Here There Be Dragons

Weekend Errands, Fuddruckers, And Furniture Shopping

Mon, 8 Feb 10 10:29:00 UT

Saturday was our usual day of getting our errands done. We tried to have lunch at Fuddrucker's, but it was packed. There wasn't a single table available and there were people wandering around with their food looking for a place to sit. Screw that. So, we went to Burger King for lunch instead. Gabriel seems to like it there because they have a bit more variety than McDonalds and get gets a crown.

After lunch, we did our errands. We made a stop at Fresh Market for foodage, dropped it off at home, headed back out to Pick N Save for our main shop, and then came back home to put the food away.

Later on, we headed into Shorewood to grab take out from Benji's deli for dinner. We brought that back home to eat and wanted to watch our Netflix DVD of Saw 6, but Gabriel didn't fall asleep until super late so we weren't able to do so.

On Sunday, we tried Fuddrucker's again for lunch because Gabriel *really* wanted to go there. Luckily, there were tables and the place wasn't packed. So, we had lunch there and then did a few other things. We made a run to a local game store and then headed to a local furniture store. We're thinking about getting an entertainment center. Granted, we still have an old tube TV from 1997, but our main problem is that Gabriel can touch the DVD player (and has already broken one) and the VCR. He plays with them and constantly pauses and ejects DVDs. So, we want to keep the DVD player, the VCR, and our new Wii out of his little baby hands. We found two ones we really liked but are waiting until later in the week to make the purchase. We needed to make sure our TV would fit in it depth wise because most stands aren't made to have one of the old tube TVs on it.

It's going to be an expensive purchase, so that's coming out of savings. But it's something we need and will last us (hopefully) a long time. Right now the TV is just on a cheap little black cart on wheels.

After the furniture store, we headed to another game store to pick something else up and then grabbed a pizza from Edwardo's to bring home for dinner.

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the inner animal in you Your Result: fox a beautiful,magical being art thou. with a love of fantasy and writing but you find little love in this cruel world and may have a lonley heart, but most of the time you are spacing out
lynx
hyena
owl
weasel
elk
lion
the inner animal in you Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Yesterday's Entry

Wed, 3 Feb 10 16:45:00 UT

Sorry if yesterday's entry came off all depressing and the like, I didn't mean for it to. However, I've had some bad in my life recently where I wasn't expecting it, so I think my sour mood kind of swayed things a bit. I should learn not to take those questionnaires when something bad is happening in my life.

Anyway, I don't want you all to think I'm hating my life right now or anything - I'm not. I LOVE being a stay at home Mom to Gabriel, but I also NEED a job. Not only because of the financial aspects, but also becasue I worked so hard and for so long to obtain my JD and to pass two state bars on the first try. I don't want all that hard work to be for nothing. But in this economy, it's not easy finding anything, let alone a starting associate position.

While in general I'm happy with my life, I do have a lot of worries that are always there. Finding a job, money (though I'm sure everyone can understand that one), home life, etc. Nothing is perfect around here and while I'm trying to work to make things better, sometimes it feels fruitless.

I'm not going to go into the recent badness because I don't want to air my dirty laundry in public. All I'll say is it's some problems at home and leave it at that. Hopefully, it will all work itself out in the end.

I think part of it is realized I'm NOWHERE where I thought I would be at my age. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just a thing that is. I had expected to be working as an actor or a writer or a director in Hollywood. To be making a living and have at least one Oscar under my belt. I know, unrealistic, but I've always been a dreamer. Besides, I did go to an arts school and I do have a BFA in Cinema Television (filmic writing) from USC, so the dream could have been possible had things gone differently.

I never expected to be married and have a child and I NEVER thought I'd be doing the stay at home Mom thing for any time whatsoever. Things change, you adapt. It doesn't mean things are bad, it just means it's not what I had expected.

