Step 75: Soup's On

Today, I am making Spicy Black Bean Soup. It's good, except that you have to cook it allll day, so I had to get up at 8 am to get it started. Hopefully by the time midnight strikes, all the veggies will be deliciously soft and the spice will have mellowed to a nice touch of heat in the after taste. YUM.

I've also got the bread machine going (I am so NOT amibitious enough to make it by hand today).

I think the plumber that came by our house this morning thinks I'm crazy for making sauteed vegetables at breakfast, but he didn't ask questions, so who knows?

Speaking of the plumber. He came over to fix the soft water faucet that just BROKE OFF one day, to determine why Draino...Drano...drain cleaner wasn't working on my mom's shower, to also determine why there was a bucket full of water next to our hot water heater and to glue on the side piece of the new counter in the upstairs bathroom. All of this is free to us, as our landlords are paying for it. Sweet!

It's also been a day of endless phone calls. They started about 4 minutes after my alarm went off, and the last one was to my cell phone. That one was a wrong number from Georgia though. Heh.

I suppose I could mention it Tuesday, since that's when it's happening, but I'll mention it now: My car is ill. There are three different things she's doing that she should NOT be doing, so I set up an appointment for her on Tuesday where HOPEFULLY she won't cost me an arm, a leg and my firstborn child to fix.

Anyway, I think I'm going to go take a nap now that the soup's set up to simmer all day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Current Status: Tensandaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes (last night, but whatever)
Money Spent Today: $0

Step 74: Don't Sleep

So, it is now 5:24 am, and I just gave up trying to sleep after a two and a half hour battle. I don't know what the deal is, it's not like I'm worrying about anything and that's keeping me awake.

I suppose falling asleep on the couch earlier didn't help though.

Mostly, I've been lying awake and thinking about all sort of random things. This blog, my legacy sims, the new healthcare bill, going to the doctor myself, finding a new house, whether or not I'll stick to my resolutions this year.

Pretty much in that order, too.

Anyway, I was about to beat the awakeness into submission, but then I got hot and stuck my leg out from the blankets to cool down.

Then I let it hang over the side of the bed.

BAD idea. Because there is some part of me that's still 4 and thinks that there just MIGHT be a monster waiting to grab me by that leg and...who knows what.

Then, as I'm telling myself that that's ridculous (after pulling my leg safely back under the blankets) I remembered the part in Paranormal Activity where the unseen demon comes in and picks up the girl's exposed ankle as though he's testing whether he can drag her by it or not. (He later DOES drag her by it.) And then, as I'm trying to calm myself down from that, repeating that it was only a movie and special effects, and stuff like that CAN'T happen to me, because I'm just too strong-spirited and yadda yadda, the cat reacts to something I can't see.

First, he spots whatever it is. Then, he follows it with his eyes, then he gets up and watches it with interest, then he takes off out of the room, sitting down calmly outside the door and gazing back in toward me.

NOT COOL, CAT.

So of course the light goes on, my glasses go on, and here I sit, at 5:33 am, both awake and now too worked up to even think about trying again.

Also, pizza topped with only pepperoni and bacon? Bad choice. Make sure you add some beef or sausage to mellow out the bacon. I'm still tasting it 12 hours later. Bleh.

Current Status: Tensandaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $0

Step 73: Get Back Into It

Okay, so Christmas is officially over, and it's time to settle back in to the blog here.

*cricketchirp*

I suppose I could start off by saying that my Christmas was quite nice, despite being very white indeed. In addition to my camera I got Super Mario Bros. Wii (which is entirely too much fun, only my controller thumb has long since been healed, so now my thumb gets sore after a short time. I'm working on toughening up, though, because MARIO!) and a lamp that both plays and charges my iPod (which is nice, because mow I can listen to music while using my computer without hearing anymore talking ads, or constant door slams and creaks as people sign on and off of AIM, or frequently obnoxious but sometimes necessary sound effects from my Sims 2 game. (Yeah, I could turn that stuff off, but sometimes it's useful!))

I was also glad that my mom liked all the things I got for her, as she's exceedingly difficult to shop for. I got things for my friends, too, but as they all live far away, I have failboated on getting them mailed in a timely manner. Oopsies. :\

I'm really really excited about going to look at houses this weekend. I hope we find one that just looks and feels like home. I also hope we can find one that only needs paint, as remodels are both spendy and inconvenient. BUT! We'll find something perfect, I'm certain.

I told my boss today that I'm leaving. Everyone is sad to see me go (or so they say >_>), but I assured them I'd be back to visit. And I will, I'm good at visiting.

Anyway, that's about all the babble I can come up with today, so...bye!

Current Status: Tensandaire
Money Earned This Week: $120
Money Spent This Week: $0

Step 72: Movies Come to Life

In the beginning of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, there are headlines on the screen talking about the storm of the century and how Christmas might have to be cancelled and yadda yadda yadda, and then the movie goes on to explain how Rudolph saves Christmas by having a neon red nose.

Well, our Christmas is all set, so whether Rudolph's nose can handle it or not isn't an issue, but we are certainly having a very big storm. It just started today and already we've got over a foot of snowfall (in addition to the 6 inches that were already on the ground). The forecast is predicting that it's going to last on through Christmas Day, so we're basically snowed in.

Except not. Something's wonky with my mom's car in that the battery isn't holding any kind of charge. The last time it did that it was because the alternator had gone out on it, so we're thinking that's the problem this time too (though the car is a 2001 model, and why you'd have to replace the alternator twice in 8 years is beyond my comprehension). The mechanic we go to has said that if we can get the car in by 8 am tomorrow, they'll work on it for us. Which is excellent news when you consider that the car needs to be in brilliant working order by NEXT weekend when we skip down to go look at houses. But taking the car in means venturing out into the blizzard. Oh boy!

Also, I have to work tomorrow from 4 until 6. It's only two hours, but it's the driving in crap weather that's a bummer. Ah well. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Current Status: Tensandaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $0

Step 71: Trim Things Back

I just finished going through all my different internet existences and deleting various accounts. So far gone are my MySpace, and Facebook accounts. An account on a Sims 2 forum is gone, as are a couple ancient blogs I haven't been using.

What's left are this blog, a sims blog (and the photobucket account I need to post the pictures for it), and YouTube. I'll also be keeping one email account and my AIM screen name.

No more lolcats, loldogs, failblog or funnyengrish. No more emailsfromcrazypeople or notalwaysright. I waste way too much of my life watching other people's lives rather than going out and getting one of my own, so I decided that I'd trim back everything where I don't actually interact with anyone.

Honestly I already feel better having cut all that stuff out. It already feels like I have more freetime, which is silly because it was freetime before, I was just using it in a way that wasn't very satisfying so much as it was mind-numbing.

In other, WAY bigger news: We're moving! To another state. In Mid-January. As it turns out, my mom got a very lovely job offer from a very stable company, and she took it. I suppose I could stay if I wanted, but either way I'll have to find a new job, as the one I've got won't sustain my own apartment, and I've kind of always had the mentality that home is where my family is. So we're moving. And I'm pretty excited about it.

Moving is nothing new or different for me, and the only time we ever moved and I WASN'T thrilled to me moving was during a time when I was angsty and prone to not liking anything my mom thought was a good idea. Anyway, the biggest problem now is telling my boss that my last day is also my one year anniversary at this job. Heh.

Current Status: Tensandaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent This Weekend: You Don't Even Want to Know. ($300...eep!)

Step 70: Slack Off a Little

So, I really didn't blog properly this week, and I'm just now noticing. Oopsies!

See, I was under the impression that while everyone else got super busy around the holidays, I was excepted from it, being that my family is only two people. I was wrong.

Yes, on Christmas Day it will be just my mom and I, but before that day, there are other people to do things for. Today we made a whole bunch of Things We Only Make This Time of Year, and tomorrow I have to make a couple more things. Then there's assembling the things into different trays and delivering them to the people they were assembled for.

Plus I have shopping left to do. I don't mind shopping though. Some people get violent about it, I've heard, and I really don't understand that mentality. I mean, first of all, if you're shopping for a person for whom Christmas will be RUINED if you don't get them the exact pair of lined leather gloves they mentioned two months ago, then you're shopping for someone who needs to re-evaluate what the whole spirit of giving is about.

Also, if I found out that I got a gift because the person who got it for me throat-punched a guy and then knocked down his pregnant wife, I'd be decidedly less happy to have it. Just sayin'.

All that being said, I'll venture out into the madness that is the last weekend before Christmas to finish up my own shopping. And I'll do it non-violently, and so long as I don't get lost in my own thoughts, I'll try to smile at people who look like they might throw a punch if I don't stop casting sidelong glances at the scarf they know their sister-in-law's best friend's fiance will love.

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes (okay, yesterday)
Money Spent Today: $20 (okay, over the past week, I forgot to record it)

Step 69: Work With Your Boss

Once every quater, my boss has to work a week of night shifts. I don't know why, but I heard a rumor that his annual raise is at stake is he doesn't. Anyway, this week is that week. The way we're staffed, every time he works a week of nights, one person works with him twice. This time I'm up.

Working with G is not, as everyone likes to pretend, difficult. He's friendly and chatty and just as much a gossiper as any of us. The only difference is that he's very busy. At night, the main job is to be a warm body present in case something happens. During the day, there is always something happening to keep you on your toes. For G, this switch is nearly impossible to handle.

Last night, he managed to buff the floors twice, stock the cooler every 10 minutes, help me clean one of the ovens, swept and mopped MY floors, took out all the garbages, brought in the washer fluid buckets, flushed the cappucino maker, break down the soda fountain...all while I'm looking at hime like, "DUDE. YOU ARE MAKING ME DIZZY." Anyway, he claims that tonight will be a much slower night and we'll "take it easy."

