Naked Jar...

Soooo, I finally sat down to make my 'rememberlutions' jar last night. [Ugh. I must come up with another name for it...ideas?] I thought that I'd put all of my scrapbooking stickers in one place, but I must have put all of my alphabet stickers away separately...the few sheets of letters that I did find had quite the random assemblage of letters...I couldn't think of anything witty/lovely that could be written with K, J, L W, Q, Y, and Z.../shrug I'll go to Hobby Lobby and get more stickers.

For now, my jar will simply have to be naked. [Rebellious little jar, isn't it?]

I hate to cut this post short, but I've got to get ready for work...tons of it to do today. Anyone care to come to my rescue?

In case I'm not able to post again today, I wish all of you a lovely New Year's Eve!

"Rememberlutions" Jar Rather Than Resolutions...

And so it begins...

With 2015 looming just around the corner, people have begun asking about New Year's resolutions. 

Now, there's an exercise in futility if I've ever seen one. Does anyone actually keep their resolutions? [I mean, I'd really love it if I could look back and say that a NYR has changed my life for the better...but...yeah, that certainly hasn't been the case]

Instead, I think I'm going to go with an awesome idea that I found on BuzzFeed. 

This year, I am going to make a "rememberlutions" jar. [Though, I'll probably change what I call it...I don't much care for 'rememberlutions']

Essentially, it's a jar that you use to keep things to remember. Throughout the year, you write down fun/happy/lovely things [or whatever you might deem jar-worthy] and then you get them all out on next New Year's Eve. I think it will be a very good reminder of the good things and blessings from the year, things that are far too often forgotten as time goes on...especially if you're like me and prone to emotional highs and lows...after a bout of the lows, it's very easy for me to lose track of the highs.

"Rememberlutions" Jars - BuzzFeed

Above is the link to the article. Click to find instructions and examples on how to make a jar of your own.

What about you? Do you think you might make your own 2015 jar? 

Unwelcome Phantoms...

How long does it take for someone to disappear from your consciousness?

You probably know what I'm talking about...

Right after a break-up (significant other, friend, family, or otherwise) that person is constantly at the forefront of your mind, whether you want them there or not. It seems like nothing is distracting enough. Nothing helps soothe the raw, exposed, frayed nerves of your heart. And yet...

It happens quietly. Days pass by, and the pain lessens a bit. But...just because the pain's left, doesn't necessarily mean that the offender of your emotions has relinquished their foxhole in your mind. Seems, to me, that their ghost still lingers...more than happy to manifest at the most inconvenient of times to remind you of what was and is no longer...

I know that, eventually, those nasty phantoms fade, too...but when? 

Frankly, I'm tired of mine being a crotchety old grump. Coming out and shaking his cane at me whenever I manage to have a 'good' day. 

Maybe this would be a job for the Winchesters? Somebody give Sam and Dean a call for me, I'll bring the salt...

Bama Bound...

Well, we are finally on our way back to Bama...I had a good beach trip, was finally able to get some relaxing in. Too bad that it never feels like I've gotten enough, though. I'm definitely not looking forward to the stress and chaos that comes with going back to work after several days off, but /shrug oh well, it's got to be done...

I don't have much to post about at the moment...that will probably change by the time I get home...check back soon!

Yay, Movies...

Hope you're having a good morning... I am doing alright, despite being under-caffeinated.

For those who might be curious, the third Hobbit movie was fantastic! [I may be biased, seeing as I love The Hobbt...]

I think the movie did a great job rounding out the trilogy! I was a bit skeptical before watching the movie, I'd heard that it wasn't as good as the previous two...but I really did enjoy it. I also highly recommend taking advantage of the DBox option, if it is available. [DBox is a section of special seats that movie and shake while you're watching a movie, especially during action sequences. It's a lot like those rides at theme parks...the Star Wars one at Disney, the Back to the Future on at Universal...] Of course, the tickets are more expensive, but it's worth the money. Unless you are prone to motion sickness. Then, you should avoid the DBox like the plague!

