Giddy Girlie

Spring Break 2003 This week is my school's designated Spring Break. It seems sort of odd that it is so out of sync with the holiday that inspired the vacation in the first place, but hey, who am I to complain about a few days without school? :)

For those of you who don't know me, perhaps I should explain... I am a college lifer. One of those people that you giggle about when you're a freshman in college and think you're the Bee's Knees... yep, that's me. I've been in college - consistently - since fall of 1995, when I graduated high school. When I first started school, I lived at home and went to school full time... life was grand. And then I needed a car, which requires money, so I got a job... I went through a series of different jobs to accomodate my particular school schedule until I was ready to move out on my own. That took even more money than the car, and so I had to get a higher paying job. Guess what? It's HARD to find a job making decent money that allows you the flexibility to work Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, so you can take classes. So, I shifted my school schedule to night classes. I entered the 9-5 cubicle maze and I haven't found the exit yet.

Usually, I will take 1 or 2 classes each semester, because really that's all that I have time for. This semester, I am taking a Human Anatomy class that requires 4 classes a week - so that takes up all of my free time. Mondays and Wednesdays are the lecture classes and Tuesdays and Thursdays are the laboratory classes. I have been running this routine of night school for years, so it doesn't really bother me and in fact, it makes me more appreciative. Spring Break means a lot to me. Not string bikinis in Florida, but instead, it means I get to go home at night after work. Ah.... just driving home and being home. I'll have time to eat dinner before 10pm and maybe take a dip in the pool... more than that, it means seeing my husband and taking my cats for a walk while it's still light outside (yes, my cats go for walks... that's a whole other story) and running errands. Not that I stop doing these things during a typical week, but I usually squeeze them into the late hours of the night, so that I drop into bed exhausted at 1am or 2am so that I can start the whole process over at 6am the next day.

This year, Spring Break will mean sweeping the front porch and planting new flowers, taking Ruckus out while it's still light enough to see all the dog doo on the grass (very important), and eating dinner at a digestible hour. Man is it going to be good!

I'm also going to take the time to jump start my easter projects. I love making these pinata goodies that I found at Not Martha as easter eggs and filling them with toys. They went over swimmingly last year, so I plan to break out the starch and tissue paper again this week to give myself plenty of time to get crafting.

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Posted by giddygirlie at 2:12 PM | Permalink

Crabby Old Lady at Disneyland

I have read recently about the overall appearances of the Disneyland Cast Members (employees) declining over the years. While I agree, I think it is a small part of a larger dress code issue. I remember when I was young (go ahead and laugh... when the young say "way back when" it deserves a chuckle) and the 80's punk revolution was in full swing and people wore mohawks and colored hair. I remember stories of older sisters and such being denied admission because they had pink hair that was too 'radical' (not 80's slang, but actually outrageous). I also remember stories of people being told that they were dressed inappropriately - bare midriffs, revealing tank tops, bathing suit tops, etc. - and were denied admission.

Maybe these stories were urban myths or whatever... but I wish these rules would come back!

I visited the parks 2 weekends ago, and there was some sort of cheerleading competition going on, so there were OODLES of young girls everywhere. You could always tell which ones were the cheerleaders by the identical hair-dos and make-up. Anyway, many (to the tune of hundreds) of these girls were wearing outfits that would be inappropriate for a 25 year old, and just mind boggling to see on a 12 year old! The ultra low rise jeans and barely-there tube tops left nothing to the imagination (much to the delight of the teenage boys, I'm sure). Another popular look is the micro mini skirt that is dangerously short. My qualms with these outfits is not that I am a conservative prude (being an 'older' woman of 25, myself) but that many of these girls behave just like that - girls - and don't know how to maneuver through the parks in a micro mini skirt. Probably the crown jewel of all the "flashing" that we got that day was a girl -no more than 13- at the front gate, who bent over to tie her shoe. Her jeans were cut so low and were so tight, that they didn't bend with her. Everyone in line got a nice clear view of her butt. The entire thing. G-string and all. She didn't seem to even notice that her entire butt was hanging out of her pants (literally).

