Becoming an Artist

About a month ago, I attended one of those classes where they teach you how to paint a pictures in 2 or 3 hours.  No talent is necessary.  By the end of the class you should have your own work of art.  This was my final product:



It didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped and is now collecting dust.  I had fun, though and knew I wanted to try again.  Tonight I had my chance.  Here is my newest masterpiece:

In my opinion, this is definitely an improvement.  I am thinking that I may need to display this - possibly in my cube at work!

Summer

It's summer!  Can you feel it?  I know summer doesn't technically start until June 21st, but it certainly feels like summer here.  

When I was in school I don't think I ever truly appreciated summer like I should have.  I don't remember sleeping late until I was in college.  One summer day (probably before I could drive) I told my mother I was bored.  Her suggestion for entertaining myself was to do some chores around the house.  That wasn't exactly what I was looking for.  Some free time during the day sounds pretty good right now, though!

Now that I'm no longer in school, summer starts for me with a family vacation.  I recently spent a week here:

And I didn't want to come home.  I would like to spend a month (or more) at the beach just to see if I could get tired of it.  It was so nice to relax, sit on the beach, read books, and have no set schedule.  I even (unintentionally) took a technology break.  I brought my laptop and never even turned it on. 

I'm not sure what the rest of my summer holds, but I am looking forward to it.  What about you?  Have any summer plans?

Memory

My memory isn't what it used to be.  I blame my aspartame intake (via diet drinks) over the past 17 years. 

Earlier this week, I wrote myself the following note:

 

Yes, I did remember to go.  It was not a pleasant experience, but that's another story.

Last Friday I forgot my phone at home when I left for work.  This week, I forgot my phone at work when I left for the day.  When I arrived the next morning I was glad to see that it was still sitting on my desk.  I don't know why I am having such a hard time keeping up with it lately. 

Then, I couldn't remember how old I was.  Yes, I am serious.  I was trying to remember how old I would be turning this year and kept going back and forth between two numbers.  This only lasted about 1 or 2 minutes before it finally became clear to me. 

Thankfully, it's only been small things that I forget and only for brief periods of time.  I'm sure it's completely normal.  Right?

Feathers Extensions and Captain D's

I took the plunge.  Yes, I got a feather extension.  I don't know if you've seen this recent trend.  My first thought was that I liked it, but didn't think I could pull it off.  I didn't think about it much after that, but recently checked out behind someone who had several brightly colored feathers in their hair.  I really liked them and decided that I might need to try this.  So, today, when I went to get my hair cut, I got a feather extension (or three to be precise).  I bypassed the brightly colored feathers for something a little more natural and work friendly.  Here are a couple of pictures.  The first is my attempt to show you the three different feathers.

On my way home, I stopped at Captain D's to get some tea to drink.  The employees there were very interesting and complimentary.  First, a female employee sitting just inside the door told me that she liked my shoes and asked where I got them.  I told her I had purchased them a while ago at Gap Outlet.  She then told another female employee behind the counter that they would be visiting Gap Outlet after she gets her check.  She also told more than one employee that she would buy them a shirt (on sale) after she gets her check.  Maybe I should have asked to go on the shopping trip!

After ordering my drink, I had a discussion with female employee #1 and a male employee about my feather extension.  Female Employee #1 wanted to know how it was secured in my hair (I was actually sure) and the male employee told me that it was the best feather extension he had seen.  I'll have to remember to stop by Captain D's more often.  You have to pay for the tea, but the compliments are free!

A Frustrating Friday

Friday was a bit stressful for me. 
 
Unfortunate Incident #1:  When I got in my car to head to work I remembered that I had intended to get some gas the night before.  Somehow I forgot, though.   My fuel light was already on, so what did I do?  I decided to chance it and drive the 20-ish miles to the nearest gas station on my route to work.  (Note:  There is a gas station less than 5 miles from my home, but I don't like to go that way to work.)  The good news is that I successfully made it to the gas station.  The bad news is that of the 2 pumps I could use, 2 were taken.  So, I had to sit and wait.  This seemed like a good time to get my phone out and browse facebook. 

Unfortunate Incident #2:  It was at the time that I found out I had left my phone at home.   Do you how many calls I receive a day?  Well, sometimes none, but I've become so accustomed to dependent on my phone that it feels strange to not have it with me.  Plus, how will I take my facebook/twitter breaks during the day without it?   

Unfortunate Incident #3:  I was looking forward to a pedicure I had scheduled an appointment for after work.  I get off early on Fridays and was going to head straight for my pedicure from the office.  At about 2:30 something came up that several of us had to work on and complete.  I didn't think I was going to finish.  Actually, I didn't.  At 4:30 someone finally took it from me.  By this time I'd already called and cancelled my much anticipated pedicure appointment. 

Unfortunate Incident #4:  While trying to finish the project from Unfortunate Incident #3, something else came up and was brought to me to be fixed.  I had to stop what I was doing to fix it and then go back to the first project.  I like to finish one task before starting another.  That's just how my mind works.  I need to focus on only one thing at a time. 

My day picked up here because I got to get in my freshly washed and vacuumed car and go to a movie and out to eat with friends.   Until....

Unfortunate Incident #5:  Carrie and I shared a meal, which turned out to be a.) not what we thought and b.) more expensive than anticipated.  For sharing, we had to pay for the price of our meal, an extra $5 sharing charge, plus another $4 ($2 x 2) for fried rice.  Why do they even offer regular rice?  Who wants regular rice when you can have fried rice? 

