Resolutions

I think I'm getting old. I can't believe that it is now almost December 31, 2005 (in about 30 minutes). It's like the past year has just flown, and what do I have to show for it? I feel like a lot has happened this year, but when I go to write about it, I can only name a few things. I bought a house. I got a dog. Umm...yeah...I'm drawing a blank besides that. I guess those are two big things, especially buying the house. But those all occurred in the last three months of the year. So what did I do for the first nine months of the year? I have no idea. I know that work has been keeping me busy. But I feel like I didn't do anything that would be any kind of accomplishment this year. I'm thinking that next year I want to get more accomplished. Of course, I'm not even sure what that means. I think I want to be at least one step closer to getting married (ahem...Engagement ring...ahem). I'm trying not to push the issue, but I feel like I'm getting old and I don't want to be older than 30 when I have my first child. So I need to get moving. I guess also I would like to get my clinical license. I'm not really behind on this. I have two years now of supervision so I am able now to get my license. Now if I could only get motivated to study for the licensing exam...I guess that would be another resolution. I want to get my butt in gear and exercise. I wouldn't really say that I'm overweight, but I definitely would say that I'm out of shape. So I need to get moving!

Anyways, I know there are about 79 other things I think I want to do in the new year, but right now, I'm going to live out the rest of December 30, 2005 by being a slug and reading a book. I'll get moving in a few days.

In case I don't post again before tomorrow night (which is highly likely)...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Yes, I'm still alive

Oh my gosh. It's been so long since I updated this blog, I'm sure there isn't anyone left reading it. How sad. Well, I guess I'll just write on it for my own gratification. We got our house. We're all moved in and unpacked. Well, mostly. There are a few random boxes that still have things in them that I don't know where they should go, or I don't have room for them. I also have three boxes of books that have yet to make it to the bookshelves. But I'm getting there. Otherwise, the house looks great.

And, we now have an addition to our little family! Yep, you guessed it! We adopted a dog! :) We adopted a German Shepherd from MAGSR, a rescue organization. Her name is Abbey and she is a year old. She's quite playful and energetic (much more energetic than me, I'm afraid). Here she is:



Isn't she so cute?!?!

Other tidbits of news...I turned a year older yesterday. Now I officially am in my late 20's. I feel old. My friends are having babies. It's crazy. My birthday was okay. I got some nice presents, was taken out to dinner, was made dinner. Some people remembered, most didn't. I guess that's sort of life in a nutshell, really. But now I'm being all depressed and a downer, so let me be peppy and cheerful again.

I'm beginning to feel all Christmas-y now. I don't know why. I think most people feel that way after Thanksgiving, but I begin to get that way after my birthday. I was updating my DJ and started going through the Christmas songs and singing them all to myself (and to Abbey, of course). It makes me feel all happy and stuff. I am trying to find a song but it looks like if I want it, I'll have to buy the CD online. It's a song called "Christmas Eve in Washington." It's one of my favorite Christmas songs. It makes Washington sound beautiful and it makes me remember why it is nice (occasionally) to live near the nation's capital. I want to get a tree, but if I did that now it would be dead before we even got to Christmas. I'm hoping to be able to get one the weekend after Thanksgiving, but that might even be a little too early. We'll have to see.

This year, for the first time ever, I'm spending Christmas away from home. I know, I'm too old to have never done that...it's time to cut the umbilical cord...whatever. I enjoy being able to spend some portion of Christmas day with my parents. I have never missed midnight Mass at my Church. So it is going to be a new experience for me. We're spending Christmas this year in Elgin. I'm okay with it, it's only fair. Robbie wants to spend Christmas with his family just like I want to spend it with mine. Last year we were here, so this year we'll go there. It will definitely be different. But, I'm sure it will be fine no matter where we are. Maybe we'll some how be able to convince my parents to come South with us as well.

Anyways, I guess that's all for now. If anyone is still periodically reading this blog, YAY. Let me know.

Movin' on up!

You know, the title to the last post still makes me chuckle. Hehehe! It's okay, I know I'm a dork.

So, we are in the process of moving. Actually, we've sort of been in the process of moving for almost two weeks. But, we have some things moved, and some things bought. It's fun buying new things for a new house. Of course, it is also expensive buying said things. So I'm trying to keep the spending to a minimum. Anyway, I said I would post some pictures. Well, Robbie took something like 30 pictures, so I'll just post a few. It will give the general idea of what the house looks like.

OK, well, the uploader thing keeps giving me an error. So, you get to see what the living room looks like for right now. Hopefully I'll get to post some more pictures soon.

A house, a house, my kingdom for a house!

Ah, I suppose King Richard III (and Shakespeare) would be appalled at my title. And, unfortunately, I have no kingdom. But, as of 12:30 this afternoon, I do have a house! Yay! I'm excited, although I've been so stressed about it, I just now feel like crawling in bed. So, I have a small little house. But it's cute and I have plans for it, so I'm excited about it. Robbie's gonna work on it some, like cleaning the carpet and maybe painting. This weekend while he's at work, I'm going to work on moving so little things over there. But, I still have a month here in the apartment so we have time to move. Anyways, I'm tired so I'm not going to write anymore right now. But, I am excited so I wanted to write something!

Pictures coming soon!

Hmm...I just realized I used the word "excited" kind of excessively in this post. Just ignore it...or you can laugh...'cause I'm excited :-D

Good morning! Let the stress begin!

Read the title of this post. I have a sign in my office that says that. And, I think that I have felt that way every day for the past five weeks.

I haven't posted in forever and a day. I haven't had time for anything except work. Work is seriously kicking my ass. I've thought about quitting more than once in the past four weeks. I've also burst into tears twice at work in the past week. I try to actually plan out the last two weeks of the month and nothing goes the way its supposed to. I have two reports due by Friday, one which hasn't been reviewed by my supervisor, and one that I haven't even written. I can't keep up with everything that is being demanded of me. Plus, we are at the very end of the process for buying our house. I found a house that I really like, we've done everything for it. But finalizing everything and going to settlement next week is stressing me out as much as work is. I bought a journal and promised myself that I would journal almost daily so I could vent and not stay stressed about things. But I don't feel like I have time to sleep, let alone do anything else. And, now Robbie is getting switched to a shift where he will always work in the evenings or nights. Another stressor.

I need a break. Once we go to settlement next week, I think that will lift some of my stress. I'm also hoping to go to South Carolina for a few days at the beginning of October. My main problem is that I find it difficult to just turn off work when I leave and stop worrying about the kids or their situations or whatever. I'm still trying to learn how to do that.

