Well, gee, Governor, I'm a vampire.

WOW. I officially suck at blogging. It's been WAY too long since I updated...sorry!!

I had an interesting experience today that I thought I needed to write about. I have to give a bit of background information first.

Late this summer my friend Alison gushed to me about how she was in love with the Twilight Saga books by Stephenie Meyer. She insisted that I read them but I was hesitant for a few reasons:
1. I'm 25 years old. Not 15.
2. I hardly have time to read my Facebook wall posts (ha, you know it). Where was I going to find the time to read these 500+ page books (four books, to be exact) about vampires?
3. I'm 25 years old.
4. I had a few books on my "If I ever have time to read for fun these are the books I'd like to attempt to read" List that I wanted to read first...books I already spent money on.

As reluctant as I was, I told her I'd read them if she would loan the books to me because I didn't want to invest the money in four books that I thought I'd hate -- plus I'd heard it was impossible to stake claim to them at the library. She agreed that she would bring them to me next time she came to town.

Well, she didn't. She didn't forget to bring them... she couldn't bring them because each time she came to town the books were being read by a friend or family member...specifically, her mom and a friend she knew from UND Law School. The fact that her mom and a fellow married 20-something was reading these books made me more open to reading them myself.

A month or two passed with the occasional Twilight reference/rave but I still had not read any of the books. Eventually, a coworker-- who is in her twenties and has a baby-- finished reading the books and convinced me to read them. I took the first one, "Twilight," on a trip to Chicago one weekend. I couldn't find enough time to read. My husband and I were visiting family and I just wanted to ignore my in-laws all weekend and curl up and read. I even brought the book to a party/concert and read at the intermission to the dismay of others around me. I think I was getting glares because they were all jealous that they didn't have the brilliant idea to bring Twilight with them. Ha!

Thankfully, I had time on the plane to read and I quickly gobbled up the rest of the book and started the second as soon as I got my grubby hands on it-- I packed it with on the trip because I figured I'd finish the first. Good thinking!

I am currently about half-way through the third book. Commuting an hour to town and back each day makes reading trickier than I'd like... but it also means I get to "savor" each book a little longer. Yummy.

And this is where the "issues" come in. I've become obsessed with Twilight. And by obsessed, I mean I have started narrating my day like Bella does in print. I tried to convince my husband to do his hair like Edward's. I've seriously considered the possibility of real-life vampires and where I might find them. I've pushed the limits of my Toyota Camry on the highway and pretended that I had my own radar detector in my head (if you haven't read the books you probably won't get this). I actually had a conversation in the car one day with Edward. Seriously. We talked about Bella.

And now today, my mind has reached a new level of Twilight obsession. For those of you who don't know, I do PR for the NDDOT Fargo District and today we had a ribbon cutting ceremony for a project in West Fargo. The governor came for it and everything. When he arrived I greeted him and introduced myself. This is how the exchange happened:

Me: Hi, Governor. How was your trip?

Gov: Hi! It was good, thanks. Wow, your hands are so cold.

At this point any normal person would say something like, "Oh, I forgot my gloves." Or, "It's a little chilly out." Or just laugh it off. But not me.

My FIRST THOUGHT as a possible (and probable?) response to him was, "Well, that's because I'm a vampire." I quickly realized that that wasn't something I could say to the governor of North Dakota and expect to keep my job, so I just stuttered a lot and tried to think of something else to say:

Me: Oh, uh... Um... Er.... well...

NDDOT Guy: This is the gal that was just calling to see if your plane had landed.

Whew! Saved by a sane person! Thank God my internal filter was working this afternoon, or it may have been a completely different story!

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Going to be like Taylor Swift!

Okay, so if you've visited my other Web site (thinjen.webs.com) you know that once I reach a goal I'm going to dye my hair blonde.

And I reached that goal (sort of)! So tonight I'm going to get my hairs did all purty-like and be a little blondie. I haven't been blonde since my wedding and I'm excited to go back.

I'll be sure to post pics once it's done.

On another note, I'm back from Maine and had a grand ol' time! The ocean was amazing, the beach was relaxing, the food was filling and everything else was amazing. I really want to go back and explore more of the state/region sometime.

No pics to post at the moment, but I'll get some up soon. Okay, back to work. Lunch is over.

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Airports Annoy Me!

I have to make this quick because my flight boards in one minute (at 5:32 a.m., to be exact). People in airports always annoy the bejeezus out of me! While I was getting in line at the beginning on security, the lady in front of me was being escorted there by two males and saying goodbye to them. They were just standing there and not moving while the rest of the line was moving up. They just kept talking and hugging and I'm thinking, "Maybe you should let me go first so you can hug it out. Good Lord." But alas, no one ever thinks about those things except me. Maybe I'm too uptight about this kind of nonsense. Once she finally did move up in line she kept turning around and saying, "I love you guys" in a voice that no one should be forced to hear at 5:15 in the morning. Yikes. Oh, and did I mention she didn't have her ID out to get checked through security? C'mon people!! This is not a new rule! GEEZ!

Okay, they're calling me so I have to go, but I should also mention that there was a crazy guy in a wheelchair (he's already on the plane now) who was lecturing some strangers about church or something. I like church, but I don't like when other people lecture strangers about it. Oka, gotta go. To MAINE!

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A new Web site

Wow, it's been close to a month since my last post and for that I apologize.

I started a new Web site that allows me to do more things than this one does (calendar, blog, photo albums, guest book, etc). I'll still be using this one occasionally (c'mon, we all know I'm bad at updating this thing) to write about life in general, while I'll use the new one to chronicle my attempt at losing 15 pounds. You can see the new site at thinjen.webs.com

In other news, I think I discovered the cause of my rash. I think I'm allergic to tomatoes. Which sucks because I just planted two tomato plants this spring and they're starting to get little baby tomatoes already!! OH WELL. Could be worse, that's for sure.

Next week I'm going to Maine to visit my friend Anna. I've never been to Maine before and I am SUPER excited! I promise I'll post some pics when I get back!

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Love and Running (not a love of running)

I have a lot on my mind tonight... but it's that state of mind where there's a lot going on but you can't get it out into words. I feel anxious but I don't know why. I want to change but I don't know how. I want to do something but I don't know what that something is.

