bumper sticker xxii

spotted. by tonerhuffer. keep this in mind this coming new years' eve. when looking for love. or a fun way to begin the new year. cheers!

first christmas

zola loved christmas. not only did she get a new baby lamb named ba-ba. that did in fact make baaaing noises. (she cried the first couple of times the lamb made noises. zola was trying her best to comfort the lamb. while chewing and tearing off her wool. ba-ba after two days. no longer makes noises.). santa also brought her a long doggy. like the one from the petsmart commercials. this is her second. the first i named bruno. (granny's husband). and the new one is skip. (his son - or bruno jr.). the head and the bum make noises. so it is best when zola can put both in her mouth to squeek.

the best part of christmas for zola was of course. what everyone else got. all the paper to tear. boxes to chew. ribbons to run with. new slippers to steal. it was an evening of paradise.

after one of her naps. when she is still sleepy. and sweet. before the demon comes out fully. i tied a bow around her little neck. and let her into the room with the tree. for a photo opp. as featured below. it is normally off limits. with a baby gate. just like the stairs to my bedroom. i like to think she sings stairway to heaven. when she sits at the bottom. and barks. and cries for me to come get her. we tried having her sleep with me. but with all the new scents. and items to inspect. in the dark. it was too much. so trotted back to mom and dad. only to wake me in the morning. with little puppy kisses. followed by nibbles. and then paws.

bumper sticker xxi

spotted. by yours truly. lunching christmas eve. couldnt have said it better. myself.

braun

for rach. my hair girl. i love my new color in this photo. (she was a wee bit upset when i saw her recently, that i hadnt posted anything regarding the new hair color). i am also getting used to the 5 inches cut off. its fun. its fresh. its the new jan brady.

also. as noted from previous post. i did not take a picture of the grossness that was my finger. (it still has a bump). but if you look at the picture closely. maybe click on it. to really blow it up. you can see my right hand. pointer finger. is a lot darker than my others.

slow

things have been slow in the beehive. with the cold weather. did i say cold. its freakin' freezing. not much to report. so go ahead and mark this post as boring. i wish those whom check the boxes would leave a comment. but then again. i can hear my mother. 'if you dont have anything nice to say, then dont say anything at all'.

my finger. well the whole side of that hand is disgusting. it is bruised. and still swollen. tender. i havent thought too much about it. until people begin to ask if its broken. which no. i can move it. but then they say you never know. it reminds me of the broken arm. when i didnt think it was broken. and then skied. and did other activities. only to hurt it more. and then i had to have surgery. i hope thats not the case.

the annual festivus party was over the weekend. i aired some grievances. and serious business had the most delightful treats. as usual. i dont feel i brought my a-game to the party. maybe i was still hurting from thursdays holiday party. but i played a new game. danced. and got to visit with old friends. and meet my replacement friends.

have a safe and happy holiday season. give your loved ones big hugs. and kiss your pooches.

owned

i caved. it didnt take much. just a tiny bit of persuasion. i then turned to two other girls. and did the famous peer pressure line. i'll do it, if you do. so we did. signed up for the bull riding competition. i was nervous as hell. i had no idea what to expect. i pointed out my competition from the start. there was one gal i was afraid of. she is tall. and athletic. and people like her.

my name was called. i was nervous but remained calm. a man from the crowd yelled out, 'its just like the stripper pole.' funny. and true. ha. so i climbed up. again. unsuspecting to what this would be like. and he started. they did some shimmies for girls. and i held on. flinging about. and i rode. i was #1 for round one. 33 seconds. longest of the boys too. i had to ride for a second time. the top 5 competed for the top 3. 34 seconds that round. technically i lost. to the one competitor i feared. but my overall average was better. and spectators told me i 'looked' the part. so i take that as a win in my book. she beat me by one second.

