Never, ever, ever...

Put tap water, even purified water, into a coffee machine! NEVER! I tried to de-lime the espresso machine. It took all day. Not only did I waste several hours, but the thing still didn't work! I swear, it will be distilled water from now on. I'm just glad it was a cheap espresso machine and not one of those fancy Italian numbers for $800 or something. I was so upset. I wasted some coffee grounds, too. Some yummy Verona from Starbucks. I had the fat-free half-and-half poured out to be steamed. It would have been fantastic. Damnit!!!

So, I guess I have to get another one sometime. It shouldn't be too horribly expensive to replace the one I had. It wasn't expensive to begin with. I wish I could afford a better machine, but I'm po'. Should be a couple of weeks, probably. Oh well.

Can't wait to see when Crowded House are coming. I know they've got some festival dates, but not really a tour set up yet. Hopefully soon. I would really, really, really like to go. I can't imagine they wouldn't play, at least, Austin. Hurry!

I guess I don't have anything to blog about, just my coffee escapade. Can't imagine that even if my machine had worked that the coffee would have tasted that good with all the lime in it. Yuck. Maybe it's good that I didn't get any coffee out of it. : (

It started with an oil change...

Just about time for it. Almost exactly on the nose. So, I took my car to Walmart, thinking the rush would be over after the morning. Nope. So, I'm in a long line and it takes forever for the guy to realize there's a new car there to take my information. But when he does, he tells me it will be an hour. I'm pretty sure it will take the full hour, too, plus a little more. That was at about 11:30 or so. Oh well. At least I brought a book. It was the book I was going to read at Starbucks later, but I didn't think I'd finish it while waiting. I did get through quite a bit of it, though. Still, I was there about an hour. Maybe a little longer. After that, I went to the library. That didn't take forever, but a little longer than I meant for it to. I was looking for a specific book and couldn't find it. It was probably checked out because I'd seen it there before and it wasn't there this time. Oh well. I still managed to find 3 that I wanted to read.

Then, it was Starbucks. I was getting a migraine, so I wanted something liquid, as opposed to a thick Frappuccino. I got a passion tea lemonade and asked Damon if they were going to get the coconut syrup for summer, but he said it wasn't coming for phase 1 and he didn't know about later. But he also said he had a little syrup left over from the year before. So, I was thinking, well I'll get a mocha coconut Frappuccino this Saturday with Dad. Then, I sat down to read and finished my drink, but wasn't that far from the end of the book, so I stayed a while longer, reading and almost finished the book. Then, I hear this "Hey, Baby!" and I really knew he wasn't talking to me but to someone else in the store, but he was right next to me, so I looked up briefly, only to see Dad standing there smiling at me. Surprise! Cool, and he'd just finished a call and could stay a while. I got another drink and Dad got a Frappuccino, too. It didn't seem like we were there that long, but Dad kept asking me if I was usually there that long. Well, my phone died this morning and I forgot to charge it, so I didn't have it with me. I also don't have a watch with a battery. I was like, yeah, sometimes I stay a while. Usually thinking about an hour to read or so. Not a terribly long time. So we talked for a few minutes and I'm thinking Dad needs to get back to work soon, but maybe he's off for lunch or something. No. It was 5:00! Wow. I had no clue it was that late. I didn't think I'd been there that long.

Dad thought I needed to get home because I hadn't eaten lunch. I wasn't terribly hungry, but knew I needed to eat anyway. So, we both said goodbye and I went home. Traffic wasn't horrible for it being rush hour, and I got home around 5:30. Dinner at about 6:00 or so. The game started around then (Game 2 of the Spurs-Nuggets series). So I watched that with Mom. Also did a load of laundry. Nothing exciting, although the Spurs managed to pull off a win. We're still pissed that they let a 17-point lead get away from them, though. Walked the dog, regular wash my face, etc. stuff. Overall, a long day. I bought some coffee beans at Starbucks, too, so I can make some espresso tomorrow. Woohoo! Too tired tonight. Wish I had some more exciting stuff to write about, but, hey. This is me we're talking about. So, now I'm thinking I'll turn the computer off for the night and get back to the job hunt tomorrow. I don't plan on going anywhere, but you never know. Stuff happens. Hope everyone out there is doing well. Keep in touch. : )

