spygirl

Hopalong Cassie

2006-10-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's my new name. I went to the doctor today and my sprain is not getting better. So I had to get a cortozone shot (OMG. OW. OW. OW.) and now I'm wearing like this walking cast-boot-thing. Very attractive. But I do walk better in it. She said that my foot is just so inflamed right now, just wear this and take the Advil. I have to go back in 3 weeks and we'll go from there. Sweet!

I need to figure out what to do with myself. Dona tells me that I need to stop internalizing work and being so stressed out. I'm extremely emotional and take everything way to hard. I'm starting to feel the way I did before my vacation, extremely agitated and tense. Then I gave myself a panic attack and hives. Now I'm getting migranes and can't relax. I don't now how to let go. Everyone else has something or someone else outside of work; I don't. I need to figure something out soon or I'm going to crack.

I did get to go to the movies with Aaron on saturday. We saw Man of the Year. The best part was just escaping for 2 hours. We saw some good previews; hopefully I'll get to see them in the theater. It had been like 2 months since I had seen my last movie. I need to do more stuff like that. It was nice to hang out with Aaron.

I'm not even watching as much tv as I used to. The only things I really watch are
1. Desparate Housewives
2. How I Met Your Mother ( Ok, I admit it- I like this show better than Friends.)
3. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip ( I love this show!)
4. Gilmore Girls
5. Dancing with the Stars
6. My Name is Earl/ The Office
7. ER
I know that seems like a lot, but it's like half of what I usually watch. Ok, well, I'm going to go attack some more of my room before the exhaustion consumes me for the evening.

owwwie!

2006-10-10T10:56:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well, where to begin.... Ok, so I FINALLY went to the doctor. (My friend Melisa dragged me). The aching and swelling in my foot had turned into a burning,pulling sensation accompanied by stabbing pains in my toes. So a couple hours and a few x-rays later, I was diagnosed with an extreme sprain and have to go for a follow-up next week. My course of action right now is to wear this lovely shoe contraption. And take lots of Advil. FUN! Funny note- The doctor was looking at my xray and asked me if I had ever broken my foot and I said no. He said "Really?" And I said well, maybe a toe or two, and he said that there was evidence of an old fracture- not where my injury is now- that had somewhat healed. I have no clue when or how it happened.

I went up to Flagstaff this weekend and took some pictures of the fall leaves. It was so chilly. It snowed that night after we left. It was so pretty though.

I got my shelves from Ikea. The cabinet was really easy to put together. But the shelves- OMG. At first, I'm like, oh yeah, piece of cake. Maybe 45 minutes. Almost 3 hours later, I'm still struggling and finally my brother had to help me. I was so exhausted and my arms hurt so bad afterwards, I just collapsed on the couch and watched the last 9 episodes of season 2 of Entourage.

Well, that about sums up my life right now. Just work and exhaustion. Some day I'll do something fun.

Is there a 12-step program for workaholics?

2006-09-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hi, I'm Mandi- and I'm a workaholic. (Hi, Mandi.) I don't know what's wrong with me. I have worked at least 11 hours a day the past 4 days and at least 9-10 the 4 before that. And it's not even Christmas yet. But between Dona being on a much deserved vacation, people calling out or just plain flaking out (I don't EVEN want to talk about that), and having 50 bejillion things to do, what's a girl to do? And on top of all that, I have a gray hair. I'm 27 and I'm going gray. Worst part is, I wasn't the one who discovered it. Jessica was walking past me and noticed it. Great. Fantastic.

Ok, so I do want to talk about calling out sick. Everytime anyone of them have a sniffle, they're on the phone "I'm siiiiiiick." We finally told them that at Christmas, there's NO SYMPATHY WHATSOEVER. Get your butt to work. We'll have hand sanitizer, vitamins and cough drops. And Lysol galore. This past week, Shandy has had a monster "allergy attack", Melisa came back to work 2 days after jaw surgery, and I have had a migraine, monster cramps, and my foot hurts so bad I just want to chop it off. But we have responsibilities. They just need to suck it up. No more cry-babies.

So now it's my day off and I think I'm just gonna sit on my butt and start watching season 2 of Entourage. I love that show.

God Bless America

2006-09-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

Livin' it up like a illegitimate Hilton

2006-09-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

I know I'm slow, but here it goes. I'm doing this in sections because- well, they're my pictures and I do what I want. So, these are my pictures of the fabulous Doubletree Hotel, my most favorite hotel in all the world.
Pretty Swanky digs, huh? I loved the bed. It had Down everything. If I could have figured out a way to pack the bed in my suitcase, I would have.

I was just playing around with my camera. I never get to use it, and I had so much fun playing around the pool. I just wanted to share some of my masterpieces with you.

Me & Audrey Hepburn

2006-08-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

I'm going to post my pics but, first I have to tell you something amazing. On Tuesday, I was summoned up to my store, but kept out of the back room. Then they finally left me in, where everyone was grinning and giggling like huge goofballs. Dona started singing some crazy song she made up [like she always does :) ] and presented me with a cake that looked suspiciously like a certain kind of jewelry box. Then I was handed.... A TIFFANY"S BAG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, that's right- I got my Tiffany's bracelet! Everyone at work pitched in and got it for me! Isn't that sweet? Do you know how long I have dreamed of having a Tiffany's bracelet? I love it, I love it, I love it!

Mandi's Funtastic, Fantabulous O.C. Adventure

2006-08-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh. I just had the most fantabulous vacation ever. In the history. Of the world. I don't even know where to begin. I took tons of pictures (like 8 rolls of film) but I can't get them developed until tomorrow so I'll post those later, but until then, here is my travel journey..... *cue cheesy travel music*

Friday- I woke up super early and finished packing. I got dropped off at the airport 3 hours before my flight. I love airports. I just sat and read and talked to Dona, Shandy and Jars before I left. My flight was great, other than the fact I couldn't have my lipgloss. Do you ever notice that you don't need something until you can't have it? I was kinda worried about checking my suitcase, but I got my bag okay and set off to find my shuttle. I got to my hotel (The Doubletree Anaheim/Orange County) about an hour and a half before check-in, but they let me check in early. The moment I walked in through my room's door was the exact moment I decided that I want to just travel for the rest of my life. I absolutely love flying and I love staying at hotels- they're so clean and relaxing. I unpacked and changed and decided that since I was staying at an off-shoot of the Hilton chain, I was gonna live it up like Paris's illegitimate cousin. I ate some grub at Wendy's and set off for The Block,which is an outdoor shopping center. I spent about 3 hours there, just looking around. I started getting tired so I went back to the hotel. Ok, this kinda fits in but kinda doesn't but here it goes. I came to a horrifying conclusion- Orange County doesn't have Dr. Pepper! I only had 2 the entire weekend, which I paid like $3 each for, like they had to import them in. And only 2 places that I went to had Mr. Pibb, which is what I'll settle for. Which only left Coke-Gross. My only other complaint is that LA's radio stations suck and horror of horrors- they don't have a country station! But my room had an alarm clock/stereo that I could hook my mp3 player to and rock out to Kelly and my boys(Rascall Flatts), just like at home! Yeah! Anyhoo, I took a bath and ate some dinner and ordered X-Men: The Last Stand on pay-per-view. Pretty good flick. And then I crashed in my comfy, 5 down pillow-ed bed.

Saturday-
I woke up, refreshed and ready to start day two of my exciting journey. I got aboard the hotel's shuttle and set off for the happiest place on earth! I haven't been to Disneyland since 1999. They hadn't even opened California Adventures yet. I got my park hopper pass and began my day. I took both my cameras with me and got some pretty cool pics. I just love walking around the park; it just makes you smile. I actually rode a lot of rides. I went on Star Tours, Mr. Toad's Bumpy Ride ( that one just cracks me up; I don't know why), Indiana Jones, Soarin' Over California (C.A.), Mulholland Madness (C.A.), and my absolute favorite, Thunder Mountain Railroad (3 times!). I was there from 9 am to 11 pm. I had to get a locker to put all my stuff in. I got soooo much stuff. I had so much fun but I was sooooo tired. I wanted to stay til close, but I just couldn't do it. I rode the train around the park and then my Disney adventure was complete. My feet were swollen, my shoulders ached, and , as I discovered when I got to my room, sunburned. But it was worth it. Lately I burn in really weird patterns. Saturday I burned on my nose, a strip on my forehead, and a strip on each arm where my shirt ends. Freaky.

Sunday- My Birthday!!!!!
I slept so hard. I took it easy in the morning, just getting b-day calls and texts from my many fans. I called for a cab and set off for the nearest beach, which just happened to be my favorite, Huntington Beach! My cab driver was really nice. He asked how long I wanted to stay and then came back for me. The beach was amazing. I seriously almost cried when I got there. I ate breakfast at Ruby's Diner at the end of the pier and then just walked around, taking pictures and getting shells. It was so amazing; I can't even describe it. I went to a couple shops on the pier and picked up a few things. My driver came back and I went back to my room where I watched Jersey Girl and went over all my treasures. And then I took a shower where I discovered while shaving that my legs were sunburned. OUCHHHHHHH!!!! I got another cab, this time with a really creepy driver and set off for The Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim (home of The Mighty Ducks) to spend my birthday evening with my Season 5 American Idols. It was an awesome concert. Made even better by the fact that theyserved Pepsi there! Yes no Coke! The fact that I'd spent more time in the sun in the past 2 days than I had in the past 2 months was catching up with me and I was exhausted when I got to the hotel. But I had to start packing and that's when it hit me- I went crazy with the shopping. I was beginning to suspect it might be easier just to move my stuff to Cali, but fortunately I discovered that my suitcase has a hidden zipper that when unzipped, expands the case an extra inch and a half. Luckily that made all the difference. I did have to buy an extra tote bag for a carry-on but what can you do? Satisfied with my work, I collapsed in bed for the night, watching Seinfeld and Sex & the City.

Monday- I just took my sweet time. I finished packing, took a shower and just watched tv. I got a later check out time because my shuttle wasn't coming til 3:45, so I didn't have to be out of my room until 2. I checked out, stored my bags at the desk and headed back to The Block, where I went to Borders and ate at Johnny Rockets. My shuttle arrived at about 4 and I checked my bag at the airport, got my first starbucks in 5 days (Ahhh), and settled in with a book. I was a little sad to be leaving, as I had had the best time of my life, but I knew it had to come to a close. I got to sit by the window (YES!) and as we took off, we flew over the ocean and the sun was just kinda getting to the point where it was thinking about setting. It was the most amazing thing I have EVER seen and it was the perfect way to end my journey. I was met at Phoenix by Dona (who I hadn't seen in almost a week prior to my trip) and she kidnapped me and we met Jars at Applebees. Then I came home and collapsed.

So it was the most perfect trip ever. I got to do all the things I wanted, when I wanted, proving that you can go on vacation by yourself in a big city without a car. And I got to do ALL my favorite things- Fly, stay in a hotel, go to a concert, take pictures, read and walk on the beach. I learned I can be by myself and have fun. I also realized that there are some things that I need to do in order to have a happier, more fufilling life than the one I have right now. But more about that later. I'll post pics as soon as I can.

Just some stuff

2006-08-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, so after two weeks, I finally watched Pride & Prejudice, and..... I loved it. It was really well made. And it just further proved my theory that I need to move to England so I can have a British husband and British children. I've decided that I'm going to marry Mr. Darcy. Not the actor- actually Mr. Darcy. I don't know how but I'll figure it out. I love the way he talks- :I love you- most ardently." "You have bewitched me, body and soul. I love, love, love you and from this day forth cannot be away from you." Wow.

So Phoenix is really great most of the time, except for when it actually rains. The streets were not designed for drainage. We had a monsoon storm yesterday morning and I swear there was like 3 feet of water in the street. I was reminded of a little girl I used to babysit. It was raining REALLY hard, and as she looked out the window, she asked nervously "Shouldn't we be getting on an ark right now?"

I feel really old. The other night my mom was asking how long Jay Leno had been doing The Tonight Show and I said that I thought it had been since I was in junior high, and she said so about 15 years. And I just cringed. Yikes.

Well, I'm off for my last day of work before my trip. I'm so excited.

Call Me El Diablo- That's Spanish for Fighting Chicken

2006-08-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

* Before you think I'm completely crazy- that's from Talladega Nights: The Story of Ricky Bobby. It was very funny. Not quite as funny as Anchorman, but hey, it's pretty hard to top the best movie ever made. But it had some hilarious moments. Like the crash scene. And the outakes.

* So the first 4 days of Operation Happy Mandi have been successful. Monday was the first day when I started with the haircut and deciding about my plan. Tuesday I went to see Ricky Bobby and shopping and it was fun. I got some make-up at Sephora, a really cute watch at Nordstroms, went into the best Barnes & Noble I've ever seen, and walked by the Coach store and dreamed. All in all, a good day.

Wednesday and yesterday, I fixed my hair and did my makeup and even wore my contacts. The days went pretty smoothly. I stayed in a good mood both days, in spite of certain issues (ie employees calling out and girl stuff). And last night, I went out to dinner with Jme and the kids. They have gotten soooo big. I was so tired last night I just went to bed when I got home. But I'm really trying.

* Movies I've seen the past few days: America's Sweethearts ( I adore John Cusack) , Failure to Launch ( It's Champagne Thursday!) and Beyond the Sea. That one was interesting. It was kinda weird the way it was shot, but I liked it. Kevin Spacey did a good job.

* My plans for the day include fighting with my magazines, starting a list for my trip (1 more week!), and reading. Pretty eventful day.

The Queen of Funk

2006-08-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

I have been in a major funk lately. I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm gonna be 27 in less than 2 weeks (Gulp!) or I'm having a massive allergy attack at the moment or work is just , I don't even know anymore or maybe it's the fact that all my books, magazines and clothing have taken over my room and are threatening to kick me out. All I know is that I have been majorly irritable, and bitchy. I can't even stand to be around myself; I don't know how anyone else can. I had 2 panic attacks not last week, but the week before. One was just a little one, but the other one was bad. I don't know what's wrong with me. But it's gonna stop. I need control of my life again. I need to make myself go out. All I do is work and come home and watch movies. Well, last Friday, I went to dinner with Shandy and her sister and then we went to see Step Up. That was a start. (BTW, It was actually a good movie.) I got my hair cut last night. I haven't been doing anything with my hair lately or wearing much make-up. But that's gonna change- cuz if I look pretty, I'll feel pretty. At least I won't look like a fat slob. My hair is so cute; it looks like Kelly Clarkson's! And today I'm going shopping instead of sitting around in my pjs. So, I'm trying. I leave on vacation in 10 days. I'm very excited about that.

But I have watched some pretty good movies lately. I signed up for NetFlicks. My first movies arrived- ShopGirl and Pride & Prejudice. Shopgirl was pretty good;I love Jason Schwartzman. I haven't watched the other yet, but I'll probably do that tonight. I also watched this movie called Connie and Carla- absolutely hilarious. It's got the chick from My Big, Fat Greek Wedding and it's about drag queens. OMG, I was laughing so hard. Kristin, you have got to see this movie- it's so us! I can't wait to see what I get next from Netflicks. They have tv series (my favorite!)- so I picked Entouarage and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Very excited.

Remember Me?

2006-08-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

Well, my body didn't completely give out on me. All the hives cleared up, my neck feels better, and my knee is about as good as it's gonna get ( it's still going to go out on me though at some point.). My foot still hurts though so I probably should go get that checked out, but I don't have the time. Work has just been insane. I don't know if I'm coming or going and never know what the day is going to bring. It's so exhausting. I feel like quitting at least once a day, but at the same time, at least once a day I think "I love my Job!" Roar! Dilemas. The good news is 24 more days til my vacation! Yeah!

I did get to escape early from work on Sunday and go to the movies with Dona and Aaron. We saw Click- it was really good. I cried in a couple parts- very touching. There was a couple gross parts, as there usually are in Adam Sandler movies, but overall it was a great flick. And then on Monday, I went to see Ms. Kelly Clarkson and she was fantastic as always. (this was my 3rd time seeing her.) She played some new music and all my faves and it was great. Good times.

Well, it's time to go make the donuts. I'll post more later!

What the crap?!

2006-07-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

My body is falling apart. I'm not kidding. I woke up on Tuesday morning and I had a MAJOR foot cramp. It stayed with me all day until I was walking home from the bus stop and POP! It wrked itself out and popped something. I was off on Wednsday and kept my foot elevated. But that night my neck started hurting. The next day I had to work ALL day and my foot still hurt and I had a massive heckache from my neck. I could feel the veins in my neck bulging out. I was in so much pain I couldn't stop sweating, but I wasn't hot. Sounds like fun huh? Well by the Grace of God and tylenol, I made it through. Yesterday, due to an emergency, I had to stay all day too. My foot was better, but teh neck is just as bad and NOW my knee is going out. (It threatens to do that every few months). Roar. What the hell is wrong with me? I was up and down all night- just could not get comfortable. And I haven't been hungry so I haven't been able to take much meds. I got the BEST sleep this morning between 6 and 9 am. I just want it to stop. I'm okay-okay, not great- when I'm sitting down, but when I get up and down, I feel like my head is going to explode. Oh. I haven't even gotten to the best part yet- last night I was getting in my jammies and I have hives ALL over my feet and legs and my arms. And I have no clue what from either. Isn't that fantastic?

