Wednesday, December 28, 2005  

Thanks to Gillian & Alison, my trip home from Wisconsin back to MN was a smashing fast success. Thanks, Mom for lending me the CD's... Way to rock it! [If anyone wants to hear some good music and watch her new video, Alison Krauss has her song, "Restless" on video on her site. I've only watched it about 403 times now.]


Christmas is over but i'm leaving my decorations up for awhile like I always do. I don't have any time anytime soon to take them down, besides it's so pretty! It was very fun to see the fam and the kids and now my nephews Adam & Jeremy have a guitar to learn to rock on, which i know they will. Jeremy is already a song writer (he wrote a song called "Fifteen Dollars" which i thought was very inspired) even tho his dad wishes Santa had not brought the guitar, the noise, and all that goes with it. It is how all budding rock stars begin... watch for the CD release party sometime soon!

I just finished my big fat Greek mid-term. It was take-home. But we were not allowed to cheat (so i didn't.) Okay so I admit i barely studied for it. I flew thru the entire 230 vocab list twice, and read over some definitions last night. It took me about 45 minutes to complete; which it should have taken about 2 hours according to the teacher. The second page was stuff i would not have known even if i did study, so i feel like i did a good job. Class starts up again Mid-January. I will be doing review again until then. I'm glad it's over for now though. Maybe now i can clean my apartment ? A little messy around here.

And work.......... well, all i'm being held accountable at present is the tracking and the sales of our performance guarantees / replacement plans. Seems like too easy of a job... but we are consistently #1 or #2 in the district for sales now, where as before i took this task, we were always in the bottom 3. It's no secret i go to work with skates on now, and basically "skate" around doing not much of anything... it's a needed break for me after 4 years of doing nothing but back breaking thankless labour. Finally something i get credit for, only me. So, glory to God that's all good news.

If you are still reading this, what is quite possibly the most boring post of the calendar year 2005, thanks. Now go listen to some music!

   [ posted  @ 8:07 AM | ]

My Big fat greek midterm has changed into a take home test, which the class still has not received. Huge slacker that i am, i've not studied at all since Friday. I will not have time to take it until next week, anyway. I plan on going to the library, not cheating, and finishing the test. In addition to the dream i had that i got 100%, i had another dream this week that i got 50%. If i believed in karma, this would be the universe's way of balancing out the pride.

I will TRY not to go on and on about my ipod, tho certain buttons do unlock the secrets of eternities past, and i do believe Apple to be the most ingenious inventors for figuring out a way to make us all pay unlimited money to purchase TV shows and songs and books and you name it to carry it around with us and have wires coming out of our heads. I was talking with a customer yesterday after she had a fit of rage regarding, "Who ever invented cell phones??" And i said, "Yeah now no one can hide anymore!" then i pointed to the walkie talkies we have to wear (with the loser ear pieces) and said, "Yeah and i'd like to get ahold of the neck of the guy who invented these things. We're so lazy we can't even walk across the store to have a conversation, we have to radio each other..." However, to the inventor of the ipod, i tip my hat and am in total amazement. I love that thing!

Now i just need to find a few hours to knit myself a little holder for it... I have it all planned out. it's going to be very cool. And probably pink and white. Perhaps to match my scarf i made.

It's off to work soon for me. May your days be merry and bright!

   [ posted  @ 10:03 AM | ]

Okay. So. I was going to write this last night, but i wanted to wake up first this morning to make sure it was not just a dream.

I woke up several times in the night.
And i kept coming out here to the living room to check on it.
It's real.
It really happened, to me, and I'M SO SPOILED & shocked... that my "very best guy in the whole world" gave me my very own Ipod for Christmas... I must brag about this so if i read it in print it will seem more real. Excuse me while i catch my breath...

Here's what it does:
holds 30gb of songs, videos, pictures, info
rocks and rolls
sparkles
dazzles
amazes
and between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings it will also make toast and fry eggs if you have a bluetooth stove adapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Okay so i made the last part up but i would not be suprised if it does that as well, somehow.)

If you saw a wide-eyed brown haired girl driving down I-35e South last night with a freaked out puzzled shocked amazed expression plastered on her face, that was me. Merry CHRISTMAS! THANK YOU MATTHEW! (Well i don't think he reads this but he know's i'm thankful. How can i not be?)

