Thursday, December 31, 2009

Resolution

My New Year's Resolution is to blog more.  You can see from my archive list (down on the right side of the blog) that I only blogged 66 times this whole year.  That's sad when compared to the year before, when I blogged 162 times.  I can not believe twitter turned me blog lazy, after I blogged once about twitter being the death of blogging.  After almost 3 years on twitter, I still L.O.V.E it, but sometimes it can seem impersonal.

So I'm going to try very very hard to blog eight times per month.  That would give me (hold on, getting out calculator..) ninety-six blogs in 2010.  This is still less than 2008, but a vast improvement over 2009.

May your New Year be merry, yo.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Top Ten of 2000s..

So I'm going to go ahead and jump on the band wagon and blog a top ten list.

It is the end of a decade (but isn't every day the end of a decade?) and to commemorate my young adult years, here is my list of the top ten moments for me from January 1st, 2000 until December 30, 2009.  I could wait one more day and see what happens, but I'm motivated now.

#10- Getting to see Barack Obama in Hickory before the NC primaries (April 29th, 2008)

This was the one and only time I've gotten to see a U.S. President, and it was especially cool because I voted for him.  And it was the day before my birthday. Yay!

#9- Getting my first real job (Oct. 18th, 2004)
I thought about maybe not having this on the list because it's work and all, but I am pretty proud I was somehow able to land a job where they pay me and I have insurance and benefits and shit.  And? I don't have to cook!  Moving to Hickory, and thus meeting Jared, was all a direct result of this job.  Did I mention that it was the first job I even applied for out of college?  I thought I had bombed the interview but somehow my boss liked my completely flustered 'oh crap, did I really just say that?' attitude.

#8- It's a tie between a) Trip to California (August 2004) and b) Vegas (2008).
a)California- This was special to me because I just finished up with my internship (which is #7 on this list!) and was in between college and the real world.  It was something I did all by myself, like a grown-up.  Sure, I went to see my ex-beau, but that was really just the excuse I needed to do something on my own.  I flew across the country, rented a car (under 25, I might add) and drove from LA to Santa Barbara (a major feat) all by myself.  It was empowering and something I will never ever forget.  My only regret is that I didn't have a nice camera to take pictures with.  I had a disposable camera.
b)Vegas- I'm talking about the first time Jared and I went.  The second time was nice too, but the first one takes the cake.  It was the most fun I've ever had on vacation, and I owe that to Jared.   We had such a blast, you can read all about that here.
Vegas Baby!


#7- Internship with Queen Anne's Revenge Project (Summer 2004)
Hello?  Pirates? Blackbeard?  When Mark Ramsing called me to tell me I got the internship and that I'd be working in Morehead City doing GIS stuff with their project, I literally almost died.  Okay, not literally, but I was on cloud nine.  If you don't know, the Queen Anne's Revenge was Blackbeard the Pirate's flagship in 1718.  It sank in that year in Beaufort Inlet (between Morehead City, NC and Beaufort, NC).  In 1996, a group of researchers (treasure hunters) found the ship.  The NC Department of Cultural Resources put together a special team to excavate the ship (through the Underwater Archaeology Branch).  Anywho, that summer of 2004 they wanted a GIS intern to map the channel movements in the inlet to see how dredging has affected the site.  So that's what I did.  It is probably the coolest thing ever.  Really.  Here's their website so you can learn a whole more about this ongoing project.
And here's me sitting on a 300 year old cannon that once belonged to Blackbeard:
Blackbeard between my legs

#6- High School Graduation (May 26th, 2000)
Sure, a lot of people graduate from high school, but I am still damn proud.  After 13 years of getting up early, eating crappy lunches, riding the bus, listening to boring teachers, and following way too many rules, I was DONE.   And we graduated in snazzy silver gowns (for the new millenium).

#5- Meeting Jared (February 14th, 2006)
The only reason this isn't higher on the list is that I have a great top four, with number one also involving Jared.  Sure, I didn't actually snag the Jayrod until a couple of months later, but I sure did think he was the cuteness that day.  He was so quiet, and ... quiet.  But I somehow managed to break him out of his magical shell!

#4- Owning a House (well, condo) (March, 2006)
I'm not sure what made me decide to buy a place back in 2006.  I mean, I was living with a really cool roommate (Andrea), and in a great location.  I think maybe it had something to do with wanting a cat.  The point is, stumbling through the process and spending all of my savings was pretty much worth it since now I have a townhouse, but I also learned that I am not good with home repairs.

#3- College Graduation (May 9, 2004)  When I was a senior in high school, I made the best decision of my life by choosing to go to Appalachian State University.  I only applied for there and UNCGreensboro, since I knew I'd be going the student loan route and at the time, those were the least expensive state schools.  I ended up choosing Appalachian for one reason: they have a marching band.  Yes, I am that much of a dork.  But the point is, I loved every second of my four years living in Boone.  The people, the view, the weather, the view, the clean air, the view.  It's just still such a fantastic place for me.  I know people living there sometimes probably get tired of the weather and I don't blame them for not liking the ice storms and snow that knock out their power.  That would totally suck.  But I still love Boone, and would give up a lot to be able to live and work there now.  Anywho, I'm totally proud of myself for going to class most of the time, for getting mostly good grades, and for doing it in four years (although maybe I should have stayed a little longer..).  Oh, and my graduation was on Mother's Day.  A bonus for my mom. 

#2- The Upset - Appalachian vs. Michigan (Sept 1, 2007)
It was almost three years ago when Katie invited me to go to the Michigan vs. AppState game with her and Jeff and Tracy.  None of us thought we had any chance at all of winning, but we knew there'd be a fight.  Little did we know we'd be going to the biggest upset ever! The last 26 seconds of that game will be the greastest 26 seconds anyone has ever seen in football. Ever.  And up until a week ago, it was the greatest day of my life.  Actually, I'm still debating it. I think this may have been the greatest full day ever, and my #1 on this list is the greatest thing ever.
Allison, Katie, Jeff, Tracy and the winning score

#1- Engagement!! (Christmas 2009)
Yes! The thing every girl dreams about, putting on that ring, and being loved.  On Christmas morning, I unwrapped a huge mostly empty box and rifled through all of the tissue paper and finally came to a small box.  I opened it and found a most beautiful diamond ring. I said "Yay!" cause I'm a dork.  Jared asked the question, and I of course, said yes.  Then, came the crying. And shaking.  I was shaking so bad I couldn't even take it out of the box.  He had to do it for me.  It was so sweet.  So perfect.  And I'm so happy.   Choosing to be with him was the greatest decision I've ever made, and I'm defnitely reaping the benefits.  Before you ask, NO, we haven't set a date yet, although I'm pulling for January 2011. I have a lot of planning to do, people.   Here is the ring:
IMG_0285

Happy New Year Ya'll!!   I think 2010 will be great! Or at least, it has to be better than 2009, which sucked until Christmas.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Christmas Yo!

I'm not doing Christmas cards this year, for various reasons. But if I were, this picture would be involved somehow:
Merry Christmas from Beefcake!

