dilemmas.

dilemma number one.
james took my car key + house keys to work with him today.
i have a spare car key, but not a spare house key. i needed to leave, so i tried to run underneath the garage doors. yes. i tried them both. multiple times. but our garage doors took up the habit of randomly popping up when you are trying to put them down. yes. both of them. eventually i just went out the back door, which is easy to lock yourself out of because of the type of lock.
so yeah. i locked myself out of the house today.
as a result, i went shopping. :]

dilemma number two.
i had lunch with my friend mike today. at peg's, of course. :]
[this was the main reason i had to lock myself out of the house.]
anyway. we talked about how sometimes friendships can be more difficult than relationships.
the thing is... friendships shouldn't be frustrating.
and that fact makes it even more frustrating when things go awry.
it's hard to lose a friend. yes. but it's also hard when a friend stops acting like a friend.
so what's the solution?
who knows.

interestingly, garrett sent me a text tonight.
how very apropos after the lunch conversation.

dilemma number three.
i've had a scrapbook page in my mind for a while now. i know the photo i want to use, and i know one other element.
right now i'm in the phase where i just imagine this awesome page. i know it looks sooo good. but the truth is... i don't really *know* what it looks like. it's just this foggy abstract image in my mind. this happens a lot. and generally, my pages don't live up to that amazing expectation in my mind. ha.
when i got out the element i want to use on the page the other night... i realized it's so much larger than i've been thinking. so this page that is so awesome [although i don't actually know what it looks like] in my mind just might need to be a two page layout. yes. that's a dilemma for me. i don't really do two page layouts.
we'll see. maybe i can still make it work with one page. but the image in my mind is definitely not happening.

dilemma number four.
the red ink cartridge of the photo printer is causing major problems since i replaced it a little while ago.
this is usually the sequence of events when i try to print:
error message number 1: missing ink cartridge. there is no red ink installed.
umm. yes. actually there is a red ink cartridge installed you crazy printer. so i take out the red ink and put it back in.
error message number 2: you have two red ink cartridges installed.
umm. no. there is one red ink cartridge installed you crazy printer. so i take out the red ink and put it back in.
generally, one page will print at this point, then the process repeats itself.
but last time, two pages printed in a row. woot. i was thinking the red ink woes were over.
UNTIL I NOTICED RED DOTS OF INK IN VARYING SIZES ALL OVER THE SECOND PAGE. whaaaaat? and it happened to be photos of my niece, which makes me even more angry than the wasted ink and paper.
so. i don't know what to do. i guess i have to call the company or something, but i just don't feel like dealing with it. i've been so happy with the printer until this whole red ink ordeal. sigh.

double date + more.

on friday night, james and howie took deepa and me on a double date.
we ate at hiroba, which i always love.
then we went to chocolate bar because we had about an hour to kill before going to a movie.
luckily, deepa likes taking photos too. so i don't have to be the weird one of the group when i get out my camera. love that.
i don't really know what to say about that second shot. :] but just look at howie. perhaps he was a little tiny bit horrified? i'll let you be the judge.
we saw burn after reading.
i thought it was ok. i guess i would watch it again if it happened to be on tv or something, but i wouldn't really pick it out as a move to watch. does that make sense? it just wasn't nearly as good as i thought it would be.
anyway. it turned out to be a really fun night. :]
good job boys.

on saturday, james went to visit a pharmacy school in california with one of his friends.
i think it was an informative visit, and if nothing else, it gave him a little kick in the pants to get to work on applications. he started them today and made pretty good progress.
good job james.

as for me... i just had work all weekend.
i missed out on sarah palin's visit to carson city. i think it would have been a good experience to see her talk. [add that to the growing list of reasons i don't like my job. ha.]
last night, i stayed for the late night crop at the store. that means i was there for thirteen hours. yikes. i didn't really get anything accomplished, but i had fun hanging out and helping jeanne and julie get their pages done. julie is new-ish to scrapbooking, so jeanne and i had tons of fun being a bad influence on her. we showed her all of the latest and greatest papers and steered her away from the older stuff. ha.
good job girls.

tonight james and i went to target because helix was running low on food and bones.
he has been going crazy at night ever since that raccoon visited us a while ago. i'm not sure if i mentioned the return visit of a raccoon maybe a week ago? it seriously sends helix over the edge when the raccoon is in the back yard. every night he goes to the door and just watches. and he usually goes a little crazy even when nothing is out there. i don't really know what to do to help him get over it. poor little guy. but bones seem to help take his mind off it.
good job bones.

pause for a moment today.

i took this photo in chicago.
when i looked up and saw all of those flags, it was certainly a patriotic moment.

i'm thankful to be and american.
i'm thankful for our freedoms.
and i'm thankful for our troops.
not just today, but everyday.

still, it goes without saying that today is an important day to take some time and think about america.

clean slate.

