This past week was both an incredible challenge and really busy. Like I wrote earlier in the week, I did miss half of NCIS because of the tape’s error. I wound up watching it (again) on CBS.com, which turned out to be okay because then I can let my bird out of his cage during that time so I can still supervise him. He enjoyed the outside time, and I enjoyed the hotness that is Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly. Now, I have gotten some emails about how I am obsessed with this show, and I would like to point out that some are addicted to House, othes are addicted to Law and Order - NCIS is just my show of choice.

My English Comp class was incredibly stupid. The more I attend this class, the more I really dislike the Professor. I wish she would teach! Most of the stuff she talks about can be wrapped up in about 30 minutes, which is perfectly fine with me - but it takes her an hour to get to that topic because she is constantly talking back and forth with a student…as in cracking jokes, laughing etc. It’s like the other people in the class are not even there. After class I had showed her what I was working on for my descriptive essay. She said that it was strongly worded, but it was just the skeleton and I needed to explain how people get over-medicated, why they get over-medicated not in the direction I was going. I just could not wrap my head around that idea and could not twist the paper around to bring it to the angle that she wanted. I decided that I’ll use this idea as my argumentative/persuasive essay/research paper and as the debate at the end of the class. Instead I chose another topic which I was thoroughly able to explain, both it’s history and different aspects of things. I feel that this is a strong paper and am hoping my grade will reflect that.

I also got my math test results back and I’m disappointed. I only got a 95 on this test and I think I could have done better. That’s what I get for spending a little more time on the computer instead of working on my homework. That’s a bad sign, because it means that I’m comfortable just enough to slack off but still course on by the skin of my teeth. I have never (ever) had a 100 on my tests except on that first test and I know someone will comment that a 95 is still awesome but in all honesty, it’s really not. I could have done better and on this next chapter I’ll turn off my computer while I’m working on my homework so I will not be tempted. I seriously want to make the Deans list. And I think that by pushing myself to succeed it will only look that much better on my future resumé.

Yesterday was my twenty-fifth birthday. It was very low-key and I guess I’m at that point in my life where I’m like “who cares? I’ll have another one next year.” I wound up going out to the mall with my Sister and Brother-In-Law where we watched the stupidity of people and escalators. Seriously? A man on a walker went down the escalator, a woman holding a stroller (yes! seriously!) and a woman walking up the down escalator with a tiny baby in her arms. I got a new shirt from NY&Co and enjoyed a pretzel from Aunt Annies (yummy!) My Mother made her most hated meal for me (to prepare, not eat) - Stuffed Cabbage. It was so good! I was very tired because I couldn’t sleep the night before so I was very low-key, which was also okay.

Other than that, my week was hectic (with work) and it on a good note and right now I just feel like taking a nap.

I was so angry this past Monday! I turned in my rough draft for my first paper to my Professor via email (like she asked) last Wednesday. This past Tuesday she said “Everyone who turned in a rough draft, I got back to right?” and I’m like “uh, NO” So, thankfully I had a copy of my rough draft in my notebook and handed it to her during the break. She got back to me last night and said that although there were some minor grammatical things, that even if I didn’t change them, my paper will be given a high “A.” Can we say w00t? She said it was strongly written and a great descriptive essay. *bows* thank you, thank you very much! Now as far as my math goes, I really just need to finish these chapters up, but I’ll do it on Saturday - I’m so tired!

I was so tired last night that driving home (the whole 25 minutes from the College) that I almost fell asleep driving on the long street that turns into the gated community. I wound up going to bed at like 8:15 last night and by the time 12 o’clock rolled around I was up until 2. It defeated the purpose of me going to bed early! I finally figured out why I haven’t been able to sleep though. This used to happen to me when I worked at both of my old jobs where I worked long hours. The more hours I worked, the more stressed I got and couldn’t sleep because I’d feel like I shouldn’t because there was more stuff that should be done. I guess it’s stress or maybe a twinge of guilt about actually sitting down and relaxing or sleeping. It’s an odd feeling, and I just want a good night sleep. The only way I actually fell back asleep last night was because I meditated for a little bit.

I really wouldn’t call it meditating, but it’s only a way to describe it. It’s kind of like redirecting my thoughts to focus on something other than what’s bothering me. Generally I force myself to picture a calm enviroment…for instance last night I forced myself to think that I was standing on a porch with my flannel pajamas on, holding a hot cup of coffee, overlooking trees and a stream. It generally works - most of the time too well. I didn’t feel like getting up this morning!

