Remedial Happiness

The Full-Length Version

2006-01-25T16:38:00.000-08:00

The old Oldies station, 92.1, was recently taken over and converted into a station that plays more contemporary, yet, "family-friendly" music. At first, I was upset. I like Motown... I like coming across Del Shannon's hit, "Runaway," on occasion. Without Oldies 92 and 100, well, I wasn't sure what I was going to do.

Tonight, the new station (same call numbers... you get the idea) won me over. While I was driving to work, the nice dj played Third Eye Blind's hit "Semi-Charmed Life." Well, not only have I not heard this pop-bubblegum favorite in a good long while, but until tonight, I had never, NEVER heard the full-length version of the song played on the radio. Let me tell you, I jammed out. I turned the volume way, way up, and I sang. I belted it out. And it felt great.

In other news, I'm currently reading John Irving's novel, The World According to Garp, and I'm loving it.

In other, other news, my mom, my sister,and my sister-in-law are all getting married this year. My sister in April, my mom and sister-in-law in July. It's going to be a busy Spring/Summer, but I'm very excited about all of it.

Valentines' Day is fast-approaching. I really do love that Hallmark holiday. This year, Josh and I are going to go out for dinner with a friend of mine from work (Emily) and her fiance, Mike. Josh and I really like hanging out with Em and Mike... they're really good people. I'm not sure what else Josh and I are going to do to celebrate, but I'm sure it will be wonderful. It always is.

Christmas Vacation

2006-01-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

I know... I never update this thing. My apologies.

Josh and I just got back from a week long trip to IL/OH. We spent December 26th-30st with Josh's family in IL and December 31st-January 2nd in OH visiting Sarah and Phil. We has a great time at both places even though our stay was much too short.

Big news on the in-law front... my sister-in-law, Erin, got engaged on December 30th! Woo hoo... I'm so happy for her (and happy that my new BFF is going to be my new brother-in-law in-law). I think they're planning to tie the knot this upcoming July. I win.

Josh and I were spoiled by our parents again this Christmas. We were given a new messenger bag to carry our laptop around in, a digital camera, a toaster oven, a set of Pyrex baking dishes, books, CDs, DVDs, gift cards, socks (me, mostly), a food processor, two sweater drying racks, new Christmas ornaments, oh, and the list goes on. We are very blessed.

I haven't been working out much lately *sigh* It's too cold to join the 1230 Club on their daily walks (actually, I think only Carl has been walking consistently... Go Carl!), and we haven't been able to fit in the Y. Hopefully that will all start to change this week and next now that the holidays are over and we don't have quite as much to do.

It's lunch time and I'm a hungry little girl, so I must sign off. Before I do, however, I want to thank Sarah and Phil for letting us stay with them over the new year. This is the second year in a row that I've invited my husband and myself to their home, and it's also the second year in a row that they've graciously housed us. We appreciate your hospitality and are always grateful for the time we get to spend with the two of you. We love you both very much.

2005-11-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

Our new iBook rocks. Hard. I love it.

There's only a little over a week until Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opens, for those who care. I'm planning on buying tickets tomorrow.

Speaking of buying tickets, today I reserved 5 for the Scranton Cultrual Center's Sunday performance of The Nutcracker. Josh and I are going to go with two girls that I work with—Abby and Emily—and Mike, Emily's fiance. I can't wait... I've never seen The Nutcracker before.

The past few weeks have been very, very busy and have gone by very, very quickly.

Will we ever get a break?

2005-11-03T12:20:00.000-08:00

Last night Josh and I went to the Y. I ran 1 mile and walked for about half a mile. That brings yesterday's totals to: 1 mile running, 3.5 miles walking. Needless to say...

My legs are WICKED sore.

... but I am going walking again with my 12:30 Club people today. Josh and I are planning on hitting the Y after work again. We also have to go grocery shopping and to Medico's to clean. Looks like it's going to be another late night.

My birthday is on Sunday. I'm wicked excited. Josh has already given me my gifts since he can't seem to hide anything from me. *smile* Last week he surprised me with a new, gray, Burton winter jacket. It's really great... I like to pretend I can snowboard when I wear it. Oh.. and on Monday he surprised me with a new pair of gloves (that turn into mittens) and a matching beany hat with ear flaps! Woo!

I haven't had much time to do any reading outside of schoolwork lately. I finished rereading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last week some time. I cannot wait until Goblet of Fire is released in theatres on November 18th. I'm hoping to reread A Prayer for Owen Meany sometime soon... oh, and the new John Irving novel, which I can't remember the name of... Love Story, maybe.