Party Pooper

I'll admit. I've never been "hip" or "cool" or any of those things. I never liked parties. I never liked going to bars. I'd much rather hang out at Starbucks than a bar, really. But this week is Fiesta here in San Antonio. I just feel like I should be as excited as everyone else. But no. I'm really more annoyed than anything else. Traffic is horrible everywhere. There are so many tourists going around and none of them have any clue where they're going. They like to drive 40 mph down a 70 mph highway, looking for the right exit. And, there's so much traffic in the other lane that I can't go around. Really, if I weren't trying to make it on time to a job interview I wouldn't care. Meeting new people can be cool and it's nice that my city is pretty and lots of people think we're nice and friendly, etc. Great. But the increase of tourists means the possible increase of stupid tourists. The ones who think they can get a hotel room for $30 a night even during our most popular travel dates. During Fiesta, you probably can't even get a room at Motel 6 for under $100 a night. Really, you're lucky to get a room at all. They will book up. All of them. Maybe even out to San Marcos, Fredericksburg, etc. Then, they get to Fiesta and they're pissed that they have to pay $10 to park, the food is overpriced and you have to pay for that even after admission to an event. And then, it's hot out (and humid this week), all the bugs are coming out, there's going to be those drunk idiots all over the place, parades blocking traffic...really, need I go on? And really, I don't understand the appeal of parades. To me, they're pretty dull. One float looks just like another, in my opinion. There's only so much they can do, after all. It's just a float. And I don't want to go hang out with a big crowd of people watching so-so bands play while I get beer spilled in my hair. They will probably be smoking, too, because everything's outdoors. Yuck. And I'll have to swat flies away while I eat, and I doubt the food is any better than I could get in a nice comfortable restaurant. Really, Fiesta doesn't sound fun to me and I don't see the point. Everyone says it's fun and I should go sometime. Maybe it would be better after I got there, but it's hard to sell it on me. Someone would have to tell me what's supposed to be fun about it. I just think there are other attractions in San Antonio that are better than a weeklong party. Maybe I'm pretty lame. Well, probably I'm pretty lame. My idea of fun is obviously different than a lot of other people's.

Another thing going on right now is the wildflowers in bloom. At least that, I can appreciate. They're pretty. There are some bluebonnets, although not as many as I expected. They're kind-of going away now. Most of them are these yellow ones that I don't know the name of. They look kind-of like daisies, but yellow with brown centers. Really, all you see is a sea of yellow. Then, there are these pretty deep, red-violet ones. Usually I don't see that many of them, but there are more than usual this year. There are a lot of lavender ones, too. Again, I'm probably not the person to ask about this because I don't know the names of any of them. I wish I did.

Today, I went to SAC in the morning because I got an e-mail that Disney was recruiting interns, and not only for California, but they said they had positions nationwide and they owned a lot of companies, so it wasn't just animation, either. That would be cool if I knew how to do it, though. Then, I had my interview at a third temp agency. I had a hard time figuring out the parking because everything said tenant parking and I didn't think I counted as a tenant. I don't actually work there or anything. So, I finally found visitor parking and I went inside. The agency's office was right near the entrance. I went in and the first thing they did was make me watch an "orientation video". WTF?!! I hadn't had to watch a stupid video at the other temp agencies. I tried not to let them know how stupid I thought it was, though. I just watched the dumb thing, and it was pretty dumb. It was tips on how to dress appropriately for an interview, workplace safety (use a wrist support when typing--that kind of thing), and basically to call them about every little thing that comes up with the employer. They somehow managed to drag it out into a 16-minute presentation that was obviously done back in the '80s. The interview itself was pretty short, then they had me do some testing. This time, I did it in their office, so the keyboard was this ancient thing like a typewriter keyboard and not like a modern computer keyboard where the keys are quiet and flat and close together. So, I don't know how I fared with their equipment, but I can hope I did okay.

Then, I get home, and what has Mom done? She bought a French lemon pie at HEB! Oh no. I've got to eat some of it. I don't want it to spoil and I know she won't eat it all. It just seems like she's whipping out all the desserts that she knows I can't resist right now. She should know I want to lose weight. I haven't been keeping it a secret. But those pies are expensive and I feel obligated. I also don't want her to feel bad. She wouldn't ever say anything. She's not like my Grandma that way. But I'm afraid of what she would think. She does get her feelings hurt after all. She's a human being. At least dinner was just rotisserie chicken and peas. Nothing fattening. I'll see how small a sliver I can cut later to at least show her I like the pie. I don't know what to do about tomorrow. Maybe another tiny sliver, then I'll feel like my obligations are done. Why can't she find something healthy? I'll have to come up with some suggestions maybe. Surely there are some good recipes I could at least alter or something to make them lighter.

Anyway, I guess I'd better get going. I'm only rambling today anyway. Same as always.

Found this while cleaning the other day...

R and I meeting Michael Hutchence of INXS. I was much younger then (thinner, too). I think we were much more excited to meet him than he was to meet us! We had such a great time that night, though.

I want to post some pics of Qui-Qui when I can sort through them. He was a unique dog. He never tore up his toys. He kept all the toys he had when he was a puppy even. He used to sling this bell around in a circle until it flew out of his mouth. Sometimes it would hit us in the head, too. Still, it was cute. He also had this thing about inanimate objects coming alive, so he'd test them with his nose to make sure. He also had a great sense of humor and could tell when we were joking with him. It was always so cute, that realization on his face when he recognized what we were doing. He'd start wagging his tail and wanting to play. He was just so cute. I could go on forever talking about him and probably still not get across how great he was. I miss him so much.

Well, I think I should go eat dinner. I got Bucky's new bowls. I think he was more excited to get them than the treats I got him. He wouldn't stop tearing at the bag. Freak puppy. At least I know he likes it, though. It's actually getting pretty hard to type with him here in my lap, so perhaps I should save the blogging for later.

