Cats 'n Cakes -Slash- Grooming & Grub (I was torn what to call the post so I used both)

The past several days (okay, weeks) I've been noticing that my cat is shedding quite a bit. It's summer. Animals do that. But I've been sweeping up cat hair every day, and when I come home on lunch and Spectra gives me love, I must use the lint roller before returning to work. Then it dawned on me. I need to brush her.

So, I brushed her. And I brushed her. And I brushed her. The hair was coming off in gobs. I made this huge pile, and yes, this is from one ten-year-old feline:

And then, there was so much hair,

I was able to make this kitten for Spectra to play with:

And then, I made peanut butter pancakes for dinner. I was tired of Mac & Cheese. Tired of 99-cent Celeste brand microwavable pizzas, Deluxe flavor. I was tired of tuna sanwiches. I was unhappy with the fridge. I was unhappy with the cabinet I keep my non-perishables, like all the pasta and rice and noodles and Ramen. What was I to eat? I almost scadaddled and headed to BK, but then I opened the big cabinet, where I keep baking stuff and the oils, and drink mixes and suddenly:

HALLELUJAH! Angels sang along with the harp in the background and what did I see? Aunt Jemima! Reses' Peanut Butter Chips!! Eggo Syrup!!! Spray Butter!!!! Does it really matter if you make pancakes at 8:30pm? Of course not!

So, I made four pancakes. I had some trouble with skillet because my apartment is quipped with a crappy stove, so they weren't perfect looking, but in taste. Holy freakin' cow. Delicious.

There is an even funnier story on why I had all these ingredients. If you can't tell that it was purchased while very drunk, then look closer. I had to chuckle to myself when I saw the picture I just snapped. It huge yellow letters in a huge blue banner, it says, "Easier Open & Close!"-- check out how I opened the box, haha. But yeah, the story is very funny. It may end up in my memoir.

Okie Dokie Here I Come.... Most Likley

I hate that I am actually writing a blog about going to Tulsa, Oklahoma before I have the plane ticket. But, I am a firm believer that writing things down helps "make it happen." Most motivational speakers will tell you that.

So, here I am writing about a trip that I still need to get a ticket for and that I still kinda need to plan more for. But last I checked, I can go round trip for $269. That's not a shabby deal. Renting a car for two days on top of that may not be too bad either. I haven't had a vacation in years, so this is close to one as I'll get. Three days of reminicising. I don't need many plans- I'll flop somewhere. I still know people there. Or, I'll just get a hotel. Since I was small, I've had an infatuation with hotel rooms.

This whole trip to Tulsa is all to help me with my memoir, a literal trip down memory lane. A few other memorists in my class have visited their roots- but the problem with my story is that most of it takes place 14oo miles away. But- I've been meaning to visit anyway, so may as well pop in and see my cousins and then do research:

My Plans:
1) Visit Nimitz Middle School
2) Visit Memorial High School
3) Eat at Taco Bueno
4) Go to Woodland Hills Mall
5) Visit all old houses:
a. Yacht Club Apartments
b. Villa Fontana Apartments
c. Duplex off 51st Street
d. Perhaps the house in Muskogee if I feel like it
6) Visit Tulsa World Building downtown
7) Drive aimlessly throughout neighborhoods I used to knock doors on (Selling newspapers)
8) Drive by my orthodontist's office
9) Visit the hospital my brother and sister were born at
10) Meet up with as possibly as many people as I can that I knew... you never know what detail that will job
11) Visit my relatives in McAlester area -- that will jog some memories too

I'll bring my digital recorder so I can talk about what I see... and then snap a ton of pictures to add to my memoir research wall. When I have pics of the past in front of me, it helps me remember. I will practice saying, "pop," "y'all," "fixin' to," and "right yet."

