Tattoo #2

I went today and got tattoo #2. I am now sporting a very red horseshoe between my b00bies. I'll post a picture later this week. Michelle and I went to a place in Ventura today. The guy who did it was nice. I also appreciated the fact that he both showered recently and was wearing clean clothes. This was important as he spent most of the tattoo time sitting on the table just above my head with his left arm just above my face. Here's what I've learned... getting tattooed on the sternum HURTS. It hurts in a way that my spine did not hurt. Holy hell. After we were done it was still like I was getting pricked. I am pleased with the way it turned out though. :) HOWEVER, I will have to cancel my next blood donation appointment since I now can't donate for a year. You know, unless I don't tell them I've gotten a tattoo in the last 12 months. It isn't like I had seks with a man who had seks with a man in the last 12 months or that I'm a intravenous drug user or anything. It was clean and he used sterile needles and gloves and what not. That's an interesting concept... my blood is helpful to people. I know that the place I went to was sterile and that I didn't pick up hepatitis, but I can appreciate the Red Cross's rules about it. At the same time it is an archaic rule and they test the blood all to hell anyway. So do I lie on the form or do I deny them my lifesaving blood for a year for a dumb archaic rule? Oh please, I'll probably be honest. :)

Happy day!

From what I understand it snowed in Seattle while I've been gone. I'm sad to have missed that! It has not snowed here but it is a bit chilly.

We went and saw Juno yesterday. It's really good. I highly recommend it. We had originally been planning on seeing a sneak preview of 27 Dresses but we missed out on that because there was only 1 seat left and two of us.

I think we're doing arts & crap today and I've got some glass things to etch. I'm happy about that. :) I also have a scarf to finish for a coworker. She admired it during the white elephant gift exchange.

V might come out on Saturday and spend the night. It will be good to see him. I hope he really comes. I bet he won't though.

Christmas was nice. We were all at Michelle's mom's house. They had a lot of people over for breakfast and present opening. I'm always amazed at how many people are in Michelle's family. There are 7 of us total in my family right now. A few cousins and one uncle I've never met on top of that, but that's it. I've not seen one set of the cousins since I was like 8 and the other set since I was about 12. I wouldn't know them if there were 3 of us in a room together.

We did PYOP (Paint your own pottery) yesterday. I LOVE PYOP! Oh actually I think we did that the day before yesterday. The days all run together, especially when there's nothing on TV. I've never noticed how much I've relied on the TV schedule to tell me what day of the week it is. I know some people use those silly things like calendars, but whatever.

Hope y'all are having a good holiday!

In CA

Do you miss me??

I got here on Sunday. It is HOT. Much hotter than I'm used to and it surprised me.

Michelle's baby is cute. She posts pictures on flicker but those do the kid little justice. Seriously. I just like touching her head because she's fuzzy and soft. She's a good baby. Between Kenna and my friend Janel's baby Trygve I may not dislike infants as much as I think I do.

Totally unrelated, I was talking to lyday the other day about adopting kids. My theory on this is that I meet up with a social worker and say you tell me who would do good with me. I do fear adopting a black baby though. Only because I've been listening to my scout moms talking about what you have to do with little black girls' hair and it freaks me out. Hot combs. Wax or something like that. Seriously it is intimidating. Lyday, who is 1/2 black herself, gave me a compliment. She said she thought I'd be great with any kind of kid really. That was nice of her.

So far, we've gone to Mongolian bbq and hung out. Michelle's grandmother, aunt and other aunt came by for dinner tonight. That was a ... tiring meal. It was nice and her hubby cooked a fabulous dinner. One of her aunts, though, had an anyuerism a few years ago and it definitely has affected her. There were kind of weird conversations going on, but in reality every one was nice and civil to each other so that beats most meals with my family 100%.

Slightly related... I wonder if my mother ever told my grandmother about Kayla before my grandmother died. When my grandmother heard Amanada got married, she implied that Amanda HAD to get married. In a fit of righteous indignation my mom lied and said no she didn't. Rather than do the logical thing like announce the baby a year later and just keep Kay a year younger than she really is, she continued to deny the existence of Kay. So weird...

Still on the agenda:
Christmas tomorrow at Michelle's mom's house.
Arts & Crafts projects - Maybe glass etching. Definitely scrapbooking.
A movie - I want to see Juno. Looks funny.
After Christmas shopping
And perhaps tattoos. I am still thinking a horseshoe and now I'm waffling on placement. I originally was thinking between my boobies and now I'm thinking the top of my left foot.