Well, I only have time to write a short post, for now. Will try to post again later today...

Life's A Beach...

Good beach morning to you!

I love the beach in the winter...there's all of the picturesque sunrises and sunsets without any of heat, humidity, or troves of tourists. [Though, it is unseasonably warm. Can someone please remind the weather that it's only two days after Christmas and not the middle of spring?]

Today is a day for distractions. My already minimal sanity depends on my being able to keep my thoughts from straying to the darker corners of my mind, the corners that stubbornly dwell on things that the rest of me have already resigned to move on from. [There's a certain wedding today that I'm internally protesting. I'm really trying to not be bothered, but being 'not bothered' is pretty much as far from the truth as the East is from the West.]

On a far happier note, today my brother and I are going to go see the final Hobbit movie. Super excited about it! I'll be sure to let you guys know what I thought of the movie.

In the meantime, if anyone has some foolproof thought-distracting methods, please share them!

Walmart Revelations...

So...

I was sitting on a bench at a Walmart, waiting on my mom, and I noticed something: a startling majority of people are just plain rude to the greeters!

This rudeness did not discriminate. White, black, young, old, appeared to have money, appeared to be poor...even 'well off' looking adults with kids were rude! 

I'm a firm believer in the notion that you can guess a person's true self by observing how they treat those that serve them...and, just...wow.

Wake up, jerks. You aren't the only ones on this planet.

Felines That Hate Your Holiday Cheer....

Because it never fails, the stress of the holiday season is beginning to take its toll on everyone in my family. [Seriously. It's an annual thing. Though it's been getting better over the last year or two, the misery of the holidays was so bad that I'd hated Christmas. Not the holiday itself nor the reason for the season...but all of the family stuff that people usually love and look forward to, I'd loathed. And I wasn't the only one...I don't think anyone in my family really wanted to participate.]

This year is much better...probably because I'm not dating anyone. [Doesn't seem like that should play a substantial role in the overall mood of Christmas for my entire family, but for some unfair reason, it does.]

That being said...I find myself feeling incredibly grumpy this afternoon. Work stresses, gift planning/purchasing/wrapping, planning get togethers and menus...I've had enough.

So...in observance of my newly realized lack of Christmas merriment, I present to you: cats that are hating their Christmases. [The internet exists to bring people funny cat pictures, right?]

The layout of the pictures look like crap. Blogger is being a pain. I don't care enough to tinker with it and fix it right now. [Hence, the post of fed-up cats.]

 

Grumpy cat will always be my
spirit animal...

Hibernation Sounds Like A Great Idea...

So jealous of Pooh right now...

I need someone to do me a favor...

If it wouldn't be too much trouble, please sedate me and wake me in January.

Thanks!

Shipping Misadventures...

Hey guys!

I hope you had a good weekend...maybe you were lucky enough to avoid the insanity that comes with waiting until the weekend before Christmas to attempt Christmas shopping...

When you find out that Target only
has one talking Baymax left...

I got caught up in a little bit of that craziness...I volunteered to take care of some of my parent's last-minute shopping, but I had no idea that I would be out shopping until 11 pm!

Thankfully, I managed to get just about all the shopping finished up. [Anything else pops us, someone else is going to have to take care of it!]

Remember me mentioning a ThinkGeek shipping mishap last week? ThinkGeek sent a replacement for the item that was damaged during delivery, did not require me to send in said damaged item, and they shipped the replacement via 'next day shipping' for free! I'd gotten an email from UPS saying that my package would be delayed thanks to a delayed cargo flight...and I received my package today, in time for Christmas! I'm definitely impressed with the way they handled replacing my item...I'll continue to shop with them, for sure!

If only all of my online Christmas shopping transactions went as smoothly...