Metallic Water

Perhaps I made a boo-boo in selecting a dog bowl set from the dollar section at Target. I thought it was a good deal. You get two bowls and they were both small enough for my dog. He was eating out of a hamster dish before. So, these were the right size, but they were made out of some metallic substance that must flavor the water. He won't drink out of it. He'll go in to Mom's room and drink Snoop's water. If he can't get in there, he won't drink water for a while and will go in there later, dying like he's hiked across the desert. I didn't want to toss out a perfectly good bowl, and sometimes he'd drink out of it at night, when I close my door. But, really I feel bad for the little thing. Poor puppy. If he hates it that much, I should just see if I can find another one that he'd like. He will eat the food out of the bowl. It just seems to be the water that tastes nasty. So, I have to see if I can get a dog bowl set for less than $10. Maybe I can get some dessert dishes at Ross or something.

I did find out why it's nearly impossible to get an unedited version of a Shakespeare play, though. Duh. I should have thought of this before. But, he didn't publish many of his plays while he was living, and the ones that he did publish, it's questionable as to his involvement. They may have been published by actors who performed the plays and tried to remember the dialog, or by patrons who went to the performances and took notes and later tried to fill in the dialog. This is because later editions showed versions that were sometimes drastically different than the ones printed earlier. Supposedly the ones printed later were done from Shakespeare's own manuscripts, although this is also questionable for some of the plays. So, publishers now trying to release his plays have to try to piece together from the different versions out there, what parts were most likely written by Shakespeare. Complicated. Surely, I wouldn't want that job, although the research might be fun. I just think it would take forever and I'd never be satisfied as to the outcome. I'd always have questions that would nag at me forever.

I am trying sometimes to diet. It's hard. Really, especially when I cook, I don't always know the nutritional value of what I make. It's hard to say, this is an okay dinner and that's too fattening. I mean, I try to make healthy choices, you know, like not frying food, cutting down on sugar, etc. But sometimes, even doing that there are questions. How much is a serving? Is flour bad, and how much is okay? How can I make tuna casserole without all the carbs of regular pasta? Is whole wheat pasta better, or does it taste so crappy that I won't eat it? You know, like eating healthy while still maintaining taste that I like and getting enough to eat. So, right now I'm hungry and I don't know if I should go in there and make an early dinner and just eat light later, or go ahead and try for a light lunch and hope I'm not starving at dinner and wanting to overeat. I have some fruit for a snack, but I don't know if that'll do it. I wish I had some cherries. They were something like $5 for a small package last time I looked. So, usually I don't even look. They're always expensive. But they're good to munch on. There probably aren't any cherries out right now and it's pointless to look anyway, but I want some.

Well, I do have another job interview. It's at another temp agency. Nothing special. I didn't see a job posting for them, but they usually have a lot of jobs and maybe they can find something for me. That would be good. Hopefully between all the temp agencies, someone will find me a job. Please. Interview is Monday, I'll let you know how it goes, although I doubt I'll be leaving there with a job that soon. Hopefully soon though. I just want something, although getting a foot in the door as a graphic designer would be great. I doubt that will happen right off, but I can hope. The job with the aircraft engine parts place was filled already. They said my other test scores were good, but I'm worried about them anyway. How can I not? It might determine whether someone hires me or not. Aaaaaahhhh!

Oh well. I'd better go or I'll never get out of the house. Bucky's thirst should drive me out. I just didn't feel like taking a shower, drying and styling my hair, dealing with the mess that is my make-up job, etc. I must be a bad doggie mom. But, I'm also broke, and that's part of it. Sigh...

Magic Car

I don't know how else to explain it, but it happened again today. My car turned invisible. I know, I know. It sounds crazy. But, I can't think of another explanation. This has happened before. Usually it only lasts for a few hours, or even a day, but then it goes back to normal. Today, it was only for about an hour. It looked perfectly normal to me, like visible and red and everything. But other people must not have been able to see me because they were pulling out in front of me from driveways, intersections, etc. as if there wasn't an oncoming car. There can't be that many people out there with a death wish or who are seeking an insurance payoff from an accident. Plus, it all happened at once, in one single time span, whereas later in the day, everything seemed normal. They waited for me to pass before pulling out or crossing the intersection. But, earlier, it was every single car in front of me. Not just one or two, but every single one, no matter if there was enough room or not (usually not). The drivers never even looked at me, not one of them. Surely, they just couldn't see me, as the invisibility of the car must extend to me, too, enveloping me in it's magic. But this has happened to me more than once before. Usually, it lasts for an entire day and I have to be extra careful everywhere I go. It's not like my car is gray or silver or something that could blend into the pavement. It's bright red. It's a decent size, too, not a mini. Pretty obvious most of the time. I have no control whatsoever of the invisibleness. It can happen without warning and I can't control when my car becomes visible again, either. I wish I could add flashing lights and a siren. Maybe that would help.

No major news to report. Just a normal trip to Starbucks, after I dropped my old books at the library. I've got two newer ones that I checked out on Saturday, but I'm nearly done with the first one. I'll probably be done with the second one next week the way I'm going. I nearly finished Carol Goodman's The Ghost Orchid at Starbucks and will probably finish that one tonight. My hands are kinda shaky and I wonder if my iced caramel macchiato was actually decaf like I asked for. I just feel a little hyper, like my hands don't want to sit still for a second.

