No! You Can't Make Me...

My inner twelve-year-old has been screaming all day long that she DOES NOT want to go back to school tomorrow! I finally showed her our bank statement (in the negative right now) and she went pouting off into the corner, whimpering every so often. I think she's finally realizing that we ARE going to work tomorrow, not school--two totally different places. Hopefully there will not be any more tantrums, but I suspect that tomorrow morning she'll try one last time.





Other misadventures this week:
*I deleted my dad's company's website (Major OOPS! I forgot I was working in "real time" and deleted the files. Guess what I'll be doing the next few weekends?).

*Met my friend A for lunch to hear about her trip to Costa Rica

*Visited Cypress Gardens with my niece and her best friend (who is a major BRAT!)

*Finalized items for work tomorrow

*Spoke with a friend who wants to stay with me for a month while she's separating from her husband (doesn't she understand that separation = divorce (?) Been there and done that!)

*Met with my work friend A and had dinner after a very stressful Spring Break. (One of her puppies has been really sick this week.)

The Amazing Race is finally on--I HATE basketball!

"YouTube" Junkie

I must admit, I am now a YouTube junkie. There's all kinds of garbage out there to find--kind of like a garage sale online, only there's no money involved (yet). I started looking for any videos I could find by some of the groups I like. Here's Barlow Girl's Never Alone:



Jeremy Camp's I'll Take You Back




Il Divo (Mini Concert) Hey--they may not be able to stay on key, but they are nice to watch! :)



Josh Groban-You Raise Me Up (Don't I wish! He's such a cutie pie!) I love how he had the Cirque du Soleil performers in the video. What a great touch!




Mercy Me-Homesick




I think that's plenty--at least for now. I'll keep you posted if I find some more "good stuff."

Wednesday already?

Maybe it's because I built it up so much in my head, or maybe I was excited about the endless possibilities, but so far, Spring Break bites the big one---if you know what I mean? Instead of enjoying the sunshine and soaking up the skin cancer, I've been holed away in my place-working. ("But it's Spring Break!" you reply astonished.--My sediments exactly.) I think the only "fun" things I've done are get my hair cut (way too short-but it'll grow back, right???) and get a pedicure! (My feet are very happy!) Oh well--at least there's TV to keep me company--not that anything special has been on lately.

Yesterday, after my hair was chopped a good four inches and my feet were pampered, I decided to get my taxes done. I know, a HUGE mistake--now my feet are all cramped up and my hair is still sticking out in all directions (or maybe that's because it's short), but in any case, I thought it was a good idea at the time. I've been going to the "green people" for several years now and decided to return yet again this year. After all, having moved from one state to another, I wanted to make sure I filed everything correctly and took every tax deduction I could take legally. Unfortunately, my tax preparer was not very helpful. She insisted that I could not itemize items on my tax return (despite that fact I've been itemizing for years) because I do not own a home. (What does owning your own home have to do with anything?) We went back and forth for quite some time until I finally gave in. "FINE. I WILL NOT TAKE THE DEDUCTIONS THAT I NORMALLY TAKE BECAUSE YOU SAID SO, BUT I NORMALLY GET BACK AT LEAST ANOTHER $1000 IN ADDITION TO WHAT I'M GETTING BACK." My tax preparer obviously wasn't concerned and proceeded to charge me $180 to file. After speaking with my dad, he mentioned that I should have gone to another office and had them review my taxes. Unfortunately, I e-filed so they would have to do an addendum, which he decided would probably be a waste of time this year. The moral of the story: do your taxes yourself--it's A LOT easier and A LOT cheaper. (I certainly will not be visiting the "green people" again.)

One of my dad's friends emailed this video clip from YouTube of the now deceased Crocodile Hunter and this guy who works with Leno.
It's hilarious! Let me know what you think! "Pineapple! Pineapple!"

