More Blathering

I'm so excited about the prospect of getting a computer of my very own (I've never HAD a computer of my very own,) that well, I'm going to blather some more about it! :P

I just realized yesterday when talking to Chris that the iMAC that I plan on getting has no "computer" box! That big, bulky box that takes up either all your foot space or all your desk space, is actually the monitor! Which is what ... like 1 and 1/2 inches thick? And and ... the keyboard and mouse are wirelss! In fact, there's no wires at all! I remember setting up the computer Roger and I bought when I first came here was a major pain in the arse. All the different parts, chords, and cables! But ... you can just take this computer out of the box and start using it! And OH the movie making/dvd making/music/and a crap load of other stuff that it comes with is LOVELY! It really IS as good as those commercials. :P

I Love Mondays

Ahhh ... I finally have enough to purchase this!

I can't decide when I should get it ... I might wait another month or two ... but I'm BUTT excited about it! :D AND this will mean that one of the biggest "start-up expenses" for my business will be paid for!

I love Mondays. Almost everyone I know hates them, because it means that the weekend is over and the work week is starting again. But for me, I WORK all bloody weekend long and Monday is my day off. Yay for Mondays!

Well I'm off ... to the Apple Store that is ... mehhhh he he he he ...

New Profile

I'm sure most of you know this by now, but I have a new myspace profile (with lots of new pictures!) My old profile layout got all sorts of messed up and I couldn't fix it, so I have a new one. Please add me if you haven't already!

http://www.myspace.com/186711102

Anyhow this is short because I need to get some things done before work. Booo on work, boooo!

I'm COMING HOME!

Hey everyone!
Mark your calenders! :P I will be in Missouri on Thursday, July 5th until Monday, July 16th! Chris also bought a plane ticket which means he's coming along too! :D (Unless for some reason he can't ...)

Woo hoo!

Music Makes/Brakes the Movie

So ... how do I begin?

Growing up one of the classic horror films that I was introduced to at a young age was 'Night of the Living Dead.' I remember having sleepovers with my friend Chrissy ... we would pop some popcorn, snuggle up in our sleeping bags, and pop in some good 'ol horror films. I remember one time we almost woosed out while watching 'Night of the Living Dead' before the opening credits were even over! My point is, 'Night of the Living Dead' as a cinematic horror classic.

Chris purchased the newer 30th anniversary edition of the movie, (released in 1998,) because it was only $5! (That and the picture quality was supposed to be better.) Other then that, it was the same horror film that we all grew to know and love. Oh ... except the fact that an "all new musical score" had been created for the film. :::sigh::: (and that's not a GOOD sigh either.)

Usually, the opening scene when Johnny and Barbara are in the graveyard puting a memorial on their father's grave is chilling. While Barbara kneels to pay rememberance to her father, thunder begins to roll in the backround as her brother Johnny begins to reminesce about their childhood memories of being in the graveyard and how they used to get "really scared." Barbara starts feeling uneasy as Johnny begins teasing her by saying, "They're coming to get your Barbara ... they're coming for you!" Then from across the lonely graveyard a man starts walking towards them. Slowly. "They're coming to get your Barbara ... look! Here comes one of them now!" Only, it really IS a zombie. Johnny wrestles the ghoul only to be knocked unconcious by hitting his head on a grave stone. Barbara is left to fend for herself as she is chased through the country side in the opening scene. BUT- THEN the "all new musical score" starts.

Ahhhh yes, the musical score. What can I say about the new music that they replaced the PERFECTLY good origional score with? It ... SUCKED!!!! It sounded like a REALLY bad 80's horror movie, like one of the extra crappy 'Friday the 13th' movies. In fact, the music was so loud and horrible that it COMPLETELY distracted you from the entire scene. Usually I get chills when I watch that scene. THIS time, however, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to laugh or cry. (Laugh because the music turned the scene into more of a comedy scene, or cry because of how AWFUL it was.) I seriously almost told Chris to turn the movie off.

Unfortunetly, this terrible new musical score was scattered ALL throughout the movie, in ADDITION to bits and pieces of the orgional musical score so NOT ONLY did the music switch from 80's to 60's, but you could actually COMPARE how awful the new soundtrack was to the origional!!!! I cried inside.

And THAT, my friends, shows how the musical soundtrack of a movie can either make or BRAKE the film. (In this case, it broke the film to pieces.)

Burn Baby Burn!

Today as I was driving home from work I passed yet another one of the Hollywood hills on fire, and I think it was a "fresh" fire because I didn't see any firemen yet. As glamorous as living in the Hollywood hills sounds, I think I'd rather not live some where that seems to get daily red flag (fire) warnings
almost daily during the summer.

Today at work, I was serving two guys, although only one of them was eating. He ordered the Tai Hi Sweet and Spicey Salad and that was it. The bill was $9.25, and he left me a $10.25 tip. Woo hoo! Sweeeeeet! :D

Tonight on American Idol the guest artist that helps the contestants this week is none other than Barry Gibb! Hehehe! Which means all the contestants will be singing BeeGees songs tonight, and Barry Gibb will be performing tomorrow night. Tune in!

I think getting my wedding planning business name trademarked is going to be a pain in the butt ... I can tell ... meeeehhh.

I'm hungry. Time for lunch. Fooood!

Fat Albert Gone BAD

I sat here at the library just now and witnessed one of the most disgusting, nasty, and repulsive displays of behavior I've ever seen!

This guy who was sitting at the computer station across from me was blowing his nose. Not gross right? I mean, we all blow our noses when we have colds! WELL. This guy was not only blowing his nose, but was throwing his overly used snot rags down on the table next to other people. We're talking a big MOUND of snot rags. About 15 snot rags to be exact. (Think I'm kidding? The guy left about 10 minutes ago, but left his snot rags ON THE TABLE for everyone to look at.) In addition, this guy was snorting and hawking up massive loogeys right there at the computer. And I do mean, RIGHT there at the computer. I witnessed him hawking and spitting a nasty looking snot-infused loogey onto the library floor. I mean ... WTF?!?!

He was constantly snorting, hawking, and spitting his nasty-ass crap everywhere. I'm so repulsed. I couldn't tell how old he was ... he kinda looked like Fat Albert. In his 20's? YUCK. Okay I'm going to stop grossing everyone out because I'm grossing myself out.

On a less snotty note, my dad is giving me a "small business grant!" :D I sent him a copy of my 'business plan and start-up costs,' (the same one I put in this blog,) and he was like, "I'm sending you a small business grant!" At this point, any bit of money helps. Yay!

Okay, I need a giant, brain-freezing Coke slurpee from 7-11 right now to recover from the horrific display I had to witness earlier. BLahhh!

Cinco de Mayo and Desperate Men

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! Not that I really celebrate Cinco de Mayo ... I guess I'll be celebrating it by helping others to celebrate it by working at The Elephant Bar tonight! Although I must admit I'm not really looking foward to driving home late after work when there's probably going to be a million drunk drivers out tonight. Grrr.

On Thursday I had a man who looked about 40-ish hit on me as I was walking out of the library. I was walking at a nice brisk pace to go home and from across the parking lot a man says, "Hello!" so of course being the polite person that I am IO respond by going, "Hi!" (but I kept walking.) Well, the man (probably about 5'5", hispanic looking, bit of a gut, short black and slightly receding hair line,) immediately runs over to me and is like, "Oh! I've been seeing you in the library for quite some time now and I've wanted to approach you but I figured you'd just blow me off!" Already I'm thinking, I wish I WOULD have blown you off. "So," he continues, "do you work at Whole Foods? I think I've seen you there," "-no." "Oh ... well are you from California?" "No, not really. Missouri." "Well," he said as he looked me up and down VERY obviously, "you've got a great bod!" Oh god. "Uhhh ... thanks." At this point I take a step foward, indicating that I'm trying to head on my merry way. But no. "Do you work out?" "Yes, and I do Kung Fu." Why do I keep answering his questions? "Well," he said "I play soccer. It gets the oxygen flowing to the brain." All the while very obviously continueing to look me up and down. At this point I'm highly annoyed. Then he asks. "Can I take you out to coffee?" to which I VERY quickly replied, "Sorry I have a boyfriend." He looked like his hopes had been crushed. "Oh ... well I've been watching you for some time and I sorta hoped you were eligible." Eligible? "No sorry, definetly not eligible." "Well, he's a lucky guy because you look great." It was time to start lying. "Right well, I need to go because I'm a bit late for work." Let's just say that as I tried to leave, he continued to look me up and down just ONE more time and tell me that I had a 'great bod' just ONE more time. HONESTLY! Yuck. I was so violated. I immediately called Chris in utter flusteration and left a flustered messagse. Ewww.

