Amy's Blog

Good timing and disbelief

2008-12-05T18:36:00.000-08:00

Tuesday I stopped at the library in University Heights to return a book and grab a book they had for me from the hold shelf. As I pulled into my parking spot (on the street just outside) I realized it was a metered spot. I debated for a minute just running in and hoping I would be ok. Then I realized I really didn't want a $40 parking ticket for an expired meter since I'm unemployed and attempting to not spend frivolously! So I scrounged around in my wallet couldn't find any change. I remembered Mark and I had spent all our change over the previous weekend parking in Little Italy. So I again thought about just running in...but then I just thought it really wasn't a good idea. I remembered I had a nickel somewhere in the bottom of my purse because that's where I threw it when Andrew gave it back to me at lunch the other day. I found it and threw it in the machine. Knowing I only had 3 minutes from the nickel, I ran in - dropped my book off on the counter, went over to the hold shelf, grabbed my book and got checked out fairly quickly. I think I actually spent more time in my car looking for change than I spent in the library. But upon walking back out the door I was glad I had! The meter maid was there writing a parking ticket for the car next to mine! That was someone who had pulled up after me, and she was still in the library filling out an application for a library card! Oops. I'm so glad I found that nickel at the bottom of my purse! I still had 2 minutes on the meter when I got back to my car so I was quick...but the 5cents was totally worth not getting a $40 (or something ticket!).

Yesterday on my way home from being over at Gma's house and helping them pull out their Xmas stuff I stopped to fill up my car. I had a $2o in my wallet so I decided to pay with cash (especially since the gas station I was at charges more for credit). So I ran in, gave the lady my $ and came back outside. When the pump stopped I looked up and realized I was getting CHANGE from my $20 and my tank was full! When is the last time that happened??? Disbelief! I only got like $2.25 as change...but still!

Today is my last day of 29. Crazy!!! We're heading over to Christmas on the Prado (or December Nights or whatever its called now) with Mel and JR. As long as no one tries to throw my caramel apples out before they are gone...it'll be a great end to 29! :)

Last Monday of 29

2008-12-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

First Peppermint Mocha of the season! Yum! May be my first and last since I have been ordered by the doctor to drink less coffee (boo!). But I am being good and obeying.

Tonight....Christmas decorating!

Last Sunday of 29

2008-11-30T23:21:00.001-08:00

So today was my last Sunday of 29. Crazy! I can’t believe my birthday is in less than a week! Today I slept in a little while and did some chores around the house. Then I went to lunch with my mom and Grandma Cindy for her bday. When I came home I watched the Chargers lose ☹ Then I did more chores around the house and FINALLY listed all the leftover wedding stuff on Craigslist to finally get it out of our house! I don’t want to just throw it away…so hopefully some other bride to be out there wants it. I can’t believe it took me over a year and a half to finally do this…who am I kidding!? I’m a ridiculous procrastinator-but now its done. So hopefully people want to buy the stuff and it goes to a good wedding and I make a little bit of money to go towards my new cell phone ☺

Tomorrow we start decorating for Christmas! This may be the first year ever I’m excited to decorate BEFORE my birthday. Hmmm…

18 days till 30...

2008-11-18T22:06:00.000-08:00

Wow...it's getting closer. Still debating what to do for my birthday night. But am certain am going to be celebrating Van's 1/4 century with her :)

Random thoughts for today:
-by accident we discovered a new toy for Kiley. As per usual, anything we buy for her as a toy or bed or the like she wants nothing to do with. However, a balled up piece of tinfoil became her new favorite toy a couple days ago and today I made her a "fresh" one and she had a blast with it all day! Ahh....the cheap things in life:)
-I went to the grocery store tonight for some necessities...and low and behold- Eggnog is out! hooray! I guess that means its holidays time. I really want some, but can't drink a whole carton myself...anyone want to share?
-Also on my trip to the grocery store today I realized they now have the holiday pine cones out front of BOTH entrances of the store. And since they all smell like cinnamon I have to hold my breath when entering and exiting the store!

25 days till 30...

2008-11-11T22:30:00.000-08:00

Today I spent the day doing a lot of chores and things on my never ending "to-do" list around the house. After walking this morning (and finally getting back onto my longer routine after feeling sickly) I did all the laundry in the house and put the new sheets on the bed. Yay! I cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes. Grant stopped by and we hung out a bit (which involves him playing various games on the PS3-normally Call of Duty 4). I read some of my book, chatted with the freighbors, vacuumed and checked my credit reports. My reports all look good...so hopefully when the economy settles down and I have a job again, Mark and I can be first in line to get a house with our good credit scores :)

ps-if you can't tell I'm trying to write more in my blog, and using the countdown to my birthday seems to make it easier to do each night.