I thought maybe writing about it would help, but it's really not. So, I'll stop. But, I must say HOW 'BOUT THOSE REDSKINS?????

Books

It seems like when I haven't been working lately, I've been reading. I think I already posted that I read the sixth Harry Potter book. Since then, I think I have read a few other books. I've now read all of the Patricia Cornwell Kay Scarpetta books except for the last one, Trace. The one before that, Blow Fly, I wasn't really all that impressed with. It was written differently, in the third person, as opposed to in the first person, which made the book not quite as good as the previous ones. Still, I want to read the most recent one. And then I believe that there is a new one coming out soon, so I'll have to read that one as well.

After that, I read The Kite Runner, which I thought was very good. It was an interesting view of life in Afghanistan, before the Soviet invasion, following it, and under the leadership of the Taliban. It was a fictional story, but I'm sure there was a lot of reality in the descriptions of the country. It was a great story and I believe it was the author's first novel.

Once I finished that, Robbie said I had to read Under and Alone. Surprisingly, this, too, was a fast and interesting read. The book is about an undercover ATF agent in an outlaw motorcycle gang. Quite fascinating - similar to Donnie Brasco but more quick-paced.

Now, I'm re-reading the Harry Potter books. I've finished the first two, and I'm on the third one. Those are interesting because I read them several years ago, and have now seen the movies multiple times. There is so much in the books that is not in the movies and I'm enjoying reading them again. Once I get to the fourth one, I'll probably remember even less about it, since the movie has yet to come out. At any rate, these books are an easy read and always fun.

So as you can see, I have read a lot of books in the past month. Which probably means I have no life and I need to get out more. Maybe. I'll work on going out more and getting more exercise. Now, if you'll excuse me...I need to go read my book :)

Nananananana!!!!!

I'm going to California tomorrow! YAY!!!!

(Scary) Pictures

Me and Robbie at Elena's wedding (teehee!)

Another ride on the green line

Here are more of the people that I encounter when I ride the Metro to and from work.

1. The people who refuse to move their bags so that you can sit down, no matter that there are wall to wall people on the train and it would be nice for at least one more person to sit down.

2. Recently, it appears that everyone on the train is reading the sixth Harry Potter book. Everyone is so engrossed that they realize at the last possible second that they are at their stop and they jump up, grab their things, and run off the train before the doors close.

3. Since it is summertime, there are a whole lot of tourists on the train. Most of them look like they have been wrestling with cheetahs all day, all disheveled, sweating profusely, and just plain worn-out looking.

4. Everyone on the train now has an IPod.

5. There are many women on the train who ought not be wearing what they are wearing. Sometimes there is such a thing as showing too much skin.

My power color

What do y'all think? Does this accurately describe me?

Your Power Color Is Indigo

At Your Highest: You are on a fast track to success - and others believe in you. At Your Lowest: You require a lot of attention and praise. In Love: You see people as how you want them to be, not as how they are. How You're Attractive: You're dramatic flair makes others see you as mysterious and romantic. Your Eternal Question: "Does This Work Into My Future Plans?"

What's Your Power Color?

Wal-Mart, Part two

It's kind of funny. I was looking at some of my past posts on this blog. One of them was saying how nice and stable all of my cases were and how pleasant that was. Yeah, now I have cases just flying off everywhere, nothing seems to be right. I have people calling me four times a day about some of my cases, yelling at me, complaining at me about things that I have no control over. It's just a mess. So much for the nice calm...I guess it was more the calm before the storm.

However, I was not intending to complain about work on here. Instead, I was going to discuss the merits of Wal-Mart. On a previous post, I discussed reasons that I dislike Wal-Mart. Those reasons still hold true. There are scary people at Wal-Mart. They come in all sorts of clothing - pajamas, curlers, spandex (those are mostly the people who ought to stay away from any kind of stretchy clothing). Some of them are so ghetto. Then we have the store itself. There are usually items strewn all over the place. Items aren't in the right place (thongs in the section with printers, and such). The most astonishing thing is, for all that is wrong with Wal-Mart, the lines are always so long that you have to wait twenty minutes to pay for all of the stuff that you didn't need anyways.

But, I am ashamed to say, lately I have gone to Wal-Mart on a couple of different occasions. Robbie said he needed to buy flip-flops and the first words out of my mouth were "Oh, we can get some cheap ones at Wal-Mart." AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! Oh my gosh, what is wrong with me? And a few weeks ago, Robbie's sister was wearing this cute bathing suit and she said she got it at Wal-Mart. So what did I do?? I went to Wal-Mart to look at their bathing suits (no matter that I already had six). And I even bought one! It's like a disease or something! Maybe it's just called being poor, but I just don't know. I mean, things are generally cheaper at Wal-Mart. And, some people don't have such a negative view of the store, since there are always four million people crammed into the store at any given time. I just didn't think that I would be one of those people.

Yay for Harry!

Since Saturday, this is what I have been doing to occupy much of my time:

I am quite enjoying this book. However, when I finish it, I'll have to wait like two years before the next one comes out. How sad.

What do social workers make?

I got this from someone at work, and I thought it was awesome. It's one of those good pick-me-ups that all of us sometimes need.

What do social workers make?

They make an infertile couple celebrate a lifetime of Mother's Days and Father's Days by helping them adopt a crack baby no one else wanted.
They make a child fall asleep every night without fears of his father's fists.
They make a homeless veteran feel at home in the world.
They make a teenager decide to stop cutting herself.
They make a beaten woman find the courage to leave her abuser for good.
They make a boy with Down Syndrome feel like the smartest kid in the bus.

What do they make?

They make a 10-year-old believe that he is loved and wanted, regardless of how long he lasts in the next foster home.
They make a teen father count to 10 and leave the room so he won't shake his newborn son.
They make a man with schizophrenia see past his demons.
They make a rape victim talk about it for the first time in years.
They make an ex-convict put down the bottle and hold down a job.

What do they make?

They make a couple communicate so well they decide not to get divorced.
They make a dying cancer patient make peace with her past, with her brief future, with her God.
They make the old man whose wife has Alzheimer's cherish the good times, when she still remembered him.
They make forgotten people feel cherished, ugly people feel beautiful, confused people feel understood, broken people feel whole.

What do they make?
They make more than most people will ever make.
They make a difference.

