Why Best Buy Sucks

As told by Jeremy

Merry Christmas!

Tough Questions

So I was at Taco Time today with my mom and grandma, as is the ritual after grandma gets her hair done. I went to the bathroom and before I sat down, I noticed a quarter in the toilet. I contemplated going after the quarter, but decided it wasn't worth a nasty toilet water hand.

I told my mom and grandma about this and it lead to a short discussion on what you would actually reach into the toilet and grab. We decided jewelry and cells phones were a must. Grandma said a 1925 quarter.

Where would you draw the line?

Christmas Movies

Here is a list of my favorite movies to watch to get into the Christmas spirit (in no particular order)

A Christmas Story
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Bad Santa
Elf
Frosty the Snowman (cartoon version)

Honorable mention to The Santa Clause and Home Alone.

Santa Photos!

Santa needs to smile more.

I <3 My Grandparents

I absolutely love my grandparents. They say and do so many funny things that I am going to start sharing them more frequently. This post will be how my grandpa proposed to my grandma.

It was New Year's Eve and they were trying to get into the "Top of the Ocean" restaurant, but due to the holiday, it was packed. Midnight had come and they still hadn't gotten in, so they got their $50 cover charge back. My grandpa gave my grandma the $50 and said "go buy us some sheets."

And that is how he proposed.

Makeshift Thanksgiving

I must first appologize for no pictures.

This year, my mom, dad, Jeremy and I went to my dad's family's house in Longview this year on Thanksgiving. The Sunday following Thanksgiving we made "dinner" for my grandparents where my brother and his wife were also able to attend. Here is what we had:

Mom made a ranch cheese dip to snack on while dinner was being cooked, nobody could seem to leave the dip for more than 3 minutes before going back to eat more.

• Turkey breast (yes, it was in a roll shape, but amazingly delicious and flavored perfectly)
• Birds Eye lightly sauced corn (we can't seem to find Jolly Green Giant buttered corn anymore)
• Cranberry sauce out of a can
• Mom's stuffing
• Stove Top stuffing (for me)
• Instant mashed potatoes
• Turkey gravy made from a packet
• Rolls
• Yams with brown sugar, butter and tons of marshmallows (first year I've tried them and they are good!)
• My sister in law made an amazing apple pie
• I made the pumpkin pie, but I tried something different when making it and it turned out so delicious that I made another pie on Monday!

While 8 people isn't the traditional amount of people we have for Thanksgiving, it was really fun. We did have all of the dishes we usually have, just some of them were straight from a package. Definitely less stress this year.

Friends, How Many of Us Have Them?

Lately I've been thinking about that question a lot. It started when I was thinking about who would be my maid of honor should I get married. Well, Jeremy is indeed my best friend, but he definitely won't work as the MOH. After that, I don't have any friend that I would consider a "best friend." I have some friends, but not a best friend (who happens to be a girl).

If something really amazing happened, the first person I would tell would be Jeremy (and mom) but after that, I don't know of anyone else that I would have to tell. On the flip side, if something bad happened (specifically between Jeremy and I), I keep it to myself because I don't have anybody that knows our situation.

It's also interesting to think about that usually best friends are indeed each others' best friend. If I did happen to have a girl that was a "best friend," I'm sure she'd already have a best friend and I would just be her "good friend." Somehow I managed to lose my best friend growing up (and many friends in the process) and by now, it's probably too late to find a person who I can be best friends with, who I'm their best friend.

Do It

Without getting into a big discussion about my views on government, foreign policy and the Iraq war, I would just like to make a general statement.

While I might or might not agree with the situation, I do appreciate the people that decided they wanted to serve in the armed forces knowing that there is a possibility of having to fight in a war.

Xerox has a program called Let's Say Thanks that allows you to send a postcard to a random person currently serving overseas for the United States military. I highly suggest you send a postcard (or 5) and share this with your friends and family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Triple Nerd Score

After much deliberation, Jeremy and I have decided to go back to school. This will be Jeremy's first post high school adventure. I just hope that the third time is a charm for me. We will be attending Highline Community College starting winter quarter 2010 (January). Jeremy is going to be working towards a certificate in paralegal studies (and a few extra classes to get a good old fashion associates degree).

As for me, I will be working towards an associate of applied science in Data Recovery Forensics and Networking. That's right, tentatively in fall of 2011 I will have earned 2 associate degrees raising my total to 3! Maybe one day I'll consider a bachelors.

So why did we choose the programs that we did? Jeremy enjoys legal junk ie government workings. I on the other hand enjoy more nerdy approaches to life such as math and chemistry. Computers fit nicely into my nerdy style and I got very excited while talking to an advisor about the program. (She also enjoys NCIS which is a huge bonus!)

If you would like to question my nerd-id-ity, please watch the following commercial from Intel. When I first saw it I laughed for 4 minutes and told mom and Jeremy about it because I thought it was just hilarious (still do).

Darn Tootin!

Story* in a nutshell:

Bunny at Humane Society bites human.
Bunny scheduled for euthanasia.
Protests.
Euthanasia decision reversed.
Bunny released to Rabbit Haven Sanctuary in Gig Harbor.
Jenny happy.



