Muggle-Football-Vision

Two really awesome videos were released upon the world yesterday, to make me a happy little girl.

First is the first trailer for "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" which comes out in November. Yippee! I love these books and these movies. This book was my favorite of the series so I'm hoping the movie lives up to my imagination. I'm going to try to read the book again before I see the movie,to really get me in the mood. Oh, and when I got home from work yesterday, I was going to tell Jared about it, but he told me about it first!


The second video is the official trailer for Appalachian football versus LSU Tigers. This is also awesome, and gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. I will be at this big event, so it really hyped me up! I think everyone in the Appalachian family has already seen it, but if you haven't take a look. Worth it.

Last night I had dinner with Jared and his family. We had yummy-licious Outback. Then Jared and I went to see the Dark Knight. It was his first time watching it. He loved it as much as I did. I think my favorite part is the music, really.

Tonight I'm going to try to go to trivia. It's Carmen's first night doing trivia at Drips, so she needs me!

Goings-On

This past weekend while everybody I know was at Bele Chere in Asheville, or watching the Avett Brothers, I was in Durham visiting my friend Brad. It was his birthday so he had a big pool party. Definitely worth the trip. We played volleyball, grilled hamburgers and cheese dogs, swam in the pool for hours, and then played Mindtrap and Battle of the Sexes. I drank alcohol all day but thankfully didn't succomb to a funk-nasty hangover like the last time I was there. I'd like to thank the Chaser Pills for that one. :)

Then Monday night Jared, Jared's brother Josh, his sister Amy, and I went to see Maroon 5 and Counting Crowes. Maroon 5 was opening but I rather wish they had been the headlining band. They totally rocked and I knew most of the songs. I had seen Counting Crowes before at Woodstock '99 and I enjoyed them. But Monday night for some reason they decided to only play 2 of their popular songs (i.e. songs I knew) and the rest of the songs were all slow, sleepy time music. I'm amazed I didn't fall asleep. At least it was a free show, since Jared's brother bought the 4 pack of tickets!

Tonight we're going out to dinner with Jared's parents, which I always enjoy. Hopefully the house is clean enough. Not that Jared's parents will say anything, but as a girlfriend trying to impress my (hopefully) one day mother-in-law, I feel like the house must be spotless. It's how I am.

Tomorrow is trivia and this weekend? NOTHING. And I'm going to keep it that way. If anyone requests the honor of my presence, they're going to need to drive to my house. No driving anywhere or getting up early for this redhead.

:D

Generation Gap

Jared and I have been watching the Die Hard movies lately (his idea). They're actually not bad movies, just bad wardrobe, hair, etc.

We are halfway through the second one last night when I realized something.

Bruce Willis is hot. Even with the bad hair, Bruce Willis is hot.

I have heard before people talking about Bruce Willis as being a "hunk" and I never got it, til last night.

But then again, there are a lot of men like that. I never thought Sylvester Stallone was hot until I saw the original Rocky movies. I mean, he had some gorgeous eyes.


















I'm sure my children will wonder what the hell I see in Johnny Depp (but then I'll make them watch Chocolat and Don Juan Demarco and they'll understand).

Same thing happens with music, obviously. My mother has always made us listen to "Golden Oldies" from the 60's and 70's in the car when we were growing up. I always thought the music was slightly lame (not ALL of it, but some).

I can already tell that I'm going to HATE what my kids listen to. I don't care much for most of the new rock music that comes out these days. Give me a radio station that plays all music from the 1990's and I'll be so very happy.

I won't even go into the generation gap in clothes. Ha.

What generation gaps are prevalent to you?

Caffiene is weird.

How is it that caffeine can keep me from sleeping if I drink it too late at night, but then in the morning, it ceases to wake me up?

I know that if you drink coffee everyday, it stops having an effect on you after a while. How come soda doesn't work the same way?

WHY CAN'T I DRINK COKE ZERO AFTER 5?

This is something that plagues me. I need to learn this oh-so-delicate balance.

I'm looking forward to this weekend, when it's my Durham BFF's bday party. But what to get the Redskin fan who has everything?

Finally...

After many many many weeks of not knowing where I would be working, whether I would be staying at the job I love or going to somewhere more secure, I have Finally Finally Finally been given the best oppurtunity- to stay right where I'm at!

I have seriously been toiling inside, tearing back and forth between two (sometimes 3) options of great jobs. It has been seriously scarey at times. I have annoyed everyone I know asking them about their opinions almost every day.

I'm one of those people that don't really like change, even when I'm offered more money, if you can believe that.

But finally, I can sleep a little easier, and I can appreciate my job a little more, knowing that the guy in charge fought pretty hard (even while he was in the hospital) to keep me here.

Shew... Now many I can stop being a slack ass blogger. :D

Why So Serious?

4:15 today, Carmike Cinemas,
Be there or miss out.. Unless you're lucky and went to the midnight premiere last night...

Good Times and Football.

I’ve got some good things going on right now.. despite the work issues which will all come to a head tomorrow.

Last weekend was Katie’s fabulous 2nd Annual 29th birthday party in Blowing Rock, NC. It was fabulous to be able to sit around in the mountains just having fun and not worrying about life. Check out the pictures from the photo booth her photographer friend set up.