it was the second time. when i got off. something wasnt right. my right hand was throbbing. i looked down. my pointer finger was black and blue. i popped a blood vessel. i now have a burrito finger. that hurts. and is an ugly color. very tender. but it was all worth it. cowgirl up. this didnt stop me from dancing to beyonce on the way home on the party bus. it wasnt that finger. not the ring finger. if you liked, then you shoulda put a ring on it...

day o' debauchery

this is my hope. but every year without fail. i end up doing something silly. maybe today will be different. there is a mechanical bull riding competition. i have not signed up. and if i make it through the party without being peer pressured. it will be a success. cheers to open bar. and good food.

next topic. for after i recover from the party today. survivor the tv show. thinking about submitting a try out video. feedback appreciated. as my family thinks i wouldnt make it past the first show. and jeremiah said i would not last 2 minutes before i started complaining. and want to leave.

sweater time

its that time of the year. i dust off my tackiest. of tacky. sweater. that i have held onto for going on 8 years. although i might switch up the outfit this year. but i will wear the jingle bell earrings. santa pin. and my most favorite brown leather boots. with the red laces. vintage. inbloom will be making the trek down from up north. getting excited already. and with a visitor coming. walle dyson will be working overtime today in preparation.

in the words of the invitees: go to macy's and purchase a tacky holiday sweater. then join us to string popcorn, light the menorah, torture the dog in his sweater and get crunk.


ls

holiday cheer

over the weekend. during day light. i crept down to the basement. in my storage unit. where all my glorious holiday decor lives for 10 months out of the year. i was going to decorate during the week. right after turkey day. but its dark when i get home. and i dont like to venture down there unless i have someone with me. i decided this year i would not put up my tree. its little. but really there is no space. and since its just me. no point. all my presents still go to the parents house. or i open it when people give it to me. i guess i do have one mini. mini tree atop the hutch. which this year displays my favorite. german. wooden ornaments. other than all my normals. my additions this year are the two wreaths hanging on the french doors. i found then at target. and added some vintagey looking ribbon. cant decide if the bow should be at the top (as pictured) or down with the greenery. thoughts appreciated. and the new table cloth. that yes. needs to be ironed. i have a couple other odds and ends spreadout. but these were the cluster of holiday cheer displayed below. also. please note. i am displaying christmas cards on the hutch. so feel free to send me one. wink. wink. now. about that holiday shopping...

bumper sticker xx

spotted. by yours truly. saturday afternoon. is this opposed to all those fake men running around?

bumper sticker xix

spotted. yours truly. sunday driving. harley davidson motorcycle. on the front windshield.

"my other toy has tits!"

when i grow up

i received an email yesterday. no subject. no body. not signed. with two attachments. cover letter. and resume. for the 09 summer internship. crazy how they start flowing in so early. but its usually the early ones. well that bring the most amusement. the unidentified individual included the following in the cover letter:

...I am fascinated by the travel and hospitality industry that is why i am planning on opening my own hotel when I graduate from college. I currently enrolled in a marketing class...

wow. individual. thats a big goal. how about i give you this unpaid internship. and in-return i receive unlimited stays at your hotel. that you will open soon. but it seems like you might be too busy to slave away all summer long in my office. or maybe you should take that time and proof read your documents. there were a lot more spelling. and grammar mistakes. goodness. but he/she probably will open a hotel. and i will have to eat my words. that will be my luck. ha.

kisses

i was pleasantly. and very. surprised today. by a delightful little thing. called the candy cane hershey kiss. i was very skeptical. cause you know. sometimes experiments dont always go well. i usually just stick with dark chocolate. and call it a day. but i was intrigued. and after klar highly recommended the candy. i caved.

it was like an explosion of love in my mouth. a kiss. ha. it tastes a lot like my favorite mints. the buttermilk mints. whenever i see them at restaurants. i take handfuls and drop in my purse. inbloom used to bring them home from her old job. love them. so this limited edition kiss. is a lot like those. but they are chocolate. so better. and they have mint specs mixed in. made me a little weary. but i got over it. and asked for another.

tis the season

i am now a brunette. i went darker for the winter. dark. for the upcoming. dark. dreery. months.

