Well, folks, today is a sad day. Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman in Florida passed away. I know that this is a center of debate, but I'd like to hear what you guys have to say about it.
I've paid close attention to the case and read up on CNN. I know that it would be very hard for any parent to let their child go, but I cannot believe that her husband literally starved to death. I've watched videos of Terri - I firmly believe that she was aware of her surroundings. And I cannot believe that in the United States of America we just sit by and watch a woman get starved and dehydrated to death. Now, I understand that her husband has argued that these are "Terri's wishes", that she would not want to live in a persistent vegetative state. Sadly, Terri could not speak for herself, so as President Bush said, we should "err on the side of life". Let this be a lesson for people to PUT IN WRITING what they want done should they be in a similar situation. Yes, it may have been her wishes to die, however, she wasn't able to tell anyone.
Here's some more food for thought. Terri Schiavo was an innocent 26 year old woman when she collapsed due to a potassium imbalance. The State of Florida and her husband starved her to death over a period of 14 days. Our most horrific criminals who rape and brutally murder women and children are given a tidy injection and death comes just a few minutes later. Does that not make sense to anyone else? I DO NOT promote the death penalty OR euthanasia. I'm just saying that it doesn't make sense to me that we put murders "out of their misery" and torture innocent people.
I'm curious how other people feel about this issue... please comment! Remember, I want healthy discussion, please don't put other people down for their opinions!
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
The Finch Chronicles: Independence Day
Today's song of the day is quite fitting. Today is Independence Day for sweet Louise. Last night, Kati and I made the trek to Petco (ok, so more of a joy ride and less of a trek) in search of a cage for Louise. Without getting overly graphic (I'm trying to keep The Finch Chronicles PG rated), Louise was in physical trouble after being plucked way too much. I couldn't bring myself to take her back (I would look like such a horrible owner!), so I needed to get her little bird body away from the others.
Now, I'm not sure if you've ever tried to catch a finch, but let me tell you, it's a very humbling experience. The problem with the little critters is that they freak out. The minute I stuck my hand in the cage, Thelma and Brad began dive bombing me in attempt to save their nest. They are also super fast. As in will fly around your apartment for 45 minutes until you can corner them, not that that's ever happened to me... After about 5 minutes of dive bombing, I remembered that they don't fly in the dark. So I haul the cage into the bathroom and close the door. Thirty seconds later I had little Louise in my hand. I plop her into her new home and put her cage in the corner of my room (I wanted somewhere quiet where she won't be bothered).
At this point, all of the birds were sitting quietly in their cage, looking stunned. Then the crying began. Not from Brad and Thelma, but from Louise. I thought she was missing them, but when I walked into the room, I was shocked. She was flitting around the cage, swinging on her swing and eating. I think she was teasing them. This morning I got up and she had taken a bath. She's loving it! Eventually, I'll probably get a little boy to go with her since finches tend to be communal animals. But for now, I want her to heal up and have some rest.
I'll keep you posted.
Below is a picture of Louise in her new home.
Now, I'm not sure if you've ever tried to catch a finch, but let me tell you, it's a very humbling experience. The problem with the little critters is that they freak out. The minute I stuck my hand in the cage, Thelma and Brad began dive bombing me in attempt to save their nest. They are also super fast. As in will fly around your apartment for 45 minutes until you can corner them, not that that's ever happened to me... After about 5 minutes of dive bombing, I remembered that they don't fly in the dark. So I haul the cage into the bathroom and close the door. Thirty seconds later I had little Louise in my hand. I plop her into her new home and put her cage in the corner of my room (I wanted somewhere quiet where she won't be bothered).
At this point, all of the birds were sitting quietly in their cage, looking stunned. Then the crying began. Not from Brad and Thelma, but from Louise. I thought she was missing them, but when I walked into the room, I was shocked. She was flitting around the cage, swinging on her swing and eating. I think she was teasing them. This morning I got up and she had taken a bath. She's loving it! Eventually, I'll probably get a little boy to go with her since finches tend to be communal animals. But for now, I want her to heal up and have some rest.
I'll keep you posted.
Below is a picture of Louise in her new home.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
The Finch Chronicles: The Plight of Louise
Hello all!
Welcome to the latest edition of The Finch Chronicles. Today we look at the life of a lovely young finch named Louise. Ok, seriously, something has to be done. The other two are making sure that she gets nowhere near the nest, which she doesn't even try to do any more. However, they also continue to constantly peck at her and pluck her feathers. I just can't figure it out. I've tried everything! First I got a separate nest, thinking Thelma didn't want to share with Louise (you know, two women living together... not always the best of ideas). That didn't work. I then tried the bitter apple spray. It didn't phase the birds, but I sure did end up with some watery eyes. Now poor Louise has taken to hiding under the food cup... seems like the only place she's safe. I guess I should get her a cage for herself. And maybe a Brad of her own.
Does anyone want a finch?
In other, less somber news, I've posted Easter pictures. Comment away!
Ok, now for a serious question. How is it that Starbucks can have four shops all at the same intersection? Yes, you read that correctly. Four. Two of them in the same shopping center. It amazes me. From a business perspective, one would assume that one of the stores would suffer. But no, Starbucks preservers. All four shops are always bustling. I believe that I am single-handedly supporting their stock. This morning I deviated from my normal apple crisp (with the tall non-fat white chocolate mocha) and had the everything bagel. They aren't kidding when they say everything. I think every kind of seed known to man was on the bagel. It was pretty good though!
Ok, off to lunch. Keep commenting!
Welcome to the latest edition of The Finch Chronicles. Today we look at the life of a lovely young finch named Louise. Ok, seriously, something has to be done. The other two are making sure that she gets nowhere near the nest, which she doesn't even try to do any more. However, they also continue to constantly peck at her and pluck her feathers. I just can't figure it out. I've tried everything! First I got a separate nest, thinking Thelma didn't want to share with Louise (you know, two women living together... not always the best of ideas). That didn't work. I then tried the bitter apple spray. It didn't phase the birds, but I sure did end up with some watery eyes. Now poor Louise has taken to hiding under the food cup... seems like the only place she's safe. I guess I should get her a cage for herself. And maybe a Brad of her own.
Does anyone want a finch?
In other, less somber news, I've posted Easter pictures. Comment away!
Ok, now for a serious question. How is it that Starbucks can have four shops all at the same intersection? Yes, you read that correctly. Four. Two of them in the same shopping center. It amazes me. From a business perspective, one would assume that one of the stores would suffer. But no, Starbucks preservers. All four shops are always bustling. I believe that I am single-handedly supporting their stock. This morning I deviated from my normal apple crisp (with the tall non-fat white chocolate mocha) and had the everything bagel. They aren't kidding when they say everything. I think every kind of seed known to man was on the bagel. It was pretty good though!
Ok, off to lunch. Keep commenting!
Monday, March 28, 2005
Monday Monday...
Well, good morning and happy Monday!
I'm sad because I took my Mom and Dad to the airport this morning. We had the best weekend! I wish they could stay longer!
Poor Mom caught Dad's cold on Saturday, but she was a trooper and made it through the whole weekend! On Saturday we went down to Balboa Park and went to the train museum. Daddy was in heaven! It is a really cool place - they have entire ROOMS of model trains set up! They're so detailed, we must have spent a good two hours looking through them. It was all of San Diego and, of course, to scale. Absolutely amazing. Daddy was inspired and is going home to work on "Biggie Dog Railways". After that we went to mine and Tim's favorite restaurant, Filippi's. Yum. They have this little Italian deli at the one downtown where you can get all kinds of yummy stuff... Mom got me the pasta we love - it's like macaroni noodles but long and not curly. Yum!
