One of the those Days!

This day started off on the wrong foot from the start.

- Toasty's food bowl was being swarmed by ants that came from some unbeknownst location. Poor Toasty.

- I couldn't spray the bowl, the plastic mat it was placed on, or the ground because Toasty would likely have killed herself in licking up the spray.

- I stomped the floor and cleaned out Toasty's bowel for ten minutes. Hence, I was ten minutes late in getting to the car.

- There was a multiple car collision on the freeway that closed down three of the four lanes.

- In an attempt to get to work on time, I jumped over a large concrete divider between the freeway and the exit I wanted to get to. Poor Mazda 6.

- I was late! And, both vice-principals were at the parking lot gate to greet me. Yay?

- As soon as I get to my classroom, someone pulls a fire alarm on campus. I realize I don't have any fire drill supplies because I'm now in a new classroom. And ... I have no idea where to take my kids during the drill, or what "approved" path I'm supposed to take to get there. Both vice-principals are there to greet me again.

- My morning Pepsi can - exploded!

- I just compared my new paycheck to last years - the amount I pay in taxes, union dues, and other deductions has now risen to 28%. Loverly? And, it will take three years to make back the money I spent on my MA.

- Oh, and because California's legislature took forever to approve a budget, that was due months ago, they haven't gone about financing the new budget yet. Basically, California doesn't have the money yet and if they can't take out loans - because of the credit freeze - they wont be able to pay any public employees, such as myself. So ... I might not be getting a paycheck as early as November first. Thanks California legislature.

- The lunch counter just ran out of change so I couldn't purchase a snack or a drink.

- But, the day can still make a drastic turnaround if McCain doesn't suspend his campaign. I'm very much looking forward to the Saturday Night Live feeding trough that will be the Palin-Biden debate. There's nothing quite like a candidate who doesn't have any knowledge of the Supreme Court or who believes dinosaurs and humans once coexisted.

There's No Place Like Home ...

I just bought these. Jealous? I know I would be. :P I've wanted a pair of ruby slippers ever since I saw 'The Wizard of Oz' for the first time at like the age of 3. That's 22 years of ruby-slipper-wanting! :P

It is FAR too hot here in California to be October 1st. It was 97 degrees today ... what the hell? Although it's supposed to be about 72 degrees by Friday.

I got stiffed TWICE today at work. That SUCKS. Work SUCKS.

On the bright side, I may have my first official wedding cake "booking" for a wedding in July '09. Woooo hoooo! :D

Bedding That is Sure to Give you Nightmares ... :P

Chris and I stumbled across some pretty ... ehem ... kick-ass bedding today. We now have 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' bedding! (And of course this bedding is fitting for both upcoming holidays- Halloween AND Christmas! Heeeeheee!)

Halloween Hauntings

Halloween and fall decorations have officially taken over the apartment. :P
I have these hanging from the countertop area, aren't they cute?I have WAY too much fun decorating ... This is by the bedroom doorway. Yes, it says "this way to the dungeon." A nice little corner display ... There's nothing like gravestones and skeletons to make your living room a little more homey feeling. :P Fall candles with the scent of pumpkin spice scattered throughout are delightful! With all the pumpkins I have everywhere, our place really IS like living inside a pumpkin patch, hehehe. A cute Halloween throw blanket for the couch. It's both comfy and cozy ... Chris would know. :P And colorful fall leaves around the front door completes the look. :D

Unpleasant Night

Last night I had total crap sleep because first of all it took me FOREVER to fall asleep, and then when I finally DID fall asleep I was plagued by constant horrible nightmares ALL NIGHT that would consistently cause me to wake up drenched in sweat. I bought and watched the dvd 'The Notebook' today. Hopefully that has filled my mind with enough sappy goodness to keep away the bad dreams tonight. :/

Out With the Old, In With the New!

