New job and car and all sorts of stuff!

Man, that was really interesting! I just figured out that I have to sign in here with my old userid and password, but because I have a Gmail account, Blogger was trying to get me into beta. I like new stuff, but it totally freaked me out! Made me think my poor, neglected li'l blog had disappeared! Oh well, here it is, and here I am, and all is right with the world.

Now, on to the job and car and stuff. So I have a new car, an '06 Kia Rio to be exact, cuz my old Honda finally gave up the ghost about a month ago. Then I got the Rio at the end of July, but it got totalled cuz I was a moron. So the insurance company is paying just enough to replace my car and maybe get lunch at McDonald's when I'm done! But hey, I'm still coming out slightly ahead. Oh, and they just sent me a note saying that they're cancelling my policy cuz of an accident I had two years ago. Just as well, as I was gonna cancel it myself anyhow. Once the check clears for the car, that is. I just hope that the left hand and right hand are exclusive long enough to get my money -- my poor dad can't afford any more automotive screwups on my end!

So the job is good news. It only pays $8 an hour to start, but it's for a personal injury attorney who is a rebel and a firebrand. She sues cops for misconduct, for Chrissakes! I love it! Getting paid to stick it to the man! :-D So I start Friday, and have 90 days to prove myself. This is sort of a self-imposed deadline, but I'm setting it anyway. I want my first pay raise soon, dangit! The munchkin and I can use the medical/dental insurance. But once I get cemented in the position, then I will be moving to Portland. Have to find out if I can move my Y membership up there, and how to go about getting afterschool care for the munchkin, and how the schools are in the city, and the whole bit. But I'll be living in a big city again, and this time much nicer than nasty old Sacramento. It'll mean the Saturday market, and Wild Oats, and OMSI and all sorts of other neat stuff that you can't really do much of if you live in other parts of Oregon.

Okay, gotta jet for now. I have to be up in the morning to go grocery shopping before we all go to the fair and eat junk food and ride rides and all that neat stuff. I can't wait!

My Internet home is back! Yaaay!

I know it probably seems very odd to be glad about the return of a messageboard, of all the damn things, but I am glad to see the Countparts Messageboard back nonetheless. It has been a home to me in my love of all things Rush-related, and I'm beyond stoked to see it back!

I'm also glad to see that my job search seems to be bearing a bit of fruit now, too. I found out Tuesday about a position opening up with a criminal defense attorney, and I know for a fact that I am only one of two people who are up for the job. I spoke today with the girl I would be replacing, and got her to remember that we attended the same school at the same time. She assured me that she would be saying nice things about me to her boss, so here's hoping that I can get an interview and a shot at the whole enchilada! Go me!

So that's about all for now; I have to hit the hay cuz I have a spinning class at 10:15 in the morning, and then an appointment with a fitness coach at 6:30 in the evening. I'm feeling much better about getting a handle on my health, and am wanting to put effort in that I didn't before. Course, it totally helps to have motivation....'specially when it's tall, dark and dreamy! *snerk*

Oh wow man, I feel *SO* much better now....

So I just finished talking to my placement officer today, and now am in possession of a really cool job lead. It's in Portland, but we can deal with that. The guy's a criminal defense attorney, and this is my ultimate, money-is-no-object, idealistic dream job. She's also talked me down from freaking out about my resume and references and the boss from Hell.

Oh, and I just heard from my dad tonight too. He's sending me a package with a birthday gift in it! I can't even believe it....he hasn't done that since I was a kid, for one, and for another, he's paying my bills right now! So I figured that would be gift enough...but I have to admit that I'm now looking forward to it.

I'm also feeling pretty good about my swimming and such at the Y...I'm actually learning what I missed out on as a kid, and it's making me go every other day. Now I just need to talk to one of the trainers about some strength training, and things should go pretty well. Then to tackle the food bit, and I'm on my way. But for now, it's enough that I am making myself go to the swim class without fail. That's "One Little Victory", to be sure. :)

Born On The Fourth of July

Well, here we are on the fourth day of July, 2006. Although I'm about to get all political up in this bitch *snicker*, I was able to start my day on a high point. My kiddo and I actually began the day by listening to the live reading of the Declaration of Independence on NPR before we got up. I was still in bed, listening to the news, and he came in and snuggled up with me to listen to it. While the newscasters were going through the list of complaints the Founders set out against George III, he turned and asked me if they were talking about Dubya! *SNORT!* I had to work really hard not to laugh at that.