OTHER COOL THINGS THIS MONTH
-Bethlehem Musikfest and visiting with some gals from my creative writing class
-PAINTBALL with my Cacti co-workers- not as many people going this time around, but I am so stoked about this-- http://www.skirmish.com/
-A picnic arranged for my friend Cori and her brothers and sisters- she lives in AZ and her sister is overseas in Turkey and her other brother is in NY-- so while it is a family reunion of sorts, a bunch of friends are invited too- I see her once every few years- but I have never met her two kids, so I am thrilled!

So yeah- anyone with any ideas about Tulsa today- lemmee know! I heard things are very different now. I am sure I can find my way around still..... If I had the time, I'd drive there to relive the whole moving experience.

Hummus Orgasmus

Mmm. I recently updated my Facebook status, at 3:31 p.m., to inform the world that I was indulging in the most glorious of treats: roasted red pepper hummus, in which I was dipping sun-dried tomato Wheat Thins. Instantly, I received two comments on my status message:

Andee: Your status is making me horny...'cause roasted red pepper hummus is always orgasmic. (3:41)

Lauren: your status sounds delicious. (4:18)

I responded to Andee with this: If you are horny just by reading my status message, imagine me, here with the roasted red pepper hummus. I'm kinda squirmin' in my seat it's so good. I think I need a cold shower.

Yes, girls and boys. It's that good. How could, me, Andee and Lauren all be wrong?? Huh? I am a big fan of the red pepper hummus at the Wegman's Mediterranean bar, however usually get the Athenos brand or the Cedar's brand because it is all that is usually available where I shop most. However, Sabra Hummus is much better, although harder to find. My local Mr. Z's expanded, the one in Dallas, Pa., so now they carry more brands, one of them being Sabra. The lady at the check-out this afternoon even gave me the thumbs up when she scanned and bagged the yummy hummy. Sabra's classic flavor is very good also, and comes with pine nuts on top. That's what I think I like the most about Sabra Hummus- that it comes will other goodies, not just like a dip.

Sabra Hummus is the smoothest, creamiest hummus I have ever tasted, seriously. And, it is oozing with olive oil and red peppers when you first open the container... I kinda mixed it all together with my first cracker today. But, I thought since I got some feedback on my status message that I would expand it here, with a blog post called Hummus Orgasmus, because it is.

Check out your local deli section today for this glorious and healthy treat!

I Wanna Write Superpokes for Facebook & Relaxing Saturday

I've had quite the relaxing weeked. I've needed one, too. It's been pretty non-stop between working and writing for school. Mental strain and drain is sometimes more of a reason than physical labor to just sleep....

I've started completely over with my memoir and I must say, it is worlds better than my first draft. And- even after the first 50 pages, I've gotten some great guidance from my mentor Bev (Riding in Cars With Boys), and I am pretty much going to revise these 50 before moving ahead-- which just with revisions alone, it will turn into about 80 pages I am sure.... It's amazing the memories that flow out when you get prompted from an unbiased source... Bev went through all 50 pages with me during a phone conference and she'd ask, "Why did you feel that way?" or "Well, what did he look like?" -- all these obvious questions that made me think I was rushing through the first chapters to get to what I thought was the focal point of thebook.... turns out, I've missed a lot of details. I have never been more excited to write, thanks to her encouragment and honesty. It's what I really needed....

One of the main reasons I went out on my own in May was to focus on the writing, so I have to. I am cheating myself if I don't. I gave myself the freedom, now it's what I make of it. I have to admit I've been enjoying freedom by going out a lot, too.

So- I kinda went off on a tangent there.... I was originally going to blog about how I've caught up on sleep. And it felt good. I slept in until noon on Saturday. Read a book. Fell back asleep, woke up at 2:00. Read a little more. (Crackpots, Sara Pritchard... lovely!) Got up, did a few things. Decided I may go to a camping birthday party. Was going to shower and get ready, but laid down again. Woke up at 6:00. I repeated the lounge, read, nap cycle until about 2am when I actually went to bed for the night. (haha) And then, I slept in until about 11:00 on Sunday. No one can understand how I can sleep so much except Dr. Dellarosa from the Wyoming Valley Sleep Disorders Center. But that's a whole other story. But today, I feel refreshed. I have some writing to do, must go get some food and stuff for the house and then will spend the day revising/rewriting.

