snapdragon76: (Alphonse Mucha)
I apologize for not posting much. I have a busy schedule with my part time job and doing various errands and whatnot during the daytime. The evening usually consists of me catching up on my non-work related internet time. I think I spend waaaaay too much time online and not enough doing my other hobbies, like reading and knitting. I'm going to try and remedy that. We'll see how successful I am. I tend to get sucked into websites like TVTropes, Cracked or Buzzfeed. Occasionally Wikipedia, but not as much anymore. I also listen to some podcasts, so that takes up some of my free time as well.

I applied to another job at a local school. It's about 30 minutes away (in good traffic). It's not a huge school, but it's not a small one either. It's about mid-sized. It's a high school, which is where I want to try to get in. I still have applications out to two high schools in Knox County yet, and I haven't heard from any of them as of yet. Maybe within the next few weeks since school is ending and the principals and the HR staff can find the time to go through applications.

Being at a local school would be pretty nice, since I wouldn't have to worry about finding a place to live right away and I can maybe save up to find a place after I've been working for a year and they find they like me. So keep fingers crossed, prayers flying and good vibes a-comin' my way that I'll get a job soon-ish!

Mom has been having a good time with the friends she made from her card group. I'm glad. I was a little worried that she wouldn't do much of anything once she retired and since we moved to a new state, we didn't know much of anyone and the people we do know here are busy with their own lives. I tag along sometimes too, like for karaoke nights. I don't sing, but I like to watch and listen and be supportive. It's pretty fun, but by the end of the evening, my introvert batteries are starting to majorly drain and I'm usually ready to leave.

Mom has been getting her knee injections and they seem to be helping. She not walking lopsided anymore. She's also able to do more things with greater ease, which is nice. Her hip was hurting as a result of her walking off kilter because of her knee, but the ortho doctor said it should feel better once her gait improved. Maybe once the summer rolls around, we can start to do more things like we were doing before.

My part time job is still going. There are some aspects of it that can be tedious, but that's any repetitive job. But, the extra money is nice to have and it enables me to be able to do things that I wouldn't be able to do otherwise. I just have to remember to remain focused and not to let my attention stray too much so that I can get the requisite amount of reviews done in the time allotted. I doubt I'll be able to continue once I get a full time position, since I wouldn't have the time, but that's at least a few months away yet. I also have to remember to fill out the forms I need to defer my student loan payments for at least another few months until I start a full time job. They do offer income based repayments, which I think is the best way to go for me right now.

It's a busy year for movies! Now that I have some extra income, I don't have to wait to see summer films until who knows when (I still have yet to see Inside Out). Ghostbusters is one I want to see as well as X-Men Age of Apocalypse and Finding Dory. I think there are a few others coming out (like the Independence Day sequel) that I may see as well. I also have my 40th birthday in a few months which I'd like to have a big shindig for, but we'll see what is in store come the end of July.

Which reminds me, I'm also due for my colonoscopy sometime this summer. Not something I'm looking forward to, but such is life with a chronic illness.

That's all for now! I'll try not to be so long between entries.
snapdragon76: Zach rocking the 360 cameras at the MTV Movie Awards (Zach 360)
OK, so I saw Star Wars The Force Awakens today and I have thoughts. I shall put them under a cut as to spare everyone from spoilers.

Read more... )

So, those are my thoughts. I think I was more coherent than I thought I would be. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what next on the horizon.
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snapdragon76: (Tamaki and Haruhi)
I do have a year in review post coming, but it's taking me longer to put together than I thought, so it'll get posted whenever I have a chance.

Classes start on Thursday, and I'm trying not to go into panic mode about it. My Anxiety does not like doing new, unknown things and so it has to start showing up about now. I think once I get my new routine in place, things will calm down. A primary concern is money related, of course. I decided that I needed to have some money in order to get books and supplies and such since my GA position only covers tuition. I'm pretty sure I filled out everything I was supposed to, but I haven't heard anything about dispersal as of yet, and it's starting to worry me a little since I need to get books and supplies before Thursday.

I also haven't heard back about when and what time I start my GA job. I just love all of this bureaucracy involved in going to Grad School. I just have to keep focused and hope that it'll all pay off in the end. I email my professors to keep them in the loop, which is basically all I can do at this point. I had to fill out a paper in regards to the status of my residency. Most likely because since the school is paying for my tuition, they want to do it at a lower cost with me as an 'in-state' resident.