I am skeptical.

And also a little bummed that I haven't been able to participate much in this year's Project For Awesome. I've rated and favorited a couple videos, and commented a handful of times, but in past years I was able to rate and comment and favorite for almost the entire event. Ah well. Next year for certain!

Current Status: Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $4

Step 68: Christmas Comes Early

Wow. Just...wow.

I don't like to be one of those annoying people who feels compelled to brag and boast about every little thing they get that's cool. But today I am that guy.

Yesterday a box arrived that my mom told me I was to open under absolutely no circumstances. So, I carried it quickly to her room and promptly forgot about it (I am not a present-peeker, never have been). She got home later that night, and decided whatever was in the box was just too good, and could she please give it to me already? I debated it for a moment, but decided that yes, if she thought it was that awesome, I wanted to know what it was. She brought out the box, and before presenting it, she warned me that I'd better cry.

I was skeptical. I mean, I've loved gifts in the past, but my Yay!moments don't generally involve extremes like crying or shouting or jumping for joy. Until last night anyway.

I grabbed the box and pulled it toward me, and when I peeked down into it, I had no words. Tears I hadn't thought myself capable of producing welled up and I just sat, stunned to silence.

She got me THIS!

I have been drooling over that camera since I first laid eyes on it, and I promised myself that I'd save up and get it possibly the summer after next. It is exactly perfect for my skill level, with just enough room for me to learn more without being overwhelmed. It's already got a name. Nicky. My mom named it. Here are a couple of my favorite shots so far (all taken in my own home, as I was not inclined to go outside in sub-zero temperatures today).









I had NO idea she even knew which camera I liked, let alone that she would actually GET IT for me! It is difficult to put into words how awed I am about this. I mean, yes, it's a camera...a thing, but it kind of says more than that, you know? It says, "I know how much you love to shoot pictures, and I want you to follow that heartstring, if it makes you happy."

And it does. It really, really does.

Current Status: Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $40

Step 67: Party Like Your Parents Aren't Home

So, my mom had to go out of town on business yesterday, and like any teen worth their reputation as a rebel, I partied like rock star. I invited over my friends and told them to bring their friends. I had tons of booze everywhere. Before they got there I went through all the hiding places looking for Christmas presents and money. I ate more sugar than my Daily Allowance recommended.

OR.

I slept until 3 pm, went to work, then came home and watched the two episodes of Glee I missed.

One of those scenarios is entirely true. The other is entirely false. Guess which is which!

ALso, I would like to know why it is that even when C and I don't get caught up chatting and fall behind on our chores, fate STILL manages to make us late to leave by having people order pizzas when we're less than an hour from closing the kitchen. Technically we serve until 10, but it's rare to get any orders after 8, and unheard of to get more than one at that. Last night, I got an order at 8:30, one at 9:00 and one at 9:10. THREE late orders on the ONE night I work with C that I Was actually ON TIME with my clean-up chores. As a result, I got way behind again and we were 15 minutes late leaving. :\

Also, I am aware that I would be terrible in a job as a customer service representative. This is why I aim to have a career where I get the job done first, then just watch people enjoy my work. They won't be interrupting me, because I'm already done! 8D /good plan

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $0

Step 66: Break Into a Car

Tonight, I got caught trying to break into a Ford Focus. I am apparently a rather inept thief.

See, what had happened was, and you know, it's not liek it seems, because of the circumstances that you don't even know, but what I'm trying to say, and again I need you to listen... /stalling

We went to pick up the rental car my mom needs tomorrow. The rental place we use happens to be located inside a Ford dealership. So, as we were waiting for the rental guys to finish cleaning the car and whatnot, we decided to browse around the show room a bit. When we walked in, a very nice-looking Focus caught my eye, so I went to have a closer look.

The driver's side window was down, and all the other cars in the showroom were unlocked, so when I went to open the Focus, and discovered it was locked, I thought nothing of reaching through the open window to unlock it.

Did you know that the anti-theft system on a Focus is set up so that if you unlock it from the INside, it gives you 15 seconds to start the car with they key before it freaks right the heck out and starts honking it's horn inside a brightly-lit, densely-populated, acoustically-stellar showroom? Trufax.

ANYWAY, as I'm standing there with this hollering car, I look to see a Hero Among Men coming over to fix the issue. I asked if I wasn't supposed to unlock it, and he assured me that the issue was that it shouldn't have been locked to begin with, but because people lean on the lock, the alarm goes off at least twice a day. Mostly, I'm just glad that my response was the "Oopsies! Hee hee!" face and not the "OMG I need to crawl into a hole and die now" crimson blush of doom. Blushing is more embarrassing for me than setting off a car alarm in front of 50 people. Also trufax.

So, after I inspect the Focus properly (I like it, but I want different rims and also leather interior, and for car companies in general to stop making head rests that hit you right at the back of your head where it's either instant neck crick or headache), they tell us the rental is ready.

It's a PT Cruiser. My mom HATES PT Cruisers. Like, seriously. I don't even know why, she just hates them. She refers to them as "Old Guy Cars." Anyway, she jokingly expresses her displeasure about the car, but takes it anyway, because it's not like they knew she didn't want a PT Cruiser. So, I take her car and drive it home, she follows me, all is well.

Cut to a little later, I decide I want to try my hand at Wii Golf (it's the EA Sports one, I feel I should clarify). Mom, who was Mafia Warsing at the time, says she'd like to play, too. Cool. We get started. Mind you, I've never played this game before in my life.

We go through the first couple holes, both making at least Par, if not Birdies, and my mom made one Eagle. Then, it's Hole 5. It's a Par 3. It's my turn to tee off. I draw back, take my swing, and as the ball flies through the air, I feel the controller start to vibrate in a heartbeat rhythm. That always means something good. Sure enough, it soars through the air, bounces on the green, then rolls gracefully into a HOLE IN ONE! 8D 8D 8D I do the dance of WOOT, then turn around...

The game has glitched. It says "OUT OF BOUNDS" and records my score on the hole as a 2. D8 No, you did not just rob me of my hole in one, Game! Jerk! Anyway, mom declares that it counted because she witnessed it, so we'd just mentally knock a stroke off my score. Okay, fine.

Cut to hole 7. Another Par 3. Another swing, another heartbeat and another perfect hole in one! Wait for it...is it gonna be out of bounds... "HOLE IN ONE" OMG YAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!! TWO HOLES IN ONE ON MY FIRST TIME PLAYING I WIN AT LIFE FOREVER!

Or at the game. For tonight. But it was still exhilarating. Pixel golf or not, TWO holes in one in the same game is pretty good. /things I decided

This blog is relevant because 1.) I'm shopping for new cars (Sandy, my Mazda, just hit 170,000 miles, and I told her if she'd hang on for 30,000 more, I'd let her retire, but if finances work out sooner, she might get early retirement). And 2.) If the author thing doesn't work out, I'm pretty sure I've got a stellar career in the LPGA waiting for me. -_-

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $0

Step 65: It Puts the Lotion on Its Skin...

...or else it gets the winter itch again. I've never actually seen that movie. It came out when I was little, and my mom would NOT let me watch it. She's a good mom like that. ANYWAY.

Yes, despite it's only being December...well, 10th, but I'm writing about the 9th, so December 9th, it seems Winter has decided to jump the gun and show up early, unannounced and definitely uninvited.

Here's the thing with me and Winter. We don't get along. I've tried being civil to it, you know, just bundling up and waiting for it to pass, but it wasn't happy with letting me do that. No. Instead, it decides that I can't just be cold, I also need to be itchy, unless I triple my normal lotion consumption. TRIPLE! It's one thing to apply a little after a shower and after washing my hands, but it's entirely another to have to lotion up after showers, hand washings, going outside, coming back inside, and randomly through out the day when my arm or my leg or my back starts itching. Why does Winter do that to people?! It's not just me, right? I hope not. /weirdsmobile

Oh! The one thing, though, that makes winter bearable (and keeps me from just moving to Miami during it) is the traditionalist in me that adores a snowy holiday season. Snow on the roads and sidewalks is gross, but sparkling undisturbed on lawns and gardens it's lovely. Note I said undisturbed. Playing in it is for crazy people and children. And crazy children.

Random Housekeeping: Initially when I started this blog, I was gonna make each "step" a command. Like "Step 3583: Do This." BUT! I've thought of several good blog titles that I couldn't use because they broke the format, but today, I decided that it's my blog, and I don't have to follow my own rules. Neener, neener. Boo, boo.

So yeah: Winter Makes Me Itch, Which Means I Have To Buy More Lotion. That's relevant to this blog, right? Oh wait, I JUST SAID I don't have to follow any rules anymore. So heck yeah it's relevant! Because I /said/ it is.

I should go now.

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $0

Step 64: Get Back to Work

I went to work last night about an hour after my shift would normally start, but I wasn't late. I wasn't scheduled to work last night, but I got a call at about 4:45, asking me if I'd come work for R, who was there, but very shaky and crying and not talking about what was up. I figured I could use the money, and since I'd be working with C, it'd mostly be fun anyway, so why not?

I get there, and R is chopping onions, but she looks...like a mixture of worried and stressed. Her hands were shaking, and she couldn't really focus on what she was doing. I asked C if she'd said anything, and C told me that apparently R didn't even know what was wrong. Then it hit me: anxiety attack.

I'm obviously not a doctor of any sort, but some things are just common knowledge. Being that she was so shaky and unfocused and unable to stop crying without really knowing why, and added to it that she's been under extra stress lately (mostly financial, but also her sons are causing trouble) ADDED TO the most stressful time of year for any parent-on-a-budget, it makes perfect sense that she was experiencing an anxiety attack.

