Thankyou

Well as my last post was a bit of a downer, I decided to take a page from bayjb's book...er...screen from her blog? and make a list of things for which I am grateful:

- my health
- the ability to work (hey, I may not have a job at the moment, but I at least am able to look for work and I'm capable of just about anything)
- Ben <3 (and knowing that he is only a phone call away)
- my family, for being there when I needed them most and taking me in
- being well-fed
- my dog Jack (the one constant in my life)
- sunny days
- the colour pink
- free trial gym memberships
- chocolate
- the Daily Show and the Colbert Report
- my blog buddies (yes, you!)
- my music
- new lipgloss
- having a car that gets 28 mpg in the city and 32 highway (I may not have a lot of money, so at least I'm not spending it all on gas!)
- Sonic Drive-Ins
- pink lemonade
- living in the Midwest...be it Illinois or Michigan, I love this area!
- being short
- Vanilla Coke

I could probably go on and on, but I've done enough to where my mood has been brightened considerably. Think about your own lists...it really works!

Wild, the Beautiful and the Damned

Hello to everyone in blogland (especially those whom I met for the first time last night)...I have decided to grace you all with an update. The job hunt is still chugging along, though I haven't had any calls yet. Right now I'm focusing on jobs in the Chicago area and Michigan, and I'm pretty optimistic about a few of them.

My more immediate concern (other than bills, obviously) is my lack of a permanent place to live. Unfortunately due to various reasons - Jack being one of them - I can't stay long-term with any of my relatives out in Illinois. My folks don't really want me moving back home, so basically I have two alternatives: either be shuffled around like a foster child (where each of my foster families loves me and takes care of me, but I have no true sense of home), or move in with my boyfriend's parents, neither of which are particularly attractive options.

Now I certainly don't mean to sound ungrateful...I know no one HAS to take me in, and Rachel & Dan have been incredibly nice in letting me stay with them, especially while they are, um...trying to have a baby and...wanting to do the things that are necessary to have a baby....

But I still can't shake the feeling that I am being a burden, and I know I will feel that no matter who I end up living with, until I am in a position where I can pay my own way.

I'm not exactly crazy about the idea of moving in with Ben's parents because he is working at camp for the summer (won't be around, in other words), and so there is a certain amount of awkwardness there. Not to mention the fact that watching your boyfriend's dad beat the shit out of your boyfriend is slightly off-putting. But on the other hand, they already have a nice bedroom set up with my own things (from the apartment), and they are more than willing to take in Jack.

So....in conclusion...I'm not sure what to do. And I have to make a decision soon, because I'm going to need a part-time job to pay my bills.

*sigh*


On a completely separate note, Frank is awesome. Thanks for coming over and bringing soup! I owe you one! (...when I have some money, that is.)

All You Need Is Me

So after many requests (....OK, so really just one. From my mom.) for a new post, I have decided to oblige. However, since not much has happened lately - still unemployed, still broke - I'm gonna take the easy way out and just do a meme. This will inform you of my awesomeness and inspire you to continue reading my blog, even when I have boring patches. Enjoy!


Four jobs I've had:
1. district exec for the boy scouts
2. ecology/conservation director at a boy scout summer camp
3. sorter of cutlery at a Cornell dining hall
4. water slide test pilot (heh, I wish!)

Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. Super Troopers
2. Boondock Saints
3. Robin Hood (Disney version)
4. Donnie Darko

Four places I've lived:
1. Trenton, MI
2. Ithaca, NY
3. Wheaton, IL
4. Metamora, MI

Four TV shows I love:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. NCIS
3. The Daily Show
4. Dirty Jobs

Four places I've vacationed:
1. Paris
2. the Florida Keys
3. Phoenix
4. Cedar Point

Four of my favourite dishes:
1. chocolate-covered strawberries
2. Ben's veggie fried rice
3. my mom's Italian beef
4. salmon cooked just about any way

Four sites I visit daily:
1. .......well, blogger, DUH
2. facebook
3. Questionable Content
4. cyanide and happiness

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Cedar Point
2. D-A Scout Ranch
3. in the lap of luxury
4. uhm....not....in debt?

Four bloggers I am tagging:
1. Rachel (ha!)
2. Frank
3. JenBun
4. Mom (there you go! a topic for your first post!)


do it.....do it....do it....DO IT

Everybody Eats When They Come To My House

I have been spending quite a bit of time lately with my niece Diana. She is taking my vagrancy as a sign that I am to become her permanent playmate. Well, I *am* living in her playroom, after all. I don't mind, though. I think it's a nicely positive spin to put on the whole situation.

'No, I'm not unemployed and homeless. I'm an au pair!'