*As seen on Komo 4 News

Fine French Cuisine

Last Thursday Jeremy and I made chicken cordon bleu. It didn't turn out exactly like it did in the picture on Food Network's website, but it tasted AMAZING!

Substitutions: Canadian bacon instead of prosciutto and provolone in lieu of gruyere.

Angry Face

Over the years, Christmas in stores has started earlier and earlier. This year at Fred Meyer, Christmas decorations were being put out before Halloween had even come. I am a firm believer that you DON'T start decorating (that includes music) for the next holiday until you pass the previous one. By that standard, the day after Thanksgiving is the appropriate time to start decorating for Christmas. I don't put up bunnies and Easter eggs in December simply because it is the next holiday.

I would love nothing more than a nationwide boycott of all stores who decorate for 'future holidays.' Unfortunately, almost every store has now started this trend, so I wouldn't be able to even buy food at a grocery store.

I urge everyone to NOT decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving and fill out comment cards at the store expressing your displeasure.

Snow Sneakers or Boots?

A few weeks ago, an LL Bean catalogue came in the mail and while perusing, I found a pair of boots called "snow sneakers." I was very excited and thought they were so cute. A week later, Jeremy and I were in the shoe department at Fred Meyer and I happened to see some boots made by Columbia that I had to try on. My feet looked super little and the boots were so cute! Now, I can't decide if I like the boots or the snow sneakers more. To be fair, I need to try on the snow sneakers to see how the fit is.

The first picture is the LL Bean Snow Sneaker and the second picture is the Columbia Bugaboot.

Looking at both pictures, I think I like the Columbia boots better. Perhaps I can call them snow sneakers.

Hey Good Lookin...

I'll tell you what I got cookin! For the last month, Jeremy and I have been trying to be more money conscious and eat out less. We've gone grocery shopping and cooked our own meals. Here are some of the highlights:

Chicken fried steak
Breaded baked cod
Spaghetti (our favorite fall back)
Pasta primavera alfredo (via recipe from Kraft)
Beef & broccoli
Italian beef kabobs
Tacos
Enchiladas (using leftover taco makings)

We have gone out a few times for dinner, but not every night like we used to. The nights that we are extra lazy become frozen pizza or tv dinner nights. There were a few days we had soup, but we were both sick (perhaps on our death beds).

I'm very excited for the new few weeks because I have some delicious ideas for dinner. Like pulled pork sandwiches, chicken cordon bleu, pork chops, orange beef, fried rice...you get the drift. We are also going to revisit some recipes we already made and make them more delicious.

Hopped Up On NyQuil

I caught the cold that Jeremy had last week. No, it is not the Bacon Achen. But I do think I might be on my death bed.

Yesterday, mom and I took Wally to the dog park. He ran for 40 minutes straight and that boy can run! Silly me thinking that him running for 40 minutes would tire him out and he would go to sleep. No, he was still excited from the dog park and fought going to sleep again...kids...

I texted my brother today to tell him that we should go diving soon, but I'm sick right now so we'll have to wait a bit. He replied back and said "you guys have the immune system of an aids patient...all your white cells have to do are look the rhinovirus in the eye and poke it. can't fight blind right?" I almost died laughing at work.

Here is more random texts he's sent me while he was working swing shift.

"ya comcast gave us the ability to speak to animals...how the hell do i return that? the only word my dogs know is "sausage". "

"my yakisoba is better than yours. i could teach you, but i have to charge."

My grandpa also believes that eating Mexican food makes you as short as he is. Why you ask. Because all of the Mexicans he has seen have been short.

Minus 20 Cool Points

This time to Jeremy

Minus 15 because you signed up for twitter (even though you claim it is so you can 'talk' to Ryan)

Minus 5 because you got me sick (not the Bacon Achen)

Regaining Cool Points

Jeremy has just informed* me that Ryan Rowland-Smith will be a certified diver soon. While this does return some of the lost cool points, more cool points would have been gained had he have gotten certified in Washington...perhaps through my shop.

Maybe one day Ryan and I will be able to scuba dive together...sigh...



*Jeremy had to inform me because I am still against twitter and refuse to even look at it.

Simple Fruits

This Halloween Jeremy and I decided to dress up in (my opinion) the most awesome costumes ever. He was Mario and I was his princess. Here are 2 pictures from my Sis-in-law's party at the Milton Tavern. Jeremy and I won 1st place in the contest and recieved a ribbon and vodka!

Yes I am wearing hot pink heels! I bought them in 2004 and I just now had the perfect outfit/place to wear them.

I would like to point out that my mom made my entire costume (dress, necklace and earrings) and she also made Jeremy's awesome-tastic Mario hat. Mom, you rock!

It wouldn't be Halloween unless I dressed up a helpless puppy. Tobby got a break this year. Jeremy wouldn't let me dress Wally up as Toadstool (which would have been awesome due to our costumes). Making him wear a hat was about as far as I could get...this year. Next year, pants!

Seriously?!?!?

Pumpkins!

