New Year's Resolution

So I don't often make resolutions because I never keep them as most people don't. I thought long and hard about what to make my resolution, something I can actually have a chance at keeping. So my resolution is no regrets. I want to try to go through the year and not have any regrets. I have way too many for a 27 year old and I need to stop them from piling up. In 2007 I added a few more to my list, quite a bit more.

So I am hoping my friends will remind me when I am doing something that is stupid or doing something I will regret they call me on it. I need it, I do stupid shit. I say things I don't mean because of huge defense mechanisms I have developed over the years. That totally screwed me this year, my poor ability to not control my mouth from ruining good things.
So yea that is my resolution. I don't know if it will happen but maybe setting it will help me have less?

On a brighter note HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL 2008 already, craziness.

Year in Review

Well 2007 has been quite an eventful year that is for sure.

Started with me moving to CA to start school as we all know. Started school in January which was a good high point of the year. Eh the boy I met was a high point for a bit but as usual turned into a low point. Hopefully 2008 offers better dating for me but I highly doubt it. Sadly the beginning of the year boy was the dating highlight. Fresno has not offered much in the dating world for me. I miss dating. So most of the year was pretty uneventful. Had another bad luck with dating in April and May mainly because I am an idiot and I say things I don't mean. Oh well. Summer was decent was super busy with work type stuff and took a few trips to Pismo, Santa Cruz and Vegas. Then fall semester started and I was super super busy. Got a brief trip home in Sept, where I said goodbye to my Abby girl. They put her down the day after I headed back to CA. That was sad and was nice as it was to come home for Christmas with the new pup it is not the same as having Abby, Allie is great but she is not my Abby.
Let's see what else, had my first BBQ in October that was fun, finally got to use my yard for something. Thanksgiving was spent with my friend Kate and we just chilled for the day, which was good nothing big but fun.

I guess my year was not all that interesting. My hopes for 2008 is to get everything on track so I can apply for internship in the fall and not have to wait an extra year. Would like to meet a nice guy, I dont really think I have hope that I will actually meet a decent guy but I can pretend/hope anyways.
I also hope my bro gets into a school he wants and everything works out well for him and it is as easy of a transition as possible.

Finally Home

So first off flying with a hang over is a bad idea, and made me realize why i do not drink lol.

2nd it took me 27 freaking hours to get home. The flight from Fresno to Phoenix and from Phoenix to DC went off without a problem. However I arrived in the DC airport with no gate for my next flight, I knew this was a bad sign, so I called my mom and alas it was a bad sign. My flight had been canceled. I got to spend the night in wonderful Alexandria, VA. The I finally ended up getting home at 10am the next day. 27 hours it took me to get home.

It is very nice to be home though, a bit chilly but nice none the less!

Christmas Spirit/ Drunken Stupor

So here it is Dec 9th and I do not remember the last time I was so ho hum about christmas. I am hoping it will change when I head home for the holiday because even though Christmas lights are abundant here in Fresno the fact that it is 50 degrees and I will never see snow here makes it hard. Granted everything else here is the same, Christmas freaking music in every store and on every radio station, but there is something missing. I do like a white christmas, I do not like the temperature it has to be to have a white christmas but I do love the snow on Christmas. My mom told me yesterday she was going to go look at holiday lights but will wait for me, which is fun I do love holiday lights. As I am typing this when I should be finishing a paper I have 4 days, 2 hours and 15 mins until I am slated to touch down in CT. I am very excited for it. I do hope once my school work is done and I am out of California I will be able to get more into the Christmas spirit. Maybe being around friends and family will help with that.

On another side note, you know it has been a long ass semester when you schedule a Drunken Stupor night when it is all over. And yes I literally have written on my calendar drunken stupor with Tonie lol. We have plans to meet up Weds at 5pm when everything is done and start drinking and the guys will show up later to drive us home. I do love being walking distance to bars again for occasions like this one. So Yes my flight home at 6am on Thursday is going to be a LONG flight but it will be worth it.

Christmas Tree Lane

So my friend Kate and I deciding to avoid homework and papers went in search of Christmas lights. What we found we never expected. Apparently there is an area iN Fresno called Christmas Tree Lane. here is the site for it http://www.oldfig.org/about/christmastreelane.html

It is almost 2 miles of overly decorated houses and yes we walked it lol. We wanted to drive through but happened upon it on one of the 2 walking nights, just my luck lol. While my pics did not come out well cause I suck at taking pics at night I did get a few wicked cool ones.

Here is one I like I a lot mainly cause it looks cool not that you can tell much from it but I like it.