I would really like to see Disney bring back - or actually enforce some kind of dress code. It's not just that I think teenagers are dressing sexy beyond their years - I understand that "sexy" is in this season - but it isn't fair to the rest of us. It isn't fair that we should shell out $50 of our hard earned cash to stand in line behind these girls and feel uncomfortable when their buns pop out of their jeans. Why should we have to feel awkward when these girls decide to "high kick" in a mini skirt? Why should we have to all turn our heads as they stumble in to the Matterhorn Bobsleds? In my humble opinion, there should be no public displays of underwear at all. Disneyland is a family park... not a pick up joint. I know that teens see it from a different perspective, but if they had a basic respect for everyone else, we'd get along swimmingly. Since they don't, however, a simple solution would be a dress code.

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Posted by giddygirlie at 2:06 PM | Permalink

I need a break from all the seriousness of war. You've probably seen this already, but I got the link for the first time yesterday. Truly funny : http://titaniumcounter.com/temp/emergency/

All week at work, we have had the TV on CNN. All day. Long. Seriously, it's the most mind numbing thing ever. Makes you hate war, and despise news correspondents. So far, there has not been any BIG news to report and so they fill the hours with mindless chatter. Speculations on what the military *might* do and what they *might* use for weapons and what kinds of guns they *might* be using and what they *might* be having for lunch. It's pathetic. These news networks have sold their souls for ratings. And all of the tickers and timers and countown clocks and graphics... it's all crap. Filler. I am just so burned out on it all. Which is sad, because this should be a time of reflection and support for our troops... people should be longing for the next picture from the battlefield of our troops out there kicking butt. Instead I get naseous looking at camoflauge. Thanks CNN. --------

Posted by giddygirlie at 10:09 AM | Permalink

Today is one of those days. For me at least... anyone else?

Just a comedy of errors... Only one person shows up to the meeting that you worked so diligently to schedule to coordinate with everyone's schedules (for 10 people)... the teleconference portal breaks down on you anyway... the laptop is missing the power cord... you end up sitting side-by-side with your laptop and wishing you had a breath mint (and knowing that she's thinking the SAME thing). Meeting ends, you head to lunch - score 1 for me, it's Cream of Broccoli Soup Day (a revered occasion in our corp. cafeteria)... spill 1/2 the ladle down the front of the container, over the back of your hand... scalding AND embarrassing... try and clean it up and, of course, mop some right on to your shirt. Tromp back to your desk to sit and eat in front of the computer and realize that you picked up wheat crackers... blech...

Tonight's Human Anatomy exam should be superb... at the rate that I am going, the Scantron is going to fly up and slice my artery and I will die in the middle of the matching section. Sigh. I need a weekend, can you tell? Maybe a week... or a month... maybe a sabbatical for a year? I could out-sleep Rip VanWinkle right now... and as I type this I can hear my mother saying "what are you talking about? When I was your age, I could work a 10 hour day, party all night, get 24 minutes of sleep and get up and do it all again the next day! How can you be tired?" Just another thing lost on my pathetic generation, I suppose... we tire easily.

Just for the record : I am tired. Not just whiny "I wish I didn't have to get up this morning" tired, but honestly and truly tired (shut up, ma!). My days are so overloaded that I think that my brain is busy processing things all night, so I don't get to rest. Is there a drug or a potion that you can take to stop a busy brain? Maybe a long q-tip and some threats through my ear will silence the little booger (and just to show that I have studied : it's the external auditory meatus of the right temporal bone). Sigh. I swear that if you wake me up at 4am, I am making a grocery list and balancing bills (don't pay 'til you get the final notice and pray you have stamps in your wallet)... it's like it never shuts down. I hear people at work talking about this "crazy dream they had last night" where they were in Cancun or Rhode Island or some exotic place... I had a dream that I was calling the cable company and begging them not to disconnect me.

Louie

Louie is the worst neighbor ever. He's nosy. He's loud. He's terse. He starts all kinds of arguements (in his own apartment). He's also a chihuahua.

For anyone who has ever had the distinct pleasure of living next door to a chihuahua, I'm sure you can sympathize.

If someone passes his apartment, he barks. If someone walks past the building, he barks. If he had his back turned and didn't see it but was pretty sure someone just walked by, he barks. People on the stairs, he barks. People in the courtyard, he barks. People in the parking lot, he barks. People in their cars, he barks. People in the park, he barks. If he's out on his leash, and you pass him within 100 yards, he barks (and then actually threatens to bite).