I had one once almost a year ago. It was right after I started my job. I don't really remember the circumstances that would have caused it (the only thing that comes to mind is that I'd just started my job after not working for a year), but it was a like a low-burn anxiety attack. I just felt uneasy and ready to cry at any moment for about four days. When I woke up on the 5th day, everything was perfectly fine. It's stayed that way ever since.

ANYWAY, it ended up being a fun night as I thought it would, working with C. We're terrible about chatting too long and having to rush through two and a half hours of chores in (usually) less than an hour.

Also, we had the first mini-blizzard of the season last night. That was...not fun. We kept having to shovel the drifts away from the doors so people could come in the store. I know I shoveled twice and C shoveled three or four times, in less than 6 hours! The drifts by our cars were easily two feet deep, possibly two and a half. Fortunately I took my mom's Escape to work, so I had no trouble navigating the drifts on my way home. I don't think my little Mazda would have faired as well, though.

BREAKING NEWS!

I think my cell phone is now the haunted one in the house. It set itself for a daily alarm at noon. This is not a butt/purse-dialing possibility, as here are the steps required to do it:

1. Slide the phone open
2. Press the OK button to bring up the options chart
3. Down key twice to get to tools
4. Press OK
5. Press OK again for the alarm tool
6. OK again for Alarm 1
7. Right key once for On
8. Press 1, 2, 0, 0, 7 for 12:00 pm
9. Down twice to get to repeat options
10. Left key once for Daily
11. Save key for Done

So 11 steps (13 if you go by individual button presses) that just coincedentally occur, in the correct order, more than just this once? I don't think so. This is the fourth time the phone has set it's own alarm, but only the first time it's set it to be daily, rather than just once. And it's always different times. Once it was for 8 am, once it was for 10:45pm, once for 3:00am, and now for 12:00pm. I don't get it.

Anyway, I think I've babbled sufficiently for today.

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $45.00 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $0

Step 63: Be Glad It Happened, But Also Glad It's Over

So my mom's siblings all descended upon our house Thursday, and the last of them left this morning. Our two person household grew to a 7 person household by the time my mom's four siblings and my cousin got here.

I hadn't seen my uncle in at least a decade, if not longer, and I hadn't seen one of my aunts since I was in elementary school. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and listen to them reminisce about their childhoods. My uncle was quite the prankster. Apparently there was one time when he put one of his sisters in a box, and told her to walk back and forth so he could "duck hunt" her, like in a shooting gallery. Another time he put another sister in a box on one end of a seesaw. He jumped on the other end, and she flew up a few feet, then landed on her arm, which broke. His response? "Well, you were supposed to do a flip!"

XD!

Anyway, as in any family there is always ONE wet blanket, and that was my aunt M. The first thing she did when she got to the house was complain that our of no fewer than 8 drink options, we didn't happen to have any Dr. Pepper. Dinner was ready, and we were all hungry, but did I getto sit and eat with my family? NO. I got sent out to *get* her her Dr. Pepper, and by the time I got home, everyone was finished and the food was room temperature at best. She basically treated me like a servant all weekend, and I am NOT in any hurry to invite her back.

Everyone else, however, is perfectly welcome anytime! They're all hilarious, and watching a family Wii Golf tournament is a riot. The smack talk was priceless, especially when it came from the game itself!

The best one was, "If you're grilling in your condo right now...look out, this one's comin' your way!"

Anyway, overall good times were had, and aunt M, despite her best efforts, could not ruin anyone else's fun.

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned This Weekend: $14.50 - taxes
Money Spent This Weekend: $50 (A overestimated guess, as I really don't remember...)

Step 62: Blog While Your Bed Warms

So right now it's 3:24 am, and I have already managed to stay up WAY past the time I'd planned on staying up. I was going to skip the blog today, but at the last minute decided that instead of reading while I waited for my electric blanket to warm the bed up a bit (it's very cold when you sleep in a South Dakota Basement in Almost Winter), I could blog...something.

I'd intended on going to bed immediately after work, except that a new episode of Ghost Hunters was on tonight, and you can't go to bed when there'e a new episode of Ghost Hunters waiting in your DVR. So I watched that. Then I was going to go to bed, except that you can't go to bed RIGHT AFTER you watch a show about ghosts, because that's spooky. So I shuffled about the Internet. I was going to go to bed after I checked my usual sites, but THEN I watched today's SHAYTARDS video and remembered that I still need to watch everything from June until Halloween, so I started watching. And now it's 3:29 am, and I've forced myself to pause "DODGER STADUIM ON FIRE! (6/30/09-118)" and go to bed. BECAUSE!

Tomorrow (er...today) is the last day I have to get the last few things done before the Big Family Reunion begins on Friday. There are desserts to make, guest bed beddings to be washed, bathrooms to be stocked and scoured...PLUS I have to work from 4 to 11. It's gonna be a long day. I might have to try one of those energy shot things...no, I won't. Those are scary, and I'm fairly certain that six months or a year from now they'll be in the news about causing cancer and heart failure and tooth decay and seizures and psoriasis...no thank you.

Right, so the bed's warm now. Good night!

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $0

Step 61: Cry to Your Mama

Okay, not really cry so much as whine for drugs.

I don't know if Internet addiction carries with it symptoms of withdrawal, but if it does, I had them today. Which of course points to the sad fact that I feel like an Internet addict, whether or not I actually am. (If you think you are, you are, right? I dunno. /philosphy)

So, the story (it's not very interesting, but I'm gonna tell it anyway). Last night, around 11:30 pm, the Internet broke at my house. Now, for someone who spends most of their waking hours on the Internet, this was Decidedly Not Cool, and then for that same someone's waking hours to fall (generally speaking) between 2pm and 6am, that goes from Decidedly Not Cool to Really Very Not Okay. So, I did the only thing I knew how: I did the Unplug Things, Wait a Minute, Plug Them Back In and Hope Dance.

No dice. *eyetwitch*

At this point, I'd been without interwebs for about an hour. And my mind was a jumble of this: "BUT! MY BLOG! WHO WILL WRITE IT? LOLCATS DON'T CHUCKLE AT THEMSELVES! YOUTUBERS /NEED/ ME TO RATE FIVE STARS! AND WHAT ABOUT ALL THE /OTHER BLOGS/ I NEED TO READ?" I came back down to my basement cave feeling dejected. I tried reloading one more time just in case, and when still nothing happened, I went to bed. Sort of. I went and sat in bed and read until Toes decided it was snuggly time.

Cut to this morning. First thing I noticed was that I woke up at 9:45, and despite my best efforts to go back to sleep until a more reasonable hour, I could not. So I got up. Naturally, I stopped at Damien (my computer, yes, I named him, I'm not sorry) to see if he had reunited me with The World At Large.

He had not. So now, it's time to pull out the big guns. That's right, I didn't want to, but I'm gonna have to Make a Call. So, I call my provider. Their system is automated. It tells me that they are aware of the problem. Okay, Computer Lady, as long as you know about this, I am satisfied. For now.

As an aside: Do you know how much STUFF you can get done if you happen to be awake before 2 pm? A lot.

So, I bum around doing chore-like things until about 10:30, then I check my mom's computer. Nothing. That's it! I am Making Another Call, only THIS TIME, I'm pressing more buttons! This time, I choose the option to have them call me when the issue is resolved. Half an hour later, I realize that as patient as I /want/ to be, I need details. This time, I am Making a Call and Speaking to a Representative.

So I do. She was a very nice person, and when I asked for some kind of information on what the deal was, she told me that as far as she knew, the issue was resolved, and had I tried resetting my router again?

...No...

So I do the Unplug Dance again, and this time...HELLO INTERNET I MISSED YOU SO MUCH. Except now I don't have time to use you, because I have other Things to Do (namely decorating the basement for Christmas, as our family will be here Friday, and most of them will be sleeping down here).

So around 6pm, I start to feel really drowsy, then, out of nowhere BAM! migraine. That's when I commenced the whining. Something like, "Moooom? Would you get me some Excedrin, pleeease?" She did, because I never whine, so when I do, I Mean It.

Unnecessary Capitalization is Fun!

So, I take the drugs and nod off for about half an hour, and I wake up feeling less like my head is trying to tie itself in a knot, and more like hey, there is a dull achey pressure behind my left eye. My mother tells me that I did not ask for the Excedrin until about 7, and that I woke up from a sound sleep to ask for it. I was not aware I'd fallen asleep at all.

Anyway, long story short: my Internet went out, I had a migraine. Good day. :\

Current Status: Tensandaire
Money Spent Today: $0
Money Earned Today: $0

Step 60: WIN.

That is all.

Current Status: Tensandaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $0
Current Wordcount: 50,046!

Step 59: Accept the Inevitable

It's Thanksgiving here in the U.S., and that means it time for everyone to stop and think about all the things they have that make their lives pretty awesome.

Now, I'm one to believe that even in the most dire of circumstances, one can find SOMETHING they are grateful for, even if it's nothing more than the breath they draw. But I'm really very optimistic; an asset and a flaw, you could say.

I tend to be grateful all the big things (Mommy, home, the Internet) daily, and so on Thanksgiving, I think it's fun to take it down to a level of silliness and be thankful for things you literally don't ever think about. Here's my list:

1. The caps to my tea bottles. They're the kind that pop up when you open the bottle, and they're fun to play with when I'm not typing.

2. The slurping sound the pop machine at work makes when you dump a pot of coffee down it. It's a very satisfying sound.

3. Tripping up the stairs. First, it makes you laugh at yourself, and second, if you're moving up the stairs fast enough to trip, there must be something exciting happening at the top of them!

4. The word "phenomenon." Because it reminds me of the Sesame Street song "Menah Menah." Also, Menomonie, WI for the same reason.

