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March 25 Another SaturdayI had another good day yesterday. Been having those, though. Still, I got my car's brakes looked at. They were squealing and I was afraid they wore out, but they were fine. There was a little bit of brake dust on them, but that was all. We went to El Chapparral again. I got some yummy carne guisada. I hadn't had any in a while, but it was a cloudy day and it seemed a good day for it. I just love Tex-Mex food here. I haven't been able to find any decent Tex-Mex anywhere outside of San Antonio, unfortunately. That would suck if I had to move. We'll see what happens. It was a heavy traffic day for some reason. It seemed like everywhere we went there was traffic. But we still had a good day. I got some rye bread at the bread store. It's just so cool that they have so many different types of bread there and it's all cheap. I'm looking forward to having some sandwiches with it, even though I don't usually like sandwiches. I'm a freak, I know. But it makes a difference to have good bread to me. I'm sure you can get all sorts of bread in Paris at the bakeries there, but here it's just white or wheat sliced bread. Not much of a variety. So the bread store is awesome. It was a specialty bread, plus Dad's box of pies (normally $5 or $6, I'm sure), for only $3 at the bread store. Kick-ass! Also, since I've been cooking, there are more leftovers and I didn't need as many groceries this week. Pretty cool. I'm just mad because I forgot to get some female-type supplies. Stupid of me, really. Anyway, I shall go and find something to eat. I'm pretty hungry right now. Didn't have much of a breakfast. March 23 InterviewToday, I had an interview for a position as an intern. Sounds great. I'm so happy to have an interview, I can't even tell you. It's a magazine located in this cool artsy building called the Finesilver Building. There's a gallery in the same building, along with other creative-type offices and studios. It's one of the older buildings in town and looks like a converted warehouse, with cool old wood floors and polished concrete. The doors are these huge heavy wood doors. I don't know. It's just cool. The people there seem really nice and I liked the work they do. I'd love to work there. Pleeeeaaase, let me get this job. Well, it's unpaid, but it's good experience and they sound like they don't mind doing some training and instruction, which is great. Maybe they'd hire me on as a permanent employee afterwards. Pleeeeeaase. Of course, I had on these really cute shoes that I got at Burlington. Believe it or not, I found them on clearance for $3.50. They're adorable. They're pink with silver embroidery and some beading. I'm surprised I didn't get a compliment, to be honest. They're that cute. After I'd gone home and changed, I took Bucky to Petco because he needed a new harness. I may have discussed this in a previous post. But the one he had was this adjustable one that tightens around the neck when it needs more room for the body. That's just bad, in my opinion. I'd always intended it to be temporary because they didn't make them small enough for him when he was a puppy. But the ones at Petco were either expensive or they were just the same as the one he had. So I took him to Petsmart and got one there. It was fairly inexpensive and simple. Nothing fancy. He got a couple of compliments and they actually recognized him as a papillon, which was weird. No one ever knows what he is. One lady that worked there actually gave him a couple of treats, which he liked. Then I took him to Starbucks to read. He liked it there and just lay in my lap. He got a couple more compliments there, too. What can I say? He's adorable. Obviously, I didn't sleep well last night because I was anticipating the interview. I'm exhausted right now. It's only 7:25 and I could go to sleep right now. Actually, I felt like I could go to sleep about an hour ago. I'm sooooo sleepy. I think Bucky is pretty worn out, too. He's passed out right now. He's probably been bored with me lately, so I'm glad he got out today. Well, that's it for me. I don't know how long I can stay awake. Hope everyone is well. Leave a comment now and then so I don't get lonely. : ) March 20 SaturdayMy life is pretty boring, so I apologize that this is all I have to write about. But this Saturday, Dad and I went to El Chapparral, my favorite Tex-Mex place. We'd been going to Chacho's, but Chacho's is really a fast-food Mexican place and not really a regular restaurant. So, it was good to go back there and see that the food was still good. I was afraid they'd change it or something, as most of them do when they get really busy. They start using stuff out of a can or something. But it was good. I had tamales, which I'd forgotten they serve there. Dad had enchiladas as usual. Luckily I didn't need a prescription, although the expensive one comes next weekend. Sucks, but what can I do. I'm trying like hell to get a job. Anyway, Dad wanted to see if he could get me some more clothes at Ross, but they didn't really have anything this time. It was really crowded, being a Saturday, and they didn't have shorts or anything. That would be what I'd get more use out of. Then, we looked around at Target and Payless Shoes since we were nearby. Dad had his car at the shop and we went to pick it up after that. They'd over-charged him by over $100, and he managed to get a refund. That put is in a better mood for sure. At Starbucks, I got an iced caramel macchiato. Yum. The decaf for the day was the breakfast blend, which Dad liked. I'd never tried that one before, so I had no idea if it was good or not. We had our usual trips to Walmart and H.E.B. (although H.E.B. was right before I went home). But we went to the bread store again. I got this honey 7 grain bread that looked good, and some hamburger buns because I wanted to get some lean burgers at H.E.B. (Turns out they didn't have the lean burgers, so we got regular burgers--oh well). Dad got some pecan rolls. But when we rang up, it wasn't $5, and Dad wanted that free item, so he went and got another box of pies. I remember that from when I was a kid. Sometimes we'd get so much stuff and it wouldn't yet be $5. We'd keep going back to get more stuff. It seems to last a long time, too, as compared to getting the store brand at the grocery store. Sometimes that bread would only last a few days before getting moldy. This other bread seems to last longer than that. Woohoo. : ) Well, I'd better go. I'm getting hungry and I should make lunch. Take care everyone. March 16 Signs that summer isn't quite here yetFirst, the grass isn't dead yet. There's still a little green out there. It's starting to turn brown, but we've had some rain recently. That won't happen over the summer. So for now, there's a little green left and things look a little more pleasant. Then, in another month or so, there will be no rain for a few months and everything will die. Obviously, you know I hate summer, so this is sad to me. Second, it still cools down at night. That's