Before I placed my order with ThinkGeek, I'd ordered several items from Amazon...I selected the shipping option that would have my order delivered in 5-7 business days, plenty of time to have everything I ordered for Christmas/birthday gifts.

Two days before I was supposed to receive my order from Amazon, I got an email saying that one of the items would be delayed. I finally received the item today. Much, much later than the shipping option I'd purchased.

In my opinion, Amazon was far less accommodating than ThinkGeek. But /shrug...I know I can't really complain, I did receive the items that I ordered [and, more than that, I was able to order gifts in the first place...].

/Sigh

Well, I've got tons of work to get through...still working towards not having to work on Christmas. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday, Brother!

Chaos and dysfunction abound in my life.../shrug at least I'm used to it!

All the craziness aside, today's my brother's birthday!

My brother is an awesome guy [I don't think I can really call him an 'awesome kid' anymore...], and I know I'm blessed to have him as a sibling.

For the most part, he and I have the exact same [awesome] sense of humor and we've liked a lot of the same 'nerd' things, too...lots of video games, movies, comics, and anime...in fact, I still get the best anime recommendations from him!

So, thank you, brother, for being the awesome sibling that you are [and for enduring all those years of being stuck riding in the middle spot of the back seat and for begrudgingly agreeing to play 2 player for all of our favorite video games]...I wish you the most wonderful year!

/lol!

Where Are You Weekend? Why Can't I Find You??

I hope all of you guys are having a good weekend so far...

Nathan Fillion disapproves. 

I'm stuck catching up on some work. Doesn't everyone love to work on the weekends/holidays?

Our clients have this thing that they do...every time a holiday is around the corner, they flood our inboxes with tons and tons of orders. I know why they do it, they don't want to be stuck working a holiday weekend either, but gaaaaahhhhhh....

So, in an attempt to get everything finished and submitted before Christmas Eve, I've been working extra hours everyday this past week...and I'm sitting at my work computer on my precious Saturday. /pout

It would be one thing if our clients acted as if they understood that we appraisers want Christmas off just as badly as they do...but nooooooo. They'll slam us full of orders on the 23rd and then start demanding the finished result on the 26th. No little Holiday Bonus incentives at all...and they're certainly not shy about being demanding trolls, clamoring that they must have reports the day after Christmas...knowing that they're probably nursing their own holiday hangovers. /grumble /grumble /grumble

Thought, I guess I can't entirely complain. I do have the luxury of working while wearing my amazing panda kigurumi! If I'm not out inspecting properties and dealing with clients face-to-face, the panda pjs are on...I figure it's only fair. If I'm going to have to be stuck staring at a computer screen for work on an 'off' day, at least I can wear my panda kigu. [/chuckle I swear I'm a mostly-responsible adult...]

In other news...I think I'm starting to get sick. [It's taken me a ridiculously long time to write out this post...I've been typing snippets in between working on building reports...probably not the most efficient methods for completing either. /shrug...

Yep. From the time I started this post to now, I've began feeling like poo...

It's just not fair...sick and stuck working. Boo.

The only thing worse than having extra work on a weekend? Having to trudge through said extra work while feeling like poo!!!

If someone felt inclined to come to my rescue today, I wouldn't be entirely opposed to the idea...any takers?

I'm A Panda!!

Semi-exciting stuff:

My order from ThinkGeek finally arrived!

I ordered part of my brother's birthday gift and a Christmas gift to myself from their site about a week ago...I'm super glad that it's made it here on time. [Last year, my brother's gifts were late...]

Ordinarily, I love everything that I order from ThinkGeek. This time? Not so much.

The pajamas that I ordered for myself are great! They're pretty much exactly as described and, as of right now, I plan on keeping them. My brother's gift is the problem...I received it damaged.

I've never had to return anything that I've ordered from them, so I'm hoping that their return/replacement process is an easy one. I opted to 'chat' with a representative through the portal on their website...I sincerely hope that it's going to be worth the almost 1 hour wait to talk to someone.

