The Perfect Day!

I went home last week to surprise my family for Christmas, since I won't be able to come home for the actual holiday (working), and was feeling a bit sad about it yesterday, so decided to treat myself to the perfect day. The Perfect Day for me consisted of a massage (I recommend those who have never had one to never get one, because they're like Pringles, once you Pop (or start), you can't stop!), then had some delicious sushi and green tea for lunch (my most favorite meal ever....who would have thought I'd fall in love with RAW FISH??? Or weird sh*t, as my Dad likes to call it, then the most yummy peanut-butter chocolate cupcake (www.trophycupcakes.com), hey, something needs to balance out all that good-for-you sushi, and to top it all off, an excellent nap and then curling up with a good book. The Most Perfect Day!

Clean Green Crusade

As you know from my previous post, I am embracing a greener lifestyle. And because of that, I have now jumped on the Shaklee bandwagon. Shaklee, a by-mail product seller, is a corporation devoted to green living. They manufacture mostly health supplements/aids, and cleaning products, all of which are safe for the environment. Shaklee was recently featured on Oprah as one of Oprah's Favorite Things. I just purchased their Get Clean Starter Kit, and I must say I'm quite pleased. No fumes when cleaning, it does a great job, and their cleansers are super concentrated so you really get your money's worth. I can't say that cleaning is my favorite thing in life to do, but by using Shaklee products, I don't get the cleaning fumes headaches, and it's not such a chore anymore. I highly encourage everyone to check them out.

10 Year Reunion!!

I cannot believe it is almost my 10 year college reunion!! The time has just flown by. I have so many fond memories of my college years. The close friends I made still remain near and dear to my heart, even though we're far away. I'm really hoping that many of my friends will attend, as it will be so great to catch up after so many years. We have so much to share!

First Snowfall '07!

Today was the first snowfall here in Seattle. Since snow is so rare here, I had to capture it on camera. The pic is not one of the best, but it does show the snow! It's not expected to stick, thank god, because I live on the top of a pretty big hill, and if I got called into work, I doubt I could make it there. Since Seattle is not used to having snow, they also don't have the equipment to deal with it when snow does happen, and thus the city more or less shuts down. I was trapped at work one day last year for 22 hours, no one could leave because no one could get in! Sometimes I do wish that hospitals closed once in awhile ;).

Haven't gotten any of my Christmas shopping done yet...yikes! I don't have many to shop for, which is definitely a blessing. Hope everyone is staying well and warm, wherever you may be.

LUSH To The Rescue!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and was suitably stuffed from all the yummy food. Tasha and I took it easy this year, staying at home, she with her salmon treats and me with my artisan cheeses and bread. Sometimes simple is the best!

Wanted to send a shout out to my favorite hair and skin care products, LUSH. If you haven't ever heard of them, you need to go check them out. They are naturally produced, or as they call it, "handmade cosmetics", that have no fillers, extenders, artificial anything, most are vegan, and they smell WONDERFUL. They have everything from shampoo bars to solid hair conditioner, bath bombs, massage bars, facial masks, cleansers, moisturizers, etc. It's a girl's heaven!

Back to work today...it sure was a nice 10 days off! We've picked up again so I'm crossing my fingers I won't be floated as a nursing assistant to another floor. No offense to nursing assistants, I did my time when I was in college, but I think I've put in enough time!

Going Green!

Yes, I have officially jumped on the green bandwagon. After all, why shouldn't we do our part to ensure that the earth remains livable for those that follow us? Some of the changes I'm personally making include:


1. Taking the bus to and from work (and putting up with the smelly stinky homeless riding it with me (and my apologies, I know they can't help it, but sometimes my nose can't handle it) ). Besides, I get a free bus pass from my employer, and otherwise I'd have to pay to park my car at work. Now it's free. And I can take the bus downtown whenever I want without parking headaches.

2. Walking to the grocery store as much as possible. It's only 4 blocks away, but sometimes it's SOO rainy, and SOO cold. I do my best.

3. Recycling! Besides it being a must in Seattle, my coworkers will actually fish an aluminum can out that I've thrown into the regular garbage. And I'm tired of the recycling lectures, so much easier to just do it!

4. Using energy-saving lightbulbs. I got them for a great deal at Fred Meyer, and besides the quiet buzzing they make, they're saving on my energy bill.

5. Turning things off when not in use. See #4.

6. Using locally sustained foods as much as possible. Support your local farmers!

7. Using environmentally-friendly cleaning products. It's so much cheaper! Vinegar and water to clean your windows? Fantastic.

