My Life Lately

So I haven't blogged since Phantom's death. I still miss him soo much. Its odd not having a cat around. It didn't really hit me that he was gone until a few days after his death. I still look for him when I go downstairs. It's weird not seeing the food box and litter box in "Phantom's area", its just an empty spot. We will not be getting another cat. At least not at this house. When I eventually move out, I will be adopting two kittens (cats do better when they have a friend/playmate). Right now if I adopted another cat, it would live downstairs like Phantom did b/c thats where the litter box would have to be kept b/c of Loki. I won't do that to another cat. Phantom deserved to be upstairs and given more attention but with Loki so bouncy and Phantom so skittish...it didn't work out that way. So now its just Loki in the house. And one dog is all we can handle, trust me, Loki has not really grown up. She is still a crazy puppy at times. Anyways....here is a brief rundown of whats been going on in my life lately.
*I am still working at the call center. Now I am full time, fully trained and on my own for 2 weeks now. I work at Quality Reward Travel booking flights. I like the people I work with, and the supervisors are super nice and helpful. I have come to relized that while I may not like my job...I am lucky to have this job and it is better than nothing. Prior to this I was sitting around at home relying on unemployement wages (a very tiny check) to pay bills and doing nothing but daily looking online for jobs. A lot of peopel are unemployed and deserperately trying to find a job; the job market really sucks. I went to a job fair about a month and half ago and relized that when I apply for a job I am up against HUNDREDS of other applicants, all vying to get this job. There are people with Master's degrees who can't find jobs. Obama reported on his 100th day of office that things were getting better; not really. Unfortunately this is giong to take a while.
*My financial situation is getting better with a full time job. While I could afford a new car, I can't go out and purchase one as my job is not garuenteed. The program I'm working on is going away...they just haven't given notice...so it could be a month from now or six months from now. We don't know. All we do know is that if there are layoffs, the temps aka me, will be the first to go. So long story short, while I could afford car payments now, further down the road I might not be able to and my parents can't afford to either, what with dad being forced to retire come July. So it is better to save up and wait until either a) I get a better full time job or b) my job at the call center becomes secure. I am hoping to replace my car this summer tho. And right now is the best time to buy a car; the deals are unreal. I just wish I could take advantage of it. This next car is going to be MY car, meaning I will pay for it, not the parents. This is going to be my toy and I'm not comprimising, so if I have to wait I will. I thought last summer I was going to be able to get a new car but then I got laid off. I can be extremly patient when I want to be, which is a good thing.
*Family: The family is doing good. My mother is finishing up a 6 week subbing assignment, so that has been keeping her busy. Dad is still working for Maritz, only until July. He is being forced into retirement, that is all I will say, the rest is his business. Mark is still living in Florissant. No luck for him on the job front either. Hopefully, he will find a job and won't have to move back home. I am using a section of his closet for my long sleeve work shirts to have more room in my closet. I sooo need more closet space. The walk in closet my brother had downstairs was totally wasted on him. My closet, tho organized to the nines, is jam packed with clothes, shoes, and other things.
Loki: Ah yes, my crazy little puppy. Loki has been plagued with spring allergies once again. Fortunately, we have been able to avoid costly trips to the vet. We have been giving her Benadryl and that seems to be doing the job. Luckily, summer is right around the corner and allergy season for the puppy will be done. Loki is still a hyper little thing. She has her moments of saneness, but mostly she is still very much a puppy. She keeps us entertained thats for sure. Loki will have her yearly check up in June, where I'm sure the vet will tell us she is doing fantastic. Loki has put on some weight, but she is still solid muscle. That dog is sooo strong. Much stronger and smarter than Shadow ever was. Although at times we wonder about her intelligence. LOL. We love her for all of her crazy ways.
That's all for now folks. I have been busy with work lately, and will continue to be what with two days of 2 hour mandatory overtime. I have the late shift for the second week in a row (10:40 to 7:10), a shift which really kills your day. Thankfully, after this week, I won't have that shift for at least 3 weeks. I just finished a 6 day (50 hour week), two of them had two hour mandatory overtime. Oh, and I watered the garden today, got all hot and sweaty and then it rained. Grrrr!

R.I.P Phantom 2000- April 17, 2009

Today is a very sad day for me; my cat Phantom died today or possibly yesterday. He didn't show up for breakfast this morning and my parnets couldn't find him. So when I got up we went looking for him, and found him. Curled up inside the loveseat downstairs. He must have died in his sleep. Phantom had a very good life, at least the 8 years he was with me. I adopted Phantom from the Animal Hospital where I shadowed a vet during my junior year of high school. His story was sad and naturally my heart went out to him. His previous owners had abandoned him as their child was allergic to him. So instead of giving him to a friend or to a shelter they gave him to the vet. Where he spent roughly a week listening to all the other animals sick or dying in the back. He had stopped eating and responding to the vets assistants attention. By the time I got there, he had just started eating and head butting (pushing his head into their hands). He was alreaedy neutered, de-clawed and up to date on his shots...I remarked how he was a perfect canidate for adoption, which he was getting prepped for. Something about him stuck at me b/c I went home raving about him and begging to be allowed to adopt him. They called him "the big guy" as he was quite large. At first my parents were reluctant; we already had two cats and a dog. Eventually, I wore them down, signed a contract (one clause being I would drive my brother to school on Mondays for the rest of the school year- I had kicked him out of my car when he began talking about me driving him and his little friends all over- wasn't gonna happen). and adopted Phantom. Phantom was a real sweatheart, very shy and very much a scaredy cat...he jumped and ran at loud noises. If he was on your lap when you sneezed, he would leave scratch marks behind in his hurry to leave. A few weeks after I brought him home, I was typing on my computer talking on AIM, when he suddenly appeared and suprised me by jumping into my lap. He lovedd the sound of the clicking the keys made. Phantom went by Big Guy until he had been with us for a month. He got named during a thunderstorm when I nervously asked mom if I could keep the cat. Mom asked "what cat?" He had been hiding in my room the enitre first "trial" month. Phantom could live with us granted he got along w/ our two other cats; he did- he rarely interacted with them. Sparkle hated him b/c he was my cat and I was her human. Climber was okay with him; an occasional sparing buddy. Phantom was named thus as we never saw him and it was like having a Phantom cat. Menace b/c when he lived in my room he would knock stuff over including water glasses to get me up and feed him. Phantom Menace spent 8 wonderful years as a member of the Noel Family. He was an odd cat; he didn't know how to meow- he had a half/halting meow kinda like me-ow, he drooled- no seriously- he drooled, and he liked to sing. He would sing late at night hoping we would go downstairs and feed him. Food was his favorite thing in the world, besides me....I think. Phantom loved to eat, and eat...and be brushed. I will miss my odd scardey cat. He just turned 12 (or 13) on April 2nd- my made up birthday for him. He didn't suffer from any pain. He just closed his eyes and went to sleep...and didn't wake up. He is being cremated and will be buried in the back garden next to Sparkle, Shadow and Climber. I will always love my big guy....he will be terribly missed.

New Laptop

I finally got a new laptop!!!! Thanks to working (kind of), and my upcoming Federal Tax refund, I was finally able to purchase a new laptop. I got an HP from Best Buy (who has my old computer getting my data off it). The battery sticks out but the tech at Best Buy told me to charge my battery to 100% and then take it out if I'm plugging my laptop into an outlet. Apparently if you have the battery in and plug into an outlet, it overcharges the battery. This way I am adding a year of life to my laptop. Sounds good to me. Hopefully t/m I will be able to upload my data (photos, proffesional documents, music) and then I will be good to go. I had the geek squad optimize my laptop to get it to run faster, I had this done w/ my desktop and it was great. Right now theres not a whole lot of programs on here so its running pretty fast. Working on getting my product key from Microsoft so I don't have to purchase it again. Other than that I am very happy with my purchase.

April 2009 Updates

Wow its already April!! Easter is t/m! Oh wow, time has really flown by. Here are some random updates:
* Laptop died a few weeks ago, using parents laptop b/c I can't afford a new one. Hopefully I should be able to buy one in a few more weeks.
*Remember how I was complaining about my insurance? Yea, now I don't have any...I missed one month's payment for COBRA and I'm done. So no health insurance really sucks, working on getting insurance now.
* Job: I have a temp job making flight reservations in a call center. I have survived two weeks of training and have another two to go. This is not a perm job for me; I am actively job hunting and hoping to get a new job before the next two weeks are up. Otherwise I have to give two weeks; as it is right now I can leave asap b/c I'm still in training. Its not the best in the world but its not the worst in the world; it pays and thats important.
* My little brother moved out!!! He is now living in Florissant w/ two other guys. He still comes home on weekends for his job at Ruby Tuesdays. Hopefully he will get a full time job up there soon.
* Attended Truman's Sectionals last weekend; had an absolute blast!! Sigma Alpha, my chapter, got 2 awards!!!! 2 brothers from that chapter also became Railroaders :) Got to see some brothers I haven't seen in forver (Jen G for one), had fabulous time hanging out w/ alumni and active brothers. Can't wait for Spring Service Day at SIUE next Sat :)
* Cardinals baseball season is offiicially in full swing!! The record stands at 3-2. So far I am going to games on May 4th and May 5th (my bday) :) Very excited. Hoping to go to a lot more!!
*Lost my iPod....its somewhere around the house. Hopefully it will show up soon. I know its in the house, its a matter of where in the house.
* Re-painted the garage door and entry doors a nice red. Also re-painted the office- Sahara Sunset. Looks great. Also rearranged the furniture in the office, much better. Can open the window a lot easier. As much as we'd like to take Loki's crate down, we can't- its her safe zone and its nice when we have company and she is too hyper for guests.
Other than that nothing else to report. I'm hanging in there, family is doing great. Hopefully the next time I blog I'll have good news to impart.

