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Category: July 2005
No Worry Weekends, My Best Friend, and Marking Things Done [07/31/05]
[100 Happy Things]
98. Leaving work on Friday feeling like I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to during the week and not having to worry about things on the weekend.
99. My best friend.
100. Marking something done on 43Things.
See more progress on: identify 100 things that make me happy (besides money)
Pants, Trains, the Moon, Shampoo, and Fruit [07/31/05]
[100 Happy Things]
93. Finding pants or a shirt or a purse that I like and buying one in every color or pattern.
94. Hearing a train in the distance.
95. When the moon is so bright it casts shadows.
96. Finishing one bottle of shampoo or conditioner and starting another.
97. Eating fruit first thing in the morning.
See more progress on: identify 100 things that make me happy (besides money)
Just Some Stuff - Men, Alanis, Productivity, and Vacation [07/29/05]
[Just Some Stuff]
- I went to another training class on Tuesday. There were 6 men in the class. Five were married. The other was gay. Bless them all, but this isn't getting me anywhere.
- I bought the new Alanis Morissette CD that's an acoustic remake of her "Jagged Little Pill." It's excellent.
- I scheduled a vacation in November. I think I'll go visit the Louisiana and Mississippi state capitols. It's not a plan... just something I'm considering.
- After ruining my Sunday last weekend by unintentionally getting hopped up on herbal supplements, I have plans to be productive all weekend this weekend. I need to work on photo galleries of my trips to Fort Worth and Oklahoma City last January/February.
- What are you doing this weekend?
Effective Communication Class [07/26/05]
[What I Did Today]
I took a class on effective communication today. I’d heard great things about the teacher, and found that he knew his stuff and was pretty entertaining.
Most of it was common sense. I’m not sure what I took away with me. I need to go over the notes to really absorb some of it. He talked fast and covered a lot of material.
Something that bothered me about the class was that he kept using examples of married couples and parents and children. I could follow the concepts, but he would always begin an example by asking, “Who in here is married?” or “Who in here has more than one child?” The first couple of times, I hardly noticed. But after the fourth or fifth time, I felt like he was teaching the class to the married people and parents. I felt alienated by it, plus it’s a sore subject with me, so that was an internal distraction.
There you go… I learned about internal distractions: those personal things going on inside a person’s head that might keep them from hearing your message. I lived it today.
Anyway… I’m not sure I learned anything I didn’t already know, or couldn’t figure out on my own, but maybe going through a day’s worth of instruction will reinforce the concepts.
Just Some Stuff - Harry and Ron, Vitamins and Herbs, and Shrimp and Simmer Sauce [07/25/05]
[Just Some Stuff]
- I saw the trailer for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" last weekend. At the start, they showed short snippets from the first four movies. I saw the boys grow up right before my eyes. I have to admit to have a schoolgirl crush on both Harry and Ron in "Goblet of Fire." It looks to be a great movie, just like the rest.
- I bought some multi-vitamin/herbal supplements at Central Market Saturday. I took one Saturday afternoon. I was feeling a little loopy the rest of the evening, but I didn't think much about it. I took another one Sunday around noon. Everything went downhill from there. Turns out Ginseng gets me high and gives me a headache. I didn't like it. I didn't recover until this morning.
- I bought a pound of shrimp at Central Market, too. I'd never cooked shrimp that didn't come out of a frozen box. It was wonderful. I simmered it in some of Suzanne Somer's Colorado Chili Simmer Sauce. That stuff is delectible. She has several flavors and they've all been good. It's a bit pricey, though.
Unconscious Mutterings [07/24/05]
[Memes - Unconscious Mutterings]
 - Believing:: fairy tales
- Invasion:: body snatchers
- Boys:: kids
- Island:: solitude
- Repeatedly:: over and over
- Normal:: not weird
- Hex:: Longhorns before the A&M game
- Tuxedo:: black and white
- Virgin:: teenaged girl
- Cereal:: box
100 Happy Things: Convenience, New TV, My Book, Cooking and Short Tasks [07/23/05]
[100 Happy Things]
88. Convenience: cordless phones, an extra leash to keep in the car for Lily, a second remote control to keep by the computer, a post office in the building where I work.
89. A new TV season with great new shows.
90. My lyric book
91. Trying a new recipe and it turning out scrumptious.
92. When a dreaded task doesn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would.
See more progress on: identify 100 things that make me happy (besides money)
A Busy Little Beaver [07/23/05]
[What's Going On?]
Lilydawg woke me up at 5:00 a.m. to go outside. We crawled through the dining room window (If you're tuning in late, I don't have a back door) to find that a busy little beaver had dammed up the way to the backyard:
A nervous Lily didn't know what to do with herself. We ended up going for a walk down the street. Diva, the neighbor's chihuahua, was out and took a walk with us. Well... more like a run. She ran circles around us. She's a bundle of concentrated energy.
Friday's Feast [07/22/05]
[Memes - Friday's Feast]
Appetizer
What kind of car do you drive? If you could make an even trade for any other car, what would you want to drive?
Honda Civic. I like it, but I'd trade it for an Infiniti FX.
