Major Switch and Bad Days

My house looks like a bomb went off in the living room and I'm so tired I can't see straight but things are looking up. I decided to switch my major to counseling specializing in addiction treatment. I have wanted to do that all along and I applied for a Counselor in Training position last year and was accepted but at the last minute they cut funding and froze hiring. The teaching certificate would've taken me 24 hours to earn and counseling is 27 plus a few Psych pre-reqs that I can easily get out of the way this summer plus I will end up with a Master's in Psychology so it seems to be a smarter move. Taking the GRE scares the crap out of me though.

Tuesday was pretty rough. My friend lost a child so I stopped by the visitation before heading to work. It was one of the hardest trips to the funeral home I've ever made. The day pretty much went downhill from there.

I talked to K earlier and she was out shopping when a little girl collapsed in front of her at the store. She preformed CPR and the gril started breathing again and after 10 or so minutes the paramedics arrived. K still sounded shaky when she called, so I talked to her for a few minutes to make sure she was ok. I don't want to work tonight, Thursday is one of my requested days off but apparently Big J can't read not to mention he's on vacation this week so I give in.

Rain Rain Go Away

A big Memorial Day thank you to anyone who is or has served in the military. At church yesterday, the pastor had everyone who has served in the military to stand then everyone who has a member of their immediate family serving to stand. Over half of the sanctuary was standing. After church, my mom and I went to lunch. Then the rain started. It rained all day yesterday and it's still raining now.

I have a massive migraine and I'm just wishing it would go away. I worked all weekend so I enjoyed having yesterday and today off. Saturday night was UFC night so it was extremely crowded and crazy. I don't understand UFC at all. Who really enjoys getting the crap beat out of them? The main event was over in like 2 mins. I was like, "ok we've been busting butt for 4 hours and this is it?" Before the main event starts, we have to make sure all the tabs are cashed out because people have a tendency to walk out and the crowd is so large, it's impossible to control. Thank God everyone I was responsible for paid. I've always been afraid of walkouts and this is the first place I've worked where we are responsible for paying for walkout tickets. The non-smoking inside policy makes things harder on us too because people are getting up and going outside all the time and it's hard to police that without offending someone or worse, having to pay a $100 bar tab.

I'm watching John and Kate Plus 8 and I'm shocked to see that they have 2 puppies on top of the 8 kids. I don't normally watch the show and it's a re-run but how in the world can they manage 8 kids and 2 German Shephard type puppies? More power to them but I sure couldn't handle it.

Wishing for a spot on the beach and a nice cool drink

Since I've been home from work, I've been fussing at the dogs, wrestling random things out of their mouthes and generally running around like a crazy person. I've been working on getting them used to eating dinner later since I'm working later now and it's like I'm running a damn zoo.

We had to call the cops tonight at work because someone stole our rug by the front door. The other night there was an alligator loose in the parking lot behind the building and they had to call Wildlife and Fisheries who of course showed up 2 hours later after the thing had left. Of course, all the guys had to go out and attempt to catch it. I know it sounds like I work in some redneck hole in the wall in the middle of nowhere but we're just close to the lake and the area right behind the building leading to the lake is marshy.

I am beyond exhausted but I have to finish washing before I can head to bed. I'm off Sunday and Monday so I'll catch up on my sleeping then.

Furniture woes and the possibility of becoming a spinster

I have so much to do over the weekend just thinking about it is stressing me out. The furniture people are coming tommorrow to look at my cocktail table. I always get the warranty with all my furniture there is a scratch on the side that I honestly don't know how it happend. In order to file a claim, they have to look at it and tell me what to write so it doesn't get rejected. So it's a huge mess.

We are attempting to plan a canoe trip or 2 for the summer. Nothin spells fun like paddling down the river drunk and getting some sun. I'm working Friday and Saturday and I might pick up Sunday too. Tommorrow, if the furniture people come early enough, I may try to pick up a 2nd job. I have tuition to pay, plus existing student loans that are gonna start biting me in the ass soon.

A boy yet is gone for good this time. I just don't have it in me anymore to stress myself out over him. Normally I'm pretty good at writing people off, but he's the one exception. I deleted him from my phone for the 1000th time but any girl knows that doesn't make you forget the number. We'll see how it goes. He's busy with family stuff this weekend and I'm just gonna work my ass off so maybe the chances are good.

A and I were talking the other day about how in the South, if you're not married by 25 you're considered an old maid. We both whine and cry about how we'll be spinsters with 25 cats and live next door to each other. We'll be the two 80 year old ladies still barefoot in the bar like we did at 21. I'm sure that won't be the case with either of us but I just feel like I have to get my shit straight before I can even seriously consider settling down. I can't just expect some man to come in, save me, and make all my problems go away.