(Click to make it bigger)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Dang Twitter.

Funny how life doesn't really change all that much, but you do. I love twitter, but it's an evil evil service for taking me away from my blog. I just feel so lazy about not using my blog anymore, but twitter is too easy. I don't want to give up on my blog, though. Here's an update..

Meatwad: My kitty got sick in July, then August, September, and late October. When he got sick AGAIN in late November, I gave up and decided he needed the damn expensive surgery. As of now, he's locked in a 3ftx4ft dog crate, with a cone on, and a shaved butt. And his litter box has shredded paper instead of litter. I have to shut it all up in my extra bedroom so that my other cat, Beefcake, will leave him alone. He goes back Tuesday to get his stitches taken out, and has to stay crated until next Thursday.
Here's a picture of him in his crate, going crazy:













And here he is trying to eat:














Poor Meatwad.


I guess you could say that's really the biggest thing going in my life right now. 2009 has kind of sucked money wise. First I had to have a damn porcelain bridge put in my mouth and then the cat cost me 8 million dollars. So that brings me to my next bit of news: I'm going to go back into the part time job business. Yes, in January I will start seeking out a waitressing job. I know a lot of people prefer retail, but I can't do that. All that work and not seeing any profit until payday? And for only like $6.00 an hour? No, thanks. I'm a damn good waitress and I love making tips. Lots of tips. I'd bartend again, but I'm not interested in staying out until 3:00 am on weeknights. My real job is too important for that.

Jared is doing well. We've got a sweet Christmas tree going on at home, with lots of presents. Most of them are for our families. Even though I've been hit a little hard, I still have more than some people which is why I contributed more than usual to my office's Angel Tree family. I think Jared and I are going to do our own next year, as well.

Saturday is a BIG day for all of Appalachian Football Nation. Our team is playing at Montana and it is the LAST playoff game. I'm super excited but wish I could be there. Did you know it would take 36 hours of straight driving to get to Missoula, Montana?

Well if they win, you WILL catch me in Chattanooga next Friday. That's all I have to say about that.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Nightmare

I had a dream last night that I was pregnant.

With quadruplets.

And I gave birth in a public bathroom.

No, thank you.

I really want to be a mother, sometime in the next five years. But for the love of God, please don't let me have multiples. If I had four, I'd just keep one and give the rest away as Christmas presents to my family. "Here, Mom! Dad, you said you wanted another grandbaby, here's one you can keep!!" And I'm sure I've got a friend who needs a baby. Like, "Katie, here's a little ginger snap for you!"

Sounds like endless fun to me!

Monday, November 09, 2009

The Wad Update

So, you know what's amazing? The incredible difference a new veterinarian makes. Meatwad has gone to the same vet since I brought him home 3.5 years ago. Things seemed to be okay, but I got a strange instinct that maybe it was time to switch to somewhere else. I mean, he went the three times since July with the same problem (not being able to pee, kidney sand). Each time he went, he was there for almost a week, and when I brought him home it took several weeks before he seemed to be back to normal. I just figured that's how it is. But I decided if he got sick again, I'd try a new Vet, just for kicks. Plus, my vet has a HUGE sign that says "ABSOLUTELY NO CREDIT". And, since Meatwad's three previous vet visits had pretty much wiped out my savings and maxed out my credit card, I knew I would need to find a vet with credit anyways.

So of course, last week, Meatwad got sick again. There is nothing worse than seeing your child in pain (and yes, I know he's a cat, I can't imagine how much worse it will be it is my actual child). On Wednesday I called a new vet which offers care through the CareCredit program. So, I took Meatwad in.

And just two days later, on Friday, I got to bring him home. Sure, this new vet cost a little bit more, but they let me pay it in payments, not all at once. And they gave me some free food. As soon as they brought him out, I stuck my finger in the cat-carrier door to rub him and he was ALL OVER my finger. So loving, which is unlike him. And all Friday night? Sweet, kind, loving. Of course, that could be the kitty Valium.

The point is, he seems to be okay, and back to normal. This is huge to me! I mean, I hope I'm not jinxing anything by writing this, but I think this time he might actually be good for a while! I hope. Anywho I guess I'll find out.

Look at this sweet boy:
my first born.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Confession Time

Okay. I know this is going to make me into a huge mega-dork (as if you didn't already think that) but I have a new guilty pleasure t.v. show. Make fun all you will, I know it's cheesy and ridiculous and follows all of the emo trends, but I <3 Vampire Diaries. Yep, a CW show.

I don't even like any other shows on that channel. I did love Dawson's Creek back when it was the WB channel, but that's neither here nor there.

Last night's episode was especially awesome because I got to see the one annoying character get killed off in a totally gruesome way (yay!). It's funny, and sweet, and squeeful when the main character, Stefan, is on screen. Sure, the leading lady is a little weird, but I like her because she's not a supermodel.

Anywho I just wanted to share how much of a dork I am. Happy Halloween ya'll!! I'm going as Dr. Acula.



Wednesday, October 21, 2009

I saw this at the gym the other day and almost fell off the treadmill.

I'm not sure what they were thikning, but here is Genesis "Land of Confusion" video which is one of the top five creepiest things I've ever seen. Ever.


Darn it I was going to embed it, but embadding is disabled and I'm too lazy to look for another version. So click here.


Other creepy things
1: Blair Witch Project (I saw it in the theater the first weekend it came out, so I thought it was real, which is why I consider the creepiest thing I've seen).

2: Paranormal Activity (except for the very very end).

3: The Dark Crystal (I've never actually watched it because the pictures from it creep me out).

4: 3 words: TALKING. BABY. COMMERCIAL.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Saving some green

I don't know if you know this about me or not, but I'm kind of cheap :). I don't like to spend money on stuff unless I absolutely have to. Of course, I'm no master shopper like PIGS or anything, but when I come across a great deal, I do what I can to make it work for me.

Every year for Christmas I make my family calenders with pictures of my three nieces. Usually I make them on Cafepress.com. However, last week I got an ad in my email for Snapfish (the website I use for picture prints) saying that all calenders were 35% off for the week. So, naturally I went with that. I also usually wait until November to make my calenders, but I somehow pulled it together Friday afternoon.

Here is a snapshot of my ultimate shopping victory:

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Men

Times when it is good that I work with mostly men: when I go to a conference and I get my own hotel room (yay, I don't have to clean!!).

Times when it is not good that I work with mostly men: when I stay out of work one day due to wicked bad cramps. I come back the next day to a lot of "feeling better?" "What was wrong?". Not that I have a problem saying "oh, my cramps were killing me!". But I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. So, I just say, "Oh, you know, just generally feeling bad".

Monday, October 12, 2009

Meatwad

So my cat Meatwad has been in and out of the vet three times since July with the same problem: a blocked up urethra. Basically, he has kidney sand, the kitty equivalent to kidney stones. This means he couldn't pee. That is very bad. It stressed me out a lot and I worried constantly whether or not he would recover properly.

He's been home now for two weeks since his last visit. And he is peeing. But I guess part of his "healing process" is to pee where ever the hell he wants, because he has decided to make my couch his toilet. GRRRRR!!