not to say it's cold. It's not. It's comfortable. In the summer, it would be hot all the time. Mom wears a sweater at night to walk the dog. I don't think it's quite that cool, but it's nice to have some time of day when it's not hot. I'm not back to eating salads yet, but I'll probably eat more of them over the summer. The only thing is that I like spinach salad and baby spinach spoils really fast. IP says Romaine lasts longer. I'm sure that's true, but it has a different flavor. Maybe I'll just have to eat Romaine. I still like Romaine better than iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is nasty. No flavor at all. I really hate bland food. Last, people still do stuff outdoors. It's hot, but you can still get out and go hiking or go to the park or barbecue in the backyard. In the summer, you have heat warnings, etc. and it's not so pleasant to be outdoors. To barbecue would be awful. I mean, when it's over 100F out, do you really want to stand by a fire? I certainly don't. So, for now, things are tolerable weatherwise. I just hope summer waits until May to arrive for real and not come around April. We'll see. March 15 Summer's practically hereOkay, it's not like we've only just come out of winter, but there are a few signs that summer is here in San Antonio already. One, more and more wasps are showing up. It won't be long until we're fighting to keep the nests out of the stairwells and off the balconies. Seems like they can pop up in just a few hours. I hate wasps. I actually am afraid of pain, so that makes wasps up there with needles for me. It's a nervous time for me. I actually had a panic attack while hiking once because I had this hyper-sensitivity to sound and could hear all the wasps around the forest where we were. Really. I know it sounds like I just thought I could hear them, but I kept hearing these noises and finally found out it was wasps munching on leaves. It had been so loud to me, that I was sure it was a cat or dog or something stomping through the underbrush. But no. I saw one close up and the sound went along with it. That was when I realized they were all around and I freaked out. Of course, poor R was attacked by wasps when we were only about 3 or 4 years old, so I doubt she likes them much more than I do. Second, my underarms smell more than usual. Yes, it's hot and I'm sweating. No deodorant can compete with it. I've yet to try one that works better than the one I use already. Still, I wish there was something that worked longer and didn't give out after a couple of hours. I hate perfume-y ones because all you smell is deodorant and in the heat it just gets really strong and overpowering. It makes me nauseous. Yuck, yuck, yuck. So, it's either stinky underarms or perfume. Either way it's not a good choice. Personally, I'd rather smell like something from Bath and Body Works. Next, I hear the blenders going all the time at Starbucks. For a while, people were getting hot coffee, even though it didn't really stay cold very long. I think everyone just wanted it to be cold and getting hot coffee made it seem like it was cold outside. But now, it's Frappuccino time. It's too hot out to pretend anymore. Need that iced coffee. Lastly, everyone's wearing shorts. Sometimes, they'll wear jeans at least until it gets to 90, just for variety, but it's too hot already. They're all in shorts everywhere you go. I'm doing the same thing, of course. I just don't like hot weather. After a certain point, there's only so many clothing items you can take off (and still be decent), and after that you're not getting any cooler. You can wear next-to-nothing in 100 degree heat, but it doesn't make any difference. There's nothing you can do to cool down except stay indoors (and hope the a/c doesn't go out--they're on year-round, they don't last long that way). Well, I'm going to get my 5th or 6th glass of water for the day. I'll go over 8 glasses for the day for sure. I don't really drink anything else, except a cup of coffee 2 or 3 times a week. Anyhoo, that's it for now. Take care everyone. Hope I didn't scare you off with my ranting last time. That jerk just made me mad. I'm feeling a little more normal now. : ) March 11 Getting to know you e-mail
1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:00
2. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls 3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Eragon 4. What is your favorite TV show? 24, The Shield, Prison Break 5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Cereal 7. What is your middle name? Jean 8. What food do you dislike? Broccoli 9. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Crowded House self-titled 10. What kind of car do you drive? Mercury Tracer 11. Favorite sandwich? Philly Cheesesteak 12. What characteristic do you despise? Meanness 13. Favorite item of clothing? Shoes 14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Paris, duh 15. What color is your bathroom? Beige and cream, but I have a multi-colored shower curtain 16. Favorite brand of clothing? Polo Ralph Lauren (from Ross, so I can afford it) 17. Where would you retire to? France or Hawai'i 18. What was your most recent memorable birthday? When I was 17 and we went on this road trip. We crossed the state line on my birthday and it was the first time I ever left TX 19. Favorite sport to watch? basketball.....go Spurs :) 20. Farthest place you are sending this? England 21. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? The lame people 22. Person you expect to send it back first? The ones who already did. 23. Favorite saying? "Yield, Asshole" and various other profanities while I'm driving 24. When is your birthday? June 25 25. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night person 26. What is your shoe size? 5 or sometimes 5 1/2 27. Pets? My papillon, Starbuck 28. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? Crowded House are getting back together! 29. What did you want to be when you were little? Teacher or a singer 30. How are you today? Fine. How are you? 31. What is your favorite candy? Lindt Lindor truffles 32. What is your favorite flower? Tulips 33. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Tamale Day 34. What church do you attend? The church of Me 33. What is your full name? XXXXXX XXXX XXXX 34. What are you listening to right now? Eukanuba Tournament of Champions 35. What was the last thing you ate? Cereal 36. Do you wish on stars? used to 37. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Lavender probably. Everything always ends up being a shade of purple 38. How is the weather right now? Hot and sunny 39. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Sis, M 40. Do you like the person who sent this to you? No, people who I hate always e-mail me 41. Favorite soft drink? none. I don't care for soda unless I'm airsick or something 42. Favorite restaurant? Sompong's, Chacho's, Bei Fang 43. Hair color? reddish brown 44. Sibling? 2 sisters, 2 brothers-in-law 45. Favorite day of the year? Tamale Day 46. What was your favorite toy as a child? A brown stuffed rabbit 47. Summer or winter? Winter in Texas--spring or summer elsewhere, I suppose. 