I just finished watching "He's Just Not That Into You" and I really liked it. Jerry watched most of it with me and I have to admit there were a number of times that I wanted to turn to him and say, "Is that how you feel/felt about me?" or "Is that true about guys?" but I resisted, which I am sure he's very happy about. I have to agree with the idea in the movie that it's just so odd that we tell our kids that if someone is mean to them it means that person has a crush on them (sorry for that horribly constructed sentence). I think this idea we tell our kids sets us/them up for failure. And what's the whole thing about who calls whom. If you like someone, why don't you just call and get that whole awkward part over with?

I'm really not one to talk about dating. I had one boyfriend in high school and early in college. I thought we were going to get married. I thought I was in love with him and that he was "the one." I told myself I was so lucky to find the love of my life so early on with no hassle. Ha! After we broke up I decided I was never going to get married --ever! I thought he was it for me and clearly (in my mind at that time) if it wasn't him it wasn't going to be anyone. Isn't it amazing how we talk ourselves into these things? I wasn't miserable in that relationship but, to be honest, half the time I was in the same room as the guy I was embarrassed or annoyed by him. And I thought that was love! Actually, I decided it was "love" Christmas of our senior year in high school. One day when I was at his house I got this overwhelming feeling of wanting to decorate him Christmas tree when we were adults. So, like any rational person would do, I concluded it was true love. Weird, huh?

Fast forward about 3.5 years from that time, and I met Jerry. What was great about dating Jerry is that we decided very early on that we were only going to be 100% honest with each other. No games, no lies or fibs, just honesty--even if it meant being a little harsh at times. And we never had the "When is he going to call me back?" issues like in the movie. After our first date we were inseparable. It wasn't until I started dating Jerry that I realized the "love" I had for my high school boyfriend wasn't love at all... it was just "like." It was teenager feelings. I was in love with the idea of being in love, so I made myself believe I was in love. Jerry was the one who really showed me how to love and be loved.

Okay, this is starting to sound a little sappy and weird... so I'll stop. On another note, I ran another 5K yesterday! I ran the YMCA Chase Race with my friend Laura and I improved on my time from the Fargo Marathon 5K by over 1:30! I was surprised to see I improved because the race felt horrible as I was doing it. I felt so bad and kept saying to Laura, "Go ahead if you want, I'm sorry if I'm slowing you down." But she insisted the pace was good. I'm a slow runner and I can't run very well. On a treadmill I can go for (what seem to me) long periods of time, but running outside in the elements makes me want to cry. I can hardly run for a minute before I feel like a need a walking break. Yuck! And speaking of the elements, we had some serious ones last night. The race was scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and it started raining around 4 p.m. By 6:30 we had a serious thunderstorm tearing through downtown Fargo. By 7 p.m. the rain had let up a bit and we started 15 minutes late. We ran the whole way in the rain but it felt good and kept us cool.

I think my next race will be the Scheel's 5K in July (I think?!). My goal is to be able to run a 5K without walking. Once I've reached that goal I'll work on my pace. My legs are just too dang short to be able to run very fast and have a good stride. So, we'll see how that goes. I've also decided to lose about 15 pounds and I've set some goals to help myself achieve that. One I lose 5 I'm going to get a spray-on tan (no skin cancer for me!), when I lose 10 I'm going to look into getting eyelash extensions, and when I lose the whole 15 I'm going to get a boob job (JUST KIDDING!). I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do at 15 pounds because I'm afraid you'll judge me. Okay, I want to get Botox between my eyes. I squint so much in the summer that I have a perma-wrinkle there and tan lines in the wrinkle creases! Botox is being used more now for the prevention of wrinkles on young people (like me!) and I figure I could give it a shot (haha, get it? Shot!). It only lasts a handful of weeks so if I don't like it, it will go back to normal in time.

Okay, off to bed. Good night everyone!

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22-Hour Vacation!

I know, I know... it's been a long time since my last update. I'm a horrible person. But, really, are you surprised?

In the last (almost) month since I posted lots of stuff has happened. Notably, Jerry and I went to Florida-- for 22 hours. Our dear friends Lezlee Johnson and Sean Bertie got married in Marco Island on May 16 so we decided to go down there and surprise them (we were invited, don't worry-- but we RSVP'd no because we didn't really realize we could make the trip work until about a week beforehand). We had an amazing time and feel blessed to have been a part of their special day. We send all the best the Sean and Lezlee.

The reception was a couple weeks later in Fargo-- also a blast!! Jerry couldn't make it but I went and represented (WORD) and danced on stage (don't worry-- it was okay the band encouraged it). All I have to say is that the next day was painful. Yuck.

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The Mysterious Rash Returns... and I ran a 5K!!!

Yep... it's back. To make a long story short:
-Took a steroid prescription while in Vegas
-Rash came back after I finished that prescription
-Went to dermatologist at end of March. He says I'm probably allergic to ibuprofen and other non-steroidal drugs
-I stop taking Advil and rash seems to diminish
-Start taking Tylenol, rash comes back
-Fill a prescription given to me by dermatologist. Prescription makes rash WORSE!
-Go back to derm. for biopsy, wait one week for results.
-I have urticarial vasculitis. Not sure what that means.
-Doc orders blood and urine tests.

Now I'm waiting to hear back on those tests. I think they're testing for Lupus, among other things, as urticarial vasculitis can be associated with Lupus and other rheumatoidal conditions.

In other news... I ran the Fargo Marathon 5K!!! And I'm so proud of myself! My mom is a marathon runner and I've grown up cheering on runners at various marathons across the state and volunteering at local races that my mom has helped direct. Something I'd never done was actually participate in a race. As a freshman in college, I set a goal to run a marathon before I graduated... and clearly that didn't happen.

About 2.5 weeks before the Fargo Marathon I found myself on the Web site and decided just to sign up for it (the 5K, not the full, OMG!). I trained as much as I could and set a goal of 45 minutes to complete it (although my secret goal was 40 minutes). I figured this would allow me to walk in case I thought I was going to die. With the help of my mom who ran with me and kept me motivated, I finished in 37:26... and totally beat my goal! Woo hoo!

Running it made me feel so good that I decided to run at least one 5K each month this summer. The next one I'm planning to run is the YMCA Chase Race 5K in June. Wish me luck and come run with me if you want!!

