GloZell: Don't Leave Your Dog With My Mother

Okay, I swear that I'll post some actual entries soon, but this was too good not to share. Her videos are hilarious. She reminds me of random people I talked to in NOLA. In retrospect, that probably explains a lot...

Wow.

You know, sometimes I wonder about the things they come up with.

Measure? Measure!

I wonder how tall I am when measured in tubes of toothpaste?

Kroger's The Truly Awesome(TM) Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookie

I love being a BzzAgent. Why? Because I get to try awesome products like this in exchange for sharing my opinions with as many people as possible!

I'm a fan of saving money, so I tend to buy store brands whenever possible. To be honest, many store brands have just as much quality as their competitors' products... sometimes, they even have more quality. The Kroger brand, to me, represents quality at an affordable price. Needless to say, these cookies lived up to my expectations.

Normally, I prefer soft/chewy cookies. The Kroger cookies are more on the crunchy side, but I wasn't bothered by the texture- a little milk just added more to the treat. The cookies were more flavorful than some of the other shelf-stable brands. I shared them with my partner and our friends; everyone really enjoyed them (especially my partner, who pretty much ran off with a box all to herself, ha ha).

I'd definitely recommend these cookies to any thrifty individuals who are looking for a treat with a decent shelf-life. These cookies don't taste very homemade (to me), but they're a great alternative to many products that are currently on grocers' shelves.

Two Lesbians Had a Baby...

This video seems to have gone viral as of late. For a 19-year-old, this young man is incredibly well-spoken. His honest, heartfelt appeal is something that makes me feel proud... and he's not even my son.

Families are beautiful, especially because they are different from one another.

Surgery: Survival

I lived! I'm in some pain now, but for the most part I'm doing alright. I plan to spend my weekend recuperating and relaxing; on Monday, I'll start training for a new department at work.

Good times.

For now, I have painkillers and 30 Rock: better times.

Surgery Date: November 10th

It's a little sad that in order to accomplish anything, the patient has to make all the phone calls and follow up to ensure that all the requested documentation has been sent/received. One month later, my surgery has been scheduled for Thursday, November 10th. It should be a simple surgery, as I've said before. My girlfriend managed to get the day off so that she can be with me. I'm excited and hopeful; I really want the surgery to fix the pain in my left hand. It's caused a lot of frustration in my life, especially where work is concerned. It's hard to type for eight hours a day when the action of typing causes severe pain.

I'm also frustrated because the pain I've experienced has discouraged me from writing much- here and elsewhere. How can I focus my energy on writing when it's laborious and painful to do so?

Here's hoping for a solution to the problem and for a speedy recovery from the surgery. I'm going to be moving to another department on November 14th, which is going to be interesting. At least I won't have to type much as I sit through the training classes required for the move.

On a final note, it's snowing today. The snow came a bit later this year. I'll have to take some pictures when I'm out and about. This blog definitely needs more pictures, especially if I'm the photographer behind them. This blog also needs a better layout... I'll have to work on that. Baby steps!

This Is Halloween, This Is Halloween...

Everyone hail to the pumpkin song!

The Saga of My Poor Left Hand

I'm typing this entry primarily with one hand. I saw the specialist on October 4th, and he said that he would submit a pre-authorization for surgery to my claims adjuster (through Workers' Comp). Three weeks later, I'd heard nothing. After several phone calls, I received a voicemail from the specialist's assistant. Apparently, three weeks later, the claims adjuster decided to let them know that they never received the pre-authorization.

Three. Weeks. Later.

Are you kidding me?

So, the specialist's office faxed the pre-authorization again; this time, the claims adjuster acknowledged receipt. Alas, my proverbial princess is in another castle: my claim now has to be transferred to another department, where another claims adjuster will probably want to speak with me over the phone. As much as I wish that I'd get a phone call tomorrow, I have high doubts that this will happen. In fact, I'm starting to get depressed over how much my hand is hurting. I have sympathy now for those with carpal tunnel; it's amazing that something so small can cause so much discomfort. I've had trouble sleeping, my hand gets swollen, I've lost my grip (and dropped quite a few things as a result), and it's harder for me to accomplish as much at work. I feel like I'm moving through molasses, moving in slow-motion... just plodding along, doing my best, despite the burning/throbbing sensations in my hand.

It's borderline ridiculous that we have to jump through so many hoops and relentlessly pester so many people just to get anything done. I'm in pain. Typing for eight hours a day led to this pain. The solution to the pain (surgery) is quick and simple. Fix the pain quickly, solve the problem, before it gets worse. I guess my impatience may stem from the herniated disc that I suffered a few years ago. It took forever for the doctors to figure out what was wrong with me. It was actually a physical therapist who first suspected the herniated disc. In the meantime, the bulging disc was crushing a nerve root, which caused shooting pains and numbness along my left arm. Even after that surgery, I've had lasting back pain and dulled sensations on my left arm. Case in point: treating things before they have time to cause other problems is the best solution.

Let's just cross our fingers and hope that this particular issue can be resolved soon. I had forgotten how depressing it feels to be in pain.