48. Hugs or kisses? Depends on who it's from 49. Chocolate or Vanilla? Are we talking ice cream? Candy? What? 50. Do you want your friends to email you back? No, I like wondering if they still like me. 51. When was the last time you cried? An animal abuse story on the news. 52. What is under your bed? A box of some kind 53. Who is the friend you have had the longest? IP 54. What did you do last night? Watched the Spurs win and talked to Mom 55. Favorite smell? Maybe fresh plumeria or the smell of a French bakery 56. What are you afraid of? Everything 57. Plain, buttered, or salted Popcorn? Buttery and salty! 58. How many keys on your key ring? 2, plus numerous key chains 59. How many years at your current job? I've been searching for a job for 3 years now 60. Favorite day of the week? Any day I have company 61. How many towns have you lived in? Just 1. Yawn. 62. Do you make friends easily? Not really or I'd have more of them by now. 63. How many people will you be sending this to? 8, I think. Could be wrong. There we are. My intensely interesting responses to a getting to know you e-mail. The questions were rather dull, and I'm not very creative. Hope this was worth it to post it. Go get some coffee and wake up now. : ) March 10 Budgeting bonusesA couple of good surprises today, even though Dad wasn't in a good mood. He just seemed a little distracted or tired. But, we went to this cool bakery outlet store. It's the Mrs. Baird's ones that we used to go to when I was a kid. Well, there's one not too far from here. I had to look it up on the computer, but it's not too far. Not really close either, but you can't have everything. Anyway, got a loaf of raisin bread, a loaf of French bread (not a real baguette, but the American kind of French bread), a couple of honey buns, and Dad's box of cherry pies for $5! Then, because we spent $5, we got an extra item for FREE! Yes, so I got bagels. Bagels ain't cheap, so I'll take a relatively expensive item please. I think we'll be going to this store more often from now on. Our budget is going to be pretty tight for a while as Mom isn't sure she's ready to go back to work for a while. Sucks, being that I want a job and can't get one and she doesn't want one but could probably get one. Anyway... Then, later, we went to the pharmacy. I had to pick up 2 prescriptions. One was Synthroid (really, I like Levoxyl better, but doc thinks Synthroid is better and keeps trying to get me to take it--it's okay if he gives me free samples, but I have to pay, Levoxyl is cheaper). Synthroid normally runs at $30 or so. With the CareNow card, it was $20. Not a huge difference, but the prescription isn't that expensive. Then, I had to pick up Zoloft. Zoloft is actually not much more expensive than the generic, but I'll take savings wherever they come. Generic is $116 for 45 pills. But with the CareNow card, it was around $80 last month. For some crazy, surreal reason, it was $22.60 today. It's got to be a mistake. I even double-checked that it said 45 pills, just to be sure. But, hey, I ain't complaining. Did the price go DOWN? Usually, they just go UP, like gas prices. Did it actually go down? I'll just be floored if that's the case. I just can't imagine that happened. So, not much going on otherwise. I was just excited by my bargains, I got to tell ya. Today, we went to Red Lobster for lunch. Hadn't done that in a while, and lunch prices are reasonable. If you haven't had the fried flounder, you've got to try it. It's great broiled, but I always crave the fried. Really bad for you, I know. I'm supposed to be dieting, but I have to pick up some items from R before I can really be conscientious about it. It's hard to keep track sometimes. Plus, they have these beef and bean burritos at H.E.B. that are 10 for $2.50. You can't beat that. Again, we're trying to save money here. I promise I won't eat them every day. I swear. Well, I'd better get going. There's a Spurs game that's going to be on in about 10 minutes. They've actually been winning, so I can watch again. It's just too painful to watch when they're on a losing streak. They're lucky I didn't run into any of them around then because I'd have yelled at them worse than the coach. I'd even use swear words. Yeah, that bad. They'd better get past the first round of the playoffs, too, or they may yet hear from me after all. March 08 Finished Illustrator!Okay, not completely. There is another chapter I have to read about printing, but since I couldn't print anything at school, I left that chapter to read at home. Pretty cool that I don't have to go over there anymore. Still don't know if I'll end up getting a job as a result of this, but it can't hurt to try. Still no interviews, but I keep applying daily. Eventually, someone's gotta want an interview, right? They can't say "no" to my resume forever. Of course, I need to spice up my portfolio. Not much in there at present. D sent me a copy of the software! Yippee! Hopefully I won't have any problems installing it on my PC. Then, I can work on my portfolio, maybe even at Starbucks next week. Mmmm. That would be sweet. : ) Not much going on lately. That's why I haven't been posting. It would be pretty dull if I did it every day. Actually, maybe I shouldn't say that. My posts probably aren't interesting NOW. I guess I'm not good at coming up with stuff lately. R said my "weird stuff about me" things weren't really weird enough. Well, that's all you're gonna get. I'm sure there's other stuff I could post in there, but it ain't gonna happen! Well, maybe I'll include additional posts with other trivia, but you're not going to learn anything really embarrassing about me. Bucky's pretty bored of me lately, too. I guess I've been gone a lot, going to school. Then, I've been on the computer a lot. Some of it's because I've been looking at videos on YouTube. It sucks to be an American fan of some bands because their videos don't air here. So, I've been watching videos and interviews of Crowded House and Neil Finn. I know I've mentioned the Finns as being one of my favorite artists and that Crowded House is getting back together. I can't say how happy I am about this. That means there's an album coming out soon and possibly a tour. They're great live. I don't know how I'm going to get tickets without a job, but I'll figure something out. I HAVE TO GO. I mean it. They're doing a warm-up show in England, but the tickets sold out as soon as they went on sale. I just hope I can actually GET tickets. Could be a problem as they sell out everywhere they play. But, I just can't miss it. Did I say I HAVE TO GO? I'd even be willing to buy overpriced tix on eBay. Whatever. Anyway, I guess it's dinner time and I'd better take my meds, too. Kinda can't skip it, you know? Hope I sleep better tonight than I did last night. Too many nightmares. Awful. Well, that's it for now. Take care everyone. February 27 Weird things about meSo, R can do this, I can, too. I know I need to post a