5. LOLCATS. Who doesn't love a good lolcat?

Anyway, my Thanksgiving was lovely. We had two guests and lots of really excellent food. I just got back from my Black Friday shopping, which was fun and also not as expensive as it could have been. I got my hair done, but my mom loaned me that money so I could fix the Halloween pink before our family comes in a week.

Current Status: Tensandaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $$170

Step 58: Go to Bed Early

Today was a very long day. After going to bed at 8:30 am, I only slept until noon. At noon I got up and went grocery shopping for last minute Thanksgiving things. Then we cleaned the house. Then I went to the store again to get some other things and to the florist to order a centerpiece. Then we cleaned more. Then I went to the store to get some MORE things, and to pick up the centerpiece. Then we watched Ghost Hunters Academy. Then we cleaned.

We're done now, and I'm exhausted. I've not idea where I'm going to find the energy to be bubbly tomorrow, even though I'm off to bed when I'm done here.

NaNo is at a stand still due to Other Pressing Issues, but I've got 5 days. It'll get there.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $19.56 (I left my mom's checkcard at the florist, so had to pay for stuff with mine at the grocery store. Bummer.)

Step 57: Fail a Little

Okay, so it's 8:16 am on Wednesday morning. I've not been to bed yet (heading there after I post this). For all intents and purposes, though, it's still "today" as in Tuesday until I go to bed.

I unfortunately did not make my 45,000 word goal today. I crossed the 40k mark, though, so it wasn't a complete loss. Also, I figured out several new plot points that will get me to the end of my story. Yaaaay! I'm considering it and epic fail mixed with minor win, thus the failing only a little once you add it up.

I've noticed that I'm becoming more and more nocturnal the past couple weeks. It's really weird because I can remember a time back when I was grooming that if I was up past 11 pm it was a Special Occassion. Now I couldn't go to sleep at 11 pm unless I took a really potent sleeping pill.

I did, however, get to experience the amazingness that is fresh doughnuts this morning. It's a sometimes food, but worth every calorie.

Anyway, I'm gonna go sleep for a few hours and then it's Cleaning The House Because We're Having People Over Tomorrow time!

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $5.96
Current Wordcount: 40,216

Step 56: Watch a Man Die

Lately all I've really been doing is writing and playing the Sims and watching SHAYTARDS (all caps is how you type it, I'm not yelling) on YouTube. Mostly that third thing, because they are funny.

Today, however, I buckled down and tried to get a fair amount of writing done. I've fallen behind on the daily schedule, but I'm making it up (I've vowed to be at 45,000 by 5pm tomorrow). I was only mildly distracted by my sims asylum running in the background.

See, when you play a sims asylum the way I do, you get one character that you can command to do a limited number of things. They can pay bills, repair things and manage a garden. Beyond that, all sims are responsible for themselves. The goal is to start with at least 8 sims (in my case there were 9 to start), and whoever lives longest wins a life out in the "real" world. The 9 sims I chose were a random controllable and the eight characters of my NaNo that I simmed. I had to move the boys (and Kelly) out when the other four girls got pregnant (heh...ACR...oops) but decided to let the babies be contestants. Everyone almost died when the babies were born because they were obsessed with feeding them while starving themselves.

Actually, Amber DID die while making grilled cheese, but I had Chad (who hadn't moved out yet) plead for her, since she hadn't had her baby yet.

ANYWAY, it was kind of boring because once the babies grew into children everyone went back to normal. Until today. I was busy typing away when I decided to check on things.

I swapped over just in time to watch Patrick (son of Andrea and Kelly...ACR again) starving to death just as he was about to eat his burnt spaghetti. I felt a little bad, since he was still a teen, but asylum rules says no pleading unless the sim is pregnant. So he died.

Then two of my kids, Alice and Samuel grew into adults and fell in love. I loved them too much to watch them die, so I moved them out. Then Andrea died (broken heart?) and now I'm down to five patients.

Assyria is an elder, and my controllable. She digs gardening.
Amber is my NaNo antagonist and has bounced back after her near death experience, though sometimes still forgets to eat.
Emily is my NaNo protagonist and really doesn't have any problems other than a tendency to get the flu all the time.
Jenny is Emily's BFF in canon, and she mostly passes out in the bathroom and makes grilled cheese 6 times a day.
Mitchell is Amber's son, and I kind of hate him, which is why he's never in any kind of motive or aspiration failure. Jerk.

ANNNNNDDD that's what I did with MY day! Can you feel the dollars in my bank account adding up? I totes can, man. Totes.

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $140 (got the loan back from the family member)
Money Spent This Weekend: $120 (light bill was due, and Lewis had big Toblerones)
Current Wordcount: 36,539

P.S. Amber just died because she set the kitchen on fire.

Step 55: Surprise Yourself

Today when I got home from work, I decided I was going to try out Write or Die (Google it, I'm too sleepy for link-hunting right now).

I gave myself a goal of 1,000 words in 30 minutes. I wasn't exactly sure what would happen if I missed the goal, but I just clicked "Write" and started writing. I made the goal. I managed to write 1,044 words in 31 minutes (which was really 30 minutes and a few seconds, as I finished my sentence before I clicked "Done").

I was proud, but that's not the part that surprised me. The part that surprised me was what I wrote.

My main character gets pneumonia. While visiting one of her friends who is attending Yale. I did not plan for anyone to get ill, and yet as my fingers were flying over keys, there it was.

My main character, Emily, has nightmares that wake her up almost every night. One night, she wakes up, and initially I thought it was another dream, but as I wrote, I found myself typing that she woke up in a cold sweat, and when she turned her head the room spun and...blah, blah, blah pneumonia.

And I thought to myself, "Whoa...where did THAT come from?" And then I got to thinking about it in relation to the rest of my plot (lololol "plot"...wassat?) and it's pretty much perfect. And, as a writer, that is the best feeling in the world. When you don't have to really do anything but let the words flow and your story sort of...writes itself? I dunno, it's hard to explain, but anyone who writes will know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, that was the best thing about today. Second best thing was when I went to buy a pack of gum and realized I'd forgotten my checkcard, so my friend bought the gum for me. FREE HUBBA BUBBA! (Yes, kid's bubblegum. It sounded good. Don't judge me. I blew bubbles.)

Current Status: Tensandaire (But only for a couple more hours! 8D)
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money SPent Today: $0
Current Wordcount: 33,196

Step 54: Continue Bonding With Your Bathrobe

I admit it. I can be a slob when I'm given more than two days off in a row. I turn into that guy who shuffles around the house in a bathrobe and slippers, not really making note of anything significant, so that at the end of the day, there are few memories to use for blogging purposes.

Oops.

Uhm, let's see...things I remember...

I remember is waking up thinking I heard the doorbell. If I did, whoever it was was gone by the time I got upstairs.

I trudged through more of my NaNo. The part I'm writing right now is kind of dragging. Tomorrow I'll be done with it and the story line should pick up a lot.

I watched Ghost Hunters! It was sadly devoid of any Steve Gonsalves's, but it was still a good show.

I got nothing. Good thing it's back to work tomorrow, ne? My bathrobe thinks we should take some time apart, maybe see other people, just try to figure out where this relationship is going, you know?

Current Status: Tensandaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $0
CUrrent Wordcount: 31,308

Step 53: Rebel Against (Most of) Your Wardrobe

Okay, I don't know about anyone else, but I am terrible at doing my laundry. If a shirt gets something on it, or smells funny, I'll toss it into the laundry basket abyss until...later, but if it survives the day unstained and smelling only of my deodorant and body spray? Hang it up, we'll wear it again! Jeans, for me, never get dirty and can be worn indefinitely. The little drips and dirts that get on jeans "add to their character." Or so I tell myself.

The sole exception to this "if it looks and smells clean...it's clean" rule is socks and underwear. Those are wear once, and into the laundry basket abyss until Laundry Day items. But as I said, I'm terrible about doing my laundry, so in order to keep from having to do laundry all the time, I simply have a lot of socks and underwear that get piled up for weeks.

Then, out of nowhere, days like today happen.

Today, I woke up at the crack of noon as usual, and went to take a shower. However, when I went digging for a pair of clean underoos? None. Nada. Zip, zilch, etc. The Day of Tragic Chore Doing was once again upon me, and I had no choice. It was officially Laundry Day.

So, with a heavy heart, a bathrobe and a nightgown, that, now you've mentioned it, did smell a little cagey, my laundry basket and I trudged upstairs to set about the long and arduous task of "washing clothes." I turned all the little knobs on the front of the washer to their correct settings (hot/warm, large load, 8 minute cycle), swapped out my nightgown for the bathrobe, tossed it in along with the mountain of underwear (how do I have SO MANY PAIRS?!!?) and went to sulk on the couch. With a plate of pizza rolls, because laundry day is also pizza roll day in the Rules According to Sarah.

And, as I sat watching A Baby Story and Birth Day on TLC, I decided that I didn't care what clothing got washed today, I was not going to wear any of them. No sir, I was not. Today felt like a good day to rebel against the custom of getting dressed in clothes fit to be seen in public. Today, I was going to wear my bathrobe. And so I did. Am, actually, though I've since also added that nightgown from earlier. It smells like clean laundry!

And, as I am every Laundry Day, I have been reminded that doing laundry is kinda worth it for that clean laundry smell.

Don't worry, though, I'll forget by the time Laundry Day comes around again, and it will once again be a day to sulk in my bathrobe with a plate of pizza rolls and live births on TLC.

OH! I also feel the sudden need to clarify that while I don't do laundry very often, I DO shower regularly. Every other day at minimum.