There is a second buyer interested in the darkroom equipment. He wanted an inventory of everything I had. He seems truly interested, but I don't think I'll really believe it's sold until I have the money in my hand and there's some extra space in the apartment. Too many people have told me they wanted it, and then never contacted me again. Really inconsiderate. Hopefully "Alex" will stick by his word and let me know if he changes his mind. He says he will. As much as I hate to be rid of the darkroom equipment, I think I'll be relieved to get it over with. It was hard enough to make the decision to sell it without dragging the whole thing out.

Well, I guess I have other things to do, so I'd better leave it here for now. If only I could take the typing test today, when I'm really hyper. I'd have done much better. Not that 50 wpm was really bad, but I know I could have done better if my fingers weren't locking up on me. They're just flying over the keyboard right now, of course. Oh well...

Maybe another interview coming up

I'm not really all that interested in the job. I think it's data entry mostly at an insurance company. No graphic design or photography involved. Pretty dull, really. But it's supposed to pay $10 an hour and up, so maybe I'd at least get good pay and benefits. Well, decent pay. Really, I just need a job and maybe the graphic design jobs will come later. I just have to keep trying. Anyway, that's what the temp agency is trying to get me an interview for, so we'll see. It's better than nothing and I wouldn't be wearing a headset. No sales either. Can't be all bad.

I had two people interested in the enlarger I'm selling. One wanted a payment plan until she found out the enlarger I had wasn't exactly the one she was looking for. Oh well. Don't know if I'll ever sell my darkroom equipment the way it's going. There's always something. Hopefully the other guy is still interested. I let him know it was still available.

The blender thing yesterday was actually my mini-chopper and not the blender. Mom was cooking this recipe we'd seen in the cookbook and wanted to try. But when we ate it, the sour cream in the recipe was so overpowering that you couldn't taste anything else. It just didn't taste very good. Mom was disappointed, too. : ( So, if we make that one again, we'll have to find a substitution. I'm not a huge sour cream fan anyway, although I don't mind a little on a baked potato. I just don't like a lot of it. I guess we thought the taste wouldn't quite be that strong with the other stuff that was in the recipe. I looked through the cookbook and found some other stuff I'd like to make, though, so maybe it will turn out better next time.

Well, there's not much going on today. I'll wait to see if I get a call for the interview. If not, maybe they'll have something else I might be interested in.

Hey There!

I haven't gone away. I'm sort-of sleepy. I'm not sure why I couldn't sleep, but I couldn't until about 7am. I didn't sleep very long. I heard Bucky wheezing and I knew it was time for another dose of Benadryl for him. Poor allergic puppy. Oak is really heavy right now and that's probably what's bothering him. I certainly want him to be able to breathe.

Some of the time I stayed up reading. Other times I was trying to plan my job hunt strategy for the week. Then I was just listening to the CD player. I tried telling the neighbor his was too loud around 2am, but he just turned it up. Bastard. So, I gave up (this is how tired I was) and tried to sleep anyway. But I was too tired to sleep and started hallucinating instead. I hoped it would lead to dreams, even if they were nightmares, but it didn't happen. Just stayed weird for a while and not very restful. I kept getting up and coming back to bed with a new strategy for sleep. But it didn't really happen until I decided to just give up and stay awake. I started reading again and got hooked for a while. Found a good place to stop around 7am and was still tired, so I tried to sleep yet again. Not a very restful dream, although I kept hearing Neil Finn music from my CD player and was flying for part of it. That's about all I remember. I think R and little E were there, too, but I can't be sure.

Bucky's wheezing woke me up, because that maternal instinct just kicks in and gives you a shot of adrenaline and I rushed to get the Benadryl. It took much more concentration than usual, of course, but I accomplished my mission. He actually swallowed the pill, too. Good, because I wasn't sure I had the brainpower necessary to do it again. It took breakfast and a tiny jolt of caffeine to wake me up enough to get on the computer.

The other day, I was talking with Mom and realized she had the same trouble with credit as I had. I'd always blamed it on bipolar disorder because that's a common sign, spending being out of control and causing credit problems. But maybe I actually just inherited it from non-mentally ill Mom. That would be weird. Dad is the opposite of her, so I know I didn't get it from him. Dad would be the one who hates to get rid of something, even if it doesn't work. Partly this is because he likes to fix stuff. But partly it's because he doesn't want to buy a new one if he has one already. He's just more practical that way and I'm not. Me, I love shopping. I love finding that one fantastic deal that's too good to pass up, even if it would be three times the price by the time I paid it off on the credit card. Somehow, that doesn't count or something. It's just the getting the deal part and having the stuff. I find I can only save up money if I am going to use it for travel or something. However, it causes me great anxiety to think that I'm 35 and don't have a 401K yet. This is beyond alarming to me. I don't want to be broke when I retire. I don't. I've been broke too much of my life to want to face that in old age. Hopefully I can rectify this situation fairly soon. I hope, I hope, I hope.

Yesterday, I got a couple of new books to read. Dad didn't find anything he was looking for unfortunately. He thinks he's too used to the main library downtown, which is several stories high. Lots of choices there. Maybe we'll go down there sometime. Ate Thai food. Soooo good. I haven't had any in ages and it was great to satisfy my craving. Dad tried their sweet and sour chicken and strangely said he'd never had anything sweet and sour before. I guess I just thought that was a staple and everyone had tried it, but I was obviously wrong. You learn something new every day. Just thinking about sweet and sour chicken makes me hungry again and I just ate.