And February will be ten years since I started this journal. Looking back, it's interesting to see my growth as a person and a 'writer' of sorts. I may do something to commemorate as of yet, but I don't know what.

I did finally get to see Frozen and The Hobbit 2 a few weeks ago. I really liked both of them and will likely see them again at some point.

I still plan on sending out New Year letters, once I get my student loan and can afford to print them off, that is. I also hope to get my car tuned up and possibly a new washer and dryer since our old ones are shot. I know it's not 'technically' a school related expense, but clean clothes are an important priority, I think.

I also hope to be able to find a decent health insurance, either through the school or independent company since I need to restart my Remicade treatment again. I've been lucky enough that I haven't had any major health issues (aside from the pneumonia a few months ago), so I haven't needed to seek medical treatment. My medications seem to be doing the trick, I just hope I can get coverage before I run out. I just LOVE the healthcare issues in this country, but I'm not gonna get into that here.

I'm trying to find more time to read than I have been, since I miss it and there are a lot of books I'd like to catch up on, not to mention the school related reading I'll have to do. Frankly, I wish I had more time to do a lot more things, but I don't and I have to try and deal with it as best that I can.

It's late and I should get to bed probably. I'll try to work on the YIR post I've been working on so I can finally get it posted and to also take down the Christmas decorations once and for all.
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snapdragon76: My Chinese Zodiac sign (Japanese dragon)
I hope everyone had a nice Christmas, those of you who celebrate that is.

Ours was very low key, but still pretty special.

Mom and I slept out in the living room Christmas Eve since we keep the lights on all night. I like doing it because it's kinda neat in a way. Sleeping under the Christmas tree with all the lights on. It's kinda magical.

I was the only one who got gifts since mom and I will be having our own Christmas celebration in late January due to having more of an income flow by then. Mine were from my dad, and I was very pleased.

I got the 25th Anniversary set of Mystery Science Theater 3000, the Hyperbole and a Half book by Allie Brosh (huge fan of her blog), the How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You book by The Oatmeal and a Cat Lady 'action' figure, which is a testament to my dad's weird sense of humor.

We didn't go to church services this year. It was a little strange not going, but I think we're still on the search for a full time church home. The one we've been going to a few times before was pretty nice, but I don't really know the reasoning for us not going back. Who can say...

We had a meal of ham, mashed potatoes and corn. It was minimalist, but since it was just the two of us, it served our purposes just fine. I'd have liked some rolls or pie for after, but our money is very tight right now and we couldn't afford it. We do have plenty of ham left over though.

Our microwave quit on us again. And it's the same problem as our last one had, strangely enough. The power works and everything, it just won't heat anything. We let the landlord know about it, but he hasn't contacted us about it yet. Hopefully it can get replaced soon since even though we can reheat things on the stove top, microwaving is so much easier.

This time of year is also a difficult one for mom especially. My older sister died the day after Christmas in 1979 and even though it's been 34 years, it's still rather melancholy. I try to cheer mom up a little, but I don't know if I help or not. I know that there are things that can't be helped, but I still like to try anyway.

I have no plans for New Year's other than what I usually do, which is stay home and watch the ball drop on TV and maybe have some sparkling cider. Mom and I did make plans to go to the movies on New Year's Day, so hopefully that's still on the agenda. I'd like to go and see Frozen and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug if possible. I'm not looking forward to the party our neighbors are more than likely gonna throw on New Year's Eve which will undoubtedly be loud and obnoxious. -_-

My classes start in another couple of weeks or so, and I'm hoping I'll be able to get the things I need before then. I don't know when the GA position starts officially and I'm assuming I'll be contacted with more information once everyone at the school returns from Winter break. I did find out what books I'll be needing, and one of them costs almost $200.00!! Yikes! I think I can find a used on for cheaper, and if not, there is the option of renting if need be. My GA job will pay for my tuition, but not my books or any other expenses.

Mom seems to be settling into her new job fairly well. She still has more training to do, and she needs to be trained on the company wide computer system, but that won't be until January 8th since they only do them on Wednesdays and they have two Wednesdays off in a row. I hope she'll take a picture or two of her work area since I don't think I'll be able to see it in person.

That's all for now. I still plan on sending out letters, but it may not be until after the New Year since I have to get ink for my printer as well as stamps. So rather than a Christmas letter, it'll be more like a New Year's letter.