On a final note, today is really my last official day as an instructor at NDSU. My students have all turned in their portfolios and now I just need to read and grade them. And then my time at NDSU (for now, at least) is over. Speaking about that grading thing... time to do that.

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Well, hello again!

Wow! It's been a while since I last updated... and by a while I mean a LONG time. Sorry about that. As I'm sure most of you already know, we were dealing with serious flooding here in the Red River Valley. I'm going to blame everything on the flood, including my lack of posts. So, let's catch up, shall we?

The last time we really talked I was about to leave for Las Vegas. We had such a fun time! I had never been there before so everything was new and cool and fun! It was great seeing things I had only seen on TV and identifying with them. The weather was beautiful, the hotel was stunning and I won $300! I would give events and attractions in Las Vegas an A -- because it is so fun to rate things on a graded system, isn't it?

I do have to say, however, that the service would earn a D in Vegas. I was so disappointed! It's like these people don't work for tips. They just didn't understand the idea of guest interaction and quick service. Now, I'm not saying that I went to a sit down restaurant and wanted a fast meal, because there are certainly times when I'm okay with waiting for my food. But the first night we got there we had a LATE dinner at one of the restaurants in the Bellagio (it was called FIX). We waited about 15 minutes before anyone even SHOWED up to our table (at least we were seated quickly)!! Once we were greeted by our waiter everything else (drinks, food, the bill) took a long time considering the place was quiet and most people that were in there were just having drinks and no food.















This wasn't an isolated incident. Over and over again I was amazed at how poor service all over the Las Vegas Strip was. Not impressed! The wait staff was nice enough but just extremely SLOW... and then when it was time for the bill it was like they couldn't get you out fast enough (I get that on the profit side of things, but is it necessary to make us feel like we're getting kicked out?).















I would definitely go back to Vegas because it was fun apart from the service. Some fun things we did included Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum, Blue Man Group, and Ka (a Cirque du Soleil Show) -- all very impressive! We walked a TON every day and wound up with some painful feet. There was a point when I thought my arch had fallen. SO PAINFUL! But we're fine now!

I've included some pics. The first one is the view of the Bellagio water fountain from our room. Next is me and Jerry before we left (AWWWW), and the third one is Jerry trying to pay Jenna Jamison to.... not sure what he wants to do with her.... (WAX FIGURE, people!!).

Next update will come soon and will be about the flood (or maybe not... I think we're all ready to MOVE ON!!).

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Flood Diary Part 2!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I_r5Cso5QU

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Flood 2009

Check out my video blog as the great Red River Flood of 2009 progresses...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-q4HwSOXxg

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Vegas, baby!

We're going to Las Vegas this week and I am so excited!

I've never been to Vegas before but I've heard lots of good (and bad) things. Most people that I've talked to recently about the trip say things like, "It's a fun place," "It's like a playground for adults," or, "Seriously? You've never been?"

We're staying at the Bellagio, which I only know from scenes from Ocean's 11 CSI. This coming Friday is my birthday and that night we're going to a Cirque du Soleil show... I think it's the new show but I'd be a bad person to ask because I really have no clue what's going on. I really don't care what we do while we're there, but I'm not too keen on gambling. I just look at all the money/chips and think about all the other things I could be doing with that money (spa, dinner, bills, savings...).

If you have any tips/advice on Vegas, I'd love to hear it! We leave Tuesday evening.

In other "news," I've been having some writer's block issues lately. This past week at work I had to write some copy for a direct mail piece for a chiropractor. Doesn't sounds too hard but it was! I couldn't get into it. I couldn't communicate what the chiropractor wanted. It was frustrating.

I've also been stuck on issues for the blog. I can't ever think of things to write about. Or, if I do think of something, it's at an extremely inconvenient time or place and when I sit down to write, I can't remember what the idea was! I could easily make this blog just a recount of what happened to me during the past X number of days, but I think it would be boring. When I started blogging it was about interesting or funny things that had happened... not just everyday things. And now nothing interesting OR funny is happening in my life.... hm... oh well.

If you're wondering about what ever happened to my skin issues... it got worse before it got better. Without going into detail, on Friday the rash came back to my hands and wrists, and then traveled up my arms, then jumped to my feet, and then ran up my legs to my hips, and then stopped on my back. Thursday night from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. I watched the rash envelop my body. And I called Ask-A-Nurse. She told me to go to the E.R. I didn't. I went to bed and woke up the next morning with the rash 99% gone! But then it came back. So Jerry and I went to Urgent Care at MeritCare in Fargo. Told the doctor I wasn't convinced it was an allergy and wanted answers.

"Do I have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever?"

"I see you've been on the Internet. No, you don't have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever."

"I Googled this rash and the three options are Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, syphilis, or meningitis."

"Well, you don't have any of those."

"Thank God!"

He seemed to think it was a virus of some sort and prescribed me MORE steroids (in pill form this time) that I started this morning. Oh, I also went to the NDSU health center on Friday (before the rash got to my legs) and the doctor there told me to take some Zyrtec which didn't work at all.

Hopefully 4th time's a charm...??

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Steroids and sneezes

So, I'm not really sure what's going on with my body... but something weird is happening.

I first noticed it in January when Jerry and I were in Chicago for a later Christmas. I woke up one morning and the area below my left eye (where the dark circles appear) was puffy and swollen. It was strange and annoying but I didn't think anything of it. It went away around lunchtime. The next morning the exact same area under my right eye was swollen. Hm... odd. Probably just a mild reaction to the detergent used in the sheets or something. It went away by lunch.

The puffy eyes slowly started to get worse. It only happened in one eye at a time and usually occurred about once a week or once every two weeks.

Then I started noticing little red bumps and spots on my hands. Every so often, I found these little splotches but thought they were from having dry skin in the winter. They always went away after a few hours.

On Monday night, as I was driving home, my left eye started to itch. When I got home and looked in the mirror it was completely red in the inner corner and the bottom lid and top lid near the outer corner of the eye were swelling up. It had happened before so I wasn't really worried... just frustrated. I put a warm compress on it hoping the swelling would go down. No such luck. I went to bed and before I fell asleep I noticed that my eye was almost swollen shut!
By the time Jerry got home from his fishing club meeting I could hardly open my eye. I thought it would go away overnight...