Tomorrow (Friday) is a big day for me. I *love* the new Batman movies and (in case you live in a cave and don’t know) tomorrow The Dark Knight is coming to theaters. I’m going to take my 2 hours comp time (from counting Vehicle Occupancy Rates) and go see the matinee! Hopefully Carmen and Jon will be going with me. But if not, I have no problem going alone. I would invite Katie, but I don’t think that’s her kind of movie. :)

Then Saturday, Katie and I are going to see Andrea, my old roommate from Hickory, who is going to Georgia Tech now, but interning for the summer in Charlotte. Hopefully, we’ll have a real good girly time!

Next week, The X-Files movie comes out! I have a feeling I’ll be going to see that one on my own.. But since I haven’t watched any X-Files since the series finale premiered like 8 years ago, I am dying to see Mulder and Scully again!

The 26th is when my Durham BFF, Brad, is throwing his annual pool party for his birthday. I was going to go to Bele Chere, but then his party was scheduled for that day. That’s okay, I’m going to have a LOT of fun swimming in the pool with my buddies. And hopefully I can convince Jared to come with me.

I just found out that I’m going to get to go see the Buccaneers play the Panthers in Charlotte on December 8th! FOOTBALL!! YAY!!! I don’t know whether to wear my Bucs jersey or my Appalachian jersey! Since the App jersey is for Armanti, not Dexter Jackson, I will most likely wear my Bucs jersey (it’s for RONDE Barber).

I’m glad to have all of these fun things coming up! And FOOTBALL!!

Especially since my life may be changing a bit in the next 2 months. Maybe.

Carmen Rules

AWE, this is like the nicest thing anyone's ever taken the time to write about me.. or say about me, or maybe even think about me..

Carmen is my best friend and she rules. She's basically my sister.

Carmen is like, the most creative, spiritive person I know.


I wish I could say how much she means to me, too.

Warning: Debbie Downer is back.

It's kind of funny how every person in my office knows about my job situation. How? I guess it's all whispers and stuff. Here's the kicker people: I DON'T KNOW ANY MORE THAN YOU DO!

I'm just sick of explaining the little I know about it to everyone who asks me. I'm sick of worrying.

I had an "interview" yesterday and the Man told me that all they were authorized to offer was $3000 a year more than I'm currently making.

Sounds good right? No. There's this:

a) Gas to get from my house to Lenoir and back 5 days a week at $4.50 a gallon for a year: $1800.

b) My current job offers a Longevity check (Christmas Bonus) every year at about $300 for me.

c) I would be paying social security now (which I haven't been doing at my current job). Roughly $2500 a year.

d) My current job usually gives raises every year. EVERY YEAR. Guess how many "raises" the Lenoir job has gotten in the last 3 years? ONE. And that was significantly less than the raises I'm used to getting every year.

e) This sucks.



How can I negotiate for more if he's already told me he's only authorized so much?

Why can't my current job fight a little harder to keep me?

Depressed. AGAIN. Sorry.

I LOVE being micromanaged.

So, how do I bill time to "Filling out job applications and writing a cover letter"?

Who should be paying me to go interview in another town?

What about when I went to feed the cats on Monday during work hours?

I should really not be publishing this, but I am.

Recent Things that make me Happy

(Hang on til the 3ish minute mark)

ReCAPLOCKS

So, I ended up having a pretty decent week last week. For Thursday (which was really Friday) I had dinner (well, beer) with Daniel and Katie at Backstreets. Then, Jared and I played poker at Carmen's with her, Matt and Brian. It was a $1.00 game, but we still had fun! Jared ended up winning the biggest part of the $6.00 pot.

Then Friday I got up early (10:00 am) and went to my Dad's up in Ashe County for his cookout. There I had a ton of fun with my brother Alan and my Sister-in-Law Wendy, my brother Scott, my nieces, and my step siblings and all.

We barbequed and watched the kids play in the kiddie pool. We had a family viewing of Jeopardy (we all love the trivia) and then we all played with our cheapo Wal-Mart fireworks. Then, it was time to go with Alan, Wendy and Elora up to Grayson Highlands where I shared their pop-up tent, wine, and s'mores!

When I was a kid, we used to camp there all the time, so I was loving the trip down memory lane. On Saturday, the four of us went to West Jefferson to the Christmas in July Festival, and to Boone to Macado's for lunch, and then to Blowing Rock to the Shoppes on the Parkway where I got some capris at J. Crew.

That was the first time I ever bought anything at J. Crew and also the first time I've ever bought capri Pants. I'm still not sure wether I like them or not..

Tonight was trivia at Beef O' Brady's in Hickory. It was fun, and hopefully next week we can get more people in there and it will be even better.

Pictures from this weekend:

This week = okay so far!

Sunday night I got to hang out with Katiebonk and watch some 90210 and drink beer and eat yummy chicken ceasar wraps.

Monday night I played Taboo for hours with Carmen, Jon and Matt.

Yesterday GPSn was actually pleasant outside!

Last night I got to sit around with my man and eat pizza and watch Hell's Kitchen.

These are all good things.

I'm thinking this week might be better than last. Good.

Oh, and yesterday I saw this:

A HUGE black widow in a water meter. It tried to get me. I laughed at it and took a picture with my camera phone.