So for the past few weeks I've been following this little rule that I made up; every time I buy a new shirt (or any clothing item for that matter,) I have to get rid of an existing item. Because quite frankly, I have a lot of clothes that I don't wear. I just ... have such a hard time getting rid of them! I'm always thinking, I just know that the moment I throw them out I'll want to wear them. (Even though I never do.) This way I'm replacing the old, never used items with new clothes I'll actually wear! Woo hoo! :P

My New Baby :P

After two years of lusting, I finally bought this today. A beautiful 300-watt, 4.5 qt Kitchenaid stand mixer! (Mine is the reverse of the picture; white with a pink stripe.) I'm so excited to use it! It can mix, whip, kneed dough, and do about a million other things with additional attachments. I figured that I deserved to spend $270 (with tax) on something I could really use as a present to myself for saving $875 from the scholarship I won. Plus, my purchase donated $40 to breast cancer research! :P

After I went on my grand shopping spree, I was feeling so brave that I decided to dye my hair. :P Actually, it really isn't that drastic. It's a light brownish/blonde/red color. Hehehe.

Chris and I saw that new movie "Burn After Reading" with his familia tonight. It was ok. It was entertaining and slightly humorous so I guess it did it's job. :P

And now it's 1:37am and I'm going to bed. :::yawn:::

Cue Light Bulb Switch "On!"

I've been coming up with more cake ideas! Currently, I'm planning my next "big" cake for next month, which is going to be a "Nightmare Before Christmas" cake in honor of Halloween! :D And for November, I'm thinking of making an R2-D2 cake. But shhhh don't tell anyone, it's a secret. :P

Random Um's

Um um um I beat 'The Nightmare Before Christmas, Oogie's Revenge' the other day. Loved the game, HATED the final boss, lol.

Um um um I made my first tiered cake over the weekend, and it turned out quite well if I do say so myself. :P

Um um um I bought some hair dye, "light reddish brown" over the weekend. We'll see if I have the guts to actually use it soon. :P

Um ... I'm tired. :/

I'm Contemplating ...

Doing something different with my hair. Like ... coloring it a brownish ... or redish color ... or a brown/red color ... or giving it a slightly different cut ... or ... perhaps both a haircut AND color ... hmmm ...

Eventful yet Non-Eventful Weekend

Had a good weekend. Chris and I went to the presentation in Pasadena and got our 2 night paid for vacation in Napa Valley and also SIX free movie tickets. Woo woo! Considering each movie ticket is about $12 these days, I'm pretty excited about that.

I also purchased stuff to make my first tiered cake next weekend, and bought the PS2 game 'The Nightmare Before Christmas, Oogie's Revenge' which I have pretty much been playing nonstop today.

I hate it when you have really good friends that pretty much just decide to dump you. I'm pretty much fed up with that bull s--t.

Found a Pinkberry just 5 miles away from the apartment. Yay!

And I work tomorrow. Yipee.

Mizzy & Barf Visit

So, can I just start off by saying ...

I'M SO EXCITED!!! I just won the scholarship to attend the annual Association of Bridal Consultants conference in New Port Beach! I had to write an essay and submit a business plan. AND it was judged along with other entries from around the world! This will be saving me about $1,000 which ... for me is a lot. It will pay for the entire conference. YAYYYYYY!!!!

Erika and Barf left last night. Their time here was so much fun!!! Thursday when they got into town around 1:40pm Chris and I took them to In'N'Out (a trademark California burger joint,) and then Erika and I took a nice short (but intense) walk in this beautiful neighborhood while Chris and Barf relaxed in the park. That night we played the Karaoke Revolution games while drinking Mike's Limetinis and Mimosas. FUN!

Friday we spent all day at the water park Raging Waters, which was loads of fun, especially since I hadn't been to a water park in like 13 years. We ate dinner at the Elephant Bar, which was delicious! (Yes I still love the food even though I work there.)

Saturday we had breakfast at a little bakery near the apartment called, "Miss Donut-Bagel." It had damn good donuts. We then spent the day in Little Tokyo shopping, wondering around, trying out Pink Berry (MY NEW FAVORITE) and doing karaoke. We rented our own karaoke room for 2 hours (special hour was only $4 per person/hour) and it was SOOO fun! They had every song imaginable. I'm definitely going back. We watched 'The Last Man on Earth' later that night.

Sunday we started off by taking the special Hawaiian Gardens/Crystal Fitness tour, (HA) and eating at Taco San Pedro, then we headed to Huntington Beach for the day. The waves were some of the biggest I'd ever seen while at the beach, and we got knocked over about 50 times each. (At least.) We finished off the day by renting/watching 'Top Gun.' (It was actually Erika's idea!!!)