Current Status: Tensandaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $0
Current Wordcount: 28,786

Step 52: Celebrate

Today was my Mom's birthday. When I got home from work last night, I made her a cake (from scratch, yes, I'm that good) to take to work. I'm told it was delicious, and gone by 10 am. I'm glad everyone enjoyed it, even though I didn't get any. :\

Anyway, I then spent the day running all over town finding gift wrap and getting stuff for dinner and waiting for the flower shop to open (they said 1 pm, but no one showed up until almost 2). In the end it all worked out, as my mom liked her gifts, and dinner came out perfect, and...it was just a nice evening.

That said, birthday's are spendy. Ah well, a worthwhile expense, say I.

Current Status: Tensandaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $100
Current Wordcount: 27,174

Step 51: Mouthbreathe

No really. I've been sitting here, bumming around the internet for at least an hour, and I only just noticed that's I've been a complete space-case mouth-breather the entire time.

Awesome.

I "officially" took a day off from writing, according to my NaNo profile, but really it was two days. :X I didn't really mean to, so much as I was just doing other things. Important things. Like watching DVR'd TV shows and playing the Sims...

Or I failed at life two days in a row. WHATEVER, I BUILT AN AWESOME HOUSE IN MY SIMS GAME. It's a three bedroom, one bathroom fixer with a tiny living/kitchen area. I moved in a family that has three kids but very little money. I imagine they bought it because it came with a swingset in the roomy backyard, and the mom is certain she can spruce the place right up.

Why yes, I SHOULD be focusing that creativity on my NaNo, why do you ask? >_>

Also, I lent money to a family member who needs a little help this week due to some overly ambitious bill paying. Good on 'em for getting things paid. Happy to help! (Besides, I'll get it all back in a week, and I won't need it before then, so feh, no skin off my nose, verdad?)

In other news, I officially live in a Bug Bustling City. My town now has TWO (yeah, that's right T-W-O) fully operational stoplights. It's become downright urban around here.

I bought NaNo snacks. I'm not sorry.

Current Status: Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today(ish): $150 (between the loan and the snacks)

Step 50: Follow a Trend

Some time ago I heard casual mention of something called "A Very Potter Musical," but I didn't really think much of it, as there are a lot of Harry Potter spoofs out there, and most of them were kind of dull to me.

Recently, however, there's been an upswing of hype about it around me, and my interest was piqued. Finally, when someone linked me to Act 1, Part 1, I caved and decided to watch. I needed a bit of a break from my NaNo anyway.

Holy AWESOME, Batman. After I watched it, my only regret was that I hadn't watched it sooner.

Each character was played really well, they were a good blend of canon and comedy. I loved Ron's tiny little two word lines, and the way Draco (played by possibly the tiniest woman I've ever seen) sort of...oozed all over the stage, and Voldemort and Quirrell's bromance. The whole thing was hilarious, and now I wish I could see it performed live.

And that's how I spent my day. Heh.

Oh! It was Schwann's man day, so I bought some food things.

And! Thanks to the newfound chemistry, and an unexpected window opening up for me to set up the Road Trip, my NaNo has crossed the halfway point!

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $60
Current Word Count: 25,445

Step 49: Realize You're More of a Grown-Up Than You Thought

I worked a shift tonight with T, the kid who replaced J. Initially I wanted him to be better than J, but alas. He's just J with "I got one better" complex. Any time anyone tells a story, he's got one better. And most of them are obviously lies. BUT ANYWAY.

Tonight, after he'd come back in from having a smoke break (yes, merely 20 years old and a smoker...why, kids, why?!), he came whining to me about how his high school friend had gotten a detention that day for "refusing to pray because it's Veteran's Day."

Now, I wasn't a witness to this, but I'm pretty sure her refusal to pray had nothing to do with it. I'm more inclined to understand that it was the way she went about her refusal that got her the detention. I would bet that, when the teacher called for a moment of silence to "pray" for our troops, she decided that it was Atheist Soapbox Time. And in doing so, disrepected the authority of her teacher, and was threfore granted an afternoon in detention.

Now, here's where I stand on the issue.

Should the teacher have called for a simple moment of silence, without mention of prayer? Absolutely, however mistakes happen.

Should the girl have gotten the detention for refusing to pray? Absolutely, because there is a better way to express her beliefs, or lack thereof, that would NOT have ruined what was meant to be a moment of respectful silence.

What she should have done, was bit her tongue and bowed her head for the moment. Then, once the class was over, she could have stayed back, and quietly informed the teacher that while she is happy to remain silent for a moment in a show of unified respect for the troops, it would have been better if the teacher left the idea of "prayer" out of it. America, as a country, was founded on the idea that no one should be required to believe the same thing as anyone else. Troops fought for that from the beginning, so to suggest that one must pray for them undermines their job more severely than it might seem on the surface.

Would she have gotten the detention if she'd done that? Probably. But it would have given her teacher something to think about, and she could have walked away with the knowledge that she acted in the most respectful way possible, without abandoning her own principles. As it is, she's just that snotty kid who couldn't just shut her trap for sixty seconds.

Which would YOU rather be?

Anyway, in thinking over the issue, I realized that were she my friend, and were I ten years younger, I would have been entirely on her side, and fired up on her behalf. And that's when I realized that I'm more of a grown-up than I ever would have given myself credit for.

YAY ME!

Also, pizza sounded good, so I made myself one. Then I paid for it. Because you can't be THAT adult about something, and then steal food.

Also, the two main characters in my NaNo had me worried for a second, as they are supposed to be MFEO, but weren't managing to find any chemistry whatsoever. Finally, today they found it! 8D

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $14.00
Current Word Count: 22,108

Step 48: Be Randomly Philosophical

I had to go to the grocery store three times today. First because we needed groceries, second because i forgot potatoes, and third because my mom randomly decided she wanted Fun Size Butterfingers. I dunno.

Anyway, as I was leaving the house for the third time, my mom was in the kitchen making popcorn. She turned the microwave off way too early, in my opnion, so I said, "What are you doing?"

Mom: I didn't use the popcorn button, so I listened, and--what's with all the questions tonight? Stop asking me questions. [I had questioned several things she did ealier in the evening. Because she was being weird, but anyway.]
Me: Because, Mom, if no one ever questions you, you'll become complacent in your own life. *steps out door and shuts it quickly*

She started to say something, but as I closed the door, I didn't hear it.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "...Cool story bro. -_-" And you're right, it wasn't very interesting. But it's all I got for today. The rest is "I typed and bummed around the internet and missed the leaf drop off at the recycling center by 12 minutes." And that's not any more interesting, is it?

On the bright side, I spent no money! 8D

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $0
Current Word Count: 20,152

Step 47: Continue to Encounter Drama at Work

You know, I really don't know what it is about me that says "Yes. I want to be witness to everything dramatic that happens at my workplace." But apparently something about me DOES say that. Because it keeps happening. To recap:

1. J walks off the job, I'm the only witness.
2. F gets caught in a sting, I'm the only employee witness.

So far, that's been it, but that's also happened within the last two months, and last night I added a third bit of drama for the record book. Let's have story time, shall we?

So, I was on till last night at work. Nothing particularly notable had happened, other that the usual crazies that come out at night, and which I'm used to. It was around 10 pm, an hour before close, when I was changing out the garbage under the "snack center." It is important to note that I was by the snack center, and R (the evening's kitchen person) was in the kitchen, also changing out her garbages.

From the back of the store, I heard a bang like someone slamming their car door shut. A few seconds later a guy walked in the store. I assumed it was him slamming his car door, said "Hi!" and continued with the garbage can. A split second after that, I hear water running from the same area as the door slam. I hear the guy say, as I'm moving swiftly toward the sound, "Sounds like you've got a faucet on..."

When I get to where I can see the source of the rushing water sound, I find that there is SO MUCH WATER pouring from the ceiling by the bathrooms. Obviously a pipe has burst, and I've no idea how to fix or even just STOP this issue.

(I feel I should interject that in crisis situations, about all I can do is call the necessary authorities, or in this case, tell someone else who to call. Beyond that, I'm perfectly useless.)

"Oh my God...R! I need you to call G, RIGHT NOW!"

I check the guy out, he wishes me good luck with the flood, and R gets G (the manager) on the phone. I take the phone, explain that we either need to start gathering animals two by two, or we need immediate help stopping the water. Manager G was asleep when we called, but jumped into Hero Mode, and told us he'd be down as soon as possible.

Just as I hung up the phone, a Regular came in. Normally my interaction with regular is something like this:

Me: One or two today?
Reg.: Just one.
Me: *grabs one pack of Liggett Non-Filters, rings them up* $5.15, please.
Reg.: You got it. *gives exact change, which he's already prepared*
Me: Thanks, have a good night!

TODAY, however, it's more like this:

Me: *hastily grabs a pack of his cigarettes* Um, hi. We're having a flood.
Reg.: *looks back at water pouring from ceiling* Need to get that water shut off, eh?
Me: Yeah, but I don't know where the valve is.
Reg.: *calmly walks into back room, gets up on step ladder, removes ceiling tile, turns valve that was behind tile*
Water Flow: *tapers off, then stops*
Me: Awesome, thank you so much!

After that, G showed up to assess the damage, and as R and I grabbed mops, G got the ladder and climbed up into the ceiling of the men's room to find the burst pipe. Regular Customer grabbed a wide broom and helped us sweep a lot of the water into the conveniently placed floor drain in the men's room. G got the water supply to the broken pipe turned off so he could turn the main water supply back on. R. C. left R and I to finish mopping up the last little puddles of water, and I joked to G that the reason it's always me that witnesses the drama is because I handle it so well.

By the time he left, we were all back in good spirits, and it had become an interesting story to tell, rather than a crisis situation to be handled.

