Getting Bored Again...

So I was doing really well at posting new entries for awhile...but...I think I got tired of not being read so I stopped again. Well, I'm back - for right now, I don't know if I'll really keep up with it.

I finally got a job. It's at an entertainment store - music, movies, books - that sort of thing. I love shopping there and I applied there awhile back. Today was my first day of training. I was supposed to do training on the computer, but instead they had me train on the floor. It was okay - fast-paced; it was Saturday so that figures. I hope I end up really liking it there - it'll help when I really get to know everything that needs to be known.

NHL preseason started about a week ago. The Canucks have played two games so far and have another game tonight - starting in a few minutes. Unfortunately they have lost their first two preseason games - but it doesn't matter at all, since it IS preseason. October 9th is their first regular game - I believe I have the right date.

Shane and I went down to my parents' house this evening for supper. My sister is home for the weekend so I wanted to make sure I saw her. I just found out tonight before supper that my Aunt and Uncle that also live in the same town as my parents just got a new dog! They've had her since Monday, I guess. Okay...here's the whole story:

When I was still a baby - just learning to talk - my Aunt took me to get a puppy. We picked out a small jack-russell terrier. She asked me what I wanted to name her and I said "Dog." She asked if there was something else I wanted to name her and this time I said what sounded like "B B Dog." Let me explain - I had two stuffed dolls when I was that age, one was a dog puppet that sort of looked like a jack-russell terrier that I called Dog and the other a pink and white baby doll that I called Baby. I believe the "B B" was meant to be "Baby." Anyway - the name stuck and for 16ish years the dog's name was B.B. Dog. She was one of those dogs that's really hard to find - really nice, sweet, quiet-ish. Well, she died a few years back. My Uncle's daughter bought them a new jack-russell puppy awhile after. She was named Pepper and she was terrible! She was too active, she barked a lot, and she almost never calmed down! They had to get rid of her - it was just too hard to take care of a dog like that. Well anyway...recently they saw in the paper that in the next town over the cops had found a jack-russell dog and needed a home for it. My Uncle has really been itching for a new dog so they went to go look at her on Monday and ended up bringing her home! She's really sweet. It was like seeing B.B. Dog again - I really almost cried. They named her Lady and that's exactly how she acts - just like a lady. :D

Anyway, I'm glad they have a good dog again. And I'm glad that they only live half hour away so I can go see them and Lady quite a bit.

I guess that's all I have to say right now. If I decide to keep posting I'll probably be keeping you up to date on Canucks games and scores and how my job is going - so if that interests you, keep coming back!

To All: Happy Hockey Season!

A Job Comin' Along...

Well, I got a call today from one of the places that interviewed me for a job. They asked me to come in to get my drug test paperwork. So, that's what I did. I made my appointment and tomorrow I'll go in for the test. I guess that means that if I pass the drug test (which I will) I've got the job. That's really good - 'cause, you know, it's been awhile since I've worked - ha.

Once everything is official you'll know about it, but for now I probably shouldn't say anything more about it.

Finally A Sports Season I Get!

It's finally almost hockey season!

To the right is the first part of the preseason schedule for the Canucks - my team. (I know it's a little hard to see - it got blurry when I made it smaller.)

The Canucks' first game is against the Calgary Flames on September 21st.

Back when I was first "introduced" to the Canucks they had their Dream Team. Naslund, Cloutier, the Sedins, Bertuzzi, Morrison, Linden. The Sedin twins - Henrik and Daniel - are the only ones left on the Canucks. Todd Bertuzzi now plays for the Red Wings. Brendan Morrison played for the Capitals last season. All the others are retired.

I used to keep up with the Red Wings before I started watching the Canucks so to have to go back to the Wings for Todd Bertuzzi won't hurt me too much. And of course, the Canucks will always be my team.