Easter Sunday was wonderful! Mom, Dad, and Kati all came to see my choir. I'm so proud of them! They're getting better and better! Then we went back to my place and cooked. It was a traditional Smithson/Burtscher/Zeno/Myer dinner... with WAY too much food and lots of leftovers! It was loud, it was fun, and it included meat slapping. Yes, I said meat slapping. Daddy and Tim were cutting the prime rib (ok, Dad was cutting and Tim was watching) and Daddy hauls off and slaps the meat with the knife. To "show it who's boss" (said with a faux Italian accent). For some reason that struck us all as hilarious. In fact, a lot of stuff struck us as hilarious. Maybe it was the wine...
After a dinner which could have fed a small country (quick rundown: prime rib, potato casserole, stuffing, cranberries, salad, strawberries and bread), we celebrated Kati's birthday (not until Thursday... don't worry, you didn't miss it). We had chocolate cake and then we all had to lay down for a little. Ok, I had to lay down for a little. I blame the wine.
We had such a fun time doing the "lay around" and just having fun. We went to both extremes... we watched "Andre Reiu" (symphony) and "Blue Collar Comedy" (redneck). You might be a redneck if... believe me, Daddy and Tim came up with some good ones involving dropping garbage out of the window... lol.
Well, it was a wonderful weekend... I had so much fun with my family and I'm so happy they were able to come down! I hope everyone else had a wonderful Easter too! I'll be posting pictures as soon as I can!
I'm sad because I took my Mom and Dad to the airport this morning. We had the best weekend! I wish they could stay longer!
Poor Mom caught Dad's cold on Saturday, but she was a trooper and made it through the whole weekend! On Saturday we went down to Balboa Park and went to the train museum. Daddy was in heaven! It is a really cool place - they have entire ROOMS of model trains set up! They're so detailed, we must have spent a good two hours looking through them. It was all of San Diego and, of course, to scale. Absolutely amazing. Daddy was inspired and is going home to work on "Biggie Dog Railways". After that we went to mine and Tim's favorite restaurant, Filippi's. Yum. They have this little Italian deli at the one downtown where you can get all kinds of yummy stuff... Mom got me the pasta we love - it's like macaroni noodles but long and not curly. Yum!
Easter Sunday was wonderful! Mom, Dad, and Kati all came to see my choir. I'm so proud of them! They're getting better and better! Then we went back to my place and cooked. It was a traditional Smithson/Burtscher/Zeno/Myer dinner... with WAY too much food and lots of leftovers! It was loud, it was fun, and it included meat slapping. Yes, I said meat slapping. Daddy and Tim were cutting the prime rib (ok, Dad was cutting and Tim was watching) and Daddy hauls off and slaps the meat with the knife. To "show it who's boss" (said with a faux Italian accent). For some reason that struck us all as hilarious. In fact, a lot of stuff struck us as hilarious. Maybe it was the wine...
After a dinner which could have fed a small country (quick rundown: prime rib, potato casserole, stuffing, cranberries, salad, strawberries and bread), we celebrated Kati's birthday (not until Thursday... don't worry, you didn't miss it). We had chocolate cake and then we all had to lay down for a little. Ok, I had to lay down for a little. I blame the wine.
We had such a fun time doing the "lay around" and just having fun. We went to both extremes... we watched "Andre Reiu" (symphony) and "Blue Collar Comedy" (redneck). You might be a redneck if... believe me, Daddy and Tim came up with some good ones involving dropping garbage out of the window... lol.
Well, it was a wonderful weekend... I had so much fun with my family and I'm so happy they were able to come down! I hope everyone else had a wonderful Easter too! I'll be posting pictures as soon as I can!
Friday, March 25, 2005
Good Friday
Happy Good Friday!
I had the best time with my family today! First of all, my sister decided to surprise us and drive here a day early! I was so excited! They all got to be here for the Good Friday service, which is one of my favorite services of the year! They unveil a six foot wooden cross to the song "Behold the Wood" and it then gets passed around the church. I know it sounds kinda cheesy, but it's really neat. The cross has a single red rose on it and the whole idea is that the entire congregation gets to touch it, even the children. It takes a group of people to carry it, so the whole congregation is involved. Very moving, especially if you're really thinking about what it means. Gives me goosebumps.
Today we had a pretty busy morning. Mom, Dad and I went to Ihop for breakfast (poor Tim had to work) and then to Best Buy. After that we dropped Dad off at my apartment and Mom and I did some shopping. It is SO nice to see my family again! Then Kati and Tim showed up and we all went to dinner at Mimi's Cafe and then to mass. It's been a crazy day and I'm super sleepy! We have a great couple of days ahead - tomorrow is "Play in Around Town" day and Sunday is Easter! Yeah!
Hope you're all doing well! I have more to write about the finches, but I'm too tired tonight and I think it might have to wait until everything calms down a little. Love you all!
I had the best time with my family today! First of all, my sister decided to surprise us and drive here a day early! I was so excited! They all got to be here for the Good Friday service, which is one of my favorite services of the year! They unveil a six foot wooden cross to the song "Behold the Wood" and it then gets passed around the church. I know it sounds kinda cheesy, but it's really neat. The cross has a single red rose on it and the whole idea is that the entire congregation gets to touch it, even the children. It takes a group of people to carry it, so the whole congregation is involved. Very moving, especially if you're really thinking about what it means. Gives me goosebumps.
Today we had a pretty busy morning. Mom, Dad and I went to Ihop for breakfast (poor Tim had to work) and then to Best Buy. After that we dropped Dad off at my apartment and Mom and I did some shopping. It is SO nice to see my family again! Then Kati and Tim showed up and we all went to dinner at Mimi's Cafe and then to mass. It's been a crazy day and I'm super sleepy! We have a great couple of days ahead - tomorrow is "Play in Around Town" day and Sunday is Easter! Yeah!
Hope you're all doing well! I have more to write about the finches, but I'm too tired tonight and I think it might have to wait until everything calms down a little. Love you all!
Thursday, March 24, 2005
They're Here! They're Here!
OMG OMG OMG! My family is here! I was so excited that I left my house like 45 minutes early and then had to sit in my car at Starbucks for a while. All went well with their flight... Mom and Dad dropped me at work and are out frolicking. They have "errands" to run... translated: goodies for me!!! :) Or not, since Kati's birthday is next week. Goodies for someone!
In other news, Happy Holy Week! It's going to be very busy for me - 5 masses in 4 days! I'm really excited that my family gets to see the services here. They're really cool and very moving.
I can't wait until I'm off work and get to go play!
Here's a note to all you who are reading but afraid to comment. You do not, I repeat, do not need to have an account to sign up. And you can post anonymously. All you need to do is pick one where it says "Choose an identity"... if you have an account you'll pick Blogger, if you don't have an account, pick Other and if you don't want us to know who you are, pick anonymous. And above all, it should be fun!
Have a great day!
In other news, Happy Holy Week! It's going to be very busy for me - 5 masses in 4 days! I'm really excited that my family gets to see the services here. They're really cool and very moving.
I can't wait until I'm off work and get to go play!
Here's a note to all you who are reading but afraid to comment. You do not, I repeat, do not need to have an account to sign up. And you can post anonymously. All you need to do is pick one where it says "Choose an identity"... if you have an account you'll pick Blogger, if you don't have an account, pick Other and if you don't want us to know who you are, pick anonymous. And above all, it should be fun!
Have a great day!
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Things That Worry Me Part One
At long last, the blog entry you have all been waiting for. Or not. :)
Before I begin, I have on brief announcement. MY FAMILY IS COMING TOMORROW!!! Woo hoo! I'm seriously so excited!