Take care, and stay warm all of you in the colder climates!!
snapdragon76: *slurrrrp* (Tea!)
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Those of us who celebrated it, that is.

Mom and I had a good time at our friend's house. The food and the company was very good!


We were treated to the good china!

We even had individual little teapots for us to have tea with!


This one was mine. I had Earl Grey with my meal. Quite a few cups of it, actually!

After dinner, we got to play with the household pets.


Smoky. She likes to hang out under the chairs.


Ruger. A full sized black German Shepherd who thinks he's a lap dog. He's a sweetie, though.


Pixie, the newest addition. No, she's not related to Smoky, although Smoky did adopt her.

There was also Brody, a Scottish Terrier, but he was too shy for pictures.

We played some games, including Spin the Dreidel, which I won.


My winnings. :D

We also played a spirited game of Apples to Apples. I love playing that game! It's so much fun!

I'd like to play Cards Against Humanity sometime since I heard it's fun, but given the company we were with, it wouldn't have gone over well I don't think.

We went to the Bristol Motor Speedway to see the lights that are set up that people drive around and see. The majority of the pictures I took didn't turn out too well since we were in a moving car at night. They were still impressive to look at however.

When we got back, it was time to light the menorah.



When we were getting ready to leave, I panicked a bit since I couldn't find my phone. Turns out, it had fallen out of my pocket when we came back from seeing the lights and sat outside in the freezing cold for several hours. I'm lucky it wasn't ruined.

Black Friday I didn't step a toe outside due to the madness of all the shoppers. Turns out it was a good thing. Our local Walmart made the Huffington Post, and not in a good way. Two women were apparently trampled by the crowd trying to get inside. This was at 6:00 on Thursday, before Black Friday even began. They weren't permanently injured, luckily enough, but the off duty police officers who were hired to prevent such a thing almost got trampled themselves.

Instead, I decided to put up my Christmas decorations in my bedroom while watching a Harry Potter marathon on TV.


My purple fiber optic Christmas tree I 'inherited' from a former co-worker of mine.

Mom and I will probably try to drag out the larger tree for downstairs tomorrow or later this week, depending on how things are. I'd like to try to go to the movies sometime to see Catching Fire and Frozen. If I can't do both, I'd at least like to see Catching Fire.

I'd still like to try to send out Christmas letters to people if possible. I may send them out whether or not anyone responds to my address post or not, if I still have current addresses that is. Only a few people have moved since last year though.

If anyone wants my address, just let me know. I do have it on a locked post from earlier, but in case you missed it, just PM me or something. Email works too.

Signing off so that I can sit and listen to my rowdy neighbors have yet another party. Ninety percent of the time I have no issues with them, but they seem to feel the need to throw loud, drunken parties every damn weekend. Naturally they're the ones right next to my bedroom window and our walls are super thin. As much as I love our condo, that is the one thing about it that annoys me.
snapdragon76: from the New Moon trailer.  (Fursplode!)
There are times where I love technology and other times, not so much. This is one of those times.

My laptop decided to take a dump on me for some reason unknown to me. It was doing perfectly fine all of yesterday morning, when it shut itself off. I tried turning it back on only for the exact same thing happen. So I decided to let it sit for a bit to see if that would do anything.

Nope!!

I’d like to do a recovery or a diagnostic or something, but since it can’t stay on long enough for me to do it, I can’t figure out the problem. It’s only three years old and should not be doing this. It’s incredibly frustrating.

To make matters worse, since mom’s laptop upchucked on her, she’d been using mine in order for her to check her emails and stuff for when she applied for jobs. Now, she can’t do that either! My desktop is working fine for the time being, so hopefully that can hold out. I’d like to be able to figure out what the issue is and get it fixed since a lot of my stuff is on there and I’d still like to be able to use it. I have recovery disks somewhere, I just gotta find ‘em.

Right now I’m typing on my Surface that I got with some money I got from the State of Florida (which I’m not gonna mention to anyone on Facebook since I did whinge a bit about lack of funds, which is still true). I got it mostly to use for school so I could have something small and lightweight for when or if I needed to go onto campus for anything. But, it’s very limiting with what it can do as a regular laptop.

I also got a few items from Amazon that I had my eye on, like some rings and a new optical wireless mouse since my other one was being spastic. I also got some winter stuff, like a scarf, hat and gloves as well as a pair of boots and a coat.