   [ posted  @ 9:56 AM | ]

Last Greek class of the semester last night. Absent were:
Serious JelloNurse
The 14-Year Old
Miss Flirtybutt

The weather (i mean, snow) delayed a lot of people's arrival. I was able to get into the town where the class was hours early bc of getting off of work and going straight there. But spending 3 hours parsing and looking at verbs had me very bored by the time i got to the library, so what did i do? Started reading the 911 Commission Report. Oh my, did I learn a lot. I think i will continue to read it (but i didn't check it out). It was myself and Mr. Smartypants who were at class on time (early; i consider myself late to places if i'm not 30 min. early) and he and i actually had a good conversation. When the teacher came, no one else was there yet, and he said we were his two best students were the only ones who bothered to show up, and we didn't even need a review for the exam. Well, i KNOW i need a review. But then Mr. Smartypants said i could be the teacher if the teacher had not shown up. And then he was double checking all his answers with me. "How embarrassing."

Last night i had a dream the teacher was passing back the exams and talking about how if people failed or did a bad job they should look at it as an opportunity to learn more. Then he hands me mine and put down the stack of papers and said, "Katie, well done, you were the only one who got 100% on the exam" and everyone clapped. OMY!!!!!! See? See who i am? See how much i think of myself???!

Then i went to the mother of all oil changes at Shakopee Dodge today. Of course that oil change turned into 498.92$ worth of flushes and spark plugs and cleanings and this and that. It took them 3 hours, which meant more time for me to stare at Greek. It's fine with me, actually, i will admit i have not been doing the manufacturer's (sp?) recommendations, just about... ever, and they show me the tests as i stood there of the things that were wrong... Whatever. Life goes on. I told the receptionist it was my way of saying, "Merry Christmas" to my car. She laughed. And my little putt-putt spitfire car is going to be fine. That is, until it one day morphs into a Charger.

I guess one of our customers told one of my cashiers the other day that she would no longer shop at officemax because our website says (somewhere?) that we will not be using the greeting of "Merry Christmas" any longer. She said it was offensive to her and her religion that we would not offer a merry christmas. Hmmm. She was mad bc we would not offer that FIRST. (It's different if you as a customer say it first, i would respond back, but then again i don't care what corporate says and i'll say MERRY CHRISTMAS if i dang well want to...) But then i told my cashier that i don't really wish these people anything. I just wish they'd give me their money and get out of my store so i can get some real work done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahaha!

Here's wishing you all that and more. Happy Kwanza.

Say a prayer for my dad! He's braving the trials of rotator cuff surgery today... I'm sure he'll do great. Tonight i'm going over to my sweetie's place; he's cooking & and we're going to celebrate our Christmas together incase we can't find time next week. Yay!

   [ posted  @ 9:40 AM | ]

Taking a break from studying... oh joy middle/passive and deponent verbs. I got most of my homework correct, so i'm rewarding myself with parsing exercies on my cd-rom. Going back to third declension nouns; the big fat greek midterm is next week and i'm hoping nothing catches me by suprise.

MORE SNOW IS ON THE WAY! go go snow! They say up to 7 inches. Bring it on.

   [ posted  @ 7:03 PM | ]

Narnia was completely COOL! It is a must see! I was actually shocked to see how many Christ-references there were... Finally Disney got it right. And, there was even a TRAIN in the beginning, and since i'm becoming very fond of trains, it was too cool for school. I did feel bad at one point there was a little girl a few rows behind us who started uncontrollably bawling when the Witch stabbed Prince Edmund thru. But when Peter filled with righteous rage i got all choked up (but did not cry! way to go self control!) and then he defended his brother. What a journey! Great movie.

When we were at Northwestern Bookstore yesterday tho, it is sad to say they have turned into Narnia Central Headquarters. There were stackouts and encaps and displays everywhere with Narnia stuff, and i was joking "when's the Narnia Study Bible coming out?" only to turn around and see an end cap of bible covers with Asland on it. Ugg. Don't get me started on this like i was with the Passion!

Survivor finale is on tonight!!! GO DANNI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She's my pick for the winner, hopefully i actually call this one right. In 10 seasons i don't think i've ever guessed the winner. It's also time to pack in some Greek study and write out the Christmas cards. Multitasking here i come.

   [ posted  @ 4:07 PM | ]

This blog entry is simple. It's entitled: "My guy can bake better than your guy." So we made some Kiss-cookies today and had a mini movie marathon, after a sort of uneventful shopping trip (i did pick up 2 of the 4 gifts i was after). Watched Holiday Affair and The Grinch (cartoon style) and then gabbed the night away. If this keeps the House sisters' curiosities satisfied, we shall see. [We were writing an imaginary letter to youngest House sister Amanda all day... and we saved her a few cookies as well.] Smile! I'll give a report on how well we like Narnia tomorrow.