With that being said, let me keep you in suspense no longer. Ladies and Gentlemen, things that worry me:
Before I begin, I have on brief announcement. MY FAMILY IS COMING TOMORROW!!! Woo hoo! I'm seriously so excited!
With that being said, let me keep you in suspense no longer. Ladies and Gentlemen, things that worry me:
- People who load their own trucks and are driving on the freeway: Yes, this seems odd. But, have you ever been driving behind one of those little pickup trucks loaded with sofas and boxes all piled in weird little towers? And if that doesn't worry you, you then look to see that it's all tied in with a little spaghetti-thin string? Yeah, I can just picture someone's sofa flying off the back of their truck and on top of my car.
- Elevators that don't get inspected: How do I know that they're not inspected? Because they don't have the little paper in them saying "This elevator was last inspected on April 10, 2001." At least then I would know. And really, if that little paper isn't in there, how do I know how many people we can cram in? I mean, what happens if we're only supposed to have 10 and we have 12?!
- Grown adults who can't spell: Take no offense if you are a naturally bad speller. I understand. It happens. However, take note that in this wonderful modern age of ours we have this creation called ... *cue drum roll* ... spell check. It's amazing. It can spell almost any word. And what's even better is that it's included in almost every email program and word processing program. In fact, my blog even has one. Half the time they run automatically. There's no excuse for spelling things wrong is this technologically advanced age. None.
- Middle aged men in sports cars: Men, accept this one fact. You will get old. Chances are that you will lose your hair. And get a little pudgy. Don't buy a sports car. Please. I beg you. Us younger women do not find this hot. Nor will we date you just because you have a red sports car. You see, we're in that young phase of life where we have OUR OWN red sports car. We don't need yours. In fact, ours is probably faster than yours. Also, please note that owning a sports car does not give you the right to cut us off and act like you own the world.
- People driving in the rain: Folks, really it's not that hard. Turn your lights on, slow down a little and try not to crash. You won't get there any faster if you're involved in a 20 car pileup. Just SLOOOOOOOW down.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Bread and Birds
I know you've all been waiting on pins and needles for the "Things That Worry Me" edition, but, sadly, I have to place it on hold. Much more pressing things have come up.
First, let's discuss bread. Last night, in a bout of domestic delirium, I decided to make bread. I thought it would be fun and would give me something to eat for lunch today. Now, most people would dump the ingredients into a bread machine and two hours later have bread. Not me. I prefer manual labor. So I'm kneading. And kneading. And kneading. And sweating. A lot. Finally, I have "firm, yet elastic" dough. I place it in a plastic bowl, cover it with a towel and place it in the oven. Mind you, the oven is off. The recipe book specifically says to put it in there, with a bowl of hot water underneath. So into the OFF oven it goes, with the little bowl of hot water. Tim and I then trek to Mervyns in search of cute clothes (which we did find... and surprisingly, I was a good shopper... what can I say, he brings out the best in me).
Then comes the panicked phone call from my roommate. She had gone to the gym to work out and when she got back, she turned the oven on to preheat for her dinner. Plastic bowls, not oven safe. Towels, not oven safe. The water was fine. We got back from Mervyns and by then I thought the whole thing was funny. She felt so bad... offering to pay for the bowl and apologizing. I just laughed and poked at the dough. It felt like bread. I can at least take comfort in the fact that my dough turned out ok.
The icing on the cake... Tim's comment. As my roomie was offering to pay Tim said something along the lines of "At least it wasn't a pen in the dryer." Probably the funniest thing all night! :)
Now, on to the birds. I peek in the nest yesterday to see mama bird (Thelma) tossing cotton out of the nest. I thought nothing of it, maybe that Brad was trying to decorate again. Later, when I walked back by, I noticed a second egg. We have two!!! And this time, they're actually sitting on them! In fact, if Thelma is in there when you walk by she spreads her wings and crouches down like she's going to attack. Good mama.
First, let's discuss bread. Last night, in a bout of domestic delirium, I decided to make bread. I thought it would be fun and would give me something to eat for lunch today. Now, most people would dump the ingredients into a bread machine and two hours later have bread. Not me. I prefer manual labor. So I'm kneading. And kneading. And kneading. And sweating. A lot. Finally, I have "firm, yet elastic" dough. I place it in a plastic bowl, cover it with a towel and place it in the oven. Mind you, the oven is off. The recipe book specifically says to put it in there, with a bowl of hot water underneath. So into the OFF oven it goes, with the little bowl of hot water. Tim and I then trek to Mervyns in search of cute clothes (which we did find... and surprisingly, I was a good shopper... what can I say, he brings out the best in me).
Then comes the panicked phone call from my roommate. She had gone to the gym to work out and when she got back, she turned the oven on to preheat for her dinner. Plastic bowls, not oven safe. Towels, not oven safe. The water was fine. We got back from Mervyns and by then I thought the whole thing was funny. She felt so bad... offering to pay for the bowl and apologizing. I just laughed and poked at the dough. It felt like bread. I can at least take comfort in the fact that my dough turned out ok.
The icing on the cake... Tim's comment. As my roomie was offering to pay Tim said something along the lines of "At least it wasn't a pen in the dryer." Probably the funniest thing all night! :)
Now, on to the birds. I peek in the nest yesterday to see mama bird (Thelma) tossing cotton out of the nest. I thought nothing of it, maybe that Brad was trying to decorate again. Later, when I walked back by, I noticed a second egg. We have two!!! And this time, they're actually sitting on them! In fact, if Thelma is in there when you walk by she spreads her wings and crouches down like she's going to attack. Good mama.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Weekend Update
Hello everyone!
This weekend was amazing! Here's the blow-by-blow:
On Friday night I drove up to Kati's. What is normally a 1 1/2 hour drive ended up being 4, thanks to good old Friday afternoon traffic. Thank goodness I had some Josh Groban to listen to. However, as I pull up to the stoplight just down the road from Kati's, the song "You Raise Me Up" comes on. Now, this song is close to my heart, and I cannot help but sing when it comes on. So as I'm singing, this guy pulls up just ahead and to the right of me. I'm belting it out and, get this, DIRECTING. It was at the part where the choir comes in and it's all loud and beautiful. So of course, I'm directing, cuing the choir and singing. Well, the guy next to me just happened to be in the direction of my "choir" and as I cue, I look towards him. He's laughing hysterically. Oops. So I turn beet red, smile and laugh. *sigh* Silly musicians.
Disneyland was FANTASTIC! Kati and I got there at about 9am and just had the best time! It did rain, but the cool thing about that is that there was not a whole lot of people, so I don't think we waited more than 35 minutes to go on any ride (for those of you new to Disneyland, sometimes on the popular rides you can wait 2-3 hours in line). Now, the one bad thing was that a lot of rides were breaking down. The new ride, the Buzz Lightyear one, broke down before we could go on it... we were waiting in line about three feet from the "space pods". It looked pretty cool... you get to shoot stuff! So we skipped it and moved on. Splash Mountain broke down while we were on it too... we were stuck in "Zippidy Doo Dah" land for about 10 minutes as logs rear-ended us. Finally, just before we left we were going to ride the Indiana Jones ride again and it broke down... "operational difficulties". Not sure why that was happening, but at least we made it out safe! It was such a great time! If I haven't already sent you pictures, let me know and I'll email them to you! Kati only made me ride It's a Small World one time, but we took lots of pictures.
Yesterday was really nice too. After a VERY stressful mass (let's just say a few key people were very late, a lot of stuff was changed/dumped on me at the last minute and I was tired as all heck), Tim and I napped. It was wonderful. It only worked for about half an hour for him... then he started reading every book I own while I slept for 2 1/2 hours. Guess I was tired. Then we went down to Coronado and watched the sun set. It was so beautiful! After that, Tim took me to my favorite Mexican restaurant. Yum!