I’d like to go and see Catching Fire if possible and I’ve been hearing lots of good things about it. I still have some money left over, so we’ll see. Movies here are so expensive for some reason. Much more so than in Florida, oddly enough.

Mom hasn’t heard anything back from the place she had the interview with. She talked to a friend of ours who works for the same company and she told mom that it sometimes takes a little bit of time. I do hope she gets this job, not only for the money but for mom’s self-confidence. She feels very discouraged about it.

Our washing machine broke down, so we had to go to the Laundromat and do laundry. We dried them at home though since the dryer works fine. We think it may be a thrown belt, since the agitator won’t work, but then it stopped draining water, so we have no idea what it might be. If it’s not one thing, it’s something else…

Here’s hoping things can get on the right track fairly soon.
snapdragon76: (Tamaki and Haruhi)
Tuesday I experience my first snowfall in several years. Unless you count the brief foray from last year as an aftereffect from Sandy in the higher elevations. Which I don't, really.

None of it stuck to the ground, but there were snow flurries for the majority of the day and it was pretty neat to watch actually.



I took a lot of pictures of it since I was a dork.



Mom even took a picture of some of it in my hair.



I thought it was rather neat, myself.





Let's throw in some random cat pictures for the fun of it!

I took my GRE today. I didn't really feel all that nervous about it. Actually, I'm more nervous as to what the results will mean than I was about taking the test itself. I don't know what the score expectancy is for the program I want to apply to. I guess I'll have to wait and see...

I did feel like I was entering a high security office building though. We got to the testing center and before signing in, I was given a sheet of paper that had the regulations and stuff on it. Then I had to write an entire friggin' paragraph IN CURSIVE at the bottom! I haven't written in cursive for decades, actually. It showed too. It looked like a third grader wrote it.

Then, I was given a key to a locker for me to put my stuff in since we're not allowed to bring anything except for testing center supplied scratch paper and pencils (which we HAD to return when finished). Next came the 'official' check in. I sat in front of a desk where the proctor sat, and he asked me a few questions, like verifying my address and my email address. I had my picture taken to make sure it matched against the ID picture (which, coincidentally, I wore the same shirt). And then I had to stand up and be 'wanded'.

Yes, I had a metal detector run over me to make sure I wasn't smuggling in anything. I had to check my pockets and under my pants legs and up my sleeves. I'm surprised I wasn't full on frisked while they were at it.

They did this when we got finished with our breaks as well.

The testing room is set up like a cubicle farm. There were about three per side for a total of six. Not all of them were full. I sat on the farthest end away from the door. The proctor sat behind a large window watching us and the computer monitor where we were being recorded.

There were these large earmuffs like the kind you wear at a shooting range. I think I was the only one who wore them since there was a loud-ish thrumming sound in the room, probably from an air conditioner of some sort.

It didn't take me the full three hours to take the test. The Quantitative part I basically guessed at and got a 135 on. You get 130 points for just showing up. Yeah... But I knew I was gonna fail that part, and I told them so at the Graduate Office a week ago.

The Verbal wasn't too bad, except for the two essays I had to write. Essays are not my strong point, especially on subjects I have no real interest in. I got 152 on that (not counting the essay scores, which get added up later). So all total I got a 287, again not counting the essay. Utter failure is 260, so I barely passed. I just hope it's enough to get me accepted into the program. I'd rather not have to take it all over again.

Mom has a job interview on Monday with the large medical corporation that's here locally. We both hope it leads to something since we're tired of being broke all the time. I'm holding out for a little while until I find out what happens with school. I'd like to be able to see the movies that are coming out for the holidays, like Thor The Dark World, The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug, Catching Fire, the new Disney film Frozen. And I'd like to get some of the DVD's I've been wanting, like Iron Man 3, Monsters University and Man of Steel.

Here's hoping!
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snapdragon76: Starlight by Muse (starlight)
As those of you who follow me on Facebook may have guessed by now, mom and I are in Tennessee looking for housing. It took as almost the entire day yesterday (Friday) to find something, but I think we may have struck pay dirt.

It's nothing fancy, but it's very charming and has a spectacular view of the mountains from the living room window. That in and of itself may just be worth it. It has smaller bedrooms that what we have now and MUCH smaller closets as well as one full bathroom (which means I have to share. After having my own bathroom for four years, I got a little spoiled), but it has a very large basement which looks like it can hold quite a bit of stuff, especially if we condense it.

