Weird Creature, That One

Sometimes my dog completely freaks me out...case in point, I was checking my email a moment ago and Oreo had taken her normal place on my lap.  Then she sat up quickly, began a series of mini-growls, and has been staring intently at the same spot ever since.

My first thought was that my house is haunted, but seeing that I'm the first person to live here, it's highly unlikely that someone passed on in this house and is overstaying their welcome.  My next thought was that my dog is simply odd...and this is quite possibly the answer I'm looking for.  Finally though, I think I identified what still continues to have her completely mesmerized.  I have all of my Christmas (not "holiday" - it's CHRISTMAS) cards taped along my counter on display.  Several of them have photos of babies, families, and even animals.  The particular picture that seems to have attracted her attention is of my friend's dog.  That would explain the growling - I would growl at a floating dog too!

Anyway, in the spirit of the season, I give to you a picture of my dog, Oreo, in her Santa outfit.  If that's not adorable, then I don't know what is!

 Merry Christmas, everyone!

My Latest Obsessions

I figured it was time for a lighter blog since my last one was a tad less than entertaining.  So here we go: my latest obsessions:

1. Wordsmith for Android Phones

I'm a Verizon girl, so that means I don't have the oh-so-popular "Words with Friends" app that Apple users do, but that doesn't mean I can't maintain my Scrabble obsession on my phone.  My younger brother turned me on to this Android app and I've since been firmly embattled in Scrabble matches with my brother and another friend of mine.  I highly recommend it for word-nerds like myself!

2. Angry Birds & Angry Birds Seasons

When they finally brought this app to the Android market, I was very excited.  Nothing tears through my phone's battery like my obsession with these squealing, squawking birds and their grunting piggy foe.  I love it!!!

3. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

There are very few shows out there that regularly make me laugh, but Sunny always does.  At least once an episode - whether I'm watching with friends or it's just me and my dog - there's always something that makes me laugh out loud.  I'll admit that I wasn't up on this show until a few months ago (much to the amusement of some people) but I was dedicated to playing catch-up on episodes.  If you're not already watching, you should be!

Okay, that's it for now.  My obsessions are always changing so I'm sure there will be similar posts in the future.  Have a great one!

Working through some things...

An advance warning: this is a more personal post to help me work through some things myself, but insight/comments are always welcome so I decided to post publicly anyway.  Here goes...

Lately I've found myself in a rather strange place emotionally.  Ever since my last relationship fell apart with little to no explanation except that "long distance doesn't work," I've been struggling emotionally.  And that struggle manifested itself in many different ways - not the least of which was in repeated hurtful tirades towards my mother.  I'm embarrassed to say that it took me quite a while to see that the way I was behaving was not only hurtful, but also entirely uncalled for.  Fortunately, a mother's love is one of the universe's most amazing things and I've come to be in a really good place with my mom again.

Why it took me so long to work through things, I'm not entirely sure.  I place most of the "blame" on the fact that at about 1/3 of the way through my 29th year I'd thought I'd found "the one."  And then about 1 1/2 years later things were over with him and I was left completely heartbroken.  Wounds heal though, and despite the fact that I still think of him from time to time, I have healed.

I've never been the girl to go from boyfriend to boyfriend, relationship to relationship.  While I honestly believe I have a lot to offer, I've been less than lucky when it comes to love.  More than once, someone has joked that I must lack the proper pheromones to attract a good man...and they might be right!  Despite my limited, true relationships, I'd always thought that surely someday Mr. Right would come along.  I'm not saying that I don't hope that'll happen someday, but I've also come to accept the fact that it's not guaranteed either.  And I'm learning to live with that idea...

I have a lot to be thankful for: a family that loves me, good friends (even if they don't all live in my city), a good job, a roof over my head, and arguably the cutest dog in the world (the picture was as a puppy...isn't she adorable?!?).