Just stuff

2006-07-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to post for a couple days, but my dsl wasn't working and plus I've been really crabby because my ears hurt due to allergies. I can't even remember what I wanted to write. Oh yeah... Rascal Flatts was AWESOME! The Wreckers were ok- need to work on their stage presence- and Gary Allen was good. But man. If I didn't love Rascal Flatts before, I sure do now! They were so funny. And they ended the show with my 2 favorite songs- What Hurts the Most and Life is a Highway. It was so much fun. But afterwards- not so fun. It was so fun- wasn't so bad during the show cuz there was a breeze- but there was an accident in the parking lot afterwards and nobody could move and we waited like 40 minutes to get out. Yuck.

I was fully expecting Superman Returns to suck, but much to my (pleasant) surprise, it was really good! In fact, it was probably one of the best superhero movies I ever seen. It ranks right up there with X-Men and anyone who knows me knows how much I love X-Men. I'm naming my son after Wolverine for crying out loud! Christopher Reeves WAS Superman, but never believable to me as Clark Kent and Dean Cain was a good Clark Kent but a cheesy Superman. But Brandon Routh was great at both, plus really cute. The only bad part was there was a trailer for Spiderman 3 and I was reminded how much I hated Spiderman 2. I almost don't want to see the 3rd one because of it.

Here's your sign...

2006-07-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

Remember Bill Engvall? The comedian who said that stupid people should have to wear signs? I've come to the conclusion lately that he is a genius. I am so sick of dealing with stupid people. OMG. It's not even really that they're stupid, it's that they are so self-involved that they just don't have a clue as to what's going on. ERRRRRR! I'm almost at the point where I just want to take my dvds and books and find a little cabin to hide away in. Seriously- what is wrong with people?

I have been so exhausted lately. It's not like I'm working any harder than I usually do. But I just come home, read for a little bit and crash. I fall asleep right when I hit the pillow and I sleep hard through the night. The other night, I went to bed before 9. Speaking of reading, guess what I'm reading again? That's right, Harry Potter- for the 25th time. ( not quite but almost). Why you ask? I have no clue other than I read an article the other day about how J.K. Rowling said that 2 major characters were going to die in the 7th book. Well, by my re-reading the Goblet of Fire, there were a couple things I hadn't picked up on before. My belief that Snape is on the good side was re-confirmed, and I'm thinking he might be one of the ones to die. Just a theory.

Tonight I'm going to see Rascal Flatts! And Gary Allen! And The Wreckers! So Excited!

Yea me!

2006-07-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

Well... I did it. I booked my vacation to California! I'm going for my birthday weekend, August 25-28. I'm so excited. I'm going to Disneyland and to see the American Idol tour. It's going to be so much fun. I think Dona is still nervous about me going by myself, but I'll be fine. I'm a big girl. Besides, I NEED to do this. I need to have an adventure. I need not worry about other people for awhile.

I had a peaceful 4th of July. I had the day off, so I slept in and then started re-watching Alias. I think I watched like 10 episodes of season 1. Major couch potato day. And that's pretty much how my night is going to go too.

Weird,weird, weird

2006-06-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a weird couple of days. I've been at work for like 12 hours each day, because, yet again, we're short staffed. Sigh. Last night Dona and I went to eat after work and we went to IHOP. Well, we were seated and then.... we sat. And sat. And sat. No one accknowledged us or anything. So we left and went to Denny's. The service was better there, but there were only 2 waitresses and they were busy. And these stupid kids dined and ditched on a $50 bill, and our waitress looked like she was going to cry. I felt so bad for her. So we gave her a good tip. Then Dona needed gas, so we stopped and it was the weirdest gas station. I don't even know how to describe it. It was just a weird, creepifying evening all around.

I need to go to the doctor. I keep saying I should go, but I just need to do it. It's been like 7 years since my last real check-up. I'm really achy, and I've been getting more headaches again. But it seems like too much hassle and when I have a day off, all I want to do is sit. Like today- I was thinking about getting a haircut and going shopping and maybe a movie. But, now, I'm thinking, I can shop online. And I can have a X-Files marathon. I need some motivation. But it's sooo hot outside! But I did start cleaning my room and I'm watching my new comforter right now. So that's something.

I've decided that if I had my own business I would either have a children's book store or a card store. But it would only have funny cards. I love cards. I love getting them- I love buying them. I just go to Hallmark to read cards and I'm usually crying in the aisles because I'm laughing so hard. It's one of my favorite things to do.

Three more weeks til I get to see Rascal Flatts! And Gary Allen! I'm so excited. I just found out that The Wreckers (Michelle Branch's new group) is opening for them. Very cool. Michelle Branch is really big here cuz she's from Sedona. She's the biggest musical act to come out of Arizona since The Gin Blossoms. Wait, I forgot about Jimmy Eat World. But still. I like her. And I'll get to dress cute and see cowboys! I LOVE going to concerts! I've just realized what I want to do with my life- I want to be a groupie!

I'm baaack!

2006-06-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Sooooo...... I've decided that holidays suck. They are completely exhausting. I have worked 10-13 hour days for the past week. But I survived. I made it to today, my first day off in a week and my body has started shut down. Nice. I'm completely exhausted, my bones ache and lots of other fun stuff going on. All I have done today is finish my trashy Danielle Steele novel and watch The Notebook. I'm going to watch The Hours next, and possibly The Family Stone. And by then, I will finish the night up with a marathon of Arrested Development. I'm excited. It's Couch Potato Day!

Nothing major going on, other than complete frustration at work. I'm starting to plan my birthday trip to Cali. Some people don't think I should go by myself, but I think I will be fine.

Well, this has pretty much exhausted me, so I'll post more later.

Mind-numbing pain

2006-06-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

There is this Tom Hanks movie called Joe versus the Volcano. I hate this movie- my dad loves it; it is so stupid. It's about a guy who sets off for an adventure after his doctor tells him that he is dying from a brain cloud. I absolutely love that disease though- what the hell is a brain cloud? It's so randomly vague. Although lately, I feel like I have a brain cloud. I think I pinched a nerve in my neck and my head hurts. And today, I had the absolute worst migrane i have ever had. It was horrible. I could not move, I couldn't process what people were telling me or my own words, I was nauseous and light was killing me. Absolutely horrible. It just wouldn't end. Someone gave me a prescription motrin- wow. That was awesome. One minute- total agony. The next, just a slight throbbing. So much better. I don't know why. Stress or tiredness or I haven't been drinking as much soda. Who knows. Alls I knows is- brain clouds suck.

I'm Melting....

2006-06-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

It's so hot. It's beyond hot, and summer is just getting started. Ugh. I'm hot and miserable. My job is frustrating the crap out of me, I'm bored, AND the Suns lost. Totally depressing. I'm going to redecorate my room, as a way to get myself out of the blahs, but I can't find the motivation to get started. I need to find something exciting to do. Any suggestions?

What the heck?

2006-05-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gone about your life and then suddenly wonder how you got to that point in your life? Like how do I know how to do this?And why do I know it? I've had that feeling several times the past few weeks. When I was growing up, I thought that I would be married and have kids by now. But nope. I just work. I'm feeling the need for adventure. To do something crazy. There is a possibility that American I dol will be doing auditions in Phoenix for next season. Maybe. I always say I can sing as good as the contestants- I just need the confidence. We'll see. At the very least, I am contemplating a vacay to L.A. for my birthday. All by myself.

I worked ALL weekend, which was fine, except yesterday was slow and I had another migrane. (I had one on Saturday, but that day was good. Other than the blinding pain.) I went to the movies a couple times- Over The Hedge and the Da Vinchi Code. Okey, first The Hedge. It was hilarious! The squirrel, Hammy, voiced by Steve Carrell was hysterical. It reminded us all of Dona. (You have to see it Kristin for that reason alone.) We decided that I am the turtle- resistant to change and "family"-oriented, holding the team together. Highly recommend. Now, The Da vinchi Code. First of all, there was a preview for a movie called World Trade Center, about the last survivors pulled out on Sept. 11. I almost had to walk out, I was so upset. It looks good, but it looks way too realistic. I almost forgot what I was seeing. Now, I hadn't read the book. I started, but didn't get very far. I liked the movie. My brother described it as a slow Indiana Jones, but I thought it had a good pace. I always like Tom Hanks and the girl was cute. And I love history and mythology and conspiracy theories. Now, it was totally, totally, totally fiction, but I liked it and want to see it again. I bought the book today so I'll see how it matches up.
Well, I need to dye my hair and figure out my new mp3 player. You remember how long it tool me to figure out my other one. Wish me luck.

Mission Accomplished

2006-05-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

* Today- well last night- was the end of an era in my life. This morning I watched the very last Alias. In true Alias fashion, a few laughs were had, a few nails were bit, and a few tears were shed. And in the end, the world and its occupents were saved by the heroics of Sydney Bristow and her fellow APO teammates. There were flashbacks-including one with Francie!- that detailed how this was Syd's destiny. There were a couple casualities along the way - Agent Tom Grace (sad cuz he was cute, but better him than Dixon) and Spy Dad, who died while ensuring the safety and well-being of his precious Sydney. The bad guys got their comeuppance- Spy Mom refused her daughter's help and got what she deserved, and the evil Sloane found what he was always looking for, but won't be able to enjoy it, thanks to Spy Dad. In the end, Syd and Vaughn ended up moving to a private island with Isabelle to live a peaceful life. They had a baby boy named Jack after dad. Dixon came to see them about a possible new mission involving the evil Sark, who was the only one who managed to get away. As they are talking, we see Isabelle in her room, completing a CIA mind puzzle that only her mother was able to perform. She destroys it when her parents call for her, and the walk down the baech, happily ever after.... Does this mean a possible Alias- The Next Generation? Hmm. My only real complaint is that they brought back the whole team- why not Weiss? He was a major part of the whole story. Plus, he's funny and cute. But well done team. You will all live on in my heart. And my dvds.

* Oh yeah! The Suns beat both L.A. teams! Take that Jack Nicholson! Haha!

* Yesterday, I received a (very!) early birthday present from The Television Academy. They decided to show their love and appreciation for my many years of loyal viewership. Conan O'Brian is hosting the Emmys on August 27th - my actual birthday! How great is that! I know, I know- it makes it harder for everyone else to get me gifts, but there's a few months left to look!

* So, I know I'm like the only one who watches ER ( well I know like 5 other people who do), but I am still sooooo scared about the season finale. I honestly don't think I'm going to make it through the summer, worrying about Abby and Luka. They better be okay. * I know they are just charcters, but they have been in my life longer than some of my friends.*

TV Overload.

2006-05-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

I had my first day off in 12 days today. All I did was catch-up on my (many) video tapes and stress out about work. Dona was re-training this girl that came back to fill Daniel's position and we would call each other off and on all day. They pretty much changed everything that I had done over the past few weeks and changed everything else. I absolutely HATE when people decided things about my life without consulting me. It pretty much made me feel like crap, like NOTHING that I had done recently mattered or made a difference. I also was feeling insecure because I really haven't spent anytime with Dona lately and just feeling jealous that I wasn't included. Yeah. Good times.

Well, anyway. TV viewing. 2 episodes each of Alias, Desperate Housewives, and West Wing. And 1 episode of Gilmore Girls and How I Met Your Mother. (Ok. The title of cutest guy on tv is a toss-up between Ted on HIMYM or Jim on The Office. Seriously.) Here's the review:

-The Gilmore Girls- What the hell is wrong with Luke Danes? He only has himself to blame for Lorelei sleeping with Christopher. Was very sad when Rory was crying when Logan was leaving for London.

How I Met Your Mother- I love that show. Just love it.

- The West Wing.- Can I just say again how sad I am that it's over? One of the gratest shows ever. I totally idenified with C.J. when she said "I like to work! I'm good at it!" So glad that Donna and Josh fiiiiiinaalllllly got together.

- Alias- Vaughn's alive! Yes! Spy Dad faked his death to protect him and Syd. And Spy Mom and Sloane are truly evil. Sloane killed Nadia- his own daughter and Syd's half-sis. So sad. Next week is the last episode. Can't wait to see what happens!

- And Finally, Desperate Housewives. WTF!!!!! Tom, you better not have cheated on Lynette!
And I can't believe what Bree's kids did to her. They are horrible. Carlos is soooo gonna mess around with the pregnant housegirl. And I don't even want to get started on Susan. Wow.

So that's about it. I'm getting ready to settle in with some fried foods and say goodbye to Jack and Karen. Sniff.

please forgive me

2006-05-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry to abandon you guys. I haven't had a day off since the 5th. And I don't have one until Thursday. Ugh.

Well, let's see. Um, I broke my toe. I have no idea what I did to it but it hurts like hell. Being on my feet 10 to 14 hours a day probably doesn't help.

I saw Mission Impossible 3. Other than Tom Cruise, I liked it. I forgot that J.J. Abrams directed it. There was some classic Alias stunts in it, but then again, there were some action sequences that were done better on Alias because Syd, Vaughn and Spy Dad. But over all I thought it was really good. It was freaky how much the chick who played his girlfriend looked like Katie Holmes.

I have been eating non-stop. I feel like I'm never full. But I'm not gaining weight; I don't know what's going on. And I don't really want sweets; I want REAL food- like steak or pizza. And now I'm hungry again.

I have no idea who's going to win Idol. I'm kinda going for Elliot. It was HILARIOUS when Chris got kicked off. What an ass.

I am so behind on my tv viewing. I have the last 2 West Wings, 2 Desparate Housewives, and I don't know what else. That's probably all I will be doing on Thursday.

I went to a Brad Paisley and Sara Evans concert on the 5th. It was fabulous. I love country music. I'm going to see Rascal Flatts and Kelly Clarkson (separately in July). I can't wait.

Well, that's it pretty much. I promise I won't go so long without posting. Please don't tear up your fan club card, J!

All right already!

2006-05-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

All right J! I'll post! (Although I love random comments :) )

Kristin and I are planning an adventure. I'm trying to talk her into going to NYC, but she doesn't think we can afford it. And we were thinking Vegas. But that could be dangerous! So we'll probably do Chicago. She can be Roxie and I'll be Velma.

I had an absolutely horrible weekend. Friday was Daniel's last day. I went out to lunch with him. It was nice. I almost started crying when he left, but he hugged me and said "Don't cry, little chipper." What a nut. He always comes up with the best nicknames for me. The last one was 49cent, because I wasn't black. So I didn't cry. But on Saturday, boy. I walked into work and just started bawling. And Sunday absolutely sucked. I had a headache and was completely pissy. And then we all had to go Applebees for his going-away shin-dig that he planned. I wasn't really in the mood, but I promised him I would go. I guess when I walked in, I gave him a REALLY dirty look. Oops. Well, one Mucho Mama later, and I was in a MUCH better mood. It actually ended up being kinda fun. I hope we still hang out. He says we will, but it'll be hard cuz he's married and I'm always so busy with work. Monday was much better.

Kobe Bryant is going down. I don't when. I don't know how. All I know is it's going to happen. And soon I hope. Last night's game was great. I was so proud of Raja Bell. I only wish he had knocked Kobe down harder.

I have horrifying news. Taylor is starting to grow on me. Grow like a fungus but still. He sang the best last night. Paris is sooo annoying and Chris got REAL old REAL fast. Kat is my fave and I like Elliot, but the Taylor thing is freaking me out. At least I'm a big enough person to admit I've changed my mind.

My new obsession is looking on ebay for Italian charms. I've gotten some great deals. I just won my bid on an Elvis Charm. Time just ran out on my other bid on a set of Muppet charms. I need to see if I'm still the highest bidder!

Catch-up

2006-04-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

So here is the run down of the happenings and going-on's in my life.

* I had to go renew my permit because I have not had time to do anything about driving because has just been insane. So I went to the DMV and I was wearing this cute little football shirt with the number 27 on it and fate would have it, I was called to line 27. Now, normally I carry my social security card with me, but for some reason I didn't have it. But God smiled down on me and they accepted my expired permit as my only form of id. Yes! I swear- this is the ABSOLUTE last time I am getting my permit. I WILL get my license!

* My dad was in the hospital last week. He had MASSIVE food poisoning. He was so dehydrated that his IV's were backing up because his blood was so thick. The point of the story is never eat from hole-in-the-wall Mexican restraunts.

* I'm convinced that Kristin doesn't want to be bff's anymore. She never calls- she never texts. I'm so sad. I miss my little Kristin. I have a fantabulous idea about the greatest Mandi&Kristin adventure ever. And she won't call me so I can tell her. Sigh.

* Daniel is a jerk. We are breaking up. JK. But only kinda. He got a another job as a juvenile corrections officer. His last day is Friday. He is planning his own going away shin-dig because Dona is too busy and I'm too mad at him for abandoning me. I'm so mad I'm not even working on his last day. I'm only kidding, but come on- EVERYONE I love leaves me. WHYYYYYYY?