rach. my girl. my hairdresser. she is an avid reader. so. i must say everyone loves it. have received numerous compliments. but its still growing on me. its weird to look at myself in the mirror. i need a couple of days. but dont fret. i do not regret. and i am not, not happy. i just need a day or two.

no pictures for now. i have to love it before i reveal.

bumper sticker xviii

spotted. jeremiah. while vacationing in tampa, fl. last month.

i am surprised this is the first calvin peeing one i have received. it was taken with an alternative motive. jer's dad is a psychiatrist. but you know. something about lil' calvin peeing on an occupation. funny. and wrong. based on the other one. i think this person might have some issues. hmm.

bumper sticker xvii

spotted by tonerhuffer. over the weekend. somewhere in a turkey comatose.

there are bumper stickers. and then there are bumper. stickers.

thankful

a tad late. but a good way to begin the holiday season. and my monday after a long weekend. i am very thankful for many things in my life. in no particular order. or reasoning.

family. funny families. togetherness. canine kin.
friends. near. far. timeless.
meds. i am a pill popper.
music. old. and new talented artists.
movies. the good. the bad. the bad that make you find the good.
food. eating favorites. finding new delicious treats. but still remaining picky.
shoes. boots. fashion. trends.
coffee. warm. delightful smell.
freedom. independence. safety.

the thanksgiving weekend was nice. i lived like a bum. remaining in comfy clothes majority of the time. and not worrying much about my hygiene and appearance. i watched the macy's day parade. and thought about how cold. and miserable it must have been to get there and to go home after. with 3 million of your closest friends there too. and then on my drive back to my house. driving through the plaza shopping area. i remembered why i tend to be a scrooge over the holidays. i love living in this area any other time of the year. but with so many folks/visitors out shopping. not only do they clog the cross walks. if they use the proper cross walks and lights. but they also drive like idiots. slow. and like they have never been out. never entered a parking garage. or driven down a new street.

but it was delightful to turn the pages on my calendars. december is here. i have not completed any holiday shopping. i like to wait until the last week. its more exciting that way. or so i convince myself.

sinus wars

happy thanksgiving to all my readers. i hope to enjoy some turkey. and my new favorite addition. cranberry sauce. (must be mixed with the turkey. not solo). but i have a sinus infection. damn me. for always being sick with these things. i forgot to take my zyrtec for one day. and bam. infected.

mother and i will be making a feast. from my new barefoot contessa cookbook. for the four of us. no traveling. i am bringing house guests. two pups. to play with zola. and romp around the house. so i dont have to drive back and forth. and now so the rents can help me care for the doggies while i stake my claim on the sofa. this makes for easy packing. two days of pjs.

zola is starting to get her adult teeth. she is already 40 lbs. halfway to her ideal weight. pictures to come of her with her new friends. she is scared of everything. so i hope she is friendly and likes them. it will be good for her to be socialized. i think she is more of a 'dog' than cory. cory was pretty much human. she didnt like other dogs. had little interest in anything that wasnt a treat or napping. and a walk. just liked being the lady of the house. zola is now the princess.

chef boyar-me

last night it was my turn to make the meal. for our dinner group. when discussed. i knew exactly what i wanted to make. as during pj wearing, lounging all day on saturday. i salivated most of the day watching foodnetwork. one in particular was giada's turkey raviolis. it is ground turkey with cranberry sauce and other fixins. with a nice white cream sauce. i added my own tomato cucumber salad. and a side of corn. delightful.

the ravs. were made from wonton pre-made dough. so that was pretty easy. the hardest was the sauce. my first attempt came out paste like. eeww. so i whipped up a second round. and it came out nicely. it didnt have all the ingredients as the first. but i slathered the paste on top of the ravs. and then poured the creamy goodness over it all. below is untitled's plate. i paired this dish with a nice chardonnay. and water. ha.


