Thursday, March 31, 2005

I wanna...

I'm sitting in my cubicle looking out the windows. i'm bored. i'm...ugh.

The other day (or week, not to lie or anything...) i was watching the show Screensavers ...

(a show on Tech TV that has a bunch of immature kids reporting new things in computer hardware, software, games, and all sorts of other techy stuff...yeah, yeah...i know, huh???)

... and they had this one guy on that was a video game programmer. now, his story was that one day he was sitting at his desk, and he all of a sudden realized that he didn't want to be there anymore! he wanted to travel. so he took all his savings and traveled around the world for a year...or two. can't remember.

anyways, he became sorta 'famous' when someone suggested he do his own little dance in front of well known structures or places all around the world. so, he set up a website and took little video clips of himself dancing at these awesome places!

( see his website at www.wherethehellismatt.com )

oh, how cool would that be? to be traveling and seeing the sights?

i'm a gemini. i have a split personality. i want it all...i wanna be free and explore and not worry about tomorrow, just today. at the same time, i wanna life! i want stability and know what tomorrow will hold for me.

i think my boyfriend will have to accept me for who i am and what i want. i want a good man who can contribute, yet someone who will whisk me off to Malaysia for a week.

i want to ride an elephant.

again.

but Marine World barely counts...

so i want to ride an elephant.

and live in london

and italy

and japan

and near my parents.

and have kids and go to their volleyball games and be on the PTA and bake cupcakes for their birthday to bring to c lass

and have a pedicure every week.

i could go on and on you know. :)

somehow, i cheered myself up.

okay. back to the papers on my desk.

oh...and i want to work a manual labor job sometime, too.

am i odd or what??? :)

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Insomnia

I think I have insomnia...i'm so tired...but once i lay down, my mind starts racing of things that need to be done.

who says lullabye's are just for small children. i could really use one right now...anyone up for singing me one?

sleep, sweet sleep...why doest thou evade me so?

Determine the quality of your sleep
Insomnia — the inability to get enough sleep — may only last a night or it can last for weeks, months, years or even a lifetime. If you have any of the following signs and symptoms, you may not be getting enough sleep:

  • You routinely ignore your alarm clock or snatch a few extra minutes to snooze before getting up.
  • You look forward to catching up on your sleep on the weekends.
  • You have to fight to stay awake during long meetings, in overheated rooms or after a heavy meal.
  • You're irritable with co-workers, family and friends.
  • You have difficulty concentrating or remembering.
  • It takes you more than 30 minutes to fall asleep at night.
  • You wake repeatedly throughout the night.
  • You wake up groggy and not well rested.
  • Your spouse or partner complains about your snoring or fitful sleeping.

(Yeah...I'm checking each of those things off the list...I'm an insomniac!!!!!)

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

The Cat of My Life

Growing up i didn't have pets. well, i don't count the goldfish or the short stints we had a dog and a hamster. unfortunately, neither of those stayed in the house very long...

hehe...well, the hamster got away and somehow made it into the walls of our house... so i suppose you could say that the hamster stayed longer than i remember, but that's neither here nor there...

and with the dog...well, i always wondered what happened to the dog since i was old enough that i remember the dog (and the feeding of doritos to it by yours truely), but young enough that i didn't exactly remember when it disappeared. needless to say, i asked my mom about it a couple years ago wondering if it really did run off like i was told. NOPE! parentals lied to their young trusting daughter. it was given away!!!

yet, through it all, i always considered myself more of a would-be dog person than a would-be cat person. don't know why, just always thought i'd swing that way.

so when my roommate suggested we get a cat a year and a half ago, i searched my soul and found i didn't really mind. and when we found a cat, but was told we needed to take his brother if we wanted the cat, i once again soul-searched and found my soul...wanting a cat.

and that's how Oreo and Zorro entered my house. In the time since, i fell in love with both cats, but my heart was broken when Zorro was found on the side of the road in perfect condition other than alive. And since then, Oreo has been the cat of the house. we have hosted two other visiting cats and one small pomeranian dog in my house, but he's the master of this house. he comes and goes when he wants. no nook or cranny goes unexpected with Oreo around. he's my independent yet dependent boarder in my house.

within the upcoming months, he's going to be moving into another house with potentially three other cats. yup, three girls, four cats.

but he'll still be the cat of the house. :)


Oreo - mi gato Posted by Hello

Friday, March 25, 2005

What a week...