Spam actually is amusing

I have never taken the time to realize just how amusing it really truly is. I was bored being up way to freaking early this morning and clicked on my spam box by accident. I was reading some of the titles and they cracked me up. In my spam box currently I have:

" Is your penis size so small it is constantly made fun of?" (if it is that small why are they showing it to everyone lol.)

"Make her moan so loud it wakes the neighbors"

"Make your holidays happier, with a new enlarged penis"

"No woman would refuse to get laid by a full sized dick" ( this one is good to promote date rape, cause no woman says no to you if you have a full sized dick)

"She wants a real man so hurry up and give it to her hard" (not really sure the connection thus why its amusing)

" Let your penis grow into a purple headed demon" I love this one lol

" Ever feel the kiss of the womb? With your new big rod you will" ( this one kind of disturbs me)

Age Tags

I have always mentioned that the older I get the harder it is for me to tell how old people are, especially guys. My solution to this has been, that guys should wear age tags. I need to know the older I get how old guys are. Females do not need to wear these as guys just really don't care as much.
So the propsed age tags should go into play as soon as possible.

Anyways what prompted all this was an interaction I had at a store with a guy, come to find out he is 18. Seriously what would I do with an 18 year old kid?

Age tags, new nationwide federal policy, if Bush can change the daylight savings time, he could do this lol.

sigh

Things about me

I was talking to someone and the topic of can you think of 20 interesting/unique things about yourself came up. I am not sure they are intresting or unique but they are all about me, it may be 21 i don't know i lost count.

So here they are:

~Moving cross country was probably the best and worst thing I have ever done
~I overthink the majority of things in my life
~I tend to use dating as an extreme form of people watching
~Unlike so many people in our world I really could care less about celebrity gossip, I do keep up on it since so many people seem to find it interesting
~I fear the need to be happy and never settle or be content will leave me single forever
~I met and hung out with the Cherry Poppin Daddies when I was 18, well I actually prefered their driver to them but I still met them it was cool
~My ultimate goal in life is to be happy, and I think a small little cottage on the ocean would do that for me
~I have become to jaded and cynical for my own good
~I wish I could go back and continue debating my senior year, I feel like that was a pivotal decision in my life
~I have a teddy bear I have had since second grade... and I think he rocks
~I love dogs and want like 4 of them
~I never said I love you to the one guy I truly loved, that was a very bad decision on my part
~I did say I love you to a guy I did not love, that too was a bad decision
~The ocean is my favorite place in the world, I miss being able to drive there, spend an hour thinking and driving home. it would take far too long to do that from here :(
~I once touched Nick Hexum's leg at a concert, that was good times
~I make really bad decisions and know they are bad decisions as I am making them and sometimes can't stop myself
~I love hockey and baseball but can not bring myself to watch football anymore
~The older I get the more I realize how important real friends are, and it is hard to seperate from those who aren't real friends but have been around a long time
~I was on a local TV show for high school kids, we got our ass kicked
~I watch cooking shows and love them, but don't love the time it takes to actually cook and clean
~I sometimes feel that all the regrets I have are going to overwhelm me someday

Apt. Rearrange

So for the BBQ in October I bought this roughly 6 foot long table that after the BBQ went into my shed. Recently I have been thinking of how to utilize my space a bit better than I have been. So I rearranged my apt this weekend. I moved my two bigger bookcases to fill in holes in the apt and then moved the big table in. This allows me to have the work space a PhD student should have and makes it so I dont have to do my homework on the floor!!

Here is the new layout.


Area of major rearranging, moved the two big bookcases and put in the long table and moved the desk down.


moved one of the taller bookcases into the bedroom area


moved the other taller bookcase near the daybed and the kitchen


Another view of the rearranging

Pampering

So as I am fairly poor and refuse to be paying off spa visits and such for the next 20 years I did a homemade pampering session.I have been very stressed with school and what not and really needed it. So I went and got some bubble bath, lit some candles, poured some wine and read a non school related book. It was awesome. I think everyone should do this when stressed. And I even have mood lighting in my bathroom ( no idea why) so I dimmed the lights just enough to read but it was dimly lit. It was awesome!!!
I think I need to do that more often.

Now this is a costume

So we had a Halloween gathering last night and while my costume was lame ( just my BU jersey) other people can come up with good costumes.

This one was awesome because I LOVE Michael Myers
Sorry it is sideways :(

It's funny when your parents notice things first...

especially from 3,000 miles away. So recently when I have been talking to my parents, they both on different occasions, a couple days apart, made me realize I do not hate it here as much as I once did. Make no mistake, I have no interest in staying here any longer then I have to and I would never suggest someone move here... but I am much more content here then I was a few months ago. It is amazing how friends can make a difference. I have some really good friends now and am developing more as I go. It makes being here more tolerable overall that is for sure. Yay for making good friends, and YAY for making friends who like horror movies like me!!!
I just found it interesting that my parents from all that distance could pick up on the change, and it is a good change.

