You Need This

Here is some advice, from a person who loves to cook, but still loves short cuts: go out and buy a rice cooker if you do not already have one. Seriously. Buy one now. Or put it on your Christmas list. But it's the most amazing thing ever. And I found out about them through... my husband! He put it on our wedding registry. I did not grow up using one, my my kids most certainly will. Here is why they're amazing:

-The rice is never, ever undercooked. I don't know how it does it, but it's seriously amazing.
-Mine is completely non-stick (I'm assuming most of them will be), cleaning could seriously not be easier.
-It doesn't take up burners on the stove, so you can have other things going.
-It's great for that college student who loves to cook but doesn't have the budget to buy every size pan. This will work perfect for steaming vegetables, too. So you can actually do two things at once!
-It doesn't take nearly as long to cook.

So just get one. They're awesome. And I totally discovered this today (it's probably been done before, but whatev), if you add heavy whipping cream to the rice and water, your rice will come out ridiculously creamy. I originally did this with coconut milk, but I don't have any of that right now and I still wanted creamy rice. It worked out wonderfully, and it's perfect for those of you who would be afraid of coconut milk.

Go rice cookers!

An Ode to Rachel

This is our Christmas present from Rachel. Isn't she AWESOME??????? Yup, she is. Thanks bunches and bunches, Rachel!

A Very Retail Christmas

It's that time of year, everybody! I'm working long hours in the retail business, and even though it's supposed to be a time of rejoicing and happiness, customers are at their most evil, it seems. I was reading my friend Ashley's blog, which reminded me that I have had some cranky customers as of late, and since I haven't written much of anything lately because I've been so busy, I thought I would write about them. And the puppy is sleeping, so it's perfect timing.

Customer Numero Uno.

I was not working on the first day she came in, but a customer, who claims to know everything about everything (don't you just LOVE those people?), bought some Chinese algae eaters and some guppies, I believe. Well, apparently, the algae eaters she bought (and she bought 2, nobody needs 2 algae eaters, they don't even do anything) had a "sickness" and they died, then killed everything in her tank. I'm willing to bet it was the water quality or the fact that she over populated her tank, people have a tendency to exaggerate the size of their tank. Anyways. Together, these 2 fish cost $4. Just $4. We were happy to reimburse her (we do have a 14 DAy guarantee), but apparently that wasn't enough. She was "distraught." So "distraught" that $4 wasn't going to cut it. So instead of calling us, she directly calls our corporate office to complain. About the death of 2 algae eaters and the effect it had on her fish. And for the record, the fish did not have "a sickness." We haven't had any algae eaters in that tank die in the last few weeks. So it's definitely not that.

So what does she get? A $50 gift card. Yep, because completely reimbursing her wasn't enough. And every time she calls our store, she hangs up on my PetCare manager. I think she should have to pay us to deal with her. She came in the other day, and my manager made me work with her because she knew I would be nice and doesn't have a grudge against me- yet, anyway. She wanted guppies, but the whole time she kept complaining that we didn't carry the beautiful guppies she had before and she didn't want to get a guppy from "that tank" because "that tank" had a dead fish in it. (Who wants to be the one to inform her that our tanks are all on the same system??? Haha not me.) Well, she ended up getting 18 fish. I can guarantee you a lot of them are going to die because you should never add that many fish at once to a brand new tank- even an established tank. I am allowed to refuse a sale like that, but I had a feeling no matter what I did, she would eventually get angry, so I just gave her what she wanted and tried to talk to her a little as possible. If you think you know everything, lady, you should know that adding 118 fish will overwhelm your tank with ammonia. Not my problem anymore. And fyi, my manager did back my decision to just give her what she wanted, even though it will probably result in more dead fish. We didn't want her calling corporate to complain about the associates this time. Fish, fine, but we didn't want to give her a reason to complain about me.

Customer Numero Dos

This older lady (apparently all angry customers are ladies, who knew?) came in looking for a filter for her tank. Her problem? Her tank is only one gallon, one of the little betta starter kits we sell, and it comes with a filter. Why, I have no idea, one gallon aquariums (if you can call it that), don't need a filter, especially one with a betta in it. They don't like any turbulence. Well, we don't sell one gallon filters. I am not sure the reasoning behind it (probably because they're not necessary), but it is not MY DECISION what we do and do not sell in the store. She was getting very irate with us, telling me, another associate, and a manager that we need to talk to whoever decides what we carry and tell them we need to carry it. We told her she could just buy a new set up, which is only $10, but then she went off about how she shouldn't have to do that with the economy going down the toilet and it's not good for the environment and such nonsense like that. Well, lady, if you're looking for a new filter, you're probably going to spend that much on it anyway. Then she mentioned how she should just shop at WalMart since she can get the same tank for about $3 less. And then she said "I have seen nothing here that will bring me back" and she walked out of the store. Ok, whatever. Go shop at WalMart, where the employees know nothing about fish care and the aquarium you buy with a filter will probably break in a weak or so. Good luck with that.

I don't understand why everyone has to be so cranky. Remember, as a retail associate, I have the power to lie to you so you never come back. Or I can hide so you can't find me. If you're nice, I'm nice. I will be sympathetic with you and help you in anyway I can, but if you're mean to me, I'm not going to want to be nice to you. And contrary to belief, the customer is not always right. I do not have to put up with abuse from you.

House is Decorated for Christmas!

Well, folks, the time has come! My birthday has come and gone, so it is now time to decorate the house for Christmas! Today Matt and I quite enjoyed our first day off together in about a month by purchasing a Christmas tree at the local Kroger (we are boycotting WalMart now and our lives are better for it) and decking out the house! I have rather humble decorations since I do not have the income to go all out, but it will do for now, I guess! Here are some pictures of our humble Christmas house:

The wall that I have decided will grace the Christmas cards. Go Cari for being on top of your game getting Christmas cards out!

Ironically, the 3 ornaments I have that my cousin Hayley has made for me ended up right next to each other!

Me trying my hand at photography

And of course I had to buy a Jack ornament!

My nativity scene

The table centerpiece!

This is supposed to be an ornament, but it's usually too heavy, so I use it as decor. I think it's cute!

The side table in the hallway. Those snow globes are from JCPenny's from Black Fridays past as a kind of door prize. Sadly I did not get one this year :(

My table all decorated!

The only place I could think of to put the extra lights I had

And of course we had to decorate for Jack Bauer

I love this candle holder. And the candles smell like Christmas tree!

Our stockings

The tree

Gotta keep the stockings out of the way of the cat and dog

Finally! The hat kind of stayed on!

See him drooling?!

It's very hard to keep a Santa hat on your dog's head.

Um... that's not fair

So I am being positively, 100% screwed at work. It's SO unfair. Let me explain.

My store manager- and let me just point out I have been on company's payroll LONGER than him- has been telling me for over a month that he's bee trying to fast track me into being the store's support manager. Cool, I thought. I was kind of apathetic towards it, but I always told him, if you offer it to me, I'll take it, but if there's someone here who is going to be here longer, obviously hire them over me because I can only guarantee you a year. Which is fair of me to say, right? I'm at least being honest, and I DO deserve it, having worked for the company for 5 years.

