Run for the Border!

I knew this morning getting up that I had no plans for today. And I tried to be content with that. And for the most part I was. First I worked on my blog, because people still seemed to be having problems getting it to load. I upgraded it to give me more space and I hope that fixes it. Please let me know if it doesn't!

Then I apply for a job. I'm pleasantly surprised when I get a response back (for a change) asking what kind of compensation I was looking for. At first I don't know what to do. I never get responses! What do I say?? Am I like, "What up yo! I want this much money, G..." Then I realize I've been watching too much Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Do you know they play that at least three times a day? And I watch it every time! What was I saying? Oh yes... The job. I respond, but sadly we are not within the same range. At least I got a response!

Most of my morning was spent looking forward to lunch. Last night we went to Taco Bell. I'm a Taco Bell slut. I love everything there! I'm not ashamed to admit it. And I'm not even a stoner! I just love their food. I tried their new Smothered Burrito last night, but the sauce was way too spicy for me. But I'd also bought myself a Double Steak Quesadilla for lunch today and I waited all morning for it. I won't let myself have lunch until noon. That's my rule. After my "take a shower every day" rule.  When it was time for me to take out the quesadilla, I found myself talking dirty to it. "Hello, my baby, get in my mouth..." Did I mention I'm alone a lot?

Speaking of TV... Even though I feel like I get out of the house a lot, I still seem to have a schedule of shows I watch every day. There's the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. After that here are two Tyler Perry shows: House of Payne and Meet the Browns. I watch Rules of Engagement (my new favorite). Then I watch Bridezilla. There's usually a blank spot after that where I might watch Friends until Cougar Town comes on at three. I was very excited today when I found a repeat of Grey's Anatomy from the second season. My favorite! I love a little McDreamy in the afternoon. Now if it was McDreamy with a quesadilla, I would never leave the house again! Mmm... A McDreamy Quesadilla. I need to call Taco Bell!

I do have to stress that the television is on while I'm using the computer to look for jobs or work on this blog. I'm not just sitting and watching it. And sometimes I'll put music videos on when my brain gets too empty. Or today, I took a break and picked up 11/22/63. I really need to finish that! It's such a huge book and I'm enjoying it, but it's slow. I know I said that before, but that's how it is. It's like watching a really good movie and even though you are enjoying it and can't wait to see how it ends, you can't help but notice you've been watching for about three hours with no end in sight. Of course I've been reading for weeks. And I'm a fast reader! This is crazy. I have to read the cat sitter book!

I also cook and clean. But not a lot of cleaning. We only live in a couple rooms since our house has been packed up to move in the reno house for a month so I'd only be dusting boxes.

When I need an ego boost from being alone way too long, I'll walk outside and say, "Kitty!" and many cats will come running. I am Queen of the Cat's! I try not to think about how my kingdom would leave me in a heartbeat if I stopped feeding them. In fact, the only reason I have a kingdom is because I'm the Keeper of the Food.

Smoke felt sorry for our cat Sam Kitty tonight, so he let him inside for awhile. Smoke is deathly allergic to cats, which is why all my cats are strictly outdoor kitties. But Sam Kitty was allowed in for awhile. He was the first cat that adopted us. He showed up as a tiny kitten one day and never left. I do have to mention I wasn't the one who fed him first! That was Smoke and JJ. I wasn't always a cat hoarder! Then Sam brought a woman home and she had a litter and that's how it happened.

Anyway, like I said, we tried to let Sam in for awhile, but then one day we got stuck with no electricity during a blizzard and the dander was too much for Smoke. Sam has been outside ever since. But he never leaves and he always hangs around our front door. He's guard kitty!



Wow. I really can ramble when there's nothing going on! I guess I will end this now. Smoke is asleep and left the television on "Through the Wormhole" with Morgan Freeman. Does that sound dirty or is it just me? I'm pretty sure it's me...

Baby Boo-Boo

This morning I wake up really early--around 5:30, when my husband's alarm goes on. I'm instantly wide wake and aware that it's been a month since my last day of work. I'm still unemployed! What's up with that?

