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Email: Many thanks to cyberdelia for all her design help!
You rock! *header image by me © 2009* *Teeny DRD courtesy of snurcher.com* |
i went over to visit my friends in ormond beach a few weekends ago and took zoey with me. she was amazing in the car, about 4 hours including a pit stop each way. the weather was perfect; not warm enough for swimming, but the water is too cold for that this time of year anyway. walking on the beach, the constant smell and sound of the atlantic ocean, and hanging out with good friends that are like family, were just what i needed. i was there for 4 days and could have used 4 more.  Zoey casting a long shadow! zoey woke me very early one morning to go outside while it was still a bit dark. i always look up at the stars because it’s just SO dark there and the night sky is always breathtaking. i happened to see a really long vapor trail being lit up by the soon-to-be rising sun and then remembered that the shuttle discovery was launching. i got to see it traveling through the sky after it dumped its fuel tanks and until it disappeared over the horizon. it almost looked alike a comet at first. i wish i had remembered that it was launching that morning because i would have gone up to the third floor to watch the lift-off. i will have to keep an eye on future launches and try to time my visits accordingly. the discovery is supposed to land tomorrow morning and pass overhead here sometime around 8:45am. sometimes it’s visible, sometimes not, but the double sonic boom is usually heard with no problem. last weekend was by birthday weekend and on saturday i had a great dinner out with friends. i got a beautiful bouquet and a box of chocolates from one dear friend who lives in the northeast and got a few other really cool gifts: a bottle of bailey’s, a black goblet with a crystal skull & crossbone design, a really cool scrapbook and some supplies, an adorable photo frame with a digitally scrapped collage with pics of zoey and a beautiful crystal ball and pewter base, which is a nice addition to my small pewter collection. it was the perfect birthday, low-key and filled with lots of happiness! after all the birthday fun i had a pretty horrible work week and to say that i am over the type of work i do would be a tremendous overstatement. it’s physically demanding on my arms and hands, my tendonitis has never been worse (both arms at the same time too) and i loathe the drive there and back. as far as that goes, things need to drastically change soon. this morning i decided to take on one “project” that i have been wanting to tackle for a while now – making homemade mayonnaise. i got the recipe here. there are several different options and i used cider vinegar, light olive oil, dijon mustard (since it’s the only kind i had on hand), real egg yolk and honey. it took about 10 min to make in the food processor. the taste is amazing and i have to say that i will never buy mayo in any store ever again.  I give you..mayonnaise! i am off to start my laundry and then run some errands: home depot – new cold water stem and faucet handles for the front bathroom, and the grocery. all i really want to do is sit here and be lazy. since it’s a cool, rainy day outside, i have been sitting here enjoying the sound of the rain. i wish it would thunder a bit but that might not be till tomorrow. i took my last 2 fish to the pet store today. as soon as they were put into the new tank they happily swam around like nothing even happened to them. of course, i was traumatized when trying to get the giant plecostamus out of the tank. he was slightly bigger than my net but after quite a few tries, i snagged him and got him in the bucket. the pet store owner just reached in the bucket and picked the pleco out with his hand! i am definitely not that brave. as soon as i am done with the draining and cleaning, i am off to the showers and then making the pico de gallo for tonight’s grill-fest. also added to the menu is roomie’s extra-special sweet potato casserole and marinated chicken thighs in addition to the feta burgers and potato salad. i am definitely looking forward to dinner tonight. i’m glad to have the extra hour of daylight this evening because i certainly got a late start this morning. i was up early again (6:30-ish, thanks to zoey) but couldn’t get motivated. by the way…i “heart” my new washing machine! i am feeling extremely lucky this week and i’m in a much better mood than i was when writing my last post. i got the insurance situation fixed. i have a new agent that is available any time i have a problem. he really got a good deal for me, cancelled my old insurance, and gave me other info to save me even more money down the road, as well as instructions on what to do when i get