount, I'll probably gain back all 20 lbs. that I've lost due to not eating, but I don't even care. LOL! Well, I sort of do. Because my friend Heather and I are going to get our belly buttons pierced sometime soon now that we've both lost weight due to not eating because of stress. Right Heather? RIGHT?! ;)

Stop the ride! I want to get off!

Sigh. OK. So soooo much has been going on here lately, that sometimes, I feel like my head is spinning. And then other times, I'm in such a funk that I feel like I'm watching the world go by in slow motion. It's a rather surreal experience, and one that I'm hoping ends soon. I'm a freaking mess for so many reasons and I'm really, truly tired of feeling that way. But I'm not here to be all "deep" or anything. I'm just going to bullet point my life for the past few days. Some are frickin' hilarious, others are depressing, and some are downright pathetic. But they're all me, so if you don't like some of it, or want to make fun of me for some of it, so be it. [shrug] All I know is that I'm not sleeping much, not eating much, drinking too much and smoking WAY too much as a way to "escape" from what has become my life. Dear god, that sounds dramatic. LOL! I'm not suicidal or anything, but I've got to do something because I'm not "me" anymore and that kind of makes me sad.

* I lost 7 more pounds in the past week (that's right... one pound per day) because I'm so damned stressed out about numerous things that I literally don't eat much at all (if anything). I eat one meal a day (if that) and then maybe one little snack at night. A few bites of food fills me to the point where I feel like I'm going to explode if I force another bite of food in my mouth. I'm NOT doing it on purpose, but when I'm stressed, I don't eat. For example, a few days ago, the ONLY food I consumed in 24 hours was half a pack of Ramen noodles and 3 pretzels. The next day, it was even less. I now weigh what I did in high school for the first time since high school and all of the new jeans I just bought right before Christmas are way too big on me. [sigh] I am NOT happy about this, but until I find some balance in my life, I don't see anything changing anytime soon. (And PLEASE don't comment that I have an eating disorder. I'm not avoiding food because I want to lose weight. It's just that some people pig out when they're stressed, whereas I just get nauseous and don't really want to eat. This is about stress... NOT about weight or food in particular.)

* Have become obsessed with job search websites. The thing is, since I'm a freelance/contract writer, I don't only obsessively check the "standard" job search sites like Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com, but all freelancing sites too. Every hour of every single frickin' day, I have about 25 sites I check for new listings. I'm starting to become one of those freaky, obsessive people that the neighborhood kids talk about. But I won't be the "Cat Lady." I'll be the "Internet Job Search Lady" that stares at her computer screen without blinking.

* Sleep. What's sleep? I don't like to go to sleep. Because once I go to sleep, time goes too fast and then I wake up and  have to face another day of stress and depression. So I stay up as late as I possibly can. Because once everyone else in the house is sleeping, and the phone has stopped ringing, I find total peace. Nighttime is a beautiful thing. Hence the 3-4 hours of sleep a night I've been getting for the past month.

* Let's veer from the depressing shit and focus on the fun shit for a moment, shall we? Since the girls sleep at my parents' house every Saturday night, Steve and I have started going out to eat every weekend, which has been awesome. It's the one night a week where I actually eat more than a few bites of food, and it has really allowed Steve and I to reconnect.

* This past Saturday night was the best. We went to a bar/restaurant less than a mile down the street from us and the bartender remembered us from the week before. The events that followed were truly hilarious. The next few bullets are going to all discuss those events...

* A couple from another county were there that night. The guy was seriously the biggest talker/babbler I've ever met in my life. He told us they were in town to visit his buddy who is in federal prison for a DUI. The conversations between the two of them and Steve & I eventually veered to Harley's, hunting and kids. Very nice people, but rednecks in the truest sense of the word.

* I think at one point, we all traded emails and phone numbers, but since we haven't yet heard from them, I can't be sure if that ever actually took place. And I can't find the paper they wrote their information down on, so it's all up to them now. LOL!

* Random old men were at the bar. One was a guy who did "a ton of work" on our house before we bought it... One was a dude that drops $300 every weekend there (according to the kickass bartender) just buying rounds of drinks for everyone else there (including us that night).

* A business dude from Atlanta, GA shows up and is playing on his laptop and is drinking lemon martinis from cool funky-stemmed glasses. He let me sample some of his drink at one point. (Note to self: Don't drink out of other out-of-state men's glasses in bars.)

* My high school chemistry teacher's son and his wife show up at one point where we discuss the HUGE crush I had on his old-as-dirt dad when I was in school and he was my teacher.

* Steve (who was drunk off his ass) at one point yells to me across the bar and shows me that he's wearing the chemistry teacher's son's wife's rabbit fur boots and says he wants a pair too. (I have NO idea how he came about to wearing HER boots, but it was funny as hell at the time.)

* Talked to a guy who has a pregnant daughter in jail and a 16-year-old son who just got arrested for a DUI.

* Had another drink bought for us from a local dentist's brother. The dentist is the one who wants to give me a full set of upper dentures and his brother said I'm way too young for dentures and I should go see his buddy... another dentist in town. Sibling loyalty be gone.

* Had ALL of the people there that night (including the bartender) tell me they want me to waitress there because I'd be a blast and they'd tip me well. Yeah. Great. I'll go from making between $30 to $50 an hour (depending on the project and/or client) to making $3.00 an hour plus tips. Sure. [sigh] (Note: I have NOTHING against waitresses and it was one of my favorite jobs of all time. And I may very well do it again for awhile if I have to. I was a damn good one and really enjoyed it. But right now, the pay may not cut it for me.)

* Had another drink bought for us by some other random person I can't recollect. But kudos to them.

* Had the Atlanta, GA dude ask me if I had a smoke. Thinking he meant cigarettes, I said, "Sure!" Then he said, "No. Not that kind of smoke." Um, no. No, I don't. But I know a few people that could hook him up next time he's in town. LOL!

* Ordered a gin and tonic at one point. I used to LOVE my gin and tonics, but have since become a total beer girl, so how or why I decided to go back to my "old man drink" that night is beyond me.

* Left there with a giddy, drunk Steve and we're still not really sure how we got home. Oy. Thank god it's only 30 seconds from our house is all I can say.

* Can't wait to go back this Saturday. ;)

* Got several calls today from recruiters for some open tech writer positions  not too far from me that I REALLY want a shot at. So far, so good, but I've recently learned not to get my hopes up.

* Got a call from my sister tonight that my dad took my mom to the ER for chest pain. She mentioned to me on Saturday that she had some tightness in her chest and trouble breathing, but hasn't mentioned it since, so I thought it had passed. Apparently not. They're still not sure what's going on, although they think they've ruled out a heart attack type thing, so we'll see. She's there overnight tonight, but there are no definite answers yet. So any extra thoughts and/or prayers would be greatly appreciated if you don't mind. My mom and I are REALLY close and she's practically a second mother to my girls, so something happening to her would be a absolute tragedy in our lives. I'm not trying to be pessimistic, but the way my life has been going lately, and with the stress I already have going on, this is the LAST thing I wanted to happen. :(

I guess that's it. A glimpse into my life the past few days. See why I drink? And smoke? And don't eat? LOL!