On a less yucky note, I'm planning a delicious meal to cook for him (him being Chris, not the yucky 40-ish man I just spent the last paragraph talking about.) :P I think it will be the most complicated dish I've tried to cook yet! I'm going to "test drive" my idea on Tuesday with my roommie Kara to make sure it doesn't end up tasting like crap. :P

Just ahhh.

Fruity summer cocktails here I come! :D

Yesterday I bought a lovely martini set, (cocktail shaker, strainer, jigger, 4 nice martini glasses and a cute black serving tray) for only $12.99! And it's not like cheap crap either. Everything is really nice! My roommie Kara has already "hired" me as the bartender for a party she's hosting next Tuesday, lol. No but really ... summer ... fruity cocktails by the pool ... ahhhh.

Doodely Da Doo

I'm a little peeved because I got invited to go to the premiere screening of the new Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah movie on Friday (complete with the red carpet and question and answer session with the actors,) and I have to work at the bloody Elephant Bar! Gah! And it's a bit doubtful that I'll find some one to cover for me because I noticed that about 4 other people already posted notes at work looking for some one to work for them on Friday with no luck. Meehhh.

Does anyone else have random outbursts? For example ... some times at work when I'm in the back area I'll suddenly say, "Cuuuuh-ris!" or I'll let out a little random squeel of cuteness (about Chris of course.) Or occasionally I'll randomly just blurt out, "Michelle Gabelle!" Hehehehe. I mean ... does Christy ever sit in the library and find herself randomly blurting out Rudy's name for no apparent reason? Does Esther or Resther blurt out Andrew or Jesse's names at random times? Does Michelle ever blurt out- ... you know who? Hehehe! Or am I just a total freak? :P

I'm really sad that Easter is over because that means that my favorite candy of all time, (Cadbury Cream Eggs, of course,) are already GONE!!! It's so tortuous to have my favorite candy avaibale only one month out of the year. :::sigh:::

Two-Lips!

Today on Martha Stewart's website, (just shut-up, hehe) they have a super yummy looking recipe for a fruity sangria cocktail, and irish coffee chocolate truffles! Mmmmm!!!! SOOO yummy. One day, I will move beyond just buying ramen, yogurt, and cerial and into buying REAL ingredients for super yummy recipes like these!!! :D

Spring always gets me in the mood to garden. (Even though I ... currently don't have a garden to garden in.) :( When I was younger, one of my favorite times of the year was during the spring when my mom and I would go pick out and buy all different types of flowers and plant them in our garden. I always had SO much fun! I loved it. Some day I want to have a tulip garden. When my mom was teaching us about Holland I always loved looking at all the huge brightly colored tulip gardens. Ahhh. So pretty. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers, especially the brightly colored ones, like the yellow/red ones.

I'm feeling sluggish today. I need to get my arse motivated to exercise tonight. Blahh.

Preparation

In preparation for my wedding business, I'm always in the process of gathering ideas for weddings. I'm making a notebook of "Inspirational Ideas" filled with pictures, ideas, ect. If anyone ever has a great idea for a wedding theme, or anything wedding/party related, let me know!

I could definetly babble longer, but my library time is up. :::grumbles::: Hopefully by the end of the summer, I'll have my OWN computer!!!

I May Have a Problem ...

It's funny how almost everyone looks foward to the weekends and are always saying, "Thank god it's Friday!" when weekends are usually my most dreaded part of the week because that's when I work the most ... which is a shame because of course that's the only time Chris has off. As I like to say, "Thank god it's almost summer!" :P

Speaking of summer, it's finally starting to feel more like summer this week. Last week it felt unseasonably cool for California this time of year. Not that we didn't need a little bit of rain ...

Ok ... I'm worried about myself. "I'm having a problem. I may be having a problem." (Just like Bill Murray said in 'Ground Hog Day', hehe.) So ... I like to visit MarthaStewart.com. Yes, you heard me right. But, it's SUCH a nifty site! Every day there's new video recipes, (today they have recipes for baked pasta, cute vanilla cupcakes, and poppy-seed panckaes) Plus there's a section on weddings, crafts, holidays, entertaining, home decorating, shopping, and gardeing! All the things I love! Now, you may be wondering why this is a problem. Well ... the other day in Barnes'N'Noble I wanted to buy the Martha Stewart 'Housekeeping Handbook.' Yes. A book about homekeeping tasks. AHHHH! Hahaha. Oh dear. But I didn't buy it. Wew.

Pointless-ness

Last night, Chris and I watched the movie 'Stranger than Fiction,' which was quite enjoyable! It was the perfect time to watch the movie ... April is the month of tax returns ... and the movie is about a worker for the IRS! Hehehe. Yeah that's a dumb and totally unrelated point ... but it was a good movie nonetheless.

I'm currently watching 'Moulin Rouge' as Chris sits on the couch eating a humburger. I simply love watching the Duke singing 'Like a Virgin' as he dances around in his black and rose colored robe.

Chris said today I'm spoiled because my dad payed for my college tuition. AND because he set up a retirement fund for me. AND a fund for when I get married. However, I disagree. I call it being well-prepared. :P

Okay, I've babbled enough about 3 rather pointless topics and now I'm off to ... uhh ... to um ... hmmm ... come to think of it ... I don't know WHAT I'm going to do next!

Me = Happy Cookie

Things have been running smoother for me lately. A few months ago, I was so unbelievably stressed about everything. I would even find myself getting depressed easily, which ... isn't normal for me because I'm a happy person! :D lol

I was stressed and felt restless because I didn't know what I wanted to do career-wise, and now I finally think I've made my decision! It's not that I'm "giving up on acting," in fact, I still love acting. But I've realized it's just not something I want to do for a living. I don't feel like I've waisted time by moving here for that reason, in fact I've met alot of wonderful people here, like my boyfriend Chris! I also don't feel like, "oh ... I didn't make it in Hollywood. I'm such a loser!" because well ... it's not that I gave up, I just felt/feel more strongly and passionate about my event planning business. Which I'm very excited about by the way!

The other day when I took my car in for the 120K service check (which cost $540,) the guy at the car dealership told me that my car "burns oil" faster than normal and that I should "probably fix it immediately" and that it would "only cost" $1,800. At which point I laughed to myself and thought, that's why I'll just check my oil regularly myself to make sure I don't run out, and replace it myself. Yes that's right, I laughed to myself when he told me I needed to spend an extra $1,800. Am I going to spend that? HELL no! And if that had happened a few months ago, I would have cried. I probably would have stood at the counter and started bowling. I would constantly worry about my car having another problem and the fact that I wouldn't have enough money to fix it. Since then I've decided that EVERY time you take your car in some where, they will ALWAYS tell you that something needs to be replaced/fixed. Well I am NOT going to let the money/car factor be a CONSTANT worry in my life anymore. Really, there's more important things. And worrying doesn't do anything productive. I know it's easier said than done, but I've been really good about it lately. And I feel so much better!

AND I just realized that after I pay my bills for May, in addition to having $1,000 reserved for emergencies, I'll have about $1,400 extra. WHICH means I'm much closer to buying my computer then I thought! I'd just like to have about $500 extra so I don't come so close to taking out of my emergency funds. And THAT ladies and gentlemen, is exciting.

(The picture is me, by the way. I'm one happy cookie.) :P

My Legs = 2 Blocks of Lead

I think I need to stop going running right before Kung Fu class. I always run anywhere from 4-6 miles right before class and so my legs are already tired before I even start. THAT'S what happened last night. My legs felt like two blocks of lead that just couldn't get off the ground ... especially during kicking drills which I did horrible at last night. :P Thank goodness there aren't any mirrors for me to watch myself in, I would have been horrified, haha. Although, Sifu DID teach me a new segment of the two-section staff form. Woo hoo! :D

Speaking of running ... I need to go do that before work tonight ... mehhhh. Blah.