Pumpkins!!

So in honor of Halloween I carved a pumpkin :) Well my friend Kate and I carved pumpkins
here s mine



here are the two of ours near my door



And here is Kates

Winter Break

So I have decided when I am coming home for Dec and Jan. I will be home Dec 14t-Jan 7th. I am so excited for the non rushed trip home. I will be home for 25 days so I should get to see everyone and do every thing I want to do :)

And I get to meet the new puppy who won't be much of a puppy by then but I am super excited!!!!!

My String Doll Gang

So like a year ago I got my first string doll. The Zombie was made to help me dig up all of the information in my head. As you can see my gang has grown.



Along with my Zombie I now have Captain Bad, Thelma, Mr. Mummy and Big Frank.

I am hoping Big Frank is going to help me the most he is supposed to help me stay on task and finish things!

Here is the website for anyone interested it allows you to order online or find stores that sell them



I now want to get a few of the pets, I like the monster ones, one of their mottos "Being weird is more fun". I love it

Parents New Dog

So I have to say I am very very jealous that my parents have a new puppy. Well she is a very large puppy she is 6 months old. But she is adorable and I guess they needed a new one.

So introducing their new pup Ally






So I have to say I am very very jealous that my parents have a new puppy. Well she is a very large puppy she is 6 months old. But she is adorable and I guess they needed a new one.

First BBQ

So this weekend I had my first BBQ in Fresno, well really my first one all on my own. It went well, we( kate my cohost and I) had 10 people there, first guest showed up at 4 last guests left at 1130. I forgot to take pics during the gathering but I have random ones before and after lol. We grilled all kinds of veggies, had chicken, steak and sausage. Everyone brought apps or side dishes it was good times. It made me realize I am actually an adult, which is scary and cool. I know I have been for a while but I threw my first adult party, not a college like party with all kinds of random people getting drunk. And I discovered my house fits 10 people and a beagle puppy fairly comfortably. The party went well and I was glad to hear I am not the only horror movie buff in the group, there was quite a few of us!!!!

Here is a pic of the balloons we got to mark my fence :) Yes we are dorks.

Why??

Why is it that guys are so stupid? Not to be mean to them, well a bit mean but seriously. Why is it that now that I am 3000 miles from home... I have guys wishing I was there to date? I was in Massachusetts for 26 years, you couldnt get your act together in 26 years? Well granted not that long for some but still. There is one I have known for about 4 years. He recently tells me he "wishes I was around because I am the kind of girl you settle down with", UM HELLO I was around for 4 freakin years lol. Then I have one who I went on one date with couple months before I moved out here recently contact me again and tells me how he wishes he had kissed me on our date, and how much he wanted to BLAH BLAH BLAH.Then why didn't you? You held my hand at the movie was that not a big enough sign that I would kiss back??
Anyways, I have no time for this crap. Seriously why are guys idiots?
Note to guys:
If you like a girl tell her.
If you go on a date and you like a girl KISS HER.
If you go on a date and like a girl and dont kiss her make sure there is a 2nd date to kiss her.
If you think the girl is worthwhile tell her, don't let things slide.

Granted this is a rant about guys and I never do the same. If I like a guy I find it hard to tell him, but not if we have been on a date or have known each other. Come on guys get with it.
And stop coming out of the woodwork, unless you live in CA lol

Visit Home

So I am back in Fresno after my visit home. The visit was bittersweet, I got to see a lot of people and I had to say goodbye to my Abby. But anyways here is how the visit went.

Tuesday:
Got in early, mom and abby picked me up, I thought mom was going to squeeze me to death with her hug but it was great to be home. Got to pick Daniel up at school and got yelled at for hugging him at school, lol whoops. Mom showed me around her gardens and the yard. My favorite thing in the yard is her scarecrow family.

Then that night the older aunt and uncles and my grandma came over for dinner.That was fun, the uncles got to pick my brain about school. Was good to see them, then just hung out with the family.
Wednesday:
Got up and went to lunch with Grandma, then we went to the ice cream place I worked at for my first real job and realized I started there 11 years ago. That made me feel my aging just a bit ha. Then I got to go pick up Daniel again and hang with him some. That night my mom and I went to the Big E. I have decided I like the Big E when its only 5 bucks and its not super crowded. We ate all the good fair food, got perogies ( prob spelling that wrong), and french fries with vinegar, and Big E cream Puff and then Fried Mushrooms mmmmm. We got to see animals, Igot to pet an almost 2300 pound horse I wanted to bring it home :).
Thursday:
Conference all day, was good. Then went out to dinner with everyone from school that was there. Besides the shitty waitress it was fun.
Friday:
Conference till 3, then headed to Boston. Drove through my old neighborhood and found there is a dunkin donuts there so weird. Then had dinner at Brown Sugar with Daisy, Shelley, Leota, Lucinda and Petula, all my peeps from BU, it was a lot of fun, mmmm got to have my Drunken Noodle. After Brown Sugar we saw all these bikes come and block the road and bang n cars and I am not sure what it was all about.
Then Daisy, Shelley and I went to Dunks for a bit and they sell Pizza now which i have to say creeped me out a bit lol.