the refund check from the old insurance company. he said that my mortgage might even go lower than it was to start with. he’s also working on getting car insurance for me. i just renewed my auto policy, but i don’t want to give the old company any business that i don’t have to. i am a firm believer in the best way to show your disappointment with a company is to just take your business elsewhere. i survived a nasty stomach virus last week and am finally starting to feel normal again. working all week really took a lot out of me, but i couldn’t afford to miss more than the one day that i did. fortunately, i got sick on friday morning, so i had all weekend to try to get well enough to work on monday. a week later, i am feeling a lot more like myself. the broken washer was fixed, but after half a load of laundry, it was broken again. a friend of my neighbor got it working a bit earlier but said it probably wouldn’t last. fortunately, he didn’t charge me anything to fix it. he sells used/reconditioned appliances and i got a newer model of my exact washer for $125. believe it or not, roomie, zoey and i headed up to his shop and loaded the washer into my mustang. i complain about my car a lot, but it can pretty much haul anything! it fit all the way in and we had to tie the hatch closed but nothing was hanging out over the edge and we made it home with no problem. it wasn’t an expense that i really needed to make, but it cost me $11 to wash all my stuff at the laundromat this morning. at least i dried it all at home. i have not had to do my laundry anywhere but home in at least 10 years and i actually had to ask how to get the washers to work. fortunately, the attendant was very helpful and nice and he even let me use a machine that was “out of order” to wash my down comforter. he had to push something in with a screwdriver to get it to do the high-speed spin at the end (no extra charge i will finally be finishing my tile in the next month. i got the last of the tile that matches for my florida room floor and i am having to get a slightly larger to do my bedroom and walk-in closet. it’s exactly the same color and according to the floor guy at lowe’s it’s a direct replacement for the tile i have. one more month of ‘accidents’ on my bedroom carpet will be the death of it, but i knew that when i brought zoey home. i had all intentions of tiling my room anyway and now the ambition is there to get it done. i can’t wait till it’s finished because it will look so nice. tomorrow finds me doing the rest of the cleaning in the house and then it’s outside to build some borders for the garden beds. later on in the evening, roomie and i are going to grill feta cheese stuffed burgers, served with german potato salad and for an appetizer, we are having homemade tortilla chips and pico de gallo salsa. i am getting hungry just writing all that. it’s a beautiful day outside today. i was in the yard earlier with zoey, playing and soaking up the sun. it has been a gray, wet winter here in ’sunny’ FL and some warmth and sun is welcome! the addition of zoey has been a major change with a whole set of challenges that i don’t think i was quite prepared for. i had not planned on having her here till next week but she has been a joy as well as a pain, these last two and a half weeks. i had a job offer a few weeks ago that looked very promising. it was 6 miles from home and something i have never done before. i took a small ‘test’ and was hired on the spot. the catch: $3 less an hour than i make now, which is more than a dollar less than i was making at my previous job. the company could be within walking distance and it would still not justify that much of a pay cut. the amount of mandatory overtime would have given me a little more than i take home every week now, but what is the point if i am never home? i would have been working 54 hous/week minimum. i am sure someone who is unemployed will take the job. i am going to just keep looking until i find something that pays the same or better and is close to home. i’m just about ready to get to work on the washer. i leave you with an updated pic of zoey:
zoey is almost the newest addition to my family. i say ‘almost’ because she’s not here yet. she is still with her dog parents, but in about a month her home will be with me. she’s half pekingese and half min pin – i have no idea what she will end up looking like! i get to meet her either tomorrow or tuesday after work. i am taking my camera so i can get a few shots of her now that her eyes are open. call me crazy if you like, but i started a blog to post her adventures. you can find it here or in the link on my sidebar. welcome to the world, zoey! just checking out some news and noticed that the peak time for the geminid meteor shower is midnight (EST) tonight.
