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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