Recently I saw Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox story. HYSTERICAL. Definitely see it. Tonight we watched Spider Man 3. I can't help but think that may have been the most boring movie ever. Ok not EVER, but it was seriously boring.

Merry Christmas!! Have a wonderful day tomorrow and I hope Santa Claus brings you everything you want!

A sign I'm truly designed for my job...

Upon arriving at work this morning, I hear that an employee died on campus today. My first thought was "Crap, I hope it wasn't work related."

Cute!

Last night my new brownie troop and I had our investiture ceremony. They were so cute! My littlest one is 5 and she was so excited about her shiny brownie pin. She ran over to her aunt to show it to her right away. I wasn't sure about this new crop of girls, but I'm starting to dig them a lot. I'm really starting to get a sense of who they are, and who their parents are. It's interesting. And they're a lot of fun, but I really have to watch myself with them about what I say we may do. If I don't follow through they get REALLY upset. Last week we had practiced our ceremony and I said we may be able to play a game. Well we practiced our ceremony a 2nd time and so we ran out of time to play a game and the youngest one cried. I felt really bad. They're really eager to help, which is cute. They're just such fun kids. Although I'm alarmed by the fact that when committing to this new troop, I've now signed up for a good 10 more years of scout leading in Seattle... Holy crap. (That's if they all go into high school. Most of them won't.)

Am I psychic?

I think so. Here's how I know. I was at the deli counter and I noticed a guy off to my right and I thought 'Hmm... that guy looks like guy I used to know.' While I'm standing there I think that I need a basket because I'm buying too much stuff so I head to my left to where the baskets are located. Who is standing in front of the baskets... guy I used to know.

Of course if I AM really psychic then I'll be marrying the guy in the elevator yesterday evening with the amazing eyes but sadly walking the tiny dog that is either a girlfriend's or a boyfriend's with my luck. :)

Oh holy hell...

I just had a bite of the sugar cookies I bought from my bakery. They are so good I could die. I'm totally regretting only buying one package of them and thanking the fact that when I go down to pick up Stephen on Tuesday night it'll be too late to pop in and get some more. Nobody would get presents. I would just get COOKIES!!

Did you hear the alarm go off?

At around 4:30? That was my biological clock. I spent the morning and early afternoon with my friend Janel from Alaska. She was here with her son, the one that was hospitalized last year in Portland. He was at some doctor's appointments to figure out why his blood oxygen sometimes drops. She had been staying at Ronald McDonald House (totally related, the next time you eat at McDonalds, you should throw your change into the little Ronald McDonald House container. They do AMAZING work). But she was booted out on Saturday. She went down to her husband's grandmother's house south of Tacoma but wasn't sure how she was getting back to SeaTac and what to do on Sunday. Thanks to Stephen who is out of town until Tuesday night, I actually had access to a car (and one big enough for a baby and all his accoutrements) so I went to get her and then we went to my bakery and then to JoAnn's Fabrics. It was such a good time. And when I was playing with the baby I started feeling the pang...

After dropping them off at the airport I had to drive up to MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry) to see one of my scout's dance recitals. She was very good, but there was a group of teeny tiny girls dancing and they pretty much sent the pang over the edge. When I adopt, at least one has to be a little girl so I can torment her with dance class. :)

10 Things

Once upon a time a blog reader suggested to me that I should identify the 10 must haves in a future mate. She said to forget about the laundry list of nice to haves and identify the 10 most important things. Then she said to only date people who fit that 10. I told that to Lyday the other day and she mentioned she'd had a list - but of course like most women it was huge and she wasn't sure she could pin down 10. I mentioned it to Stephen and he's afraid to make the list. :) So he asked me mine. I thought about it and came up with several and now I'm writing them down. These are my 10 must haves. (Although they might differ from what I told Stephen because I've already forgotten most of those. :) )

1. Kind
2. Wants children (willing to adopt)
3. Can make me laugh/sense of humor
4. Accepting/non judgemental
5. Non smoker & drug free
6. Is attractive to me. (I have liberal taste remember)
7. Financially responsible
8. Has a job he enjoys or is working towards getting a job he enjoys
9. Willing to volunteer with me
10. Finds me hot. :)

(If I could have an 11 and this isn't really a must have but a would be nice, willing to dance with me on the feet on Broadway)

Update: so I fixed job he enjoys to working towards getting a job he enjoys. I see Michelle's and KtP's point. However, when I say willing to volunteer with me, I don't mean every single volunteer activity I do, but willing to go volunteer someplace with me. It doesn't have to be one of my usual volunteer activities (although I do have quite a variety of volunteer activities), but since volunteering is so much a part of my life, I want it to be a part of my kids' lives and I think in order to be successful with that my partner should do it to so we could do it as a family. Am I possibly being a bit idealistic? Sure. But it's my list. :)