You know, this week has been quite the emotional roller coaster. For once, my life and week has not hinged on my job. There has just been so many things to think about!

1 - I'm so darn tired! i know, i know...JUST SLEEP! easier said than done, my friends. this problem has resulted from the other things going on in my life.

2 - Where am i going to live? i'm about ready to rent my house out. my lovely house. MY house. don't get me wrong, i'm terribly excited to move into a brand new nice house with two very, very good friends of mine, but really...i'm going to miss my house. and living alone. funny thing is, the "brand new nice house" will not be finished until probably May or possibly June! if i rent out my house in April, where does that put me? Probably on a sofa somewhere...which i'm fine with. but in the mean time, there is quite a scramble to get last minute house improvement chores done.

(Refer to #1 again...)

3 - Where is my life and relationship going? i have someone very close and dear to my heart that is getting ready to "take the next step" with his girlfriend...and its really hitting me.

you know, i'm a very stubborn person. i don't know when or where it happened. that's the only thing that got me through that stupid test...my stubbornness! i so was not about to quit just because thing weren't going the way i thought they were supposed to. i've definitely lived life thinking, "well, i've come this far, I just need to do what i need to do to make things work!"

maybe stubborn is the wrong word. maybe persistent or, or...someone give me a word!!! i always wanted things to work out.

you know, i remember in college a moment that really changed my way of thinking. my friend kelli was mad at me. again. lord knows she's the only one i was able to really piss off in college. i was in the cafe talking to merv and kimi, and i must've said something along the lines of, "oh, i'm going to have to see how she's doing, see why she's mad, and see if i can fix it..." or something like that.

both kimi and mervyn were like, "why? do you feel like you did something wrong?" to which i answered, "no." so why try to fix something you aren't sorry for?

i don't know why. i didn't try to fix it, and she ended up forgiving me later without either of us breaking down and having a dramatic scene or anything.

i don't know how that story relates to what i'm trying to say about myself. all i know is that i want to fix things!

in my group of friends, i'm known as the mom. i like to plan, entertain, make sure that all the bases are covered and everyone is okay. i think i've always been that way. with kelli, i was probably trying to make sure that SHE was okay more than me.

i definitely have the spirit that i want to go out there and fix the world's problems. well, at least the problems of those around me that i care for. sometimes solving things that i also get to reap some rewards from to (for instance, i've found myself hoping to date someone in order to show him that it is possible to have a good relationship...and because i wanted to... :))

almost two years ago, mervyn came to visit florida, and while sitting around catching up, either him or jim pulled out an Oprah magazine of mine. it was a february month, therefore, the topic was on love.

it was quite fun to go through the magazine with them, but the most fascinating thing was when one of them read somewhere that women, often times date men for the men that they think they will BECOME. for me, that was an old thought. for them, that was quite the new thought! women look at a guy and see the man that he is and the man that they think he will become. men? they just see the woman for the woman that she is and...that's it.

i said, "OF COURSE THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING! if i had a nickel for everytime i heard the phrase, 'he's like this right now...but he has so much potential', i'd be so rich!!!!!"

yeah, the guys had never heard that phrase come out of a guy's mouth.

if women didn't think that, you would rarely see a woman with a man her own age...

i'm a hopeful person. i am of the mindset that if you work hard enough at it, it will happen. don't give up!

but at the same time, i'm starting to think, i can't expect the tortoise to wiggle out of his shell and dash the 100 meters in seven seconds! its just not him! its just not in his genes, his makeup!

when does one call it quits on things? when do i say, "i've had enough of this job, these people, this relationship?" i've never been the one people pointed to and accused of not giving 100% (well, except for one relationship, which i am still calling myself a jerk for), but using my theory, you would think my life would be the way i wanted it to be because i didn't like to give up and fail.

its not. i am satisfied with my life, but its far from what i thought it would look like when i thought of my life at 26 almost 27.

does anyone have any answers?

hopefully this weekend will give me peace of mind.

Happy Sabbath and Easter weekend everyone!

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Birth-control ad...

For those of you who are against birth control...maybe this will change your mind.....

http://www.mandvproductions.com/downloads/BestCommercialEver.mpg

Monday, March 21, 2005

Man over board




Tony bailing out of the boat Posted by Hello

Rowed a boat on shore...

While walking on the beach, we found this little fishing boat that was obviously left to its own devices. It was partially buried in sand, so we thought we'd have a little fun with it. Here is Annette, Kristen and I pretending to be overtaken by the sea of sand. Annette's hilarious trying to bail the sand out of the boat.


Rowed a boat on shore... Posted by Hello

Florida Camping - Beach Style

Well, we're back from camping. This time, we camped near the beach and had a party of 12. I posted a picture below. There's Annette, Kevin, Eli, KristEN, and KristIN. Tony's off to the right chowing down on french toast.

We are all bundled up because although its Florida, we were experiencing a bit of a cold in the air. Seriously, Friday night we pretty much froze. It's okay, we lived through it.


Florida Camping II Posted by Hello

Friday, March 18, 2005

a-Campin' we will go!

In the great words of Psalty the Singing Songbook.....

"We're going camping now, we're on our way....."

More on our weekend on the beach when we come back! :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, March 17, 2005

A View from My Window

I posted this picture two days ago and have not been able to access my blog ever since...until now. oooh... frustration!

I wanted to show everyone what i sit in front of day in and day out in my little cubicle, but it was quite bright outside. i need to learn some skills in photography.

anyways, that's a condo out there on the other side of a small parking lot, a grassy lot, a plant covered chain link fence, and another small parking lot. every day, my coworkers and I watch the people coming in and out. there is the smoker man that we're not expecting to live much longer since we see him quite often...outside...smoking. and babysitting! the baby is so cute (from what we could see), but even though the smoker is smoking outside, he's still holding the baby! H-E-L-L-O!!!

Then there's the guy who stays at home all day long and comes out on OUR side of the fence and walks/poops his dog. and if its a sunny day, the guy comes out all shirtless. they're remodeling the condos and they are starting to look okay!

its funny that we watch them and they don't know it. or do they? i wonder if they watch us. FREAKY! just like that alfred hitchcock movie "Rear Window," right?

okay...its funny i do most of these posts from work. its a little wake-me-up from having a 7am dentist appointment this morning. and i have a boring meeting in two hours? i'm so totally screwed......

Back to my window!


Here's what I look at every day (with more light on this side of the wall, of course...) Posted by Hello

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Thought I'd take a minute to talk about the people in my life. here's a picture of my family this last Christmas 2004. The newest addition would be that of Brad Marlow (the one on the right), my new brother-in-law. He's the coolest, and we're all glad to have him in the family.

My mom and dad left in the wee hours of the morning for Philippines. I think i'm the only one worried about them. You see, my dad has been having heart problems which landed him in the emergency room a couple weeks ago. he's been under observation, but i suppose my mom can do all of that, being a nurse and all. i'm just praying for them to have a safe trip. please keep them in your prayers. being out here in Florida has definitely made me a bit more sentimental when it comes to family. i guess you really don't know what you have until you lose it. i swear, at one point in time, my mom wondered whether her two daughters would ever be friends...now, i love my sister and love our occasional talks. hehe... by the way, if you know my sister, you're going to have to ask her about the gift i gave her for her last birthday.....hehe...i was quite proud of that one. :)

anyways, i really miss my family, but not enough to pack up and move...not yet, at least. ask me when i have a little niece or nephew Marlow :).

okay, gotta run. Happy sabbath! (i'm liking this whole blog thing! if anyone wants me to post a link to their sites, let me know!!!