We have fireworks to set off tonight, and the city fireworks show to watch at the very end of the day. I also have Ben & Jerry's Black and Tan ice cream, which is flavored chocolate and cream stout! I have never had beer-flavored ice cream in my whole life, but it's actually pretty good! I was impressed....

Anyhow, I have a Star Trek episode to finish watching (City On The Edge of Forever) and some lunch to eat, and some more penpal letters to write. So that's all for now.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother....

So I just got an IM from a friend that was about 6 hours old. Meaning that whilst I was being a good girl and exercising at the Y, I was being paged by a guy who makes my liver turn over. And no guarantees when it might happen again. Joy. I mean, I can call him myself and we can talk, but I still find myself wondering if I'm bugging him or not, or even what he might be thinking.
Trouble is, I'm not so sure it would be such a great idea to *ask* him what he's thinking! Dammit, this is why I don't go out with chicks!

I can't say that I love him or anything, but anytime I think about talking to him, I just get this swimmy feeling in the pit of my stomach. My hands shake and I can't breathe and it's just really stupid. And on top of all that, Michael has figured out that I might be interested in something/-one other than him, so of course he's all interested in me again! And I am finding myself increasingly bored with him. We have the same conversations over and over again, and it just isn't tripping my trigger anymore. I dunno, maybe if he were more educated and had fewer emotional hangups I'd be more inclined to try with him. Oh well. Will write more later, I guess.

Another blast from the past...

So the 17-year-old girl inside of me is totally going "squeee!" right now. I mean, I'm finding it hard to sleep or eat or do much of anything else useful. It's been a few days, but I got email from the one guy I wish I had kissed when I was a teenager. We met in junior high, when we shared a couple of classes and some extracurricular activities. I didn't really realize that I liked him until I spent all of the 8th grade sitting next to him in English class. He didn't much care for that class at the time, I think, cuz his dad was the teacher. I ended up bonding with his dad though, and rank him as the teacher who had the most effect on me ever. He was very cool.

So flash forward to me being in high school on the Navajo Nation, but still going back home to Kansas during every break that my dad and I had from school...I always talked to Bill (former teacher) during each of those breaks. But the summer after junior year, I decided that I wanted to go visit Bill and meet his Irish Setter, and catch up with Trey again. I still remember the moment that we locked eyes in his parents' living room. The universe just stopped and we were the only two people in it who mattered. So after hanging out with Trey's folks for about 15 minutes, I excused myself as politely as possible to go hang with Trey in his room -- with the door closed! I would never have gotten away with that if it had been the two of us in *my* bedroom. *snicker* Long story short, there was good conversation and an even better massage, but no lip action. Dammit. We even wrote letters to each other during senior year. But alas, my next rendevous with him was as a guest at his wedding. That sucked.

Finally, I decided a couple of months ago to pull my head out of my butt and not let these folks just fade into my memory. So I called up Bill again and we talked and it was a lot of fun. From him I found out that Trey is no longer attached. And then about 6 weeks later, I get email from Trey. With a phone number. My hands shook and my heart pounded and I called him, and we've talked a couple of times now. I wish he wasn't so damned bitter about women, but he's come by it honestly. Now I know how I sound about men! :D So now I have a real motivation for improving my health, amazingly enough. Much as I like Michael, he doesn't make my liver turn over the way Trey does. The man is educated and urbane and witty and dry......and I have never lived with him, so he could be a real jerk and I just don't know it! *tries to be realistic despite hormones*

So I'm gonna see if he's around tomorrow, cuz just the sound of his voice on voicemail turns me into a puddle of goo on the floor. I'm pathetic, I know, but this feeling is amazing and whoever can bottle it without nasty side effects will be very rich.

Kinda freaking out here...

I have an interview in the morning with a lady who my placement officer has assured me is very sweet and nice. I've even talked to her and confirmed the assessment, but I'm still nervous. "Nervous...as I can be!" as Taylor said in his audition. (Cuz I can't just let the Taylor love go without saying, now...) *snicker* I was at least smart enough to update and tweak my resume last week, so I only have to print out some copies tomorrow before I go. That helps. However, it doesn't make me any less whacked out. I mean, this woman knows someone who has an opening! I need a job! Eeeeeee!!!