But so we can end on a good note, I'd like to give a shout out to my girls. I have 2 of them that have booked flights to come in and visit me one weekend this summer, and another one & her husband coming to visit the weekend after that. I am soooo excited and happy and thrilled about it that I can't even put it into words. I don't get along with very many girls (that whole catty/competitive thing turned me off in high school and I've never gotten past it), so the fact that I've formed some female bonds thrills me. I've met all of them in person several times, so I know we'll be lifelong friends. :)

And beyond those three that are coming to visit, I have another 5 or 6 girlfriends I know from the internet that I email daily. These women have truly gotten me through everything in my life since the day I "met" them. They are the most supportive people I have in my life right now, and without them, I honestly don't know how much worse I'd be mentally. They're my "rocks" and I'd like to give a shout out to them right now. I have one that emails me daily with job leads and advice, which has proven invaluable in my job search. But beyond that, she's also so much like me, it's scary. We have such similar thoughts that I KNOW that if we lived in the same town, we'd be such good friends that people couldn't separate us if they tried. --- One that always throws a bit of sarcasm into her responses which keeps me grounded and makes me laugh. --- One that is dealing with some huge, stressful shit herself, and yet always offers me hugs and support and a hell of a lot of laughs. --- One that's just "nice" and that I know will always say those nice things I need to hear. She's one of those people that has probably never pissed anyone off in her life. --- One that has shown me that as a mother, we do what we need to do and deal with it, regardless of what we want to do. --- And one that's just "my girl." I've met her numerous times, have loved her dearly since the day I met her online and then in person, and that I know would do anything for me if I asked her.

THIS is what makes life what it is. THIS is what helps people get through the times in life when you want to just give up and say fuck it. So thank you girls. You know who you are and I truly hope you realize that your friendship means the world to me and is the ONLY thing (literally) keeping me from going off the deep end these days. And for that, I thank you. And I owe you all. BIG time. ;)

PS: I realize that half of this post was rather depressing. I swear I'll try to make tomorrow's post a little less "emotional" and a bit more on the humorous side. I swear to god, to say I don't even know who the hell I am these days is not an understatement. But the old "Alien" is in there somewhere and I'm determined to find her again, if it's the last thing I do. For real.

PPS: I mentioned my weight loss earlier. As much as I realize that it happened in the WRONG ways and not on purpose, I'd just like to say that DAMN, I feel good about it. LOL! That's wrong, isn't it?  But I can't help it. So WOOHOO for that little aspect of my life's drama. ;)

Wow. Long time, no blog.

Sorry I haven't been around. Just busy, not in the mood to blog, etc. Truthfully, I don't have too much to say today either. LOL! Grace just left for school. She had a 2-hour delay because it is flippin' freezing outside today. Like bitter. Brrrrr....

Anyway, I finally made a new layout this weekend. I haven't scrapped in awhile, so it was nice to finally get one done. Here it is if you're interested... It's a picture of Gracie writing out her Valentines for her class party on Thursday. Full credits can be seen here.

Drive by...

OK. So this won't be long, although it should be. But it's 1:30 in the morning, everyone else here in the house is sleeping, and I really should be too. Granted, I'm not even the least bit tired, but if I don't go to bed soon, I'm going to feel like a big piece of shit tomorrow and that's not cool.

But I wanted to swing by and post a hello. I don't really have too much to update you on. Little stuff here and there... I pissed off two separate people, but don't care because I'm done with the bullshit... I reconnected with an old friend, which thrills me... I've decided that I'm done not saying what's on my mind -- if you're going to be a psycho bitch, I'm going to be a psycho bitch right back... I still didn't hear about the job I interviewed for last week and I'm still searching for some sort of employment... I'm still not eating or sleeping much... I'm still dropping weight like it's my job (See? That's what they should pay me for...)... Found out after the Superbowl party we were at that my guy friend from high school asked Steve if I'm sick because I've lost so much weight (LOL!)... Haven't worked out since that one day last week (LOL!)... Am fascinated that people actually like Hillary Clinton -- is it just because she's a chick? Because I'm all for a woman president. But her? Ick. She's as psycho as I am, and god knows, I couldn't run a country...

Hmmm... that pretty much sums it all up right there. Exciting stuff, no? Yeah. I didn't think so either. Maybe some sort of cool, mind-blowing stuff will happen tomorrow that will have you on the edge of your seats as you read my blog entry. I highly doubt it, but one can hope, right? ;)

New Weekly Layouts

So the original template/layout I was using for my weekly Project 365 photos wasn't working for me anymore. I'm not even sure why I started to not like them, but I wanted a "cleaner" look I think. So I redid all of my weekly ones and I think I'm much happier with this format. What do you think?

I think I'll change out the color of the background with each new month, but I haven't decided for sure yet.

Week #1

 

Week #2

 

Week #3

 

Week #4

 

Week #5

Project 365 Monthly Template

Here it is! FINALLY! LOL! I stripped out the stuff I had to and I finally have the template for those of you that want to download. It's the one that looks like this:

Obviously, I stripped out my photos (LOL!) and I had to take the date stamp out too since that's made by another designer, but everything else is there, including the number stickers. The numbers 2 - 31 are flattened, but I left number 1 as a layered file (the background and then the number), in case you wanted to use a different font or change it or something. I'll post February's template a little later today.

Oh, and this is nothing fancy. Since I originally didn't think I'd be sharing this, I didn't bother making the layers different colors or anything, but everything's labeled in the layers palette, so you shouldn't have too much trouble.

So without further ado, the download link for January's template is here:

Download Template Here

Enjoy!

So who needs legs anyway?

Ugh. Tomorrow, I fully expect to wake up and not be able to walk correctly. I'm going to look like some two-bit whore who had a good night with multiple men. I'm fully expecting to be miserable and sore.

Now, before you go getting all perverted on me, let me assure you that my comments have NOTHING what-so-ever to do with sex. At all.

No, my reasons for being sore aren't nearly as much fun as a wild romp in the hay. Nope. My reasons are because I'm a freakin' idiot.

See, last night, for some truly unknown reason (Was I drunk? I dunno, but it's possible), I told Steve I'd work out with him in the morning. Now those of you that know me know that I MUST have been drunk to say something like that. I'm the epitome of the non-exerciser. But last night, I was possessed by the devil and told Steve I'd do some weight training with him today. Once I got both girls off to school, I had no choice but to follow through, or risk hearing shit about it for the rest of the day week year my life.

Then it FINALLY began. Yes, folks... the gutting of the sunroom is officially underway.

While Steve worked on that, I worked on the rest of the house, carrying things up two flights of steps to the attic (repeatedly), carrying toys down into the basement (repeatedly), and general picking stuff up. So my legs got a workout that way too.

Then the girls got home from school and wanted to "help" Steve in the sunroom, so they did that for a few hours.

And then, because I hadn't inflicted enough pain on myself, Steve and I did some yoga using a yoga tape I had dug out of the attic.

So like I said, who needs legs anyway? Ugh.

Because that's just the way my life works...

I had a job interview today. A job that I really, really want. Not only for the challenge it will present (because my mind's aching for some challenge right now), but because after a few weeks, I can completely work from home. And unlike the freelance/contract jobs I've had over the past 3 years, this one is full-time, which means medical benefits, dental insurance, a 401K, paid vacations and holidays, etc. Dare I dream? All of that AND be able to work from home and get my kids on and off the bus during school, not stress out over snow days, be able to get them to their extra-curricular activities, etc.? Sweet.

So anyway, I headed out this morning feeling like an ass. Why, you ask? Because it didn't dawn on me until this morning that I've lost 20-25 lbs. over the past 6 or 7 months and that the stuff I normally wear for interviews wasn't going to fit anymore. So it was 10 minutes before I HAD to leave, and I was throwing clothing left and right out of my closet, trying to find something appropriate that also fit. I finally had to go with a short black skirt, black tights/pantyhose, black knee-hi boots (no heel), and a pink twin sweater set. Dear lord. I couldn't decide if I looked like a professional tech writer or a professional whore. Steve thought I looked great, which had me leaning more towards the whore. [sigh] But I headed out, half-hoping my interviewer was someone with lesbian tendencies who would think I looked hot and would hire me just for that.