But I digress...I'm sure there are plenty of very happy, fulfilled individuals that made it through life without finding someone to share their life with, right?  So that's what I'm trying to do.  Instead of dwelling on the more than occasional bout of loneliness that comes from living alone with just a dog for company, I'm trying to focus on the good.  I'm putting a smile on my face even if I don't always feel like it.  I'm finding the friendship I'd lost with my mother.  And I'm planning to LIVE life again!  I have a passion for travel, but I kept telling myself that until I was with someone I wouldn't be able to indulge that passion.  Well, screw that!  This spring, there's a good chance I'll be heading to Italy and meeting up with a few old friends from high school.  And while I'll be traveling there alone, when I meet up with old friends, I'll be reminded that a person isn't defined by the romantic relationship they have, but rather by the life they choose to live - their character and spirit that speaks to the world.

I promise to be more light-hearted next time, but thanks for reading!  Here's to a revival of spirit!

Random little thoughts

What's the deal with adult braces?  I've been seeing an unprecedented number of them lately.  Unless some weird dental issue crops up unexpectedly later in life, if you've lived with crooked teeth trying to escape each other your entire life, why fix it when you get older?  Yes, I know that braces are expensive so perhaps your parents couldn't afford them...so I see that...but still!  If you're going to go the adult braces route, at least invest in Invisalign so the rest of us don't notice.  (Wow, don't I sound like the mouth police?  But really...I've always been a bit of a snob when it comes to teeth.  Whenever I go out with a new guy, one of the first 3 questions my mother asks is, "How are his teeth?"  Seriously.  And that's before my super Catholic mother even asks if HE'S Catholic.  I think that says a lot!)

I love me some 'Wordsmith Free' for my phone (it's the same thing as 'Words with Friends' if you weren't sure) but I can't stand when it takes my opponents days (literally) to make a word.  I get that we're all busy and we can't spend our days in Scrabble Heaven, but if you're going to play a game, don't take forever to take your turn.  I'm going to lose interest quickly...and I'm going to second guess that magical 58 point word you pulled out of your ass after going for 3-letter gems the entire game.  I can smell a Wordsmith cheater from a mile away!!!

What's with people running barefoot lately...or wearing those weird new toe shoe things?

Personally, unless I'm being chased by a hungry bear, I really don't see the point in running long distances - and certainly not in hideous shoes like that!  Besides, if you're ever being chased by a large, snarling carnivore, you don't need to be the fastest human ever...you just need to be faster than your slowest friend!

At any rate, speaking of running/exercise, I must retire since I plan to get up early to pick up 4 dozen donuts on my way to work.  (Evaluations for my classes are next week and I'm not above buttering up my reviewers!)

Badassery

Don't bother looking it up...that IS a word.  Today at least.  I think I mentioned my unfortunate broken toe in my last blog.  Since the initial breaking, it was definitely not in line with the other toes anymore.  In fact, it was like it had decided that it didn't want anything to do with its friends and was sort of hanging out a bit apart from the rest of his toe brethren.  To say I was a bit concerned would be an understatement.

This past Monday, I decided to go to Solantic to get some x-rays done and at least have someone look at it.  After nearly 2 hours there, it was confirmed that I'd broken my toe.  Admittedly, the x-rays were pretty cool since I'd never had a broken bone before...and seeing it completely shifted out of place was both disturbing and fascinating all at once.

I'd originally planned to just go with the "buddy tape it to the other toes and hope for the best" plan, but on Tuesday night I was in excruciating pain.  I think the toe had shifted even more and it was nearly unbearable.  So today, I went to see an orthopedic doctor to have him take a look.  After giving me three options (1. tape it and hope for the best, 2. numb it up and re-break the toe to set it in place, or 3. undergo surgery to have them put pins in it) I opted for choice #2.

Honestly, the process of injecting my foot with roughly a gallon of Novocaine was by far the worst part.  It seemed to take forever to get it all in there and I was reduced to involuntary tears as I lay back on the table waiting (begging) for the torture to stop.  I should note that given my tolerance of this painful procedure (or lack thereof), it's probably best that I never try to squeeze a baby out as that would probably kill me.

After waiting for 30 minutes or so, the doctor deemed me ready and had me lay back again so I couldn't watch.  I really should have had my mom take video so I could see it later!  Apparently, this was the point where he manipulated my toe in ways my mom said toes should never go.  Almost immediately I felt (and heard) a pop when he broke it again...and then intense pressure as he used some sort of thin metal bar between my toes for leverage as he tried to twist it back into place.  I'm not gonna lie...that bar DID cause me pain as it was pressing into my other non-numb toe, but I got through it.