link to her blog, but I just keep forgetting. I'm stupid like that. Anyway, here goes... I can't stand teddy bears. I must be the only person on the planet, besides R, who doesn't like them. I can't explain it. There's no real reason or anything. I just like puppies and bunnies more. Teddy bears just don't strike me as being as cute as aforementioned cuddlie I HATE bugs. This isn't limited to the ones that bite or sting. Just something about their alien physiologies strike me as disgusting and creepy. Too many legs, antenae...you know. It just seems otherworldly or supernatural that they are so hard to kill. (okay, sorry about the mixup on colors. It won't let me change it again. I'm stuck on red) I have a weakness for animals. I can't stand seeing bad things happen to them. I can't stand hearing about abuse cases on the news. I'll switch channels to avoid it, or else I'm up all night crying about it. It can stay with me for days. I want to live in Paris. I've been other places and not loved them as much as I love Paris. I've never been anywhere I felt I wanted to live in until then. I'll admit I haven't done as much traveling as I'd like to and I haven't been that many places to compare. But, I love Paris and I still want to live there. I love bread. I tried the Atkins diet. It didn't last more than 2 weeks. Maybe it's a bread addiction, I don't know. I just can't avoid it for any length of time. I wish I loved veggies that much. I'm sure there's more I could list, but the red text is really bugging me. I never intended for it to be more than just a phrase or two. Goodness. Anyway, that's it for now. I've had problems getting text attributes to change in the past, but I guess I thought it was a one-time quirk. Oh well. Take care everyone. February 21 Went to school againThe director of the continuing education department said I could come at 2 pm instead of coming in the morning because someone wasn't always there in the morning, but they were usually there in the afternoon. I was just hoping there would be parking when classes ended. I went to the library first, because I was almost finished with my book and I was sure I'd finish it that day and then have nothing to read. I picked up a couple of books and went to look at CDs, but they didn't have much. A lot of them were checked out already. Then, I went to the grocery store near the library for some cereal and bagels. The bagels I got on Saturday were the light ones and I didn't read the packaging very well, so I didn't know. They tasted like cardboard. Anyway, so I got some different ones. Then, I went to Starbucks and drank a passion tea lemonade while I finished my book. They let me know when it was 2 pm because my phone died and I don't have a watch. When I got to school, there was plenty of parking and I got to spend the entire 2 hours at the computer, which worked great. I think I'll go at that time from now on. I had fun playing with the pen tool and drawing curves and such, then played with coloring images with the paintbucket and the texture swatches. It took me twice as long to get home in rush hour traffic as it took me to get to school in the first place. But then, I had dinner and played with my puppy. Not much, but I was glad to finally get to work on Illustrator. I'd like to go to school again today, but I may stay and bathe the dog, brush him, etc. I could also wash my bedspread. It's pretty nasty. We'll see. : ) February 19 Do notebooks just suck?This is the second one I've had and now there's an audio problem. At first, it was the defective memory stick. Well, at least that was fixed. But ever since I got my computer back, the audio doesn't work. The last one, of course, I fried. Maybe it was really my fault and not the computer's, but so far I've had bad luck. Mom's computer, her ancient PC from 1998, is still hanging in there. But it's a desktop. Do notebooks just not last as long? I'm starting to wonder. R's desktop is lasting pretty well. Dad's is almost as old as Mom's and it's working okay, too, albeit slow. Is it a notebook thing? I was going to take my computer back to the shop today. I don't want to because I need my computer. But I need the audio, too. Whaddayagonnado? I just hope they don't reformat the drive again. It just seems like when they don't know what to do, they just reformat the drive. Kind of annoying to have to download Mozilla over and over again. However, the computer has to wait because the smoke alarms are chirping. They tend to wait until 2 am to start up. But it hasn't stopped and we're thinking the batteries are low. But, we have these high ceilings and can't do it ourselves. Mom called the office to come do it today, but they don't know when maintenance can get here to do it, so I'm stuck here waiting all day. It's not like I don't have things to do around here. I could study. I could read. I could check the job listings for the hundredth time. You know? Stuff. But, I wanted to go to the library and check out some CDs. Getting kinda bored of the ones I got. I kinda wanted to go to Starbucks. Kinda wanted to go to the store to get some new bagels since I don't like the ones I got last time. They taste kind-of cardboard-ish. You know? Stuff. Gotta find a way to stay occupied and not just turn into a recluse. Well, that's it. Just had to gripe a little. I suppose I'll go back to those job listings again. Woohoo. Fun. Yeah right. February 18 SaturdayNothing much going on lately. My life is pretty dull anyway. But the latest thing is that they want me to call before heading to school to work on the computer because someone's not always there to let me in. However, if I wait until someone's there, it's past 8:00 am and the parking spaces are gone! I've gone later and there's no one leaving, there's no one going to lunch, there's no visitor spaces, there's no spaces on the street, nothing. So, I don't know how this will work out, but I'll have to think of something. Yesterday, Dad and I went for Chinese food. I was so hungry by then that I ate my entire plate of food. Usually, I take half of it home for later because they give you so much food, but I ate it all yesterday. Sadly, I wasn't painfully full afterward either. Dad had a cold last time I'd seen him, but he said he was feeling better and was still just trying to get over the cough. Sucks. But at least he's feeling better. We did a little shopping, then went to pick up my prescription. I was relieved because I now had this CareNow thing that I'd signed up for in Fort Worth when I went to the emergency clinic that also offered discounts on my prescriptions. The Trileptal was $220 or $230 and with the card it was supposed to be $160. Great, right? Well, when we picked up my prescription, they'd raised the prices on it to where it was $233 with the discount! The regular price was $261 or something. It wasn't that high before. So, I was pretty pissed that they could raise the price and not care about people who already can't afford the things. I know it wasn't my pharmacy that's responsible because I looked up the prices at