*Update* I just got finished chatting with ThinkGeek...when I mentioned that I'd received a damaged item, they offered to give me a refund or send me a replacement, with express shipping, at no cost! And I received an email with the information for the replacement item's order...with their 'express shipping' options, their website says I should receive the item within 1 business day plus processing time...maybe his gift will get here in time after all!

For myself, I ordered a set of panda kigurumi! [Kigurumi are the Japanese-style fleece onesie pajamas...typically they're animal or cartoon character designs.]

A few hours into kigurumi ownership and I already love them more than I thought I could ever love a set of oversized jumpsuit pajamas....[hey, if loving pajamas is wrong, I don't wanna be right...]

I wish I had given more thought to my kigurumi selection though [it was an impulse buy]...I probably should have picked a design with far less white on it. Also, the placement of the tail is a bit unfortunate. It requires some tail-maneuvering before I sit down, or else it ends up being quite an uncomfortable experience. I'm also concerned that the tail might get damaged or even come off...sitting on it at the required odd angles can't be good for the stitching...

That being said, it would only make sense to order another set in a different design, wouldn't it? [Orrrrr...maybe I'm just looking for a reason to order more!]
Here's a link to a store that has far more kigurumi options than ThinkGeek...check them out!

http://kigurumi-shop.com/

Pentatonix Now, Hobbit Later...

So, I think it may have been a bit early to start reading The Hobbit to my kiddo...

Doesn't seem like he's got the attention span for full-length stories quite yet. Just a handful of pages into the book and he was already asking about the big dragon fight...I forget that children's books are tailored to a child's attention span [or lack thereof]...oh well, I'll just wait a bit longer before I try to start the book again...

Switching topics:

I'm still obsessing over Pentatonix! Love their stuff!

Here's their official video for their cover of Ariana Grande's 'Problem.' These guys are pretty much musical wizards...they must be! I can't think of any other explanation for how they are able to take a 'hit pop song' that is barely tolerable on the ears and then turn it into something amazing! [They actually do it quite often...give their videos on YouTube a look over...you'll see what I'm talking about....]

They're all fantastic singers, but I must admit that I've picked a favorite...care to guess? [If you've known me long enough, you'd know that I have a weakness for all things bass!]

Yep. Their absolutely astounding bass singer Avi is definitely my favorite! Especially in this video...0:23 and 2:13 are just ridiculous...haha, yeah...I'll just leave it there. Can't have my blog headed to those NSFW waters...

...yeah, I'm not even going to pretend that I've got anything else to post about. I just wanted to post the video. And write about Avi. Yep. That's it.

Fantastic Monday! [Now There's An Oxymoron...]

A few things that I'm excited about:

- This afternoon, I made the decision that I'm going to start reading my kiddo The Hobbit for his bedtime story. He's very much into playing out adventures and what better story to use as an introduction to more 'adult' literature? I gave him a 2-minute break down of the basics of the story, and he's thrilled! I'll be sure to post how the initial reading goes...

- I finally decided on what to get the kiddo as his 'big' gift this year...I placed an order for Amazon's Fire HD Tablet, Kids Edition. The specs are pretty fantastic for the price and it comes with a 2-year 'worry free guarantee,' which sounds like they'll replace the tablet, no questions asked. Definitely a plus! [He and I are both accident-prone...so, it'll be one less thing for me to have to keep a constant eye out for...if it breaks, no big deal!] In addition to the guarantee, it comes with a year's subscription to Amazon's 'Free Time' app service...this is the bit that allows for parental control over content and duration...I'm hoping it works as well as it's supposed to. And if worst comes to worst, I'll have a Fire HD tablet if my kiddo ends up not playing with it very much. [I read on multiple sites that if you disable the Free Time mode, the tablet is a regular Fire HD tablet. Completely adult friendly.]

