I hate when you can feel an illness coming on. I woke up with a sore throat today and I feel like I'm in slow motion .... and I gotta work 11:30 - 8 today at Grinders so hopefully I'll get over it! :(

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. Mike picked me up around 3:30 and we ended up going to Wal-Mart ... I bought some SUPER cute wrapping paper, a holiday themed shirt to wear to work, and we got some of those capsules that you put in warm water and they expand to animal shaped sponges. Well, one of them was just a random piece of sponge; like the left over sponge material from cutting the other sponge animals, lol :roll:

I need to figure out what to buy for Mike's mom. I have no idea. I want to get her a knick knack but there aren't any great knick knack places to shop ::sigh:: Mike said she doesn't have any huge hobbies, so this is gonna be hard. And she gave Mike some money yesterday for our California vacation that's taking place in the spring 8) That's part of our Christmas presents, lol 8) I feel weird accepting so much ... but it feels good that I'm really a part of the family, hehe. :)

What else. Oh, we had a meeting at work last night at [b]10 pm[/b] ... ridiculous. Part of it was supposed to be about all the bickering that's going on between the girls at work, but of course the manager only talked about that for like two seconds. And I gotta call her today; to make sure I'm not being scheduled for a ton of days in the next two weeks ... I forgot to mention it :x Grinders wants me to work more days ... yikes ...

So anyway I gotta work a long day today and I'm not looking forward to it. Hopefully I'll make some good money since I'm working both lunch and dinner. HOPEFULLY ... ciao! :idea:

I drew this picture because work was really boring today. It's me and Mike! :roll:



:idea:

We have too many shopping channels on our TV.

I love Rocko's Modern Life! I also love the Nicktoons Network, the channel it's on, which also has Ren and Stimpy and good old Spongebob :D I'm watching an episode of Rocko right now where his car dies ... reminds me of my car since it's red and OLD, lol ... his car goes to the Pearly Gates of Heaven and "St. Peterbilt" is there :lol: But anyway Filburt fixes his car and the car's 'spirit' returns ... then Heffer knocks it into reverse and is driving all over town and enters a rally ... all in reverse. Etc ... I love this show!!! Yes! It seems there's a Rocko marathon!

But um, yeah, my car is also M.I.A. right now. I went to start it this morning and it just wouldn't. My stepdad has it on the battery charger right now because trying to start it for so long will wear the battery down ... he's not sure what's wrong. -_- Figures ... I really wanted to go to Wal-Mart tonight but looks like I can't. :(

Today was a good day at work. I worked from 11 - 4:30 ... made about $45 in tips 8) Not too bad .. plus the $2.50 an hour ... so I didn't do too bad.

I'm loving "War of the Flowers" by Tad Williams. I have a hard time reading a lot of it because I'm working a lot and really only read when I go to bed, but it rocks. I went to the bookstore today looking for some more of his books but alas there were none. ::sigh:: I might update later. Ciao. :idea:

Wow. What an insane day. Briefly. We got up at 4 am. Got to Wal-Mart at about 4:50 am. That place was insane x infinity. Long story short, people were crazy, and I didn't ended up getting that computer I talked about in my previous post. I was really depressed. So we left Wal-Mart, got some breakfast before 6 am, dropped by K-Mart. Poor, sad, K-Mart. Didn't get anything. Went over to Kohl's and Mike got a gift for his mom and a really cute snowglobe for my sister since she collects them. Then we dropped by back at Wal-Mart around 7:30 - 8 am-ish, and I bought a sweater for my grandma and we had also bought some bathroom decor for my mom that she wanted. Anyhoo ... went back to his house and took a nap ... and then after we woke up we looked online for computers. This is the one I'm getting! I just included the important info.

[u][b]Dell Dimension 3000 Desktop[/b][/u]
[b]Processor[/b] Intel Pentium 4 Processor (2.80GHz, 533 FSB)
[b]Memory[/b] 256MB DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
[b]Hard Drive[/b] 80GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive
[b]CD Drive[/b] 48x CD-RW Drive

And it comes with a free printer! Plus it's a Dell! So Mike and my mom split the total, which base price was $399, plus s/h and tax comes to about $460. Unfortunately that's after mail in rebate so it's actually $200 more than that right now, but Mike used his Discover card so it's all good. 8)

But anyway I also worked 5 - 11 tonight at the restaurant. Didn't do so hot tonight on tips but it was a loooong night ... I could chat about other stuff but I gotta call Mike in a few minutes. Maybe I'll update later, dunno. Gonna go see "Walk the Line" with my mom tomorrow night since Mike's hanging out with his friends. Night! :idea:

You know it's bad when you're only 20 and already forgetting what happened that day! :roll:

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving :) Mike picked me up at 11 am and we ate at his house at noon. His mom makes the absolute BEST german potato salad. WOW. It's got potatoes, bacon, and other stuff, soooo delicious. Everything was super tasty :) We went to his grandma's house over in Wadsworth at about 1 pm ... she's SO NICE! Mike's dad was there and so was his aunt and his cousins. And his grandma's boyfriend. But his grandma is so sweet. Mike said as we left she said "Love you both!" but I didn't hear her! :cry: But then we milled around for a while and he took me to work at 4 pm. Work was actually pretty good tonight. I worked with Bev, who is now officially my favorite person to work with. She's gotta be 35-40ish, has foster kids, and her own kids ... she's just real down to earth and friendly. And she hates that other girl that we work with! :evil:

But in other GREAT news, I don't have to work tomorrow morning! So me and Mike are going shopping at 5 am!!! We're going to Wal-Mart where ... well, I found out him and my mom are going to combine their gifts and get me a really nice computer. At first I was "eh" about a Wal-Mart computer, but it is like a GREAT deal. Here's what I'm getting:

[b]HP Pavilion Computer with 15 inch LCD Flat Panel Monitor[/b]
- AMD Sempron 3000+ processor, 1.8 ghz
- 512 MB DDR SDRAM memory
- 40 gb hard drive
- 48x CD-RW drive
- 9-in-one media card reader

For only [b]$398![/b] It's gonna be nice to have something new, and nice, and we may or may not be getting high speed internet -_- I am going to convince them to. I will help pay for it. I'm so tired of dial up! :evil:

So Mike's gonna be here in about a half hour or less so I'm gonna get ready. Night! :idea:

Bleh. I woke up this morning and it was really frigging cold ... gotta love winter. SO I let my car warm up, scraped off all the ice & snow ... and went to work. Yesterday was one of the busiest Tuesdays I'd ever worked. This was the busiest Wednesday. For example, on a normal day working 9 - 3 you'd do maybe $200 worth of rentals, IF that. I did $650 in transactions. So it was busy.

When I came home my mom made me some grilled cheese :roll: And I read "War of the Flowers" by Tad Williams for a little bit and took a nap. It's really cold in my room. So I'm just sitting here watching the movie "U-571" starring Matthew McCoughnehay or however you spell it. I've seen it a million times. It's about some US Navy guys in World War II who pretend to be German sailors to get a hold of the "enigma" which is a coding device the Germans used in WWII and no one could figure out what their codes meant so they had to steal one off a German sub. It's really good 8) Submarines are frigging scary! We used to go to see the submarines in Cleveland when they would dock there all the time, and wow ... I hated the claustrophobic-ness of it, and the ladders ... I hate ladders. ::shudders::

::taps fingers:: It's freezing and I'm bored. I'll probably update a little later. Ciao! :idea:

Edit: ROFL. I wanted to mention this girl I work with that I hate. She is one of the like, white-trashiest people I ever met. She's moving to Nashville to become a country singer. And she can't sing. And she's a total bitch to top it off; doesn't say thanks when I come in a little early for her so she can leave, and leaves a ton of movie returns for me to put away. But I got back at her for that today 8) Anyhoo she was telling me how she wants to sell her 2002 Sunfire before she moves. I've always liked Sunfires and Pontiac in general (love Fieros!) so I was just asking her why she wanted to sell it. She's like "Well, there's nothing wrong with it, but it's kinda old (a 2002 is old?) and it already has (here she groans/sighs like "omg") [i]58,000[/i] and that is a lot so I just wanna get a new car. Oh, I don't [i]do[/i] used cars." Me: " .... " I wanted to say "Bitch, my car is a 1991, has 124,000 miles on it, and runs decent, but if you wanna blow all your money like the hillbilly bitch you are, go ahead!" I was just so baffled by someone who was talking about trying to save money for the move blabbing about getting rid of a perfectly decent, nice car. I can't stand her!

