What the huh?

Anna says I "have to" get a date for her wedding (something about screwing up seating arrangements at the head table or something).

Here are the problems with that pronouncement, in no particular order (except maybe my own head-logic):

• Most, if not all, of my current guy friends already have girlfriends. (If they don't, I don't know it; nor do I know how to find out if the ones whose girlfriends I don't already know or know about are single or not without seeming nosy. I refuse to ruin someone's relationship out of ignorance.)
• Even if they don't have girlfriends already, I haven't known any of them long enough to even consider dating them even just casually.
• I'm going to be meeting new people in my class this semester (which starts--belatedly--tomorrow, provided school doesn't get cancelled due to snow again), but the wedding is only two weeks away, and I won't have known anybody in that class nearly long enough to even consider them friends, much less as possible romantic partners.
• Asking someone to be a date to a wedding is a big deal, and in my opinion, should only be done between couples who have an established relationship. It's simply not a "casual date"-type event, and even if it were, I will never go on a blind date, no matter who is trying to set me up.
• Two weeks does not an established relationship make.
• Finally, and most importantly, all of these reasons add up to: I would not be comfortable so much as asking a guy to come to Anna's wedding as my date, and it's kind of presumptuous of Anna to try and dictate my love life all for the sake of filling a chair. Granted, it is her wedding, but even so, requiring that people bring dates, no matter their current relationship status, is going too far.

I shall now say no more on the matter. On to a different topic:

Last Monday, I had an appointment with the allergist (as opposed to just getting shots), and he gave me some Nasonex and an order for a limited sinus CT scan.

The Nasonex was to help with the stuffiness due to allergies. Even though I thought I had a cold as well, I think it might've just been extremely, severely severe allergic rhinitis, because I've actually been taking the Nasonex as directed every day for a week now, and early this morning, I found myself breathing through my nose as I drifted in and out of sleep!

Dr. M (the allergist) is out of the office this week, but I'll call him next week to get the results of the CT scan. He had me get it because I've had problems with my sense of smell for years now--in other words, I don't smell much of anything. The most common cause of a lack of smell (and by connection, a dulled sense of taste) is an inflamation of the sinuses in the forhead area pinching the olfactory nerve.

So, since I've had this problem for years, and he hasn't had much luck treating it so far, he told me to get the CT scan to make sure it really is a sinus infection, and not some other thing pinching the olfactory nerve.

Last Tuesday, my first class was cancelled due to snow. I was supposed to have Intro. to Business on Wednesday evenings, but that class got cut due to insufficient enrollment. I couldn't choose another section of the same class, since they all clashed with my work schedule, so my only choices were: a) don't go to school this semester, or b) choose a different 3-credit class that I can go to.

I looked in the course catalogue for all the subjects that seemed interesting and also had sections after 5:30 pm on weeknights (none of the courses I looked at had Saturday courses, I think, and I've never had school on Saturdays before so I'm not intending to start now), and came up with an English course and an Art course that looked promising.

The English course (or at least the section I was looking at) was full, but I was lucky enough to get the last seat in the Art class (Drawing I). It meets Tuesday nights from 6-10pm. Sadly, that means that I won't be able to play in the Paranoia game that Matt from the Haven was planning to start, but c'est la vie.

You win some, you lose some, I guess.

I think I have a new show. Yesterday, I hung out in Mom's room for hours, and she was watching The Closer. The 4-6 episodes I saw (they were having a marathon) were pretty good, and I like the characters and stories so far--even though Kyra Sedgewick always looks like she's going to cry for some reason. Maybe once I finish watching my MacGyver DVDs (and have some extra money) I'll get caught up on the series or something.

I have a plan to save money faster so I can get a new computer. I'm going to stop buying lunch at Beans & Bagels (except for on payday, to treat myself) and pack all my lunches from now on.

In order to do this, I have to make sure that there is always bread, lunch meat/cheese, other stuff to put in my lunches, and cereal and milk for breakfast in the house. So I bought myself a mini-fridge from Sears (it's going to be delivered sometime this week) and a bunch of storage drawers from Wal-Mart (also to be delivered this week) so that I can keep my own food and drinks in them.