And at the end of it all, my doc's comment was, "Way to be tough!"  I felt like quite a badass!

For the record, the pain pills he gave me are amazing and at this moment I barely feel anything down there!  It probably helps that new x-rays show that the bone is actually back to where it's supposed to be.

So yes...today I voluntarily had my bone broken again.  And while I don't recommend you go out and try it, it IS pretty damn cool to say that!

Happy Halloween!

Have you ever felt like the universe is out to get you? Or that you have an Eeyore-like cloud of gloom and doom hanging over your head?  The month of October has been a bit like that for me.  Whether it was having my car totaled at the start of the month when some idiot decided to run a red light and t-bone my car (while having a suspended license, an open container in the car at 8 AM, and no insurance), or breaking my pinkie toe just in time to destroy a little indie-movie premiere night with a friend, or simply looking at a student in the parking garage and having her inexplicably drop an entire glass pan of cupcakes...shattering the glass, demolishing the cupcakes, and ruining the apparent birthday surprise for her friend, this month has seemed somehow jinxed.  And why not?  This IS October after all...the month that plays hosts to budding witches, goblins, super heroes, and everything in between.  Still, despite my less than awesome month, there HAVE been some fun things going on lately.  And so, I present to you, my month of October in pictures...beginning with the bad and ending with the fun.

Here's what happened to my beloved car as a result of said accident:

My car was declared a total loss and I was forced to find an alternative means of travel.  *sigh*

I've never been a big fan of Halloween.  I recognize that when I was younger, the main reason I liked the holiday at all was because it meant I would be acquiring a giant bag of candy for FREE!  Dressing up was definitely not my favorite part.  As I got older, my distaste for Halloween didn't diminish.  I despised being invited to parties that were costume-only parties...if I don't feel like dressing up, why should I be shunned from a night of fun???  Besides, for the most part, it seems like the holiday is simply an excuse for young girls and women alike to dress like an absolute tramp in public and have no one bat an eye.  Imagine my dismay when a co-worker decided to host a Halloween party - costume only this year.  I decided to suck it up and embrace the spirit of the holiday...and guess what?  I actually had a really great time at the party.  I opted to capture my youth with a "Sponge Babe" costume and it turned out pretty well:

I don't have any pictures of my broken toe (or the poor student's cupcake debacle), but I do have some pictures from the end of the month...

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend my first Florida/Georgia game.  My friends and I got down there at about 8:30 AM to set up our tailgate and get to the festivities.  We had a blast tailgating, meeting other random fans, etc.  There were definitely some interesting people there...I particularly enjoyed the group of jort-supporters that were going around.  Here's the band of misfits:

And here I am as a jort-misfit myself:

 Eventually it was time to trek to the stadium for the game.  Here we are...super excited to head into the stadium:

I was a little concerned that the result wouldn't be what I was hoping for since the Gators have been less than stellar this season, but I was still optimistic.  Fortunately, after an incredibly exciting game, we got the result we were looking for!  Gators win!!!

And we could simply enjoy the thrill of it all...

I think my friend's shirt said it all.  We're not snobs...we're just better than you!

And that about sums it up!  I hope my couple loyal followers (Hi, Nathan and Tim!) are doing well...and here's to an even better month in November!!!

I'm alive!

It's been over a month since I posted here...but rest assured...

Despite that picture, I am not now a guitar player (though that would be pretty awesome, I'm not sure my fingers are coordinated enough for that hobby).  Life has been gobbling me up and spitting me back out...whole, for the most part. Work is nothing less than a bear lately, but I've been utilizing my weekends to have some fun.

Last weekend saw me in Cape Coral and Ft. Myers for the wedding of one of my law school friends.  It was a great opportunity for a mini reunion of friends I don't get to see nearly as often as I'd like.  Here was the BIG group of us...

And then here's one of just the ladies (which is, of course, nicer to look at)...

I've been itching to travel lately, and while this little trip kept me in Florida, at least it got me out of Jacksonville.  I have so much time off saved up at work, but no one to go on trips with (insert self-pity here).  Hopefully that will change one of these days.  Anyone up for being a travel buddy???

...and I'm off.  Have a great day! xoxo