* I'm very sad. Kellie Pickler was eliminated tonight. I loved her so much. I'm really tired of Chris and Paris. I'm going for Katherine now.

* I hate Kobe Bryant. The Suns are gonna wipe the court with him.

* After not going to the movies since January, I went twice this weekend. I saw Failure to Launch on Friday and American Dreamz on Saturday. I loved both. Failure because of my new favorite actress Zooey Duuschael (?). She is sooooo hilarious. Dreamz because it was high on satire. Mandy Moore was the perfect conniving little beotch and there was this gay Iraqi guy who cracked me up. Plus I saw a preview for the new Will Ferrall movie. HYSTERICAL.

Talk amongst yourselves

2006-04-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm on my way out the door, but my loving fans (ok Kristin and J) wanted an update so here are some topics for my next post:
- I finally got to go to the movies.
- Kristin NEVER calls me any more
- Adventures while renewing my permit
- Daniel is a jerk.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Hi in my Kip voice

2006-04-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

I feel like I haven't done anything but work the past month and a half. I get up, go to work and the sun is just coming up and by the time I get off, the sun is going down. There was a story on the news the other day about people not spending enough time in the sun and having a vitamin D deficiancy. I see that seeing happening to me. My energy level is depleting- I need some sun. I just come home and watch tv. Blah.

I did go to a baseball game a couple weekends ago with Shandy. We just layed out and I got burned ( INCREDIBLY weird burn lines) , but it was fun. And Jakers came back from Cali last week and we all went bowling. It was a lot of fun. I miss my Jakers.

I've been watching a lot of That 70's Show reruns. It's such a funny show. You should watch it - Dumbass!

It's getting to be that time of year- tv finale time. We're losing some great shows this year. We've already lost Arrested Development, and soon Will and Grace will be drawing to an end. Alias comes back on the 19th to begin the end. (That was the longest maternity leave. November to April- come on Jen!) And this Sunday brings the end to the Bartlett presidency. Yes, West Wing will be closing up shop. This has been the best season in a long time. They could totally go on with Jimmy Smits as president- I mean come on, how long has frickin' Law & Order been on? With different casts? At least Josh and Donna FINALLY got together! So Sunday, I will be sitting on my couch, shedding a tear and saying goodbye to one of the best shows ever. Farewell Jed Bartlett and gang. RIP.

I Close myyyy eyes.......

2006-03-24T17:44:00.000-08:00

I was convinced I was going to die at work on Monday. I told Dano if I died he would have to sing Wind Beneath My Wings and Jake would have to sing Dust in the Wind (Old School style). I was sooo sick all weekend and there was no one else to cover. I had a fever, a sore throat, cough and I kept losing my voice. I made it through Saturday and Sunday, thanks to nyquil and dayquil, but by Monday, oh man. I was exhausted, had no voice whatsoever and my ears had started hurting by then. There was absolutely no way I could have left either. I barely made it home. There was a possibility that I was going to have to go in on Tuesday and I wanted to cry so bad- I knew I would not be able to make it. We finally were able to fix the schedule so I got to stay home Tuesday. I just slept and watched tv. And my mommy made me homemade chicken noodle soup. I feel so much better now.

Ok so here is my american Idol prediction. I've been right so far on picking the top 2 right from the beginning the past 3 years and I've actually called the winner the past 2 years ( Clay was robbed). So as much as I love Kellie Pickler (and I think she'll get pretty far), I'm pretty sure it's gonna be Mandisa and Chris Daughtry. Just my gut feeling. Kellie and Katherine McPhee are the only other ones I could see. Taylor is going down. I can already tell Simon is getting tired of him. It's just a matter of time.

I bought Walk the line and I absolutely loved it. I could watch it over and over again. It's kinda freaky how much Joaquim resembles Johnny Cash. And I adored Reese. She was just great. I 100% recommend watching it if you haven't.

Spastic Monkey

2006-03-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

Ok, seriously- Taylor Hicks must be voted off American Idol. He is ruining my Idol fun. I don't know why the judges like him- he doesn't sing that great and HE MOVES LIKE A SPASTIC MONKEY!!!! You know that Seinfeld episode where Elaine dances? Yeah, she could be one of the dance pros on Dancing with Celebrities compared to him. Ugh. He just bugs me. I hate him as much as I hated Ruban- and anyone who knows me knows how much I hated Ruban. On the other hand, I want to adopt Kellie Pickler. She is so stinkin' cute. I just love her. My favorite thing about her is that after she sings, she looks around and is genuinely surprised that there are people around her. It's hilarious. Next week starts the ACTUAL competition! So excited!

I drove to work on Monday. On the freeway. In morning traffic. I'm still in one piece. I can do this!

I hate waiting. I ordered books like 2 weeks ago and I'm still waiting. They should be here by tomorrow, but in the meantime I'm going crazy. I just want to read a book. I don't want to start one right now, because then they'll show up and I'll have to finish the book I was reading and wait to read my new books and it's just a big complicated mess. So I've just been doing my new addiction- sudoku. I love number puzzles.

I want to go do something today. Like go to the movies or maybe a spring training game or something. It's supposed to rain this weekend. Finally. It's been 142 days without a trace of rain. That's just a trace.

Time's fun when you're having flies

2006-03-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

Life just comes at you and never stops. I feel like I have just been running for the last few weeks. Work has just been crazy, well mostly just with administrative stuff, but still, it seems like there's never enough time in the day. I'm so tired. Here's a few little tidbits about the past few weeks:
- I had Ethiopian food. I went out with my friend Shandy and her mom. I don't know what I was actually eating- I thought it was better that way- but it was actually pretty good. It was different.

- It's official- I'm addicted to American Idol. I just love it. I love Kellie. She's so adorable.

- I'm retarded. I needed a hair brush so I went to Wallyworld, and came home with everything but the brush. I almost started crying. But my mom saved the day and got me a brush,

- My uncle went to the dr. because his leg was swollen and it turns out he had a blood clot in his leg and his lung. Luckily, they caught it in time. So scary.

Well, it's time to go make the donuts. I'm gonna be staying at Shandy's for a few days while her husband's out of town. So, more later.

Drive Time

2006-02-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

I survived driving! More important- driving survived me! The guy was really nice. I drove for 3 hours and for over 85 miles. That's a long time for me. He said I did really good. I just need to con someone into taking me driving to practice a little bit more and then I can call him again and he'll take me out again for the test. I only freaked out twice. On the freeway someone came up too close on the side and I kinda jerked the wheel a little. And then he made me do a u-turn and I hit the gas a little too hard and it scared me. But I recovered nicely.
When I came home though, I had a massive headache, due to built up stress or concentrating on the road for so long or something. So I tried to lay down for awhile. But then I was put into the one situation where I believe murdering a child would be okay. One of the fat little a-holes that lives across the street got this little motorcycle and he was hauling ass up and down the street. Seriously, this kid is like 7 and he's like 90 lbs and his parents never watch him on the stupid bike. It was kinda funny cuz he ran into a parked car, but that didn't stop him. One of these days someone is going to hit him and he's going to be really hurt cuz of course he doesn't wear a helmet. I have no idea where his parents are. All I know is if I had a bat I would have gone out and beat the crap out of the bike. I hate that kid.
Tonight was night 3 of American Idol. So happy it's back on! I already have my favorites. There is this guy that absolutely creeps me out. His name is Taylor and he's 29 but he has gray hair and he sings and moves like he has a 80 year old black man inside of him. It's very spastic and disturbing. I can't wait for him to get voted off the show and out of my life.

Salt is for Suckas!

2006-02-20T17:58:00.000-08:00

I did nothing but watch tv pretty much the whole weekend. So boring. Well, actually, I did do something. I started driving school! Yea me! It was sooooooooooooooooooooo boring. All we did was sit in class and go over the driving manual ( which I already knew, but I had to take as part of the class), and the teacher was so boring and stupid. Whatever. Now, I have to complete 2- 3 hour driving sessions and then hopefully I'll have my license! My first session is Thursday. Wish me luck. Anyway, after I came home, I sat around and waited for SOMEONE to call me back like he promised but he never did. Why do I do this to myself? SO I consoled myself with Hallmark movies and ice cream. The next day I watched some GREAT movies on Comedy Central- Bubble Boy, Coneheads, and Dick. After that it was time for The Housewives and Grey's Anatomy. There are some great commericials now. My favorite one is the Jack in the Box one where the fries are fighting. ( Corkscrew! So- at least I don't need salt. Salt is for suckas!) LOVE IT!! Still enjoy the Nextel ad where the guys are dancing in the office. And there's also one for some job search website where this guy is trying to explain to a bunch of monkeys WHY it isn't a good idea to spend 85%of your office budget on lottery tickets and they keep aiming their laser pointers on his crotch. Hilarious. I wish I worked with Monkeys.

All I need is the air that I breathe....

2006-02-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

You know what is a great thing? Oxygen. No, not the stupid network for women. I'm talking the air we breathe. You know what sucks? Asthma. My Valentine's Day was worse than I imagined. I had an asthma attack at work and could not breathe the whole day. It was horrible. On a normal day I probably only have like 75- 80% function of my lungs. Tuesday I felt like I was only able to use 35-40%. I used my inhaler way to much and it still didn't help. At one point, I was choking because I could not get enough air in. Now, I know you're going to say, why didn't you just go home? Because, there was no one else to work. I just had to suck it up (literally) and keep on plugging. I came home and used the breathing machine and that helped. I passed out in bed and then did another treatment in the morning. I could breathe better yesterday, but I had a massive headache, probably from the lack of oxygen the day before and from the massive amounts of albutral I had taken. I have today off. I slept from 11 pm last night to 9:30 am today. It was nice. I think I might even take a nap today too. I'm just so exhausted.

Singles Awareness Day

2006-02-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that wonderful time of the year again. The day where everyone who has someone lord it over the freaks and losers who don't. Yep, folks- I'm talking about Valentines Day. I hate Valentine's Day. I usually don't mind being single- in fact for the most part it's great. But for the week up to and including the retched day, I detest being single. Everyone rubs in their stupid plans and treats you like a freak for not being with someone. Plus, I always end up closing because of course, I'm the only single one. Whatever. I'm gonna send myself flowers. Make myself feel special.

Stuff

2006-02-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry to be absent this week. I basically have felt like crap all week between allergies and headaches and my knees falling apart and on Tuesday my stomach hurt soooooo bad. Didn't have to throw up, but major pain nonetheless. But feeling pretty good today. I'm gonna go get my hair cut and maybe do a little shopping. I feel like getting out- that hardly happens anymore. I'm turning into a major couch potato. My life revolves around work and what's on tv. Yawn. I need to find some excitement. I did go to the movies on Saturday. I saw Fun with Dick and Jane, which was a little bit hilarious. I still have to see Walk the Line and Harrison Ford has a new movie!! So excited. I have been in love with Harrison Ford for 20 years. Isn't that amazing? He's just the greatest. Ahh. :)

Cloud Nine

2006-02-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

I'm just now ready to write about Saturday night. Kinda. I'm still prone to just start smiling at the thought of it. You see, I had a perfect night. I was getting off work when my friend Aaron called and said he was on his way up. So I waited. I was really excited to see him, since I haven't see him since New years and I really missed him. He gave me a great big bear hug when he came in. He was excited that I was off and so we left. We decided to go to the movies. So we were driving and and just talking away. Now, He drives a HUGE Bronco named Jessie. ( He didn't name her Jessie, that's just her name.) She's been a pretty temperamental girl lately, and as we were driving, she didn't want to accelerate. As we turned the corner, she jolted a little bit and then just dies. So I had to steer while he pushed. Easier said than done. Two guys came to help push and Aaron had to help me steer cuz there was no power steering. Well, we got her parked and decided that it was either the battery or the altinator. So we walked a mile to Walmart, with Mr. Studmuffin insisting on carrying the battery the whole way. We just talked. We got to Wallyworld about 15 minutes before the auto department closed. They tested the battery and it was fine. So we called his dad and he came to the rescue. Come to find out... Jessie just wanted some gas. Her gas gauge is broken and Aaron was just going by the mileage, but apparently Jessie was a hungry girl. So the rest of the evening was spent getting a gas can and recharging the battery because we had drained it trying to start her up. Needless to say, we didn't make it to the movies. We just went to Denny's. Now, I know you're thinking that I'm being sarcastic or that I'm insane for saying that it was the perfect night. But, it really was. I haven't had that much fun in so long. I was with one of my bestest friends and just got to kinda forget about everything for once. I wasn't worried about anything at all. I knew I was safe. Plus, I loved being with Aaron for that long by myself. I haven't gotten to spend that much quality time with him in a long time and I miss him. Hopefully, it'll happen again soon- the hanging out, not the breaking down!

reminiscings

2006-01-24T17:03:00.000-08:00

I was rereading Kristin's entry about her diary entries and was reminded of the horrification that was my early adolescence. Now, I was a fairly happy-go-lucky high schooler and was never really self crictical or moody, but my early teen years were another story. I hated being thirteen; I would NEVER want to be that age again. Mood swings galore. And it didn't help that I was starting to notice guys then too. When I was 13, I was in 8th grade at a very small private school. Seriously there were 9 kids in the junior high. It's weird that even with that small amount, there were the cool kids and there were the nerdy kids. I was one of the cool kids. My crowd consisted of my BFF Brandy, John, Ryan, James, and Christy (the popular pyscotic be-yotch). Sometimes we would let Jesse and Angela and Tabitha, the coolest 6th graders, hang with us. Now, the cutest guys in school were James and Ryan, and EVERYBODY loved Ryan. He was really cute and he absolutely hated it. But I was in love with James. Blonde hair, blue eyes and dimples. Ahhh. Ryan and I were pretty tight because I was the only girl in the school that really just wanted to be friends. Well, we'd all hang out and James and I would talk and it would be fabulous when it was just the two of us. And it was cool when like Brandy and Ryan and John were around, but anyone else especially Christy and he'd barely acknowledge me. If an adult was around, I didn't exist. Well, the thing about Christy is she really was a psycotic be-yotch. She had to be commited in the 4th grade and in 5th grade, she bit John twice in class. We were about as good of friends as she could be with someone and she knew I liked James and she said she would help me. But one day James announced that he was going out with one of Christy's friends from public school. Come to find out, Christy and this girl threatened to beat him up if he didn't go along with him and they were really scary so I didn't really blame him. The crazy thing is is that I was still friends with her! We went on a class trip to New Mexico. I was really excited- 4 days and nights with no parents and being with my friends and James. Well, the trip was great- except that his dad was the guy's chapereon and that meant I was a nobody the whole trip. I was majorly bummed. On the last day though, I had hope. We were walking towards each other, and he wasn't going out of his way to avoid me and so I kept walking with a big smile and said "Hi!" and he looked at me and said.... "You're in my way" and walked around me. I was crushed. I ran into the bathroom and cried. Brandy and Ryan came in to console me. Ryan grabbed my shoulders and said that I was way too good for James and deserved better. I realized that I did. After we got back, I kept my distance and started just hanging out with Ryan and Brandy and John. And I had fun. Soon after that, I moved to Phoenix. On my last day of school, James came up to me and said goodbye and that he would miss me. Brandy came running after he walked away and said that she didn't even tell him to do that! I said that I didn't care whether she did or not- I was over him. And I was; I really was.

Bulletin, Bulletin..This is a bulletin

2006-01-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

It's official- the reports have been confirmed- I am a nerd. Last night, I was watching the news and there was a story about a casting call in England for a 13-16 year old girl to play the role of Luna Lovegood in the next Harry Potter and I actually squealed and almost jumped for joy. Seriously- what is my deal?! Yeah, it's pretty much the greatest book series ever and the movies rock, but still- I'm 26 years old for crying out loud!

Yesterday, I kept digging through my purse and I would hear someone talking. I would look to see if maybe I had accidently dialed my phone. Well, after hearing the noise a few times, I realized what it was- my Napolean Dynamite keychain! I would somehow always press the button that said "GOSH!" I was cracking up.

I finished watching Popular season one. That was such a great show. I totally have a double crush going on with Harrison and Josh. I think I'm gonna start Party of Five next, but I have a few tapes to watch first- The O.C., ER, and like 3 West Wings. I just haven't been able to watch West Wing, because John Spencer died and it would be too sad to see Leo. I haven't really been in the mood to go to the movies lately; I don't know why. I just want to watch tv or my dvds. Plus, American Idol starts this week!

I've been trying to be upbeat lately, to show everyone that that I'm ok, even if I'm not on the inside. I know that's not healthy, but it's working. And I am ok for the most part; it's just sometimes I have these moments where nothing ok. I just need to find someway to deal with with those.