Jeremy and I carved pumpkins last night! It took us about an hour and a half. That included prep work and clean up. Since I have small girly hands, I was chosen to clean out the inside of both pumpkins. Well, Jeremy couldn't fit his hand into the hole in his, so that's why I had to do it.

Yes, Jeremy did balloon boy.

The Last Chapter

When we got home, I went back to bed. I was tired, anxious and needed a rest. Around 11 am, Mom came into my room and woke me up. I could tell something was wrong. She had the look on her face of someone who was going to tell you bad news, but was searching for the words to use. I braced for the worst. What if there was a complication and Tobby didn't make it through surgery? While the news was bad, it was not devastating. Technically, there was a complication; they couldn't remove the lump. There were too many veins and nerves running through the tumor. The doctor felt that the expertise needed to remove the lump was beyond his capabilities.

So we were left with three options. One: take her to a more skilled (and expensive) surgeon. Two: take a biopsy of the lump and if it is cancerous we could start her on radiation treatments. Or three: sew her back up and love her. If we had a superfluous amount of money we would take her to a surgeon. But we just don't have that kind of money. If she wasn't almost 13, we might have considered the biopsy and possible radiation. But she is an older puppy and might not be able to tolerate the treatments. So we told the vet to sew her back up. We were going to smother her with love. Again I cried bittersweet tears. I felt relieved that she made it through surgery and was ok, but she wasn't fixed.

As soon as I was able to partially compose myself, I called Jeremy to tell him what I found out. Jeremy can usually tell when I've been crying and the sound of my voice made him fear the worst. Through my tears, I tried to tell him what had happened and we agreed to have lunch together so I could fill him in on the details. I got back home from lunch around 3:30. The vet said we could pick Tobby up at 5:00, so I watched the Food Network until it was time to go get her.

At 5:00, Mom and I drove back to the vet. We got a 2 page sheet of post-op instructions, a bottle of pain killers and eye ointment. While she was under, they did remove some skin tabs (kind of like fleshy moles) from her muzzle and one from her left eye (it kept getting small infections because of the irritation) and they cut her nails. They also shaved a 5 inch by 2 inch patch of hair on her left side and made a 4 inch incision to remove (what we thought was) a small puss pocket (for lack of proper terminology). My poor puppy was so shaved! When the vet tech brought her out she was whining and pulling towards the door. She wanted to leave! As Mom paid the bill, Tobby pulled me outside and I put her in the car. I sat with Tobby on the way home and she layed her head in my lap as I pet her.

Aftercare instructions told us she was not to do much physical activity for 5-7 days and that included walking up or down the stairs. The first night, Tobby hated being picked up (all 50 pounds of her) and carried up the stairs. But soon she seemed to be enjoying not having to actually walk! Tobby is stubborn however, and soon she was hobbling up the stairs. Not even a baby gate was going to stop her! The instructions also said she might not have a bowel movement for 24-36 hours following surgery. So what happened when she got home? She went right outside and pooped! She wasn't supposed to eat for 12-24 hours, but we gave her some biscuits anyway. Tobby loves biscuits and after all, we were supposed to be smothering her with love.

That Friday, I went upstairs to make myself an English muffin with butter (Smart Balance to be specific). Tobby and Mom were downstairs. I had a few more bites left when I heard the lock on the baby gate rattling. I assumed it was mom trying to adjust it to actually fit the opening to the stairs. But then I heard a crash and the sound of Tobby crying. I bolted out of my chair and flew downstairs to see what happened. The gate had fallen down, but instead of finding Tobby laying at the bottom of the stairs, she was pacing around by the gate. Tobby tried to get past the gate to come upstairs to see me, but had instead knocked the gate over and was crying because she couldn't get passed it. I put the gate back and sat on the floor in the other room and she plopped down next to me and fell asleep.

It has been a week since the surgery and she is allowed to go up and down the stairs as she pleases. She still has pain medication to take (poor girl hurts at night) and eye ointment to use. Next week, we take her in the get her stitches removed. Her fur is slowly starting to grow back , so she doesn't look as deformed as she did the day after her surgery. I told my grandma that we will never take Tobby back to get her hair cut at that salon again because we overpaid and they did a terrible job at cutting her hair!

(fast forward one month)

Tobby's hair has almost all grown back on her back and the arm that had her IV, but her lump seems to be impeding the growth of new hair. I think in the month since her surgery, the lump has gotten bigger. She still hurts most nights and gets antsy and wanders around the house at 4 am. I've only taken her to work one time and she was so happy to go! Every night I sleep with her, I still kiss her goodnight and tell her I love her. If she is with me in the morning, I kiss her when I get out of bed.

She truly is my best friend and I hope that she knows how much she means to me.

Continuing Saga of Tobby

We scheduled her appointment for the Wednesday following our annual family camping trip in September. I had cried a few times since we scheduled Tobby's appointment, mostly at night. My tears were bittersweet. I wanted Tobby to be lump free and have a better quality of life, but at the same time, I was so worried that she wouldn't make it through surgery. Every night that she slept in bed with me, I would kiss her on the top of her head and tell her that I loved her before I would go to sleep. I was conflicted because the one person I knew I could talk to about anything at anytime of night, was the one that I was worried about. When I tried talking to Jeremy about it, I would just end up crying and couldn't get more than two sentences out. I tried as hard as I could not to worry myself and just concentrate on the upcoming camping trip.