That's all for now. Both of my bosses are out of the office today and tomorrow, so I'll probably be posting again soon.

Word Verification

2005-10-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I enabled a word verification for posting comments. Sorry about the hassle.

By the looks of things...

2005-10-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'm a slacker. And, I have a new blog skin. Go me.

Life is good right now. Josh and I just found out that we'll be able to quit our cleaning job in the middle of January. I'm going to go back to work part-time in the computer labs at Marywood University (in addition to my editing job, of course). I'll have tuition benefits, paid holiday, and some paid vacation times. This means that I'll be able to finish my graduate degree much, much sooner than I had anticipated (hopefully by January of 2007).

Hey... my birthday is in 16 days. Who's coming to visit?

Happy Birthday, Grumpy Bear!

2005-08-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, husband.

I wish we could spend the day together, but alas, I have to work. I hope you have an enjoyable day and that you get to take some time out and relax.

I love you and look forward to celebrating the rest of our birthdays together.

Love,
Cookie Monster

The Krimpet Tree

2005-08-23T05:54:00.000-07:00

Carl brought in krimpets, from his krimpet tree, today. There are about 5 packs of krimpets sitting on the file cabinet... only about 10 feet away from me.

I do not need to eat a krimpet. Eating a krimpet will only make me feel guilty later. Just because the krimpets are free does not mean I need to eat one. I am in charge.

... right?

Which HP Kid Am I?

2005-08-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

Which HP Kid Are You?

One Year Together

2005-07-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

My husband puts me to shame. We celebrated our one year wedding anniversary this past Sunday (July 17^th) and he has since started posting a picture/entry per day as a sort of anniversary celebration on his blog. I, on the other hand, have not posted one thing about our anniversary or about our first year of marriage.

Some people say that your first year of marriage is typically the worst. During this time you are expected to learn to live with each other… to sort out money matters and to decide who's going to do what around the house. During the first twelve months of marriage you’re supposed to get an in-depth look at your spouse, figure out how he/she functions, and learn what he/she likes/does not like.

My first year of marriage has been wonderful.

Maybe we got it all figured out early… I don’t know. All I can say is that I’m happy. I’m as content as I could be with life. I love waking up in the morning knowing that I’m going to get to spend the day with Josh. I love getting ready for bed at night knowing that Josh is doing the same and that I’m going to get to spend the following eight hours lying beside him.

So, here’s to us, Grumpy Bear. This past year has been amazing. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you. I love you *=

I am...

2005-06-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

Bourbon
Congratulations! You're 120 proof, with specific scores in beer (40) ,
wine (100), and liquor (60).

Screw all that namby-pamby chick stuff, you're going straight for the bottle and a shot glass! It'll take more than a few shots of Wild Turkey or 99 Bananas before you start seeing pink elephants. You know how to handle your alcohol, and yourself at parties.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 38% on proof
You scored higher than 71% on beer index
You scored higher than 93% on wine index
You scored higher than 74% on liquor index

Link: The Alcohol Knowledge Test written by hoppersplit on Ok Cupid

Temp work, real work, and love

2005-02-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

I’m sitting her, sipping tea that my husband made for me, realizing that I haven’t updated this thing in quite some time. I think I tried to post last week but my entry got lost somewhere in cyber space and I didn’t feel like retyping what I had typed.

So… work as a temp isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Turns out that the staples are already removed from the documents. (= What I do is a bunch of data entry type work and a bunch of scanning. It’s boring, and I hate sitting in one place all day, but I guess it could be worse.

Two Fridays ago… that would be February 04, I tested for an editing position at Thomson Education Direct. I am so excited about the possibility of working there. The test took me over two hours (to edit only eight pages) but I feel good about my work. I should know by the end of the week if I did well enough to warrant an interview. I am praying, praying, praying that I get this job. I know I would love being an editor.

That about catches things up on the work end of life...