TGIF

I think everyone loves Fridays. Well, I guess everyone that will have the next two days off. Robbie, for example, has been off all week, but now has to work Friday through Monday. Okay, so ALMOST everyone loves Fridays. This week, it has felt like every day should have been the end of the week. I felt like I couldn't get motivated, and I think I got to work late every single day this week. I just could not wake up and get moving. And then work was kind of a drag. I had reports to write that I couldn't get motivated to do. I've been trying to schedule for two of my kids to come back from residential. My boss's boss's boss sent me an email yesterday saying that I was going to have disciplinary action taken for something that I didn't do. It's just been a rough-ass week. This would probably accurately depict how I feel right about now:

I don't have anything wild and exciting planned for this weekend. I'm actually working on Saturday morning. But just knowing that I can relax, sleep in, and have basically no obligations makes me feel lighter. I guess I just need to make it through the rest of today.

No longer comfy and cozy

I think it's really sad what happened in London today. It's also a wake up call that I probably didn't need. It's scary to think how easy we slip back into feeling all warm and safe when a terrorrist attack could be looming in the near future. The Metro has all of these warnings up about looking for suspicious packages and reporting them to the authorities. But I don't know that I would necessarily notice a suspicious package unless it jumped up and bit me in the butt (and had a big sign pasted on it that said "Hey, I'm a suspicious package!). Now we have bomb-sniffing dogs and guys with assualt rifles hanging out at the Metro stations, and I just don't know if that makes me feel much safer. In reality though, I don't know what would make me feel safer. Alot of the terrorrists are not against suicide bombings. So, I can't really expect to find a suspicious package just lying around. It could be the briefcase that guy in the seat next to is holding on his lap. Or it could be the backpack that the guy is wearing who is standing next to the door. Nobody checked my bag for a bomb when I entered the Metro station this morning.

I guess on the flip side, I don't want to live my life in fear of what might happen. Maybe this means I'm not cautious enough, or that I am looking through at the world through rose-colored glasses. But, it just seems clear that if something is going to happen, there is little that we can do to stop it from happening. The bombings are sad. They are scary. But I don't want to stop living my life because DC might be next.

Just some rambling thoughts.

Do you ever just feel this way?

I don't know if this is good or not...

Your IQ Is 125

Your Logical Intelligence is Above Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Yoda!!!

How cool is this picture??? It makes me want to post in green!!!

What flavor ice cream are you?

Yes I DO have too much time on my hands today...

You Are Strawberry Ice Cream

A bit shy and sensitive, you are sweet to the core. You often find yourself on the outside looking in. Insightful and pensive, you really understand how the world works. You are most compatible with chocolate chip ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

The World's Shortest Personality Test

You are sexy, powerful, and bold. You're full of passion and energy... Sometimes this passion has a dark side. You feel most alive when you're seducing someone. You never fail to get someone's attention. Quick minded, you're also quick to lose your temper!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

SPF what?

My plan for this weekend is to get some sun. That's all I want. Well, sun and relaxation. Last weekend I went to the pool for about three hours. The purpose was not to swim, not to get exercise. All I wanted was some sun. I put on SPF 30 because I always get concerned that if I put on something low, like 6, I'll just fry. With my SPF 30, I got some vague tan lines, except in the areas that I apparently missed. Those areas got nice and burned. Not horribly, but enough. Now that the burn is gone, those areas are a nice tan color, tanner than most of the rest of me. So, this weekend, when we go out on the lake, I think I'm going to opt for something with a low SPF, like 6. I'm either gonna get burned to a crisp, or, just possibly, I'll come back from South Carolina with a decent tan. It is probable that the former option is what will occur, but I'll stay optimistic.

So, I'm starting my holiday weekend early. We are driving South this afternoon/evening and I'll be off until Tuesday. I want to accomplish the following during my long weekend:

1. Get a tan
2. Go out on the boat
3. Go out on the Seadoos
4. Consume one or two alcoholic beverages
5. Not think about work at all
6. Spend some quality time with my boyfriend (this one should be appended with spend some time with my boyfriend, and his parents and his sister and his aunts and his uncles and his cousins and his mom's friends...)
7. See some nice fireworks
8. Not get bitten by too many mosquitoes

Most of these are pretty easy to accomplish...we'll see what actually occurs this weekend.

I don't have any exciting news like Melissa...sorry.

Hot weather and Yoda

My mom is downtown this afternoon so we thought we would have lunch together. That means that we both walk about 3 blocks (I think it's a little less from her building) and go to McDonald's. Well, when we got in McDonald's, the fire alarm started going off and an automated voice prompted everyone to leave the building. That message excluded mostly everyone in McDonald's apparently, and since we didn't see anyone on fire, we stayed in line to get some food. But then my mom was nervous about staying in the restaurant for lunch. So we took our food (my quarter pounder and fries and her bag of apples) and stood outside. To eat lunch. In the 90 degree heat. (But we were in the shade, so that made it all better.) It was hot. And I'm not in hot weather apparel because I have to go to Court so I was trying to look at least somewhat presentable. It was hot. Plus I got blisters on my feet from wearing a new pair of shoes. And...did I mention it was hot? So, so far it's been kind of a not so great day.

So, what could be better on this fine (read this as HOT) day but to make a list of the best Yoda quotes (or at least the ones that I know or the ones that I can find). Feel free to add some to the list.

1. Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
2. Much to learn you still have.
3. When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not.
4. Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
5. Size matters not. Judge me by my size do you?
6. [Luke] I can't believe it. [Yoda] That is why you fail.
7. Wars not make one great.
8. Already know you that which you need.
9. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will.
10. Help you I can, yes.
11. May the force be with you.

OK, so I was aiming for 10. I'll give you that extra one for free.

My Top 100

I've seen on other blogs where the writers have written the top 100 things about themselves. I'm intrigued by this idea and wonder if I would be able to come up with 100 things about myself that others may or may not know (or even care to know for that matter). So, I think I'll try to undertake this task. Maybe someone will learn something new about me. Or not.

