Another Meme - 7 Things

I'm a horrible blogger... Oh, I don't know... a month and a half ago Britt tagged me to do this meme. And... um... I'm a slacker, so I haven't done it yet. But better late than never, right? And as we all say, "yay for blog fodder!"

The rules are as follows:
List 7 random facts about yourself
Tag 7 other bloggers

I'm not going to tag anyone... if you need blog fodder, please feel free to do the meme!

Fact 1: I weighed in at Weight Watchers last week and I've now had a loss for 3 consecutive weeks. Would have been 7, but I had one week where I gained. Anyway, my net loss is now 6.8 lbs! And I love the feeling I get when I see the numbers going lower on the scale! I usually wear a t-shirt and yoga pants to weigh-in, but I was running late last night and had to go directly from work, so I wore my work clothes, naturally. The leader told me I looked beautiful! Weight loss PLUS a compliment! Gotta love it!

Fact 2: As much as I want my CPA license and all I have left is one little ethics exam, the book has been sitting on my kitchen table for a couple months now. I wanted to take a break after having studied for 4 years to pass the 4 subject matter exams, but the little break seems to be going on and on... I need to get on it! Tomorrow is a company holiday, so I'll do my best to study and take a stab at the exam tomorrow and Saturday.

Fact 3: I am a total freak about spelling and grammar... And up until yesterday I fully thought, until JP informed me otherwise, that dammit was spelled "damnit". Oh, and he took quite a bit of pleasure in proving me wrong, which drives me crazy because I'm so anal about spelling! I can't be wrong! LOL.

Fact 4: If you haven't heard of comedian Chelsea Handler, you need to! She has a late night show on E! called Chelsea Lately, which is on every weeknight. At my location it's on at 11pm, and she makes me laugh EVERY NIGHT, so I try to stay up for it as often as possible. I also saw Chelsea live back in June. She's just hilarious! She has an assistant named Chuy who is a little person and has a very heavy accent as his first language is Spanish. He gets his jokes on a teleprompter, and then they always have to provide captions so you know what he's saying. I don't know if Chelsea knows ahead of time what Chuy is going to say, but she cracks up laughing every time he replies to her, and more often than not his replies are completely random but totally hilarious. Last night they were talking about Sharon Stone posing nude on the cover of a French magazine and Chelsea asks, "Chuy, you're friends with Sharon Stone aren't you?" and he says, "God no. She tried to feed me to a dragon." I just laugh my ass off at that show.

Fact 5: I love music. A LOT. I'm currently loving Colbie Caillat's new album "Breakthrough". I also re-discovered, on my iPod, a band called Mikeschair. They're a Christian music group and they have a new album out, but the one I have is a few years old. I wanted to recommend it to a friend, but I searched the web and found that it's no longer for sale! Oh well for them, at least I have it! I better go back it up. And my timeless favorite will always be John Mayer. His music is simply AMAZING. His new album "Battle Studies" is coming out November 17. I cannot wait.

*****I'm having a little bit of trouble coming up with 7 things because I'm pretty sure I already did a "weird things about me" post...*****

Fact 6: My hair is naturally curly, but I didn't know until I was a freshman in college. Kids in middle school would call me cocker spaniel because my hair was so poofy. Little did I know it was because my hair was curly and all I was doing was blow drying it. I blame my mom for not helping be slightly more stylish. I was pretty unattractive in those tween years. I only found out because my curly-haired friend said, "Girl, your hair is frizzy. Put some mousse in it and wear it curly." and I was like, what? my hair is curly?

Fact 7: This one is kind of lame, but I can't think of anything else and I want to finish this post today... I cry really easily. I don't consider myself to be sappy or uber sensitive because I'm pretty raw and can be crass at times, but some things just make me cry a river. Like just now my favorite former boss from the accounting firm (in the So Cal office) I worked at called me because I had emailed him asking a question earlier. His name is Peter and he is also my #1 reference for when potential employers need to verify my awesomeness. I've been keeping him updated on my struggles to obtain employment, so he said, "I'm really, truly sorry about your situation. I know it's tough. I think about you a lot and I have my fingers crossed for you." and he added that while he understands and completely respects my reasons for moving up to Northern California (family), but he would have been able to protect me from layoff and/or helped me more had I stayed in LA. I'm certain that had I stayed in LA, I would not have even been at risk of being laid off. And he's said before that if I move back down, he'd hire me in a heartbeat. And that... that made me cry a little bit. I am truly blessed to have a friend and colleague like Peter.

Peace and love.
J

Tuesday Fragments

So I've been absent for a long while because I've been SUPER busy. Work has been keeping me busy, so I don't have time to blog during the day. Then I've had stuff going in the evenings - physical therapy, weight watchers meetings, visiting my nephew, dinner with friends and family, being lazy, and last night I actually went to the gym!

Since I haven't been around and there's nothing majorly important for me to report, I'll just do a little "fragment" post.