It was late morning when I started packing and Tobby knew something was up. She'd been camping enough times before that she could tell when we were getting ready to leave. As I finished packing my explorer, I noticed Tobby lying down in the grass next to me, making sure we didn't leave without her. Soon it was time to leave and I asked Tobby if she was ready to go camping. Without hesitation she sprung to her feet and jogged to the car as fast as her legs would let her, whining the whole way (in excitement of course). I put her on her bed in the back seat, rolled down her window and off we went. We headed east toward Mt. Rainier, with Tobby's face up near the window. Her nose was twitching the entire two and a half hour drive. We got to the campsite just as the sun was starting to go down and as Jeremy and I unpacked, Tobby went to greet everybody who was already there.



Tobby has always loved camping. With so many new smells to smell and places to explore, she's never bored. This trip was no exception. She sniffed every corner of the entire site and wanted to follow us everywhere we went. She seemed invigorated, even leaping down a 3 foot embankment just to follow my dad. She was having fun. Each night, Tobby found the perfect spot near the fire to curl up and warm her old bones. My 50 pound Tobby slept in the two person tent that Jeremy and I shared. I made a nice spot for her at my feet and I slept more curled up than normal just so she was comfortable. One night she woke up crying, we thought she had to go potty so Jeremy sat up to find a sweatshirt to take her out. While his attention was diverted, she got up, went over to his pillow and plopped down, groaning as she got comfortable! After we got done laughing, Jeremy helped me scoot Tobby back down to her bed and we went back to sleep. Like all fun vacations, the end always came too quickly and Tobby was insistent on staying whether her bed was in the tent or not. But we had to go, Tobby had a surgery to get ready for.

Mom and I woke up early on Wednesday morning to take Tobby to the vet. I had spent Tuesday night holding Tobby and crying myself to sleep. Wednesday morning we were on our way to the vet. I held Tobby in the back seat, petting and loving her the entire way. At 7:30 am on September 16, we arrived at Twin Lakes Veterinary Hospital. We checked Tobby in at the reception desk and soon the veterinary technician came up front to get Tobby and take her back to the 'surgery waiting area'. Before they took her away, I told her I loved her and pet her one last time. The receptionist told us we would hear from them sometime before noon. We thanked them and headed outside. Once I stepped foot outside of the door, I broke down and started crying. I couldn't help but thing that I would never see Tobby again and I couldn't handle the thought. Mom hugged me, but it didn't help.



...to be continued...

Tobby part 2

As the years past, and she began to grow older, the effects of arthritis began to show. Strenuous activities that she once loved became difficult. Some days she would fall down the stairs when trying to go upstairs because her back legs didn't get the message to move. Despite the discomfort she never abandoned her responsibilities to greet all visitors, whether at home or at work. Her favorite part about going to work now was the car ride because she could just sit and watch the world go by.

This last January, a small lump began to grow on Tobby's left front leg. Similar lumps that had grown on her in the past never seemed to effect her and since this one was roughly the size of a peanut, we weren't too worried. By April, however, the lump on her leg had grown to the size of a golf ball. My mom and I grew more concerned by the day. Later that month we decided that it was time to see our trusted vet, Dr. Driscoll. She recommended that we consider removing the lump, if it was interfering with her day to day activities. Knowing that it was already beginning to interfere with her everyday life, we asked how much the procedure would cost. The quote? $1,000! My heart sank. As much as my family loves Tobby, I knew that we couldn't afford it. Seeing the strain in our face, Dr. Driscoll suggested that we do the pre-op blood tests on Tobby now to see if she would even be able to tolerate surgery. We agreed and when the results came back, she had the best results she had in the last 12 1/2 years! Her liver enzymes, which had been bad since she was a young pup, were back in the normal range. I was so excited that Tobby was so healthy, but the excitement quickly turned to anxiety. While Tobby was healthier than she had ever been, she had a large tumor on her leg that we knew we couldn't get removed because we didn't have that much money. So we did the only thing we could do at that time, wait and hope that it stopped growing.

At least once every week, my mom and I head over to my grandparents house to visit. Tobby decided she wanted to come along this time, so we loaded her up in the back of the car and headed over. We made our usual small talk about pills, doctor appointments and products that got Grandma excited on QVC, and soon it was time to leave. But as we began heading for the door, Grandpa noticed the lump on Tobby's leg. By then it had grown to the size of a tennis ball. We told him to story about how it grew, about our discussion with Dr. Driscoll and how it would cost a minimum of $1,000 to remove. As the story progressed, you could see the sadness in his eyes. While Grandpa will never admit it, he is definitely a dog lover. Soon we were on our way home; Tobby's nose sniffing the outside air as we drove. I couldn't help but notice how content she looked, which was completely opposite of how I felt.
Later on that same night, I was hanging out with Jeremy when I got an unexpected phone call from Mom. She had just gotten off the phone with Grandpa and he told her that we wanted to pay for Tobby's surgery. At first my brain couldn't compute what she was saying. In disbelief I asked her if she was serious. She said yes. I was in shock when I got off the phone with her and quickly shared the great news with Jeremy, I almost started crying. My Tobby was going to get fixed!

...to be continued...

Tobby

January 24, 2001 (my 16th birthday)

Our family brought Tobby home in February of 1997. The family we got her from couldn't keep her and we agreed to take her for a weekend to see if our family liked her. Being only a few months old at the time, she was very rambunctious and like all puppies, enjoyed to put things in her mouth. Fingers, hands, toes and other associated body parts were no exception. Needless to say, I was afraid of her. My mom tried repeatedly to contact the family to say we just couldn't keep her, but they never answered our phone calls, or returned our messages. We were stuck with her.

Being the hyperactive puppy that she was, Tobby was always eager to play or go for a run. Since my brother, Jason, was significantly more active than I was, he and Tobby bonded early. The two would wrestle in the house and go for sprints up and down the block. They quickly became best friends.

In the summer of 1997 Jason graduated high school and began to work full time. By the fall of that same year, he had begun attending Tacoma Community College. Between work and school, he was now spending most of his days away from home.


As Tobby started to grow out of her "puppy phase" she began to calm down. In 2002 Jason decided to attend Central Washington University in Ellensburg, leaving Tobby with just my parents and me. Because school was out of the summer and Jason spent most of his time in Ellensburg, Tobby and I would spend all day together. As Jason came home from school less and less and Tobby and I spent more and more time together, our bond grew stronger.


Since then, Tobby and I have been almost inseparable. Tobby and I have shared lots of experiences. She's always been there for me when I cried over boys, money, school, friends or almost anything else you can think of. She is my favorite person (yes, person) to talk to because she always listens, never gets mad at anything I say, always keeps my secrets and is there at anytime of the day (or night) that I need her.

About two years ago, I underwent 3 separate foot surgeries, each of which kept me in bed for weeks at a time. During the times I was practically bed ridden, Tobby would lay with me for hours. Mom would need to force her to get up out of my bed just so she would go to the bathroom. Once finished with her business, she would quickly trot back inside to my room and cry to get back on the bed.


When I began working at Lighthouse Diving Center, my new boss, Randy (a dog lover himself) told me it would be alright for me to bring Tobby to work. After a few weeks, going to work became Tobby's favorite part of the day. She learned what "go to work?" meant and would pace excitedly and cry at the door if I wasn't coming fast enough. She hated being left behind. If, for some reason, I needed to leave her home, you could count on finding the contents of the waste paper basket spread throughout the house.



...to be continued...

What I Do @ 2 am PDT?

Most of the time I'm:
In bed watching tv

Sometimes I'm:
Surfing the internet ie blogs, myspace, facebook and assorted other websites (not porn)
and/or
Thinking too hard about the day's (or life's) events or the future (while in bed)

Rarely I:
Sleep

Tonight I:
Drank a Mike's Hard Lime
Applied for a job at REI
Continued writing my story for an upcoming blog series.

100 Day!

Remember 100 Day in elementary school? Where on the 100th day of school everybody brought in 100 of something like barbies, candies, pencils, pennies (my favorite cop-out), etc. Well I'm not going to show you my collection of 100 random items, but this is my 100th blog post! You could make the argument that my blog posts are 100 random things and I will accept that. So happy 100 to me! I think there should be cake.

Warning: Sad Beagle!

Latin Porn Star?

No, it was just Mariner's center fielder Franklin Gutierrez.

Jeremy told me at the beginning of this baseball season that Franklin Gutierrez was his new favorite Mariner. So for our 3rd anniversary I got tickets to go meet him and get his autograph. Julio Cruz (left) was also there signing autographs so of course we got his too. Julio Cruz was one of the original Seattle Mariners (1978-1983).

Anniversary side note: on the actual day, Jeremy took me to the Adriatic Grill in Tacoma for an amazing dinner and drinks (we ate in the bar so we could watch Ryan Rowland-Smith pitch). We split every course, but only left 2 bites of dessert after all was said and done. We started off with Mozzarella Marinara (fried mozzarella balls with marinara sauce), then ate the Five Cheese Pizza (mozzarella, provolone, white cheddar, smoked Gouda and Parmigiano-Reggiano) and for dessert an amazing molten chocolate cake with caramel and amaretto ice cream. I don't know the name of the dessert since it isn't listed on their website, but it was fantastic! You haven't lived until you have eaten all three of those foods.

We clean up well if I do say so myself.

Camping Trip

The weekend after Labor Day is my family's ("from another mother" included) annual camping trip. This year we returned to the North Fork campground (outside of Randle or Rangle if you must) but stayed in the Beaver campsite vs Bear last year. Here are a few of the fond memories:

Just read my shirt

My attempt to get a picture of Jeremy, Tobby and I while on our mini hike.

We spotted a spawning salmon in the river and almost our entire camp ended up standing on the log (or next to it) to watch it. Pictured from left to right: Talan, Jeremy, Jack (my dad) and Debbie.

While on a hike, Dick found an animal skull. What trip is complete without a picture next to dead animal bones?