As for money spent, we did just come off a weekend, and I did just get paid on Friday, so I spent a little money this weekend on gifts for a friend's birthday and a Christmas Tree scented candle from Yankee, because I am both in the mood for that smell, and a sucker for Yankee candles.

P.S. Blogger really needs to make it so one can reply to comments. :| Anyway, hello, Elisabeth! Thanks for being here. *waves enthusiastically*

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent This Weekend: $80 (rounded up, I don't remember exactly how much)
Current Word Count: 18,671

Step 46: Give a Spontaneous History Lesson

I had a fairly unproductive day today. I meant to get to 15,000 words in my NaNo, but fell short by just under 800 words. Not too big a deal, considering I'm still way ahead of the recommended schedule, but I still failed to reach the goal I set for myself. I'll make it up tomorrow, I'm sure.

I did, however, manage to help a friend with her homework. She needed help getting her paper from 1,000 words to 1,500, and being that I've been ALL ABOUT word counts the past few days, I had no trouble finding filler things to say to help her out. (I hate when teachers put minimum word counts on things. To me it discourages making clear, concise points and encourages useless babble. Bleh.)

And just a few minutes ago I gave out a history lesson on Wall Drug, in Wall, SD. We went there back in May and found a brochure on it's history and why there are so many signs for it EVERYWHERE, and I remembered it. I don't generally like billboards, but for some reason Wall Drug has my loyalty, so I forgive it. (Plus the signs I've seen for it don't ruin otherwise glorious landscapes. A field of corn is only pretty if you've NEVER SEEN ONE BEFORE EVER. And I have. Seen many. Countless times.)

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $0
Current Word Count: 14,248

Step 45: Remember to Leave the House for Once

I remembered to leave the house today! Of course, it meant I spent money, but at least I can now confirm that the sun has continuted to rise and set over the last several days, and there is no apocalypse just beyond my doorstep. So yay for that.

Otherwise I continue to be consumed by all things NaNoWriMo, and I am unashamed.

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $50
Current Word Count: 13,498

Step 44: Share Your Things

Today a friend/coworker came over so I could give her basically everything in my Sims 2 Downloads folder. She also borrowed >_> my internet connection, as she just moved and won't have hers reestablished until next week. Poor soul. No internet for a week?! I think I might die in the same situation. (Okay, I wouldn't, but I'd be REALLY bored.)

Other than that it was another day of NaNoWriMo befrazzlement. It's a word. I decided. Also, because I can, and I like boasting, I'm going to add a special feature to my November Blogs: a current word count. So far I'm way ahead of where I need to be to make it to 50k by the 30th, and I am quite pleased.

Tomorrow I must remember to leave the house. I've needed light bulbs for two weeks, been low on shampoo and conditioner for one, and today I ran out of deodorant. It is time to go shopping.

But that'll take an hour tops, and I'll have all day to write!

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $0
Current Word Count: 10,880

Step 43: Become Consumed by NaNoWriMo

I have spent most of my day tapping away at my keyboard writing the most God-awful prose I have ever written in my life. And I've written some bad prose. HOWEVER! In all it's awfulness, my NaNo is already at 6,488 words, and it's only the beginning of day three! I can churn out bad writing like nobody's business, man.

I do however, keep reminding myself that while it's okay to reread the last sentence I wrote before a break, just to catch my train of thought again, rereading the last two pages is a no-no, as rereading is like kryptonite, and I'd feel the need to go and edit it into something worth reading TODAY, and would end up falling behind on getting the initial story told.

As it stands, I know there to exist in my story, a paragraph that goes on for several sentences that basically just says "She sat by a window. The town was small." i r teh gud ritur. no rly. i r.

Anyway, I did have to leave the house for a little bit today, because you really can't write without some kind of snack food, so I spent money on that.

Personally, I think it was a small price to pay in exchange for the chance at becoming published (after MUCH MUCH MUCH A LOT A WHOLE LOT LIKE SERIOUSLY JUST REWRITE THE WHOLE THING revision).

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $105 (over the weekend, I worked)
Money Spent Today: $15

Step 42: Have a Long Night

I stayed up all night to dye my hair. It was an involved process wherein I had to bleach it out twice, then dye it twice. The first bleach had to set for an hour, the second 20 minutes, then each dye had to set for an hour. The end result, however, is pretty awesome:


There are three pink streaks in there. Oh, and I'm also wearing fangs. They pop in and out, and are really quite comfortable, and don't interfere with my speech at all! There is something to be said for being in your mid-twenties and still being allowed to have fun with hair dye. Personally, I think everyone should put some sort of unnatural color in their hair, just so we all take ourselves a little less seriously. I mean, how rageful can you be if you put hot pink or lime green or purple pr whatever colored dye in your hair? Not very.

Anyway, that was my day, all I had to buy was the bleach kit, as I already had the pink dye from when I first put the two side streaks in several months ago (only the one in front is completely new, but I dig it.)

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $10

Step 41: Dream a Terrible Dream

I had a dream that I was accused of stealing $200 from my job, because security footage showed me opening my drawer, counting money, putting it back, then putting my hands in my pockets. A "footage analyst" said she could see that I actually put cash in my pockets. Apparently I was being charged with "3rd degree theft," and there was pretty much nothing I could do about it, despite it being obvious to me that the footage showed me putting the money back, and putting my empty hands in my pockets.

See, in reality I do that all the time, with the counting money, putting it away, then putting my hands in my pockets. I count to check to see if I have enough for a drop, put it back when I don't, then, as an idle gesture, put my hands in my pockets to wait for something to happen, like a phone call or a customer, or...SOMETHING. And while I wait, I've wondered just how clear our cameras are, and what sort of seedy activity someone could "see" me doing.

Also, I watch too many crime shows. The Mentalist, Castle, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Numbers, The Forgotten...apparently it's to the point where I'm making up my own charges. Third degree theft...wtf, mate? XD

Anyway, other than that I (re)stocked our Halloween candy supply and bought a book from the thrift shop in town for a friend's birthday. It's a pretty awesome book.

1. As I was navigating the crowded basement where I found it, I bumped a shelf, and it came tumbling down at me. It literally threw itself at me.
2. It has some awesome vintage cover art.
3. It's by a dude named Rex Beach. Anyone named Rex Beach has to be cool.
4. It has no synopsis with it, so I've no idea what it could possibly be about. (Google is cheating.)
5. On the last page, Rex Beach randomly refers to one of his characters by his full name, middle initial included. As in, "'[Insert character quote here],' exclaimed Darwin K. Anthony." Then, a few lines later, in the same paragraph, he refers to the same character as simply "old man Anthony." That is, to me anyway, so far across the line of Ridiculous Things to Put in Your Novel, that it's come full circle and is back at Entirely Awesome Things to Put in Your Novel.

After that I was boring all day. BUT! I sort of stuck to the plan, so that's someting I guess.

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $18

Step 40: Plan to Stick to The Plan

Once again I managed to NOT do what I wanted to do today. I got up at an hour that left me enough time for a shower before I had to go to work.

The problem with me staying up most of the night and sleeping most of the day isn't the hours themselves, it's the hours in relation to where I live. When you live in a small town, everything closes early. Nothing here is open past midnight, except one dingy little 24-hour gas station on the edge of town. I can't do anything when everything is closed, ne?

SO! My plan for the day is to stick to the plan. Sleepiness or no, I wanna DO something! Worth blogging about! Maybe even something worth taking pictures of!

In the meantime, here is a picture of a chicken with a fro:

It's an old favorite. XD

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Spent Today: $0
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes

Step 39: Freak Out a Little

I slept in much later than I had planned on today. MUCH later. Like, I got up a 2 when I meant to get up at 10 later (in all fairness I didn't getto sleep until around 7 am, but that was also my own fault, heh). Anyway, I woke up at 1, saw what time it was and decided "What the heck? I'll just doze until it's time for my shift!" And then there was a really loud THUNK! from upstairs, and I started to panic a little.

I knew it wasn't my mom, because I was awake to hear her leave, and if she'd come home, she'd have gotten me up. My first thought, then was "Someone is in my house, uninvited, oh jeez! What do I do?!" I decided to sneak up on whoever it was.

So, I slid out of bed, put my slippers on, and began creeping up the stairs, I got about 4 steps up when I heard another THUNK! that made me jump. I froze for a minute and waited, but I didn't hear any other movment, so I decided to be brave, and rush upstairs to see what was going on.

Not a thing. I was alone in my house, and I didn't know what to think, because the next thing on my list was "ghost" and after Saturday's movie I'm not ready to go there yet. Then, for the third time I heard THUNK! and realized it was coming from the wall in the guest room. The other side of that wall is our patio, so I went outthere to see what was going on.

Turns out my intruder/ghost was just the sprayer nozzle from our hose hitting the side of the house in the WICKED windstorm we had today. Heh. I'm a sissy, I know it. I am not ashamed.

At least being scard this time didn't cost me $80? 8D

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Spent Today: $0
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes

Step 38: Recap Your Weekend, Because it was Boring

So yeah, my weekends are never entertaining, so I'm not going to post on them anymore. But! Here's a recap:

I went and saw Paranormal Activity with two friends. It was good, except that the girl behind me did not know how to SHUT HER MOUTH, and I wasn't able to really get into it like I would have preferred. I made loud comments I knew she could hear when it was over. Probably not the nicest thing for me to do, but I felt better, and perhaps she'll learn to shut it in theaters. (Probably not.)

Other than that I just stayed home and was boring.

Today I had to call McAfee and have them reverse the Auto-Renew charges I forgot were coming. It was $85 they charged, and while I get that it was my fault for both forgetting it was coming and for not turning off the auto-renew in the first place, I also think it's shady for them to default to having it on. I mean, Auto-Renewing an $85 charge should be something you have to specifically seek out and confirm you definitely want ON, not something you can just forget to turn off, you know?