100 Things About Me

i love watching movie "classics"--especially black and white films.
i want to travel the world (and maybe write about my experiences)
i have a lot of hobbies
i usually work more than one job at a time
i'm a cat person
i cannot cook very well
i'm a chocoholic
calvin and hobbes is my favorite comic strip
i hate cleaning-i'd rather hire a maid
i enjoy being an aunt
i want to be a mom someday--i think!
i am a change-agent
i like to color while watching tv
i'm interested in photography
i hate talking on the phone
sunset is my favorite time of day
bubble-baths are my stress-relief
i read a lot while soaking in tub
people think i'm brave, but i'm really a coward
i'm not afraid of heights--just falling from them!
i was married at the age of 25
separated 8 months later
divorced 8 months after that
i want to speak french fluently
and italian
...ok, and spanish
i hated taking latin in college
i want to live in australia
and london
and france
and italy
i get seasick
but i love cruises
i don't know what i want to be when i grow up
winnie the pooh is my favorite disney character
i am a goonie
i'm in desperate need of a haircut
and a pedicure
and a massage!
i love opera
i've only seen phantom of the opera 4 times
i want to see it again
i am a christian
i want to go to space camp
i want to learn to hula
i have the hips for it-
but not the coordination-yet!
my favorite color is forest green
and plum
i am opinionated
unless you ask me to pick a restaurant--i really don't care!
i'm a pack rat
i make the best cheese lasagna
i used to be a vegetarian
i hate coffee
i love tea with honey and milk
i can do anything i set out to accomplish
sometimes i'm too scared to try
i am slowly paying off my credit cards
i want to quit my job and volunteer at soup kitchens and homeless shelters
i have too many bills to quit
i cannot type "properly"
i love to learn new things (yes, i am a nerd)
i would be a professional student if i could find someone else to pay for it
the amazing race is my favorite tv show
i do not have cable tv
i go to bed really early
i hate beer
i like fruity wines and sangria
no, i'm not an alcoholic
i love music
i only sing in the shower(my poor neighbors) or the car
i love watching the leaves change color in the fall
the sound of waves crashing on the beach lull me to sleep (can you say sunburn?)
i snore
i am a list maker
i like crossing things off of my lists (even if i didn't do them)
i have a lot of questions for God when i get to heaven
cheese makes everything taste better
baby lima beans with butter and pepper are yummy!
i have 1 younger sister, 3 stepbrothers, and 1 stepsister
i was born on the cusp-i'm a leo and a virgo
i was almost born in a helicopter
i love to dance (although i don't really know how)
i collect quotations (see the quote of the day at the bottom of my blog)
i have moved 3 times within the past year
two of those moves were cross-country moves
i hate packing
i hate unpacking even more
i'm a sucker for a man in uniform, or a suit, or a tux...
i hate driving--i think chauffeurs should come standard with cars
i love to laugh-although i don't do it nearly enough
i'm a jeans and t-shirt type of girl--talk about being comfortable!
birkenstocks rock! (although they're expensive)
i could live off of subway's sandwiches
i'm learning to let things go and not be a control freak!
i'm a complete klutz
i can laugh at myself
i still sleep with a teddy bear (mr.bear) that my best friend gave me in the 10th grade
i want to be the next martha stewart (minus the jail time)

Lazy Saturday

No, I did not stop off at the Farmer's Market on the corner yesterday to get strawberries. Instead, I decide to indulge in Dark Chocolate M&M's. (They're not bad once you get used to the taste.)

I'm supposed to be cleaning right now, but I feel like being lazy today. Besides, the cat doesn't care whether I've vacuumed the floors or done my laundry...she's taking a nap in her favorite chair under the window as I type. Maybe we should all take lessons from our furry friends. Stretch out in the sunshine and relax! Afterall, it is Florida!

One more week to go before Spring Break! (For those of you laughing because you're on Spring Break now--I'll be laughing when you're back at work and I'm soaking up my vitamin D.)