Wild and Crazy Chicks

2006-01-09T18:50:00.000-08:00

(All names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.) This weekend, I- Sabrina- decided to get out of the norm and live it up. So I got together with my girls "Chloe" and "Tasha". We got dolled up and hit the town in Tasha's mustang. Our theme music for the evening was *Nsync as it was the only cd we had on hand. ( A good choice nonetheless) We arrived on Mill Ave around 10:30. In case you don't know, Mill is THE place to be for partygoers. Now, I can't discuss too many details, as me and the girls vowed "what happened on Mill, stays on Mill." But I CAN tell you that it was the most fun I've had in a long time and was exactly what I needed. The only thing that would have made it better is if I had worn more comfortable shoes and if my little Kristin was there! We had a lot of laughs, a few refreshments, and made a few new (hot) friends. We got invited to a hot model's tub party, but unfortunately, we had to decline as we all had to get up and work all the next day. We headed for home, feet sore but happy.

Ramblings

2006-01-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

I don't know what to write about. I'm just kinda drifting right now. It's hard to focus on anything, I have so much on my mind between home and work and everything else. It's amazing how fast time goes by. I need to start really focusing on driving. I NEED to drive and get a car; don't necessarily want to most of the time, but it needs to get done. Work has been really good lately though. And all my friends have been really great.

I have spent the entire day on my couch watching 8 episodes of Popular. That was such a great show. It was nice to just have a day to do nothing. I also have been re-re-re-reading Harry Potter. I know, it's a addiction, but there is something comforting about rereading things. Plus, they're great books. I plan on eating teryaki chicken, taking a shower and watching some more Popular. A nice way to cap off a relaxing day.

Year- End Review

2006-01-02T19:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry to be awol lately. I've had a lot of stuff going on lately. My brother has just been diagnosed with manic depression and has had to be hospitalized twice in the past month. Its been really hard to see him like this. And I feel so bad for my parents; they have so much else on their minds without this too. I just don't know what to do.

Other than that, I've just been working. New Year's Eve, I went out with D and Aaron. We had an early dinner and then saw The Chronicles of Narnia AND King Kong. LOVED Narnia. I loved that book when I was little. I wanted to go see it again the next day. And the kids in the movie just further proved to me that I need to move to England so I can have British children. Now, King Kong on the other hand, eh. I wasn't really all that excited about it in the first place. Everyone's like Peter Jackson directed, it's gonna be awesome, blah blah blah. But you know, that really did nothing for me. I'm probably the only person in the free world who hasn't seen, nor has the desire to see The Lord of the Ring movies. So we saw Kong. Now, it was a good movie, but it was WAAAAAYYY too long (the last 20 minutes I was like die already) and it was really creepifying in some points. Aaron kept laughing at me. I did like it for 2 reasons- 1. Adrian Brody (oddly cute) and 2. dinosaurs falling off a mountain ( don't ask me why- I just found it to be wildly hilarious.) So that was my wild and crazy new years. I had to work the next day- all day. I was off today, so I just did some housework and finished up Desperate Housewives. Tomorrow it's back to the saltmines. We're gonna go to Applebee's after work for a little going-away shin-dig for one of our guys who's going away to college in Colorado.

This past year has been really hard, but it's been really fun. I went on my first plane trip, went to the magical land of Osh, and started this great blog. I hope this year has many more wonderful adventures.

Santa Baby

2005-12-26T18:34:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas come and gone. Ahhh... now I can relax. Kinda. Saturday I worked all day and came home and we watched Surviving Christmas (sooooo funny. Ben Affleck is seriously insane). Mom wanted to stay up and watch Miracle on 34th Street, so we did. I was so sleepy. I was trying everything I could think of to stay awake. Finally at 12:30 am, the closing credits started to roll and I ran to bed. I was out. I was awakened the next morning at 7:40 by my bladder. I decided that since I was awake, everyone else should be too. I remember when we were little, Mike and Justin would get up at like 5 and crawl into bed with me and we would wait to open our stockings. Our parents would make us wait until 6 before we could open them. We did this until we were like teenagers. Now we just want to sleep. But not yesterday. I made everyone get up. We passed out the presents. I got a fluffy bathrobe, cute pajamas, a purse, and season 1 of Desperate Housewives. And what quite possiblely could be the best present ever. A talking Napoleon Dynamite keychain. It says great phrases like "Frickin' Idiot" and "Can you bring me my chapstick? My lips hurt real bad." I know- you're totally jealous. Anyways, after the unwrapping, my dad was making breakfast and I was feeling like I was going to pass out from all the physical exertion. So I went back to beddy-bye and woke up 2 hours later, feeling much better. I ate a cinnamon roll and watched Made with my bros while waiting for lunch. We enjoyed a yummy lunch of ham and homemade potato salad and deviled eggs and watched one of my new favorite movies, Raising Helen. If you haven't seen it, you must. It's so good. Afterwards, I started watching D.H. and got through about 8 episodes. Pretty much laughed my arse off. I was exhausted by my day of lounging around so I took a shower and called it a day.

Why Couldn't You Just Get A Regular Sized Corndog?

2005-12-21T17:27:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love walking in on other people's conversations? My title today comes from a conversation I walked into last week at work between this guy Matt ( absolutely hilarious) and a girl. I don't know what the conversation was about, and frankly I don't want to know, but was one of the greatest things I've ever walked in on. I was crying I was laughing so hard. Matt said that he wishes that he was me for that one moment to know what I was thinking. It's probably only funny to me. But most things are usually things are.

The last few nights I've been home, I've been watching some Arrested Development episodes I've had taped. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it was made just for me. I seriously love that show. I'm going to be soooo pissed if they cancel it. Last night, I was laughing so hard that no noise was coming out. The other night I almost fell out of bed. It's soooo frickin' hilarious. I just can't begin to describe the hilarity. Plus Jason Bateman is really cute.

Tomorrow I'm off and I'm making fudge and magic cookie bars and wrapping presents. Yay! Christmas is almost over! I can't wait. Here's a list of things I'm doing after Christmas
1. Getting my hair done. It's been 2 months. I hate it.
2. Going to the dr. I've got insurance now, might as well use it.
3. GETTING MY FRICKIN' LICENSE!!!!!! I'm sick of bumming rides and taking the bus.

I'm going to start looking at cars on line. Get some prices. Exciting, huh?

Nyquil rocks

2005-12-17T11:01:00.000-08:00

The flu bug has hit Phoenix. And hit hard. We have had at least one person call out every day this past week. Yesterday we had 4 and we had to send one home. I have washed my hands soooo many times and I'm carrying a tube of anti-bacterial lotion around with me. I had to work another double( my third this week; I'm gonna end up with over 60 hours this week). I was starting to feel kinda woozy but I talked myself out of it. I just kept going, washing my hands and drinking fluids. And when I came home, I took a big dose of Nyquil and passed out. I slept really good and really hard. I swear by Nyquil. Last time everyone got sick, they were down for like a week and a half and I took my Nyquil and I was better in three days. All it does is help you sleep, but that's really all your body needs is sleep and water. So pray that I don't get hit. We're almost done with the holiday rush. The finish line is almost in sight.

Guess what I saw!!!

2005-12-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true- I FINALLY saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I had the day off yesterday and so did my friend Jars so we went to see The Boy Who Lived. There was a few things they left out from the book that I thought should have been in, but overall, I loved it! Weellll, have to run off to work again- more later.

P.S. Vaughn's gonna be on Alias next week!!! Can't tell if it's a flashback or a dream, but still!

Leftovers Galore

2005-11-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

Another Turkey Day has come and gone. I had a nice one. I enjoyed getting to sleep in past 6 am. My brothers kept making fun of me because I wanted to watch the parade- but hey, it's tradition! My uncle and his family came up from Tucson, and we had some good times. The food was great. We played Cranium (so much fun) and our usual game of Monopoly. My stupid brother Justin and my normally nice cousin Becky formed an alliance and combined their properties and so me and my cousin Andrew had no choice but to team up, but it was too late. We were just no match to their evil ways. I was totally exhausted by like 5. They left soon after that and I just crashed by the tv. We watched Steel Magnolias and then The Apprentice. I love that show. Then I went to bed because I had to go in to work at 8 the next morning. The mall was crazy the next day. I got a soda before work and the lady said that she was there at 2:30 in the morning getting stuff ready and someone came up and wanted a sandwich. Seriously! If I didn't have to work, I would NOT be at the mall the day after Thanksgiving. People are psychotic. Work was pretty good though. I have to work tonight and than I'm off tomorrow! I'm going to decorate for Christmas. Yey! I'm totally in the mood to watch Christmas movies. Here are my absolute favorites: 1. Elf- (It's only one of the greatest movies ever.) 2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (must watch that movie every year.) 3. The Preacher's Wife 4. Miracle on 34th Street ( the newer one. The old one is depressing.) 5. Love, Actually. ( I just love it. It's British and Christmas-y and has Hugh Grant, Collin Firth and Liam Neisen.) 6. It's A Wonderful Life. I also want to rewatch Surviving Christmas. I can't wait to start watching these, plus Lifetime is going to have some great new holiday movies. I love Christmas. And Festivus. And Chrismakkuh. Happy Holidays everyone!

Cotton-headed Ninny-Muggins

2005-11-20T19:48:00.000-08:00

That time of year has come- the time where I ask myself "Why do I work in retail?" Yes, folks- it's Christmas time! It has been crazy-busy all weekend. Friday I worked like 11 hours and yesterday I worked like 15 hours. And it's just gonna get worse. If I didn't have plans for earlier tonight, I would probably still be there. we just can't catch up. I'm going to have to go in super early tomorrow to finish up today's stuff. It never ends. And I didn't get to see Harry Potter yet and everyone who has keeps saying it's totally great and I'm so sad. But I did get to have Chik-a-Fila yesterday and it was sooo yummy. Today was totally crazy at work and I had to leave at 4:30 because I had plans with Dona to do a church thing. Everyone was like"Where are you going? You can't leave?" kinda panic-y. It was funny. Sometimes I feel like all I do is nag them, yet they all miss me when I'm not there. It's kinda nice to be needed. Well.... I should go get some sleep so I don't crash and burn tomorrow.

Crabapples

2005-11-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's just the full moon. Maybe it's just something in the water. Whatever it is, my boys were pissy today. They were driving me batty. They were totally P.M.S.-y. I almost got in a fight with Jason today. He kept talking back and sassing me and bossing me around and getting MAJORLY defensive whenever I told him to do anything. Finally I called him on it and told him I didn't appreciate him disrespecting me; I'm his boss and I know he doesn't really mean it but it doesn't look right in front of the seasonal staff. He was fine after that. And don't get me started on Dano. He gets so cranky so fast. Crabby boys. Chocolate and Midol all around.

Late night ramblings

2005-11-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh.... I'm off tomorrow. So happy. So tired. I had to wear my glasses this morning because my eyeballs would have killed me if I even tried to put my contacts in. We're slowly but surely getting Christmas stuff in. Christmas makes me happy. I know it stresses people out - it does me too- but overall, I love it! I'm feeling a little bit better today about life. I'm going to try to do some more adventurous stuff, but I've decided that I'm going to pass on the "date". I just don't feel comfortable with the whole not-quite-divorced thing.
I want to reread The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe before the movie comes out in December. I read it a loooong time ago when I was like 7 and then again in 8th grade. At that time, we were living in this really little house and my room was about the size of a closet. I had this old wardrobe that we've had forever. ALL my friends had to come over to see if they could go to Narnia. Morons. Still a good book though.
Today I was thinking about the movie Elf and thought about the part where Will Ferrall is walking with his brother and says "Good news. I saw a dog today." I started laughing so hard I was crying. It's a really good thing I was by myself or someone probably would have called the loonybin.
So, after I finished blogging last night, I was all set to go to bed but my Suns were playing the Mavericks. It was a very intense game, so I had to cheer my Stevie on. Well, quarter to midnight came and double overtime started. After working all day and only having 4 and 1/2 hours sleep, that was too much for me. Apparently, it was too much for my boys as well. They lost by 3 points. What a way to start a season.

Daniel

2005-10-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to Applebee's with Daniel. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Other than the fact it was probably the last time we'll get to do that. You see, this Sunday he's getting married. And after that, our friendship will be different. He keeps insisting that it won't, but it will. We can't joke around like we always do and his wife won't let us go to Applebee's. I know she won't. Even though nothing would ever happen ( I'm NOT that kind of girl, plus Daniel and I work together. I've worked too long and hard to lose my job over a guy. Even Daniel.) Daniel is one of the only people I can completely be myself. I hide my feelings ALOT, but I can let them show in front of him. When I try to put on a mask to hide how I feel, he ALWAYS calls me on it. He did it twice yesterday. We were at the resteraunt and he asked me how I was and I smile and said fine, and he said "that's the smile that says I'll tell you later." And then on the way home, he asked again and I said fine and he just said "MM-HMM." I feel like such a bad person, feeling so sad while this is supposed to be one of the happiest times in his life, but I do feel sad. Somedays I'm fine with it and others , I feel like I can't breathe-I really feel like I'm losing my best friend. Other than the fact that my eyes are blue, Kelly Clarkson's song "Behind These Hazel Eyes" is totally my song right now. Dano was the first person to tell me that I'm hot (a fact he constantly tells me) and he can always make me smile when I'm upset and he sings to me and he's ALWAYS there when I need him and he always makes me feel safe and loved and gives me GREAT nicknames (he's the one that came up with Mandilicious) and shares my love of McDonalds. I've only known him for two years but it feels like forever. I know Daniel loves me and will still be there for me and will always make me laugh. And he will always be one of my very bestest friends. Good luck Daniel- I love you and thanks for everything.

Brunette Is The New Blonde

2005-10-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

I love to change my hair. It makes me feel better about myself. I love when people play with my hair and and all the attention I get afterwards, so I usually get my hair done about every 6 weeks. It's usually some sort of red with highlights ( except for the blonde incident which shall NOT be repeated). This time though, I decided to be different. Partly inspired by Rachel McAdams and partly inspired by the fact that I'm not going to be able to get my hair done for awhile (work) and I don't want my roots to show, I decided to go brunette. I thought I would never go brown again, but it looks really good. I know the picture above isn't the greatest, (love my messy room?) but it's best I can do. I really like the new do. I feel very sassy and
sophisticated.

Bring it on down to Omeletteville

2005-10-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

The title is in honor of Kristin- a personal joke. Call me later Kristin- I hope you're feeling better. Well, another wild and crazy weekend has come and gone. We had 3 birhdays in a row so we had like a little party at work for them on Saturday. We were really busy that day. I did something to my back and I couldn't bend over. It still hurts a little bit. . After work, Dona and I went out with Aaron to celebrate his birthday. We went to Carraba's and the two of us talked in our Southern accents most of the night and drove him nuts! Then we saw Elizabethtown. It was really good. A little random in places, but then again I'm used to randomness! Orlando Bloom is sooooo cute, and there were two ABSOLUTELY HYSTERICAL parts. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Sunday, I didn't have to work, so I got to sleep in. I finished making a memory book for Jake for when he's gone. I made one for Kristin too when she left; her's is awesome. It's so much fun to make. I had everyone write down a story for Jake and we took all these stupid pictures- it was hilarious. So, anyway, I finished that and then I headed up to work to hang out until close. Then we all went to Applebee's for a little going away shin-dig for Jake. It was so much fun. We all were just cracking up the whole time. I know I complain about the people I work with from time to time, but I really do love all of them. They're so much fun. I think Jake really like his book. It was kinda sad to leave cuz I don't know when I'll see him again, but I will see him again; I know it! Well, that's the craziness of my weeend. It's off to the saltmines again.

Jakers

2005-10-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a girl (me), who worked in the most ghetto mall in all the land, the Desert Sky Mall. Although this girl seemed a little out of place in the ghetto, she made it work for her. She knew everything about her store and everyone respected her. One day, a manager from another store came to help out. His name was Jake. He was very quiet and barely spoke 3 words to the girl the first day he was there. The second day, he kept trying to offer her French fries, and when she declined, he tried to offer her ketchup. The girl thought he was crazy. Jake went back to his store after that. Soon after, the ghetto store was closed and the girl was without a job. She was offered a position at a wonderful and amazing place called Arrowhead Mall. She went for her interview and lo and behold- Jake worked there too! He didn't remember meeting her before. She got the job and Jake started training her . It was very rough for our heroine at first. She was used to be the star and now she was having a hard time. Jake was very patient though and encouraged her to keep trying. Eventually, she got it.
Soon she and Jake were working pretty much every shift together. Jake was EXTREMELY goofy and brought out the goofy side in her. He would make up these crazy stories (the best one was a 45 minute tale about how Subway got mayonaise, involving pack elephants and monks in India) and he was always singing. ALWAYS! Have you ever seen 50 First Dates? The part where Adam Sandler is on the boat singing the Beach Boys song at the top of his lungs- that is how Jake sings all the time. Absolutely hilarious. Jakers (as she now called him to his chagrin) and the girl were the dream team now. Life was so much fun. But then as it always does, life changed. Jakers started going to new stores to train the staff and eventually was offered a store of his own. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so Jakers left. His last day was very sad for our girl. Not only was her Jakers leaving, her best friend was being mean to her. If it hadn't been for Daniel, she would probably still be crying. She still got to see Jake from time to time and they were still close. She was now assistant manager and she was thankful for all of Jake's patience and belief in her. And, for her birthday he came back and dressed up like Elvis for her! It was the greatest present, even though he made a better Michael Jackson impersonator than an Elvis! :) Time passed and Jake decided that he wanted to come back to our store. The girl was now Senior Assistant manager. She was very happy he was coming back, but felt weird that they would now be equals. But things were fine. Actually, other then the fact that now she had to do everything because Jake and Daniel just sat around and talked about football and golf, things were great! :) A few weeks ago, and opportunity opened up for Jake to become an ISC techician. Now, Jake had only wanted that position forever. So he took it. Now he's moving to California. The whole thing happened crazy fast. Everyone got accustomed to the jokes and the singing again and then they get taken away again. It's not fair! But don't worry Jake-Jakers-Carlos-Cuban Pete-Bo-Mr.Pimpdiddlyicious-Bam-Jakenstein(just came up with that one!), we won't forget you! Your spirit will live on. And I'm very "shappy" for you and I "will come visit you, because" I "went to see Kristin and she's not even that important." JK Kristin! ;) But I will miss you. Love you lots Big Brother who's younger than me! Love, Mandi-Mandilicious-Mandizilla-Mandigirl-Scarface-Freckles-Pebbles.