Well, guess what. Apparently he has been telling this to EVERYONE. Or at least promising them things like this, but then he denies them. I found out the other day that he has already interviewed other associates for the job and given the position to someone else. First off, let me say that I am not upset I didn't get the job. Well, maybe a little, since I have given so much to this company and I do deserve it, but there are definitely perks to not having it. I love working in the PetCare department, and since I'm not a manager, I can always just pawn off annoying customers to managers. That's a definite perk. I'm irritated because this is completely unfair. I HATE people who are unfair. I know the world isn't always fair, but that doesn't mean a person can't try and be fair. And there's absolutely no reason why he should have just brushed me to the side. He should have at least interviewed me. Or taken me aside and told me, "hey, we're interviewing people for this job, we're only interested in people that will be here for the long run, I just wanted to let you know that so I'm not interviewing you. Or I can interview you, but we most likely will go with someone else." I would have understood that. I really would have, I mean, I said that to him. Maybe he figured I would turn it down, but he still should have interviewed me. At least the job went to one of our associates who is really nice and works hard.

Another thing. I don't know what it is, but I am also being screwed in hours. I'm the PetCare employee who has the least amount of hours. And I'm THE LEAD. That means I should be getting about 35 or so hours a week. But hey, next week, our associate who works THE LEAST and spends most of his time flirting with one of our other associates, is getting 6 more hours than me. Granted, I did discover this is mostly cashier hours, but still. I should be getting more hours then someone who does no work at all. And what's worse is that all the other managers know this. They have told me this and are just as frustrated working with him as I am, yet he gets more hours than me. I don't get it.

I really try hard not to complain about the people I work with (customers I will complain all I want about them, they come and go, but you're stuck with your associates), but this is getting on my nerves. Apparently he's rubbing everyone else- including his managers- the wrong way. It's clear he hates it hear, but that's no reason to take it out on everyone else. And if you're not going to follow through with what you say, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF. He's a nice guy, but a horrible manager. The littlest things that don't matter all that much he makes a huge deal out of them, and then stuff that actually is a big deal he doesn't care about. Argh.

Oh well. Hopefully we move from here sooner or later, or he decides to quit and we get a new manager. I'm not going to quit, I like my job too much and it gets me out of the house and talking with people.

Oh, life.

Reading

I had 3 books delivered to me on Monday courtesy of Amazon. I don't count the Books a Million here in town as a real bookstore. It has quite a few great cookbooks, but other than that it doesn't carry anything I read. Maybe some of the Christian fiction (we are in the Bible belt, after all), but their selection is slim. Anyways, off topic. I bought The Best of Me (Nicholas Sparks' latest novel), The Princess Bride (because I have yet to read this book), and A Hopeful Heart (which is a Christian/historical fiction book- approved very much so by my lovely friend Rachel ;). The last two were suggestions by my cousin Hayley, since she and I like reading the same things (holler one for Jane Austen and J.K. Rowling! So holler two, I guess).

The point of the story is that I'm already finished with one of the books! Any guesses which one I read first?

Yup, the Nicholas Sparks book. Now, I will be the first to admit that his novels are getting quiet predictable. I just had a feeling one of them would die, and then when the heroine's oldest son was in a car accident, I knew then that the hero would die. Then when the son needed a new heart, I knew that magically the hero would be a match and the son would get the hero's heart. (I'm not spoiling anything, right? I mean, none of you are going to read this? If so, I would suggest reading Mr. Sparks' other books first, any will do, and you will soon see what I mean). All his books are basically the same- BUT THEY'RE SO AMAZING. I have no idea why. I probably prefer some of his earlier stuff since it wasn't so obvious, and it would be nice if his next book didn't have a character die in it. Oh well. If he keeps writing, I'll keep reading. If you read any, read The Notebook (duh) and A Walk to Remember. I think those are his best novels, and they aren't nearly as predictable and are of a slightly different style.

I think I'll read A Hopeful Heart next, since it will probably be faster than The Princess Bride. As much as I do read, I'm still a slow reader.

Hopefully I haven't bored you all too much, maybe I'll post a few more recipes in the next few days, since it's December, which seems to be the month that everybody enjoys sharing recipes.

Ice, Ice, Baby!

The South has somewhat redeemed itself! GUESS WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! There was frost on my car this morning! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, FROST! As in this morning at 5:30 I had to scrape my windows! Now unfortunately, it is sunny and merely just sweatshirt weather (come ON! It's almost Christmas, it should be cold!), but I'll take this over the 110 degrees ANY DAY.

Now if only I could do something about the 5 million renditions of "Last Christmas" and "Jingle Bell Rock" I hear at work.

I swear, I'm not a Christmas Grinch, but when you work retail and you hear 5 versions of each of those songs 3 times every hour, it will kill the Christmas song desire in any one.

Just for Rachel

My lovely friend Rachel has been begging me to put more pictures up on the blog, since she doesn't have a Facebook (super lame). So, since I'm putting off going to the commissary, and Blogger is actually being friendly to me and letting me upload pictures on this drizzly (YAY!) Sunday morning, here is a treat: pictures of the Darnell household!

What's up, Huey?

Poser.

Well hi! And no, I don't plan on helping you fix the Mustang :)

Matt hates the cat. But he lets him nap with him, so I think he secretly likes the cat.

Lenny is a special Bearded Dragon. He was just chillin' on his hind legs.

Always goofy. But look at that smile!

Hey... someone stole my chair when I went to refill my coffee cup! (Or that's what I assume I was doing. It's a pretty good guess)

And they sometimes ARE friends!

...And sometimes they're very weird.

A great picture, if I do say so myself

Huey: "MOM! I want out TOO! Because I think you're feeding him and I want some!"

This dog is SO spoiled...

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving has come and gone, folks! And with that came a stressful, albeit great Thanksgiving. Here's the low down.

Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve

Sucked. Absolutely, one hundred percent sucked. I went in to work at 6 am. That's bad enough, but then my closer had left a wonderful mess for me to clean up. Not only that, but today was bedding changes for the New Arrivals Room and the Quiet Room. I know most of you don't know what that is, but PetSmart has a few back rooms with animals, where we house the new arrivals that are in quarantine before we put them out on the floor, and a room where we can separate sick or injured animals (hey, it happens). Anyways, Wednesdays are the bedding changes for all these lovely animals. Problem: every single cage in BOTH rooms was occupied. That makes about 24 cages I had to clean. Not to mention wash ALL of their dishes and houses, and do the same for 5 bird cages. Needless to say, that took me 2 hours: in other words, WAY too long and it put me way behind. Then, when I was changing the water for the birds out on the floor, every time I opened the parakeet cage, one would fly out. Every time. Thank goodness their wings are clipped. It's not really my fault, our cages aren't in a separate atrium, so if they fly out they then have full reign of the store. Anyways, the first one flew out, I chased it along the floor, then caught it, put it back, and another damn bird flew out. And repeat. And repeat. But this time, I'm so stressed out because I'm just so far behind and I'm doing my best that I yell "DAMN IT!" and start crying. And that's the time when my manager walks past. Awkward. He got me to calm down, but then around nine o'clock one of my other managers walks up "Hey Sara, SURPRISE! You have a fish delivery!" WHAT?! I'm not even done with my morning tasks yet and you throw this at me. She fortunately saw my look of panic and brought over another associate to help me.

