Work, work, work

I started at a call center about 2 months ago and I loved everyone at the center that I was able to meet. The actual job though... it's rough. I know how rude people can be because I've only ever worked in the mall, but when the person can't see who they are yelling at... oh man! They are just downright nasty! Their problems weren't even my fault and yet they take out all their anger and frustration out on me. I understand that they see me as the face of the company, but chill the hell out people! TV is not so important that you can't miss a few hours, or days. Take the opportunity to spend time with your family. K, I got that out of my system.

Not only was that part hard to handle, but I don't like being confined to a little space like that. Cubicle life is not for me. I don't consider myself being claustrophobic, but maybe I am? Just a little?

I'm still at the bookstore. I'll be there 'til the very end and my manager is very grateful. She was relieved when I told her I quit and would have more time to give her. I'm really bummed that we're closing.

1. I like working there.

2. I like all of my co-workers.

3. I love books. I love to read, and I like helping people find new worlds to escape into.

4. The dress code is casual.

5. I get the amount of hours I want.

6. It's a good company with a great rewards program.

Now, I'll be applying to the mother store (who owns us). They don't have room right now, but maybe in a couple months someone will quit. *fingers crossed*

Thankfully, my husband makes enough to feed us and pay our bills. No extras though. :( The call center pays amazingly well, but it just isn't the right job for me. I was miserable and stressed. I will be applying for jobs around town, but it's not a great time of year to get a job. We'll see what happens. I'm confident everything will work out fine though.

Cookies = Fail

My friend NB and her husband JB have been looking for a house for several months and finally found one! She was supposed to close on it at the beginning of November. Well, the bank didn't have all the paperwork together so she wasn't able to close on the house until this month. We always have work parties at her place, but a week before our party we had to find another place because we didn't think she'd be able to close on the house in time. We were right. She finally closed on it the day after the party. Go figure.

The Monday before the party, we started looking for other places to have our party. Everyone else lives in apartments too small for 15+ people, so I looked into renting the party room in my apartment complex. The problem with that was we'd have to be out of the room and have it cleaned up by 10. Plus, I worked all day that Sunday and wouldn't have time to prepare anything before people showed up. We decided on a nice restaurant downtown. The day before, JO decides to actually call said restaurant to find out if we could reserve the back room for it. No, they close at 2PM on Sundays. Great!

I don't know who decided it, but we ended up going to Perkins. Of all the places in town, someone chose Perkins.

Last year we did a gift exchange, but this year we decided to all make cookies and have a cookie exchange. I called my step-mom to have her send me the recipe for Candy Lasses because it was something new I'm sure none of my co-workers have had. I decided to make them on Wednesday in case I messed them up, then I would still have time to remake them or make something else. I'm glad I did that because I messed them up! Haha

First of all, the recipe calls for crushed peppermint candy. I didn't really have anything to crush them with and I couldn't remember how my step-mom did it. I didn't want to call her and sound like an idiot, so my husband just put them in a bag and beat them with a hammer. It worked, and that's all that matters. Don't judge.

The recipe also calls for molasses and that stuff smells so nasty! I really hope I don't need to use it for anything for a very long time. Anyway, I pulled the cookies out of the oven and they looked perfect! I didn't burn them! I was so happy!

Candy Lasses failed because they were rock hard after cooling. Only after I mess them up does my step-mom tell me to take them out before they look done. She apparently burned them the first few times she made them, too. They didn't look burned, but I guess looks can be deceiving.

All that work for nothing. I ended up just throwing them out. The night before the party I decided to make Oatmeal Scotchies. I trust them, they don't deceive me. They actually did turn out perfect and they were very tasty. I was sad to give 95% of them away, but everyone liked them. (: Steve ate the other 4.9%

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

The kindness of strangers

My husband is a huge gamer. Huge! That's pretty much all he does when I don't drag him out of the house. For Christmas, I was either going to get him a new cell phone or a new PC monitor. He really needed both, but together was out of our price range we set for each other.

However, someone made the decision for me. A stranger. My husband has been playing games online with him for a couple years, but he has never actually met the guy. There's a side forum for one of the games he plays, and he was complaining about needing a new monitor (his was from the 90's).

While I think my husband is an idiot for giving out personal information (our address), something good came from it. One of the guys just up and sent him a flat screen monitor. Steve thanked him profusely and asked him how he could repay him. The guy's answer was to simply do something nice for someone else someday.

Another thing occurred while I was at work today. I had a couple girls (about 11) who didn't know how much money they had, but really wanted to get a calendar for someone. After I told them how much it would be with tax, they went over to a bench and counted out that exact amount and got in line. The lady in front of them was watching and listening to them, bought her calendars and added on two of our chocolate truffles. I thought they were for her and her son, but after she paid she handed each of the girls one. The girls were so excited and thanked her. I thought it was really sweet of her. She said her nieces live in Texas and she never gets to see them, so she bought candy for these random girls.