And now, because of the lack of employment, I'm kind of regretting the law school thing. I finally know my calling, what I want to be and what would make me happy - I want to work as a doctor in an emergency room, I want to be a trauma doctor. And I also know I will NEVER realize that dream. I can't afford to get another undergrad degree in bio and then head off to med school. Do I think I could succeed at it? Yes, absolutely. But I don't have the money for yet another degree. It's hard to come to terms with realizing what you're meant to do later in life and knowing it will never happen in this life time. So I'm kind of dealing with that as well.

I'm not in a depressive funk or anything like that. I love my family and Gabriel is the light of my life. Now that I'm off the steroids I'm slowly losing some of the weight. It's slow, but it's happening. I have plenty of things that make my life wonderful, and I'm thankful for each and every one of them. But I can't just sweep the bad things under the rug and ignore them, that's just not healthy. So, I'm trying to take the bad with the good and process it all.

I think I'm just at a very self-reflective time in my life right now, that's all.

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You Are a Lava Lamp

You are dreamy, relaxed, and contemplative. You like to get lost inside your own head.
You never know where your thoughts will take you, and you consider reflection to be a wild ride.

You're happy to sit and be alone for long periods of time. You only do well with others who are like minded.
You appreciate other peaceful, creative types. Great things can come when great minds get together.

Are You a Lava Lamp or a Disco Ball?

Realizations

Tue, 2 Feb 10 09:45:00 UT

1. I've come to realize that my chest-size... is far too big. If/when I lose enough weight I'll be getting a serious boob reduction (and hopefully a lift as well). When they don't make bras in your cup size, you know it's too big.

2. I've come to realize that my job... of being Gabriel's Mom rocks and is rewarding, but that I really want to get a real paying job as an attorney as soon as possible.

3. I've come to realize that when I'm driving... I only enjoy it if no one else is in the car with me.

4 . I've come to realize that I need.... alone time, which is a near impossibility.

5. I've come to realize that I have lost... the life I always wanted and a lot of the things I thought I had.

6. I've come to realize that I hate it when... I'm lied to, for any reason.

7. I've come to realize that if I'm drunk... I'll end up getting sick.

8. I've come to realize that money... is really what does make the world go 'round.

9. I've come to realize that certain people... are not what they seem and to always dig deeper. People are like onions and that outer layer isn't always what they truly are like.

10. I've come to realize that I'll always... be myself and that I don't need to change that to make other people happy.

11. I've come to realize that my sibling(s)... don't exist. I don't have any siblings.

12. I've come to realize that my mom... is one of the best people in the world. I can trust her more than anyone else and she's always there for me. I need her more than she'll ever even know.

13. I've come to realize that my cell phone... is a necessary evil. Emphasis on the evil.

14. I've come to realize that when I woke up this morning... everything was covered in new snow.

15. I've come to realize that last night before I went to sleep... I can't sleep unless Gabriel is curled up beside me in bed.

16. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking... that Gabriel is the best thing in the whole wide world and I'd be lost without him.

17. I've come to realize that my dad... is a total flake, but sometimes really does try to make an effort.

18. I've come to realize that when I get on Facebook... that will never happen. No facebook. Not now. Not ever.

19. I've come to realize that today... I'm going to have a constant headache and a ton of palpitations from current stresses.

20. I've come to realize that tonight... I really have no set plans.

21. I've come to realize that tomorrow... will be just like today.

22. I've come to realize that I really want to... go to med school and become an ER doctor.

23. I've come to realize that the person who is most likely to repost this is... no one. I don't usually see anyone copy these things from me.

24. I've come to realize that life... is never what you will think it will be.

25. I've come to realize that this weekend... I will be trapped in the never ending cycle of weekend chores. Joy.

26. I've realized the best music to listen to when I am upset... is "Something I Can Never Have" by Nine Inch Nails.

27. I've come to realize that my friends... need to live closer to me. God I miss them all.

28. I've come to realize that this year... will hopefully be a turning point in my life. Hopefully.

29. I've come to realize that my ex... no clue. I haven't spoken to my last ex in over a decade.

30. I've come to realize that maybe I should... head off on my own on the weekends and get some me time. A mani, a pedi, some accupuncture for my constant knee pain, a massage, etc.