I have a box I'm going to keep apples, oranges or other whole fruits (not grapes, cherries or strawberries--those are strictly fridge-bound) in, plus a set of plastic drawers for bread, bagels and lunch-size chip bags, and a crate-like-thing for cereal boxes. My new fridge has a place for soda cans to dispense vertically out the bottom, which I think is pretty darn cool. I would've gotten the 6 cu. ft. model, but that was way too expensive.

I don't have any money to put anything in it yet, so I'll just have to set it all up and wait to get paid again. I don't think I'd get a tax return before my next paycheck, even if I filed them today, so I won't hope for that to come first.

Vacation - Part III

Thanks, Heather, for posting your little summary on your LJ--I'd almost forgotten the order of what happened the rest of the weekend.

Friday evening, after Heather got up, we went back to the mall. First, we went to JCPenney, where I got four sets of pajamas and two sets of long underwear. I also bought a set of pajamas for Heather.

After that, Heather bought us both pretzels and lemonade at Auntie Anne's, and we went to Zales, so that Heather could get the bi-annual cleaning done for her ring. While she was doing that, I bought a new pair of ruby studs with starter posts, since one of my original studs had gotten lost when one of my sisters borrowed them. I also bought a pair for Heather with the gem she wanted.

We went back to the pet store to coo over the puppies again--that husky was just so pretty--before we went back to her place again to watch the rest of Haibane Renmei. Then, we went to McDonald's to get some dinner, after Stephen got home from work later than usual due to a meeting.

Saturday, we went to the Cheesecake Factory for a late lunch/early dinner before Stephen went to work, and then Heather and I talked while I packed. We then went to Wal-Mart, because I needed a box to put my stuffed animals in from the fair--they wouldn't fit in my suitcase. I also bought a bunch of souvenirs, some bubble wrap, and packing tape.

After packing up the souvenirs and the stuffed animals securely in the box and putting my name and address on it in sharpie, I used Heather's computer to schedule a UPS pick-up for this afternoon. I'll get the box by next Monday at the latest.

Heather and I then went on the League of Women Voters website so that I could show her how to research the different candidates for the election and make an informed decision when she votes. We also decided which presidential candidate's ideas we liked the best, though it was kind of a tie. I can't remember whether we'd decided we liked Nader or Obama more though--we definitely didn't like McCain as much.

We were both reluctant to go to sleep, but around 12:30 I decided I'd better sleep. I woke up at 8am and got dressed, putting the last of my stuff in my luggage and carry-on before taking them both out to the car after I ate. Then I waited for Heather and Stephen to get up.

At nine, we headed to the airport. I followed Stephen and Heather in the car I'd rented, and once I returned it, they drove me to the terminal and walked in with me as far as the security gate.

The first flight was uneventful, except for the fact that we arrived in Atlanta early. Even then, I barely had time to use the restroom and get some food before boarding my next flight. I managed to finish my burger, but I was halfway through my chips (and hadn't even started on my cheesecake) before they announced they were ready to board.

I finished my dinner on the plane to Baltimore, and that flight landed early as well. I had a headache after that flight, since I hadn't bothered to chew any gum during takeoff and landing, like I did for the first flight.

Anna and Kayla met me outside security, and we went home in Anna's car. I un-packed my luggage, and had planned on balancing my checkbook and paying my bills, but I just wanted to lay down so the Excedrin would kick in, so I'm saving that for this evening.

I couldn't get to sleep until around four this morning. I took an Excedrin when I got home, but it wasn't enough, since my head was still hurting more than two hours later. So I took another one at that point. It didn't kick in until around two, but then the medicine head kept me up until at least four. I hate my head sometimes.

Another Weekend at the Parents' House

I spent the weekend at Mom & Dad's again. This time, from Friday evening to Monday morning. It was mostly fun.

Anna bought a new version of Monopoly at Wal-Mart. It was the Electronic Banking Edition. No paper money, just use credit-type cards in the machine provided.

There are no magnetic strips, just one or two indicator bumps on the side that goes into the machine. Depending on how many bumps and where they are on the card, the machine can tell which player is paying/receiving money. It's really cool, and the game goes much faster for it too.

On Thursday, I asked one of my classmates if he had the notes from last Tuesday's lecture. He said yeah, and asked if I wanted him to e-mail them to me. I told him that would be great, and gave him my FCC e-mail address.