It's rather cold and rainy out ... I'd much rather crawl into my nice cozy bed and take a nap. :::sigh:::

Start-Up Costs

Not that anyone really cares, but I like to write everything out for my own sake. :P I've sort of come up with a rough idea of start-up costs for my business:

Things I'll need:
- Computer (Mac, desktop) $1,500+
- Copier/Printer/Scanner $100 (usually you get deals when you buy a computer.)
- Fax Machine $220
- 4 Drawer Vertical File Cabinet $150
- Business Cards $20
- Business Stationary $20
- Pens, pencils, paper, stapler, scissors, tape, paper clips, 1/2" binders etc. $40
- Desk calculator $20
- Desk and chairs $170 (desk) $150 (my chair) and $100 (two more chairs)
- Business License $45
- Website $170
- Interior Decoration $120

Grande Total: $2,825

Hmmm ... not bad! Currently, I'm saving for the computer ... which ... is pretty much the biggest cost. I have several hundred saved towards that so far. (I'd have MORE but I've spent $1,300 on my car in the past 3 months. GRRR.)

The Entrepreneur in Me

Even though I'm not planning on starting my business until I know where I'll be living at least some what long term, (since it would be pointless to work so hard to get your business off the ground only to MOVE some where else,) I went ahead and came up with a rough draft busniess plan anyway. AND I've been working on figuring out the start-up costs so I have a rough idea of how much money I'll need to have saved.

MY BUSINESS PLAN:

Business Name: I have one but I'm not listing it incase some one sees this blog and decides to steal it. :P

Legal Matters: Sole Proprietorship, I'm going to be my OWN boss! :P

Business Location: Working from home (the cost of paying a couple extra hundred for a TWO bedroom apartment would cost MUCH less then RENTING a commercial space.)

Services I will provide:
- FREE 30 minute Initial Consultation
- Full Service Wedding Planning
- Wedding Day Coordination
- Wedding Consultations
- Partial Wedding Services

What I will charge: (a ROUGH idea, although depending on where I live, prices will probably change according to what local competitors are charging.)
- Consultation only (3 hours): $150
- Flat fee for wedding day coordination: $500
- Flat fee for specific services (such as vendors): $150+ per vendor
- Partial wedding services hourly fee: $50/hour
- Full service wedding planning
* Weddings w/ budgets of $15,000 and above: %15
* Weddings w/ budgets below $15,000: haven't figured it out yet. :P

Advertising/Marketing
- Portfolio
- Website
- Brochures
- Business Cards
- Yellow Pages
- Family/Friends
- Bridal Shows
- Press Releases
- Local Papers

And there you have it! My initial rough draft business plan. I have some "additional" ideas for services and things I will provide to make my business unique, but I don't want to babble them all over the internet. Classified information, you know. :P

Inspiration Hits

I'm feeling inspired today. Although ... I felt inspired yesterday too. I'm TOTALLY going to have a wonderful wedding/event planning business of my very own some day! I've decided that I'd like to try and be an event coordinator's assisstant, or work for a company for at least 1-2 years, so that I can gain more experience and contacts. Then when I decide to start my own business, I can keep at least a part-time job in the beginning until I start making enough money on my own. Brilliant! :P

Although ... I was looking online for job openings and I'm finding that most wedding planners don't advertise that type of thing online. I think my best bet is trying to find out through word-of-mouth and referrals. Hmmm ...

I may have to wait awhile before I truly begin job searching anyway since I'm not positive of how much longer I'm going to be living in the area I am now. Small problem ...

And there you have it. My two cents for the day. I could add a couple more dollars, but that might make my head start spinning. :P

Fun Times!

The other day Chris and I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain and it was great! (Well ... after we finally got our tickets and were admitted inside the park, which took nearly TWO hours!!!) Thankfully, we each got "Play Passes," (season tickets for only $59.99!!!) So next time we go we can just walk right in. (YES!)

The first ride we went on was 'Goliath,' one of the park's biggest rollercoasters that's about 266 feet high! SO much fun. Although Chris kept saying, "I hate you" while we were waiting in line. Hehehe. Chris would zone out and try to find a "happy place" when the rollercoaster would make it's long treck up hill. I just love teasing him about it. :P

We also road on 'Tatsu', another super fun rollercoaster where you are suspended like a bug with no track beneath you the entire way. This is another ride where Chris repeatedly said, "I hate you" in line. I've never seen such a look of sheer terror on his face as I did during that ride. :P Although as we were boarding the ride, I ran over to go put my camera on the storage shelf and totally slipped and fell on my butt/side in front of everyone! It was a great moment. Well no ... not really. lol

We also road 'The Scrambler' a couple times where I got to smash Chris against the side of the car and then we road it again and he got to smash me, nearly crushing my ribs! Hahaha. I was Power Ranger laughing during the whole process so that didn't help either. :P

The downside to the day was that it was really, really windy. So windy that they had to shut many of the rollercoasters down early and we didn't get to ride them. :( Oh well. That's why we have SEASON passes! :D

The wind was also cold. VERY cold. While waiting in line for nearly TWO hours to ride 'Viper' I was grasping onto Chris trying to suck is body warmth ... which helped some what. Although even the usually very warm Chris didn't have enough body heat to help the both of us ...I was still BUTT cold.

At the end of the night, we road the good old-fashioned carousel and took some pictures, which I'm sure will turn out to be classics. After walking around the park for almost 10 hours and having had nothing to eat or drink the entire time, we were both ravenous and headed to Denny's for some good 'ol diner food. YUM.

Chris and I also went to go see the new Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez movie Grindhouse, which was basically two seperate movies with movie previews scattered throughout. It was very interesting and the first half/movie was really entertaining. I enjoyed it alot. The second half was a bit ... boring. I don't have time to write a detailed review of it right now ... so I'll leave it at that for the moment!

So yes, it's been a lovely week. Chris showed me the movie "Dragon Heart" yesterday ... Sean Connery makes a great dragon! :p

Easter Message

My dad recently returned from a trip he took to Israel, and got to visit many historical land marks and see lots of cool things. Anyways, he sent me (and I'm assuming other friends and family,) an Easter card with a little "Easter message" he wrote about what he learned from visiting the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem. I've posted it here in case anybody would like to read it:

"The Garden of Gethsemane is located on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives, just across the Kidron valley from the east wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. My estimate is that it is only about 225 yards from the east wall of the Old City (as the nightingale flies anyway). The Garden today is well maintained and dominated by ancient olive trees, a number of them estimated to be over 2000 years old! The term 'Gethsemane' means 'oil press.' One presumes that it was the site of many olive trees and of a large oil press in biblical times. The Garden of Gethsemane was undoubtedly considerably larger back in the times of Jesus than it is now.

The Garden was a favorite meeting place for Jesus and his disciples. After the Last Supper, it was the place that Jesus took his disciples (except for Judas). As recounted in the Gospels, it was the site of Jesus' agony, betrayal and arrest. Upon arriving at Gethsemane that night, Jesus apparently left most of the disciples at the entrance, taking Peter, James and John inside with him to pray.

Matthew's gospel says that Jesus began to be sorrowful and troubled. It also says he fell to the ground, where he made a most remarkable statement in his prayer: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as your will." [Matthew 26:39] What did he mean by this?

The human side of Jesus knew how difficult the coming hours would be- he was moments away from being arrested, which would quickly be followed by his trial and crucifixion. The God of the universe who came to the earth as a man [Jesus, of course] was about to undergo a humiliating and painful death. The human side of him did not want to drink from the Cup of Divine Wrath, which was to be the punishment for the sins of mankind. Though the "cup" was abhorrent to him, he willingly took it because it was the will of his Father.

What is this Scripture passage really supposed to teach us? I have pondered this since coming home. This is what I believe ...

Jesus, within earshot of three of his disciples, in essance asked God the Father if there was an easier way for humanity to be saved from their sins than for him to die as their sacrifice.

Of course, Jesus knew the answer before he prayed to the Father! Though we do not hear the actual voice of the Father answering, we know that he would have said something like this: 'There is no other way! Jesus, my Son, you have to die for them.'

Had there been an easier payment for our sins, had there been an easier way to restore our fellowship with a perfect holy God- the Father would have spared his one and only Son from experiencing the cup of his wrath. In his prayer, Jesus consciously, deliberately, and voluntarily subjugated all of his human desires to the Father's perfect will.

Any faith that is not grounded in the death of Jesus Christ as payment for our sins is not a faith with any power to save- power to assure us of spending eternity in heaven with the Creator of the universe. Many in the world do not want to believe this, thinking that all supposed paths to god are equally true. Certainly, it is not popular in our day to assert claims of absolute truth. However, that is what the Word of God says repeatedly! We are free to believe it or not. But, each one of us will eventually find out the truth- we need to find out before it is too late.

I personally prefer to have had Jesus drink from the Cup of Divine Wrath for me, rather than for me to have to drink that cup myself. The God of the universe who created you and me loved you and me so much that He died for us!