Craziness

2005-10-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

Well, my computer is back up after being down for two days. Stupid server. The past few days have been crazy! I've worked the past few nights and it has been soooo busy. Thursday night was non-stop from 12 to 9. ALWAYS when me and Dano work! I don't know what my problem is. I've been so moody lately. I'm really up and then I'm really down. Well, part of it is that Jake is moving and Dano is getting married. They're moving on to new chapters of their lives and I've got nothing and no one. I'm happy for them, don't get me wrong, but at the same time I'm kinda bummed. So that's that. Nothing else really to report.

P.S. I think Vaughn might be alive. More later. :)

Random Recap

2005-10-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

So..... where to begin. I'm so tired. Yesterday, I had breakfast with Dona and aaron, and then I was at the store from like 9:30 am to 12:10 am. Well, I did leave to get my new phone (Nokia 3320- pretty sweet) and to get dinner, but other than that I was at work all the live-long day. And oh the drama that's going on. I'm too worn out to even think about it! So I won't! Saturday night after work, Dona and I saw An Unfinished Life, with J.Lo and Robert Redford. It was really good. I want to see In Her Shoes next. I saw a preview for it and I started to cry. I didn't do anything on Sunday. I was supposed to help Jme move into her new house, but surprise, surprise, she didn't call me! So I just lounged around the house and watched Never Been Kissed for like the 200th time and thought about my fantasy of making out with Michael Vartan at home plate at a baseball game. Ahhhh. :) So that's about it. I'm off today, but I have to go to work to finish up some paperwork before tomorrow. Ah, the joys of management!

Weird-ass Dream

2005-10-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

I had the weirdest dream last night. I always have weird dreams, but this one is the weirdest in a while. I can't remember everything, but it goes a little something like this.....

Kristin and I are roommates, and we have this little house. We're just hanging out, and then I get this phone call. It's Ashton Kutcher, and apparently, we're really good friends. He wants to come over after work. So a little while later, this cop car pulls up outside the house, and Ashton steps out- he's not an actor, he's a cop! He comes inside and we're hanging out. Kristin goes to take a nap, and me and Ashton are watching tv. Well, for some reason, R2D2 (from Star Wars) and this little baby R2D2 show up and we need to hide them from somebody. (I have NO clue where the hell this came from, either) And then Justin Timberlake appears from nowhere. SO, Kristin, Justin Timberlake, Officer Ashton, and myself are hiding the robots from Star Wars from random bad guys. Just an ordinary dream. Anybody care to interpret?

j.j. abrams sucks

2005-09-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

I'm in mourning peoples. My beloved Vaughn is no more. I knew they were going to kill him off, and yet, I'm still in shock. Part of me thinks that maybe it's just a cruel ploy. But maybe that's just wishful thinking. R.I.P. my love.

La-de-da

2005-09-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

I feel so much more relaxed since my vacation. Work has been crazy, but it's been bearable. Jakers is leaving, but I just don't feel as stressed as I normally would. I must have REALLY needed a vacation. Daniel told me that I seem happier. He told me that he didn't want to talk to me before I left because it seemed that all he did was make me mad. That's really sad. I don't mean to get so stressed out and passive aggressive. Especially with the people I love. Hopefully, I can stay de-stressed. I just need to learn to speak up and not let things wallow inside.
Nothing too exciting to report; just been watching a lot of tv. OMG,Lost was so scary. I almost screamed. I watched The Amazing Race:Family Editon last night. I love that show, but I WOULD never do that with my brothers. I would end up pushing out of a moving car or abandoning them in a foreign country. Tomorrow night is the night where we see if I start to hate Sydney Bristow. I know I've said it before, but they better not kill Vaughn. Or replace him. I saw Just Like Heaven the other night and loved it. Reese Witherspoon is the greatest; she's so cute. The other day I saw like 5 commercials for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It's a little sad how excited I got. Only 6 more weeks! Well, enough random thoughts. Ta for now.

My Guys

2005-09-26T06:55:00.000-07:00

Here's the list of reasons that I watch tv. (ok, sometimes I watch for the writing and acting!) I'm going to go by day, not in any particular order.

Sunday- Ty Pennington- Extreme Home Makeover
James Denton- Desperate Housewives (a little old, but still cute!)
Jerry O'Connell- Crossing Jordan (I LOVE blue eyes and dimples!)

Monday- I have my jailbait boyfriend, Tyler Hoechlin- 7th Heaven. I swear he's probably only like 17 or 18, but OMG he's hot.
There's also Jason Bateman-Arrested Development, who I've had a crush on since like 1986.

Tuesday- Scott Patterson- Luke on Gilmore Girls. I seriously love him.
David Boreanez- Bones. Oh wait, that's Kristin who likes him! ;)

Wednsday- Matthew Fox- Lost. I loved him on Party of Five, but he is so hot now!
Josh Halloway- Lost. It's the southern accent.
Chad Michael Murray- One Tree Hill.

Thursday- Michael Vartan- Alias. Duh, like I wasn't going to pick him!
Tom Welling- Smallville. Sorry Kristin, but I have to tell you something.
Tom and I are in love. We didn't mean for it to happen, but you can't stop fate.
Goran Visjinic- ER. Or as I like to call him, Dr. Hottie.

There's nothing good on Friday or Saturday. So there's my list. That doesn't even include my soap opera studs or my love affair with Conan O'Brien.

Critic's corner

2005-09-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

One more week til Alias!! I'm so excited. It better be good! I keep seeing commericials and I can't tell what I think yet. So far, I've been very happy with the new tv season. Here's a list of my faves so far.
1. Gilmore Girls- It's just the greatest show! It's like me- smart, funny, sweet, and sassy!
2. Arrested Development- I'm SO happy this show is on Mondays now. Now I can watch it!
3. How I Met Your Mother- Pretty cute.
4. Reunion- I enjoy a good mystery
5. My name is Earl- I loved this show. Seriously, it has Jason Lee (whom I love);beer can tag; the whole plot is based on words of wisdom from Carson Daly; and the first episode featured crazy white trash dancing. What's not to love? Besides, it had the funniest line of the week- "No use running, fool- I know where your mama parks your house!"

Next week, we have Alias, Desperate Housewives, West Wing, and The Amazing Race. Fun stuff!
Next post we will be discussing the important stuff- the hot guys of the new season.

Vacation Mirror Papers

2005-09-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so you don't think I'm totally deranged, last year,Kristin and I started talking in Southern accents. Just for the hell of it. We would talk ALL the live-long day, like we were southern belles. Even while we were working. We would drive everyone nuts, but pretty soon they would start talking like that too. We started calling everyone by their full names,for example, I was Mandi Heather and she was Kristin Nicole. It was great fun. Anyways, about this time we started calling pictures mirror papers. We are so hilarious. So here are my mirror papers from my vacation. Hope you enjoy, and if you don't- deal with it!

Why look- it's Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz!

Here's the beautiful Fake toenails.

Cody took this picture. It's obvious that Kristin is the photographer in the family.

Are we hot or what?

I just like this picture. I'm such an awesome photographer.

When in Rome....

2005-09-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back home in Arizona. I had the greatest vacation. I'm so glad I went. I LOVED Osh Vegas! Here's the scoop- you've already heard about the trip out there-
Friday- So due to the time difference, I was still sleeping when Kristin left for work. After I got up I had me some Cocoa Krispies and watched tv. Then I just read a book and cuddled with Romeo. I love Kristin's house; it's so cute. She came home for lunch and we discussed our plans for the evening. She was able to get off early so that was good news. We made a cake and lasagna and watched tv. Then we did our hair and got all prettied up. We decided that the soundtrack for the weekend was Monkey Business by the Black Eyed Peas , with the theme song being a lovely tune called "My Humps". See, what happened was, Bethany came over the night before after getting the cd, and we kept playing the song. At first, me and Kristin thought it was the STUPIDEST song, but as time progressed, found it to be pretty much the greatest song ever. So as we're getting ready, we play our song. We went to go see Wedding Crashers. Now I know what you're thinking- we've both seen this movie already. True- but we haven't seen it together. After the flick, we went to Beth's bar where things got a little fuzzy after this point. I met some really cool people, including Corey, Beth's boss. I totally don't remember what all happened,; I just remember I had a great time. We waited for Beth to get off, and then we went to Perkin's where my fun times caught up with me and, well let's just say that I reenacted a scene from the Exorcist in the bathroom. Feeling much better, I ate some French toast and then we went home, listening to B.E.P. the whole way.
Saturday- We all slept in. About 1ish, Beth came over and we went to a Chinese buffet. Then we went back to the house to watch..... Anchorman. I kinda think that the whole weekend was just an Anchorman fan club meeting. Seriously we quoted the movie the whole time. It seriously is the greatest movie ever. Then we went to Target and got Starbucks and the greatest thing ever..... fake toenails. Yep. Kristin was so embarrassed; I had to buy them. They look fabulous though. We went for a drive and picked up a movie for later in the evening. I love Oshkosh. It is the cutest little town. We went out to eat, where our waitress admitted that she forgot about us. Then back to Kelly's bar for more fun. We didn't stay out as late this time. We went back home and watched The Wedding Date. It was kinda a weird movie. I don't know if it was just cuz I was tired and kept dozing or what, but it was a little odd. There were parts I liked (like the Guy!). Then I hit the hay.
Sunday- Got up and started SQUEEZING all my stuff back in the suitcase. I was a little sad, cuz I had so much fun. But Kristin told me that basically I was just coming back to Phoenix to gat the rest of my things and tell everyone goodbye. She has plans for me. And you too, J. So watch out. We watched some great reality tv, and then decided that it was time to go. First we stoped at Culver's and I had a butterburger. It was really good. There were these kids there that were creeping Kristin out. We went on into Appleton and I got some souvinier stuff at the airport. Then we said our goodbyes and I started my journey back. The flight to Minneapolis was a little bumpy, but ok. I had to wait forever to get my seat assignment to Phoenix. It seemed to take forever to get home. The flight was about a 1/2 hour late landing due to weather. I was met by my Dona. We went out to eat at Macayo's with Aaron so we could catch up. They were laughing at me cuz I was yawning. Excuse me, but I'm still 2 hours ahead and I've been across the country today. Went home, said hi to the fam and watched the rest of the Emmys. It was a GREAT weekend. I can't wait to do that again!!!!!

Fly Girl

2005-09-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Ok. First things first. We are not even going to mention Kristin's present. It's going in the garbage. Now that that's out of the way.... I survived my first (two) plane trips!!! It all started Wednsday. I had a horrifying day at work. I was supposed to get to work at 7:30 (am, people.) to let the electrian in. The jerk didn't even show up til 8:30! Then no one was buying anything and I kept having low-blood sugar attacks. I snapped at Daniel. And then when I was leaving work, I almost started crying. I have no idea why. This morning, Dona took me to the airport. and we had Starbucks. I was trying to be brave when I left her at the security point. This nice guy helped me through the security point. By the time I got to my gate, first class was starting to board. Now, I really had no idea of what to expect, but the plane was kinda small. I had a nice older lady from Minnesota sitting next to me, along with a family from England. I love English accents. The little girl was making things out of pipe cleaners and saying "Isn't it lovely? I'm going to make a nice chain for it. This is Gilbert, my spider." So cute. The plane ride was really fun.The older lady was really nice; she kept telling me tips to get through the airport. Then we got to Minneapolis and I had to hoof it to the COMPLETE other side of the airport. I was so tired.I was walking with this guy who was flying to Phoenix, and we were comparing the airports. He invited me to have a drink but I passed and kept chugging along. My next plane was a little puddle-jumper. I swear it took longer to get to the runway and take off than it did for the flight. I couldn't believe all the green I saw from the window. It looked like the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz. When I landed, I was greeted by my little Kristin. We got in the Codster's big-ass truck and went to her pimp crib. Then we went to see Bethany at work and had a couple drinks. After grabbing some Wendy's (just like the good ole days), we headed back to the crib to watch The O.C. Due to the time difference, Kristin is sleeping, and I am wide awake. Good times.

All my bags are packed....

2005-09-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, techinally, half packed. But still. Two more days, then I'm leaving, on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again. (actually, that's a lie. I'm coming back Sunday) This will be my last post until then, although I MIGHT pop up at Kristin's to let y'all know about the flight. I'm excited. I'm totally ready for a vacation. The last few days have been crazy. Tomorrow I have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn to open up the store for the electrician. Tre' fun. But then, I'm off like a dirty shirt for 5 days!!! My friend Jason said that he has this vision of the store while I'm gone. The rest of the mall is fine but our store is caved in. For some reason, there are cobblestones in the midst of the rubble, and Jason, Daniel, and Jake are sitting amongst the ruins, with dirt on their faces, and their hands up in the air. That's pretty much the same vision I have, but I really don't care. It'll be good for those boys to work. Well, Peace out homies. I've got to get ready for Gilmore Girls!

Flicks

2005-09-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

As per Kristin's request (I have no clue why), here is a list of the DVD's I own. This is JUST DVD's.

Armagedon
Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle
Stuck on You
Napolean Dynamite
Legally Blonde 1 & 2
13 Going on 30
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter andthe Prisoner from Azcaban
Elf
Anchorman
Two Weeks Notice
Frequency
Speed
Hitch
Freaky Friday
The Upside of Anger
Spanglish
The Star Wars Trilogy
Ocean's 11
Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events
With Honors
Crossroads
Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
Spiderman
Old School
When Harry Met Sally...
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Signs
The Sixth Sense
Kate & Leopald
Almost Famous
Monster-In-Law
Toy Story : The 10 Anniversary Edition

Now, in box sets I have Alias- seasons 1-3, The X Files seasons 7-9, The Gilmore Girls Season 1 & 2 , Felicity season 1, Party of Five season 1, and the entire series of Freaks & Geeks.

Spy Games

2005-09-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

Ahhh... the fall tv season is upon us. Last night I watched a new show called Reunion, kind of a flash-back murder-mystery thing. It was pretty good. And Tuesday is the start of Gilmore Girls! Yeah! Luke better say yes to Lorelei. And on the 29th is the season premire of my beloved Alias. Now when we last saw Ms. Sydney Bristow, she had just saved the world from a nuclear-virus-water thingy. She had enjoyed brief reunion with Spy Dad, Spy Sis, and On-the-Run Mom. Sis got injected with the virus-thing by Psycho Aunt and went insane and tried to kill Syd. Nadia's dad (aka Syd's arch-nemesis) shot Nadia in order to save Syd and the world. Vaughn (aka my husband) proposed to Syd. Life seemed to be great. Vaughn and Syd were driving to a weekend getaway, and he said he had something to tell her. She said you can tell me anything- just not that you're a bad guy. He looked at her and said... "my name isn't Michael Vaughn." At that same instant, a car came out of nowhere and slammed into them. Fade to black. Now, at the end of the season, I was so excited. A terrible accident- are they ok? Sloane really is good? Vaughn's not Vaughn? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? But then rumors regarding the new season started popping up. First, Jen got herself knocked up. At first, I was thinking maybe she'll be paralyzed and have to be in a wheelchair, or she'll have a creepy baby. (long story). But no, Syd's just gonna get knocked up too. And then, I heard that they're fazing out Nadia and Weiss and bringing in 2 new characters. That sucks. I LOVE Weiss and really like Nadia. Spy Dad and Marshall better still be around. AND then today, I was reading US magazine and they were saying that they heard a report that the powers that be were going to kill Vaughn off because of tension between Michael Vartan, Jennifer Garner, and Ben Hooflack. (Awkward!) Ok, that's the last straw. How dare they kill Vaughn? I kinda hope this IS the last year of Alias, because it's starting to stray from its roots. It's not the little show that I first fell in love with. I would rather it end while its still (kinda) great and mourn it ,rather than become a total suckfest. Does that make sense?