But, I was on Facebook earlier today, and I just am in love with the SuperPoke application. It's fun. There's something for everyone. It made me realize that I could write some pretty good Superpokes. I wonder if they accept freelance submissions? I think that'd be pretty sweet if I was responsible for people poking each other-- but in another sense, by throwing a good party, I could do the same thing. Haha.

July is Bursting With Birthdays, and Other Things That Make Me Happy

I don't think I have ever gone out this consistently over a matter of weeks in honor of co-worker's birthday celebrations. But it's cool. I like it. I had one two weeks ago that kicked off this Cacti birthday month, and then last Wednesday, Friday, Tuesday, tonight and then one on Saturday, too and perhaps one next Thursday. I chalk this up to just working at a fun place that attracts a lot of Cancers. After all, we are pretty darn neat.

Speaking of working with neat Cancers at a neat place, when I hear other people say certain things about their jobs, it makes me feel happy. I just read a former classmates status message on Facebook. It was something like, "Yay! Today is dress down day!" Ahem? That's everyday where I work. And I love it. It's little reminders from the outside world that confirm that I am completely happy every day at work.

From partying so much lately, I must say that maybe I am a little banged up and bruised- I may get clumsy sometimes and maybe once, earlier this week I took a good fall. But it was all in the name of birthday goodness.

The Driver's License Woes of Donna Talarico

I have a license to drive. Had one since I was 16. In fact, I wrote a memoir chapter about the fateful day I managed to pass my driver's test, the day I drove us home from the testing center and ended up on the sidewalk and the day my mom drove us the rest of the way home.

I am also 21. I mean, I am actually 30. So, what this means is that I am old enough to drive and I am old enough to drink, even though those two things should never be done together.

So, let's talk about my recent driver's license woes. If you read my blog, you will recall a past driver's license issue. On Sunday, January 20th, seven months to the day from when Incident #1 this week happened, I blogged about the time a national chain restaurant located in Wilkes-Barre would not serve me because my license was cracked. I made a promise that I would get a new license. But six months passed, and since I have been busy working and writing and reading (for school), I just did not make my way to the local driver's license center. The closest I got to the driver's license center in Hanover Township was when I went to Nanticoke for a co-worker's birthday party. So, over the seven months, my cracked license got worse. It's faded, peeled and just a mess. In my blog post back then, I joked and said my license "expired" as a pun-- as in death, not as in the expiration date printed on the license.

So, a half year later, I plan to meet a bunch of co-workers and Wilkes friends at a local bar that has a great Sunday happy hour. I am the first to arrive, so this means it is my responsibility to reserve the table. This bar is not my regular bar, but over the past several months, I have been there for this Sunday happy hour, and the week prior, I was there with about 50 co-workers for a dual going away party. So anyway, the bouncer tells me he cannot let me in. I instantly think that he means it is because of my cracked license.

"Your license is expired," he says.

I think about this. I turned 30. That means I had a birthday on July 16th. Licenses expire every four years the day after your birthday. Shit. He would not let me in, but I pleaded my case with the manager, who did not recognize me but did remember the party the week before. He said I was being nice and said he could let me in on the condition I filled out a waiver and left my license at the front door. Great. I ended up having a wonderful night and was very thankful. Pays not to give people a hard time for doing their jobs, but at the same time, being able to do something that you are of legal age to do. However, one problem. I leave my cracked, expired license at the bar. The bar is closed on Monday and Tuesday. I have another co-worker's birthday to celebrate on Tuesday at a bar that I have only been to once. Crap.

Tuesday comes along. In the meantime, I tear apart the apartment looking for my camera card. Can't find it. I renew my license online and print it out. Thank goodness I had a passport from when I tried out for Survivor all those times. I have a valid photo ID, plus a temporary license, which is also valid when accompanied with your expired license, but figure I just have a few days until the new camera card comes and I can go get my new license. But....