It has been a goal in my life not to turn out like my mother, in the pet department anyways. She has never NOT had four to five cats wondering in and out of her life. And there's only ONE litter box that she has for them all to use. So they're pretty bad about peeing where ever the hell they want and making her house smell funky. But she tries and at least she spays and neuters any cat that chooses her for an owner.

The point is, though, that I didn't want a stinky house. My brother and his family went to the APP game with me this past Saturday and on their way back down the mountain stopped off at my house on Saturday. And of course, Meatwad had just peed on the couch. A lOT. This was very upsetting to me because of course, my brother made fun of me and called me "mom".

After they left I spent several hours cleaning my house and cursing and yelling at Meatwad. I mean, I love that cat more than anything but come on!! Two litter boxes and God forbid a sink, and you choose the couch? sheesh.

kitty in a bowl

On the bright side, he's peeing. I just hope he gets over this phase soon. I HATE having a stinky house.

Friday, October 09, 2009

Wickedness

Wow okay so Hey Everyone!

I had a super awesome great time in Vegas, but I don't really have any stories to tell. We didn't win or lose a lot of money. We only got drunk once. We're NOT married or engaged. We didn't see any celebrities. It was 118 degrees one day and an average of around 99 each day we were there. Of course, the day after we left and every day since then has been in the 70s or 80s. I still had a good time but I'm okay with going somewhere else next vacation. I'm thinking a cruise. Where the food is included. Because DAMN, food in Vegas is WAY expensive. We didn't get a chance to go downtown where the food is cheap. We stayed on the strip. I did see more mullets in Vegas than I've seen in a LONG time. Unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures. You'll just have to settle with my regular, plain old pictures.

here they are (click the picture)
finally got to see the sign!


Believe it or not I am still trying to catch up on my sleep over a week later. The cats have been refusing to let me sleep. Meatwad has decided to just start peeing on whatever he wants because the two litterboxes aren't good enough. At least he's peeing, but I wouldn't mind if just went back to peeing in the bathroom sink like before!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Will someone PLEASE nominate me for "What Not to Wear". I'm feeling very icky about my wardrobe lately.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

slow down!

My God, I'm tired. Life won't slow down, damnit! I'm not used to being busy constantly and for the past month straight and the next month straight I've got almost no time to just relax, baby.

Let's see... the first weekend in September I went to East Carolina vs. Appalachian football game with Katie, Jeff, Tracy, Chad, and Brianne. It was fun even though we lost. Much better than that awful trip to Louisiana last year. We had fun hanging out with ECU tailgaters, eating good food, and just generally had a good time. Pictures from that can be seen by clicking the picture below:
DSCF3862

The next weekend was the first Appalachian home game in Boone. The pictures from that game haven't been uploaded to Flickr yet. I hope I'll get time to put them up, along with pictures from my other adventures (see below) before I leave for my big adventure (see below) on Friday. The home game we played against McNeese St (another team from stinking Louisiana) and lost.. big time. Even though we only lost by five points it felt much worse than losing by five points to ECU (like we did the week before). Perhaps because we never had a rallying point. Oh and there was drama in the stands because some older alumni have no sense of humanity. Not all, of course, just the one guy.

Four days after this game, I left for a work conference at Carolina Beach. Now, I love the beach, and I love conferences, but I hate driving. Since I was going to Savannah with Katie and Alisa for the weekend, I had to drive separate from everyone. This is a five hour drive. The way down wasn't so bad..

The conference itself was a blast! From the sunset boat cruise to the Fat Pelican bar, to the Rock Band room party, to the karaoke and the 3 AM dip in the ocean, I had fun. But I did not have sleep. And then on Friday, I drove another five hours from Savannah.

At first, the second five-hour trip was awful. I was *so* tired. I pulled into a rest stop and just kind of wandered around trying to wake up. But then, Katie called and they weren't too far down the road behind me. So, I waited for them and then followed Katie all the way to Savannah. This was a LOT easier since I didn't have to think about anything but keeping with Katie.

Savannah was a lot of fun! We ate a lot of good food, and we went on a haunted pub crawl! You know I love the pub crawls. It was extremely hot, but not too bad inside. And the weather was great. It was Alisa's bachelorette party so we made her wear a sash and tiara and we all wore light up rings and beads! This was all well and good until the pink beads turned all of our necks bright pink! Seriously! See Katie's picture here.

Now. As I mentioned earlier, I hate driving. So let's see, I drove five hours to the beach, then five hours to Savannah. Then, I had to drive home. This was the absolute worst. THE WORST! I was so incredibly tired. I did not have a proper night's sleep in four days! You all know how much I dislike South Carolina. I was so desperately tired, though, that I spent 45 minutes at a rest stop in South Carolina taking a power nap on a picnic bench. That's desperation there. By the time I finally got home, I was one giant ball of stress and unease. It actually made me physically sick to my stomach doing all that driving. I'm just a wimp I guess. But then, my stress multiplied by a million because about an hour after I got home, I realized Meatwad was sick. Again.

My poor kitty has urinary issues (kidney sand) and he spent 6 days at the vet in July.. Now he's back again and hopefully will be coming home today. I hope. This is extra stressful since on Friday morning, we are leaving for Vegas. Yep. Vegas again! I'm so excited but at the same time so worried about my Meatwad!

We'll be there for six days and five nights. This will be a lot of fun, and I'm going to try to relax, but then it's not like life will slow down after that either. With football season and two weddings and Christmas and Jared's birthday, I don't see myself being able to chill out until January.

But I promise, I vow, I will do my best to hold my shit together. All I can ask is that I don't go crazy in the meantime.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

This blog is a little... strange.

I would like to start out this blog by saying I'm sorry. I'm sorry to all of my friends, or any of my friends, who feel like I've been kind of.. standoffish the last few months. I don't honestly know if anyone feels like I have been standoffish, but I noticed that I don't see my friends near as much as I did last year or before. The fact is, I haven't really been standoffish, I've just been kind of.. vacant. And I'm not sure of the total reason for this. I'm sane, I think. I'm not desperately unhappy or going through some kind of depression (I think).

Last night I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time trying to figure it out. I stared and I looked at myself in the eyes and asked "what's missing? what is different? who are you?" I just don't seem to have that spark anymore.

At first I thought it must be that I'm getting older. I don't want to go out and party as much because I don't enjoy it as much anymore. I don't like getting trashed and wanting to pass out. I don't like waking up feeling embarrassed of myself for something I did or said. While that part of it is true, I still don't think that's what my problem is.

I think the honest reason for my slump the last few months is because I became so content with just existing. I've spent the last 27 years of my life existing, and being okay with that. I've always thought that looking for meaning to life was kind of pointless. Why not just live life and roll with it?

But what if I do need to find a meaning? What if there was a purpose other than just living, working, loving, and watching tv?

This is what I found when I looked in the mirror last night. I need a purpose, a meaning. I need to find out what it is I can do to be more than just Allison, mapmaker from Hickory.

But what? I'm still searching for that.

I just hope that now I've come to this conclusion, that what I need is more from life, that maybe I can be more of a friend. More of a person. I hope you (all of you) can understand me a little better now. I'm not putting you out. I love you, all of you.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Quote of the Day

"Sometimes I feel totally manipulated by George Lucas"

A co-worker and I were talking about Star Wars and how Lucas completely ruined the ending of 'Return of the Jedi' by changing Anakin Skywalker to the young, Hayden Christianson version. Not that I don't love Hayden, but come on!

On a non-Star Wars topic, tonight I'm going to China Grove! On a whim, Jared and I are going to see my high school's first football game of the year tonight. I haven't been to a high school football game, let alone MY high school's football game since 1999. When I was a senior. In marching band. That's ten years people. My high school reunion is next year! That seems crazy to me. Gah! I know, I know, I'm comparatively young to some people. But think about this: people born in 1988 are legal to drink alcohol now. 1988!!

Anywho my high school football team has always been terrible but hopefully tonight, since we're playing a smaller school, we'll have good luck.

Go South Rowan Raiders! Woot!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

ESPN

It's a good thing I don't believe in premonitions. Well, I used to before I grew up and realized that crazy dreams are just crazy. Anywho, last night I had a dream that I got fired. This is good because it means I won't get fired anytime soon. I hope. I dunno I mess around on the internet too much sometimes, but I do try to do my job too. Of course, sometimes I just get bored, and do things like this:
Photobucket

This was made from a John Edwards presidential sign found in Lenoir two years ago.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Because silver 9/11 $20 bills aren't tacky enough.

So, I'm watching tv, all comfy and cozy on my couch one afternoon. I was probably watching Jeopardy, since it's pretty much my favorite tv show right now, because everything else is crap. It's a commercial break. A new commercial starts showing highlights of President Obama's campaign and really American-esque things. Like fireworks. I start to feel all warm and fuzzy inside thinking 'yes, yes I can'. And then, the tagline come on.

"To commemorate the inauguration of our 44th president with a well known American icon, introducing, (cha cha cha chia) Chia Obama".

Really. Honest to God. There's a Chia Obama. You can buy one and see the commercial by going here.

You know, I kind of actually want one of those. For my desk at work. I think I would be much more motivated to do something other than play on the internet... Maybe.


Thursday, August 13, 2009

This blog is not about Star Wars (not totally, anyways).

First of all, I recently saw the movie Fanboyz and I must say, if you're any kind of Star Wars fan, you need to see this. It's reeaaally funny. The best part is the cameo by William Shatner. And Seth Rogan plays two parts that are just hilarious.


















This week has been kind of poopy because Jared has had to work a LOT. He's been closing every night, which means he doesn't get home til after my bedtime. I've been terribly lonely without him. Luckily the cats try to keep me company, but they kind of smell bad.

Anywho, on Sunday, he asked me to help him out and bartend at the Brush in Wilkesboro. So I did. And it sucked. Stupid air-conditioning was broke-d. Luckily it wasn't too busy, but man. It just reinforces my disdain for summer.

Alas, today has been pretty pleasant weather wise. It was a glorious, foggy, breezy morning. Ah :)

This weekend is one weekend where I plan to catch up on my ZZZzzzs. I always wake up when Jared comes to bed, however late, just to ask him about his day.

I've worked out three times this week and today, I'm going for four. Hell, if I get too bored on Saturday who knows? Maybe I'll make it five. Woot!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Countdown to ECU game, 25 days


Coco Hillary!!!
Originally uploaded by allygirl520
My pretend BF, Coco Hillary

Coco Hillary is my favorite player on the App football team. Mostly because of his winning smile. My favorite part of tailgating is when all of the players walk through Stadium Lot and I get to hoot and hollar at them. I usually yell something along the lines of "hey pretty!!" when I see Coco. We'll see if he remembers that from last year.. The Fanfest is August 22 and I'll be there with bells on.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

August

You know why I like August? Because it sounds like "Autumn" and Autumn means "fall" and fall means close to winter.

There are no huge-gantic pressing deadlines.

The first Buccaneers preseason game is August 15th.

August 22nd is Appalachian Football's Fanfest day!

August 27th is my office's Fantasy Football Draft.

(I like football a bit too much, methinks)

I have no dentist appointments until August 31st, which is just a checkup.

I have no plans to drive any further than Boone.

My tomato plant, given to me by the lovely Marie, has produced many a mater and the very first one is almost ready for picking!

Why do you like/dislike August?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Birthdays.

The Graduate

It's Brad's 28th birthday! For those of you who don't know, Brad is my other best friend. We've been friends since 10th grade when I was like, totally in lurve with him. Luckily it didn't work out in the love department because instead I gained a friend for life. He lives in Durham, NC now and I get to see him pretty often. But not often enough of course.

It seems strange to me that the older I get, the less involved in my friend's birthdays I become. Not that I'm ignoring them. I just don't go all out like I did in college and high school. Actually, Brad had a party this past weekend in Durham. It was his annual "Fun in the Sun" party which usually just happens to fall right around his birthday. I look forward to this party every year. But, as these things happen, I couldn't go since I was in Florida at my Grandpa's memorial service.

Life seems to be piling things on lately and I'm really doing my best to take things in stride. There hasn't been anything too detrimental, just lots and lots of little things. Like my cat having to be in the vet for several days. He came home last night and I'm not sure whether he's better or not. I wish I could read his mind. And tomorrow? I'm having a tooth removed and then Thursday they're putting in a bridge (temporary for 6 weeks, then permanent).

There's also the whole 'going to Florida in July' thing. I don't know why I am the way I am and I suffer so much in the heat, but I do. It's not just me complaining (although I do that constantly). I seriously get worked up when I'm overly hot and don't have any way to cool down. Floridians are used to it, therefore their air conditioning isn't near as low as it should be. I got almost zero sleep from Wednesday through Saturday. We stayed in a hotel room Friday night, so I thought we'd be cool and I could sleep. Turns out my German aunt, who was staying with us, is a serious snorer.

Thankfully there are good things. With all this dental work, I was given a prescription for Hydrocodone. I've never tried it before but I'm looking forward to being blissfully unaware and unable to worry. Then Saturday I get to go to a party in Greensboro with some of my absolute favorite people.

Next week will be better I think. I'm really not trying to sound all depressed, because I'm not really. I'm just.. living. August will be better for me. Even though it's not any cooler than July, it sounds like it should be, therefore I'll take it. And I don't have any major plans for August (except for App's Fanfest!) so that makes me happy. Too many plans stress me out!

Ach I've been rambling way too much here..

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Wiggin Out

Things I'm looking forward to:
1. July 14th, The State (a great sketch comedy show from the 1990's) comes out on DVD.
2. July 15th, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (my favorite Potter book) comes out in theaters.
3. July 25th, my friend Brad is having a big pool party / cookout in Durham.
4. August 1st, Jeff's Bday party.
5. August 22nd, Appalachian's Fanfest.
6. September 5, ASU vs. ECU (the battle of the beards).
7. September 18, Savannah
8. September 25, Las Vegas.
etc.


Things I am not looking forward to:
1. Sometime next week I have to go to Florida, to bury my Grandpa Muhlberg. We weren't close (ever) but he was still Grandpa. More to come on him. P.S. What is with the summertime in Florida thing? 2 years ago Grandma died in July. The funeral was in Florida.
2. On July 22nd, I have to have one of teeth removed. See, I inherited God-awful soft teeth from my Mom. Even though I brush twice a day and floss everyday, I still have terrible teeth. The tooth in question had a root canal several years ago, but before I could go back for the crown, I graduated college and my Dad's insurance wouldn't cover me anymore. Needless to say, it died.
3. On July 23rd, I have a temporary bridge put in where the tooth was and six weeks later a permanent one will be put in.
4. Oh, and I also need 3 more crowns. And like, 9 fillings.

Okay, I may be approaching boo-face status. But I'm trying here. It helps having Jared around to hug. And 2 big fat kitties. Just trying to keep in mind the things I'm looking forward to.

Monday, June 22, 2009

I don't know why

I don't know why but I've been feeling utterly lazy and unsocial lately. On Saturday I had no inclination to do anything but lie on the couch. It has been this way most weeknights too. Wednesdays are trivia night, and I go to those, but that's because I feel that Carmen needs me there. And really? That's the only time I actually get to hang out with Carmen, it seems. And, she's got a new game going on on Thursdays that is pure pop culture. It's a lot of fun. But to keep myself from getting too unlazy, I've decided I am just going to go to one game a week. Should I go to Wednesday night or Thursday night trivia?

Jared and I are trying to read through all of the Harry Potter books before the new movie comes out on July 15th. We are kind of racing each other. I had to rent the 5th book from the library because I only own one copy and after trying to both read the same copy of books 3 and 4 at the same time, we have learned this is difficult.

Also, last Friday night we played Monopoly and I sucked. Bad. We play the 'Here and Now' edition. Much harder to play, I think. I don't really have a strategy, I just use luck. Unfortunately last Friday I was unlucky. But then we had a rematch this past week. Jared was the unlucky one then. He lost, bad. The problem here is that we are both rather competitive when it comes to board/card games. And we both get incredibly pissy when we are losing. We don't act like babies or anything, but we are definitely not the best losers. hehehe. You should see us play Scrabble. Except you won't ever see us play Scrabble. Why? Because he doesn't play by the rules.

One more thing. If you haven't seen it yet, check out this creepy ass picture of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. You've seen an old version of this on my blog, but this new picture is even creepier. If you click on the link you can see the pics of others in the movie too.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

I Love Sarcasm, Don't Get Me Wrong...

So, as part of our deal for Vegas, we got two free show tickets to see any Cirque Du Soleil Show or Disney's The Lion King. Once you got a trip confirmation email, you needed to go to this other website with a confirmation number and from there choose the top three show choices that you wanted to go to. I went to the website and put in the top three choices.

Immediately, I got an email saying that I would get a response within 72 hours saying which show we would be going to. So, I waited. And waited. And waited. Six days later, I had given up on them. So I went back to the website where you make your selection, hoping to find a contact email or phone number to call if you didn't get the email. No email address or phone number. I checked the email they had sent saying I would get a response, but no contact info. Finally, I gave up and decided to call Travelocity to get an answer.

I got through to someone immediately at Travelocity (though of course, I couldn't understand half of what he was saying). After he read off my itinerary (which I already knew, duh), he finally understood what I was asking him. He put me on hold and came back saying he found a phone number for them on Google (teehee) and that he was going to put me on hold again to call them.

Five minutes later, he came back with an answer. Somehow he actually got in touch with someone! We're going to see The Lion King! Woo! He also said I should be getting an email confirmation from them in the next few minutes.

Here's where the sarcasm comes in. After I got off the phone, I got an email from them. Then, an hour later, I got the same email from them. Then, two hours after that, I got another email. Then, yesterday I got five more of the same email.

So, here's the question: were they being sarcastic, saying "here's your stupid email you were so worried about" or were they being stupid?


HTML Code:
What do you think?
Sarcastic
Stupid
Who Cares?

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Still beautiful at 46.

Happy Birthday goes out to his majesty, the king of suave, Johnny Depp.

I have to say he's the only man on Earth who makes getting older look good (to me). He seems to actually get more beautiful with age. But then again, I may be a little one-sided.
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I am extremely excited for his new movie Public Enemies coming out July 1st. It is rare to get to see him play a serious part. Not that I don't love the silliness (Sleepy Hollow and POTC are two of my favorite movies), but he is also an incredibly good serious actor when he wants to be.

Anywho, happy birthday Johnny.

Friday, June 05, 2009

Big News

Jared and I have decided to go back to Las Vegas in September. We found an awesome deal on Travelocity. Five nights at New York New York hotel and round trip airfare for less than $500 each. AND we got 2 free show tickets to see The Lion King. Awesome.

You should all join us! September 25th through 30th! I am planning to have the time of my life. Again.

This vacation means two other things have to happen though.

1)I'm going to have to get a temporary part time job again. Spending money is needed. This is painful. Also I have a lot of things coming up on Saturdays so I will not be able to work Saturdays. I'm okay with that, but most restaurants are not (I want tip money, people!). The plan is for me to go out tomorrow and start looking.

2)I'm going on a diet. A mega-mega hardcore diet. Started today. I had a protein shake for breakfast, and I'm taking Alli, which means I can't eat high-fatty foods unless I want to suffer horrific abdominal pains and other embarrassing things. I refuse to let that happen to me, so I think this may work. I already work out 2-3 times a week, so hopefully by September I'll drop a few pounds.

Oh, and no. I don't have any plans of getting married in Vegas.

Monday, June 01, 2009

Dos

First off, I'm convinced that ABC doesn't like me. It tried to air one of my favorite shows, PUSHING DAISIES, on Saturday night so that no one would realize it was on and no one would watch it. It didn't advertise that it would be showing new episodes, either! It's like they don't want any ratings because then they would have to admit that they were wrong to cancel it. But I fooled them, I still had my DVR set to record new episodes of PUSHING DAISIES. So Sunday afternoon when I was superbored and going through my recordings, I was greatly surprised by a new episode of PUSHING DAISIES! I didn't think they were ever going to air anymore, and there it was! This is fantastic! But apparently, they're only showing 2 more, just to tie up the series. What a shame. This is a superbly great show.


Also, this past weekend I went to Durham to see Brad and went to a Durham Bulls baseball game. It was sooo much fun. Much more exciting than any Hickory Crawdads game I've ever been to. But the best part is, it's right across the street from a MELLOW MUSHROOM. I.love.the.shroom. And, as I previously stated, it is my goal to visit as many Mellow Mushrooms as possible before I die. This makes Shroom #10.

Here's my list:
1.Boone, NC
2.Blowing Rock, NC
3.Asheville, NC
4.Winston Salem, NC
5.Wilmington, NC
6.Columbia, SC
7.Chattanooga, TN
8.Myrtle Beach, SC
9.Baton Rouge, LA
10.Durham, NC

LOTS and LOTS more to go!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Movie

You know, the wonderful thing about Netflix is you finally get around to watching all of those movies you meant to watch but didn't, or you finally see those movies that everyone else says you have to see.

On the other hand this could be a bad thing. So there's this movie that everyone else on the planet saw and thought was SO funny. I am not really a stupid comedy type of girl. I like girly comedies, but watching a movie like "Scary Movie 4" or "Step-Brothers" has absolutely no appeal to me. Sorry, just not my thing. So of course, I was really apprehensive about seeing "Borat". Everyone saw "Borat". Everyone. Even my Mom. I didn't really want to.. But I finally got around to putting it on my Netflix queue (pronounced "kway" because it's more fun that way).

So last night Jared and I watched "Borat". I should also mention here that I am also not big on comedies that make me feel uncomfortable. Let's just say "Meet the Parents" made me squirm more than laugh.

Needless to say, "Borat" made me squirm. A lot. There were parts of the movie where I laughed. But there were parts that seriously made me want to hurt myself. I can see why people like it. But honestly, I don't think I could ever watch it again. Ever. And please, dear God, don't make me go see "Bruno".

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

rant.

You know what I hate?
Ranch Dressing.
Ew.
Why do so many people douse everything it that stinkiness? Don't they realize they are just opening themselves up to horrific diseases (not unlike swine flu) by ingesting that putrid slime?

Monday, May 18, 2009

Good Idea / Bad Idea

Good Idea:
Spending a great night in the mountains, starting with beer and mellow mushroom:
The shroom
My friend M. throws a great "throw down". We had tasty burgers, delicious beverages, good conversation (Kate's hair looks like a chicken!) and one adorable puppy dog. I missed out on the dune buggy ride, but there is a promise of "next time". Good. :)
I even stopped drinking in time to avoid a hangover. This is a good idea.

Bad Idea:
Staying up til 1 AM on Sunday night playing online poker. For fake money! I'm sooooo tired and I'm not really allowed to whine since it's my own fault! But hey, out of 27 people in the tournament, I came in first. So there's that.

Monday, May 11, 2009

3 Years!

Holy vienna sausages Batman!

Yesterday was our 3 year anniversary! That's like, crazy! Sure we hit our bumps along the way. But here we are. Too bad we didn't get to celebrate, it being Mother's Day and all. But we did manage to do some cuddling yesterday. Friday night we stayed in a hotel in Wilkesboro because Jared was working there Friday and Saturday. It was a nice super-micro vacation! Woo.
scarey..

Thursday, May 07, 2009

It's Electric!

**EDITED** I added another example.

First off, I hate that song (Electric Slide).

Monday night Jared and I met my mother and step-father, Will, in Statesville for my birthday dinner. Sure, it was a little late, but that's how we work in my family. Mom was going to call when she and Will left their home in Kannapolis. Around 4:30 that afternoon, the power at my house had been knocked out when a transformer blew down the street.

I mentioned this to my mom and she kindly pointed out to me that I "sure do have bad luck with power outages". And you know what? Damn, she's right!

Example one: Monday night (see above notes).

Example two: Last year on my birthday when it was out for three hours.

Example three: That god awful trip to LSU.

Example four: Jared and I in Pigeon Forge, when it was out ONLY on our side of the road. We had to eat dinner at 4:30 pm.

Example five: It happens all the time!

I guess I'm just electrically charged!

Friday, May 01, 2009

7 things

1. I was just bored, and wondering.. Did Jesus have a last name? Or was "Christ" his last name? I mean, isn't that kind of a weird last name? Especially back in the old days? This question may have been answered in the bible, but since I was raised agnostic, I don't know much about that.

2. My birthday was wicked awesome. Jared made me a cake, and Carmen made me a cake. I went to a Crawdads game and had lots of beer! Sure I'm hungover today, but who cares? I got lots of good presents too!

3. My Dad called me last night and I was rather drunk when I talked to him. And I volunteered to drive to see him on Sunday (his birthday) which will suck because it's so far away. But it is his birthday. SO what the hell.

4. My friend Stephen is trying to kill himself by eating a lot of bad things. Hand sanitizer, kitty litter, and vaginal cream are only a small portion of what he's going to maybe eat.

5. American Idol has ceased to suck me in as much as usual this year. Perhaps it's because I was so entranced by Jason Castro last year, that this year nothing compares. Espcially not that screamer Adam Lambert. :P I'm pulling for Kris and Allison.

6. Last weekend I went to Boone with Katie, Daniel, and one of our new employees, Chris. It was great until I got a migrane. Then I fell asleep because I took four advil. So our friend Max (who lives in Boone) decided to be a butt and drew on my arm. All was funny til someone posted a video of it online. A very very very unflattering video.

7. I've been living in Hickory long enough that anywhere I go, it seems, I run into or see someone I know or recognize. I like that feeling. When I was a senior at App, I would see someone I knew EVERY time I went to Wal-Mart. EVERYTIME.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Happy Birthday Willie Nelson!

And oh yea, Me! The big 27 is finally upon me. It's such an important year. Full of... 27 ness. Ok, I'm thinking nothing big happens in the 27th year of life. But hey, it has to be better than 26. I was actually depressed about being 26 because it's "late 20's". But now I'm over it. I'm actually thinking I'm going to like the person I will be by the time I'm 30. I'm working towards being a really cool chick by then. Maybe even trendy. We'll see.

Plans for this year:
1. Get up to the $1,000 mark in savings.
2. Have some sort of super awesome vacation (may nullify plan #1)
3. Keep up with the world.

Okay, and to celebrate this being my super awesome birthday, here's a treat for everyone:

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

More evidence that kilts rule.

Found this picture of my boyfriend in a kilt with his sister and brother. Okay, so he was a kid and therefore not "hot" in his kilt. But he is wearing one none-the-less. Maybe I can get him to wear one now...
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Speaking of kilts.. The hot kilted bartender that works at the Tap Room was working the other night.. in pants! Yes, it is true. And let me just say, it's the kilt that was making him hot. *sigh*

Monday, April 20, 2009

Saturday was a looong day.

It started out good with me making the best french toast ever. Then Jared and I headed on over to the Hickory Hops Festival. Every year, a bunch of us volunteer to work a four hour shift at the festival in exchange for free beer! All day! Usually it's pretty laid back and I am able to still get my drink on while I'm working. Not this year! It was so busy I couldn't sit down! And, some mean old lady made me cry a little (what is it with mean old people making me cry?). Anywho, once I was done, I got my little drink on with my Jared:
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Katie, Daniel, and several other friends were there too and we drank the most delicious beer ever (which also happens to be a pirate beer) called "Holy Sheet" by Heavy Seas Brewing Company.
The guy in my picture is the same guy as in the picture on the web page.
Photobucket

Around 6:00 Jared and I decided to go home and nap for a bit. We're old, ya know. Then at 9, I went to karaoke! I wasn't going to go, due to the fact that I was TIRED. But I figured what the hell. It was fun, and thanks to my brilliant Harry Belafonte impression, Beef O' Brady's in Hickory had it's first ever Congo Line. Check out the pics at HKYnights.com.