Today is Valentines’ Day. Today is also Monday. When Valentines’ Day = Monday, Josh and Jillian celebrate the weekend prior. J osh and I didn’t just celebrate one-day this weekend, we actually celebrated all weekend long. He gave me a "Valentines’ Day Weekend" complete with little gifts each day and some down time to relax. On Friday I received my favorite chocolate from Gertrude Hawk. Saturday morning Josh surprised me with a water bottle and clip that I have been mentioning for sometime now. Saturday night I got a book entitled, 102 Ways to Celebrate Love, or something to the effect. Additionally, after service at the Methodist church downtown on Sunday, Josh took me out for lunch and then settled down with me to watch Love, Actually (you have to watch love movies on Valentines’ Day!). I got a nice backrub later in the even ing and this morning I was surprised to find a Valentines’ Day card tucked inside my book-bag when I got to work! This weekend was wonderful. Josh shows me he loves me everyday and in everything he does. Him taking the time out to plan such a wonderful weekend for me is much, much more than I deserve. I am truly the luckiest woman in the world. I’m also undoubtedly the happiest.

I’m hoping for some more downtime this weekend. Being a working girl is hard work! Friday night Josh and I have plans to celebrate Janet’s birthday with her with dinner at Smiler’s and game night at her house. I’m not sure what Saturday and Sunday hold (besides laundry and Medico’s, because we can never, ever escape either one) but I’m sure looking forward to them!

Oh… and I haven’t had time to read much of anything lately. Man oh man, I miss working in the computer labs at Marywood.

"Here, Bozo...."

2005-02-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

I don't know what to title this post so I'll have to go back and fill in that field later.

I got a job. It's a temp job (through Manpower) that starts tomorrow and runs through March 31st. There is a chance that I could be hired. On the other hand, it's only a two month assignment so if I hate it I'll be out of there soon enough. What is this fabulous job, you ask? Well, I'm going to be an imaging specialist (read- I'm going to be taking staples out of documents and preparing them for scanning). Woo hoo! There's my degree working for me, eh? I'll be getting paid a whopping $8.15/hr as well! Woo!!! Thank you, Marywood University, for preparing me for the real world.

I guess you can say I'm just a little bitter. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the job and the money that will accompany it. I'm just angry that after working so hard to do well and finish my degree I'm stuck doing work that a cute little monkey could do. "Here, Bozo... take the staple out of the paper. Good, good... now put it in this pile over here... Great!" I feel like a failure (read- I feel like a failure). I know I'll find something better sooner or later, but those of you who know me well know that I do not deal well with uncertainty. Bleck...

Having said all that... today is my last day to nap during the afternoon, so that's what I'm planning on doing. After I get done working I'm going to haul ass home, grab all three of my cats and cuddle up with Mr. Gordo for one last rendezvous. One good thing about not having a job is that you have oodles of time to nap. I'll miss napping.

Now for something completely different...
I think I posted that Josh and I have been getting to the Y really consistently lately. I think we've been there at least 5 times a week for the past 3 weeks. Yesterday I was able to run 2 miles without wanting to die. They weren't very quick... the first one I ran in 10:54 and the second one I ran in 10:31. Nonetheless, I'm really happy about the progress I've made.

I know what I'm going to title this entry.

And the Job Hunt Continues

2005-01-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

Well, this afternoon I'm heading to the local temp agency, Manpower, to apply for two jobs that I saw online. I'm a little nervous because I don't have much experience with MS Access and both jobs require the applicant to be 'proficient' in its use. Hopefully I can convince whoever I talk to that I'll be able to pick it up quickly.

I have to say that I'm really hurt about not getting the job that I interviewed for. The institution the job was with is one that I am very much involved in. I'm very close to the people who work there and consider them to be part of my extended family. It sounds silly... I doubt I'd be this upset if my first rejection came from anywhere but where it came from. However, these are special circumstances and I'm just plain sad.

I'm grateful that this week is almost over. I'm hoping that Josh and I can get all of our running around done on Friday so that we can have Saturday and Sunday to relax... I really enjoyed last weekend and am anxious to do it all over again.

A group of our friends are trying to get together this summer. For awhile everyone lived in and around Scranton, PA. Since graduation, however, they have all spread themselves out nicely across the USA... and beyond. While some are relatively close (NH, OH, MA) others are further (FL), and some are just a long way away (Vancouver, Canada). I was really hoping that Josh and I would be able to pull it off and meet up with everyone, but due to our present financial situation, I just don't see it happening. That makes me sad as well. I'm hoping that Josh and I will be able to go on (or have people over) for a few mini-vacations so we can see the relatively close people.

Speaking of long distance friends... I miss Ferris and Lauren terribly. We've been talking about getting together sometime soon, but I worry with the horrible weather we've been having. I really shouldn't complain, though. Before my wedding shower I hadn't seen Lauren in three years. Since then (8 months) I've seen her twice. Ferris and I have gotten together more regularly, but still, I only get to visit with him a few times a year. *sigh* What do you say, Ferris?.. Sloan?? Feel like completing the pair and coming to PA for a visit?

