advent

at work today, i glanced at the calendar and noticed that it's the first sunday of advent. i mentioned it to my coworkers and, naturally, got a blank stare. "ok, so what is that?"
"the four sundays before Christmas are advent, which is kind of a count down to Christmas and Jesus being born."
"ok."
"and it also is for looking forward to Jesus coming again. it's really kind of exciting."
and then i got a look like i'm completely off my rocker. which is fine. i didn't expect anything else. but it makes me sad. i wish these people would know what Christmas is all about. i can't imagine thinking it's just about presents. how empty.
i also wish that churches would do more with the whole "Jesus is coming again" part of advent. i don't know what exactly, but it would be nice to be reminded of that. imagine what could happen if we all started living like it. :)

oh my

i had to work yesterday. it was fine. i got off at 2 and we ate at 4, so i didn't miss the meal, and i figure the old people at the home have to eat, so i really didn't mind working thanksgiving. i had failed to take one thing into consideration, however.

i missed the macy's thanksgiving day parade. now, i know, it's the same every year, from the rockettes, to the kermit balloon, to the bands, to the cheesy brodway number, to the ronald mcdonald balloon, to the turkey with the trying to be relevant recording artist lypsynching her latest song, to the snoopy balloon. but it always ends the same, too. with the arrival of the macy's santa. and as any Christmas movie buff can tell you, the macy's santa is the real thing. his arrival is the official arrival of the Christmas season.

and i missed it! i'm now at a loss. how will Christmas ever come?

now i know my abc's. seriously, i do. you can stop now.

my tub faucet drips. some people might find this annoying. i, however, choose to think positively. it could be just a normal constant drip, but instead, it sounds more like this.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Ephesians 5:20

people who do drugs annoy me

i can't have phenylaphrine, which is one of the main ingredients in cold medicine, now that they're not allowed to use pseudophedrine because of dumb meth people. this means that i always have to go up to the counter and ask for the real stuff. i don't use cold medicine all that often since a) i don't get sick that often, b) i'm stubborn and use as little medication as possible, and c) i'm just too dang cheap, so this really doesn't affect me too much.
today, however, i went to the store after work to get some medicine. (i was very proud of myself for remembering to bring money with me, since i never bring a purse with me to work.) when i got to the counter and asked for the medicine, the woman asked if she could see my i.d. doh! i.d. the thought never even crossed my mind. seeing as i don't bring a purse with me to work, i didn't have my driver's license, so i couldn't get my medicine.
i was so annoyed. i'm a nice, innocent person - why would i even think of i.d.? and the maddening thing is that a meth user would've already thought of it, and had that covered, with either a fake or a stolen one. so once again, the innocent get punished instead of the bad.
i don't like druggies.

why i love my boss (today, anyway)

our main cook makes the best swedish meatballs ever. however, almost a year ago now, my boss switched the menu around so that the meatballs were on on his day off. i was devastated. the other cook puts nutmeg in them. nutmeg. in meatballs. not scrumptous (though apparently she thinks so). she also makes a different gravy which is not nearly as good.
anyway, so my boss was looking for new ideas for the winter menu. she was all excited a couple weeks ago and told her i had a great idea. "put meatballs on on a monday." knowing that the normal cook and i both work every monday, she laughed, and didn't say anything more about it, so i figured that was that.
but no - for once someone listened to me! we had swedish meatballs today! granted, i then ate so much that i was so full i couldn't move to clean up after lunch, but it was worth it. so so yummy.
thank you, boss! and thank you even more, cook, who makes such wonderful food!

just wrong

my mother gave me 1 m&m the other day. (does that even count as an m&m, if it's only one?) who just eats one m&m? it's like eating one skittle or one chip or one goldfish (cracker, not pet - if it's a pet, i'm pretty sure you're allowed to eat just one). and then she laughed at me cuz she knew it was bothering me. so mean.

not to mention...

lest you worry

i did not wake up dead today

one time i didn't have lyme disease

i got some kind of bite on my arm, it had a huge almost square red spot, and my arm was numb. they thought i might have lyme disease, so they put me on drugs for it, but turns out i didn't have it.
well, yesterday and today my [other] arm has had the same numb feeling. my mom is completely unsympathetic and says i'm fine, it's just a pinched nerve. but what if it's not and i was bit by some kind of poisonus thing and my arm is going to fall off and i'm going to be paralyzed or worse. she's gonna be awful sorry when i wake up dead tomorrow.

some things i like about winter

the mittens my mom made for me, the scarf my niece knitted for me, my jammies that consist of my brother's old sweatshirt and my dad's old sweatpants, :)

thank heaven for directions

Kraft Easy Cheese:

"For best results, remove cap..."

i've always wondered what would happen if i shot for decent results.

quote of the day

"happiness is doing a polka." - 20 year old guy behind me at target

(see, boys should learn to dance, then they'd be happy)

while we're on the topic of driving...

