i'm still haunted

We are back from our trip to Nevada. The graduation went well, and we had a fun party with the family.

Meanwhile, a ghost update. The ghost didn't do much haunting while John was away. Thank goodness. I was scared enough staying by myself for two nights without dealing with strange sounds and ghostly manifestations. I'm glad John's back.

However, last night John was catching up on reading my blog. He was sitting in the living room, reading the post I just wrote about the ghost. Suddenly, and for no reason, the standing fan in the living room turned itself off. Hi, Stella. Yes, we still believe in you.

As for Stella, we've lived here two years and noticed her presence for most of that time. She has never harmed us though, so we figured we could coexist with her, and we have. Now we're moving, and the owner of the place wants to sell the condo. I wonder if the new owners will notice anything out of the ordinary...

living with a ghost

We have a ghost in our condo. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that fact before.

I survived last night without John. He is in Tucson until tomorrow, so I am on my own until then. I don’t mind being alone, most of the time. I like having time to do whatever I want to. I can eat cold cereal for dinner and no one will complain. And I can entertain myself just fine. But I get scared at night. Mostly because we have a ghost living with us.

This ghost, whom I have named Stella, does many little things like turning on lights and opening closet doors. But those aren’t a big deal. I can always blame that on me – perhaps I forgot to close my closet door or left a light on and forgot about it.

There are other things that are a little bit harder to explain. One morning, I went into the living room and sat on the couch. Suddenly I felt a huge draft – the front door had swung wide open, even though we had locked and bolted it the night before.

Recently, I was home alone (these things usually happen to me when I’m home alone) and decided to empty the top row of the dishwasher. It didn’t take long – there were only bowls and cups in there. Five minutes later I went back into the kitchen for something and was shocked when I looked at the open dishwasher. Right in the front, in plain sight, and BRIGHT GREEN, was one cup. Perhaps I overlooked that cup when I emptied the dishwasher, but likely not.

Another time, I was home alone getting ready for work. I noticed how absolutely silent the house was. Suddenly, I heard a whirring noise. The fan in our bedroom had suddenly turned on.

And then there’s the strange noises I heard one night (again, I was alone). It sounded like a light bulb exploding, and it happened a couple of times. I never figured out what caused it. I was too scared to get out of bed and check.

Another time when I was alone at night, I saw someone walk by our bedroom door. I assumed it was John, just getting home from his school party. But when John didn’t come into the bedroom to greet me, I realized it wasn’t him. I was terrified that someone had entered our house and was going to kill me. Luckily for me, it was just Stella.

Perhaps you are like my mom, and you don’t believe in ghosts. But I do. And she's not an evil ghost, though she makes things scary for me late at night. Come back soon, Johnny! I need you...

my favorite day

It’s my birthday, so I’m going to do a year in review. Some great things have happened this year, and surprisingly, I’ve done some great and interesting things. Sad and hard things have happened as well, but life is like that.

I think I’ve developed as a person this year, and that’s important to me. I think it’s taken me longer than most to get to this point, but at least I got here. This year, in 2007, I look forward to so much more growth and discovery of who I am. Here’s to another wonderful year.

p.s. I look really hot in my new clothes I'm wearing today. Do I care that it's capris and a short-sleeved shirt in the middle of winter? I don't care -- I look hot!

On to the list:

January
I had jury duty for the first time in my life. We got a puppy and a day later realized we shouldn’t keep it. I took a Chinese calligraphy class at ASU. John & I spent our first night apart when John flew to New York for a fellowship assessment. John and I went to San Antonio and also celebrated my birthday there. John gave me a mandolin for my birthday. (I have yet to master the instrument.) John went to the emergency room (it turned out to be an infection that was causing his throat to swell.)

February
I got a raise. John turned 25. We started seeing a nutritionist. I got bronchitis.

March

We had our first wedding anniversary, and spent the night in Tucson. I joined SparkPeople.com. I got fake strep throat. I had a weird reaction from the penicillin for fake strep throat, and the rx was to go to the tanning bed.

April
John and I both got pneumonia. My little sister got married.

May
John graduated with an MPA and was the top scholar/citizen. We bought a PlayStation II and Dance Dance Revolution, and life hasn’t been the same since.

June
We jumped on the LOST bandwagon and caught up on all the episodes. John gave me an iPod. Just because. We babysat our niece while our sister had our nephew.

July
Stuff happened, but I don’t remember what…

August

We took a tour of Colorado City. And some other stuff I don’t remember anymore.

September

My family began their virtual walk across America. John and I locked ourselves out of our house and had to get a locksmith to let us back in. John took a trip to Athens, Georgia to visit the school there.