Updates 2009

I haven't blogged in forever b/c my internet decided to lose all of my bookmarks. So here are all the updates in my life.
* Rang 2009 in w/ a bunch of APO friends at Kyle and Veronica's. Had an absolute blast. Met V and Kyle's new puppy; Atticus! Such a cutie.
* Attended Marshall and Suzanne's wedding (another APO wedding), it was sooo beautiful. Suzanne looked amazing! The Church and the reception were beautifully decorated.
* Laptop is on its last legs. I am going to have to break down and buy a new one. Already have the one I want picked out. Just don't have money. So I am hanging in there until I get my tax rebates back. Half will pay for laptop (or at least nice down payment) and the other half will pay medical bills. The new laptop is an HP, dual processor, 12 cell battery, 4GB hardrive...and other specs I like. Going to be a few months until I can get it tho...
* Speaking of medical bills; my insurance sucks (majorly). I have big time bills, luckily I have another credit card (medical one) to help pay it off.
* Job front: Still no job. Just temp work and even that is scarce. The job market sucks and is getting worse. President Obama just signed a new stimulus bill (which won't work b/c there is too much pork on it). Supposedly Missouri is getting 8 million. Yea, well we'll see how that turns out. I am applying like crazy and trying to be hopeful.
* Loki celebrated her 3rd birthday on February 8th. She is still rambuctious as ever...now mom is saying that some labs take 4 years to mature! FOUR Years! That is insane! She still goes nuts when people come over to visit. I love her, but I think its time she calmed down.
* A year ago I was 17 lbs heavier. My total weight loss was 30 lbs. Unfortunatley, I have gained 13 of it back. However, on the bright side, I have managed to keep 17 lbs off! I feel better. Of course I will feel a lot better when I drop some more lbs. I did the weight loss for me, not anyone else. I'm happy how I look but I could be happier.
* I had three Orthovisc shots; kinda like cartilidge for my knee (chicken fat if you will). They are supposed to help my knees track better and lower the pain level. Unfortunatley it takes 6 to 8 weeks to feel a difference. Its too early to tell how its going to turn out. I am hopeful tho. If this doesn't work I don't know what the next step is; although I think the only other option is partial knee replacement. Which the doctor doesn't even want to consider due to my age. I don't want to either. I still have a few more weeks for the shots to do their work, so join me in crossing your fingers in hopes the shots work. And that my insurance will reasonably cover them too.
* Cell phone is also on the fritz, I can't get a new phone until April...seriously thinking about going to AT & T and begging for a new phone now. Can't afford to not get calls b/c the phone is wonky.
* Other than that. Nothing really exciting going on here. I'll try to be better about blogging in the future...no promises tho...I'll try.

Christmas 2008

Christmas this year was great. All of us were together and in good health (minus mom who has bronchitus). This year I received the following: a new printer (which I needed desperately condsidering mine died a few months ago) which is a photo printer, copier and a scanner, a tea kettle, Major League 3 Back to the Minors on DVD, a new robe (from Bath and Body works), some printable cds, and some comfy lounge socks that match my robe.
Loki got a huge bone, silly puppy was soo excited and did not know where to start. We have since cut up the bone in smaller portions. She loved the bone, and let us unwrap our presents in peace.
I hit the mall day after christmas and picked up a few more things. Two cowl neck sweaters from NY and Co, some lotion from Bath and Body Works, two DVD's from Target (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, and Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian), and a new tea kettle (mom got me a black one, but I wanted blue). Going to return the black tea kettle t/m. Today I went back to Bath and Body Works and exchanged my perfume for the cheaper version Bath and Body Works is going for a new look and is selling off their older look and so its on sale. I picked up the newer style of the perfume, and then saw the sale online. So I exchanged it, and got some money back! I also placed an order online for another perfume which wasn't available in the stores (Sweet Pea- very popular scent). I also ordered a discontinued scent last night, along with some new shoes (they are grey and adorable).

Boots w/ da Fur!!

Today is Black Friday, and boy oh boy are there some deals to be had!
Sales, Glorious Sales!! I did half of my Christmas shopping today. I got my brothers and my dad's gifts, and part of my mom's gift. Best Buy- I got a nice protective cover for my iPod w/ an arm band, 3 iTunes cards-packaged together, normally $30 got it for $25 (got the last one too!!!!). Also picked up a nice GPS System (esp for me as I get lost ALL THE TIME!!), a Garmin , plus a nice case to carry it in, that was on sale too.Target- found Mark's present, along with Night at the Museum for $6. Payless- got my boots w/ da fur and a pair of heels for half off (except they weren't wide width and they were on sale for $9....but I got them for half off!)
Dad also did good on sales; he bought a saw last week, and it was on sale for 40 off this week, so he went to Lowe's where he got it and got money back. With that money that he got back he got a shop vac (that was on sale) and a storage unit for the garage...I am so proud of him!
All in all, it was a very successful day!

Thanksgiving 2008

Happy Thankgiving to all! Hope yours was as good as mine!!