- I was able to order pizza for dinner tonight for virtually free! Thank you Papa John's points! [Know what happens when you have happy pizza purchasers? Great tips for their beloved delivery drivers!! Add to that the increased tipping tendencies of a former food industry worker, and you've got the makings for something great! Hear that, Papa Johns? Keep up the great work!!]

- I fully intend to watch about 600+ hours of Supernatural tonight! [Am I exaggerating? /shrug Yeah, probably...]

I hope you all are having an excellent Monday...here's to a great week!

See? Jensen/Dean knows what's up!

Random Thoughts...

Random thought compilation:

- I personally know people who are almost 10 years younger than me...and are more put-together and successful than I am. That sucks.

- Neither lip balm nor lip gloss agree with any length of hair on a windy day.

- Airing up car tires is a bit more difficult than it seems.

- Happiness is not the simple lack of unhappiness. There must be another part to the equation...

- Being a lover of Christmas does not necessarily make it an enjoyable season.

- A friend that only appears when they stand to benefit is not a friend at all. They are, in fact, more harmful than an enemy. Why is this? You'd expect an enemy to treat you poorly, but not a friend.

- It is possible to spend all your days surrounded by people and still feel entirely alone.

- Intelligence does not automatically ensure success. Without ambition, intelligence is tragically wasted. 

- While true that money cannot buy true happiness, it certainly helps make the journey to happiness more pleasant.

- Be cautious of decisions you make, even if it seems to be small and insignificant. You never know which ones carry lifelong consequences and second chances are rare.

- Go ahead and get the haircut. Hair grows back.

- Books are sacred. Treat them with respect.

- If someone believes in you enough to grant you their trust, do not take it lightly nor abuse it. Treat their trust with the respect it deserves. 

- Children are only little once. Let them be little, you'll miss those days when they're gone.

- Take lots of pictures. 

- Never, ever pass on homemade cookies! 

Another Video, For Good Measure...

I can't stop...

Here's another video. And it's brilliant [of course]!

Pentatonix. Brilliant!

It's been a few days since my last post...can you believe that in just a few days time, I've managed to fall in love?!?

Okay, okay...no need to worry about whether or not I've rejoined the sketchy world of online dating, I assure you, that's not the case.

You see, I haven't fallen in love with a person...I've fallen for five of them! [Confused yet? Hehehe...]

Who knew so much talent could fit on one couch!

I'm talking about Pentatonix!

They're the season 3 winners of the TV show 'Sing Off,' and they're amazing!

A few mornings ago, I was looking through some videos on YouTube, trying to find some decent Christmas music to listen to with the kiddo...my search brought me to the Pentatonix performance of Carol of the Bells...and my mind was blown!

I've got a long-standing love and respect for a cappella artists...have you ever tried to sing without accompaniment? It's super difficult! The media loves to tear recording artists to shreds every time a sans-accompaniment track gets leaked...lots of singers sound far less impressive when you remove all of the background instruments and such...sooooo, singers that perform a cappella are, in my opinion, are boss! [Is 'boss' still a thing? Did I just show my age? /sigh...]

Here's the video that I'm talking about.

I love their use of minor keys!

Maybe its another facet of my adoration for things melancholy...I'm a huge fan of musical pieces in minor keys. [/chuckle I've been called 'weird' for this pretty much my whole life...] To me, there's a sort of nontraditional beauty  to the music...brooding, mysterious, non-conforming, misunderstood...I get it. I live and breathe it.

So...yep! Their rendition of Carol of the Bells is different than what most people are likely expecting, and I think that makes it only that much more appealing!

Just because I love it that much, I'm posting their video for the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

The style of the video is an obvious homage to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, and their arrangement of the piece is a masterfully done meld of the well-loved Tchaikovsky classic and Pentatonix's a cappella flair. Check it out...hopefully you'll love them just as much as I do!

Help Me Pick, Please!