of course, the weather has been really warm and humid here the past few days. if i get to go outside to check out the sky, i am more likely to be slathering on the mosquito repellent and sipping a cold diet coke! after a really stressful and aggravating end to my work week, the weekend was not only a welcome relief, but it was also pretty productive. i am now settling in to watch some TV and do more work on my resume. i’ve never had to have a resume, not even when i got the job i have now. i am not going to elaborate on that too much, except that i am anticipating more changes once the new year comes and i need to be prepared. i started out this afternoon just cleaning my room and putting away a basket-load of clean clothes. i ended up cleaning out my dresser and closet and got two 30-gallon sized trash bags full of clothes to donate. some stuff just had to be thrown away, not sure why i was saving some things in the first place since they weren’t even fit to give to the thrift store. i have a bit of room in my walk-in closet now and my dresser is completely organized again. i am sure there are still some things that should go but i don’t think i am going to purge again before the spring. in other news, i need a new phone. some of the buttons on my newest phone (which is a little over a year old) have stopped working, not to mention that the phone has annoyed me almost since i got it. i have been using my spare (previous) phone but that one is so old that it’s not working properly either. i am waiting until august to get a new one through tmobile, that’s when my current contract is up and when i can get the best deal on a phone. i may stop by the tmobile store on my way home from work tomorrow but if i can’t get a good deal on one (i.e. seriously cheap), or can’t get one through their new ‘pay a little each month’ for a new phone, i have my eye on a refurbished phone on ebay. it’s just like the one i am using now, just all fixed up, so i can use my same charger and will then have 2 spare batteries. i am really tight on cash for now, so i am thinking the one on ebay is the way to go. either way, i hope to have a new phone before the week is out. it’s a balmy 50 degrees here in my part of sunny florida this morning. it’s supposed to warm up another 15 degrees or so making it still feel like the holidays are upon us. call me crazy, but i think there is nothing worse than warm weather this time of year. thanksgiving dinner was delicious. didn’t need the ‘backup gravy’ either! i also got my first card of this holiday season. from the trash guys. it was actually signed “leo and your trashmen”. i’m now on a first name basis with at least one of them. nice. in a bit, i am headed up into the attic to get all the holiday decorating bins, put up the tree and then see how many strings of lights i need for it. i had a few bad sets last year but i am not sure how many. i may end up getting all new lights and have *gasp* colored lights on the tree. i don’t ever remember having anything but white lights on my tree. i am alaso scheduled to put the lights up outside later on this evening. i am giving my white icicle lights to a friend and using the colored lights out there too. living on the edge! i am headed outside now to see if i can see the space shuttle atlantis going over. it’s scheduled to land in 15 min! *waits for double sonic boom* **guess i should have checked space.com. seems like it came over quite a bit south of here. i think i may have barely heard the sonic booms though. oh well, missed it again. glad it touched down safely! i want to wish everyone a happy thanksgiving. there is going to be a feast here at casa de antisocialite tomorrow. the cooking has already begun. pie is made, sweet potatoes are in the oven (for a casserole roomie is making) and i made homemade cranberry sauce. it smells wonderful and is now chilling in the fridge until dinnertime tomorrow. i got the recipe here here are a few pics while it was cooking:  cranberries, honey, orange and cranberry juices  boiling down. the cranberries were popping while i stirred!  cooked down and thickened. almost done!  ready for chilling! with the pie and cranberry sauce done and out of the way, the real cooking can begin. can’t wait to make all the stuffing and get the bird in the oven! hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with great food and family/friends! i just won an ebay auction for the covered sugar bowl, creamer, gravy boat and a cranberry bowl (i have several of those cranberry bowls) in the china pattern that i have been collecting over the past few years. these particular pieces are really hard to find, even in poor condition. i won’t be able to tell until i get them, but the listing said there were no cracks or chips *crosses fingers*. the whole deal, including shipping, was $25!! they are shipping from within FL so they should get here quickly and safely. i am really excited to find these. i would like to get a few more of the serving pieces including a covered bowl, butter dish, salt & pepper shakers and maybe a smaller serving platter. the big platter is the only piece my mom kept from her set that she sold before we moved from NJ. i