We start at one bar on Tuesday night. I get in without a problem using my passport. Around 10pm, I drive just a few blocks, only on one street, to get to the second bar. Flashing lights. I get pulled over. Turns out I ran a red light-- not trying to. Just must not have been paying attention; probably texting. The cops asks for my license and registration.

Gulp. I would say this is bad luck, but really, it was good luck. He accepted by passport and temporary license. It took me a while to find the registation because Dave and I just traded cars and I never opened the glove box until this very moment.... the card was wrapped up in a napkin. Haha. The cop just told me to be careful. Whew.

So boys and girls- pay attention to the dates on your license. When a bouncer wants to hang on to your license, remember it when you leave, because the bar just may close for two days in a row. And just incase, get yourself a passport-- it can save your butt. (P.S. My license is still at the bar, in their cash register and it is Thursday. Guess I need to get it to turn into the center....)

The Birthday Party Made the Company Blog

Thanks to John Dawe, everyone can now relive a moment from mine and Matt's birthday celebration, when another co-worker took the stage. Listen to the cheers at the end-- there were a ton of us there. It was awesome. Check it out.

http://blog.solidcactus.com/ - main blog page.

Oh, and while you are on the blog-- you can learn a lot about my awesome company.

A Forgotten Blog- I Dug Up More Online History

So it's true. And I even forgot about it. I had a blog before Daily Dose o Donna.

I was being a dork and Googling myself and I found that I once took a stab at blogging before-- and I can't even log in-- not sure what address I had- it must have been before my gmail account. At any rate, it was called "Rants in Her Pants: Donna Talarico's Blog." And I made a whopping two posts in 2005:

--Directory Assistance vs. Pennsylvania Geography: Constant battle for hungry drivers and newspaper stringers

And

All Bladders not Equal and Other Ramblings from recent weeks...

It's funny to stumble across these things. Hehe. I remember those two incidents happening like it was yesterday.

I Felt Out of Touch With The World. I Was Scared.

Wired or wireless, I've always been connected. A little too connected. A little too dependent on being connected. So this morning when my cell died--- my charger was in my car; my car was left at the bar-- and my Internet connection failed, I felt anxious. I could not check my email. The world was ending. I could not see people's statuses or mood updates on the various social media outlets. I was having trouble breathing. I couldn't text. My heart was racing. It was an emergency. And then my friend J (who gave me a ride to my car) and Frontier tech support saved me from my dangerous lapse into another time when there was no e-anything. I'm better now. Ahhhhhhhh.

My Twenties Are Over ... and I Am Okay With That: Donna enters 30-hood- a lifetime summed up in a blog post

When I was a kid, 30 seemed so old. Heck, so did 21. I mean, 30 is a milestone birthday I guess, at least according to the greeting card companies. It's a new decade, so that's something special I suppose. But what I am not, is old. 30 is not old. Since I have been 29 for 364.5 days, I must say that I truly feel younger than ever, even though each day I've been growing older. The past few years have been pivotal- I finally graduated college, I started a career in ecommerce at an excellent company and I've started and am more than halfway through my Master's in Creative Writing. I recently also made some choices in life that have given me independence- the freedom to truly find out who I am and what I want to be. So, the late 20s have been the best years of my life, but I know the 30s will only get better.

Recently, I was trying to remember dates for the memoir I am writing- I was trying to get a focus on the years 13-16-- they seem so distant- but to help, I had to physically draw a map- so I thought I'd share the timeline of my life up until now.

1978- born in Philadelphia as Donna Ploshay.