I can't sleep, so I get up and start thinking of what to do next. I even write a list! Poor Scooter is not ready for all this early morning activity:




I do get an early morning text from Katie with a message from baby Abby. That makes my morning! Plus, I know I'm going to go visit them in the hospital this afternoon so that makes the morning go by a lot faster.

After working on jobs all morning and finally getting hold of unemployment to clear up my outstanding issue, I start to get ready to visit Katie. I gather my presents and the little container of banana pudding I made for her.

She told me which hospital she was at, so I program it into my phone. Since I know most of the route, I don't bother checking it until I get close. That's when I realize my app is telling me that it's located in two cities. I text Katie and ask her what city she's in. Of course it's not the one I'm in. Why can't I ever go somewhere without being lost?

I turn around, but end up on a toll road. It's $1.00 and for some reason I panic and get into the "all change" line, thinking I always have change in my purse. But I'd forgotten that I'd given Smoke all my quarters for the laundromat, so all I have are pennies, dimes and nickels. I reach in and grab some dimes and nickels and throw them at the toll machine. They go flying through the air and some get in and some go scattering over the ground. I put my car in park and just start throwing in change like some crazy person at a wishing well made of metal. Never mind the pile up of cars behind me. Cars go whooshing through the other toll plazas to the left and right of me. I finally get the magical amount of change and the light turns from red to green.As I pull away, I glance at my wallet and realized I had a dollar if I'd gone in the cash plaza. Go figure. *sigh*

After I get through it takes me a minute to remember what I was doing. Right. Katie. Baby.

I finally reach the hospital and sign in. As I'm waiting for the desk attendant to let me in, I realize I'm interrupting "Serenity Time." Katie didn't tell me about Serenity time! 

I get a cool sticker and she buzzes me back. I see Katie and her husband and baby Abby and she's cute as can be. I've already decided she will be my Honey Boo-Boo and I'm going to take her on the pageant circuit!

Just look at this pose:

 

 She's a natural!

I hang out and because Katie just had a C-Section yesterday, some TMI things happen that I threaten to blog about, but I won't. I do get Abby to finally look at me... Kind of.

This is her pirate pose:



Arr!! She says. What a sweetie!

I'm scared to hold the baby until our friend Sunny shows up and picks her up herself. She hands Abby to me, who immediately starts crying, so I hand her back like a hot potato. I think I broke her! But I still want a picture of us together so I sit down and have Sunny hand her to me. She's swaddled up like a little burrito. So cute:



While I'm sitting there, she starts to look at me. And I know she's a newborn and can't see me, but something happens to me. Just looking at the little baby looking at me, I feel us bond. It doesn't make me want a baby, but it makes me appreciate life and how precious it is.

I really think Abby will look go in a sequined dress and cowboy hat. I will go shopping for one tomorrow!

Crazy Book Lady

It's Monday again. How does that happen? I wake up this morning determined to get something productive done. I scroll through jobs but don't see anything worth applying for. I call the Unemployment office but get a message that all operator's are busy so please call later. *click*. Really? I go through their entire website and can't find any other way to contact them. It's all very frustrating. I try it again later in the day and get the same message. That's crazy! How are you supposed to talk to them?

But I won't let it get me down. Katie is having her baby today! I get a few texts from her. It's a good day, so I decide Scooter and I will take a morning walk. So with my ankle weights and his harness on, we leave the house around 9:20. It's a beautiful morning. The sun is up and there's no humidity. I love the summer so much. The cicada's buzzing remind me of summer camp. It's funny how I always think of summer camp when I only went a few times. But that memory sticks with me.

I see a pretty wild flower:



Then some dental floss:



Which I picked up and used of course. Ha! No, but seriously, who is just driving down the road and throws out their dental pick/floss thing? But that's actually not the worst I've ever seen. I once had a coworker who used one of these in the bathroom. I'm sorry, let me be more specific, she flossed her teeth while sitting on the toilet. Classy...

Anyway, our walk over, I come back and watch a little Titantic. There's nothing like watching a little Titantic when you are unemployed. It's like your whole life is the Titantic. Although, I would like Jack on my piece of wood. Uh... I mean, door. What?