1. I was named Suzanne, but not for any particular reason, other than the fact that my mom said she liked that name.
2. I was originally going to be Victoria (better).
3. Or Nicholas (not better).
4. Despite being corrected many many times, there are people who insist on calling me Susan.
5. I have lived in the city that I currently live in for my entire life.
6. I have a master's degree in social work.
7. I have thought about going back to school to get a law degree or a Ph.D. in social work or clinical psychology.
8. I was going to be a doctor until I took biology in college.
9. I enjoy going to school.
10. I'm divorced.
11. I saw Titanic in the movie theater more times than I care to mention.
12. My favorite pastimes are reading and sleeping.
13. I love Double Stuf Oreos.
14. I love Yoda.
15. I belong to a book club.
16. And am, by far, the youngest member.
17. I've drunk so much alcohol that I got very sick.
18. I can no longer stand the smell of Aftershock.
19. I'm scared of spiders and bees.
20. I'm not perfect.
21. I'm very liberal.
22. I'm an underwear junkie.
23. I'm not tall.
24. I am bad at keeping in touch with friends.
25. I'm a big fan of country music.
26. I have one sister.
27. I want a dog.
28. I want to get married again and have children.
29. I think that there is too little love and compassion in this world.
30. I would like to live in another state, preferably in the south or the west.
31. I'm also scared of big, scary dogs with large, sharp teeth.
32. Of recent, I have become a big fan of the Star Wars movies.
33. I crochet.
34. I've been crocheting a blanket for five months.
35. And I'm only half done.
36. I had a Nintendo when I was younger.
37. I also had an Atari.
38. I don't really like playing video games now.
39. I've been to Europe twice and Canada once.
40. I got braces when I was in 8th grade.
41. I got one of my male friends to put on one of my bathing suits (and he was not intoxicated).
42. I'm insecure.
43. I don't like guns, but I have shot one before.
44. I don't like cleaning.
45. Or doing laundry.
46. I love musicals.
47. I love to sing along with the radio or musical movies.
48. I love Disney movies.
49. I'm not very good at sports.
50. I like to watch football, both on tv and in person.
51. I have eyes that are not quite brown, green, or hazel.
52. I have crazy curly hair that often has a mind of it's own.
53. I don't like people who take themselves too seriously.
54. I have funny feet with long skinny toes.
55. I love monkeys.
56. Most of the clothes in my closet are pink, purple, or blue.
57. I think that a sense of humor is very important.
58. I sometimes have a hard time forgiving people, and often hold grudges.
59. I can't always admit when I'm wrong.
60. I like art, especially impressionism and realism.
61. I insist on having my toenails painted, but seldom paint my fingernails.
62. My favorite movie is An Affair to Remember.
63. The Notebook runs a close second.
64. My least favorite movie is Training Day.
65. I would like a convertible BMW before I'm 40.
66. I'm sure I'll change my mind about what kind of car I want.
67. I'm not very photogenic.
68. I like attending formal events.
69. I have a habit of announcing to whomever I'm with that I need to use the bathroom.
70. I have a great deal of respect for members of the military and law enforcement.
71. I have instant messenger running constantly during the day, whether I'm at work or at home.
72. I am very anal about correct grammar and spelling.
73. I have my belly button pierced.
74. I'm thinking about getting a tattoo.
75. I walk around my house naked.
76. I enjoy reading about and watching programs on health and history.
77. I currently have almost 1,300 songs on my Dell DJ.
78. I like the smell of gasoline.
79. And spray paint.
80. I have never tried marijuana or any other illegal substances.
81. I cry during 95% of all movies that I watch.
82. I like reading mystery novels.
83. I refuse to read Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta books out of order.
84. I like to use colorful office supplies, such as pens, paperclips, and post-it notes.
85. I don't like the consistency of bananas.
86. Apples make my mouth itch.
87. The first movie that I recall seeing in the movie theater is E.T.
88. The first things I notice about a guy are his smile and his butt.
89. I don't like ice cream.
90. I read the washingtonpost.com religiously.
91. I don't like coffee.
92. I don't like people who don't think for themselves.
93. I have trouble leaving my work at work.
94. One of my most frequent activities is being stressed out.
95. I love Christmas and everything that goes with it (songs, decorating, etc.).
96. I don't go to church as often as I should.
97. I have a painting on my wall that a schizophrenic client painted.
98. My biggest celebrity crushes are Kenny Chesney and Johnny Depp.
99. I like thunderstorms.
100. I hate having to change my password on my work computer and email account.

Work and stress (synonymous?)

Again, I find that work is kicking my butt. One of my trouble teens ran away on Monday, and in the midst of that, the mother's attorney wants to have an emergency hearing. The motion requesting a hearing basically bashes me, as the social worker, and the work that I have done, or as she would probably put it, lack thereof. It makes me sound like I don't do anything for this family, and perhaps go get pedicures during lunchtime. To clear this up, I wrote up an interim report for the Court, disputing most of her claims, but none of the ones about me. I cleared up misconceptions about the youth going to school, getting therapeutic services, and the things that I am working on, such as meetings, placements, and appointments. I don't directly dispute the attorney's claim that "Ms. [social worker] told the mother, 'She is in your care, so now it's your problem.'" Wouldn't that have been a great statement for me to have made? Ah, if it were only true. (And for the record, I have never gotten a pedicure during lunchtime, either, just in case it comes up at the emergency hearing.)

So, today, amidst the stress, drama, lies, and late nights at work this week, I took a mental health day. I figured the world won't stop if I don't go to work today, and everyone will survive without hearing my melodic voice and seeing my shining face today. I didn't even check my voicemail, which I often do even when I'm sick. If anything blew up, someone else could handle it today, or it could just wait until Monday. So, in honor of my attempt to destress, I thought I would make a list of things I did today that were NOT stressful.

1. I slept late. Actually, I slept ridiculously late, until like 11 something.
2. I read a book. I finished one, The Notebook, and started another, Unnatural Exposure. Neither of these are books that require much thought.
3. I fell asleep on the couch. Now, I know you must be thinking, she slept until 11. How could she possibly fall asleep again?? All I can say in explanation is, it's in my genes. Moien girls have that amazing capability.
4. I took a nice long hot shower.
5. I ate Double Stuf Oreos.
6. I watched Under the Tuscan Sun.
7. I downloaded a few songs onto my mp3 player (shh, don't tell anyone!).
8. I listened to the rain.
9. I lit smelly candles all over the apartment.
10. I sang along with the radio.

I know, it sounds really boring. But, it was relaxing, and I needed it. Maybe, after today and this weekend, I will be prepared for the three Court hearings I have next week, the two reports that have to get written, and dealing with crazy teenagers. Just maybe.