So anyway, I head out and start driving to the interview. It's a good hour away, so I was hoping I wouldn't be late. I'm following the directions given to me by the woman I was interviewing with AND the ones I printed out from Google Maps. But I got lost. I don't ever get lost. Ever. But today, I did because the directions were totally misleading. And I had to stop and ask twice for directions. And it caused me to be almost 30 minutes late. Good first impression there, Einstein.

But it turned out that it was OK because there was a TON of construction/detours this morning in the town the company is in, so they had all gotten in this morning expecting me to be late. [heavy sigh of relief there...]

So the interview went well. I had to piss like a racehorse the entire time I was there, but since I was already a half-hour late when I got there, I had decided that taking another few minutes to pee before the interview was just a bad move.

So I interviewed first with the president of the company (who is the one that called me out of the blue about the job to begin with). Then I talked to another more "techie" guy there. I think I held my own... They both seemed impressed with my writing samples and experience.... The guy told me he likes my "attitude and personality"... I made small talk on top of the formal interview stuff... And made stupid jokes, which (thankfully) they both laughed at.

So now, I just wait. From what I've gathered, this wasn't an open job listing. The president saw my resume online and contacted me, asking if I'd be interested in the job. So I don't think I'm up against too much competition (if any). So hopefully, I'll hear something soon. If it doesn't work out, I'll plug along and see what opportunity comes next. But the option of being able to telecommute with this one has me wanting it way more than the others I've interviewed for in the past.

Anyway, when I got home, I found that Steve (like EVERY other time he's here without me) had decided to rearrange the entire downstairs of our home. [sigh] So I spent the rest of the day putting things away... organizing things, etc. He did push two shelving units on either side of my computer desk though, and I'm totally digging it. It led to today's Project 365 photo, so that's cool. I still have to go through everything on the shelves, rearrange things, move the pictures on the wall, etc., but for the most part, I'm thrilled with what he did.

So this is it... my home within my home. The place where I work, play, and keep in touch with all of you...

And here are the other Project 365 photos from the past few days that I didn't post here yet.

Writing Samples for Today's Interview:

 

Grace Eating Birthday Cake at My Mom's House:

 

And a random photo that isn't for Project 365, but that I still like...

Grace at the Fire Pit:

Catching Up...

Sorry gang. I'm going to play catch up here. This won't be a Highlights of the Day, per se, because this spans over several days, but it will be bulleted. As a tech writer, I'm all about the bullets. LOL!

* Steve isn't working much now (because pouring concrete in 20-degree weather is just stupid), so he's been home. When Steve's home, we do productive things. I don't always like that. LOL! So in the past few days, we've done a lot of rearranging of furniture, carried a ton of things down into the basement and up into the attic, etc. I'm tired, dammit. (But the house does look much better.)

* I adore Grace with all my heart. And there are times when she's the best kid on the planet. But if she doesn't stop with the backtalk, attitude, and bratty demeanor lately, I may have to hurt myself.

* I'm longing for spring to arrive because I'm damn sick and tired of arguing with my children about wearing short sleeves and no coats when it's 30 degrees outside. What the hell? Little freaks.

* I may finally be getting a "real" full-time job again. I took a voluntary layoff 2.5 years ago, and have been freelancing and collecting unemployment here and there since then, but I'm ready to go back. I'm tired of paying for our shitty medical insurance... I'm tired of not having any dental insurance... I'm tired of just having enough money (sometimes) to pay my bills, etc. A woman contacted me two days ago after seeing my resume online and said she wanted to talk. I called her and we did just that. It turns out she's the president of the company looking for a tech writer (I had assumed she was a recruiter) and she really seems interested in hiring me. I go in for the face-to-face interview with some writing samples on Monday, where I'm hoping to seal the deal. The kicker? I'd have to go into the office a few days a week for the first month or so, but after that, I could pretty much work from home almost full-time. AND I'd have my own company cell phone, which I find totally hilarious. LOL! It's like a dream job. So wish me luck ladies. Even if I don't get it, I imagine it'll make for some good blogging material. Remember my interviews a few years ago where I managed to make an ass out of myself repeatedly? Yup. Great memories, lemme tell ya.

* I hate to admit it, but the thing I most excited about in terms of getting a steady job again is that I finally may be able to save up and buy that D-SLR camera I've been drooling over for about 2 years now. Dare I dream?

* Steve & I watched "3:10 to Yuma" and "Mr. Woodcock" this week. Both really good and highly recommended! We've sort of become movie whores lately, so we're pumped about getting our digital cable in 2 weeks, which comes with On Demand videos. I may finally get to see all of those movies we never got around to watching.

* Steve & I have been stalking the video store lately, hoping to snag a copy of "Saw 4" to watch. Must... see... this... movie... Maybe tomorrow night?

* Every time they show updates on Heath Ledger's death on TV, I get sadder. I LOVED that guy. He reminded me of Johnny Depp (my favorite) in the types of movies he chose to act in and how much he loved his craft. I was looking forward to seeing what else he did in his life, and now, I won't ever know. (I'm not a psycho freak who gets obsessed with famous people. And I don't like, dwell on his death all day or anything. But I do think it's sad and I'm bummed about the whole thing.)

OK. That's all I can think of right now. I'm sure there's more. I'm just too tired to remember right now. (It is after 1:00 in the morning here right  now.) I'll be back tomorrow, my friends. :)

But before I go, here are my Project 365 photos from the past few days...

Picture This...

Your older daughter gets invited to a pool party at a hotel down the street for one of her classmates. She's excited about it because she LOVES to swim. Your husband and younger daughter drop you and your older daughter off at the hotel and head to MIL's house so younger daughter gets to do something fun on the night her older sister is going to a party.

Your daughter starts swimming with her classmates. She can't really "swim" per se, but she loves the water, does fairly well with the doggy paddle, and can hold her own for the most part.

An hour goes by with your daughter jumping in and out of the pool while you watch her like a hawk because drowning is one of your biggest fears (for yourself or your children). Daughter continues to jump into the deeper 5-foot end, even though you tell her repeatedly not to because she can't stand at that depth and you know she can't swim nearly as well as she thinks she can.

At one point, your daughter jumps into the 5-foot end (while you're still watching her), and you see her panic when she can't get over to the edge of the pool. She's going under and bobbing back up, gasping for air, desperately trying to get to the edge. A little girl who CAN swim well, jumps into the pool to pull your daughter to the edge of the pool. You see another mother spot your daughter and whip of her sneakers, ready to do what she needs to do.

You jump up and start to run to the end of the pool where your daughter is absolutely panic-stricken. The other mother has already gotten to the edge of the pool and is trying to reach out to your daughter so she can grab her hand. Your daughter and the little girl who is trying to help her aren't close enough to grab the other mother's hand and the little girl who is trying to help your daughter isn't strong enough to pull your daughter in.

Just as you get to your daughter, the other mother jumps into the pool, fully clothed in jeans and a sweater to rescue your daughter and pull her to safety.

Yup. That would be my night tonight. [sigh]

Grace was/is fine. She was scared shitless, but once she was out of the pool, she looked at me and said, "I'm starving. Can we go eat?" LOL! I, however, felt like a total ass. Yes, of course I would've jumped in to save my daughter. And yes, the entire thing happened in the span of about 30 seconds. But the other mother was closer and jumped in before I got there. However, I couldn't help but feel like a total idiot that someone else had to save my daughter. And that the poor woman then sat there at the party in soaking wet clothing for 45 minutes while you were dry as a could be. I thanked her repeatedly... apologized repeatedly... etc. But I still felt like a total heel. I didn't know any of the other people there, which made it even worse. If it had been the mom's from her class last year, we probably would've laughed afterwards, etc. But these were all people I haven't even met yet. Lovely first impression I leave, no? Never a dull moment... [sigh]

So with that, I'm going to bed. Tomorrow's got to be better, right?