Finally, yesterday we went to the Grove/Farmer's Market in LA (where I used to live,) and enjoyed some shopping and eating. (At the French Crepe Co, YUM!!!) Afterwards we headed to Hollywood Blvd., walked around, and then to Sunset Blvd. to walk around some more. While there we ate at a super yummy new place called "The Aroma Cafe." To end the night we drove down Sunset Blvd. to locate some famous "hot spots," then drove through Beverly Hills and down Rodeo Drive. Next stop was the Grey Hound bus station. :( But it was a goooood time.

Yep. That's About It.

Umm ummm ummm let's see ...

Saturday Chris and I attended the Celebrity Food Show event in Anaheim to go see The Ace of Cakes live, which was tons of fun. There were also tons of stations set up for various restaurants, independent cooks, etc to try their food products. I apparently won the "sweet stacks" raffle for a $100 gift basket filled with pancake goodies, lol. Oh and Chris and I signed up for a promotional vacation, which means we'll get two nights paid for at a really nice resort in Napa Valley for attending a 90 minute presentation next week. Woot! I checked out the resort and it's beautiful! We'll still have to pay for food and gas, but considering that the "cheapest" room at the resort we'll be staying at is $399 per night, I think we'll manage. :P

Currently trying two different dessert recipes by Paula Dean tonight, I'll find out in about 30 minutes how they turn out.

Way excited for Erika and Barf's visit on Thursday, yaaaaaaaay!

And lastly, I'm trying to think of a cool idea for my first tiered cake ... hmmm ...

Number Three.

Hmmmm. FINALLY started back at the E-Bar today, fun times. I'd almost forgotten how horrible people tip now adays.

Yesterday I spent all day at Universal Studios with Chris and his family, which was uber fun. I loooooved the new Simpson's ride, SO much fun! And all of the other ones were a blast too, like Jurassic Park, the Mummy ride, and the studio tour. This will be the 3rd theme park I've visited this summer, not bad eh? And I'll be adding a fourth when I go to Raging Waters when Erika and Barf are in town! :D

I'm hungry. Must eat.

Wew.

So the picture above is of the super cute hand-made owl purse that I just won on E-Bay! I am QUITE excited about it's arrival. Speaking of arrivals, my new digital camera arrived while I was in MO and I picked it up on Friday. So far I love it! I can't wait to put it to good use. :P I got a lot done over the weekend, (everything on my "list," actually!) Hmmm let's see. I ...

- Unpacked
- Went to the post office to pick up all the mail
- Bought a camera case
- Took my car into the Mitsubishi dealer for an oil change, clean, new breaks, and a break flush. ($399- AHH!!!)
- Cleaned the apartment
- Went grocery shopping
- Went to Target for some groceries that the store didn't have (gotta have my supreme pizza lean pockets!!!)
- Went through all my mail (there was a TON.)
- Edited and posted a crap load of pictures from our trip.
- Bought/started reading 'Breaking Dawn.'

Wew! The only bad thing is that when I went to the E-Bar on Sunday to pick up my schedule, I was unpleasantly surprised by the fact that they "forgot" to put me back on the schedule this week! Which means NO shifts this week. Nothing. Nada. Which, after being on vacation for 2 and 1/2 weeks, spending lots of money, getting back and spending $400 on car repairs, REALLY sucks. I'm poor. :(

Highlights for Dummies.

No, you guys aren't dummies, I just liked the title. :P So the trip home was super fun. Aside from a few damp spots, the trip was filled with highlights. Here are a few of my favorite:

