Friday, March 9, 2012

What books have I missed?

I'm a self-described reader...I just LIKE to read.  That being said, I hate buying most new books, and rarely have time to browse at the library, so I spend a lot of time either reading new things by my favorite authors (because I can almost guarantee I'll like them), or re-reading favorite books.  I do a LOT of re-reading.  A LOT.  No, like twice the amount you probably think.

So, I know I've missed a lot of great books in the past year or two, because I haven't been able to bring myself to buy a book at brand new prices, etc.  And I usually bookmark, or star in reader, book review posts so that I can go back to look them up at the library later -- and then I rarely do.  This is where you come in.

I need to know what books I've missed.

Some books I HAVE read:
  • The Hunger Games trilogy
  • Harry Potter (not new, but just in case you wondered)
  • The Book Thief (eh, I think I'm almost done with it, but I keep having to force myself)
  • The Red Tent (eh)
  • Water for Elephants (eh)
  • The Sleeping Beauty by Mercedes Lackey ( I like almost all of her stuff)
So, I know you all are readers.  Tell me what I've missed?  Divergent?  what else?

Friday, February 17, 2012

Balancing Reports

Okay, say I'm working on a (numberical) report, and it doesn't balance the first time.  I run the numbers again, and it DOES balance the second time (or maybe the third, whatever).

I now have a compulsion to go back to my adding machine tape, and see what I did wrong the first time.  I HAVE to know what the difference was.

What does that say about me?  (OCD much?)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

A to Z

Yeah, I keep forgetting I have a blog.  You probably do too.  No biggie.

A. Age: 29
B. Bed size: Queen, and plenty big until the cat joins us.  How does she take up so much room? 
C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the litter box.
D. Dogs: I'm fine with them, but we don't have one.  The bigger the better, though.
E. Essential start to your day: Cuddling with the cat.
F. Favorite color: Green, or blue.
G. Gold or silver: I wear silver.
H. Height: 5'2"
I. Instruments that you play: None.
J. Job title: Credit Analyst
K. Kids: My  boyfriend has two that come and go.
L. Live: Southern California
M. Mother's name: Terri
N. Nicknames: Steph
O. Overnight hospital stays: Appendectomy when I was 12.
P. Pet peeves: Repeat after me: "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine." 
Q. Quote from a movie: "You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means."
R: Right or left handed: Right.
S: Siblings: None!
T: Travel favorite: Caribbean!
U. Underwear: Nothing pretty.  I love Hanes, though, pretty or not.
V. Vegetable(s) you hate: (Cooked) turnips.  I don't think I've ever had them raw though.
W. What makes you run late: The cat.  See the above mentioned start to my day.
X. X-rays you've had: Plenty of teeth, arm, knee.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Spinach dip.  It's really nothing special recipe wise but I get requests for it all the time.
Z. Zoo animal: Baby kitties.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Marketing Offers

 got a letter in the mail from Chase today.  I have a credit card with them, but have opted out of all their various marketing promos.  I can't believe this letter, it's crazy.

It starts out by thanking me for being a Chase customer.  It then goes on to point out that I'm not currently receiving any offers by mail from them. Then it tells me that if I don't specifically tell them I don't want to receive offers by filling out this form or going online, that I "may" begin to receive offers.

WTF?!?!  I'm not receiving anything now, but if I don't tell them differently they're going to change that?

Thursday, November 3, 2011

These are a few of my favorite things...

Some of my favorite beauty products:

Aveeno Ultra Calming face lotion & cleanser

Neutrogena Revitalizing Lip Balm (in Petal Glow)
Burt's Bees Rejuvenating Lip Balm with Acai Berry
Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Lexi, part 1

Animals are kind of my family's "thing."  I mean, my grandmother was on the board of directors for our local Humane Society for years, and recently joined up again.  When I was a kid, she always had animals in and out of the house -- everyone in the family did.

When I was born, my parents had a black lab named Thunder.  We had to have Thunder put to sleep when I was in 7th grade.  In the meantime, we'd also acquired a stray cat, named Elvira.  We finally had her put to sleep when I was about 22.  It was a rough experience, mostly because I was on vacation away from home, by myself in a hotel room when I got the call.

At that point, we had no animals.  At first, that was okay.  We needed a chance to heal.  Soon, though, I started to chafe at not having some sort of animal around.  I didn't like it.  Fortunately for me, at approximately the same time that I started the campaign to get another cat, we had a stray show up that adopted us and vice versa.

Fast forward a few years...I move to California.  My boyfriend has a turtle.  We're too busy to have a dog.  Karl is allergic to cats.  I start dealing with some anxiety, mild depression, whatever you want to call it.  I finally realized that I wasn't sure I could go for years and years without a cat, and I convince my boyfriend he's okay with it.  We make arrangements and realizations to hopefully mitigate his allergies -- wood floors downstairs, so we plan that the cat won't be allowed in the bedrooms.  We plan to get a short haired cat.  We plan to get a youngish cat, so we can start giving it baths from the beginning and hopefully get it used to it.  We plan to have a large cave,

We start browsing at the shelters, and end up at the local pound on Halloween.  And there we find Lexi.  Originally named Sophie by the pound, she was a two to three month old tabby kitten.  I fell in love with her personality, and that was two years ago now. She was spayed, and came home later that week.  We pretty quickly had to put her on antibiotics for a respiratory infection, along with a vitamin supplement to help her fight it off.  She'd been home a week when she fell/jumped from our second story to our first, earning a trip to the emergency vet to ensure the obvious -- she was fine.

She's not a cuddle-er.  She'll never (or rarely) be a lap cat....only in the middle of the night does she purr and curl up against you.  She's very vocal, talking back to you, talking to the birds, looking for you when you leave a room.  She loves to steal elastic hairbands, and loves playing with bouncy balls.  She bites, particularly if picked up or if you pet her belly.  She also attacks and bites out of nowhere. Oh, and did I mention that my boyfriend isn't allergic to her, in some lucky twist of fate?

I can't imagine my life without her.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

You Can Never Go Home vs I'll Be Home for Christmas

Four and a half years ago, I moved to California. I left all of my extensive, close family home in West Virginia, and I moved in with my boyfriend. His mother, sister, and uncle live in California too, along with his brother in law, niece, and nephew. I like his family, but they’re not close like mine is – or at least they’re not close to me like mine is. In particular, they don’t celebrate the holidays like my family does.

So far, I’ve flown home every year for Christmas. Karl has came with me, and he alternates years of staying with me for Christmas with years of flying home on the 23rd to be with his family. Logically, I know that at some point I will have to “grow up” and not be with my parents on Christmas morning. In the meantime, I intend to do everything in my power to continue to make it there.

Am I trying to avoid growing up? Maybe. To avoid making my own traditions with Karl? Definitely not, we have many. But I know eventually it will end, and I guess I AM postponing the inevitable.