Well I'm gonna take a shower and all that. Not sure when Mike wants me to come over for Thanksgiving tomorrow at his house. I can't wait :) His mom is a really good cook. Then I gotta go to work from 4 pm - 10 pm ... -_- I'm gonna try to get a little shopping in Friday morning too. I work at 9 am (well, I can push it to like 9:30 am, lol) and Kohl's opens at 5 am. So if the roads are decent that's where I'll be :)

Night! :idea:

Actually, I guess I haven't been *that* busy. Is today Tuesday? I'm having a hard time remembering what day it is sometimes. I worked from 10 am - 5 pm at Grinders yesterday and made some pretty good tips. Waitressing is really busy ... not necessarily hard, just LOTS of running around. But I guess I get my affinity for it from my mom, since she's been doing it for like 25 years.

Today Mike and I had lunch after I got out of work, went to the bookstore, and to the thrift store. It was really nice. :) I am still peeved that I requested Friday morning off and didn't get it, but I'm a little more understanding about it now because my manager's grandma is having like, open heart surgery this week and it's really serious ... so I feel really bad about that. But I've been trying to do a lot of reading lately. I finished "Slaughterhouse Five", and it was really good. Here is a review from amazon.com:

[i]"Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.

Don't let the ease of reading fool you--Vonnegut's isn't a conventional, or simple, novel. He writes, "There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick, and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters..." Slaughterhouse-Five (taken from the name of the building where the POWs were held) is not only Vonnegut's most powerful book, it is as important as any written since 1945. Like Catch- 22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority. Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it a unique poignancy--and humor."[/i]

It was one of those books that was hard to put down, and it didn't have a fantastic, crazy ending, but the whole story was fantastic and crazy. I didn't really know it was a 'classic' until I mentioned to Mike I had bought it from the thrift store.

So I am currently reading a book Mike read for school called "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time." Here is a review from reviewsofbooks.com:

[i]"Christopher Boone is a 15-year old autistic savant in Swindon, England. He hates being touched, cannot tell a lie, or understand metaphors or jokes. He is a whiz at math and enjoys puzzles. When the neighbor's dog is killed with a pitchfork, he seizes upon it as a puzzle and math problem in hopes of understanding something that makes no sense to him. This begins a journey for Christopher that takes him places he never imagined, both physically and emotionally. Mark Haddon's novel is narrated by Christopher, which creates a nuanced character who is neither stereotyped nor stiff and unoriginal. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has received praise from almost all reviewers. The Fort Myers News Press says, " It would be curious indeed if this little gem of a novel didn't find its way onto the best-seller lists." "[/i]

It's definitely a different book. I started it today and am a little more than halfway through. I also picked up a really nice bookmark at the bookstore today so I didn't have to bend Mike's pages. It says "The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough" which is a quote from Rabindranath Tagore ... and has a pretty little butterfly on the tassel. I also went to the gift shop in town today and bought some cute Christmas things ... I got a snowman candle for my mom, a crystal hummingbird ornament for my grandma, and a nice angel ornament for Mike's mom. Just lil things because I've been pretty good with money, and it's better to give than to receive :)

Well, that's my post for the day. Night! :idea:

Edit: I just finished "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time." It was a really good book. Again, no hugely climactic ending, but it was good. It was a little under 200 pages long and I started and finished it today, so it made a nice little read. I'm starting "War of the Flowers" tomorrow by Tad Williams. I read four other of his books from the "Otherland" series and they were really good. Like 700 - 1000 pages each. But humm ... yep. :) Looking also into buying that new computer! Yay! So ciao! :idea:

Well, this weekend was pretty good! Let me do a recap ...

At about 5:30 pm-ish Friday night me and Mike left for the two hour trip to Coshocton ... well, first we had to do our grocery shopping. We spent amazingly little ... and we ended up even not even half the food we bought! But anyhoo we made it down to the cabin at about, oh, 9 pm Friday night. We got all our stuff out ... and we just kinda hung out Friday night. Did stuff I don't need to talk 'bout :roll: We went to bed surprisingly early for us; but I'd been up since 8 am and him about the same ... Saturday was our one year anniversary!!! So we wake up ... just kinda do normal stuff together and got ready to go out to eat around 4 pm ... got ready together ... heehhehee ... and we dressed dressy casual. This is where the fun begins. We planned on going to a little tourist spot in Roscoe Village and getting some good eats. Well ... THEY WERE CLOSED! At 5 pm on a Saturday! What the hell??? So we drive around Coshocton for literally an hour trying to find a NICE sitdown place ... the best we could come up with? ... BOB fucking EVANS. Bob Evans. One year anniversary. It would be funny if it weren't so sad!!! LOL .. all ya can do is roll with the punches though. At least we were together :) Unfortunately Mike didn't feel so good afterwards. And I was feeling somewhat grouchy. So ... we just kinda chilled when we got back, watched "Batman Begins" which was REALLY fucking good!!!!! Whoa, that movie was awesome. So of course we have our good times 8) We also watched some Wallace and Gromit and Spongebob :D But we go to bed ... Sunday (today) ... get up kinda early ... oh, I had some weird dreams too ... I'm thinking about writing a short story based on one of them, thanks to Mike's prodding ... but anyhoo, we just had a REALLY good time together, I was grouchy somewhat, it being near that [i]time[/i] ... but it felt like we got there, and then we left. No in between. Was sad :cry: But ... I do gotta get to bed ... gotta work 10 - 5 tomorrow at Grinders ... yay -.- Hopefully I'll get some good tips. Goodnight! :idea:

I didn't feel like making a blog last night. Long story short - I worked from 11 - 3 at Grinders. It was busy. Lots of shit happened; such as the kitchen not getting two of my orders, so the people were upset. Luckily they realized it was the kitchen's fault. Then I thought Jen was working over at the video store and called my house asking me to come in at 3:30 instead of 4 like I was supposed to. Keep in mind I'd just gotten outta the restaurant. So I eat a quick lunch and decide to be nice because Jen is nice and go in a little early. It wasn't Jen. It was the bitch I hate. I could've sworn Jen was supposed to open. Anyway, so she leaves me a TON of movies to put away, doesn't tell me what she left off on, and doesn't even say thanks for coming in early. Just leaves with her ugly ass boyfriend. Yay. So I was pissed. Then I find out I have to work 4 - 10 pm on THANKSGIVING. ::shakes:: I won't even go into that. At least I don't have to work Christmas ... but still. And I had requested off for the following Friday morning because that's the big shopping day ... but did I get it? No. I'm not coming in. I AM going shopping!

So last night at the video store was shitty but I called Mike and he helped me calm down. He's so sweet :cry:

But anyhoo I just wanted to throw that up real quick; gonna be leaving in about a half hour to go to Mike and then we're leaving for the cabin! We won't get back till Sunday evening. Gonna eat out nice tomorrow night ... one year anniversary :D :D Gotta do some grocery shopping before we leave though ... I'm so excited ^.^ Sorry if I haven't been to my friends' blogs as much; I've been working so much lately T_T Thanks for all the well wishes I got! Ciao! :idea:

Yay! This really nice girl that works at the restaurant said she would cover my shift Friday night! So now me and Mike can go down to Coshocton at a decent time to the cabin!!! Yesss!!!!! I gotta get something for her ... she asked if I wouldn't mind working a day for her next week, and of course I will, I just have to get my schedule from the video store first is all. But yeah!!!! So instead of me and Mike getting a hotel like we thought about, we're just gonna do the usual but awesome cabin vacation. It really is better; the cabin is pretty isolated, has a seperate bedroom, kitchen, dining room, living room, and (microscopic) bathroom, and an outside porch with a swing. Plus, there is a really nice, quaint tourist "village" about 20 minutes away that we'll have dinner at on Saturday ... I'm so excited!!!!!!! We'll probably leave to go shopping for the cabin around 5 pm, get on the road between 6 - 7 pm, and arrive at the cabin between 8 and 9 pm. ::jitters:: I already bought special stuff to wear 8) Yay!!!!!!

In really sad news, a friend of mine, who is better friends with my ex, has cancer. He's only 15 and is one of the nicest guys. He lives in Ohio near Michigan; never met him, but we've talked on and off for over a year. ::sad sigh:: Not that anyone deserves cancer, but he's just a sweetheart of a kid. I definitely have to send him something. I used to design graphics a lot when I had a better computer, and that's how I met him, when I made this for him:



But ... Chino, you're in my thoughts and prayers.

I'm about to go over Mike's house until he has to go to work ... then I'll do some Christmas shopping with my mom, I guess. Unsure ... ciao! :idea:

P.S. Fixed this picture :)

I worked my first evening at the restaurant I work at tonight. It was actually slower than lunch, but of course people ordered a LOT more and there were a lot more questions about the menu to answer. I'm still really ehh about the menu. I'm gonna count all the stuff I have to remember.