- Going to World's a Fun with Erika, Barf, and Chris. Our roller coaster pic competitions were the best!!!
- Getting loaded up with drinks and then watching 'Hancock' and 'Dark Knight' at Erika's theatre. Good times!
- Taking "Hero" pictures with Resther, Jesse, and Chris and then eating out at Sonic.
- Hanging out with Resther and Jesse at their casa watching movies and making cookies.
- My party, twas loads of fun. Especially afterwards when Erika, Barf, Resther, Jesse, Chris and I played 'Saving Private Ryan!'
- Carrying on a tradition with Erika and Barf by watching some of the '8 Films to Die for.' (As crappy as they may have been!')
- Chris and I's tradition of going to Panera on a daily basis for coffee and a bagel. (Or in Chris' case, a brownie.)
- Hanging out with Andrew and Esther eating delicious meals at their casa and playing tons of badminton! (FYI Esther's creme brulee is as good as The Elephant Bar's. And that's saying a lot.)
- Going to Skies with Erika, Barf, and Chris while drinking delicious 'Lady Godivas.'
- Going on a super long 4 and 1/2 hour power walk with Mizzy.
- Spending time with Andrew, Esther, and Sni-a-bar while drinking Mikes Hard Limeades.
- Taking villain pictures with Erika and Barf. (I have some up on myspace and facebook, check them out!!!)
- Enjoying all the many thunderstorms while in town.
- Going to the 'Bodies Revealed' exhibit with Erika and Chris. It was AMAZING!
- And of course, going on my progressive birthday dinner in 'The District.'

Thanks to Andrew and Esther for cooking us meals and letting us stay at their casa, and thanks to Becky (aka Jones) for giving us a ride to the airport!!! :)

Time

Ummm have I told everyone yet that the party is "starting" at 6pm on Saturday? Well ... if not ... it starts at 6pm!!! :P

RSVP!

Attention all MO peeps!!! Could you please RSVP by this Saturday (the 19th) for the party that I'm having on Saturday, July 26th? I need to have an idea of how many people will be coming for food and planning purposes. Details on the theme, exact time, and dress will be announced later this week. You can just RSVP to me via myspace or facebook message, phone, OR you can even leave me a comment right here on this blog. :P Thanks!

Ohhhhhh Joy.

Saw 'Wall-E' last weekend and thought it was WAY cute, of course! It totally made me want to own my own little robot ... which ... would be WAY cool. Especially a cute one. Like Wall-e.

Am HIGHLY annoyed at the moment because the digital camera I ordered is NOT going to make it here in time before I leave for Missouri, like it should have. I bought it (on e-Bay,) on June 29th. My payment process through PayPal was complete by July 2nd, and for some asinine reason, the seller decided to wait OVER a week after he received my payment to ship it. I mean, half the reason I ordered the camera when I did was so that I could have it for my trip home! *&^$#@! Now it will arrive when I'm out of the state. Great.

I'm super tired for some reason and my head hurts.

I ordered a ticket to go see Chef Duff (from Food Network's show Ace of Cakes) in August so that'll be loads of fun, plus other celebrity chefs will be there and there will be tons of food and wine tasting. Yipeeee!

I want a Mikes Hard Lemonade right now, in the lime flavor.

I have too much to get done this weekend.

And ... blah.

Playstation 3

Today, I finally found and bought an 80 Gigabyte Playstation 3 with a 3 year warranty for about the same amount of money as many people spend on one month's rent in many parts of the country. So, why am I happy?

I've been looking for this specific bundle since June 12th. I've been searching online, making calls to local stores, and driving from store to store. I was almost at the point of considering driving to Long Beach just for one of these.

So, what makes one of these so precious? This specific Playstation bundle is the first to include the new Dual-Shock Six-Axis game-pad, includes a voucher for a free online game, brings back backward compatibility for Playstation 1 and 2 games (a feature not available on other PS3 models), includes slots for memory cards and USB devices (another feature oddly missing from other models), supports 1080p High Definition displays, and includes Metal Gear Solid 4!

Most of the Playstations available right now either include no video games or include bad ones like Spiderman 3, Motorstorm, or Fight Night. This one includes the most anticipated game of the year! So, while the model I bought costs one-hundred more than the other model in stores, the new game-pad and included game in my bundle add up to the cost difference - even without considering the superiority of the actual Playstation model.

Anyhow, I'm justifying my purchase by telling myself that for the first time in three years I wont be paying two grand in registration fees to take classes this coming fall. Yes, I think I will keep telling myself this as I go to bed, especially since I still need to buy one more game-pad for two player games, a PS2 memory card adapter, and an HDMI cable that can handle 1080p.

Oh yes! And, the PS3 doubles as a Blu-ray Disc player.

And, this morning at 8:00 am, new software that allows for application installations will be released for the iPhone!

What a glorious week. I would write a review on Rambo and provide the background on the Metal Gear Solid series, but alas, it's 3:50 in the morning and I am (gasp) tired.