Suzanne Westenhoefer 05/15/2011

My girlfriend introduced me to a lesbian comedian by the name of Suzanne Westenhoefer. Once I heard some of her routines, I was hooked; she's funny as hell, and her sketches about her mom remind me a little of my girlfriend's mom. We were fortunate enough to see her perform live at The Paper Moon on 05/15/2011. I trolled YouTube for a minute and found this clip from one of her performances; check it out!

Surgery

Assuming that the pre-authorization request is approved by Worker's Comp, I'll be having surgery to fix my tenosynovitis. This has been going on for awhile now, and nothing else we've tried has worked, so frankly I'm ready for surgery. It sounds like the surgery will be minimal, quick, and have a fast recovery time. I found a video of the surgery on YouTube, which you can see above. It's definitely not for the squeamish, but it's a really informative video. It's strange that something so small can cause such a great amount of pain. At least the solution is relatively simple: "release" the sheath around the tendon, thus giving the tendon more room to move around.

I really hope that Worker's Comp will approve the request. I've worked my ass off for the company, which has brought me to this point; the least they can do is fix the problem for me so that it doesn't inconvenience other areas of my life.

And now... we wait...

RIP Steve Jobs

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

How true...

Schfifty-Five

Another trip down Memory Lane! Anyone else remember this one?

Cooking: Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bacon chocolate chip cookies. Sounds weird, right? It's something I've been hearing more and more about, these days. I think it's something to do with the "sweet and savory" craze in the baking world; I've also heard about adding bacon to muffins and even to chocolate bars, but I digress. I'd been hearing so much about bacon chocolate chip cookies that I just had to try making them myself. Using Google, I located a random recipe and decided to give it a shot. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I thought that the bacon flavor might be a bit overwhelming, but it actually balances quite well with the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the cookies. To be honest, the cookies tasted even better the next day; maybe the flavors balanced themselves a bit as they settled.

Want to try it? Here's the recipe that I used.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
1/3 cup chopped cooked bacon
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray them with non-stick cooking spray). Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add one egg and beat until blended into the butter mixture. Add the remaining egg, the vanilla extract, and the maple extract; beat until blended and slightly fluffy. Stir in the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing just until combined. Stir in the bacon and chocolate chips. Scoop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

...So, if you tried it, what do you think? Better than you expected? Worse?

Hyakugojyuuichi! Memories.

I think I discovered this sometime during my freshman year of college. Wow, memories. Give me back my sweater or I'll play the guitar!

The Drive-In

Up until the summer of 2011, I had never been to the local drive-in. I was fairly antisocial in high school. I moved to Louisiana for college. I was just too busy with life once I returned to Utah (after Hurricane Katrina in 2005). I guess it's not surprising that my parents never took me to the drive-in when I was younger; it's not really their "thing." Needless to say, I'm happy that I was finally able to experience the drive-in.

The excitement builds even as you stop for snacks at a nearby store; you can hear various patrons talking about the drive-in while they select their snacks and drinks. Cars line up to pay for their tickets; the lines are quite long, usually. Smaller cars tend to park closer to the screen, while bigger cars (and trucks like our Tundra) park towards the back. Bringing the truck just makes the entire experience so much better; we throw our air mattress in the truck bed and have a cozy spot to enjoy the films.

Concessions are cheaper than your average movie theater, which is nice. We brought everything except for a bag of popcorn; we bought that at the drive-in. I mean, you just can't see a movie without popcorn, right?

I love how "eventful" the drive-in can be. Families set up little camps; they eat dinner and let their children run and play afterwards. Everyone waits for the sun to set, anticipating the moment the movie screens come to life. Since each screen is a double-feature, most of the cars will remain in the lot until almost 2:00 a.m.

At first, I was afraid that I'd be too distracted by all of the activity, that I would miss the movies and not enjoy the experience quite as much. I was a little surprised, because I wound up enjoying the drive-in more than any other theater I've been to. The drive-in is an experience that I'll cherish above other movie viewings, simply because of the environment. I'll never forget the warm summer breeze, the giggling children in the next car, the distant fireworks in the night sky, or holding my girlfriend close to me as we lay under a blanket of stars.

My kids are definitely going to experience a drive-in. Everyone should, really.

Sexy and I Know It

This song is definitely on my "workout" playlist. I just had to share the video, though. It's the most random video that I've seen in awhile. Really, I think they just wanted an excuse to shake their crotches for the cameras.

Thoughts.

I've been giving a lot of thought as to what I want to do with this blog, exactly. It hasn't been easy to find time for updates; I've moved, I'm working on school stuff, I'm trying to score some writing/editing gigs, and we've been finishing parts of my parents' basement, to name a few of the activities I've been engaged in. I do need to make more time for blogging, because honestly it's a great way to relieve stress and organize my thoughts. I've also found writing to be a more effective way of connecting with other people. Verbal communication may not be one of my strengths, but I wield the written word as effectively as a saber.

While I want to chronicle various episodes in my own life, I'd also like to "broaden my horizons" a bit. You may start to see posts on politics, the business world, and life on the autism spectrum. It's fun to share my own experiences with the world, but I'm restless and in need of a challenge. Maybe writing about different topics will help me to defeat my old foe (writer's block) and to develop my abilities in the process.

