Things are still ok. Finally, I have the feeling that things are finally coming together the way that I want them to. 

The job's ok so far and I (generally) can't complain. 

My grandmother came out of the hospital earlier this week. She's now on oxygen and is being further "encouraged" to use her sleep apnea machine. According to doctors, not only does she have kidney failure (she's on dialysis as it is) and breathing problems (hence her bronchitis and the need for oxygen), but she also has heart problems (that's a new one...). Sigh. She's still determined to party tomorrow (one of my aunts is hosting a birthday party for her, since her birthday is tomorrow--the 8th).

Things in other realms of my life are definitely changing. More on that one at a later date.

I miss my sweetie! But I'll see him again soon (not soon enough, but still...).

BTW...have any of you seen the crappy ad to get businesses to come to Michigan? They end it with "Michigan will give you the upper hand." And a small kitten dies every time they say it.

Does anyone know of a car rental company that doesn't punish you for being 24? Sigh...I'm going on a trip soon and need a car and the cheapest price I've been quoted is 205 (and that's with the under-25 punishment fee).

TGIF!

My grandmother spent the past weekend curled up in her chair, sick as a dog. When I say that, I mean coughing, hot and cold flashes, puking...the works. My mother took her to Kaiser in Camp Springs so she could see her doctor. The doctor basically said she needed oxygen (on top of her being sick) and that the only way to get it would be if she went to the hospital. So, she now is at either Washington Center or Holy Cross (I can't remember which).

I have yet to go see her.

It's nothing against her. I just have a phobia of doctors, needles and hospitals. A hospital, of course, neatly gathers all three of those phobias in one place. Although my family knows this, they always expect me to go to the hospital whenever someone is sick. On top of that, they like staying for HOURS (as in from the soonest they can get there until beyond visitor hours). It creeps me out.

Am I wrong for not wanting to go see her?

I've been meaning to update this journal since about the second or third, to be perfectly honest with you. The short way to explain why I haven't is the little thing called "I've been busy" or "I've been too tired to write."

The long explaination takes a bit more than that, though...

Around the same time that I wrote my last long entry ("Resolutions are for the Weak"), I surfed around Career Builder looking for a better paying job. In the middle of this search, I ran into two jobs that looked very promising, yet too good to be true: one promised pay between 16 and 19/hr and the other promised pay between 19 and 24/hr. What was this job, you ask? Administrative Assistant/Secretary work. So, throwing caution to the wind, I called the company to get more info about the two jobs. The lady I spoke to basically said, "Send us your resume and we'll go from there." About an hour later, I was asked to come in for an interview on January 2. When I went in for the interview, they asked me when I was available, I told them "tomorrow" with the assumption that they would hold off on putting me somewhere until the following Monday (which would have been the 7th. I thought wrong. They "just so happened" to find a place that needed someone to start the next day. Without batting an eye, I accepted the job and have now found myself working in Crystal City (a neighborhood in Arlington, Va.).

Now this is where things become slightly messy...

My dear cousin, even though I told her a week ahead of time that I had an interview and possible job offer, did not look for a babysitter to care for her kids. So, the day of my interview, she took the kids to her father's (my uncle's) for her parents to care for. She almost wanted to scream when I told her that I got the job and it's in Crystal City. Now, she's searching for someone to take her kids. Her old sitter, who originally said she'd take them back, ended up being full just before my cousin decided to ask her (the day of my interview) rather than when she should have (the week before). As it turned out, she asked on Wednesday and I think the woman accepted someone else the Thursday or Friday beforehand. BTW, I told her about the job the Wednesday before the interview. As my folks put it, "She worked as a temp, so she should've known how quick jobs come up!"

So here I am, sitting in this joint in Crystal City. Basically, I end up answering phones, straightening the conference rooms and kitchen, making sure there's enough coffee in the dispensers, sorting mail, having people sign into a book when they come in (some of them have to be "and occasionally making FedEx pickup requests. Nothing too back-breaking. I really can't complain about the place. Everyone seems pretty nice. My immediate supervisor is pretty cool and my boss is that much cooler. Heh...anytime you can sit around and play games online, listen to music and sip whatever (non-alcoholic) drink you want, there's no room for complaint. And for what they pay, I absolutely love the joint!

I guess that's it for the second. Talk to you guys later!

Like many people, I use the last few days of a year to figure out what is wrong with myself or my life and attempt to come up with ways to change those things. I make long-winded and (often) nearly impossible promises to myself that "this year is gonna be different" or the like. When I was younger, those promises sounded something like "I promise to be nicer to my brother and not torture him" or something related to that. As I got older, those promises all revolved around one issue: weight. I'm a woman...what do you expect?

However, every year, I manage to recommit myself to two major pledges: help those that I deem in need of my assistance and be as nice as possible to people that I come across in my journeys. For the most part, I am able to live up to those pledges. However, I'm human. I have things called emotions, mood swings, forgetfulness, bouts of laziness and the occasional sickness.

So why would I say resolutions are for the weak? Simply put...how many people do you personally know of actually keep their resolution the entire year successfully? How many people, by the time April rolls around, still remember what they promised themselves they would do (or not do)?