26 days till 30...

2008-11-10T22:06:00.000-08:00

Today I finished the book I started last night called 1st to Die by James Patterson. My Grandma Jenni gave me the first 6 books in the Women's Murder Club series a couple months back, and I finally got around to reading the first one. I actually didn't realize the books were part of a set, though the fact they were numbered books maybe should have tipped me off that they belonged to a set. But I really enjoyed the first book, I liked the characters and the murder mystery in it. I can't wait to start the second book tonight! Mark and I also finished up some projects around the house over the weekend/tonight. We hung some wedding pictures and some decorations around the house. I also finally completed a project I had been working on for a board to hang my jewelery on. Almost 3 years in this apartment and its starting to feel homey :)

Still looking for a job...anyone have any good leads?

Netflix Instant Watch Saves the Day!

2008-11-07T22:49:00.000-08:00

So tonight we finally watched Gone Baby Gone. We have had it from Netflix for almost 2 months (which I'm a little embarrassed to admit!). It was a really good movie. I think Casey Affleck did a great job, along with the rest of the cast. The reason we hadn't watched it was because we were never in the mood for a downer movie. But after having it so long, and having really enjoyed the preview we saw for it, I wanted to watch it and not send it back unwatched. So we started the movie when we were eating our home made pizza...and just about an hour in (to the 1 hr 53 min movie) the disc froze. We assumed it was just switching layers because it was a Blu-Ray disc...and then is skipped to another scene! :( So we rewound it and tried it again with the display on to see how much time we were missing. It skipped almost 12 minutes! We took out the disc, cleaned it, tried it again...still skipping! Luckily Mark had enabled "watch instantly" on our Netflix account, and I had seen earlier this week that it was on the watch instantly queue. So we used my laptop to pull the movie up and luckily it allowed us to skip ahead to where we had left off. We were able to watch the missing minutes on watch instantly, and then go back to watching the dvd on the tv. Hooray! Of course...those were the most intense 12 minutes of the movie so far...so without them we would have been totally lost! Hooray for Netflix watch instantly now available on Macs! And kudos to the Gone Baby Gone cast and writers/director for a great movie. If you like a mystery, or The Wire (though not as good as The Wire), rent (or watch instantly) Gone Baby Gone.

29 days till 30...

2008-11-07T18:27:00.000-08:00

So its another day closer to 30. My day involved hangin with my bro, watching Obama speak on tv, researching randomness on the internet - including info on the Twilight movie (which opens in 2 weeks), looking for a job, going to Trader Joe's (who has no pineapple-canned or frozen but has raised the price of mozzarella cheese - blah), saw a SUPER tall guy at TJ's, fed the fatties next door for the freighbors, and am now doing some chores while listening to Coldplay and getting ready to make pizza with Mark for dinner tonight-yum!

Here is me as Debbie Gibson at the 80s Halloween Party in McFarland.

30 days till 30...

2008-11-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

So...its 30 days till my 30th birthday (ahh!) and though I've been thinking about it for awhile...I still am not sure what I want to do to celebrate turning 30! How has it snuck up on me so fast?

don't wake Kiley up from a nap

2008-10-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

something new to play with

2008-10-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

Poladroid, the program that turns regular pictures into old school polaroids! :) Just started playing with it...fun!

Mac only!

Looking for work

2008-10-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

So...the time is rapidly approaching when my "free money" will end. As much as I told myself in the beginning I wasn't going to go back to my old work, its looking more and more like I'm going to have to consider it. With the way the economy is right now, there just aren't that many jobs out there. Eh...I guess I can always continue to look for something else once I'm employed again. Or maybe this time I will find something I like there. Well, I actually did like my last actual job...just not the drama that went on in the department and they way things were handled at the end. So...we'll see what happens. Fingers crossed for a job that pays me more than unemployment would!

How I spent last night (or why I went to bed at 5am today)

2008-10-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Its kind of like a drug when an author can draw you into a world, can draw you in so far you have no concept of time or events in your reality, to make you want to turn page after page to see how the lives of your new friends Bella and Edward are progressing. Its a good drug and I can't wait to read the next installment.

View all my reviews.

PS...I blame Mel for giving me the idea to read the book, though I only have myself to blame for taking it from her last night...and reading it all in one sitting!

Nicknames are for friends

2008-09-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

I read this on a blog tonight:

"I refuse to call Cabernet "Cab". Nicknames are for friends. Wine... you ain't there yet. Not like my pal "Suds." Yeah, me and "Brewski," we're still tight."

I thought this was funny. And for me, I must disagree...me and "Cab" are friends...as are me and "Zin". :)

Kiley

2008-09-19T09:00:00.001-07:00

Kiley also enjoys the new couch...though does not enjoy getting her picture taken :)

Free Disneyland Ticket for your birthday in 2009!