Either way, it'll be fun, and isn't a good part of life all about having fun?

Rain Over Me

Great, another song that will be stuck in my head all day...!

Pitbull talks from one side of his mouth. Random observation for y'all.

Indecisive.

I can't decide which blogging site is best suited to my needs: Tumblr, Blogger, or WordPress. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses. I feel like I should be able to just pick one and go with it, but I find myself wavering as I debate the pros and cons of each.

So many changes are occurring in my life right now. Welcome changes, to be sure, but also changes that are keeping me pretty busy. It's nice to feel like I'm truly focused on my goals, but I also feel like I've been too busy to indulge my creative side. I need to create some downtime in the near future, and indulge my creativity to its fullest.

I might be more inclined towards a creative spurt if the powers that be could fix my "crippled" left hand. I've been passed along to a specialist, but I have to wait until the 14th to hear what they have to say about my situation. Sure would be nice to have full use of my left hand once again; you never notice how much you rely on having two hands until one of them is out of commission.

What a hazy night. Smells like smoke. Is there a fire burning somewhere? Or is it just the pollution settling over the valley and searing into my lungs?

Fancy.

I have Anne's old HTC Thunderbolt, which has given me access to lots of shiny apps to play with.

I foresee more writing in my future.

Dirty Dancer

The song and video of the moment...

Ever notice how guys rarely dance in videos like this? They'll move around, sure, but they don't really "dance"... not like the women do, anyway.

I should learn how to "move" like these guys and bust a few moves the next time I go out...

Paintin'...

Well, we're in Ogden tonight. For Father's Day, Anne's dad wanted everyone to help him paint their house. So tonight, we drove up and got everything ready to go; tomorrow morning, we'll all pitch in and get 'er done.

There's a lot on my mind... so much that I want to say, think about, dump here in this blog... soon. First... we paint.

First You Make a Roux...

I'm from the south, and I can honestly say that I love great food. I think great food is just a huge part of the southern culture. My girlfriend, the chef, has been fascinated with southern cooking. A few months ago, she asked me if I could make gumbo. I think that's because she saw Bobby Flay having a gumbo throwdown somewhere in New Orleans. At any rate, I was determined to impress her. For some reason, I feel shy when cooking for my girlfriend. I know that I'm a decent cook, and I have some great recipes under my belt, but cooking isn't my profession. I know she's not going to critique me or anything, and I've actually learned a lot from her, but for some reason I still feel a little shy cooking for her. Oh well.

Anyway, when asked to make gumbo, I decided to spend a Sunday afternoon fulfilling this tasty request. First, I made a roux:

The Roux:
-1 cup flour
-2/3 cup vegetable oil
-LOTS of stirring and patience!

Some recipes use butter or corn oil to make a roux. I think corn oil works best, but I used vegetable oil this time just because it's what we had in the cupboard. I prefer to use a large spatula when I'm stirring the roux; it covers a larger surface area and makes the whole process a little less stressful. The type of gumbo you're making will determine the color of your roux (and thus, the time you must spend making the roux); for this recipe, I wanted a caramel color- something close to the shade of peanut butter. I'd say that it took me about 45 minutes to achieve a satisfactory color for my roux. Even though I'm not a professional chef, I can share one important (and obvious) tip with y'all: don't ever walk away from the roux. Don't ever quit stirring the roux. If you walk away from the roux, the flour will burn and you'll have to start all over again. Trust me, patience and persistence are virtues when it comes to a good roux.

Now, my girlfriend had requested a seafood gumbo. I wanted to throw in a good mix of stuff; here are the ingredients that I used:

The Gumbo:
-1 stick butter/margarine
-1 pound cut okra (frozen is fine, that's what I used)
-3 pounds raw shrimp (peeled, unless you want to peel 'em yourself)
-1 cup sliced andouille (or any type of lean sausage)
-1 package of crawfish tails
-2 chopped onions (approximately 3 cups)
-1 large green pepper (chopped)
-1 cup chopped celery
-3 cloves of minced garlic
-2 quarts of seafood stock (you can use chicken stock if you have to)
-1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
-1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
-1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
-3 bay leaves
-1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
-chopped green onions (to taste)

Chop the vegetables and set them aside before starting the roux. Fun fact: the "holy trinity" of gumbo refers to the chopped onions, chopped bell pepper, and chopped celery. Then, in a large pot, melt the butter and add the okra. Cook the okra on medium heat for about 15 minutes, then set the pot aside. Now, you can start the roux. Once you have a caramel-colored roux, add the chopped vegetables and stir until soft (approximately seven minutes). Add one or two cups of broth to the roux and stir until smooth. Transfer everything to the larger pot and combine the two.

Now, add the tomatoes, the remaining stock, garlic, andouille, crawfish tails, and seasonings. Do not add the green onions yet. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 1-2 hours (2 hours is best if you have the time), stirring about every 15 minutes.

When you're almost ready to eat, add the shrimp and simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat. Be careful not to overcook, as the shrimp will get tough.

Serve with rice and add chopped green onions as a garnish.

The verdict? My girlfriend loved it, and I had a lot of fun making it!