However, our foray at the library meant we didn't get to go to the bread store. So that will have to be next week. I think we're okay this week because I have plenty of stuff to cook and I probably won't need bread until next week anyway.

My prescriptions were cheaper than expected, too. I'm thankful for the Carenow discount card. That helped. If only the price on the Trileptal were as low as those yesterday. That one just seems to keep going up and up and up. The drug company should feel ashamed of themselves, but I doubt they even take the time to think about the poor people they're ripping off or how inaccessible that makes the medication for people without the support network I have. It's tough. But we're doing it. I can see very easily how precarious our position is, though, and how other people would simply skip the prescription and suffer the illness just to pay for groceries or other bills instead. I don't know what I'd do without my parents helping me so much right now. I know it isn't easy for them either. We're struggling. But there isn't any state aid or federal aid available, not really. I'm sure I've covered that whole topic in an older post, though.

Is it sad that I'm looking forward to ABC Family's airing of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" today because it's the special extended version, even though I don't have any kids? Maybe Bucky qualifies? Well, he doesn't watch TV like Ebony used to or even like Mom's dog Snoopy does. But I can say he's listening to it, can't I? Surely he'd like it if I were vegging in front of the TV better than me being on the computer. At least I'll play with him when I don't have an expensive machine sitting in my lap (my computer, people--don't get any weird ideas).

Is it also wrong of me to be hoping the Lakers don't make it into the playoffs? I mean, I'm hoping and rooting for the other teams. In fact, as much as I'd like for the Spurs to move up and catch Phoenix, I know it won't happen, and I was even rooting for Phoenix to beat the Lakers, even if it meant Phoenix's position was better after. I don't care. I just hate the Lakers. They're egomaniacs. They get special treatment from the league. And, I'm sick of seeing Jack Nicholson's grinning face. Really, they just remind me of those jerks that bullied R and me in jr. high and high school. They were bullies and complete assholes, but they were good-looking and popular, so everyone looked the other way. Plus, their parents were rich. No 16 year old should be driving a Corvette. Spoiled brats. Do I sound bitter? Really? Didn't get to all of this in therapy before my insurance ran out. Of course I'm bitter. Maybe I'm just a bitch with an inferiority complex. Could really use some more therapy.

Well, I think I actually hear a blender. Mom doesn't use the blender. The blender's actually mine because she never bought one. I guess my curiosity is getting the better of me...

New Test Results!

Well, my last attempt at the Excel test didn't go so well. I remembered everything except the formulas--sort-of a big part of Excel. I meant to call back earlier this week to retake the test, but kept forgetting. So I called today to ask for the tutorial and she said she was sorry but she'd forgotten to send that last time. So, I took the tutorial and then retook the test--I got a perfect score! Woohoo! Now, if only I could retake all the other tests I took already. Maybe I'll try, but we'll see how they rate my scores first, I guess. I don't remember what they were like. I just remembered the Excel test because it was so bad. The Photoshop test didn't go so well, but the questions were all about print production and not really about how to use the software. I was pissed about that, to tell the truth. Maybe I'll check to see if I can retake that one, too. I don't know.

I had a dream about my rabbit Riga last night. I was just falling asleep and I thought I wasn't fully asleep, but I was in this room that was only vaguely familiar. I heard this sound that sounded like the rabbits when they drank out of the water bottle. Then, I realized there was this dark shape by the door that looked like my rabbit (she was black). I called out, "Riga?". She had been cleaning her face and she abruptly stopped and came running over to me. I nearly cried with joy and hugged her and I said, "I miss you". Then, since this was a dream, she whispered in my ear, "Me, too". And I thought that if she was here, maybe my other rabbit was, too. So I asked her, "Where's Khufu?" and she went into this other room. I followed her. It was dim, so I didn't really see where she was heading, but then I woke up. I fell asleep again almost instantly, and I was in the same room I'd been in before. I called out for Riga, hoping she'd still be there, and she was. She came running over to me and gave me a little bunny kiss and I hugged her again, not wanting to let her go. But the dream changed after that. I remember hugging her and feeling her go away and trying to control the dream and keep myself there, but I couldn't.

Later in the dream, there was this dog, that looked like an apricot poodle. But further in the dream, he started looking more and more red, like my Qui-Qui. Then, there was this other dog later, that joined us that was black like my Ebony from years ago. I just must have really been missing my pets before I went to sleep or something. I thought I was thinking about something else, though. I could have sworn I was worrying about my job hunt or money or something. That seems to be what I'm usually thinking about. Ugh.

Well, I need to eat dinner. All I had was breakfast (a late breakfast, but breakfast still). Don't know what I'm gonna end up eating, but I have to look. I may just go with a Slim-Fast shake, though. I'm not terribly hungry today. I saw this tea that they have at Starbucks now. It's Berry Blossom White. I want to try it so much. I'll have to get it sometime. That's what sounds good to me right now and I don't even care much for tea over all. I like the stuff at Starbucks, though. Maybe I just like everything from Starbucks. They're just awesome. : )

Yesterday

Hung out with H. First, she had to go to the library. I didn't need anything, but looked at the CDs and movies. But there were some screaming kids that drove me away. I just tried to help H find this other book that I'd read that she wanted to read, but I couldn't find it. Oh well. She still found a couple of books.