It would be amazing if I could get to a Canucks game this season - but I'm sure it's just not going to happen. It would be a dream to get to go to Vancouver for a game! Especially if Bif Naked was also having a show while we were there - ha.

Anyway, all I have to say is: Happy Hockey Season!

A Lion Among Men.

This is the book I'm currently reading. You should go look for it and the trilogy's first two books - Wicked and Son of a Witch.

I mentioned this series in an earlier post. The first book is the story of the Wicked Witch of the West - Elphaba. It explains why she was green, why she's so angry, and where the heck the flying monkeys came from. The author, Gregory Maguire, also incorporates the well-known story of The Wizard of Oz. It all works up to Dorothy showing up in Munchkinland and the death of the Witch.

The second book, Son of a Witch, is all about Liir - the "supposed" son of Elphaba. All through the book we don't actually find out if Liir is Elphaba's son or not, but we're led through his interesting adventures having a "guardian" like the Witch. We follow him as he meets Dorothy and her crew before she returns to Kansas.

A Lion Among Men has had its ups and downs for me. At one point I'm completely enthralled by the story, but the next minute I could completely lose interest. Maybe it's just me, but I've been having a little trouble staying "in" this book. I am still only a little over half through the book and I started it a couple months ago. I don't want this to deter anyone from reading this book.

In this book Maguire tells the story of the Cowardly Lion. We first meet him in the first book, but only briefly. In the third book we read how he came to be found by Dorothy, but not before we learn his background. You also find that he's really not that cowardly, just a little nervous and shy. As I said, I'm not finished with the book so I really can't say much about it.

If you were like me and had so many unanswered questions after watching The Wizard of Oz, the Wicked series is a great read. Maguire has an amazing talent for taking one of the best-known films and getting us more involved with the lives of the characters. I have not read the original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, but I wonder if the movie followed the novel very closely or if the writers took a lot of liberties with the story and characters. I also wonder if Baum wrote more of the characters' histories/backgrounds - and, perhaps, that's where Maguire got his inspiration. Either way, I love the series.

The first book of the series, Wicked, was turned into a Broadway play that became very famous. Of course, it's a musical. I have not seen the play but I have the soundtrack and by following the songs it doesn't seem like the play is exactly like the book. But you can only do so much when making a novel into a play, right? I'm excited to, eventually, see the play.

My sister and I had never seen The Wizard of Oz when were younger. When I was in junior high (I think...) our Mom got the part of Glinda in the play - performed by the Minden Community Players. That was the first time I'd seen it, but the story is a classic one and so nothing really came as a surprise to me. However, reading Wicked changed how I looked at the story. The way you see the main characters almost flip-flops from the way you feel about them in the movie. Obviously, everyone knows The Wicked Witch of the West is the "bad guy." She's ugly, green, and dresses in all black. And what's up with those flying monkeys? Glinda is most definitely the Good Witch - all polite, calm, and beautiful. But after reading the first book in the trilogy, you see that The Wicked Witch was justified in everything she did, she wasn't just "evil." And Glinda, well...what can I say? Glinda was kind of a bratty, spoiled, rich girl. I don't know - she's still Good, but she's a little too static a character to stay interesting. Glinda doesn't have a book all about her, now does she?

So, in closing...read these three books. They probably won't change your life, but they will entertain you - of that I am sure.

Ouch.

Here's a story for you - and you have every right to laugh at me.

The other day I was back at my parents' house. Mom was getting some things ready for a garage sale that they're going to have this month. In my old room there was a shoebox full - and I mean FULL - of my sister's and my earrings. Now, I use to "hoard" earring when I was in high school. Really, I bought lots of earring because I had lots of ear piercings. I found a pack of earrings that I use to love wearing - tiny little studs in bright colors. I thought I might try to see if my piercings were still open. I haven't worn all my earrings for years. Currently I have 13 ear piercings, but I've only been wearing 5 for a really long time. Now, I was super excited to find that I could get earrings in ALL the holes. So I went home like that.

Because I hadn't had so much metal in my ear cartilage that they almost instantly felt pretty stiff, but all piercings are like that. Cartilage is pretty temperamental. That was five days ago. I know have two red, swollen and semi-infected ears. I still have in the regular 5 earrings I wear, but the other 8 HAD to come out.

You know who Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is. Well, I'd like to introduce you to Kaylee the Red-Eared Moron who that she could be cool again and wear all 13 earrings. :( It's a longer name, but it's very fitting.

Chili.

Who doesn't like a nice, warm bowl of chili? A little bit of spice, a little bit of cheese, a couple crackers...yum! And to top it off - cinnamon rolls!

That's what I'm making for tonight's supper. It's just cool enough outside today to make a person want warm soup. I make my chili in the slow-cooker all day. I started it around 9:30 this morning and it's going to be cooking until we eat around 6 this evening. I am so ready for it!

We had homemade chili out at Shane's Grandpa's farm for supper on Saturday. It really got me in the mood for fall and winter-type meals; all-day chili, ham and beans, chicken noodle soup. Oh, yum!

What I Would Do If I Had A Job.

That's a loaded title. I could easily say "Well, I would work." Har har.

I would be happy if I got a job in the near future. I wouldn't be so stressed out when it came to paying the bills every month. I would feel comfortable about Christmas - buying gifts and all that jazz.

I do feel bad that I haven't found a job yet. All the interviews I've had are just making me more and more discouraged. They all seem to go extremely well, "We'll give you a call by such-and-such day. It was really nice to meet you. We're glad you're so flexible with your hours and will take any position we offer."...Do I ever get a call back? I'm pretty sure it's not my cell phone's fault that those are the only calls I'm not getting.

I have an interview this afternoon. I am hoping for the best, but part of me is taking it worth a grain of salt - I've had so many interviews, this is just another one. The interview is a business that I frequent on a regular basis. Shane and I go there all the time, even when we don't need to. It seems like it would be a great place to work - now, just to get the job.

What would I do if I had a job? I would work. And I would enjoy it.

One Side.

This is the latest picture of myself with my husband's side of the family. This was taken outside the barn at Shane's Grandpa's farm. It's beautiful out there! This is the second Labor Day Yetter Photo I've had the chance to be part of. I know a lot of people don't necessarily get along well with their in-laws, but I love my in-laws. They're not even in-laws to me; more like just an extension of the family I already had. Big families are great families.

(From left to right: Josh, Ben, Dad, Mom, Me, Shane.)

Oh, What a Beautiful Day.

...except for the wind...

I had a good weekend. Shane and I went to his Grandpa's farm for a family reunion/labor day get-together. Sunday got really windy, hot, and dusty so I went back to my parents-in-law's house with my mother-in-law. My brother-in-law and his ...friend? (smile)...went back to. We just hung out and watched some TV in the air conditioning and went to bed early. Ben and Elaine went home last night. Today Mom and I just sat around and visiting - it was really nice. After noon Shane, his youngest brother, and his Dad got back to the house and Shane and I headed home. It's nice to be home. I actually unpacked! Shane and I played a little Guitar Hero, too.

Shane goes back to work tomorrow morning. And I'm heading to Wilcox to clean and visit the family. And that's about how things are going. I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week ahead of them. :)

Oh Lovely Issues.

I can't go into detail. Normally I would because I believe that if you do something wrong you should be called out. I just don't feel like opening up something I closed. Sure, I'm still upset about what's going on and what we heard last night only added fuel. But you know, this person is going to realize - one day - that what he's doing is wrong and hopefully he'll learn from his mistakes and become a better person. That's all I can hope for at this moment. If he doesn't learn and change then I pray that everybody that comes into his life doesn't get hurt like we have been.

All I want to say is How dare you talk about us like that. I don't even care what you say about me, but you cannot talk about my husband that way. How can you live with yourself when you do what you do?

There. I have vented my frustration and I'm breathing again. Thank you for listening.

Am I The Only One?

Okay, so...am I really the only one that thinks this man is attractive?

I joke around to my mom that this is the man I'm going to marry (ha ha.) Today I showed her a picture of him saying "See? He's cute!" Her reply..."Are you sure?"

All I'm saying is, Matt Bellamy is very attractive. Maybe Kate Hudson and myself are the only ones that think so.

How My Day Is Going...

I...can't...stop...sneezing.

Other than that - it's been good. Went to lunch with my parents and my little sister. Then we went shopping - I got two new pairs of jeans! I can't believe I found pants!! And, the cool thing...one pair I got are called "Kaylee Flare"...and you know, that's my name. I also bought my first pair of skinny jeans - they fit and aren't as uncomfortable as I thought they'd be. After we all hung out they brought me back to our apartment and we sat around a talked for awhile.

After eating a little supper Shane and I watched Date Night (really good movie.) Now he's watching football and I'm typing. After this I'm going to start typing up one of my short stories so it's finally backed up on my computer. I'd rather hand-write everything, but it's easier to add and delete parts when it's on the computer. I'm on the fence. :)

I don't get football. And now that's on the table. Do with it what you will. I'm a hockey girl - always will be.

Style in the Middle of the Night.

Here I sit, 1:30am, watching Style. What's on Style? Oh nothing, just a little show all about cheating celebrity couples. Why am I watching this crap? There's nothing else on. Oh and everytime I lay down to fall asleep my nose plugs back up and I can't breathe. I have to keep sitting - and that's not the most comfortable position for sleeping.

A few minutes ago (yeah this is basically Blogging in Realtime) I was half sitting, half lounging on the couch watching this amazing show with all the lights off in the living room. (Just an extra tidbit of information: I am so lightheaded because of my sinuses right now, it's very ridiculous.) All of a sudden, I thought I saw something out of the corner of my unfocused eye. Usually, when I "see" something, there's nothing there - especially at 1:30 in the morning. I turned my head anyway. And lo, and behold! There was actually something there! Yes! A SPIDER!

The other day there was a huge spider that was threatening me so I've been on edge about spiders lately. I just can't stand them like I used to. When I younger I'd just go ahead and pick it up (despite the size) or killed it with my bare feet. I guess this is like a person's tastebuds changing - only every 7 years I change my fears. Ha. Wow that sounds incredibly sane, right?

Anyway, there goes Kaylee - jumping off the couch to get even further away from the beast on the wall. I turned on all the lights I could and ran to the kitchen for the broom. This next part even surprises me. I, Kaylee, actually swung the broom in the general direction of the spider! I don't do these kinds of things! I must have hit the wall pretty close to the spider because it got flung to the floor and onto the multi-colored rug. I searched and searched and finally decided that the damned creature must have hid under the couch or was just that well camouflaged. When I came back from putting the broom away, very warily, I approached the rug. I shook out the blanket on the couch and peeked behind the pillows - no Mr. Scary. Then, from out of nowhere, he appeared right next to my flip-flop! (This is where I would add suspenseful music if I was making a movie.) Hurriedly, and yet carefully, I grabbed the twin flip-flop and started hitting, not exactly sure I was hitting the spider or just making an ass of myself.

And the beast was stricken to the ground! Yeah, it was basically that epic. You would not have laughed at me at all if you had been here. Nope, I was acting so normal that you would have mistaken me for someone else. Really.

Spider's dead.

Oh and if the title threw you off, let me explain in more detail. I don't actually have any style at any point on any given night. I am anti-style at this time of the night. And the murdering of a spider does not, in any way, create the illusion of style. No, it's exactly the opposite - barbaric, primitive, and oh-so-not-classy.

To all: Happy Spider Killing!

Allergies...

The last two years my allergies have not been too bad. It's been great having a break from itchy eyes, a puffy face, a runny nose, and a tickly throat. But...yes, unfortunately there is a but...this year they came back. I'm still taking the same allergy medication and I really don't go outside much. I don't know what's different - maybe the allergens are just worse here in Kearney than in North Platte. If that's the case - that was the only good think about North Platte ha.

On another note: I still don't have a job. I had a really good interview at Walgreen's the other day and apparently I didn't get that job either. They told me they were really hard up for help and I told them I would really like the job. They liked how flexible I'd be with my schedule, and still nothing. I don't know - I'm getting more and more discouraged after each unsuccessful interview...

Basting.

Yesterday was my Grandma's birthday - we all went out for lunch. It was really nice! :)

I took my quilting stuff down with me so my Aunt could help me with it. I'm very thankful that she knows what she's doing. Ha. We had an amusing time putting it all together - and with hindsight being what it is, I wish I would have had my camera. She and I were both on our hand and knees with our butts up in the air putting safety pins all over the quilt to keep the layers together. (I'm feeling it today.) At the time it was just ridiculous - Mom and Taylor were making fun of us -oh, we were making fun of ourselves.

After the fun safety pin part we flipped the whole thing over to make sure it was all even and flat. Thank goodness that it was - it took forever to get those safety pins in!

Then we started to baste the quilt. If you don't know what that is - it's when you take a noticeable colored thread and just stitch the layers together to keep it all together when you're quilting it. These threads will come out when I'm done - but I'm starting to like the bright orange on top of all the green fabric! My Aunt and I started the basting. Apparently my sister had started making a quilt a long time ago and there is a funny basting story to go along with it!

Aunt Becky eventually had to go home and left me to finish the basting. Somehow, and I honestly don't know how this happened, but I actually got my sister to help me do some of the basting! Having heard her basting story, I figured it was against my better judgment to have her help me - but she did a really good job. Except for overthreading her needle!

So we got the basting done. I rolled it up and brought it home and now I just need to get together with my Aunt again so she can show me how to hand-quilt. I know what I need to do, and what it's supposed to look like in the end, but it's hard to really learn from websites and videos. Having her show me one-on-one will be much better. Then...it's quilting, quilting, and quilting. It's going to take me awhile - it'll make a good winter project.

If you're interesting in knowing exactly what basting is and how to do it click here.

What's So Wrong With Coffee?

I get it, I really do. Coffee is bad. It's just as addictive as cigarettes, alcohol, etc.

Do you know when I started drinking coffee? I was roughly three years old. I only started in with the coffee when I quit smoking. Okay, no? That was a lie. Three years old - drinking coffee. Many people have a few problems with that. 'It stunts your growth,' 'that's probably why you have weight issues,' 'all of that caffeine for that long? My goodness, how's your brain?' Yeah I know...however, I really don't think coffee stunts your growth.

Who do I blame for letting me drink coffee so early in life? Yup, my loving Grandparents. I really can't say if I am really to blame for begging for coffee or if one of them just gave it to me. I could see it happening both ways. With my Grandparents I knew what to do to get what I wanted. Grandpa, however, was the type to get you to try random things just out of the blue. (For example, he had my little sister drive his pickup when she was - what? - eight years old, I think.) Just try it, you'll like it. I can hear him saying that. Now, don't get me wrong. He would never make us try anything that would hurt us. There was never any trying of alcohol (it was never around) or smoking of cigarettes, or anything else. It really was almost always just with food - trying to get us to eat something new or something old with something weird on top of it. Ha. He had his ways.

Okay, back to Coffee. It's a nice beverage. I'm the person that makes a whole pot of coffee (about 5 coffee mugs worth) for myself every morning. I like it black most of the time. I do keep creamer in the house though in case one morning I've got a wild hair to have a sugary breakfast. My husband doesn't drink coffee. For awhile, when we were still in North Platte, he would have a cup in the morning with me, but he put tons of Coffee Mate in it. So much, in fact, there was no trace of coffee taste left! I'll admit those Coffee Mate flavored creamers are delicious, but I'd rather taste the coffee.

My Mom doesn't drink coffee. She hates coffee, actually. When it comes to having the family over for holidays she doesn't even know how to use the coffee pot! My Dad drinks coffee, but not at home. He usually has a travel-mug of decaf with him during work. Now, a lot of people either swear by decaf or by regular coffee. For those people it's the caffeine, or lack of, they want. For me, it doesn't matter if it's regular or not. I want coffee for the taste. Does anyone actually like the taste of coffee? It's like cigarettes - though, I have never tried them - there's no way that smoke actually tastes good, it's just the mind telling you it's good because your body is addicted to the chemicals. Chronic caffeine-drinkers are the same. They crave the caffeine boost so badly they'll drink anything. I mean, come on, bean water? Coffee is bean water, people. Even I tremble at the thought of that. Ha.

I think I'm straying from the initial point of this post - which I don't remember anymore. So to summarize: Coffee good. Blame Grandparents. Bean water. That is all.

To all: Happy Coffee Drinking!

Catching Up.

I feel really good right now. Tonight I had supper with my long-time best friend, Courtney. We've been friends since preschool. Like all ships our friendship has had its ups and downs but we've lasted. A nineteen year friendship - a lot of people can't compare.

After high school we decided to be roomies at college. She wasn't around the dorm much so that was really when we started to drift apart. And not necessarily in a bad way - we just made our own groups of friends. In time we moved away from Kearney - she to the Omaha area, I to North Platte, both in different directions.

We've been talking more often lately. She is getting married next summer and I am involved in the wedding so there's plenty to talk about. This weekend she was back at her parents' house in our old hometown so we were able to get together for a girls' night out. Supper at Applebee's, a quick trip through Target, and a nice talk while driving around town. Just like old times. Tonight our conversations seemed to pick up where they left off back in high school. We talked about boys, families, and people we mutually dislike. Only the addition of wedding talk brought us back to the present.

I am very glad to have these times with old friends - to get to catch up and have fun like we used to. These visits are too few and far between, but maybe this was the first stepping stone to take to getting our friendship back to where it was. Love you, Courtney!

Maybe Strange.

Has this ever happened to you? Something happens, or somebody does something and you can't help thinking it has everything to do with you? That you take something so personally that it eats at you, but you don't want to confront the other people because you don't want to sound like the world revolves around you? Yeah, so that's happening to me - currently. Now, it could be just a simple glitch in a website, maybe it was purely accident. However, I still can't help but think that it has something to do personally with me. Uhg. Maybe I'm just thinking way too much. I need to stop that.

A Child's Saturday.

Remember when Saturdays were the only day we looked forward to? When our only worries were waking up in time to watch Saturday morning cartoons? I wish it was still like that. Adults everywhere should reserve their Saturday mornings strictly for cartoons and a bowl of sugary cereal. Maybe I just solved all the world's problems - instead of waking up super early on a Saturday to rush to work for a working weekend just sit back and relax and enjoy being a kid for a couple hours.

Just A Monday.

I did almost nothing today. Woke up, had coffee, made the bed, worked on my cross-stitch project pretty much all day, and had some dinner - just a little bit of leftovers from yesterday.

I really wanted to go on a walk this evening when Shane got off of work, but he didn't want to. It's just really nice to have someone to walk with - not to mention, it's safer. So we stayed in and watched some Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which is good.) Tomorrow I should be able to go on a nice long walk with my sister.

My cross-stitch thing is almost done. I have one small section to finish and then outline the words.

I'm a little disappointed, I just realized, that we didn't go for a walk tonight. I'm the kind of person that needs a support system when it comes to sticking with dieting and/or exercise and I was really depending on my husband.

Well, gee - that's a downer.