Sooooo....

I think I may be in need of an intervention...[well, sort of...]

As I'm prone to do, I've gotten bored.

I've been toying with the idea of changing my appearance somehow. I've got about 3 ways to do so...feel free to drop me a line letting me know which you think would be best, or telling me that I've lost my mind and shouldn't consider any of them right now!

First, and least permanent, would be colored contacts.

Let me start off by saying that I don't need contacts. I'm fortunate to not need glasses to read or drive, and many people look at me funny when I tell them that I want colored contacts even though I don't require contacts of any kind. But because I'm a silly girl, I love wearing colored contacts. I've had a few pairs of them before. I typically stick with some variation of gray, green, or bright blue...the problem is finding a color that will actually show up on my dark brown eyes.

Both of these were taken about two years ago...pretty sure that in the picture on the right I'm wearing green lenses and I'm wearing gray ones on the left...

What do you think? Contacts, yay or nay?



Another option would be coloring my hair [I think I might have mentioned it in a previous post...]. As you can see in the pictures above, I don't have any issues with coloring my hair. The toughie here would be whether I wanted to drop the kind of money that it takes to get my hair done at a decent salon or if I wanted to be cheap and get a box of dye to color it myself.

Another detail: with my hair being so dark, it's really pointless to try and use any shade of brown and any 'box blonde' turns out orange. That leaves me with reds and blacks.

My hair is very, very dark brown...so I don't ever see myself going with black dye [what would be the point?]...sooo, yep! I always go back to my first hair love, red.

The more subtle shades of red don't really change my hair color much, so the last few times I dyed it myself I went with comic-book shades of red. To the right is a picture from the last time I went red...

I'm a huge fan of the color, but it takes a lot to maintain it. Last time, I wound up putting a box of brown over if before my friend's wedding...but /shrug I probably would have left it red if it weren't for me seeing people that I've known for a decade but haven't seen in 5+ years. Whether it's fair or not, there's a sort of social judgement that comes with having a hair color that isn't found in nature...

Another option: good old haircut.

I got a pretty significant cut a couple of months ago, but I get bored with my hair very quickly. Here's a picture from about a year and a half ago when I went really short with my hair.

Now, I loved the cut. I know I don't have the 'typical' physique to pull off this sassy haircut, but I loved it anyway. It was easy to manage [well...maybe not. I've got naturally curly hair that can get a bit unruly. When it was short, I did have to straighten it everyday I didn't want to wear a hat...but there was much less hair to straighten!]

I know that some people liked the cut on me, and some people hated it...but I'm the one that has to live with the hair, so...yeah.

[I should also note that this is the event that caused me to realize that the guy I was engaged to at the time definitely wasn't the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. This haircut had a purpose. I cut my hair as a show of support for a family member who was having a tough time medically. Knowing the reason why I cut my hair, he told me that I was hideous. I learned that, with him, looks mattered over everything  else...and this was after we'd been together for a good while and I thought maybe he loved me for who I was...I mean, hair grows back, duh. Turns out, damaged relationships don't fix nearly as easily as hair growing back. I'm sorry, but if you are malicious enough to tell the woman that you 'love' that she's hideous and 'it's not like you were a trophy girl to begin with,' you're asking for a break up with a complimentary slap in the face. Just saying.]

Rambling asides aside...I'm not absolutely sure that I want to go quite that short again. But my hair is still above my shoulders, so there's not much else I could do if I went the haircut route.

Lastly, I might get another ear piercing.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is my ear from earlier this year. Since that picture was taken, I've taken out the two upper cartilage piercings. [One by accident, one out of stupidity]

I love ear piercings. They're relatively inexpensive, they're not very painful, and, well, I like the way they look. However, there's always the risk of something not healing properly and all the nastiness that would entail...and the uber-conservative populace [my lovely parents included] frown upon having more than an ear piercing or two.