31. I've come to realize that I love... my family, all of them.

32. I've come to realize that I don't understand... why everything has to be so difficult.

33. I've come to realize my past... might just be better than my future.

34. I've come to realize that parties... suck.

35. I've come to realize that I'm totally terrified... of spiders, insects, being completely alone in this world, and dying.

36. I've come to realize that my life... isn't anywhere near where I thought it would be at this age.

Errands, Neat Book, And A Dead Car

Mon, 1 Feb 10 09:31:00 UT

Saturday was our usual day of errands. In the morning I headed to my salon appointment. Hair was done the usual color and I got just a trim since I'd like to try and grow my hair out a bit (to at least shoulder length).

We all tried to go to Fuddrucker's for lunch, but the place was packed and there wasn't a single table open. So, we did Burger King instead. In the end Gabriel was all right with that because he got a crown.

After lunch we headed to the Fresh Market, the drug store, and Pick N Save for our grocery shop. We came home and put the groceries away.

We headed into Shorewood to a place called Benji's Deli for take out. I was super happy when I found out they had matzo ball soup. I ended up getting the chicken in a pot (which is pretty much matzo ball soup with more chicken and carrots). It was fantastic!

Sunday started off sucky. My car wouldn't start... AGAIN. The lights in the car worked, my steering wheel came out, but there wasn't enough juice to start it. The people at the dealer keep telling me it's normal and I need to run my car every few days. Well, I have been! In fact I had run it on Friday night and it wouldn't start at around 1pm on Sunday. What the fuck? I don't know if I'm going to bother to take it in to get looked at or not. They tell me the battery holds a charge fine and that there's no unusual draw on it. I know this is bullshit, but that's the party line everyone with this problem gets. I should know, my last car had the same damn thing wrong with it. *sigh* In general, I love the Lexus brand, but this is really starting to piss me off. What car HAS to be run EVERY DAY for AT LEAST a half hour at a time? Really??? My Stang could go for six weeks without being run when I used to make long visits to Illinois.

I called my Uncle to see if he had jumper cables, but he didn't know where they were. So, I called Lexus roadside assistance and they told me someone would be out to jump the car in about three hours. Well, we lucked out, because they ended up sending in someone based out of Oconomowoc and they were here within half an hour. My car was jumped and I drove it around non-stop for an hour at all sorts of different speeds (normal roads at 45, the freeway at 65, and slower side streets at 25).

After driving my car around, we brought it back and headed out in Rob's car for awhile. We headed to a game store where I was able to find an out of print book I had been wanting (d20 Modern) at the normal cover price! I was very happy about that.

We then grabbed dinner at Long John Silvers and brought that back home. We wanted to watch one of our Netflix movies, but Gabriel had a fit and so we just futzed around on the computer.

Gabriel didn't fall asleep until late last night and so I'm very tired today.

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Greek God

Like a Greek God, your life is very much centered around your own pleasure. You can be self centered, and you enjoy a full and easy life but you are also very brave and loyal to the people that matter.

Greek God -------- 88%
Sumerian God ------ 69%
Norse Gods -- 25%

Which Type of God Are You?

Eight Years

Fri, 29 Jan 10 09:02:00 UT

I just realized that as of today, I've had this journal for eight years. Eight years. Wow. And in those eight years I've (somehow) managed to keep up with it and continue to post on a regular basis. I'm sure my reader base has changed a lot in that time. I've gained readers and lost readers. I've known a lot of people who have come and gone from Journalscape and I've met some amazing people who I never would have known had it not been for Journalscape.

I'm thrilled that I chose this forum for my online journal and not some cookie cutter site like LiveJournal. This one feels like more of a community to me and while there has been some bad on here, the good more than outweighs that. Besides, it doesn't hurt that I'm friends with the man who made this site possible.