Son of a BITCH, I'm cold.

I had a whole mental list of things for my highlights today, but around 7 PM, our power went out. Just shut off.

So around 7:45 PM, we all loaded into the car. The girls, because I wanted them to sleep somewhere warm (it's 8-degrees outside right now), and Steve & I because we didn't want to miss Prison Break. LOL! So we drove to my parents' house, where the girls stayed for the night, and Steve & I headed home around 10:00 because the toll-free number of the electric company was estimating our power would return around 10:30.

Well, the power just turned back on (at 1:00 AM) and it's effin' COLD in the house. 57 degrees to be exact, according to our little digital indoor/outdoor thermometer. Holy CRAP am I cold.

So anyway, I'm afraid the highlights of today are going to have to wait until tomorrow. But throughout the day, Steve and I couldn't stop laughing. Let's see... as a preview for tomorrow's post about today, you'll hear how Steve REALLY needs to get over the fact that it isn't Christmas anymore, the reasons Steve & I won't be winning any parenting awards anytime soon, how we're both basically IDIOTS and spent 45 minutes looking for something that was useless to us anyway (a total Duh! moment), and how we almost slid into my dad's car with our car, which I can assure you, would NOT have been a good thing. Oy. LOL!

More tomorrow my friends. I need to go find someone with good body heat right now. Brrrr....

Highlights of the Day... 1-19-2008

* Was awoken by Hannah at 6:30 AM yelling upstairs to me THREE TIMES in 5 minutes that she needed a drink of milk or she'd just die.

* Stumbled downstairs to find Steve sitting in the living room watching TV two feet from where Hannah had stood and yelled THREE TIMES to me.

* Explained to Hannah that her father if fully capable of pouring her a cup of milk, and that next time, perhaps she should ask the parent that's right there IN the room with her instead of the one who is on another floor of the house sleeping. What the hell?

* Wondered how it is that a man can totally block out a child. He honestly never heard her yelling upstairs to me to wake up and get her a drink. Son of a bitch, I want that man gene.

* Laughed when 15 minutes later, Hannah walked up to me and said, "Where's Daddy? Grace wants a drink of water." LOL! At least she listened to me, right?

* Cleaned up a little while the girls watched cartoons and Steve did business stuff.

* All left for Grace's second week of indoor soccer.

* Fell head over heels in love with the soccer instructor when he invited Hannah and another little girl to play too since "They were going to be there for an hour and kids should have fun and get exercise whenever they came."

* Got a little teary when I saw how thrilled Hannah was to be able to go out on the gym floor and play too.

* MIL and her DH were there too and asked if we all wanted to go to Pizza Hut for lunch when it was over. Sweet.

* Went to Pizza Hut and enjoyed some breadsticks and stuffed crust pizza. Mmmm...

* Was slightly giddy when the girls asked to go home with MIL for the day.

* Steve & I came home and started clearing some stuff out of the basement and going through shit that we have no business keeping anymore.

* Matched up about 100 pairs of kids shoes (literally) that have been in 5 large garbage bags in the basement for the past 5 years.

* Had a panic attack when I saw a car pull in the driveway with our cable company's logo on the side. Shit. Do I owe them that much in overdue payments?

* Breathed a sigh of relief when I started talking to him and realized he was a salesman dude, trying to sell "bundles" for the company of combined digital cable, telephone, and internet service.

* Told him how Steve and I were JUST talking yesterday about getting digital cable.

* Was giddy when I realized the deal would save me $50 a month.

* Told him I'd talk to Steve and get back to him.

* Walked inside and told Steve about it, to which he replied, "Why the hell didn't you just sign up?" Shit.

* Caught him coming out of the neighbor's house and yelled over to him to come back to our house and sign us up.

* Started filling out the paperwork.

* Made stupid comments and jokes while doing so, causing the kid to either think I was totally hilarious or a serious freak. (I couldn't tell which he thought.)

* Got excited during the paperwork while reading all of the cool new channels we'll have. I mean, who doesn't need The Military Channel, Horse Racing TV, Soap Net, The Gospel Music Channel, MTV Espanol, and Fit TV?

* Wanted to hug the kid when, in making small talk, he said he thought Steve and I were in our early 20's. Sweet, sweet boy. (We're in our early 30's by the way, and he'd already made the sale, so he wasn't trying to sweet talk us anymore.)

* Finished up the paperwork and sent the kid on his way.

* Showered up and got ready to go out.

* Picked up the girls at MIL's house and drove them out to my parents' house for the night.

* Headed to a local restaurant for dinner. (See post below.)

* Ate too much.

* Came home, where, like usual, Steve was sleeping by 9:00 and I was on the computer, uploading and playing with photos, and blogging.

* Realized 2 minutes ago that I really need to go to bed at a decent hour tonight. (It's already 12:30 AM, but recently, I'm never in bed before 2:30 or so.) Um, goodnight?

* Realized 2 seconds ago that I never posted yesterday's Project 365 photo on this blog. So here it is. Hannah being a rock star. Enjoy.

Freaky Shit.

So I'm not one that gets caught up in fate, or divine intervention, or luck, or miracles, or omens and all that stuff. Sure, I think there are some things that just can't be explained. Or weird shit that happens that makes you scratch your head and say, "Hmmmm..." But for the most part, I don't get freaked easily. But tonight, I kind of got a little spooked.

As most of you know, the girls sleep over at my parents' house almost every Saturday night. We're lucky it even happens, and I truly know that there are very few other parents out there that get this little treat. But we don't ever do anything. LOL! We're old. We're tired. And there's not much to do in our little town. So most Saturdays, while the kids are gone, we're just sitting here... me on the computer and Steve watching random TV shows until we finally fall asleep.

Steve decided this week that we need to start going out more. Even if it's just to eat dinner after we drop the girls off. Great. I LOVE eating out, so I'm all for it.

So tonight, we dropped the girls off at my parents' house and headed to a local restaurant. I don't love for the food that much, although it's decent. I just love the building and the restaurant itself. It kicks ass. It's HUGE. This one building houses the restaurant, as well as a small concert hall. There have been some really famous people that play concert in our little town in this building. Steve & I have seen a bunch of concerts there... everyone from Rick Springfield, to Ricky Skaggs, to Kevin Sharp, to Taylor Hicks of American Idol fame. So the restaurant has a music "theme" if you will. Lots of memorabilia, old license plates, old guitars and other instruments, huge canvases of famous musicians, etc. It's just cool. It's fun to sit there and look around at everything.

So anyway, we're there and I start snapping pictures. Except I don't want anyone to see what a total dork I am, so I'm taking them without a flash. LOL! So forgive the shitty shots. I do have some pride and didn't want to look like a total tourist, since I'm, like, NOT a tourist. LOL!

This was directly above our table. It's a big car and a sign with the name of the restaurant on it. I LOVE the incredibly high ceilings in this place, as well as all of the exposed big pipes and beams. It's just cool.

This is shot across the restaurant. There are statues of the Blues Brothers in the one corner, up near the ceiling.

So anyway... back to the freaky shit. We talk, we drink, we eat, we ask for the check. No problem. So the waitress sets our bill on the table and walks away. I flip open the little folder containing the damage and immediately get freaked out a bit. This is what I see...