Then, we went to Starbucks. I got an iced caramel macchiato and H got a toffee nut Frappuccino. We stayed there for a while and chatted. Not a horribly long time, though, because we wanted to get to Nomadic Notions, this really cool bead store down in Alamo Heights. I think I made a bad choice as to the route to take. I thought it would be relatively quick on Loop 410 because I hadn't hit traffic on any of my most recent trips down there, but we hit really bad traffic and it took forever to get to Broadway. I couldn't remember how far down Broadway the store was, so I drove all the way down. The speed limit is pretty low, so it took a while. Then, we got to the store, which is small, but it's packed with stuff. It's a neat store, and they're always burning incense, so it smells good in there. H found a few things and had a hard time deciding. I found these cloisonne pendants that I fell in love with. I couldn't decide which one I wanted, but they took the basket out for me and I looked at all of them and picked one. It's a fairly big pendant, about the same size as the Mary Kennedy glass one I got in Hawai'i. I thought about putting it on a chain, but they suggested a cord, which I think works better. H was getting hungry, but still couldn't decide. Finally she decided on these two beads that she'd fallen in love with first off.

At first, we thought of getting something to eat nearby, but we realized we wouldn't have time to go to the McNay anyway (it's near the bead store). So we went back to our neighborhood and got Taco Cabana since H had a gift certificate there. We wanted to do some shopping after and went to Ross, where H and I always find stuff. This time H found a vase that she wanted for her apartment, but it was $12 and she wasn't sure about spending that much. I wanted some shoes, but they didn't have anything in my size. Oh well. After that it was Half-Price Books. I wanted a cookbook since all of our cookbooks are missing. The box they were in when we moved hasn't turned up, not that there are that many places it could hide. It's either here or it's not. M looked at the house and it's not there either. Some of her stuff is missing, too. Weird. But one of the cookbooks we had was my great grandmother's so that one's irreplaceable. Sucks. But we have to have a Better Homes and Gardens one. Really, who doesn't have the red checked thing. So I got another one and saw one of French food that I wanted, too, but it was somewhat expensive for a used cookbook and didn't have that many recipes compared to the BH&G one. Maybe I'll get it another time, even if just for the desserts. A lot of stuff looked good in there.

I talked to R and she said they didn't find anything in the most recent test she had done. Of course, that just makes the pain in her side that much more puzzling. So far, nothing explains it. What else could it be, ya know? I didn't get to talk to her very much because she sounded so tired from the anesthesia. Then today, I couldn't reach her at all and only got the machine. I just hope everything's okay. I'm a worry wart, I guess.

Today, I just went to Walmart for some cord to put my pendant on. I thought I had some, but now I think R must have it. So, I got some more. Then, I went to Starbucks again to read since the dogs wouldn't stop barking at home. I got a passion tea lemonade. Very tasty. By the time I got home, though Mom was home and I just ate dinner. Nothing much. We haven't cooked in a few days and I'm ready for real food rather than frozen food. Maybe tomorrow.

Anyway, I know my life is dull that I have to talk about shopping, but hey. As soon as I have some more interesting stuff to post, I will. I would be thrilled. Can't wait to be employed, too.

Job Fair

It wasn't much. Really, I expected more. I'm sort-of disappointed. There were supposed to be more employers there, I thought. But when I went in, there were only a few there. There were also supposed to be several industries represented, including advertising. Not so. The military was there. There were also insurance companies there and telemarketing firms. That's it. Again, I was disappointed. Well, at least I tried. I keep applying for jobs. I don't know if I'll get one anytime soon, but I hope so.

Saturday was good even though it was raining. It was also cold! Weird. It had been cooler for a couple of days, which was nice, but it was actually cold on Saturday. It's cool today, too. I think it was supposed to rain, but it didn't, at least not yet. It rained a lot on Saturday, though. The bluebonnets are out, as well as other wildflowers. The grass has turned somewhat green, too. Of course, it won't stay green, but it's nice right now.

I'm supposed to hang out with H on Wednesday. Hopefully we'll get to have some fun. She wants to go to this bead store and maybe to the McNay art museum. Should be cool since I haven't been there in a while. And, of course, we'll go to Starbucks. : ) I'm looking forward to it already.

Well, tonight is 24. Tomorrow night is another episode of The Shield. Those are probably my 2 favorite TV shows, although I like Prison Break, too. I wouldn't call myself a TV addict or anything. I've been trying to cut down on the amount of TV I watch, but I get hooked on Star Trek and CSI. I should also be reading. I have to go to the library next week and I haven't finished my books. Maybe I'll recheck them so I can take my time.

Some good news is that we got a new printer. Don't know what was wrong with the old one. It said it was out of ink, but I know it wasn't. Even the computer said it had plenty of ink and it was too new to have dried out. I ran a few cleaning cycles and everything, but to no avail. Nothing would print at all. So, the new one is an all-in-one machine, so I can copy, scan and fax again! Woohoo! I'm so happy I don't know what to do with myself. I want to scan and copy like crazy. Maybe I'll post some more pictures or something. I just can't reach my photo albums because they're on the top shelf. I have a stool, but it's not tall enough. I'll have to borrow one.