Recipe behind the cut
View the rest of this entry…

Friday was a long day at work, I put in another 10 1/2 hours but it just sucks because I won’t get any overtime because last Monday was a holiday. But I will confess, my bank account balance on Friday was beautiful, just beautiful. Too bad over half of it had to get sent out to pay those pesky things called bills. Well, on the brightside at least I’ll get caught up on some of them! I’m setting aside some extra cash because I suddenly realized that my bird needs a new cage. Since I’m at school or gone the majority of the week (I’m up before he wakes up and home after he’s asleep) he started to develop some screaming habits again and his cage is so full of toys and interactive things that it’s like a jungle. Plus some extra wingspace would just be good for him.

Friday night I wound up having the leftover black beans and rice (which is like my new favorite love. I didn’t realize how tasty black beans were!) before heading out to the chosen hangout spot. Brother-in-law and I played 2 games of pool (my Sister didn’t feel like it, I suppose!), I downed two virgin Shirley Temples (one of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks. I’m lame. What can I say?) while we were playing bowling. We decided that The Bears were going to beat The Colts today (but I think I missed the game, drats) so I’m not sure if I won the bet or not, I’ll find out in a little bit I suppose.

I wound up not getting a goodnight sleep Friday night and I don’t know why. I do know that my parents neighbor on my side of the house had his light on until the wee hours of the morning and that annoys the heck out of me. Am I the only one that has to have total darkness while trying to sleep? I use my cellphone as an alarm clock and when it’s being charged it’s lit, so I have to cover it up. I cover up the clock so I don’t see the digits change, and I wish that I was able to hang up some dark curtains in there, it drives me nuts. When I first moved in, it took me forever to get used to having a fan on again from the sound, I’m not a big fan of noise either. Friday gave way to Saturday which was absolutely beautiful.

View the rest of this entry…

Good gracious. One of the ladies I work with dragged (drug?) her crockpot to work today chock full of italian goodness. Braciole, sausage and meatballs all in one darn crock pot. And the pasta wasn’t wheat. I did have a little bit of each that she had made and it was muy fantastico. Then, then I came home (all be it 40 minutes late, but that’s not my point). My mother saved for me four Manicotti that she had made. Four. “Finish the dish, Jame,” she says to me. “Eat it because if you don’t eat it, I’m just going to throw it away and it was expensive.” Mind you that this was left overs and they had been in the fridge since Monday night, but not only did I say no to them, but she put all four on my plate anyway. I seriously think she tries to guilt me into eating it or else she will.

And I just did three chapters of math homework. Fun, fun I tell you. It’s not the hard math yet, it’s just a refresher course. I’m having a lot of fun trying to remembr PEMDAS (heh, you know what that is, right? The Power of Opperations or Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally or broken down even further it’s Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction). It’s a lot easier than it was in high school and right now I feel slightly dumb for even being in that math class. But I know that if I had just jumped straight into intro to algebra I would have flunked. But it’s all good. And as far as my English Essay goes, I’m really stuck. I don’t know what the hell I want to write about. The topic is something that you remember a lot as a child, but it has to be a descriptive essay. The one thing that always makes me think of is my Grandmothers funeral, but I don’t want to write about that. Hrm. Maybe I’ll write about Church Sundays. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. I answered my own question. Damn. It’s nine-thirty and I have an idea. Do I dare stay up and work on it, or do I go to bed now and catch some much needed shut eye? Hmm. I’ll just write the first paragraph and work on the rest tomorrow.

And one of my new coworkers burst out in the middle of work today that I would be a great match for one of her friends. I was like “Do tell.” Apparently he’s funny and in the Navy, I won’t bring it up again unless she mentions it. I think if I were to bring it up, I’d come off as needy and clingy and dude, I totally don’t need to come off that way. Psht. I don’t need anyone but me….but between the internets and me, I hope that she does bring him up again. I’d totally go out and hang out with all of them. Maybe not looking for something, but as friends.