1979-1981- learned to walk, talk, pee in a toilet, moved a lot

1982- started nursery school; mom got remarried and I get new last name too; moved to Poconos; travel to music shows on weekends

1983- started kindergarten at Tobyhanna Elementary Center; travel to music shows on weekends

1984-1987- no major life events, continued elementary school, was a great Girl Scout; played Mrs. Do Right in "Invasion of the Quarter Snatchers"; travel to music shows on weekends; go to Disney World

1988- 1989- mom got divorced; we moved around & mom met Joe who'd be stepdad

1990- move to Reading, Pa for part of 7th grade, back to Poconos for part of 7th grade and then to Tulsa, Oklahoma to finish out the year at Nimitz Middle School; my most nomadic year

1991- got braces and contacts; had my first boyfriend and first kiss; join fife & drum corp; start job selling newspapers door-to-door for Tulsa World & Tulsa Tribune newspaper

1992- little brother born; mom got remarried; I got drunk for the first time; start high school, join marching band (flute)

1993- Still in high school; still working for Tulsa World; quit marching band; little sister born; lost my virginity (details reserved for the memoir!); join school newspaper staff, The Sentinel, try working at McDonald's for little while but went back to selling papers

1994-Get driver's license and first car, move to Muskogee, OK to start 11th grade; move back to Poconos to finish 11th grade; start working at Big Boulder Ski Area, Split Rock Resort and Piggy's

1995-Start senior year, still have those three jobs, join local radio station's high school intern program; editor of high school newspaper and on yearbook staff; pretty uneventful

1996-1998 Won high school a rock concert, get in first car accident, graduate high school, move to Wilkes-Barre, start at Wilkes, get first apartment, get my cat, Spectra, work briefly at Red Lobster and Taco Bell, work in radio part-time, start dabbling in writing and internet stuff; organize protest on campus, join every possible communication studies club there is; present petition to city hall to allow roller blading in downtown Wilkes-Barre

1998-2001- Leave college at end of sophomore year to work in radio full-time, do really cool things, some that can't be printed, go to Memphis 2x, Nashville 3x; win some industry promotion awards, start freelance writing locally; Turn 21; HIGHLIGHT: Meet my birth father!; have first long-term relationship with boy

2001- leave radio to go back to school, but don't go back to school yet; have a stint at Best Buy and then start as admissions rep at local career school; still freelancing; first real break-up (but it was all good)

2002-2004 Start back at Wilkes part-time to finish degree; still working at school- GO SKYDIVING & Go on TLC for reality show called Help Wanted and place 2nd; still freelancing; meet new guy and move in with boyfriend for first time

2005- quit work to finish degree; enjoy being a full-time college student again; still freelancing; self-publish, Kids, Have You Seen My Backpack? And Other Inspirational Stories of Non-Traditional Students.; get pregnant, miscarry (twice).

2006- start working at same school again, but still have two more college classes to finish; still freelancing

2007- Resign from job at school when they don't let me change schedule for school; start at Solid Cactus, graduate college with BA in Communication Studies, begin Wilkes' MA in Creative Writing program; have College Prowler guidebook on Wilkes published; get engaged

2008- Here I am. What next?

P.S. Wanted to add more links, but I got lazy. Wanted to add pictures, but they are all still at Dave's house. I'll perhaps update with some baby pics later. ; )

Diving into Dive Bars

Last night I was supposed to go on a dive bar hunting adventure, which I haven't done in a long time. It's pretty cool to stumble upon a gem of a dive bar, where the beer is cheap, the folks are nice (albeit usually a little odd, but then again, I am too) and if they have food, it's usually pretty damn good. Sometimes, the best places are off the beaten path.

We ended up going to one bar to meet someone my friend knew, so it wasn't technically a dive bar hunting adventure like we planned, but it surely was a dive bar. There was some interesting stuff going on between an chunkier woman and a man without his shirt on -- but had his sunglasses on - and I wished I had my video camera because I would have be a YouTube star contributor, but it was entertaining. But even though it looked odd to me, it was second nature at this place, as no one seemed to mind. So, I let it go too. The beers were cheap the shots were $2.50!! Wow! No wonder we did so many.

But the whole point of my story is that sometimes its more fun to give your regular bar the night off and go somewhere, the opposite of Cheers, where NO ONE knows your name. You can get fun and get silly and no one knows you. It's great.