am glad she kept the platter because that’s how i found out the name of the pattern. thanks mom! i am off to make some top secret cupcakes and homemade buttercream frosting. i know the person whose birthday i am making the cupcakes for won’t be reading this, so i can tell everyone else! of course i’m not bringing all 24 cupcakes to work tomorrow oh, did i mention that after tomorrow i will be off for 4 days? wooooo!! i can’t believe how long and dragged out today was at work. i started at 7:30 and never even got to take a break until 1:30 when i finally got time to take lunch. we are trying to get a huge job (and a few small ones) finished by wednesday afternoon so that we don’t have to work on friday. we are starting at 7-ish tomorrow and hope to get a bunch of work done. i stopped by the grocery for my last trip there before thanksgiving. i vow to not return until after the holiday. i don’t usually go to the grocery at 8PM but i might have to start, since there are a lot of strange people milling about. i saw an older guy with the biggest mullet i’ve seen since 1987 and another guy…dreads, baggy shorts that were too long for shorts and too short for pants, had ‘the walk’ down and was quietly singing a pretty hardcore sounding rap song as he went through the aisles. i saw him again on my way out, this time the rapping was considerably louder and he was just too cool in his own mind…and he was carrying two big packages of huggies diapers…hardcore, alright. i actually chuckled out loud all the way to my car have to take out the trash now. yay. i don’t usually make new years resolutions, but if i had to make one for 2010, it would be to get more organized. in the last few years i have become a bit unorganized with things i want to keep, but are not so important that they can just be stored in boxes and put away. i have a tendency to put things in a ’safe place’ and then sometimes forget where i put them. as for the iPod, the reason i needed to remove my car’s stereo was to get to the back and plug in the iPod adapter wire that i bought. i managed to get the front of the upper console off and get the thing plugged in. i ran the wire under the side of the console and now i can just plug in the iPod, listen to music and charge it all at the same time. i’ve been doing laundry all day and everything i hung outside managed to dry before the rain. it hasn’t started yet but i am sure it will soon, since i am off in a bit to make the last grocery run until after thanksgiving. i need only a few things for the week and a couple of things for t-giving that i was waiting for sales on. also, one question: i am planning on staying up a bit late tonight to sit outside and hopefully see some meteors. the leonid meteor shower lasts from 11PM est to 4am est. hope you get to see some if you’re looking! i’ve been busy doing a lot of things, none of which include updating this blog. i’ve toyed with the idea of closing it down. i don’t like paying for things that i don’t use. in the coming months i am going to choose whether to keep it or not. that said, i am going to do a little housecleaning and change a few things – i think. meanwhile…
work is going good, i am settling in quite nicely and getting more hours. even the toughest jobs are getting much easier and i am still learning lots of stuff. the weekend of oct 9th found me in orlando for screamfest. lots of cool horror-type stuff, bands – joey belladonna, of the band anthrax fame, did a show and his voice is still great! also got to see the zombie dragstrip hookers (great band!).
i will be adding more pics to the gallery later on. last weekend, roomie and i went to bourbon street to see vains of jenna play and lucked out because all 4 bands were great. we knew that the zombie dragstrip hookers were going to be there but the other two bands were also great. the first band holes and hearts were fronted by a 14 year old and his 12 year old brother was the guitarist. if you didn’t see them, you’d have no idea of their age. next up was the zdh and then vains of jenna, followed by another 80s/90s style band called dirty penny. had a great time and got a pic taken with lizzy devine, vocalist for vains of jenna:
my car was in the shop last week. on monday morning i started the car and heard the pop of the serpentine belt breaking again. they think a small oil leak caused the belt to slip and then subsequently break. i had the same repair done last year and i think it was under warranty because they also did an oil change and fixed the leak and the actual cost ended up being less than the estimate. i also only missed a few hours of work instead of the whole day, which was nice. my company’s owners live fairly close to me so one of them came to the garage to pick me up and take me to work. i’m getting ready for thanksgiving, which has come up so fast this year for some reason. i have most of what i need and it’s down to just having to get the turkey. today is filled with laundry, house cleaning, and car cleaning and i better get on it if any of these things are to get done! i’ve been doing just that all weekend. i’ve been avoiding doing everything on my to-do list and basically just wasting