What are my plans for Spring Break? Aside from a much needed visit to my local beauty shop for a trim and a pedicure--I'm not sure what else I'll be doing. I'm trying to become less of a planner, so I've purposely not planned anything to see what comes up.

Speaking of Spring Break, my friend A is on her way to Costa Rica with her husband. I'm really excited for her because I've been there. She hasn't been out of the country in a long time, so I know she's a little nervous, but I can't wait to hear her fascinating stories when she comes back!

Is It Spring Break Yet?

Talk about a crazy couple of weeks! Before I get to what I've been up to, I just have to say that the guy who helped me today at my local Fed-Ex Kinko's spot was hot (in a Shawn McDonald / Jeremy Camp sort of way)! Unfortunately, I think he's still a young'n. Maybe I'll have to go make more copies and find out! Anyone need copies????

I missed the Florida State Fair (again)!! The sad thing is that it was only a couple miles down the road--and I still missed it! Of course it was probably a good thing since I only go to the fair to eat the crazy food creations. This year's crazy fried food was Fried Pepsi. According to several of my students, it was batter saturated with Pepsi and deep fired. Then, as if the grease wasn't bad enough--a bunch of whipped cream was sprayed on top. My parents said that most of the fried Pepsi's ended up in the trash. (If it were Coca-Cola--people would have cleaned their plates.) In any case, if you missed the State Fair--don't fret. The Florida Strawberry Festival is happening right now in Plant City! They have an awesome line-up of concerts (I missed Casting Crowns this weekend), so I'm sure you'll find someone you like amidst all of that Strawberry Shortcake!

This past weekend was also the Luis Palau Festival over at the Bucs' Stadium. It was free to all who went--including the concerts, guest speakers, stunt people, etc. It was a blast for all who went--even though it did pour rain on Saturday evening.

Friday, after finishing up at work, I flew to my second job at Scraptopia to cover for them while they set up for the Expo in Orlando. As I was running into work, my dad calls me and asks if I want to go to the Storm game that evening. I LOVE arena football (probably more than hockey, so of course I jumped at the chance.

As it turns out, he scored us seats at the 25 yard line (think 50 yard line) AND the game was against our biggest competitors--the Orlando Predators. (BOO!HISS!) It was such a blast! Despite the incredibly drunk Orlando fans in front of us (one almost lost his pants due to me almost pulling them down--his underwear was showing anyway...) we had fun screaming at the refs (horrible calls)and cheering for the guys. (Too bad they lost horribly...I'm not even going to post the score--it was that bad.) Our kicker (who just happens to have a brother that plays for the BUCS) was having a rough night. At one point the crowd started booing--and his brother came out of the box and preceeded to gesture at the boo-ers. Since I do not follow the BUCS, my new friend Christy (I hope I spelled her name right) had to inform me that it was our kickers' brother. (Maybe he should have suited up for the Storm that evening.)

In any case--I still had a blast. I made a new friend, and I was able to see some old ones. (I even made it over the Crosstown without it falling apart on me!) So I call it a pretty successful evening. I slept VERY well--only to have to get up to go to work again the next day. (YUCK!)

My friend at work always teases me because I have "no life" and generally go to bed early. I bet she'd be surprised to learn that I wasn't in bed very early Friday night! I also decided that I want to audition to be the mascot for the Storm! Can you imagine? Getting to mess with people and getting away with it!!?? I can do that!!! (I work with kids for a living--it's not a problem!) I'll keep you posted when I find out the dates for auditions.


GOOD NEWS....FCAT IS OVER!!!!! (I won't tell you what we teachers call the FCAT--at least while no students are around--that's a topic for another day.) Even BETTER news...SPRING BREAK is right around the corner.....YIPPEE!!!!!!!! I'm sure you can hear teachers cheering everywhere around the state! (The children are horrible and their parents are even worse! Too bad people don't have to pass a test before they have children--the world would be a better place!)

TTFN...