Soup
Take your phone number and add each number together separately (example: 8+6+7+5+3+0+9=38) - what's the total?
23
Salad
When were you last outside, and what were you doing?
Walking back to work from the Texas State Capitol with my lunch of Chicken Primavera in hand.
Main Course
What is your favorite restaurant, and what do you usually order there?
Romeo's. I usually order Chicken Parmagiana and have some chocolate cheesecake for dessert.
Dessert
Name 3 things in which you occasionally indulge.
Chocolate, a game of get the ball on the tee, and Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic Beer.
Unconscious Mutterings [07/19/05]
[Memes - Unconscious Mutterings]
- Tolerate:: Put up with
- Release:: Pearl Jam
- My soul:: light
- Sax:: Bill Clinton
- HP:: Hewlett Packard
- Worth:: Fort
- Rockstar:: Mark Walberg
- Terrify:: Scare
- Knock me off my feet:: My knight in shining armor
- Taunt:: Tease
March of the Penguins [07/17/05]
[Movies and TV | Overheard | What I Did Today]
I went to see March of the Penguins this morning. It was beautiful and touching. Nature is amazing.
The theater didn’t have junior mints, but I got popcorn and a bottle of water. The popcorn and water cost more than the movie ticket.
After the movie, I went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Upon leaving, I overheard two women talking:
Woman1: I ate healthy and didn’t enjoy it.
Woman2: Well I didn’t eat healthy, and I feel miserable.
Isn’t that just the way of it?
100 Happy Things: Kisses, Eating Right, Doggie Dessert, 43T People and Blogging [07/16/05]
[100 Happy Things]
82. That first kiss. I don’t know what’s better—the actual kiss, or all the crazy wonderful bubbly lightheaded feelings I get thinking about it for days afterward.
83. When the number on the scale is less than it was last time I stood on it. It’s the feeling of accomplishment that makes me happy rather than the loss of a pound.
84. The way Lily Dawg jumps up and down when it’s time for her dessert (a Pedigree Jumbone).
85. When I eat something that makes me feel good, but not stuffed. Tonight I ordered Basil Shrimp from a Chinese restaurant, and I feel great. Sometimes I think when I feel down it’s because I’m not eating right.
86. The positive people at 43 Things. It’s fun to share our wants and needs and dreams. Thanks for the motivation.
87. Blogging software. My goodness… it’s changed our world.
See more progress on: identify 100 things that make me happy (besides money)
Free Coffee [07/15/05]
[43 Things | Food]
I took the day off work today for no particular reason. I headed over to Central Market thinking it would be less crowded than it is on weekends. It was less crowded, but the whole time it still seemed like someone was in my way or I was in someone else’s way. I got through it, though, and used the ”$10 off bulk coffee or any other bulk item of my choice” coupon. Some of the items I bought:
- Moka Java Decaf Coffee
- Kavli Thick Crispbread
- Walla Walla Onions
- Dried Fruits (pineapple, raspberry, apricot)
- Red Raspberries
- Tomatoes on the Vine
- Rotary Cheese Grater
- Chicken Breasts, Pork Cutlets and Bacon
See more progress on: Use the Central Market coupons I got in the mail
Dream Journal - I didn't do it [07/15/05]
[Dream Journal]
I was at something like a museum. I was walking toward a staircase to go upstairs and a group of people were coming downstairs. I saw Kim, a lady I worked with at a prior job. We did the small talk thing, and then I told her to please say "Hi" to her husband Eric. I worked with him there, too. She got a funny look on her face, and I knew it meant they were split up.
She told me he had cheated on her a lot, and the look on her face told me she thought I'd been with him. I told her we'd never done anything like that. She didn't believe me. She said when he would come home from a travel job with me, I was all he could talk about. I told her again we didn't do anything. I was crying.
Later in the dream, I got a letter from her. It was titled "Jealousy." She apologized to me for thinking I had been involved with him.
Goodbye TEX [07/13/05]
[Miscellaneous]
When I was at the University of Texas in 1990, they launched a telephone registration system, TEX, that saved us from waiting in line for hours at the Frank Erwin Center. The voice of TEX was Senior Vice President William Livingston. He had such a distinctive voice. Sometimes he would say things that you'd dread hearing like "This class has [pause] not been added." Those pauses were killers.
The most memorable thing TEX said (probably because he said it everytime you called) was at the end of the call. He would say, "Goodbye and Good Luck."
This year, TEX is going away. More and more students use the newer internet based registration system. If I were a student, I'd rather use an internet based system, too. But I'd miss the voice of TEX.
Here's a video of TEX (William Livingston) reading some of the things that TEX used to say. It might be something that only a U.T. alumnus can enjoy, but it made me laugh and clap my hands and brought a nostalgic tear to my eye.
One Sun Stained Glass [07/10/05]
[Friends]
My friend bud makes the most beautiful stained glass. Check out these lamps:
He makes them to order. He makes all kinds of things like chess boards and business card holders and even the old standby--windows!
One Sun Stained Glass
I don't get a referral or anything... I just think his work is gorgeous and wanted to share. 