So, yeah. I've been on this journal for eight years now. Hopefully, I'll be here for at least another eight more.

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Hot chocolate

You like warmth, and are very warm, conforting, and sweet yourself. One thing, do not suspect everything to be as luxorious as you are, because some day you will come across something that is not so comforting.

What Type of Beverage Are You?

The iPad... Really?

Thu, 28 Jan 10 14:19:00 UT

Do no females work at Apple? Did not a single person realize just how large of a fail the name "iPad" is? Really???

First came the iMac. Then the iPod. Then the iPhone. Now we have the iPad. What's next, the iPon? The tampon that lets you listen to music through an earbud in the cord?

iPad. Heh.

Happy Birthday!

Tue, 26 Jan 10 09:02:00 UT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Lots O Stuff

Mon, 25 Jan 10 09:36:00 UT

Okay, so here's the deal with the whole UPS fiasco. Apparently, UPS did not deliver the package to my Mom's house. They delivered it to her local post office. We have no idea why this is, but the post office was able to deliver it to her. Whew. So, she has the package but she's not opening it until tomorrow (her birthday).
Gabriel is getting to be a smart ass. Not only does he talk back sometimes (like if I say "Gabriel, no" he'll reply "Mommy, yes"), but he now also does the eye roll and says "whatever" when I tell him something he doesn't want to hear or scold him. Since when did my three year old get the attitude of a teenager?
Friday night we watched our Netflix DVD of Carriers. It was fairly good and exactly what I thought it was going to be. If you're looking for an "after the pandemic" movie, I'd recommend it.
Saturday was our usual day of errands. We made a run to the game store, but they didn't have the book in that Rob was looking for. We grabbed lunch at Burger King. We made a run to Fresh Market for some foodage. We made a drug store run for one of my scripts. We then came home to unload what we had.
We then headed back out to do our main grocery store shopping at Pick N Save. Came home to put the food away. And then headed out again to pick up some take out for dinner from Jose's Blue Sombrero. Later that night we did some gaming.
Sunday we got a few other things done. We were going to head to the Thai Asian Market to pick up some Chinese mustard, but we gave them a call first and they said they were all sold out. So, we'll try that again at some other point down the road. We headed to a different game store where Rob was able to find the book he was looking for. While there I got a stuffed werewolf for Gabriel (it can even transform between a man and a werewolf), a voodoo doll for myself, and some dice. From there we headed out to Best Buy to exchange our new router.
We bought a new router last weekend. I think it was Linksys or something like that. Rob tried to set it up Saturday morning and couldn't do so because the operating system on our desktop was too old. That desktop was bought back in 2003 and has Windows Home XP 2002 on it. So, he knew he'd have to use the laptop for our set up. The laptop was bought in 2006 and has Vista on it.
Sunday morning he tried to set it up again. Not only did it not work, but it killed our internet completely. After getting the run around from both Time Warner and from Earthlink he FINALLY found someone from Time Warner who helped him to get the old router working again. So, we have our internet back, but once again it had no protection on it so our neighbors can stills steal it.
Hating the evil Linksys router, we took it back to Best Buy and returned the damned thing. We then bought a new Netgear one since Netgear seems to work just fine around here. Rob is going to try and set it up this weekend. Hopefully it will turn out better than what happened last weekend. Hopefully.
We then grabbed Long John Silvers for dinner and headed back home to do some gaming.
Not much is new around here. I can't seem to find many (if any) jobs to apply to that I qualify for and it's driving me batty. I'm spending my days with Gabriel and need to look into getting him enrolled in Kindercare (or possibly the pre-k at our local school) sometime in the near future. He's smart as all hell, but needs to develop some social skills. I'm working around the house as usual and currently have the sheets in the dryer. I need a real life outside of the house where I make my own money and have adult interaction. Hopefully, I'll get that wish sometime this year.
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Master
You scored 88 Spelling smarts!