Besides, if we find another place we like better after a year, we can move again, but I honestly don't see that happening. For one thing, I don't think I'd want to move again for a very long time. Nothing is official as of yet, but we filled out applications (we both had to) and hopefully it'll get processed and approved so that we can move out by the time we need to be out of our Florida place. There are a few minor things we need to do as of yet, like finish up the packing, find someone to drive the truck for us while we drive the car and tow the other car (which in actuality will be behind the moving truck) and finish up some things before we make the move.

Monday I have a meeting with a financial adviser about rolling over my 401(k) to an IRA and then we have to take our older cat to the vet to get her shots updated and then receive copies of her records for a vet up here. Then the rest of the week will probably be more packing...

We did go to the movies today. We went to see Now You See Me which is about a group of magicians who rob banks and give the cash to the less fortunate. It's a lot more complex than that, but I can't really describe it any better. The theater we went to is very nice. Nice large curved screen. I told mom that when the second Hobbit movie comes out as well as Catching Fire we need to see it in that theater. It's a bit out of the way though, but most everything is here. I have to get used to finding my way around once we move up. I'm used to things being more close together where we are now.

We went to this quaint little bakery in downtown Bristol, VA (which is a hop, skip and a jump from here). It had very good pastries for reasonable prices. I debated on getting an elephant ear, but I stuck to a couple of donuts instead.

Later today we went to other friends of ours in Piney Flats to have a nice little cookout and swim in the lake nearby. It was a lot of fun, but I almost had a panic attack getting into the lake since the access point we have is very steep and a bit slippery. I eventually made it in though and had some fun.

I think I'll turn in now since it's been a long day and we need to head out in the morning. Hopefully I'll have more to report later on.
snapdragon76: Starlight by Muse (starlight)
Well, since posting last, a few things have happened in the Moving AdventureTM.

We got the money we needed in order to move forward on Thursday and so we were able to book our flight to the TriCities Airport for the 30th of May and then fly back down to the Sanford Airport on the 2nd of June. We'll be renting a car and staying with friends of ours while we house hunt. Mom said she has a list of places to check out, which we'll most likely be doing on Friday the 31st.

Then, with any luck, we'll be loading up the truck and moving out on the weekend of the 7th of June. We have quite a bit already packed up except for a few things here and there in the bedrooms and closets and the living room (which is mostly stuff we're already using). We have the bathrooms and the kitchen to pack up next and we need to go through the storage unit we have. If it were up to me, I'd just toss everything from the storage unit onto the truck and just leave it at that, but mom wants to try and go through it first. I don't know if we'll have time for that, so tossing things onto the truck may be the best option at this point.

So things are progressing very quickly which we knew it would once the money came in. We still have to have the place emptied and the carpets cleaned and all that stuff before we can officially move out. Plus, we need to find some strong guys to help us load the truck as well as have someone drive the truck and then help us UNload once we get to the new place. So hopefully we can find some people and be able to get the ball rolling.

Today we went to a double feature at the movies as a bit of a break from moving and all of that jazz. We saw Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness (both of which we've seen before and highly enjoyed). Then, we went to the mall since mom wanted to get her watchband fixed so it wouldn't slip off of her wrist. We had lunch at the Asian place there, and then mom got a few new cell phone covers for her phone.

Finally we stopped by the pet store to get a hard carrying case for our new, smaller cat as well as a calming collar for her to maybe help with her aggressiveness. So far, it seems to be working. We'll have to see the long term effects.

I'll try to keep everyone updated as things happen as much as I can as things continue to progress. I'm very excited about the move and it's really becoming a reality now. We've talked about it for so long, and now that it's actually happening, it's a bit surreal.

If I can, I'll try to take pictures of the new place once things are finalized once and for all.
snapdragon76: Zach rocking the 360 cameras at the MTV Movie Awards (Zach 360)
This past week was my first full week unemployed. It was kinda weird, but also kinda nice in certain ways.

I didn't have to get up as early. I still set my alarm so I wouldn't over sleep and waste the day away, but it wasn't as early as it used to be.

I could wear what I wanted. Basically, it means wearing grungy clothes while packing so I wouldn't be lazy and in my pajamas all day... like I am today apparently.