my guests brought desert. and some poo. ha. little chuck must have smelt past house guests. and got nervous. and just needed to get it out. i thought it was pretty funny. it was on the linoleum. and his dad. scooter. cleaned it up. along with reprimanding charles. but back to the sweets. they brought delicious red velvet cakes. also featured below. they were the perfect ending to our feast.

i purchased a new mascara over the weekend. i am very happy with it. its a nice everyday wear. lengthens. thickens. and looks natural. ladies. buy it. its only $5. maybelline colossal volum'. cant miss it in the yellow tube. now i was tempted by covergirls. orange bottle. the one with drew barrymore on the commercials. lashblast volume. have you tried? thoughts?

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag

happy birthday bruder. my best friend for life. we have traveled the world together. entertaining one another. with jokes. pranks. and many adventures. the most recent of course. going to our third ingrid michaelson concert. his true love. we ventured up to omaha on sunday afternoon. met inbloom and her friend for dinner. and made it to the venue for the 8 pm show. i decided to be a road warrior and drive home after the show. i was the d.d. and let bruder enjoy his time off from work. and this was my present to him.

ingrid was marvelous. she has such a stage presence. not only does she have a beautiful voice. but her witty comments. and humor in between songs. makes for a wonderful show. the venue was also very nice. great acoustics. and even had speakers in the powder room so you can listen while. well while doing your business. it was a late night. but well worth it. this was by far the best show we have seen of her. i was happy with the songs from the new album (be ok). but was also pleasantly surprised by 4 new, new songs. i was a wee-bit delirious when crawling into bed at 3 am. after a morning of sleep. i was content.

quite fit

the work week is almost done. and thank goodness for that. i feel exhausted. which i shouldnt. as i spent the majority of the week. sprawled out on the sofa. shifting thru my 10 fuzzy channels. and taking naps. before heading to bed. this was after some productivity at my office job. i stayed late. putting my time in. in hopes to make the following day more tolerable.

other product activities included. grocery shopping. i always find this a chore. and try to be prepared. so i dont do the usual. make it home. put things away. and realize i bought guacamole. with no chips. or pasta with no sauce. der. i also feel challenged. as i just never know what i am going to feel like later in the week. this is also dependant on if i go out to lunch during the week. am i going to want mexcian for two meals in one day. no.

second. hanging a new shelf in my bedroom. i had stuff on my radiator cover. this worked for awhile. until i came home after a weekend of dogsitting. to a glorious smell. it was the smell from my favorite candle. (that i have never used. the fragrance is so strong without lighting). i have probably had this candle for 5-6 years. anyway. it was sitting on top of the radiator cover. and wouldnt you know. judy. the landlord. turned on the heat over the weekend. with no warning. so my candle melted. melted all down the radiator. and onto the wooden floor. i had bought the materials to make a shelf long ago. in preparation. it was just finding time. motivation to do it. and then i vacuumed. yes. for the second time since i bought it. little wally dyson. is still amazing.

third. i met a good friend ck. or crazy kellie. (as a non blogger, i feel it only right to announce her nickname before just going with initials). for dinner last night. it was great to catch up. we had not seen eachother since spring time. it was funny. when i pulled into the parking lot. we recognized one another getting out of our vehicles in the dark. and called out to the other. it was then she said. you look great. you havent changed. ha. she hadnt either. it was nice. good chats to catch up since last. we vowed to not have it go as long next time. and we wont.

bumper sticker xvi

spotted. by yours truly.

"9-11 was an inside job."

happins'

i have been swamp with my duties at work. ha. why is the word duties so funny. inbloom and i spent a long time laughing and repeating it in one of our last visits. i kept telling her i have assigned her a new duty. has she completed her duties. seriously. we must be five. i also had to laugh when the new bond movie commercial was on the tele the other night. one of his lines is: i am motivated by my duties. oh dear.

felt like i needed to write. to have some sort of outlet. other than being scolded. and feeling dumb. and then second guessing what i am doing with my career. is this really what i want to be doing. its not rewarding. its frustrating. and no matter how you dice it. its always answering to someone else's ignorance. but the grass is always greener on the other side.

and now answering baby winsteads request: My friend tagged me to write 7 random facts about myself and encourage 7 others with blogs to do the same. I am choosing not to tag people, but would encourage others to do the same (stac, jgib, joj & LEM).

