Is that snow?

DoHP, this one's for you. Despite the lack of storm clouds, it is currently snowing at my house.

You've gotta love the weather in this state.

Alula

Jobs and Headaches

I sent out 4 more applications yesterday for various library positions, some of which I'm totally qualified for and some of which were a bit of a stretch--some of them list the MLS as a requirement, but I'm hoping if I make it to the interview stage I can convince them that I'm smart, dedicated, and willing to be paid less until my degree is actually completed. I've expanded my search pool to include places I'm willing to commute 30-45 minutes each way.

I woke up with a migraine today which I'm hoping is just backlash from upsetting my sleep schedule earlier this week. I've got to go to work today (scooping) and then onward to writing a 10-page paper for school and buying the dress for Munchkin's wedding.

In the spirit of Lent, I've given up fast food, and Q is now impossible to feed. Also, we're now showing visitors from Germany? Mr. Q, is this you as well?

Alula

Paying the Piper

Well, I got a last-minute phone call from my mom yesterday. She had to go up to visit my sister at her college (it's an hour and a half away) because she's deathly ill with a urinary tract/bladder infection. My sister was in such serious pain that my mom wound up staying over night to watch her.

So I got called in to watch my nephew from 4 yesterday until 4 today, when my mom gets back. Yes, overnight, at my parent's house. When I called Mr. Borealis with this news, he goes "Oh, that's okay--why don't you bring him over to our place so we don't have to spend the night apart?"

Ah, men. I then proceeded to explain that unless he wanted tiny little sticky fingerprints all over our television, stereo, couches, and computers, having a 3-year-old at our completely un-child-proofed home was probably a bad idea.

I was supposed to take a new student through my tutoring job today, which I had to cancel. As I explained to Mr. B, this is the price of getting through college debt-free. It's the price of your family helping you out when you're short on tuition, your car is in the shop, or you need help fixing up your house. Someone pays the piper for all those favors in my family, and in this case, it means being 24-hr on-call childcare.

I kept my nephew up until 10 last night hoping he'd sleep in this morning, but no such luck. He woke up at 6:30. Then we watched a cartoon sing-a-long tape 5 times in a row.

I tried to make breakfast only to discover there were no grits (we're a grits family). Then I figure, that's okay, I'll make toast. And then there's no toaster in the kitchen. I try to load up on caffeine, and of course, there's none in the house. Also missing are diaper wipes.

So I figure, that's okay, I'll go to the store because we cannot be without diaper wipes. Guess what? They left me without a car seat. So we're using damp paper towels.

Other than that, watching my nephew has been a breeze. I'm apparently one of the few lucky ones that he will go poop in the potty for (read: changing daipers just got a lot easier), and he has a computer which he is fully proficient in using to play educational games online. He can also operate a VHS and DVD player solo, God bless kids today.

Q was nice enough to bring me an energy drink. She says Mr. Q is having a minor kinepshit over her lack of job. Please refer to my last post about how and why I don't have one yet, and then add to that the fact that despite her copious work experience history, she cannot report a Diploma or GED on her resume; let's talk about the fact that I called on the entry level position at a library stocking books for 10 hours a week for like 10/hr that closed in early January. Why haven't they gotten back to me? They serious received that many applications. They stopped accepting applications on January 5th and they are still in the process of screening and interviewing candidates that meets the state's requirements.

I, Alula, do hereby certify that I witnessed Q apply for several jobs today online while we were watching my nephew, paying the piper for all the people who are helping us out while we're on the financial ropes.

Alula

Oops.

Alula screwed up, everyone--please re-send me all of the resolutions. I was tooling around this morning with templates and forgot to save some stuff.

This wonderful template created by Gamemaster with features I don't even know how to use yet can be found here.

Also, I do realize our counter resets every time I move stuff around, which is why I've signed up for Google Analytics. Since signing up two weeks ago, we have had 9 absolute unique visitors, more than 60 visits, more than 90 pageviews, one visitor from Canada and two from Itlay. Go figure.

Thanks,
Alula

Figures.

Well, it precipitated. It precipitated without cause or warning, and as Murphy's Law would dictate, it happened heavily and icily and at a time when I had to drive home alone in the snow late at night before another early morning.

I had Library School classes this weekend. They run from 6-9 Friday, 8-5 Saturday, and 8-12 Sunday one weekend a month. So Friday night I'm totally beat after waking up, doing laundry, going to work, rushing home and showering and hauling butt through rush hour traffic to get to class. I sit there like a zombie until we get released. The high was in the 50s that day, but I still walked out of class to find the following:

Yup. Got home about 11, went to bed, woke up about 6 to leave the house to be to school on time. But I still got a kick out of driving in the snow, and I wish we would get more.