Friday, April 17, 2009

stuff

So, who, dear readers, uses Embarq and searches for my blog with the google words "allison's blog hickory, nc"??? Just curious :) I know you're out there, whoever you are.


So Tuesday was my brother's big "going away ceremony" at Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville, NC.

Here's why the army sucks: If you are planning a big going away ceremony with 4,000 soldiers, wouldn't you expect there to be at least several people PER soldier at the farewell cememony?

Apparently the army figures that since these guys are in the reserves, they aren't as loved and won't have as many spectators there for them.

We drove all the way to Fayetteville on Tuesday to be at the ceremony to see my brother off to Kuwait/Iraq. We got there around 11:30, the ceremony was to start at 2:00. My brother wanted to go out for lunch. So we all went to lunch and then got back to the Coliseum around 1:30. My sister-in-law dropped my brother off at the door and we all went to find parking. A minute later my sister-in-law calls from her car to my mom and tells us that when Alan got to the entrance of the coliseum, the security guards were turning people away. All civilians. Apparently, the coliseum was at capacity and they had to turn away thousands of people. yay! So instead, my brother chose not to participate in the ceremony. We all drove to Starbucks and hung out for a while and had our own, private goodbye. My dad had driven all the way from West Jefferson, which is like a 6 hour drive. *sigh*

We still managed to have a good time. It's just.. we could have gone to Starbucks in Kannapolis. Which is where my familly lives. It's only an hour from me.

Stupid army.

Pics here:
elora ugly face

Monday, April 13, 2009

2 Things.

First, I hope you all know of the awesomeness of Google Street View on Google Maps. If you don't, I'm sorry.

I waited forever and ever for them to finally Street View Hickory (where I live) and they finally posted it, but my car wasn't at home or work. Boo.

Lately, however, they finally posted pics from Morganton, NC (where I was working once a week for a year). And lo and behold, there's finally a picture of my car! At Morganton city hall! Woohoo!


View Larger Map

If you can't see that link, try clicking here. If that doesn't work, I'm sorry again.

Also, my brother Alan is in the Army National Guard Reserves. Tomorrow he is flying to Kuwait for two weeks, and then to Iraq for nine months. I'm a little scared but I know he's smart and hopefully he'll remember all of his training, etc. My mom and I are going to his Farewell Ceremony at Ft. Bragg tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

The boy.

Jared has asked me to blog about him. A full blog dedicated to the Jared. Instead of being all gushy and grossing you out with my droolification, here are 5 things you may or may not know about Jared:

1. Jared is a chocolate FIEND. Especially Reese's peanut butter cups. If it is chocolate, he will eat it until you make him stop. Molten chocolate brownie lava cake with ice cream and syrup makes him weak in the knees.

2. Jared has told me he that if UNC was playing a basketball game against people who had murdered his family, he would still not cheer for Carolina. This hatred runs deep, yall.

3. Jared has disdain for Jessica Simpson and Rachel McAdams. Why? I mean, Jessica Simpson might be a little ditsy, but she's not what I would consider hateable (not like that skank Jennifer Love Hewitt). And Rachel McAdams? She's cute as a button.

4. His favorite movie is "Dumb and Dumber". But then, why guy doesn't love Lloyd and Harry? But he also loves Harry Potter, Da Vinci Code, any and all sports movies, and of course, all those dumb American Pie movies (the original isn't dumb).

5. He once dreamt of being a doctor. He makes an excellent restaurant manager though. And if he were a doctor, we probably wouldn't know each other now. So I'm glad things changed and life moved him my way.

Mush free.

Friday, April 03, 2009

Anniversary

Today and this week:

-I have owned my condo for 3 years now. I feel like a superstar for buying a home at 23. Two more years and I'll only have to pay back one of my two first-time home buyer loans. I think I can handle that. I have made a few improvements (I think). I still have a lot of things I would like to do, like replace the carpet downstairs with hardwood floors (and by hardwood I mean laminate). The problem with this is it takes money. And skill with tools. Neither of these do I possess.

-My blog turned four years old on Tuesday. The last year it has suffered I think, but hopefully that's all about to change since I'll be in my office every day now. Whee!

-Meatwad is 3 years old now. :( He's still my baby kitty though. I still see the kitten in him. He still plays, and chases his tail, and gives me the "momma" treatment. He is a boob man. Loves to cuddle and stick his face in my chest. It's kinda weird but I figure maybe he gets it from watching Jared (teehee). Meatwad is my big man.
proud parent.

-Beefcake turned 2 years old a few weeks ago. He is most definitely still a kitten. He's got the biggest, most beautiful eyes. He's a lover. But he also LOVEs to fight with Meatwad. He's an instigator. He has such a crazy meow. He rubs on everything he can reach with his long tail and his big head. He has an underbite. He's my big boy.
Does well in the car

Friday, March 27, 2009

Pineapple Express

Okay, here's another one, as per his own request.

My friend Sam:
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Looks a lot like Seth Rogan:
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Am I right?

Thursday, March 26, 2009

I've discovered that I love something.

I've noticed lately how often I like to compare people to other people, looks wise. I mean, who they look like. For instance, my annoying psuedo-coworker (the repeater) looks just like Stephen King. There is a Duke basketball player named Jon Scheyer who looks just like Freddie Prinze Jr:

FPJ
Photobucket

Scheyer:
Photobucket

I've been saying this for months, and tonight, I found a forum where someone else made the same comparison.

Anywho, the point is, this is the most fun game ever.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Happenings

Funny, a while back on either twitter or blogger (can't remember which), I noted how I thought Twitter would be the death of the blog. It's totally true. Blogs are dropping like flies as Twitter takes over the world. It just doesn't seem as necessary to write up a whole long blog about your feelings when you can so easily do it in 140 characters or less.

Love: So far so good. Jared and I seem to be working through our issues and things are going quite well. I know it's an unconventional relationship, to take a step back (he's not living with me anymore) but stay together, but so far it seems to be working. I see him pretty much every day. Good stuff.

Work: Aye carumba, am I busy. I bitched and bitched for years about how slow it was at work and now I'm so busy I've had to stay late every day for the past week and probably will this whole week too. We have one more new person coming in on April 1st and I'm hoping once she gets here, it will slow down for me a little. And if not, that's okay too, except I Haven't played spider solitare in like a month!

Party time: Been doing a lot of fun stuff. Carmen is hosting karaoke on Saturday nights, which are a blast. Wednesdays, as always, there is trivia. And there's always the goings on in between that are great.

I have been spending a lot of time outside lately. This would be good for most people. And I pretend it's good for me too. But honestly, sunblock is a pain in the ass and I have to put it on at least twice a day now. :P And, I think the flowers are slowly killing me.

My cats are somehow getting fatter even though I cut back their food. See my flickr page for examples.

I'd also like to say congrats to my friends Alisa and Matt for getting engaged last month!!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

A little poll

"Okay. Would you rather be an alien or a mutant?"

"Or a vampire?"

"Or a vampire."