Now, it's not three sixes, so I wasn't worried in terms of the devil's sign or anything. But seriously... what are the odds that 5 Miller Lites, potato skins as an appetizer, a steak and some sea bass are going to add up to a 4-digit total with ALL four numbers being the exact same once tax is added. $66.66. Weird.

So we're joking about how we should maybe stop on the way home and buy some lottery tickets or something, when I happen to glance up and notice one of the old vintage signs on the wall next to Steve's head. It's a route 66 sign. And it says, "Route 66" AND has the famous symbol for Route 66 on it too, between "Route" and "66". So we now have four more 6's. 6666. What the hell?

Oh, but wait. It doesn't stop there. So at this moment, the people across the aisle from us get up and leave their booth. I glance over and what do I see? An old license plate that the woman had been blocking before she got up to leave. What's on this old license plate? Yup. Another reference to Route 66, complete with the symbol. So we've got another four 6's. Steve and I are surrounded by sets of sixes. And all sets have four of 'em.

Seriously, it was kind of creepy. Mostly because all of this took place within about 20 seconds. So it seemed like everywhere I turned, I was being haunted by 6's. To my left, to my right, and in front of me on that damn check that started it all. It was just weird people! Weird.

Needless to say, we didn't stop to play the lottery. We high-tailed it home and decided that if next week, we're bombarded with 7's, we're putting a stop to this whole damn Date Night idea of Steve's. LOL!

(And if you read about my suicide tomorrow, it's because I've woken up in the morning and read how another local woman played "6666" in the lottery last night and won $10 million. Because that's the kind of luck we have, ya know. ;)

Ass Day 2008

That's right folks. Today is Ass Day 2008. Well, it is as far as I'm concerned anyway.  This isn't a nationally recognized holiday or event or anything (yet). It's just something I declared today. Why, you ask? Well, because today, a few of my girlfriends and I couldn't stop talking about asses. Not people who act like asses, mind you. I mean literal asses. And what's really scary is that we weren't speaking generally, but instead, discussing one particular friend's ass.

Now before you go getting all, "Oh my god! They're all lesbians!" on me, let me just say that I can assure you that we are not lesbians. You see, my friends, we were discussing what comes out of our girlfriend's ass. Nice, huh?

Don't worry. We weren't being literal, because that would be pretty friggin' disgusting. No. With this particular group of friends, nothing is ever as black and white as that.

You see, I have a kick ass group of internet friends that I talk to pretty much every day of my life. We don't live close to each other, so we have a little email group. We all email each other all day, every day, clicking our "Reply to All" buttons, basically engaging in a conversation as if we were all sitting in the same room. I adore these women, and if it wasn't for them, I truly don't know what I'd do. I honestly don't think that there's been a single, solitary day in the past 4 or 5 years that I haven't "talked" to these girls. Not one.

But we're also an odd mix. There are 8 or 9 of us. We are truly the mixing pot of girlfriends. We've got Republicans, Democrats, stay-at-home moms, working moms, work-at-home moms, free-spirited souls, and  soccer moms. We've got some tattoos, some with no tattoos, some with piercings and some who wouldn't dream of it. I honest to god don't know how or why we're all such good friends, and yet we are. We're there for each other when it matters... We bitch to each other when we need to (pretty much daily)... We have our catty moments when we gossip... We ask for advice... We laugh, we cry, etc. They're my saving graces. (Those of you that know me well with "get" that reference.)

Anyway, let's get back to Ass Day 2008, since that whole part of this post is way funnier than me being all gay about my friendships.

So one of the girls in the email group (Girl #1) made an innocent comment about money. She was simply trying to clarify that she isn't worth seven figures. (Because even though we're all great friends, we still get paranoid that we're coming across wrong in emails.) Fine. Great. Got it. But then another girl on the list (Girl #2) happened to email back, saying we all totally understood and that we know that and that it wasn't like Girl #1 said she had money flying out of her ass.

Well, it all went downhill from there. Seriously downhill. I emailed back saying if the girl had money flying out of her ass, I'd be driving there today to snatch some up... Another girl said she was flying in to grab some too... I reply that I'm closer and will grab all of the ass money before she got there... Somehow, talk came up about what if the money shitter (Girl #1) was constipated and the money wouldn't come out?... Chit chat began about what we could feed the girl to get her to shit out more money... I ask Girl #1 for a photo of her ass for my Project 365 since it would always be a memorable event for me.... She said no... Someone said there was another girl's ass we could probably use, since she often posts about it all over the internet for everyone to see... Somehow pygmies from New Guinea being shoved up the internet ass-barer's ass came up, which is rather disturbing actually... It went on for a good hour, and then some.

What I realized in the Great Ass Email Exchange is that I have some damn funny friends. Truly funny. Not just in a "Ha. Ha. That was funny," sort of way.  But that sarcastic, blind-siding funny that has you saying "Huh?" when a person first says something, but then erupting in laughter and pissing yourself 30 seconds later when it hits you that yes, they really did just say that, and yes, they meant it the way it sounded. There is so much sarcasm in this particular group of friends, that sometimes, I truly believe we're an untapped resource for sit-coms everywhere. Seriously. If we could somehow market our sarcasm, we'd ALL have money coming out of our asses.

Now I realize this is probably the least intelligent blog post I've ever posted in my life, but I don't care. Today was FUNNY. A funny that I've been missing in my life lately. I truly NEEDED today's Great Ass Conversation. I've been stressed lately about some stuff. Really stressed. And today, I was reminded that when life gets you down and you don't know what to do, a little bit of humor can make you forget about your problems, even if just for a few brief moments.

So today is Ass Day 2008 whether the rest of you all like it or not. Because Ass Day cheered me up. I really needed Ass Day today.

Let's Talk About Presets...

I posted this over on my Project 365 blog, but I'm posting it here too. I've had some questions about my photos/ACR presets I use on BOTH of my blogs, and I don't feel like looking back through the comments to see which blog people posted on. So here it is....

OK. So I've gotten a lot of questions about the presets I use on my photos lately. I'll start out by saying that presets RULE. LOL! I use Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), which came with my Photoshop CS3. Lightroom (another Adobe product) also uses presets, but that's something you have to buy separately, and that ain't happening anytime soon with my budget. LOL!

Anyway, with Photoshop CS3, you can use ACR on .jpgs. Before that, ACR and Lightroom could only be used if you shoot your pictures in RAW format. Since I only have a stupid point-and-shoot, I don't have the option to shoot in RAW format unfortunately. One day though, I WILL own a D-SLR, and then watch out world... But I digress.

We'll use my deer feeding photo as an example right now. Here's the original:

See? Nothing fabulous about this photo. Cute and all. But there's no "wow" factor involved what-so-ever.

So basically, I open Adobe Bridge (comes with Photoshop) and click on the photo I want to apply the preset to (in this case, the deer feeding one). I then select File --> Open in Camera Raw. That opens my photo in ACR.

Adobe Camera Raw is a plug-in that really lets you play with your photos. You can adjust exposure, curves, white balance, etc. There are different "tabs" with sliders that you use to make your adjustments. Presets are basically something you click on to move ALL of those sliders to pre-determined areas, which totally change the way your photo can look with one click.

So I opened up the photo in ACR and just clicked on the St. Louis preset I had (purchased at www.pinkinkstudios.com). (That list you see in the photo below is all of my presets. Each one you click on adjusts the sliders to change the different aspects of a photo.)

This is how the photo changed, literally, in an instant.

Cool. I already like it better. But something was still missing in my opinion. So I stayed in ACR and jumped over to the first "tab" in ACR. I had seen slight purple and pink colors in the  clouds and sky after using the preset, and I really wanted those to pop out.