I think I just need some whisky and a nap.

Hibernation

2005-01-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

Besides finding out that I did not get the job that I interviewed for, this weekend was incredible.

NEPA was scheduled to get 5-10inches of snow starting on Saturday afternoon and ending sometime Sunday morning. Since we had some advance warning, Josh and I were able to get all of our errands done on Friday and Saturday morning. What that meant was that we were free... free to do nothing... free to hibernate and watch the first eight episodes of season one of Angel... free to bake cookies and make pizza... free to... nap. Don't get me wrong, it's not like we didn't do anything constructive this weekend. On Saturday night we finally took our Christmas tree down. Oh, and on Sunday we cleared snow off of our porch and steps and shoveled ourselves a path to the car and our car a path out of our parking space. Additionally, Josh and I got to spend some quality time with the kids this weekend. They miss us now that we're both gone all day... I think they got used to us being home over Christmas break. Anyway... it was a really great weekend... I can't wait for the next snow storm.

On Saturday night Josh and I watched 13 Conversations About One Thing. I think I liked it... I'm not entirely sure.

I started reading Emma by Jane Austen and the second book in the Lemony Snicket series this weekend as well. I like books...

I suppose I should get back to the job hunt. Wish me luck...

Employment?

2005-01-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

Well, I'll find out whether or not I got the job I interviewed for tomorrow. If I do get it, I'll get a phone call by noon. If by noon I haven't received a call, I didn't get the job. Please, please pray for me (=

I've been to the gym 8 out of the last 11 days. It feels really great to be able to get there on a consistent basis. Trying to get up at 5a last semester just wasn't working. Since Josh is finishing his day almost 2 hours earlier than he did last semester we're able to go after classes instead of before. If I get the job I want we'll be able to continue with this schedule. I really hope it all works out.

I finished A Prayer for Owen Meany today. John Irving is so talented. The novel was engaging... I can't say enough good things about it. I suggest you all read it so you can experience the magic for youselves.

NEPA is supposed to get hit with 5-10 inches of snow Saturday-Sunday afternoon. Josh and I are planning to get all of our running around done tomorrow night and Saturday morning. Hopefully we'll be able to hibernate from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning. I like hibernating. (=

I miss school and homework... it's kind of sick, really. Even though I'm keeping a fairly strict reading schedule I miss having things 'due' and I miss having the opportunity to discuss what I'm reading with my peers. I also miss engaging in conversations with my professors. It's hard to move out of the classroom... it doens't feel quite normal.

Again... wish me luck that I get that job tomorrow! Having a full-time, steady income would really help out right now!

Ugh...

2005-01-17T09:58:00.000-08:00

Ugh... I haven't heard back about the job I interviewd for yet. The document that I sent myself via email will not open for me so I can't send out my resume today. I'm wicked hungry and don't have anything to eat. Today is not going well.

Books, books, books...

2005-01-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

Ugh. I just want a job.

I finished rereading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on Monday night. My plan is to start all over again with the first book at the beginning of July so that when the new book is released I'll have all of the plots and characters straight in my mind. I'm presently in the midst of Jon Irving's novel A Prayer for Owen Meany. I really like it so far... my tiredness keeps me from reading as much as I want, unfortunately, but I know I'll get through it soon. After I finish ... Owen Meany I plan to read the Lemony Snicket series (or the first six books at least... I got them for Christmas), then Jane Austen's Emma and Bronte's Wuthering Heights (again). I might double up somewhere in there and start my Buffy books as well... I have a pile of them on topics ranging from the philosophy seen in the series to the creation of the language that Buffy and her Scooby Gang used.

Feel free to offer reading suggestions. When you're unemployed you have TONS of time for reading.

Josh and I watched The Bourne Identity yesterday (we had a snow day!). It was pretty good though I thought it lacked plot. Even so, we'll probably rent The Bourne Supremacy the next time we go to Blockbuster, which will probably be this weekend. Hopefully it won't disappoint.

An Interview

2005-01-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

So, I have my first job interview tomorrow morning. Wish me luck.

My last day as a college student...

2004-12-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

Today's the big day. I have one paper to finish up and an exit interview I have to go to at 1p, but other than that, I'm done with my undergraduate degree. Up until this point I've been saying that today would be my last day as a college student ever, but we all know that probably isn't true. More than likely I'll be taking grad courses to get my teaching certificate in the next few years. Who knows... maybe I'll get motivated to do even more... get my Ph.D, perhaps. ... eh, maybe not.