He sent the e-mail a minute or two after the teacher started class (I know, because he told me to check my e-mail), but it's been four days now, and it still hasn't shown up in my Gmail inbox--I have message forwarding from FCC to Gmail. I think he may have misspelled my FCC address or something, so tomorrow night I'm going to give him my Gmail address instead, and hope it comes through this time.

Verizon and New Roommate Update and a Little Common Sense

Unfortunately, Verizon does not offer FiOS service in my neighborhood, so we're getting DSL instead. Not too shabby. I've signed up for the e-mail update when they do offer it. Also, since we can't get FiOS, we're not getting the new TV--it was part of the FiOS triple-play bundle. Bummer. Guess I'll just have to fork out a couple hundred in the next month or two so we can get a new TV for the living room (the one there now is Kayla's, and is leaving with her).

The phone line is officially working. We just need to get phones set up around the house. Kayla's leaving the few phones she has for us, since she won't have a line in her room at my parents' house. I might pick up a couple more at Wal-Mart after my next pay check comes in. I looked for phone jacks in my bedroom, but the dresser, the bed, and the nightstand were in the way and too heavy to move, so I couldn't see certain parts of the walls. I'm hoping that there is a phone jack in there somewhere, but if not, it's no big deal.

Monday night, I set up our voicemail, plus a sub-mailbox for each of us who are staying. I also typed out instructions for each of them to set up their sub-mailboxes, and on how to check the voicemail.

The DirecTV people are supposed to set up our house for service on Friday, if I remember correctly. But the DSL service won't get setup until the 19th at the latest. They've shipped the equipment necessary for it, but we're not supposed to install the equipment until they e-mail me and tell me that the service is ready, which hopefully won't actually take until the 19th.

We haven't found a new roommate yet, but there's a girl coming tonight to see the house, and we've had a different girl come to see it with her social worker who liked it, but I haven't heard back from her yet and I wanted to meet her before deciding whether or not she should move in. I'm hoping either the girl with the social worker or the girl coming to look tonight will be able to move in.

Somewhat-funny story:

Friday or Saturday night, I was sleeping, right? Well, Kayla was bored, so she decided--at four o'clock in the morning--that she was going to try and take her bed apart so that she could move it out of the house. She sleeps on the couch most of the time anyway, so she won't be needing the bed until she moves into my parents' house.

She woke me out of a sound sleep, and I couldn't get back to sleep either. You'd think she'd realize that since taking a bed apart makes noise, you shouldn't do it at four o'clock in the morning.

So, I decided I wanted to read, but in case I started getting sleepy again, I didn't want to turn on the main light in the bedroom.

Then I remembered the book light I'd bought a few years ago. I thought it was either in my desk, in the storage tub in my closet, or in the storage container on the floor at the foot of my bed--no dice. So, I just grabbed my flash light out of the desk and read with that.

I got half-way through my grandma's book (The Chimes of Resdorn by DonnaLee Wheeler) by about 6:30. Considering I was probably less than a quarter of the way through when I started, that's saying something.

I guess I'll just have to buy another book light.

Fresca tastes terrible when you have a temperature of 100.4.

I had a mostly-nice three-day weekend. Saturday was grocery day, and Anna helped this time, so it was a little more fun than usual. I got a Sprite at the cash register (shopping is thirsty work, so I usually grab one of those 20oz. bottles), and Anna got Green Tea with Citrus. I'd never had it before, so I asked if I could try some, and it was very yummy. I had another one either before or after dinner on Sunday, since Anna had a twelve-pack.

Sunday, we had tacos for dinner, and I got "volunteered" to cut up the meat (we had beef, chicken and pork, and the last two weren't ground at all). I'm terrible at cutting meat, especially when it's not frozen, so I had the knife held all awkwardly in my hand and got a blister about the size of a dime on my right index finger, just above where it meets my hand. It's mostly better now, but it gets a little sore if it rubs something.

Yesterday was Labor Day, so I didn't have to go to work, and I'll still get paid. Anna wanted to stop off at Hobbytown USA and check out prices for possible Christmas gifts, so she got to my house around 3:30-ish. I still had to start my laundry, so we didn't leave until about 4:30.

Anna got her prices, and I bought a wooden yo-yo, a set of marbles, and a jump rope to alleviate some of the boredom--and because I like yo-yos, marbles, and jumping rope, of course.