12 different appetizers
15 different soup/salad options
24 different 'grinders' (sandwiches)
20 different dinner combos
5 different burgers
7 different croissants
6 different pizzas
14 different sides

And of course all of those things have certain questions associated with them; if a certain sandwich has different meat, cheese, buns, or sizes, etc, and what comes on them. It's insane! And I have a test on Thursday!! T_T

This morning at the video store was busy and shitty as well. I got to meet my ex's new 'girlfriend' (won't get into that) when she stopped in to rent something. She was really nice and I thought she was really cool, and has good fashion sense 8) My ex also came in and we talked for about a half hour or so about random stuff. It's nice to be able to talk about our significant others to each other; there's no awkwardness or anything.

My car is un-driveable until it gets a battery and an air filter put in it tomorrow. I guess if stuff is gonna break down, it's good that it's all at once like it has been ... lol. Oh, I also did some hotel price checks for this weekend, and holy shit!!! Hotels are expensive around here! The best deal is a Best Western that costs around $68 for one night. I heard they had whirlpool suites but I didn't get to ask because they interrupted me. I'll call tomorrow. So I dunno if we're gonna do the hotel thing or what. I wish I didn't have to work so late so I could ask about going to the cabin this weekend but I think it's too short of notice. Oh well :(

Well, I'm gonna watch some TV. Night! :idea:

I was just thinking earlier today when I woke up - why are people jealous so easily? For example, when I went with Mike, his mom, and stepdad to Florida, I could hardly tell anyone about it, because people just got nasty, like I was trying to brag or something. I just wanted to tell even a couple really good friends about it, and they wouldn't even listen. Now, we are going to California over spring break next year, and I couldn't even tell my mom without her getting pissed off. I could see if I was gonna be wasting a ton of money on these vacations, but honestly Mike's family takes care of a big chunk of it. And it's not like I think I deserve it, and I'm in total shock that they help me out like that and want me to go with them, I just think it's so self-centered of people to get all pissed off about it. But then again, when I was in high school I used to be one of those people. I was really self-centered, not in like an obvious way, but I did talk about myself all the time. My best guy friend brought it up one day, and after that I took a long hard look at myself. To this day, I watch how many sentences I start with the word "I". Sounds silly on this blog, but hey this is where I rant. Just about everything has to start with "I", lol. If my friends were going places, even if it was like my number one vacation spot, I would be super happy for them - what good does it do ANYONE to be jealous about it? They're not gonna take you, plus, they might get mad at you for being a jerk about it, it just adds stress to yourself by thinking about it, and overall it just doesn't help anyone, period. It's very childish, like when your cousin or neighbor kid gets that toy that YOU wanted for Christmas. As long as the kid isn't all in your face about it, just chill out! And I hardly think I'm in your face; I was asked by a friend I've only spoken online to what I did this summer, and I told him, and he asked me about all the stuff we did in Florida ... it was cool, he wasn't jealous or anything, and then he told me about all the stuff he did ... that's what friends are for, not to brag, or be jealous, just to share experiences with and laugh about stuff. I guess it's natural for people to be jealous. And I'm not saying that I think it's bad of my friends to be jealous, I guess, it would just be nice after I asked [i]them[/i] what they did over the summer, for me to be able to tell them the crazy stuff me and Mike did. And I can't help but throw this in there - that was my first ever vacation, and just about everyone I know has been on similar vacations. So get over it :)

Bleh ... I gotta leave for work in about 45 minutes ... I just dread work in general, although it is at the restaurant, so it shouldn't be too bad. Hopefully I'll make some good $$$. My mom wants me to go up to her work for lunch after I get out, but I don't really have the gas money. Hmmm ... I'm gonna make a list of Christmas stuff I wanna get for people ...

[b]Christmas ideas![/b]
Mike: No idea! Couldn't write it here anyways :roll:
My mom: Me and Mike are gonna collaborate and get her some really nice bathroom decor. She's always complaining how bland the loo is.
My stepdad: Movies, as usual.
Mike's mom: Noooo idea ... there's a really nice store up in Brunswick I used to go to called Pearls and Pretties I think? It's got a lot of really nice home type items. I'll get Mike's opinion.
Mike's stepdad: No idea, again. Mike said he's gonna get him a fake membership to Curves, the gym where women work out, LOL. Even Mike is collaborating with his mom on his gift, so I dunno what to do :oops:
Mike's dad: All I know is he really likes mechanics, fantasy books, and some video games. I'll probably ask Mike what a good book to get him would be. I guess I could probably give his dad back the book he lent me like, eons ago ... lol ...
My grandma: I saw this like electric jar opener at Wal-Mart last night I thought she could use but my mom shot that idea down. So I'll probably get her the standard - pens, paper, envelopes, stamps, etc. She likes to write letters to her relatives, although this year might not be so good ... her sister passed away from Tennessee so I dunno if she writes to her family down there anymore because they looted her home :evil:
Lee/Cole: Can't write it on here ... they [i]might[/i] still read this!
I'll probably also send Gwen a card with a little something, and maybe Dave too, if he's lucky :roll: I'm really tight on money right now, but I hate finding just generic gifts. Especially for Mike's mom and stepdad, with them helping me out for California ... ew, I think Mike, his mom, and stepdad all have birthdays in January ... maybe February on his stepdad .. so I gotta think of a Mike gift this Saturday, 11/19, then a Christmas gift, then a birthday gift like two weeks later! Arghhhh!!

:idea:

I was starting to get really sad with this basic cable service we got ... since it doesn't have G4 ... and I can't remember where any of the channels are ... but it has a channel called "Nicktoons Network" that shows just Nicktoons, including classics such as Ren and Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life!!! I always have a hard time deciding between those two as my favorite ... but I gotta go with Rocko!! Especially Filburt on that show, I mean c'mon. "Turn the page, wash your hands ..."

Today I went with Mike and his mom to get new tires and go shopping. His mom got me the coolest stuff for Christmas! She's like "Either you show me what you liked (Mike told her I saw stuff) or I gotta just pick randomly and we won't know if you'll like it!" So she got me a Hello Kitty comforter, pillowcase, and pillow!!!!!!!!!! T_T T_T I am a huge Hello Kitty & Keroppi fan. Okay, just about anything Sanrio. And since they don't make much Keroppi stuff (I have a good chunk of it), Hello Kitty is a close second. Especially since she's pink. Last Christmas, Mike's mom got me Hello Kitty slippers and a throw blanket, while Mike got me an HK alarm clock. Plus I've already got a lot ... my rooms gonna be Hello Kitty'd out!!!

And she also told me what she got Mike for Christmas ^.^ ^.^ I'm not good at keeping those kinda secrets but I'll try! I kept it inside about his surprise birthday party earlier this year, so I can do it 8)

I finally told Mike some stuff that had been bothering me tonight too, so that was good. And we are talking about getting a hotel room next weekend for our one year anniversary :D :D Nothing expensive, but just getting out and staying somewhere different will be so fun! I'm gonna try to find a nice place to eat out. If anyone's got any tips for the Akron area, drop me a line! Lee and Cole suggested a place but I can't remember the name of it!

Anyhoo tonight was a good night in general though. Got some Christmas ideas for the fam tonight, although I'm still totally lost on what to get Mike!!!!! Grr! Maybe it'll come to me in a dream ... which is what I'm 'bout to do! So night! :idea:

I love 'Dick Van Dyke.' I think it's the best black and white show! That or the regular 'I Love Lucy' ... not 'The Lucy Show' or that other show.

Last night me and my mom went to see "Jarhead." It was ... not emotional as in a sad way, but it just made you feel angry at some parts, and it made you feel just what these guys were going through, trained Marines who just sat in the desert for months and months, doing nothing. I highly recommend it. It doesn't avoid subjects like ... well, the guys getting lonely, especially when they're girlfriends/wives are leaving/cheating on them. Some of the guys go a little nuts. I give it an 8/10. The only reason it isn't higher is because it did slightly drag in some parts. But Jake Gyllenhall was awesome in it.

I also bought a petite gifty for Mike at World Market :D And he told me last night he bought me a petite gifty as well! So that'll be nice. He told me what it is already - a new Pokedex! Aren't I dorky? But I bought the old, original Pokedex at a flea market about a year or two ago (yes, I still have it) and it rules, and the new ones look awesome! We looked at them at Wal-Mart a few months ago and I said I wanted one. :) I bought Mike this neat little standup that has a window in it with a little Asian scene with some birds ... it's hard to describe.