It's the simple things.

Alula

1 cat away from crazy!

Hey ladies!
I wanted to give a update on how the new cat is working out, he seems to be working out great. His name is Marley now and he seems to be a very good brother for Al. They have there good moments and there bad moments. They will be grooming each other one second and beating each other up the next. But I rarely see them apart and that has to mean something.
Al has gotten really cuddly too. Its nice! He bites Marley instead of me! Marley does not seem to mind he bites right back.
Did you know getting a second cat triples the amount in the litter box? Its amazing!

The battle of Good vs. Evil!
(Actually I think Marley is mad because Al keeps teasing him because his collar is pink, but its not! Its Salmon!)

Too much play! Now they must rest for three hours!


I though I had better feed them after I found them prying the lid of the food bucket together!
Little stinkers!


I can only assume the are plotting to take over the world!

Although I do not think we have much to worry about! They need to rest and sleep 20 hours out of the day, it does not leave a lot of time for global domination!

I order you to precipitate!

Right now, my weather website of choice is reporting it is snowing here. Above it what it actually looks like. Weather reports keep taunting me and I want rain or snow--either would be great, but we keep getting sun and it's screwing with my head.

I still have no job, though I am on track losing my weight. I'm getting ever closer to opening my online store. I still have bills to pay at the doctor's and I still have to turn in my application for time off from my Linguistics MA (it's due by May, so no one freak out). I have commenced worrying about how the hell I'm going to pay for school, as I've applied a lot of places now and I'm stuck in the rut where I'm either over qualified and the employer thinks I'll leave at the first offer of a "serious" job (they're right) or I'm passed over for the serious job because I haven't completed enough credits on my MLS, I'm not available every single weekend (I have class then), or I'm recently married and pose a pregnancy homemaking threat (though Library positions seem to worry a lot less about this, which is great).

I really hate to say this, but I really hate other women right now. Mr. B has two female co-workers right now that he's sure are going to quit soon. One has set up with a boyfriend such that her income is only supplementary so she's going to quit and "work for his company." The other is pregnant and is leaving once she has the baby.

What the hell is wrong with us? I'm sorry, but my life goal is not to be a man-serving baby factory. Someone give me a damn job. One that isn't a part-time hobby for supplementary income. I really hold a grudge for every woman out there who perpetuates this cycle, because I'm sick of the casual interview question "Are you married?...Oh, that's great, when did that happen...? And your husband works...?"

And at that point, my stock has dropped. With 20,000 people losing their jobs in this country every day, there are better candidates. Because my husband already works, there are people more deserving and needing of the income. I'm married just over a year with steady income, so I'm statistically getting ready to pop a kid out and start baking cookies all day.

I'm taking my GD rings off. I have absolutely no desire to stay at home changing diapers and wiping faces on a permanent basis, and I need a job before that accident happens and I wind up a stay-at-home mom because Mr. B is too cheap to pay for childcare. I want to run my own business and work, and Mr. B really sucks right now because as I previously reported would happen, he now wants kids someday.

Munchkin, stop worrying--I'm ordering the dress for your wedding by the end of next week.

I'm incredibly frustrated right now.

Alula

Holy pile of horse dung Batman!

Hey Ladies!
My mini van is getting up there in years and interesting things break now. My side wing window in the sliding door has been broken long before I got the car. Its no big deal I just never used that window and I have zipped tied it shut. But yesterday it was windy! I went to get into my car and banged my knee on the driver door. I heard a crash, I did think much of it because my knee hurt and I wanted to get out of the wind. I close my car door but the wind does not stop. What the heck! I start looking around and the window on my passenger window has blown out! (insert your favorite swear word!) I sit in my car for a few, thinking about how I'm gonna clean up glass in the parking lot of my orthodontist. Luck was on my side though. when I got out of the car the glass was still in one piece. there was a chunk missing out of a corner but still! I still have a big problem though. My other windows could blow out because of the wind getting into the car. not to mention, my garage is a storage unit and there is not room for a car. My car was also open to the public.
I drove across the street to Target and stomped my way though the store looking for something to fix it. I called my parents home because my mother worked at a auto glass repair shop for a few months and bless her she made connections. My mother gave me the number for her friend the glass dude! I called him and he said" try not to put duck tape on your paint! ". Then " Go to the dealer and get some window parts, and call me back." A half hour and fifty five dollars later at the dealer he calls me back and says "come over to my house!" God bless this man; I got there and he reattached my glass to the door and sent me on my way! If I have gone to a glass shop it would have been over $200.
Crisis managed! With a hole lot of good luck, to counter the bad luck! Thank you Universe!

Cabinet In basement!