After that, we went to Wal-Mart (both of the local ones) to get some stuff for the barbecue at Mom & Dad's for the holiday. We went to Mom & Dad's, and then we had to clear the weeds and stuff from the left side (from the back) of the house so that Cali (Kimba's dog) could run around inside the new fence they'd put up. I was pretty tired at that point, and didn't really do much clearing out, but my nose was still itching all night long.

After dinner, Anna lit a bonfire, and she, Kayla, Amit and Jen S. all stayed out and talked while I went inside to the air conditioning. Around 9:30 or 10, everybody went home, including me. By that time, my nose was completely stuffed-up, and no amount of tissues would help. So I tried some nasal spray--which worked for about five minutes--and then gave up.

This morning when I woke up, my nose was even more stuffed. But I went to work, despite my misery. I didn't feel up to packing a lunch, so I figured I'd just go to Beans & Bagels for lunch and treat myself to a ruben just to cheer myself up a bit. That helped (rubens are my favorite type of sandwich, after all), and I still have some macaroni salad in the mini-fridge at the office that I can eat tomorrow if I get the munchies and don't feel like eating any of the cashews I bought on Saturday.

Anyway, I was feeling extra miserable by 5:00, and I was starting to think I might have a temperature, but I didn't have any way to be sure. So, I stopped at Wal-Mart on the way home and bought an ear thermometer.

Just my luck. I have a temperature of 100.4. I had thought it was just allergies (it is ragweed season, after all), but no dice. I'm actually sick. Blech. I knew it was a possibility that I'd get sick, what with all the stress of finding two new roommates in such a short time period, but I was kind of hoping to avoid this.

I decided that I would just take it easy tonight, and then if the temperature hasn't gone down (and I'm still feeling oogy) by the time I have to get up for work in the morning, I'll call out and then go to the doctor. I took some Advil around 6, since the bottle says it's a "pain reliever/fever reducer," and I've actually got a little bit of a headache to go along with the fever anyway.

A little while ago, I had three pieces of toast and some of the Fresca I'd bought on Saturday. The toast was fine, but the Fresca tasted like Alka Seltzer--yuck! I love Fresca, usually, but my taste buds are so out of whack now, it's ridiculous. And I dare not cook anything, 'cause I don't want to leave too many germs in the kitchen, since Jen S's niece and nephews are over a lot during the days when Kaety has to work.

Harry Potter and Other Manias *SPOILERS*

The rest of last week went pretty boringly. I had Friday off, and went to the doctor's office for an in-grown toenail (ouch!). It wasn't too bad, so she just told me to soak it with Epsom Salts and let it grow to normal length. We both agreed that surgery would be a last resort.

I spent most of Friday and Saturday at Mom & Dad's house. Friday, I was planning on seeing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with the rest of the family if Dad would take us, but Jason was still at Scout Camp and it wouldn't have been fair to him. So I just hung out and helped Anna with her homework for her computer and English classes.

Saturday morning, Mom called me around 10:15 out of a sound sleep (I'd stayed up until four that morning, reading--hey! It was a three-day weekend!), begging me to drive Jason home from the Stake Center. So, I did that, then went back home and slept until about 1:30.

A little while later, I went back to Mom & Dad's and waited for Dad to get home. It took until about 6:30 for them to decide that they weren't going to see the movie that day--they were going to see it on Monday instead. I couldn't see the movie on Monday, because I had an appointment at my allergist's office as well as my shots after work and I didn't know when that would be finished. So, I took Jason to the movie on Saturday.

The movie was okay, I guess. It's possible I was just too drained from waiting almost two extra days, plus having to do all that thinking to help Anna with her homework and such, but the movie left me more amused than awed. There were a few exciting scenes (the ministry battle was not one of them!), but overall, the movie kind of fell flat to me.

Not only did they shorten and convolute the ministry battle, but they also left out a great huge portion of Harry's end-of-year chat with Dumbledore. I was so looking forward to seeing Harry trash Dumbledore's office too! That, coupled with the fact that they left out a great many things in the battle (the brains, the time turners, etc.) which I would have left in for excitement's sake, made the ending kind of "ho-hum."

Ginny, as a character, was also jipped--again. Her only lines were "Reducto!" and "Expecto Patronum!"