I've got to get some laundry done, dogs fed and this house cleaned up before I can even consider letting those men in tommorrow.

Wishes

I want to be in a chair here

while drinking these

Oh my God I cannot handle working until 2 am ! I used to be quite the night owl, then I turned into the 8-5er and hated it but this 2 am shit is not gonna fly for this chick at all. The issue is, I have 24 credit hours to take to get my teaching certificate and I want to do it as fast as possible. So, working a normal 8-5 job will not work with that schedule. Plus, the great state of Louisiana is still in a hiring freeze until the fiscal year ends in June so unless I want to work somewhere for crap pay, I have no other choices. (Thank you Bobby f-ing Jindal! And you wonder why college graduates are moving out of LA as soon as they finish)

On the bright side, I made decent money event though it was slow.

Kitchen issues

I want an island like this but in a darker color. My kitchen is stainless, black and red. I don't have much counter space at all and what I do have stays so cluttered because I don't have cabinet space either or any room to put more cabinets so the pot rack could help a little. I've been trying to re-do the kitchen forever and it's frustrating. I've been meaning to de-clutter the counters but I just have so much stuff that I can't get rid of anything. I have that issue all over the house too, the office and my closet being the main 2 problems. I need to learn to simplify when I do my spring cleaning.

Sunday Funday

I'm having quite the day dealing with Moo. To start things off, I was in the shower getting ready for church when the other 2 started playing the wrestle game and he was barking and screaming at them. Then, as I'm blow drying my hair, I keep having to stop him from taking various things out of the bathroom and running with them. He takes the washcloths out of the hamper, the toilet brush out of the holder and whatever else he can get his paws on. So far he's killed: 1 laptop mouse, 4 shoes (never from the same pair, God forbid), 6 washcloths, my fleur de lis that used to sit on the coffee table and several plastic cups. He's a crafty little shit. His trainer says to put him in time out by leashing him to the table leg and setting a timer for 2 minutes. Bullshit.

A and I went to the early service at church today and just as we were getting out, it started pouring and of course I can't find my car so I'm running through the parking lot in heels holding on to my bible and notebook for dear life. I finally get in, and there goes my hair I worked an hour on.

After church, I headed to visit my grandparents and spent the afternoon and evening there. My grandpa still can't see well enough to go to church so he was in his chair listening to a sermon on tv. I went down to my parent's for a little while then we all headed back to grandma's for dinner. My parent's anniversary is today. They've been together 34 years.

I decided to make a to-do list for the week because I've gotten so lazy about getting the little things done since I stopped working 8-5. School is less than a month away and I need to get my butt in gear. Easier said than done.

Meet the Fur Kids

This is Moo. He's the baby

General is the oldest

And Miss Tahyo (pronounced Taah-yo)

It's Cajun French for "big hungry dog"

Moo and Tahyo are American Pit Bull Terriers and General is a Boxer. They definately keep me busy. I didn't plan on adding Moo but when he came along the other 2 went to acting like puppies again. After he went to puppy school, things became more manageable.

Fail and Excuse me Mr. Dillo

So, I have to re-take a part of my work test. I completely bombed the specialty drinks part of it so I have to go back in tommorrow and re-do it. At least it's not the whole thing which BTW, was 28 pages long and took about and hour and a half. Apparently the service industry is taking their stuff seriously these days.

I went to Target and didn't do too much damage. I replaced my notebook mouse that the puppy ate, got some index cards and envelopes. I was debated on a pink or green bag but purchased neither because I got tired of debating and didn't want them both.

Then I had dinner with my parents and gave A-boy laptop buying advice while eating. He is out of town for work and decided to buy one. The poor thing has more money than he knows what to do with and no common sense so I had to make sure he didn't leave with the most expensive thing just to play games on at work.

School starts June 8th and I'm seriously looking forward to it. I'm taking things seriously this time and not fooling around like I did with my undergrad.

I have a serious armadillo problem and I don't know what to do about it. They are everywhere, digging up the yard and irritating my poor dogs. I've been reading up on it and here are a few solutions out there:
1. Small garden fencing (this would be impossible)
2. Professional removal service (pest control laughed at me)
3. Coyote urine (now how in the hell do I acquire that?)
4. Build your own trap ( A, I'm not handy and B, what do I do with them after I've trapped them assuming the trap I built works?)
So, I think I'll just stick with complaining about them for now. Ah, the perks of living in the suburb of the suburbs.

Dirty Car and the Math Monster

I need to clean my Yukon so bad. There is dog hair all over the place from the Houston trip plus countless pairs of shoes and Lord only knows what else. Yes, I am a closet slob. I should be driving a 2 door car but I'd just keep it junked up like I do this one. I've always felt like I lived out of my car. I go from work to the gym to dinner and wherever and instead of taking out my outfit bags at the end of the day I'll leave them in there all week. I'm debating on just having it professionally cleaned but I'd still have to get all my crap out so it can be vacuumed.