Anyway, it worked out fine, because I had 60 days from the renewal to have them refund me. All it cost me was a phone call to customer service and having to say "No, thanks." about a thousand times to all the various things they tried to sell me instead. (ALSO an OBNOXIOUS business practice, if you ask me.)

Generally speaking, I don't like to be sales-pitched at. Once in a while there's a funny commercial, but it's usually for beer which I don't drink/buy. I do a lot of things to avoid being sold things, actually. I feel like listing them.

1. I no longer listen to the radio. It's free music, sure, but it seems like everytime I try to listen, it's on a 15 minute commercial break, and I end up getting irritated and turning it off.

2. DVR. Whenever possible I record the shows I want to watch, then fast forward through the commercials.

3. I refuse to "monetize" this or any other Me on the Internet thing I have, because it means selling things to people who don't want to be sold things.

4. The guy in the mall that comes at you with lotion? I have stopped and said to him, "I know you're doing your job. However, you should know that approaching me with whatever it is you're selling in a way that makes me feel uncomfortable is a really great way to get me to kick you in your manbits and scream 'RAPE! NO! NO! NO!' but it is NOT a good way to get me to buy something. I don't want it, no matter how great you've been told to tell me it is. Now back off." I haven't had to try it since then (despite that being YEARS ago at the Mall of America), but it worked the one time I did do it!


Anyway, I'm not invulnerable to marketing. I mean, I have an iPod, I buy some name brand products... I just don't like marketing strategies. Let ME look at your product and decide for MYSELF if it's any good. If it is, I'll buy it. Let the products sell themselves.

RIGHT, SO THERE WAS THAT SOAPBOX. I'm going to bed now.

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned This Weekend: $0
Money Spent This Weekend: $80

Step 37: Have Another Day

I had my piano lesson, I went to work.

That was about the extent of my day. Exciting, no?

No.

I'm going to go see Paranormal Activity with a friend tomorrow. That should be awesome.

Being that I worked and had piano, I spent a little money, but nothing big.

I'm sleepy, can you tell?

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52-50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $22.11

Step 36: Meet an Interesting Young Man

I was really worried that I was going to have to come up with something philosophical to hide that once again I didn't do anything of interest or merit today (beyond scooping litter boxes, which is boring and gross). But then, I ran out of toilet paper.

...This is not going where you might think it is. All it means was I went to the grocery store. Once I got there, I realized that I was hungry for something crunchy. Chips. So I went over to the chip aisle, and started trying to pin down which flavor I wanted, when I encountered a guy a little younger than me, I thought about 20, but he was convinced he was at least 21, seeing as he later grabbed a 6-pack of beer. He said hi, I smiled and said hello. Then we had a conversation. Here's how it went.

Him: You know, there are just so many choices here...
Me: Yeah, I know, sometimes it's hard to pick.
Him: Exactly, I don't know what to pick.
Me: Well, what are you in the mood for?
Him: I don't know! I mean, when you're a student on a budget, it's hard to get what you want and can afford.
Me: Yeah, I suppose so.
Him: You don't want to get the cheap stuff, because you don't know how it's going to be...
Me: Yeah, it's always oily and really salty. But, I think I'm gonna go with the cheddar and sour cream.
Him: That sounds good. Ruffles is a brand you can trust.
Me: I like it.
Him: What about this puffcorn? Have you tried it?
Me: I haven't, but we sell a lot of it where I work.
Him: Where do you work?
Me: I work at C's.
Him: Oh, cool. And people buy a lot of this?
Me: Yep, we have a hard time keeping it in stock.
Him: You've convinced me, I'm gonna go with it. My hands are gonna be oily...
Me: You could grab some napkins, too.
Him: Yeah, but again...budget...
Me: You can get free napkins at any gas station!
Him: I didn't even think of that! Good idea! Thanks!
Me: You bet, have a good night.

Then he went and grabbed the beer, and was behind me in the checkout, but we exchanged no further dialogue.

For some reason, two thought occured to me when I saw him with the beer and puffcorn.

1.) I hope he's just a nice, outgoing kid. Maybe being intentionally outgoing as an important life skill for whatever his major is.

2.) I hope the cashier cards him.

Which is when I learned that while I really want to trust people who will randomly chat with you about chips, I'm also wary of them. Probably because it goes against the social norms I've grown comfortable with and accustomed to following.

In any case, I hope he really was just a nice kid, and that he has a nice evening.

Step 35: Witness the Selling of a Soul

Today was boring, except for this one quick story.

Guy came in while I was working and wanted a pack of Marlboro Reds and a $1 scratch off ticket.

This guy comes in ALL the time, and he is always completely drunk. Usually stumbling, slurring, slightly belligerent. The general rule of the store is "get him in and out as quickly as possble."

Tonight, he wasn't the angry drunk, he was the overly emotional, saying things that don't make sense drunk.

As I'm handing him his scratch ticket, he goes "If I don't win, the Devil owes me my soul back...but if I win, ha ha! (singing) The Devil, he owns my soulll..."

Me: "Heh. Your total is $6.66."

Him: O_O

Me: :)

Him: O______O

Me: Did you need anything else?

Him: Uh-uh. O_________O *hands cash*

I gave him his change, and he walked out of the store. He called the store a few minutes later.

"Hey, I just bought the scratch ticket...I haven't scratched it yet...ANYWAY, I might have scared you in there, sorry about that."

"That's okay. Have a good evening."

"Thanks. You too, be good."

Dude, -I- don't have any reason to be scared. YOU just sold your soul for a scratch ticket.

I hope it was a loser, for his sake.

Current Status: Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $.36

Step 34: Share Your Thoughts Before the Day is Done.

I decided to write this entry early today, because what I want to write about struck me early, and it really hasn't anything to do with how much money I spent today, which hasn't occurred so far (though it might, depending on if we go shopping after the Sprint Store this evening, but I'm gonna go with probably not, since I get paid Friday, and it would be better to wait untl then to buy anything new). /telling myself more than anything

So, my idea was in regards to charity, and how I want to be charitable. Now, usually my level of charity is to tap the $1 button when I swipe my check card at PetSmart. But I don't feel like I'm doing enough. I mean, yay vaccinated, sterilized and uneuthanized shelter pets and all, but what about people? I should maybe help people as well.

So I got to thinking about what kinds of things I think are important, the things I like to do, and what kinds of charities I can afford to contribute to. I was surprised at how long it didn't take me to come up with an idea.

I'm going to buy some toys and give them to Toys for Tots. Several reasons, I shall list them.

1. Kids need toys. Beyond keeping them engaged in some sort of activity, which is good for their development, toys are fun, and every kid should have a life that is almost entirely one fun moment after the another. It's how you grow a happy, well-adjusted human.

2. I like shopping for toys. I know I'm much too old to buy toys to play with myself (video games don't count, okay?), but there is something about a shiny new toy still in it's pristine packaging that makes my inner child go "YAY! 8D 8D"

3. While I do know families with kids, I can't afford to buy toys for them, being that there are so many of them, and only one of me, and buying for one family, or one child might lead to some awkward "Well...it's nothing personal..." conversations I'd just rather not have.

So, Toys for Tots it is. I'm thinking three toys. One for boys, one for girls, and one gender-neutral (possibly an infant toy for that last one, since those are easiest to find gender-neutral versions of, without them also being lame.)

I think, in terms of Karma or the Law of Attraction, or God's Good Will, or the Power of Positive Thinking, doing something for charity, despite it's financial cost to me, will no doubt be a beneficial thing in the long run. If nothing else it's something to feel good about, right?

Current Status: Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $0

Step 33: Deal With Customer Service.

I just got off the phone with Sprint customer service. After following the first dude's instructions, he told me he'd have to ask his supervisor what to do, and he'd call me back in five minutes.

An hour later, I called them back, and was told that there was nothing they could do, I'd have to take the phone to a Sprint Store, to either get a new handset, or have them try a "hard reset" whatever that means.

Now, I know that customer service can only do so much over the phone. And I know that it's not the individual's fault that he or she doesn't already know what's going on, and therefore needs me to explain it. Again. However, I still have complaints.

First, when I call and talk to Tom*, and he says he'll call me back, I feel like it is Tom's responsibility to call me back, instead of having me wait an hour and then having to call him back.

Second, if I talked to Tom, and told him the issue, he should have a computer in front of him, with my customer file opened, where he is giving it all the information I am giving him, so that if he needs to transfer me, or if I need to call back later, they already know what my problem is, and I don't have to repeat myself 700 times. It gets old, on my end, even if it's new to them.

Third, if I called once and talked to Tom, then I call back and talk to Amy*, and tell her that I just talked to Tom, she should be able to transfer me back to him, should I so desire it. Apparently this is not the case, however, because Amy had never even heard of Tom, let alone knew him well enough to transfer me back to him.

And finally, if, after I follow your step-by-step instructions, the problem cannot be resolved over the phone, don't make me re-try everything once, twice, thrice more just to be SURE. I promise I paid attention and did exactly as you asked the first time. It didn't work, and the next step is An Outing. I can handle this. It's okay. I won't be mad at you for telling me that. I will be slightly annoyed at you making me do the same thing 7 times, just to find out I OMG actually do have a broken phone.

In the end, I stayed polite. I get that they're just trying to do their jobs, and that less patient people than me have made them wary of saying anything similar to "My hands are tied. You gotta leave your house and seek help for this one."

