Up to the Minute.....

Wow...Ok I have a lot to say

but first!!! AWESOME NEWS!!!! I just got a call from my agent today and she got me a $2.00 RAISE!!! woooo hooooo!!!!

Can you just imagine how bad I want to scream right now.....I'm sure you can.

BTW...I'm writing this at work which is why I can't scream!

Thursday

I forget if I mentioned this but I went on a little road trip this past weekend that almost didn't happen. Why you ask? Well because of car issues of course....

before my meeting I stopped to get the oil changed in the car. Now I don't' know if it was blessing or a sign or what, but I asked the guy if he could check my brakes as well since they do free inspections etc....No problem. So he calls me in and proceeds to tell me everything that is wrong with the car and how much it will cost and then tell him to just take care of the oil change, ill work on the other stuff in due time. One of the things he pointed out was the tire rod (?) it was loose or something (safety issues, I shouldn't wait to long) ok. Not a problem. Ill take care of it in due time....I also need new tires, rear brakes are starting to look worn and I need struts (shocks) again....In due time...Right now I want an oil change. So he gives me the estimate and made sure that I was only being charged for the oil change cues I would need sell some body parts to come up with the amount of the estimate ($1600 & change) they were nice enough to break it down in sections so I can see what each job would cost separately so that I can come in and say ok...Do this job...Give him that amount and be done. So that was nice of them....Anyway...Oil change is done and I'm off to my weight watcher meeting to find that I lost 3 more lbs!!! Yah...Go me!

so after the meeting I drive out of the parking lot and I'm hearing this noise. Then I'm smelling something funny, the noise is getting louder and I'm thinking this man didn't put my car together correctly!! They close at 6, its 6:15, I'm madder than hell and I'm doing 10 miles an hours down a 4 lane busy main road thinking I've got a flat (cuz I didn't' get out to check) and I'm driving on my rims. So a 10 min drive took about 45 min and I made it home.

now I'm pissed cues my plans for the weekend have now been shot to hell. I'm upset. I was really looking forward to this time away. So I email my boss to let her know what is going on and she told me not to stress about work, and take care of my business. So I was happy about that.

all night I was thinking of a plan. Which I got. I'm going to put the car in the show, rent a car, and get a loan to cover the costs.

Friday

called the car place and told them the situation and they came and got the car. Called the rental place and reserved a car, called Sarah cuz I need her now to drive me around so that I can get all I need to get done, done. And she had some papers that I needed.

tow truck comes, turns out the tire rod (?) broke (coincidence???) axel and wheel alignment, $800 later the car will be fixed that afternoon. Thank you very much.

Sarah show up a few hours later and takes me to the loan place, I get the loan, go to the rental place and get a car for the week.

it was easier than I thought too. I reserved a mid-size car. Didn't want a small car and didn't a big fancy car. So I got a mid size car. For the week (actually 6 days) it would have came to about $150 and then I had a coupon for 20% off from my Entertainment book so it went down to like 120 plus insurance, it ended up being just under $200, which I thought was a great deal. AND, they took a cash deposit which I thought would be like 5-600 but was only 200, so I just ended up paying for the rental bill all together. Now I don't have to worry about that. THEN...He brings me to the car.

now I was expecting like a Taurus or a capri, nothing big, nothing fancy..... BUT INSTEAD....Got this Beauty of a Car. Im so in love....

I almost shit my pants!! Sarah sooooooo hated me....LMAO!!!! i got called all kinda names!!! it was too funny.

the car had 198 miles on it. lol thats how new it is. its gorgeous and im totally in love with it and don't want to give it back. i know i have too. but i have till wednesday and im going to fully enjoy it till then.

it made me realize just how bad i need a new car. so these next few months im gonna be working my ass off and now with this raise......i hope to be driving a better (decent) car in about by the new year (after the loan is paid off) !! im so freaking excited!!!!

Friday night

the drive was not bad at all. I left later than I had intended too so about half way there I was driving in the dark, which really isn't a huge issue, except I didn't know where I was going, I didn't sleep much the night before, and I felt like I was in a Willy Wonka Movie.....ugh!!!

the bulk of my driving there was is construction. its a 2 lane interstate down to one lane. there was no traffic what so ever but it was orange and white striped cones for MILES!!! on either side of me for MILES!! that eventually turned into candy corn after staring at them for MILES and MILES and MILES!!!! I was in candy corn hell I tell you. lol so much so I missed my exit. so I went about 5 miles out of my way, but it wasn't a problem.......Tammy was on the phone with me giving me alternate directions. the drive took about 4 hours with one stop to pee and get coffee.

seeing Tammy was great. I haven't seen her happy in a long time. she looked good, lost some weight, was able to do things that I haven't been able to see her do EVER when she was here. things like, going to the store by herself, going shopping by herself, going out at night, BY HERSELF. get the picture here. her husband was really nice too. pretty much left us alone the whole weekend. he worked on Saturday and Sunday worked in the garage.