I have to take my work test tommorrow and I'm kinda nervous about it. It's supposed to be 28 pages long and it goes over all the food and drinks. I have never worked anywhere that had a test that intense. The specialty drinks are always the hardest for me because they are specific to that particular place and 9 times out of 10, no one ever orders them.

I start PRAXIS math work this week too. Math is my weakest subject, it almost kept me from graduating college. Math for elementary students can't be that hard but it still scares me. My friend A loves math and actually finds it exciting enough that she is considering teaching it rather than SPED. Well good for you A cause I will always suck at Math. I've accepted it and moved on.

I did catch the Real Housewives of NJ and it looks like it's going to be a great season. I'm addicted to all the housewives shows.

Manic Monday

I wasted most of my day resting. I just can't seem to get with it this week. I know, it's only Monday but I just feel blah. I had dinner at A's and we both fell asleep watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy (maw maw alert!!)

Then I went to visit with my grandparents to visit and pick up my treasures my aunt brought. My grandma told me that my grandpa's retina wasn't detached but there was something worse going on. A part of the eye that acts as a buffer between the white and the retina was damaged and bleeding. The Dr told her that the surgery would be major so I'm a little worried. They are going to the Woodlands tommorrow for his Dr. appointment on Wednesday so we should know more then. They are using eye drops every hour and he said that he could see outlines of a few things this morning so hopefully it's healing on it's own.

He had a cornea transplant almost 2 years ago. He had just woken up one morning and couldn't see. I remember after he had the surgery they came to visit me at work and he said something like, "look at all that blonde hair, did you just get it done again?" and that made my day that he was able to see that I had gotten hilights.

The Alan Jackson song, Small Town Southern Man describes him to a t. He is the prime example of a good Christian man. He's a man of few words, but when he does speak, you had better listen and take note because it has meaning. He's been married to my grandma for over 50 years and they are what I strive to be like when I get married. They have learned to make do no matter the situation and in today's world that's a rare find.

Which brings me to my next point. I feel so guilty sometimes for having to have everything right now. I feel like a brat sometimes when I lay down at night on my Temperpedic in my house with brand new appliances and furniture, and a huge Yukon in the driveway. Don't get me wrong, I have been known to pitch a fit over a purse or some shoes and I've spent God only knows what on my hair, tanning, and nails over the years but sometimes I do wish that there wasn't such a competative nature among people this day in age. I'm not coming down on anyone because I am guilty of it too. I learned alot working for at the NP about how whole families get by on what I would consider "not enough" for just me. There's so much sickness and sorrow in the world that it seems petty for me to be whining about not being able to shop as much.

*Steps off soapbox* Now I need to get to studying for my work test.

Sunday Funday

Today turned out ok despite the worries going on in the family. I got to visit with my mom, grandparents and aunt for a bit before going to work. My aunt brought me some goodies. I got a fleur de lis lamp, ice scoop and a cute jar. They made nachos and strawberry shortcake so we ended up having an amazing time.

I was stuck at work later than planned and I worked on my Sunday cleaning for a bit. Tommorrow will be spent studying by the pool (Dear Lord, please let the weather be amazing tommorrow) then running a few errands. A-boy and I are supposed to get together at some point but he has family stuff goin on as well so we'll see. I've been trying to avoid the arguements while I'm working on PRAXIS prep stuff just to keep my stress level down.

Now, it is time for me to try and get some sleep so I can be up and at em early tommorrow.

Please tip your servers and bartenders

Ok people, when you go out to eat or to a bar take care of the people bringing your food or serving your drinks. Most of them are students or working professionals that serve in the evenings to pay off student loan debt or for extra shopping money. And trust, when you come in acting like a retched asshole that we will remember you when you come back whether we wait on you or not. Tipping well and just being generally pleasant to wait on can provide you with perks or comps that you wouldn't otherwise get. Servers and bartenders meet all kinds of people, and you can be sure we have the knowledge of all the goings on in town. Now, on a side note, it's probably not a good idea to ask your server or bartender if her breasts are on the menu tonight. Do you really wanna wait that long for another beer?

Now off that subject, prayers are needed for my grandpa. He has a detached retina and is going to Houston tommorrow for surgery. He had a cornea transplant in 2007 and just had a small heart attack a month or so ago and this is the last thing he needs right now but he is such a strong man I know he'll pull through.

This week has been the longest ever and it's 1 am and my dogs just ate and are running around like wild animals. To add insult to injury, I just almost swallowed a bug that somehow found it's way into my tea. Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's. We are cancelling the BBQ because my grandparents will be gone so I have to get with my dad in the morning to see if there is a Plan B for tommorrow. We will probably just go to church and wait 2 hours to eat at some restaurant.