Love

When I met her, I had no idea that we could have a romantic future together. These days, I can't imagine my life without her. I was attracted to her from the start, but things were unnecessarily complicated for awhile. Actually, remembering our first meeting still makes me laugh. We were at a party for her ex-roommate. Someone couldn't hold their liquor and threw up in the kitchen sink after one shot of Jaeger. Although I was disgusted by this, I was also starving because I had forgotten to eat that day, so I was watching all of this from a corner of the kitchen whilst consuming a chicken wing. Memorable, no?

At the time, a few people were causing a lot of drama for random reasons. In particular, one person would soon use to me in order to get closer to someone else. Although the "game" was explained to me later by a third party observer, it was nonetheless upsetting and hurtful at the time. In spite of the drama that would soon unfold, I felt an instant connection with the lady who would eventually become my girlfriend. When I looked into her eyes I saw a very genuine individual with a kind heart. Her eyes were sad at the time, but when she smiled it really lit up the entire room. We talked quite a bit that night, taking shots until she went to bed and I passed out on her couch for a few hours.

When the dramatic game unfolded, she was the only person who saw the game for what it was and chose not to believe everything she heard. We continued to talk and slowly formed a close friendship. Months later, I found out that a mutual friend told her that I spoke to her differently than I did with most anyone else; I seemed to put her on a pedestal and be more of a "gentleman" around her. In truth, what was happening was that I was finally letting my defensive, cocky, crude mask slip away. I didn't have to pretend that I was someone else around her; she seemed to like me for who I was. At a time when I felt uncertain about my future, when I was struggling to find my way, she allowed me to just be myself. It really helped me to step back and examine my life; goals that had seemed so unattainable finally seemed within my grasp. She was a rock, a current that made me stronger and propelled me towards my goals.

Oh, and did I mention that I adore her family, too? From our first meetings, I knew that I wanted to be a part of their family. One of the biggest problems that I had with my ex's family is that they were never welcoming and went out of their way to treat me poorly. I'm a family-oriented person at heart, and I couldn't imagine a future with people like that. My concept of family, the kind of family that I wanted to create, was defined and solidified after I broke up with her. When I met my girlfriend's family, I saw my definition come to life. I knew, I just had a feeling, that this is where I wanted to be. I love the family parties, the gatherings, the holidays, the stories... I love everything, even the imperfections.

Life with my girlfriend has been amazing; things get better and better with each new day. We have lots of adventures, even if all we do is play with hula hoops at Wal-Mart. No matter how crappy my day is, just coming home to her makes everything alright. I can honestly say that I see my future with this beautiful, strong, intelligent, AMAZING woman- and it's dazzling. Whatever else life may bring, I know that she's the one for me, the one that I want to create a family with. Even as I write this, I can hardly wait to go cuddle up next to her and fall asleep, with our boys curled up by our feet.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that... I'm in love and it's amazing. She makes me stronger; I fall more in love with her every day. This is where I belong; everything else will fall into place.

Wow, I must be feeling sappy tonight, eh? What can I say...? I love you, sweetheart. Every day!

Birthday Vandalism 2011

Although my birthday isn't until Monday (June 6th), the festivities kicked off today with some good ol' fashioned desk vandalism at work. Amanda did a great job with the vandalism! I enjoyed eating nothing but sugary treats all day; my stomach is enjoying the aftermath a little less.

Can't believe that I'm going to be 28 soon. In two more years, I'll be 30. I'm already sporting some gray hair. I don't understand what the fuss is, but my girlfriend seems to be quite concerned about it. I should bleach my hair white just to freak her out! Wow, then I really would look like an albino...

Well, cheers to my three day weekend, and here's hoping for some good times with family and friends for the 28th anniversary of my relationship with life!

De Quervain's Tenosynovitis

After several days of pain/numbness/tingling/burning sensations in my left wrist, I reported the injury to my supervisor at work. I'm a stubborn person when it comes to pain; living with chronic back/neck pain has made me a pretty tolerant person when it comes to dealing with pain. This wrist pain, however, was no fun at all. Mostly, it was the burning sensations and the numbness that concerned me; these symptoms flared up at work and carried over to my home and social life. I mean, I couldn't even twist the cap off of a milk jug- how sad is that?

So my supervisor, who was just recently promoted to said position, got to share in a fabulous Work Care adventure with me. I had been to Work Care once before, so I knew what to expect. I saw an extremely butch woman there, and we exchanged the universal gay nod before we proceeded to ignore each other. My supervisor fidgeted and looked through a parenting magazine with me, where we mocked unusual toys such as the "placenta teddy bear" (I'm not even making that up). When I was called back to see a doctor, I just answered a bunch of questions and succumbed to the usual exam. When the doctor informed me that I had "de quervain's tenosynovitis", my first reaction was to say "gesundheit." Then, when I realized that she had actually stated the medical name of some condition, I wondered if she had just made it up. She explained everything to me, and I was given a brace to wear for the time being. The brace is incredibly annoying, as it prevents me from moving/utilizing my thumb. Since what I have means that the tendons attached to my thumb are horribly inflamed and not functioning properly, the brace is doing the right thing; still, it's frustrating because I'm so used to being able to use my thumbs for everyday tasks. It's also bulky and likes to get in the way of everyday activities.