1. i hate wearing shoes. i am barefoot the majority of the day. even at work i take my shoes off while at my desk. and i must. must drive barefoot on long car rides. (except in the winter).

2. when i am completely comfortable. or falling asleep. i have to have something under my nose. usually a blanket. sheet. stuffed animal. or sometimes as noted by friends. three fingers. (3. yes i still sleep with a stuffed bunny named baxter. not every night. or its not like i can not fall asleep without him. but he shares my bed).

4. i love steak. thick. juicy. a little bloody. usually med-rare. yummy. steak.

5. i have an extra bone in my collar bone. that flairs when i am sick.

6. i hate cats. oh wait. thats not random. but i have had cat-scratch fever twice in my life.

7. when watching college football on saturdays. i sit in envy. i really think one of the coolest feelings in the world. would be to score a touchdown. but not just a touchdown. like an 80-yard run. with the other team running behind you. and nothing but open field in front of you. the speed of some of these guys. i want to run fast. and have my eyes on the end zone. to then complete a victory dance. (and this is not in a rudy kind of way. 8. i hate the movie rudy. its right up there with the band creed. and rid rock).

freezing

its damn cold outside. i was in denial most of the weekend. i didnt bring a winter coat to nebraska for the game. i instead decided that a windbreaker and vest would be fine. with the high of 40. same as when we left on friday. the difference. no sunshine. and the wind. but even with the cold climate. it was a great day for football. i had a tasty runza and hot cocoa prior to the 1:30 kick off. (a runza you ask. its pretty much a meat pocket. so awesome). when we made our way to our seats. i had no idea that it would be 'that' cold. after a wonderful game. nebraska played so well. they played like a team. like a great team. and i was right in my prediction. the cheering helped keep us warm. although when walking out of the stadium. my little piggies felt like i was walking on marbles. it took them a couple of blocks to thaw out. this was because i wore my cute. impractical. red converse. rather than the smart choice of. oh maybe boots.

after the game it was then time for red beers. and victory cheers the rest of the evening. we were able to meet up with our younger cousin. she is a freshman at UNL. came all the way up from austin. so it has been fun to live closer to her. and actually get to know her. at one of our bar stops. we found a phone. decked out in husker gear itself. pictured below. inbloom posing with the dead phone. and my gloves. last minute purchase. which were heavenly. oh and then the owner came back for his phone. he was so happy. his hat had lights around the n. unfortunately they didnt show up in my pic. i did get cranky. and mean to brother on the ride home on sunday. and i am apologizing for that. but i still think you drove like a student driver. ha. but thank you for letting me sleep.

the power of the internet

this post. makes me so happy. finally a feeling of relief. and one more item to check off my list. the directv debacle has been resolved. yes. done. no more ranting. and whining on here about directv. my outlook can go back to neutral. as i never had a problem with them when i was a client. it was after. weighing out.

it began with a simple email from tonerhuffer. he had found a blurb on twitter regarding another disgruntled directv customer. see below:

"Three weeks was the earliest X customer could hope to get her new HD DirecTV dish installed. Her husband was not happy about missing that much of the football season. Hoping for a sooner install time, X called back…four times. No dice. Three weeks was the earliest they could do. Annoyed, X broadcasted her frustration on Twitter and DirecTV (@DirecTV) caught it and responded. Within three days X had a senior supervisor installer in her home installing the dish. While DirecTV didn’t respond to her private call, they did respond to her public tweet."