Saturday:
Just hung out a bunch, got some breakfast from the Williamsburg General Store ooo so good. Then played ball with Abby and just hung out. Daisy and I then went to Antonios which I love so much i cant put it into words lol. Then I went to get my new tattoo and for whatever reason I can not take a good pic of it right now but will post one when I get one. Just an FYI the foot HURTS A LOT. Saturday night was Poker night of which I suck, we played at the cheap table for a while, then Daisy and I realized we were old. I will blame it on all the food we ate cause we never get homecooked food, and boy there was some good food there. But we passed out around 1030 on my parents couch lol.
Sunday:
Daisy went home in the morning. I spent the rest of the day hanging with my family and saying goodbye to my dog. She wasnt doing so well and my family put her down Monday. She was a wonderful dog though. I took this pic while I was home and it may be the favorite one I have ever taken of her.

Then my family all brought me to the airport and we got some dinner first. I was proud cause I only cried a little lol.



So now I am back in Fresno, back to the grind and will count down till I am come home in December:) But it was great seeing everyone it was kind of like I had never left but sadly I knew I had.

Leaving for Home Today

So it has been almost 1o months since I saw my family and friends and its time to see them!!! I leave tonight at 9pm from Fresno, then have a layover in Vegas, then fly to Cinncinati, have a layover there then at 9:48 tomorrow morning I arrive in Hartford :)
WAHOO. So excited. I get to see my bro, parents, grandma, other family, MY ABBY, friends. It is going to be a good week all around :)

Tennis and my Love Life

So I love this shirt, sorry its backwards I have no idea how to correct that. What makes me sad about the shirt is people see it and assume I like tennis... which I do not. I like the meaning it has not the tennis player on it. Call me bitter, call me jaded they would both be fairly true :) I have also just basically given up all together.
And sorry for the boob shot ignore that and read the shirt!!

Birthday

So I learned today I have some awesome friends no matter where I am. I got a bunch of texts, emails and messages on Myspace today. Thanks so much for them!!!!

The day was pretty low key had class, then group then got Tea :)

My family also rocks!!!!
They sent me emails, and pics and a video with them all wishing me happy bday. I won't post the video but here are the pics they sent me with Abby :). It was bittersweet because I know it is getting to the end of her time with us.. she may not even be there when I come home but I would rather remember her good then have them drag it out to let me say goodbye to her.

Anyways here is the pics she sent me ;)

I love her so much

350

So while my tea place the other day I had a funny overhear/encounter with a schizophrenic, well at least that is my thinking of what his diagnosis would be. It is way more funny in person or on the phone but this is something at least. So this guy at first I thought was talking on a blue tooth or something like it because at first the convo seemed on track and fairly coherent, it did not stay that way for long. He seemed to have latched onto 350 for some reason who knows why which was fine till he was deleivered his tea that he was forced to order so he could hang around the tea place. So the kid brings him his tea, which he has already paid for and as the kid was hanging him his tea he all the sudden was like fucking 350. I am guessing the tea cost somewhere around there because the kid got really confused and a convo started about the price of the tea. With the kid ( who may not have been too too bright) trying to explain the price and the guy saying 350 in response to it. This went on till the kid got frustrated/scared and went inside. It was literally like a comedy show.

I obviously do not find this population funny but it was seriously like a perfectly timed comedy act, it was amusing in the timing that it was. I am not laughing at the guy just the timing and the confusion of it all.

20 Days!

So 20 days from now I leave for my Massachusetts visit. I am so excited I am not even sure words fully express it. And I have a cram packed schedule which is awesome and what I wanted. Tuesday when I get in I am getting picked up by my mom and hopefully my Abby. Then I get a Haircut!!! It has been so long I will probably be bald when I come back lol. The dinner with my family and maybe the older aunts and uncles. Weds I am not quite sure what is going on or I may just be forgetting. Thurs is the conference all day and Friday is the conference again then I am off to pick up Daisy in Boston. Along with picking her up I also get to go out with a bunch of BU people and I am soooo excited for that. And we are going to Brown Sugar and I have not had any good Thai in 9 months!!!!!! Saturday I want to spend the day hanging out with Dude and Daisy and then at Night Poker Party wahoo. Get to see a bunch of people all at once which is awesome. Then Sunday I head back to Fresno :( blah. The good news is in Dec and Jan. I am pretty sure I will be home for 3-4 weeks!!!!!!!