Dumbledore's battle with Voldemort was kind of stupid as well. All they showed was lightning flashing between the two wands and connecting--no transfiguration of anything (although a few things did get shattered into dust shortly before Voldemort possessed Harry), no pieces of the fountain protecting Harry.

I'll have to see it again, just in case my energy levels at the time could have effected my enjoyment of the flick.

Sunday I went over for dinner, as usual.

Yesterday I had my appointment, and it was nearly 7:30 before I got home, so I stopped at Roy Roger's on the way and got a grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad and a vanilla shake--YUM!

The hymnal I'd ordered from DeseretBook over the weekend arrived last night as well, but it was late before I was finished beta-reading a Lois & Clark fanfic for a friend. So, I went to Wal-Mart to get a headphone adapter jack so that I could still practice on the keyboard without waking up the girls.

I practiced until 10:45, then took a shower and went to sleep.

Hot Diggity Dog!

So, last weekend was pretty boring. I managed to record Monsters, Inc. I also tried to record The Lost World: Jurassic Park, but it looks like it either got preempted, or I had set the timer for the wrong channel, because I only got three hours of shows like The Family Guy or The Simpsons. No matter. It's supposed to be showing again this coming Sunday, so I'll get it then.

Sunday, we had coldcut sandwiches for dinner at Mom & Dad's. Yum! Kayla actually had two sandwiches, which is an accomplishment, considering she doesn't eat much besides candy.

Yesterday was pretty normal. After work, it was so hot outside, and I knew I had to fill up the car soon, but it was just too hot. I didn't even go to Dr. M's office for my allergy shots.

Today I had my 2-year review at work. I totally got an awesome raise! Once I make the switch to my new bank, I'm going to have the direct deposit do $100 to my new savings account, and the rest to my checking account. I figure I should be able to visit Heather in Arizona, at least, by next Valentine's Day.

I was pretty bored this evening, after I finished figuring out my new estimated budget (I'll probably have even more than I figured on--it's a pretty conservative estimate). So, I decided to check out the neighborhood pool. I put on my favorite swimsuit, which is technically too small, but my other swimsuit has shoulder straps and could've fallen off easier. Then, I went swimming for about half an hour. After that, I walked back to my place, carrying my shoes, jeans and shirt and with a towel over my shoulders. I wasn't about the put my clothes back on over the bathing suit--I'd've been sweating like a pig before I'd walked a block!

When I got back, I was bored, so I thought I might play some piano. The angle was all wrong, because I had to stand up to play, so I got frustrated from the forced slowness of my playing. Then I realized, "Hey! I just got a raise! I think I'll buy myself a bench to celebrate!" So, I looked up some benches online, called the Music & Arts Center to make sure they had some, and went. I got a bench, a sustain pedal ('cause it doesn't sound like a real piano without one), and a music light. The light needs three triple-A batteries though, and I only have two. Maybe I'll go to Wal-Mart and get some.

Advice

A word to the wise: if you're going to be biking more than a few blocks to the grocery store, then eat breakfast first!

Seriously. I was out of milk, so I couldn't eat cereal on Saturday morning, and I didn't want any fruit--I still have half of a grapefruit and a whole bunch of honeydew in the refridgerator. So, I grabbed my waterbottle, and started on my way to Wal*Mart (to get some sunblock and a couple other things) before heading to Church Street so that I could find out how long the trip would take me.

Cumulatively (I made a couple of stops along the way) it took me about 40-45 minutes to get to the building where I work from my house. And by that time, I was--literally--about to pass out. I'm going to have to get into a little better shape before I even think about biking to work on a regular basis. That's kind of a bummer, because that was my main plan for getting into shape in the first place. Ah well. I guess I'll just have to try and go swimming (and bike to the pool) more often than I usually do.

When I got there, I called my parents' house, and asked Mom if her truck was working. It wasn't. So, I asked if Dad or Uncle Andy were there, but it was only Mom and Jason at home. I decided, belatedly, to get something to eat, so I told her that I was going to get some lunch at one of the restaurants nearby. She said she'd have Dad or Uncle Andy call me when they got home.

I walked the bike to Beans, Bagels and More, this little coffee/sandwich shop about a block from my work, and got a bowl of fruit and another bottle of water. Of course, I didn't actually manage to order right away, because there were people in line ahead of me and I had to sit down because I was starting to pass out again. I felt better after I ate though.