If I wanted to eat my lunch while watching TV or surfing the internet, I could do so without being disciplined. Not that I did that a lot while I was working, but now I can if I want to.

If I need to run an errand or something, I can do it anytime during the day I wanted to and not after work when I was dog tired and wanted nothing more than to go home and crash.

However, I do miss having a steady paycheck, but that's only a relatively minor inconvenience that I can deal with. It does mean I get to eat home more often, which is probably healthier for me in the long run, but it can be a little boring. I get my final paycheck in the mail next Friday, which will be half of what I usually got, but it was to be expected since I only worked half a pay period.

The vast majority of my week was taken up by packing. I'm focusing mostly on my room and then eventually my bathroom. You wouldn't think it'd be as long to do, but I guess I have more stuff squirreled away than I realized. I did toss quite a bit of stuff, like old mail items and shredded old receipts I kept for some reason or another.

The major project was/is my closet. I have pack rat tendencies and it shows when concerning my closet. I did make quite a bit of progress over the past week when it came to packing things away, sorting and organizing the bulk of my closet items. I found more clothes to give to Goodwill and put the clothes I had in there that I currently wear away in some drawers I have that I can now access. And I can see the majority of my floor now when before I couldn't. I should've taken before and after pictures of the progress.

I took all the pictures and other items off of my walls except for my calendar I got from Shutterfly and the wall mural appliqué I have that I'll probably remove sometime soon. I like looking at it which is probably why it's still up.

My next major project is to clean off my bookshelves of the random items I have on there aside from books (which I was able to FINALLY pack ALL of them away. I wasn't aware I had as many loose ones as I did. The curse of the book addict). I have a number of miscellaneous knick-knacks I need to pack away, including fragile items, so that will take some time. I'm not gonna start of any of that until Monday since I declared the weekend free of packing. Maybe if I take a full two days, I can be more invigorated to do more packing.

What I'm really not looking forward to is going through our storage unit and reorganizing things and repacking and all of that stuff so that when we do get the moving truck, we can just chuck everything on there.

We have a bit of a setback right now. Mom called the 401(k) people in order to find out when we'll be getting the money and they told her that she wasn't declared 'terminated' yet and would probably have to wait until our final paychecks are processed, which isn't until the middle of next week. Then, even after that happens, there's a mandatory 15 day hold in order to receive the money we need in order to even begin to start the process of the actual move itself. Mom said she'll call the lady from our old company that she's spoken to before about it and see if there is anything to be done to expedite the process. Hopefully it can be so we can get the ball rolling. We need the money in order to fly up, look for housing, sign a lease once we find one, pay the down payment, fly back down, rent the truck and get it loaded. We had hoped to be out by the first of June so we wouldn't need to pay for another full month of storage as well as the pro-rated rent on the apartment. I hate the bureaucratic processes.

We did have a nice brunch and tea with a few of the ladies from our church. We sat and chatted for a few hours as well as enjoy some nice hot tea and something called a Dutch Baby. It had baked apples along with it and was very tasty, even though mom couldn't have any of the pastry, she was able to eat the baked apples and our hostess scrambled up some eggs for her.

We also went to the Home Depot a few days ago and got a long length of 4" PVC pipe to put fishing rods and some hiking sticks in for easier transport. We had to be pretty creative when it came to transporting it, but we managed to get it home. However, one end of it managed to fall and land on the big toe of my right foot where there is now a nice bruise on the edge of the nail bed. I dunno if the impact was enough for the nail to fall off however. I guess we'll have to see.

Yesterday mom, Laura [profile] cosmic_reverie and I went to see Star Trek Into Darkness. I really liked it! It had a lot of good action scenes and humor in it. Go see it!
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snapdragon76: Zach rocking the 360 cameras at the MTV Movie Awards (Zach 360)
I quit my job Friday. This is a pretty big step toward the Big MoveTM which is inching closer and closer.

It was bittersweet in many ways. Even though there were some rough times here and there over the years, and some questionable issues with the buyout, I have some pretty good memories in general of working there. I made quite a few good friends while there that I hope I can continue to be in contact with them as a I move on.

The farewell shindig they threw me was very nice and thoughtful. I've participated in most of the parties and such over the years, but this one was the first one just for me. It was a little overwhelming. I also realized I have the taste palate of a 10-year-old since it was a potluck of my fave foods (some of my co-workers called my mom and she gave a list of the stuff I like to eat). So there were hot dogs, baked beans, potato chips, soda, Uncrustables sandwiches, fried chicken and a delicious chocolate cake.