So all in all, a horrible day. And that night I had to make my apple crumble and the pumkpin cheese cake swirl pie so I wouldn't have to so that in the morning. Both turned out great, by the way. I also had to brine the turkey. Thankfully, cooking (especially baking) puts me in a really good mood so I was able to relax.

Thursday, Thanksgiving

Great day! My turkey turned out fantastically, as well as the popovers and my honey glazed carrots. Our friend Bryan brought over the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cream cheese stuffed mushrooms, and Matt made the gravy. Matt's classmate Mason also joined us. Dinner and conversation was fun! Overall, for being my first Thanksgiving away from family, it was pretty awesome :)

Friday, Black Friday

I had to work in the evening. Thank goodness it wasn't earlier. This was the first year I was not hitting up the sales, but I didn't want to go by myself. I also wanted to avoid being anywhere near the WalMart. I got to work about 5 pm, it was actually quite boring and I didn't do much. At least I got to spend quality time with the customers that did come in.

Saturday

And here I am, sitting on my laptop. I should be at work, but I had to "call in" sick this morning. And by "call in," I mean walk into work and inform my manager that I was going back home because I threw up in the car on the way here. YAY! Not really. The cramps were apparently worse than I thought. But that's always a humbling experience, having to go into work and then into the drugstore with barf on your pants. Oh well. At least I don't have to work.

Favorite Books

Having asked my cousin Hayley a few days ago for some book recommendations, I thought I would also write a post about my favorite books. Now that I live down here, I really want to emphasize that I CAN, and DO read, because I LOVE to. There's nothing quite like curling up on the couch, under a Seahawks blanket with a good book and a steaming mug of hot chocolate a dash (COUGH COUGH) of Kahlua. Yes indeedy, best thing ever. And I forgot to mention the husband, finally home, sitting in the recliner, and the puppy lying at my feet. The cat? Who knows where he's at. But he's definitely causing trouble, wherever he is.

On to the books now.

1. Harry Potter series

Well, duh. They honestly probably are my favorite books, I've read them more times than I can count. Need I explain why I like them? I didn't think so. I finally met someone who hasn't read them- one of my coworkers hasn't read them because they're "too long." She is SO missing out. And they're not even hard reads!

2. Nicholas Sparks novels

He's a genius. Granted, most of his books follow the exact same plot line (boy meets girl, boy or girl makes dinner for girl or boy, sex follows after, someone gets hurt/something dramatic happens, and then either: 1. they get together, 2. they break up, or 3. one of them dies). It's like clock work. Still, they are just so warm and fuzzy it's easy to look past that. I own all of them (except the newest one, but as of today, it's been ordered on Amazon!). Granted, I dare any of you to read True Believer and not cry, but books are definitely worth the read. And it's so awesome to see love displayed in a way that's not raunchy and all about sex, like most TV shows nowadays. See? Reading IS better.

3. Janette Oke novels

Historical fiction and Christian novels, the Love Comes Softly series is set during the Oregon Trail period and the books are just warm and fuzzy and even cleaner than Nicholas Sparks novels! Actually, they're almost too clean. Anyways, this series focuses on the Davis clan- Marty Claridge loses her husband on the way out West, and instead of traveling home during the winter months, she instead has to get married the same day to Clark Davis so she has a place to live, and men and women couldn't live together unless they were related or married. She can't stand it, but like the name of the series suggests, they eventually fall in love and you forget in the end that they didn't even choose each other. There are 8 books in the series. They move quite fast and eventually start focusing on Clark and Marty's children. They're easy reads, and focus mostly on faith, marriage, and babies, but hey, it's right up my alley! Mrs. Oke has a few other series, too, which are also great, but if historical fiction with faith overtones float your boat, I would definitely start with the Love Comes Softly series.

4. Jane Austen novels

I have read all of them! They're such great classics, way better than Shakespeare could ever hope to be (BLASPHEMY! But it's no secret that I hate Shakespeare). Start with Pride and Prejudice, that's probably the easiest to understand. I don't know about y'all, but I found Austen's old English hard to comprehend at first, but I eventually got the hang of it. Go me. And the best part about them? They're WAY shorter than The Count of Monte Cristo, so you can probably read all six completed novels before you would ever get through CMC.

5. Philippa Gregory novels

You thought this was just a movie, huh? Nope. I've lost faith that Hollywood can write outstanding movies without copying books. ANYWAYS. Ms. Gregory writes historical fiction, emphasis on the fiction. If you like English history, you will love these books. She has written a book about all of King Henry VIII's wives. Albeit they are loosely based on actual history, but they still make for great books. She has several other novels based in that time period, but I've only read the Henry VIII books. Her books tend to be expensive, so unless I visit Portland's Powell's Books, or I go on a shopping spree for books on Amazon, I won't be reading any more of these any time soon.

6. Anne of Green Gables

I know, I know. But seriously, what greater love story is there than Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe? Great classics. I she can drone on for pages and pages of imaginary stories, but if you can look past those, what great imagery and creativity! And we all remember when we were young and imagined all kinds of stuff like that. The movies are awesome, too. They don't follow the books at all (well, the first one does, but after that, not so much), but they at least keep the relationship between Anne and Gilbert the same. But as much as I love this books, I have one criticism, L.M. Montgomery: seriously, what is up with the names you picked?! Gilbert? Marilla? Jem (which is a boy?) Grrrrrrrrr.

And, lastly, my favorite book as a child:

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Poor Karana. A Native American (or native South Pacificer, I can't remember), gets stranded on an island off the coast of California where she lives with her tribe. The tribe meets up with some Aleuts, who kill off most of their tribe, including the chief. The new chief leaves the island, and a ship returns to bring the rest of the tribe to the mainland. Karana's brother gets left behind, so she jumps ship, and instead of the ship turning around, she and her brother are now alone of the island and have to survive. It's a great story, absolutely amazing. It even keeps you interested without the use of dialogue. It's the quintessential survival story. Even though all of you are over 10, if you have never read it, you really should. It's even based on a true story!

The End.

The PNW

I miss the Pacific Northwest. This should not be a surprise to anybody. So since my lovely friend Rachel has been telling me to upload more pictures, I have now done so, mostly to torture myself, but also to remind myself how much I am looking forward to going home for Christmas.

Here goes.

My dad took this picture when he took my sister and I up to Mt. Rainer during one of our winter breaks. I miss the mountains and my family the most (although not necessarily in that order, lol)

Starbuck. I have no idea why this is a hyperlink. Whatever. Anyway, I miss the lovely atmosphere of these buildings. We have some coffee shops here, and while they are delicious, the ambiance is just not the same. And they don't smell like coffee. What is up with that?

Mt. Rainer. Again WTF with the hyperlink. Anyway. I took this picture. Oh how I miss being that cold.