I sat outside at one of their little bistro-type tables to eat my fruit (a combination of cateloupe, strawberries and grapes), and sat there for a few minutes after I was done.

After that, I really was feeling a lot better, but I knew I wouldn't be able to make the ride back--it's mostly up-hill, and just that little bit of fruit didn't give me that much energy. Not to mention, my bike only shifts up, it's stuck in 6th gear (there are 7), and I can't figure out how to get it to down-shift--believe me, I've tried. So, I decided to walk the bike back home.

Around 6th street or so, I called Mom again to let her know not to worry about having Dad or Uncle Andy call. I made it to the pool house in my neighborhood (had to find out what to do about my pool pass--they said go to dearbought.com and e-mail the pool committee) an hour and twenty minutes after I left the restaurant.

When I got home, I was so beat that all I did was lay down and read for the rest of the day. I took a nap around 5pm, and then woke up at 9pm. Then I continued reading for another few hours before going back to sleep. I needed to buy a few groceries, but I just didn't have the energy to go to the store.

Sunday was Mom's birthday dinner (her actual birthday was on Saturday). We had Hawaiian Haystacks--yum! That was the first time, in the whole decade that any of us had lived there, that we'd had that particular meal at my parents' house. We'd had it before at Grandma's, but never at Mom & Dad's.

I took three containers' worth of leftovers, and then Kimba (who had come over to my place earlier that afternoon and was dismayed when I told her how far in the hole I am and that I still needed groceries) told me to talk to her before I left.

Anna, Jason and I watched Stranger than Fiction on Anna's computer/TV through a site that Patrick J. showed me a week or two ago. It was actually a lot better than I anticipated, and I was anticipating that it would at least be really good.

So anyway, I talked to Kimba as I was going to leave, and she, Dad and Anna gave me a whole bunch of food that was just sitting in the pantry, not getting eaten. They even gave me a gallon of milk. I probably won't have to go shopping for anything except butter and ground beef (they gave me Manwich and boxed mac 'n' cheese, but I forgot that you need butter for the mac 'n' cheese--the last three sticks I had from the banana bread got all moldy a couple weeks ago, so I had to get rid of them--and meat for the Manwich) for at least three weeks to a month or more.

When I got home from work/allergy shots yesterday, there was a whole bunch of stuff on the kitchen table. Jen C. was getting rid of some candles and a whole bunch of great movies. I took quite a few of the movies that were on the table, including VHS copies of The Day After Tomorrow and The Best Two Years. Now, I don't have to worry about recording the first one, and I have a copies of two of my favorite movies!

Adventures in Sandwich Eating

I meant to get a lot more done on Saturday than I actually did get done.

Friday night, I checked Weather Bug, and it said there was a 40% chance of rain the next day, so I didn't set my alarm clock at all for Saturday morning. I wasn't about to try riding my bike downtown, only to get stuck in the rain. Thing is, it didn't rain until Saturday evening. Argh.

When I did wake up, Jason called and reminded me that we still had to go to the library before next Saturday, so that he could return his books in time. Problem is, he forgot one of them, so he couldn't check any out. I wanted to get one of the nifty new library cards, that have a copy you can put on your key ring, but I didn't have any cash with me and replacement cards cost $1.

So, Jason pretty much just dropped of his books, and then I took him with me on my errands.

We went to Lowes first. I had to get a new cover for the light in the upstairs hallway. The old one had fallen and shattered a couple nights after I moved in, and Jen C. kept bugging everyone about it. Kayla and I were perfectly content to leave the light as it was, since replacing the shade part was not an absolute necessity, and we have more important things to worry about/spend our money on. But no, Jen C. just would not leave it alone.

Anyway, after Lowes, we went to Costco. I got gas, then we actually went inside the store, where I got a large bag of Doritos (for lunches), a honeydew melon (my fruit for this paycheck), and some Apple & Eve juices (also for lunches). Once that was done, we went to Wal*Mart for the rest of my groceries before I took Jason home.

I put the groceries and stuff away, then did a little bit of reading until aroun 6:30, when Anna came to get Kayla and me. Anna's birthday is this Wednesday, but she's getting surgery on her ankle today and won't be able to go anywhere without a wheelchair for at least three weeks after that. So, as an "it's the last free night you'll have before your birthday" thing, we went with her and Cashaw to Pittsburgh to get sandwiches from Primanti Bros.