Honestly, I wouldn't have classified Friday as a horrible day, just one with several unpleasant occurrences.  It couldn't have been too bad after all, because Friday is always followed by Saturday!

When I was 15...

I am thankful to have a friend who saves old emails and surveys I wrote/filled out many years ago.  Sometime in the past year she sent several of these to me so I could have a good laugh. 

I believe I got my first email address in 1999.  I would occasionally check it but only had about one person who ever emailed me.  Fast forward to a short time later where I would stay up (after being told to go to bed) and chat online with my friends.  I do remember filling out quite a few surveys, updating my yahoo profile, and visiting the Christian teens chatroom on hotmail (msn?).  Of course, this was all done via dial-up Internet.  What am I saying?  My hometown only recently got dsl and that is not a joke. 

Anyway, I thought I would share some of my infinite wisdom from back in the day <sarcasm>. 

Example #1:

Let's start this off with a good one.  This quote is from a survey dated December 15, 2003.  So, by this time I was in college.

26.) If you had no limitations, what would you be when you grow up and why?: Something really smart, like a doctor, but i am not smart enough, nor will i study enough to be a doctor.  I would just like to work in an office in a big building and have lots of cool office tools..haha.

I’m pretty sure when I said I would like to be a doctor I was thinking about the money.  If you know me then you know that I do not want a job where I have to touch people, especially not sick people.   Also, I really do dislike studying.  The 2^nd half of this quote is the funny part, though.  I actually currently work in a somewhat large office building where I have access to a copier, fax machine, and my very own stapler and tape dispenser.  I am also the proud owner of a copy card.  Seriously, this excites me.  Don't even get me started on name badges that unlock doors and gates..

Example #2 (in three parts):

For this jewel, we will be traveling back in time to January 2000.

IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO
>   WOULD IT BE! I really have no idea, but how about
Freddie Prince, Jr.????

Yes, I remember Freddie Prinze Jr. being pretty popular at this time.  Of course, now he's married, which makes him quite a bit less exciting. I do wish he and Sarah Michelle Gellar all the best!  I'm totally over him now.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED, WHAT WOULD
> IT
>   BE?  I donn't know.  Something that i enjoyed
doing.  Like working with some fine guy.

Even at the age of 15, I had a clear sense of my career goals.  Aren't you impressed?  Please don't judge the fact that I misspelled don't.  I'm sure I just didn't proofread my work.  Surveys were sometimes very lengthy and took a while to finish.

PERSON YOU SENT THIS TO WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO
>   RESPOND: My cousin,(if i were sending it to her)my
own flesh and blood who won't even read the stuff I
send her and asked me to stop sending it.  How
rude!!!

This one really makes me laugh.  Of course, it probably means nothing to you, but I'm putting this in for me.  If someone has a email account you should send them stuff, right?  Apparently not.  I don't think she liked getting surveys and emails from me. 

Example #3:

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MARRIAGE: I don't really
think a/b it.  I am only 15. It's not like i am a/b to
get married or anything.

I am no long "only 15," and now do think about marriage.  I don't seem to be any closer to it than when I was 15, though.   

Mushrooms, Applesauce, and Waffles??

I don't know about you, but I go through phases were some foods are sooo good to me.  Eventually, I get tired of them and move onto something else.  That's normal, right?  I think so.

A couple of months ago I started really craving mushrooms.  Now I always enjoy mushrooms, but for some reason I started really wanting them.  I had previously tried to find a satisfying stuffed mushroom recipe and failed.  The first recipes I tried were okay, but just not good enough.  While jumping from blog to blog one day I came across a recipe for stuffed mushrooms on Dine and Dish.  I decided I needed to try it out and I am so glad I did.  I made the mushrooms on a Friday night.  They were so good to me that I made them again a day or two later.  As far as I am concerned my search is over.  If you like mushrooms, please do yourself a favor and try this recipe. 

About the same time I was going through my mushroom phase (which I don't think has even ended) I bought myself some individual servings of applesauce for my lunch.  It had been quite a while since I'd had any, and I had forgotten just how much I enjoy it.  The 6 servings I bought did not last long.

Most recently, my obsession has been frozen waffles.  Back in the day I used to eat these quite often.  For me, there is a science to preparing a waffle correctly.  It must be toasted and then the butter must be applied quickly so that it can completely melt.  If the butter is not melting as it should, the waffle can be placed on top of the toaster while it's on to speed up the process.  In the past, I would then add my favorite syrup (which was the only kind I liked) so that I would have the perfect buttery syrupy mixture.  Since that time, I became somewhat of a waffle snob.  I had what may have been my first homemade waffle and fell in love.  Frozen waffles just weren't good enough anymore.  I decided I didn't like them...until lately.  I don't know how or why it happened, but I fixed myself some frozen waffles one night.  (I should note here that since my previous experience I have sworn off of syrup altogether.  They stopped making the one kind I liked and I am happy without it.  Just give me plenty of butter!)  Yes, it is still important that the butter melt.  Then, though, I decided to drizzle my waffles with a powdered sugar and milk mixture.  When the butteryness mixes with the sweetness of the powdered sugar glaze I get a wonderful creation and want to eat a whole box of waffles, but I refrain.

I'm sure this too will pass, but I am enjoying it while it's here.    Too bad I don't ever crave anything really healthy like carrots.  Nevermind, that doesn't sound like any fun.