Oh well, at least things are going well on the ground personally. I have decent internet access now, and heard from a friend I haven't talked to since we were in high school! He's the only romantic regret I have. I really wish I'd pushed a little harder and gotten him to kiss me. Oh well. The conversation we had this evening was quite a roller coaster, emotionally. I'm finding myself angry on his behalf at a woman I don't even know! Yeesh.... Anyway, I gotta quit now and go to bed so I'm up for my interview in the morning.

Another commercial...

...for my new ISP. I don't love Comcast as a company, but I do love that I now have broadband Internet instead of pokey ol' dialup. I have spent the better part of the night just watching tons and tons of video clips on Go Fish that have up to this point been out of my league. I re-watched many of my favorite American Idol performances from this past season, cuz I'm obssessed like that. (Psst, Taylor, I can learn how to cook soul food! The Pacific Northwest is so quiet and pretty, you can come hang with me anytime...)

Anyway, now that I'm done giving out more free publicity to people who'll never see it, I'm off to bed! I have to be up in the morning to pay some bills, get hair and nails done, pay my rent, run some errands, that sort of thing. Heck, I think I may actually be productive tomorrow! What a concept....

Damn withdrawals.....

Okay, so no new pictures of Taylor Hicks for this post, and I am totally wigged out that I won't be able to watch American Idol tonight like I have been for the past 4 and a half months! But the good news is that I got to see another snippet of Taylor on television today. He was on Live with Regis and Kelly, singing (sorry, selling) the new single. The interview aftwards was pretty short, and Kelly kept cutting him off. Oh well, Anderson Cooper was the guest host instead of Reege, and I loves me some hawt newsdudes too! :D

So that's all for now, as I have to stop wasting time and go fix up my resume so I can go jobhunting. But before I go, I have to give a shout-out to a really cool blogger that found out about on the Gray Charles site. It's all about the "sweet soul music" and I am so gonna have to hang out there and download massive amounts of new music to listen to! It's called Taylor Is The Boogie, and it is way cool!

Even more Taylorized goodness...

Yep, I'm in full-on commercial, American Idol-withdrawal, "I want more Taylor Hicks" mode right now! And I don't care who the hell knows it! So there! Anyway, so I figured I would share some of the sonic goodness that is Taylor, especially since he was doing his thing before Idol came along. So here's a song that he wrote (from "Under The Radar")....it's called Soul Thing, and it rocks! I'm seriously contemplating making this the ringtone on my cell phone.

And oh yeah, here's the Soul Patrolman rockin' a killer jacket! (See above....) So now I'm gonna shut up so that my Taylor mp3 downloads will go faster, and so that I can re-watch the Larry King Live with Taylor and Kat and Randy for the third damn time! Sheesh, am I a junkie or what?

It's a Soul Thang!!!

Aaaaaahhhh!! I can't believe it! Taylor Hicks won the American Idol title, and I could not be happier! This guy kicks all manner of unbelievable arse musically, and I am looking forward to following his career for a good long time. Oh yeah, and how cool was it to be able to stick it to the man (in the form of Simon Cowell) and prove that good material will always rise to the top of the heap if given the proper chance and encouragement.

He has two CDs out that he did with his band before he the Idol thing, and I have put down my simoleans for the only one that's still available for legitimate sale. I'll likely be borrowing the Idol CD from a friend of mine to turn into mp3s for myself, and I've downloaded a ton of Taylor's early live material. Again, I know I must sound like a damn commercial by tis time, but this is really the first time that I've ever been able to get in on something so cool at the ground floor. In fact, I'm going to check my mailbox when I finish here, just to see if my Taylor CD has come in the mail yet. It probably hasn't, given that the only place selling it has been totally backlogged on orders for it. The whole damn country has jumped on the Soul Patrol bandwagon, and all that Simon and 19E have to do is sit back and wait for the money to roll in. I hope that the first album he does isn't a total cheesefest, but I'm buying it anyway. Anyway, on to bed so that I can get up and watch the morning shows and see if Taylor or Kat or Elliot show up on any of them. And before I forget......