If I were to get another piercing, it would probably be similar to the picture to the left. [Cartilage, not lobe]

I think it's cute...

Anyway...it appears that I'm nowhere near deciding what I want to do. [not that that's a new thing for me...] So, what do you think?

Steamrolled...

Depression and I are long-time acquaintances...

Sometimes, I am able to do a good job of keeping it at bay. Others, it just steamrolls in and makes a mess of things.

Today is the latter.

Good Luck Chick...

I've decided that I'm the female version of 'Good Luck Chuck.'

Story of my life...sort of...

Any of you remember that movie?

It was a rom-com of sorts that came out back in 2007. The gist of the movie is that Chuck, played by Dane Cook, is good luck...more specifically, Chuck is good luck to whomever he dates. Turns out, Chuck is a bit of a ladies man and he goes through romantic conquests much faster than any 'gentleman' should. The slight twist? After Chuck dumps a girl, the next man she meets will be the love of her life. [Eh, there's a bit more...or less...to it though...IMDb reminded me that Chuck doesn't even have to date the girl, he just has to sleep with them. Classy, Chuck...classy.]

Anyway...

Yep, I'm a bit like this Chuck character. Well...aside from all the haphazard sleeping around, that is.

While sitting with my thoughts, as I tend to do far too often, I realized that the same sort of trend can be seen in my dating life...

If I date a guy, either a full-on 'Facebook official' relationship or lots of causal 'hang out' dates, shortly afterwards they get married! [In some cases, it was that they met the girl they'd get married to but the wedding wasn't until a year or two later...] What crazy, rotten luck, eh?

Though, I will say that I'm ecstatic to not be with a large portion of these men. [I feel like 'man child' would be a more accurate description for some of them...] As with most relationships that don't make the distance, there were insurmountable issues that lead to some of these relationships ending...and, all things considered, I don't regret making the decision to end these destructive relationships. But, I must admit, that there were a few relationships that soured due to my actions at the time...and it's those relationships that I sometimes find myself wishing that I'd handled differently. [Note: not all of the relationships I'm talking about were 'boyfriends'...some of them were friends are, unfortunately, no longer a part of my life...when it comes to 'relationships,' I think it's fair to consider friendships...a friend ship is still a relationship between two people, after all...]

Yep. A little bit strange, isn't it?

/sigh

I wonder if there's some sort of way to short-circuit the system...maybe become friends with myself?
/chuckle The last thing I need is to start talking to myself in public...it'll just give people one more reason to think I'm an odd duck...

Ideas? Tips?

Well played, Mortal Kombat Pizza,
well played....

Any guys looking to take advantage of my terrible luck? Look for me in Birmingham, shouldn't be hard to find me...I frequent the same half-a-dozen places regularly...I like movies, video games, and pizza. Provide any two of the three, and I'll consider making you a friend. But do be upfront about your intentions, okay?

Angry Appendixes and Holiday Shopping Woes...

Hey guys!

Hope that you've been having a good week so far...mine's been on the crazy side...

On Tuesday, my sister developed appendicitis...luckily, we were able to get her to an ER before appendix rupture became a possibility. She had appendicitis before, about 7 years ago...so the surgeon opted to go ahead and perform an appendectomy. [It's a little bit baffling that the doctors left it alone the first time...] Fortunately, she was a good candidate for a laproscopic procedure rather than the traditional appendectomy...she was out of the hospital and on her way home, post-op, in less than 24 hours!

University of Maryland Medical Center - Laproscopic Appendectomy [A little blurb on the procedure]

I'm definitely glad that she's doing well...hopefully, the rest of her recovery will continue to go smoothly...

Rogue vestigial organs aside, it's been a bit of a stressful week...

As I'm sure most people are, I'm definitely beginning to feel the financial crunch that comes with the holiday season. I love giving gifts to friends and family, but it's undeniably expensive! And does anyone else have that one person [or handful of people, in my case] that just seem impossible to shop for? It's frustrating!