So, the doctor at Work Care also said that I shouldn't be using my left hand at all. It's been a whole day and work still hasn't decided what to do with me. I hate the way that people make you feel at work when you've been injured. They look at you like you're trying to scam them, or like the injury is your fault. It's not my fault that I'm injured- I do everything that I'm supposed to: stretches, ergonomics, etc. It doesn't help that the new head of HR doesn't like me very much, so that's just been adding to my stress.

Needless to say, it's been a crazy week. I'm ready for my long weekend. I can't believe that I'll be turning 28 soon. Time has been flying by... Where will my next adventures take me?

So Long, Oprah...

I hate to jump on the proverbial bandwagon, but I'd feel somewhat remiss if I didn't say something about the end of an era. Her first show aired in 1984; the last aired in 2011. I was less than a year old when she began her television career, but I remember her presence in our household throughout most of my life. Although I liked to tease my mom about her love of Oprah, I had to hand it to her... she fought hard to overcome adversity and wound up building a veritable empire for herself. It's a little weird to think that her talk show won't be a part of my mom's routine anymore: no more stories about what she saw on Oprah, or any nagging tips based on information she received from the latest episode of Oprah.

I'll admit that I enjoyed watching Oprah's giveaway episodes, as well as the episodes where she and her BFF (Gayle) did random things (like embark on a cross-country road trip).

Apparently, her last episode was "uneventful" in that it didn't feature any special gimmicks or focus on celebrity appearances; rather, it was centered on Oprah delivering a heartfelt "thank you" to the audience that's followed her faithfully over the years. Her final words?

"I thank you for sharing this yellow brick road of blessings. I thank you for tuning in everyday... I thank you for being as much of a sweet inspiration for me as I’ve tried to be for you. I won’t say good-bye. I’ll just say, Until we meet again. To God be the glory."

Although I have no interest in being a talk show host, I have to admit... it would be pretty cool to have as much of an impact on people as Oprah did. I'm sure that she'll continue to be influential and successful in whatever she does next. Thanks for the memories, Oprah... my mom, for one, will definitely miss you!

AFLAC!

Maybe it's my love of ducks, but I'm a little obsessed with this new commercial...

Aflaaaaaaaac!

It's the End of the World As We Know It

...and I feel fine.

Assuming the rapture doesn't occur tomorrow, I may actually sit down and write something of substance. Hopefully, the fact that's been raining all week isn't some sort of flood omen. I didn't have nearly enough time to build an ark.

Home Grown

It's FINALLY starting to warm up in Utah! One of my favorite things about this time of year is growing my own vegetables. Well, I live in an apartment right now, so technically I borrow my parents' yard for my agricultural pursuits. My parents have more time to spend on gardening, but I like to pitch in whenever I can.

For the past few years, my parents have experimented with growing a variety of vegetables. My favorite? The tomatoes. Their tomatoes taste so much better than the tomatoes we buy in the stores during the rest of the year. Maybe it's the lack of pesticides, maybe it's because they were planted/tended with a little more TLC, or maybe it's a combination of both. Whatever the reason, I can't wait for the tomatoes to ripen.

It's the little things...

It's Been Awhile

Wow, I have a lot to say. I also need to finish up a few blog posts that I've saved as drafts. Maybe someday I'll actually have a few readers! One can dream, eh?

School has kept me busy for the past few months. Now that I've completed these classes, I can apply for the graduate certificate program, which is a prerequisite for the master's degree program that I'm interested in. So, it looks like I'll be taking three or four classes next semester, but at least this time I'll qualify for loans and grants. School definitely isn't cheap... sad but true.

Work is still work... boring and slightly irritating. Oh well, another day another dollar. At least I have a job. It's our slow season right now, which is good and bad. Good because it gives us more opportunities to leave early, and bad because I wish they were offering overtime right now. It's been hard to put a lot of money in savings when I have school bills to pay. It's worth it, no arguments there... just frustrating at times, because there are other things that I want to do, too.

Speaking of which, I sure wish the weather would improve. We had a few days of summer weather before the nasty winter weather popped up once again. Utah has only two seasons, I swear... summer and winter. I'm ready for the summer! I want to be outdoors. I want to go fishing, camping, shooting, and hiking. I'd also like to go boating and maybe even tubing. I have a few short road trips in mind, too, if I can hustle up some cash. I'd sure like to go hiking around Moab or the Grand Canyon... it would also be fun to visit the Coors factory in Colorado. Just sayin'.

Oh well. Enough rambling for tonight; I'll finish some older blog posts tomorrow and we'll go from there...!

Sun Drop Commercial

When I saw this commercial, it struck me as something my girlfriend would find hilarious. Sure enough, she laughed her ass off when I showed her. I actually don't like the drink, but the commercial is pretty damn funny...

So. Freaking. Adorable.

Now I want to tickle a penguin. Seriously, how adorable is this? I might implode from the cuteness...

Busy Busy Busy

I've been working on several blogs, but school keeps getting in the way of me actually completing anything. Damnation! Oh well, I'll have more to say soon. For now, let it be known that I'm a cereal slut...

Fun with Taxes

 

Oddly enough, I love tax season. This is probably because I tend to get a nice refund instead of owing money. Yeah, owing money would suck. Right now, since I don't owe money to the government, tax season is kind of like another Christmas or something. It's too bad that I can't claim Skippy as a dependent; that earned income credit is certainly tempting.  

So, what did I do with my tax refund? Well, I did the responsible thing and paid some bills. I also put some of it towards our trip to New Orleans in March. I still have some of it in my bank account, believe it or not; once I've created a nice little buffer for myself, I plan to splurge on a new iPod. My old one finally died after many years of service. I'm thinking an iPod touch may be in my future...

In a lame, adult kind of way, I'm proud of myself for creating a small financial buffer. It's nowhere near the six month emergency fund that I hope to accumulate, but it's a good start. My financial situation is much better these days, and I'm grateful for that. I put a lot of hard work into creating this situation for myself; happily, it's paid off.

Mardi Gras 2011

 

So, for the first adventure of 2011, I decided to bring my lovely girlfriend home with me for Mardi Gras. We arrived late on Saturday, March 5th. It had been raining heavily for the past day or two, so the air smelled damp and fresh. It's difficult for me to describe that smell in words, but "fresh" definitely seems fitting. It rains pretty frequently in New Orleans, and each rain brings with it this rejuvenating sense of freshness and rebirth. I love it.

After our plane landed, we went to claim our baggage and then took a shuttle to the Budget rental car lot. I was amused to find that our rental car was the exact same car that I was given in Utah while my car (Bling) was in the shop: a white Hyundai Sonata. You know, I've never been a big fan of Hyundai, but I will say that I like the Sonata. It's pretty slick. Aside from being white (my least favorite color), I can't really complain about our rental car; the gas mileage was amazing, the interior was comfortable, and we were even graced with XM radio! Oh, the rental car was really new, too; when we picked it up, it only had about 200 miles on the odometer. Nice.

Once we had acquired some slick wheels for our adventure, we headed off to my buddy Fader's apartment in the CBD. She lives in a nice apartment building on Terpsichore. We didn't have any trouble finding it, and even got to show my girl the Superdome on our way there. Since we arrived late, we didn't do much that night; we sat up and talked with Fader for a long time, getting all caught up on everything. Then we (not so gracefully) set up our air mattress and went to sleep.

On Sunday, we went to "brunch" with Fader at Nacho Mama's. To start the day off right, we all ordered some drinks. Brunch was great; I was also happy to hear that Juan's Flying Burrito was still around. After brunch, we parked in a residential area and walked up to the parades. We also met up with some other friends, Astrid and Harry. We were going to meet up with Leslie, but she and her man left right before we showed up. Oh, and we were standing behind some very stinky little boys for the parades. Argh. After awhile, Harry informed us that he was dying of hunger, so we trekked back to Magazine St. and decided to eat at Reginelli's. My girl and I split a really tasty sandwich. Once we had satisfied Harry's hunger, we walked back to the parades and watched for awhile. Once we had caught enough beads, we headed back to the apartment. We were still hungry, so I decided to take my girl to Dot's Diner. It's not the fanciest place, or even the best diner, but it holds a lot of great memories for me and I really do love it... which is a good thing, because they were VERY crowded (thanks to the Mardi Gras season) and we had to wait two hours for our food. Oh well. Needless to say, we went back to the apartment and crashed HARD after that.

When we woke up on Monday, we showered and got ready to attend a funeral. My good friend Ana's mom had passed away just a few days prior to our arrival. Since I love my friend, I wanted to support her by going to the funeral. So, after primping a bit, we were on our way to Baton Rouge! Thankfully, we had XM Radio to keep us entertained. Oddly enough, there was quite a bit of traffic on the way to Baton Rouge. Oh well. The funeral was nice (well, as nice as those things can be), and it was really great to see Ana. Her mom was a good person; she will be missed by many. After the funeral, Ana wanted to have a drink and unwind for a minute before heading to her sister's house for some family time. So we went to this random place in downtown Baton Rouge. It had a "surfer" theme, or something. My girl and I shared some pork sliders, which were pretty good. I enjoyed the sweet potato fries and the frozen margarita that I had. We all hung out for awhile, then Ana went off to attend to some family things and Anne and I got ready for the trip back to New Orleans. First, we stopped at a local Albertson's to pick up some essentials. I was excited because we bought a king cake (YUM) and some Zapp's potato chips. It's the little things, really. Then, I took Anne to a Waffle House. She had never been, and Waffle House is... well... it's WAFFLE HOUSE... so, it was a must. When we got back to New Orleans, Fader was ready for some fun. We invited our friend Leslie to meet us, and we all went to Down the Hatch. After a few Irish car bombs and some cheese fries, we headed across the street to the Half Moon. Our friend Alex came by, along with his lady, and we all hung out for awhile. More Irish car bombs were enjoyed, as well as a few shots. We were all pretty sauced by this point; unsurprisingly, we also had the munchies, so we wandered off in search of food. Harrah's breakfast buffet was closed (bastards!) and even Dot's Diner failed us in our quest for food (it was Mardi Gras day, so they were closing for the festivities). Dejected, we settled for McDonald's and went back to the apartment. We got home around 6:00AM. At some point, Fader had stolen one of those "caution: wet floor" signs; I would forget about this until I saw it in the back seat of my car later that day. Once upstairs, we all crashed.

Then it was Mardi Gras day!!!! ...and we were all a bit hungover. Oh well. We enjoyed the festivities. Later that day, I brought my girl to Lebanon's for an amazing Middle Eastern feast. Everyone was tired after the excitement of Mardi Gras day, so we decided to have a quiet night at the apartment. I didn't feel like being in the French Quarter with all of the idiot tourists and crowds. Seriously, it gets so crowded down there, sometimes you feel like you can't breathe. Even if you're not claustrophobic, it's a nightmare. We didn't miss anything.

Wednesday was our first day of adventuring in the French Quarter. First, I treated my girl to some coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde. Then, we went to the French Market and did some shopping. We also walked down Bourbon Street and I pointed out some places of interest. It was fun to show my girl where I spent a lot of my college days. Before we went back to the car, I also brought her to the river so she could see the mighty Mississippi. She also got to see a bit of the steamboat Natchez. After adventuring in the French Quarter, we met up with my friend Brooke at Superior Grill. I hadn't seen Brooke since 2005, because she moved to Hawaii for awhile after Hurricane Katrina. She recently moved back to New Orleans, so I was excited to see her and catch up. We talked a lot about work, our friends, and the city. After a few hours, we went back to the apartment. Fader wanted to take us to Rambla, but they were closed (again). Guess they considered Ash Wednesday to be a holiday worth closing for, eh? We settled for a pretty good dinner at The Rum House followed by a pint of Abita Amber at The Bulldog.

Thursday was bittersweet; we knew it was our last day in New Orleans, and there was still so much that I wanted to see and do with my girl. After we woke up, we went to The Creole Creamery. I didn't feel like doing the Tchoupitoulas Challenge, but I did want to enjoy some good ice cream. I tried three different kinds: butterscotch and English toffee, cookie monster, and king cake. They were all AMAZING! Then, I took my girl to Loyola University and showed her around my old campus. It brought back a lot of memories. After our trip down memory lane, we went to the French Quarter and ate lunch at Landry's. My girl had been craving some good seafood; she wasn't disappointed with Landry's. We spent some time running around the French Quarter and buying all the souvenirs that we hadn't bought on the previous day. We also bought a hand grenade and a frozen hurricane, the two drinks I insisted my girl had to try. We went back to the apartment after that. Ana stopped by New Orleans on her way to Florida; once Fader got home from work, we all went to Rambla. They were finally open! The food there was amazing; we had a great time. After that, we just did our laundry and packed for the trip back to Utah.

Friday, we woke up and got ready to head back to Utah. Since our trip back to Utah was an adventure in and of itself, I'm going to write about it in a separate blog post. Suffice to say, we really enjoyed our trip and I can't wait to go home again. I was homesick before we even left!

I really love New Orleans, and I'm so happy that I got to share my love for the city with the woman that I love. I didn't get to show her everything that I wanted to, but that's okay... we'll be back, and we'll have even more adventures.

All in all, it was a FANTASTIC "first vacation" together!

We Survived Mardi Gras 2011

Of course, I'll have to write about our trip in greater detail. We had a lot of fun, and I was homesick before we even left. Maybe someday I'll live in New Orleans again... or at least closer to it! It's such an amazing city; I'm fortunate to call it my hometown.

Now it's back to the daily grind... well, at least I feel like I have more goals in mind. Or maybe I've just become more determined to achieve the goals I've always had? Either way, it's working. This year is going to be prosperous on many different levels.

In other news, happy St. Patrick's Day! I scored some free chips and guacamole at Chipotle because I was wearing a green t-shirt. Holler!

Our Boys

Just a short video clip of our boys (Boston and Skippy) playing. Boston is a boston terrier/boxer mix, and Skippy is a chihuahua (possibly with some min-pin mixed in).

I love how crazy they are... they're more fun to watch than TV, sometimes. They're also the best boys I could ever ask for.

Yeah, yeah, I'm pathetically obsessed with our dogs... bite me. They really are amazing, though. Don't hate!

I Want to Borrow That Top!

I had forgotten how funny this video series is...

Oh, YouTube... ever-present solution to boredom!

Asperger's Explained for Children

A few months ago, when I was searching online for some general information on Asperger's, I stumbled on this video. Anyone remember the Arthur books? Well, they turned the books into a pretty fun cartoon series for kids. I was surprised to see the show tackle the issue of autism, and even more surprised that they managed to explain things so well. Yeah, it's a very generic description, but you have to keep in mind that this cartoon is aimed at a much younger audience. So, with that in mind, I'd say that the writers did a great job at explaining Asperger's in a way that young children can understand.

There are four parts to this episode, but you should be able to access them through the first part that I've linked to in this entry. Check it out if you have some time; it's a fun watch.