I am also excited that I will be home during foliage time. I love fall in New England it is awesome one of the best places to be at that time. I will def. be posting pics of it.

New Soundtrack for Life

So I will start this by saying i am not sure I like the themes that became apparent during this but it is entertaining to say the least.


IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?

So, here's how it works:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)

2. Put it on shuffle

3. Press play

4. For every question, type the song that's playing

5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

6. Don't lie



Opening Credits: Faith by Limp Bizkit (nice way to start life)

Waking Up:3am by Matchbox 20 (hopefully that is not when I am waking up)

First Day At School: Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice ( lets hope I am not cheating in school or stealing things like he did )

Falling In Love: Redundant by Green Day ( this can’t be a good sign ☹ )

Fight Song: Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi ( sounds about right)


Breaking Up: U Can’t Touch This by Hammer ( I guess that’s true once you break up with someone)

Prom: No Rest for the Wicked by Bloodhound Gang ( my prom song has the term crotch goblin in it lol )

Life's Okay: One Week by Barenaked Ladies

Mental Breakdown: Don’t Ask Me by OK Go

Driving: Hive by 311 ( yay that is a fun one to drive with)


Flashback: Nothing Left to Lose by Mat Kearny ( wow I guess with a love song like redundant my flashbacks would not be fun)

Getting Back Together: Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne ( nice apparently I stole the guy)

Wedding: Our Time Now by Plain White T’s

Birth of Child: Guess Who’s Back by Eminem ( is my child reincarnated?)


Final Battle: Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood ( that’s what I get for stealing someones bf)


Death Scene: Now that We Found Love by Heavy D and the Boyz ( apparently now that we found love we die, sounds about right)


Funeral Song: Get over it by OK Go ( apparently no one has to mourn me)


End Credits: Tainted Love by Soft Cell ( WTF)

I do not think I like the way this whole soundtrack played out lol

School Year

So the school year is upon me. Fun times, I think I may have taken on a bit too much this semester. I think my weekends are going to be full of studying and all that fun times and good stuff. If I can make it through this semester it will be a good thing!!!
My Mondays are 2 classes and work, tuesday one class and group, weds 4 classes, thursdays groups, assessments and orientation ALL day.

On a brighter note my semester will be broken up by my trip home in 27 days!!!!!

The SMA Treatment Acceleration Act

To anyone who may read this.
Please take 10 mins to read this and send an email. If you need any help finding who to send it to let me know I will do that work for you!!!
This is a cause very near and dear to my heart has my little bro has a form of SMA and I would really appreciate any help what so ever that anyone can give. It will take 10 mins but could make all the difference in the world.
Below is all the information needed as well as the website to go to for more info. I am putting here the template for the letter to send to your representatives.
http://www.curesma.org/la_sample_letter_Aug2007.shtml

Please take the time to do this it is for a great cause.

The SMA Community is very pleased to announce that legislation to enhance federal support for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) research, H.R. 3334, "The SMA Treatment Acceleration Act", has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA). U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) plan to introduce companion legislation in the Senate when Congress returns from its August district work period. On behalf of our organizations and the families affected by this deadly disease, we want to express our gratitude and thanks to Congressmen Kennedy and Cantor and Senators Stabenow and Isakson for their leadership.

Today, the community is issuing a "Nationwide Call to Action" for all SMA families, researchers and friends to help engage every Member of Congress in support of this bill and so we are asking for your help in writing a letter to your Member of Congress and Senators asking them to sign on as a Cosponsor to "The SMA Treatment Acceleration Act".

On the FSMA web site (www.curesma.org) is a model letter you can use to send to your Member of Congress and Senators. Please feel free to personalize it or change it as you feel comfortable.



This will take just a few minutes of your time but it will make a great difference!