October
Barbra Streisand called me personally to remind me to vote. John visited Lawrence, Kansas and Bloomington, Indiana to visit potential schools. John got a new job. John and I went with my dad to see the drag races in Las Vegas.

November
John and I both voted. (Thanks, Babs, for reminding us.) John and I took a trip to Newark, Delaware to see the school there. We saw a performance by Dolan Ellis, Arizona’s state balladeer.

December
John got Karaoke Revolution, and life hasn’t been the same since. I got a Magic Bullet and sewing machine for Christmas, and life hasn’t been the same since. I registered for a writing class. We started hiking in earnest.

John and me, for my birthday last year in San Antonio:

it's a new year

So I've had about a million things I wanted to post on here, but something kept me from it. It's like I got shy or something.

But I guess I'm over that. The new year is upon us, and unlike many people, I love the new year, it is significant to me, and I look at it as a new beginning. Which I could use right about now, so I'm already loving the new year.

I'm so happy. I feel ready for new things. I have a lot of things I want to say, but I guess I'll save them for my next entry.

Happy new year.

some things I'm thankful for

Rainy days
Cuddling in the morning before work
The Savior
When my niece says, “I want Holli”
Days when the temperature is below 100 (all the time, now)
Days when the temperature is above 60 (often)
Tasty water to drink
Going to the dr. during work hours
Receiving flowers
A good book to read
Giving gifts
My healthy, working body
Dance Dance Revolution
A good family
Friends – both old and new
Delicious food
The moon
Christmas lights
Blogs
LOST
Music
Memories
The Book of Mormon
That we have enough and to spare
A husband who is wonderful beyond all reason and the absolute love of my life

random thoughts today

I'm on a Bulgarian food roll -- I made Pulneni Chushki (stuffed peppers) last night. So delicious, except I forgot the most important part -- yogurt. :( But that's ok, because they were still tasty, and somewhat healthy.

And we are officially partied out. We went to a party on Friday and two on Saturday. We were invited to yet another party on Saturday, and were very sad to have to miss it, because we love the people who invited us. But luckily, we get to see them tonight. And as for the parties, I've had enough eating hors d'ouvres and making chit-chat with people I barely know, to last me for a long, LONG time.

Have you jump roped recently? I know you did it in elementary school, but have you done it recently? I pulled out my jump rope on Saturday and jumped for three minutes. That was enough to completely wind me. But the crazy part? I woke up on Sunday with horribly sore calves. And they're still sore today. Just from three minutes of jumping!!! I guess it's a sport you work up to, but I don't remember getting so sore when I did it as a kid.

I don't know how we're going to accomplish everything we have to do by Friday when we go to my parents' house for Christmas. We've got present buying, wrapping, delivering, cleaning, laundry, packing, and all kinds of other things to get done. I'm to the point where I'm considering bringing presents and wrapping paper to work and wrapping presents on my lunch hour...

But I'm excited to get away! And I'm taking time off work, so I'll be away from work for 10 whole days. Yes, 10 days. I'm overjoyed!!!

I'm thankful for so many things right now. Maybe I'll have to do an entry of some of the things I'm thankful for. Good idea.

i don't know what i was thinking

I have never worn fake nails in my entire life. That's the premise here.

I've also never had great fingernails -- they break easily, so I just keep them short. This has never been a big deal to me. I'm a low-key person, and pretty casual. I've never cared much that my nails don't look fabulously manicured. Even on my wedding day, a day when every other person I know put fake nails on, I sported my own nails. I grew them out a little longer than usual, and got a french manicure from a salon. But they were my own nails.

But yesterday? I got this bright idea to buy fake nails from the grocery store. Why? I don't know. I thought it would be a good idea. And when I get a good idea, I don't let it go. So we went to the store, bought the fake nails, and then I glued them on. That's when I realized I had made a terrible mistake. They actually didn't look half bad, but they hurt like the dickens. And also, I felt like I didn't have full use of my hands anymore. Long nails are such a hindrance!

I figured I was stuck with them for a few days, but one of the nails accidentally popped right off. Aha! I managed to pry the rest of them off too, albeit with some messed up nail beds left behind. All of the fake nails came off, that is, except the one on middle finger of my right hand. And it is stuck to me like glue, as it were.

So now I'm stuck with hideously ugly nails -- glue everywhere, with patches of nail ripped up -- and then one long, french-manicured middle finger. It's ridiculous. My coworker says that if I need to flip somebody off, at least it will look pretty.

And now I know -- I should never, ever put fake nails on ever again. Ever.

can somebody tell me

Why did God invent PMS?

ampersand

I voted yesterday. There were a few tough decisions, and one where I had to vote for 'the other guy' aka the Libertarian candidate, simply because the other two choices were unacceptable to me. (I wanted to write in John, but he says he's too young.) But I voted.