Primanti Bros. sandwiches are pretty interesting. You choose what meat you want, and whether or not you want cheese (it's always provolone). The bread is always the same, and it's about an inch thick. Then, they put slaw and french fries right on the sandwich. I had a roast beef sandwich with cheese. It was good, but I think next time I'll have it without the slaw.

The drive there and back was fun. Cashaw is really interesting, and we had conversations about everything from banking to religion. He even said he might teach me to do photo editing once he gets his photography business up and running the way he wants it to be. We didn't get back to mine and Kayla's house until around 5:45 in the morning on Sunday. (We didn't get to the restaurant until around 11:30 or midnight.)

I didn't wake up until 3pm on Sunday, then I looked through this week's TVGuide before I left for Mom & Dad's house. Anna and I watched Smallville and it was over just as dinner--Indonesian Chicken, at Mom's request for Mother's Day--was ready.

After dinner, we all did various other things for a while, then Dad and I ended up watching Testaments in the living room while Jason played on his computer. Jason had to go to bed before the movie was over, and I left after the movie.

Good Times

I went bowling on Thursday with a whole bunch of people. Kimba and Anna had invited me, Kayla and Cassie to go bowling with them at Terrace Lanes. The bowling alley has Dollar Days from Sunday through Thursday, 9:30pm-midnight ($1 for shoe rental, $1 per game/per person), so I figured heck, I wanna go bowling!

I took a whole bunch of pictures, but only ten of them turned out even remotely okay. The rest were either too blurry or too dark to make out.

There were so many people in our group, we took up four lanes. I was on a lane with Anna (for the first three games), Cassie, and this guy Eric who I remembered from high school. Kayla didn't actually bowl whole games, but took over for Eric on a few frames.

I don't know how the scores went on the other three lanes, but I managed to get a printout for the lane I was at. Anna made us all have names that were for our opposite gender. We played four games total, before midnight, and here are the scores:

Game One
George (Anna): 90
LeeAnne (Eric): 103
Phil (Me): 78
Nathan (Cassie): 66

Game Two
George: 79
LeeAnne: 84
Phil: 85
Nathan: 89

Game Three
George: 90 (for a grand total of 259 at our lane)
LeeAnne: 96
Phil: 63
Nathan: 83

(Right before the last frame of game three, I broke my right thumbnail down to the quick, but it was still hanging on at one side, so I tried bowling left-handed. My turn was up, so I didn't have time to pull the nail off the rest of the way until the beginning of the next game. So, for the last frame of game three, I had two gutter balls.)

Game Four
(Anna was playing on two lanes, so she took her name off of ours so we'd have time to finish the game before closing.)
LeeAnne: 140 (Grand Total: 423)
Phil: 90 (Grand Total: 316)
Nathan: 106 (Grand Total: 344)

From Cassie's turn in frame 2 of game 3 until Eric's turn on frame 4, we had a streak of strikes. Cassie got one, then Eric, then me, then Cassie again, then Eric again, but then I only got a spare (but the spare was all ten pins in the second round of the frame, so it would've been a spare if I hadn't have gotten a gutter ball first).

Over all, it was a fun time. I completely missed Smallville though--and forgot to set the DVD-R to record it for me.

Friday was boring. 'Nuff said.

Today, I got up at about 11 (I meant to get up by 10), took a shower, and then paid the bills. Once that was done, I headed out to the Red Cross office on Thomas Johnson Drive to make a donation.

It was like the 6th time I've ever donated, so I knew the drill. But this time, it just kept stopping. The nurse said that it probably clotted, because she kept moving the needle (which was slightly unpleasant, but nothing I couldn't handle with a bit of distraction--such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), and it wouldn't just GO. So I didn't get to give a full pint, but it was mostly there.

After the obligatory stay in the cantina, I headed over to Mom & Dad's to pick up Jason for the library. He was at his friend Stephanie's house down the road, so I got his library books and his wallet from his room and picked him up there.

He checked out a few more books, and we went back to Mom & Dad's for lunch. While I ate, I watched Smallville from Thursday on the TiVo. Gotta love those season passes!