I told everyone I was going to take pictures, which I did. They are here.

Now comes more packing mostly. I don't plan on doing it 24/7 or anything, but the majority of the coming days and weeks will be busy with packing and cleaning and various errands to run. We have some people that said they wanted to take us out to dinner, so we have that to look forward to also. Hopefully it won't take too long to receive the funds we need to get the ball rolling for the move.

My cousin had her baby today. A little girl named Alexis Jean. She joins her big brother J'Quahn. Mom and I are hoping to be able to stop and visit tomorrow morning before church.



Sometime mom and I want to go and see the new Star Trek movie next weekend. I invited [profile] cosmic_reverie to come join us, so hopefully we can find a good time to go. I think she'd enjoy it since she's a Trek fan as well. Last one we were also able to watch in IMAX at the Space Center, but I don't know if we'll be able to do that this time around.
snapdragon76: (Alphonse Mucha)
I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving (those of you who celebrate with the rest of America. You Canadians had yours already).

I did. It was smaller than usual since a few family members were missing. One due to having to work and others due to illness. I think Christmas will have most of everyone back.

We went to my aunt's like we usually do and the food was good as always. Whenever we move to Tennessee (which, like I mentioned before, I hope to be next year at the least), I shall definitely miss the food and company, but maybe we can have our own traditions.

I was planning on putting up my small purple fiber optic tree in my bedroom this weekend, but I never got around to it. Mostly I was distracted by our new kitty! She's mostly for mom since our established cat, Moon, is glued to me most of the time. She said she wanted an older cat (not a kitten), female and that would get along well with other cats.

She called a lady who does cat rescues and fostering and she had the perfect cat! She's a three year old tortie and she's very quiet and gentle. She does have her front claws and so we have to make sure she uses her scratching post and not the couch. But she's spayed and had all of her shots and flea treatments.

Her name was originally Angel, but mom didn't like that name so she's renamed her Tor-T. My mom has a thing for unusual names. I myself was leaning more toward Tortle, but it is what it is.



So far, her and Moon have been guarded toward each other, but Tor-T seems to be making herself at home, so that's good. I told Moon that she can't keep hiding out in my room, so when we leave for work tomorrow, mom and I are cutting off all hiding places so that they'll be pretty much forced to be in the same room together. It may take time, but I think eventually they'll mellow toward each other.

Yesterday, mom and I went to the beach to take some pictures since the waves were numerous over the weekend. We got a couple of good shots of the waves rolling in, as well as a few of some surfers taking advantage of the opportunity.



I will say, that when we do move away from here, I will probably miss a few things about Florida, like the sound of the ocean and walking along the shore, but I think the mountains of Tennessee would more than make up for it!

In fandom related news, we went to the bookstore yesterday, and naturally I had to buy stuff. I bought the December issue of Vogue since it had an interview with Anne Hathaway and some pictures from Les Miz that I wanted. I also got a collectors issue of Star Wars Insider as well as a film magazine about The Hobbit. I got two volumes of manga Sailor Moon Volume 8 and Bakuman. Volume 16. I was also able to find the first two volumes of the color version of Scott Pilgrim, so that was a nice find to say the least. Thank God for Membership cards!

I saw Rise of the Guardians earlier today and I must say, it was well worth the hype. I have a feeling it's going on my 'Must Have' DVD list. And I will say I think Jack Frost is a cutie, but even though Chris Pine is pretty awesome, he doesn't sound like an 18 year old...

I've been rereading the High School Debut series and I almost forgot what a cute series it is. I think, even though I just finished rereading it, I may read it again I love it that much. I might read a few other things in between, like the stuff I just bought as well as another series I've been wanting to reread called Beauty Is The Beast.

And another reminder that I need your address for Christmas Cards. I'll be ordering them soon, so I want to get a count of how many I'll need, so be sure to reply to this post so that I can have your info. Even if you don't plan on sending out any cards yourself this year, I'd still like to send you one so I'd like your addresses. :D
snapdragon76: from the New Moon trailer.  (Fursplode!)
Well, as you can see by my subject line, I saw a movie today.

It's been a long journey. I'd like to thank [personal profile] cleolinda and the Made of Fail crew ([personal profile] alliancesjr, [personal profile] queenanthai and all) for introducing me to the lulz of this series in the first place and getting quite a bit of mileage out of it as a result.