And the Father raised Jesus up from the dead to show that he was indeed God's son, like Jesus had said, and that his sacrifice had been accepted.

This is the free gift that Jesus promises to all who believe. That is the Gospel message- the Good News. What better news could there be?!

This is what I learned in the Garden of Gethsemane, and is my message to you for this Easter.

April 2, 2007
JBM"

Tootsie Blow Pop

Hehehehe.
Tootsie Blow Pop

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! I know I know, it's a bit early. But tomorrow I'll be working and Sunday I'll be working, (plus the library will be closed,) so I won't be able to wish everyone a happy Easter then!

:::sigh::: I could really go for some egg dying action. I LOVE dying Easter eggs! SO much fun. And even though I'm old I still love Easter eggs hunts too. :P

Ahhhh well. Maybe next year!

Ahhh ... Lovely.

Today has been lovely! (Aside from the fact that I spent way too much money on myself!)

Since I had today off, I slept in (although not as late as I usually do when I "sleep in,") and then went ... shopping. It was beautiful! Although I think I spent over TWICE as much as I told myself I'd spend. My budget was $65 ...

First, I finally found a really cute pair of new shorts! In addition, I bought a cute pair of black gouche pants ... which I USED to have a pair of ... that is until Chris noticed there was a hole in the butt while playing mini-golf ... (why does everything happen during mini-golf?) THEN they had my favorite type of shorts for running/sleeping/lounging on the CLEARANCE rack for $4.45 so I of course bought a pair of those. To top my buying experience off at that particular store, I splurged on a pair of new shoes to go with my new shorts. I rationalized that I hadn't bought a new pair of shoes, (other than $3 flip-flops) in OVER a year. So it was okay. :P Total spent = $61

To continue my shopping spree, I went to Ulta (cosmetics store,) because I wanted to get some type of deep conditioning treatement for my hair to make it extra soft and purdy! I walked into the store, and this early 30-something guy with frosted highlights in is hair and tight jeans (think Jay Manuel from 'America's Next Top Model,') is like "Can I help you with anything?" So I explained I was looking for something for my hair. Immediately, I could see his eyes light up. "Ohhh! Yes! I have something that would be perfect for you!" So he's showing me this product and is like, "Can I feel your hair?" I nod yes. "Oh giiiiiirl! It is soooo thick! I would just LOVE to work on your hair! Here's my card incase you ever need anything done! And, OMG, this product is going to make your hair feel great! I've been using it on all my clients for 10 years!" Okay. Sold. THEN as I was about to leave, I saw my absolute FAVORITE skin lotion which I've only ever seen online, and I've been puting off buying it for the past year because it's $26 (for me $26 is ALOT for lotion!) But ... I bought it. Total Spent = $45

To cap the afternoon off, I headed over to Forever 21 to get a few accessories for my new outfit. Just some nice earrings and maybe a bracelet. I'd maybe spend $12. Well ... I found the CUTEST spring dress ever! I tried it on and ... damn. It fit perfectly and looked great. Sooo I rationalized that I hadn't bought a new spring dress in at least 2-3 years, so I bought it. I also bought a tank top, TWO pairs of earrings, (had to get a pair for the new dress,) and a bracelet. Total Spent = $65

Which means, my GRANDE TOTAL for today is $171!!! (NOT including the $22 I spent on gas.) :::shudders::: oh well. I needed some new spring clothes, and as I said ... I hadn't bought any shoes or dresses for 2-3 years and well ... we all know I needed to get something to replace the booty shorts. :P Plus the dress is just SO darn cute! :D

I just ate a cream egg. Ahhhhhh. Lovely.

Baby Got BACK - Chris' Edition

Ghetto-booty: a term used when you see a girl with a firm, big, tight packed butt. Ex: "Dawg, look at that girl's ghetto booty!" From The Urban Dictionary.

1) The Ghetto-booty, cradled in its booty shorts, caused me to crash straight into a thick metal fence on my first date with Allison. There was much bleeding of the arm.

2) While we were playing "Cosmic Miniature Golf," which is inside a two-story enclosure and involves dance music and a black light, all I could see was Allison's booty shorts! The white shorts were a bright purple amidst complete darkness. This girl knew what she was doing!

3) When Allison and I went to eat at the Elephant Bar that night, the booty shorts got us a table at the train booths. I hadn't sat there since my birthday two years earlier.

4) Later that night, Allison "accidentally" fell into my arms, as well as clear across my right hand. She sat on me folks, giving me ample access to her thighs and booty. This moment was made possible by the generous contributions of the Booty Shorts Foundation.

5) What guy wouldn't want to love Allison's booty in those short shorts of hers? Or, better yet, what guy wouldn't be proud each time other guys crashed into and over things as they gazed upon his girlfriend's butt.

6) I wouldn't say that booty shorts necessarily give off the "wrong impression." It depends on the impression you're trying to make. If you're trying to say, "I'm dead sexy," then booty shorts are great. If you're trying to make a good impression the first time you meet your boyfriend's father, then booty shorts may not be the best idea.

7) I didn't say Californians refer to booty shorts as "rape shorts," although there are some guys who refer to them that way. It's only natural to assume that danger's involved when flaunting your "goods" at 2 am in the morning. Would you walk through a dangerous neighborhood yelling about how much money you had on you? I think not.

Baby Got BACK

I think Chris and I spent close to an hour yesterday talking about "Booty Shorts." You see, up until last year I was a victim of the so-called "Booty Shorts," unaware of the impression they were giving off and the effects they were having on guys. Here are some of the highlights of the discussion:

When I was in a relationship with Roger, I wore Booty Shorts. (Not to show off my butt, mind you! It's just that every pair I tried on was ... well ... short and the fact that I have a getto-butt didn't help.) Through our conversation I realized:
1. Roger liked my so-called booty shorts. In fact, he would request that I wear them.
2. Chris points out that this was because he liked to "show me off" to other guys. Kinda like Roger going, "You see this? You see this ass? It's MINE ... and I know you want some, but you can't have it!" (Horrified? I sure was!)
3. Roger never said anything to me about my shorts being too short. Ever.

Now, I've been dating Chris for almost a year, and realized even MORE about the infamous shorts.
1. I wore them on our first date. Not too impress, but because it was a hot day. However, the shorts gave Chris the impression that I "wanted him oh-so-badly!" (And so what if I did, :P haha.) The point is, the shorts gave off the wrong impression.
2. I found out that the real reason why Chris crashed into the metal fence while playing mini-golf on our first date (causing his arm to bleed,) was because he was distracted by my arse! (HA.)
3. The first time I met Chris' dad (AND two brothers,) I ... wore the "booty shorts." Chris later told me that his dad was like, "She's a really nice, down-to-earth girl! But ... but those shorts!" (I know, embarrassing.)
4. Chris has now brought to my attention that the shorts give off the wrong impression, (I know I know, call me naive, but I never thought that MY shorts were too short! No ... no not me!)
5. Chris points out that while he loves my butt, the shorts make every other guy want to love my butt too. (And not in a good way.)
6. He also points out that very short shorts have earned the title "rape shorts" here in California. He doesn't feel comfortable with me wearing them out, especially by myself.

Conclusion:
Booty Shorts are good if you want to give guys the wrong impression. Booty Shorts are also good if you want to possibly get raped late at night. Therefore, I should not be wearing booty shorts because I'm "not that kind of girl," and I don't want to get raped. My boyfriend cares enough about me to point this out. Hmmm. I love my boyfriend. :)

The First of the Month Means ...

Bills bills bills. What else can I say besides I don't feel like paying them at the moment? Mehhh.

Right now I'm off to maybe get a new pair of shorts for the upcoming warm spring/summer weather. Afterall, the current pairs of shorts I own right now are "booty shorts" according to Chris. I mean ... I can't help it that shorts happen to ride up my butt because it's so large! :P

I had something insightful to say, but I seem to have lost it. Hmmmm. Maybe later. :P

Twister

I want to go home for the next 3 months!!! Why? Because it's approaching one of my favorite times of year: STORM SEASON!!! Which .... I will be missing. Again. So sad. May is usually the prime month, but April and June are great too. And I'm not just talking about tornadoes, I mean thunderstorms too! I could really go for a great thunderstorm right about now.

Ahhh ... Noise.

Having your apartment right next to CBS studios has it's downfalls ... for instance ... the noise. My bedroom window is literally hanging right over the CBS lot and well ... quite frankly it's ANNOYING because a vast majority of the time, I wake up to the sound of table saws, hammering, and people building sets. In addition, they're currently remodeling my whole building so I ALSO get to wake up to HAMMERING right below me. It's like my own personal headache they gift wrap every morning just for me! Grrrrrr.

Kung Fu class was great last night. I knew it would be a great class when we started it off with iron wire, and the weather was perfect!

Chris invited me out to dinner with his family because his brother David is in town for spring break ... BUT of course I have to work. More grrrrrr. And I'm 110% positive that I'll be working all of Easter weekend too because EVERYONE requested off and they aren't even accepting requests anymore ... lol. :::sigh::: maybe some day I won't have to work every weekend ALL weekend.

Well I need to go running before work ... wooooosh!

Viewer Discretion is Advised

Squidbillies Hump Promo

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Don't ask ... it's a long story ... LOL ... I know ... many of you are probably very disturbed by this! But don't worry, that's perfectly normal.

To view something truly terrifying, click on the link below. But please be warned that the material you are about to see may be too scary for some viewers.
Extremely terrifying Clip

Hmmm ... it's really pretty outside. I think I'm going to go get a slushie ... yummmmmm! :D

Guess I won't be getting Premium ...

WELL today I'm finally feeling pretty much back to normal ... I'm still a little weak but not too weak to get a work-out in later! Although as I was driving to work I realized ... I've had a job since I was 16, (that's almost EIGHT years,) and yesterday was the SECOND time I've ever called in sick. I think just two times in eight years is a pretty good track record! :P

I don't understand. Why do people date another person when they know it's not going to work out? I mean, it's not like you have to KNOW that you're going to marry some one in order to date them, but there needs to be at least a shred of hope some where that things might work out in order to make it worth while! My roommate is currently "seeing some one" who, as she told me last night, "is totally incompatible with me! I definetly don't see us getting married." To which I think, then why bother? Besides the fact that some people are just too horny or feel too inadequate if they don't have a boyfriend every waking second. Sheesh.

Gas is now $3.25 and this makes me VERY sad.


You have no idea how much the martians from Sesame Street terrified me as a child.

Blahhh

Yuck! Sunday night after I went to bed I suddenly got sick and woke up with a gross fever. My temp. yesterday rose to 104.3 which was quite uncomfortable. I got up around 11:40am, ate some outmeal, layed down on the couch from 12:30 - 9:15pm, and then transferred myself back to my bed. It was the most unproductive day ever! lol

Thankfully today I feel a little better. Last time I checked my temp. it had lowered to 101 soooo that's a good sign. On the down side, I'm really weak, I still have a head ache,and my throat hurts slightly. I'm really hoping I didn't catch strep throat, which my roommate had the other week. Gahhhh. I'll have to wait a day or two and see.

Summer Fun

Yay! I'm so happy! I just looked at my online banking transaction history and I see that my tax refund was directly deposited into my account today! :D I'm actually a bit relieved because I wasn't sure if I filed my tax return correctly with all of my "mutual funds" and retirement account. PLUS I made sure to "maximise" my return as much as possible ... heeheeheeee :P

Unfortunetly, I won't be doing anything exciting with the money. In 500 more miles my car will have reached the 120k mark and I will be "due" for my 120k service check. Which isn't mandatory of course, but it's part of the routine maintenance for the car which is highly recommended, especially when your car has alot of mileage. Arrggg and it's $499 plus tax! :( I swear, I'm going to buy a bycicle and bike to all my destinations from now on! (Which ... isn't a bad idea!)

On another note, one of my favorite things to do on my day off from work, (or even when I'm not having a day off,) is to walk to Barnes'N'Noble and look at the books and magazines. Lately, my "area of interest" has been interior decorating, event/wedding planning, and recipes! (Actually, I've pretty much always been interested in interior decorating and event/wedding planning,) but I've added recipes to the roster of interests now. Damn I wish I had the money to go out and buy all the ingredients needed for the super delicious looking gourmet italian meals I was looking at yesterday! :P I want to start compiling a bunch of recipes in a recipe box, but the only problem is , I DON'T want to compile recipes that taste like crap. So ... I need to test them before I compile them ... or maybe I could compile them and THEN test them ... and THEN throw the recipe out if it stinks ... see my problem here? lol :P

Last night I realized that I haven't really gone anywhere lately. And by, "I haven't gone anywhere," I don't necessarily mean traveling to some distant state or country. I'm talking about places right here in California! So I made a list of things I want to do this summer. The list includes, (in no particular order,)
1. Go to the San Diego Zoo (It's supposed to be the best in the US!)
2. Go to Six Flags Magic Mountain and try the new roller coaster! Woo hoo! (Right now you can by a day pass for $59 and you get the entire year FREE! That's an entire YEAR for $59!!! AND you can use it at ANY Six Flags.) Wow ... I'm beginning to sound like an infommercial! :P
3. Visit the Getty Museum
4. Visit the Griffith Observatory
5. Go home to visit and maybe force Chris to come with me :P
6. At LEAST go home by myself, lol
And there were some other things on the list that I can't remember at the moment ... ooops ... I'll have to update the list later ... :P

Well, I need to go take advantage of this lovely 70 degree weather by taking a nice long run in the park before work. Hasta la vista, baby! ;)

Woo hoo, 1%! :P

To my credit, I HAVE visited alot of states. :P

Return of the Marshmallow Man

Remember how I said I had the urge to travel and that I was slightly jealous of Michelle's current trip abroad? Well, last night I just remembered that my dad and Carolyn are ALSO in the middle of a trip abroad! Today they're in Tel Aviv, a city in Israel. Over the next week they're visiting a bunch of historical sites like the Sea of Galilee, Jericho, Jerusalem, The Mount of Olives, and Mount Zion. (To name a few.) No fair no fair!

Arrrrgh. Today at the Elephant Bar I felt about as bloated as The Marshmallow Man with cramps that made me want to just curl up in a ball and die. lol. Okay, maybe not die, but atleast go home. :P On the other hand, this elderly woman I was serving informed me that, "You have such classic features! Cheek bones, and a little turned up nose. It's so darling!" LOL. It made me laugh.

Ho Hum.

I hate it when your car is dirty and it looks like it's going to rain really hard outside- and you get all excited about the upcoming free car wash- and it rains for like TWO seconds. WHICH of course leaves your car even MORE dirty then it was before.

I really want to do something ... go some where! I've been having the incredible urge to travel or do something ... probably because the only place I travel to is the Elephant Bar, lol. AND it doesn't help that Michelle is off exploring in Europe! But then again, I'm not jealous! Noooo, not me! :P I feel like I need a break in my routine ... which lately has gotten rather monotonous ... hmmm ...

YES, yes I know this blog is boring you. Why? Because I'm even boring myself. LOL.

An Ode to My Tooth

Today, I'm mourning the loss of my beloved smiley-faced tooth earring. Last night, as I was leaning over the sink to wash my face, my little tooth fell off my ear and went straight down the sink drain. Panicked, I looked down the drain and saw my little tooth wedged in the pipe smiling back at me. CRAP! I've got to save my tooth! I quickly ran to the closet and grabbed two wire hangers in hopes of bending them in a hook shape, sticking them down the drain, and saving my earring. But JUST as I began the rescue process, my little tooth slipped away right before my very eyes. I was devastated! My tooth earrings were my TRADEMARKS at work! I was very upset. I'm still upset. WAHHH!

On a brighter note, last night I also discovered a new favorite cereal; Kellogg's Eggo Waffle cereal! (In the cinnamon flavor!) I've always been a fan of Eggo Waffles, and this cereal actually tastes like eating little mini crunchy waffles! Sooooo yummy! AND, unlike some cereals, this cereal tastes great with or without milk. I've been munching on it as a dry snack. Mmmmmm! When I asked the president his opinion on Eggo Waffles, he responded, "I agree, Eggo Waffles are quite good."

Pimples can be like tornadoes. They can pop up suddenly with little warning, do their damage very quickly, and then you're just stuck with the aftermath. That just happened to me. Friday morning I woke up and with little warning, I had about 4 pimples just suddenly pop up, and by Friday evening they had errupted, and by Saturday morning they were gone. Now I'm just stuck with the aftermath; little pink spots that mark the place where the pimple used to be. The aftermath. Those little scar like spots that take forever to heal. Arrrgh!

Okay, I think I've covered enough random topics for the day! :P

Slightly Insane

The Elephant Bar has been closed for the past couple of days due to some remodeling that they're doing in the kitchen, so I've been forced to have a few days off. It has been SOOOO nice. I neeever get to have more than ONE day off in a row. I'll get Monday off, and maybe Thursday off, but never two or more days in a ROW. So yeah, I've been hanging out at Chris' place for the past couple of days. I've watched more tv in the past couple of days then I've watched in the past 8 months. NO, REALLY. I have.

I also had a $10 rewards card from Best Buy that I needed to spend, so I bought the dvd 'Father of the Bride.' I simply love that movie! And Steve Martin is great. I watched it yesterday, which made me really happy.

I've also gotten to observe my boyfriend acting quite insane this past week due to finals. Yes ... I think I'm just as relieved that his finals ended about 2 hours ago as he is! :P (Right now he's currently singing in a high-pitched voice about Toasty and Tang. Ohhhhh boy.) Chris: "Here's a question: do old women's eye brows turn white when they're old like mens?" In all fairness, Chris would like to explain that his downward spiral to insanity was brought on by the 49 page paper he turned in earlier today.

Tomorrow, the vacation ends. Back to work! Ohhhhh goody.

Yay for the 90's!

I was talking to Chris on the phone yesterday and during the conversation, he compared me to a "small asian with a big butt," and "a blonde haired, blue-eyed guy." (Don't ask!) So I responded by saying, "Well yeah, I actually do have some things in common with guys!" First I listed my love for food, and then how I love playing video games. "Wait-" Chris objected, "Super Mario really doesn't count Allison." What? I thought, I'm so hurt! My poor boyfriend is under the assumption that the only games I like are Super Mario Bros! Well, let me tell you, I had quite a few favorites back in the day! We're talking 90's Baby! Among my favorites to play while growing up were (In no particular order):
* Mario Brothers (all of them!)
* Super Mario Kart
* Yoshi's Island
* F-zero
* Street Fighter
* Mortal Kombat
* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (kowabunga! lol)
* Mega Man (not to be confused with "O"-mega Man! :P)
* The Legend of Zelda
* Earth Worm Jim
* Donkey Kong Country
* Donkey Kong 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
* Pilotwings (I'm the MASTER of the rocket pack!!!)
* Tetris Attack
* Double Dragon
* Sonic
* Duck Tales
* Paper Boy 2 (oh, the memories!!!)
* Kirby's Dream Course
* Sim City (the origional before all those other SIMS games.)
* Sim City 2000
And probably some others that I can't think of right now ... unfortunetly I've been out of the loop since all the "new" stuff has come out. (Aside from playing SOME games, like Mario Party, Evil Dead, and Grand Theft Auto, lol!) Games have gotten much more complicated and detailed, and I no longer have any type of game system at my disposal to work with ... (except Chris' playstation 2 ... which I haven't really explored yet.) :P

Wedding Bells

Last night after watching American Idol, I stayed tuned in order to watch the premiere of the new tv show on Fox called "Wedding Bells." This new series is about three sisters who are wedding planners that took over the family wedding business after their (yet-to-be-seen) parents divorced. I must admit, I was quite excited when I found out there was going to be a show about wedding planners ... seeing that well ... I like to plan weddings.

The show has potential- every week they'll deal with bridezillas, runaway brides, mothers-of-the-brides and all the complications that accompany high-stress wedding days. There were several parts in last night's premiere that had me laughing out loud, and there were many parts that made me smile.

However, at times the comedy seemed a bit forced, like they were trying too hard. I just didn't fall in love with the characters ... although maybe I need to see more episodes in order to actually watch the characters develope. Part of the problem was that so many characters were introduced in last night's episode that there wasn't enough time during the hour to do any of them justice. But, that problem can be fixed as the show progresses.

In all, I love the idea of the show, and I found last night's show enjoyable, but there's definetly some kinks that need to get worked out before I get hooked. :P

On another note, the two girls that I want to get booted off of American Idol tonight are Antonella and Haley. I will be SOOOO pissed if Antonella makes it to the top 12!!!!! Ahhhh!

Random Thoughts

Random thoughts ...

* I could really go for a nice hot white mocha right now ... but I don't need one!

* Why can't I ever find orange flavored Schmirnoff anymore? It's my favorite!

* Kung Fu is really hard on my feet ... maybe I need new shoes ... it's a bad sign when the cushy part of your HEEL bruises ...

* Work was reeeally slow today.

* I want to go on a trip some where this summer!

* I'm really glad it's Easter season, that means my all time favorite candy in the world is out: Cadbury Cream Eggs!

* I have a confession ... I laughed so hard to myself when I saw the picture posted above that I had tears welling up in my eyes ... now isn't that sad?

Speaking of Boobs ...

Speaking of boobs, today I finally broke down and bought another strapless bra. You see ... awhile back I invested in a nice, strapless bra from Victoria's Secret because I didn't have any ... and it was $45! Unfortunetly, a few months ago it suddenly disappeared. So I've been doing the whole 'wearing spagetti straps with the bra straps showing' thing for the past few months. To me that just looks tackey, especially when your bra doesn't match what you're wearing and it's completely showing. So today I forced myself to get another one. Yes ... it was $45. And I HATE buying a bra if I don't have at least ONE pair of underwear that matches, so I spent another $14 on a pair of matching underwear. AHHH!

On the bright side, I decided to try the new "Secret Embrace" line, (pictured above,) and it's soooo comfortable! I highly recommend it to anyone who needs to make the underwear investment like I did. : P The bras and panties have no wires, (well, obviously the panties don't have wires, lol,) but they still offer support for the boobs. Most seamless/wireless bras don't get much support, but these do! And they're really smooth, so they look great underneath clothes.

Okay, I've spent far too much time talking about boobs and bras. LOL. But yes, Victoria's Secret Embrace line, wonderful! : D

Kellie Pickler's New Pickles

For those of you who watched American Idol at all last season, chances are you probably remember Kellie Pickler, that bubbly blonde from Albemarle, North Carolina. She definetly played the "dumb blonde" card by playing up her nieve-ness, i.e. mispronouncing calamari, (not even knowing what it was,) saying the word "salmon" like "SAL-mon," etc. Anyhow, she got to be rather annoying, to say the least. Although she didn't win the competition, she still toured with the "top 12" and has been making country albums.

Last week, she made an appearance on the American Idol elimination night to sing a song- and the first thing I noticed was her boobs. They were huge! It looked like they had ballooned from a 38-A cup to a double DD! Apparently, I wasn't the only one who noticed. Ryan Seacrest, (the show's host,) obviously distracted by how enormous Kellie's boobs had suddenly gotten, asked her, "So, after Idol, what have you been spending your money on?" With a sheepish grin, Kellie replied, "Shoes." Yeah. Right. "What else have you spent your money on?" Ryan asked further. Hmmmm ... I'm betting a boob job.

In addition to getting a fake looking boob job, Kellie's song that she sang and "co-wrote" left something to be desired. It was pretty dull. And not only was the song dull, but her stage presence was very lackluster. She stood in the same spot the whole time, with little to no arm movement, and showed very little facial expression. It was like she had no emotion. Auuugh.

And I'm still wondering, "Why would you want to go from an A-cup to a DD?" Not only is that going to stretch out your boobs and make them look bad, (in addition to fake,) but ... but ... I know alot of people who complain about having large boobs! My roommate (who has DD's,) is always complaining about how it hurts to run because her boobs are flopping all over the place, and that she can never find tops that fit because her boobs are too big. Now ... I'm not saying being fully-endowed is a bad thing ... but ... going from an A to DD? Now that's overkill.

Kelly Pickler

Hi all. Come Monday, Allison will most likely discuss Kelly's new boobs. Until then, just look at these before and after shots.

I May Have a Problem ...

Last night I realized I may have a problem ...

You see ... American Idol is the only show I have watched on a regular basis every year since season one. I mean sure, I'll watch other shows here and there for a season or two IF I have cable ... but ... but ... I have always been a devoted fan of American Idol, even before all the hype! Sooo what's the problem, you ask? Well ... American Idol just HAPPENS to be on during the same nights/times as my Kung Fu ... GAHHHHH! And last night, American Idol won out. Sifu is gonna hate me. :P

The Time Has Come

Well ... I successfully completed my FINAL 8-hour shift at Starbucks this morning- whoo hoo!!! No more getting up at 3:45am for me! Although ... quitting was slightly bitter sweet. On one hand, the people I worked with were really nice, I loved being able to walk to work, and I loved all the benefits. BUT ... after a year and a half I no longer appreciated working at 4:30am and working every day of the week ... BLAHHH! The time had come.

I was going to take this opportunity to do a bit of shopping ... you know ... to celebrate the end of Starbucks! But the problem is ... I'm so freak'in tired right now that all I wanna do is go konk out on my bed ... especially if I'm going to have any energy for kung fu tonight! Hmmm ... such a dilemma. :P

Oh, the cute sleepy hamster is a picture of how I feel right now ... only ... minus the cute. :P I don't look so cute with my hair all damp from just getting out of the shower!

Wooo Hooo

Tomorrow is my last shift at Starbucks. I am very excited. Let me say that again. I am VERY excited. Maybe I can actually start living like a normal human being again! I'll no longer have to get up at 3:45am and work every single day of every blasted week!!!

Today on my way home from work I almost broad-sided this stupid idiot who wasn't paying attention and just pulled out in front of me. :::sigh::: idiots.

I've decided that maybe me not having cable isn't such a bad thing ... (I haven't had cable since the end of July ... which means the ONLY times I have watched tv since July is occasionally at Chris' place.) The reason is, if I want to watch tv at my apartment, the only way to do that is to watch it downstairs in the gym. Which means, I'm forced to work-out everytime I watch tv! Yesterday for example, I ran 4.5 miles during the afternoon and lifted some weights. THEN I realized I simply had to watch American Idol, (I've been a devoted fan since season one,) so I walked ANOTHER 4.5 miles while watching the show. Soooo, I covered 9 miles yesterday! And American Idol is on again tonight, woo hoo!

Well anyhoo, I think I'm going to head off to Starbucks to take advantage of my employee discount one last time! : P

The Good Old Days

As I was walking through the park to the library today, there were tons of little children running around, rolling down the hill in the grass, tackling each other, ect. And then I began to think back to MY younger years ... and how it used to be so much fun to do things like rolling around in the grass and tackling others. And THEN I began to think of how retarded flirting was back then. I remember I had a crush on one of Andrew's best buddies who lived in the neighborhood. From the age of 7, (yes I know, it started young,) to the age of 12, he was my crush. And I remember our way of flirting was doing things like throwing dirt balls at each other's faces, tackling each other, pushing and shoving the other, etc. I mean ... ? I'm pretty sure that if Chris came up to me today and threw a big dirt ball at my face I wouldn't feel the same giddyness that I used to. :P

What's YOUR "IQ?"

So I got a call from this MTV casting director who wants me to audition for this new game show called, "IQ," which ... basically sounds like Jeopardy. Of course I'm willing to make an arse of myself on national television, so I have an audition at 12pm tomorrow. Woo hoo!

I also got a call from a producer friend of mine today, who offered to give me his ticket to this private screening for the movie "Zodiac" (starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr.) for tomorrow night, (because he's going to be out of town and won't be able to go.) So I thought to myself ... hmmm ... I'd get to see the movie before it's out in theatres, it's free, and there's free cocktails ... sure, I'll go! :P

On my way to the library just now I encountered a kid with a MAJOR staring problem. He was probably around 7, wore glasses, and just kept blatantly staring at me! I started off walking behind him, and he had his head COMPLETELY turned around to stare at me, then I walked to the side of him as I passed, to which he turned is head and STARED some more, and then continued to stare at me as I walked on my merry way. I mean, GEEZ, I'd like to think that I was at least a little more subtle with my staring problem as a child! lol

Oh oh! Only ONE more shift at Starbucks!!! (Thursday!) Woo hoo!!! :D

Gahhhhh

Ok ... now ... maybe I'm a little bit irritable because I didn't get much sleep last night but ... does the way some one types ever annoy anybody? Because the way the dude sitting next to me is typing is seriously annoying the crap out of me!!! He's like, POUNDING the keys. I mean honestly. You don't have to PUNCH the keys in order for them to work. Gahhhhh!!!

I also have really bad cramps and back aches right now ... perhaps another reason why I'm irritable ... AND it's kinda misty/rainy out ...

Hmmm ... I can see this blog is going no where good because I'm simply too consumed in the annoyance I'm feeling towards the POUNDING THE KEYS dude sitting next to me.

Maybe I'll say something more productive later ... lol ...

Tales from the E-Bar

Frozen Nipples
I approached the table of four, with two twenty-something girls, one twenty-something guy, and one 50ish man. "Can I get you started with an appetizer like our ginger soy calamari or our nui nui coconut shrimp while you're looking over the menu?" I asked. The pepper haired, 50ish man responded by looking me up and down, and, in a rather drunken sounding slur, said, "Yes ... your nipples ... frozen." "I don't think they're on the menu!" I said as I laughed uncomfortably. The other three sitting at the table looked at the 50ish man, (probably their father,) and also laughed uncomfortably. Finally, after they ordered their dishes which did NOT consist of frozen nipples, I was soon bringing out their food. "Is there anything else I can get you?" I asked. The frozen nipple wanting man took my hand and laid a big, slobbery kiss on it, all the while mumbling something I couldn't understand. Ugh, this is disgusting! I thought as I quickly drew back my hand. Later, to top the meal off, I asked if anyone wanted to try some dessert and Mr. Slobber Kiss Man motioned for me to lie down on the table. Ugh. Yuck. Check please!

The Three Shot Martini
Sitting at the table were two middle-aged mexicans, one man and one woman. I came over to the table and asked if I could start them off with something to drink as they looked over the menu. "A diet coke for me," the man responded, "but for the lady, a martini with a shot of vodka, a shot of gin, and a shot of vermouth." He said as he smiled sleazily. "He's trying to get me drunk!" The woman giggled as she returned the man an equally sleazy smile. Aaaaalrighty then. I thought. What a nasty sounding martini! But despite the nastyness, I brought out their drinks and some fiery kung pow shrimp quickly followed about ten minutes later. But when I brought the food out to their table, they were both gone! The only thing there was an empty martini glass. That's rather strange ... Then, about five minutes later, the couple returned from out of no where looking flushed, giggly, and a bit sweaty. Eeeeew! I don't want to know WHAT they were doing or WHERE they did it! Too much information.

My Favorite Customer
My favorite customer: a twenty-something dark haired guy who always comes in and sits at the bar while distracting me when I'm busy. I'm kidding. NOT my favorite costumer. Well one day, after sitting at the bar and downing six bottles of beer, a Bloody Mary, and who knows what else, he asks the hostess if he can be seated in my section along with a sober friend who was coming to meet him there. I told the host, "I do not want that guy in my section! He always bugs me to death." Well ... they sat him at one of my tables anyway. Ohhh goody. Over the course of the next hour, this drunken guy continued to make an ass of himself and embarass is painfully sober friend by saying things to me like, "I just LOVE you!" "We're going to be really good friends. No, I'm serious. We're going to be friends." "You are soooo sweet and midwestern!" "I've been sitting here watching you with your little ponytail bouncing from side to side!" "You're so beautiful!" And my favorite, "Do you have a boyfriend?" (asked about 4 times,) with my response each time being "Yes." And each time he'd say either, "Well ... I have a bunch of model friends who you could choose from. You haven't even seen them yet!" or, "Well ... you and your teacher guy should come to my bar and I'll give you FREE drinks!" Hmmmm. Thanks ... but no thanks.

One of the Most Annoying Orders I've Ever taken
"Can I get the Oriental Chicken Salad with no cilantro, eggs on the side, bacon on the side, wontons on the side, rice noodles on the side, no cranberries, and I want the chicken breaded instead of grilled, I don't want the iceberg lettuce that comes in the salad I want romaine and baby greens only, I want a side of oriental sauce and also some honey mustard. Fat free and on the side. OH, and I want the bacon in a seperate container so I can give it to my dog."

One of the Stupidest Questions Asked
"I want a rootbeer to drink. Oh! Can I get it in a glass?" To which I responded, "No. You can only get it in a bowl." Duh!

Time Line

The Chris and Allison Relationship Progression Time Line

Late February '06: Chris found my profile on myspace and sent me a message. We began to send messages back and forth.

First Week of April '06: I gave Chris my phone number.

April 12th '06: The first time we met in person.

April 21st '06: The first time we kissed. Awwwww!

May 29th '06: The first time we .... uhhh ... errr... ;)

Early June '06: The first time I met Chris' family.

June 28th '06: The first time Chris told me he loved me. :D

June 28th '06: The first time I told Chris that I loved him too. :D

December 3rd '06: Chris met my dad and stepmom for the first time.

February 20th '07: Chris and I are still going! :)

A Sunshine-y Day

Ohhhh what a lovely day it is outside! It's currently 84 degrees outside, (although it says it feels like 81 ... which is still fine with me!) I think I'll take full advantage of the nice weather by going for a run in the park before I head off to work tonight. An excellent idea if I do say so myself.