Seattle. An actual city. That has a mountain in the background. You can't get any better than that.

Being able to watch Seahawks games. I took that for granted. And now all I get is Titans games. Lame. But I will never forget that I attended Mike Holmgren's last home game as a Seahawks Head Coach. And that it snowed that day. And fans had fun throwing snowballs at Brett Favre. Oh no they didn't! Oh wait... they did.

Alderwood Mall. Don't ever take an awesome mall for granted. Especially one that is extremely nice and big and has 3 Starbucks'.

There are many more things I miss about the Northwest, but this covers the big important items. If I could send you an "I miss you" card, PNW, I totally would.

Thanksgiving Prep

For the first year ever, I will not be home with family for Thanksgiving. What does that mean? I'll miss my family, for one, but it also means I am responsible for making Thanksgiving dinner! I'm excited yet nervous at the same time, I have never attempted to cook a full bird before. But I think I'm ready, the turkey is in the fridge thawing already and I have Food Network Magazine's Thanksgiving issue ready to show me what to do!

Since we're staying here, it will only be me, Matt, our college friend Bryan, who is in the pilot class about 3 weeks behind Matt's, and maybe one of Bryan's classmates. So it's a small affair, but I still want to have the Thanksgiving feast! Our turkey is the smallest one I could find at a mind blowing 8 pounds, but it's still going to ROCK! Here is our menu. I think I'm keeping it simple enough that I shouldn't have a problem:

-Turkey, with a dry brine and a classic herb butter

-Gravy

-Steamed peas (very easy, won't take much time, and also very light)

-Honey glazed carrots (also very easy, won't take much time, either)

-Alton Brown's Popovers (hopefully these turn out ok, but they look fairly easy)

-Apple Crumble (basically an apple pie, but with a crumble top, Bryan doesn't like pumpkin; I will make this the day before and just reheat them while we're eating dinner)

-Pumpkin Cheese Cake Swirl (pumkpin pie with a cheese cake type feel, never made pumpkin pie before, so I'm hoping this turns out ok, I will also be making this the day before)

Bryan will be making:

-Mashed potatoes (seriously, try this recipe, it's AMAZING! And so bad for you, but hey, Thanksgiving is only once a year)

-Cream cheese stuffed mushrooms for the appetizer (delicious, he has made these before for us)

-Stuffing (I can't stand the stuff, so that's why he gets this honor :)

Hopefully I'm not taking on too much of a project. And don't worry faithful blog readers (all, like, 2 of you), I will be taking pictures and posting them for you to either brag about my success or show what not to do. :)

Happy cooking, everyone!

I'm Bored

What to write, what to write....

It was a long boring day at work today. Working Sundays in the South are extremely slow since everyone is at church. So I was bored all day. Except when I found out we now have a code word at work. There is this absolute creep that wanders our joint. He is slightly mentally retarded, but that does not give him an excuse for asking the female associates for sex. Totally not kidding. And the fact that he asks them if he can hold their hand. He also will come into the store multiple times in one day. By "multiple times" I mean about 18. How sick is this guy???? Anyway, he seems to only bother the girls at the registers and in the salon. THANK GOD I work in the back of the store where he doesn't usually venture. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him, but I hope I never do. Anyways, if this guy ever comes near one of our girls, we are to say over the intercom "Mr. (store manager last name), please come to (location in store)." Even if a male associate is not the store manager and he hears the page, he is immediately supposed to respond and come to our "rescue" and some how make an excuse for us to leave, since this creep doesn't normally do this around guys. Welcome to Columbus!

And on a more happy note, here are some of my latest wonderful customers:

-Customer: "Ma'am? Do you sell any allergy eaters?" She totally means algae eaters.

-Customer: "Can I release this captive bred snake into the wild when I don't want it anymore?"

Me: "No."

(Hint: If you ask me stupid questions like these, I'm not going to sell an animal to you. Sorry).

-Customer: "Do hamsters/guinea pigs/rats bite?"

Me: "Well, they do have teeth, so...."

-Customer, standing about 3 feet from a 20 foot wall of fish tanks, and 10 feet away from small animals and reptiles, "Do you sell animals here?"

DOH!

-Customer: "Well, since you're working the truck tomorrow and you don't have the cage we want, can we just leave the hamster in this cardboard box overnight?"

Me: "Technically, yes, but I absolutely would not, since hamsters love to chew and they'll probably manage to chew a hole through the box."

Customer: "Does that mean they can get out of the box once they've chewed a hole through it?"

FACE PALM.

-An ADULT customer: "Oh, guinea pigs are just big rats."

Nope. Not even in the same Genus. Or Family. Or Suborder. Close, though. So close.

OK. Enough about stupid customers. It's kind of depressing me. But it's still so very funny. I have been rereading Emma, but since I've read all my books, I'm looking for some new stuff. My cousin Hayley and my dearest friend Rachel have given me a few ideas! But I'm always looking for more. I think being in a place that reeks of ignorance is making me want to read even more than normal, since I'm pretty sure some of my customers can't read at all.

That reminds me. I need to go get Nicholas Sparks' new book. I can't believe I forgot about it!

I have caffeine coursing through my veins. At 10:30 at night. From my espresso about 4 hours ago. Oops. But it got me through the work day. So whatev.

Now I'm just rambling. Rachel, I promise I'll but more pictures of Jack and Huey up. I'll do that on my next day off when I have the time to dedicate to uploading pictures on blogger. Blogger gets rather PMS-y when you try to upload more than... oh... 1 picture at a time.

What Jane Austen movies should I analyze next?

I'm rather cynical tonight. I've notice I'm a lot more cynical on days when I work. I wonder why.

Let the rambling continue...

...or not. I think I'll go to bed now. Matt has to get up at 0300. Gross. And that means I will also wake up that early. And the dog will still wake up at 0600. Yay.

Poor Little Huey

Today is a big day for my little kitty... he had to say goodbye to his manhood today. Poor guy.

On a better note, Jack and I have been enjoying our day without the youngest one destroying my blinds or opening the pantry door to get into the garbage. Yes, the little kitty has figured out to open the sliding door. Stupid cat.

I think Jack misses him, though. He doesn't understand why the door to Huey's bedroom (yes, my cat has his own bedroom) is closed. The dog will be glad to have him back. Although he's probably going to rather lethargic and mad at me for the overnight stay at the vet, so Huey will probably not be the happiest of kitties tomorrow. Oh well.

Ok, gotta go start dinner, tortellini with brown butter sauce! YUM! And so bad for me. But whatev.

My Dearest Emma. For That is What You Will Always Be.

Goodness, I love Mr. Knightley. I might even like him better than Mr. Darcy (blasphemy!). But anyways, I have kept to my word and watched all 3 Emma adaptations. I will analyze them below. This is kind of a fun project, it kind of makes me want to be back in high school taking English class. If only I had been able to read whatever I had wanted in English class, I hardly ever read anything I liked.

I know Hayley and Rachel will care about this post, but whatever. Maybe it will inspire someone to read more Jane Austen!