So that was my crazy weekend. Lots of driving, lots of fun! Thanks for letting me come up Kati! I love you!
Stay tuned for the next edition of the blog: Things that Worry Me. :)
This weekend was amazing! Here's the blow-by-blow:
On Friday night I drove up to Kati's. What is normally a 1 1/2 hour drive ended up being 4, thanks to good old Friday afternoon traffic. Thank goodness I had some Josh Groban to listen to. However, as I pull up to the stoplight just down the road from Kati's, the song "You Raise Me Up" comes on. Now, this song is close to my heart, and I cannot help but sing when it comes on. So as I'm singing, this guy pulls up just ahead and to the right of me. I'm belting it out and, get this, DIRECTING. It was at the part where the choir comes in and it's all loud and beautiful. So of course, I'm directing, cuing the choir and singing. Well, the guy next to me just happened to be in the direction of my "choir" and as I cue, I look towards him. He's laughing hysterically. Oops. So I turn beet red, smile and laugh. *sigh* Silly musicians.
Disneyland was FANTASTIC! Kati and I got there at about 9am and just had the best time! It did rain, but the cool thing about that is that there was not a whole lot of people, so I don't think we waited more than 35 minutes to go on any ride (for those of you new to Disneyland, sometimes on the popular rides you can wait 2-3 hours in line). Now, the one bad thing was that a lot of rides were breaking down. The new ride, the Buzz Lightyear one, broke down before we could go on it... we were waiting in line about three feet from the "space pods". It looked pretty cool... you get to shoot stuff! So we skipped it and moved on. Splash Mountain broke down while we were on it too... we were stuck in "Zippidy Doo Dah" land for about 10 minutes as logs rear-ended us. Finally, just before we left we were going to ride the Indiana Jones ride again and it broke down... "operational difficulties". Not sure why that was happening, but at least we made it out safe! It was such a great time! If I haven't already sent you pictures, let me know and I'll email them to you! Kati only made me ride It's a Small World one time, but we took lots of pictures.
Yesterday was really nice too. After a VERY stressful mass (let's just say a few key people were very late, a lot of stuff was changed/dumped on me at the last minute and I was tired as all heck), Tim and I napped. It was wonderful. It only worked for about half an hour for him... then he started reading every book I own while I slept for 2 1/2 hours. Guess I was tired. Then we went down to Coronado and watched the sun set. It was so beautiful! After that, Tim took me to my favorite Mexican restaurant. Yum!
So that was my crazy weekend. Lots of driving, lots of fun! Thanks for letting me come up Kati! I love you!
Stay tuned for the next edition of the blog: Things that Worry Me. :)
Friday, March 18, 2005
I'm Going to Disneyland!
I'm so excited! Tomorrow I'm going to Disneyland with my sister! I know she's going to make me ride the "It's a Small World" ride like 10 times, but at least now (unlike when we were little) she'll go on the rollercoasters with me. I can't wait. I love the Indiana Jones ride and Splash Mountain. And my roomie, the Disneyland expert, says they have a new ride too. Buzz Lightyear or something like that. I'll have a full report for you when I get back!
So Saint Patty's Day went really well. Rehearsal was awesome... I was a little worried that we had too much music to cover and once again, my choir amazed me. They are such wonderful people and work so hard... a year ago they didn't know how to sing harmonies... last night they sight-read them! I'm so proud! After rehearsal, Tim and I went to a party at Doug's house. Much food, much beer, much fun! I feel bad for them though... we left at around 10:15 and they were still partying it up. Poor Doug had to get up early this morning to go to Arizona for spring training. lol... bet it was definitely a Starbucks morning for him!
All is well in the fishtank of love. I know some of you were worried about the catfish and betta cohabitating (they are called Siamese Fighting Fish). I talked to the lady at the pet store and she has the same sized tank with 3 catfish and a betta. I did some research and it turns out the bettas are only really aggressive to their own kind. They might pick on fish that have long things hanging off them, like antennas or long fins. But the catfish are small, compact and have itty bitty whiskers so we're good to go. He doesn't even go near them! :) There is much peace and harmony within the Tank of Bedrock.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, March 17, 2005
The Great Big Fishbowl in the Sky
Hello all,
Sad news to report. I came into work today and discovered that both Simon and the sucker fish died. They've joined Garfunkle in the "Great Big Fishbowl in the Sky". *tear* I grieved for 10 minutes and then decided to go to PetSmart at lunch. There are now three beautiful (and hopefully hardier) additions to my little tank. In no particular order:
Well, HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY! A leprechaun visited our apartment last night and made green milk. I love those leprechauns! I also created green chocolate chip cookies for my choir and the party that I'm going to afterwards. Yum!
I'm super excited - this weekend I'm going to Disneyland! Sure, it's supposed to rain and my sister is quasi-sick. I'm sure we'll still have fun! In fact, I've been told that Disneyland is really cool when it rains because there are NO lines. And we know how much I love to jump in puddles!
Hope you're all doing well! Let me know if you want pictures of the greenness that happened in my apartment. More importantly, I'm still waiting for guest blogs from some of you (*cough* Eva *cough* Mom *cough*). Or any of you - I'm more than willing to post them!
Sad news to report. I came into work today and discovered that both Simon and the sucker fish died. They've joined Garfunkle in the "Great Big Fishbowl in the Sky". *tear* I grieved for 10 minutes and then decided to go to PetSmart at lunch. There are now three beautiful (and hopefully hardier) additions to my little tank. In no particular order:
- Fred: the green catfish
- Barney: the spotted catfish
- Bam Bam: the betta
Well, HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY! A leprechaun visited our apartment last night and made green milk. I love those leprechauns! I also created green chocolate chip cookies for my choir and the party that I'm going to afterwards. Yum!
I'm super excited - this weekend I'm going to Disneyland! Sure, it's supposed to rain and my sister is quasi-sick. I'm sure we'll still have fun! In fact, I've been told that Disneyland is really cool when it rains because there are NO lines. And we know how much I love to jump in puddles!
Hope you're all doing well! Let me know if you want pictures of the greenness that happened in my apartment. More importantly, I'm still waiting for guest blogs from some of you (*cough* Eva *cough* Mom *cough*). Or any of you - I'm more than willing to post them!
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Honk If You're Male
Alright all you men out there, listen up. I have a piece of advice for you, advice that could be crucial to your love life.
Women do not like to be honked at.
It is in no way, shape or form flattering. We don't get honked at and think "Wow, who's that hunk in the truck next to me honking?" We get honked at and think "Oh crap. How do I get away from these psycho guys?".
Case in point.
Last night I was on my way to a meeting and I pulled up to a stoplight. Two guys pull up next to me in a big old truck. I don't really pay a lot of attention because I'm thinking about the meeting and other important things in my life, like In-N-Out. So I hear this honking and voices. I look around and assume someone is about to crash. Not the case. I look to my left where I see the suspects, in their truck, honking and waving at me. I immediately assume something is wrong, like my tail lights are out or my clothes are stuck in the door. Not the case because I see their smiling faces as they yell out the car window to me. Of course, I'm stuck at a stoplight and can't move. Finally I ignore them long enough, they lose interest, and the light turns green.
Construction workers, this goes for you too. Don't whistle or catcall. I mean really, has this worked for you before? I would like just one construction worker to come forward and say " Yes, I whistled at a woman and she stopped. I thought she was going to slap me, but instead she asked me out. Three years later we were married." Anyone? I thought so. It doesn't work, so don't try it.
I don't know what man came up with the idea of honking, whistling and catcalling, but let me tell you, on behalf of women everywhere, it doesn't work. We don't like it. We won't date you. Just remember that...
Women do not like to be honked at.
It is in no way, shape or form flattering. We don't get honked at and think "Wow, who's that hunk in the truck next to me honking?" We get honked at and think "Oh crap. How do I get away from these psycho guys?".
Case in point.
Last night I was on my way to a meeting and I pulled up to a stoplight. Two guys pull up next to me in a big old truck. I don't really pay a lot of attention because I'm thinking about the meeting and other important things in my life, like In-N-Out. So I hear this honking and voices. I look around and assume someone is about to crash. Not the case. I look to my left where I see the suspects, in their truck, honking and waving at me. I immediately assume something is wrong, like my tail lights are out or my clothes are stuck in the door. Not the case because I see their smiling faces as they yell out the car window to me. Of course, I'm stuck at a stoplight and can't move. Finally I ignore them long enough, they lose interest, and the light turns green.
Construction workers, this goes for you too. Don't whistle or catcall. I mean really, has this worked for you before? I would like just one construction worker to come forward and say " Yes, I whistled at a woman and she stopped. I thought she was going to slap me, but instead she asked me out. Three years later we were married." Anyone? I thought so. It doesn't work, so don't try it.
I don't know what man came up with the idea of honking, whistling and catcalling, but let me tell you, on behalf of women everywhere, it doesn't work. We don't like it. We won't date you. Just remember that...
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
The Finch Chronicles: A Mother's Prerogative
We have nesting activity. I repeat, we have nesting activity.
I'm excited, Tim's excited, even Daddy Finch is excited. We have an egg nestled nicely in the nest. I peeked into the nest this morning to see what was happening and saw the little egg sitting in the middle, surrounded by cotton fluff and feathers, generously donated by Louise. I thought I might offer some more cotton because it looked pretty packed in and like it could have used some more smush. So I pull a cotton ball apart and stick it between the bars of the cage. I've learned that they like it better that way - they have developed an "Anna-shall-not-put-ANYTHING-in-our-nest" rule. If I do, they throw it out. I think they like feeling like they're "harvesting" stuff for their nest. So I stuff the cotton between the bars and go about my morning routine. As I pass the cage, I catch Daddy Finch pulling some cotton and putting it in the nest. I thought "Oh, how cute... he's helping!". When I walked by 10 minutes later, Mommy Finch was sitting in the nest, squawking, and throwing the cotton out that Daddy Finch had put in. God bless men, they know not what they do... I guess nest decoration is a mother's prerogative!
Please say a little prayer today - Tim and I have a friend from church who is 24 years old and having a brain tumor removed at this moment... he needs our thoughts and prayers!
This morning there was a car accident on the freeway outside my bedroom window. At 5:30am. The police, ambulance and fire trucks couldn't get through because traffic sucked, so they just sat their with their sirens on. I tried to be mad about it but then remembered that the people in the accident were dealing with a whole lot more than being awakened early. So I went running.
And finally, if you've read this far, leave me a comment! I see my counter moving, but I'm fully convinced that only my mom, Tim, and occasionally Eva love me. It takes two seconds. You can do it!
I'm excited, Tim's excited, even Daddy Finch is excited. We have an egg nestled nicely in the nest. I peeked into the nest this morning to see what was happening and saw the little egg sitting in the middle, surrounded by cotton fluff and feathers, generously donated by Louise. I thought I might offer some more cotton because it looked pretty packed in and like it could have used some more smush. So I pull a cotton ball apart and stick it between the bars of the cage. I've learned that they like it better that way - they have developed an "Anna-shall-not-put-ANYTHING-in-our-nest" rule. If I do, they throw it out. I think they like feeling like they're "harvesting" stuff for their nest. So I stuff the cotton between the bars and go about my morning routine. As I pass the cage, I catch Daddy Finch pulling some cotton and putting it in the nest. I thought "Oh, how cute... he's helping!". When I walked by 10 minutes later, Mommy Finch was sitting in the nest, squawking, and throwing the cotton out that Daddy Finch had put in. God bless men, they know not what they do... I guess nest decoration is a mother's prerogative!
Please say a little prayer today - Tim and I have a friend from church who is 24 years old and having a brain tumor removed at this moment... he needs our thoughts and prayers!
This morning there was a car accident on the freeway outside my bedroom window. At 5:30am. The police, ambulance and fire trucks couldn't get through because traffic sucked, so they just sat their with their sirens on. I tried to be mad about it but then remembered that the people in the accident were dealing with a whole lot more than being awakened early. So I went running.
And finally, if you've read this far, leave me a comment! I see my counter moving, but I'm fully convinced that only my mom, Tim, and occasionally Eva love me. It takes two seconds. You can do it!
Monday, March 14, 2005
The Finch Chronicles Part Deux
So, this weekend, I cleaned and rearranged the cage. I moved the nest because it's one of the covered nests, and they kept sitting on top of it instead of in it. My hope was that if I moved it to a place where the top of the nest was wedged against the top of the cage, they would go in instead of on. Two hours later... we have an egg. In the nest. With birds sitting in it. Amazing. This is the type of nest that they can't shove the egg out of, so we'll see how it works out. They seem pretty happy - Louise, of course, is continuing her maid duties while Thelma and Brad nest. One big happy family.
In other news, this weekend was fabulous. Tim and I finally had the chance to hang out again (seems like it's been forever), so Saturday night we went downtown and walked around. It was so mellow and relaxing! He even bought me a rose from a street vendor! :)
I had the bishop here for my mass on Sunday. Boy was I a wreck! Now I know why Annette used to get so fussy before he came... it's a lot of pressure on a director! Fortunately, things went really well!
Oh yes, the ending of the "Cell Phone Chronicles". So Saturday morning I'm sitting with Tim, and what do I go and do? I open my phone. Yes, I know. Against the advice of my Cingular representative. So I open it and it snaps into two pieces. Well, actually three if you count the little tiny metal piece that went flying at Tim. For simplicity sake, let's call it two. So I'm sitting their, holding the pieces of my cell phone and I tell Tim to call me, just for kicks. I have no sound or video, but the phone was still on. Lo and behold, the lights flash. Hilarious. This begins the trek back to Cingular to get a new phone.
Salesperson: "Can I help you today?"
Anna: "I'm looking for a new cell phone."
Salesperson: "Well, do you know which one you want?"
Anna: "I was thinking about a Nokia. I've had some bad luck with the flip phones."
Salesperson: "That's too bad. Well, if you can hold off until the end of April, Nokia will be having some new phones come out."
*Anna holds up two pieces of phone and giggles*
Salesperson: "Oh, well, I guess we're looking today then."
Gotta love salespeople. I ended up with the Nokia 3120. It's a great phone. Doesn't have a boatload of bells and whistles, but I really didn't think I would use them, so I didn't want to pay extra. My favorite part is speakerphone. What an amazing invention!
It looks like I'll be needing a new TV too. Bummer... I was hoping that it was SBC's fault, but apparently, your TV really can pick just one channel to screw the sound up. Go figure it chooses Fox so I can't watch "American Idol". I wonder what's new in the land of TV technology...
In other news, this weekend was fabulous. Tim and I finally had the chance to hang out again (seems like it's been forever), so Saturday night we went downtown and walked around. It was so mellow and relaxing! He even bought me a rose from a street vendor! :)
I had the bishop here for my mass on Sunday. Boy was I a wreck! Now I know why Annette used to get so fussy before he came... it's a lot of pressure on a director! Fortunately, things went really well!
Oh yes, the ending of the "Cell Phone Chronicles". So Saturday morning I'm sitting with Tim, and what do I go and do? I open my phone. Yes, I know. Against the advice of my Cingular representative. So I open it and it snaps into two pieces. Well, actually three if you count the little tiny metal piece that went flying at Tim. For simplicity sake, let's call it two. So I'm sitting their, holding the pieces of my cell phone and I tell Tim to call me, just for kicks. I have no sound or video, but the phone was still on. Lo and behold, the lights flash. Hilarious. This begins the trek back to Cingular to get a new phone.
Salesperson: "Can I help you today?"
Anna: "I'm looking for a new cell phone."
Salesperson: "Well, do you know which one you want?"
Anna: "I was thinking about a Nokia. I've had some bad luck with the flip phones."
Salesperson: "That's too bad. Well, if you can hold off until the end of April, Nokia will be having some new phones come out."
*Anna holds up two pieces of phone and giggles*
Salesperson: "Oh, well, I guess we're looking today then."
Gotta love salespeople. I ended up with the Nokia 3120. It's a great phone. Doesn't have a boatload of bells and whistles, but I really didn't think I would use them, so I didn't want to pay extra. My favorite part is speakerphone. What an amazing invention!
It looks like I'll be needing a new TV too. Bummer... I was hoping that it was SBC's fault, but apparently, your TV really can pick just one channel to screw the sound up. Go figure it chooses Fox so I can't watch "American Idol". I wonder what's new in the land of TV technology...
Friday, March 11, 2005
Seatbelts As Accessories
Ok, so thanks to Eva, I subscribe to this great newsletter, called LiquidTreat. It's very cool and full of neat little things - for designers and artsy people. Well, in this week's edition, they had arguably one of the coolest things I've seen in my 24 years. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce the seatbelt purse. Yes, you read that correctly, I said seatbelt purse. Apparently, this husband/wife duo were installing seatbelts in their car and thought "Hey, seatbelts are strong They would make great purses!".
I consulted Eva on these awesome accessories and she said she's seen them at LAX - and that they are to die for. I think the coolest part is the names of the colors. They come in Ferrari Red, Limo Black, Beetle Blue, Delorean Silver, Buick Brown, Cadillac Pink, Rally Green, Taxi Cab Yellow, Hummer Green, and Lexus Gold. How cool is that?! Eva said she's also seen an orange one... I wonder what the name of that was?!
If you'd like to check out the purses, go to: http://www.seatbeltbags.com. You'll love them! :)
The other cool but kind of quirky item featured in the newsletter can be found at this link... http://www.littlemissmatched.com. Very interesting!
I consulted Eva on these awesome accessories and she said she's seen them at LAX - and that they are to die for. I think the coolest part is the names of the colors. They come in Ferrari Red, Limo Black, Beetle Blue, Delorean Silver, Buick Brown, Cadillac Pink, Rally Green, Taxi Cab Yellow, Hummer Green, and Lexus Gold. How cool is that?! Eva said she's also seen an orange one... I wonder what the name of that was?!
If you'd like to check out the purses, go to: http://www.seatbeltbags.com. You'll love them! :)
The other cool but kind of quirky item featured in the newsletter can be found at this link... http://www.littlemissmatched.com. Very interesting!
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Day Four
Hello everyone!
Well, I've hit Day 4 of my fitness regime. I'm so tired today. But, I hauled my slightly-less-jiggly booty out of bed at 6am for the 4th day in a row and am feeling pretty good about running. I'm staying at a 9:30 mile for now... I may try to speed that up, but after nearly two years of not running courtesy of my foot, I'm trying to ease into it. I'm not even really that sore... although my calves feel a little tight. Let me make one recommendation: if you don't have an iPod, GET ONE. They are the greatest invention ever! Seriously, I have 3500 songs on mine... that's more than enough to make my 9 1/2 minutes of pain go by very quickly.
I've caved and gone to Starbucks twice this week. I chalk it off to the fact that I'm running again, but realistically, according to the treadmill, I only burn 100 calories on my mile run. Now, I know that exercise also boosts your resting metabolism and stuff, but I'm not sure if it's enough to tackle a grande white chocolate _mocha and an apple crisp. Although, I have been ordering it non-fat lately because I can't taste the difference, so I figure, why not? *sigh* This watching what you eat thing is too hard. I'm over it. I'm down to running and eating what sounds good. It worked before, it should work now. I just can't pass up the animal style fries at In-N-Out, no matter how hard I try. Yes, I know that the fries have more calories than my burger. I just really don't care. They taste good that way!
I'm seriously considering starting a "Dear Anna" column on here. In the past few days, three of my close friends have come to me for advice about serious/life altering situations in their lives. I'm honored, but I wonder why everyone thinks I have it all figured out... I'm hoping advice I give doesn't backfire... Don't hate me if you've asked me for advice and it doesn't work out! :)
Well, I've hit Day 4 of my fitness regime. I'm so tired today. But, I hauled my slightly-less-jiggly booty out of bed at 6am for the 4th day in a row and am feeling pretty good about running. I'm staying at a 9:30 mile for now... I may try to speed that up, but after nearly two years of not running courtesy of my foot, I'm trying to ease into it. I'm not even really that sore... although my calves feel a little tight. Let me make one recommendation: if you don't have an iPod, GET ONE. They are the greatest invention ever! Seriously, I have 3500 songs on mine... that's more than enough to make my 9 1/2 minutes of pain go by very quickly.
I've caved and gone to Starbucks twice this week. I chalk it off to the fact that I'm running again, but realistically, according to the treadmill, I only burn 100 calories on my mile run. Now, I know that exercise also boosts your resting metabolism and stuff, but I'm not sure if it's enough to tackle a grande white chocolate _mocha and an apple crisp. Although, I have been ordering it non-fat lately because I can't taste the difference, so I figure, why not? *sigh* This watching what you eat thing is too hard. I'm over it. I'm down to running and eating what sounds good. It worked before, it should work now. I just can't pass up the animal style fries at In-N-Out, no matter how hard I try. Yes, I know that the fries have more calories than my burger. I just really don't care. They taste good that way!
I'm seriously considering starting a "Dear Anna" column on here. In the past few days, three of my close friends have come to me for advice about serious/life altering situations in their lives. I'm honored, but I wonder why everyone thinks I have it all figured out... I'm hoping advice I give doesn't backfire... Don't hate me if you've asked me for advice and it doesn't work out! :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Cell Phones...
Ahh... technology...
*sigh*
So I'm in the market for a new cell phone. Tim and I are both in the market. As it turns out, the phone that you end up getting for free with the plan is not the best investment. Yes, it's free. However, it breaks at the hinges and you slowly but surely lose the screen on it... I literally have to hold it together while I talk... the top half of the phone is held together by wires and the itty bitty piece of plastic that's left. In talking to Cingular (whom I love by the way - I seriously recommend their service!) I discovered that I am not eligible to upgrade my phone until December. Here's the conversation that ensued:
Anna: "Well, honestly, do you think my phone will last until then?" (opening phone for clerk to see)
Clerk: "Not if you keep doing that."
Anna: "Opening it?"
Clerk: "Yeah."
So apparently, my phone will make it to December, as long as I don't open it...
In other news, apparently I'm a klutz today. Like really bad. If I could drop it, I did. Then, I was installing our new backup unit at work (apparently my job title is now account coordinator/house technician). The darn thing weighs 60 pounds... which isn't THAT heavy for me. Well, didn't seem like it until I stepped on the cord. I then tripped and barely caught the thing... pinning it between my leg and the table. So now I have a beautiful big blue bruise the size of my silver dollar fish on my left thigh. Way to go, Anna.