I Didn't Get His Name, But I Saw His Dingle

That's right. I saw his dingle and it was dangling.

Jeremy and I went to the Rainiers game Monday and due to weather, the game was delayed an hour. In the hour prior to the game, some guy decided the smartest thing he could do would be to pull his pants down, run around the infield, stop by the pitcher's mound, jump up and down, pull his pants back up and try to run away. So I saw his dingle.
Yes, security did get him and I'm sure the cops won't look to favorably on somebody who has frontal nudity in front of a crowd mixed with small children, can we say sex offender? And who else should "streak" later in the game? Rhubarb, the wacky mascot reindeer. After the man streaker, I told Jeremy that they probably wouldn't have Rhubarb do that, but they did. Another side funny note, Windex was doing a promotional thing at the game and later in the game was "Windex's Streak Free Recap." It indeed contained no streaking of any sort.

On a super awesome note, the Rainiers won the game 11-2 which earned them the title of "Pacific Coast League, Pacific North Division Champions." And it didn't turn into a blowout until the 8th inning.

Jeremy and I ended up at Applebee's for our usual late night dinner. I take the road through Celebration Park to get home. It was 11:40 when we were turning to cut through the park and we saw some sort of animal get up. At first we thought it might be a fox, but it was too big. I said wolf. We stopped and stared at it for a while. Jeremy told me they just caught a cougar in a park in Seattle, I asked what an old lady was doing in a park. I told mom about the "wolf" and she said "coyote." I said "ok fine, a dingo." It was a dingo.

Last Week in Food

Everybody is a little bit different when they have a house to themselves for a week. What do I do? I cook. Here is what I made:

1. Chicken Piccata from the CPK Family Cookbook
2. A checkerboard birthday cake for Wally using the Wilton Checkerboard Pan and the recipe on the box (frosting was Betty Crocker)
3. My Aunt Judy's semi-secret chocolate chip cookies.
4. Peanutty Somen Noodles with Shrimp courtesy of Robin Miller on the Foodnetwork.
5. Overnight Cinnamon Rolls courtesty of Alton Brown on the Foodnetwork.
6. Tacos.
7. My semi-famous sketti.

Honorable mention: Pizza Hut, pot roast from QFC, chinese take out from Peking Wok and a Freschetta frozen pizza.

Didn't cook, but was on list: Thai Chicken Pizza (CPK cookbook) and biscuits & sausage gravy.

Reviews:
1. I worked too hard to make the chicken thin enough and made a big mess while frying. The sauce with the noodles was phenomenal! I grated some asiago over the top and it intensified my taste bud satisfaction.
2. The cake didn't taste as delicious as the first one I made a week ago, but it was still yummy. See my last post for a picture.
3. It's only a semi-secret recipe because you can ask her and I'm sure she would tell you. I didn't think they tasted as delicious as my Aunt Judy's did. Will definitely try again.
4. I substituted chicken for the shrimp because I had chicken. I also tossed edamame in at the end and left out the bell pepper. It was a good recipe overall. Better to eat fresh than reheated.
5. I followed the directions to a T, I even measured by weight (I hope you're happy Alton). I personally didn't like the cinnamon rolls. Jeremy and his coworkers thought they were amazing. To each their own.
6. My tacos are very generic. McCormick taco seasoning & beef, a can of refried beans, Old el Paso Mexican Rice, cheddar cheese, sour cream and tortillas. Just add Mike's Hard Lime and you have a mini fiesta!
7. Ah, my semi-famous sketti (spaghetti if you missed out on my family tradition). It is only semi-famous because those who have eaten it, love it and crave it. It may not be the best recipe out there for spaghetti, but it is family loved!

Wally's Birthday Party

Last night was Wally's 1st birthday party. The night started out with a car ride to Petsmart to pick out some presents (toys), back to my house to play with Tobby and the presents, a walk around my block (new route for him) and back home to Jeremy's to sleep off all of the excitement. Jeremy and I ate people cake.

This was the best picture we could get of all who attended.

Wally gave Tobby one of his bones.

This is the delicious cake I built.

Wally got some good presents for his first birthday. He got a Loofa Dog Toy and Missing Link from grandma (my mom). He got a 4-pack of bones, a Kong Wubba and Mr. Bill. The best part about Mr. Bill is that he says "oh nooooooo" when you squeeze him. Wally squeezed him and tossed him down the stairs, it was HILARIOUS!

Happy Birthday Wally!

Observations

• Taking the Link Light Rail (central) to go to baseball games is very efficient, especially when you have an Orca card.
• I felt mentally deficient at yesterday's Mariners game when I was in a situation where a Snuggie would have made my situation easier.
• Jumbo dogs at Mariners games are way more delicious than regular hot dogs at said game.
• Cereal is amazing.
• Planning a birthday party* for my dog makes me feel like a crazy dog lady.
• Customers like to blame things on the person who has nothing to do with their situation.
• Like socks, sleeping bags disappear when put in the laundry room.

*Cake, presents, putting hats on the dogs for a photo, etc.

