Crazy Cat Lady Turns 24

I know I fit the whole "Crazy Cat Lady" persona at times since I live alone with my cat and talk to her like she's a real person. It does get me in trouble sometimes - especially when my new neighbor across the way (who is hot, by the way) catches me talking to her as I open my door - TWICE.

Once was a couple weeks ago when I was on my way out the door. I opened my door with my head turned back toward my living room, audibly telling Cammie, "Be good!" like I was leaving my toddler with a babysitter or something. I turned my head back to my front doorway, only to jump and gasp at the sight of a huge black lab.

Attached to the black lab was said hot neighbor, the roommate of another guy I've met that lives there (who is not-so-hot but seems nice). He laughed at my surprise and said, "Oh, sorry to scare you." To be honest, the moment kind of took my breath away because 1) I was not expecting to see a dog right outside my door, and 2) I didn't think I'd be seeing a hottie while I had no makeup on and was wearing my fake Harvard hoodie.

I laughed and said something back shyly, and that was that. It didn't dawn on me until later that the hot neighbor probably heard me tell Cammie to be good. Great - a weird girl who's scared of dogs yet talks to her cat like a person.

Then it happened again this last Monday. I was coming home from work, and as I unlocked my door and opened it, Cammie was right there to greet me. "Hi honey!" I said, only to hear someone behind me say, "Hello again." Hot neighbor.

I turned around (and thanked GOD I was wearing a cute outfit, having a good hair day and wearing makeup) and chatted with him a bit. Apparently his dog is named Bella (I refrained from asking if he was a "Twilight" fan). His name is Robert, and from the Navy sweatshirt he was wearing, I guessed he was ex-military. Hello! He said it was nice to have a "clean, quiet" neighbor such as myself. I didn't have the guts to say how much I hated the noise he and his friends made, not to mention how they leave their trash bags outside their door sometimes.

Then he mentioned that he liked my painting. I didn't realize my door was still open, and he could see my Audrey Hepburn picture on my wall. And being the socially awkward person I am, I responded, "Thanks. I didn't paint it myself unfortunately." WTF.

I don't really have a crush on this neighbor. I think I've seen some bleached blonde girl leaving the place a few times (probably his gf). Not to mention - they sound like partiers over there. But hey, it's nice to have cool neighbors I can say hi to every now and again.

My sister told me that from now on, I need to not talk to Cammie until my door is closed. Good call!

In other news, Tuesday was my 24th birthday! I really felt special all day (well, all week I've been feeling special, actually). My co-worker Sofia decorated my office in Audrey Hepburn pictures, confetti, streamers and balloons. My other co-worker Laura baked chocolate cupcakes. I got so many calls, texts and Facebook shout-outs - it was great! Sooo much more than I was expecting. My Grams invited me over for the evening and made lasagna and fudge - yum! And my birthday is not over - more weekend celebrating with my mom and sister (weather permitting).

I'm truly lucky to have so many great people in my life. I actually don't miss the people that I've cut out of my life in the last few months - a song came on my iTunes last night that I normally would have skipped because of the memories attached to it. Instead, I danced around my kitchen as I did dishes. Yay for progress!

All I Need to Know I Learned from "Dawson's Creek"

Studying for the GRE is no easy task. I guess it's been awhile since I've studied for a standardized test, but I assumed that with college under my belt, I'd do OK. Eh, I'm having mixed feelings about it. This is not going to be a cake walk by any means.

Luckily, I've found some more entertaining exercises for practicing the Verbal section - watching old episodes of "Dawson's Creek." Whoever wrote that show must have had SAT/GRE flashcards by their side because the characters (who are supposed to be 16, by the way) sound like literary geniuses.

Not only is the show great for entertainment, but it gives me a fun way to practice big words!

Besides watching the show, my sister also let me borrow her GRE Verbal flashcards. Ugh, for someone who loves words as much as I do, I abhor studying these (ooh, abhor. Good one!). When will I ever use the word "perspicacious"? That's right - never. Some of these words are completely fatuous.

Now I'm focusing more on the Quantitative section a.k.a. math portion. We don't get to use calculators, which is so pointless - who will ever have to do some sort of equation in the real world when a calculator (or cell phone with calculator abilities) is not available? Again - never. Yeah, yeah. I need to strengthen my critical thinking skills and not just rely on thesauruses and calculators. It's still very frustrating though.

In other news, things are going very well. My friend Alanna is coming over tonight, and I'm making beef stew in my Crock Pot! Plus I'm baking corn bread, and she's bringing over an apple crisp. Ahh, the joy of getting fat. I love it!