Eventually I text JJ and ask him to watch Scooter while I go to the library. Scooter has anxiety and separation issues that have gotten worse since I've been home. Apparently he thinks I quit my job to hang out with him, so if I do leave the house now, I'm obviously never, ever coming back!

At the library, I turn in my books, but keep 11/22/63. I'm pretty sure I'm never going to finish this book. I used to be a fast reader! What happened? Maybe it's a Stephen King thing. His books just grow larger as you read them. It is a time traveling book! Coincidence? Of course I have to get more books. You can't just have one! I even get Stephen King's book, It, because there seems to be a connection between the two books. That book was my first really large Stephen King book when I was a teenager. He does seem to be a bit wordy. 

I get this book for obvious reasons:



This book is a mystery. About a cat sitter! And it's set in Florida. It seems awesome! I would love to be a cat-sitter. Wait, I am a cat sitter! Only the cats I sit are mine. There are more cat sitter books so if I like it, I can get more! Now that my job prospects are slim, maybe cat sitting really is an option...

Anyway, I'm out of the library pretty fast and back home.  Then I'm back out driving JJ to my mother-in-law's house so he can house sit. I take Scooter this time so he doesn't have a nervous breakdown and punish me. Because he will find a way to punish me. Usually it's the trash. Or something buried in our bed. Not a horse's head, because he's not the Godfather. No, it's usually something with lots of crumbs so it's hard to sleep.

Other than that, I threw together some hamburgers, ate way too much of my awesome banana pudding and did some reading. Oh and Katie did have her baby! Baby Abby is here! I'm so excited! I'm hoping to see her soon.

Tomorrow I will attempt to talk to the Unemployment Office again. I'm pretty sure getting access to the Wizard of Oz was easier. Flying monkey's and all!

Welcome to our New Home!

Obviously I've been busy today working on this blog. I'm very proud that I was able to export all the blog entries from Wordpress over here. All by my lonesome! There was some formatting issues and the comments didn't move, but other than that, I think it went pretty smooth!

That wasn't all I did of course. I did other...things. Some cleaning. Some cooking. I made banana pudding. And bacon! Mmm... Bacon.

I know you want pictures. So here's one of the banana pudding:



Bacon:



Today I was sitting on the toilet (yes, I know... TMI...) and the bathroom door slowly opened up with a haunting creak. "Creeeaaakkk." There stood Scooter, his eyes all serious, staring at me, like, "Everything ok, Mama?"

My dog is such a little creeper! He's like a miniature stalker! I can't do anything without him.

Other than that, today was a pretty lazy Sunday. I filed my weekly Unemployment claim and worked on this blog. Tomorrow I need to do take my library books and renew 11/22/63. That book is awesome! But slow.

Oh and one more thing. My friend Katie is going in to have her baby tomorrow so please send her good vibes! I'm super excited to see the new baby!! I will post updates here when I get them.

Thank you for your patience with my blog. I'm hoping this format will give me more freedom with this blog in the future and maybe help me expand to a wider audience. If anyone wants to read about bacon. Or creeper dogs...

I've Moved!

Not me personally, but this blog. I realized I had a blog I was paying for but wasn't using it so it was pretty silly to have this one too. Please follow me there!

http://blog.authormelanieanderson.com/

Beware the Hamburglar!

Smoke left the house early this morning to work on the Reno House so I went back to bed. When I finally got up, I felt lazy so I put on some work-out clothes, my tennis shoes and ankle weights. I wrestled Scooter into his harness and leash and off we went.

At first the walk was nice. Then the humidity struck and I was sweating. Note to self: Take a shower AFTER you walk, not before. But despite the heat, we did see this butterfly:



And I accidently took this picture of my feet:



Sometimes when I'm walking with the woods on my side, I worry abouit what might be in there. Not only do I think about wild dogs and bears, but things like Sasquatches and Mothmen. This is Smoke's fault. He makes us watch all the shows where they search for Big Foot, Mothman, Chupacabra, and the Hamburglar. So not only am I worried about real animals, I'm worried about mystical creatures and someone stealing my hamburgers.



Speaking of animals, Scooter saw two squirrels. I could almost hear him say SQUIRREL!



