August 23

Why can't I just sit and write a post... I delay and delay, and then it takes me almost an hour to review everything that I like to write about. Yikes. I guess I can always run the highlight reel.





Joel gets here in 7 days, next Thursday, Woooo!!!!


I'm cutting grass a couple days a week to make some money. I cut with my little brother's company. I've become one with this little doll. The Toro Z-master. We have a good time together. Aaron, Matt and I cut 16 yards in under 7 hrs, with a lunch break.

I'm currently applying for jobs. I'll let you know if I hear anything positive. I'm sure I'll be so elated, I won't be able to stop myself from blogging. As of yet, no word. Guess I'm trying to get into a field where I was unaware there was such a barrier to if you have had no cash handling experience ever. Oh well. Perhaps one such place will take a newbie under their wings. I'm willing to learn!

Reading some books. NEED suggestions, please. I'm reading Siddhartha by Herman Hesse... My book shelf is low on urgent need to read material. Just finish Death of a Salesman by Aurther Miller. I could really take to that book. It was a good read.

The contest is going well, I am almost tempted to start another contest. I'm impressed by what the simple competition environment for losing weight is encouraging us to do. It's amazing. Losing weight is much easier in a group than by one's self. I make it to the gym everyday - while I don't have a job, I figure that is the least I can do - and I'm eating healthy. Course, I would have never believed it, but in our 3rd soon to be 4th week of temps in the mid-90's or higher, it really cuts the appetite. I just can't eat. It just sits in the stomach, blech.

My redone room is amazing. Joel got this adorable cherry finish table for it with four little chairs. They look like miniature ottomans that slide under it. It's great for games and puzzles. Plus, the little ottoman chairs with the suede finish have storage inside! I must put a picture up sometime as it is hard to explain.

As described above, it's hot. 98 out today. Hot again tomorrow. We're in for a 'cool down' this weekend with temps only reaching 85-88 for a whole two days before it warms up again. Gosh, how lucky can one place be. There are large cracks in the ground outside and all of the grass is dead, just dead brown... which leads me to the question of why we cut the grass still. But hey, it's a job and some people do water their lawns.

With any luck, I'll post more tomorrow on some of the random things I've found out in my joblessness time frame. :-p

August 13

Perspective changes:
I walked out today and was like, jeez, it feels great out here. It's 89 degrees. I guess a couple days of 100 degree weather will do that to you.

Yay! Tonight is Les Mis at the Muny.

Tomorrow is the start of a tournament for Joel, I, Laurel and Will - The Biggest Loser. Aug 14-Dec. 14th. We're going to see who can get to goal weight. For some of that, it means that we lose weight, for some, to gain. It should be fun. We each got scales to aid in the effort and progress will be updated as time goes along. It makes it a lot more of an incentive when others are doing it too, when there is a long enough time to make a difference, and when money is involved :). To the winner goes $80.

Joel leaves tomorrow, sad. But he comes back for Labor Day!

I'm joining the YMCA tomorrow! I hope to get in a few classes like Spinning and other things to keep me going. Should be lots o fun, maybe even get to swim and yeah, we'll see.

My refurbished room looks pretty, I'll have to post pictures.

Getting back into baseball craziness. I like to watch the games again :)

Found a great discount liquor place/ wholesale store downtown that makes me sad that I have ever paid so much for liquor anywhere else.

Doing some coin collecting - quarters. I'm trying to get a few full sets of the state quarters. By a few sets, I mean 5. They have people they are going to go to once I finish them. However... In total, 420 quarters - not 500 as the other states haven't come out yet, I'm about 140 shy. Those darn PA mints... There are Denver and Philadelphia mint marks and a full set has one from each state with each mint mark. Anyone want to help? I can exchange quarters!

Oh well, that's life for now.

August 12

Hi,It's hot here. 102 today... same yesterday. Though it has been around a hundred for 2 weeks now, it is not supposed to end just yet. Scorcher out there. Been helping out my brother the last few days since he is on vacation in Florida. It's 115 heat index there, so that makes me feel better about being out in the hundred degree heat here cutting grass. Between three of us and some big mowers, we cut 9 lawns yesterday and 16 of them 2 days before that. That's some good hours in the sun there. Made some money to keep me on track and then yesterday I went out and spent some of it on an accent rug for my room. One of a few quality improvements to my room that will eventually graduate with me into my own appt. - whenever that is. As I was cleaning my room for 3-4-5 however many days that turned into, I noticed some apparent holes. New bookshelf and different dresser. Carpet had come out on top as the one I had was a cheapo one from 10 years ago that had faded in the sunlight, and become badly stained as there has been a lot of traffic coming in and through my room in the past 10 years. Joel, who was one of the three helping cutting grass, chose to take his earnings and turn them into a coffee table/games table with 4 little ottoman size seats under it. I must admit, the price was right and it is adorable. I think we both made wise decisions on how to use our money. You know how nice it feels to get rid of things... to donate them and know you won't have to dust, move, or look at something again. I can see how it might be stressful to some, but I have totally enjoyed boxing up item after item, not to mention, that I don't remember even owning half of this stuff until I see it. Yesterday evening, I took to the bookshelf. The bookshelf??!?! Oh my. Well, yes. When you see things on your shelf dating back to third and fourth grade, how can you not think it is in for a refresh. Plus, anything I donated was going to my mother's school's library and they would keep some and put the rest in a sale to benefit the library. How can you not say... away with it! to that. I was able to donate a very large box of books and now the books on my bookshelf only just fit instead of falling over, bulging, can't have one more book added sort of look. Joel leaves Tuesday, saddness. Will, my sister's boyfriend leaves for Huntsville, AL, on Thursday and I have to move out my brother and sister the following Saturday. It's going to get pretty quiet around here. I'm going to have to get cracking on that whole job thing if I want to stay busy. There is a job fair downtown on Friday that I should make it to if I know what is good for me. I guess until then, I can always supplement with odd jobs for 'Young Professional Lawn Care', the official title for my brother's business. I did a clearing job with them a little over a week ago and there happened to be poison ivy in there, oh did I not miss that stuff. Just a little dabbling on me and it spreads to over 20 places, about makes me want to take off three of my fingers. Gross. Itchy itchy itchy. Though I must say, I do enjoy not having to worry about ticks. Ok, off to morning endeavors.

August 8 - posted late

Know what I’ve been doing? Cleaning my room. The last two days, I’ve been sorting, recycling, donating and pitching many things. It’s definitely a good thing. Did it really take two days, all day? Yes. I found a my little pony, stuffed animals, purses, and toys from throughout my childhood. High school and College papers, old floppy diskettes that undoubtedly have gone corrupt, shoes from high school dances, old crafts projects half completed and so much more. It was a trip down memory lane. The majority of the hours were spent in this room with the beaten down and faded purple carpeting and the purple colored walls. For relief, though it was short, I played Smash brothers with my brothers, sister’s boyfriend, and Joel. I now must take a moment to send a shout out to my dear boyfriend, Joel, whom I love dearly and who loves me, calls me a princess and treats me like one. Okay, back to the blog… I’m learning to play as this may have been the 4th time I’ve played in life and it’s mindless fun. Outside, since the weather has been over 100 each day for awhile now and will be through Saturday I think, we have a small 2 ft. tall, 8-10 ft. diameter across above ground pool that heated up to a wonderful temperature to swim in. Good for being outside and not getting to warm. I have also walked around the garden a little and surveyed the plants. Those were my extracurricular.