*sigh*
So I'm in the market for a new cell phone. Tim and I are both in the market. As it turns out, the phone that you end up getting for free with the plan is not the best investment. Yes, it's free. However, it breaks at the hinges and you slowly but surely lose the screen on it... I literally have to hold it together while I talk... the top half of the phone is held together by wires and the itty bitty piece of plastic that's left. In talking to Cingular (whom I love by the way - I seriously recommend their service!) I discovered that I am not eligible to upgrade my phone until December. Here's the conversation that ensued:
Anna: "Well, honestly, do you think my phone will last until then?" (opening phone for clerk to see)
Clerk: "Not if you keep doing that."
Anna: "Opening it?"
Clerk: "Yeah."
So apparently, my phone will make it to December, as long as I don't open it...
In other news, apparently I'm a klutz today. Like really bad. If I could drop it, I did. Then, I was installing our new backup unit at work (apparently my job title is now account coordinator/house technician). The darn thing weighs 60 pounds... which isn't THAT heavy for me. Well, didn't seem like it until I stepped on the cord. I then tripped and barely caught the thing... pinning it between my leg and the table. So now I have a beautiful big blue bruise the size of my silver dollar fish on my left thigh. Way to go, Anna.
Monday, March 7, 2005
The Three Musketeers
It must suck to be the third wheel...
... you always get pooped on. Literally in Louise's case. Yes, that's her, the light gray one underneath the other two. Poor thing. She's also the maid... she squawks when the water is low or they need more food. All work and no play.
So I watched "The Notebook" tonight. Yes, I cried. Poor Tim came in about 3/4 of the way through, so he:
The rest of my day was kind of bland. I am very proud of myself. I went to bed early last night and got up early today to run. Day 1 of my training regimen. My goal is 5 days this week. We'll see how that goes...
... you always get pooped on. Literally in Louise's case. Yes, that's her, the light gray one underneath the other two. Poor thing. She's also the maid... she squawks when the water is low or they need more food. All work and no play.
So I watched "The Notebook" tonight. Yes, I cried. Poor Tim came in about 3/4 of the way through, so he:
- Had no idea what was going on.
- Had no idea why I was crying about it.
- Didn't really care what it was about.
The rest of my day was kind of bland. I am very proud of myself. I went to bed early last night and got up early today to run. Day 1 of my training regimen. My goal is 5 days this week. We'll see how that goes...
Sunday, March 6, 2005
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Circle of Life
So today was "tend to the animals day" at my apartment. Good times.
I began with the fishtank. Now, I have a 29 gallon fish tank. That's a whole lot of fishiness. I lost a fish the other day, so I had to net him and perform a fish burial service (basically, that includes dropping him into the toilet and flushing while humming "Taps"). Before I begin the cleaning process, I have to take all the plants out. Of course, this gets water EVERYWHERE. Then I start the little suction thingy. Which involves putting one end of the tube into the tank and sucking on the other until water comes out and then vacuuming the bottom of the tank. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Well, it is until you get to the sucking part. At which point, I effectively suck half of the water in the tank into my mouth. Yum. So I'm halfway through the vacuuming when I notice two baby fish swimming around. Lose one, gain two. The circle of life. Now, I thought that I would be attacked by the big fish in my tank - boy was I wrong! No, I feel something poking my hand - it's the tiny little blowfish!!! However, my shark, Jaws, did try to attack me. Apparently I got a little too close to his tree log.
Then it was time for the birds. The divebombed me as I tried to clean their cage. It's so cute... these tiny little finches chirping at the top of their lungs and attacking my hand. I have to shield the door with my body... when those little things get out, they're fast! Brad got out once... I spent 45 minutes chasing him around and finally had to wait for him to get tired enough to catch!
Hopefully soon we will have some guest bloggers - if you have a little story you'd like posted, please feel free to email me it! :)
Well, that's about it from here! Hope you're all having a great weekend!
I began with the fishtank. Now, I have a 29 gallon fish tank. That's a whole lot of fishiness. I lost a fish the other day, so I had to net him and perform a fish burial service (basically, that includes dropping him into the toilet and flushing while humming "Taps"). Before I begin the cleaning process, I have to take all the plants out. Of course, this gets water EVERYWHERE. Then I start the little suction thingy. Which involves putting one end of the tube into the tank and sucking on the other until water comes out and then vacuuming the bottom of the tank. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Well, it is until you get to the sucking part. At which point, I effectively suck half of the water in the tank into my mouth. Yum. So I'm halfway through the vacuuming when I notice two baby fish swimming around. Lose one, gain two. The circle of life. Now, I thought that I would be attacked by the big fish in my tank - boy was I wrong! No, I feel something poking my hand - it's the tiny little blowfish!!! However, my shark, Jaws, did try to attack me. Apparently I got a little too close to his tree log.
Then it was time for the birds. The divebombed me as I tried to clean their cage. It's so cute... these tiny little finches chirping at the top of their lungs and attacking my hand. I have to shield the door with my body... when those little things get out, they're fast! Brad got out once... I spent 45 minutes chasing him around and finally had to wait for him to get tired enough to catch!
Hopefully soon we will have some guest bloggers - if you have a little story you'd like posted, please feel free to email me it! :)
Well, that's about it from here! Hope you're all having a great weekend!
Friday, March 4, 2005
TGIF!
Finally Friday! Yeah!
I'm so mellow today. I'm not tired, just mellow. *shrug* Tim's mood from last night must have worn off on me. We went to the gym and then sat in the spa. Then we went back to my place to watch "The Apprentice" and "Law and Order" ("ER" wasn't on... but I am kind of liking this new version of Law and Order). We both sort of melted into the couch and just mellowed. I don't think it wore off.
My puppy is having surgery today. I'm worried! It's not supposed to be anything serious - they're just removing a growth from his eyelid, but I worry anyways. Say a little prayer for him!
Poor Tim has the work weekend from hell. Basically he just doesn't get days off this week. Poor thing! My weekend plans are to relax, do some cooking and get my hair done (one word: ROOTS!).
Well, that's all from the land of Anna. Sorry it's not super witty or exciting today! Have a great weekend!
I'm so mellow today. I'm not tired, just mellow. *shrug* Tim's mood from last night must have worn off on me. We went to the gym and then sat in the spa. Then we went back to my place to watch "The Apprentice" and "Law and Order" ("ER" wasn't on... but I am kind of liking this new version of Law and Order). We both sort of melted into the couch and just mellowed. I don't think it wore off.
My puppy is having surgery today. I'm worried! It's not supposed to be anything serious - they're just removing a growth from his eyelid, but I worry anyways. Say a little prayer for him!
Poor Tim has the work weekend from hell. Basically he just doesn't get days off this week. Poor thing! My weekend plans are to relax, do some cooking and get my hair done (one word: ROOTS!).
Well, that's all from the land of Anna. Sorry it's not super witty or exciting today! Have a great weekend!
Thursday, March 3, 2005
Return of the Finch Chronicles
Yes, it's true. The Finch Chronicles are back.
For those of you just tuning in, last year I purchased three adorable little finches, Thelma, Louise, and Brad (couldn't remember Brad Pitt's character in the movie...). They began to lay eggs... I was ecstatic, thinking I was going to have adorable baby finches. I did daily updates in a series of emails titled "The Finch Chronicles". Things then turned sour, and there were broken eggs, plucked birds, and much mayhem.
Now, they're back.