other pharmacies and it was the same everywhere. It SUCKS! If I had insurance I could only hope the copay would stay the same, but some of them have pretty high copays anyway. I just wish I didn't have to rely on these people so much. I HATE taking so many prescriptions. I wish I was normal. They just take advantage of people who are ill. At Starbucks they were pretty busy, so we didn't get to chat very much, but Dad got another Americano and said he liked it better than the regular brewed coffee. I'm sure that's true. Espresso is awesome. I got an iced white mocha, which I hadn't had in a while and probably shouldn't have had if I want to lose weight, but I was in a bad mood after the pharmacy. It was a nice day and the weather wasn't too hot outside, so I could actually take my jacket off and be comfortable but not hot. Supposed to be similar weather all week, although we might have a little rain one day. We'll see. It's been a while. Well, that's pretty much it. Mom and I watched a little of the NBA All-Star stuff on TV. I read a little from my book. The smoke alarms went off again. They probably need batteries, but I'm sure the smoke from that fire doesn't help any. Don't know when that fire will ever get put out. It's been burning since Christmas. We'd change the batteries in the alarms ourselves, but the ceiling is pretty high and they told us not to try to do stuff like that. We don't happen to have a ladder anyway, so we couldn't do it even though we'd like to just to shut the things up. Hope everyone else is doing well. Keep in touch. : ) January 09 Illustrator class?So, it was supposed to be Illustrator class today, right? I went down there with my receipt because I'd forgotten to get a parking pass earlier in the week. No problem, just showed up early before the DPS closed. Got in line behind someone who's parking ticket was for a car he didn't own. That took a while to sort out, but I got my pass, although people behind me were all paying tickets, too, and seemed to think that's what I was there for, too. Sorry to disappoint them, but I wasn't. Anyway, having to get there so early, I was waiting out in the hall and reading before my class. I didn't think I had time to go all the way back home. I'd only have had to head straight back to school. So, I'm sitting there reading and I'd gotten a sandwich to eat as lunch and dinner combined. Nothing much. This guy comes out of an office and asked if I was waiting to see him. I told him I wasn't. I was waiting for my class to start. He says, "Which one?" I say, "Basketweaving." JK. Of course I said, "Illustrator". And you might guess what he said next, but I'll tell you anyway. He said, "Hasn't that been cancelled?" Well, I said that I hadn't heard anything, which I hadn't. I'd signed up for the class months ago. It was cancelled soon afterward and I wasn't told about it. Nice that I only find out the day of the class! Well, they can't believe I wasn't told, but of course, I hadn't or I'd have been at home, right? So, they're looking it up in the computer and it shows I'm registered in this other class, which was also cancelled on me, only they told me about it that time. But, aparently I wasn't on the list for the Illustrator class. In fact, no one was. Of course, I have a receipt to prove I was registered in the Illustrator class, which couldn't have been given to me unless I was actually registered in the class. Complicated, I know. It doesn't make sense. They also said they'd issued me a refund for the Illustrator class after it was cancelled. This is the first I've heard of it. If there was a refund, I wasn't told about it. The only thing I thought I got a refund on was the difference between the 1st class I was signed up for and the Illustrator class because the tuition wasn't the same. Does this make any sense at all? I'm not sure it does because I'm pretty pissed and probably not thinking clearly enough to explain it properly. Of course, it's so messed up that maybe you do get it as well as I get it. Also, computer has still got the bugs I thought the reformatting had corrected. I'll have to take it to that shop after all. And, for the record, maybe I didn't explain this clearly enough as C joked that I was a racist. I have no problem with call centers in India, just this particular one. They couldn't help me at all and they were supposed to be the tech support people. They didn't have a clue. So, anyway, I'm going to have to take it to the shop they told me to take it to because I doubt calling tech support again would do anything. Even if it's something simple, I don't care. I just want a computer that works. If I have to, I'll get a refund and get another computer. So, I don't know how long that will take. If they have to keep my computer, I may not be able to post for a while. I doubt anyone is really hanging on my every word (especially after this particular post), but I can hope. Take care peoples. Until next time... January 05 LibraryI debated whether to go. I sort-of felt like staying home and cuddling my puppy. Part of me thought I could keep myself occupied by the computer until the Spurs game came on. I needed a shower and as soon as I got out it seemed silly. I might as well go to the library. Why put it off? I read a lot. So, I thought I'd see if they had a book on InDesign. No. They have only 4 or 5 books and 2 of those were on Photoshop. The others were of the sort "How to use the Internet" and stuff like that. Not very helpful. Oh well. Not really a very eventful trip, but I never said my life was interesting. I had this experience this morning where I was partly awake and partly asleep and Qui-Qui was lying on the bed next to me. I reached over to pet him and it was like he couldn't see me. He felt something touch him and looked back, but that was all. I petted him again and he just tried to bite my hand (play-like) and looked around for what touched him. It was just weird like he was there and not at the same time. Of course, he's really been gone since May, but I still feel like he's here sometimes. It's hard when you get used to someone being there after so many years, it's hard to get used to that empty space, you know? It still feels like he's here. January 04 Call center in IndiaNormally, I don't care where the call center is, just as long as they can help me with my problem. Some of them are better than others. Most of them are staffed with Americans that I can understand the accents and get done what I need to get done. The Toshiba one, however... First person I talked to was from India. Really, that could just be a coincidence and the guy is from India. No big deal. But he had a really strong accent and I couldn't understand what he was saying and I think he was having the same trouble with me. Okay. He says to reformat the hard drive, but I have to press him to get him to tell me how to do that. Then, I do it (ended up doing it twice, but it still isn't working right). I have to call back. I'll get a different guy. Same thing. He was from India and I'm starting to think the whole call center is in India. Really nothing wrong with that, but I couldn't understand this guy either and he didn't understand me. Not much help in the tech support department, if that's what they're supposed to be doing. So, they couldn't figure out what was wrong with my computer (some of it is because they didn't understand what I was saying, though) and think it's probably a hardware problem and I have to take it into a shop. I was so frustrated by the end. I mean, if you're going to move a call center overseas, at least make sure the people speak English with reasonable proficiency if they're going to be serving American callers. Most of the ones in India aren't as bad as this one was, though. Usually I don't have a problem. I mean, it would be good if the jobs were here in America, but another call center will just open in it's place. There's no shortage of call center jobs, you know? People in India need jobs, too. So anyway, I don't know whether to take my computer to this shop or not. Am I going to have to pay anything out of pocket? It should be under warranty, but I don't know if it's a direct billing setup or if it's one of those things where they say they'll reimburse you later. Plus, I don't know if there's anything really wrong with it or if it's just the whole communication barrier that caused them to not know how to fix it. Don't want to wait too long to make a decision, though. Today, H called because her car wouldn't start and I'm the only person she knows who had jumper cables. Of course, I'm in a hurry and I just run out the door without my tool kit. Dumb! So, I get to her apartment and I can't get the wire thingies off of her battery terminals to clean them. Plus, my wire brush was in my tool kit that I didn't bring anyway. So, H and I went inside to see if she had any tools, but all she had was a pair of pliers. There was some rust on the nuts holding the bolts in place and we couldn't get them to budge, though. Then, H tried tried to put it into neutral to move her car (I couldn't park next to her because there wasn't a free space), but the gear wouldn't shift and then it popped into drive and it started. We think it wasn't all the way in gear, you know? But, just to be on the safe side, we took it to Walmart so they could test the battery. It tested fine. Good. But, we got some coffee and went to Half-Price Books. I didn't find a book on InDesign, but I did find a calendar for 2007. It was $7, but on sale for half off, so I got it for $3.50! Woohoo! Always good to wait until after the new year to get a calendar. : ) So, turned out okay, but I'll have to look at another Half-Price Books for an InDesign book or else find one on Ebay. Tomorrow, I think I'll check at the library. Hopefully they'd have a reasonably current version if they have one at all. Plus, I finished all my books and I need something to read. I try to keep busy, but it's hard. January 02 Inspect fire extinguishers?The apartment managers say we have to have our fire extinguishers inspected. At first, I thought this was a ploy to get at the apartments they didn't get around to inspecting. But then, reading the rest of the memo, they say we can leave them outside the door. Of course, my paranoid self thinks, "what if it get stolen?". Then, after that settles down, "We have a fire extinguisher?" First place I think to look is the first place we'd be likely to get a fire: the kitchen. Not in the pantry. Hmmm. After that, I didn't have a clue. Mom says, look under the sink. Duh. Sure enough, that's where it is. It's in a clamp-like thing and Mom can't get it out. Then, I tried just pulling on it really hard and pop! There it came. Of course, I tried putting it back and couldn't do it. I also hope I didn't damage it, but I didn't feel anything move and nothing fell off. They're inspecting the ones for our building today, so it's sitting outside. I checked, cuz I was gonna take a shower and didn't want them coming while I was indisposed. Well, it's a good thing the management told us this, cuz I wouldn't know the first thing about fire extinguishers. I hope I can use it in an emergency. Mom and I were laughing because if there had been a fire we wouldn't have known what to do but put water on it. We don't have baking soda. We didn't know about the fire extinguisher. I guess we didn't feel it necessary to explore the apartment when we moved in. I must have seen it when I put stuff in there or used stuff that was in that cabinet before, but I guess it didn't register, for some reason. Shows you how observant I am. Anyway, not much going on here. Obviously, based on the above comments. Would like to go to Starbucks, but I also want something from Bath and Body Works. What to do? I should probably stick to Starbucks since the money I have won't go very far at Bath and Body Works, even with the huge sale they're having right now. $5 shimmer lotions! How cool is that? Well, if they had those sugar scrubs for $5 that would be amazing. That won't happen. Wish I had a couple hundred bucks to spend over there. But, I don't. I am still unemployed. I keep hoping that it's not for much longer, but there's only so much I can do, just keep looking. Maybe I'll just read at Starbucks and leave it at that. Or, I could save my money and just be a loser at home, like usual. Hmmm. Let's see, is Star Trek on? Maybe not. Well, I'll have to do something besides empty the trash and take a shower. Well, I did dishes, but that's not much either. Anyone got any ideas? I'd go hiking, but I'm pretty petite and I wouldn't feel safe. My dog is a papillon. Not very threatening. Anyway, I'll think of something. Hope everyone is doing okay. I'll post again soon. Take care. December 28 R's Missy is gone : (She was almost 11 years old. Really old for a rabbit. Poor thing was ill when R, C, and E headed down here for the holidays, but she was really bad when they got home. She couldn't eat, walk, or anything. So, the poor girl was suffering from severe renal failure and passed away. Luckily, she spent her last night in R's room on a warm blanket and she lived a long life, full of love and caring people. Of course, it's been around a year since I lost my beloved Riga. I lost Khufu just a couple of months before that, and my wonderful, special Qui-Qui passed this May. I hope the coming year is better. Dad took me to lunch yesterday and invited Grandma to come with us. I guess it was sort-of a thank you for making the tamales. Anyone who doesn't know how to make tamales, it takes a couple of days to make them, so this is a big deal that she does it at all. She's in her 80s, folks. Amazing. So, I wanted to go somewhere nice, but Dad seemed to want to go somewhere near my apartment, so I just went to Whataburger. Not really much of a thank you for Grandma, but there ain't much near my apartment. Then, of course, we did a little shopping. Grandma doesn't get to go to Sam's, so we went there and she bought over $100 worth of groceries! The woman loves to shop. After that, we went to Walmart because I needed a couple of grocery-type items that aren't at Sam's, but they were out of my shade of make-up (every woman in San Antonio must have the same shade of skin as mine because it's always gone from the store). Grandma took off shopping on her own, so Dad and I just browsed a little and I got some groceries. We passed a display of Velveeta on the aisle and I just couldn't believe how much Velveeta was in the display. Did Walmart really think they were going to sell that much Velveeta? Who buys Velveeta anyway? I can't imagine anyone buying it willingly. So, then I asked Dad, would you rather eat Velveeta or Spam? He says, I don't know. I said, Spam. He says, I don't know. Duh. If you had a choice, would you eat fake cheese that could probably survive a nuclear blast or ground up ham? Really. I'm surprised this took so much consideration. Spam sells really well in Hawai'i. I doubt there's some enclave in America where people just love Velveeta. Should anyone out there actually buy Velveeta, please tell me why. I am genuinely curious. I will not make fun of you. If there is a real reason, I'm oblivious to it. You could enlighten me. Anyway, Bucky is doing okay. He seemed a little sensitive on his head when I tried to pet him, but it seems to be bothering him less now. He's not limping at all, either. I was so scared. There he was, leaning to one side with his head flopped over. I thought there was something seriously wrong. Maybe he just scared himself when he bumped his head. He's a big baby, you know, and likes a big fuss to be made of him when he gets scared or even slightly hurt. So, naturally, he cries and I freak out. It's hard to tell with him whether it's real or imagined at times. But, with this one, I know he got hurt, just not as seriously as I originally thought. Could he be more melodramatic? Maybe he gets it from me? R, you had better not comment on that. Anyway, I'd better get to bed. I've been out all day and have yet to do laundry. I know it'll take me all day tomorrow, so I'd better get up at a decent hour! I should also play with the Buckster a little as I know he missed me while I was gone today. Dad took me hiking and we saw a wild rabbit and 2 deer. : ) The rabbit looked like pretty Meope. We'll all miss her. December 24 Christmas dinnerWell, Christmas dinner didn't go as planned, but still went well. I went over there around 12:30 or so, even though Grandma said dinner wouldn't be ready until 4:00. Of course, afterwards, we had plans to hang out with H, so we didn't really like this idea, but that's what Grandma does. She always overestimates how long it takes to do everything. The woman packs 3 months in advance of a trip. Really. So, I had a feeling this was an exaggeration, but R said she wasn't going to make it until maybe 3:00. I had hoped she'd change her mind and come earlier. We were all there waiting. R, C, and E didn't make it until 4:00. Some of this was because C had a headache, I'm sure. But we were worried when they said they'd be there earlier and didn't show up. So, luckily they weren't in an accident or anything. I think Grandma outdid herself this year. The tamales were spicy and so light. I wanted to eat tons more, but of course, I filled up on rice and beans, too. She also made some bunuelos, so we were all very full. I think I just can't accurately express how good her tamales really are. No one makes them like she does. She even makes the bean ones. I don't know anyone else who makes the bean ones. Man, those are good. Anyway, we stayed talking for a while, but Ethan wanted to leave. So, we got him to open his presents. We had made a pact that no one would buy any gifts except for Ethan, so that's what we did. Ethan loved his presents and wanted them all out of the packaging and set up so he could play with them. Of course, some of those had multiple pieces, so that just wasn't going to happen until they got home. My phone was dead, so H couldn't call me. I had to keep calling her from my grandmother's to set up our Starbucks meeting. Of course, it was raining and I didn't think H would want to drive in the rain. She hasn't had a car that long, so I was sure she'd be nervous. Of course, this is ignoring the fact that I was nervous about it myself and there I am volunteering to drive everyone home afterwards. Not very bright of me. It was also raining harder by the time we left Grandma's and I couldn't see where I was going to pick up H. Sucks. That's not to say that it was pouring, but it was really dark and reflect-y and I couldn't tell where the lanes were. Made it there fine, and even to Starbucks, where the windows were all fogged up. Wow. It was actually cool enough out to have the heat on inside! It was even cool enough that we all got hot coffee as opposed to iced coffee. H got each of us a Starbucks mug with some cocoa. Cool. I can't wait to try it. So, everything was fine, and we even made it to Walmart for a little shopping before H had to get home. Then I drove R back to the hotel and drove home myself. Dad also had cleaned my stereo thingie, so he'd given that back to me. I guess I just didn't want to leave it in the car and I was afraid I'd have to resort to loud music to drown out Asshole's TV. Sure enough, I did. So, I managed to drag a bag full of extra tamales and my stereo up the stairs from the car, in the rain, all in one trip. Wow, I'm good. Didn't sleep well. Asshole is lucky I'm not a violent person because he'd be in trouble after so many nights of me struggling to catch up on sleep. R, C, and E came over about noon. E just wanted to play with his presents and with all my mom's stuff. Plus, we had these little mini-cheesecakes that he was munching on. They didn't stay very long, but it was nice to see them before they had to go. I think C still had a headache. Poor guy. Then, I was just in the bathroom (yes, I do go to the bathroom like any normal person) and I heard a yelp. I came running in the living room and my dog was crying because he'd tried to jump on the back of the chair and didn't make it. I think he hit his head and twisted his leg. He wouldn't stop favoring it and he was holding his head funny, so I rushed to get dressed to take him to the emergency vet (because all vet emergencies happen when the regular vet is closed). He was sitting on my bed, where I tried to calm him down. I went in the bathroom to put my hair up and the little bugger jumped off the bed and followed me in there. Suddenly he's fine. He's balancing on his hind legs, jumping up and down, like I'd just gotten up to walk him. Scary, but at least he's okay. I'm sure he really did hurt his head and his leg, though, but he's not favoring them like he was earlier. He's acting like he does normally. I'm so relieved. Anyway, that's it for the day. Trying to get to bed earlier tonight and hopefully I'll get more sleep than just an hour or so. Asshole is in the military. Is it too much to hope for that he'll get transfered somewhere else? I don't wish anything bad to happen to him, just that he not be living right under me. Let him play his loud TV for someone else. Oh well. That's it. Surely I could have written this when I wasn't as sleepy and could elaborate a little more and dinner at Grandma's because it was great, but maybe you'll just have to imagine. : ) She's the best cook ever. Really. December 20 Sleep!Miracle of all miracles, the TV from Hell was turned down around 7pm last night. Of course, I was on edge for a couple of hours, waiting for it to go back up in time for me to sleep, but I was able to relax later. I actually slept pretty well, only waking a couple of times, so I felt great today. On top of that, the weather got a little cooler. It wasn't really cool enough for a sweater this afternoon (although there are always freaks here who wear jackets and coats whenever we have a mild cooldown) although I may need one tonight when I walk the dog. It might be cooler tomorrow, which would be wonderful. I'm so sick of hot weather. Of course, this is also the time of year for mountain cedar, the worst of all my allergies. While it is still on the light side, I'm already feeling pretty congested and I know it's going to get worse as the season goes on. My eyes just burn all the time. My nose even feels hot today. It's irritating. Doc says it's okay to take Benadryl, so I take some during the day, although I'm so small that I take only half the regular dosage or I'll be groggy. The full dose would be more effective against such an adversary as mountain cedar, but I have to function. Today I went to the library. I finished my last book and I, of course, have nothing much to do but read. I was hoping to find the latest from Michael Crichton, but if it was ever there it was checked out. Don't know if it's in their inventory, but if it is, I'll have to put it on hold or something. Got a couple of books, though, and then read for a couple of hours at Starbucks. Strangely, that was quieter than my apartment was yesterday. Had an iced caramel macchiato that the barista only charged me something like $1.50 for. ??? Did I do something really nice or really cute or really pathetic and sad? Not that I can think of. They're so nice there. Or maybe they expect something in return...sneaky bastards. ; ) Well, on the weather they're saying we've got another front coming before Christmas and it may even bring snow. Really. Do they live here? Did they forget this is San Antonio? Maybe north of here, but not actually this far south will we get snow. Won't happen. Of course, mother nature is welcome to prove me wrong here, but I have to say I'm really skeptical. It wouldn't be the first time they said we'd get snow and we didn't. Let's just say that on the offchance that we actually, by some miracle, get some snow, it won't stick. The last time we had snow, it was in the middle of the night and it melted on the way down. Maybe R will get to show little E what snow is up in FW as they're supposed to get snow, "too". Maybe it will still be there when they get home. Maybe it will wait until Monday, Christmas Day, to snow there and they'll get to see it. Of course, I'm sure that in other parts of the country snow isn't as magical and myth-like as it is to us here where we hardly ever see it. IP in NJ is probably sick of snow by the time winter is over. Can't fathom that myself, but I'm sure I'd feel differently if I lived somewhere else and had to shovel my driveway all the time. Well, I need to get something to eat. Haven't eaten since before noon. I think there's a Spurs game on later, so at least there's something on TV (not just reading and computer time). I might read during the game, but that depends on how it goes. I'd prefer a blowout where they were ahead by 20 or 30 points and I didn't have to watch it too closely. Anyway, that's it for now peeps. Take care. Go Spurs Go! December 19 I wish I had a sledgehammerAforementioned noisy neighbor's TV on again, all night long. Wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't louder than my own TV and keeping me awake. I had to fight the urge to run down there with a hammer and smash the offending TV, but that would be unfair to an innocent piece of electronic equipment, wouldn't it? Perhaps the neighbor's head would have been a better target, but alas, I'm not that kind of person. I'm feeling a little more nuts than usual, though. Just, never being away from that noise, all day and all night is just maddening. There's no way to escape it, no where to go that the noise isn't there. All I want is a little peace and quiet and there's no way to get it. Luckily I'm not to the point that I want to cut my ears off, but it may sound like a plan the more sleep deprived I get. I also realize that I haven't mentioned this before, but I have an amazing talent of perfect aim...not just with anything, but with my head. I knelt down to pick up something off the floor and stood up, only to hit my head on an open cabinet door that was only 1/4 inch wide! Amazing. Not only did I hit it straight on, but I did this with the back of my head, so I couldn't even see what I was aiming at. Amazing, you might say. But, it might sound like a little bit of luck that it happens once. But no. I assure you this is something that I can do on a regular basis with the same degree of accuracy. I am also able to hit door knobs and other small items. Aaahhh! The TV returns with a vengeance. It's even louder now than last night. He must be reading my blog. That hammer is sounding much more appealing right now. If he only knew how much I hate him. His TV's days are numbered. Asshole. Really, how inconsiderate can you be? I can't even watch TV. It would be more understandable if he turned it down at a respectable hour, but he doesn't. I'm so furious right now. Really. I would never do the things these other people seem to think are okay. I could be a bitch and just go down there and ask him to turn it down, but I'm afraid he'll just turn it up to spite me as these types of neighbors can do. So, knot on my head now ignored I can see if I can hold out for another hour or so before I start complaining. But I may take this up with the management as this is something that happens all the time. Why do these people think this is acceptable behavior in an apartment complex? Personally, I don't want other people to hear what I'm doing in my apartment. If I had my stereo I'd crank it up just to annoy him. Of course, there's also the possibility that it wouldn't annoy him at all and he'd just turn his up in response. He doesn't seem to be normal in his thinking. So, what can I do tonight to relax? Let's see. Drink myself into a stupor. Gouge out my eardrums. Watch TV on closed-captions (it would be better if they could actually type, though). Go find another place to sleep. Hmmm. Where? Dad's would be just as annoying. If only R was closer I could stay at her place. Maybe I could somehow initiate a power surge that would fry the neighbor's equipment. Hmm. If only I'd paid better attention in physics class. Any big, scary guys out there want to threaten the neighbor into submission? I'm open. |
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