However, when someone makes plans or pledges, they tend to keep them more often. Granted, pledges and plans can be changed and otherwise manipulated. You have to admit, though, that once a person decides they are going through with a certain plan, they generally finish what they start...tweaked or not.

So I think, from now on, I am throwing away the idea of making "resolutions" and adopting the concept of making plans. Plans can be changed and tweaked as needed. Resolutions, however, tend to be promises. People have a tendency to break promises.

My plan for 2008 is to rededicate my life...to myself.

Guess that sounds selfish, huh?

To be honest, I spend so much energy trying to do things for other people that I often neglect to do things for myself. That's usually the case with a lot of people if you think about it. How else do you get people who remember Auntie Rose's most minute and severely detail-oriented mission but forget to take time to relax and spend time with themselves?

Basically, my plan is to take better care of myself...

I have a nasty habit of just grabbing "something" to eat rather than eating to satisfy myself and my body. Granted, I enjoy some of the things I end up grabbing. However, that overall enjoyment does not carry over to everyday eating and has led me to gain a lot of weight over the years. My plan is to eat out of enjoyment but, at the same time, find ways to incorporate better ways of doing it. I don't wanna diet. I just want to find better ways of doing things.

I also have a nasty habit of living a very sedentary lifestyle. Although I like going out and exploring, I don't take the time to do it very often. I also like jumping rope, playing basketball and playing those games similar to Dance Dance Revolution, even though I haven't done any of that in a long time. I have always wanted to take a martial art, like tae kwon do or judo. Much like everything else, I have yet to do it. So, I think I'm gonna try those things. At least a few times a week, I want to go outside and play. If I can't go out, I want to play DDR. I plan on signing up for and attending some sort of martial art class. If nothing else, I only have seven classes to go before I have completed both degrees. Maybe I'll squeeze in a martial art class once I return to school in August.

That reminds me...this not finishing school thing has really depressed me. So, come August, I am determined to get back in school.

I also plan to invest in that little thing called "me" time. In other words, find some time during each day to spend by myself. If I have to, I will schedule it in a planner. But I don't think asking for 30 minutes to an hour is asking for too much. I'd like to use that time to do things like journal-writing or just enjoying the sun.

On top of everything else, I have been neglecting the spiritual side of my life. Since I was a child, I have always had to go to church on a weekly basis. My family raised me to be a Catholic. As the years have passed, though, my personal sense of spirituality disagrees just enough with the Catholic Church that I wonder if I am Catholic or if I belong elsewhere. Three years after truly meditating and praying on the matter, I still haven't gotten much further than just saying "I don't know what I am." That's got to change. I need a way to express my sense of spirituality, whatever that may be. Perhaps a new church would help or maybe something like meditation. Whatever form it may take, I need to find out what it is and do it.

I also have a habit of both rejecting and embracing changes in life. Lately, I have flirted and borderline embraced both rejecting and becoming depressed about changes. Since I have done this, it's negatively affected how I go about my days and my overall physical well-being. I need to find ways to embrace every change that comes my way and, if those changes are negative, find ways to make those negative changes work for me rather than against me. Chances are, I will go through multiple changes within the next year...especially since I am moving out of my mother's home (finally) and will likely change jobs a few times. With that, I also need to learn the fine arts of money and time management.

I think that's everything, but chances are I have missed something. Heh. I did say I was forgetful, after all.

Feel free to share some of your plans with me and let me know what you think of mine!

A friend had this posted as their note on Facebook, so I thought I'd give it a shot. The way the game works is simple...rather than using words, do a Google Image Search that says or describes your answers to the questions.

1.) The age you will be on your next birthday:

2.) A place you'd like to travel:

3.) Your favorite place:

4.) Your favorite object:

5.) Your favorite food:

6.) Your favorite animal:

7.) Your favorite colour:

8.) The town in which you were born:

9.) The town in which you live:

10.) The name of a past pet:

11.) The first name of a past love:

12.) Your nickname or screenname:

13.) Your first name:

14.) Your middle name:

15.) Your last name:

16.) A bad habit you have:

17.) Your first job:

18.) Your grandmother's name:

As a custom of sorts, I read a site called "Offbeat," a blog written by Emil Steiner of the Washington Post. In one recent blog, he mentioned a list of crazy Christmas presents. This list includes a reserved spot in Heaven (which some religious folks have seemed to take offense to), an anti-ticket doughnut and...a gPod.

What's a gPod, you ask? Well, according to Offbeat's description, it's a toy that can be plugged into a cell phone and is activated by a person's sound waves. Yep, folks...it's a sex toy that plugs into your cell phone. The big stink about the whole thing is (obviously) Apple. Apparently, the folks don't like someone else using -Pod as a product name or that things outside of their control can be connected to the iPod. Rumors are beginning to fly around that Apple is going to sue, but (as far as I know) nothing has been confirmed.

All I'll say to it all is one thing...

How's that for "reach out and touch someone?"

Maybe this is either my tired or sick mind at work, but it makes me wanna see someone call a person who owns a gPod nonstop just to watch them lose their minds.