Friday night would suffice, honest. The funny thing is that I don’t “feel” tired until after I’m done with everything else that I need to do for the day. It’s the moment that my butt hits the computer chair that I’m just like damn, I don’t want to be on here…. I’ve got this essay due on Tuesday and I’m actually looking back over some of the stuff I’ve written over the years to see if I can “get into the swing of it.” I’m actually almost thinking about resurrecting one of the stories and changing it around a bit and using that as my essay. Technically I wrote it (well, a younger me) and it’s exactly what I need for my essay but somehow I think that this is cheating (and it probably is and I probably won’t use it). I’m so wrapped up in working on my novel that essay’s about anything other than what I’m working on are coming through my brain as fog.

I called one of my friends up from my old job on my way home from class. She hasn’t called me since Sunday, and that was only because she had to ask me a question about work. Her work. The time before that she called me because she was lost and couldn’t find her way to my other “friends” house. See what I mean about getting used? I still must have “welcome” written on my forehead, I just can’t seem to wipe it off! “Do you want to talk to J?” she asked me. No. Why would I? She hasn’t talked to me since she quit the old job in June. I invited her out places and then her boyfriend was all like “his new girlfriends hot,” and then she got mad at me for getting upset. So why would I want to talk to her? Don’t ask me why I still bother calling either one of them, it’s not like they are rushing out to see me or talk to me.

My arms are aching where I got my tiny sticks of instant death (my allergy shots). It’s not that the shot itself hurt, it’s the fatigue my arms feel (and my whole body really) after I get them. It’s like taking a big dose of an antihistamine and telling you to drive a forklift. By tomorrow I’ll feel rejuvinated and ready to take on the world, but right now…yes, right now I think my bed is calling me. I better not keep it.

Food find for the week: Zatarans Black Beans and Rice paired with a grilled chicken breast with a little garlic, salt and pepper. That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout.

I knew that my funky mood wouldn’t last more than a day. This morning I woke up and all was right with the world (except that I kept having this nagging feeling that I was supposed to work today! which I’m not since it’s Labor Day). Speaking of Labor Day, I’m surprised they didn’t have a marathon of NCIS on USA. They had one for Memorial Day and for July 4th - and technically since it’s a show based on the U.S. navy, I figured they’d surely have one on today! I’m kind of bummed that they didn’t.

So, we wound up going out to Target and to Petsmart today. I blew more money that I shouldn’t have wasted, though my bird is happily slamming around his new toy and I now have yet another pair of slacks and a nice dress shirt to wear to work this week. I wound up finding a really awesome silky type shirt that has a black base with white, red and grey heather colored flowers all over it. I’m really up for the prints guys and I can’t stop! I swear, one of these days someone is going to call up that ridiculous show on me (I can’t even think of the name of it. It’s on TLC). At least I am picking up some pointers from the show, I realized that if I want to make my hips look smaller, I have to buy flared or wide leg pants. The illusion is nice especially while I’m dieting.

I totally procrastinated on my homework this weekend, guys. I wanted to do it on Wednesday when I got home from school so I had that whole weekend ahead of me and it just passed by! I made myself do it yesterday because, well, class is on Wednesday and I really wanted to do nothing today! Now I don’t remember if I had to do 2 chapters or one, so after dinner I’m going to force myself to sit down and do the other chapter before I go on my bike ride. Speaking of dinner, I wound up going out to the store and getting some Zucchini and Mushrooms. I had Japanese for the first time on Friday and they put this awesome Zucchini and Mushroom stir fry in with my combo and I want to recreate it. So I’m going to marinate them tonight and stir fry them tomorrow before class and serve them with either noodles or chicken, I haven’t decided yet. I’ll put the recipe up once I’ve tried it, to make sure that I don’t need to tweak it.

And the lady at the supermarket really irked me. I asked for a pound of the roasted chicken breast (it’s supposedly healthier for you than turkey breast) and she gave me less than a half a pound. I asked for a quarter pound of yellow american and I got a half pound. I asked for a half pound of mozzerella cheese and got about a quarter pound. It wasn’t even like she wasn’t paying attention to me, she just didn’t do it right! I had to stand there for 15 minutes while she resliced the stuff. It’s really not that hard!

Since I had a 3 day weekend, I decided I was going to take some pictures today, and I wound up taking some really awesome ones today (behind the cut). I really am enjoying my Polaroid that I got when I sent the defective one in. I love the clarity of the shots and it really makes me want to save up faster for my Digital SLR. It’s amazing how two exact models can produce two totally different pictures! On more school related notes, I’m going to see if the school has a Newspaper I can join either as a columnist or photographer (maybe both). If they don’t maybe I’ll take a Photography class just for the fun of it.

View the rest of this entry…