Movie 1: 1996, starring Kate Beckinsale (Pearl Harbor, anyone?) and Mark Strong

Ah, aren't they cute?

While Kate Beckinsale makes an excellent Emma (she's really the only one that looked 21 years old), I didn't really like this version. I think the reason is because they underused a lot of the other characters. Mr. Woodhouse is a comic relief character and you don't nearly get the sense that that is what he is, he's just kind of there. Mrs. Elton, who is supposed to be a complete, well, jerk, is definitely annoying, but not nearly enough. I also don't like how the movie hints the whole time and Miss Fairfax and Mr. Churchill are secretly engaged. I know when I read the book it threw me for a loop, but maybe by that time I should have guessed that. Anyways, it's an ok adaptation, I don't really like Mark Strong as Mr. Knightley, he's kind of blah. However, the actress that plays Harriet Smith was outstanding, I think she was the best cast in all three adaptions. They finally cast someone in that role who is pretty. It always says in the book how pretty Harriet is, which is good for her because that's all she has going. The other two adaptations not only make their Harriet rather ugly, but incredibly stupid. My take on Harriet is that she is "stupid" because she's poor and hasn't had nearly the education that Emma did. I think she's more easily persuaded than stupid, which is why I like this Harriet better than the others.

Overall, it's a good adaptation, but not my favorite.

Movie 2: Also 1996, staring Gwenyth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam

Definitely my least favorite adaptation. Mostly because of Gwenyth Paltrow. I find her and her voice SO irritating. Emma is supposed to be irritating, but Gwenyth just rubs me the wrong way. This movie was also a little more modern, which I generally don't take too. And Mr. Elton was just creepy looking. I think the chemistry between the heroine and hero were good, but that's about it. This movie also hints at the Miss Fairfax-Mr. Churchill romance, argh, and Miss Smith is just so awkward to watch this time, she acts like she has Down Syndrome (I don't mean this to sound rude, but she does).

I'm probably just bias and was determined to not like this one because of Gwenyth Paltrow, but I think they did do a pretty good job of the plot with it being shortened. They at least kept true to the book for the most part. It's just not my favorite.

Movie 3: 2009, starring Romala Garai and Jonny Lee Miller

Ah, perfection! I LOVE this version. First off, Romola is just an awesome Emma, and second, Jonny Lee Miller is of the swooning type. Now we have that out of the way.

Why do I love this version so much? I think the characters are all generally exactly as they should be, even the lesser ones, like Mr. Knightley's brother, Miss Bates, and Mr. Woodhouse especially. I LOVE Mr. Woodhouse in this version (played by none other than Dumbledore himself). With the exception of Harriet Smith, who's almost too dumb, everyone is great. And because this movie is about 3 or 4 hours (it's hard to tell when you're watching it on youtube), it is able to tell a lot more of the story, which doesn't go unnoticed. The previous 2 adaptations cut A LOT out and skip over a lot of stuff that should be explained. I also like how this movies keeps the Mr. Churchill- Miss Fairfax romance on the down low so you are completely surprised in the end (unless who've read the book, that is).

I cannot give enough praises for this movie, so I'll keep it to what I wrote above. Everyone should watch or read Emma, I think it's Jane Austen's second masterpiece.

Heaven

My lovely friend Rachel has informed me that she reads my blog most everyday and would like to see more pictures. Well, since I'm tired and exhausted and will be going to bed as soon as I walk the dog and read a few more pages in Emma, I will leave you to contemplate the awesomeness of this photo:

Isn't this the most beautiful picture ever? The answer is yes.

FYI: More "actual" pictures to come, I just didn't want to take the time now to do it, especially since Blogger gets cranky if you add more than, like, 1 photo.

More Stories

So the other day I ranted about the experience of being called a racist. Not the greatest. But I also forgot to mention another story that's worth mentioning, because it's kind of funny. But it was also exasperating.

I get called over by a co-worker who has a customer who wants to return a mechanical cat litter box. Since I've been with the company the longest, she figured I would know more. I do a little bit, but mechanical litter boxes are not my specialty. I have never used them and I tend to recommend just a regular old box because I think they work better. If you're too lazy to clean a litter box you probably shouldn't have a cat. But that's just my opinion.

Anyways. This lady starts asking me all these questions and I am very polite to her. Then she asks if she returns the litter box and buys a new one if I will give her a $20 item for free, because of the inconvenience (the first litter box she purchased did not work). Um.... what? Why would I do that? Could you image how much money our store would lose if people could get something for free for the "inconvenience" of having to return it? People would start buying duplicates of everything and returning the second one to cash in on their free product. What a joke.

I politely told her that I wasn't a manager and therefore could not do it, but I informed her that if it was really important to her, she could bring it up with the cashier and have the cashier call a manager over. Then she told me "Well it's about time they made you a manager so you could give this to me because I am an irate customer."

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THE PEOPLE DOWN HERE? Goodness. At least this occurrence with a customer wasn't as rude and when you look back on it, actually kind of funny. I mean really, what company does that? Maybe WalMart?

Oh I will be so glad to leave here. I really should change the name of my blog, considering that all my posts as of late have been about how much I hate working with customers down here in Mississippi.

...And Today was a Bad Day.

The day started out so well. The parakeet that I had found that I thought was sure going to die within the hour came back from the vet today, 3 days later, and is doing great! He's hopping around his cage and while he's probably not the friendliest of birds right now, he is not shy at all. Yay! I love seeing that I helped a bird and my fast actions with my other co-worker probably helped save him (most of the credit goes to the vet, though, of course). It was also slow today, so I kind of got to relax and work with customers and get stuff done

And then she came in.

I was busy, taking care of crickets and cleaning out their bins and whatnot. This black lady comes up to the fish wall and starts looking. I'm usually supposed to greet everyone, and I probably should have, BUT I was in the middle of something and us being a brand new store right now, most of my customers are usually just looking. So I continued with my task. Never did she come near me, look at me, or try and get my attention. Ever. I know this because I would glance up at her every so often. Anyways, then another lady (white this time) came up to the fish. I was still in the cricket bin, but the second time I looked up she was staring at me and acting like she needed something, so I asked her what she needed and I went about getting her fish bagged.

The first lady then proceeded to walk back to my manager, who was working about ten feet from me. I overheard my manager say something like "all you need to do is let one of us know" and then my other associate David started getting her fish, and I helped once I was done with the other lady.

It wasn't until after she left that my manager pulled me aside and she said "That lady just totally accused you of being racist."

My jaw absolutely dropped. What? How? I didn't even interact with her? How can someone accuse me of being racist when I never talked to them? I guess she told my manager that after I acknowledged her (which never happened) and she indicated she needed something (which also never happened), I then ignored her (which never happened) and immediately went to help the white lady. Thank goodness my manager happened to have been there the whole time and knows that 1. she never tried to get my attention and 2. that I never blatantly ignored her and then helped the white lady.

Apparently this is a Southern thing, my manager told me to not worry about it and that it happens ALL the time. My question is: WHAT THE HELL WHY? In the words of Stephanie Tanner, "How rude." I don't understand the culture down here. The way that my parents raised me, I find racism disgusting and a horrible thing. NO ONE should EVER be discriminated against and to be accused of something that I absolutely do not tolerate PISSES ME OFF.