T- Minus 7 Days

2005-09-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

OMG! A week from today, I will be taking my first plane trip across the country to see my beloved little Kristin! I'm so excited. And nervous. And just a little scared. Not necessarily about flying, but about doing something new. But I can do it. I have my wicked cool new luggage in which I need to start packing my clothes. (What's the weather like Kristin?) I just bought some books to read on the flight. (Yes, I said books. I read fast, people. Harry Potter in 4 hours.) Tomorrow I'm getting my hair done so I can impress all the Wisconsinians with my hot city-girl ways. It's going to be a great adventure. I feel so grown up! Speaking of grown-up adventures, I am contemplating driving school. Dona was teling me about one that's taught by retired cops, and at the end of the training, you take the actual driving test with them. You just have to go to the DMV to actually GET your license. Sounds kinda cool. I think I just have to go out there and do it. And then I can get my own sweet ride! No more bumming rides. Yeah!

Labor Day

2005-09-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

I did not want to get up this morning. Last night, I set my alarm with the intent of getting up and going for a walk and when the alarm went off, I just said"ehh." I don't want to go to work. Everytime I have a day off, I get like that. Yesterday was fun. I got to sleep in a little, and then I went shopping at Arizona Mills ( kind of an outlet mall) with Dona and Jme and my "niece", Kennedee. She is so big now; she'll be one in two weeks! She's walking all over the place. She has such an attitude though. She gives the dirtiest looks and shakes her head no all the time. She's still cute though. I came home and was downloading some songs for my mp3 player. (Oh yeah- I FINALLY figured out how to do that. Aren't you proud of me?It's only been 4 months.) I went crazy. I got like 19 songs yesterday; I got 16 a couple days before. But considering it's only 99cents a songs and the average cd only has 12 songs and is $15 and I don't like a third of the songs, it's a bargain- I can just get the songs I like. After that, I started crying while watching a story on the news about kids that got separated from their parents after the hurricane and evacuation. I needed to watch some X-Files to cheer me up, so I watched 4 episodes. And I kept getting text messages from a friend from high school, the one who called me on my birthday. It was kinda weird cuz I hadn't talked to him before this in like 7 months. It's like "what do you want???) I was eating some Hershey's miniatures, and came to the conclusion that they need to take out the Krackles and add more Mr. Goodbars. Now, it's back to the daily grind. Eh.

It's Showtime!

2005-09-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so last night after work, I saw Red Eye. Probably NOT the smartest thing to watch while I'm preparing to take my first flight, but whatever. Sometimes I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box! Anyhoo, it was a great movie. Really scary. After the movie was over, I came to the conclusion that...I love Rachel McAdams. Seriously. She kicked ass in this movie. And she was great in The Wedding Crashers, too. She's probably my favorite new actress. So the movie was great, other than having to see it at AMC (hate their chairs and popcorn). I went with Dona and she kept laughing at how cheesy the whole flight scenes were, and then she was laughing at me when I kept jumping and then especially when I screamed. Whatever; I'm used to people laughing at me. So there were some great trailers last night; probably the greatest ones I've seen in awhile. (I love the trailers. I can't miss them or it ruins the whole movie-going experience) They were: 1. Flight Plan- love Jodi Foster, plus looks really creepy. 2. The Fog-starring Tom Welling (!) and it looks SO creepifyingly great! 3. Just Like Heaven- Chick Flick with Reese Witherspoon- how can you go wrong? and 4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (ok, so I didn't actually see this one last night, but it's still a great trailer and it makes me happy knowing there's another Harry movie!) So yeah. It was a fun night.

Reflections

2005-08-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

Contrary to what you are about to read, I actually had a very good day today. I'm just in a reflective mood right now. I turned on my computer tonight, and the first thing I noticed on the msn homepage was "Diana remembered 8 years later". I cannot believe that it has been 8 years since Princess Di died. I still remember the night it happened. My dad came and banged on my door and told me and I was like" Yeah. Right. That's a horrible joke." But sadly it was true. It wasn't as though she was like my role model or anything, but I was still affected by her death. It was like she was there, and then she wasn't. I don't know why, but I was get upset when celebrities die. Not all, but a lot of them. I don't know them personally, but I feel like I do. I started crying when I heard Mr. Rogers passed away; I grew up with him! It really shook me up when Aayliah died, because she was the same age as me. Chris Farley and Phil Hartman were really hard too.
The second thing I noticed was about Katrina. I can't watch tv. I just can't. I get too upset and sad and I feel hopeless. All I can do is pray. I cannot even imagine what those poor people are going through. Anytime there is a tragedy, I just get sucked into the tv and get all worked up. I think the first time that happened was the Oklahoma City bombing. To this day, I see a picture of the wreckage of where the daycare center was, I want to start crying. And don't get me started about September 11th. I hate watching the news; I just want to cry all the time. I seriously have to limit my news intake for my own sanity.

Go Shorty, It's your Birthday

2005-08-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

So I survived my birthday. Well, yesterday anyway. The festivities still continue today. Mandivus started on Friday with a phone call at work from a friend whom I had not spoken to in 7 months, calling to wish me a happy birthday. Weird. And then... Daniel came and brought me flowers! They were so pretty. Sad to say, but that was the first time I have received flowers from a guy before. I was so surprised. I came home and opened a absolutely hilarious card from Kristin. So Saturday, I woke up and found out that my parents got me luggage for my trip; now I won't have to carry my belongings in trash bags. Sweet! My brother Mike gave me a photo album and a Target gift card in the amount of $4000 - $3960. (His wording, not mine!) He's so funny. Mid-morning I received a call from my bff Kristin and got to speak with the Codster and Romeo. And then I read. I was proud (or sad?) to say that I have read the entire Harry Potter series in one week. And now I'm convinced that life would be great if we could really do magic. The Muggle way of life sucks. Then I got ready to go out, still had no clue where I was going. I looked pretty hot if I do say so myself. Manda picked me up and we went to the store and waited for Dona. I had fun playing with the boys while I waited. Then we went to...... Build-a-Bear! I made a new frog to keep Daniel company. Her name is Lili Padd. Then Shandy met up with us and we set out for the next part. By this time, my head's killing me and I feel like such a bitch. I was being quiet and everyone's like are you having fun? Are you ok? And I'm like eh. We end up watching my friend Jason play Jesus in Godspell. It was pretty funny; he did good. My head still hurts. We went to The Cheescake Factory for dinner. I get a soda and I feel better. Dinner was really fun. Shandy got so tipsy. I was pretty tipsy myself, but she was hilarious. The waiter was a good sport. And then, we went to see The 40-year-old Virgin, or my life story in about 14 years. Seriously, he was a virgin and he couldn't drive. Totally me. The movie was gross, but funny. The ending was the BEST part. I was so tired after the movie. We did way too much stuff that night. I came home and crashed. Today, we're going to see a Diamondbacks game. Dona told me last night that this was the year for me to start breaking traditions and doing new stuff. Well, last night was fun and I REALLY appreciate everything they did, but, seriously, next year, I just want to go to Macayo's. And I want the boys to come too. Last night was way too much; I'm an old lady now!

Mandivus

2005-08-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

As my birthday is only 3 days away, I thought I would talk about my best and worst birthdays. When I was a kid, I would always have a friend spend the night, and we'd have pizza and play and it was fun. I never had a BIG party, but that's ok; that's not my style. Now my worst birthday was when I turned 16 or 17 ( I can't actually remember the year, I was so traumatized). I was so excited because my birthday fell on the same night we had youth group, so I was like, yeah I get to celebrate with my friends. Now I ALWAYS make a big deal about my friends birthdays. And I wasn't expecting a big deal, but I was expecting something. So I was walking into church and I could hear Doug, our youth sponser, say, "Now, remember, today is Mandi's birthday" At that moment, I walk in the door and my BEST FRIENDS are like" Oh, yeah. Happy Birthday Mandi." And that's it. I'd known them for years and that's all I get is a half-hearted absent-minded greeting. And to make matters worse, I did get a card. From a girl who started coming to our church 3 WEEKS before. Jerks. So now when it's my bday, I don't care about presents, I just want people to REMEMBER it's my birthday. So my BEST birthday was last year. It started off when Dona called and sang me Happy Birthday. 5 different times. And then Jake called and Daniel texted me. Shandy came and picked me up and we went and ran around waiting for Dona. And then they took me to Build-a-Bear where I was told what I was making and naming my animal, but I could dress him how I wanted. So I made my frog, Daniel Aaron Bambulas. And then we went to Macayo's where we were met by Jme and her boys, Dano, Tino, Jars, my arch-nemesis Raul, and Manda. It was at this moment that I realized that I was a flirt; I was surrounded by boys. It was fun. I was just missing Kristin, Aaron, and Jake. Afterwards, we went back to work where I was told to wait up front. This was when I started to get scared; Dona is known for doing crazy stuff. Finally I was allowed in the back, where I was greeted by Elvis (aka Jake) serenading me. It was great, although my Elvis was a better Michael Jackson impersonator! Then we had cake, and we went to see one of the worst movies ever, Spiderman 2. It was a great day! Dona has something up her sleeve for Saturday. I was told yesterday I need to find something black& white or black & silver to wear. Who knows what will happen this year?

2005-08-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

I had a great day at work yesterday. I did absolutely nothing but laugh. It was great. Jake was sooo hilarious. Well, at first I was working with Erin and she was making me snort. And then Jakers came in and I was laughing so hard I was crying. And I can't even tell you what was so funny. I haven't had a day like that in a long time. It was fun. And then I came home and my brothers scared the tar out of me and then I ate my dinner (pork chops and applesauce and stuffing!) and watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Again. Sunday night and then again last night, I slept sooooo hard. I've been so exhausted. Plus, I don't feel that great- headaches and stuff. I feel like I'm constantly on the go. I'm doing nothing today. Well, take that back. I'm doing laundry, I have no clothes. But other than that- zip. My biggest decision will be what to watch- Gilmore Girls, some more of season 8 of X files, or Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Decisions,decisions.

Oh yes, I hate technology!

2005-08-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

OMG. The past few days have been crazy. That computer bug that's been on the news- yeah it hit the computers at work. So we've having to do EVERYTHING manually. Which I know seems like a stupid complaint, but when you throw that on top of everything else we have to do, it's exhausting. I was on the phone with our computer tech off and on for like 3 hours yesterday and my ear literally had a cramp in it. We ( I mean, I) had to convert our register 2 into our main register because the hard drive in register 1 was fried. And then I had to open the register up for the day before, ring up everything and then close down the register for that day. Dona was going to go in early today and do yesterday's . So exhausting. I feel like the past 2 days were actually like 5 days. Thursday I had to go in early because that's when the computer first went down and Dona didn't feel good so I went in a liitle before 12. At about 2:30, I got sad because I realized that I would have to be there 7 more hours! Got home about 10 and went to bed because I had to get up before 6 because we were having a breakfast meeting with our district manager. So we go to that and Jake calls our dm's cell; he's been in an accident. He's ok, just mad cuz the lady in front of him is over-reacting. So after breakfast we go to work and that's when the craziness starts. Luckily I was in the back, but still. Crazy. And then I'm about to leave, and Erin comes back and says that someone is on the phone about the computer and she doesn't understand what he's saying. So of course I take the call. But I am the one that decided to stay; there was no way they would able to work on the computer and handle thebusiness. So I took one for the team again. After we closed, we went to Macayo's with Aaron and I had me some mini-chimis.

Oh what a night!

2005-08-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. Yesterday I bought my ticket to go see my little Kristin in Osh Kosh. I will be gone Sept. 15-18. It will be my first flight. And I have to change planes too. So I'm a little nervous. But I'm excited to go see her; I miss her so much! If anyone has any tips for flying, let me know! Last night I went to see the American Idol tour with Dona; it was sooo much fun! While you were waiting for the show, you could walk around and there was a place where you could make signs ( which we did), you could sing Kareoke (which we didn't), and there was a Dance,Dance Revolution competion going on(thought about you, Kiki and Jars!). The show itself was awesome. They all did a great job. I love going to concerts; it's so much fun. This was an early birthday present; but apparently she has other plans for my actual bday. I can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve, considering last year she had Jake dress up like Elvis. Dona was hilarious last night. She was making binoculars out of her sign and having fun people watching. And then before the show they where playing some song and showing all these guy celebrities (Idon't know why) and she was asking me to rate them 1-5 based on looks. At first I was like Dona! But then it was fun. Tom Cruise got a 01/2. Brad Pitt kept going up to like a 8 each time he was on screen. Another fun-filled evening!

I'm Losing It!

2005-08-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

I'm losing my mind. Slowly but surely, it's slipping away. I've always been an airhead, but lately it's been space cadet city for me. I almost contaminated us yesterday, that's the first time I've ever done that.( Granted it was PARTLY Dona and Princess's fault too) I went to the movies on Saturday night, and the girl was handing me change and I didn't remember handing her money. What's wrong with me??? Wait, don't answer that! SO, other than being more retarded than usual, it was a good weekend. I worked A LOT ( what else is new?) but work was good. Like I said, I went to the movies. I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Now, I loved the first one and always will, but this one was GREAT!! I loved Charlie and his family in the new one. So cute. And Johnny Depp was perfect as Willy Wonka. I did like the original Oompa-Loompa songs better though, but all-in-all, I highly recommend the movie. OH, I almost forgot! (see?) Friday night, Dona, Shandy, andI went to the Olive Garden after work. Things were going good, breadsticks were a little crunchy, but whatever. We're eating our meals when Dona held up this long orangish looking thing and asked if it was a carrot or a toothpick. We both said it was a carrot, just looked a little freezer burned. She snapped it in half and there were little wood fibers. It looked like a toothpick somehow got stuck to a carrot sliver. we were all grossed out. We told the waitress who told her manager and all our meals were free. Isn't that weird?

You Like?!

2005-08-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

I had the FABULOUS Ginger redesign my blog- she is amazing! She is still working on the link column, so don't despair- I still love you all, and am actually adding a few more. I absolutely love the boots! Every spy needs a pair of boots like that! Anyway, last night I went over to Tempe to see Tracey Morgan. He was pretty funny. The opening act was hilarious cuz he kept making fun of the audience- which totally deserved it. OMG. My grandma used to say "The things you see when you don't have a gun." I totally agree with that statement now. When we got there, we checked in and they told us to go stand in line cuz we weren't having dinner, they would open the doors to the public in about 15 minutes. Okay, no biggie. So apparently, Mikey and I just REAKED of the West Side, because EVERY person that came after us got to go in- and you KNOW they weren't all having dinner. I asked the guy if the doors were open to the public yet and he's like No. So they keep letting all the gross leathery looking people with bad tans and fake boobs go in. We get pissed off and I tell the moron at the door that we're going in; obviously ALL these people are not having dinner. We walk past all 6 guys at the door, me muttering about the stupid east siders and Mike muttering about how they need to stop giving each other hand jobs and do their fricking jobs. So then we get inside, and by this time I need a drink so I have a rum and coke. At least our waitress was nice. But the manager or whatever was creepy, he kept walking by and winking at Mike. Freaked him out. Anyway, I survived. I got my hair done yesterday. It's really cute. Lots more red and brown. And then I went to my fave store Aeropostale and got a pair of running pants and a jacket and a tshirt for---$22! I love that store- they have awesome sales. Well, have to go-work.

Tag!

2005-08-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

I got tagged yesterday by Kristin, so here goes!
10 years ago today: I was a fat happy 15 year old, with nothing to do but babysit and hang out with my bffs Kathleen and Catherine. Life was pretty sweet!

5 years ago today: I was a not-quite-as fat 20 year old, still pretty happy, working at a day care center. Didn't really go out that much.

1 year ago today: Life was crazy. My BFF Kristin had abandoned me and went to Osh Kosh, my friend Aaron had left for 6 months to Hawaii, Jakers had left the store, and my mom was really sick. Talk about being trapped in a glass box of emotion. I only had Dano and Dona to pull me through.

Yesterday: was a good day. A little crazy, but hey that's life! Worked all day, came home ,watched 3 episodes of XFiles and had a BIG piece of Chocolate cake- my dad made me!

Tomorrow: I am off and I'm getting my hair done. And then tomorrow night, I am going with my brother Mike to see Tracy Morgan at the Tempe Improv. I'm excited! "I'm Brian Fellows- and that goat is the devil!"

5 snacks I enjoy: Popcorn and M&M's, Pretzels, Cereal( dry or with milk), "dang" quesadillas, and banana bread.

5 bands that I know the lyrics to most of their songs: I, like Kristin, enjoy most types of music and I know the lyrics to pretty much any song. But my FAVORITES are: Kelly Clarkson, *NSYNC (they just make me happy!), The Goo-Goo Dolls, Britney Spears, and Rascal Flatts.

5 things I would do with a $100,000,000: Buy everyone in my family a house and a car, give some to charity, take my friends on a shopping spree, go traveling, and buy Jake Sears. (inside joke)

5 locations I would probably run to: NEW YORK CITY!!!, Italy, somewhere in the Carribbean, London, Graceland.

5 bad habits I have: Being passive aggressive, biting my nails, feeling like no one likes me, gossiping, and taking everything too personally.

5 things I like doing: watching tv, spending time with my friends, reading, redecorating, and shopping

5 things I would never wear: Well, considering I was a child in the late 80's and early 90's, I have pretty much worn everything. I can tell what I regret wearing: neon anything, these bright red tennis shoes that made my feet look like clown feet, a hat with EVERY outfit, cullottes, and this particular horrifying outfit- a shirt/top set that had buttons all over the print with which I wore a button necklace. Yikes. What was I thinking.

5 TV shows I like: Alias, X-files, Gilmore Girls, Friends, American Idol

5 movies I like: Never Been Kissed, Anchorman, Pretty Woman, Speed, and 50 First Dates

5 Famous People I'd Like to meet: 1. Will Ferrall- He said to tell you that you smell Kristin. 2. Kelly Clarkson 3. Conan O'Brien 4. Jennifer Garner- she might need a body double soon! 5. Britney Spears- I think we could be BFF's.

5 biggest joys at the moment- DVDs, blogging, making plan at work, my friends, and M&M's.

5 people to tag (purely optional) : everybody's it!

Interview with a Vampire (Slayer)

2005-08-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

I have a seriously twisted best friend. The following are the questions that Krazy Kristin has posed to me. Here goes nothing.

1. Given the choice between eating a chocolate covered elephant turd and a bucket of fish eyeballs with sugar coating, which would you choose? Neither. My choice would be the same as Raul's during the whole "Jake and Kristin's Slaves" period- I would rather die. I'll just die.
2. You're about to lose control of your bladder and there's NO way you can make it to the bathroom on time- it's happening now. Would you rather be sitting on Daniel's mom's couch at Christmastime, while everyone's opening gifts, or standing in the front of a long line at the Department of Motor Vehicles waiting to have your driver's license picture taken-and why? I would rather do it at the DMV, because chances are I would never see those people again and what do I care what they think of me?
3. Why is J-Lo's butt so big? And why is my butt so ghetto-fabulous? I think J-Lo's butt gets bigger the more she lies (think Pinocchio) about being "real" and being a good singer. As for your ghetto booty, I don't know. All's I know is you and me truly are bootylicious.
4. In order to survive a deadly assassin, you must kill your beloved Michael Vartan (who, let's just say is your husband) or have your arms and legs blown off and be just a stub. What would you choose? Jeez Kristin. Well, I guess I'd kill him. Because I'M the chosen one who can save the world. Plus he would probably leave me if I was a stub for the slutty office girl who had been giving him the eye. So at least I can mourn him with all my appendages.
5. Shag, marry, throw off a cliff- Daniel, Jake, Aaron. I hate you. You are no longer my BFF. Jk. Maybe. UMMMM... Marry Aaron, Throw Jake off a cliff (although I would probably go off with him cuz we would be wrestling) and Shag Daniel. There. Are you happy?
and there you have it. I'm gonna get you back Kristin. I don't know and I don't know when, but it will happen. Wait and see. Mwhahaha (creepy laugh).

Lightening crashes

2005-08-05T06:49:00.000-07:00

I have a hilarious story I'd like to share with you about
my retardedness. Tuesday night, the night of the great
snl trivial pursuit showdown- which I won-, there was a
HUGE monsoon storm. We lost power, and we had the
back door open to get some air in the house. My bro
Justin was sitting on the porch swing enjoying the rain
and I guess lightening flashed and he got scared and
RAN inside. So I'm mocking him- I'm his sister, that's
my job- and I go to close the screen door cuz its
blowing in the wind. Well, lightening strikes again
and at that same moment, my phone lights up. My first
reaction is that I got struck by lightening. Then Behind t
hese hazel eyes starts playing and I realize I'm getting a call.
I start to breathe again and answer Dano's call. He was just
letting me know he made it home okay, cuz he knows
I hate storms and would be worried about him driving.
So just another nail in the crazy coffin.

My Interview

2005-08-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

Here is my Interview with Undercover Celebrity. Riveting stuff.
1. Would you rather be extoverted but really dumb, or

introverted and smart?

Well, hmm... I'm already pretty introverted and

somewhat smart ( rather airheaded at times) so I guess

I'd like to try the Extroverted and dumb.

Seems like guys like dumb girls.

2. What's your worst habit?

Probably being passive aggressive. Instead of just getting

mad and getting over it, I shut off and ruin everyone's day.

3. What is your most prized possession? Why?

Well, I hold on to EVERYTHING, but I would have to say

my photo albums, or as I like to call 'em- mirror papers and rememberings. I love pictures. Probably a good thing I'm a photographer!:)

4. What is your all-time favorite meal? Ohh, hard.

Love the food. Probably would have to be chips and salsa,

and mini chimis and rice at Macayo's. If anyone asks me

where I want to eat, 9 out of 10 times I will say Macayo's.

5. And my favorite game.. shag, marry, or push off a cliff.

Put each of the following men in the aforementioned catagories:

Brad Pitt, Michael Vartan (Alias) and Josh Duhamel (Vegas).
Well.. Brad Pitt, I would shag. But he has to look like he did in

Legend of the Falls. Michael Vartan. um. MARRY HIM!!

I'm only totally in love with him.
So that leaves Josh. I would have to push him off a cliff.

But I'd be crying while I did it.
Pretty fun!
____________________________________
Want to play?
The official Interview Game Rules:
1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below

saying "interview me".
2. I will respond by asking you 5 questions; each person's

will be different.
3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to

these questions.
4.You will include this explanation and offer to interview

others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed,

you will ask them 5 questions.

Cleaning up

2005-08-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

I love accomplishing things. I got up today, washed my sheets, cleaned my floor, threw out a TON of old magazines (I buy WAY too many magazines), made my bed and did some other laundry. Now, that's ALL I'm going to do for the day, but still. I did something. Yea me! Work was really weird yesterday. It was good, but at the same time OMG!!! Dona was back- she has hardly been there, having to fill in at other stores and going to meetings and such- and she and Jake kept getting into it. And then she and Jake and I were having this -I don't know what to call it. We weren't yelling exactly, but we were talking in raised voices. We just couldn't reach an agreement. She thought she was right and Jake and I thought we were right. It ended up with me crying in the back room. Good times. I don't think we really ended up resolving anything other than intensifying Jake's and my frustration. ARRGH! Anyway, we were hopping last night and Daniel and I went to McDonald's after work and then I came home and crashed.
Today I plan on kicking back and watching my story (General Hospital) and some XFiles. Tonight I guess I'm going out to dinner and then playing SNL trivial pursuit with my fam. I plan on kicking their butts.

Feels like I'm walking on Broken Glass

2005-08-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I kept feeling like I had a piece of glass in my heel. Saturday night Daniel and I had been remerchandising the store and I had been wearing flip flops so I assumed it could be possible that I stepped on glass. Everytime I walked, I felt a stabbing pain, but when I looked at my foot, I couldn't see anything. Then yesterday afternoon, I happened to look down at my flip flop and there, sticking in my heel, was a framing nail. Nice. So I guessing that I'm probably going to get tetnus and end up with lockjaw. So that was the most exciting part of my weekend. I worked all day on Saturday and then went to church and lunch yesterday. I came home and watched the last part of season 9 of the X-Files. Good thing I have seasons 7 & 8 on the way so I don't go into withdrawal!

Private Eyes Are Watching You

2005-07-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

I went to the eye doctor today. Let me start off by saying I HATE going to that office. First of all, it's in the ghetto. Second of all, I hate going to drs in general. And third, everyone who works there is super-bitchy. They tell me to wear my contacts in and then when I come in with them on, they're like you need to have those out. Or when they tell me to wear my glasses...you get the picture. And they're really nasty about it. Like it's my fault that they don't communicate properly. If I talked to my customers the way they talk to me, I would get in soo much trouble. So today I wear my contacts in and sure enough, Ms. Congeniality throws a contact case at me and tells me to take them out. I do all the stupid tests and she tells me to go "over there" and I'm like where? I can't see ANYTHING without glasses/contacts. I go in to see the dr, who turns out to be a major creepasaurous. He talks like Mr. Rogers gone psychotic. Looking back, I think he might have been a robot. He's doing the exam and he's telling me what the letters are. Moron. And then, he's looking in my eyes and he says "just keep looking at my ear." And I'm thinking, you never told me to look at your ear in the first place you idiot. By this time my head is hurting because I can't see anything clearly past 10 inches of my face. I finally get to put my contacts back in and escape. The only reason I went is cuz they wouldn't refill my prescription again without an exam and I have made what would normally be a 3 month supply last, oh about 9 months. Needless to say, my eyes have not been very happy. I've tried to wear my glasses as much as I can, but I hate not having peripheral vision. So now I have brand new contacts and I can avoid the hell hole for another year.

My Fave Flicks

2005-07-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

I adore movies. I love going to the theater, renting them, whatever. And unless the movie totally blows, I will watch them repeatedly. So here are a few (haha) of my favorites.

1. Never Been Kissed- or as I like to call it my life story. It also introduced me to my future husband, Michael Vartan.
2. That Thing You Do!- One of the most perfect movies EVER. I wish I looked like Liv Tyler.
3. Return to Me- Another perfect movie. Love the supporting cast. And David Duchovny is hot. 4. Pretty Woman- goes without saying-I'm a girl! Of course I love it!
5. Speed- I like to pretend I'm Sandra Bullock in this movie. "Shoot the hostage!" Also gave me my fear of elevators.
6. Armageddon- Ben Affleck+animal crackers= good times
7. When Harry Met Sally- I have seen this movie SO many times. Billy Crystal cracks me up.
8. Tommy Boy- Can repeat line for line. "Did you eat paint chips as a child?" "Brothers don't shake-brothers gotta hug!"
9. Annie- I can sing the entire soundtrack.
10. Sleepless in Seattle- I hated this movie when it came out, but I saw a few years later and I was like this is the greatest movie ever! I drive my dad NUTS when I watch it!
11. Grease- I can't stand John Travolta, but it's hard to resist a T-Bird. Grease is the word.
12. Titanic- I saw it like 4 times at the theater. It's one of the prettiest movies I have ever seen.
13. Raiders of the Lost Ark- Love Harrison. Just love him.
14. Legally Blonde- My Rocky
15. Ferris Bueller's Day Off- there is nothing cuter than Matthew Brodrick singing Twist and Shout at a German Day Parade.
16. Clueless- the first movie I saw that I identified with.
17. My Girl- "Go away...and don't come back for 3 to 7 days!"
18. The War- my family loves this movie. I think it's the last movie before Elijah Wood got creepy looking.
19. Back to the Future- I loved Michael J Fox as a kid.
20. You've got Mail- I dream of opening a kid's bookstore just like Meg Ryan's in this movie.
21. Dirty Dancing- Nobody puts baby in the corner.
22. Steel Magnolias/Terms of Endearnment/ Fried Green Tomatoes/ Beaches- great tearjerkers.
23. Bring It On- for my cheerleading addiction
24. Serendipity/ Hope Floats/While You Were Sleeping/ Fools rush In/ Kate & Leopald / Notting Hill/ Boys on the Side/ A Walk in the Clouds- great chick flicks
25. X2:XMen United- I love Hugh Jackman, but I love Wolverine more!
26. Mary Poppins & Toy Story 2- for the kid inside.
27. The Bodyguard- What can I say- I love the soundtrack!
28. Empire Records/ Office Space/ Napolean Dynamite- extremely great movies with great catchphrases.
29. 50 First Dates- I dream of being kissed in an underground aquarium.
30. The Jerk- To love my family is to love this movie.
31. Elf- I LOVE Christmas movies and this is my FAVORITE!!! Not just because it has Will, ok, so that's the MAIN reason, but it's still hilarious.
32. Anchorman- Greatest movie. Ever. In the history. Of the world.
33. About A Boy- "The worst part is when they closed their eyes."
34. Star Wars- the ORIGINAL trilogy. The new ones are good, but come on- Harrison Ford!
35. The Parent Trap- the new one with Lindsay, before she grew up.
36.Stuck on You- I think the Farrelly Brothers are hilarious, and this is my favorite. I want to be best friends with Eva Mendes; she's so funny!
37. Where the Heart Is- Great book and better movie.
38. Dick- the TRUE story of Watergate. With Will Ferrall as Bob Woodward.
39. Charlie's Angels 2: FullThrottle- sometimes ya just need some cheese.
40. Stepmom- I don't know WHY I love this movie; I just know that I MUST watch it whenever it's on.
41. What About Bob?- "I'm sailing! I'm a sailor!"
42. The American President- I love politics. I find it fascinating. Although it does disturb me that Martin Sheen is the chief of staff in this movie cuz on The West Wing, he's the president!
43. Blast from the Past- Brendan Frasier- so cute. Christopher Walken- so funny.
44. Love Actually. A Christmas movie with all my favorite British actors roled in one package!
45. The Harry Potter movies- great for when I don't feel like reading.
46. Billy Madison- My favorite Adam Sandler movie.
47. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants- I know it just came out, but I just loved it!!!
48. The Royal Tenebaums- seriously one the the greatest twisted movies I have ever seen.
49. Bruce Almighty- Jim Carrey is great in this movie. I like that it doesn't really mock religion.
50. Someone like You- Hugh Jackman with his shirt off- nice.
So as you can see, I have no life and watch too many movies. But movie land is soo much fun and pretty to look at!

Morning Freakout

2005-07-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

I woke up today and the clock said 9:07 and I started to panic "Crap, I'm supposed to be at work!" But then I remembered I switched with Jakers so I'm off today. Yeah! So I relaxed and grabbed some cereal and started watching my story.(General Hospital) I picked up a catalog and lo and behold the wonders that I saw. It was an Ikea catalog. I've never been to one, but now I realize that I must make this a major priority in my life. They had the most amazing things in there. I LOVE redecorating; it's so much fun! Not doing much today, just some laundry and vaccuuming. And TRYING to call Kristin. I'm trying to plan a trip out to Osh Vegas. I'm nervous about flying; I've never done it before. But I might have the possibility of getting a buddy pass so at least I can be scared and fly for cheap!

Ahhhh

2005-07-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

I did absolutely nothing today and it was great. I slept in til 9 and woke up completely sweaty. The monsoon season has arrived. Fabulous. Got up, watched Monk ( that show is sooo funny), and then E.T. was on. I love E.T. So I ate some enchiladas that my dad made last night and watched the little booger. Drew Barrymore still looks the same- it's crazy. She's like my fave actress. Then I went to Target and spent way too much money. I always justify it- it's a good price, I REALLY need it, blah blah blah- I just like to shop. Came home, took a shower, and am waiting for the Streets of New York delivery of my potato skins. And then I shall retire for the evening and watch my recently acquired 9th season of X-Files. I bought popcorn and Goobers for later. I have to work tomorrow, but that's ok. I got some rest today. Yesterday we were sooo busy. I didn't get to sit down for like 7 hours. Dano and I had an Applebee's date last night- we haven't gotten to see each other in a long time and we were so tired, we were just sitting at the table staring at each other. I don't know why it's always so busy when I work.

Happy happy joy joy

2005-07-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

I had a really good day. Seriously. Probably one of my best in awhile. I went to work at our Paradise Valley store with Dona and got to shoot on the cameras I used to shoot on at my old store- awesome cameras. It was little weird at first using them, but I think I did pretty good. It was fun being in a new environment and not feeling responsible for everything. We were pretty busy. After work we went to dinner at The Islands- best french fries ever- and then went to Kohl's. I got some new jeans and a t shirt. Tomorrow, I'm back at my home turf. Try to keep this good feeling.

Billy Ray Cyrus would be proud

2005-07-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

Terrible news America. It appears as though the mullet is back. I've seen 5 people this week sporting one and one more who was wearing a bun but you could tell that it would be a mullet if it were down. The funniest memory I have of Kristin is we were having out about two weeks after we met and all of a sudden she just says, very dramatically"Guys, I used to have a mullet." I used to tease her, but then when she was visiting in April, Kristin was looking at my photo album and discovered that I, too had a mullet when I was 11, or as like to call it my "fugly" stage. What in the world makes people think these look good. Business up front, party in the back- just have one haircut and stop looking like a flippin' redneck!!!! Other than that, I had a really good day. Everyone was really nice. Things went smoothly. So nothing to complain about. Tomorrow I doing a mission in another country, that is to say I'm working at our Paradise Valley store. It'll be fun. So, nothing else really to report. You shall be receiving my spy report tomorrow.

Another Embarassing Moment

2005-07-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

So, I don't know why I just thought of this know but I looking back in my mental files and was remembering a time (years ago) when I went to see this movie called Wrongfully Accused, a spoof on The Fugitive starring Leslie Neilson. So it's fun and stupid yada yada yada and then we come to the scene where he's trying to outrun the train. He takes off into the forest and suddenly the train jumps off the track and chases him into the forest. He jumps behind a rock and a few seconds pass and he goes to look behind the rock and I KNOW the train is going to jump out from the other side of the rock, but I not only JUMP, I SCREAM. My parents had been sitting a few rows back and at the end of the movie, they comment on somebody screaming and Justin says" That was Mandi". So I'm teased for awhile. We rented it a few months later cuz Mike wanted to watch it. I prepared for the scene, but guess what. Yep, I jump and scream AGAIN. What a moron.