- why are boulevards and parkways only 25mph? they're free of stop signs and stop lights. why isn't it that you go faster there than on normal streets?
- dear bikers, just because you're saving the environment doesn't mean that you have the right to be in my way. especially if you have a bike path! (seriously, they ride on the street next to the bike path. what is that about?)
- why do people turn their turn signals on when they're in the intersection? 100 feet ahead of time people (in case you were wondering - that's 2 1/2 houses). otherwise, don't insult me with your fake little 'i warned you.' no, you didn't.
- people who drive toward me on side streets on which cars are parked on both sides - if i'm being nice enough to let you go first, speed up, don't slow down.

that's it for now.

cutest teddy bear ever

seriously, how cute is he?
(i just wish these videos would come in clearer)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctw-NXqYjGM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTgpJKWqC4o

i almost died again

in the 4 1/2 block trip to work yesterday, i almost got into a car accident. (yes, i know, i should walk it. but it's 5:30 in the morning and i'm a girl and there are scary men out there.)
between the dark, the rain, the fact that i wasn't awake yet, and perhaps the fact that i was speeding, i somehow misjudged how far away a car was and tried to squeeze between 2 parked cars before he got there. apparently he was thinking the same thing, cuz he came flying toward me. i swerved, trying not to hit one of the parked cars, unable to stop because the leaves were all slippery, and almost died. thankfully nothing happened, other than a serious squealing of tires. and me waking up, which was an odd feeling, considering i'm used to sleep-walking through my first 2 hours at work.

another reason i'm jealous of boys

not only do they get to jump from moving vehicles into huge piles of leaves, they don't have to go to pampered chef parties. or creative memories parties. or jewelry parties.
why do women do this to themselves? thank heavens i always manage to find an excuse not to go. this week i can't make the mary kay party because it's at the same time as my llama's dental appointment.

fall is my favorite season

and raking leaves is my favorite outside chore. how great would it be if it led to this?

CD Review: "Freedom," Michael W. Smith

I know, it's been out for 8 years, but I hadn't listened to it in awhile, and am listening to it now. It is very, very good. It's his orchestral cd, and is absolutely beautiful. While he's okay as a singer, he's a phenomenal composer. This and his first Christmas cd make me crave more. Here's hoping.

I like the Irish-soundingness of some of the tracks, and the meditativeness (is that a word?) of some of the others (although track 10 leaves something to be desired). It sounds like a movie soundtrack (and I'm a huge soundtrack buff). It has the intensity, the joy, and the quiet moments of a soundtrack, and it all flows together like one piece. It's great.

what is wrong with people?

today's rude person story:

i went to get gas. a big tanker was there, filling up the pumps. the guy said it was ok for me to fill up, so i did. shortly thereafter, a man came to fill up his truck. then, just as i was finishing, a woman pulled up behind me and started her pump. and then proceeded to get on her cell phone.

tanker guy: could you turn off your phone, please?

woman (with major attitude): could you ask a little nicer?!

tanker guy: i said please.

woman (all indignant-like): ugh!

she then stepped back about 5 feet and continued her conversation. the men and i just looked at each other, and then i left.

seriously, woman. if the tanker guy asks you to get off the phone, get off the phone! i don't care if you want to blow yourself up, but don't take me with you!

my lunch today

string cheese, a couple crackers, and a fun-size kit-kat

halloween

no haunted house next door this year. which sadly meant no 'thriller' for 4 hours straight. although maybe it's not so sad. last year i spent the whole night wishing i was watching the video so i could dance along, whereas this year i didn't feel like i was missing out on anything. so that was good.
also, because i had to work last minute til 7:30, i only got to see 6 trick-or-treaters. no one was home at my house, actually. and we had 10 bags of candy. 10. i don't know why i didn't just give them each a bag. but i didn't. so if anybody wants to come trick-or-treat at my house, please do!