i tried this once before, but ended up changing it back to black.
this time i think it will stay. :]

last night, we had a mini reunion with some of the biochemers...
on the way to eat at genghis grill, deepa, radhika and i were talking about how we basically feel like crap because we aren't doing anything productive with our time right now.
deepa works at a doctor's office, but says the ladies she works with are convinced she doesn't know the alphabet, so they won't let her do anything = lame.
radhika is unemployed = lame.
i work at the scrapbook store = lame.
mike is unemployed = lame.
really, james is the only one doing something with his degree. ha.

so yeah. in a way, it was nice to hear that i'm not the only one struggling with the downtime.

after dinner, we made a stop at tapioca express, mike gave me a mini pineapple that his parents grew in hawaii, and we went back to deepa's house. mike left and james went home to sleep, but the girls stayed for a while for a good session of girl talk. conclusions from our conversation:
-maybe girls are crazy at times. but boys should just know that and know how to handle it.
-for the most part, boys don't know know to handle it.
-genghis grill + tapioca express = grumbling tummies all around. HA.
-when you live alone or are home alone, chances are you can freak yourself out.
-if you happen to see your neighbor pointing a rifle towards your yard, it's a good idea to take photos of him to later show the police.
-the white poodle on campus isn't training for the iditarod, he's probably just that man's companion.
-if you drop a jar of pickles, don't throw the bag of trash from cleaning it up into the trash can in the garage if you want to be able to walk into the garage before the next trash day. especially when trash day was that day. instead, put the bag somewhere outside where no one will have to smell it.

anyway. james has to go back to work tonight around 8 because his experiment failed today. that's the way research goes pretty often, but that doesn't mean it's not frustrating. poor guy. but he's on his way home now with chili's for dinner. yum. it's hard to want to cook when they make it so simple. ha.

mandee's email.

this came as an email, but i've decided to post my answers on my blog so that maybe i can look back at it at somepoint. :]
and besides... i don't feel like going to sleep yet. ha.

who are you?

directions: place an x by all the things you've done (remove the x from the ones you have not). then answer the questions at the end.

( ) gone on a blind date

( not without permission. i was a rule follower. ) skipped school

( ) watched someone die

( ) been to canada

( ) Been to mexico

( x ) been on a plane

( x ) been lost

( x ) been on the opposite side of the country

( ) been to washington, d.c.

( played, but not swam since i cannot swim ) swam in the ocean (pacific or atlantic)

( x ) cried yourself to sleep

( ) played cops and robbers

( x ) recently colored with crayons

( x ) sung karaoke

( ) paid for a meal with coins only

( x ) done something you told yourself you wouldn't

( x ) made prank phone calls

( ) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose

( x ) caught a snowflake on your tongue

( x ) danced in the rain

( x ) written a letter to santa claus

( ) been kissed under the mistletoe

( x ) watched the sunrise with someone you care for

( x ) watched the sun set over the pacific ocean

( x ) blown bubbles

( x ) gone ice skating

( ) been skinny dipping outdoors

( x ) gone to the movies

1. any nick name? ames, aimers, amylopectin... probably more too, but it's late.

2. mother's name? she goes by debbie.

3. favorite drink? vitamin water is always good... it's sort of my staple. i enjoy tea a great deal too.

4. body piercings? nope.

5. how much do you love your job? hmm... love? not at all really.

6. birthplace? reno.

7. favorite vacation spot? always love a visit to the city. disneyland with the family is good and so is vegas. i guess my dream vacation right now is either europe, korea, or hawaii. :]

8. ever been to africa? nope.

9. ever eaten cookies for dinner? yep.

10. ever been on tv? yep. a couple times for science fair stuff. one time that was played as the current event during government senior year of high school. ridiculously embarrassing.

11. ever steal traffic signs? nope.

12. ever been in a traffic accident? traffic... no. garage door... yes. twice.

13. drive a 2-door or a 4-door vehicle? four.

14. favorite salad dressing? balsamic vinaigrette is nice. thousand island is fun to dip croutons into. :]

15. favorite pie? peach pie made by grandma. :] second favorite would be apple pie from ikeda's. third favorite would be blueberry pie from record street, but they are out of business now.

16. favorite number? four.

17. favorite movie(s)? ack. i can't think of any right now! recently, i liked penelope and of course satc. of course i love the audrey hepburn movies. what else... i like the ocean's movies because james will watch them with me and they aren't so violent. i can't handle too much violence anymore.

18. favorite holiday? i like thanksgiving or any holiday where the whole family is together.

19. favorite dessert? i'm a dessert lover. cheesecake, tiramisu, chocolate fondue, brownies, mochi. yum.

20. favorite food? hmm... lemon chicken is probably my favorite thing that i can cook. but i love good food, which means we eat out a lot. ha. lately i've been in the mood for thai and korean.

21. favorite day of the week? friday. :]

22. favorite brand of body wash? lush.

23. favorite toothpaste? crest.