It sucks that that lady has the power to completely ruin my day. I know I shouldn't let this bother me, but that's one of my faults: I wear my feelings on my sleeve and when someone isn't fair or nice to me, it greatly upsets me. It's not that hard to be a happy person. Even if terrible things happen to you- and believe me, I've been there- there is no excuse for rudeness or assumptions of that nature. I wish I could educate this entire culture, but I can't. So I guess I'll just have to deal with it until I can move the heck out of here.

That can't happen soon enough.

I just have to write about this experience I had this morning. It made my day! I would post this on facebook, but I think it's too sensitive of a topic and I don't want to irk everyone off. Just saying.

Before I go on, everyone needs to understand that the culture down here is TOTALLY different. Unless you've been here before, I cannot possibly explain it well enough. There is a total difference between whites and blacks. I know this sounds extremely racist, but it's true. In just a glance you can tell the difference between a black person who is educated and works for their money, and the poor black people who live in the slums. Most of them are on Welfare because they're lazy, but there are a few that do work hard, they just don't have high paying jobs. Anyway, this same thing goes for white people. While more of the white people are educated vs. poor, there is still your fair share of white trash. I just wanted to mention this to let you all know it goes for both groups of people.

Anyways. I found myself unfortunately at WalMart (I try to avoid this place at all costs, but the two grocery stores I tried before today didn't have frozen peas. What the hell). I only had ONE item. Just one. So I went to the Express Lane, which is clearly labeled "20 Items or Less." I found myself behind two black women around my age with an entire cart (full of processed foods, I might add, nothing natural anywhere, but that's another topic) of food. This WalMart having serious cashier staffing problems, I decided to not change lanes because I was probably going to wait in another line anyway. Regardless, this was super annoying, hello, this is the Express Lanes. How rude.

After about 30 seconds, a white guy came up behind me. We glanced at each other for a brief second, but that was all. Then, anyway. After about 5 more minutes when I still hadn't moved, I glanced back the man. He and I both shared "a look." You know, that look where you want to roll your eyes, but you don't because politeness tells you not too, but you still want to make your annoyance known without being rude. One of those looks.

And the best part. Right after our non eye roll, he whispers very softly to me "The education system here at work."

OMG!!!!!!!!! That made my DAY! I SO wanted to burst out laughing, but I just gave a quick nod and answered quietly, "Seriously." He was clearly not Southern, he had no accent. I'm guessing retired military, but that's not all that important.

I was literally through the line after that in 20 seconds. 20 SECONDS. He only had one item and he was also through in 20 SECONDS.

This guy doesn't know it, but he's my new best friend.

This whole situation might be really rude, but I don't care. It's not that hard to read. Or maybe it is.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

So I hope everyone likes the new look of the blog. I don't know why I didn't have the picture of coffee as my background in the first place, or pick this font, since it looks so much like my own cursive. If it's hard to read let me know and I can change it, but I really like it! But now every time I get on here I get thirsty for coffee...

It's a Good Day.

Well, I can't really complain to badly about today. In fact, it was pretty darn good!

1. I found out today that I do indeed get two weeks off at Christmas. Nice! SO EXCITED!

2. My faux fur vest from Nordstrom came in today! Whoot! Now I have something new to wear. Now I just need the correct footwear and jeans and long sleeve tees to go with it.

3. My puppy is always excited to see me. That makes my day.

4. I saw a customer in the store today with a Seahawks sweatshirt on. 12TH MAN!

5. Today is my Friday.

6. My Food Network Magazine also came in the mail. And I've already read it. Sad day. But it had a section titled "50 Pies." Mmmmmmmm....... pie.

7. The pasta bolognese I made tonight had bacon in it. Bacon makes everything better. Don't believe me? Then you suck :)

8. I have to plan my menu and go grocery shopping tomorrow. I love grocery shopping! (No, seriously, I do.)

9. I either saved a parakeet's life, or I didn't save it in time. I guess I will find out when I go back to work on Thursday.

and, finally,

10. did I mention I GET TO GO HOME???????? YES!

Why Mississippi Sucks

You are probably coming here so you can read my top 10 list of "Why I Dislike Working With Mississippi Locals." I have had the pleasure of working at 3 PetSmarts now and this one by far has the worse customers. Here's why.

*Note* I have been informed by some people that Columbus, MS does not represent the majority of Mississippi. For Mississippi's sake, I sure hope that's true. This place is seriously the ghetto and there are places you just don't go- ever. That being said, the majority of my customers suck. This does not go for everyone, though, keep that in mind.

Now begins the list "Why I Dislike Working With Mississippi Locals."

1. There are 3 types of white people in this town: white trash, rich b*tches, and military personnel. A few people don't fall under any of these categories, but they are a select few. I'm sure my friend Cari will back this list up. I'll give you one guess as to which category I don't mind working with in general. But you can tell in 5 seconds what category someone will fall under. It's really sad, and sounds really rude, but it's so true.

2. A pet peeve of mine is buying something as important as an animal and not doing any research on it all. I know it's my job to make sure you have everything you need, but you should NOT come in the store, know absolutely nothing about ANY of the animals here and expect me to spend an hour with you trying to figure out what you want. It's technically my job, but it shouldn't be.

3. Birds bite. Why didn't you know that???? It has a mouth. It will bite. And most parakeets, once trained, can actually be great pets.

4. Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you can jump ahead in line for fish. You also must wait. You are not the only woman out there who has been pregnant.

5. Also, I know you're a rich b*tch, but that doesn't give you the right to cuss out my manager because she replied "Ma'am, I'm bagging fish right now and there are a few people after her, so you are going to have to wait a little bit." That is not something that deserves a formal complain. Especially when you can see that there are twenty people all along the fish wall.

6. No, ma'am, you cannot keep a cichlid in a gallon fish bowl. Do your research.

7. Customer, pointing at fish tag (which has a picture, basic tank requirements, the THE PRICE): Ma'am, how much are these fish?" Really? You're pointing RIGHT AT IT. I seriously think some of the people here can't read. Seriously.

8. Don't flirt with me. Just don't. I don't mind a cute little smile or whatever, but don't take 20 minutes of my time asking me stupid questions like "Can I release this (captive bred) corn snake into the wild when I don't want it anymore?" to keep me talking. Just go away and let me concentrate on the customers that have legitimate questions.

9. Parents. Please tell your kids that to get my attention, grabbing my belt- from the front- is ABSOLUTELY NOT an acceptable way to get my attention. Especially if I'm bagging fish for someone else. NOBODY SHOULD EVER GRAB MY BELT. ESPECIALLY FROM THE FRONT. You are invading my personal space.

10. DO NOT ASK FOR A SPECIFIC FISH. I don't mind not catching a sick one, or getting a white and gold small comet, but if you are getting, say, a yellow guppy, I AM NOT going to get "that one" when there are 20 in there. I can't do it. Oh I can, but it's going to take me WAY longer. And you know what? IT DOESN'T MATTER.