I was also sick for a while. it's weird cause I didn't really have any symptoms... I found two large, painful bumps on my head right behind my right ear. I found them only because I felt pain when I was washing my hair in the shower. Over a few days they seemed to be getting larger, so I went to the doctor. Now other than a little bit of pain due to touching it, I had no other symptoms. The doctor said it was likely due to an infection, so he prescribed an anti-biotic. First the medication reeked havoc on my digestive system, if you know what I mean - without getting too graphic. It was so unpleasant I stayed home from work one day. The doctor said I could take acidophilous supplements and eat yogurt. I knew that antibiotics killed that stuff, but I had no idea that that's what cause the, uh, digestive issues. And it turns out that I'm allergic to that particular anti-biotic. Yeah, that weekend I broke out in a horrible, itchy rash over my whole body except my neck, face, and lower legs. It was so horrible that I attempted to sleep for the 3 days that I had it because I didn't want to feel my skin. I ended up taking another day off work because of that. I called the doctor and he prescribed a quick, 5-day antibiotic to take since I'd discontinued the first one. He said, "You'll need to remember that you're allergic to Keflex." Ummm... no shit! Thanks for the advice!

My nephew gets more adorable each day. He was 6 months old on August 9. He had his 6 month check-up a few days later, and.... he is the size of an average 14 month old!! He's 22 lbs and 29 inches long!! That is a BIG baby! Here he is with his uncle Brandon, my step-brother.

In other news, facebook is getting a little crazy... my best friend's grandma, a few old folks from church, and the pastor of the church I grew up in have added me on facebook! Guess I won't be swearing on my facebook page! I would feel bad deleting them, so I won't. I'll just live my life like a lady, as I should anyway... :-P

Oh! I did do something crazy, ridiculous, out-of-character! I got a tattoo! It's on my wrist. It's an ichthus, Greek for fish. The Greek spelling is IXOYE (Iota Chi Omega Upsilon Sigma)... the five Greek letters stand for the words meaning: Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. This symbol was first used by early Christians in the 1st and 2nd centuries. For more info see this page.

I went to San Diego with 3 of my girlfriends to attend a wedding of a girl we grew up going to church with. It was the most gorgeous, and likely most expensive wedding I'm sure I will ever attend. The bride's dad is a big dog at a software company here in Silicon Valley. It was a nice weekend away! I don't really like this picture of me, but whatever. I'm a giant compared to all the other girls! Yes, I'm 5'11".

I haven't been doing so well with Weight Watchers, but I've finally decided to get my butt in gear, hence the trip to the gym last night. I'm tired of HATING photos of myself. I'm disgusted... and that, that is really sad. My friend and I went to the Palo Alto Festival of Arts this weekend and this guy who worked at Comcast tried to pick up on us. He was 100% the stereotypical salesman. He gave us his business card and I looked him up on facebook. He had some photos from the past, and he looked super hot, and super fit in those pictures. Now he's got the beer gut and the chubby face. I hate to be superficial, but it's amazing how much a little fat can take a gorgeous person and make him less than attractive. So that was the motivation I needed. Thank you chubby Comcast salesman for making me want to see the hot chick who's hiding under the fat!

Peace and love.

J

Where has the time gone?

Wow! I haven't posted in 20 days! I didn't realize it had been that long! Sorry folks. I am alive, but things are crazy. We had month-end and quarter-end stuff at work that kept me busy so I couldn't be web surfing or blogging. And because we implemented a new accounting system at work on July 1, I have continued to be extremely busy. I have people stopping by my desk ALL day long, so I try to keep work-related stuff up on my monitor. ;-)

I also went to Las Vegas over the 4th of July weekend. I did a LOT of partying and was intoxicated three nights in a row, so I was exhausted all of last week. (And with all the calories I consumed in Vegas between the buffet, the numerous drinks, and the late night/early morning pizza binges, I only gained a half a pound as of last week's Wednesday weigh-in!!! I was pretty damn proud of myself! But the weigh-in wench made her comment AGAIN. I finally gave her a piece of my mind - told her I didn't appreciate it and it was only a half a pound. She better not say anything to me tomorrow or she'll get another piece of my mind, although hopefully tomorrow the scales will tell me I'm a loser!) I fell asleep (way earlier than usual) on the couch every night last week. Now I'm caught up on sleep, but thanks to physical therapy on my shoulder, I've been in quite a bit of pain. The pain is so bad that I took 800mg of ibuprofen and a muscle relaxant, and I STILL felt it. And pain makes me very cranky. And when I'm cranky I don't want to do anything, including blog. So there's that.

Hopefully I'll be back to my usual self soon. I know you're all riveted to your feed readers waiting for me to post something witty. hahaha.

Peace and love.
J

Friday Fragments

Friday Fragments is brought to you by Mrs. 4444. Go check her out and join the fun!