Anyway, I'll close for now. I've got to read or something to keep myself busy. It sucks being unemployed. : (

I have meds!

Had to go to his office to pick up the pills yesterday. I'm taking a weird dosage and the pills don't come in that dosage, so I have to combine two different dosages to get what I take. Still, I feel better on that dose, so I'm glad I have the pills now. I also went to one of my favorite places, Starbucks. I got an iced caramel macchiato, which was just excellent. I also got some career advice from Damon and his friend outside on the patio. Basically, I shouldn't be too timid to do a follow-up after an interview, which I usually am. He assured me that it doesn't look pushy at all and only shows how interested I am in the position. He said he wouldn't discount someone for following up himself, so I shouldn't worry about it. Okay. So then, I called the magazine about the internship to thank them for the interview and to see when they would be making a decision, which they said would be next week because they'd been behind on that, trying to meet a deadline. I was glad to hear that and glad to hear that they remembered me from the interview. I can only hope I get this one.

Today, I've got a lot of laundry to do. Nothing much. Just chores. I should also clean my bathroom. It's a shame, too, because it's such a nice day. Mom reminded me it was Good Friday, which I'd forgotten about. We never do anything for Easter so it doesn't really make an impression on me, I guess. So, it will probably be too busy to go to the park or something. It's just nice and cool out, for a change and I always want to do something outdoors when it's cool.

I finished reading Hamlet. It didn't take very long and I'm kind-of sorry to be done with it already. I just enjoy reading it. I'm not as excited by my other books, but maybe one of them will surprise me. You never know.

Bucky needs his rabies shot, too. Don't want to do that, but I know he needs it. It's just that they hurt him and he always cries out. It doesn't matter how gentle they are. He's being a little sweetie right now and kissing and trying to cuddle with me. I just love my baby.

Well, there's not much going on today, so I'll spare you the details of my laundry. I don't think you'd be interested. Hope everyone is doing well. Keep in touch, 'kay?

Skills Testing

This was weird. I mean, I know the software they wanted me to test on. But the questions were weird. Like, they weren't asking stuff you would normally do with the program, but all the new features that had been added and sort-of specialty type questions that only an expert would know. I'm sure I didn't score very well. I don't think it's an accurate assessment of my abilities either. I know I can use the software! I just hope this doesn't keep me from getting the job because I know it's something I could do. The only test I scored okay on was the typing test, and even that I didn't do my best on. My fingers kept locking up, like the joints wouldn't move and I'd make typos and have to correct them. That slowed me down quite a bit, although I still managed to type 50 wpm. I just know I could have done better. I'm not going to sleep well tonight now, because I'll be worried about my test scores. This sucks. : (

Weird job interview

Well, it wasn't necessarily the interview itself. First off, I was getting ready for the interview and while I was about to leave the apartment, I got a call on my cell phone. I thought it was the temp agency calling me back about something, but it wasn't. It was a whole different temp agency. They wanted to interview me about a similar position that I was already interviewing for. They'd seen my resume on Monster. So, okay, they asked if I could go after my other interview. Sure.

So, I go to the first interview (the one off the busy construction-y highway) and that one went well. I forget the name of the company I'd be working for, but it was something like ECI. They manufacture airplane engine parts. Woohoo. Sounds exciting. Anyway, the job didn't specify that I needed to know anything about that (which is good, because I don't), they only wanted to be sure I knew Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop. So they wanted me to do some testing to see how well I knew the software. Good sign. That was Talent Tree staffing.

Then, I went to the second interview. It was closer to home than the other one, although still in a hard to get to place. Well, it wasn't hard to get to it, just hard to get back home from there since I couldn't get back on the highway from there. Anyway, she starts interviewing me for the job, and it starts out really well. She loved my adorable suit.






















My face looks really creepy in the photo, but I hope you can see the suit. The fabric is kind-of sparkly and it has shiny, jewely buttons. Then, she started telling me about the job, and it was for ECI, the same job I'd just interviewed for! Weird. She said that happens sometimes, that the companies don't pay anything for their services until the right candidate is found, so they can have multiple temp agencies out there doing work for them that don't get paid anything. Anyway, it seems I'm a good candidate for this job in that two agencies wanted to interview me for it. I still have to do skills assessment tests there, too, but hey. I need a job. Obviously my preference was to work at the magazine because I liked their work and that's what I want to do, but surely any graphic design experience is good, too.

So, anyway, that was my day. I'm debating a trip to Starbucks right now. It might be a good way to celebrate. It's cloudy and didn't rain on me, though. So, I could have worn my adorable sandals after all. Oh well. Better safe than sorry. Don't want to ruin the sandals, you know? R (twin sis now living in Fort Worth) isn't feeling well. That doesn't make me feel too good either. I can't help but worry about her since I don't see her all the time anymore. I wish we could hang out. My friend H is always busy. Don't get to hang out with her much either. : (

Well, maybe I can take my dog to Starbucks with me. I feel like a Frappuccino for some reason. Well, I'm not icy and fluffy, but I want something icy and fluffy. Get it. Anyway. Take care peoples. : )

JOB INTERVIEW!!!