And then I received two separate telephone calls from volunteers who thanked me for voting. What could I say besides, "Uh...you're welcome?" I am officially free from political calls for the next while!!

In other news, we're going to be in Delaware for the next few days ("Hi. I'm in...Delaware.") checking out the school. We should be in for some fun times.

We're not going to forget to watch LOST today. It better be good!

mini me

Okay, so my friend Erin posted a while back about herself in anime, and I created my anime self too. But I never posted it. However, I think mini me is too darn cute not to share.

Does it look like me? I think it does a little, except I accidentally gave mini me violet eyes, and mine are blue, or green, or hazel or something. And also, I wish I were as cute as me in anime. I am quite adorable, no?

Make your own anime self here. I used Candybar Doll Maker 3. Just be warned that it is addicting!

funny girl

Someone called my cell phone today while I was on my work phone and left me a message. When I checked the message, it was from Barbara Streisand. She was just calling to remind me to vote. Seriously. That's all she wanted. Thanks for the reminder, Babs. I appreciate the call.

monday monday monday

Happy Monday. Top thoughts of the day.

5. I hate work. The situation just gets worse. A coworker was brought into the boss's office and berated for things she had no control over. We all pray for a way out of this office.

4. I taught Relief Society at church yesterday, and the lesson was on families and eternal life. I feel the need to be a better person. I know I need to, but it's so hard to change!

3. I need a haircut desperately. My last haircut was great, and looked sort of like this, though with less bangs. I think I'll do something similar again:










2. Saved by the Bell watching is going strong. I know you're dying for some quotes:

Mr. Belding: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! *What* is going on here?!!
.......
Zack: I like school... it's a good way to kill time between weekends.
.......
Lisa: Screech, would you like to rejoin the human race?
Screech: You always said I wasn't a member.
Lisa: I'll sneak you in.
............

1. I am so excited! My husband said I can crochet this and he would wear it!:

so i'm a little quirky

I don't have obsessive/compulsive disorder. I'm telling you that right now. That's because I researched it -- I've often wondered about some of my behaviors.

For example:

At home, we have tile in the kitchen. I can only step on tiles diagonally -- I can't step on adjacent tiles. I do this pretty much without thinking.

At work, it's even worse. We have dark and light carpet squares. My left foot can only step on the light tiles; right foot can only step on dark tiles. I don't sit around thinking about this or planning to do it, it's just what I automatically do!

Then there's the stairs. I don't even know how to describe my strange system, but I guess you could say I favor the right foot. Anytime there's a railing on a stair, my right foot has to step on that stair. So when I walk up or downstairs to our condo, I use the same starting foot each time.

And then there's the rhythm I automatically click my teeth to (hard to explain). I've tried to stop doing it because it's annoying (to me -- I don't think anyone else could notice) and because it probably damages my jaw, but when I stop with the teeth, my fingers start tapping out the rhythm instead. And before I know it, my teeth are at it again. It's weird.

Anyone else have unexplainable quirks?

when you're young you get sad

Geraldine is the made up name for a rabbit that I almost had. A couple of days ago I got an email from a lady who couldn’t keep her rabbit any longer and was giving it away to a good home. (Through freecycle. You should check it out if you’ve never heard of it—it’s like recycling; you give other people the stuff you don’t want anymore.)

The rabbit was litter box trained, friendly, sweet. I e-mailed the lady but I was too late. She had given it to someone else, but by then we had already named the rabbit, for crying out loud. She was mine, and then suddenly she wasn’t.

I don’t think you can understand how sad I was when I didn’t get this rabbit. Probably it’s for the best, but I’ve been confused and sad lately, and I thought maybe Geraldine would help me feel better. I’m sad. But it’s not really because I didn’t get Geraldine. I’m just a little lost right now.

speaking of manicures

I purchased a nail buffer at the store yesterday. The buffer has two sides - one buffs, the other shines. I tried it on myself and was amazed at how nice my nails looked. I demonstrated it to JJ by trying it out on one of his fingers. He was fascinated. Next thing I know, I'm buffing and shining all his fingernails at his request. ;)

speaking of bosoms

The other night I dreamed that I was forced to become an exotic dancer. It was awful. I told JJ this and he laughed. But then a couple of nights later he was in a semi-delirious state (which he often gets in and which I find endlessly amusing) and said, "Don't become an exotic dancer."

"Why not?"

"Because they'll make you get new boobs."

I didn't know whether to be flattered that he didn't want me to have better boobs, or offended that he doesn't think my boobs are good enough for the exotic dancer lifestyle (though I know for a fact they're NOT!). I went with the former. He loves me the way I am, and that's all I care about.