Okay so you've either cheated, or you know all the vocabulary rules by now. "I before E, except after c." bla bla bla. Great job. You know how to spell, and you might be a bit anal retentive about it too. Not a bad thing mind you, but I get picked on for it.
The Everyday Spelling Test

WTF UPS?

Fri, 22 Jan 10 12:16:00 UT

I'm ticked off at UPS right now. A few days ago, I placed an online order with Bath and Body Works. I ordered a bunch of stuff for my Mom's birthday and had it sent to her house. I got shipment notification and let her know it was on the way. I told her to call me when it got there.
Well, I found out today that it was delivered yesterday... to an office... and signed for by a name that I didn't recognize. There are no offices even near where she lives and none of her neighbors have the name that it was signed by. Since I didn't get a call from her yesterday, I had a sinking feeling that she didn't get it. I called her this morning and I was right, she didn't get it.
I called BBW this morning and told them the situation. Since it was technically delivered (I just don't know where) and UPS had a signature (even though it wasn't my Mom's) and proof of delivery, they said it's out of there hands. I could always re-order and pay for it all over again.
So, my Mom called UPS. They told her that they think they delivered it to a local post office. *blink* What? Why the hell would they deliver it to a post office???
So, as of now, we're going to see if her post office delivers it to her today or tomorrow. If not, we'll have to deal with UPS again. This is really not cool.
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Quizzes Girls Games

Squee!!!!!

Mon, 18 Jan 10 15:15:00 UT
*swoon* I have no idea when this will be released, but I NEED it when it comes out.

"The Strahd Comic coming--uh--well, we don't know!

The publisher has no release date!

Strahd von Zarovich, that murderous, neck-nibbling Barovian bad boy will have his own comic with Devil's Due Publishing.

P.N. Elrod adapted the script from her short story, Caretaker, which appeared in Tales of Ravenloft."

SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! (and other happy noises)

I heart Ravenloft.

New Router

Mon, 18 Jan 10 08:43:00 UT

Saturday was our usual day of errands. We headed to the Fresh Market for some foodage and then Rob made a run into the Boston Store to get some face lotion. We headed to the drug store so I could pick up some scripts and then we made a stop back at home.
After a short break, we headed back out to Pick N Save for our main weekly grocery shop and then headed back home for the night. We cooked burgers for dinner and did some gaming.
Sunday we headed out to Best Buy to pick up a new wireless router. Our old one works all right, but it disconnects a lot and people keep stealing our internet. After much work, Rob and I realized it sucks and can't even get a basic password set up. So, we bought a new router and will be setting it up sometime this week - password and all. It's also faster, which should be neat as well.
We then headed to Walmart for a few items as well. I needed a new wrist brace because my carpal tunnel is starting to act up rather badly again. I also needed some drug store items and we got Gabriel a Ben 10 pack with Upgrade and Stinkfly in it. We also picked up a few other Ben 10 things without him knowing that will be for his birthday. We headed home after Walmart and headed out later on to grab dinner from PF Changs. We also picked up a low carb cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory.
Today is back to my usual weekday routine. Laundry (today is all of Gabriel's loads), job hunting, and playing with Gabrel.
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What Type of Horse Would Suit You?
Arabian
Your horse would be... an Arabian!

Animals Quizzes

Happy Birthday

Fri, 15 Jan 10 09:19:00 UT
Happy Birthday Eleanor. You would have been 99 today. I still think of you often and miss you daily. There will always be a hole in my heart and I wish I could see you just one more time. I wish you could see how Gabriel's doing. I know you were never into small kids, but I think you'd like him. He's incredible.

People lie. It doesn't get better. Not ever. I still miss you, cry for you, and the realization that I will never see you again in this life hits me like a ton of bricks. It still hurts. While the wound is no longer fresh, the scar will be with me for the rest of my life.

Today is a rather difficult day for me, and I think it always will be.

I love you and miss you more than words can ever convey.

January Pictures

Thu, 14 Jan 10 09:55:00 UT
Gabriel on the bed at our hotel room in Chicago.

Gabriel in his dressy outfit after going to dinner in Chicago.