   [ posted  @ 8:11 PM | ]

Whoo hooooooo! My store is now #2 in the district for the sales of our performance-guarantees, and i moved us up to this spot from being 2nd to LAST in ONE MONTH! I totally rock! I was so happy to get this news today... My team is working really hard. :)

Two more weeks to the end of the semester and the big Greek mid-term. I am fairly sure that i am at the head of the class - and tho i didn't think i was going to be able to go to class last night, it worked out that i could... I reflected last night maybe the reason i'm catching on so fast is because i'm not over-thinking things like half the class is. Some of those guys come up with the stupidest irrelevant questions. I guess i just don't know enough (haha) to ask that many questions and think that hard. [The other half of the class might as well drop out- they are just not getting it.] But what's new, i always think i'm the best one. Or, as i tell my boss, i KNOW i'm the best one.

It's going to be a busy weekend - my new sweetheart and i have a movie marathon scheduled for tomorrow after we do some shopping together and then we are seeing Narnia on Sunday. Today i have to CLEAN and go grocery shopping and maybe some gift-shopping as well. I must have browsed the Hallmark store for over an hour the other day and barely bought anything. Now it's payday and i can SPEND again!

Admiring my beautiful Christmas tree............... And the snow!

   [ posted  @ 11:41 AM | ]

Last day of my mini-vacation today. So i caved in. I put up the tree. I am very glad i did. I had forgot about a ton of my favorite Christmas decorations - always a suprise to unwrap the paper and find whatever it was i have. Gosh i have a lot of Christmas decorations for one chick. I forgot about some of the stuff I bought with Terri last year at the Cinnemon Heart. The spelling of "Cinnemon" looks incorrect. Learning a dead language has me rethinking all of language at all! Anyways i will take some pictures this week and post them if i remember.

It's back to work tomorrow.

I'm jamming to MercyMe's Christmas cd tonight -- great stuff. I highly recommend this album.
They do a new rendition to Charlie Brown "Christmas Time Is Here" that is so classic sounding. Also "Little Drummer Boy" "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Brenda Lee can go shove it after hearing this one!!!) and a few others that are just awesome!

   [ posted  @ 8:42 PM | ]

Well clearly the universe is laughing @ me. I didn't put up my tree yesterday and the thanks i get is that it started snowing last night and it's coming down heavy now all day. Pretty as can be. We finally have a ton of snow one year for Christmas and December and all i did was put my village up. I have plans for tonight (going to see MercyMe & Steven Curtis Chapman @ Xcel Energy Center) so i won't have time to do it today and will be at church most of the day tomorrow bc we have a service project in the afternoon. If i had a great camera, today would be a good day to drive around get pictures.

Crazy thing is that weather.com just has 30% chance of snow and no information on how much accumulation there is going to be. It sounds like once again no one predicted this snowfall. Weird. "Let it snow let it snow let it snow."

   [ posted  @ 12:01 PM | ]

Last night i could have easily been on the evening news... I was doing last minute studying before my Greek class at Taco Bell when I overheard a crabby evil mother calling her little girl a bi**h several times and threatening her kids that she would take them to the van and not let them eat their tacos if they disturbed anyone in the restaurant. These kids were not even making any noise at all, and all they wanted to do was share their nachos bell grande, and the mother was totally swearing under her breath at them, and telling them she'd spank their butts right there if they raised any fuss. I felt so terrible for those kids, and i almost shoved myself out from the chair and walked over to her to grab her by the shirt and shake HER up a bit. I was getting so angry and so restless bc she would not shut up and the kids were doing NOTHING to deserve it. The mom must have been there with either her husband or her boyfriend, and a friend of the guy's was there too. The adults were sitting at a seperate table and the kids were behaving just fine.

Anyways class was extra special great... i am all caught up from the class I missed, and we didn't end up going over the most recent homework. The only thing that bombed was the joke i tried to make about the island of misfit toys, where i got a few bewildered looks from people who obviously haven't seen Rudolph as many times as me.

And I am still debating whether or not i will put up a tree!!! Today is the day if i am going to do it... I just don't want to drag all that stuff up here. We finally have a year with many snowfalls before Christmas, (and more on the way) and i just don't feel like putting up the tree. Well I kind of do. We'll see.

   [ posted  @ 8:42 AM | ]

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