And I'll throw in this little tidbit that my grandmother would be embarrassed about if she knew I told! My grandmother actually used to write our initials on paper napkins, so that they could be reused if they weren't too soiled. She had more than enough money to purchase sufficient amounts of paper napkins, but didn't want to be wasteful. As a victim of the Great Depression, she has lots of conservation ideas, including hoarding toilet paper in the utility room.


I'm doing my part, now it's your turn to do yours!

Long Time...

I've been a slacker for quite awhile on my blog now...figured I was the only one reading it, and it was even boring me! So it may still be boring, but gives me something to do.

Went to a fabulous baby shower yesterday, had a great time! It was for a coworker, Nikki, pictured on the left in the photo, due in a month (yay!) and our other pregnant coworker was there too, Melanie (next to Nikki), who's expected to deliver much sooner :).

Went to see Rodrigo y Gabriela on Wed with some friends, what an excellent show! Ian Ball opened for them, who is a member of Gomez, which many of you know, is my favorite band in the entire universe. Not sure of Ian's solo effort, but the concert itself was a blast!

Looking for a new place to live...my current apartment is far from soundproof, and between the neighbors upstairs making good use of their bed, and the neighbor below loving to crank her radio full volume at 6am, it's getting a bit tiresome. The rent is a steal, but I'm really missing having my own washer/dryer and some much needed P&Q! The place I'm eyeing now is only 2 blocks away, so I'll still be able to walk to the grocery store and Starbuck's and be able to hop on the bus for work. More to come...

Bartending Baristas

Haven't been posting lately because, well, there's nothing new! Beautiful weather abounds. My friend Wes and his wife are coming out on Tuesday to visit to see The Police here in concert, should be fun! Haven't seen him in about 5 years now. He was my "chauffeur" on my travails about Beale Street in Memphis when I was young and fun and mostly unaware :). Speaking of, I was at happy hour a few nights back, and did you realize that bartenders here serve Mojitos and Macchiatos?! Seriously, most bars have an espresso machine as well. Only in Seattle.....! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Evie's Wedding

My good coworker Evie got married a few weeks ago in Hawaii. She had her reception back home on Saturday, and what a blast. I won't share my embarrassing dance pictures, but here is a pic of Evie and her new hubby, Josh, cutting their wedding cake. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all had a great time :).

GOMEZ! Here I come!!

I am soooooo excited (cross posted on My Space) !!!! I am going to see Gomez, my fave band in the entire world, in Austin in July. By myself! Unfortunately, none of my friends share my superior taste in music :). They don't know what they're missing! It's going to be a blast! And I'll get to catch up with some family that lives there. Anyone up for a trip? :)

New Car!!

It's about time! I have been eyeing the new VW Rabbit since its debut this past January. I've been driving a Touareg (which I love to death!) for travel nurse purposes, but with gas now $3.59/gallon here in Seattle, my last fillup cost me $80.00. No, I'm not kidding. For a car with a 22 gallon gas tank that gets 18mpg. Filling up three times a month = $240! And I seriously see gas pushing $4/gallon by summer. I'm sure Europeans are sick of our whining, where they routinely pay easily twice that, but as a car-conscious culture, it makes sense to economize. So I traded in my T'reg yesterday for my Rabbit. LOVE IT! What a fun car to drive. And it's manual, which I totally missed. It fits in better with my lifestyle, too. It looks gray but is actually a pretty sage green :).

My Gallbladder is MIA...

So I started having these searing attacks in my upper abdomen around Sept. 2005. It was most noticeable after a really good (read: HIGH FAT!) dinner. I remembered that once upon a time, my mother would have similar sounding attacks prior to having her gallbladder removed. And I thought, "Oh God, that can't possibly be it! I'm not NEARLY as old as Mom was when she had hers out". Ok, then I realized that my mom was 34ish when she had hers removed. And I'm 31. Amazing how time flies, isn't it? So, after a few more of these "lovely" attacks, I decide to pay a visit to my local doctor. And, lo and behold, a gallstone had taken residence in my gallbladder, necessitating removal or many more painful attacks to come. So, last Wed, I took the plunge. I am finally recovered enough to post my before and after's....I rather feel like I resemble a cafeteria lady in the before, and a female version of Andrew Dice Clay Jr. in the after. See what you think...

So I've decided to start my own blog...

If you're looking for some late night reading material, something to really get you in the mood to snooze, well, you've come to the right place! I always thought it would be nifty to have a page of my own, where I can share my happenings (and unhappenings) with others. It may not always be PC, ok, most of the time it won't (!) but definitely different.....so here I am, hold onto your seats...or snooze away, whichever you prefer!!!!!!!!