**I usually don't like making my own salads. I just can't make 'em taste as yummy as restaurants can. All of that changed a few months ago when I was working in Sausalito and had to eat out for lunch every day. I would go to a regional grocery store chain called Mollie Stone's and visit the salad bar. I found a delicious salad dressing that was labeled "Roasted Garlic". I asked if it was bottled for sale, but they said no and I could pour a bunch into a soup bowl and be charged the same price as a bowl of soup. Being out of town, I opted not to do so. Since then I have searched high and low at every grocery store I go to for roasted garlic salad dressing. I found ONE salad dressing, but it just wasn't the same. I just discovered this week that there is a Mollie Stone's near where I work. I was disappointed to find that they didn't have the roasted garlic dressing, but noticed a balsamic vinaigrette of the same appearance. I tried it, and sure enough it's the same. All this searching and it's actually balsamic vinaigrette! So I poured a bunch into a soup cup and brought it home. I ate salad for lunch and dinner on Monday. This dressing has revolutionized salad for me.

**On Wednesday at Weight Watchers I hopped on the scale and then the weigh-in wench made a "oh dear" scrunchy face and said in a patronizing tone, "Oooh, did you expect to gain this week?" I was like, WTF?! I gained ONE freaking pound. and YES, I did expect that I would not have been as successful with my efforts because for Father's Day I went out to breakfast and then went to a friend's house for hot dogs and chips and dip. Sometimes a girl gets fed up with being deprived of things. Seriously though, aren't the WW people supposed to be encouraging?!

**Sunday is the one year anniversary being adorable Miss Charlotte's kitty mama. Over this past year I have really come to love my little fuzzy wuzzy fur-baby.

She does this adorable little thing where she lays down and puts her paws up like an otter. Then she rolls around and meows at me to pet her belly.
Charlotte is the sweetest cat I have ever encountered. She's only hissed probably three times since I've had her, and she NEVER scratches; not even when I subject her to a bath. She would be happy being petted 24/7 for the rest of her life.

**For some reason I thing blog posts are better when pictures are included.

**I'm going to see comedian Chelsea Handler this weekend! I'm going with my friend and her cousin who I've known since Daisy Girl Scouts! I'm excited to be reconnected with these girls and to spend time with different people. Bring on the fun!

Peace and love.
J

Rant & Rave Wednesday

I found this post idea over at A Little Blog About Nothing.

Rant: Last night in the parking lot of the grocery store, I experienced a little fender bender. I looked behind me, but the guy was in my blind spot - right behind my head/headrest. Neither of us were at fault. The witnesses said that we backed up in unison. My poor little Civic has a plastic bumper, so that needs to be replaced. The other guy drove a 1989 Ford pickup, so he had no damage, and could have cared less. He said, "I'm cool if you're cool." I said, "HAHA! NO! Do you have insurance?" (as I thought perhaps he'd said it because he was uninsured.) He did indeed have insurance, so we swapped info. After re-assessing the situation, I've decided to bypass reporting it to my insurance (because it's ridiculously effing expensive as it is, which is a long sob story that I'll save for another post if I can detail it all without breaking into a fit of rage or depression). A friend of a friend manages a body shop and is totally going to hook a sister up with a great "green" deal. I'll actually save money because I'm paying less than my insurance deductible. woo! But of course, I wish it had never happened!! Damn Honda for plastic bumpers and blind spots that you apparently can fit a truck in!

Rave: I started back Weight Watchers a few weeks ago, and after 2 weeks I'd lost 4.8 pounds! I weigh in again tonight. You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but according to the ridiculous Body Mass Index, I need to lose at least 70 pounds to be just below the maximum healthy weight for my height. A friend so eloquently stated that if I lose 70 pounds, I'll look like a Brazilian super model.

Rant: I found these super cute trouser jeans at Lane Bryant, and when I went to purchase them, the cashier said that they're being discontinued. She also said that they are the best jeans the store carries, and she, along with other customers, are upset about their decision to discontinue them. I sent an email to Lane Bryant via their website expressing my disappointment, but of course I haven't heard a response from them. How in the world am I supposed to take Stacy & Clinton's advice if I can't find trouser jeans that fit me?! But Julie, you say, I thought you were losing weight? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Since I wear the smallest size at Lane Bryant as it is, as soon as I lose my 70 pounds, I won't be able to shop there anymore anyway. But I got a big ol' booty, so I anticipate I'll still need to search high and low for pants that fit me properly. Damn society and their low rise trend.

Rave: This weekend while blog surfing, I found a little gem called 20 Something Bloggers. I joined the network, and have found a ton of new, totally awesome, hilarious, thought-provoking, creative blogs to read. I have also gained a bunch of new followers! (Hi new friends! and thanks for reading. I hope I don't bore you!) I'm excited about all the new blogs I've found, but at the same time overwhelmed with the volume of reading I'll have if I choose to keep up with everyone!

Peace and love.
J