Once the show was over, I left to run my errands: Costco for gas, JCPenney for a couple necessities, and Wal*Mart for a few groceries.

Then I came back here to put everything away, and copied my pictures from my digital camera so that I could share them here (since Heather requested that I take them).

Busy Week

Monday was the usual craziness--I had to get my allergy shots after work, and then I had to wait until Jen R. was done with the machines so that I could do my laundry. I didn't get dry jeans until Tuesday.

After work on Tuesday, I stopped off at Fox's Sport & Bait store to get my bow re-strung. It was pretty cool. The guy there had this machine with four wheel things on it. Two of the wheels went on the outside of the bow, at the ends, and then the other two went in the middle of the bow, right where the arms join the handle. The two wheels in the middle got pushed down as the guy turned a crank, and that bent the bow enough so that he could get the string into place.

I also bought half-a-dozen Venture carbon arrows, and got to watch while the guy cut them to the right length (26 inches, as opposed to the 29-inch arrows I got before) and put in the inserts to hold the tips. I bought tips, of course, and a target.

It was about 6:30 when I got home, so I got some dinner and sat on the computer for a while. Then, a couple sisters from the Relief Society presidency came to welcome me to the ward and give me a list of all the sisters in the ward.

Yesterday, I actually managed to get home on time and managed to get in two rounds of archery practice before I felt hungry enough for dinner. The target kept jumping around whenever it was hit though--I think I'll grab a few bricks from my parents' back yard to help keep the target steady next time.

A while later, Anna showed up so that I could look at and beta read the next chapter of her story. But first, we went to Auto Zone so she could buy some new wiper blades, and to Wal-Mart so she could get a few other things.

When I was almost done beta reading the chapter, Kimba called Anna asking if she wanted to go to Kohls and get some new shirts. So, Kimba came over, and the three of us then went to Kohls. I tried on about five shirts, but none of them looked right, so I ended up just getting a new set of black sheets, so that I could put them on my bed when I wash the red ones.

Tonight, Smallville is a new episode, so I'm going to watch that. Other than taping two episodes of Phil of the Future though, I don't have much else to do.

Maybe I'll actually take some time and type up one or two of those fanfics I've been meaning to write. Or I could use the time to get even closer to the end of Anna Karenina, because seriously, it's taken almost two months for me to get through the first six parts, and that's just ridiculous!

Bored Again

My VCR/DVD player was kind of on the fritz--whenever I taped something on the VCR, it would always have places where the sound cut out, the picture was fuzzy, the video sped up for no reason, etc. So, I bought a new one. Only this time, I got a VCR/DVD-Recorder.

I decided to start over with the Phil of the Future taping, so that I'd get a better quality. It's a good thing that imdb.com lists all of the episodes, plus two weeks' worth of future air dates, or I'd be screwed until my TVGuide subscription got processed.

Eventually, I'm going to have to re-tape Kim Possible: So the Drama, A Valentine Carol, and Zenon: The Zequel too . . . but none of them are playing anytime in the next two weeks. I'll also have to get The Lizzie McGuire Movie. I found out today though that I can buy Kim Possible: So the Drama AND the other KP movie: Kim Possible: A Stitch in Time from Amazon, but I can't buy the others. Bummer. *shrug* It's not like I'm actually going to buy them anyway.

I also want a copy of Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and the third Zenon movie (I'm pretty sure there is a third one), even though I haven't seen that one yet.

I need to check my DVD of Hook to make sure I got all of it. I'm pretty sure I did, but I want to be sure because the DVD says it holds 2 hours worth of video at standard speed, but when the movie (and the two "making of" things afterward) were finished, it said that the time was 2 hours and 40-some minutes. I'm not sure what speed it was recorded at though. If I didn't get all of it, I'll just fast-forward (on the tape) to the place where it stopped recording (on the DVD), put a 2nd DVD into my new recorder, and let it roll.

Gabe at work sent me an invitation to this one file-sharing program/group which sounds like it's a lot better than LimeWire. I'll have to check it out later.

While I was at Wal*Mart last night, I also bought butter (I was out), a 16-piece set of dishes, and a 20-piece flatware set. I got sick of washing one each of my two bowls and two spoons every time I had to eat breakfast.

Sheesh! It's only 3:30, and I've been out of stuff to do since noon!