In All Seriousness

2005-07-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

I have a condition that I would like to talk about tonight. Ladies and Gents, I suffer from gigglitis or the laughing disease. Seriously, I will laugh at anything. And I'm not just talking Haha, I'm talking laughing so hard I'm crying. And sometimes I snort. I laugh at the tv, I laugh at the movies, I laugh at books, at the radio, blogs, etc. I especially laugh at my brothers and my friends. It's like they know I'm gonna laugh but they still try. They're hilarious. There have been so many times where I have almost choked because I've been laughing so hard. I have read Ellen DeGeneres' book My Point...and I do have one like 20 times and I still start cracking up whenever I hear the word Iditarod. (Read the book and you'll find out why.) I've been the only person laughing in the theater not once, but twice. Sometimes I just start thinking about something and I start cracking up. I don't know what's wrong with me- I'll start crying on the drop of a hat and then I'll just start cracking up. Maybe I'm going crazy. At least I'll be laughing all the way to the funny farm.

Grumpy Gus

2005-07-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

I'm home at last. I'm so crabby. It was a long day. It was okay, just busy and hot and I was hungry. I think I have low blood sugar. I'm fine after I eat. Anyway. I'm home now and I have food in my belly and I'm going to take a shower and then have some ice cream and then go to bed. I have to get up early for a mall meeting. Yuck. I am so not a morning person. I mean, I'll get up and be functioning, but do NOT talk to me. I'm not happy until after 10. Hopefully, I'll be in better mood tomorrow. I'm bringing a lunch.

Uber-Nerd

2005-07-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

They said it couldn't be done, but I proved them wrong. That's right folks-I read Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince in one sitting. Yesterday before I went into work, I went into my local B.Dalton's where I had reserved my copy. The people working in there were just a little too happy at that time of the day. I got my book with a goodie bag that included my own pair of black glasses and a rub-on lightnening bolt tattoo. Sweet. So I worked all day and came home, took a shower, got some grub ( meatloaf and mac-n-cheese) and a BIG cup of ice water, and turned in for the night. I started at a little before 8 pm and, with just one bathroom and get popcorn and water break, I was done a little before 1 am. I read REALLY REALLY fast. I just can't help it. The book was AWESOME!!! OMG, I can't wait for the next one. But then again I can cuz its the last one and then what will I do? I was laughing and crying and scared and amazed all in the same night. I think I'm going start re-reading them all in order again. I LOVE those books!
P.S. The title of today's blog comes courtesy of my brother Justin whom I ran into in the hallway at 1 am. He's like "don't tell me you finished it already" and I said I did so then he called me uber-nerd. So what. I've always been a book worm.

My Day

2005-07-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

So I went to bed last night and I don't remember my head touching the pillow. I was out for the night. And then I had an interesting morning. I was supposed to be off, but I somehow KNEW I was going to go work. Sure enough Dona calls and says that the opener didn't show up and asked if I would call around for someone to come in while she went to open the store. I couldn't get a hold of anyone so I had Mike drive me to work. It was a little crazy. Ah. I went shopping after work and got some penny loafers. I've wanted a pair like forever and this is the cutest pair I've seen. I have to open tomorrow but I have Sunday off and guess what I'm doing. That's right- reading the new Harry Potter. In one sitting. It's going to be the best day ever.

Musings

2005-07-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

My tummy is full. I just went out to dinner with Dona and Aaron. We went Macayo's and I had my usual mini chimis and a side of rice. I don't remember the last time I ate real food. I had a muffin this morning, but I don't remember an actual meal. I'm really bad about that. I don't eat real meals; I just pick all day. We have been so busy the last couple days. I'm so exhausted. Yesterday, every sitting I had was soo hard. I mean I got CUTE pictures (I am awesome) but I had to work for them. I had one little boy who would freak out whenever the camera flashed. And he was like 3! Whatever. This little boy asked me if I wanted to go to Payson with him and his family; best offer I've had in a long time. I've decided I need to do something exciting. I don't know what. I'm just restless and feeling blah. I'm going to bed; maybe I'll feel better in the morning.

Shocking True Facts

2005-07-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Kiki, who was inspired by Beth, here is the dirt on this secret agent.

1. I was born a month past my due date. Thus starts my stubborness.
2. My mom actually got the name Mandi from the Barry Manilow song.
3. I started talking when I was 5 months old. My first words were hi, mom, dee(dad), dog and duck.
4. I started to read when I was 4. By the time I was 6, I was reading at a 4th grade level.
5. I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was 11.
6. I hate when people touch my feet.
7. I have (slight) panic attacks when I'm alone in a crowd.
8. I am proud to say I have never smoked or used drugs.
9. My first memory is seeing E.T. when I was 2 years old.
10. I desperately want to go New York City.
11. I'll start crying over pretty much anything. Commercials, movies, songs, the news.
12. I love water but at the same time I'm scared of it. I don't like to put my head under water.
13. I need for things to smell clean and pretty; I can't stand the smell of dirt.
14. I'm scared I'm going to die from impelment or appendicitis.
15. I prefer kids to adults.
16. I love to play Monopoly.
17. I actually enjoy watching sports.
18. I have been in love with Harrison Ford since I was 6.
19. I'm allergic to Mountain Dew.
20. Popcorn and M&M's is the greatest creation ever.
21. When I'm home alone, I use my hairbrush as a microphone.
22. I still love *NSYNC. They just make me happy. I will probably love them forever.
23. My favorites pieces of clothing are Flannel p.j. pants, tank tops, hooded sweatshirts and flip-flops.
24. I have a freakish memory. I really do. You wouldn't believe the things I remember. I'm like a walking encyclopedia sometimes.
25.I love buying purses.
26. I still get excited going to the movie theater.
27. I make the best banana bread in the world.
28. I feel better about myself when I'm wearing makeup.
29. I love bright colors. I could have a different favorite color every day.
30. When I get tired, I forget how to count.
31. I KINDA have a super power. I'm extremely empathetic and can tell how people are feeling and sometimes this causes me to have psychic abilities. Don't laugh.
32. I'm pretty much convinced that Dizzy by The Goo-Goo Dolls was written for me. (Pretty much all their music for that matter)
33. I have been involved in a fight that ended with the police coming. In 8th grade I was at this girl Christy's house and my best friend John was there too and she just snapped started going off on him. I helped him get out of the house and she started hitting me. John comes running back in to defend me and Christy starts beating the tar out of him. He finally just hits her once and she takes off screaming and calls the cops. They show up and I have to be the voice of reason. Fun.
34. I want to visit Graceland.
35. I wish I didn't stop playing the piano. I hated taking lessons, but playing was fun. Who knows, maybe I could have become Alicia Keys.
36. I love space and think it would be really cool to be an astronaut.
37. I absolutely adore pictures.
38. My brothers are the funniest and the most irritating people in the world.
39. Law and Politics and History fascinate me.
40. If I ever went back to school, I would be a lawyer.
41. I'm always attracted to (emotionally or whatnot) unavailable men.
42. I must watch Sleepless in Seattle everytime it is on tv.
43. If I could be stranded on a desert island with anyone, it would be Will Ferrall. (Daniel would be in my luggage.)
44. I want to own a children's book store.
45. Daniel is the first and only guy to tell me I'm hot.
46. I'm glad I'm the only girl in my family.
47. I still like to watch Full House.
48. I can't wait to be a mom and a wife, but at the same time I can. I like my own space.
49. I cried for a week after Phil Hartman died.
50. I remember when they found the Titanic. I remember watching a National Geographic special with my grandpa. I must have been like 6 cuz he died when I was 7.
51. I want to name my son Logan after Wolverine from X-Men.
52. I have Watched General Hospital since I was 13.
53. The best family trip I have been on was when we went to Disneyland in 1997.
54. I have always wanted to be a cheerleader.
55. When I was little, I used to put bangle bracelets in my mouth and pretend I had braces.
56. I'm addicted to caffeine.
57. As much as I complain, I really do love my job and can't imagine doing anything else.
58. I love redecorating and moving things around.
59. The most out-of-control-don't-know-what-to-do I've ever felt is when my mom was sick.
60. I hate weddings and showers.
61. I want to paint a room in my house like Starry Night by Van Gogh.
62. I'm a sucker for a smart-ass with blue eyes and dimples.
63. I watch way too much tv.
64. I think I have been a Republican ever since Michael J Fox in Family Ties. (I'm kidding. I think.)
65. I Love Musicals. My favorite is Annie. I would walk around the house just belting out songs. And that was just last week.
66. When I was like 8, I thought my parents were so mean cuz they wouldn't let me watch that movie Cocktail. I was convinced all grownups watched Cocktail and swore that as soon as I was a grownup, I would too. Well, I watched it and it sucked. Tom Cruise is such a creepasaur.
67. I don't stay mad long.
68. My first love was Kermit the Frog. My mom said that we were grocery shopping one day when I was like 2 and there were frozen frog legs and I started crying Kermy!
69. I Hate hot drinks. I need ice even in the winter.
70. I also hate soups. I don't believe you should have to chew liquid.
71. When I was 14, I had a nightmare about a vampire. I slept with blankets around my neck for like a month. I sometimes still watch Buffy with my hands over my eyes.
72. A lot of my dreams take place in parking garages and invlve being chased.
73. I have seen Tommy Boy so many times it should be illegal.
74. Everything I know about golf, I learned from Happy Gilmore.
75. I love game shows. I'm the bomb at Wheel of Fortune.
76. My favorite pizza is the little frozen Jeno's pizzas, Canadian bacon style. They remind me of my grandma.
77. Music is almost equivelent to oxygen to me.
78. I don't like elevators.
79. Toy Story 2 is my favorite cartoon. I laughed, I cried. Good times.
80. My favorite singers are Kelly Clarkson and Michelle Branch. Their music is like my diary.
81. My favorite movie is Never Been Kissed. It gives me hope. Even though I was better off than Josie in high school, I still know how she feels and hope that one day , I, too, will be able to make out with Michael Vartan at home plate at a baseball game.
82. I have been told that I chew gum like most people smoke.
83. I had to ask my friend Frank to HIS prom and and he ended up breaking his foot teh week before so we couldn't dance. Dumbass.
84. I can sleep through anything. My neighbors' house caught on fire & I didn't hear the trucks.
85. I have never flown on an airplane.
86. My favorite time of day is just before sunrise. Too bad I hardly ever get to see it!
87. I like being warm and cool at the same time.
88. My favorite food is chimis at Macayo's.
89. I miss my little Kristin.
90. I can relate everything in life back to an episode of Friends.
91. I want to someday own a necklace from Tiffany's.
92. I actually enjoy cleaning.
93. I love reading magazines.
94. Sometimes when I sing, I think that I could be the next American Idol.
95. I hate working outside.
96. I have birthmarks going across my torso diagonally.
97. I'm scared someone I love is going to die in an accident.
98. I actually do like myself.
99. I think Harry Potter is the greatest book series ever.
100. I need more excitement in my life.

I'm so vain, I probably think this song is about me....

2005-07-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

I am in love with my hair! I look like me again! I went to see my personal hair technician, Celia, and she worked wonders with my hair. I kept the gold, and added some coppery red and some cocoa brown; it looks really good. Now I don't look so washed-out; I just look Irish. My eyes stand out more. She also just relayered my hair, to get rid of the scragglely parts. I walked out of there with so much more confidence. Isn't it funny how just changing your hair color can change your outlook on life? Afterwards, I let Shandy pierce my ears (2nd set of holes). She was sooo nervous, more then I was. I was finally like "Just do it Shandy". There was all these little girls watching, so I was trying to be brave. But it wasn't that bad. OMG, there was this group of 3 little girls, I swear they were like 9, and they were dressed like they were 16. I'm talking hood-rat clothes and full-on makeup- fake eyelashes and everything. The oldest they could have been was 11. They still had the baby shape to their face. No way in Hell would my kid ever dress like that. She would be sent to a convent in no time flat. Anyway, I now have some fake bling in my ears and great new hair and I just feel great. So who knows what I'll do now. Look out world- Sassy Mandi is back!

Randomness in the A.M.

2005-07-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

I feel like I just went to bed. Dona wanted to go to the movies after she got off work, so I didn't get home til after midnight. And we're having a mini management meeting over breakfast today so I had to get up early to take a shower. So I'm kinda in that limbo mode- functioning but I'm sure my body is back in bed. So, you like my new look? I couldn't figure out how to do anything with this, so I asked Kiki to have at it. I'm not being lazy; I'm delegating- signs of a good manager :) Work was good;really busy. So, I saw War of the Worlds. I have mixed feelings. It was playing at AMC and I hate AMC; they have gross popcorn. It was a very well made movie ( as all Speilberg movies are) and I did enjoy it, but I was kinda scared and REALLY grossed out in this one part (I'm talking Dona was laughing at me cuz I'm trying not to hurl). But all in all, I liked it. I probably won't see it again, but I'm glad I did see it. His son was cute. But seriously, Dakota Fanning has GOT to play a different kind of character. All her roles are the same and it's getting creepy; she's getting too old. I did see a preview for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and it looks awesome. I loved that book when I was little. When I was in 8th grade, we were reading it in school and at that time, I lived in a house where I didn't have a closet, so I used my mom's old wardrobe. All my friends would come over and want to see if they could go to Narnia. Pretty silly.
After my meeting, I'm gonna get my hair done. Putting some red back in. And then, my friend Shandy needs to practice piercing ears for her new job, so I'm donating mine. Pray for me. JK.

It's a perfect day!

2005-07-07T06:14:00.000-07:00

I had a great day off. I slept in a little bit, went to Walmart, and just watched tv. I watched 5 more episodes of X-Files. I get so obsessed watching tv. One time I was watching Alias and I watched 13 episodes in a row. Whoever came up with DVD box sets is a genius. I started to make my list ( see Kiki's blog). Last night I decided I needed to watch something great and inspirational so I made myself a bag of popcorn and grabbed some m&m's and settled down to watch Legally Blonde. I love that movie. I love Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson is cute, and Jennifer Coolidge is hilarious. Plus, Elle Woods is my role model. She's smart and sweet and believes in herself and stands up for what is right and looks great doing it. And I know I'm not the only one who loves her. One time Kiki, and her ex and Raul were watching L.B. and Kiki and Raul were loving the movie and her ex just looks at them and says " This is your Rocky, isn't it?" SO TRUE! So laugh all you want, cuz i can't hear you- I'll be watching Rocky 2.

I'm so retarded

2005-07-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

So. Yesterday I go to work, and I'm happy. I'm starting to feel a little better and I'm happy cuz I have the next day off. Work starts off really good, just me and The Dano, and then Dona shows up and I'm happy to see her cuz I haven't seen her in a long time. She tells me that we might get a drop-in visit from our regional V.P. and we need to do this and we need to do that and we should do this yada yada yada. That's fine. I'm used to her being like that. Well, all of a sudden, we get busy. Poor Daniel has to do one sitting after another and I have to run back and forth between the desk, the sales tables and the lab. Dona is just there to call the other studios and do a conference call, so she isn't able to help. After a couple hours of this, I'm exhausted. Jake comes in and I'm SOOO happy to see him- the relief troops are here. Dona has to leave right at that moment- she had an emergency at home- and as she's walking out the door, she's telling me to tell Jake everything she's told me. I just lost it. I close my eyes and breathe so I don't burst into tears. Jake's like "are you ok?" and Dona walks back in at that moment and asks what's wrong. I just say I'm tired. I hate to cry like that- I feel so weak. She asked me how many days I worked in a row and I said 7 and she said that I need to let her know these things; she's trying to run 3 stores right now and she can't keep track. Well, that's why I didn't say anything. I know she's stressed out and tired too. It's not all the days in a row- shoot one time I worked like 20 days in a row. It's just I was the ONLY one at the studio this weekend- I had all the responsibility and I tried my hardest and when people(not just Dona) come in and say oh this isn't done right or you need to change this, I feel like a major failure. So anyways, she said she was sorry and had to leave. Jake was being nice though and let me stay in the back and do lab. Poor Daniel's just shooting away. Well, then guess who shows up- that's right the regional v.p. And Jake would hardly talk to her so I had to do all the talking. I felt so stupid. I just kept stammering and going on. I hate talking to people I don't know, especially authority figures. I just felt so retarded. She FINALLY left and so I clocked off. I went and got us all some ice cream- I felt we deserved it. I had the new banana cream pie blizzard from Dairy Queen- probably the most delicious thing ever. Dano drove me home after he got off, and I got in my jammies right away. I has spagghetts for dinner and then decided a great way to finish out the day was to have some good X-Files times. So I fell asleep to Agent Scully and Agent Doggett (Mulder is on the run) looking for monsters. Very Emotional day; I was all over the spectrum. So glad it's over!