But it didn't. So I went to the walk-in clinic at MeritCare. An hour later, the doctor took a look at my eyes and said, "You should see a specialist" and referred me to an ophthalmologist at MeritCare Southpointe. Later that morning I was sitting in another room, this one filled with equipment to stare deep into my eyes (read like a romance novel).

This doctor, who was very nice and educational, had me put my chin on the chin rest and look up. He looked through his little microscope thing with the blinding light and said, "Yep! You have GPC." Then he put some strange dye in my eyes and looked at each one again. "You have a bad case of GPC. You're definitely having an allergic reaction to something in your eyes."

GPC stands for Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis. Apparently, when you look at the inner lids under a microscope they look like a cobblestone street. All the papillae are swollen and inflamed. Apparently, it's sort of like adult pink eye, minus the itch and discharge (ew!).

"You need to figure out what you're allergic to. Are you using any new soaps or lotions or makeup?"

"No. I don't think so. Is there something that commonly causes this?"

"Well, 9 times out of 10 it's caused by contact lenses."

"But I don't wear contacts."

"Right. So you'll have to really think about what could be causing this. It's possible you'll never figure it out. And, unfortunately, the drops I'm going to prescribe will only have a 50/50 chance of working."

"Hm...."

So I get these steroid drops to put in my eyes 3 times a day for 10 days. End of story? Of course not.

The next morning I woke up with a rash all over my hands. From my wrists to the base of my fingers. It doesn't itch but it's really gross-looking and annoying. I had seen it before this winter but never to this extent and I always thought it was just because my skin was dry and irritated from the dry winter air. I took pictures and e-mailed them to my mom from work. She called back and said, "I think you need to go back to the hospital."



So I did. Met with a different doctor (who was very crabby and rude) who told me I was having an allergic reaction on my skin (dermatitis) and I would have to figure out what I was allergic to. He thinks it's strange that it's only on my hands and asks if I've started using a new lotion.

"Nope."

"Soaps?"

"No."

"Hm... okay. We'll you'll probably never figure it out."

"Awesome."

He prescribes me a steroid cream to put on my hands twice a day. And now I'm trying to figure out what I'm allergic to. I threw away all my eye makeup. I threw away my mittens. I threw away my lotions. I bought new hypoallergenic soaps and makeup. I've been staring at my hands to see what happens after I do things like wash them or eat things.

And I have no answers so far. I've also been abnormally sneezey lately but I'm not sure if that's an allergy thing or the start of a cold.

As I'm typing this I'm starting to notice a few red splotches on my hands. What did I do today? I put the cream on this morning and still I'm having a reaction. What's going on?? I was feeling really sick yesterday around noon. Does that have anything to do with this? What's going on??

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Leaving my husband...in a letterman's jacket

No, it's not what you think. We're still married and still together.

Yesterday Jerry dropped me off at O'Hare International Airport. I was on my way back home and he is still in Chicago because he's giving a seminar this Thursday. This goodbye was one of the hardest in recent memory. Not sure why, but it felt like we were saying goodbye for good. I couldn't help but cry. It was painful. I wanted him to come home with me.

One thing that was nice was that an airport employee saw that I was upset and when I went to get my boarding pass printed he was extremely nice to me. I tried to explain to him that I needed a new boarding pass because when I checked in online I didn't have a printer handy. But I was bumbling over my words and trying to keep my tears in. He looked closely at me and interrupted my shaky words-- "You need me to print you a boarding pass? Put your stuff down here and step inside." (We were at one of those curbside check-in kiosks.) He was so kind to me and so patient. I know he'll never read this blog, but if he does, thank you, sir! You made a difficult moment just a little bit better.

As I walked through the airport with my large sunglasses on, trying to hide my red eyes, I thought about how many different emotions airport employees must see on a weekly--or even daily--basis. Certainly, I was not the first, nor the last, person to cry their way through the airport. I thought a lot about people traveling for funerals of loved ones. I can't imagine being forced to travel with the death of a family member or friend on my mind. Enough about death and depression.

On another note... I went out to eat with my brother last week and we saw some kids wearing letterman's jackets. I started to think about what a waste those jackets really are. Don't get me wrong and don't take offense if you wore one-- I had one in high school myself. What's wasteful is that most people don't get the jackets until their junior or even senior year in school-- after they've been able to letter in something-- and then you can't wear them after you graduate, can you? So we're really only looking at about two years of use. But they're too heavy to wear in warm weather and a little too light to wear in really cold weather.

So, if we take 52 weeks in the year, and average that about 30 of those weeks are jacket-wearing-weeks (meaning cool enough to merit jacket use). So 30 weeks for 2 years is 60 weeks of use (on average). The average letterman's jacket costs about $150 the first time (each additional letter/patch/chevron costs extra plus the fee to attach them if you can't have someone do it for free). So, a letterman's jacket comes out to about $2.50 each week of wear, which comes out to 41.6 cents if you wear it 6 days a week (I'm assuming you'll wear a different coat or no coat at all one day a week).

Now, 41.6 cents may not seem like a lot, but if you wear a coat with an average life of 4 years.... okay, seriously... I can't believe I'm blogging about this. How nerdy.... actually, it's a perfectly good segue to my real point about letterman's jackets (mine, in particular): I had the nerdiest letterman's jacket of all time! Here were the things I lettered in during high school:
Academics
Student Council
Band
Theatre
Speech

For real. No sports. Just nerdy things. And now, here I am, seven years later, calculating the cost per wear of a letterman's jacket. It's surprising I didn't letter in MATH.

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"Ma'am, are you comfortable taking off that sweater?"

This was a question I heard yesterday while waiting in line (a surprisingly long line) at the Fargo Airport. There was this woman who I think has never traveled on a plane before. And if she has traveled by plane, she is one of those people who thinks every time she travels it will be easy and doesn't understand what "federal rules and regulations" means.

My first notice of this woman was when she was exiting through the entrance of the security line. I was getting my boarding pass and ID checked and she clumsily bumped her way by others waiting politely in line. Apparently she didn't know the whole 4-1-1 rule (no more than 4 ounces of liquids contained in a 1 quart bag limited to 1 per passenger). She had to go to the gift store and purchase a baggie to put her liquids in. Then, on her way back into the line, she walked right by security thinking, "Since I was already checked they don't have to check me again." In any other area of life, this thought process would probably work. But this is the government we're talking about. Nothing is easy with the government. So anyway, she tries walking by the security agent again and gets yelled at. Has to go back and get re-checked.

Then, on her way back through the line, she knocks over an elderly woman's rolling carry-on bag, turns around, looks at the bag on the floor, and keeps walking (I should say walking into people, because this woman was extremely clumsy). How rude! She didn't even apologize for knocking the bag over. I would understand if we were out east, but this is Fargo, people! Have manners! How are we supposed to maintain that "Minnesota Nice" if we aren't actually nice? By the way, I understand that Fargo is not in Minnesota, but Fargo has the whole "Nice" thing going on, too. The poor elderly woman just sort of looked down at the bag, realized this woman was not going to help her set the bag up right and was not going to apologize. She just had this sort of "Did that really just happen?" look on her face.

So next, this woman gets to her spot in line and eventually gets to the X-ray machine and metal detector. When she was about to go through the metal detector, the TSA agent realized the woman was still wearing her shoes, a big scarf, and a long sweater-dress. First she instructs the woman to take her shoes off. Then goes the scarf. Then she asks if she's comfortable removing her sweater... but the woman doesn't hear the question about the sweater. So she asks again, and again. Then an agent at the X-ray machine yells to the woman, "Will you please take your sweater off?" So she does. And now she's able to go through the machine. And, you guessed it, she sets the machine off. Goes back through. Still beeping. The agent asks her to take her jewelry off but the woman is insisting it's not her huge chunky metal necklace that's the problem. Eventually she's persuaded to take off the necklace and -- voila!-- she can now go through the detector with no problems.

GOOD LORD! When I go on vacation I don't even wear metal things to the airport. I try to stay as simple as possible. Easy shoes. Easy layers (if I wear layers at all). Little to no jewelry. And I don't forget about my liquids baggie!

One thing I would like to know is since when did TSA agents start asking, "Do you feel comfortable taking off your....?" Why even give the option? I went through security once in flip-flops and had to take those off. Which meant I had to walk around the security area in care feet. Gross! I told the agent I didn't want to be in bare feet because it was disgusting to get other people's germs on me (I'm not a germophobe, I promise!) but he still made me do it. I don't feel comfortable taking my belt off sometimes (makes me feel like I'm about to be really exposed) but I still have to (although I don't wear belts through security anymore). If a terrorist went through security with a bomb strapped to his chest would he be given the option to take it off or leave it on if it made him "more comfortable?" A little outlandish, I know... but do you see where I'm going with this? I wonder, had that woman been of a different color, would she have been asked so politely about the sweater? Or would it have been a command: "Ma'am, take off your sweater."

I'm just still amazed by the stupidity some people show when it comes to airport security. Plan ahead, people! Plan ahead.

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Valentine's Day on "D' Range"

I spent my Valentine's weekend in Grand Rapids working at Zorbaz. It was a really fun weekend! And in case you're wondering, no, Jerry wasn't up there to celebrate the most amazing holiday of the year with me. He was in Milwaukee. And now he's in Hayward, Wisc. And then he's going to Rockford, Ill. And then he's going back to Milwaukee. And then, two and a half weeks after he left home, he'll return to my loving arms (ha ha ha).

And no, I don't really think Valentine's Day is the best "holiday" of the year. I don't really get it. Shouldn't every day be a day you tell your sweetie you love him or her? Shouldn't we always tell others we're grateful for them? Why set aside a day to be "extra special" to those you love? I think we should strive to always make sure those we love know how appreciative we are and how much we love them. It's corny and cliche, I know, but think of what would happen if you were to die tonight. Would everyone that you love really know it? Would you regret leaving a relationship a certain way? Would you regret words you said that would end up being your last? Would you wish you would have told more people that you love them?

I don't want to regret not telling someone I love them. The one thing I regret most in life is not telling my Aunt Carol that I loved her before she died. The last time I saw her was in her living room. She was dying of leukemia. Her thick, curly hair was gone. Her body was gone, replaced by a mere skeleton draped in skin. Her mind was gone. The last thing I remember her talking about was the smell of the color green and the way asparagus felt. She was gone. My mom warned me before we went to see her that the person I was going to see wasn't really Carol, but what was left after the chemo and radiation took their toll on her mind and body. We were going to see a person who was full of morphine and other drugs.

Even after this warning, I was still shocked, horrified, and deeply saddened by what I saw. She didn't even register that I was there. She didn't say hello back. There wasn't the warm welcome that I was accustomed to when entering her house. I remember following my mom wherever she went. We went into the kitchen and I started to cry. It was one of those moments when you're so, so, so sad that your whole body hurts but you try to hold it in. I didn't want others to start crying. I didn't want what was left of Carol to hear how upset I was. My uncles and mom tried to console me and reiterated that this wasn't Carol anymore. Just her body.

On our way out the door, I stood at the end of the hospital bed that was right next to the front window (so she could see all the birds and butterflies that were attracted to her beautiful flower gardens) and thought about saying, "Goodbye Carol. I love you." But I was too afraid. I didn't want goodbye to be goodbye. I just wanted it to be a "see ya later," but I knew better. I was too scared to say anything because I didn't want to start crying again. I wanted to be strong, but what I perceived as strength was more like ignorant pride. I was too proud to cry. I cared more about how I would look to others that about letting my beloved aunt know she was deeply loved. So I muttered a shaky "Bye" and walked out.

This is the thing I regret most deeply in my 25 years on Earth. If I could relive one moment, it would be this one. I would go to her side, hold her hand, give her a kiss on the cheek and say, "Carol, I love you." There would be tears. There would be lots of tears. But I would be content knowing the last thing I said to her was from my heart.

I don't want this scenario to happen to anyone of you, nor do I want to go through this again. I challenge you to get in touch with those loved ones you haven't seen or spoken to in a while and remind them of how they're loved. It can be an e-mail, a phone call, a card, or a conversation over coffee. Just let them know.

To my friends and family, I love you so very much. It might not mean much coming from a blog, but it's true. I love you. Thank you for everything. You have all shaped me in ways you could never know or imagine. I will never forget the love you have given me nor the lessons you have taught me. Thank you and I love you.