School Daze

After years of indecisiveness, I went back to school on 01/24/11. Well, okay, let me explain: I already have my BA. I went to Loyola University New Orleans and double-majored in Classical Humanities/English Writing with a minor in Philosophy. I had thought about attending law school after that, and I did pretty well on the practice LSATs, but I was majorly distracted after Hurricane Katrina. Several minor health problems, one interesting career at UPS, and a bad relationship later, and here I am: back in school. Funny how things work out.

For the longest time, I had no idea what I wanted to study. Sure, I have a great job, but I really don't want to make a career out of it; I could be content there, but I wouldn't be 100% happy with my life or what I was doing. I've always felt motivated to do more, to make some kind of difference in the world, no matter how small. When I came to terms with my Asperger's, I finally realized what I want to do with my life: I want to study autism and make a better future for kids who have been diagnosed with an ASD. Unfortunately, I don't have a background in child psychology from my undergraduate days, so right now I'm taking an undergraduate course called Infants, Children, and Adolescents. I'm also taking a graduate course called Introduction to Behavioral Intervention in Autism. Once I complete these courses, I can officially apply to the program that will lead to my MA. I'm pretty excited; it feels great to be back in school, and even better to be working towards a goal.

So, where am I going to school? UMASS (Lowell) online. Which is funny, because my BFF obtained her MA at UMASS, although she lived in Boston and attended classes on campus. The course work is fairly demanding for each class, but it feels amazing to be back in school and focusing on a subject that's important to me.

Oh, and despite my lack of scientific prowess, I've done really well on my exams... all three have been 90% or above! I can't wait to tackle more classes and earn my MA.

The Road to Recovery

So, I guess that I should start off by saying that I'm NOT dead. I know that may come as a surprise to some, especially since I tend to be clumsy and impulsive (not the best combination, trust me). Mostly, I've just been busy taking care of my mom in the weeks that followed her surgery. The hysterectomy went well; she only had to spend one night in LDS Hospital. I have to say, I really like that hospital; all of their rooms are private rooms, which makes such a big difference on the overall healing process. At least, that's what I think. Anyway, I had my herniated disc surgery at LDS Hospital in 2007, so I was somewhat familiar with it. Well, I was familiar with it, before they updated it and made it super fancy. I went to visit my mom after her surgery. Fortunately, I have a great sense of direction, or I probably would have gotten lost in the search for my mother.

Strangely enough, I wasn't even questioned by any hospital staff as I entered the building, wandered around for a minute, and eventually wound up in my mother's room.

She was heavily drugged, but seemed like she enjoyed my presence. I only stayed for a little while; my dad stayed overnight with her. I had to take care of my dog, who had been alone for most of the day, so I made a hasty trip home to tend to his needs. Afterwards, my girlfriend came over and cooked dinner for us, which was AMAZING. I swear, she's a culinary wizard. She doesn't believe me when I tell her that, but trust me... it's true.

So, back to my mother... she came home the day after her surgery. That weekend was rough for her, and she was in a lot of pain. Everything came back to her, gradually. She's moving around the house now, and seems more comfortable in general. She hasn't left the house yet, but we may be able to coax her out sometime next week. I understand that she's still swollen and in some pain, so I'm not going to rush her; she can move at her own pace. Literally.

We received the biopsy results about a week after the surgery. The good news is that they think they removed all of the areas affected by cancer. The bad news, of course, is that there's a five year period where they have to keep an eye on her, because anything could happen. So, much like the situation with her skin cancer, she'll just need to be extra vigilant in listening to her body and reporting any strange pains to her doctor.

For now, all's well that ends well!

Lander, WY: Part One

So, my girlfriend's birthday is on January 23rd. For her birthday, she wants to visit her roommate's family in Lander, WY. Apparently, she did this last year (2010) and had a great time.

Tomorrow, my girlfriend and I will head for Lander, along with her roommate, her sister, and her best friend. All I know of Lander is that it's roughly six hours away. Also, there will be a turkey dinner, courtesy of the roommate's family.

If this picture is any indication, there are also goats in Lander. Our trip would probably be more exciting if goats were involved. Not in a dirty sense, of course. That would just be awkward.

Six hours of driving... oh well, that's why I have a PSP! ...and a cute girlfriend to sleep/drool on, of course.

Happy early birthday, baby girl!

C Is For Cancer

Last week, I received some unpleasant news: my mom has uterine cancer. Tomorrow, she'll undergo a hysterectomy, which will be the second major surgery that she's had in three years. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous; this has been a rough time for me. Fortunately, I have some great friends, and a really excellent girlfriend, all of whom have kept me sane and focused.

One week from tomorrow, we'll know whether or not she'll have to undergo chemotherapy.

For now, I'm going to be optimistic and send positive energy to my mom. One day at a time...

Geaux Saints!

Well, boys, we didn't make it to the Superbowl this year. That's okay, the world's just not ready for a back-to-back black and gold superbowl; it would be too epic, perhaps. I'm still a little bummed, but you know what? We had a great season and I'm already looking forward to the next. Also, to quote my friend Rae: Vicks commercials FTW!

WHO DAT!

Mobile 1

Another sleepless night- the perfect opportunity to try out this whole blogging via mobile phone thing! Testing, testing... Oh, this has just created so many new opportunities for me. Yeah, I'm a nerd. So?