CEBS

Mishka asked what exactly is this CEBS test I'm taking. Well, once upon a time (last year to be exact) my boss of the time mentioned on my performance review that I should become a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist. (CEBS) I said I had thought about it but it was cost prohibitive (tests are $265 with study materials running $120 and you can't pass the test without at least the study guide and possibly the book too (another $120ish)). So I am on my way to becoming an official Certified Employee Benefits Specialist. There are 8 tests to take. I've taken 4 and the one tomorrow will be my 5th. Next quarter I've decided to take two so then the spring quarter I'll take one and be done. This is in case the new boss is a tool and I have to quit sooner than I want to. :) The tests will help me out in the real world make a lot more money. theoretically.

Uh Oh

My employee quit today. I'm fine with it. I knew it was a possibility. Whenever I asked if she wanted to order business cards she'd say "Let's wait and see shall we?" She doesn't want to work in benefits anymore. I can respect that. The uh oh is more for me. Now I have to hire someone. This stresses me out for many reasons:

1. I have the worst taste in potential hires. I'll hire the one who has the saddest sob story about why I should hire them.
2. I am going to have to be the one to call the candidates that we aren't going to hire and say "Sorry, we aren't going to hire you."
3. Did you see line 2?? There's a reason I'm not a recruiter and line 2 is it.
4. I'm also going to have to phone screen people and interview them and all that. I guess that's what being the boss is all about.
5. See #2. No really. See it.

Two chapters left

I'm studying for my next CEBS test which is on Friday. Like the procrastinator I really am I hadn't really started studying until last week. There are 12 chapters in the study guide and I have two left. Phew. I was starting to get worried. On Monday night, I got through chapter 8 and I thought crikey I'm never going to finish this. Then I discovered there were only 12 chapters in this study guide as opposed to the usual 15. Score! :)



Next quarter I'm signed up to take two tests. I want to get this done before the new boss starts. That way I'll have it under my belt for when and if I have to go job hunting.

Smith Tower

Today Lyday and I ventured to the Smith Tower. I've wanted to go there for quite some time, but haven't made the time. The elevator is one of the last manually operated elevators. The building was built in 1914 and I believe the elevator has been in operation the whole time. The view from the top is supposed to be awesome. Let me tell you, it is. There's another reason I've wanted to go but I'll detail that later. :)

This is the exterior of the tower. We couldn't have picked a more beautiful day to go. It was so clear outside. The sky was beautifully blue. It was great!
This photo is the south of Seattle. If you look carefully in the sky you can see Mt. Rainier. I like how it is floating above the lower clouds making it look like Mt. Olympus or something.

Yeah, I have no sense of direction. I think this is southeast. I just like how the city sprawls so far out. Also I like how the cars are little like matchbox cars.

This is the Columbia tower. That's the one I volunteer in in the spring for the Stairclimbs. Isn't it cool? It's seriously tall.

That's the waterfront (obviously).

Can you see the Space Needle in this picture? I like that building with the green dome on top.

I like the juxtaposition of the teeny tiny church with the giant Columbia Tower. I also like the shadow that the Smith Tower is casting.

The cool thing about the Smith Tower is the Chinese Room on the 35th floor (same floor as observation deck). It's just beautiful! This is the ceiling of the tower. The whole room is supposed to be extraordinarily full of good luck. There are phoenixes, cherry and plum blossoms, peonies and the little bird all in the ceiling. There are several dragons and shi dogs. Everything is hand carved. (Totally unrelated I like how Seattle seems to have some very obvious websties... the Woodland zoo has zoo.org, the Smith Tower has Smithtower.com and the Chinese room has Chineseroom.com. That's kind of funny to me.)

Here's a close up of one of the tiles. It is the cherry blossom tile. They are so colorful and are carved in Teak. I believe that Teak is a very hard wood. (I could totally be wrong about that.)

There's also a rather famous chair up in the top of the tower. This is a detail in the back of the chair. Can you see the dragon's face?

This tiger is in the back of the chair. Isn't it exquisite? The chair is carved Mahogany. Isn't that also a hard wood?

And here's me in the chair. The reason the chair is so famous? It is the Wishing Chair. From the website:

Be sure to take a look at the famous Wishing Chair. Legend has it that a single woman who sits in the chair will marry within a year. Happily, this legend came true for Smith's daughter.