This is so awesome that I can hardly believe it. ANOTHER job interview! Well, the last one was for an internship and this new one is for a temp job, but I'm excited anyway. I probably won't be able to sleep tonight. So I've got an interview with the temp agency. I guess that means I'm going to the temp agency's office for the interview. They were supposed to send me directions, but I haven't gotten them yet. So, I took some initiative and looked it up in the phone book. Then I got directions from Google. I'm not looking forward to driving over there since it's on Loop 410 over where there's construction right now, in a high traffic area near the 281 interchange. Very, very busy. And with the construction it's even worse than usual. Mom says a crane fell over over there the other day onto the highway. Creepy. Hope I won't be working anywhere near there if I do get the job. I wish this one could be in the Finesilver building like the other one I interviewed for. I really liked the place and it wasn't too far from my apartment. I'm still hoping to hear from them about the internship.

Anyway, it seems like my luck is improving somewhat. I wanted to wear my really adorable sandals, but it's going to rain tomorrow. Wait, here are the sandals:
Now you can't say that's not adorable. It's so f*cking adorable! Anyway, I guess I won't be wearing them. I don't want to end up sloshing through rain puddles in the parking lot and getting my hose all soaking wet. I think I'll stick to my pumps. Oh well. The pumps are still cute, too. Just not as cute as the sandals. The pumps are actually kids' shoes, but they look like regular pumps. They were just small enough for my feet.

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I was just too excited about the job interview. Please let me get a job out of these interviews. I would be sooooo happy.

Archives

Should anyone here want to check out my old posts from MSN Spaces, here is the link:

http://bipolarphotographer.spaces.live.com/

I have some posts there about what it was like in the early days of treatment for bipolar disorder, as well as day-to-day type stuff and the recent events posts, too. Check 'em out....if you dare.

My First Post

Here I am making my first post on Blogger. I did have a blog on MSN Spaces, but I think this will be better, although I can't yet figure out how to put my art in the header. Still, I've barely been here and I have time.

Lately, nothing much is going on. Poor Bucky (my pet papillon) had to get a partial bath today. He had poo sticking to his butt. He has long fur and sometimes that happens. I basically washed his rear end and his legs, so he got off easy. AND it's not cold out or raining. I think we've got rain coming on Tuesday, though, so I hope it doesn't go on forever. This is our rainy season here in SA, although we don't usually get rain for days on end or anything. That we had rain almost every day last week was unusual. So, it's hot and sunny, which is a typical end of March type day, although today is April 1. Mom's birthday! I won't say how old she is or I'm sure she'd kill me. : ) I'll just say she's older than I am. ; )

Friday, I went to the library. I felt like reading some Shakespeare, so I went over to the Ss in the fiction section and found nothing at all. I was sure they couldn't possibly not have any of his books at all, so I asked this lady there if there were any or if they were maybe all checked out. She told me where they were and I said I'd looked in the fiction section and she looked at me like that was the dumbest thing I could have said. Well, they're works of fiction so naturally, I assumed they'd be in the fiction section. But they're in the nonfiction section, as if that makes sense. So I had to sort through the biographies and literary critics to find any of his plays that weren't just the "Cliff's Notes" type of books. Hard. They didn't have that many of his plays, which is weird for a library. So now I'm reading Hamlet for probably the 4th or 5th time. I wish it was the unedited version, but beggars can't be choosers, right? Oh, and by the way, yes I'm a nerd. Maybe I should have mentioned that first off.

Yesterday, I had lunch with Dad. We got Chinese, if you care. It was so humid because of the rain lately that the forecast for 75F seemed way low. It felt like 90F. I mentioned this to the guy at Starbucks (our local friendly barista named Damon), who laughed at me because he said it wasn't really hot yet. Well, I know this is only April and for San Antonio, it wasn't really that hot, but it was uncomfortable and stuffy and icky. And it felt hot to me. Anyway, Dad, who's normally "cold-natured" as he puts it, was even hot. So Dad didn't get his usual grande decaf and got a Frappuccino instead. That sounded good, so I got one, too. I guess I just wanted the coldest beverage I could get. And it's only getting hotter from here...

I did want to mention that I've been using this great product from Olay. It's the thermal skin polisher and it's got a little glycolic acid in it, so it's like a mini-peel treatment after 10 days of use. It's great! My skin looks fantastic. I'll admit I still have acne scars from taking Paxil early on in my treatment, but the breakouts are less often and the scars I do have are a little lighter and not as pronounced. Well, I notice a difference anyway. I'm sure my scars are still pretty obvious, but hey. Whaddayagonnado? It looks better than before. I'm definitely going to keep using this product and I recommend it to you if you've been wanting a peel but didn't want to pay for it. The Olay product is a little expensive for a cleanser, but it's worth it for the results. Well, I guess you should cleanse your face first to get the makeup off, so it's really more of a treatment than a cleanser. But whatever. Anyway, try it.

That'll do it for this post. Stay tuned for more, should you wanna hear from a bipolar nerdy girl.