My Sydney Bear.

Gabriel having his "bow party" on Christmas.

Gabriel striking a pose for the camera.

Sick Weekend

Mon, 11 Jan 10 10:20:00 UT

I'm sick and was sick all last weekend. I think it's some sort of a cold. My nose is stuffy and runny and I keep sneezing. My sinuses are all stuffed up and I'm coughing a lot. DayQuil and NyQuil seem to aid with the symptoms, but I am so tired. No matter how much or how little sleep I get, I'm constantly exhausted. And so, I spent most of the weekend resting.
Saturday morning I slept in and after taking my shower and getting ready we headed out on some errands. We made a run to the bank and then to the post office. We grabbed lunch at Burger King and then tried to go to Babies R Us, but it was insanely crowded and there weren't even any parking spots open. So, we headed to GNC and then back home.
When we got back home, I took a three hour nap. When I woke up it was time to head out and get some dinner. We grabbed dinner from Buca Di Beppo and brought it home. We did some gaming and when Gabriel went to sleep for the night, so did I.
On Sunday I slept in... a lot. We eventually got out to do our grocery store run for the week and to grab dinner at PF Chang's. When we got back home we gamed a bit and messed around on Omegle and ChatRoulette a bit. Wow, there are some scary pervs out there on the internet.
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What is your Signature Candle Fragrance?
Your Result: Lavender

Encouraging, trustworthy, soothing, and restful, you are lavender. Lavender is a very relaxing scent that helps to reduce stress. It is a floral, woodsy, pungent scent.
Vanilla

Cinnamon Clove

Love Spell

Warm Spicy Peach

Stargazer Lily and Roses

Chocolate Fudge Brownie

PiÃ±a Colada

Grape Vineyard

Amber RomanceÂ®

What is your Signature Candle Fragrance?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Hooray For Sleep

Wed, 6 Jan 10 14:57:00 UT

Gabriel slept much better last night. When he went to sleep, we got ready for bed and headed to sleep. Since today was Rob's work from home day and Rob could watch Gabriel up in the loft, I was able to sleep in a bit and make up for the sleep I missed the night before. I feel so much better today. I'm actually awake.
I'm still sick, but it's not really bad. Just a stuffy and runny nose (with a lot of sneezing) and some coughing. I've had worse and it seems to be staying at this level. As much as I don't like being sick, I can deal and function with this. It's fairly minor. NyQuil and DayQuil also seem to be helping immensely.
Sydney seems to be feeling better as well. I'm sure you really wanted to know this, but the diarrhea is all gone. The last time he had any was on Sunday night. Then, for the past few days, he didn't poop at all. I was worried about this but I called my Mom (and with the problems her cat has she's sadly an expert on cat poop) she said that was normal. After a bout of diarrhea it can take them a few days to get back to normal. Well, this morning he pooped again and all was normal. It's so much nicer when my cat doesn't have the runs.
Around noon today I ran out with Rob and Gabriel on some errands. We headed to the vet's office to pick up some more of the k/d food for Sydney, then to the post office to send some mail out, then grabbed lunch at McDonalds, and then headed back home. I love Rob's work from home days.
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You Are a Pen

You are a very precise and detail oriented person. You don't make many mistakes.
You're the type who can risk writing in pen. You like making things permanent.

You are decisive and focused. You know what you want, and you go after it.
You like to be in control, and you don't really care for change. You like to count on yourself.

Are You a Pen or a Pencil?

What is your Signature Candle Fragrance? Your Result: Lavender Encouraging, trustworthy, soothing, and restful, you are lavender. Lavender is a very relaxing scent that helps to reduce stress. It is a floral, woodsy, pungent scent.
Vanilla
Cinnamon Clove
Love Spell
Warm Spicy Peach
Stargazer Lily and Roses
Chocolate Fudge Brownie
PiÃ±a Colada
Grape Vineyard
Amber RomanceÂ®
What is your Signature Candle Fragrance? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz