Something to Look Forward To

So, in the last two weeks, I haven’t blogged much, have I? Again. I want to apologize for that. I do have a valid excuse though, outside of lethargy! My itteh bitteh red Lenovo, dubbed Lenny, has been acting up on me. With my vast knowledge of electronic expertise (which is basically… zero) I have determined my dear netbook needs a new adaptor. I will soon be on the hunt for one so I can be blogging more regularly again. So here is a quick rundown of whats been going on in my life to hold you over until I am able to post a few other updates.

I did manage to complete every item on my List of Seven and the basket/bookshelf concept is working fabulously for my harder-to-store clothing items. Also, with my new extra hangers, I have less clothing on the floor and more in my closet.  We did get a rental car, and it did cost us an arm and a leg, but… oh well, right? We had wheels!

Second, Scott had a good time out here in Salt Lake City. (Well, at least from what I can tell he did!) Since he was only here for two and half days which in terms of length equals exactly not long enough, we hit some of Salt Lake City’s main attractions, ate at my favorite restaurant, and I took Scott to experience IKEA for the first time. Perhaps he was not as enchanted with IKEA as I am, but I know he found certain items fascinating, if not useful. Pictures from this trip are forthcoming.

I have a new “roommate” in my apartment. Her name is Evie. If you are my facebook friend, perhaps you know a little bit about her. No, this roommate isn’t the same one who replaced Angela. This roommate is much smaller than the rest of us. And again, details will be coming soon!

Next week, I am traveling to Indiana to be in my friend Racheal’s wedding. I am excited to possibly see the Notre Dame campus and actually be in Chicago for the first time in, oh, thirteen years.  I also will be enduring the bad side of time change. Rach’s wedding is early on November 7th, so I will be waking up at 5 am Eastern Time to get my hair done.  I am currently in Mountain Time, which is two hours behind Eastern Time… yeah, you do the math. I will be waking up at my body’s equivalent of 3 AM. I might be the first non-alchohol consumption related undead bridesmaid in the history of Indiana. Oy.

Lastly, I have an exciting month for November on my blog. I have decided I will do NaBloWriMo instead of NaNoWriMo. I thought they both occurred in the same month, but suprise! They don’t. NaBloWriMo actually happens in October, but hello, I am a little late for that, aren’t I?  so I will participate in NaBloWriMo at the same time of NaNoWriMo to honor the spirit of NaNoWriMo… are you getting that? In so many words, I will try to blog every single day in November. Remember when I did that in May? Well, lets see if I can do it again.  Friends, I need some topic ideas. I will probably resurrect What in the World? and tell some some stories, but what kind of things do you want to know about my history? Lets really make me work NaBloWriMo!

Two Down On The List of Seven

So, yesterday Emily Ann and I went to Wal-mart. and I was able to procure two things from my list.

Lightbulbs? Check! Crockpot? Double-check!

It's small, but it will do.

The crockpot isn’t very big, but it will be nice to have a larger and a small one depending on what I cook, yes?

I did hunt for baskets while at Wall World, but I didn’t find any that were to my satisfaction. I also forgot hangers. I will go basket and hanger hunting tonight at the dollar store and Big Lots that are both close to my work.

You might be thinking, “What? She already has done two things on that list? is she going to have anything to do all seven days?” One item on that list involves several elements and is more like a list of fifty all by itself. So to have two small things done yesterday was very empowering! (Yes, I am motivated by small things. Sad, huh?)

Now, here is an updated version of my list:

7 Things in 7 Days

1. Buy a new crock pot so I can make potato bacon soup. (My old on bit the dust in my last move. ) Task completed 10/5
2. Buy baskets for my room and hangers for my closet. So you know that shelf I bought for my books? Well, as gorgeous as it is, it is a shelving fail. Since I don’t have dresser, I decided to by large baskets to put in the shelf that I could put non-hanging clothes in and use my tubs for a different kind of storage. I also need more hangers for my closet since all my winter clothing has been taken out of storage. (I forgot I had so many sweaters…)
3. Buy lightbulbs. I swear, the lights in my apartment are going out right and left. A couple of days ago my bedroom light blew, and today it was my bathroom lights. I figure I should get a stockpile started, cause it is not fun to walk around my apartment in the dark. Completed 10/5
4. Price rental cars. I don’t have wheels of my own, and if Scott and I decide to take a trip to Park City, this might be the only way to do it.
5. Clean, vacuum, reorganize my room. I will spare you the details… but this really, really needs to be done. Really. Also, I want to move my bed.
6. Finish grocery shopping. I don’t want him to starve to death. (By the way Scott, what do you like to eat? Irene wants to know.)
7. Pick Scott up from the airport. Cause after all that work, I deserve a reward!

A List Of Seven

So, the last time I saw Scott was the middle of August. I was in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and was able to see Scott’s home and visit his church. I also was able see his tiny hometown of Avon, SD and meet his delightful family.  In some ways it seems like a long time ago, but in other ways it doesn’t. The “long time” is going two months without seeing someone you love.

Miss you....

Well, the time is going by, and Scott is set to visit me this time on October 12… that is just Seven More Days Away. That’s right, only! seven!! days!!!

Now, I could do a couple of things during these seven days. I could go ape-crazy for several days and then tie up all the loose ends of stuff I need to get done at the last minute, cause procrastination: that’s how I roll.  Or, I could constructively use my natural enthusiasm and energy (aka hyperactivity) by channeling into a productive mindframe. So, here friends, I will bring you a list. A List o Seven Things To Do In Seven Days.

7 Things in 7 Days

1. Buy a new crock pot so I can make potato bacon soup. (My old on bit the dust in my last move. )
2. Buy baskets for my room and hangers for my closet. So you know that shelf I bought for my books? Well, as gorgeous as it is, it is a shelving fail. Since I don’t have dresser, I decided to by large baskets to put in the shelf that I could put non-hanging clothes in and use my tubs for a different kind of storage. I also need more hangers for my closet since all my winter clothing has been taken out of storage. (I forgot I had so many sweaters…)
3. Buy lightbulbs. I swear, the lights in my apartment are going out right and left. A couple of days ago my bedroom light blew, and today it was my bathroom lights. I figure I should get a stockpile started, cause it is not fun to walk around my apartment in the dark.
4. Price rental cars. I don’t have wheels of my own, and if Scott and I decide to take a trip to Park City, this might be the only way to do it.
5. Clean, vacuum, reorganize my room. I will spare you the details… but this really, really needs to be done. Really. Also, I want to move my bed.
6. Finish grocery shopping. I don’t want him to starve to death. (By the way Scott, what do you like to eat? Irene wants to know.)
7. Pick Scott up from the airport. Cause after all that work, I deserve a reward!

There you have it, my list of seven things to do to keep me accountable with my remaining time. Now that I have a Sweet Camera I can chronicle my progress and you all can keep me accountable… because we all know the purpose of a blog is to keep other people accountable to mediocre goals.  Let the mediocrity preparation begin!

Angela’s Moved Out

One Thursday evening I bounced into my aparment,happily chatting away wit my friend Kristin,  when Angela stepped into my path with these words, “I’m moving.”

Stopping mid-sentence, I told Kristin I’d just heard some vital information. Temporarily providing Angela with my attention, I asked, “You’re what? When?”

Angela was moving to Dallas. Not as a theory, not as a threat, not as a dream, but as a reality. Angela’s company offered her a position as a trainer in Dallas and needed her there October 18th, so she was leaving October 15th

I finished my conversation with Kristin and found the other Emily. All we could do was smile. It was our dream come true.

A bit later, I went back to my room when I overheard Angela crying. I cringed, knowing that I would be escaping the house as much as possible the last 20-ish days she was set to live with me, because seriously, what life change can be drama free with her? I tried to avoid hearing her, but sometimes it can’t be avoided when her speaking volume is piano forte. Angela was on the phone with Rick’s sister, attempting defend her move to be with Rick. In my last post, I mentioned Angela dumped him fifteen years ago for the man who became her first husband. It seems as if Rick’s sister wanted some sort of assurance that this was not going to happen again. Angela was more than happy to provide it. How?

By calling several people and having a conference call with Rick’s sister to “prove her love.”

The first call was Angela’s mother. Her reply to her daughter’s hasty decision to move, “I’m happy for you… for now.” Angela became defensive and said Rick was her true love, and I quote, ‘We will be together for always and forever. Amen.” Angela and her mother went around a few more times when Angela called her father next and announced her reunion with her one true love.

“Well, that’s nice sweetie,” was Angela’s father’s reply. “You have a job, right” Angela explained her promotion and hung up. There was one more call to make: the all important call to Eric to break up with him.

Yes, she broke up with him over the phone. With her new boyfriend’s sister on the line as well. And the phone on speakerphone. I will spare you the ridiculousness of her words and say this… Eric took it well, and Angela attempted to provoke more dramatic responses from him. After this conversation, I’d had my fill. I grabbed my hoodie and took off for Chuck and Irene’s, preparing to hide like this for three more weeks. Angela did me a favor, though. She spared me the drama by moving out much sooner than expected.

Friday morning, I received a text message from my landlord Dolly. “Angela is moving out early. “

“Are you serious?” I replied. “This is even better than Oct 15.” Dolly felt the same way about Angela that Emily Ann and I did.

“This is the 3rd time she has changed her story. First she said she wanted to move because of her grandma being sick. Then it was to be with her long-lost love. Now its because she is so depressed she can’t stand to be here another minute.” Drama much? Dolly and I made plans to show the apartment for Saturday so we could find a replacement roommate faster… or at least be more careful about who was moving in. I floated throughout the rest of the day… my life was going to soon be much simpler.

When I came home that afternoon, Angela was packing. I said hello and we exchanged a few curt words I asked her why she was moving so fast. She told me her job wanted her sooner. I asked about her daughter, how did Katie feel about all of this, now that she wasn’t coming to Colorado Springs. Angela replied that Katie was moving to Dallas next May when school let out. I shrugged my shoulders, and went upstairs to grab some things. Angela didn’t need help packing, so I decided not to be around to indulge her drama. I spent the evening at Chuck and Irene’s again, where I hung out with my friend Josh around the fire pit.  When I came home that night, I found this:

All that was left was her empty room.

I feel like an awful person for saying this, but I was so relieved… Angela was really gone. She left as dramatically as she came, and moved out as swiftly as she moved in. Mercifully, the only word I have received since the move is a rambly voicemail with instructions on what to do with her mail and and a text message with her new phone number, which I immediately erased. When I say I want no contact with her, I mean it.

In other news, my new roommate moved in yesterday morning. She has not displayed any erratic behaviors. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Angela’s Moving On

This blog is going to be a two-parter, since if I write everything that happened in one blog it will be loooong.

It has been a while since I have blogged about Angela, has it? There really wasn’t much to say. Angela broke up with Angel, started dating a really nice truckeer named Eric, found a job with a company named ACS, and started school again. Between her work late afternoons and nights,class during the day, and occasionally going out with friends, she was never here.  And it was wonderful. Here and there she would do things like whine about the apartment and talk about moving to Colorado Springs to be near her daughter, then backpedal and consider maybe if she should go with Eric to North Carolina instead, but that was it.  It was quiet.

Quiet until two weeks ago.

One day Angela was on Facebook, when she received a request from an old friend. This friend, however, wasn’t just any old friend… it was an ex fiance, a man named Rick she’d been engaged to when she was 19.  After Angela hadn’t heard from him for a six month stretch, she left him, only he wasn’t aware of this tidbit. One day,Angela was in the hospital and Rick showed up to see her. By then, Angela (being the rebound queen that she is) was already with the man who would become her first husband. She soundly dumped Rick and didn’t hear from him until this month. Apparently, he has been searching for her for nine years.

My stomach tightened. Only drama could from a reunion like this. Well, at least in her case.

Over the next few days, Angela and Rick were always chatting, whether it be on MSN using a webcam or on the phone. It wasn’t long before Angela and Rick started using the “L” word, which I am pretty sure she throws around like a dish towel, when she said she loved both Angel AND Eric. I kept reminding Angela that she was still technically dating Eric, and she would just blow me off by saying that “Eric never calls me” (lie) and “it’s over between us, Rick and I are meant to be together.” Sure, don’t bother to break up with the nice guy, huh? Well, it didn’t take her long.

Up Next: Angela’s Moving Out

Crazy Neighbors

My neighbors are nuts.

I have several sets of neighbors, actually. I live in the front of a four-plex unit, so I have a neighbor directly next door to me, one directly behind me, and then one kitty corner to me in the back. Not to mention the other four plexes that round up my cul-de-sac, but the family I am talking about I live directly next to. This family I share a wall with, and I am subjected to their sounds and smells.

I have not been too keen on this particular set of neighbors for a while. They children will be screaming bloody murder at one another during ungodly hours. (Blood curdling cry at 6 am? Check! Hysterical screaming at midnight? Outside your bedroom window? From the six year old? Double check!) The scent of the food this family makes makes it seem as if someone died and lingers in our air longer than curry, driving us to always have a candle or air freshening wall-unit plugged in. It was these neighbors who brought over my morning visitor. If I had a hitlist, I think they would end up somewhere near the top.

So, now what crimes have committed lately? Well, I have two bigger stories but one will have to do for now. It will be enough to make you scratch your hed for the rest of the day.

I was walking home from work, and started up our sidewalk. Just a I was stepping from the street curb to the walkway, I spotted something glinting in the sunlight. There, at my feet, was a knife.

Yes, a knife. A shiny, metal, big kitchen knife great for cutting things and is typically a murder weapon in Mystery Novels type knife.

Unsure, of what to do, I almost left it there. Then I thought of my Crazy Neighbors kids. I think they have like four children (it’s hard to tell, what with all the people milling in and out of that place) so I came to two conclusions: one, the kids could get hurt if they were playing with it, and two… this was most likely their kitchen knife anyway. The children have left random items in odd places in our yard and they do it regularly. (Sometimes they leave this stuff on my front step right where we could trip on it, in the dark…)  Since it wasn’t bloody,it probably wasn’t a murder weapon. I gingerly picked up the knife and knocked on the door. After several knocks, their adorable little girl opened the door, I asked if her mother was home.

“No, ” was her reply.Then she started to reach for the knife in my hand. I quickly held it further away from her, and asked for a grown up. Right about then a car rolled up with a bunch of people in it, one of them being the little girl’s mother. The mother barely speaks English, so one of the fine gentleman in the car (I call them the Burmese Mafia) gave me a sinister look and asked what I was doing there. I explained to him  I found a random knife sitting on the freaking sidewalk and decided to give the knife to an adult so one of the children wouldn’t get hurt. One of the Mafia translated, and the mother nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said, in broken English, and reached out to take the knife. I unlocked my own apartment door, only to receive glares from the Mafia while doing so. Guess that no good deed goes unpunished, hm?

Later that evening, I told Angela about finding a random knife on the sidewalk. Nothing shocks me with these neighbors now, but dude, there was a knife on my sidewalk!

My story was old news to Angela. “Oh, I found it sitting out there before,” she said nonchalantly. “I just left it.”

I am still flabbergasted. Why would someone need a knife in that part of the yard? Did you feel the need to cut some lettuce on the sidewalk? Do some car repairs with a kitchen knife? Honestly, what was the point?

And really, should I be shocked anymore? I have lived here for over a year now. I have witnessed these children leave bikes outside to rust in the snow… Still…  no matter what my neighbors do, leaving a knife on the sidewalk will never be normal.

Vacation Blogging Interruption Brought To You By Angela

Upon arriving home from work yesterday afternoon, I found Angela on my Itteh Bitteh Lenovo (aka LENNY). Did she ask me if she could use it? (Oh come on now, you must know the answer to this question, right?) She glanced up, saw me, and hurried off it, apologizing profusely. “I needed to check my e-mail. I had 177 e-mails,” she explained.

I was perplexed. Why so many? Should I even ask? Probably not. But curiousity killed the blonde, so I did.

“Oh, it was reponses from guys on Plenty Of Fish (a dating website, FYI) she responded airily. “I needed to respond to some. Not many of them were cute.”

I should have stopped, but I can’t seem to. Talking to this woman is like watching a trainwreck. You know you should look away, but you can’t. So down the track our conversation went. “Why do you need Plenty of Fish when you and Angel are back together?”

“Oh, he needs his space,” Angela replied. I can’t help but wonder… why does a guy who sees his girlfriend once every two weeks need more space? Wow…

Eventually, Angela’s verbal diarrhea lapsed into work. She told me her new job had a call center in Colorado Springs, and she might try to transfer there in six months, if she is eligble. This would only be two hours from her daughter. Angela said she misses her daughter and wants to be closer. That’s all well and good, but didn’t she just say two months ago that she can barely handle her? A child is not a toy you can toss aside when you get bored. Angela has even already told her daughter she might try to move to Colorado. Way to get you daughter’s hopes up and crush them when you don’t follow through.

Angela also discussed starting technical school again in September. A few days ago, she was considering re-taking driving school then. For a thirty six year old woman, she can’t seem to find a direction or make up her mind. If she moves to Colorado, I will celebrate because I will be rid of her, but she never sticks to a plan or really makes up her mind. She is an unstable person, blown about with every wind.

It makes me thankful that I havr the Solid Rock to stabilize me. Cause really, were it not for Christ, I probably wouldn’t be much different. I am prone to being fickle, impatient, emotional, and impulsive. Christ not only provided my salvation, but my foundation and stability. When life around me is unpredictable, God is unchanging.

In the end, annoyance should instead provoke me to prayer. Please pray for Angela too.

A Re-teaming

Last night was my first night to really relax in almost a week and a half. Knowing that I only had two days (now less!) before I headed home to Iowa, I decided to watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off so I could swiftly reship it on Netflix. Smack dab in the middle of one of the best scenes (the parade) Angela started blabbing about the new job she started yesterday. When she didn’t quit talking, I gave up and paused the movie. Once her work-related explanation was complete, she held out her hand toward me.

“Slap my hand,” she commanded.

I stared at her warily. “What did you do?” I asked, unable to disguise the maternal-like scolding inflections in my voice.

“Angel and I got back together,” she winced.

“WHAT?” I screeched. “ARE YOU CRAZY?” So much for taking a cool, calm, and disconnected approach with this person, huh?

So what happened? Here’s the story, at least, as best as I understood it. Friday night, her trucking trainer and Angel’s trainer were back in town so she went to visit them. She kept ignoring Angel and he kept staring at her. She gave me some more details about staring and Angel and some other guy, blah blah, but she was in this other guy’s rig and on some country station “their song” (The A-Team Song) was playing. She got choked up, and I think she went to some other truck and ended up hearing the same song on another country station right after it. (If It’s Bless the Broke Road I WILL poke my ears out)

Well, Angela looked up, bawling, and saw Angel staring at him. She flew out of the rig she was in, ran to his and into his arms. It was trucker movie-dramatic! (And nearly induced my gag reflex!) Evidently the two talked and the story is this: Angel is not in an open marriage but he is estranged from his wife. He cannot afford to get a divorce yet. The person he was talking to was ex, apparently trying to convince her to file. However, Angel’s aspirations to move to SLC are naught, cause apparently he wants to stay in Seattle. Angela told me they weren’t likely to stay together, but remain friends. My question was this, then… why are they even back together if they are so sure they are doomed for failure?

“We love each other,” was Angela’s reply. “I mean, we were only broken up for a week…” Angel is gone now, and won’t be back until next weekend. She wants to bring that hairy beast back into my home. At least she didn’t bring him back Friday night. Angela had enough consideration to keep him away from my apartment when Kristin was here. Still, I DO NOT WANT THIS MAN IN THE SAME ZIPCODE AS ME. Emily Ann is in Cali right now, so when she is home I may pow-wow with her and put our feet down: NO ANGEL. I also have the option of staying at Brockas that weekend. I will already be house-sitting there and I could just stay the night.

A-Team Finale

Well, Angel definately won’t be a problem anymore… Angela broke up with him.

So what happened to this promising couple’s blossoming new love?

I remember Angel asking Angela before he left if she wanted an “open relationship.” For those of you unfamiliar with that term… its ok to cheat. Angela declined, knowing she was too jealous not too seek complete fidelity. I this case I must admit: Angela,wise choice.

But what was the problem?

Angel evidently didn’t tell Angela the entire truth. He told her he was single, and just out of a divorce. He told her he wanted to move to Salt Lake City, and be with her.

The truth: Angel is bound to Seattle. He won’t move here. Angel is a happily married man in an open marriage. Not only that, Angela’s trucking friends knew and did not tell her the truth but were waiting for Angel to tell her instead.  My thoughts: why be married if you can go out and do whatever you want? And why would you let a man lie to a friend like that?

So now we’re back to square one: Angela has no job, no friends, and no life. She is here all the time, and now she is depressed about two men. I am preparing myself for more manic behavior. Also, Emily and I started looking at other apartments last night. We are both tired of the horrible shape our current place is in, as well as her.

Maybe its time to move again… though I would love to not have to sign another lease.

Maranatha’s youth group is out here and they have a blast. I hope to be posting some of those stories soon.

Peace & Quiet

Ah, peace. Sweet peace. After two weeks with livng with a very loud, ungainly member of the opposite sex, my apartment is quiet and rid of cologne fumes. Not a moment to soon. If the masculine member of the A-Team obnoxiously condescended to one more of my friends, he would have a few less hairs in that biker beard of his.

Angel will be gone from our presence for one blissful week. For the next thirty day, he will be on the road a better chunk of the week. I have no idea if he is going to continue camping in Angela’s room or not. Angela starts her over-the-road driving next week. Until then, I will likely see her in a mopey, depressed state of existence with borderline manic mood swings. I am assume this based on the fact it was preicsely how she acted when she last missed “her man”– that would be the one she originally broke up with, the one that caused her move into my apartment a month ago. (Has it only been a month? Oy.)  We’ll see how much she is around until she is out doing her driving. If not, I can probably escape to Chuck and Irene’s to help with the house cleaning before the church group from Iowa gets here.

As for the bug update, we have found some dead roaches. Emily Ann and some of her friends have yet found a live one, and I definately still fighting ants. I have decided to buy Borax to help with the roach battle between exterminator visits, lest I have anymore visitors when attempting to make my morning coffee. Does anyone have ideas on how I can deal with the ants? I am confident I have taken care of most of the attractions for the ants, but if you have any decent tips on how to kill them off please let me know.