After we got back from our walk, we hang out until Smoke calls me to come see what they'd done at the Reno House. They cleared out some of the outbuilding's that you couldn't see before because of the overgrowth.

Our special guest bathroom:



The kitten coop. I mean chicken coop, of course. Kittens would fit in there though...



Our guest house. Like if McDreamy walks into my trap, I can hold him prison--uh, if I just invite him to stay the weekend.



Most of the rest of the day was spent looking into blog options. I'm thinking of moving this one so I can do more things with it (like ads), but moving all of this posts would take forever and be a pain! So in the meantime, I'm still here. I promise I won't leave without telling you first!

In the meantime, watching out for the Hamburglar. I'm pretty sure he exists!

Beware the Hamburglar!

Smoke left the house early this morning to work on the Reno House so I went back to bed. When I finally got up, I felt lazy so I put on some work-out clothes, my tennis shoes and ankle weights. I wrestled Scooter into his harness and leash and off we went. At first the walk was nice. Then the humidity struck and I was sweating. Note to self: Take a shower AFTER you walk, not before. But despite the heat, we did see this butterfly:



And I accidently took this picture of my feet:



Sometimes when I'm walking with the woods on my side, I worry abouit what might be in there. Not only do I think about wild dogs and bears, but things like Sasquatches and Mothmen. This is Smoke's fault. He makes us watch all the shows where they search for Big Foot, Mothman, Chupacabra, and the Hamburglar. So not only am I worried about real animals, I'm worried about mystical creatures and someone stealing my hamburgers.



Speaking of animals, Scooter saw two squirrels. I could almost hear him say SQUIRREL!



After we got back from our walk, we hang out until Smoke calls me to come see what they'd done at the Reno House. They cleared out some of the outbuilding's that you couldn't see before because of the overgrowth.Our special guest bathroom:



The kitten coop. I mean chicken coop, of course. Kittens would fit in there though...



Our guest house. Like if McDreamy walks into my trap, I can hold him prison--uh, if I just invite him to stay the weekend.



Most of the rest of the day was spent looking into blog options. I'm thinking of moving this one so I can do more things with it (like ads), but moving all of this posts would take forever and be a pain! So in the meantime, I'm still here. I promise I won't leave without telling you first!
 
In the meantime, watching out for the Hamburglar. I'm pretty sure he exists!

Country Lessons

This morning I wake up and get ready to go to my Unemployment Orientation. I was unsure of the dress code so I put on a pair of my black pants, a casual shirt and sandals. I was going to wear jeans, but I just wasn’t sure enough. For all I know people would be in business attire. Or they would be wearing pajamas. I decided to ride the line. Pajama bottoms and a suit jacket. (Not really).

Getting into my car while wearing work clothes and leaving at the time I used to go to work made me sad and nostalgic. It’s hard to believe it hasn’t even been a month since my last day. It feels like a lifetime!

I leave pretty early, which is good since you basically need a college degree to find the community college where the class is being held at! Even the GPS on my phone is constantly recalculating where I’m going. I end up going over railroad tracks. I didn’t even know there was a train in my town!

Once I finally find it, it’s a nice campus and the building is beautiful…

I walk in and get into the elevator. A man follows me in. (Always a good start. Stuck in an elevator with a stranger).

He says: “Third floor, please.”

I lurch forward to reach for the button and then realize it’s a two story building. Me: “Ha! I tried to push the button.”

Him: “I almost got you!” Yes, sir, thank you. Making someone feel stupid in a college is always good fun.

He continues: “Are you here for a class or testing?” Me: “A class.” He wishes me luck and is on his way. Thankfully he’s not in my orientation.

It’s a pretty small class. Just about six people or so. I sit in my seat and stare at the presentation on the screen and think, “How did I get here? How am I unemployed?” Sometimes it hits me again. Despite this blog, there are times I still feel like it’s a dream.

The presentation is a pretty good one. The instructor really tells us everything in a straight forward down to earth way. And she’s funny at times. Once in awhile, she’d say sweet like, “schweet!” Like, “I got this great job. Schweet!” That cracked me up. There was this chick in a tied-dyed shirt and khaki shorts a couple seats away from me, so my wardrobe worries were for nothing. Of course.