I also realized how old I am getting, which isn't a bad thing. But I just don't dig dance music of today, all that hip-hop stuff from the late 90s until now. I mean, I don't hate it, but I prefer it at a dance club. So anyway this bar had an older DJ, so I thought my request for Bon Jovi or Tom Petty or something fun from the 70s or 80s would have been an immediate play. But no. An hour passed and me and my friend were getting tired of the music. So, I reminded him and he said, "Oh, I thought you left. I will get it on soon." So, it was almost 1am before I heard the catchy beginning of "American Girl" and me and my friend went nuts, but noticed that everyone left the dance floor. It was kinda comical, but I didn't car. I danced with my Miller Lite bottle, bopping around to my favorite song while everyone else in the bar got a refill or went pee. Then, he segued right into Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" which brought everyone back on the floor, and everyone who wasn't dancing was singing along and fist-pumping, and I happily thought to myself, "I did this!" Then, the DJ went back and played "We Are Family" and "It's Raining Men" before going back into the shit music. So, at least I had a string of four songs I knew and had fun listening to.

The music last night just made me realize how much I enjoy the songs I grew up with, and how I never get sick of them and how I can't get into most of the music today, namely the hip-hop. Maybe it's a sign of me turning 30 and how I never wanted to let go of the teen years? Not sure. But whatever it is- let's not forget that good music.

Cork Soaker Video

Over an awesome Sushi lunch the other day, me and two friends from work were talking about funny videos. My one friend started talking about the legendary SNL Cork Soaker skit. We were in hysterics just listening to his rendition-- so I had to find the video online. Surprisingly, I couldn't find it on YouTube, but ended up finding it on Trook- so enjoy. Cork Soakers- Janet Jackson is also on this episode.

Little Things that Bother Me

This will be a quick post. Just have to vent about one of those little things that irritate me. I was at Sheetz with a friend this afternoon paying for my fabulous Iced Chai Tea when I noticed all the stars with names on them- the typical charity where you donate a dollar and get to write your name. This Sheetz is right by work, so I looked at the stars while the cashier counted my change to see if any coworkers had bought a star. Then I noticed one that stood out:

JESUS LOVES YOU in shaky black Sharpie.

Why must people use a that vehicle to spread their religious nonsense? Ugh. Just write your freakin' name and leave the propheting to someone else. It made me mad. But then they called #750 and my refreshing cool drink was done and then I felt a little better.

My Mysterious Leg Incident

Ouch. Freakin' Ouch. That's all I can say about the ungodly pain that hit my left leg the earlier this week. I woke up in the middle of the night, Tuesday with an incredible throbbing pain in my left leg, front upper thigh area, and then spreading around my knee and then down a little to my calf. I didn't fall back asleep until around 4ish in the morning. I waited for it to go away because I am afraid of all things doctor and I didn't want to have to call. But suffering all day at work, trying to mask the pain, just wasn't working-- of course I googled and WebMD'd "left leg pain," "pain in my left leg" and "dull pain in left leg" and other appropriate keyword phrases and blod clot was one of them. I started a new BC pill, and that is one of the more serious side effects of the pill, so I got a little freaked and called the doctor.

My doctor sent me to the hospital for a stat venus doppler. The experience at the hospital left a lot to be desired because no one could figure out where I was supposed to go- radiology or cardiology and I really didn't care what -ology it was. There was bickering between all the techs and staff, etc. as to whether it should be an ariterial or venus doppler- because my doctor had given a verbal order since it was stat-- and it was just after 4:30 and the main staff had left. So, they finally figured it out after paging my doctor twice. I had the ultrasound done on my leg-- man oh man is that gel cold. When she pushed in, you could hear my blood pushing through my veins or arteries or whatever. It was kind of cool. Negative per the tech, but the doctor would look at them in the morning.

Not that I wanted a blood clot. I just wanted to reason for the pain. So, I went home and went straight to sleep. That's right- I didn't even check my email! I had another horrible night sleep and the pain got worse. When I finally got out of bed and started to get ready for work, I decided instead of going straight to work, I'd do the ER first. This was the quickest service I ever got in the ER. I was checked in, given my wristband and called into the triage nurse within ten minutes. I guess my body was sensitive to pain because when the nurse turned on the automatic blood pressure machine and it got to the point where the thingy gets really tight, tears started streaming down my cheeks and I guess I wimpered a litte so she ripped the thing off and then did it by hand and took me right into a bed.