so Friday night we hung out and talked, had dinner, watched a movie and was in bed about 2 hours later. I was beat. up. Saturday morning we got up around 9 and planned a shopping day. we grabbed her mom who is super nice (I've met her before) and we went to get her son fitted for glasses, then Wal-Mart, then I took them all out for IHOP for breakfast/lunch. we went home after that and one of her friends came over and we hung out and chatted and after dinner we all (me Tammy friend and mom) went to the riverboat casino. before that we stopped at this discount store where I got some awesome sunglasses. the casino was fun. I haven't been to one in a long time and I love to go. so that was fun. we weren't there for long...lol

we got home around midnight and talked some more and Sunday we got up late, Tammy made a big breakfast and we back to Wal-Mart, cuz I needed a few things, came home and I pretty much packed and was on the road again around 4:30 and was home a bit after 8. Sarah moved back this weekend, so she was home, I straightened her hair and worked a couple of hours and went to bed. and that was my weekend.

other than the fact that i inhaled about 2 cartons worth of cigarrette smoke, i had a great time. it was so nice to see my friend again!! lol

so that was my weekend. the town that she lives in is teeny tiny. country roads. post office, fire dept and the library are in one building type of town. everybody knows everybody, you blink you miss it type of town. teeeeeny tiny. its right on the Mississippi river which was really pretty.

Feelin Popular!

I got a Thank You card from Robyn today for sending her one of my smiley bracelets and the card had that picture on it. This is a pic she took of one of the kittens she was fostering at the time and it just cracks me up. I actually have that pic on my desktop at work. It cracks me up!!

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"GO SHORTY, ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAY!!!

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so speaking of feeling popular, I have to say I'm always shocked when I get that email saying that some joined my notify list. I always wonder where you found me?? So let me just give a shout out WOOT!! WOOT!! To all you new readers who joined my list recently.....You know who you are!! :o)

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so life on the homefront is pretty much........................The same. I've been keeping busy making jewelry of course. Have some great new items on the site if you want to check it out...The link is over there ---------> I'm too lazy right now.

I feel another obsession coming on. After talking to Say (see link above....Still lazy) I'm going to take a crack at making some candles and see what happens. I've been wanting a candle making kit for the longest time but never got one...So now I think I'm going to see about getting one or getting the supplies I need to make candles. I think it will be fun to do and since I love candles...Why not, right!! So look for that in the near future.

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Sarah is moving back this weekend. And I just wish I had the camera right now cuz you have to see this cat. Of all the spots to lay on this desk she chooses to lay on top of my beading pile that I have here off to the side, on her back with her back legs crossed and hanging off the keyboard. Its it too freaking cute. But I don't have my camera right now.

damn!!!

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work is going really good. Been really busy. This weekend I'm taking a road trip to visit an old friend of mine that I haven't seen in a long time, Tammy. Some of you long time readers might remember that name. Well she's since moved back to her hometown, got divorced from the jerk she married and got married again to her childhood sweetheart and is living happily ever after. She lives about 2 hours away now so I'm going to take a drive there on Friday and chill for the weekend. That should be nice. I haven't been away in a while. And the weekend after that Sarah and I would like to take another road trip up North into Wisconsin, since she's got a good car now, we can do that...And possibly, if she's so inclined, visit a friend, maybe talk candles...LOL :o) either way were going cuz I love the area and would like to check it out again. Its been a few years since I've been there. So looking forward to that!

Damn im gonna miss Bingo night!!!! UGH!!

ya know last week (yes i went again) the two other ladies i was sitting with won. one won 2 small bingos and the other won $500 bucks!!! needless to say it didn't rub off on me.

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I've started watching TV again. Over the weekend they had that Dancing with the Stars marathon. So I got to see all the shows at once. I love that BTW....It was pretty good. Tonight they have a dance off with the winner and the runner up. We'll see on Thursday who won. The Biggest Loser is on again. I still like it. This time its men against women. Its pretty interesting. House & Medium and ER is starting on Thursday, Bones.....I've yet to see this show but it looks like it could be really good. I missed it tonight watching R U That Girl with TLC. I love them too. Always been a huge fan. I think they are awesome individuals and very talented. I just got the 3rd season of OZ, that HBO series from Netflix. So I'm going to be watching that probably tonight since I can't seem to fall asleep tonight. Its already 2am and WIDE AWAKE!!!

NOT GOOD!

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update on my brother.....He's supposed to be out of the hospital tomorrow. The 2nd surgery went well and He's been able to keep food down. Nothing solid yet, puree mostly, but keeping it down is a good sign. His lungs however have been filling with fluid...So once that is taken care of he will be going home. So hopefully tomorrow we'll know.

other than that I can't really think of anything else

this cat is a trip!!!

ciao!!

Random Thoughts & Needing Prayers

Sarah's new car!! She's very happy and no I haven't driven it yet. It was really sunny that day.

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it was Saturday night and I was tired of sitting home alone so I was racking my brain trying to figure out what I could possibly do when I glanced at the clock and noticed the time. 6:45

suddenly the lightbulb went off and I dashed to the bathroom for a quick shower knowing I was going to be a little late, I'm sure it wouldn't matter. 30 min later I was in my car heading toward my destination which was only 5 minutes away. I park my car and look around. Not to many cars here. Checking the building for sign of life and everything looks closed. hmm....I walk up one of the doors and I see some people way down this corridor but the door was locked and they didn't' hear me knocking. I'm thinking I'm not at the right door.

something just didn't seem right so I got back in my car and drove down the road a little to see another driveway and way more cars. This looked promising. I park. As I'm approaching the door I know I'm in the right place as I can hear the commotion coming from behind the double doors. I'm standing there taking a deep breath and I say out loud...."I can't believe that this is what is becoming of my life." I mean, I knew it come sooner or later but I was hoping it would LATER than sooner. Ah well...Such is life. fuck it.

I open the door and the choking cloud of smoke that is lingering in the air smacks me right away. The sea of gray is endless. I now know I'm in the right place. So I'm standing in the doorway observing. Watching the folks, looking for a familiar face (didn't see any) when a woman approaches me and asks me if I was looking for someone or did I want to join them. I told her that this was my first time here and I would like to join. I gave her my money, she gave me my items the constant yelling was familiar. Reminds me of my youth.

I set my items on the table, the nice lady was explaining some things to me where they were at and what is going to be next and then I hear it.....BINGO!! Yes folks...There I was excited as can be...At the bingo hall, hangin with the old folks.....

grandma would be so proud.

I did have fun and I actually did know someone there. She found me at intermission when I was getting some water, it was my old landlord from when I was living at the apartments. She's actually a friend/acquaintance of mine, also gay, who has been going there for the last 2 years so not only do I have a new obsession but I have a partner to go with.....Too much fun, I know your jealous!!
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so my brother is in the hospital. He's been there for about a week now. I'm going to copy and paste what he has cuz its kinda hard to explain...But he has Achalasia.

Achalasia is a swallowing disorder caused by two problems in the esophagus (the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach). The first problem is that the lower two-thirds of the esophagus do not propel food toward the stomach properly. The second problem is in the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a circular band of muscle that lies at the junction of the esophagus and the stomach that helps prevent food from regurgitating from the stomach to the esophagus. Normally, the LES relaxes in response to swallowing, allowing food to enter the stomach. In patients with achalasia, the LES fails to relax, creating a barrier for food and liquids to pass into the stomach. Achalasia affects approximately 1 in every 10,000 to 100,000 people, and most people are diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 60 years. It is typically a chronic condition that initially worsens over time and does not go away on its own.

so he had the surgery and then a day later has to go back for emergency surgery cuz there was a tear in his stomach which was letting out gastric acid which could kill you if enough gets into your system. So it wasn't looking real good there.

before he had his surgery, before the doctor, he basically couldn't keep anything down at all and was down to 140 lbs. He's a tall guy, so that was really not good at all. Anyway, so He's still in the hospital and is very weak and I also found out tonight that He's lungs keep filling up with fluids. So if I was worried enough, now I'm down right scared. So please pray for a quick recovery so that he can go back home and be with his kids and be the daddy he loves to be. Thanks.
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well I guess that is it for now. Work is going great. I love it. They are going to be moving up to the second floor closer to the team I work with. I can't wait. She's been giving me more and more work. Its been great. And I'm learning a lot. So that is always a bonus.

I'm going to have a lot of new items this weekend at Trinket Trunk. Fun stuff!!

I'm going to bed now. 2am...That's about right.....Ugh

night

Weekend's End

Howdy Folks!!

Remember me?? You know that girl, who at one point in time lived to journal? Yup its me....tada!! What a slacker I am!! sheesh. Well how was your weekend?? Mine was pretty good. Was a pretty steady pace, was busy doing lots of different things.....I think. Well it feels like that anyway. Lets see.....

Friday I left work early. 1 or 2, I can't remember. I do remember that it was a ghosttown and there really was no reason for me to stay. Sarah was coming home but was not feeling well....So she stayed at her place and come home Saturday morning instead. When I got home on Friday I remember taking a long nap. I had scheduled myself on the phones early in the evening and I knew I was going to be up late, so I took advantage of some napping time. When I got up I was keeping busy online, taking calls and playing with my new camera that I got. Its awesome!!

taking calls. Wow...Truly a reality slap for me.....

you see...We were taking calls for the Red Cross for donations for Katrina. I think that was one of the hardest phone calls I ever had to do. Not so much for the people donating, but for the people who were actually there wanting help, or for the people looking for loved ones when all I could do was give them another number to call. It was truly heartbreaking. I mean just imagine, you just lost everything, you get a number for help and all I can say is here is another number number to call.....GOTTA PEN??? Ugh...It was bad. I've only gotten a few of those type of calls....The majority was donations but still...It was enough. It is just unimaginable what those people are going through. So that was rough.