CInco de Po'd

I finally started working today. I enjoyed my vacation, but it's time to go back to the real world. I really can't wait for school to start because I'm already in a rush to get finished. I need to start squeezing in some more PRAXIS prep time because it's creeping up on me.

I was a good girl and attempted to go to bed at 9 to avoid being a hot mess tonight but A-boy had to ruin my night. We've been off and on for awile now and I really do care for him but we both know how to hurt each other and that's what we're good at. I texted him earlier to see if he wanted to watch movies but he was already at the bar. Normally, this is not an issue because I like to go out as well but for certain reasons, (that I'm not yet comfortable getting into here) it is an issue with us.

It's undenyable that we both love each other but we're so much alike that we tend to destroy each other rather than operate as a team. I've tried to just quit him cold turkey and he's done the same but it never seems to work. There are times when I feel like I need to physically move away for awhile. I'm still considering teaching jobs out of town and Houston is still not completely crossed off my list so maybe a move could be in my future.

I know better than to try to reason with a drunk and I know better than to sit here and let it make me angry but knowing and doing are 2 different things. On a better note, I had an amazing workout today which made me feel a little less stressed about what's been going on. I did an hour of cardio and worked on abs. Tommorrow is cardio and arms. My right arm is still way stronger than my left from my serving days. I need to get my Wii Fit back from K because I've been wanting to try the Yoga program on there.

I have ADD but it doesn't have me!

I don't sleep well at night so the time I spent in my first 8-5 job was hell. I have always had a touch of ADD and have a million things going through my head at any given moment. Since I couldn't sleep, I decided to go through the bag of things that has been sitting at my grandma's since after Hurricane Ike. I picked it up today finally, and at 12:15 I start to get paranoid that I've got an expensive handbag in there and what if someone breaks into my car? (I get paranoid over the weirdest things at random times)

So I'm going through my stuff and I find:

My cute round toe plaid heels (too bad it's summer so I can't wear them)
My GRE study book and GRE word flashcard set (I'll get around to that after I get the PRAXIS over with)
2 almost full bottles of perfume (score!!!)
Half full bottle of tanning lotion
Extra set of headphones
Tanning goggles
Some cute file folders I bought to keep my insurance stuff together (I looooove office supplies!)

Since I haven't been able to shop due to taking a 3 week hiatus from working, I feel a little bit better but it still doesn't replace getting new stuff. I think that tommorrow after I go grocery shopping I will go to Target to get a fun summer bag to carry. I saw they had some cute yellow and bright green bags and since I'm going to be in the service industry again for a bit, I'd rather not carry an expensive bag to work.

I also have to work on my CASA case tommorrow. When I was getting paid for it, I used to get so frustrated at the volunteers for not following up on things, turning in reports, and so forth. Now that I'm just a volunteer, I see how easy it is to forget to respond to emails. But, I still don't miss the job or feel like I've made a mistake leaving.

Saturday Studying

Since I'm on my 3rd week of bein unemployed I had two options for this lovely Saturday.
1. Relax by the pool and attempt to gain some color while the neighborhood kids scream and splash or
2. Get to studying my PRAXIS material
Being that I am a big nerd as of late, I chose #2. I got a pretty good study book that outlines everything to have you ready in 7 weeks. Today, I took the 1st sample test in the book. It says to replicate the test environment as best as possible so I crated the furkids and set the timer for 2 hours. And Holy Lord Jesus, this is gonna be harder than I thought. I'm Early Childhood (Pre K-3rd) and I want to teach either Pre K or Kindergarten. "Everybody sit on the carpet while Miss M reads a story" and "ok kids lets color our farm animal color sheets before nap time" is right up my alley. This freakin test asks all kinds of crap about what year the Magna Carta was signed, tons of geography and plate techtonic crap, and the math portion has equations on it. I spent the entire 2 hours randomly yelling, " This #(@*%$*#(@ question is crap" "I don't $&%*$ know, and #%*$ the PRAXIS. I'm pretty sure that's not allowed during the actual test. I feel like I got knocked down a couple of notches. I have a B.S. so I know I'm not stupid but for Christ's sake, how can I teach when I don't know the answers? And since when to Kindergarteners learn plate techtonics?

After pitching my small fit, I decided to make a pot of coffee (at 6 in the evening no less). So as I sit here typing this, higher than a kite from all the caffeine and sugar I start to realize I've been on haitus from the gym for 3 weeks. I did spend a week in Houston so we're just gonna count 2 weeks I've been gone. I was doing so well and then everything just went to hell in a handbasket. So, Monday I will be bringing my somewhat larger ass back there.