The PA came right over and pushed and prodded on my leg and asked questions. She disappeared and a doctor came back and he did the same thing. All they did was give me Flexerol, a muscle relaxer and a pain medication- not the good kind, haha- and sent me on my way. It took a while for the meds to kick in. I went to my pharmacy and then back to work. Today it's Saturday and the pain is still there a little- I didn't take anything yet and it's 2ish. So, I thought maybe it went away, but I was taking them all week and today is the first time I missed a note.

Sidebar: Drinking while on muscle relaxers is fun, but they kind of made me conk right out after a while.

Friday the 13th & Guitar Hero.... I Need More Practice.

So last night, I made the trek to my old college pal and former roommate, J.'s house-- he lives near Marshall's Creek. At any rate, it's hard to believe I've known him 12 years. Wow. We're getting old. We relived some memories by eating Hamburger Helper and watching Friday the 13th, the original, with Kevin Bacon. We always watched that movie when we lived together, and then later in the night, he'd barge into my room with a glow-in-the-dark Jason mask and do the music that always came on in the movie when you knew someone was going to die. I'd scream and he'd say, "Why are you screaming, Donna? You know it's me." And then I'd say, "I don't know." And then we'd laugh and go back to bed. But anyway....

But what was most fun about last night is when J. said, "Donna, you know how when you get drunk you always play air guitar?"

After feeling embarrased about my drunken habit, I said, "Yeah....why?"

He said he had a surprise and he pulled out a Target bag with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. He had a Wii and his brother had Guitar Hero and he was addicted, so he had to buy one for himself. So, I helped him put the guitar together and soon, we were playing. I really, really sucked at first and realized I lack hand-eye-coordination which is why I never was good at sports, sewing or even the flute when I played in school. I got booed of stage everytime and was pissed because there were really good songs, but since I kept f-ing up, the music didn't play. So, I took one turn and then let J. take like three turns.

I ended up beating Foghat's Slowride and the one song by the Killers and also Hit Me With Your Best Shot... we had a blast and before we knew it, it was after midnight and I think we started around 7, with a little break for Hamburger Helper. The music was awesome, but we were upset that there was no Bon Jovi. So, I think I want a Wii. But no TV for me until January, as stated in a blog post earlier this week. But seriously, Guitar Hero is pretty addicting. Once I started to get the beat and quit focusing on the colored dots, I improved. I still didn't get higher than a 71% of all notes hit, but hey, it was my first time.

But what a fun, laid back night. Something different. A trip down memory lane mixed with something really new and cool-- that reminded me I am a true white girl. No rythm.

Happy & Hungover July 4th

Ugh. I feel a little sick today. But it was so worth it. What a good time last night. I can handle my beer, but it's the shots. Those darn shots. After a morning of getting sick and being dizzy, now, at 3:00 pm, I am finally feeling better.

I've learned that sleep is the only sure-fire cure for a hangover, at least that works for me. I've tried many things in the past and these few things also really help with a hangover, for me at least:

1. Drinking loads of Gatorade the next day- which usually makes me feel better, but I also have to pee a lot.

2. Having a teaspoon of honey before going to bed- but when you are drunk, how can you remember that? It does work though.

3. Eating a greasy 1am breakfast- this is a fun cure. I always feel okay the next day when I hit up Denny's or Perkin's or a local diner.

I wrote an article once on a Hangover Patch, but never tried them. I have a friend who swears by those hangover pills, which I guess have charcoal or something that helps. I should check those out, except for the fact that I cannot swallow big pills.'

But today, it was sleep for my hangover cure. After waking up sick, I ate some bread to soak up any remnants of the alcohol, had some water, took two Tylenol EZ Tabs, put on my lavender-scented sleeping mask and went back to bed. For hours. And it felt good.