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It's only Tuesday??

Don't you hate it when weeks go by slowly? I kept thinking today was Thursday and that I should update the blog because it's been almost a week... when in reality it's only been a few days. But it was a resolution of mine to update more often, so here I am.

You may be wondering what good news I have from the last entry. Although I know only about 4 people read this (on a good day) and I already told at least two of you what the news is, so it's really not that exciting anymore. BUT.... I was offered a full time job! With a salary! And benefits! And a cubicle! WOW! I love the job so I accepted but I won't be full time until the semester is over in May and I can be done teaching for good (well, for a while). This is the same job I've been blogging about lately and I'm not going to talk any more about it except to say that I really like it and I'm really excited to see where this opportunity will take me (that sounded like a line in a cover letter).

I am a little bummed about one this. Zorbaz. I was secretly hoping that I wouldn't be able to find a job so I could go back and work there this zummer. The only option I think I have would be to work a weekend schedule... but then I have really no days to myself... so we'll have to see what happens. We're done at the office (it feels so fancy to say that!) at noon on Fridays in the summer so I could maybe work Friday and Saturday evenings and Sundays during the day (Jerilyn, I know you'll probably read this... so this is just what I'm thinking about for the summer, just so you know!).

Other than that exciting shtuff, I feel like I haven't really had anything else to blog about lately. I mean, stuff happens in my life but it's not really blog-worthy. I think most of the stuff I wind up writing about, is pretty boring anyway... but I write because ... I write because I just do, I guess. Not sure if that makes a whole lot of sense... but I do. It's funny because the only reason I started this account on Blogspot was so that I could comment on Jerilyn's page about her trip to New Zealand (jerilynsheryak.blogspot.com). I didn't think I would actually start writing, but I did. If you read some of my original posts, they were all related to my weight. I thought this would be a good place to document how fat I feel/how skinny I wish I was. Unfortunately, too many people have blogs like this, and too many people whine too much on blogs like this. So, I nixed that idea because I didn't want to be too whiney sounding.

FYI, right now I am sitting at the dining room table with a cat on my arm. I'm talking outloud (aloud? outloud?) to myself in a strange Dougie Howser-ish kind of way. For some reason, it seems like if I say it it will sound good on the computer screen. So far, I think I'm probably wrong. Oh well.

As most of you know, my husband is obsessed with muskies. Obsessed. It's kind of ridiculous at times, but I think I'm getting used to it. Last week, he and a friend went to the cities to put together a DVD of him fishing. Over the past year or so, he has collected hundreds of hours of footage of his fishing adventures. It has finally come together in a DVD called "Go Fish." It is currently being produced and will be available to purchase this weekend at the expo in Milwaukee. You can check the trailer for the video out on YouTube... click here.

Don't worry, Alison, none of those fish came from anywhere NEAR Pelican! hee hee.

Well, I've stopped talking to myself now, which I think is a good sign, but who knows??? I'm going to go watch some trashy TV for a bit and then call it a night. Thanks for reading. Leave comments, it makes me feel special. =)

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I have good news!!

But you'll have to wait to hear about it until later!

Hee hee!

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My Very Own Cube

Well, I am officially done with my first two days at my new job and it was a great two days! I really, really like where I work and with whom I work but I'm nervous about getting too settled in and cozy just in case at the end of my "trial period" they decide not to make me a permanent fixture. From the way things have been sounding, I think I have a really great chance of getting this as a full-time gig. Until then, I'm just going to keep working as hard as I can and learning the system as fast and as well as possible.

The office is a really relaxed, fun environment. I have my very own cubicle! I never thought I wanted to work in a cubicle. Growing up, I saw my mom and dad with their own offices and thought that was totally normal. It wasn't until Dilbert and "Office Space" that I really started to understand the enormity of "cubes" in the office setting. I thought only fake employees had to work in a cubicle and that it was miserable 100 percent of the time. But I like it. It's open and informal and I can tell what's going on around me. I'll be updating on the job as important things happen.

In other news, I was feeling crafty the other day (like Martha Stewart, not like a fox) and decided to make my own bird feeder thingys. It's a really easy recipe to create the "glue" that holds the seeds together so I thought I'd share it with you. The recipe is from this site.
Edible Glue: 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup water, 3 Tbsp. corn syrup
Add 4 cups birdseed and peanuts, fruits, berries, raisins, or anything else the birds enjoy.

I also added a little bit of honey for flavor (if birds even care).... So you mix all of this stuff together and shape it on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper (or tin foil). If you want them to look nice you could use deep cookie cutters to shape them. I just made big pancakes so they're kind of ugly but I doubt the birds care! After you have them laid out, let them dry for 4-6 hours, then flip it, and allow to dry for another 4-6 hours. They will still be fragile so be careful about handling them when they're drying.

Here's a picture of one of mine (sorry for the poor quality, it was taken on my cell phone camera). You can see I punched a small hole near the edge (but not too close to the edge) and thread some kraft ribbon through it. Tomorrow I'll go put it out on a tree branch in the yard and enjoy all the birds that stop by for a bite.


Have a great weekend and enjoy the Superbowl!

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Nerves!!

Wish me luck! Tomorrow (Thursday) I am starting a new job! A local marketing and advertising firm is hiring me on a kind of trial basis. I'll work there for about a month doing contract work as a copy writer. I'll be writing all sorts of things. So far I've written 2 ads, a brochure, and some bios for a Web site. I'll be going into the office about 3 days a week in the mornings to meet people, get to know the office, and see if it's a good fit.

I'll write more tomorrow or sometime this weekend and let you know how things went. Woo hoo!

PS: Check out my new YouTube video of my cat Sugar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebfiH-dDokA

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Barack Omania

For those of you living under a rock, this past Tuesday at noon Barack Obama became the 44th president of America and the first black president in history. It surely is a momentous time in our country's history. I really like Obama, however, I did not vote for him. Regardless, I think he has amazing potential and is likely the best candidate to heal the wounds of polarization our country has been victim to during the past decade or so. You may be asking, if you like Barack, why didn't you vote for him? Let me just say that this election was really tough for me for a few reasons.