11. The people here are lazy. Like I said before, I have worked at 3 stores. But this store is BY FAR the worse one when it comes to customers putting product back that they don't want. I have never seen so many items in the wrong spot, stuffed behind other product. If you're not going to put it back where it goes, why do you need to waste time hiding it? It took you just as long to do that as it would to take it back. Again, my job is to technically clean up after you, but it shouldn't be. We can't even get the store looking nice because after we close, we're spending most of our time putting stuff away. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

12. Please do not get mad at me when a lizard set up costs more than you thought it would. Yup, terrariums are expensive. So are lights. So are UVB/UVA bulbs. And yup, you still have to spend money to feed it. It's expensive. That's not my fault. Get a betta instead.

13. No ma'am, I'm not making this up, you can't put that tetra in with your cichlid. They will eat it. Don't get mad at me when I tell you this. It's not my fault the cichlid will do that. I'm trying to SAVE you money. So you should be thanking me instead.

14. Do not come to the back of the store, stand right in front of the fish wall, which is also right next to the hamsters, reptiles, and birds, and then ask me "Do you sell animals here?" Nope. These are all just fake fish. And these people that are asking questions like these aren't joking. That's the sad part.

15. WE ARE NOT A PETTING ZOO. I'm not going to take out all the hamsters so you can pet them. Unless you are seriously interested in getting one, don't waste my time.

I'm sure there will be more to come. It takes a lot to push me over the edge. The people of Columbus have already figured out how to do it. And we've been open for only two weeks.

I Heart Jonny Lee Miller

I don't know how, but I found time to start my endeavor of watching all the Jane Austen book-into-movie adaptions. I started with Mansfield Park, since that's one of my favorite books of hers and there's only two adaptions (at least on youtube, anyway).

The first version is from 1999 after this and stars Jonny Lee Miller (um, hot much? Yes.) as Edmund and Frances O'Conner as Fanny. The more recent version, 2007, stars Billie Piper as Fanny and Blake Ritson as Edmund. I must admit I don't know much about any of these actors, so I guess that's a good thing because I'm not bias towards one or the other. All I know is that Jonny Lee Miller was once married to Angelina Jolie and that he's extremely hot. But Blake's not all that bad either.

Well glad that's out of the way. Moving on.

The first one I saw was the 1999 version. I've seen it multiple times, and if I remember correctly, I saw the movie before I actually read the book. Bad idea, because I tend to remember details from the movie more than the book. I do, however, know that 1999 strays rather far from the book. I won't get into huge details since I know most of you haven't read this book, but they change Fanny- the main heroine- up almost too much. In the book she is really shy and they treat her as a servant. In 1999 she is treated more as an equal, but they don't let her forget that she's not, and she's more outspoken. While this makes for a more interesting movie (her character would be rather dull if exactly like the movie), it kind of strays away from the whole idea of what Fanny is supposed to be. The other huge problem I have with this movie is the portrayal of the dad, Mr. Bertram. In the book he always treats Fanny as a far inferior, but I think he actual secretly admires her character and in the end he is actually very warm to her when he realizes she is way better than half of his children. But in 1999, they portray him as this angry guy who rapes all his slaves and I didn't appreciate that at all, especially since I don't think he does that in the book. All the other characters I think are portrayed similar.

Now to the 2007 version. This one is by far more accurate and follows the book closely. It's been awhile since I read the book, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't stray far. Fanny is more like she is in the book, as well as Mr. Bertram, and a secondary character named Miss Crawford gets under your skin much more than in 1999. They developed her character more in this version, which I think was a great success. This version might be a little duller than the 1999, but I can't fault it for staying right with the book. That, after all, was the real masterpiece.

If I had to pick a favorite, I think I would pick 2007. While the characters aren't nearly as good looking (sorry, Blake, but Jonny SO has you beat), I think it sticks more with the book. Frances is WAY prettier than Billie, but Fanny is supposed to be plain looking and rather boring, but a strong character nonetheless. Of course, I haven't talked about everything, but I think this covers the general thoughts that I had while watching it.

And did I mention that even though Fanny and Edmund are the heroine and hero and they live happily ever after (oh come on, I didn't spoil anything, all of Austen's books end like that), that they're cousins? Try to keep that thought out of your head while you watch the movie/read the book.

Any suggestions on which movies I should tackle next?

Why am I not British?

So I was discussing British authors the other day via Facebook with my cousin, Hayley. This conversation- about our love for Jane Austen and the hotness of the actors cast in the movies- has inspired me that once I'm done with the Harry Potter books (which should be fairly soon), I'm going to try and watch all the movie adaptations that I can. I have already watched a lot of them, but there are some I'm missing. Thank goodness that youtube has most, if not all, of them!

I already some favorite versions, but I'll keep those to myself until I finish all of the same book. I'm currently watching the 1999 version of Mansfield Park, then will continue with the 2007 version and compare them. I have seen the 1999 version before, I'm just refreshing myself before I watch the next one.

If you have never read Jane Austen, everyone should at least read Pride and Prejudice. It's a perennial favorite! It's also the easiest to read, in my opinion, Miss Austen's Old English can be hard to comprehend occasionally.

Happy reading!

I am a Celebrity.

I never knew that a town could be so excited by the opening of a new store. Granted, it's a PetSmart, and PetSmarts are awesome, but seriously, the people here are SO excited. I never, ever want to work a Grand Opening again. I'm pretty sure the entire town of Columbus was at our store at nine o'clock. Thank goodness I got to leave after our morning meeting and came back in the afternoon to work until closing. I think I literally bagged fish for 8 hours. When I run errands after work in my uniform, I get bombarded with questions after people look at my shirt. But, now that the weekend and my Monday morning opening shift is done, I have 3 glorious days off so I can re-cooperate. Good, since I don't get anything done anymore.

Someone needs to come and collect my Halloween candy. We only had two trick-or-treaters, so I have an entire bowl left. Not having to go to work, that bowl is just sitting there with lovely amounts of chocolate in it waiting to be consumed. Damn it.

I don't even have time to grocery shop anymore. And to think, in the next two days I also need to go get the oil changed, go get my dress altered, and get my hair cut. I'm hoping that my weeks will continue to stay at about 25 hours so I have time to do everything I need. With Matt working 12 hours a day, I have to do everything :(

So I have lost track of my note taking, but as of a few minutes ago, I finished the sixth HP book and started the seventh. Apparently I really like the sixth book, it went super fast and I think this seventh book will go equally as fast. I just love the build up of the relationships the main characters go through. Too bad "Won-Won" and Lavender didn't stay together ;)

Oh I forgot to mention! On Sunday Matt brought Jack by the store while I was working. Apparently someone asked if Jack was a Black Lab.... please refer to the picture of Jack to the right. I know people down here aren't that bright, but seriously, is there anything remotely black about my dog? Oh, goodnes.

Speaking of dogs, WOW! Jack is going to town on his rolled pig skin. The first few I gave him it took him an hour to finish it. We're going on about fifteen-twenty minutes with this one and he's already down to the last section. Now I will have to figure something else out to keep him entertained while I do important projects, like updating the blog.