I'm getting SO excited for the Miss America pageant this weekend. One of my good friends, Christina, is representing Nevada! And the competition is in Las Vegas, so she's the home state queen :) I'm so excited for her, even though this past year has meant that we don't talk as much since she's so busy. I do feel like we've drifted apart in a way, but I still wish her the best this week. She's the only redhead in the competition too! I hope she knocks the judges' socks off! Especially that detestable Rush Limbaugh.

Well, that's all for now. Back to work!

Winter Wonderland

I've been wondering lately what my plan is. I've always had some goal in mind or something to aspire to, and lately I feel like I'm just stuck and not really going anywhere.

Everything at work is going great. I'm busy, motivated (usually) and the days go by pretty quickly. But I just wonder what my purpose is. What am I meant to do in this world? Yes, I'm 23 and have time to think about it. But I've never been one to sit still and just let things happen to me - I'm usually the one making things happen.

My volunteering with WEAVE has kind of slowed down (although I'm presenting at a workshop in a week), so maybe I need to pick up another volunteering endeavor.

In other, more exciting news, Christmas is right around the corner! We celebrated yesterday at work by going to Fat's for our office lunch. Yes, we went to Fat's, the place where I gave that perv an apple dumpling. No spotting of said perv, thankfully!

The lunch was delectable, as usual - I ate almost an entire slice of the banana cream pie all by myself! We were joined by 4 "surprise guests," as my boss put it. This included 2 former employees and 2 people we work with every now and again. It was a blast! Especially the part when my co-worker mentioned buying his spouse a gun for Christmas, and one of our special guests inquired, "Is that for use or for pleasure?" Oh, wow. I laughed uncontrollably at that point.

The only downside was I was so full for the rest of the day. And the worst part - I'm so lazy that I didn't work it off today! But my excuse is that this is the holiday season - you're supposed to indulge and be merry.

I spent my Friday night at my grandma's house with my aunt and cousin. We talked politics and watched "Confessions of a Shopaholic." LOVE that movie! My grandma is just a riot - she has this abhorrence for spearmint gum, and she could smell it in my purse all the way in the other room! Ahhh, my precious Grams is 84 and still quite the whipper-snapper.

I came home and did one of my favorite things - curling up on the couch with my afghan blanket (thanks for that, sis!), snacking and watching girly movies. Last night's choice was "Mean Girls." Ever the classic and one of my faves. It still makes me laugh! It was briefly interrupted by drunk text messages from this guy friend of mine. He's been texting me lately and asked me the other day if we were going to hang out this weekend. I totally would if I knew it would be just a friend thing, but I get the distinct feeling that this fool expects more. Ugh, so annoying! Why does everything have to be a booty call? Doesn't anyone just want to talk anymore? Apparently not.

And the irritating part is this guy wasn't even trying hard to make it a booty call. I mean, if you're trying to woo me, at least put in a little effort, buddy! No sweet talk or niceness. Just him putting on the macho bravado that I LOATHE, expecting me to just run to him and rip my clothes off. Not gonna happen.

The only good thing about this whole scenario is that it shows my improvement over the last couple years. Had this been awhile back, I might take the attention as flattery and worry about hurting this guy's feelings by turning him down. Not the case anymore! I'm so fed up with assholes and absolutely more certain now about the kind of guy I'd like to date, that my standards have been raised and my bullshit tolerance is slowly waning. Finally!

I don't always want to be this nice girl that guys can walk all over. Yes, I have a long way to go considering there are certain people (a certain person, really) who have this way of melting me down, even when I make up my mind to move on. I frustrate myself sometimes, but I feel like I'm more in touch with reality than I ever have been. Even if I still have a long way to go, that minor improvement means a lot to me.

So what do I do to help keep me in line? I concentrate on family (like going to visit my grandma) and friends - I'm headed to my friend Erica's family Christmas party tonight in Auburn. I can't wait! She has a wonderful family, and nothing fills my heart up more than being surrounded by happy people - and food!

I'll end this entry with a quaint little Christmas story - Cammie decided to give me my present early this year.....a nice little poop right outside her litter box and then about 4 little dingleberries dispersed throughout the bathroom. Season's greetings!

Baby Fever

I never saw myself as one of those baby-crazy girls who are just dying to get married and have one. As someone with acute emetaphobia (fear of vomiting), the idea of morning sickness frightens me more than actual labor.

But now I've had my first newborn encounter, and I've totally got the baby fever!