I keep scouring my regular shopping websites [ThinkGeek, Amazon, and, most recently, Vat19] hoping that something will just 'click' as the perfect gift for so-and-so and that said gift is on uber-sale...no luck on either, as of yet...

Anybody out there that's excellent at picking out gifts? I could certainly use some tips!

And, just in case anybody was curious, 'appendixes' is apparently the proper word for referring to more than one appendix. The organ, not the additional texts at the end of a book.

Alone For The Holidays, But Far From Lonely...

So, it seems I've achieved a minor accomplishment...

Yay! Tree!

I managed to get my Christmas tree up! 

The last couple of years, I didn't end up getting our tree up until a week or so before Christmas...so, it's quite a relief to have it already taken care of.

I decided to go for a red and aqua/teal color scheme this year...I saw a few things on Pinterest using this color combination, and I ended up really liking it! From this particular angle, it looks like there aren't many blue ornaments, but I promise that they're there...I started off with blue, added red, and apparently went red-overboard...it would probably help if I used a camera other than the one attached to my phone...

In addition to the red and blue tree, I set up a small tree in my kiddo's room. He loves it...it's a blue tree, with blue ornaments, and a blue star...he's a big fan of blue...

Another accomplishment of sorts...[maybe it isn't quite right to label it an accomplishment]...

This is going to be my first holiday season without a significant other in about a decade. /ponders Yep...a decade is actually pretty darn close.

You know...I really thought that I would be more bothered by being single on the holidays than I am. Just the thought of it seems daunting. What with the season being pumped full of commercialism and marketing as it is, it's nearly impossible to turn on the television right now without being bombarded with commercials featuring ridiculously photogenic couples doing ridiculously adorable things while the ridiculously handsome man pulls out a ridiculously beautiful piece of ridiculously gorgeous jewelry, to which the ridiculously beautiful woman appears to be ridiculously surprised...then the commercial ends with a ridiculously perfect embrace and then the ridiculously inflated promotional prices. [Sensing a trend here? Maybe?]

But, it really hasn't been that bad. Not bad at all.

I'm finding that there's a lot less stress to be had being single during the holidays.

I don't have to struggle to figure out how to plan multiple family events. I don't have to figure out what on Earth to buy his mother, grandmother, and convict siblings [yeah...that actually applies to one ex in particular...]. I don't have to argue about 'who's family traditions are more important.' [Same ex as mentioned previously] It's just so much easier!

Not trying to say that I'd be absolutely opposed to having a 'better half' during the holidays...there are some things that I'll admit that I miss. But none of those things are worth having to endure a terrible relationship!

Maybe it's that I'm reaching that point of being 'okay' with not dating...I really wish that it had been something that I'd realized years ago, but I guess it's one of those 'better late than never' sort of life lesson.

You tell it, Taylor!

Having my kiddo around definitely helps in this case. I have to be rather selective about who and how I date...whomever I choose to have in my life will also be in my son's life. And that's no matter to take lightly! I now realize that in my dating past, I wasn't as selective as maybe I should have been. I made allowances for behaviors that I shouldn't have and I didn't put my foot down when I needed to...but...I've learned from those mistakes. I've got no choice but to learn from them!

So, I'm just not going to date for a while [not that this is a new development...I've been out of the dating scene for a good while now...]. I've got no plans on pursuing dating until I feel ready for it, and I don't feel embarrassed or unsure about my decision at all! Man, it feels great to not have second thoughts about something for a change!

I'm not the biggest Taylor Swift fan [though that's been changing here lately, as well...she just seems far more classy than the majority of female artists today...], but BuzzFeed ran a list of some of her quotes from this year. There were a few that I really liked and agreed with, but this one is, I feel, very relevant. She's a good four years, or so, younger than me, but she's absolutely right!

Who says that it's only the old who are wise? [Not me...nope!]