A Most Monumental Day

You guys. This might be old news. I don't know. But I just discovered/figured this out today. An LOLcat GENERATOR! Meaning I (and you) can make our own LOLcats!

And I barely have any pictures of our cats. But you better believe I spent some time using what I had. Allow me to introduce Chloe and Tabby.





Not bad for a first try, hmm?

Also. I am now officially on vacation for eight days!!! Kthx bai!

oh, and one more. It's going to be revolutionary.

Checks and Balances

Since finishing school in February, I have accumulated somewhat of a lengthy list of purchases I need and/or want to make with the paychecks I earn. Unfortunately not all of the things are items I would classify as happy purchases, but they need to be paid for nonetheless.

What I have paid for so far:

1. One of those barriers for the car that is supposed to keep a dog in the back. Gabe weighs 45 pounds and knocked the bars down within about 30 seconds of riding back there. Honestly, people? THAT'S how poorly you want to design your product? I think it can be doctored up with stuff that will make it more stable, but really. How stupid is it that it would be so flimsy?

2. A web domain for my website. Sure, I have not gotten so far as to work on getting a website up and running, but at least the domain name I wanted is mine! So don't try to steal it.

3. An external hard drive. Because sometimes Apples go bad.

4. Car registration. What a lame thing to face paying for for the rest of my life. I'll bet Dad is glad he can pay for one less this year though!

5. MY TICKET FOR VACATION/WHISTLER LODGING!! Ok so that one is a fun one. And I only have to wait 4.5 more days until I get to go!

Things I still need to get:

1. A passport. Another worthwhile purchase, but something I am dragging my heels to go get. It will be worth it for the cruise next year though!

2. Cruise control for the Forester. Apparently cars made in the late 90's were not all equipped with such a thing. And I can just suck it up and use my foot all the time...but what if I wanna drive to Colorado???

3. Sallie Mae. Oh how I love paying you back with your 7% interest rate. I will show you though - every cent I take off of the principal is less money for you to make off of me. Suck it.

4. A FURMINATOR!! Everyone knows that when these guys are your roommates...









...you need one of these.



More precisely, I need one. For those roommates.

100!

This is my 100th post apparently. AND I have had this blog for just over a year. I missed that anniversary though, so so much for commemorating that.

I feel like this calls for making a list of 100 things. That I like, or I hate, or...I don't even know. But that sounds way too ambitious for this blog. Instead I'll have to think of something else to talk about.

The Good:
- I am so thankful that today is a day off. Like you have no idea.
- It seems like we may have been cut a deal with the summer weather. It's been pretty nice out the last few weeks! I would be more than fine if it stayed like this or even cooler from here on out.
- Having a car that gets decent gas mileage makes life a little more carefree.
- Vacation in 8 days. PNW, here I come!

The Bad:
- One of my loans has the worst interest rate ever. I have put hundreds of dollars towards paying it off too, but since most of it goes towards interest it really has only cut down on the principal amount about 250 dollars. Insert expletive here.
- I really miss some of my friends.
- Lately Starbucks has been sucking the life out of me. It's changed a lot since I first started there.
- I'm really nervous about leaving Gabe behind for a whole week. Call me dependent, call me paranoid, call me a nerdy-loser-that-will-never-get-married-or-have-friends...I just hate being apart from him. Plus what if he happened to get really sad too? I would feel like I failed.

The Ugly:
- Gabe's left eye is drippy. I keep wiping it but it keeps tearing up more.
- I had a personal run in with a tick this past week. Details I choose not to share with just anyone. But know that I was thoroughly disgusted.
- I would like to know if my skin will ever pass the 'Oh hey I'm a hormonal teenager' stage. (by the way - I'm not a teenager. So I feel pretty justified about wishing for my skin to move past that time period.)
- This next one could pretty much be included under any of the headings, I realize. But I'll just put it here so this blog has an amazing finish. I was salvaging some old pictures the other day and came across this one. I didn't get a good shot of it at all, but do you realize what it is? A truck limo. Four cabs, with a big old bed behind it. Only in Greeley, CO!

I will pack my bags just to stay in the corner of your heart.

Lately I have been involved in several situations that have left me wondering if I am a horrible communicator. I know I'm not a blunt person, and I severely dislike being at odds with someone/confrontation...but I am capable of stepping up to the challenge when I absolutely have to. It's just that recently, I have had to wrestle with the question of whether I am the poor communicator, or if the recipient of my words is a poor listener.

Which reminds me of my time living here 'for real' in KC. More wrestling, in this case wondering if I am the most awkward person ever to meet/not trying hard enough to fit in and make it here, or if it really is just that hard to start over and break into other people's social circles. I've said this before, and I'll say it again - I have met a lot of really great people here. They are kind and have great hearts. There is just something tough about taking a friendship past the small talk on Sundays or at work. And I won't lie; sometimes it sounds a whole lot safer and easier and better to just stop trying and succumb to a life of sedentary solitude. Or perhaps go so far as to move away, back to familiarity and significant relationships I have already established.

I'm not writing this for pity. I am not writing this as a guilt trip to others or anything like that. It's just that sometimes, it's good to write my thoughts out. Good for tracking progress, and good for accomplishing some sort of rationale in my thoughts. Plus it's just so trendy to blog. I'm pretty good at making internet friends too (hence my trip to the Northwest in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!) so this can only aid that area in my life.

Oh, and for my good friends out there, near or far, internet or non-internet...I'm thankful for you.

Hallowhat?

So I was at the grocery store with a cool one the other night. We were getting brownies. To go with our beer. To follow up on our Chipotle. To be so healthy. So we could watch the Olympians and think about how many calories they have to consume every day, and how many we ourselves consumed in one night. This isn't even the point of the story though.

The point is that, while shopping, we saw large quantities of the colors orange and black. We also saw those colors paired with candy. Lots and lots of it. Including Candy Corns. You guys, this means that they are already getting ready for Halloween! And while I feel that it is much too early to be thinking of such a day, a few additional thoughts regarding Halloween have come up in the last few days.

Number one: I am turning twenty freaking three on Halloween. I think I am still getting used to being twenty two! And I mean, I JUST became legal to drink the beer I previously mentioned, right? How did this happen?

Number two: How much do you want to bet that the most popular costume of this Halloween will be this guy? Psh, I should go as him. Gabe and I both maybe. HA imagine the hilarity of trying to paint his face...but actually, he already paints his own.



Number three: I told a guy the other day that my birthday was on Halloween, and he was seriously weirded out by it. Umm, I'm sorry? SOME PEOPLE have to be born on Halloween!

Number four: I am excited for October to be here because that means fall will be here. Fall is the best.

And Now, a Picture Story

This



Plus this



Minus remorse



Equals this





Another thing bites the dust.

Please Tell Me

Does mowing a lawn (both front AND back, guys) count as exercise and a chore all in one?

Because I just did it. And I'm too tired to do anything else.