...and by barking I mean yipping. Like only a chihuahua can. Yip Yip Yip Yip until your ears bleed. And then there's the matter of his owners. Very nice lady, from what I have seen. Thick spanish accent, so every time it's "Loooooooeeeee!" "Looooooeeee, no more of da bark-ink. Ju mak-ink me angreeeee" "Loooooeee - dios mio - Looooooeeee chut up, ok?" I'm sure she means well, but it's turned into another part of the annoying noise that is Louie.... Yip Yip Loooooeeee Yip Yip

and it NEVER stops, and I mean that quite literally. If the owners are home, he barks for attention or food or a bite of their food or whatever it is he barks about. When they aren't there, he barks because he's lonely. And he's pretty sure that he heard someone drive up. Heaven forbid should another dog start the ordeal... Louie is not interested in retiring his throne as King of the Barking Dogs. He barks twice as long and three times as loud... just to show them what's up. If you thought Taco Bell made you hate chihuahuas, come see Louie.

Last weekend, I was walking by his porch and he broke past the baby gate that was built to restrain him (tee hee - small dogs can be roped in by a BABY gate. tee hee) and he came running at me... barking, of course. His owner came running out and scooped him up yelling "Looooeeee" She then turned to me and said "don't worr-ink, he is always wit da bark-ink, bark-ink, bark-ink but neber wit da bite-ink." Phew. I was so relieved... you mean tiny teeth here wouldn't be ripping up my shoelaces? It was all a front? LOL... sorry, it's hard to take a dog that you can fit in your mouth seriously.

However, there is one thing above all others that makes me despise Louie. He's cute as a button, and small as a kitten, and I wish he was quiet, because he is so adorable... but what REALLY peeves me is that he is a stowaway. I live in pet friendly apartments (which means that you pay more than a mortgage for the priveledge to rent a small apartment and keep a cat). The downstairs units are all dog-friendly apartments, but the upstairs units are cat-only apartments. You guessed it, Louie lives upstairs next to me.

Most people try and sneak a cat into an apartment, where they aren't supposed to have one (I am guilty of the same crime), but I view that in a totally different light...my cats are noisy in the sense that they run around like banshees and knock things over and what-not. But they do not bark. None of their noises are audible outside of my own apartment. And this time around, I am PAYING (oh lord am I paying) for them to live with me. If our dear neighbors had wanted to sneak a cat or some quiet pet, I would have no problem keeping my mouth shut. However when I first toured this apartment, I heard Louie barking and was told that these people were not allowed to have a dog and that they were given a notice to get rid of their dog or be forced to move out, and they had promised compliance. When we moved in a week later, the dog was still there. We were told that the manager was handling it. After 2 more months, we were advised that they were served with an eviction notice if they didn't get rid of the dog. Shortly thereafter, Louie moved out.

Then came the holidays, and Louie moved back in.

We figured he was in town to visit, and it was no big deal, so we let it slide. Through November, he barked. Through December, he barked. New Year's Eve, he barked like a maniac. Through January, he barked. So in February, I asked the friendly folks at the rental office. They did their best to feign surprise... worst actors of the year... and gave me the story about how the Manager would talk to them... blah blah...

I don't hate Louie. I'm annoyed by him, yes, but I don't hate the little dog. What upsets me is that I pay so much in rent, and more or less live by the rules, but I have gotten notes on my front door because I left a box in the carport (shame, shame) and Louie gets to live here - sans pet rent (yes, you heard me - I pay pet rent also), sans pet deposit (don't even get me started) and gets to "bark-ink bark-ink bark-ink" all the time. And no one wants to do anything about it. It makes me angry. Why should I have to pay a hefty deposit and monthly pet rent for two QUIET animals that no one even knows are there... and Loud Mouth Louie gets to carry on until all hours of the night?

I swear, if he barks through ER again tomorrow night, I'm going to lose it...

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Posted by giddygirlie at 2:45 PM | Permalink

Ok, so yesterday I was so lame that I didn't publish the post that I wrote... nice form, Mia! So I have just published it now, and it looks like you get 2 postings in one day. Treat it like an extra surprise! :)

So today at lunch I was reading the latest on TomatoNation... oh my gosh... it's so ME! How embarrassing! It's all about unsolicited advice... I am the Queen of Sticking-Her-Nose-Where-It-Doesn't-Really-Belong-and-Giving-Complete-Strangers-My-Opinion! I suppose I shouldn't brag about it. ANYWAY... part of her advice was about the best mascara and her misadventures at the Sak's cosmetics counter. It just reminded me of a funny story...