What is your hangover cure? What works for you?

Long Weekend Coming Up & Time Flying

First off, I must say that I cannot believe how time flies. I called my mom last night and a man answered the phone. I haven't heard my little brother talk since Christmas, and wow, did his voice get deeper. He's a young man. I am excited that they moved back from Virginia-- I hope that I can now be more of an influence in his and my sister's life. They are in HIGH SCHOOL. I am working on my memoir for the MA (as well as for personal reasons) and the time period I am focusing on is before and just after they are born. Wow, does time fly.

I am also going to visit my old college buddy and former roommate J. tomorrow-- I cannot believe 12 years flew by since I first met him. 12 years! We still laugh about our freshman follies like they happened yesterday. Time to create some new stories to tell. The macaroni and cheese one is getting old.

I have been at my job a year as of a few weeks ago. I can't believe how time flies.

Time flies by so quick- and I know that all the fun I have this weekend will also be just a memory.

Happy 4th of July everyone. I can't wait to eat some burnt hot dogs this weekend. That's seriously my fave part of 4th of July. Oh, that's right. Last year I failed at being a vegetarian around this time because of hot dogs. Not a cheesesteak, not a T-bone steak, not fliet, not prime rib. A freakin' Ballpark hotdog. Mmmmm.

A few changes

So, after coming back from residency I have a fresh outlook on my memoir project. To meet my deadline, I pretty much have to be dedicated to write two hours or more per day. To do this, I must 1: sacrifice sleep and 2: social networking time.

1. SLEEP
I've always been a wake-up-with-exactly-as-much-time-as-I-need-to-get-ready-for-work kind of girl and then to hibernate all weekend, except at night when there are things happening. Some of you know about me sleeping disorder, for which I am no longer taking medication for since Health Care in America Sucks. So, waking is tough for me.

Since I am really dedicated to my full-time job and often work late, my mentor suggested the best thing for me to do would be to get up early and write for two hours. Getting to work at 9am is a contstant, as opposed to what time I get home each night. Since I moved, I am less than two miles to work, so I actually do not have to get up that too entirely early. Maybe 6:30 until 8:30 so I can still have time for last minute stuff before I head out the door. This will take some adjusting, but the most important thing I was missing last semester, aside from support at home, is self-discipline (which kind of was detered anyway without the support: I almost gave up).

So, to keep on a schedule and make this work, I must get up early. I did yesterday and today. However, yesterday I had to write a freelance piece for the Ebiz Insider and then this morning Dave stopped over to pick someting up and we got to talking, and then I finished a few chapters in The Glass Castle and now am writing this, so while I've been up two hours earlier, I haven't written on the memoir in this time slot yet. I worked on some pages last night, however. Practice makes perfect is what the trite saying says. If my body can adjust to this change, then I am set. Plus, I won't feel as rushed going into work- I'll be relaxed.

2. SOCIAL NETWORKING
I can't help it. I get home from work, check my email, check MySpace, check Facebook and then somehow two hours pass and I've beat my high score on every word game on Facebook. I play Word Twist, Word Challenge, Bubble Words, WordScraper, Text Twist, and my favorite, Scramble. I am an addict to these word games and I HAVE to stop. I am wasting way too much time. It goes back to the self-discipline. I already do not have a TV and have been reading more. I don't think I am going to get a TV for a while. The only reason I really want one is for when I am bored (which I shouldn't ever be because I have so much work to do) and in case I to want to invite someone over to watch a movie, but I could always go to someone else's house. (And besides, we all know what "coming over to watch a movie" really means anyway.) And, I have to keep the Internet closed when I am writing so when I hit I lull I don't repeat my Word Game downfall in mid-paragraph. Maybe I will hook up my old desktop as a Wilkes faculty suggested a January panel- great advice- have one computer with ZERO internet access so you can just write.

So those are my issues. I need less sleep and less time online and then the writing will get done. I live alone now, I have no TV. I have the motivation of my mentor and classmates and no DEmotivation of someone who does not understand the creative writing life. I CAN do this.