2008-09-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Disneyland is giving you a free ticket to use on your birthday in 2009! I think that is way cool. Register online and go for it! What better way to celebrate your birthday and still feel like a kid than to go to Disneyland??

Help find Belikin

2008-09-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

I just got an email from my friends Jason and Sarah that one of their cats has gone missing! We helped them move (back) into their house this weekend. Apparently Belikin missed living at Grandpa's house and wandered off! If anyone is in Allied Gardens and sees an orange & white cat, please stop and see if its Belikin. Let me know if you see anything.

See this post for more on Belikin Watch 2008.

Tuesday randomness

2008-09-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

So I'm doing laundry today and I run out of laundry soap (well I've already bought more since I knew I was getting low) and I rinse the bottle and go throw it in the recycle bin. When I'm down at the trashcans I remember J & Mel have some empty boxes in front of their car to recycle and I decide to grab 2 to hold my "give away" piles until Amvets comes next week. I see Kiley sniffing at the boxes (I decided to be nice and let her wander while I'm doing the laundry). I grab 2 boxes and notice the door by the water heater is open a bit (this heater is in the carport area with a small area next to it, both sides covered by sliding doors). This door is periodically open so I glance in. I see the usual back suitcase thats in there (I'm not sure how, when or why its there, but its been there since the first time I peaked in the door). On top of the suitcase now though, is a Container Store bag filled with recycling! I'm assuming its the collection of one of the various people who go through all the recycle bins in our alley daily. But I'm not sure why they would leave it, or hide it there. So then I go back upstairs with my boxes and grab my clothes from the dryer and go back down to make Kiley come inside. But she's not in her usual spot by the mailbox. I go back by Mel's car and she isnt there either. I make the rounds and end up back in the alley looking for her. I check under Mel's car and there is a lady walking in the alley that says "Are you looking for this cat with the collar?" as she points to the yard of the (now-non) abandoned house. I go around the fence...and sure enough...Kiley is sitting in the yard, beyond the new fence, next door. I say to her "What are you doing in there? You don't live there...get out here!" and she stands up and comes back through the bars. The lady laughs as I thank her. I heard Kiley back up the stairs, but she gets no treats this time! At least I didn't have to try to go in to get her out!

Dilemma of the week

2008-09-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

Originally when I left the bank, I had decided I wasn't going to go back to banking or a job in the finance industry. However, after a month or so, I decided it was dumb to limit my job search, and that if a job I was interested in happened to be at a bank or credit union then I would apply for it. I found not one, but 2 jobs at the same company that I'm thinking about applying for. However I don't think I can apply for both jobs without sounding desperate. So for the last week or so I've been debating about which to apply for.
job #1 is a job that basically fits the exact description of what I've been looking for. I don't have all the qualifications, but think i could do a really good job. It would be challenging and interesting. The pay however is lower than what i was looking for, but the job description is transferable outside of banking/finance.
job #2 is a job that I know I could nail, I meet all of the qualifications and I would rock at it (if I do say so myself). I think this job would be interesting as well, even though it's not originally what I thought I wanted. The pay is higher than job 1, and still not as high as I wanted (though I'm not sure I'm going to find the perfect job with the perfect pay) however this job isn't transferable outside of banking/finance at all (though some of the skills are).

Ahhh...what to do? Any thoughts?

Crazy cat

2008-09-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

The problem with exercising at home various from person to person. Some people lack motivation, some people lack space, and some people have Mr. Heckles living below them so they can't make any noise! Well my problem is a combination of Mr. Heckles (or lady Heckles in our case) and Kiley! I've been walking for the last couple weeks, and I've been good about walking 4-5 days a week. Today I decided I wanted to start doing some simple leg/arm exercises after my walks...well Kiley thought lunges were a game for her...so each time I moved my legs, she chased my feet around. Well, for anyone who has met her and her teeth, you know this was not a fun game for me! I ended up just standing still till she got bored, and then I continued with the exercising. I wonder if it will still be a game for her tomorrow.

Friday already? & Ramblings

2008-08-22T13:58:00.001-07:00

4 days in a row of walking for exercise! It must be a personal record ;) I'm still looking for some kind of sport band to hold a house key. Looking for a job now...checking websites daily. If anyone sees/hears of anything, please send it my way. Am totally sad, one of my newer cute shirts that can be used for dressy occasions appears to be ruined. After taking it out of the dryer it has weird water type spots on it. Boo! Thought the name Mark was a relatively common name...but somehow the dry cleaner has it as "marc" and pronounced it as "marsh" and BevMo has it as "marr" which I don't even think is a real name.

Waiting for my french onion soup for lunch to heat up for lunch. Yum!

Dave Matthews Band concert tonight, though it will be sad due to the passing of one of their members this week.

Going to a wedding tomorrow night. Fun fun!

Walking day 2

2008-08-20T10:07:00.001-07:00

I did another almost 2 miles today! yay! I've decided (while walking) that I need new sunglasses and I need a sports armband thingy to hold my pod (well don't NEED, but WANT) but want to find one that has a small pocket for my house key in it. I don't want to carry my house key in my hand, but I don't like the idea of leaving my house unlocked. So I'm off on a quest for something like that.

Breakin in the Purple iPod

2008-08-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

Well I finally went out walking again this am, and broke in my new(ish) purple iPod for the first time! Yay! I had a really good walk and took a new route. But, somehow all the songs I put onto my ipod last night ended up in alphabetical order, by artist name. I'm not sure how that happened so I'm gonna have to look into it. But I still had some good songs to walk to. According to the map I looked up when I got back, I went about 1 & 3/4 miles. I would have gone longer, but since I didn't start till about 10:20...it was getting warm already. I'd like to start doing 2 miles a day...but we'll see! Ok...off to the next thing on my list of million things to do today!

ARG!

2008-08-18T23:30:00.001-07:00

I'm so annoyed at the Olympics right now! I know that gymnastics is a subjective sport based on scores from judges...but EVERY time I have watched it, something janky is going on! I don't understand any of this! A couple nights ago, a girl who landed her second vault on her knees scored higher than numerous girls who landed on their feet, and won a medal! Granted the others took small steps, but they landed on their feet! Tonight a crazy tie-breaker rule is invoked. I understand that there are rules, but this tie breaker rule is ridiculous. Also ridiculous is the fact that they won't allow ties, even though 2 people had the same start value and same execution score and the same overall score. Eh. Why? Makes no sense. There is also the whole age controversy about some of the Chinese female competitors...but I think thats already been "approved" and is no longer under consideration. Clearly I'm bitter about all this, but I will say, Team USA gymnastics has handled all this with poise and I salute them. Hopefully tomorrow nights balance beam finals will go a little smoother. If you already know the outcome-don't tell me! I like to be surprised when I watch it on NBC (fake live).

New couch day

2008-08-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Last night Grant and Ramon came to haul away our old couch to make room for our new couch. Hooray! This morning I cleared everything out of the living room to vacuum and get everything ready for the new couch. Here is Kiley enjoying all the space in the living room :)

After Kiley enjoyed the big living room for awhile, Ashley delivery called to say they couldn't find our apartment (they could only see the addresses out front). But as I walked to the door the other delivery guy was on the steps...so they figured it out. They went around to the alley and brought up our couch! yay! after a tense moment of them thinking it wouldn't fit in through the door because of the weird little porch, they spun it around and got it in! Then they attached all the legs and took off. Yay new couch! It takes up A LOT of room in the living room, but will be so worth it! Here is the first look...and me already relaxin on it!

Kiley was pissed when I locked her in the bedroom while the guys dropped off the couch. Once I let her out she looked really confused and freaked out by the new couch. Especially since it smells like plastic right now! I'm going to be keeping a close eye on her to make sure this couch is NOT a scratching post!

My own personal gymnast :)

2008-08-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the Olympics this week and am LOVING the USA gymnastics teams! Last night the men won bronze in team competition after everyone doubted their ability to score high after losing both Hamm brothers to injury before the games started. However they nailed a lot of their routines, and showed positive energy and cheered each other on to a victory. 2 nights ago I watched the women's qualifying events and am totally impressed with the women's team as well! Especially Shawn Johnson! She is only 16 but she is great! She's super tiny and adorable. If I could have my own personal gymnast around all the time, it would be her! I'm not sure what I'd do with my own personal gymnast...but I think it'd be fun :) Watching her, I really wish I could do flips or even a straight cartwheel! Oh well...but I will be rooting for her, and team USA tonight! (pictures from the women's team qualifying event a couple nights ago)

Sunday boating adventure

2008-08-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

As I stumbled out of bed @ 6:45am, eyes groggy and feeling a great desire for caffeine, I wearily asked Mark "who's bright idea was it to get out of bed before 7am on a Sunday?" His reply..."Yours!" oh yeah. We were going boating with the Wards on their new boat! I still was rethinking the fact that I don't have a coffee machine with a timer pre-set, and that I needed to find some clean shorts while stumbling into and back out of the shower at record speed. We made it over to their place at the pre-determined time and loaded up to head over to the Bay. We got there, and all worked together to launch the boat. I did a lot of encouraging and "good jobs" as my role in the event. It was a good time. As Becki commented though, next time we need to bring drinks ;)

2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony

2008-08-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

We watched most of the opening ceremony tonight for the Olympics. They were really cool! There was a lot of dance and music and "human art" was incorporated. Here is a shot of one of my favorite parts. There were people in the boxes (like our Airbands! but on a much larger scale).