Waldorf Salad

I call Wally that when I don't like him, such as when he's being bad...because nobody likes waldorf salad. Here's what Wally has done this week:

Good

Kept out of trouble while we were "camping"; including seeing an opossum

Feels so soft from his bath the other day

Ate blackberries off of the vine

Slept in the crate for 3 hours

Looked cute

Bad

Rolled in raccoon poop

Tried to eat raccoon poop

Tried to eat barbed wire

Tried to mark a trash can inside of my house (only got a few drops out)

Looked cute

Things I Want

A job with a desk, preferably in a cubicle or a private office.
An office or cubicle where I can put some pictures up of my family.
A phone in that space which is rarely used.
To work for a company that does fun things such as picnics and has a summer softball team and a winter bowling team.
To have enough money to go on the vacations that I have planned in my head.
To go back to Australia.
The house in Brown's Point.
The bedframe from Ikea that I've been looking at for 5 years.
To have my own garden that I use in my cooking.
To make a huge batch of waffles once a month so I can freeze them and use them throughout the month for a breakfast or snack.
A kitchen big enough to cook in almost daily.
To be able to make a new recipe once a week if not more.
To be able to host dinner parties or game nights at my home.
To actually go scuba diving on a regular basis.
To own my own boat.
To weigh what I did just before I went to Australia.
To not have my foot hurt.
To not worry about what Wally chewed up today.
To be in a position where a marriage proposal wouldn't cause stress.
To be happy.

New Campsite!

So on a whim last night, Jeremy and I decided to go camping. We had thought about this one location for a while and decided to try it out. We brought Wally with us (and he was such a good boy!). We ended up cooking chili on the bbq and made chili dogs for dinner. During dinner an opossum made an appearance in the distance, Wally barely made a peep...though he did perk up and mean mug it until it left. After dinner we decided to make smores, but it would have been difficult to toast marshmellows without sticks of some sort and on a bbq so we made them in the microwave at the community center. After smores and a quick bathroom break we returned to our site to watch The Pursuit of Happyness. Good movie. Chris showed up for a short visit since he was in the area. Our site was semi-secluded and next to a hole in blackberry bushes (we assume raccoons come out there).

Oh, did I mention we stayed at "Camp Olson"...like on the NW corner of Jeremy's yard. He does have an acre after all.

Ryan Rowland-Smith

So before the 2009 baseball season even started, I made Jeremy promise to take me to Ryan Rowland-Smith's first home start. His first two starts were on the road, then he got hurt and didn't play for a while. We did go see some of his starts while he was rehabbing in Tacoma (yay). He was scheduled to start in Seattle on July 24. I thought that would be an awesome game because it would be my half birthday (good present). Except, I worked until 7 and it was Franklin Gutierrez bobble head night so the tickets would most likely be sold out, not to mention parking would be ridiculous. So we didn't go. His next start was on the road. Then I found out he would be doing a Q & A on 8/11. I found out a few days after I confirmed my attendance at a party and I can't back out on a friend. Great, I'll miss another opportunity to see him.
After months of waiting, Ryan was going to start August 9 at Safeco. I was stoked. I wanted to show up early so I could watch him warm up before the game. Jeremy and I took the *light rail to Seattle...along with 75 other Mariner fans so we had to wait in line for 45 minutes to get tickets. We got to Safeco eventually and picked the SLOWEST TICKET LINE IN HISTORY! So when did we get to our seats? Barely after first pitch. This meant I never got to see Ryan warm up. So when is his next start? Friday and guess who works until 7 again. I am very frustrated.

*Light rail side note. Way easier to go to games. It cost $9 each to go round trip to Safeco (well, 1 block away). We normally pay $20 for parking and have to wait at least 45 minutes in traffic to get to the 5. We saved money, time and gas!

Sign the Petition!

Long story short:

The Mariner's bullpen watched 300.
They got inspired.
Purchased/acquired gladiator helmets.
Brought said helmets into bullpen during games to remind themselves about teamwork.
MLB banned helmets.
Fans outraged.
Fans wore helmets to first game back from thier road trip.
One fan made his out of foil (mad props).
Sign the petition to bring the helmets back.

*After you submit your name gives you the option to donate money. I just closed the window and my name was there and I donated no money.

Looking for a Fun Wet Time?

Then learn scuba! I have a dive buddy whose schedule is rather full all of the time. It was my New Year's Resolution to dive more and I haven't. I need to find somebody who hasn't learned and wants to or is patient enough to dive with someone who dives...we'll just say yearly... Let me know if this interests you, I work at a scuba shop!

*Note: I am not "selling my product," I just want to find a trustworthy dive buddy who I know. And it helps that I'm "in the know."

Baseball + Cat = Uncontrollable Giggling

Yesterdays Mariners game vs Kansas City was briefly delayed due to a cat running around the field. For a video I suggest going Here also known as the Kansas City Royal's page on MLB.com. When it happened last night (in the 5th inning), I started giggling uncontrollably.

A happier side note: next to the video on the page are 'related' videos of animals disrupting baseball games. I love baseball!

Seriously Now

This has been bugging me for a while. Myspace comes out and it wasn't until I met Jeremy (3 years ago) that I actually got a myspace account. Why? So I could converse with him. For a while, it was nice, then all of my friends "didn't have the time."
So facebook came out and most of my friends from myspace were converting to a program that isn't user friendly and crashes computers. So I got an account. Now all people do is write pointless updates about how they are sitting, which pant leg they put on first this morning and send random happy-grams that require an installation of a new (and pointless) app.
So I started a blog a while back, didn't write for a few years, then decided I should start up again. Cool, some of my friends made blogs. But now, they don't write except once every few months (if that).

Seriously now, I'm sick of getting new accounts for 'social networking' and people ditching them like a bad date.

Living The Dream

• I work 40 hours per month at my job.
• I haven't been able to find a new job in 2 1/2 years.
• I am physically unable to do volunteer work as an EMT.
• I do have a boyfriend of almost three years.
• Though my boyfriend and I live with our respective parents.
• Even with our combined "incomes," we still don't have enough money to rent an apartment.
• We have a dog from hell.
• I graduated in the top 20 of my [high school] class, got my associates degree then essentially failed out of college, twice.
• "Friends" from high school seem as though they are holding a grudge towards me and I have no idea why.
• As a result of, my only friends are 'spouses' of my boyfriend's friends.

I'm just living the dream.

Neighbors

So Jeremy and I were at my house watching TV and I went downstairs to tell my mom something. When I got upstairs Jeremy told me that "your neighbors are classy." When I asked why, he told me the following story:

"I heard something outside so I looked over my shoulder (and out the window) and saw that a cop was asking your neighbor, the one who lives across the street, to open his car doors for some reason. And you know the really fat guy? He came out wearing boxers...and nothing else. And the boxers barely covered his thigh. And there was some other guy out there wearing jeans and no shirt and perhaps his baby's mama, I don't know.
When I've had to go outside to talk to the cops, I make the time to put pants and a shirt on. I think the cops appreciate it too."

*These would be the neighbors who have a car parked on the side of their house with grass growing through it and if you look into their backyard (which is possible from my living room) you will notice that the grass is as tall as the fence. No, not a chain link fence, we're talking like the 8 foot tall, privacy fence. And yes, the neighbor Jeremy referred to is rather fat, like 300+. Oh, and I live on a main road.

Stay classy neighbors.

My Pups

When You're Feeling Hot Hot HOT!

It felt like our trip to Mexico last summer...except better sanitation and no cows eating garbage in front of our house.

Notice the temperature was increasing as time passed from 2:59 pm to 5:30 pm (when the last picture was taken)

Dive Computer

I made my very first dive computer purchase on June 16, 2008. Yes, 2008. After minimal research, I opted for the Aeris Manta watch. I did buy the blue one as pictured.
Since my purchase, I have only used my computer on 3 dives, 2 of which were in Mexico on the same day. It wasn't until about 30 minutes ago that I actually installed the software so I could download my dives onto my computer.

Operation: I don't feel that I have enough dives with the Manta to make a fair judgement on how it operates.
Why purchased?: I was drawn to the Manta due to its price, size (looks more like a large watch than a huge wrist growth) and ability to download dive information to my home computer.
Dive Log Software: The jury is still out. I haven't had the chance to experiment with other computers (and programs) so I don't have anything to compare it to. I'm not sure if it's due to the unfamiliarity of the program, but I am having minor difficulties figuring everything out. But I do like the program as far as calculating SAC Rate and auto completing depth, time and temperature. I also found out there is a chart that compares your depth vs time. My chart was a little jagged, but I feel challenged to dive more so I can make my lines smoother.

Overall, I seem to be happy with my purchase. I do wish I had the money to buy an air integrated (or even a hoseless air integrated) computer to track my actual air consumption vs overall air consumption. With any luck, I'll get a few more dives under my belt by the end of summer and I can play with the computer and the dive log more.

Recent Purchase

I went to QFC to buy a specific brand of wine. I wanted the wine mainly due to the name, but I also wanted to try it. It wasn't until I was checking out that I realized the comedy of my purchase. I'll let you see exactly what I bought:

Just Some Flowers

Here are some flowers we see on Wally's walks.

Applebee's

So Jeremy and I went to Applebee's the other night for some 1/2 price nachos and a Maple Butter Blondie. We got there around 11 which gave us an hour before they close. We got our check just after the lights turned all the way back on. Our waitress asked the guys in the booth next to us where "that guy came from." They had no idea. Jeremy thought it was an employee because he came from the back and sat in the booth and laid his head on the table like he was waiting for someone to get off work. I guess from that point the guy laid down on the bench.

The guys at the other booth were getting their phones out to take a picture when one said "oh...he just yacked." The waitress came back and was told about the vomit and she went and got the manager. The manager came over and tried to wake the guy up to tell him to go clean himself up. Jeremy later said that the guy had puke in his hair and all over his face. The manager left and the guy threw up again. The manager came back with a more stern tone and told the guy to clean himself up and tried to find out if he was with anybody. He never really gave any sort of answer but looked as though he was trying very hard to remember something. We left as the guy's "friends" came back from the bathroom. On our way out we heard our waitress say "I'm not cleaning that up!"

Stay classy Applebee's.

Mariner's Game-July 10