And... he's done.

What will I have him do while I go fold the laundry????

Well, better get that laundry folded. Apparently I'm super productive when I have lots to do and am very tired.

Cheers!

Well Hi!

It has been too long. But alas, I have started working full time and am now super busy, which is how I like it. I would rather have too much to do than not enough to do. And when I get home, I pretty much play with the puppy, make dinner, then go to sleep. I haven't had a lot of time to knit or read, but I'm slowly making it through the 5th Harry Potter. And as I type this, I'm watching my newly purchased HP 6 movie. It's a treat to myself for starting work. Now I just need to get on the whole buying more clothes party that I've been planning.

Work has been super fun, but exhausting. PetSmart hasn't opened yet, but we have been setting up the store. Before all the associates got there, the shelves and the like were set up, but we have been putting all the product on the shelves. Talk about exhausting. Yeah, there's about twenty of us, but working an entire semi-truck is A LOT of work. Especially since the first few trucks were mostly full of the tiny little bottles of random stuff so it took FOREVER.

This week, though, we've been training. For me it's been super boring since I already know everything. At least I get to hang out with people who aren't talking about airplanes ;) Everyone I work with is extremely nice. Most everyone is a hard worker, I think our manager hired a good crew. All the managers are super awesome. Our store manager also told me that I might get promoted to manager in a few months if corporate decides that we can support another manager. I think our store here is going to do extremely well, since we have absolutely no competition and the entire town is excited for us to open. Extremely excited.

Other than that, life is kind of just going. I don't have the most exciting of lives right now, especially since both Matt and I work full-time now and we don't have time to do anything fun. Ever. Matt's at work 12 hours a day and then comes home and studies more. It's very tiring, but hey, military life isn't easy.

DAMN YOU SNAPE! He just killed Dumbledore.

Ah, sleeping animals, they're my favorite :) The kitty is on my lap keeping me warm and the puppy is on his bed in puppy dreamland. They're so cute when they're sleeping.

Ah, the little things in life. Now if only this stupid cold/cough thing would go away. It's driving me nuts.

Peanuts and Pumpkins

I have learned some valuable lessons these past few days.

1. Both Matt and I are not fond of peanut sauce, a main Asian way to eat noodle dishes. Matt had told me before he didn't like them, but I had never tried them and really wanted to. I was hoping Matt had had a bad batch. But as it turned out, I don't really like it either. It's not that I hate it, I would just prefer something else. So I will never again make noodles with peanut sauce! At least I added chicken to it so it wasn't a total bust.

2. I am kind of having a love affair with pumpkin right now. The funny thing is, I've never had pumpkin except in pie (and I love me some pumpkin pie). But scrolling through my favorite blog Budget Bytes (y'all should check it out, it's amazing) I found a recipe for spicy pumpkin and coconut soup and I just had to try it. It's delicious, and SO EASY to make! I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to double batch it next time and freeze it in serving size containers to take as work lunches. Also on the same blog, I found baked pumpkin oatmeal. Made it. Yummy. Mine turned out slightly sweeter because of the yogurt I added, but next time I'll tone it down. Maybe then Matt will like it a little better. He liked the soup, though. So if any of you have favorite pumpkin recipes, or just other ways to eat pumpkin, let me know! I'm looking for more ideas.

3. Another thing I have learned. Having a cough for 3 days is so exhausting. And freaking annoying. Cough: GO AWAY! I'm sick- and tired!- of hacking up my lungs.

4. Mississippi sucks and I want to go home.

The end!

And Life Continues in the Small Southern Town of Columbus

Alas, it is time for another blog post. Lots of updates!

My kitten and our puppy (yes, I did that on purpose) are growing everyday! It's rather sad, Jack is almost too big to pick up! He is such a great little dog, very loyal and mostly well behaved. The cat, not so much, he has discovered the awesomeness of the countertops. And the garbage. And the refrigerator. He finds himself being shut up in his room many times during the day. He cries lots, but he needs to learn not to eat my dinner. Or drink my coffee. DON'T drink my coffee, cat! But this brings plenty of fun times with the squirt bottle, so it could be worse. At least I'm getting some fun out of it.

My job starts next week! PetSmart is not the most exciting of places to work, but hey, it will keep me very busy. And I won't mind the extra cash, my wardrobe is severely lacking in decent clothes. I'm excited to meet new people. I already know one of the girls that will be working, she's an Air Force wife! It will be nice knowing someone who will know exactly what I'm going through. Nothing compares to being a student pilot's wife. Nothing. My husband is stuck in his flight room 12 hours every day. He has a quiz everyday that he needs to get a hundred on and he pulls up to 5 G's on his daily flights. Then when he comes home, he studies before he goes to bed. I basically eat dinner with him and that's it. I can't wait for the student pilot phase to be over. At least then when he comes home from work he won't need to put 4 hours into studying until bedtime.

My projects have been keeping me busy, too. I have one Seahawks pillow finished knitting, now I just need to stitch it together. The second one is taking me longer and I might even have to take some of it apart since the cat has yanked some of the yarn out. So annoying. I still need to work on making the cat a cardboard box fort, maybe I can work on that this weekend. It's going to be difficult though with a puppy under foot, since Jack always needs to be in the same room as me.

What else should I write about... OH! Matt finally hit the flight line last week. Unfortunately, he got sick his first and second flights, so they had to put him on air sick pills for three days. It's very common for the student pilots to get sick their first flights, so this is no reason to worry. However, if once off the sick pills the airsickness comes back, then they have to spin it out of you. You don't want to know what that means. We'll find out on Monday if the air sick pills worked for Matt, he's been fine his last three flights.

Puppy is teething! He has lost two teeth so far. One of them he lost while playing with his friend Kaida, a Siberian Husky puppy (he left blood all over her snout, lol, and no, it wasn't because he bit her), and the other he lost while playing with a milk carton. Poor little guy, he always needs to be chewing on something. I bought him some new nylabones and some dentastix to chew on, but instead of chewing on the dentastix he just eats it. Oh well, I'm going to try Greenies once he's six months old and see how that goes.

I also finally finished the 4th Harry Potter book. I have since lost track of exactly what day I finished it, but I at least have the day I started the first book, so I will know how long the whole series will take me. I like the fourth book, you finally get to see a serious fight behind two of the three of them and you start getting a sense of the love interest between Ron and Hermione. I'll admit, when I first read the books I was really disappointed, I wanted Harry and Hermione to get together. Whatever, I can't have everything in life. The only annoying part about the 4th book is Hermione's obsession with SPEW and house elfs. That little side story line just drives me nuts. Not really sure why.

The 5th book, though, I think is my least favorite. Harry goes all teenage girl PMSing on us, LAME. He also has the hots for Cho Chang, yuck. There's also Dolores Umbridge, mean people just make me angry, even reading about them. I'll struggle through this book, but at least it's an easy read, right? Right.

I can't wait to get out of this place. Thank goodness it's cooling down a little bit! FINALLY. I'm still using the AC in my car in the afternoon, WTF. It's October.

I will have some more blog updates in the next few days!