Well, Mike's gonna be here in about 45 minutes ... so I gotta go! Ciao! :idea:

Last night I was so happy that I didn't have to get up early today, and I could sleep in if I wanted to. So I woke up at 10 am anyway?? :roll:

It's getting close to Christmas and of course that means ... shopping! Even though I'm not good at buying gifts, I really do love it. I figured if I'm gonna buy anything for Mike off eBay I better get it done quick since the shipping could take who knows how long. So I told him not to buy anything from there unless he tells me what it is first :roll:

(You're not allowed to read this Mike!!)

I was looking at stuff last night and I think I'm gonna get him one or two more Suikoden figures. He has the main heroes from the first three games, but there's two other figures he could definitely add to his collection. I love character figures. And so does he 8) And I want to get him a gift for 11/19, considering that is our one year anniversary!! But I have NO idea what to get. It has to be something romantic but not over the top .. :? :? I'm so awful at this. Maybe today I'll do a little shopping, but I don't really have the money ... argh!

Last night I went to visit Mike at work and he was having the crummiest day. Wal-Mart sucks. There was another Mike working there that had a last name very similar to Mike's who needed to be terminated ... and they fired Mike instead. Then no one would take responsibility for it ... reminded me of my first day there. Bleh. Hopefully they're nicer tonight about it.

But anyhoo, not a hell of a lot going on. I'm fricking freezing ... gonna do some computer shopping online and see if I can hunt down some decent deals. Whoa, I just remembered I dreamt that I got this like, really tiny computer, it was a Pentium [i]5[/i], but only had like a 2gig hard drive or something like that? Weiiiird ... I wanted to see if I could go crazy and get a Mac, but I know that'd never happen :roll:

Ciao! :idea:

Update: Blah ... after I left I went to my mom's work and had some yummy breakfast ... then I went to a really nice consignment shop and got a pair of barely worn Vans shoes for only [b]$9!!![/b] They are SUPER comfortable and sooo cute, grey and pink. I love em!

But then I went to check the schedule at Grinders and it sucks ... this is a rough copy of what my work schedule looks like:

Monday morning/afternoon: Grinders
Tuesday morning/afternoon: Movie Gallery
Tuesday evening: Grinders
Wednesday morning/afternoon: Grinders
Thursday morning/afternoon: Grinders
Thursday evening: Movie Gallery
Friday morning/afternoon: Movie Gallery
Friday night: Grinders

I think I might go insane! But hopefully I'll pull in a lot of money at Grinders. It stinks because the only free time I'll have is Monday night (Mike has work) and Wednesday night (Mike has work). But at least we both have next weekend off, Saturday and Sunday ^.^

Me and my mom are going to see "Jarhead" tonight, starring Jake Gyllenhall, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jamie Foxx. I'll have to dig my Desert Storm shirt out and wear it tonight since that's what the movie's about. But before the movie we're gonna go over to World Market since she's never been there ... and we talked about me getting a brand new computer today ... I'm pretty ecstatic about that. So I'll have a new computer and we'll have cable internet access by Christmas! Whooo!

:idea:

I was gonna get up at 8 am to be at work by 9 am ... it's only like a 5 minute drive, so I was laying there ... then I'm like, oh, I can sleep till 8:30 ... I started having some weird dream and I didn't wake up till like 8:45. I need to get an alarm where it like dumps a bucket of cold water on me or something, or get a more uncomfortable bed!

Work was super boring though. What sucks is that today is payday and I would like to have that money, but it's Veterans Day so the banks are closed. Gotta get up at a decent hour tomorrow to go to the bank ... yuck.

I decided I'm gonna start playing Chrono Trigger today. Mike gave it to me last night and I need something to hold me over till he's done playing Shadows of Colossus and Suikoden Tactics on his PS2 so I can borrow it :roll: That Shadow of Colossus game RULES, by the way ... beautiful, huge landscapes that just go on and on, and the colossi (lol) are just enormous. There's no lag in the game at all. It rocks.

I'm also happy because me and my ex are on speaking terms again. We said/did a lot of stupid crap but it's best to let bygones be bygones. We'll never be the greatest of friends but I'm glad his life is going better than it had been previously. I hate holding grudges against people, especially when there's really no reason to not get along. :)

Mike has to work tonight AND Saturday night ... :cry: What am I gonna do?! I told him I'd visit him tonight so I gotta do that. Me and my mom are gonna go see "Jarhead" tomorrow night probably. I still go to the movies with my mother :roll:

Bleh ... work controversy about who's working what Thanksgiving. We are a VIDEO STORE and open regular hours on Thanksgiving, and open every day, including Christmas - at least the hours are different. What the hell? No one needs to watch a movie when we could be at home with our families. If things work out at Grinder's, I may just quit, especially before Christmas. I hate to do that to my manager since it's not her fault, but she's not willing to work holidays either, so oh well!

I rented "Unleashed" today, with Jet Li. He's awesome. I think I'll straighten up my room and watch that with some popcorn pretty soon. Ciao! :idea:

That's what Mike calls me when I'm grouchy. Which is a lot lately. :roll:

I hope this isn't too much info, but I've decided, with Mike's influence, that I'm gonna be going off the pill. I wouldn't mention this if I wasn't interested in reader input - I've been on Orthotricyclen-Lo since June-ish. Yeah, June. Starting immediately the following month (July, particularly while in Florida), I've been extremely paranoid, insecure, jealous, just everything bad that can ruin a relationship. I've tried to get out of it but I just can't. I don't remember it being this bad when I was on a pill called Yasmin over a year ago, but this time it's just so blatant and I actually got so upset a week or two ago that I did something I never had wanted to do, which I won't mention just for my own sake ... but that was really a turning point. I'm actually looking forward to finishing up this month's pills so I can quit. Of course it has the obvious drawbacks of NOT being on the pill anymore ... which is why I've been on it [i]this[/i] long, but me and Mike had a talk when I stayed over his house last night; I'm just not the person I used to be anymore. I'm not as happy, I'm just not who I was without the horomones. Guess we'll just have to cope :oops: :(

What did we do yesterday ... I went over after work ... oh yeah, we went shopping. I was a good girl and didn't buy anything :roll: :wink: Mike did buy Suikoden Tactics ... I'm not loving it quite yet ... I hate hate HATE the voiceovers, and the one girl's voice is done by the actress who does Faye of "Cowboy Bebop", and it's really obvious. Sounds exactly like Faye. And I don't really care for Faye ... so yeah.

So I spent yesterday and today over at Mike's, besides being at work. Things are weird at my house lately. I'm not trying to be weird, but we've just never had like a ton of money to spend, and it's cool. We just make do, and I like living that way. But now we've got cable, my mom and stepdad are buying all this unnecessary stuff, but in the same vein, my mom helped pay for new tires for my car, get a new battery for it, is helping me with my dentist bill next month, AND has offered to get me a decent computer for Christmas. It's like ... whoa. I just don't know how to react to getting a lot of stuff. Mike thinks that my mom's trying to get me the stuff she's wanted to get me over the years, and now that she has the money, she wants to. And, it is from MY child support, so yeah. Mike's so logical ... kinda makes me mad! LOL.

I hate opening at the video store :evil: I've done it three days this week and it's just so BLAH ... I really liked working at the restaurant on Wednesday!!! I thought the girl that was gonna be training me was gonna be stuck up, but she wasn't at all. And there had been that grouchy guy I knew from school that I thought was gonna be mean all the time, but he came into the video store today and was nice, at least civil. We talked about games and stuff, so now I don't have to worry about any annoying employees at the restaurant. Yay! Plus, tips RULE!

Well, I'm gonna go snack or something ... my stomach feels all empty! Night! :idea:

I don't wanna go to work. I liked working at the restaurant on Monday because I had an actual trainer ... training me. Today I'm stuck with just a random waitress who seems nice but not good at training. I might ask her to just let me kinda hang back and watch today, instead of throwing me out there like I did on Monday. I'm not really feeling 100% either, my ears feel plugged up. Grr -.-

Yesterday was rather uneventful though. Went and voted with my mom :roll: Really old ladies at the polling site ... weird. Haven't seen the voting results yet though.

What else ... oh, I totally lost my keys. And if you've seen my keys, you'd know that they're nearly impossible to lose. So ... yeah. I'm gonna look for em more today but for now I gotta use my spare key that my mom has. Grr!

We also had cable installed yesterday. It's weird being able to watch TV here. We've been without it for nearly 7 years ... of course we don't have G4, the one channel I wanted. Guess I'll have to make do with Comedy Central, GSN, and Animal Planet ... lol ...

Gonna hang out with Mike tonight. He's gonna buy Suikoden V and it comes with a free compilation soundtrack from the previous Suikodens!!! I wanted to get a soundtrack but I'll just listen to that :) Speaking of which, I finally beat Suikoden II last night! There were two alternate endings ... the "good" ending was REALLY good. I don't wanna ruin it for anyone, but that was a really emotional game. The final boss wasn't exceedingly hard.

When me and Mike go shopping today his mom is going with us so we can go to Gabriel Brothers. Man ... I don't have the money! But I can't resist buying stuff there! :cry:

Well I better get ready for work. What sucks even more is I'm sure I'm gonna have to split tips with the other waitress today, ew. I'd even give up the tips if I don't have to wait on people as much as I did on Monday, and maybe I'll be able to leave early 8)

Alright, I'm out. Ciao! :idea:

[b]Don't forget to vote tomorrow, Tuesday, November 8th![/b]

YOU
+name: Heidi
+best characteristic: I think my eyes are okay. And I like my arms, at least my forearms.
+first crush: A guy named Jeff ... Spraggins? In second grade. He wore belts that had rainbows on them.
+piercings: Two in my ears (four total).
+boyfriend/girlfriend now: Mike! :heart:
+number of times i have had my heart broken: Meh ... just once. Unless you count silly crushes that never went anywhere really, then it's like, 10.
+hearts i have broken: Well ... I don't know about any guys that liked me or anything, but I'll say two for sure.
+age i had my first real kiss: Umm ... 16. I was a late bloomer XP
+who was it with: Nick
+do you still talk to them: Well, we're not necessarily arguing, but we don't talk to each other anymore. Just how things go.
+what were u doing 15 mins ago: Searching for Mike's Playstation memory card!!!! ;_;
+what are u wearing now: Jeans, my Pulp Fiction shirt, and Mike's hoodie over that. And my Batman hat.
+u shy or outgoing: Depends. I'm shy around people I don't know but mostly pretty outgoing around those I don't know, at least if I'm in a good mood. Best word for me would just be antisocial.
+sleep with stuffed animals: They hang around but I don't actually hug them while sleeping or anything.
+what do you want from a partner: Well, I already have these things ... but, good morals, similar interests, that 'connection', and this goes with morals, but doesn't drink or do drugs, or smoke ... cares about more than just looks and wants more to life than the norm ...
+feature you notice first: Humm, I'd say facial structure (Mike has a great nose! and chin and everything!) then eyes, hair, and height. So that's more than one!
+tan or fair: Not completely pasty but I don't like excessively tan. So we'll say fair.
+likes flirts: No :\
+would you ever date a friend: Well sure, me and Mike were friends first. I always believed that it's better to be friends first, anyway.

RELATIONSHIPS
+do u have a crush: Don't need one :)
+how long was your longest relationship: A year and a half
+what is ur favorite thing to do with that special someone: Just spend quality time together doing something we both enjoy, cuddling and talking, playing video games together, watching a really good movie together and talking about it.
+what is the best present u've gotten from someone: The ring that Mike got me on Sweetest Day last month ^.^
+what one quality do u like best in the opposite sex: Ummm ... non-cattiness?
+ever been in love: Currently! :D

FAVORITES
+color: Purple
+thing to do: Draw or read, or play video games!
+clothes: I prefer an understated look that includes absolutely no brand names. I'm not a walking billboard! But I like just good fitting jeans, not ass-gripping, some quirky shoes (if I have any, which I don't really) a cute, fitted top, I like buying t-shirts from the boys section at the thrift store. Anything off the wall but not tacky, I'll wear. I'm not into the hippie look, or the slutty look.
+ocean or pool: Pool. Ocean was too salty and shark infested!
+favorite movie: Ohh ... I'll just pick one ... Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2. But I have other faves!
+love or lust: Can I pick both? I lust after the one I love!
+silver or gold: Oh, definitely silver. Me and Mike already discussed this :)
+diamonds or pearls: While I don't really like diamonds, I'd choose them over pearls. Pearls are boring, but they're my birthstone :\
+food: Pepperoni pizza ... cinnastix ... chocolate chip cookies ...
+current song: No Doubt "Just a Girl"
+hoilday: Thanksgiving & Christmas!!
+animal: Koalas!!!!!!!!
+drink: Diet coke ... and orange Vitamin Water. I'm so sad ... I saw 50 Cent ... oh I hate him ... he did an ad for Vitamin Water. You suck!!!!!
+perfume: I used to really like Charlie Sunshine. So I'll say that.
+cologne: I dunno!
+activity: "Activity"? Make it sound like arts n crafts or something at school ... I dunno ...
+fruit: I really like plums :)
+Room In house: Mine ... my sanctuary! ...
+Type of music: Anything but country and rap, literally. I do prefer industrial, techno, just ... offbeat.
+Memory: Disneyworld with Mike on July 13 :)
+Day of the Week: Saturdays are good.
+Flower: Tiger lilies are pretty :)
+Month: June, or September
+Season: Fall, but summer is fun too :)
+Location for dates: Steak N Shake is our first date place ... so I'll say there :roll:
+u wish u could live somewhere else: I'd say Canada ... since it's nice there ... and if Ohio wasn't so corrupted and shitty, I would like to stay here because Ohio has good qualities. Right on Lake Erie, no hurricanes, minimal tornados, nothing really crazy going on.
+u want more tattoos: I did want one at one point but I'm sure I'll never decide on what I want. So whatever.
+u like cleaning: My most hated activity ...
+bush or kerry: Well this is obviously an old survey!!! I however voted for Kerry.

HAVE YOU EVER
+cried when someone died: No ...
+drank alcohol: We all make mistakes.
+lied: C'mon, who hasn't told a few white lies? I'm not a good liar, though.
+fallen for ur friend: Well, sure, Mike was my friend. But technically I had a huge crush on him from the moment we met so does that count?
+rejected someone: Not in memory ... unless it's an actual breakup.
+used someone: Not intentionally ...
+been cheated on: Yep.
+done something u regret: Things I regret at the time, sure, but you can't really live life constantly in regret. Just not healthy.
+could u live without the computer: Well ... lol I wouldn't WANT to ...
+how many peeps are on ur buddylist: 24.
+like watching sunrises or sunset: I never get up early enough for sunrise, so we'll say sunset.
+trust others way too easily: No .. I have issues I guess ...
+Gotten in a fight: Not a physical fight!
+Been to New York: We drove through it on the way to Canada!
+Been to Florida: Yep! For a whole week this summer! :D
+Been to san francisco: Not yet ... but we might!!!!!!! California here I come!!!
+Been to Hawaii: Nope :(
+Been to Mexico: No thanks ...
+Been to China: Again, no ...
+Been to Canada: I don't remember it, but yep.
+Danced naked: In the privacy of my bedroom ...
+Got a really bad feeling about something then it happened: I'm not very 'psychic' if you will ...
+Wish you were the opposite sex: Heck no ... except for at that time of the month!
+danced like a frickin idiot: Oh yeah! The sprinkler? The lawnmower?
+went to a movie: O_O ...
+wished u were somebody else: Nah, that would be weird.
+were depressed: Yes, when I was like 15 - 17 ... it started out as medium depression and as events progressed got pretty bad.
+where would you love to travel to: Can I just say the whole world? No? Alright ... Egypt ... Germany ... France ... Ireland and Italy for Mike :)
+whats ur middle name: Erika

DO YOU, HAVE YOU'S AND WHAT ABOUT YOU'S
+do u have a cell phone: Yes
+whats ur online screen name: Who cares?
+what do u want to do with your life: "Make a difference" ... but really, I do.
+last time u went to the doctor: Hummm ... when I got that insane sunburn back in June.
+do u consider urself a "nice" person: Yes, very much so.
+what are you scared of: Ferris wheels ... moths, crossing busy streets, howling in Mike's woods ...
+do u believe in angels: Yes.
+do u think ur spoiled: No.
+have u seen the exorcist: Yeah, it was okay. I didn't find it that scary.

FINISH THE SENTENCE
+in the morning i am: Grouchy, laying in bed 15 minutes after I "wake up".
+all i need is: Love?
+love is: Friendship, committment, compatibility, that "spark"
+if i could see one person right now: Mike of course. Or, my dad so I could punch him.
+i dream about: I never remember ... and if I do it's something really off the wall and includes red minivans. I'm never owning a red minivan. I've had three dreams in which I've nearly died in a red minivan.