So I increased the saturation in the photo. Since the trees, grass, and the people in the photo were pretty much blacked out, I knew I could increase the saturation and only have it affect the sky and clouds, which is exactly what happened. I then went into another tab and increased the pinks and purples individually if I remember correctly, and also toned down the blue. (I honestly don't remember exactly what I adjusted, but that's the gist of it.)

I then did some stuff outside of ACR and in Photoshop, like duplicate the photo, apply a Gaussian blur to the top layer, made it a Soft Light layer, and then decrease the Opacity of it. (This can totally be a separate tutorial if you want. I don't assume everyone knows what I'm talking about here...)

Then I saved it and posted it here on my blog, which is what you all saw. Do I highly recommend presets? Abso-freakin-lutely. I love them. But my main point here is that ALL of you take great photos. It's just a matter of how you post-process them that takes them to the next level. If you scroll up and look at my original again, you'll see that  it's not that fantastic. It really isn't. But once I spent a few minutes on it in ACR and Photoshop, I at least got it to the point where I'll probably have it printed out and I'll frame it.

Most sites sell Lightroom presets. As I mentioned earlier, if you don't have Lightroom and "only" have ACR, you'll need presets that were specifically created for ACR. Pink Ink Studios sells them, which is where I get mine. And sometime in the next day or two, I believe, Kylie over at Phaunt Actions will have some for ACR as well. Kylie RULES, and I'm totally looking forward to what she's come up with. She sells kick ass Photoshop Actions too, and has a few free ones in her shop, so you may just want to jet on over there and check her out. Just this past week, she started a message board/forum and we're all having a great time over there. Swing on by if you get a chance. :)

Also, just make sure that if you decide to buy some presets from somewhere, that you can actually USE them. Like I said, anyone who shoots RAW can use them in either Lightroom or ACR. But for those of us that can only shoot in .jpg, you'll need to have the very latest version of ACR.

But I've digressed (shocking, I know... LOL!). My point is that if you have the right tools and the right knowledge, you can take a photo from this...:

...to this...

... in about 10 minutes tops. It's not always about the photo itself as much as it's about how you process it once it's off your memory card and on your computer.  I didn't alter my photo in any way in that I added colors and stuff. I just used the tools I have to "alter" different aspects of it. Those pinks and purples were there before I messed with it. You just couldn't see them. Once I told ACR to pull out certain colors, all of a sudden, my photo went from something average to something I truly love. If you compare my Before photo to my AFTER, you'll see in the Before photo that there IS some pink/magenta in the clouds... especially right above the grass. Once I "told" ACR to increase the saturation on those colors, all of a sudden, my photo looks totally different.

So I guess this is my way of saying that any of you out there that take photos, should invest in some sort of good photo editing program. Photoshop Elements... full-blown Photoshop... whatever. You'll be surprised how good your photos can look once you know what you're doing. LOL! I'm not that great of a photographer... I'm just good with my Photoshop. LOL!

Quick Post...

This is going to be a quick post this morning because I have a bunch of stuff I have to get done. But here are my Day 15 and Day 16 photos for my Project 365. :)

DAY 15

Steve and the girls and their (almost) nightly ritual of climbing the hill at the end of our property and putting corn out for the deer under that tree.

 

DAY 16

Yesterday was pretty low-key. This is the girls and I playing Operation Spongebob.

I'll be back later with a longer post.

Week # 2 Layout

Here's my layout using week 2's photos. And now it's on to week 3... :)

Highlights of the Day 1.14.2008

*Woke up expecting to see an inch or two of snow on the ground (as per the weather forecasts last night).

* Was surprised (and relieved) to see nothing but a slight dusting on the ground.

* For the 8-billionth time in a row, waited until 7:30 to get Grace dressed and ready for school, when the bus arrives at 7:45.

* Realized I'll continue to do this every day my children have school and I've finally surrendered to the madness of those 15 minutes.

* Started searching online for jobs or projects with anything having to do with writing, editing, proofreading, or documentation.

* Laughed to myself that my "official" title can be anything from Technical Writer to Documentation Specialist to Document Analyst. People, I write stupid computer manuals that say "Enter your user name and password and click OK." There's nothing "special" or technical about that, my friends.

* Decided today was a good day to take Hannah back to the hospital to get her stitches removed.

* Showered and grudgingly flat-ironed my hair. (I LOVE my new haircut, but sometimes the whole straightening thing is a royal pain in the ass.)

* Convinced Hannah NOT to wear the T-shirt she had on. One weekend at my parents' house, my mom unearthed an old T-shirt I had as a kid with MY picture screen printed on the front. Remember those old kiosks in the mall where they'd take your picture and print that overly pixely photo of you on a shirt? Yeah. One of those. Hannah was wearing it. Not in public my sweet baby girl.

* Sat in the ER waiting to get ushered back to "Express Care" to get Hannah's stitches taken out.

* Was once again reminded of why I went 30 miles away to give birth to my children. Our local hospital sucks some serious ass.

* Was amused (and yet not surprised) by the family in the ER waiting room. Two teenage boys who were very "typical" teenage boys.

* Couldn't stop laughing when one of those boys proudly stood up and announced to the entire ER (actually, just the woman there he knew, but the waiting room's small) that the jeans he was wearing are girls' jeans -- size 1.

* My friends, this dude should NOT have been wearing a size 1. Sausage anyone?

* Thought to myself how his long hair and facial piercings kicked some serious ass, but how those jeans seriously had to go.

* FINALLY got called back to get Hannah's stitches out 2 hours after arriving, where she (once again) was a champ.

* Drove myself insane trying to figure out WHERE I know the doctor from. She's a young girl, about my age that also put her stitches in, and I KNOW I know her from somewhere, but can't pinpoint where.

* Got back home where I continued to search for jobs for the next 5 hours while Hannah watched TV, changed her clothing 25 times, changed her doll's clothing 26 times, and just chilled.

* Contacted every single ex-coworker/project manager/contact I know telling them I'm looking for work and urging them to keep me in mind if they hear of any open positions.

* Got Grace off the bus.

* Took Hannah to dance class (which is today's Project 365 photo).

* Arrived back home and made the girls some soup for dinner.

* Waited for Steve to finish his business paperwork before starting our dinner of chicken fajitas.

* Watched "Prison Break" with Steve. (YAHOO for Prison Break. LOVE that show!)

* Checked Tink's blog for the Golden Spork Awards announcements.

* Was thrilled to receive a "Savory" award.

* Proudly added my Spork Award to my sidebar over there on the left. (That's right folks... I'm a winner for 2 years running now. WOOHOO!)

* Remembered "October Road" was on tonight and got all sorts of giddy.

* Watched "October Road" while ingesting my nightly snack of Pringles and beer.

And here we are. Nothing very exciting or humorous for today's highlights. But I'd like to say that there are some new Planet Alien readers who have been commenting which RULES! I welcome each and every one of you and am thrilled you found me here. Keep it comin'!

I didn't forget about the template I promised for Project 365. I PROMISE I'll have a download link tomorrow. :)

Oh, and here's yesterday's Project 365 photo. I only posted it on my other blog, so I wanted to post it here too. :)

And here is this week's scrapbook layout:

Some Project 365 Comments...

Hey gang. So, I've been reading a lot of comments from those of you who decided to participate. I've seen them here, on other blogs, on message boards, in emails to me, etc. about how some of you are already having a hard time thinking of what to take photos of everyday. I'm here to urge you to think about it in some different ways.