Of course I believe in this so y'all are invited to my wedding around this time next year. :)

I will say that Lyday found a blog where it totally worked for a friend of the blogger. And it wasn't like she was dating some guy for years and he finally proposed - she was totally single with no prospects. I believe. I do.

Which is better?

Option A

Option B

Which is better? Option A or option B? I'm crocheting a scarf and a hat for my white elephant Christmas gift thing at work and I can't decide which pattern I like better. Although now that I look at what it could look like I'm leaning towards B. Give me your advice! :)

Oh ho the rattlin' blog

The blog down in the valley -o. Did we ever sing that song at camp, Michelle? We sang it in AZ I know. :) Ok it wasn't about a blog but whatever.

There's a whole bunch of stuff going on lately. (I just realized I tend to say an assful or assload and I heard it the other morning and discovered it is a morning DJ thing. I listen to Adam Corolla and he says it. Weird that.)

1 - I walked all the way to the grocery store last night to pick up stuff for my scout meeting. I had a basket full of things I needed. I got to the check out and realized my wallet was back at my office in my backpack. I put all the groceries away and left with my tail between my legs. I took it as a sign we weren't meant to do science last night but art instead. I had art stuff.

2 - Lyday and I are going to the Smith Tower tomorrow. We are going to the top which will be pretty and we are going to sit in the Wishing Chair. Allegedly, when a single gal sits in the chair, she'll get married in the next year. I have high hopes.

3 - Sunday Stephen, Benjammin and I are going to the Pacific Science Center. I'm looking forward to that too because I love the Pacific Science Center. It's awesome! And I've not been with a little kid in a long time. I hope he'll have fun!

4 - I have been having some pangs of regret recently. Sometimes I go back and reread a blog post or two to remind me about why things had to end the way they did.

Note to self

Despite your thinking otherwise, Southwest Airlines still do not have assigned seating. In the future don't book with them. You should've held out for getting a flight discounted through your sister you dumbass.

Flux

I was driving a Flexcar the other day and I thought that it might be nice to own a car again. It isn't likely I'll get one while I live in my apartment, but since I'm bitter about the place I am still hoping to move sooner or later. Ultimately, though, everything hinges on something else. My boss is leaving. Not my immediate boss whose job I now have, but my big boss. He's been on a leave of absence for the past few months and will not be able to return from it. I'm feeling anxious about this. I wouldn't feel so anxious if it weren't for the toolman. My boss's boss. I don't trust him. I don't trust him to do the right thing for our office. I'm planning on sticking it out until next fall at the earliest. I want to finish my CEBS certification and that's when I'll be done. After that... who knows. It could be good. I'm trying to remain optimistic. The toolman could hire someone who'll be great. Yes. He will hire someone great. (See positivity!)

Wussy

I'm turning into a wussy. I need to run a bunch of errands and since it is raining outside I don't want to go. Maybe in 45 minutes when I'm done watching Grease 2 (I know I should be ashamed but I'm not. I LOVE this movie) I'll feel like putting shoes on and venturing out.

Unrelated, well maybe a little related, remember a good year year and a half ago I lost my crystal that I've been wearing since college? I thought it disappeared on the bus (which made sense since it was shortly after I got off the bus I noticed the string I was wearing it on was broken.) apparently it wasn't left on the bus. Somehow it ended up in my sofa. So weird. But I'm thrilled to have it back. I think I'm going up to this bead shop on Broadway to get a new silver chain for it. That's one of my errands.

Santa

I'm watching an old episode of the Brady Bunch in which Cindy goes to see Santa. There were many things notable about this episode... 1 - Mike leaves her in line while he goes to exchange a present, she's 6. 2 - She doesn't carry on like a fool while in line by herself. She just stands there properly. 3 - There's not the photo elf which seems to be the only purpose of mall Santas these days. 4 - I'm such a sap I started tearing up when Cindy asked Santa for her mom's voice back so she can sing in the Christmas concert.

It also made me cry for a different reason. When I lived with the kids while my sister went through a bone marrow transplant, my nephew was 11 and my niece then must've been about 7. We went to see Santa at the pet store. (In fact I still have the picture of Minka and their ferret Slinky with Santa. That's just funny.) Despite the fact that I don't think he still believed in Santa at that point he asked Santa for a gift. His mom to get better from her cancer. Santa looked sadly at him and said he would do what he could but he couldn't make any promises. Poor Santa, what a hard job he must have.

Guess what's happening outside!!

Go on... Guess!

It's SNOWING! Yay! It isn't supposed to stick. Allegedly it will be just a light dusting. But it still makes me happy.