I still have unemployment issues with my payment, but the good news is that I have a better of understanding of what I’m supposed to be doing so I should do better from now on. But I’m going to deal with it on Monday.

After that exciting morning, my husband and I go out to run a few errands. Since nothing much happened after that, I thought I’d just show pictures of things I saw in my ‘hood.

The education is a little lacking:

I love bothe of you too! There was a sticker of the local high school on the back bumper. I will not tell you what high school that is since it's one of the high schools my son attended and I'm not proud. Bothe of us aren't. I'm not even sure who "bothe" of you is referring to. Two girlfriends? I never saw who came out to this car. Shame.

A goofy dog in the back of my car:

Oh wait, that's my dog!

Dear Prince George,

Your grandmother will always be remembered. On the back of the cabin of some sweaty guy's tractor-trailer. This is your legacy.

You're welcome.

This was actually on the way home from the class:

Just in case you don't believe I live in the country. I break for tractors! Because I have no choice.

Oh and because I always tell you what I make for dinner.

 <

Pizza, Pizza!!

That's all for today. I'm glad the class is over. Thanks for the good vibes!

Country Lessons

This morning I wake up and get ready to go to my Unemployment Orientation. I was unsure of the dress code so I put on a pair of my black pants, a casual shirt and sandals. I was going to wear jeans, but I just wasn’t sure enough. For all I know people would be in business attire. Or they would be wearing pajamas. I decided to ride the line. Pajama bottoms and a suit jacket. (Not really).

Getting into my car while wearing work clothes and leaving at the time I used to go to work made me sad and nostalgic. It’s hard to believe it hasn’t even been a month since my last day. It feels like a lifetime!

I leave pretty early, which is good since you basically need a college degree to find the community college where the class is being held at! Even the GPS on my phone is constantly recalculating where I’m going. I end up going over railroad tracks. I didn’t even know there was a train in my town!

Once I finally find it, it’s a nice campus and the building is beautiful…

I walk in and get into the elevator. A man follows me in. (Always a good start. Stuck in an elevator with a stranger).

He says: “Third floor, please.”

I lurch forward to reach for the button and then realize it’s a two story building. Me: “Ha! I tried to push the button.”

Him: “I almost got you!” Yes, sir, thank you. Making someone feel stupid in a college is always good fun.

He continues: “Are you here for a class or testing?” Me: “A class.” He wishes me luck and is on his way. Thankfully he’s not in my orientation.

It’s a pretty small class. Just about six people or so. I sit in my seat and stare at the presentation on the screen and think, “How did I get here? How am I unemployed?” Sometimes it hits me again. Despite this blog, there are times I still feel like it’s a dream.

The presentation is a pretty good one. The instructor really tells us everything in a straight forward down to earth way. And she’s funny at times. Once in awhile, she’d say sweet like, “schweet!” Like, “I got this great job. Schweet!” That cracked me up. There was this chick in a tied-dyed shirt and khaki shorts a couple seats away from me, so my wardrobe worries were for nothing. Of course.

I still have unemployment issues with my payment, but the good news is that I have a better of understanding of what I’m supposed to be doing so I should do better from now on. But I’m going to deal with it on Monday.

After that exciting morning, my husband and I go out to run a few errands. Since nothing much happened after that, I thought I’d just show pictures of things I saw in my ‘hood.

The education is a little lacking:

I love bothe of you too! There was a sticker of the local high school on the back bumper. I will not tell you what high school that is since it's one of the high schools my son attended and I'm not proud. Bothe of us aren't. I'm not even sure who "bothe" of you is referring to. Two girlfriends? I never saw who came out to this car. Shame.

A goofy dog in the back of my car:

Oh wait, that's my dog!

Dear Prince George,

Your grandmother will always be remembered. On the back of the cabin of some sweaty guy's tractor-trailer. This is your legacy.

You're welcome.

This was actually on the way home from the class:

Just in case you don't believe I live in the country. I break for tractors! Because I have no choice.

Oh and because I always tell you what I make for dinner.

 <

Pizza, Pizza!!

That's all for today. I'm glad the class is over. Thanks for the good vibes!