DO YOU
+play an instrument: I used to try to play the piano.
+read the newspaper: I try to every day.
+believe in miracles: Yes.
+like the taste of alcohol: No.
+have any secrets: Who doesn't?
+wish on stars: Yes!
+believe in ghosts: Yes
+like sarcasm: Depends.
+sing in the shower: Yeah, sound ten times better!
+sit on the internet all day: Sometimes if I've got nothin' better to do!
+save aol/aim conversations: Only if they are important
+cried because of someone saying something to u: Of course, I'm an emotional basketcase ...
+color ur hair: I used to, but it took too much money and was annoying to maintain.
+ever get off the damn computer: Now and then :roll:
+habla espanol: Non.
+coke or pepsi: Diet Coke or regular Pepsi. Coke/Diet Pepsi SUCK!
+flowers or candy: Flowers! ^.^
+scruff or clean shaven: Both are good ... Mike feels nice right after he shaves, but I like the scratchiness too :)
+tall or short: Tall tall tall! Mike once stood on a chair and asked if I'd like it if he was THAT tall ... I hesitated because sure it could take some getting used to but I like him tall!

WHO
+makes u laugh the most: Comedian wise, I'd say Dave Chappelle.
+makes you smile: Mike! Or Mike's puppies!
+gives u a funny feeling when u see them: I still get fluttery when I go over Mike's or when he picks me up :)
+has a crush on u: I dunno O_o
+Have you ever loved someone you had no chance with: Well, no.
+Have You Ever Cried over Something Someone of The Opposite Sex Did: Of course ...
+Do you have A "Type" Of Person You Always Go After: Well, no.
+Ever Liked a close Guy/Girl Friend: No ..
+Are You Lonely Right Now: No ...
+Ever Afraid You'll Never Get Married: No ...
+Do You Want To Get Married: Yes!!!!!
+Do You Want Kids: Yes ... "but not anytime soon" :wink:
+Red or blue: Erm, blue?
+Spring or fall: Fall ... all the leaves ... jackets ...
+Santa or Rudolph: Rudolph in that one movie is so cute!!!
+Math or English: Oh, DEFINITELY English, hands down, I hate and suck at math!!!
+What are you going to do after you finish this survey: Call Mike pretty soon ..
+High school or college: Not in college yet, high school was so-so.
+Are you bored: Kind of ...
+How many buddies are on: 6
+Last movie you saw: Ummm ... the Family Guy movie ... it ruled!!!
+Last noise you heard: The TV mumbling downstairs in the living room.
+What do you think of Ouija boards: Don't mess with em.
+What book are you reading now: I'm about to start "Slaughterhouse Five" but I'm in the middle of a book in the "Myst Reader."
+Favorite board game: Candyland! ^.^ Not the new, stupid one!!
+Favorite magazine: Any gaming magazine. I'm not too choosy.
+Worst feeling in the world: Being really alone and no one to help you out when you're totally lost or confused and people thinking you're a total idiot!
+What is the first thing you think when you wake in the morning: "Uhhh ... what is today?"
+Future daughter's name: I like the names Veronica, Charlotte, Claudia, and something else I can't remember ...
+Future son's name: No clue ...
+Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate! Vanilla smells good but I hate just plain vanilla ice cream!
+If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be: Roller coaster tester ... as long as there's no chance they'd break!!
+Are you a lefty, righty or ambidextrous: Right handed. Although I sometimes practice writing with my left ... just in case!
+type with your fingers on the right keys: Pfft, no.
+What's under your bed: Just random trash probably, some spare change.
+Eye Color: Blue
+Height Currently: 5'6 - 5'7, something like that.
+Glasses/contacts: Neither
+Current Age: 20
+Siblings: One sister, two stepbrothers
+Hobbies: Reading, drawing, playing video games ...
+Are You Timely or Always Late: Depends; if it's work, I'm a little early, if it's somewhere not insanely important I'm either right on time or maybe a few minutes late.
+Do You Have a Job: I’m a lazy artist…what do you think?
+Do You like Being around People: Depends who it is…but mostly, yeah.

IN THE LAST 48 HOURS, HAVE YOU
+Cried: No
+Bought Something: Yes, a sweater and two books. And a magazine.
+Gotten Sick: Fortunately no.
+Sang: In the car :roll:
+Said I Love You: To Mike :)
+Wanted To Tell Someone You Loved them, But Didn't: No
+Met Someone New: A lot of new people at the restaurant today.
+Talked To Someone: Uh-huh.
+Had A Serious Talk: No
+miss someone: Yes!
+Hugged Someone: Yes ^.^
+Kissed Someone: Yes :wink:
+Fought With Your Parents: Shockingly, no ... though I did leave my mom a nasty note about stealing my clothes!!!
+Dreamed About Someone You Can't Be With: Nope
+Had a lot of sleep: A moderate amount.

LAST PERSON WHO
+Slept in your bed: Just me.
+Made you cry: Well ... Mike.
+You went to the mall with: Mike.
+Sent you a comment on tblog: Well, only three people really comment, so it was either kreativekat, JustinB, or goins ...
+Said they were going to kill you: No one O_O

FINAL QUESTIONS
+i want: to know where Mike's memory card is.
+i wish: that I had more money so I wouldn't be stressed about bills and the holidays.
+I miss: Mike
+i fear: what will happen if I don't pay my bills ...
+i wonder: why the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer ...

Bleh ... I have to work all mornings this week. Well I guess 11:30 isn't technically morning anymore but it's still earlier than I would care to get up, heh .... Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday I gotta be at work at 9 am ... ew. I'm just not a morning person!

In other news do not use National City. I really liked them as a bank ... until I told them to quit doing this thing with my bank account and since they didn't send me any statements for a month, I assumed they weren't doing it anymore, and now I just got 2 statements from them ... arghh why did I ever sign up in the first place???

I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. And I'm getting a zit on my chin. I always break out really bad when I'm stressed out. Yesterday's car misadventure didn't help, I'm sure.

At least I got one decent thing in the mail, something from the local college I'm trying to go to. I gotta go up there after work most likely and talk to them about some stuff ... whoopee. I just wanna go back to bed :cry: I hope working two jobs isn't super stressful!

:idea:

Well, first of all, I got to stay over Mike's house Saturday night because his folks weren't home. Unfortunately he wasn't feeling very well and had even left work a little early to come home and rest; had a touch of some stomach virus or something. But luckily he was feeling a little better eventually and didn't throw up or anything.

What did we do last night .... basically just hung around ... went up to my work and rented a movie that we didn't watch, lol ... I played more Suikoden II this weekend; I'm just now finishing up all the little side projects basically before the final big battle stuff starts. Yay :D

But let me tell you about today. We left the house at about 1 pm, after lounging around, reading the newspaper and watching TV. We took my car up to Fairlawn (20 - 30 minute trip, max) because we were picking up his puppies that didn't sell on consignment at the pet store, and also to pick up his big check from selling those two adorable sweetheart chihuahuas I had pictures of a while back. Well, he had asked for $650 a piece for those babies, because they were so tiny and he could easily sell them for that much if he wanted to run a newspaper ad, but it's just easier to put them on consignment. Well, she said that she thought he'd only said $650 [i]total[/i], as in $325 a piece. No. No, no, no. So ... kind of stood around awkwardly for a while and eventually she offered $900 total for the two since there had been a "misunderstanding." Let's just say he probably won't be doing business there again anytime soon. Since we don't think it was just a "misunderstanding" but people are so age-ist when it comes to people our age running businesses - Mike is 21 but he knows a LOT about what he's doing, and he's had people tell him flat out they don't trust him because of his age, and of course people are stereotypical and think that all 'kids' like us like to go to clubs, drink, or do drugs because that's just what we do. Riiiight ...

So anyway we got the other two pups that didn't sell and I'm driving merrily home ... and my car overheats. Like, insanely. So we pull over and Mike's dumps the water jugs I had in the backseat on my engine or whatever ... nothing. Then my battery was dead even after it cooled down. So in the end, I ended up calling my mom to help, and then Mike was a TOTAL sweetheart and used one of his free AAA tows on my car. I guess you get 3 free tows a year and he's had it since May and not used any of them. So it was SOOOO wonderful of him ... really didn't wanna leave my car stranded. So Mike rode to my house with the tow truck dude, and I rode home with my mom and the puppies. Turns out it was just an old radiator hose, I guess, so my stepdad can probably fix it. But it was really stressful, especially with those puppies going crazy!!!

And tonight was the 52 week (not exactly a year) anniversary of our first unofficial date! Tonight on Sunday last year we went out to Applebee's and Mike planted his first kiss on me. So we went back to Applebee's and we stuffed ourselves. And since I'm gonna be a waitress now I tipped ours really well! But it was great ... then when he dropped me off at home tonight we did a re-enactment of the tight-lipped kiss :roll:

I hate how I got stressed out with my car today. I was just really worried it was gonna be totally dead ... and I hate being in that kind of situation with anyone, I mean I'm so glad Mike was there for me, but I feel like I might be more calm if I were alone and didn't feel so stressed by having my actions analyzed, you know? I dunno.

So anyway Mike and I are doing splendidly ... I'm so tempted to talk about our private stuff sometimes just because it's so fun but I wouldn't do that 8) He's very modest ... although in certain departments he is a lot more than just "modest"! :D :D

Alright I'm gonna keep on reading this "Myst Reader" ... night! :idea:

Bleh ... got up at 8 am ... laid around for 15 minutes ... had a bologna sandiwch for breakfast .... lol. Work sucked. We started doing things different at the video store, like when we get movies, instead of putting the movie in a seperate rental box, we're keeping the movies in the cover box now. So it's a long process of entering the movies into the computer now, and ... bleh it just kinda sucks, but has a few perks. Whatever.

After work (got out 30 minutes late, as usual) I went over to Lee's store that I used to work at and when she left, I followed her to her house about 20 minutes away ... went over Cole's house and then we took my car to Fairlawn ... ate at Olive Garden, don't eat there much and there was a 40 minute wait! It's one of Lee and Cole's favorite restaurants so I went along with it. Even though I'm BROKE ... they helped out with my bill because they're great like that :D

After that just kinda hung around and their friend Brett showed up. He's really cool. Hung out in Barnes & Noble ... a store called World Market that sells all sorts of cool like furniture, food, and just random stuff from different cultures. I just got home ... I've never had to drive that far by myself yet :X I know it's silly but I usually have someone in the car with me, like Mike or my mom.

But anyhoo I'm really tired so I'm gonna call Mike and then hit the hay. Night! :idea:

I was bored the other day so I wrote a review on IMDB.com for "Lords of Dogtown" ... here it is.

[b]An enjoyable movie for skaters and non-skaters alike., 30 October 2005[/b]

Author: Heidi (cherrybIossomgrl@aol.com) from Ohio, USA


Most people probably think that they wouldn't enjoy this movie if they're not a skater - but this movie goes so beyond skateboarding that I think it's a shame it didn't do better than it did, and people won't give it a chance. It's a good idea to have seen "Dogtown and Z-Boys" first, or at least have some knowledge about who these guys are, but this movie isn't just about the three "lords" of skateboarding - it's about friendship, brotherhood, breaking those bonds, and getting them back. It's about giving into greed, being there for your friends, and sticking to your roots - and the consequences of all those choices. While I'm not a skater myself, and find their partying a little out of control, it shines light on how life in late 70's California was for these young guys. Surprisingly, this movie was moving to me, and was sad when I saw the credits start to roll. This movie isn't for everyone, but if you have a minute interest in skateboarding and enjoy seeing people evolve, I highly recommend this movie.

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So yeah. Not the best but I like writing movie reviews. I did write that at like 3 am ... lol. Someone sent me a random email saying they totally agreed with it, which I thought was nice :)

Work sucked today. Going over Mike's here in a few minutes. Ciao! :idea:

P.S. Justin, I voted for your blog! :)

Mmm-hmm :) Went over to Mike's house after that last blog entry. Ended up going back into town and to the thrift store ... he has to buy cheap blankets for his dogs so they can curl in them in the winter ... luckily my friend was working and she gave us a bit of a discount 8)

Mike's friend (well, he's my friend too) Jerome came over and we went out to a local pizza place ... today was my "bad" day on this little diet I've been on, hehe. Gotta give in at least once a week. Then we went to Wal-Mart where I got a Halloween costume for only $3! But it's something I can wear anytime ... for Mike ... :lol:

We also talked with Mike's mom about vacation destinations. Earlier this year they had wanted to go to Hawaii in the winter, but that got changed when we went to Florida this summer. But now they want to go somewhere over spring break. Our options are California (my personal favorite), Mike wants to go to the Bahamas, and Mike's mom and stepdad wanna go to Arizona. But maybe we could manage both California and Arizona. Well Mike wants to go to California also but he wants to do snorkeling and that kinda thing. Honestly though, I'm not paying for much of the trip so it's not up to me in the slightest :roll: But Mike said if he can't raise the money, he thought it was a good idea if we went on our own mini-vacation, dunno where we'd go but it would be just us :) Not that I don't want to go with his folks, but it would be really nice to go alone.

Tonight we watched that "Family Guy" movie ... hooooooly cow ... was SO HILARIOUS!!! There were some parts that were just like ... disturbing ... but it was a LOT racier than the show ... won't spoil it, but it was great!!!

And I'm almost to the end of Suikoden II. I just need to recruit the rest of the 108 Stars of Destiny and then do the final stuff ... I'm at about 33 hours :)

Oh! As I was leaving, me and Mike were outside gawking at the extremely clear and starry night ... and we saw a shooting star together!!!!! It was REALLY bright, and Mike had never seen one before. I actually saw one last week or so when we were outside, but he didn't see it. So it was so great!

And since I'm bored, here's a survey. :idea:

FULL NAME:
Heidi Erika ....
NICKNAME:
Sauerkraut
BIRTHPLACE:
Cleveland, OH
HOMETOWN:
I consider it Eastlake, OH, though I don't live there now, it's my favorite out of the places I've lived, and my grandma still lives there.
OCCUPATION:
Video store clerk/server
LIVING ARRANGEMENT:
With my mom, stepdad, and two stepbrothers :?
YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW(S)?:
I don't watch a ton of TV since we don't have cable (but we're getting it next week!) ... I'd have to say X-Play on G4, Love Connection ... Newlywed Game ... lol ...
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OUIJA BOARDS?:
Don't mess with em.
WHAT'S WRITTEN ON YOUR MOUSE PAD:
Well ... it's a picture of a kitten! Haha ... I scribbled jibberish on it. I've had it for like, 4 years, no joke.
FAVORITE BOARD GAME:
Key to the Kingdom! Actually, Mike just got that and we haven't played it ... otherwise I gotta say chess, Imaginiff, Cranium, Hoopla, and Star Wars Monopoly.
FAVORITE MAGAZINE:
MAD Magazine, no particular gaming magazine, Blender
FAVORITE SMELLS:
Mike's leather jacket, shoe stores, apple crisp, chicken cooking!
WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD:
Toothaches! Or feeling neglected, cheated, etc ...
BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD:
Love, complete love, friendship, happiness, completeness.
DO YOU DRINK:
Nope.
FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK:
I don't drink ... period.
SHAMPOO OR CONDITIONER:
I use both! It's a pet peeve of mine to only use shampoo.
ARE TONSILS REMOVED:
Nope.
DO YOU MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE:
Who doesn't? :roll:
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME:
Nope!
BEST ON-LINE FRIENDS:
Humm ... Goins is cool ... a friend Neil from WV that I don't talk to much but we've talked on and off for like 3 years ...
ONE PILLOW OR TWO:
I like one to put my head on, and one to throw my arm over.
PETS:
Chi Chi le chihuahua, Opal the dachsund ... I used to have cockatiels named Kevin (yes, both named Kevin) and a parakeet named Sweetie.
FAVORITE TYPES OF MUSIC:
I'll really listen to about anything, I do prefer industrial, classical, and electropop. No country or rap is enjoyable, however.
FAVORITE ALBUMS EVER:
Ohhh ... if the Beatles "1s" album counts, has like 27 songs on it. Deadsy's "Commencement" ... Weezer's "Pinkerton" ... No Doubt's "Return of Saturn" ... Air's "Talkie Walkie" ... I'm sure there are others.
TYPE OF CAR YOU DRIVE NOW:
1991 Honda Civic LX. Maroon. Crummy looking but gets me around!
FAVORITE SOUNDTRACK:
I'm not really a soundtrack kinda gal, at least not for movies. I like Trigun & Cowboy Bebop's soundtracks, and I'm interested in the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Suikoden II soundtracks.
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE IN THE MORNING?:
I try to remember what day it is and if I can sleep in or if I gotta work.
FAVORITE TOOTHPASTE:
Vanilla Mint ... I think it's Crest? LOL I just use what's there if I don't have a particular toothpaste. Vivid White at Mike's house is good too.
DO YOU GET MOTION SICKNESS?:
Nope, I never did understand that about people. Mike gets it when he reads in the car, and was afraid he'd get it on the boat down on Key West when we were parasailing.
ROLLER COASTERS-SCARY OR EXCITING?:
Exciting as hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love roller coasters!!!!!
PEN OR PENCIL?:
Usually pen. Even though I should get those pens that let you erase.
HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE?:
I usually pick it up on the second or third, but I always answer it in the middle of a ring. Weird habit.
FUTURE SON'S NAME:
I don't really have a preference. If it's a boy, Mike can pick it's name.
FUTURE DAUGHTER'S NAME:
I've always liked Veronica, Charlotte, Claudia, and Alexandria.
FAVORITE FOODS:
Chicken salad (not chicken IN salad) sandwiches, pizza with good pepperoni, cinnamon sticks w/icing, my grandma's london broil & au gratin potatoes, and some good bread.
DO YOU GET ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS?:
My mom, most of the time, haven't talked to/seen my dad in a few years.
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?:
Chocolate! I hate just plain vanilla.
FAVORITE ICE CREAM:
Ben & Jerry's Triple Fudge Brownie or something like that ::drools::
CROUTONS OR BACON BITS:
Bacon bits ... usually.
DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE?:
Sometimes.
FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT:
Corny as it is I like visiting my grandma since we used to live there, and it's right on Lake Erie. But of course Florida, specifically Disneyworld & Sanibel Island were my favorite vacation spots.
DO YOU SLEEP WITH STUFFED ANIMALS?:
Well, sometimes I have one or two on my bed but I don't hug them. Boo-Boo (from Yogi Bear) has been my pal for as long as I can remember. I put gel in his hair when I was about 8 years old because I ran a "salon" and he was my first customer and his hair is STILL funky from it.
STORMS - COOL OR SCARY:
Ummm ... admittedly I get kinda freaked out. Because my mom always made a huge deal of them.
WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR:
Same one I'm driving now :?
IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD IT BE?:
Well ... Jesus ... as for living .. honestly there isn't anyone that comes to mind that's not clichéd.
WHAT IS YOUR ZODIAC SIGN?:
Gemini. :)
DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI?:
I don't eat broccoli at all, ew!
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED, WHAT WOULD IT BE?:
Oh ... professional slacker? Hehe ... if it means I come equipped with the necessary skills, I'd say astronomer, or architect.
IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR, WHAT WOULD IT BE:
I used to dye my hair red, and I loved it, but it was just too pricey to maintain and faded too quickly.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE?:
Yes, and I am right now :)
WHAT IS ON YOUR WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?:
Some random anime posters ... some drawings I did ... a Reservoir Dogs poster/plaque with an actual piece of the 8mm film from the movie in it that Mike got me ... a System of a Down poster from like years ago, lol ...
IS THE GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?:
Half empty :?
FAVORITE TOWN TO CHILL IN:
Fairlawn. Has the mall, good stores, good restaurants, is only about 20 minutes away.
WHAT IS FAVORITE SNAPPLE?:
I don't drink Snapple.
FAVORITE MOVIES?:
Lessee ... most Tarantino movies, Clerks, Napoleon Dynamite, Hamlet (1996 w/Kenneth Branagh), the Harry Potter movies, Star Wars trilogy, the LotR movies, Bowling for Columbine, Million Dollar Baby, Shattered Glass ... really too many to name ...
GUILTY PLEASURE MOVIES:
Romantic comedies that Mike probably wouldn't like, like "Fever Pitch" ... or the Pokemon videos ... Keroppi videos ... hehe :) None of THOSE guilty pleasures! :?
ARE YOU A LEFTY, RIGHTY?:
I'm uh ... right handed. Heh.
DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS?:
No, ew, I tried when I was in keyboarding in 9th grade and I just couldn't do it. I type like 70/wpm at least, so I don't see the point of changing that.
IF YOU COULD BE ONE GARDENING TOOL, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?:
Err ... a spade? I dunno! I won't make the obvious joke!
WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED?:
Probably some clothes I've been looking for!
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER?:
23. It's my employee number. Unfortunately it's also LeBron James' number ... ugh! It was before he was popular! Not saying I hate the guy but I don't like him necessarily either ... whatever!
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM CAR?:
I've always loved BMWs, my friend got me a little BMW Z3 Roadster as a gift when we were in like 10th grade. It's silver, which is my favorite color for it.
WHAT'S YOUR DREAM HOUSE LIKE?
Well ... I like tudor style or like ... the stone designs ... but I hate when people have stones AND shingles on their houses ... looks dumb together! If I'm gonna go all out, I'd just live in a castle!
FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH:
I hate watching sports!
FAVORITE QUOTE:
"Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it. No destructive lies. No ridiculous fears. No debilitating anger." - Bill Bradley
FAVORITE SOFT DRINK:
Diet Coke. It's all there is! :shock:
FAVORITE RESTAURANT:
Oh ... I'll go with Steak N Shake. Banana-chocolate shake! ::melts::
FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR:
Fall :)
ADIDAS, NIKE OR REEBOK:
None of the above?!
PERFUME/COLOGNE:
I really like the new Tommy Girl. Mike's dad got it for me for Christmas last year. I also like Charlie Sunshine.
FAVORITE SUBJECT:
English, social studies.
FAVORITE FICTIONAL BOOK:
"The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien (as if you didn't know who wrote it ... I hope).
FAVORITE PERSONAL GROWTH/EDUCATIONAL BOOK:
"Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" by ... Richard ... someone ... lol
FAVORITE COLOR:
Purple!
ANYTHING DIFFERENT ABOUT YOU SINCE GRADUATION (HS OR COLLEGE):
It was only two years ago, but ... I listen better, I'm friendlier, less self-centered, less idealistic, more pessimistic (not the same thing), more true to myself.
LANGUAGES SPOKEN:
English ... and French II level, hehe.
LAST PLACE YOU TOOK A "CLASS":
Um, Wayne County Schools Career Center?
WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK THAT YOU READ?:
"The Amityville Horror"
WHAT IS THE NEXT BOOK YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ?:
I'm starting on the second book in my three-book Myst series.

That's it! I'm going to bed! :idea:

I just went into the video store today to get my schedule for the next two weeks. She's been scheduling me for at least 20 hours lately. Now I have 15 one week, and 16 the next. And all the manager does is rave how I'm a lifesaver, and she's so glad I'm working there because I didn't have to be trained ... and now she's giving the girl she claims not to like more hours than me. What the hell? I planned on telling her I got a second job today, but I was so surprised by the schedule that I'll tell her on Friday. I made a list of my availablity and went right next door and gave them the hours I could work ... I'm excited. But I just don't understand why she gave me so few hours, and the girl who does no work more than me. Whatever. Good thing I got a second job!

Me and my mom played DDR: Mario Mix today ... she's good! She has some foot problems but man she could almost keep up with me, which is saying a lot since she's gonna be 47 this month. That game is so fun and addictive, and you really work up a sweat! It was definitely worth the money.

I found out today our chihuahua Chi Chi has to have x-rays tomorrow :cry: Something about her trachea; when she gets nervous/excited/upset, she makes this weird noise, and the doctor said it might be her trachea clenching or something like that. Poor Chi Chi!!! :cry: :cry: :cry:

And later this week I gotta go get my flu shot. Yay. I wouldn't be so worried about it if a) my sister is very susceptible to illness since she is handicapped, and b) when I get sick, like vomiting, I get SICK. So ... yeah. I feel like an old person :roll:

But anyhoo gonna go over Mike's in about 45 minutes. Ciao! :idea:

Yeah! Tonight against my better judgement I purchased "Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix" ... it's so HILARIOUS! It was too bad my mom was at work, but my stepbrothers and stepdad were downstairs so I hooked it up and jigged in the living room. I let my stepbro's try it out ... they sucked ... but it's so funny! And it's a real workout! It can even keep track of how many calories you burned - it's really cool! I just love watching Mario and everyone groove!

I also had orientation today for the restaurant; I think everything is gonna turn out good. It's so weird ... Leah is a manager there. She came into the video store (before I knew she worked at Grinders) and I found out her daughter is a good friend of a friend of mine. Then, at orientation tonight, she's like "Who's your mom?" And I told her, my mom used to work there. She's like, "I knew it, you two are so much alike!" And then she told me that she went to school with my stepdad! And to top it all off, the other guy who was there for orientation asked me if I knew Bev (unfortunately I do know her, but whatever ... )over at the video store, and it turns out that Bev is his girlfriend's aunt! It is a small fucking world.

Anyhoo, I've been playing the crap out of Suikoden again. I'm glad I don't have to work tomorrow, although I do have to get my schedule at the video store and go to Grinder's and let them know when I'm available. I hope having two jobs isn't too stressful ....

Tonight whilst out and about I also bought Mike a card, some candy he likes, and a little notepad and wrote him out a note in it .. and went up to Wal-Mart, found his truck, and left all that stuff in there for him for when he gets outta work. He should've just gotten it since he would've gotten out of work about now :) His truck has one of those keypads to unlock it and I know his code, hehe. But anyhoo I hope he likes it.

Well, I'm gonna head to bed ... night!