* Take photos of your favorite things. The other day, I wasn't sure what to take a picture of. I was cooking dinner and picked up the pewter salt and pepper mills my FIL gave us for Christmas and came to the realization that probably in the next year, those suckers will be one of my photos. I LOVE those things.

* Don't try to get too caught up in the photography aspect of it. Think of it as more of a journaling of year of your life. For example, today Grace had her first day of her indoor soccer league. I ended up not using one of those photos for my project today. But, if I was stuck on a what to take a picture of today and I had forgotten to take my camera to her soccer practice, I would've taken a picture of a soccer ball, so next year, when I saw that photo, I'd remember that today was the day that the league started.

* Try to think of it in your children's eyes. Now all kidding aside, how COOL would it be as adults, if OUR parents had done something like this. I'd LOVE to have a year of our lives documented in photos. If my kids start drawing on any particular day, I take pictures. If one of the girls helps me cook dinner, I take pictures. If Hannah is particularly proud of one of her infamous "outfits" she's put together while getting dressed that day, I take pictures. Try to look at it through the eyes of your kid(s) and ask yourself the type of things they'd want to remember years from now. Is there something you do every night before bed with them that they'll remember (i.e., read a bedtime story, say a prayer, etc.)? If so, take a picture that represents that.

* Realize that even the things that seem insignificant now may be fun to look back at later on. Have a favorite pair of shoes? A favorite purse? A favorite place to eat? A favorite brand of coffee? Take a picture of it. Twenty years from now, you may look at the picture and either laugh about how dorky it was, look at it and get sentimental, or both.

* Have a favorite band you listen to or CD you play on repeat non-stop? Take a picture of it.

* Do you have a habit or addiction? Snap a picture one day of something that represents that habit or addiction. Even if it's something as "silly" as that favorite brand of ice cream that you eat every night.

* Try to think outside the box a bit. The other day, I used one of my Christmas gifts (an Aeropostale giftcard) to order a bunch of stuff online. I snapped a photo of my computer screen with my shopping cart full. That was the night that Hannah needed stitches, so I ended up using that photo instead, but my point is that I had taken a picture of what I had ordered online that day. Your photo doesn't always have to be something "deep" or meaningful. It just has to be something you did/ate/tried/drank/laughed about/etc. that day.

* Your pictures don't have to be deep or meaningful or artsy or anything even remotely close to that. Just TAKE the picture. Are your nails painted that day? Take a picture of them. Are you feeling particularly cranky? Take a picture of that bigass cup of Starbucks coffee that helped lift you out of your funk. Did you just organize your closet? Take a picture of it after you're done.

Do y'all see what I'm trying to say. I know a lot of you are already grasping what to photograph every day, but I find myself trying to decide between 5 or 6 things everyday to use for that day. Try not to think too much about it is my point. And at the same time, think about it a lot. LOL! Since starting 11 days ago, I've started to look at my daily life in a totally different way. I wake up and start wondering what that day's photo is going to be. I look at things in totally different ways (like the salt and pepper mills I mentioned earlier). I think about the things I want myself or my kids to remember next year and then try to think of something I can photograph to represent it.

It's NOT about what other people think or the quality of the photos. It's about YOU. You and the people in your life. You and the things that make you who you are. You and the things that make you tick.

I'm sure there will be days over the next year where I don't think about it much. Or days when it seems like a chore to try to photograph something. But I know that next year, I'm going to have a BLAST looking back everyday to see what we did/saw/thought/experienced exactly one year earlier. Don't think of it as much about the photos, but instead look at it as the journey of your life over the next year.

I know I often find myself without my camera when something happens one day that I'd like to remember. Now that I've started this project, when something like that happens, I immediately start thinking about what I could take a picture of that would spark that memory years from now. For example, the night Hannah needed stitches, I might not have thought to take pictures when we got home. But beyond taking pictures of her stitches, I also took pictures of the doorknob she bashed her head open on. A few years from now, I can look at the picture, and even if Ididn't have pictures of her actual stitches, I'd see that photo of the doorknob and be able to say, "Remember when Hannah split her head open on that sucker?"

If y'all want, I can try to think of a little "theme" every week that all of you participating can use on one of the days you can't think of something to take a picture of. They'll be simple and easy and won't require much thought. But if it helps some of you in a slump, I'm more than willing to give it a whirl.

What the hell. Let's start now. In the next week, IF you can't think of something for the project one day, take a picture of whatever's in your purse that day. Empty the contents of it onto a table and take a picture of it. Even what's in your purse is a little glimpse into your life this year, and I think that's kind of cool. :)

OK. I've rambled enough. I'm tired and need to head to bed. I just don't want to see anyone discouraged or stressed out over the whole concept. It's supposed to be fun, and I, for one, am having a blast!

I really am worthless...

LOL! After last night's late night guests, I don't have much to blog about today. Grace was exhausted. Hannah was exhausted. I was exhausted. And yet, we managed to plow through the day with no one napping, Grace going to her first day of her winter (indoor) soccer league, Steve hunting all day, and me ready to pass the hell out. LOL!

The girls (like usual) are at my mom's for the night, Steve and I ordered some wings to watch the football games, and as much as I'm tired, I feel the need to stay awake. (Seriously... does anyone know the name of some good counselors? LOL!)

Here's my photo for Project 365 today. Hannah, dressed in a dress-up dress complete with hoopskirt, walking around like it's nothing unusual. God, I love that kid.

Quasi "Highlights of the Day"

OK. So (once again) I had every intention of doing this post in my old school "HOTD" format, but things never seem to work out the way I want them to. So this is going to be a shorter bulleted list. You'll still get the gist of the day, but it won't be nearly as funny as it would be if I wasn't ready to fall asleep. LOL!

* Sat and wondered what it feels like to have an anxiety attack. Because I truly believe I'm on the brink of one.

* Obsessively checked Tink's blog to see which Golden Spork Award I've been given. I'm hoping for the "Most Likely to Have an Anxiety Attack in the Next Week" one. Or perhaps the "Can Drink Most Grown Men Under the Table" one. Or, oooo, I know... maybe the "Girl With the Biggest Boobs" one. (Shut up. I can dream.)

* Got a phone call from Steve around 10:00 AM saying the alternator in his truck had taken a shit and that he wouldn't be home until he had it replaced (the job site was 45 minutes away).

* Was silently relieved he wouldn't be home soon. (I LOVE Steve, but I absolutely relish my days/moments when I'm in our home in the silence alone.)

* Visited every job website known to man looking for my next job or freelance project.

* Contemplated becoming a stripper or prostitute to make some cash.

* Realized I wouldn't make any cash doing those things and continued scouring the job websites.

* Realized halfway through the day that I hadn't taken my Project 365 photo for the day yet.

* Had no ideas for the photo.

* Steve arrived home and told me he wanted me to go with him BACK to the job site so he could drop off some pipes that he could have just dropped off before driving all the way home.

* Got Grace off the bus and sent the girls with Grandma to meet Granddad at a local pizza joint for Friday night dinner (like they do every Friday).

* Went with Steve to the job site.

* Saw the house Steve's currently working on for the contractor who gives Steve most of his work.

* Asked Steve if said contractor would be willing to have an affair with me so I could have a house like the one we were looking at. Seriously people, you have NO idea...

* Steve commented that the guy really isn't that bad looking.

* Told Steve I didn't care and that I'd just close my eyes during sex if I could land us a house like that.

* Drove home and ate some leftover pizza while Steve cooked up some venison.

* Answered the phone at 6:15 to have our friends ask if we'd be home so they and their two sons could swing by for a visit around 7:00.

* Said sure!

* Steve and I did a whirlwind "cleaning" of the downstairs, which really involved shoving random shit into random drawers to make the house look less cluttered.

* Jumped in the car to go and retrieve my own children from Grandma's house.

* Arrived back home just in time for the friends and their kids to arrive 5 minutes later.

* Hung out, talked, drank beer, smoked (the girls, not the guys. And only ever outside), watched the kids run around like lunatics, and glanced at the clock every now and then.

* Hoped around 9:30 that they'd leave soon since we were already past my kids' bedtimes.

* Kept hanging out, drinking beer, smoking, etc.

* Hoped around 10:30 that they'd leave soon since were already WAY past my kids' bedtimes.

* Kept hanging out, drinking beer, smoking, etc.

* Really, REALLY hoped around 11:00 that they'd get their asses out of my house so I could get my kids to bed.

* Kept hanging out, drinking beer, smoking, etc.

* Was thrilled at 11:15 when they FINALLY gathered up their sons to leave.

* Had the girls sleeping within 10 minutes after they left, and immediately jumped on the ol' computer to catch up.

* Obsessively checked Tink's blog to see which Golden Spork Award I've been given.

* Was bummed to read we won't know until Monday. I don't blame her at all given the amount of people she has to award. I just like to bitch. ;)

* Decided that tonight is the night that perhaps I should go to bed before 3AM like I've been doing for the past week.

So with that, I'm out of here. Later. And enjoy your weekend!

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I'm back, just to add my photo for Project 365. This is Grace and her friend, Seth, chilling out on the couch last night. I hate this photo (it was really underexposed and grainy), but it's the only one I took yesterday, so here it is. LOL!

Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!

I know I said I was going to do a blog entry for today that talked about yesterday. But I lied. I'm too farkin' tired. I've had insomnia all week (lots on my mind), and so in the past 7 days, I've probably gotten a total of 10 or 11 hours of sleep. Sigh. I seriously need to try to get to bed tonight. This is nuts!

Anyway, so I'm too tired to talk all about yesterday. Truthfully, I'm too tired to talk much about today if you want the truth. LOL! I spent the day trying to stay awake. And now it's 11:39 PM and I'm wide awake. Son of a bitch! [sigh]

Anyway, here's my photo for Project 365. We've been trying to (slowly) live a little bit "greener", so just yesterday, we switched out some of our regular light bulbs with the high-efficiency ones. The truth is, for me, it was more about their kick ass shape than the other benefits. LOL!

Oh, and due to the overwhelming results of my little poll, apparently, my "Highlights of the Day" format is going to be making a comeback. LOL! I have to admit, when I read over my older posts, I even laugh. It was fun blogging that way, so I guess I'll give it a whirl again in the next day or two and see if I can still pull it off. :)

Sorry gang.

I had every intention of doing a post tonight in the old format of "Highlights of the Day." I thought about it all day. Had the bullet points in my head. But around 7:15 tonight, Hannah ran into the doorknob on the bathroom door and put a nasty gash on her forehead, right above her eyebrow. It bled like a bastard, but only for a few minutes. I honestly didn't know if it even warranted a trip to the ER, but it was pretty deep and I was worried about a scar for the rest of her life, so off we went. I'm glad I took her in.

She did, indeed, need stitches. Five of them to be exact. And let me tell you, I have NEVER been as proud of her as I was tonight. She didn't shed a SINGLE tear or make a SINGLE sound as they gave her the Novocain shots or stitched her up. Not a peep. We were all absolutely amazed. She is such a trooper.

And in true Hannah fashion, she could care less about the stitches. She was just excited that she got a bracelet with her name on it at the hospital. LOL!

That, and the fact that tomorrow, the kids are supposed to wear their pajamas to school, and she had gotten blood all over hers. So I had to do a load of laundry when we got home from the hospital, but it's the least I can do for the little sweetie. She was totally good to go by the time we got home.

See?....

She's "lucky" in that it's literally right along the top of her eyebrow, so even if it does scar, it won't be very noticeable at all. Princesses don't have scars, ya know? ;)

And she thinks she's cool because I have a scar on my forehead, an inch or so above her stitches, from when I had some when I was a kid. And Steve has one in his other eyebrow when he needed stitches as a kid. I think we've convinced her it's the mark of a true L-------- (<--insert our last name there).

And note that in the second photo, she's wearing her sequined dress-up shirt. Because the second we got home and walked in, she stipped off her bloody pajama top and declared that she was going to play dress up. LMAO!

So I'll post my Highlights for today, but I'll post them tomorrow. It was one hell of a day, lemme tell ya (beyond the stitches). Words cannot describe how glad I am that tomorrow is a new day....

Take My Poll...

Over there in the margin. Can y'all answer that poll and tell me if you'd like to see the return of the "Highlights of the Day". For those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about, click here and read a few. It's how all of my blog posts used to be formatted. I'm thinking of going back to it, but decided to ask you all instead. LOL! So take it, will ya?

Update: So far it looks like y'all like that format, huh? Hmmm... maybe I'll post that way today and see if I can get my groove on again. LOL!

Another hot day...

OK. So "hot" is pushing it. But in these parts, the 60-degrees that it was today is INSANE for January. Just absolutely insane. So Hannah and I once again, spent most of the day outside. We walked down the street and around the corner to the gas station to  grab some candy. Then we walked back home (stopping to admire the creek) and had a little "candy picnic" on the bench in our backyard. So that leads us to my Project 365 photo for today...

 

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Hmmm... what else? Oh! Got an email from my sister today saying her work email address has now been switched back to her maiden name. I had no idea she was even going to switch back, but good for her. If you're going to make a break, you may as well make a clean one. Her husband was also served with his divorce papers while at work today. Lovely. LOL! I have to say, I really admire her. It was a VERY hard decision for her to make. Her life has completely changed since deciding to leave him. She had to sell their house and now lives with my parents. That alone would make me think long and hard about the decision. But she has shown a great strength and I'm really proud of her. And one HUGE benefit of her now living with my parents is that now, every Saturday when the girls sleep at my parents' house, they're spending a lot of time with Aunt Kristin. My sister's starting to learn that all children aren't the spawn of the devil. And her and Grace in particular have become extremely close, which I think is awesome. So that's cool.

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I just want to say here that I think that my fellow blogger and friend, Tink, looks AMAZING in her newly purchased wedding gown. She doesn't have it posted anymore because her fiance shouldn't see the dress before the wedding. But trust me when I say that she's going to be one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen. Now as long as I see a picture of her on her wedding day in that dress while also chugging a beer, I'll be a happy camper. ;)

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I'm on a Daughtry kick the past few days. I'm not sure if that makes me cool or lame, but whatever. Hell, it may prompt another couch-jumping session, so it's all good.

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I've decided I've got a bleeding heart. (Not literally.) But over the past few weeks, I've found myself wanting to help out as many people as I can... wanting to settle some differences I've had with people in the past... somewhat longing for some old friendships that have faded over the past few years... etc. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. But it does make one think a little "deeper" than one would sometimes like to. I feel like I've been told I have 2 months to live and I need to do all of those things I need to do to make peace with myself. I'm NOT dying (that I know of), but that's how I'm acting. As much as I like being a bit more compassionate lately, it's also taking a lot more energy and I'm not sure I've got it in me. LOL!

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I have a friend, Kelly, who has entered a photo contest. If y'all could click on over to http://www.merakohblog.com/ vote for her (Photo #1), that would kick ass and I'd really appreciate it. :)

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Uhhh... I think that's it. More tomorrow. The girls both have "school" and Steve's working, so I'll be home alone. Last week, that prompted the couch jumping session. Who the hell knows what could happen tomorrow. LOL! ;)