1. Unlike the past 2 elections, I didn't absolutely abhor the Democratic nominee. I could find hardly anything to dislike about Obama, which made it tough to not vote for him.

2. Traditionally, my family (dad's side, anyway) votes Republican and before you get all mad at me for doing what my dad does, let me explain. We own a small business, we've been in the military, and we're morally and fiscally conservative. This is how I was raised and I still hold tight most (not all, but most) of these viewpoints and traditions. In the 2002 election between Coleman and Wellstone I voted absentee before Wellstone was tragically killed. And I voted for him. When my younger brother (who was too young to vote back then) found out I voted for Wellstone, arguably the most liberal senator in all of Washington, he told my grandmother and she looked at me like she wanted to disown me. When it comes down to it, I respect what she believes in, but I really don't care what she thinks about my voting record. The point is that it's hard for me to vote for the "other guys" because I know what party is best for my loved ones.

3. I don't agree with Obama's stance on abortion. I'm not anti-abortion but I would consider myself pro-life (I don't confine myself to the pro-life/pro-choice definitions the media tries to inflict upon us. It's not black and white). My biggest beef comes with Obama's view that partial birth abortion is a legitimate medial procedure. If you don't know much about PBA, check out this site: http://www.priestsforlife.org/partialbirth.html Don't worry, there are no real photos of dead babies, but there is a long description of the procedure and illustrations (not graphic). Obama has also voted against legislation that would ensure proper care of babies who survived abortions. In other words, if a woman attempts to have an abortion and goes into early labor, Barack believes that baby should not necessarily be given medical attention. There are people who have lived through this kind of thing and are alive today to talk about it. Anyway, I'm starting to sound like a crazy person so I'll move on... but first I want to just say again that I'm not anti-abortion... just anti-partial birth abortion.

4. I really, really, really hate when Hollywood gets involved in politics. I understand that each person has the right and freedom to think whatever he or she wants and to vote for whomever he or she sees fit. But, when Ben Affleck and Brad Pitt try to tell me who to vote for but base their arguments on nothing more than bandwagon propaganda strategies, that's just an insult to my intelligence. For example, I saw a PSA-type commercial with cast members from the shop "Gossip Girl" in which they were pleading to their parents to not vote for John McCain. Are you kidding me? Again, I know we live in a democracy and it's based on free speech and freedom of opinion, but honestly, THEY need to respect the rights of conservatives. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I'm sick of people voting for the left-wingers because Hollywood portrays that as the "cool" thing to do. And now we're just seeing it even more with all the celebs taking part in the inaugural events. If Barack's whole presidency is a red carpet event covered on the E! channel, I am going to move somewhere far, far away. End of story, the Hollywood-effect is very off-putting and makes me want to NOT vote for their candidate. I guess I just don't want to be "cool."

6. My husband likes guns and has lots of guns. I don't really care about gun control too much (well, I CARE about it, but it's usually not a deciding-point for me) but if Jerry is bothered by new gun-control policies and procedures, then I have to live with a crabby husband. No fun!!

At the end of the day, I do like Obama and I truly believe he'll do a good job in office. Oh, and for the record, I wanted Ron Paul to win!!

PS: I really hope I didn't offend anyone with my rants. If I did, please accept my sincerest apologies.

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A Few Chicago Pics...

Here's the giant shiny bean in Millennium Park. It's funny, considering how many times I've been to Chicago I've never actually seen the bean (haha, that rhymes).
Up-close and personal with the bean. It was really weird walking underneath it and looking up because there are about 20 reflections of yourself but you can't really tell what you're looking at. I got a little dizzy and felt like I was tripping on some serious meds!
Here's Jerry with our nephew Nathan (almost 6).
Here's me being attacked by Jason (2) and Nathan (5).
Not a great picture, but Jason was having so much fun playing horsey. Whenever I sat down to take a break he would say (through the paci) "Get up! Get up!" Such a cutie!

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13 Hours in the Car

So. tired. need.... sleep. Will blog.... later.

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Chicago Day 5

We've been here only for 5 full days but I feel as if it's been weeks. For the past 2 nights I've spent the nights with my good friend Katja. We haven't been able to hang out as much as I would have liked but it's still good just to see each other for a bit. I think we're going to try to get Oprah tickets someday!! I'm not really a huge fan of Oprah but it would still be cool to go. Wouldn't it be great it we went on her Favorite Things show?! "Everybody gets a humpback whale!!" (Dane Cook joke, in case you didn't get it.)

Yesterday I got my hair trimmed and the stylist (Tony from Italy) straightened it for me. WOW! I LOVE my new hair!! Of course as soon as it gets wet it will be curly again so that's why I'm never taking a shower ever again (kidding.) It didn't take too long to style straight but I don't think I'd be able to do it well at home. I'll definitely be getting it done like this more often!

After the hair, Susan and I went out to the Northbrook Shopping Center. I got some stuff from Lush (soap place) and Susan got a lot of things from fancy stores like Juicy Couture, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, etc... They all have nice things but I just cannot justify spending 90 bucks on a T-shirt. Are you kidding me? $90 for a shirt? NO WAY! Then we ate at Boston Blackey's. They have really great burgers for a very reasonable price.

Tonight Susan, Josette, Katja and I are going to the Baton Club. I guess it's just a show with lots of hot ladies that you later learn are actually men. I've heard lots of good things about it so hopefully it will live up to its reputation.

In other news, school starts for me on Jan. 13. You may be thinking, "Wait a minute. I thought you were done with school. Why are you going back?" Yes, I am done being a student. I was hired to teach one section of Intro to Media Writing this spring. I pays about the same as teaching 2 sections last semester did... so I need to find another job. Problem is... economy sucks. No one is hiring. SO, I'm trying to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with my life. Maybe just stay at home and not spend money. Sounds like a plan to me.

So school is starting in a few days and I have yet to write the syllabus (and by "write" I mean revise from last semester to this semester) so I am currently sitting in a little cafe with free internet downstairs from Katja's apartment. My plan is to write this dang syllabus now but I think we all know it's not going to happen until Monday night.

Wish me luck.

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The Mysterious Gold Key

Tonight Jerry, our niece Lauren, and my friend Katja were on our way home from dinner and I was in the back seat of my car trying to clean up a bit (empty pop cans, water bottles, receipts, wrappers, etc...). I looked in the seat pocket on the back of the passenger seat and found something mysterious inside. It was a gold key. A big gold key. I mean this is no average key. The "handle" part is at least 1" x 1" and has the inscription L 21 on it.

This is not my key. I have no clue where it came from or how long it's been there. It's freaking me out. Not really freaking me out, just really making me wish I was a CSI person and had the brains to figure out where it's from. A part of me thinks that this might actually be MY key... but I think I would remember if I had a ginormous key like this. It's not my safety deposit box key, not a work or home key, not the key to my chastity belt--uh I mean my diary... The fact that it says "L 21" on it makes me think it's to something like an apartment or a mailbox or safety deposit box. Who knows?!?!

Chicago has been great so far. We've shopped and dined and entertained. Yesterday Jerry, Susan and I went to the movie Gran Torino. Other than some crappy acting at times (Clint Eastwood was, of course, great), the movie was pretty good. I thought it was supposed to be an action movie but it's actually a kindhearted story about a war veteran who goes through a racially-based change of heart. He lives in a neighborhood that has become a mostly Hmong area in his town and struggles to find any way to relate to these people. I don't want to give away any part of the movie, but it's definitely a tear-jerker that will really make you think about immigrants and refugees differently. I would recommend that everyone see this movie -- even if you wait to rent it.

Today Lauren came into the city and we had lunch and saw Jess from the first season of Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. I've never watched the show but Lauren knew her and got really excited. I guess this Jess lady won the whole thing... but Rock of Love is now in the 3rd season so I guess her love with Bret is over... what a shocker! After lunch we decided to go see some puppies so we went to a place called Pocket Puppies. They specialize in little dogs and little dog accessories. They had about 15 puppies there that were all so tiny and cute! One dog was a teacup chihuahua that was about the size of, well, a teacup. It was so little and cute from a distance but one we got close it was kind of ugly. It's eyes were bulging and on the sides of its head. Ew. They had a bigger chihuahua that we got to play with for a while and was really cute and sweet. But then Jerry started feeling itchy so we had to leave. Next we went to the Anti-Cruelty Society downtown and looked at the dogs and cats. There really weren't a lot of dogs... and I think that's good because maybe it means not a lot of dogs are being abused/neglected/dumped in Chicago? Or maybe they don't have enough funding to keep all the cages full.

Tonight we picked up Katja at her office and ate at the Melting Pot... yummy!! Then on the way to drop Katja off, Jerry ran a red light and got pulled over... scary!! And he got a big ticket... crappy!!

Tomorrow Fred's grandson Steven is coming into town from Boston and is staying in the Hancock condo so we must say goodbye to our sweet diggs here. I'm staying with Katja tomorrow night and Jerry's staying with Joe and Josette (and the kids). Then on Thursday Jerry will start setting up for the show, which starts on Friday.

Anyway, it's late and we've got an early morning tomorrow, so I'm calling this a night. Sleep tight, Internet!

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Heading to Chi-town

Jerry and I are preparing to leave for Chicago today. I was hoping we would have been on the road by 8 a.m. but we didn't even get out of bed until 9:30.... oh well. So right now (11:07 a.m.) Jerry's on the phone and I don't think he has any clothes on so we won't be going anytime soon. Even if he was dressed, we still have a ton of things to do before we depart. We were actually supposed to leave yesterday but we got a lot of snow so we delayed departure a day or so. I'm excited to go to Chicago because I haven't seen the Sondag side of the family for over a year... plus we're staying in the Hancock tower for a few nights before we move into a hotel closer to where Jerry's muskie expo is.

I'd love to write more but there is a ton of stuff for me to do and I'm feeling bad about blogging instead of actually being productive. I suppose my first to-do is to make sure Jerry has clothes on-- and he does!! The day may proceed!

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A New Year!

A Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!!

Since I last blogged I've been thinking about things I need to blog about... and now that I'm actually doing it, I've forgotten what it was I wanted to say. I must be getting old...

Jerry and I had a very nice Christmas. It was quite calm compared to last year's (we spend Christmas Eve and early Christmas morning in the ER after his sister, Susan, got in a car accident-- no worries, just a few bumps and bruises). We had dinner with my family in Moorhead, unwrapped presents, and then waited until the 11 p.m. candlelight ceremony started... well, we attempted to wait. Around 9 p.m. we both got so tired we decided to head home and catch a Christmas morning ceremony instead. This was the first time I was home for Christmas since Jerry and I have been together. Since 2005 we've spent the holiday in Chicago, which is nice, but it's just not home. The first Christmas we spent there we had Christmas Eve dinner at the McDonald's downtown... not exactly what I would consider a "great" Christmas, but it was good being with Jerry and seeing a really big McDonald's store!

For Christmas I got a 16-gallon aquarium that I am really excited to set up (as soon as I find a home for it). At this point, Alison and Brent Olson are sitting in their home in Grand Forks saying, "Oh no, it's the summer of Jen-ocide!!" and I want you to stop! I know why all those fish (and the one frog) died and it won't happen again! .... I hope.... I think I'm going to put some goldfish and either guppies or neon tetras in it. It's going to be so lovely!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful New Year so far-- all two days of it! We had some lake friends over for the evening which was wonderful because two couples brought their kids along so we had Mamie (20 months), Becca (3 months), and Katelyn (9 months) making our home a wonderful place to play! Our friend Matt (I call him Matty) is staying with us for the weekend and he's so fun to have around. He and Jerry have been fishing a lot so far and in the evenings Matty makes me hot chocolate with Bailey's! YUM!

I've been thinking a lot about resolutions for 2009. Normally I don't make resolutions but a few things have really been stressing me out lately and I've decided to take action and make a change. First, I resolve to pay more attention to my finances and create a monthly budget. I am also going to start saving each month. It's so easy to put all my paycheck into my checking account and bypass/ignore the savings account.

I'm also going to take better care of myself. I am back on Weight Watchers and I've been going to the gym on a more regular basis. Speaking of eating well, Jerry, Matt and I are on our way to the Fireside to have dinner with Mo. So, I need to say goodbye.

Oh, one final note, another resolution I have is to blog more often! So hopefully you'll be able to read more from me this year. Love, Jen

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