Hey Ladies!
Mr. B and Alula Helped me get a cabinet built in my basement. I would post a picture but its a surprise Mr. Q is just gonna have to wait for! But basically my Kitchen is in the basement. Or at least the parts I do not use everyday is. Ladies I dare say there is counter space! The new stake knives are in the place of the old ones. There is room in my cabnets and I think everyting will be much eaiser to get to when I am done. Its very exciting!
By the way I have about eight weeks before he gets home, and a lot of work to do!
Poor Alula got sick from all the mold and cat hair in my house. I feel bad! I know I will feel better too when the house is not such a trash pit. Its a allergy night mare!
Wetpaw started talking smack about not having a path way though the house after they left tonight; and I told him to shove it! Really my excact works! There may be hope for me yet!
Thanks for you help Alula! Tell Mr. B too!

Happyness is flowers!

Hey ladies! I find my self surprised by how touched I was to get flowers from my husband on Valentines Day. As cheezy as it is I cried! I wanted to share them with you ladies too! Flowers always cheer me up! I hope they do the same for all of you if you feeling down!

knock me over with a feather!

Wetpaw washed his bed sheets! It only took a year! I knew it was cold out today but I did not think hell froze over!

Getting close...

Well, I'm cranky lately. No secret about that. It's because of the afforementioned baby boom that's happening in my life right now, which has resulted in an unfortunate use of abstinence as birth control in my household. I'm going bonkers and I almost told my boss to take my crap job and shove it yesterday (in my head I was using stronger language, including the ever-popular anatomically impossible).

I'm crafting and writing a lot right now. I set up on Ecrater for the store Q and I plan to run; we need a logo that I haven't had time to design, preferably showing a rat and a dragon--maybe with the dragon looking a little feline-tiger-ish. We're officially Rat & Dragon now, picked because it's something big and something small, both are notorious horders of the fabulously valuable and the dully mundane, they're infamous dungeon mongers in any game of RPG, and there's a slight Asian astrological influence involved that will tie in nicely when we reach the step where we open the tea house.

If anyone wants to take a crack at that logo, go for it. If at all possible, I'd like it to be simple enough that it can be embroidered on things (like a pen drawing). Of course, if someone designs something we ultimately decide to use, the artist will receive a plug on the site and a cut of any merchandise sold that uses the logo (like embroidered hat, bags, shirts, etc.). There might be no return at all, but I'm hoping that's not the case.

Q, we need a programmable embroidery machine.

Mr. B is trying to help me figure out how and where I need to register the business so I can get charged out the wazoo with taxes, but it looks like something internet based won't cost me more than $50 to start up. Q, anything you buy for business purposes (i.e. fabric, bird seed, thread, etc.) save your receipt and write the date on it. Then give it to me and I'll file it so we can count it as a deduction.

I've got my basement set up as a workable lab now, and all it's missing is a DVD player. There's no cable down there so my TV is currently just occupying space. I inherited my family's most beloved piece of furniture, which really made the room for me. It's a giant blob of a bean-bag loveseat. My parents got it when we were kids, then my brother took it to his first house, then my sister took it to college, and now it's mine.

Other things we still need to jump start this business include: someone with more website design experience than me (not hard to do), more artists to fill spots on the site, logos and art/designs to build the site.

Q, what else do we need?

Alula

Vote!

Hey Ladies!
I think we should take a vote for if Mr. Q gets to stay. Its fine with me! But I have a special likeness for Mr. Q.
I think it would be nice if he left comments too because he seems to have a good grasp on life and has good advice. Also if everyone is ok with it I think its good for Mr. Q to have a way to keep up with the goings on of our ladies circle.
Thoughts?

News!

Hey Ladies!
The couch is out of my Kitchen! The couch that has been in there for 6 months now. Now I just have to get the 200 lb cabinet and I just might get this house clean before Mr. Q comes home on leave! Woo Hoo! :) Does anyone have a extra bed frame lying around? I am having a hard time finding a used one.

A Year and a Day

A year ago yesterday (as in February 6th, 2008, not figuring for leap year), we started this blog. We made it, ladies.

I encourage you to read over some of your posts--see what was happening in your life, where you were and where you're going (...and why are we in this handbasket, you ask? lol).

But really, thank you all for sticking with this. I can honestly say I feel we're closer for it, even when we're annoying each other, making fake promises, giving out TMI, or agreeing that our lives are mutually F-ed in the A.

Here's to another great year.

Love You All,
Alula

P.S.
I cleaned out my garden today, but I'm too lazy to post pics right at this moment.

Update!

Hey Ladies,
I just wanted to post, so there is not going back, I was 235 lb when Mr. Q left in August. Today at the Doctor I was 222. Woo Hoo! I may get under 220 if I can not kick this tummy bug.