I didn't schedule myself hours this weekend cuz 1. I need a break and 2. Sarah and I had plans.

guess what she did this weekend.

she bought a car.

a 1999 ford contour, black, used obviously, great price, mint condition. The car only has like 51,000 miles on it. it was a trade in. We drove it around....A lot....All over....Highway, side streets, main roads, slow speed, high speed, the car is just great!! Its got leather interior, a moonroof, kicking stereo system, AC!!!!! I'm so jealous I can't even tell ya!!! LOL

cool thing is is I get to drive it cuz it lives with ME!!! heh (for about two weeks anyway, then she moves back) oh did I mention she's moving back......LOL...Yeah. End of the month. she's back. She got a job out here that has career potential in the financial field that she started so after doing the pros and cons and seeing what is better, moving back and getting a car was the best move. She'll just commute to school 3 days a week which really isn't bad. And now that she has her own vehicle she doesn't have to wait on me. And vise versa. So that works out in the long run.

I don't mind. The company will be nice again. I find that since she's been gone I never see my living room. Its like I'm stuck in this chair staring at this screen doing this....Tap tap tap tap tap....Over and over and over again. And beading. Always beading. And working. Always working. This is what I do when I get home. Walk the dog, make dinner, work, bead, surf.

speaking of beads...I made a KILLING this weekend!! Thanks to some very special people in my life that made some MAJOR orders. LOVE YOU!!!! Yeah I sold a lot.....wanna see!!

heh

so that was Saturday.....After the car deal, we came and napped, putz around, slept some more. Sunday went shopping. She bought herself more clothes and she bought me a pair of shoes and a couple of shirts. she's very good to me. The shoes are awesome. Timberlands. Ill have to take some pics...

today not much was done. We went out for lunch, did some last minute errands and she caught an early train home. she's back tomorrow to do some banking and then we go to the dealership to finalize the paperwork on the car and pick it up. I have pics of the car but its in the camera and its too late to mess with that right now. Ill have pics when we get the car. Trust me.....

I spent the rest of the day as usual....Working, beading, surfing.....And now I'm going to bed.

ciao for now!!!


~143~

Disaster

My heart goes out to those people who are suffering right now due to Katrina. The devastation is so bad that 80% of the state is under water! Can you imagine that?? I was listening to my radio station last night in the wee hours of the morning and the question was asked, what would you do? And after thinking about it, I really can't even imagine. What would I do??? Try and survive? I thank God for what I have today and I pray for those folks in Louisiana. My problems, my issues, my stresses, my debt, my aches and pains, don't seem so catastrophic anymore. I think about it sometimes and feel bad that I have this bottle of water sitting here and there is an entire state of people dehydrating and dyeing of thirst. Its all so sad.

ok....Well....Lets see. Whets been going on. Not to much. Work is still good. Its a bit slow. I am looking forward to the 3 day weekend. Its so nice when I think about it. If I was still working for walmart, I'd be working on Monday. Bastards. Now I can enjoy holidays and long weekends and not worry about work.

weight in today!! Hear all about later on my other site

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we interrupt this entry to bring you this special bulletin.....

FREE SHIPPING LABOR DAY WEEKEND ON ALL ORDERS AT

TRINKET TRUNK!!

CHECK OUT ALL THE NEW STUFF I ADDED!!

we now return to your run of the mill entry.....

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so I've been trying out cell phones. Since I can't get a regular one (bad credit) I've been checking out the prepaid ones. So far I checked out 2. Boost Mobil. Sucked. Net 10 was ok till I found out that text messaging is not available in my area and my phone number is in the Chicago area code and I am not in Chicago. So ill be returning that one too. Sarah is going to be putting me on her plan and that will solve this. Speaking of Sarah....

she's doing great. Her schedule at school has changed so instead of 3 days a week she now has 4 days a week of school, she is still working and was offered another position at another store that she really wanted to work, but is now reconsidering because of another more career oriented job that she is involved in. That job is closer to home though. she's been threatening to move back so that she can pursue this career and commute to school from home. She'll be saving money in the long run. So were talking about it. Not sure what she's planning, were going to put in on paper this weekend and do the pros and cons of it.

other than that.....There really isn't much else going on. I'm waiting for this day to end so I can weigh in and get that overwith. I missed my meeting last week and I'm expecting a loss this week and I feel really good about it. So we'll see....

that's it for now!! Have a good day!!