Additional amazing shots here if you missed any of it.

Spell Check FAIL

2008-08-08T15:31:00.001-07:00

I was going through old photos today on my computer and found this. I totally forgot I had taken this picture!

You'd think a large corporation would pay someone to check these signs...

More than 2 months

2008-08-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe its been 2 months already since I left work. I have gotten barely anything done from my "to do while on sabbatical" list. I haven't even kept up with my blogging! I have read some books, and gone on 2 vacations, but realistically those were things I would have done anyway...even if I was working! In all honesty, I'm not sure what I have spent my time doing! Yesterday I completed a draft of my resume and sent it to a few friends to review. Once I get feedback, I'm going to make any changes and post my resume online on Monster or CareerBuilders or something and start actively searching for a job. I still don't know exactly what I want to do, but I need to start looking now. That way I can find something I am interested in, and not feel forced to take something just because time/money is running out.

Advertisement FAIL

2008-08-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

Classic Rock?

2008-07-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

I grew up listening to KGB (101.5-Classic Rock) with my parents. It was pretty much the only radio station my mom listened to while driving us kids back and forth between school and home and softball and Little League. So I enjoy a lot of classic rock songs, and thought I knew what that entailed, Bob Seger, Elton John, John *Cougar* Mellencamp, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, etc. A couple years back I heard a newer Aerosmith song (I think it was Crazy or something from that timeframe) on KGB, and I thought it was kinda weird because it was a newer song. Well newer than what I was used to hearing on that station. But I rationalized it with the thought that since the artist had been around a long time, maybe even their newer stuff gets the "classic" stamp. Over the last 2 weeks I heard both Red Hot Chili Peppers-Under the Bridge, and a song by Nirvana (am blanking on which right now). Both of those I thought were odd. Those were songs that came out when I was in middle school! To me that isn't classic rock...probably because I knew it when it was "top 40" or new release! But I started trying to rationalize again, well both those bands had a lot of impact and influence on lots of music that came after it, and they are 15+ years old now (Ouch!) so maybe they are considered "classic" now. It still was really weird to me, but then again-I'm not a radio station director or anything...so what do I know. Today however...was the biggest song shock (yet?) on KGB. Drops of Jupiter by Train...really? Really? Train=classic rock now? What the heck? What did I miss?? I did a double take driving down Lemon Ave. to get sandwiches for lunch for my grandma. Train? What radio station am I on?? And sure enough, I was on KGB, my classic rock station.

Maybe someone can tell me I wasn't on that radio station and just couldn't tell since I was driving?

I'm so confused!

Week 2 update

2008-06-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

As Jeff pointed out to me, I need to learn to edit out the beginning and ending of the videos so I don't look all goofy trying to hit the record/stop button.

Week 2 Update from Amy R on Vimeo.

PS-my cell phone is back! it was hiding in Mel's car.

Made me laugh!

2008-06-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=171031

Love Jon Stewart...and LOST! :)

Day 2 with Day 1 recap :)

2008-06-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

So...I had some issues with using PhotoBooth on my Mac to record these videos. For some reason the audio is not consistent. So I recorded a "day 1" update yesterday and again this am, only to find out there was no sound! I tested out iMovie tonight and that worked. However what I didn't know was that recording in iMovie makes the file REALLY big! So it took about an hour to upload to Vimeo and longer than that for them to convert. But its here and ready for today. Mark showed me how to export from iMoive which turns it into a .mp4 (vs a .mov) and makes it much smaller...so thats good. I will try that tomorrow. I also need to learn how to edit out the first few seconds where I'm looking down to click the play button as I look really silly in the freeze frame in both of these! Tomorrow...pictures of the delicious dessert from tonight!

Day 1 recap, Day 2 of my sabbatical from Amy R on Vimeo.

Day 0

2008-06-02T13:15:00.001-07:00

Well I am officially on what I'm dubbing my "sabbatical". Today is day 1, but we ended up getting Friday off also as an extra/bonus day...so I called that day 0. Though with 20 weeks off, do I really need 1 more "extra" day? oh well...I wasn't going to go in and volunteer to work that day!

This is my time off from work while I relax a bit, complete some items on my "to do" list around the house and look for another job. I need to get my resume updated and ready to go also. That is top on my to-do list.

This was recorded on Friday, but I needed some help from my tech friends to teach me about Vimeo and uploading.

Day 0 of my sabbatical from Amy R on Vimeo.

Got a Case of the Mondays? Not for much longer.

2008-05-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

It just struck me as I was sipping my wine and unwinding after a long day of work, that today is the LAST Monday I will have at my current position @ the bank. And also possibly the last Monday at the company I have donated the last 9+ years of my life to as well!. I do work next week, but next Monday is a holiday...so this was the last one. Its a really strange thought though. Exciting and scary at the same time. I think because I have known it is coming for so long, it hasn't seemed real, and in a way still doesn't. Check back with me on June 2nd!

So less than 2 weeks until I am unemployed...if anyone knows of any good job openings in San Diego, please let me know! I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, so I'm open to suggestions.

And in case you were wondering...I will be taking my red stapler with me when I leave :)

Got my new glasses!

2008-05-13T21:47:00.001-07:00

For if I'm being good and taking out my contacts periodically...here are my new specs! What do you think?

Also---I clearly have not mastered the photobooth self portrait! so excuse the pic!

Dance your cares away....Worries for another day!

2008-05-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

Oh let it be true!! Rumor has it that there is going to be a Big Screen-Live Action-Fraggle Rock movie!

I can't wait to dance my cares away....down in Fraggle Rock!

Story of this week

2008-04-20T00:12:00.000-07:00

I swear I'm not an alcoholic!

see more crazy cat pics">

It's here!

2008-03-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

The new MacBook is here! Still learning how to deal without "right click" and 10/key (which I kind of already knew from the last laptop). Plus this built in camera thing is tricky!

More to come...

PS-I believe I have a "photobooth" date with Megan tomorrow! :)

How to spend $1400 in under 5 minutes!

2008-03-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

Done & purchased! And if you know me, I'm sure you know it actually took more than 5 minutes, as I had to research, check, double check, and have Mark check to make sure I'm buying what I should!

My new MacBook is on its way to me. Should be here within the next 2 weeks (or hopefully less)!

I'm joining the ranks of Apple lovers and Mac users...wish me luck!

Now I just need a super cute purple iPod shuffle (refurbished of course...to save some $$) :)

Signs you need a new computer!

2008-03-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

Well...I think when your computer shuts down/goes into sleep mode in the middle of using it...that might be sign #1!!

I've been wanting to get a new laptop for a few months now, and debating between a PC and a Mac. I'd really like to try out a Mac, I've never owned one, but of course the cost is more than what I'd spend on a PC. And the PC is familiar...but the Mac is new and shiny. I like using Mark's iMac and I've played with a couple Macbooks...but the cost and newness is a little scary. So I've been researching and went down to the Apple store to play. Of course once there I decided I liked the look of the black ones better than the white ones...and of course the black ones are the more expensive ones! But I had basically decided to get a MacBook, and get a refurbished one to help lower the cost. Then...right about when I've decided to fork over the credit card...Apple goes and announces new spec's for the MacBooks, which drops the prices of the refurbished ones a bit (yay!), but then within 2 days those sell out (before I get around to clicking purchase)!! So I'm either going to have to fork over full price for a new one, or wait a couple months for some to hit the refurbished "rack". So...do I fork over the extra money, try and wait it out a bit longer, or opt for a new Dell laptop???

Of course...for anyone that knows me...parting with any sum of money is no small feat! And for purchases in the $1000+ range there is much analyzing, comparison and over thinking to be done!!!

Reading is FUNdamental!

2008-02-26T22:14:00.000-08:00

So it's really sad, but for some reason I feel like I haven't ready any books in awhile...until recently. I had been waiting for almost a year for a book to come out in paperback so I could buy it (I did try to check it out at the library but apparently other people had the same idea as me!). So finally Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult came out in paperback a couple weeks ago. Its a fiction story about a school shooting set in high school. The book is very well written and is told in an interesting mixture of past tense and present tense, while the opening chapter actually contains the shooting. I immediately felt connected with multiple characters, and enjoyed the authors use of 2 characters who had been in a few of her prior works. The first book I read by this author was My Sister's Keeper, and it was another story where you are drawn in and right away feel connected with multiple characters. Since then I have read many of her books (I actually need to start keeping track of which I've read and which I've read the backs of so many time's I think I may have read them!). I think Jodi Picoult develops her characters (and their dilemmas) in such a way that you feel connected with multiple characters and cannot yourself ultimately always find the "right" decision. When Nineteen Minutes ended I was sad the story was over, and I felt a little disappointed. However (without giving away any of the story) I cannot decide if I was disappointed in the way the story ending was written (my first thought was that it was a partial cop out) but upon second thought I might have just been sad about what happened with certain characters because I felt I had come to understand them and like them so much. I want to read it again, when I get it back (its on loan to the "dealer" who got me hooked on JP to begin with). Anyone else read it?

While @ the bookstore to get the above book...I stumbled across the fact that Christopher Pike has a new adult novel out! I think I have read every Christopher Pike "young adult" novel he wrote in the 90's. There are still some of his adult novels I haven't read, as they aren't readily available at bookstores these days. For some reason neither are the young adult ones. I remember there being some controversy about his books and some schools banning them, but I could aways find them in bookstores. So I started the Christopher Pike book this weekend and am already 140+ pages in...and I'm hooked! Its like the old days of part time work and full time summers filled with no worries @ work or school and READING whenever I wan for however long I want. Of course that means last night I was up past midnight even though I had to work today. I'll let you know how it turns out!

I know neither of these books are "intellectual" per se...but reading deserves to be fun as well right?

So Excited!

2008-02-20T10:17:00.001-08:00

I found out last night that my good friend Edra (who moved away to San Francisco last year) is moving back (at least temporarily) to San Diego! I'm so excited!!! Its kind of strange how you don't realize how much you miss friends that are gone, until you know they are coming back! I think I just put aside, in my mind, thoughts of being able to do things with her since I knew she was gone....but now that she's coming back I'm already in overdrive thinking about getting together for dinner, SingStar, happy hours, etc. with her and Martyn.

I luv me some LOLcats :)

2008-02-07T22:56:00.001-08:00

moar funny pictures

So much laughter---gotta love it!

2008-01-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has ever (or is currently) working in a customer service industry...will appreciate these.

Not Always Right-Funny & Stupid Customer Quotes

Have a great day!

Quote of the night

2008-01-07T23:19:00.000-08:00

In response to my whining about Mark's current technology obsession (the iPhone)...and how he can't get one because we are with Verizon...
"And soon you will love me....AND my iPhone!"-Mark

Man he is determined to get one!

(anyone with a spare iphone...please send it to me so I can get him off my case!)

Updates to the list

2007-12-18T23:04:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe December is almost over...its less than a week until Christmas...and I'm not done with my shopping! In fact I've barely started. Each year I swear I'm not going to wait until the last minute to shop...and every year theres at least "one more gift" that I'm buying on the 23rd! So...this all means my procrastination is still in top form, and if there is anything you really want this year...please email me asap!

A couple more small items I thought of, in case you are looking for stocking stuffers! :)

DoorOrganizer

Personal Cup Cooley (a couple of these might be cool)

Passport Holder/Wallet--because I'm a world traveler now and all :)

Some kind of Mail Organizer w/ at least 3 slots (inbox area for Mark, me and "resident"/coupon type mail). Modern looking style (not country wood style).

Peppermint Bark from Ghirardelli’s-Yum!

Ok. that's it. Everyone else is probably done shopping, so this is pointless...but at least I'll have a list of things to go out and spend any gift cards on!

Amy :)

My how time flies

2007-12-10T23:44:00.000-08:00

So apparently its that time of year where Christmas lists are in demand. I post this list only because my family is forcing me to make one...not because I am asking for gifts. I'm in a total lack of ideas this year...so if you have been good and are hoping for Santa Amy to give you something specific, please be sure to let me know...as I have apparently lost any ideas for presents!

Ok....here is a link to the Amazon Wishlist I created (its under Simmons...if you were wondering).
Amy's Amazon List

Please be advised these are just some ideas. Colors and brands are not specific. Feel free to improvise :)

Some additional ideas are as follows:
good heavy duty flashlight (I would like it to double as a weapon if necessary) :)
wine -reds, whites, sparkling, anything interesting or with good labels :)
coffee (ground or whole bean--not cinnamon or hazelnut flavors)
sweaters (not blue-generally a large--if "slim fit" or the like (Target) X-Large)
black dress-y socks (cotton is fine too. all black or cute pattern but mostly black. thin enough for dress shoes)
watch-fun, everyday wear-I love Fossil brand
some kind of cufflinks (for my black shirt) silver, or gunmetal color. plain or pattern.

And I reserve the right to amend and add to this list as thoughts come to me!

Amy :)

Wii want Bowling!!

2007-12-05T22:59:00.000-08:00

So how did I spend my last few hours of age 28? Playing Wii and watching Gossip Girl! Talk about a refusal to grow up! :) My coworker let me borrow his Wii to check it out. It's really cool! We started (accidentally says Mark) with Boxing...which entailed me trying to figure out how to jab quick enough to get Mark, and hitting Kiley in the face with a right hook! She wanted to see what we were doing (post pulling her out of the Wii bag-have I mentioned Kiley likes bags??) and the cords enticed her. After punching her, she left us alone :) Then we played some Wii bowling, which was really cool after figuring out what I was doing. We finished up with some tennis (which was HARD since I haven't played since I was in high school) and baseball which was only 3 innings and you only pitch and bat. Plus it had weird rules about outs vs. hits. Hmmmm. I think I shall have to play again.

Us playing Wii bowling.

My first game (my score in pink).

3rd game...a 200! How can I get that in real bowling!!!??

And Mark's reaction to me beating him @ Wii bowling...similar to the face he wears on Monday nights during regular bowling. ;)

PS---If anyone is up for a glass of Berry Burst Cider, I will be enjoying one (or two) during happy hour tomorrow @ BJs restaurant in Grossmont Center...sometime between 5:30pm and 7:30 or so...swing on by!

A nod to the past

2007-11-27T22:21:00.000-08:00

Back when I lived at the Pink House, Megan and I used to watch SVU marathons, drink wine and chat while eating seemingly weird items for dinner -- popcorn & sunflower seeds, spaghetti with cheddar cheese topping, etc. Basically "poor college student food"--even though I was no longer in college, I'm always down for a cheap meal!

For Megan...a recap of my night (post Buzz game with the Hammett boyz) :)

Great memories, lazy evenings, good conversation!

Kiley says "I can be carry on?"

2007-11-27T22:12:00.000-08:00

So Kiley has a fascination with bags, purses, luggage, etc. Whenever we get one out to pack she jumps in. I'm not sure if she thinks its a hiding place, or is worried we are leaving, or most likely is just curious. But last time Jeff came over via bike and brought his giant messenger bag, he thought it'd be fun to try to take Kiley home with him! No way man! Kiley stays with us!

She jumped back out! Isn't she cute?

My Grandpa Rocks!

2007-11-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

My Grandpa was recently featured in an article in the newspaper in Texas. He's a great artist and an awesome Grandpa!

Thought I'd share the link with everyone. There are additional photos of his work if you click "more photos" under the picture on the main page :)

Click here for the article

Time Change...Fall Back

2007-11-04T23:12:00.000-08:00

So its that time of year again...when I had to remember to change all my clocks back. Of course I ended up forgetting the one in my car and while driving from CVS to Target tonight I got a little freaked thinking I had somehow entered a time warp where CVS stole an hour of my time! But alas, I just needed to change my clock. Target however is another story, and did steal an hour of my time...as usual. But I did end up with super cute Halloween socks for 0.70cents :) So I'm sitting here and its after 11pm, and that means my body should think its after midnight and I should be asleep...but I can never get to bed on time...no matter if its daylight savings time or not. I'm sure I'm in for a worse than usual Monday as I will never fall asleep tonight. I must master my espresso machine so I can make lattes for myself in the mornings! Anyone willing to give a tutorial on steaming milk??

Our little Kiley

2007-10-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

This is a movie Mark made using his shiney new Mac a couple months back. The footage is from the first week when we got Kiley (about 2 years ago). This was of course when she was just officially Mark's kitten, before we got married and I adopted her :)

Gotta love kittens!

2007-10-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

Planting a tree

2007-10-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

2 of my good friends (Sarah & Jason) are getting married next summer near Redwoods National Park in northern California. They are trying to keep their wedding green and ecologically friendly and as such have sent out a Redwood Tree Germinating Kit postcard as their Save the Dates. The have asked everyone who received a Save the Date to try to grow their trees to help give back to the environment. It's also a cool reminder of the upcoming festivities. I was very excited to plant these seeds even though I've never really grown anything before--I'm not sure if mine will grow or not. I have no idea if I have a green thumb…or if I will end up killing the trees! I wanted to plant them a couple weeks ago, but realized we had no pot to plant them in, or soil to put them in. But after a quick trip to Lowe's to purchase some supplies, Saturday we got our seeds planted!!

I half jokingly asked Jason where in our tiny one bedroom apartment that I should plant my giant redwood tree, but he assured me they stay small for the first couple years. We have found a spot at the bottom of the stairs just outside the apartment. Here are some pictures of the dirt (seeds are buried). I will post updates if I get anything to grow.

The seeds in their new home!

2007-10-25T20:38:00.001-07:00

The start

2007-10-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

So I decided to start this blog and link my Flickr account so everyone can finally view the wedding photos online. I'm sorry it has taken so long, but as most of you know, I'm the queen of procrastination! I have wedding photos up now, and plan to add some photos from our summer cruise soon. If you want copies of any of the pictures send me an email and I will get them printed. Also, if there are other pictures you don't see up but you remember being in or saw them being taken, send me an email and I will look to see if there is one like what you are looking for. I only have about 250 of the pictures up, but Ashli (our photographer) took over 1000 pictures! So I wasn't able to upload all of them.

Okay...I will end this for now and figure out how to link the Flickr account with Marks help!

The link on the left will take you to the pictures!

-Amy :)

PS-if you read this before you may notice a change in the page. I had to switch blog hosting pages because I couldn't get the other one to do what I wanted...stick with me-I'll figure this blogging thing out eventually!