Here are a few simple steps:



~Write your letter based on the draft letter. If you are unsure of who your Member of Congress and Senators are please feel free to contact us and we will help you figure that out or click here for a link to the FSMA web site where you can locate your representatives.
~We encourage you to make your letter as personal as possible, feel free to add your personal story or send pictures along with your letter.
~Once you have completed your letter, if you have email, please email your letter to your Member of Congress and Senators.
~ Or if you prefer, fax your signed letters to your Member of Congress and Senators. Your Member of Congress and Senators e-mail and fax number can be found on the House of Representatives website www.house.gov or Senate website www.senate.gov or in the legislative section of the FSMA web site.
~ If you send by mail, please note that mail in the U.S. Capitol is still being screened for anthrax so it often takes weeks to get there! So if you can, please email or fax!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( If you are reading this you have email please email it!)
~Lastly, let us know when you have sent the letter via email or fax! You can do so by simply adding a cc: to your email or sending copies of your letters to Spencer, Laura or Caroline.
~As Members of Congress and Senators sign on to be Cosponsors of "The SMA Treatment Acceleration Act", we will send you updates! When you see your Members of Congress and Senators names, you will know that these few minutes have been worth your time! Laura Breiteneicher
SMA Foundation
laurab@wswdc.com Spencer Perlman
Families of SMA
spencer@fsma.org Caroline Gibson
FightSMA
carolinegibson@fightsma.com
~And if you don't see their names, we will ask that you contact them again to remind them of your request!
Remember, you are their constituent and their job is to help address the issues you care most about.

~Thanks in advance~

Post Secret

So every sunday I have the ritual of going to postsecret.com and looking at the new secrets posted. Some are inspiring, some are sad, some are sick and some are happy. No matter what they are each week there is at least one that moves me. This week I went to go see what was up in Postsecret world and found this video instead. I thought it was very well done so I wanted to include it in here in case anyone who looks at this does not look at post secret. I would suggest checking it out, you never know when one of them may help you or may inspire you!

ENJOY!!!!!

Highway Robbery

Seriously highway robbery. California has some obscure places where gas prices are just ridiculous. Take the picture below for example. Right now here in Fresno gas is about 2.89-2.99 which while still high is not too too bad. I always choked when I saw how expensive gas was in the middle of no where. I remember back in the day when I got my license and gas was .77 cents a gallon I could fill my tank for under 10 bucks. Ah the good ole days.

My Abigail

So my parents found out today that my Abbygator back home has cancer in the nose. I am happy they are choosing to make her comfortable and let her live out her life at home. I just hope she can last till I get home for my September visit, I will be crushed if she doesn't. It kills me to think I may never see her again. Everyone who has met her loves her, she is a great dog. She is so loveable and sweet and a wonderful dog.
So now I just hope she she stays well so I can say goodbye to her when I go home in September.

Santa Cruz

Yesterday morning I get a IM from Ally suggesting going to Santa Cruz and of course said YAY! I had been thinking of road tripping to the beach and so this was perfect. So we left early and road tripped out to Santa Cruz, lots of traffic the closer we got. Gotta love the beach during the summer. I was sad cause now for a 3rd time I have been there I have not got to ride the rides. The first two times was because they were not open and this time it was tooo freakin packed. So we wander the boardwalk and people watch always fun. I hadnt been on the Pier so we wandered that and had lunch. There is nothing better then having lunch overlooking the water which is what we did. We got to watch boats and a sea lion and wind surfers while we ate. Oh I miss the ocean so much. The best part about the day was being able to see all the sea lions in the water. We probably saw 10 or so right near shore. If I had a change of cloths I would have gone swimming in my cloths to see if I could play with them, even though I know that would not have worked ha.
Actually no I think the best part of the day was the carmel apples with white chocolate AND the magnets Ally and I got inside a Sharks mouth wicked cheesy and corny but I LOVE it!

Garlic Fest 2007

So yesterday was Garlic fest, so we journeyed from Fresno to Gilroy the land of Garlic to see what it was all about. I thought it was awesome, I had wished it was a bit less crowded and a tad less warm but other than that it was good. If i had my way the food would be cheaper and have smaller portions, mainly because I did not get to eat anywhere near as much as I wanted to. I did have garlic sausage and the best garlic fries I have ever had ever. They had so much food there from garlic bread to garlic corn to garlic stuffed mushrooms to garlic ice cream. I did not get to try the garlic ice cream the line was sadly too long :(. Maybe next time I will. I think next time I will go on a Friday and get there right when it opens and head out before it gets uber busy. They had a bunch of places selling garlic items and they had arts and crafts places also. I did manage to get some good items. I got a garlic ginger stir fry mix which is way better than having to do it myself and I got a cajun garlic rub and an all purpose garlic rub for grilling or cooking. I am excited to use those.
Oh and the beer tent was a ridiculous procedure. We had to go and get our IDs checked in one line, then in another line we had to go buy the beer ticket, then go in the beer tent and get the beer. What a pain in the butt.
Overall I give the Garlic Fest an 8 out of 10, losing points for crowdedness which they can not help. I will go back but it will be on a Friday at 10am right when it opens.

On an entertaining note I saw this sign that said " If you are what you eat, then I must be cheap, fast and easy" I think it is hysterical!!!!