It was the week before my wedding, so Jenn and I decided to meet at Nordstrom and get a make-up trial run and get some suggestions for the wedding day. The lady (is there a P.C. term that I don't know for 'make-up lady'?) that was handling my make-up made several great suggestions, and my make-up came out great. I rarely wear make-up and when I do, it's generally pretty subtle so I didn't want anything too outrageous that wasn't "me" for the wedding. She took the approach that since I didn't usually wear a lot of make-up, I wouldn't want to over do it for the wedding, and so she made some great suggestions for light weight foundation and such... I was very pleased. Jenn, on the other hand, wasn't so fortunate. The lady who was helping her was the type of lady with big, bouffant hair and lots of jewelry and dark eyeshadow and lipstick... not at all
like Jenn (who also uses just enough mascara so people can see her blonde lashes and maybe a dash of powder). Well this lady took a different approach, telling Jenn that as Maid of Honor this was her time to shine - and what better way to get noticed than to introduce a "new you?" Yikes. So, she got out some dark eyeshadows and lipsticks, and began with a cooing "trust me." I should have known. You could smell the fear all through the 2nd level of Nordstrom. We should have brought reinforcements.

When Jenn finally joined me at my make-up chair, I hardly recognized her. She achieved the "new you" status... but... oh my gosh. Jenn, I must explain, is very fair skinned and has blonde hair (sure, some of it is bottle blonde, but it's blonde just the same!). She has very light eyebrows and eyelashes, and without touch-up to either, you might not notice them. Kiss that crap good bye... this lady was a make-up demon... she gave Jenn black, yes you read it right, BLACK eyebrows. Filled in all the way like Groucho. In black. Thick eyebrows. Yes, she was scowling, but she looked down right evil! And then there was the lipstick. Dark as blood. Frightening. Apparently, no one told Make-up Demon that July weddings don't usually have Halloween themes... oh my... and Make-up Demon was proud of her work! Bragging and showing her off... and then came the sales pitch! Heaven have mercy - the sales pitch! How do you sell a blonde black eyebrows?

After politely purchasing an eyeshadow and lipstick in another shade, Jenn and I got the heck out of dodge. I'm sure if you roll back the security cameras, you can see us laughing hysterically and looking for a tissue strong enough to get some of that shoe polish off her eyebrows.

I felt bad for laughing. At first. But once Jenn found her sense of humor again (apparently it was bogged down by the eyebrow pencil of doom), we had a good chuckle. Of course, we were at Olive Garden... trying to gorge on breadsticks and laughing and saying "what the hell?" It was truly weird to see someone that you have seen every weekend for 24 years looking back at you with show girl make-up. This must be what it's like for the parents of strippers! When they come home from Jiggles for Sunday dinner and have the creepy black spider eyelashes and fake beauty marks... oh, how sad. Add that to the list of the things I just don't have the strength to deal with : a daughter that's a stripper.

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Posted by giddygirlie at 11:35 AM | Permalink

OK, so I got to examining the reason why I need my own blog... it boils down to this : I am a voyeur at heart and horribly narcissistic. I LOVE reading other blogs and surfing web sites. I also think that some body, somewhere might actually be interested in what I feel compelled to chat about.

Lately, I have been spending my lunch hour sitting at my desk (trade a hot lunch for a bag of pretzels and an iced tea) and browsing the internet. Some time last year, I broke out the old craft box and decided that I should start embroidering again. Fair enough. So, I started browsing the internet for ideas and projects, and have come across a few great sites that lead you to others... and more and more, to the point where if I buy another pressed sugar mold or bag of hot glue sticks, I may end up in a straight jacket. I have been enjoying Going Bridal, which is a second site of Sara, who also heads up Sew Geeky. She cracks me up and has pointed out SO many great places! I wish her and her husband-to-be the best of luck in getting through this difficult time.

I have spent my lunch today reading as much as I can from Tomato Nation. Beware - you WILL laugh and you WILL choke on your pretzels.

Anyway, what I REALLY wanted to share to all my Tinker Bell collecting pals is that I have just purchased a wonderful new bauble! The fantastic people at Vintage Zone have come through for me again! This time, I have purchased a vintage Peter Pan charm bracelet to add to my collection. I keep promising myself that I will update the pictures on my site soon... but it's just so hard to find the time. As soon as I do, this picture will be added.

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Posted by giddygirlie at 11:23 AM | Permalink