SOUL PATROL!!! WOOO!!!!!

Cuz nobody else I know cares....

Okay, so I have a confession to make. American Idol has made me its bitch this season. I got started watching to laugh at the ridiculous auditions (of which there were plenty!) and then we got to the last day in Vegas, and there was this old guy on my TV screen. Well, I thought he was an old guy, anyway. He turned out to be one of this year's finalists, Taylor Hicks.

/commercial mode on/OHMIGOD I LOVE TAYLOR HICKS!!!1!11!!! /commericial mode off/

So now that I have the teenage droolery out of my system, let me explain why I love Taylor beyond all reason. He has something going on with his voice and his attitude that totally draws me in. He's genuine, and Simon is completely bemused by him, and he makes me smile everytime he's onstage. Add to that the fact that his original material rocks, and here's someone worth wasting two hours of my time for. (Voting, that is....) Honestly, this is the first musician that I have actually cared enough about to buy new material since a friend introduced me to the music of Rush 13 years ago. I mean, I enjoy Taylor's cover performances on the Idol stage, but I *really* dig the stuff that he wrote himself and was performing with his own band in Birmingham before any of us Idol watchers had ever heard of him.

Okay, so now that I've posted a completely unauthorized commercial for this guy, I have to go so that I can take my internship paperwork to my school. Oh yeah, and try to get some job leads from the placement department. I have to get a job so that I can quit being bored and make some money and maybe try to buy tickets for the American Idol tour. (Cuz my son is just as big a Taylor fan as I am....!)

She's baaaaaaack!

Wow, has it really been so damn long since I posted to this lonely little slice o' cyberspace?! *checks posting dates* Yep, it's been that damn long. God I'm pathetic!

Ah well, at least I have the excuse of the internship from hell to fall back on. My boss sucks big ol' donkey balls and I can't wait for it to be done! But I should only have a couple more days and then I can go back to looking for a job. A real job, one that pays money and has benefits and all that good jazz.

Oh yeah, I'm also geting ready to send in the application and money for a penpal service for both me and Allen. I need mail that isn't just bills and movies, and Allen needs to practice his writing skills. And once I turn in the applications, I can get some publicity for my tiny li'l blog to people in other parts of the world too! W00t!

She works hard for the money....

...or at least she wants to! I need a job, dammit! I finally finished up all the classroom work for my paralegal degree, and now I need to land an internship. It's the final requirement for me to be able to graduate. 180 hours of substantive legal work is all it'll take. But I also need to have a job that will actually pay my bills and keep me from having to depend on my dad all the damn time! So far I've had 2 interviews, 1 rejection, and a ton of leads from people who are a lot cooler than I thought they were. I love my chorus! I even have a lead to call today from one of our altos -- who used to be a professor at the law school in my lovely town. How sweet is that?!

Anyway, I have to jam for now, so that I can get home to my kiddo and pick up my contact lenses from the doctor and go work out and feel all spiffy. :)

Only a week left...

That's how long I have in school, academically speaking. By the start of February I need to have an internship. EEEEEEK!

Okay, so I'm trying hard not to freak out too much, but it's a bit difficult. My main concern is that once I'm done with the internship, then I have to go out and pound the pavement again for a job. And my dad wants to quit supporting my sorry ass as soon as possible. Not that I blame him, mind you. I have a 9-year-old. I know now what it is to be a parent and not want somebody to be continually draining you of resources. Oh well, at least I now have interview and work clothes, so I'm ready for a job dangit!

A really cool site to visit...

It's devoted to my favorite band in the whole wide world, Rush, and it's hosted by a really super neato-keen guy -- Music in The Abstract. His site is full of obscure, yummy Rush goodness. He has a blog of his own, and some videos and other trippendicular stuff. Anyway, here's the URL, for those visitors who aren't already part of the Rush family:

http://home.earthlink.net/~cmilmerstadt/rush/rush-oddities.htm

I've been there and haven't begun to explore it all yet. But it kicks all manner of ass. *grin* Love ya, MiTA!

Fear and Loathing in Oregon...