i thought this was a brillant idea. and if you follow me on twitter. i made my first attempt. it wasnt useful. since i didnt direct it toward directv (@directv). (obviously i am unaware of 'how to' use twitter. or in this instance of using it). so tonerhuffer stepped in again. gave me the tweet verbiage to use. and bingo. within 10 minutes of my post. directv was following me. then sent me a tweet back. after all the back and forth on twitter. they then contacted me on the phone that afternoon. brad. my sexy phonevoice. directv customer support guy was ready to help. (if you are out there. feel free to call me anytime. i am single.) but anyway, back to my story. he handled the request. he was putting in a manual request for the recovery kits. varified the address. phone number. and promised a tracking number. provided his direct line at work to follow up with. i felt good. but i had this same promise so many times before. so still a little reluctant.

yesterday afternoon. i received a follow-up from brad. he then told me that i didnt need to send the receivers back. so no recovery kits will be coming my way. and this will not come back to haunt me. (i did save his voicemessage as a mp3. i am paranoid. i guess). so wipe my hands clean. i am done. he mentioned i could save them if i want to come back to dtv. but there is an electronic recycle drive for habitat for humanity next week. perfect timing. and that seems more practical. otherwise they would go to my free storage unit. ala parentals house. and i dont think they would like that.

i am off for another weekend in the sea of red. brother and i are headed to the nebraska game with inbloom. it might be a little chilly. but since we have actual tickets. i am hoping being squished among the crowd. and all my cheering with help keep us warm. GBR!

plaid and fishnets

sorry i am late. in posting halloween updates. this year untitled and i joined forces. and dressed as our favorite tv show characters. from gossip girl. serena (me) and blair. we went for the school girl uniforms. upper east side style. since the show takes place sometimes at school. although they never go to class. pictured below. not our most creative idea. but it was the easiest. and i will be able to reuse almost everything. the tie is fathers. its actually our family plaid. and since it was after all halloween. fishnet stalkings must be present. along with dancing. and apparently pull-ups. and even better inbloom was in town. to celebrate. and we had a fun weekend as roomies again.

inspiration (those unaware of this CW smash hit tv show):

and now us with friends. the 4th jonas brother. figure skaters. jackie-o. sarah connor and terminator. reggedy ann and andy. and more...

happy halloween

today. is one of my most favorite holidays. behind my birthday. and christmas. i love dressing up. and thinking of different, wonderful costumes each year. in my younger years. brother and i always seemed to pick punk rocker. it was a staple for many years. this was after the time i had to wear layers. and layers of clothes. under a purple spandex uni-tard. when i was a purple monster. i really looked like barney. thank goodness he was not around during that time. one those of things i can not forgive my mother for. but i guess i was warm.

so happy halloween to all. eat lots of candy. celebrate. drink some witches brew.

big day

today i met ina garten. also known by many as the barefoot contessa. at a book signing. it is also my 2 year anniversary at my job. and i saved a bunch of money on my car insurance. (not really).

the book signing was neat. very organized. with over 800 folks coming in probably 3 hours. i thought it would take longer. but we were assigned numbers. and the line moved fast. no pictures allowed with ina. so mine from the side will have to do. we had a nice conversation. with three books for her to sign. i had time to chat. she is a sweet lady. and was so very nice. although when she asked me if i was a cook. i said no. i just love to watch your show. i felt a little bit of an idiot. oh well. she wont remember. or maybe she will. maybe that will make me more memoriable.


two years. its crazy. and has gone fast. this is the first time i have made it two solid years at a job. other than the high school job at the movie theater. this is different. this is my career. i guess.

defined

thank you for all feedback. twirler has been defined. (and for the record. i knew the definition prior. just curious if there could be more than one type of twirler. think about it.)

tyra mail

i was approached awhile back to be a make-up model. for a friend of a friend. to help showcase her work on her new web site. and a professional photographer agreed to help out. and then he can post the pics too. so of course. how could i not accept. i love to help others. and work on my modeling skills. not really the second. ha. anyway here is a little taste. and also featured easy-e. the first friend in the chain. kind of fun.

bumper sticker xv

spotted. by rach. town country plaza. please define twirler.