Nickelback Horse

This morning I wake up worried about the unemployment training and determined I'm not staying home again. We need some more groceries so I head out to Walmart. Not before my son tells me that I'm basically not a good cook. Ahh... Teenagers. They tell you like it is and then you want to strangle them. Apparently the prison food is not to his liking! So sad. I guess he'll need to find his own prison. Like a job!

At Walmart, I browse through the other sections. That's the good (and bad) thing about grocery shopping at Walmart. All the other junk you don't need but you like to look at. Thats when I remember my husband wanted some CD's to listen to at work. I remember one group in particular he asked for. But I'm not sure if I'm looking at the right CD, so I have to send him a picture:



Man, I hope nobody saw me buy a Nickelback CD. Especially somebody from the Unemployment department.

“We saw you buy that Nickelback CD. You will obviously never get another job. Or a life. No money for you!”

I send him the picture and he texts me back: “Y.” What does Y mean? Yes? He can’t even type me a three letter word? Maybe he was asking me why Nickelback exists. Nobody knows so I don’t bother with a response.

I buy my groceries and leave. After a trip back to dump the groceries off and a trip to my MIL’s for some more stuff, I’m at the Reno House to meet Smoke. I love hanging out there. It’s such a nice day out. I “help” Smoke by sitting on the porch and reading my book.

That’s when he brings out the horses. I get so excited! I’m always wanted a horse!



He has me help hold ‘em steady while he makes sure the horse stands up straight. But sometimes they need work.

Sick horse:




This is Woody:



And Norman:



Me, Woody and Norman:



Smoke: “You really want me to take this picture?”

Me: “Yes!”

This was our project tonight. He needs sawhorses to help him work.

When we finally load up the horses, we go home. I’m not about to make some elaborate meal after the prisoner’s complaints, so I make some Fatburgers.



There's a mention of Fatburgers in the book 11/22/63, which is why I had to get it! They were good. And easy! And there were no prisoner complaints. I printed out my resume, but I'm still kind of nervous about tomorrow. I'm always like this in unfamiliar situations. Wish me luck!

Maybe I'll put horse trainer on my resume...

Nickelback Horse

This morning I wake up worried about the unemployment training and determined I'm not staying home again. We need some more groceries so I head out to Walmart. Not before my son tells me that I'm basically not a good cook. Ahh... Teenagers. They tell you like it is and then you want to strangle them. Apparently the prison food is not to his liking! So sad. I guess he'll need to find his own prison. Like a job!

At Walmart, I browse through the other sections. That's the good (and bad) thing about grocery shopping at Walmart. All the other junk you don't need but you like to look at. Thats when I remember my husband wanted some CD's to listen to at work. I remember one group in particular he asked for. But I'm not sure if I'm looking at the right CD, so I have to send him a picture:



Man, I hope nobody saw me buy a Nickelback CD. Especially somebody from the Unemployment department.

“We saw you buy that Nickelback CD. You will obviously never get another job. Or a life. No money for you!"

I send him the picture and he texts me back: “Y.” What does Y mean? Yes? He can’t even type me a three letter word? Maybe he was asking me why Nickelback exists. Nobody knows so I don’t bother with a response.

I buy my groceries and leave. After a trip back to dump the groceries off and a trip to my MIL’s for some more stuff, I’m at the Reno House to meet Smoke. I love hanging out there. It’s such a nice day out. I “help” Smoke by sitting on the porch and reading my book.

That’s when he brings out the horses. I get so excited! I’m always wanted a horse!



He has me help hold ‘em steady while he makes sure the horse stands up straight. But sometimes they need work. Sick horse:



This is Woody:



And Norman:



Me, Woody and Norman:

 

Smoke: “You really want me to take this picture?”

Me: “Yes!”

This was our project tonight. He needs sawhorses to help him work. When we finally load up the horses, we go home.

I’m not about to make some elaborate meal after the prisoner’s complaints, so I make some Fatburgers.



There's a mention of Fatburgers in the book 11/22/63, which is why I had to get it! They were good. And easy! And there were no prisoner complaints. I printed out my resume, but I'm still kind of nervous about tomorrow. I'm always like this in unfamiliar situations. Wish me luck!

Maybe I'll put horse trainer on my resume...