On a crappy note Jess and Dave were there and I never noticed my phone during the trip had fallen out of my purse so I didn't get to meet up with them :( sad.

I hate technology!!!!!

So one of my classes this summer had assignments we needed to hand in via internet, which is normally fine but my computer was having one of its many bitchy days the day it was due. It allowed me to do all but one section of my Intake form and then kept shutting down. So in order to avoid tossing my computer off a wall I attached what of the document my computer was letting me see and typed the last remaining section into the email I sent to my professor and wished for the best. Never got an email back from the professor saying that this was or was not ok... so today I get my grade and my corrected Intake form, with ZERO points for the section I had put in the email. To make this even better last week I got an email saying my mailbox for email was full so I deleted almost everything in my email... yes including the email I sent to my professor with the missing information in it. So basically now I am screwed unless by chance my professor still has my email. Sigh... so until then I wait and get nervous about my potential grade, I would prefer not to have an A-.

UPDATE-
while i still do hate technology and my computer most of all but my assignment was received and YAY grade was changed and no A- just an A :)

Harry Potter is Over ( Spoilers)

So I spent my Saturday reading Harry Potter took quite a while but I am glad I locked myself away to do it. Overall it was good, I would have liked more in the ending, I wanted to know about more of the characters but I am glad Harry did not die, I liked the Snape storyline even though I did not like Snape through most of the books. I was a bit upset by some of the deaths but I knew deaths were coming. I do not want to put too much in here in case someone does by chance come across this and read it, not that I think anyone does lol.
I feel weird about it being over, its been many years of my life and now there will be no more Harry Potter books.
I guess I have the movies to look forward to!

On another note the midnight kick off was very interesting, a very strange mix of people, but good for people watching!!

Finally Legal and HP

My little car is finally legal. I switched my registration over forever ago but could not remove the license plates but Toyota did it for me wahoo!!! My car is no longer on the run from the law:)

On a better note, Harry Potter is being released in just over 12 hours and being the dork that I am, I am quite excited. I will probably post about it tomorrow once I read it. It has been years and years and years I have put into Harry Potter, better be a good ending.

Too Much Thinking

So I had an awesome time in Pismo and then came back and reality came back into play... I don't like my current reality much. I came home and talk to a few of my good friends and it makes me miss home so much. According to my bro I have 70 days till I am home but that is so long from now. I never expected to miss everything and everyone so much.
I like school, I like being busy but its not the same, I miss what I had in the form of a life back in Boston. I miss going to shows, and going to see comedy and going to BU hockey and I miss Salem and Marblehead. I miss my old apartment and my porch, I miss being able to walk place, I miss Brookline and I miss Brown Sugar Thai and their Drunken Noodle, I miss sports depot and making fun of Sox Fans. Most of all I miss my family being less then 2 hours away and being able to go home any weekend I could. I miss my bro so much words can not even describe.
I have been doing much better, I am fairly content with my life here but its different... too different sometimes.
I miss dating too, so lame to miss but I dated a quite a bit when I went through phases in Boston and eh not so much here.
Sounds lame, most of the time I am fine with it but sometimes I miss it. First dates are fun I love meeting new people and seeing if you click, and seeing if there will be a first kiss, and if there is... if it will be good!

Enough gripping life is good no more complaining.

Pismo Beach

Just got back from Pismo and I am so sad. It was great in Pismo, nice, relaxing and COOL... I miss cool weather. According to the weather last night it topped at 85 which was awesome and it has been a while since I have felt 85 during the day. It was fun though, it is a cute little beach town. We did dinner at this great place and I am sad because I forgot my leftovers in the fridge sigh. I was more then content to just sit on the upper deck of our hotel, which was right on the beach, and people watch and soak in the ocean smells mmmmm.
As you can see from the pics it was much nicer as the day progressed but I will take foggy ocean weather to nasty hot Fresno weather Anyday!
This last pic is from the upper deck of the hotel this morning and I still didnt want to leave because its the ocean and I love the ocean :(

My PSA

So I just finished watching a Lifetime movie that was actually very good. It was called Girl Positive. It was about HIV and High School, but could easily have been translated to any time. It was pretty good and I think more people should watch it and maybe think about getting tested. I know a lot of people who never have been tested despite high risk behavior and I wish they would. I get tested because it makes me feel better. I generally think I am careful and a bit neurotic about it but I don't think it hurts to get tested.

So here is my little PSA, it is a scary disease.

Here is some info from the movie website.
Although the National Testing Day has passed everyone can still get tested.
National HIV Testing Day Is June 27, 2007

Take the test. Take control. Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 180,000 to 280,000 people nationwide are HIV positive but unaware of their status? And that an estimated 30 percent of new HIV infections are found in women? HIV testing and counseling enables people with HIV to take steps to protect their health and their partner(s), and helps people who test negative to get the information they need to stay uninfected. Think you know the facts? Take this quiz and test your knowledge. To learn more and find your local testing site, visit HIVtest.org or call the CDC's toll-free National AIDS Hotline at 800-CDC-INFO.

Also here is a story from the website. Hopefully they don't get me in trouble for copying and pasting it.
Contracting HIV as a teen motivated Cherrell Edwards to educate others about it and to help those struggling with the disease.
by Gina DiNunno

"In 2003, I had unprotected sex with my boyfriend of three years, even though we had safe sex more often than not," says Cherrell Edwards. "Soon after, I began to get migraines that were keeping me from functioning at school and work, so I went to the emergency room and was admitted." Though she was tested for HIV at the time, the results came back negative, and Edwards was diagnosed instead with gonorrhea. Things went even more wrong after that. "They started treating me for a lot of different things that I didn't have," like hepatitis and pelvic inflammatory disease. A few months later, with her health still suffering, Edwards broke up with her boyfriend and concentrated on trying to take care of herself by staying spiritually grounded, physically fit and maintaining a healthy diet — all while trying to figure out what was causing her physical issues.

In February 2004, a little Internet sleuthing inspired Edwards to get retested for HIV. "The entire time I was sick, I was looking online, trying to figure out what the cause was," she says. "I had symptoms of th
e disease — the swollen lymph nodes, the pain, the diarrhea — so I went back to be tested again." After the results from the second test came back positive, the teen joined a support group of other HIV positive women. "It was a great place, but a few months later, the agency folded, and that's when I began to take the initiative to start another support group for women with HIV."

Now the 22-year-old Edwards is the founder and executive director of her own organization, Collective Care Services, and has made it her mission to educate the community on the disease. "We work with HIV-positive people and do prevention and intervention work, teaching people how to identify their risks and stay safe," she says. "We not only encourage people to get tested and change risky behaviors, but we also work to build self-esteem so people can be independent, love themselves and take care of themselves."

Though Edwards is always dealing with the side effects of her HIV medication, like nausea, diarrhea and severe night sweats, her HIV is well controlled. "My virus is undetectable and I have over 1,000 T cells, which is in the range of that of a person who is HIV negative," she says. Currently, the advocate shares her story across the continent and is a spokesperson for the national HIV Stops With Me campaign, whose aim is to reduce the stigma associated with HIV and to acknowledge the role that people have in ending the epidemic. "If I can find a positive way to help people take care of themselves, then that's what I have to do."

Old Picture but I love it

Esther and I saw this one day while driving and had to take a pic of it, this was a great little car I loved it. What I love most is his passenger.

Garden Gnome

So now that my spider garden has been rid of spiders I am going to put things in the garden. No not flowers or plants because those attract spiders but things like my dorky garden gnome. I bought him because he was carrying a book. He is a dork like I am :)

Yosemite

So went to Yosemite with Jess on Saturday here are a few pics

Long time ago story

So I have just started my blog here in Fresno and was looking through old stuff on my computer and came across this funny story from a year and a half ago. If anyone is reading this in CA a CVS is like a Walgreens or Long Drugs


So while getting water before class on a Monday night I am in CVS deciding which water I want and I notice a boy on a cell phone looking a bit disgruntled and all the sudden I hear“What do you mean you don’t believe I am at CVS?”I of course then want to get closer to hear what is going on, so I go and look at the random food that is near this boy. I hear more of the conversation“Why would I lie about being at CVS? I told you I was going to CVS after work. In case you had not noticed it snowed today and traffic was a bit heavy, No I am not fucking some girl at her house”I can hear a female voice yelling on the other end he then responds“ I am not going to lie about CVS I told you I was going and I am at CVS it is not my fault you don’t believe me” more yelling from the phone “ No I am not going to ask someone to tell you I am at CVS” more yelling from the phone then “ No I do not see any males around to put on the phone what do you mean a girl would not be acceptable”as this is getting more interesting I start laughing but not enough to have to hide it yet. I hear more of the struggle of if he should put someone on the phone or not and I guess they decide no because he can not find any men in the store. Then he comes up with“Fine write down the time and soon after this I will be checking out you can see my receipt” then more yelling on the other end then he responds with“ No I am paying with cash I do not want to use my credit card. Are you fucking serious? You want me to use my credit card so my name is on the receipt?At this point I have to go to the next aisle because I am laughing too hard, I follow the conversation with more yelling and “I can not fucking believe you are making me do this”I watch him at the counter and after explaining to her what he is buying he then pulls out his credit card and pays.The world of people watching never gets boring lol