Unconscious Mutterings [07/10/05]
[Memes - Unconscious Mutterings]
- Do-it-yourself:: self-sufficient
- Pickpocket:: thief
- Ballet:: toes
- Resumé:: job
- Phenom:: fad
- Love/Hate:: relationship
- Unusual:: suspects that's not right, but that's what I thought first
- Intense:: smell
- Interruption:: argh
- Not enough:: time
Just Some Stuff - New Pants, Orion O'Ryan and Bridal Bouquets [07/06/05]
[Just Some Stuff]
- I got new pants. They're mostly cotton with a little bit of spandex. They're sooo soft. They have a tag in the back that says when they get wet, the dye will bleed onto other things. They assure me this is not a defect.
- I know that everybody doesn't really love Raymond. But I do.
- Orion O'Ryan (also known as Kit Cat) is batting around a fuzzy pink ball with a pig nose as I write this.
- I'm watching a movie that's had new lines dubbed over the curse words. Chris O'Donnell just said "Don't forget off the pot." That doesn't make sense any way you look at it.
- It's been close to 9 years since I caught the bouquet at a wedding. HELLO!!!
MIT Weblog Survey [07/05/05]
[Blogging and Web Stuff]
Literary Meme [07/04/05]
[Reading]
I got this meme from BrykMantra:
You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451; which book do you want to be?
If this means I have to memorize the book, let it be a really short one because my memory sucks. I tried to find the shortest book though Google, but it just came up with a bunch of annoying jokes. I'm not repeating them... Google it yourself.
What a way to start of the meme... not answering the question. D'oh!
Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
No. I have too firm a grasp on reality, I guess.
What are you currently reading?
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for the second time. I started reading Harry Potter and the Temple of Doom, oh wait, that's not it. I started reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and had forgotten most of what happened before, so I had to backtrack.
The last book you bought is:
My friend Albert L. Isaac's book Endless.
The last book you read is:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Five books you would take to a desert island:
1. a book of matches
Okay.. I'll start over.
1. The Stand by Stephen King
2. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
3. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. I've always wanted to read them, but have not be motivated (if that makes sense). I think being stuck on a dessert island would finally give me the motivation.
4. The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Not just one book, but it's one continuous story that I love to read.
5. Mordant's Need by Stephen R. Donaldson
Who are you going to pass this stick to?
You, dear reader, if you haven't done it already.
Dream Journal - Mall, Doors, and Horned Frog Fish [07/04/05]
[Dream Journal]
I went to a small mall in a neighborhood during a work day. I think it was more of an events center at the beginning of the dream, but turned into a mall later. I ate something from a concession stand.
I went into a kids' shoe store. I wanted to leave the mall, and there was a door in the corner that someone had just gone out, so I followed. There were steps leading down to the parking lot. After about 15 steps, it became a fire escape. I considered going back up, but then decided to keep going down. I stepped onto a rickety step and a fire alarm started to sound. I heard the fire escape lowering. I didn't understand how the people before me had gotten down so quickly without sounding the alarm. I decided to go back up.
At the top, there was a door that looked like a brick wall. once I opened that, there were two glass doors that looked like regular entrances. Back inside, I couldn't find the door out of the shoe store into the mall. I think the clerk asked if she could help me, but I said no. I kept walking around the store looking for the door, and finally asked another clerk how to get out into the mall. She was rude about it, but I finally found my way out.
I got outside the mall, but I still couldn't find my car. I was barefoot and walking around a pond. I looked down and on the rocks were creatures that looked like a mix between a horned frog and a fish. I had to be careful not to step on them. When I got to the other side of the pond, there were some white dogs with black spots. I started walking back around the pond away from them, and they were following me. I was afraid one would bite me.
I was getting upset about not being able to find my car. I went back inside the mall.
I met up with a friend. It was either Keely or Kelly M. There was someone on a stage getting ready to sing. He had a tube of lip gloss that he was running over his lips, and he dragged it down over the dimple in his chin. I realized it was Constantine Maroulis. My friend and I were standing at a kiosk, and I looked up at a lady there. It was Carolyn from work. She works at Kay Jewelers on the side, so I looked up at the name of the kiosk, and confirmed that it was Kay.
In another part of the mall (I think it was the offices), I checked the website that I work on at work. There was a problem with the front page. There were two paragraphs with links, but the links were spelled out (http://www.whatever.com/blah/blah.html). That's against our style standards; we always use words for links. So I went into the file to fix it, but someone had replaced the URLs with strange things. The first one was replaced with the word "words." It was like someone had told her to "put words instead of URLs," and she took it literally.
It was getting to be 6:00 p.m., and I still couldn't find my car. I wasn't planning on being away from work the whole day.
Unconscious Mutterings [07/03/05]
[Memes - Unconscious Mutterings]
- Statistics:: yummy, numbers
- Grin:: smile
- Saturn:: car
- Fulfilled:: done
- Life plan:: wha?
- Cult:: scary
- Lily:: my beautiful girl dog
- Stalemate:: nowhere to go from here
- Celebration:: balloons
- Underwear:: white
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