For sale by owner

It's crazy how stressful house buying can be. And I'm not even seriously looking yet. We met with a loan officer yesterday who threw out all of these really high expenses associated with buying a house - insane down payments, insane closing costs, etc. So then we went and looked a a really really nice house in old Greenbelt. Houses in old Greenbelt aren't all that big, but this one had an addition and a beautiful yard. It was really nice, and just slightly out of our price range. If we stopped eating, we could probably swing it. When I bought my house five years ago, it was amazing how cheap it was. That same house has appreciated in value for three times what we paid for it. If I could only get James to sell it and get the profits from it, it would be great!

But, back to buying a house...I just don't know how real people afford houses these days. A house that would have gone for about $90K five years ago is now selling for $250K, which means that those that were selling for $250K are up to like $450K! And as a social worker, I just can't afford to live in something much more than $250K (truth be told, I don't know if I can afford to live in something that is $250K). So, in spite of telling myself not to stress and not to worry yet about finding a house, because we have time, I'm getting stressed that I'm never going to find anywhere to live! We keep saying we don't want a condo because we want a yard so we can get a dog, but I may need to reevaluate that and may have to get a condo for a little while. Even those are going for crazy prices!

Anyway, maybe I'll get off the house issue for a little while and try to think about something good...hmm... I watched The Notebook on Friday. Can I just say that I fell in love with that movie! My mom didn't really like it so much. But I just loved it. It sort of felt like my life (although I'm not at the Alzheimer's stage yet, thank goodness!). But, I did really like it.

I really want Memorial Day weekend to get here. For one, with it comes a day off. Two, the pool will open and if I can stand it, I'm going to go and lay in the sun while lots of little hoodlums-in-training try to drown each other in the pool. I really need a tan, plus I have a new bathing suit that is waiting to be worn :)

How old do I act?

You Are 30 Years Old

30 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

How many blogs does someone need??

Eddy told me that I needed to make a blog on Xanga, so I did. It's more fun - it's got smileys, I was able to customize all of the colors and fonts and stuff. So I can't decide where to blog from now on. Look at the new one...any suggestions?

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

Well, friends, it finally happened. On Thursday, a Judge issued an Order that ended my marriage. This isn't really a happy post, though I know some people who were quite happy when their divorces finally came through. I guess it's more of a reflective post. It's also one of the more serious posts on this blog. So, if you don't like reflective, or you don't like serious, you might want to skip it.

Life is interesting. It's like one of those "choose your own adventure" stories or the Frost poem The Road Not Taken (take your pick). I know growing up, you always want to be something different every week. One week you say you are going to be a teacher, the next week a doctor. It's easy to change your mind because when your ten, it doesn't really matter. However, when you are a grown up, the choices you make in life are a lot more meaningful. When I was 21, I knew it all. I knew how to be a good friend, a good companion, and a good wife. At 24, I was no longer sure I knew how to be any of those things. I had grown up and matured, at least some, and I learned how much I had to learn about life. Marriage doesn't work just because your parents are happily married. Marriage doesn't work just because you are in love. Marriage takes a lot of work from both people in order to actually make it work. You are both going to screw up. Alot. You are both going to get mad, you are going to stress, you are going to argue. My marriage had all of those components. We got mad, we stressed, we argued, and most of all, we screwed up. The part that made it not work was that we didn't communicate. We didn't talk about the stress. We didn't talk about the screw ups. We went on, like everything was perfect, when things were really coming apart at the seams. I don't think either of us are to blame exclusively. I think that we both contributed to the demise of the relationship.

After two years, looking back, I feel like I can more clearly see what went wrong. We didn't have the perfect marriage, but who does? It takes work and it takes mistakes. My parents didn't have a perfect marriage at the beginning. There are bumps along the way and you have to work together to get over the bumps. It makes you a stronger team. I certainly don't have all the answers, but I feel like I've learned something. I hope that I am stronger and better equipped in the event that I get married again.

James and I are both doing so well now, in our separate lives. To use a worn out cliche, we took the lemons that life threw us and we made lemonade. I think we have both grown up alot and have both learned from our mistakes. There are hard days and there are easier days, but experience has made us wiser. I know that the future will be bright for him, and I hope it will be for me, regardless of the fact that the future for us is no longer a shared future. What we do have that we share are the memories that we created together, and those will last a lifetime, even if we didn't.

Performing without a net

We thought we would go for a nice hike this weekend, so we went to the Maryland side of Great Falls. Someone at REI said that we should hike the Billy Goat Trail up there. When we got there, we saw that there were three Billy Goat Trails, so we did the one that was closest to us, Billy Goat Trail A. It said it was difficult, but we figured it just meant that it was a little rocky, maybe some tree roots, possibly a change in elevation. Yeah, this is what part of the trail looked like:



And this is what I looked like on that trail:



Crazy, huh??? Needless to say, it was a little more difficult than we had imagined. But, we did it, all 1.7 miles of it (we actually walked about 4 miles total, but I think the totally ridiculous part was 1.7 miles). Today, I can barely walk up and down steps. Robbie says we had fun and it was a good accomplishment, and we plan to go back. I guess we'll just have to see about that.

Pretty in pink

Robbie and I went down to DC today to see the Cherry Blossoms. It was just us...and about a million other people. It was crazy the number of people that were down there. But, it was a beautiful day along the Potomac and the trees were really pretty.


Cherry Blossoms


The Potomac River


Cherry Blossoms against a backdrop of the Potomac


The Jefferson Memorial surrounded by Cherry Blossoms (and people!)

Give ME a break

I think it is really amusing how people get completely bent out of shape regarding what people write on their blogs. Since a blog is just somewhere for someone to vent about what's going on in their lives, be it personal, work, or whatever, it would seem to me that the reader would understand that the writing is just that - venting. It should never be taken too seriously. Obviously, some readers get quite upset about things that I write (and I would have thought that reader would have been a cool person considering it is one of my friend's other friends). But, if you don't like what I have to say, click the X in the top right hand corner and close the window. It's that simple.

That will cost you...

I was in Court this morning with a new judge (new to me). The child's attorney, which is known as the Guardian ad litem (GAL), was more than 30 minutes late. This, in turn, made the caregiver's attorney late for another hearing. This also made my attorney, the Assistant Attorney General (cool title, eh?) late for another hearing. The GAL was concerned that our judge was going to fine her for being late. She has fined my agency for court reports being turned in late. The caregiver's attorney was concerned that the judge that he was late for was going to fine him for being late. What kind of craziness is that? "You got stuck in traffic so I'm going to fine you a hundred dollars." WTF?? Maybe that's better than being held in contempt of court? I don't know. These judges, that are actually Magistrate Judges, are all on power trips. There's one judge that most social workers and attorneys despise. My supervisor remembers when that judge was not a judge, but just a lowly attorney, more specifically an educational advocate. And, he was bad at that job! So, now that he is a Magistrate Judge, is he trying to make up for his poor attorney skills by being anal and micromanaging every case that comes before him? I just don't know. I think there is a prerequisite when you apply for the Judge job that you must forget your roots and be condescending to all social workers and most attorneys. Where do I sign up?

Is it hot enough for you?

It's been cold in DC. It's been in the 40s and 50s. That's not warm weather. It's not good for Cherry Blossoms. It's not good for skin. It's not good for sunbathing. BUT...Yesterday it was like 70-something degrees out! Today, it is currently 84 degrees out! This is top-down weather! This is good weather for the Cherry Blossoms to finally burst forth from their buds! It's even sunbathing weather! I'm ecstatic, as most Washingtonians should be! So, I go to a meeting, with people who apparently have recently come inside from the gorgeous weather. The first thing they all say is "It's hot outside!" OMG, gimme a break! This is the kind of weather we all want! In the middle of cold yucky winter, we all wish for warm weather. When we have a break from the icky weather and have an 84 degree day, it's TOO HOT. Next time it gets cold, which it undoubtedly will get cold again before it stays warm, nay hot, I'm going to remind people how it was TOO HOT when it got warm outside. Maybe we should all wish for warm weather, not to exceed 78 degrees.

Blasphemy?

The world is following the viewing and funeral of Pope John Paul II, as perhaps we should. But, would you like to put a wager on who the next Pope will be, or what his name will be?? According to this article in the Washington Post:

[I]n addition to wagering on the meaning of Britney Spears's bump, or the color of the bonus ball in the Irish National Lottery, gamblers around the world can log onto paddypower.com, click on the Novelties section and put their money on Dionigi Tettamanzi, who is rating 11 to 4 odds in the race for the papacy. Or they can take their chances on Father Dougal Maguire of Craggy Island, Ireland, a long shot at 1,000 to 1.

That just doesn't seem kosher to me.

New toy

I got a new toy a little while ago. Now, everyone can collectively get their minds out of the gutter, cause I know how y'all think!!! Not THAT kind of toy! I got a Dell Digital Jukebox. It's an IPod, but made by Dell. I'm quite enjoying it. I have put a lot of songs on it (it currently appears to have 916 songs on it) and often listen to it at work or on the Metro going to and from work. It's kind of amusing though, the mix of stuff that is on it. A while ago I listened to George Michael's "I Want Your Sex" (courtesy of my brother-in-law's mp3 player). A litte later I heard "The Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera. Somewhere in there was "Little Drummer Boy." (Although, I usually skip the Christmas songs.) Interesting mix, eh? It's kinda cool though, because you can put soooo many songs on here, it's hard to get bored with it. If I feel like listening to something country, it's there. Britney Spears (gasp!), I got a few. Guns n' Roses, yep. I have some crazy 80's music and some pretty new stuff as well.

I have to go to Florida tomorrow for work. It would be fun, except that I'll be in the state of Florida for less than 24 hours. I will arrive there around 1:30 p.m. tomorrow, and I leave there at 10:15 on Friday morning. I get to be spoiled by 78 degree weather for about 8 hours, then I have to come back here to 45 degrees. It's not fair! It's actually kind of silly too. The DC Government flies me down there so that I can spend a total of like 3 hours talking to a youth and her treatment team. It will take me longer to fly down and back than the time that I will actually spend with the individual. But I get to feel all important and special that I get to go out of town on business (I can pretend, can't I?).

OK, I was going to write more, but I've actually gotten a little bit busy. So, I guess I'll go work. TTFN!

Riot time

When I was little and I went with my sister to Maryland football and basketball games, they used to give out pins that said things like "Destroy the Deacons" and "Declaw the Paws." Well, the object of the first game of the ACC Tournament was to "Declaw the Paws." Clemson had beat Maryland twice in regular season games. But it was pretty much imperative that Maryland win today against Clemson. Without this win, it would be pretty much impossible to get into the NCAA Tournament. So, I thought that Maryland would come out swinging. Yeah. Somewhere during this two and a half hour game, they forgot how to swing. Maryland decided to show up at the beginning of the game, sink some shots, give us all a false sense of hope. Then, in the second half, they forgot to show up. This is the same Maryland team that beat Duke twice this season. But they can't be bothered to win the game that would ultimately decide whether they will even make it to the NCAA Tourney this year. Clemson beat the Terps 84-72.

I'm not sure how the students at UMCP are going to take this final loss. We know how they deal with wins - they riot. It would seem to make sense that if they lose, they would also feel the need to riot. Now, I haven't heard anything yet about riots on the Metro after the game (although given the nature of the people who ride Metro, it wouldn't surprise me if some scuffles broke out), and it is too early in the day for the students to go down to the Route and start burning and breaking things. But, it will be interesting to see if the students can suck up this loss, or if the local news tonight will show burning trash cans and students being shot with pepper balls. Yeah, sounds like good times to me.

As for the NCAA Tournament, I guess there's always next year.

Green line

I don't know what others' experiences are on the Metro, but I encounter a lot of interesting people during my daily rides. I ride the Green line, and it appears that every young hoodlum-in-training rides the same train. The most annoying people on the trains are as follows:

• All these teenagers saying the most vulgar and vile things to one another...and it isn't like everyone else in the train car can't hear their conversations.
• The people who talk on their cell phones - nevermind the fact that in the tunnels you can barely get a signal, if at all, and thus said people end up screaming into their telephones. Again, this means that everyone on the train can hear their conversations. It's like a freaking Verizon commercial...Can you hear me now? Hello?? Can you hear me?? Are you still there??? HELLO????
• The people who stare at you. Now, I understand that there are only so many things that one can look at during a 30 minute train ride. You are bound to look at the same person more than once. But some people just flat out stare at you. Good gracious, take a picture, it will last longer!
• The people who sit next to you and lean over to see what you are reading. Um, yeah, maybe I should just GIVE YOU MY BOOK so you don't strain your neck trying to read the next paragraph. I'm sorry, were you finished with that page?
• The people who get on the train and begin preaching the Word of God. I don't think I need to elaborate on this. For a really funny description of this on a New York train, see New York Intern's blog.
• The people who don't realize that when wearing headphones, one is not supposed to sing out loud so that other's can hear you! And, the people that do this aren't rock stars, will never be rock stars, are never going to be given recording contracts. They are more like the ones that are booed off the stage at the Apollo.
• The people who don't realize that when wearing headphones, the whole train is not supposed to hear what is going through said headphones.
• The people who incessantly scream at their children throughout the entire ride. Sit down! Didn't I tell you to sit down! Sit your ass down now! (Remember, I ride the ghetto train.) IF YOU GET UP ONE MORE TIME I'M GOING TO SMACK YOU! *SMACK* Then, when they get to their stops, they grab the child's arm and drag the child off the train. It always looks like the child's arm is gonna be dislocated or something. Yeah, how do you spell child abuse?
• The people who let their children run like wild animals through the train. If I wanted to see animals, I would have taken the Red line to the zoo.

I'm sure there are other obnoxious and annoying people that I am leaving out, so this is by no means an exhaustive list. I guess these are the ones that I encounter most regularly. Happy Metroing!

You do your job, I'll do mine!

I sometimes get so frustrated at work. First off, I don't have much to do. All of my cases (thank goodness) are pretty much stable. Nobody is really having any issues. This makes my job easy, but it also makes my job boring. The things that I need to do, I am dependent on someone else doing their job first. I have to make a referral for a child to get an OT evaluation. However, I can't do that until someone else calls and gets referrals. I have a couple of similar situations. There are also some people that I have had to go visit multiple times to get them off their butts so that they will do what they need to do so that I can do what I need to do. Friday I went back and forth with people so much I got so frustrated and fed up I just left early. I consider myself to be a hard worker and a good social worker, but it's so annoying when I have to wait for others to do their jobs!

OK, enough ranting. I would like to begin looking at houses in our area. The problem is, I'm not sure what Robbie and I can afford. And housing prices have gotten completely ridiculous. I offered to buy James out of our house (technically it is still ours) but he said no. So, I'm gonna start looking to see what's available, and I guess start talking to a real estate agent. It's a shame that everything costs money. Life would be a lot easier otherwise.

Robbie's been away all last week and he'll be away all this week. It's kind of weird being in my apartment by myself. It is actually the longest that I've "lived" by myself. I know, it's sad. But, sometimes it's nice having the apartment to myself. The television has barely been on all week. I have been able to sit and read or crochet, or whatever I want to do. Don't get me wrong. Living with Robbie is wonderful. He and I do get along really well, and we don't really have any issues about me reading or the TV being on or whatever. But, when I'm by myself, I can do WHATEVER I WANT! By the end of the week it will be nice having him home though. It was nice having him home this weekend.

Anyways, nothing else is going on in my life at the moment. I guess I'll go back to being bored at work. Maybe I can light a fire under someone and actually get something done today.

Guilt

I'm beginning to feel a little guilty for not posting as often as I used to. It's like I have a life or something...which we all know can't be true. I called into work for a variety of reasons this morning. I'm having trouble sleeping again, and every where I look, it says that I should get checked for Depression. But I don't feel depressed. I feel good actually, with the minor monthly crankiness that goes on. But I was really tired this morning, so I decided that I would sleep a little longer and go in late. The second reason that I called in was that it is snowing out, and every county school system in like a hundred miles is closed. It kind of baffles me that school systems close so that children don't have to get transported home in dangerous weather conditions, but work places (like the government...grrr...) don't close because it is okay for adults who actually have to drive in the bad weather to go home in dangerous weather. Makes sense, right? Well, maybe I just really didn't want to go to work today, so I came up with some reasons for staying home. I do have to go do a home visit this afternoon, so I didn't take the whole day off.

I'm looking out the window by the balcony and the snow looks so pretty coming down and coating the ground. It's a shame it's such a bitch to drive in.

I can hear the people who live above me vacuuming their carpet. It's like the third time in four days that I have heard the vacuum running. Does anyone actually vacuum daily? Am I supposed to be doing this? If I am I feel very uninformed (of course, anyone who has been to my parents' house would know that I was never taught to vacuum on a daily basis).

This is all very random, but that's okay with me. I don't have anything incredibly thrilling going on right now. Eddy has guns on his blog. Melissa is talking about death and dying. I don't know what the hell Dave is talking about. I guess I need to come up with something more interesting to talk about. I could post pictures of my two scarves that I crocheted. Yay! I actually did a pretty good job and got complimented on one of them.

Ah well, I guess I'll stop being a slug and go get ready for my home visit. I'm thinking of changing the template of this blog again because I think the blue is getting to be too bright for me. I'll contemplate it.

Yep, I'm a liberal

I found this great quote by Albert Einstein:



The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.



I also liked this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt:



When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?

What a weekend!

OK, so it's not really the weekend anymore. I guess technically, we are closer to the next weekend then the past weekend. So to clarify, I had a crazy weekend last weekend. There. That's better. We hung out with Bec and Chris Friday night. Chris has connections at P. F. Chang's, so we were able to skip the line at the door and get seated right away. How cool is that? Then, we went back to Bec and Chris' house and we played a card game. Now, maybe we sound like total losers for playing a card game on a Friday night. But it was soooo much fun! The game is called Phase 10, and it is kind of like Uno, except not really. (And we all know my love of Uno, right??) So anyways, we played for about three hours. Robbie was ahead for the entire game, and then at the very end, Becca won! Mwahahahaha! But it was great fun.



On Saturday, I had agreed (somewhat foolishly, I admit) to go skiing with Bec, Chris, and Robbie at Liberty Mountain. I had never been skiing or snowboarding, so I had no idea what great fun I was in for [add heavy sarcasm]. Since the three of them were all snowboarding, I didn't want to be the lone skier, so I snowboarded too. OK, first fun part - walking with a snowboard attached to your foot...Feet quickly become tired and begin to hurt. We had just missed the class that we were going to take, so we had to wait an hour for the next one. It was someone's bright idea that we should practice for that hour that we had to wait. Chris showed me how to do nothing, but not for lack of trying. I did sort of master walking with a snowboard attached to me. But, beyond that, there was no stopping, turning, or anything other than moving at a high rate of speed and falling down. So, then the class began. Unbeknownst to me, my legs were done for the day. I could hardly do anything, and it was quickly apparent to me and the instructor (his name, too, was Chris), that I was going to be mostly nonfunctional. But, I tried my damnedest. We practiced going straight down a hill, and turning while going down the hill. I mastered neither. I did master falling down. Bec, Robbie, and I rode up to the top of the little mountain on the ski lift and promptly fell off all together when we got to the top. I was completely exhausted by this time. And as we lined up to go down this big hill on this five foot long board with both feet attached, my legs began to think on their own. They thought, "Fuck that!" At that point, my board, with one foot attached, went one way, the rest of my body went the other way, and I abruptly twisted my knee and fell over. I thought that was the fun part. The even more fun part was waiting for ski patrol to arrive, wrap me like a dead body, and pull me down the hill in a tobogan. Oh, you have not lived until you experience this. Along with the cold air flying by, you get to feel first hand all of the bumps as you fly down the mountain at a speed that feels quite a bit too fast. And, I got to hear kids yelling, "Look, that's the fourth injury we've seen today!" I closed my eyes and prayed for it to be over. By the time we completed this fun trip down the mountain and arrived in the clinic, my knee was feeling a bit better. I got to sit in the clinic for a while and chat with my emergency tech person, who was also a social worker. She told me not to give up on the skiing or snowboarding. Um, yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Anyways, to end my already too long story, nobody ever looked at my knee, and they sent me on my way after about an hour. Luckily for me (and unluckily for several others), I was not the worst injury in that clinic. There were several broken and sprained wrists, and the kid next to me did not remember how he got to the clinic. I was, however, the oldest person there. Ah, what good memories I'll have from this trip.



Undoubtedly, the best part of the day was getting to play Phase 10 again. We drove back to Rockville after our skiing excursion. It was snowing at this point, and it took a little while to get back. We ate at an all you can eat pizza place called CiCi's on Rockville Pike, and then went back to Bec and Chris's. We watched Shrek 2 and played cards and that was much more fun, in my opinion, than standing on a board and riding it down a mountain. But, that's just me.



All this week, I have been in serious pain. My knee has been sore, but not swollen or anything. However, I have muscle pain like you can't imagine! I didn't know I had so many muscles that could all hurt at the same time. But, Robbie is going to take me back up onto the mountain and try again. I can't decide if this sounds like a good idea or not. I'm thinking I might try skiing next time, although neither skiing nor snowboarding sounds particularly fun.



OK, now I've told my little snowboarding story to a couple of people who found it really amusing. But I'm sure everyone reading this can feel my pain, right???? :-/

It's a hard knock life

Sometimes my job makes me want to go to my mom's house and hug my parents and never let them go. I have now successfully done the two most difficult parts of a child welfare social worker's job. In August, I removed two children from their mother's care because I felt that she was placing them at risk (you can read all about it in a post written around August 24, 2004). Today, I had to tell the same children and mother that the children's permanency goal was changed from reunification with their mother to adoption. That means that the children will never live with their mother again. It means that, if they are adopted, their mother will not be allowed to speak to them or see them again until they are adults (and if, as adults, they choose to contact their mother). The children in this case are not little. They are twelve and fourteen years old. They know their mother. They love their mother. Even though Mom neglected them, emotionally abused them, and placed them in harm's way by smoking crack in their presence, they still love her. I went to the fourteen year old girl and told her that she would not be able to live with her mother ever again. I explained to her how adoption works, and told her that she was old enough to choose not to be adopted. However, she could also choose to be adopted if she wanted that. This girl was so strong during this conversation. She listened and she understood. I had tears in my eyes telling her this, and she just nodded and listened. It was sooooo hard to tell her she would never be able to live with her mother again. I can not imagine what it would feel like as a child to hear that. I can't imagine what it would feel like, as a mother, to hear that she will never again be able to have her children in her home. And, in all likelihood, she will lose all of her parental rights, and never be able to see her children again. Sometimes, my job is so hard and painful, it makes me wonder why I went into this field. But, at the same time, it brings me real joy to see how these children have grown and blossomed since they were removed from their mother's care and placed in foster care. They are smart, funny, beautiful children. They are excelling in school and in their lives. They have people in their lives that love them, and that show them that they love them on a daily basis. I take for granted the fact that I had that, but it makes me realize that I need to truly appreciate the love that I received, both as a child and now, from my parents.



OK, it's been a very stressful day, and so I'll stop talking about my hard job.



I finished crocheting a scarf. I even added tassels to it. Yay! I guess I should take a picture and post it, but I'm emotionally and physically drained from the stress that occurred at work today. I'm now working on another scarf, and I told Robbie I would make an afghan for the house (ha! It will be done around Christmas!). But I'm finding that crocheting is a good way to wind down and relax from hard days at work. My mind can wander, and I can think about anything I want, or absolutely nothing. That is a good feeling.



Robbie has just about completed his first week of the academy. Apparently, it's awful. It's boot camp all over again. He is currently studying for an exam tomorrow, and he clearly doesn't want to study (he tried to find ANYTHING to do other than study). But, on the bright side, he is 4 percent complete (and only has 96 days left) :)



Anyways, I'm going to go finish unwinding and probably go to bed. I think I need a year-long vacation.

So long...

No, not like, "So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye." More like, it has been so long since I posted something. Yes, I'm weird. No, not weird - unique! :) Anyways, life has been busy. I have been crazy busy at work, writing five court reports in the span of a week and a half. I have four hearings this month, the first of which was today. The judge was displeased with me, which was a first (although apparently this judge is always displeased).



The only big news for right now: Robbie got offered a job on the UMCP police force. So he is gonna be a police officer! YAY! I think I'm yaying more for him, not really for me. For me, it becomes lonely nights and ulcers from being worried all the time, but at least he will be happy.



I have started seriously working on my crocheting. I was working on what I thought was going to be a scarf. Well, I guess about 15 rows into it, I realized it was not going out straight like a scarf should, but was turning more and more into a triangle shape. This is not bad for, say, a pot holder. However, it is bad for a scarf. So, I read my nifty directions, and it turns out I was missing the important step that kept it from going into a triangle. So, as I had used half of my ball of yarn, I started over with a new color. Now, it's coming along at a slow pace, but it is still straight! YAY!!! I never knew I would or could get excited about crocheting, but indeed I am. If it keeps progressing, I may even post a picture to show the finished (or sort of finished) product. When we were out buying yarn, Robbie found a website on one of the yarns where you can get free patterns! I was excited about this, until I went to the site. Most of it is for people who know what they are doing, which doesn't include me. But, I'm learning, so when I learn to do more, I'll try one of those patterns. For now, I will finish my scarf, and then I am going to try to work on an afghan (ha! I'll keep y'all posted on how well that's going!).



Oh well, since the bulk of my blog has to do with crocheting, I guess my life is undeniably dull right now. But, I'm okay with that.

HAPPY 2005!!!!! :)