I decided to begin eating healthy, so last night I bought some fruits and veggies and lettuce at the store. I made myself a little salad with my spicy Italian sausage and buttered noodles (ok, so not THAT healthy... baby steps, right?). Well, birds love lettuce, so I stuck a nice big leaf in there for the three musketeers. All hell broke loose. All three birds hit the deck (and when I say hit the deck, I mean panicked, jumped off the perch and fell to the bottom of the cage). This was accompanied by squawking, chirping, and, I swear, the equivalent of a bird scream. So what do I do? I leave it in there. They'll get used to it, right? As it turns out, I was right, this morning the three of them were fighting over who got to eat it.
So I walk away from the cage, eat my dinner and am getting ready for bed. I cover the cage every night (apparently they're very much like little kids - unless the "lights are out" they don't stop talking), and before I did it last night, I peeked in. Now, let me preface this with the fact that the only bird that gets plucked is Louise. She's the light gray one. She seems very submissive and doesn't seem to stand up for herself. I've even purchased bitter spray which is made specifically for this situation. To no avail. So there has been some minor plucking as of late, but nothing super serious. Well, last night, I kid you not, she looked like an Indian squaw. I'm not sure if it was the lettuce incident or if it was Thelma and Brad, but for some reason, she had one feather standing straight up on the back of her head. It was hilarious. I couldn't get her to stay still long enough to take a picture... I would have totally posted that!
Well, that's it for this edition of the Finch Chronicles! Tune in for more later!
For those of you just tuning in, last year I purchased three adorable little finches, Thelma, Louise, and Brad (couldn't remember Brad Pitt's character in the movie...). They began to lay eggs... I was ecstatic, thinking I was going to have adorable baby finches. I did daily updates in a series of emails titled "The Finch Chronicles". Things then turned sour, and there were broken eggs, plucked birds, and much mayhem.
Now, they're back.
I decided to begin eating healthy, so last night I bought some fruits and veggies and lettuce at the store. I made myself a little salad with my spicy Italian sausage and buttered noodles (ok, so not THAT healthy... baby steps, right?). Well, birds love lettuce, so I stuck a nice big leaf in there for the three musketeers. All hell broke loose. All three birds hit the deck (and when I say hit the deck, I mean panicked, jumped off the perch and fell to the bottom of the cage). This was accompanied by squawking, chirping, and, I swear, the equivalent of a bird scream. So what do I do? I leave it in there. They'll get used to it, right? As it turns out, I was right, this morning the three of them were fighting over who got to eat it.
So I walk away from the cage, eat my dinner and am getting ready for bed. I cover the cage every night (apparently they're very much like little kids - unless the "lights are out" they don't stop talking), and before I did it last night, I peeked in. Now, let me preface this with the fact that the only bird that gets plucked is Louise. She's the light gray one. She seems very submissive and doesn't seem to stand up for herself. I've even purchased bitter spray which is made specifically for this situation. To no avail. So there has been some minor plucking as of late, but nothing super serious. Well, last night, I kid you not, she looked like an Indian squaw. I'm not sure if it was the lettuce incident or if it was Thelma and Brad, but for some reason, she had one feather standing straight up on the back of her head. It was hilarious. I couldn't get her to stay still long enough to take a picture... I would have totally posted that!
Well, that's it for this edition of the Finch Chronicles! Tune in for more later!
Wednesday, March 2, 2005
Mean People Suck!
So, I have a bone to pick.
I'm walking out of Starbucks this morning, tall white chocolate mocha in one hand, lemon coffee cake in the other. I step off the curb at a handicapped parking spot that was empty in what was a doomed attempt to cross the street to my car. Along comes this big fat guy in his Lincoln. He's looking to his right but turning left at about 25 miles an hour. I dive out of the way and he starts yelling at me and glaring. HE almost hit ME! Handicapped is right.
Then, I call to order my bridesmaid dress for Joanna's wedding. The lady takes my measurements and tells me I'm a size 8. Now, for those of you who don't know how women's sizes work, they can be fairly tricky. There are juniors and there are women's. These dresses are in the women's sizes, and normally I wear between a 4 and a 6. So the 8 diagnosis worries me. Not because I'm worried about actually being an 8 - if you know me, you know I don't care what size I am or what my weight is. The problem is that I think she's wrong. And I think I'm going to have to pay not only to shorten the dress (because apparently I'm freakishly short), but I'm also going to have some major tailoring done. I have a feeling that this will not be cheap. My boss overhears me on the phone and says "No, you're not a size 8. Well, wait... you do kind of have a bubble butt. Maybe that will take up some space." Thanks.
I think I woke up tired. That must be the problem. Either that or the whole world really is out to get me. Hmm...
Wow, that felt good. Thanks for listening.
I'm walking out of Starbucks this morning, tall white chocolate mocha in one hand, lemon coffee cake in the other. I step off the curb at a handicapped parking spot that was empty in what was a doomed attempt to cross the street to my car. Along comes this big fat guy in his Lincoln. He's looking to his right but turning left at about 25 miles an hour. I dive out of the way and he starts yelling at me and glaring. HE almost hit ME! Handicapped is right.
Then, I call to order my bridesmaid dress for Joanna's wedding. The lady takes my measurements and tells me I'm a size 8. Now, for those of you who don't know how women's sizes work, they can be fairly tricky. There are juniors and there are women's. These dresses are in the women's sizes, and normally I wear between a 4 and a 6. So the 8 diagnosis worries me. Not because I'm worried about actually being an 8 - if you know me, you know I don't care what size I am or what my weight is. The problem is that I think she's wrong. And I think I'm going to have to pay not only to shorten the dress (because apparently I'm freakishly short), but I'm also going to have some major tailoring done. I have a feeling that this will not be cheap. My boss overhears me on the phone and says "No, you're not a size 8. Well, wait... you do kind of have a bubble butt. Maybe that will take up some space." Thanks.
I think I woke up tired. That must be the problem. Either that or the whole world really is out to get me. Hmm...
Wow, that felt good. Thanks for listening.
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
God Bless the Marines!
I just returned from Tim's Navy Achievement Medal ceremony. Holy cow, I'm so proud of that boy! His Commanding Officer had nothing but praise for him and Tim gave a great speech. Yet another medal to jingle on his blues! :)
The Snyder family is making the trek back across the country to snowy PA. Yeah, definitely feeling sorry for them... last I heard they were getting 7-10 inches of snow. That's a lot. I worry about finding my car at the airport - they're worried about getting around the 3-foot pile of snow behind their car because of the snow plows.... I'm so a California girl!
My plan is to get the pictures posted tonight - I finally have some time to myself and promise to get it done. Unless I fall asleep in front of the TV. Which is very possible considering I was out until midnight bowling with the Snyder boys. Let me tell you, that was quite the experience. First of all, they're both great at it, and well, if you know me, you know there's a little bit of a competitive side to me. I managed to remain a good sport and not embarrass Tim. :)
Speaking of Tim, today is our 4 month anniversary! Yeah, doesn't sound like very long, but I feel like we've been together forever! Happy anniversary love!
The Snyder family is making the trek back across the country to snowy PA. Yeah, definitely feeling sorry for them... last I heard they were getting 7-10 inches of snow. That's a lot. I worry about finding my car at the airport - they're worried about getting around the 3-foot pile of snow behind their car because of the snow plows.... I'm so a California girl!
My plan is to get the pictures posted tonight - I finally have some time to myself and promise to get it done. Unless I fall asleep in front of the TV. Which is very possible considering I was out until midnight bowling with the Snyder boys. Let me tell you, that was quite the experience. First of all, they're both great at it, and well, if you know me, you know there's a little bit of a competitive side to me. I managed to remain a good sport and not embarrass Tim. :)
Speaking of Tim, today is our 4 month anniversary! Yeah, doesn't sound like very long, but I feel like we've been together forever! Happy anniversary love!
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