Diana's current favourite game is 'making' birthday cakes for various animals - her stuffed cat, my dog Jack, and most recently Clifford the Big Red Dog. Diana sits with a box and a wooden spoon and instructs me to retrieve various ingredients from her toy fridge. Her cakes are part realistic ingredients, part based on the picture of groceries on the inside of the fridge, and part whatever random plastic food is in sight. For example, Clifford's cake consisted of:

22 eggs (she kept sending me back for more, usually in the quantity of "five and two and one")
9 cupcakes
honey
strawberries
sugar
milk
a piece of Swiss cheese
a slice of pizza



.........and beer


"You want me to get beer?"

"Yes."

[pause]

"Um, how old is Clifford?"

"He's really big."

"I know, but how old is he?"

"Ummm.....four million."

[a longer pause]

".......OK, well I guess he's legal."


I'm trying to get her outside more often.

Gimme Some Truth

OK folks, I guess it's time to clear up the rumours. I am said vagrant living in Rachel's basement...at least until Thursday. To make a somewhat long and painful story short, I have found out certain things about my boyfriend's family that have complicated our plans. I don't really want to get into all the details, but I'm keeping a positive outlook as best I know how. In the meantime I plan to take a break from blogging for about a week or so to get things sorted out.

Take care, everyone.

Oh, and many thanks to Rachel, Frank and Jenbun for their support! You guys are awesome!

Help!

gruigoagn agjiojtreg AAUUUUUGGGHHH PACKING!!!!!!!!

There will be a real post. One of these days. As soon as I can surface from these boxes.


grr.....

The Tension and the Terror

Frank and I spent the day yesterday at Rachel's and she was kind enough to feed us and take me grocery shopping (many thanks again!). Today I have spent the majority of my time packing (there is visible progress now) and watching a CSI marathon on SpikeTV. But I figured rather than boring you with the mundane details of my day, I would instead share with you a story that took place a few years ago...


Spring Break, my junior year of college. I was at my parents' house for a few days before travelling on to Chicago. I'd been milking it for all it's worth, staying out late with friends still in the area, and sleeping in until the early afternoon.

On this particular weekday, I had woken up on the early side (10:00...c'mon, that IS early for spring break!). My parents were both at work, and my youngest brother Spenser was in class at Trenton High, a few blocks away. (For those who are wondering, Frank was still in Illinois, as our colleges' breaks didn't coincide.) Around 11:30 I decided to take a shower, and dutifully locked all the doors. I don't like feeling vulnerable while I'm naked. I had just locked the front door when I heard someone outside the house. I debated for a moment on checking, then decided whoever it was could come back later. Probably just UPS anyway.

Then the backdoor received a vicious pounding. Definitely not 'UPS! I need a signature!' Nope, this sounded ANGRY. More of the 'OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW OR I'LL @%&#ING KILL YOU!' variety. I froze. I considered calling out to find out who it was, but I was too terrified.
I waited in the hallway, breathless, and then things were silent. I tried to shake it off and got ready for the shower. (Side note: Whenever I am really scared I pretend my niece is with me and so I have to act brave so she won't know how frightened I am. Also, I sing songs from her favourite TV shows.) I was safely in the shower, but only a few lines into Dora the Explorer's 'We Did It!' song when to my horror there was that same angry knocking on the bathroom window, right next to me. The window is made of those thick glass blocks that distort everything (obviously so no one can see in), but this also meant I couldn't see out. I only knew that there was an extremely pissed-off stranger in my backyard, and that I was home alone, and naked.

So I did what any self-respecting girl would do. I called my daddy.

I wrapeed my hair in a bright orange towel (my parents are inordinately fond of colourful towels, bless them) and threw on my dad's blue fleece robe with a Superman logo on the back. My dad asked if I wanted him to call the police. I said I wasn't sure. Then came the loudest banging yet, on the dining room window. I wanted to be brave, to scream 'GO AWAY!' but my voice died in my throat. In tears I told my dad to call the police. I remained in the hallway (far removed from doors and windows), cowering, terrified while hating myself for it. After a few minutes' time, I crept to the front window to peek through the blinds and saw a squad car pulling in front of my house, to my immense relief. As I eased open the front door and stepped halfway onto the porch, the officer began walking up the driveway, talking to the person who was hidden from my sight around the corner of the house. 'Excuse me, what's going on here?' the officer asked.

'My sister locked me out of the house, and I can't get in,' said a very familiar voice.
I immediately stuck my head around the corner and saw an extremely sheepish-looking Spenser. I was so relieved he wasn't a burglar I didn't know whether to cry or laugh. The policeman went on his way (and probably had a good laugh at my expense. You're welcome.) Apparently Spenser had walked the two blocks home during his lunch period to grab some money to get food from the Little Caesar's that was next to the school. Of course, all he would have had to do is call my name, or announce himself, or say just about ANYthing and I would have recognized his voice. Though by that same token, if I had asked 'Who is it?' then this whole mess could have been avoided.

Then again, if I had done that, I would have been at a loss for a story today....