24. favorite smell? cookies in the oven at grandma's house is a hard one to top. rain is nice. oooh. and clean clothes.

25. favorite thing to do to relax? movie night.

26. favorite song right now? i've been listening to "silver lining" by rilo kiley on repeat lately. also been listening to andrew bird and thom yorke.

27. how do you see yourself in ten years? hmm. hard to say right now. i'd like to get married, have kids, and get my ph.d. and teach. we'll see.

28. the farthest place you will send this message? i don't know. depends on who reads my blog... and i have no idea who reads my blog aside from alyssa, mandee, and may.

29. who will respond first? who knows if anyone will.

whose house?

yes. i watch [and love] run's house.
i can't help it. :]

i have this sticky note on my dashboard [it's a mac thing] that says "don't let your happenings destroy your happiness."
jojo said it to angela one day when she was feeling what i interpreted to be a little bit blah. [sounds like someone else i know lately.]
really, it's a pretty fabulous line. and it's something i need to remind myself of right now.

but really. today was, in fact, a better day.
work was actually ok. i made an entire layout, progressed in my gre book, and had a double chocolate chip frappuccino for lunch. sweet deal.
after work, my dad grilled steaks. that cut in to my plans with deepa to go to genghis grill for girl talk about her epic night last night, but she came over and ate here instead. richard was here for dinner too. so deepa and james were subjected to my dad and richard talking politics, which always makes for an interesting dinner. :] [have i mentioned that i am getting so energized about this election season? i know you're not really supposed to talk about politics with friends. whatever. deepa and i debate about it all the time, and at the end of the day, we still love each other.]
deepa, james, and i headed all the way out to tapioca express after dinner. it's an addiction. seriously. deepa and i can't get enough. and this time, they properly sealed our cups with the plastic film. even better. and this time, i went for some boba. even better. and this time, we talked about jon and kate plus 8 on the way home. even better.

now it's time for 3 days off work. woot.
time to make some serious progress on the to-do list.
but first, i guess i better get some sleep. :]

nap = bad.

i should not have taken that nap today after work because i cannot fall asleep now.
ugh.
but i was exhausted.
the store is now open on saturdays. today was the first. so we had another sale, which meant nonstop customers.
and i was working alone.
ugh.
not sure how much longer it will be until i am done with that.

last night, my brother called because baby victoria was throwing up nonstop. he was home alone with her because amanda is on her e.r. rotation, which means 12 hour night shifts. i was so sad to hear that victoria was so sick, and i can't help but feel that being in daycare is the main reason behind her being sick all the time. so. i asked my dad if he thought that i should move down and take care of her so she doesn't have to go to daycare. he replied with something along the lines of: "i think you should get things on track for your future."
ouch. not what i expected to hear.
i'm working on it, dad. but thanks for the reminder.
i know he's not disappointed in me. but i think he's disappointed in what i'm doing right now. he's always encouraged me to work up to my full potential. and taking a year off isn't something that will ever be worthwhile in his eyes. it's not something that he ever really approved of for me. so no matter how many professors told me it was ok... it's not feeling so good right about now.

anyway. i guess i'll go read my book for a while.
i hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend. :]

p.s. i'm sad that i missed out on the balloon races because of work.
another reason to add to my list. ha.

sweaters + scarves.

with a little bit of wishful thinking, i put on a sweater and scarf tonight.
wishful for two reasons:
1. i was hoping it would be nice and cool outside.
2. i was hoping that james would want to go to starbucks.

he didn't, which made me realize that i don't need the calories anyway. ha.
so i took off the sweater and scarf. ah well. maybe soon it will be time for sweaters and scarves. i sure am ready.

and on the note of wishful thinking, i made a daily chore cart of sorts for myself on september first. yes. it's very first grade, i realize that. but i need to get with the program, and i think having this piece of paper to look at each day will help me.
i have yet to obtain a check mark in every box for any of these first three days of september. sigh. but i am making small steps. and i guess there's still time for today. :]

one of the things that stood between me and getting the check mark in the "study" box today was that our wireless internet is not working. the program i've decided to use in order to study calls for a preliminary exam online to identify the areas you need to work on versus your strong points. this makes sense to me, so i don't want to go ahead in the book without taking the preliminary exam.
that's classic amy for you. can't do things out of order. can't read ahead in any book, not even a study guide.

you may have noticed that i found a way around the internet problems in order to blog.
of course i did. procrastination is another classic amy trait. :]
i need my laptop to take the exam, but my dad's computer is totally available for me to blog.

tomorrow begins a four day stretch of work. eww. i didn't sign up for that. no i did not. but somehow i just get suckered into these things. i'm realizing more and more that working that job is not what i want or need to be doing right now. but it's such a simple job, that it makes it hard to walk away.

ok. i'm going to finish watching the fish versus nadal tennis match and see if i can get a few more check marks before heading to bed. :]