time. today’s jobs include mowing the lawn and starting the halloween decorating. i have posted the few pics i took at dragon*con in my gallery. i might add more taken by others as i find them. i hope to have a new camera by the time i go to megacon in march – the old one is just not working well these days. it randomly freezes while taking pics and sometimes the batteries have to be removed to turn it off when that happens. plus, i want a thinner, lighter one that is rechargable instead of worrying with batteries. i will definitely keep this one as a backup. the new job is going OK. even had a bit of OT last month and might be looking at more this week. it’s been a challenge in some respects since i am learning a bunch of new stuff. the person i didn’t like much is no longer there and i’m now working with one of my good friends from my old job. that makes the days a lot more pleasant. i’ve been on vacation/dog sitting since friday and after a very stressful month, i really needed the break! i’ve been sleeping in every morning…but not this morning. i woke at about 6:15 to furious barking from upstairs. when it finally registered that i should go see what was wrong, i headed upstairs to find a nearly-dead palmetto bug next to one of the min-pin’s crates, and the dog was flipping out! once i took care of the bug, it was pointless to go back to bed. i decided to take a pic of the sunrise since i was all awake and stuff. of course all the dogs are napping now since they all got up way too early!  i don't get to see too many of these when on vacation! i’ve had lots of beach time and took some pics early monday evening.  this little fiddler crab was 'guarding' the path to the beach. after i snapped his pic, i had to chase him to get him to stop coming at me!  sea turtle nests line the shore this time of year. most of the street lights have been shielded or turned off so the baby turtles head towards the water and not the land. i brought some costume stuff with me in case i get insipred to finish any of it. one thing i’ve finished so far is one of the weapons for my steampunk costume.  this is the "before" pic. nothing but black primer.  and the "after" every night next week will be “costume finishing night” since dragon*con is a mere 15 days away! tomorrow finds me visiting the ponce de leon lighthouse at ponce inlet. this is the tallest lighthouse in FL at 175 feet. it was opened in 1887 and over time, has been restored and preserved. i can’t wait to climb it! i did massive costume shopping yesterday and got almost all of the supplies and costume parts i needed. the mad max road warrior costume has officially been scrapped until the new year. i just couldn’t find all the pieces in time. guess i should have started looking sooner. i really need to start having all my stuff ready way before comventions. for next year, i still have lofty ideas to get the armor for a halo ‘master chief’ costume. that one’s gonna be expensive and time consuming because it will be white when i get it and will have to be painted. i made it through my first week at my new job. i didn’t get in as many hours as i’d hoped because of my car breaking, but it still seemed like a long week. the car was pretty cheap, about $100 to fix, (just a relay and not the fuel pump like i suspected). i definitely have to try my best to get in a full week this week. on friday, i leave for 9 days of dog sitting (no work involved there) and vacation in ormond beach. my plans for the week include laying on the beach, laying on the beach and oh, did i mention laying on the beach? i promise not to get too wiped out from all that excitement! i am actually planning on visiting the lighthouse at st. augustine again and who knows what else i can get myself into. any costume pieces that aren’t finished being assembled this week are going with me as well. i’m in the market for a new camera. mine is about 5 years old and the quality is just not the same. it seems to have gotten worse since i forgot it was in my pocket and sat on it. only the cover of the LCD screen cracked but i am thinking i may have done something else to it. i might look tomorrow after work because i’d like to get it before i go to the other coast. i am doing anything i can to invoke the garage to call so i can get my car back. i took a shower, hair is still up in a towel and i am in my jammies. i am doing laundry. all of these things usually bring on a phone call. i spoke to my boss this morning and i am definitely not fired |
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). the down comforter won’t be put back on the bed until zoey stops having ‘accidents’ at night, meaning she cries when she has to go but mom is too zonked out to hear her, so it’s my own fault. it doesn’t happen every night, but once in a while. meanwhile, i have my thin quilt on the bed. that one is as easily washed as a set of sheets so if it gets anything on it, it will be easy to wash. i am happily doing more laundry as we speak since i didn’t take it all with me this morning. i knew i would probably either get my old one fixed or get another one, but i didn’t know when the guy was going to call me back and i needed clean clothes.