I also know more about this series than I ever expected, or wanted, to. But, all of that is behind me now since there are no more books and no more movies. We can all return to our normal lives... until the DVD is released that is. Eh.

So, like I did for the first half of the two parter, I took notes and will be posting them as I wrote them (with a few additions here and there as needed).

Lot of red eyes around here...  )

Well, that's it. My notes on the finale of the Twilight 'Saga'. It's been an interesting ride, that's for sure.

Congrats for slogging through all of that, BTW. It took me longer than I thought since I had to add links and such.

Now watching Brave to cleanse myself.
snapdragon76: *gigglesnort* (Byron penis)
Well, the wonderous adventure of my health issues continues it seems.

Remember how I said I had a fungal infection and was being treated for it? I went to see my PCP on Wednesday and explained the situation to him. He decided to up the dosage of my anti-fungal medication that I'd been taking. So I started that on Thursday. Yesterday, when I was getting ready to take my shower I had noticed a nasty rash all over my abdomen, back, neck, upper arms and upper thighs. I showed my mom and she thought it was a reaction to my meds. So today we decided to go to the non emergency urgent care clinic to have it looked at.

So they looked me over and decided that I was definitely having a reaction to the medication, so I was given some steroids to take to treat for the rash, which doesn't thrill me since I dislike having to take them, but it's only for a little over a week, so that's not too bad. I was also given new medicated cream for my initial fungal infection that started this whole mess in the first place.

So, God willing, this course of treatment will actually do the trick, and I can start to feel better for my birthday on Friday.

I was able to fit in a viewing of The Dark Knight Rises Saturday morning. Bottom line: AWESOME!!! I'd try to write a more elaborate post about it, but there was so much going on that I know I'd be lost. I did wear my brand new Batman T-Shirt as well as the Batman pendant I got from [personal profile] savvyliterate and [personal profile] secondlina. It was tres cute, ladies. I especially love the wee lil Robin atop of Batman's head.

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Mom and I also went to dinner with a mutual friend of ours and her teenage nephews. Being around teenage boys is very... interesting to say the least. Still a good time was had by all.

So far, the steroid shot I was given in the clinic has started to diminish the rash, so it's not as bad as it was before. I mean, I looked all red and scaly and freaky. Not my best look, I gotta say. I'm keeping my fingers and various other appendages crossed.

As for right now, I need to decide what to have for a snack...
snapdragon76: this is made of win and awesome (Default)
I'll just leave this here:



:3
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snapdragon76: Starlight by Muse (starlight)
Photobucket

So. Went and saw The Hunger Games today. Went with mom, my co-worker, her two twin daughters and one of their boyfriends. I knew I was seeing this as soon as I saw the very first trailer. Even before that even.

So, onto the review.

May the Odds be Ever in your Favor )

I probably left some stuff out, but I took a nap when I got home and my thoughts aren't all organized much anymore. But, I'd see this again (as would my mom, and she knew NOTHING about the story going in).

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REMEMBER RUE!!!
snapdragon76: this is made of win and awesome (Default)
Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

I admit to wanting to see this movie ever since I saw the trailer a few months ago (I think before Christmas). Not so much because of the horror aspect, but honestly for DanRad.

yes, there will be spoilers )

We did also see Beauty and the Beast in 3D. It's kinda weird to see previously 2D non-computer animated films converted into 3D. You can see where some of the conversion didn't really work all that well, but it's only super noticeable if you look very closely.

And the Tangled short before it was super cute and funny. And I still want a Pascal plushie.
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snapdragon76: My Chinese Zodiac sign (Japanese dragon)
Wow, I totally meant to do this earlier in the week, but I wussed out and didn't do it. So, this will be the final post for 2011!

Now, my thoughts may be a bit scattered since I saw these last week, so I shall do my best.

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

I want you to help me catch a killer of women. )


I think I'll go and see this this again on my day off on Wednesday.

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

What is it that makes the women in my life destroy themselves? )

Well, Happy New Year to everyone!! Expect another post tomorrow of the usual One Sentence meme that I do every year. Enjoy! Stay safe!
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snapdragon76: this is made of win and awesome (Default)


*kermit flail*
snapdragon76: this is made of win and awesome (Kermit flail)


*kermit flail*