Last night in Kung Fu, I totally bashed my elbow again with the nunchukas. Bahhhh!!! I had managed to avoid doing that for quite some time ... in fact my elbow was finally starting to feel normal again! Although after only being in the class for 5 months so far, I think I'm doing pretty well thank-you! :P Aside from almost knowing #7, in addition to being able to do #6, tan tui, and limpo by myself, (NOT really sure on the spelling of those ... lol) I almost know the entire nunchuka routine! Gooooo me! :P

Hmmm ... the sunshine-y day is calling me, I must go running!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! (Okay okay, I know I'm a day late, but who cares!) :P

Hope everyone had a lovely day of sappyness and chocolate-y-ness. I know I did! Well ... not so much the chocolate-y-ness ...

Initially for Valentine's Day I wasn't planning on doing anything since Chris and I sort of celebrated it on Saturday, (we exchanged our "gifts" and he took me out to dinner,) and we both had to work that day and we live at a bit of a distance from eachother. But then at the last minute I thought, Hmmmm. Maybe I should butt over to go see Chris after work on Valentine's Day and surprise him. Why yes, yes I think I shall! So I bought a red velvet cake and decorated the top of it with red icing that said, "I Love Chris," (yes, Valentine's Day calls for extra sappy-ness,) picked up a bottle of sparkling apple grape juice, put on my cute new leopard print top, my red and pink heels, and headed over. Soooo sneaky!

Unfortunetly, I sort of fumbled the cake as I was getting out of my car and smeared the icing all over the lid, so you really couldn't tell at all what it said.) Bahhh! Oh well. When I knocked on Chris' door, he took awhile to answer it. I feared that maybe since he wasn't expecting anyone, he might not answer the door. But finally, at last, he opened the door and I said sweetly, "Hi, I'm from the personal escort service that you requested!" Heeheehee. :D

Chris told me that when he peaked through the peak hole, he couldn't tell who was outside and he thought I was some mexican with bleach blonde hair wanting a date! LOL!!!! Soooo I successfully tricked him! (He's very hard to trick ...)

And THAT was my Valentine's Day!

Decision Confirmed

So ... my decision to quit Starbucks was confirmed this morning when I got up at 3:45am (after only 3 1/2 hours of sleep because I had to close at the Elephant Bar,) and I showed up ON TIME at 4:30am, only to find no one was there. So I sat down in the cold, drizzly rain and waited. And waited. 5am ... still waiting. 5:30am ... still waiting. 6:00am ... STILL waiting. At this point my entire body was wet with the misty rain and my hands were freezing. Then at 6:15am a car with two girls, probably in there late twenties, pulls up. "Are you guys open?" They ask. (Despite the fact that we CLEARLY aren't open because all the lights inside the store are off and I'm sitting outside in the DRIZZLE. "No. We're supposed to open at 5am, but whoever the morning manager is today hasn't shown up yet." "Oh ... " the girl said, "Well we're just going to wait right here." She said with determination as she backed her car up into the parking spot. Are you kidding? I thought. I just told them we're not open, the manager isn't here, who knows WHEN some one will show up, and even if the manager shows up this very SECOND we STILL won't be able to open for another 30 minutes because we have to actually "set up" everything first. Now extremely annoyed, I just got up and walked off. Yep, I walked home at 6:20am after having waited almost TWO HOURS in the cold. I walked inside, put my pajamas back on, and went back to bed. (AFTER turning off my phone, of course. There was no way I was going to be awakened by some one calling asking me where I was after they decided to show up.) So yeah. This is the second time I have shown up to work and the manager hasn't bothered rolling out of bed. I am SOOOO puting in my two weeks notice on Thursday!

I'm also angry because sitting outside in the soggy cold for almost two hours seems to have made my illness relapse ... my throat and head are BACK TO HURTING after I was finally starting to feeling better over the weekend. It took me FOREVER to fall back asleep this morning because of my dumb cough and then I woke up like an hour later during a dream (in which I was choking,) because I was actually coughing. Grrrr.

On the bright side of things, Chris took me out to dinner on Saturday night and bought me a really cute cat calender for Valentine's Day. OH and he also bought me the season one dvd of Robot Chicken! I was SOOOO excited! :D

A Token of her Affection

Well, I'm back in California! I had a great time visiting my friends, family, and pets, (who I always miss being out here in CA ... )

As a token of her affection I'm sure, my sister left me with a lovely present! An illness. Sunday night I was suddenly hit with an awful headache and fever, which continued through all day Monday. Tuesday the fever was gone, but my throat began to hurt like a butt! Then yesterday, my throat hurt so bad that I literally wanted to cry every time I had to swallow, and I just had this pathetic sounding, whimpy dry cough that made me sound like I was faking being sick, LOL. I think I went through an entire bag of sore throat drops while traveling yesterday. To top it off, I woke up this morning unable to breath because of all the mucus that had decided to congregate in my throat and nose over night. You know those mornings when you're sick and you just have to run to the bathroom to cough up all that nasty green stuff? Today was one of those. AND now I can't taste the food I just bought at the grocery store. :( On the bright side, my throat feels much better now that I coughed up all that crap earlier this morning. :) (I'm sure everyone wanted to know about my green mucus and nastyness.)

Along with my current sickness, I seem to also be suffering from symptoms related to Cuh-ris withdrawl. NOT good. It needs to be cured.

Oh yeah, I picked up my car today. It's finally fixed! Yay! :) Although, it ended up costing $700. NOT yay. NOT YAY AT ALL!

Also, the weather outside today is simply wonderful! (Then again, maybe it's because I've been in Missouri's -3 to 15 degree wintery weather all week!) It's currently 67 degrees and sunny- perfect for mini golf! Now if only I had some where to go mini golfing and the money to do it at this moment ... lol.

Hmmm ... looking at the computer screen is making my head hurt. I think I must stop. Yes, I must.

Reporting from Missouri

Well, right now I'm sitting at home (in Missouri,) and it's currently -3 degrees outside! Brrrrr! Talk about coooooold! I knew it was a bad sign when I walked outside and after about 2 minutes my hair was already frozen , LOL.

But despite the freezing weather, it's been really nice to be able to see my family and friends. After arriving on Wednesday, I stayed with my brother and sister in Kansas City, where we carried on the tradition of renting AWFUL horror movies. This time, we rented "Dark Harvest 3." (After watching 1 and 2 first, naturally!) The movie completely filled our expectations by being as awful as we expected. :::starts talking like Goofy::: "It wasn't me, it wasn't meee, it was a scareCROW!" Hahaha! :P

Friday Michelle picked me up and brought me to Columbia. We've been spending all weekend taking pictures, hanging out, and watching movies. Last night Ana and Esther (along with their husbands,) came over and my dad made fondue. YUMMY.

Today my old college roomie Anna came up to visit, which was fun. She, Michelle and I went to the mall and shopped for a bit, hung out at my house, and then met Esther at Ruby Tuesdays for some dessert! I had been looking foward to that because Ruby Tuesdays has one of my favorite desserts ... WHICH brings me to my rant of the day ...

One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE desserts is at Ruby Tuesdays. It's a "tall cake" which comes in this giant sundae glass, (chocolate cake which is layered with chocolate mousse,) topped with oreos, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and caramel. SOOO tastey. So we show up at the restaurant and it APPEARS normal inside, (the inside is basically like Apple Bees ... actually the menu is alot like Apple Bees too ... ) and we sit down, and the first thing we notice is the crappy music that's playing. It's like ... elevator MUZAK. Which ... it has the decorative atmosphere of a sports bar, so WHY is MUZAK playing? Then, our waitress hands us the menus, which have COMPLETELY changed. It was as if the restaurant was trying to be all upscale or something. The prices went up, the portions got smaller, and the food items completely changed. At this point I was getting a bit panicked, because dessert wasn't even LISTED on the menu. So I asked for the dessert menu, and got handed this little piece of cardstock that was trying to look all fancy with like SIX desserts listed on it. Luckily, I saw "Tall Cake" listed. Of course I ordered it, (for my entire meal, because it's a HUGE dessert, one that I have NEVER finished, even when sharing!) The waitress brings it out, and first of all, it's no longer in a giant sundae glass. It's on this little glass SQUARE shaped plate. AND it was about 1/4 the size it used to be, (even though it was the SAME PRICE.) Soooooo dumb. I was SO bitter. Needless to say, I finished it all by myself with no problem. Grrrrrrr.