My friend Serena gave birth yesterday to beautiful little Sadie, and I went to visit her after work. This was the first newborn I've ever held, and it was just the most enchanting thing ever! I wanted to just take her home and cuddle forever (which Serena told me I could until she was 3, when those terrible 2's are over).

I also started watching some new reality show on MTV called "Teen Mom," which follows 4 teenage girls who gave birth while still in high school. Obviously their situations are difficult given their young ages, but it's still amazing to watch these girls forge into motherhood and basically become adults quicker than their peers.

So it's just babies, babies, babies everywhere! And I want one! OK, OK. I know I'm still young (and single). A husband would probably be a good first step. I've got plenty of time for that, but I must say, I'm really looking forward to when I'm in that stage of my life. I used to envy men because they aren't burdened with all of the stuff we women are. Now I actually feel sorry for them because they will never understand that mother-child bond.

I even got to see the whole breastfeeding process yesterday. Holy Hanukkah, I'm scared for that part. And for all those little tricks of the trade and knowing how to do everything and what every cry means, etc. I freak out when Cammie makes a weird coughing sound or yaks up her food!

Hmmm, maybe my baby fever has broken. While exciting, it's also very daunting and scary! I don't want to screw up a little person. Sigh....I guess it's good that I'm nowhere near ready for that stage.

Dad, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Well If Dr. Oz Recommends It

I've been dealing with a stupid cold the past few days, which worsened this weekend. I was all congested and phlegmy, and after lamenting about my situation on Facebook, my aunt recommended I try a neti pot.

I'd heard of them but swore I would never try it - who wants to flush water up their nose on purpose? I've used nasal spray before, which was weird, but I had to admit that I felt better after doing it. My congestion was pretty horrible, so I was willing to go to great lengths to clearing up, even if it meant sticking a tea pot up my nose.

So I bought a neti pot kit at CVS for $10. I examined the directions and was relieved that there was no snorting or forcing the water up my nose. It basically lets gravity do the work - you tilt your head forward over the sink, place the pot in one nostril, and then rotate your head to one side so that the saline solution flushes through your nasal passages and comes out your other nostril.

It was definitely one of the weirdest things I've done! But it wasn't as bad as I'd thought. It's definitely not something you want to do with someone watching. My eyes watered profusely, and I felt like I had one long snot drip coming out of my nose (now there's a visual for you).

I gotta say - it felt great afterward! I could breathe finally. I read on the package that it's good for people with allergies too. And my Internet research beforehand revealed that Dr. Oz recommends it. Apparently it's part of some old yoga practice.

So enough about my gross nose issues.

Despite my cold, I headed over to Marilyn's last night to celebrate her birthday. Our elementary school friends Serena and Erica came, which was awesome! I had a good time, although I stayed longer than I should have - I need as much sleep as possible right now :/ But it was worth it!

Marilyn seemed to have a good time (minus too many jaeger bombs), so that's good. I love the company of good friends and meeting new people. The only downside is that I'm not much of a partier, and when you're around people who want you to drink, you get harrassed. But I stood my ground, which is good because I feel great today! Thankfully Serena is pregnant, so I wasn't the only sober one there :)

Today I'm headed to a memorial service for an old friend of my dad's. He was only in his 50s - very sad. My family is driving down now, and we're going to meet for lunch beforehand. I love seeing my fam, even if it is under sad circumstances.

I read in the Sacramento Bee that it might snow in Sacramento tomorrow! Whoa, that would be outrageous. It is quite frigid outside. Ugh, is springtime here yet?

People We're Fortunate to Know

Every now and again, I find myself getting down about our country's current state of affairs - an economy in the toilet, people close to me getting laid off or not able to find work, civil rights injustices. I read news headlines every day, and many times it's just a bummer. I know the news is reality, but when will things be truly good again?

Then there are days when I'm able to find the postives in all this mess. For me, this mostly lies in some of the fantastic people that I am fortunate to know.

My co-worker Sofia is one of these people.

A previous client of ours nailed it on the head - she said Sofia is the "sunshine of the office." And it's so true! Never does a day go by that Sofia doesn't have a smile on her face, a great attitude and just overall determination to make each day count. She really is an inspiration to me, and she's one of the main reasons I love coming to work every day.

Tomorrow is her birthday, so we celebrated it today in the office. First, the celebration began yesterday when Bill took the office out for lunch to John's Incredible Pizza. For those who don't know what this magical place is - well, simply put, you're missing out. It's a pizza and salad buffet mixed with arcade games. Sounds like Chuck E. Cheese, but it's more adult-friendly (they serve alcohol and have ESPN on in one of the banquet rooms) and 2,000 times better! We ate some lunch and then hit up our office's favorite (and probably most nerdy) arcade attraction - the trivia game.

Last night, I came back to work after Sofia had left so I could decorate her office. I decided on a Tiffany & Co. theme (her favorite!). I got a lot of cute engagement ring items from the bridal section at Party City, and then mixed it with light blue and white crepe paper. I even made a sign for her door that said "Welcome to Sofia & Co."

This was such a small gesture - I wish I could give Sofia the world! She deserves it! I always tell her that she reminds me of my mom. She's just one of those rare people who sees the good in everything, is nice to everyone they meet (and genuine about it), and just has the biggest heart. I always ask my mom, "Is there anyone that doesn't like you?" It's the same way with Sofia. She is the definition of a gem!

Laura brought in a cake that she got from Nugget Market - a yummmmmy fruit basket cake - and we all ate together in the conference room (which I'd decorated in Tiffany colors as well). Overall, a great Friday!

I'm looking forward to this weekend (who isn't?). I'm going to catch up on some must-needed sleep, plus celebrate the birthdays of 2 other friends of mine!

I know Thanksgiving is over, but I just want to say there is so much to be thankful for!

Something Good About Sarah Palin (Crazy, I Know)

So far, my week has been a pretty good one, with just a couple interesting little tidbits.

For one, I unfortunately missed Sarah Palin on "Oprah" on Monday (damn DVR didn't record for some reason!), but thankfully I read about it online and watched clips.

I know this may sound wild, but I actually kind of like her!

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now don't go thinking I've switched political parties or that I'm now championing Sarah Palin as my feminist icon. Let me make it clear - I still absolutely in no way support Sarah Palin as a political figure. I would never vote for her for president, and I still disagree with her on numerous accounts.

What I mean by liking her is that she is very charming and personable. I can see why so many Republicans (and women) are drawn to her - she is well spoken and appears smarter than the average person.

Don't get me wrong - I still find her completely inept as a leader (who quits her post as the leader of a state with obvious intentions of later leading the country? Totally bizarre to me). My guess is that million-dollar book deal she got might have had something to do with her resignation.

This also brings me to why I disagree with her ethics - she laments about all of the lawsuits filed against her for breach of ethics, but these claims had to come from somewhere, right? And are you really doing your patriotic duty of helping people by resigning as a governor making maybe $100,000 annually and opting to be a "regular" citizen with a $1 million+ salary? That definitely makes me question where her priorities are.

But I must say, I don't despise her as a person, surprisingly. Now Rush Limbaugh and George Bush - yeah, I can say that I have trouble finding any redeeming qualities with those two.

Now my only hope for Sarah is that 1) she disappears into oblivion so we can all forget about her, or 2) she runs in 2012 - an Obama-Palin debate would be quite the knee-slapper! She wouldn't stand a chance.

In other news, today I got vaccinated for H1N1 at work - woo hoo! I know a lot of people are resisting the shot, but from what I've been reading (and what the doc told us today), the swine flu is no joke. It's survivable, yes, but I'd rather not risk missing a week of work.

I also discovered recently that I was defriended by someone on Facebook. Ahh, yes. The oh-so-challenging world of online friendships. I know I shouldn't be hurt by this because, let's face it, it's just Facebook for crying out loud! But it does kind of come off like a slap in the face. I guess I'm really not sure why I was deleted, although I can attest to doing some deletions of my own lately. I recently went through my friends and deleted numerous people that I never talked to, met once a long time ago or who just always posted really annoying things that I never cared to read.

I'm a sensitive person, so it does sting a little to be deleted, but I guess I just need to accept that some people don't like me. It's better to just focus on the people who do like me - and those who love me! Like my family, for example. I'm so thrilled to visit home next week for Thanksgiving! We're celebrating my mom's birthday by going to Kelly Clarkson (8th row, baby!) and we might even go see "New Moon" if the theater isn't taken over by 'tweens.

Looking forward to the holidays! Only one more week to go!

Tales of a Fourth Grade Flashback

I don't know if you can spot me in my 4th grade class photo above, but I'll give you a hint - I'm wearing highly unfashionable clothing with unruly hair. Oh, wait. That doesn't eliminate too many people. (I'm actually 2 people to the left of the teacher)

Last Saturday night was an awesome elementary school reunion. I went out for a girls' night with 4 of my closest friends from Thomas Edison - we hit up the Stoney Inn, which is a country/line dancing bar that also had another room where an 80s cover band played. It was soooo much fun!

Then unexpectedly, we ran into 2 guys who'd gone to our elementary school too! So all of us chatted for a bit and had a great time. The only downside - apparently I'm forgettable. Those 2 guys didn't have a clue who I was, even though I remembered them. Wonderful. I hate when that happens! But no matter. I still had a blast.

Although Marilyn did creep Serena and I out at the end of the night. She gave us a rundown of what happens in that new "Paranormal Activity" movie. It sent chills all over my body, and I was NOT looking forward to going home all by my lonesome!

I guess that's the downside to living alone - if you're scared, there's not too much you can do. I do have my cat Cammie, which helps, but I hate to admit - sometimes having a boyfriend would be nice (ugh, I can't believe I uttered the words).

Speaking of boyfriends (or exes, really), I got my first full-length story back from my professor in my fiction writing class. I got a frickin' "B"! WT-mother-F. Yeah, yeah. A "B" isn't that bad. But if you know me, you know that I am the biggest overachiever, and a "B" ain't gonna cut it. I blame the ex for this one - it was a story based on him! Granted, the ending was what the prof said he didn't like. And I admit - I didn't base that part on real life. I had the 2 main characters, who'd broken up, get back together. Maybe that's a sign that getting back together is unrealistic and "F" worthy, which I'm fully aware of already.

Oh, well. Our next full-length story is due next week, and I'll be sure to stray away from my little romantic attempts. Man-hating is so much more fun to read about anyway!

Movin' On Up

I am now officially in my new apartment! What a great sigh of relief. Moving is never easy and my first week of getting settled has had me a tad stressed, but it's SO beyond worth it!

My new place is just splendid - I live across the street from Roseville PD, so that's a nice comfort. My unit is on the corner, so I don't have too many neighbors. The carpet is new, I got an accent wall painted in the living room and best of all - I pick up a full connection of wireless Internet in my unit! Now let's hope whoever is supplying that doesn't move out anytime soon.

Moving went really well, thanks to the handy help of my dad and sister. It only took 2 hours! Well, I don't have much to my name, so that could be why.

I finally got my cable hooked up today, which is a relief because I've been feeling a little out of touch with the "real" world! This week I missed some of my favorite shows - "Tool Academy," "More to Love" season finale & "The Office"! Thank the Lord for Hulu though.

I do admit, living alone is an adjustment. I've done it before, when I lived in the Bay Area, but I still had a momentary episode of freaking out where I admit I shed a few tears. I know, I know. I should be a grown up now, but I just a little overwhelmed with loneliness for a moment there. Oh, how cable TV and DVR should solve that problem :)

In other news, my trip to the East Coast a couple weeks ago was absolutely wonderful! Seeing my old friends was crazy because it was like no time had passed at all. We spent one day in Washington D.C., exploring some of the sites, taking in the Museum of American History and the Holocaust Museum (ah-maz-ing).

I just love the East Coast (minus that horrid humidity). It all feels so old to me, and it makes me truly appreciate our history and our country. Being in Obama's neighborhood was a trip! The last time I was in D.C., Bill Clinton was president. So it's nice that I skipped that awful Bush era that I know most of us (level-headed) citizens would prefer to forget.

Another day we drove over to Baltimore, and yes, I annoyed the hell out of my friends by singing the opening number from "Hairspray" -- "Good Morning, Baltimore" -- all day. We saw Edgar Allan Poe's grave site, which was cool for me because I remember learning about it in 11th grade English. Apparently, an unidentified man visits the grave every year on Poe's birthday (coming up next month!) and leaves a red rose and bottle of cognac. Anyway, he's not buried there now, which confused me, but it was still neat to see a historic place since he grew up in Baltimore.

We walked around the Inner Harbor and then visited the National Aquarium. Maybe I'm spoiled because I've been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but this one in Baltimore was not as cool as I'd thought it would be. We were there at closing, so maybe that's why - we weren't able to see all of the cool stuff there (like a 4-D dolphin experience) and whatnot. Although, what is 4-D? Real life?

Anyway, the trip was awesome, and we want to do another reunion next year, probably in LA. Can't wait!

In other news, my best friend Christina is coming to visit me for the weekend. She should be here in about 2.5 hours! I think tonight we're going out for drinks downtown and then shopping tomorrow. I only plan on buying work shoes since that's a necessity. Anything more and then I'm pushing it. Gotta save up for vacation in San Diego in a week!