Mi familia...what a cute bunch! :) Posted by Hello

Friday, March 11, 2005

Floridian Campers

Just to give you a glimpse of my life here...

A couple weeks ago, a bunch of friend invited me to go camping. It was such a great idea that we decided that we wanted to do it again! Hence, our "planned" trip camping once again next weekend.

Although we had quite a bit of fun, our camping experience was only one night, therefore, we had the pleasure of setting up most of the camp by lantern, eating big franks and chili and, of course, roasting marshmellows for smores. could you believe there were ones in the group that had never done that? hehe...they thought we were trying to mimic the smores cereal. pa-leease!

then we hung out by the fire fed by logs taken from the 'village log pile.' we had a nice roaring fire...hope that family with the six kids were warm enough...hmmm...

we then woke up to pancakes and were treated to a stream of horses and their riders. yup, the road running in front of our campsite was shared by a horse "race." (they said it wasn't a competitive thing, that it was just for fun. they were only doing it to raise money for the state park, year right...tell that to the first lady that rode by with the huge grin on her face...)

we then packed up and roamed around...looking for the bathrooms!!!!! yes...OUR CAMPSITE WAS SANS BATHROOMS!!! not even a porta-potty! i had never felt so close to those girls as I did on that fateful night when we all left in a pack (just in case one of us got carried away by a pack of wild alligators or something) and picked our favorite tree by the soft moonrays sifting through the branches of the semi-dense "forest".....and "did our thang"...in a very lady-like manner, of course...

Didn't sit well with some of the girls...you guys have to admit you're at a little bit of an advantage over us in that area.

needless to say, our camping experience was too short. bathroom-less, but fun. i'll definitely fill everyone in on this upcoming trip. there'd better be bathrooms, though...shooo......


Campers roughing it, obviously Posted by Hello

Ethics lives on...

I'm at work, practically begging for work to do. i have been promised work, but alas, it has not come a-knockin' on my cubicle wall.

i love my job. it seems like yesterday that a friend accused me of working too much. if they could only see me now! :) Every year this happens. We are worked like pack mules, offered munchies and food to work 'just a couple more hours' with the promise of the workload being just that little bit lighter on the morrow...

then...all of a sudden, we're set free from deadlines and "outstanding 'to do' lists." every year, this happens. and i'm not complaining.

in the past i've been able to use this down time to study for THE EXAM

(we'll talk about that later when i'm over it...what? i passed it a year ago and its been out of my life since then? ssshhhh, i'm still scared i've been living in this dream world without its existence...just making sure its not coming back for me, that's all.......)

and catch up on some reading, but this year, i devoted my free time to the ethics exam portion of obtaining the cpa license.

for those of you out there whose faith in business has been shaken as a result of ENRON, have no fear, business ethics are an essential part of the training of would-be CPA's. HOW, you might ask?

well, obviously through a 50-point multiple choice exam, of course!

geez...

anyways, Happy Sabbath to everyone.

i'm lovin' ma' blog (spoken in the manner of a Cali-girl resistin' the inevitable southern twang sneakin' up in her vocabulary...nooo!!!!!!).

Thursday, March 10, 2005

May it be a lesson to me

Hello all.

it was good.

it was REALLY GOOD.

i had written my first real blog on my blogsite, and lo and behold...

i somehow lost it.

it was good.

i was patting my back!

i was happy!

i was all, like, ranting...

and raving...

and all, like,

YEAH! THAT'S WHAT I THINK ABOUT THAT!

but it wasn't meant to be.

i will not be swayed...i will post again.

I WILL POST AGAIN!!!!!

I, Valerie, have a blog...

i'm so excited!!!!! hmmm... should probably not be setting this up or doing this at work, right??? until later!