Though they really ought to implement a better customer logging system, and also Tom should have called me back. >:\

In other news, I shopped a little today. Nothing big, but nothing I needed either. Except the cat food. The cats do need to eat. And, in my snobbish opinion, they need to eat All Natural, Holistic Food, that can only be bought at Pet Specialty Stores for A High But Fair for What You Get Fee. I can't help it. I was educated on the importance and benefits of feeding premium foods to your pets, and so I do. I'd go into it, but...I don't wanna. /nearly soapboxy

*Names were changed...because...it felt like a thing I ought to do.

Current Status: Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $50

Steps 31 and 32: Continue to Be Uninteresting on the Weekends.

That's pretty much how yesterday and today went. I sat around being boring, then I went to work. Riveting, I assure you.

The good news is that I managed to again not spend any money. The bad news is it's because I was having no life. Well, not NO life, I mean, I did watch part of the Vikings game. I slept through the part where they won by two points in the last two seconds, but to be fair, I fell asleep when they were ahead by 14!

So, yeah. Kind of leaning toward making this a five-day-a-week blog, being that every weekend fails to bring anything new or interesting for me to talk about. Or I could try leaving the house on weekends...

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today(& Yesterday): $105 - taxes
Money Spent Today (& Yesterday) $0

Step 30: Eat Some Amazing Donuts

For reasons that aren't important, I stayed up all night. Mostly I was playing the Sims 2, chatting, and bumming around the internet...actually that's entirely what I was doing, heh. Anyway, around about 5:30 am I heard shufflings from upstairs that let me know my mom was awake. I went up to say hello.

She, having not had her coffee yet, wasn't especially chatty. I sat quietly on the couch for about a half hour, and then it dawned on me that my Place of Employment makes fresh donuts every morning, and that they were opening right at that moment, and if I went right then, I would get to finally taste one of these legendary Fresh Donuts.

So I went. When I got there, asdide from both G and M being OMGSHOCKED to see me at that hour, until they learned that rather than being up really early, I was up really late. (I am notoriously NOT a morning person.) M was making donuts, and made up three for my mom and me, mine cake donuts with chocolate icing and peanuts, Mom's cake donuts with cream cheese icing. She put them in a box. I paid for them. I took them home.

I setthe box down in front of my mom, opened it, and took out a donut. It was still warm to the touch. And the icing was a little gooey still.

I took a bite.

It was the single most amazing confectionary treat I have ever had in my entire existence. The warmth, and the flavor, and the crispy then soft texture...just. Wow.

And that was my day. Because I went to bed. And slept until Mom got home from work.

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $0 (the amazing breakfast of amazingness was Mom's treat!)

Step 29: Begin to Suspect Your House is Haunted

This morning when I woke up, I noticed my slippers were placed neatly on the foot of my bed. I'd noticed them there last night, too, but it didn't occur to me that this was odd until this morning when, despite a rough night of tossing and turning and at one point thinking I head the slippers hit the floor, they were still on the bed, albeit just slightly askew, presumably from being kicked.

Alone, it would mean nothing. I could have put them there and forgotten. I mean, I can't imagine any circumstance under which I would put them there, but it could happen. However, it is one more thing on a growing list of peculiar things that have happened in this house, all since I moved down to the basement. So, here we go, from the first thing to the slippers:

1. WHen I first moved down here, I needed to clean the bathroom. The toilet, in particular, needed attention, as most of the water had evaporated out of it, and what was left was really yellow. I scrubbed it down, then went to flush it and...nothing happened. Awesome. I pulled the lid off the back to investigate the issue, and discovered that the whole gut system of the toilet needed to be replaced, beginning with the plastic arm that attaches to the chain that pulls the rubber stopper, and thus, flushes the toilet. Turns out the plastic was cracked, and so the screw, rather than grabbing hold of the lever and pulling it up, was just twisting in the cracked casing. Cool. I pulled the broken lever off and leaned it against the...floaty ball thing...put the lid back on, and bought a new gut-kit. (These are technical terms, by the way.) Anyway, a few days transpired between the initial assessment and the installing of the new innards, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. Until I pulled the lid off the back of the toilet again. Instead of seeing the plastic lever either still propped against the ball float, or perhaps lying on the bottom of the tank, it was back up, reattached to the screw on the flusher. I didn't put it there, my mom didn't put it there, and no one else was in my house to have put it there (and besides, who goes into a house, attempts to fix a basement toilet, then leaves, leaving everything else untouched?)

2. A few days later, my mom and I were unpacking some boxes, and we decided to hang up my Grandmother's painting. We had it in a closet with the curtains the house came with (we took them down in favor of something more contemporary, but kept them in case the people who own this house like them...), and a cat toy we have to hide, otherwise Missy (the cat I don't think I've mentioned before, as she's my mom's) gets beaten up over it (Toes is not a nice cat, I know this). We opened the door, and there was...something..on top of the curtains. We inspected it, and it was a rusted spring form pan. Two things: We have never owned a spring form pan and even if we hadn' we would have put it in the closet on top of the curtains.

3. I've been taking piano lessons from one of our land...people...for several months. Part of taking these lessons is practicing. I have my keyboard set up in the basement, and it plugs in. Usually when I sit down to play, it's unplugged, but I chalk that up to the adapter is heavy and just falls out of the wall, HOWEVER. One day, when I was practicing, the plug not only "fell" out of the wall, but managed to land about two feet from the wall, and it came out rather suddenly. To me, it appeared to have been yanked out of the wall.

4. Again with the piano. One day, I sat down, turned the keyboard on, and tried to start my warm-ups, but no sound would play. I tried turning it off and back on, adjusting the volume (which was almost all the way up when I turned it on), nothing. Finally, out of sheer desperation and desire for my keyboard to NOT be broken, I said "Aww, c'mon! I need to practice!" and suddenly, the notes began to sound perfectly.

5. The slippers.

Also, more often than not (usually once or twice a night) there is shuffling coming from what I have deemed the "tinkering room." The guy that lived here before us, who I assume is alive and well, and living in a nursing home in town, was known to be a miser and a tinkerer, and the room the sound comes from still has little bits and pieces of his hobby strewn about. I assumed it was one of my cats, but know I'm not so certain.

Either way, it was probably a bad idea to write about all this at this time of night. I know it's all just little things that TAPS would explain away and debunk in two seconds (probably), but for me it's adding up to some very suspicious circumstances.

Also, I was right about not getting any days off anymore. I DID get called to work, but I did NOT return the call. I get to have a day off! >:| (It wasn't T this time, it was C, but it was a call to work just the same.)

I stayed home and watched DVR'd episodes of shows I like, so no money spent!

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $0
Money Spent Today: $0

Step 28: Vow to Screen Your Calls

Tonight was a fairly blase night, I mean, I worked and that was fun because it was with R, and we were once again quite silly, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Before work I played the Sims 2 and then took a shower. I AM SO INTERESTING, HUH?

Tomorrow, however, is supposed to be my day off, and I have sworn to screen all my calls. I might even put my car in the garage, so if anyone drives by, it looks like I've left town. I will NOT be called in to work. I /will/ /not/.

Besides, the knee I tweaked in the middle of the night ended up REALLY sore during my shift, so I think it'd be a good idea to give it a rest. Can't work, sore knee. Yep. That's my excuse. Not that anyone will be able to find me.

I spent nothing today! Always good news, ne?

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $0

Step 27: Nearly Pass Out

Right now, it is the morning after "today," but I could not possibly have posted this last night, because last night, I got inexplicably drowsy almost as soon as I got home, and therefore went straight to bed.

It was so hard to stay awake, that I got as far as getting my work clothes off before I fell into bed. Heh, oops? Anyway, I remember falling into bed, flipping my electric blanket on (it's COLD here, especially in the basement) and then...nothing. Until 5 am, when I woke up to go to the bathroom (something ELSE I skipped because I was just so heavy-lidded).

When I woke up, the only thought I really had was "pee." So, I sat up, grabbed my glasses and sung my feet to the floor. At this point I noted that I had no feeling in my right leg, it was asleep (still?). Vaguely I recalled that numb legs don't traditionally support any weight at all very well, but I shoved that little factiod away in favor of "pee." I got as far as the end of my bed, before the numbed leg slipped and gave out, and THEN there was feeling in it. From the knee, specfically. Mind you, at this point I was still mostly asleep, so I thought "bad...pee." Anyway, I got up, wentto the bathroom, then climbed back in bed, checked the time (thus how I knew it was 5 am), and then was dead to the world until 10:30 this morning.

My knee is pretty much okay. It's a little sore, and might get worse once I go standing on it at work tonight, but for now it's not too bad.

SPEAKING OF WORK! I had to work yesterday. Not because I was scheduled or because I really wanted to, but because T called in. He claimed he was so sick he was on his way to the hospital, but T has a tendency to dramatise EVERYTHING, so I doubt that. He probably sneezed once due to dust and was like "I'M CALLING IN!" Or, being that he tried to get me to work for him this weekend, he just decided that he didn't want to go to work, and he didn't want to call anyone to work FOR him, so he called G and told him that he was going to the hospital, so G would call around finding someone to cover his shift. Until I have trustworthy confirmation that T was, in fact, so ill he had to seek emergency medical assistance, T is on My List.

Because now, as it was when J worked there, I will never again have a true day off, because I'll have to wonder all day whether or not I'm going to get called in because T doesn't know what DayQuil is. Once again I have to screen my calls to AVOID getting called in on days when I really just can't be there (because they know I'm susceptible to guilt trips, so if they can just get ahold of me, I'll probably go in. >:|)

On the bright side, however, it was a night with C, which is always a blast, even though we spend all evening chatting, and then get sweaty hurrying to get everything done by closing time, heh.

It was also nice to be available when C's bank account went wonky for Reasons as Yet Unknown, so I could loan her a couple dollars until she got it figured out. Overall, it was a good day. T's still on the list though.

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $20.36