I am so beyond freaked out right now, it's not even funny. I have been trying like crazy for the past week to get in contact with the internship coordinator for my school, and she's nowhere to be found! I need to have an internship next term, or else I've been doing all this work for nothing! Oh well, I have to print out my resume and give it to a really sweet guy in Shannon and Vanesa's office today, so I may have a glimmer of hope here. I also need to send out an SOS to my chorus friends, in hopes of finding a position with a gay or gay-friendly family attorney or firm. That would so rock. Anyway, class coming into this lab, so I gotta scram.

The circle of life...

I don't normally quote songs from Disney movies, especially when they've been pounded into our collective heads by middle-of-the-road FM radio stations, but I have a decent reason this time. My little mousie Joey passed away quietly in her sleep Thursday. She was a sweet, spry little old lady and I will miss her. My final memory of her is her running up my arm and onto the back of my neck and sniffing in my hair and ears.

So what's with the circle bit, you may ask? I went to the pet store today and bought two new little girls so that Katie (Joey's cagemate) wouldn't feel too lonely. They're a couple of tiny little girls only a couple of months old, and so small next to Katie! I have named them Pip and Squeak. After I got them home, I cleaned out the cages and put in fresh food and water and litter, and then Allen and I gave everybody a bath so that they'd all smell alike. Boy if that wasn't fun! Mice can damn sure jump a long ways if they feel the need! Anyway, everybody is happy and healthy and nobody has bitten anybody else so far. Oh yeah, we also came home with a couple of beta fishes that Allen named with Greek letters. (Cuz beta's a Greek letter, ya know....) So Alpha and Omega are part of our family now too. :D

And then there's the newest development between Michael and me. He's decided that he wants to try to make a go of it in a relationship...but on an ongoing trial basis. I am decidedly confused. It pisses me off to an extent that he came and told me before the holidays that he was gonna completely break things off between us, based on what some people in his family wanted. I like his mom, but she isn't the be-all and end-all that he often thinks she is. I have to be honest and admit that this is something I have wanted for a long time. But I also have to remind myself to be honest with him and with myself about who I am and what I like. And about how I raise my kid. If I can be honest, and be tough-minded without being mean, then I think I may have a good start at a decent life for both me and Allen. We shall see.

Happy Gnu Year!

As Gary Gnu (Great Space Coaster) always used to say, "No gnus is good gnus!" What can I say? The holiday season was hectic and wonderful and packed and too short and lots of fun. My dad was here for about 4 days, and got to hear Confluence sing at Mission Mill in Salem. It was pretty cool, as he got to hear my one and only tiny little solo. He would have eaten dinner with us that night too, but he's not really that comfortable in big crowds, so he just laid low after the performance and let me have my time with my friends. All in all it was pretty cool.

Anton showed up a couple of days earlier than he had anticipated, so we had him on Christmas Day in the morning, and he got to watch Allen unwrap all of his presents. Then we played a game of Risk with Allen's brand new game, and I beat the pants off both of them after holding nothing more than Europe! I rule! :D Anton also came bearing gifts of music, in the form of his old 60-CD changer (or "jukebox", as he calls it) and a couple of CDs that he just let me have outright. So I now have a copy of In Utero by Nirvana, and a 2-disc set that he bought while he was here, turned into MP3s with my computer, and just left with me! Whee!

And where did he get these new discs, I hear you ask? Why, in Seattle, of course! We went to the Space Needle (only Allen and I went all the way up) and Seattle Center on a day trip. It was all about a couple of cool museums that day: The Experience Music Project and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. They were both amazing and gnarly and wicked and totally cool! After all, how rockin' is a day that you can see both a life-sized model of Gort and the guitars used by Eddie Van Halen ("Hot for Teacher") and Jimi Hendrix (Woodstock)? So back to the new CDs...we all got some souvenirs, and the discs were his. He was just nice enough to let me keep them on an extended loan.

So that takes care of Christmas 2005...here's to a happy 2006 and left-leaning midterm elections and all of that jazz. I will likely post again tomorrow with news about how the week after Christmas turned out. Suffice to say that I am now officially no longer surprised at anything life throws at me. Oh yeah, I need to give a shout-out to Juicy Fruiter, who also uses Blogger, and posted the first-ever comment to my humble li'l blog! The link above will take you to his blog as well. Go, read, pester him to write some more! :D