So, although I'll be done with school stuff by about 2p today, Josh and I have tons to do before we leave for on our trip to OH/IL. I have to get the apartment straightened up and do some laundry. We also need to pack and have the car's oil changed. All that aside, I'm really looking forward to seeing Sarah and Phil and my in-laws. I also can't wait to sleep in... I do not spend nearly enough time sleeping these days.

My newest idea, in regards to obtaining employment, is to apply for a secretarial position at my college. Although the pay will suck, I would get health benefits and tuition benefits, which I would be able to pass on to Josh. One of my goals for today is to get that application finished up and turned in. I would be so thankful to have a job lined up for the first of the year... please pray for me.

I guess if I'm going to get anything done I first need to get started. I'm off to finish my final undergraduate paper on Herman Melville's novel Billy Budd, Sailor. Wish me luck!

Wedding Photos

2004-12-04T05:55:00.000-08:00

My husband is great! Check out our wedding photos on the website he made for us!!!

*Ugh... that link doesn't work. Sorry*

Two weeks left

2004-11-29T21:07:00.000-08:00

I cannot wait for semester to be over.

I somehow overlooked the fact that I had a Health project due on November 22nd. I'm taking the class through LCCC, so I only need a 'C' to get the credits, but still... I don't like surprises.

First day back after break was... well, okay I guess. Josh and I decided that we were going to go in late today so I didn't actually get to campus until 12:45p or so. In the end Josh decided to spend the day doing laundry at my sister's, so needless to say, he had an 'okay' day back as well.

I'm finally getting over the cold that hit me on Thanksgiving day. I'm really thankful for that.

Josh and I spent most of the break drinking highballs with my sister and her friends Janet, Jamie and Jeremy. We also cat-sat for Doc while she was away for the holiday. I re-read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire over break as well. I LOVE Harry Potter. I would pick reading that series over doing schoolwork any day of the week... and I did.

As it stands I only have two weeks of classes left and one day of finals. Woo.

Woo

2004-11-23T10:07:00.000-08:00

So I lied... I got a 93 on my Heart of Darkness paper. Woo.

We finally got a break...

2004-11-21T22:34:00.000-08:00

I like writing in all different fonts and in all different sizes... keeps things interesting.

Josh and I watched a few movies this weekend... Ocean's 11, Fight Club and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We ate pizza and Chinese food... Good times were had by all.

My husband treated me to lunch at Chili's today. He is the absolute best. (=

Hey... everyone should check this out.

Here comes my husband. The weekend is offically over and I have a date with Mr. Gordo.

Paper... done.

2004-11-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

Well, my paper if finally done. As done as it's going to get, at least. I don't know why I've been finding it so hard to write this semester. Ideas just aren't coming quickly enough and paragraphs don't seem to be fleshing out. I say this everytime, but this time I really mean it... I think I'm going to do horribly on this paper.

Don't get me wrong, I love Heart of Darkness as much as the next gal... more even, probably. However, trying to apply certain schools of literary criticism to the text, though I do it all the time without really thinking about, just seems really hard when trying to do it. There is only one month left of school... one paper, one reflective essay, four exams and a whole bunch of reading is left... then I'm done for good. Thank goodness.

Heart of Darkness anyone???

2004-11-17T06:26:00.000-08:00

If anyone would like to shed some light (or darkness) onto how I'm supposed to write a paper from the structuralist school of literary criticism point of view I would really, really apprecaiate it. As much as I love Literary Criticism, I hate trying to put it into practice. *sigh* Is semster over yet?

Help.

That time of year...

2004-11-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

Semester if finally wrapping up... soon I will be entering the real world of layoffs and downsizing and high unemployment rates. Woo.

I started a blog on deadjournal some time back... I stopped writing in it soon after Josh moved to PA. I thought I'd give it another go, and after bein g turned off by the darkness (really, the pages are mostly black) of deadjournal, I decided I would try blogger. Plus, my husband has his new blog on here so now he can call me a copycat and all that fun stuff.

Josh and I spent the weekend in Maine visiting with Lauren and Ferris. I spent much of the time holding Lauren's 7 week old niece, Leah... Now Josh wants a baby. No.

I have to read Heart of Darkness again; this time I have to write an essay on it as well. All of this needs to be done by 830a Thursday morning. Egads!