The kindness of strangers... It's really fantastic!

You're welcome, CEO of Kleenex

I have a theory. The Kleenex, Puffs, and other tissue brands all got together and created the cold, flu virus, and other such illnesses where tissues are required. This year alone, I'm sure I paid the Kleenex CEO's Christmas bonus.

I'm sick again.

I have gone through so many tissues (with lotion) and my nose is feeling pretty raw. It sucks. I'm pretty sure I'm sick because I work in retail and touch money all day. Sick people buy things, too. Sick people really should not touch money while they are contagious. I wash my hands as often as I can, and I try not to touch anywhere on my face, and if I do, I try to use the back of my hand. I still manage to get sick though.

I just felt like complaining. Thanks for listening. (: Hopefully, I'll be better before Christmas. I think the worst is over, I just have a cough and runny nose.

Santa lost weight!

I have been so tired and uninspired. I love making AMVs (Anime Music Videos) but I just can't seem to find a song that inspires me. I've found a lot of really great songs that I love recently, but none that match any of the Anime that I own.

Life hasn't been too terribly exciting. I started and ended a job rather quickly. I'll post about that later this week. I'll also tell you why I fail at complicated cookies.

I did discover that Santa is on a diet!!! He must have finally realized cookies aren't good for you. Especially in the quantity he's been eating them in. No, actually I'm guessing the mall just couldn't find any one fat enough that wanted to do it this year. *shrug* He is super skinny though. It's kinda funny watching him walk around on his breaks because the suit is so big on him! He comes into my bookstore a lot. Too bad I didn't get a picture for you. Sorry. :/

But if you're interested... here is one of my AMVs. It's just a 30 second clip from a collaboration I did with some people.

Halloween and Mini Mouse

It's October, so I thought I would make a little Halloween post. I love all the costumes, but I really hate the candy part. It's not so great for weight loss. Mostly, though I hate giving out the candy. Some children are just so rude and greedy, especially the older ones who don't have supervision. One year, I saw a 14 year old boy knock over a 3 year old girl just to get to the door. He didn't even say sorry. I just think parents need to teach their children to be a little more polite, even if they are high on sugar.

Our plan this year is not to pass out candy. We're going to a haunted house with my co-workers and then possibly to Deadwood. Deadwood has some big celebration called "Deadweird." It should be fun.

I do have to mention, the last haunted house we went to, there was a little kid in front of us. He must have been about 5 or 6, he was scared and his reaction was to yell at anyone who jumped out at him. "I'm gonna give you a lobotomy!" It was cute. I don't even think he knew what it meant, but it kinda fit. I mean, any other time... if you came across someone standing in a dark corner waiting to scare people you'd think they have some kind of mental disorder.

Here are a few pictures of my husband who loves Halloween.

He loves Scorpions because he and his dad are both Scorpios.

This is from last Halloween. He tried to look fake and in the dark it worked on some people. He scared poor little children. Yes, that's a real pumpkin on his head.

He was pretending to be Jack Sparrow. Jack Sparrow =

Haha and this one is my favorite! We found some really cool masquerade masks and then there was this Mini Mouse mask and he just had to try it on! Of course, I took a picture to share with you!

Chili Peppers are hot

My husband so brilliantly decided to eat a red chili pepper despite the fact that he HATES anything spicy. So as he stood in the kitchen eating this pepper, I just watched him.

And waited.

After a few seconds, the spice hit his tongue and he spit the pepper in the trash. He then decided to down half our milk, and still complained about his mouth being on fire.

All I could manage was "What did you think was gonna happen?" before falling over laughing.

“Maybe you’re pregnant”

Everyone around me seems to be pregnant or new parents. I kind of feel left out. :( No, I don't want a baby right now. I'm just saying...

Why do so many women get pregnant in their early 20's? It drives me nuts. I know it's prime baby-making age. I understand not wanting to be 60 when your children graduate, but come on! Getting married does not mean you need to have a baby right away. Being recently married, I feel like it is almost expected of me! I was complaining about feeling sick yesterday at work, and my co-worker immediately says "Maybe you're pregnant." Really? That's the only solution you can come up with? And that's not the first time someone has suggested that. I am not pregnant!

For the record, we do not plan on having a baby until our late 20's if at all. We are perfectly content with just the two of us. I mean, we're still trying to decide what we want to be when we grow up. We're just starting to figure out how to save money! We can't afford a baby. Baby things are expensive. I've been staring at my aunt's baby registry for a few days now just trying to decide what I want to get her! I want something useful, but also something that will last more than a few months. I'm becoming more and more practical every day. I used to love baby clothes. I still think they are cute, but $15 is nuts for something he/she MIGHT wear once and not even for a full day depending on how messy and how fast the baby grows.

Steven and I are perfectly happy just being us. While he drives me nuts and I sometimes want to divorce him (just kidding, by the way), I love coming home and just being able to cuddle in front of the tv. I don't have to worry about anything or anyone else. I think more couples should wait a few years before popping out babies, especially those living together for the first time after the wedding. You learn so much about the other person once you live together. You need to learn to co-habitate before adding the stress of a newborn and different parenting styles.

Of course, some people know when they are ready to be parents, but the ones who think they need to rush into having a baby, or think a baby will make everything perfect are the ones that need to take a step back. Look at the big picture. When you're ready, you're ready. Don't force it. Having a baby won't fix anything.

Meet Jasmine

This is "my" kitty. Her name is Jasmine and she's about 2 years old. We found her at the pound and they guessed she was almost 1 when they took her off the cold streets in the middle of winter.

She lives with my mother-in-law currently, but she is secretly mine. One of these days I will kidnap her and not tell anyone. Her disappearance will be such a mystery! Although, revealing my plan may not work out since my mother-in-law will be reading this...

When we first got her, Steve and I were living with his parents because we had just moved into town and needed a place to stay. When we got her, she was very sick. She wouldn't eat or drink anything. My in-laws were going out of town, so my husband and I took care of her. We had to mix wet food with water and then force her to swallow it with an eye dropper. I think her illness was made worse because the pound did surgery on her to fix her (a requirement for all that are adopted) even though she was so sick. Since we were force feeding her, she started to regain her strength and started eating/drinking on her own and she has been healthy ever since.

This second picture is the same week we took her home.

Her neck is shaved because she also got a microchip.

I absolutely adore her. She is cute and crazy. She has a very unique personality and I wouldn't trade her for anything! Sometimes, when she looks at you she is slightly cross-eyed and it makes me laugh every time.

Unless there is food in front of her, she comes every time I call her.

She’s very playful. She'll play with just about anything. A ball, a laser, string, squeaky mouse toys, a peanut that fell on the kitchen floor, a box... anything.

She eats bugs if she notices them and I hate bugs. So that's perfect! Protein is good for her.

She’s a clepto. She steals things off the end table and you never see them again. Things like bottle caps. God forbid you leave jewelry lying around. We have no idea what she does with them... I'm sure she has a secret stash somewhere full of all kinds of things.

She sleeps in the strangest positions.

She'll sleep on anything... even shoes!

She talks to me. I can have full conversations with her. She is very agreeable and tells me exactly what I want to hear.

She’s very loving. If I'm holding her close to my face and just giving her attention, she licks my cheeks. She loves me and I love her.

Everything is exciting to her. Boxes, shelves, laundry baskets... if she can climb in it or on it, she is a happy kitty.

She loves being in my lap. She's an attention-hog and gets mad when I ignore her for too long.

Like I said, she's cute and crazy, but I absolutely adore her!

Hello World!

Hello world! My name is Jessica and I'm adding my own little corner to the world of blogging. I suppose I'll start off with the basic plan of my blog, or rather why I wish to bore anyone willing to read.

I have an amazing memory when it comes to numbers, equations, dates, movies, music, etc. The daily things that happen in my life... not so much. For instance, I completely forgot that I ever sent a bff to check on my husband while I was away 2 years ago. I was apparently worried enough to send her over, but I don't remember doing it.

This blog will be the account of my life. It, of course, will be centered around me and my marriage because that's pretty much the biggest thing in my life. Being married tends to mean I see my husband everyday so if he gets mentioned frequently, you'll know why. :)

I also plan to let my future child read this. At the end of each year, I'll go through and pick out the less boring stuff and print it off into a book. I feel like I don't know my parents, because I don't know how they got to where they are today. While I could sit down with them and ask, there's a slight problem with that... memories fade. They can't account for a lot of the things they did and went through growing up.

So there you have it. "The Plan."

I know that a lot of blogs are there to "give advice" but to me, it seems more like "Be like me." "Like the things I like." "Make your marriage like mine because it's so much better!" I hate books like that. I hate blogs like that. Every person is unique. Every relationship is unique. What works for you, probably doesn't work for me. So I'm not here to give advice. There might be a few things that I suggest, but mostly this is just about me, my marriage, my thoughts, my opinions. I encourage your responses though. Especially if I say something you disagree with. I'm very open-minded and up for debate.