Happy (not that you should be reading this) Birthday!

Well, we all know this is supposed to be a girls only club. We also know Mr. Q has located our secret headquarters and checks out the site every so often so he can read about how Q's affair with her super sexy Mexican boyfriend Havier is going (just kidding, y'all!). But we also know we're going to cut him some slack for this because he's serving our country in Iraq right now and this is one of the easiest ways out there for him to keep up with all the stupid stuff we've done while he's been away.

Ladies, it's Mr. Q's birthday today. In the grand tradition of last-minute birthday celebrations, I put this together so we could have a mini-celebration here for him. Also in the grand tradition, I had no birthday candles in the house (yes, sigh--even after we discussed saving them from Munchkin's birthday), so I used the traditional tea light instead. So here it is:


Happy Birthday, Mr. Q. I want you to know this cake will be sitting in my freezer waiting for you when you get back.

Alula

Would everyone kindly take a step back.

Hey Ladies,
As you know may know I try very hard to not show my feelings, I hold things in and I never tell someone when they have pissed me off; But its gone too far! I have hit my breaking point! I mean this to everyone, so please take it to hart, but not to you directly. I am tired of being dogged for the things I do. Its the same things you all do, and if ever I have treated you the same way please let me know so I change too.

Most importantly just because I did not graduate High School does not make me a invalid. I took all the classes the rest of you did, and I passed all but too of them before I left there and that was because they did not fit into the semester. I took it the extra mile, I went a extra semester. Try that in heals! I worry that you all seem to forget how much High school sucked for all of us. I had to fight for everything I got in that high school. I was constantly being told that I would never graduate and I was never going to become anything. The counseling office would do nothing to help me because I was labeled as a bad kid. I was called into the drop out prevention office because I had three family members drop out of the same High School and they though I was going too aswell. I had the principle calling me into her office about every week to tell me I was a failure. My teachers had my family members in there prior classes and most of them did not give me a chance to prove myself.
My mother is a wonderful person, but keeping up with high school was not her thing. She never went to a Parent/Teacher conference meeting. I think the only teacher she every met was my band teacher.
I was poorly home schooled for 6 years before high school. I had to catch up for all of those years in high school. I was six years behind in science and math.
My father died my freshman year and no adult though to see of I was ok with that, I am sorry to say that was not. I had not idea how to ask for help. I had never had too. It tore me apart and I had no one I could talk too.
Its a touchie subjuect that I did not finish High School because of all theses reasons. Thats why I have not raced out and gotten a GED. It would help if I did not get shit from all my friends about it. I and hate this to sound mean; but if you are my friend you need to understand I need you to back the hell off! ( only a stronger four letter F word! ) No one is prefect you all had a hard time getting though highschool too! BACK THE HELL OFF! I will finish high school when I am ready to do so. At this point I am soo pissed off at the everone for giving me greef about it I am not srue I will even tell anyone I got it.

I am a adult! The money I spend is my money to spend! I do not have a credit card that I am using. Everything I own is paid for. I will admit that I am not good at budgeting, but the only person I need to answer to is my husband.

Speaking of my husband, He is on the other side of the world and I am scared shitless he is never comming back to me. I have huge fear of abandoment problems. Thats probably why I do not tell people what I am thinking. So if I go out and buy something or adopt a cat its my buisness! I am a private person I do not like talking to people when I am upset. I stress shop! GET OVER IT!

My house is not clean, I'm not a neat person. I am however depressed and who really wants to clean there house when they are depressed? I need to clean it thats for sure but I do not need everyone harping on me about it.

I often feel like everyone thinks I am not as smart as they are. I am so sick of being talked down too. Just because I did not go to collage does not mean I do not have a grasp on life. I have got to tell you all it drives me crazy when I am doing something, and someone takes it away form me to figure it out themself. When I am reading directions for something wait your turn! lol I'm not a idiot ya know.

Lastly I am a bad speller its a fact. Its time to get over it, and stop making jokes about spelling errors I made 8 years ago. I could easily bring up silly mistakes constantly to, but I don't because it only hurts feelings.

Thats whats been on my mind lately. I hope I do not offend anyone too much, I just can't be the puching bag anymore. I am trying to juggle too much. I am always here to talk to you and hear your problems. I am not looking for applogies. I just needed to let out the things that have been bugging me. I love you all so much. You have no idea what a big part of my live you all are! Thanks for being here!

One second commercial!

Okay ladies please keep your eyes open today during the commercial bowl. Apparently a well known beer company is going to be doing a one second commercial to protest the outrageous cost of each second. $100,000 per second to just put it out there for you. I hope that one of us sees it. If you do please post a comment and let me know what it was.

~Munchkin