I would definitely choose to be a mutant. One like Mystique who can change into other people. And I would like the power of inivisibility. Maybe be able to fly too.

What about you?

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Today is...

My youngest niece, Madelyn's fifth birthday. Which makes me feel old, since I graduated college only a few weeks after she was born. Sheesh.

Madelyn is a pistol. She's going to be tall, maybe a little burly, but pretty. And the best thing about her is her amazing personality. And she loves her Aunt Allison.

Monday, March 09, 2009

Still Got It.

So I got hit on today at the gym. At my gym, there is a little side room that has several pieces of equipment: a thigh machine, a hip machine, and a butt machine. I was sitting on the thigh machine when a pretty boy came and sat next to me on the hip machine. And he started talking to me and I told him I was going to use the machine he was on when he was done. So we were both doing our leg machines in rythym. It was kind of weird. I finished first, and wandered over to the butt machine. I've never been able to figure out the butt machine. Pretty offers to help me. I would have said "no" but I figured he was probably harmless. hehehe.

Pretty boy stood behind me and told me how the butt machine works. Then he told me I was doing a good job, and that I had nice legs. I giggled, finished up, and promptly left the room.

I have a man, thank you.. But it's nice to know I still got it ;)

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

“Things I sometimes imagine against my will.”

As copied from Maggie/Mighty Girl,

Here are the things I accidentally imagine or dream:

1. T-Rex is back, and he's after me.

2. I lost my job.

3. I am stuck in a small place, like a kiddie tunnel at a fast food playground.

4. Zombies.. that is all.

5. There is a demon in my home (from watching too much Paranormal State).

6. Being buried alive. With spiders.

7. I am swimming in the ocean, and a shark rubs against me (or dead body).

8. Someone sees me naked. And I'm not even drunk.

9. I am back in college, and I can't make it to class until exam day.

10. All of my teeth have fallen out.

Good Gravy.



















Karaoke. Saturday Nights at Beef O' Brady's. This is how cool you will be if you go.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

People really get me.

An email from my buddy Popcorn Rob:

Subject: Allison's Dream Come True

(click and view large)

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Guess who finally learned to stop being an ass?

Has stopped meowing (for the most part) and waking me up in the morning since I started feeding them at night:



















<3 my Meatwad.

Monday, February 23, 2009

People, Places, Things.

Last week was a LONG, stressful week for me. I worked like regular Monday and Tuesday. Then, Tuesday after work, I headed to McLeansville with Katiebonk where we stayed with Jeff and Tracy. Wednesday morning my coworker Tom picked us up (30 minutes late) and I had to haul ass in a rented Kia in the rain so we could get to pre-conference workshop in Raleigh on time at 9 am. We made it, with several seconds to spare.

Yes, it's conference time again. Usually, work conference are regarded more as "fun" than "work". Not so this time. Usually, I'm free to go to whatever sessions I want and do what I like in my free time. Not so here.

At my office we just got a new big contract, which is good. But as per usual, we are putting things together kind of last minute. And rushed. And disorganized. Which means, my boss made me actually do "Work" at our conference. I had to skip a session so we could "call" people, and I almost got in trouble for skipping another one so I could nap. I'm only one person people! I still managed to have some fun though. I ate at a couple of really delicious restaurants (The Oxford, The Big Easy) and went to an awesome bar (The Flying Saucer) where they had a whooooole lotta beer on tap. Katie and I played in the hot tub, even though it was treacherously hot. I got to hang out with and see a few of my college friends, which is always good. I made a few new friends. I got to see Stephen play Rock Band with some ESRI salesmen. And I ate some delicious food. Okay, for the most part it was fun. But my boss has a bad habit of getting me stressed out over stupid things.















We got back from the conference on Friday night and on Saturday I headed BACk to Durham to see Brad and go to an mc chris concert. That kicked ass, as usual. mc chris is very funny and does a great one-man show. I was standing front and center and he saw me with my phone out and he said "Are you texting!?" into the microphone. I said "NOOOO!" (even though I was). His reply was "Oh, you're twittering? That's ok then". Fun times.


















Now it's back to work as usual.

Oh and one more thing. Jared and I are back together, and yes, I'm making the right decision.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Thursday.

I feel as if I'm revolting against my blog by not utilizing it to it's fullest potential. So hey world! How's it going?

Last weekend I went to the moutains with Carmen, Jon, and Matt we had a blast. I drank lots of wine, ate lots of jello shots, and shot a big gun:



There's also a video of this on my youtube, but I can't link to that from my office, so if you're really concerned about it, go to youtube and do a search for allygirl520's videos. I will be there. I also have a video of Carmen shooting, but it's sideways and I don't know how to rotate it.

This weekend I have no real plans. Well, Friday night I'm going to dinner with Katie, but after that I don't know what's going on.

Next week is a big ass work conference where hopefully I'll have a good time "learning" in Raleigh. Woo!

I am still painting my kitchen, been working on that for a year. The other night I finally put the hardware back on the top set of cabinet doors. Hopefully i'll get around to reattaching them sometime in the next few weeks, and then I can start taking off and painting the bottom set of cabinets. WEe!

Tonight? Bo's karaoke anyone?

Friday, February 06, 2009

Ho Hum.

Life has been a strange blur lately. For the first time in years, I'm so busy at work that I feel stressed. Which is good. A little stress is good for you. But still, I feel like I need a super long nap, but I'm not sure when I'll get that chance.

I realized the other day that I haven't cried in about 3 weeks. This is amazing to me considering a month ago I wasn't sure I'd ever stop crying. I'm not really sure what is going on with me and men right now, but I'm trying to do what makes me happy. And unfortunately, it might not make everyone else happy. But that's how it is, I guess. I just want to do what makes me feel good.

I thought I was getting sick earlier this week, but my stupid over active immune system didn't allow it. Yes, I want to get a cold. I want to have a good excuse to lay on my couch and be lazy, but I can't find one. I've been trying to work out more lately, but I keep going places and not being able to. Hopefully I'll be able to start staying home on the weekends soon and start really getting a good workout.

Tonight I'm helping Carmen, Jon, and our new friend Grant at a party celebrating the Hickory Art Museum's 60th Anniversary. Carmen and I made 250 jello shots last night for the shindig, and at the party they will be given away for free! Then tomorrow, Carmen, Jon, Matt and I will be headed to Jon's parent's mountain cabin for a little mountain fun. I'm not sure which mountain, but what the hey, it will be fun.

Pretty soon I won't be working outside as much anymore, which means I won't come home looking like this:

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

2 things that rule

1) Paranormal State, that spooky show on A&E. This college guy and his friends go around to people's houses who claim they have ghosts, and they help them. Sometimes they show exorcisms. They always have psychics. And the host/main dude? HOTTIE.

















Last night I watched three episodes in a row right before bed. Then I woke up at 3 AM and kept hearing noises and scared myself. Fun!

2)The Smoking Gun. Great Website. They have a whole bunch of celebrity mugshots, as well as generally funny mugshots. Here are some of my favorites:
Funny Old Man:

















Andre the Giant:











Michael Thompson from Hickory: