99.9% of all things suck...

January 10, 2008

A li'l bit o' bowling

I went bowling by myself today. This was a first for me, I don't mind doing things by myself, but bowling was intimidating.

I bowled quite a bit when I was a kid. My parents put me in a junior league when I was around eight years old, Bantam Bowlers. I wasn't that good, at least not that I remember. I did receive a bunch of trophies, I think they were usually for Most Improved.

Ended up that bowling alone was not scary at all, it was fun. I talked to the people bowling next to me. They were probably in their 60s and just started bowling. I have my own ball, this makes me look better than I am. I had so much fun though, and actually improved as the games went on, that I decided I'm going to start going weekly. Maybe I'll get good enough to join a league.

I went online today and found some shoes that match my ball for only $30, so I bought them. Renting shoes is $3.50, so those would be paid for quickly. It's only $2 a game at the bowling alley down the street from me before 5pm.

Posted by meloknee at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)

January 07, 2008

I'm a snob

I didn't really ever think I would turn out to be a snob, but I am. I'm a food snob, wine snob, coffee snob, and even a city snob. It's hard being a snob living in Fresno. There's just so much to be snobby about. The problem is there's not enough good stuff though. I'm a coffee snob, therefore, living in fresno has caused me to stop drinking coffee becuase there isn't any coffee good enough to bother drinking. I have resorted to a new drink all together, from starbucks of all places (where I would have never visited in seattle - but it's the only consistency i've found). I now drink a grande earl grey soy misto.

The other day I walked into work at the bike shop and there were some fliers on the front counter for fresno's first alley cat race. I couldn't stop laughing. I mean there aren't even any bike messengers here, at all, not a single one nor a need for one. I know, you have to start somewhere. Someone has to organize the first alley cat. But wouldn't you know it's being put on by a bike shop, so surely they are doing it just as an advertising scheme because the bike business has been slow.

Will I attend this race? I'm really not sure yet. It would be fun to laugh at all the little skinny college-boy hipsters that are going to think they are so freakin' cool. Some racer will probably end up winning. It's not as if there are actual alleys to cut through and secret short-cuts to make your ride faster.

Anyway, I get called a snob a lot lately. I think I'm okay with this. My response is, "I know what I like and I like what I know (and I like tomato and mayonnaise sandwiches [okay, not really, that's a line from Harriet the Spy])."

Posted by meloknee at 10:36 PM | Comments (0)

January 03, 2008

The Year That I Will Turn 30!

There are going to be a lot of changes in my life for 2008. I am not making goals; I am making changes. I am going to stop using retail therapy, I pay enough for my real therapy, I don't need to go shopping. I am going to learn to say No, Nope, I won't, I have no time; it is OK to say no. I am going to run a marathon in November.

I really didn't think I'd care at all about turning 30 years old. Granted, it's still almost five months away, but I'm already thinking about it. I guess the no-denying-it realization that I had no idea that this is where I'd be at 30. I'm sure I thought I'd be married, probably have a master's degree, maybe a kid (i really don't remember anymore whether I ever wanted them or not), definitely not living in Fresno at my grandmother's house.

So it's really about a lot of things. I am happier where I am now than where I was five years ago. I am actively working at making myself happier, healthier, and more sane.

This year is going to be different.

Now, that phrase can be said many ways. I am not saying it in that hoping and praying that this year is magically better than last year. I mean that I am going to make this year different.

At the least I probably won't get hit by a car and have my jaw wired shut again, right?

Posted by meloknee at 10:54 PM | Comments (0)

August 10, 2007

Searching

I don't know what it's like in other countries, but in America, half of our life is spent asking the question, What am I going to do with my life. How can I be in a career that makes me happy. What is the true meaning of it all. Will I ever feel satisfied.

I think that I may have actually figured it out. I know, how very presumptuous of me. I know what I want though, and at first, it sounds kind of lame. It sounds weak and a little out-dated.

For years I have been asking the question, What should i go back to school for. What should I be when I grow up. I've decided that I should be happy. I should meet someone that I love and care about nothing except for being happy and spending time with that person. Who cares if you go to work every day and get a raise if you come home at the end of the day and have no one to share that with? Who cares if you got a raise and you have no one at home who will throw their arms around you and tell you how amazing you are and then take you out to dinner and champagne?

I've realized that for me, personally, the only thing I really want is someone to share my life with. Someone that can make me laugh after the worst day ever. Someone that wants to hear my voice before anyone else's in the morning, and wants me to tell them goodnight every night before bed.

Maybe we wouldn't care so much about how fulfilling our jobs were if that wasn't where we were seeking our fulfillment and happiness from.

I've always known how to work towards professional and educational goals. I'm not exactly sure on how to work on a goal that is somewhat outside of myself. I need to make myself ready. Become the best person that I can possibly be so that I can be the best person for someone else.

How do you prepare yourself for love?

Posted by meloknee at 09:29 AM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2007

so which one is it?

Posted by meloknee at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2007

personality type

Posted by meloknee at 07:21 PM | Comments (0)

May 17, 2007

Riding Again

Today is the first day I'll have back on the bike!! It is bike to work day in Fresno and I got released to start riding again this week; perfect timing.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I got my Surly fixed up as a single speed and it hasn't been ridden yet, so I'm going to ride that bike today.
Plus, if I get hit by a car again, I won't be upset about losing my $900 bike.

I did get a new bike this week. I just couldn't settle for anything less than the Trek Madone that I was riding when i got hit by the car. I did go with a different color scheme this time though.

I'm thrilled to be back on the bike and out of the car. I hate driving, wasting gas, being lazy, ruining the environment. Life would be so much better if everyone would ride. It's bike-to-work month, get out and ride!!

Posted by meloknee at 08:15 AM | Comments (1)

November 02, 2006

working for yourself leaves little time to blog

It's amazing how much less time for blogging there is now that I work solely for me. I seem to have very little free time these days. I do my best to get up, eat breakfast, do some work, go on a bike ride (it's hard now that we're down to precious few daylight hours), shower, sometimes get dressed, other times just put the PJs back on, and then go back to work, which sometimes ends at an hour early enough for me to meet up with friends, other times it just ends when i decide my eyes can't take any more and i have to veg in front of the TV.

I did find time to buy a new bike though. I am aware that I just bought a second bike only two months ago and this is now the third bike I own. Speaking of the second bike, I don't think I ever got around to taking and posting pictures of the pretty green machine. It's a loverly 1970s Schwinn ladies collegiate 5 speed. I'll have to post those pics later today so that the PGM can have a few moments of glory before the Surly Cross-check arrives...thankfully they obviously serve different purposes.

Oh my, i just realized that I should have chose the green surly instead of the black one...or maybe i should go with green accents. My two bike I already have are both green; why didn't i think of that??? I could be the girl who only buys green bikes!

Oh well. It's time to go back to work.

Oh, yeah, one more thing, I found time to buy a car too. An '02 Hyundai Accent, two-door hatchback. I'm back in Cali and in Cali you must own a car so that you can drive to the beach and the mountains whenever you want. The car is perfect for the dogs and bikes, oh and me :) I do have a picture of the car, so I'll let that be seen now before it is truly overshadowed by my much better and cuter bikes.

Posted by meloknee at 11:19 AM | Comments (0)

October 01, 2006

free wireless and a long drive

the day started at six o'clock in the morning. i woke up to do some proofreading work before hitting the road to california. we started off with breakfast with mom and dad, followed with piling alex, mary, me, brandy and aggie in the uhaul truck. twenty minutes down the road we dropped alex off. i was sad to be leaving and going on an adventure that didn't include him. i want all the new memories i create to involve the boy :) but hey, the girls needed some sister time.

we stopped two times before we got to portland!! haha. we need to pee a lot. any boy would have been going out of his mind.

finally, after going through major detour around vancouver, wa and portland we were hungry and decided to eat at chilis, an old family favorite. twenty minues after hitting the road again, we couldn't pass the temptation of an outlet mall. we found ourselves with a pair of new sunglasses for mary, and a vest, socks, and a hat for me. we also found ourselves facing five o'clock pm and only being four hours into our drive.

we already had a hotel room reserved in redding. apparently i have forgotten how far away redding is from seattle, especially in a moving truck, and even more especially when you factor in the all of the construction and lane closures along the way. i ended up having to drive through both of the mountain parts in the dark with no radio.

next thing we know, we can't find a gas station to save our lives. actually, i pretended like we would be fine and had plenty. apparently not all gas stations are open past nine o'clock in the evening. i stressed out until we hit yreka. trying to only coast on the downhills in order to conserve!! the gas light never came on and i'm sure we truly were fine, but i've never run out of gas and i didn't want my first time to be in the dark in the middle of the mountains where i don't get cell phone reception.

when we stopped for gas, i picked up a six pack of pyramid apricot ale; it's my comfort beer. so now, mary is fast asleep and i'm on my second apricot ale trying to relax some of the muscles in my body and icing my knee (for some reason since the surgery, driving just KILLS the knee). we couldn't find anywhere to back the uhaul in to better protect my goods, so i parked right by a fancy race car (literally a race car on a flat-bed truck) and another truck with a trailer that looked nicer than mine.

the thing i'm most happy about now is drinking my beer in a 100% pet-friendly hotel while using their FREE wireless. so everyone is aware, la quinta inn, which may not be 4-star, totally rocks it with their perks. i've got full bars of free wireless internet, which rocks, especially when i have to work from the road and promised my clients i'd check my email tonight and in the morning.

speaking of which, i need to get up and proofread a hundred pages or so before hitting the road for another five or six hours.

so peace out all. seattle, i miss you already. fresno, i'll see you tomorrow. san francisco, you'll be in my dreams and i'll be home to you soon.

Posted by meloknee at 01:45 AM | Comments (2)

September 26, 2006

the final hair transformation

Posted by meloknee at 12:42 PM | Comments (4)

September 21, 2006

hair, hair, hair

Say good-bye to 15 inches of hair!

See more pictures:

Posted by meloknee at 05:07 PM | Comments (2)

September 20, 2006

I know, I know, lately this "blog" has turned in to nothing more than a way to keep some folks updated on my life. I'm not making any promises of some great return to cleverness, humor, or wittiness - in fact I don't know that it ever was those things.

In the meantime, it's completely turned to fall already the in great Pacific Northwest. It's freezing and raining right now. I, of course, am appreciating it because a week from friday my second summer will be starting. I'll be in and out of Fresno for a month or so, starting October 1st.

Last friday was my last day working at SvR. It's a good thing too because I got another new client for Perfect Proofing over the weekend. I am slammed with work and I don't think I could even manage having that part-time job anymore.

Last night I went and got my first tattoo:

The next two are already in the design phase.

Tomorrow I am finally going to chop off my hair to donate to Locks of Love

I have no idea what Lorraine is going to do with it after there are only 3-4 inches of it remaining! Yikes...i'm thinking some flourescent pink. I really liked my pink wig:

Posted by meloknee at 11:31 AM | Comments (4)

September 12, 2006

A lot's been going on.

Friday is my last day at my part-time job.

I am moving to California on the 30th of September.

I have redone my Perfect Proofing website, please, check it out.

My proofreading business has taken off so much that I no longer need a second job.

Although i will miss the people i work with at SVR Design, I will not AT ALL miss the work I do. I will never file anything that doesn't belong to me again in my life.

I will be going to my second high school reunion of the year next month. Apparently I didn't experience the torture that so many people do at their 10-year high school reunions.

I just hit "preview this entry" and noticed that completely unintenionally each sentence/paragraph I have written has gotten progressively longer than the previous. Now that's talent, folks.

Posted by meloknee at 10:28 AM | Comments (3)

June 20, 2006

Here I come, California

Here's what I'll be doing over the next five days:

Posted by meloknee at 10:34 AM | Comments (6)

June 06, 2006

Aggie and Brandy

Apparently my dogs, Aggie and Brandy have taken quite the liking to one another, just not in front of me. Well that's not completely true, because just a week or so ago, right after they got their hair shaved and it was really cold, they cuddled up on top of each other in my lap to get warm. Most of the loving things they do are when I'm not around though.
The new groomer I found is really awesome. He's a totally nice young guy that really, really loves dogs. He runs doggie day care, boards dogs on his land up in Kenmore, had taken in some dogs that he's trying to find homes for, plus does grooming.

One of the things I really like is that he doesn't put the dogs in crates when you leave them there for grooming. He has crates for if they aren't getting along well, or if they just want to go lay down. Well my two adorable little creatures, according to the groomer, crawled into a crate together and slept there all day. How cute is that?

Then, last night, Alex and I were walking the dogs through the park. I had to run to the restroom (it's true, I have no fear of public toilets). Usually the dogs freak out when they can't see me. This time, Alex says that aggie let out a little tiny whimper and brandy ran over and gave her a big kiss. I wish I could've been there.

Later today I'll try to post a pic of them with their new haircuts.

Posted by meloknee at 01:05 PM | Comments (1)

June 02, 2006

In Honor of the upcoming 10 Year High School Reunion

Ten years ago, it was 1996.

1) How old were you?
THEN: 18
NOW: 28

2) Where did you work?
THEN: San Joaquin Gardens Retirement Community
NOW: Self-employed/SvR Design

3) Where did you live?
THEN: Fresno, California
NOW: Seattle, Washington

4) How was your hair style?
THEN: Long, past shoulders, brown (i had never dyed it as of then), bangs
NOW: Straight longer, different color

5) Did you wear contacts?
THEN: no
NOW: no

6) Did you wear glasses?
THEN: yes
NOW: yes

7) Who was your best friend?
THEN: Erica
NOW: My sister and Mom

8) Which of your pets were still alive?
THEN: i don't remember which dog we had then
NOW: aggie and brandy

9) Who was your boyfriend?
THEN: Scott
NOW: Alex

11) Who was your celebrity crush?
THEN: Johnny Depp
NOW: none

12) Who was your regular-person crush?
THEN: scott
NOW: alex

13) How many piercings did you have?
THEN: none
NOW: none

14) How many tattoos did you have?
THEN: none
NOW: none

15) What was your favorite band/singer?
THEN: hmm... G Love maybe??
NOW: according to the play count on itunes, it's Rilo Kiley and Damien Jurado.

16) Did you smoke cigarettes?
THEN: yes
NOW: Nope, one year and 6 months tabacco free!

17) Had you gotten drunk?
THEN: Yes
NOW: yes

18) Looking back, are you where you thought you would be in 2006?:
nope, thank goodness.

Posted by meloknee at 01:51 PM | Comments (2)

May 19, 2006

This weekend

So, my birthday is on Sunday! Woo-hoo.

I wouldn't necessarily announce it except that we have a softball game that day and it would be fabulous if everyone came out.

3:00
Maplewood Playfield

Bring some beer!

Posted by meloknee at 09:40 AM | Comments (0)

May 04, 2006

Too much to think about these days

There are some things going on - that I can't talk about - at work these days. It makes coming in every day even more difficult...but I don't really want a new job. I like it here enough that I'm comfortable and don't want to change jobs again before starting grad school. This job is the perfect balance for running my proofreading business and still having time to volunteer and focus on getting ready for school. So, yes, It's frustrating.

Also, I am having fourth or fifth thoughts (definitely past second) about going into Library Science. My heart just isn't in it. Although I think I would do well in the program and enjoy myself enough, it isn't my "calling". I'm constantly turning back to all of my good memories of working at the group home, working at the retirement community, volunteering for the special needs schools, volunteering for Special Olympics, anything dealing with social work or education of children with special needs.

I went through some really difficult times while working in these fields, but now I'm realizing a lot of the emotional responses I was having back then were because I was so young; only eight years old when I first started volunteering. I was forced to deal with some of my students passing away when I was only 17 and had a lady at the retirement home have a heart attack and die only five feet from me when I was 18. I don't think I was ready to deal with all of the heartache that came along with the field of work I was so actively pursuing.

So now, I am torn. I am torn between a business-like career that would be a regular nine-to-five job with benefits and regularly scheduled vacation; one that would allow me to easily separate work life and home life; and one of pagers, tears, but also one with life experiences that will have an impact on me and I in turn will have an impact on society.

Posted by meloknee at 11:46 AM | Comments (5)

May 01, 2006

We Need a Pitcher, Not a Belly-Itcher!

Yesterday was our second softball match-up of the season. Two weeks ago, Easter Sunday, we played The Garage. We won both games against them and they were last year's season champs!

This week we played the Comet, they are a very fun team. Everyone (except for one loud-mouthed crazy red headed girl) on the Comet team was very friendly and fun to play with, unlike the Garage folks that may take things a bit too serious. We won both of our games yesterday too.

Thanks to Ken, you can follow our team, along with the rest of the league, online at our Industrial Softball blog. There is a schedule on the web page so come out and watch a game or two, we are a little low on the fan base. If I were you, I'd definitely come to the Summit (our team) vs. Summit Originals, the team that couldn't hack it in the big leagues anymore and so the joined us! Oh, and my birthday happens to fall on game day this year and we're playing the Twilight Exit, so come out on the 21st of May for that one.

Posted by meloknee at 08:52 AM | Comments (5)

March 30, 2006

Bugg's Baby

I went to visit Bugg and TBD yesterday (and I'll go again today, and the next day :).
He is absolutely cute as a button.

Posted by meloknee at 09:39 AM | Comments (5)

March 20, 2006

St. Melanie

For some reason this weekend, Alex was looking at St. Melanie. I found it absolutely hilarious that St. Melanie was highly revered by King Clovis...Clovis being the horrific town I went to high school in. Yay!! Go OTC!!

Yesterday marked the first time I played softball in about 13 years. I joined the bar league this year, playing on the Summit B team. Our first practice was yesterday. Surprisingly - aside from missing some fly balls due to severe sun-blinding - I wasn't that bad. I dove for some ground balls and had a few good hits. Today, however, I am so sore. My back is killing me. I was prepared for my knees to hurt, after all this was the most athletic I've been since the knee surgery, but my knees are no worse than any other day (apparently that walking five miles a day is paying off); my back and shoulders are killing me though.

It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a grand ol' time. This weekend, Alex and I will be off to the batting cage.

Coming soon: A picture of me the last time I actually participated in group sports.

Posted by meloknee at 09:30 AM | Comments (5)

March 03, 2006

what's going on

I am officially a business owner!! I got my WA state UBI # yesterday. Melanie Davis d/b/a Perfect Proofing. All I have to do now is file with City of Seattle and I'll be completely legal.

Now I need a logo. If anyone has a really boring day and wants to create one for me, that would be highly appreciated. Appreciation might be shown in the form of coffee or beer.

I really suck at blogging lately. Life has been pretty mundane. Mostly it revolves around trying to get Brandy to stop barking so much. I have resorted to the squirt-her-in-the-face-with-a-water-bottle technique. It works, it's just a little embarrassing carrying a squirt bottle with me everywhere I go.

Just a week or so ago I got two new clients. Work is looking good this year. Maybe I'll finally be able to pay off my medical bills. I also switched my office hours at the Engineering firm. I'm now working 8:00ish to 12:30ish. It's so much better than working afternoons. I used to have to work afternoons because I had to cover the phones for the receptionist during her lunch. We made the new girl do that though. So now I work mornings and I have all afternoon and evening to myself. It is really bizarre. I always feel like I'm doing something wrong when I'm out the door at lunch time. It's fabulous though. I have so much more time. I used to go to work at noon and I would waste the whole morning.

What shall I do this afternoon? Go for a walk; watch a movie; sew; get drunk; do my taxes? Usually I don't have that much free time, but I don't have any proofing work this week...

Posted by meloknee at 11:33 AM | Comments (7)

February 11, 2006

New Dog For Me!!

So, today I got a new dog. She's new to me anyway. Brandy is a nine-year-old apricot poodle. She is overweight and has a really bad haircut. Poor thing, the groomer cut all these little mole-like things on ther back so she has scabs all over :(

It's really crazy adopting a dog. I got home tonight with Brandy and realized I know nothing about this dog. She is following me around everywhere! When we went on a walk I came to the conclusion that she hadn't been walked very often, if at all. She started barking and kind of growling at anyone that walked by. She seems to respond well to to being reprimanded. She listens and obeys but it just makes me so nervous because I don't know if she's going to snap at anyone or what. When she barks she sounds like an old lady with a raspy smokers cough.

Now, however, after taking her on a walk, making her walk up and down two flights of stairs twice, she's passed out. It was probably the most exercise she has had in a long time. I think she'll be a sweet dog. She's an old lady though...

I'm not sure about aggie, she's quite jealous. She keeps giving me the cold shoulder and sitting in the other room with her back towards me :(

Posted by meloknee at 09:58 PM | Comments (5)

February 05, 2006

call me a dork

So, yeah you can make fun of me if you want, but I just finished watching Princess Diaries and I am pretty darn sure that I was meant to be a princess. I could totally pull that job off; and living in a castle, hello, that is so me. So, does everyone wish they could be a prince or princess? I mean, would anyone turn down living in a castle and being waited on hand and foot. Not that I'm fool enough to believe it's not hard, there's not a lot of work involved, no privacy, whatever, but it can't be all that bad. I think the only part that would be hard is finding your spouse and making sure they are acceptable. You might feel pressured to marry someone you don't actually love or something. Still, I am pretty sure I should be a princess. I should live in a castle.

Posted by meloknee at 12:13 AM | Comments (2)

January 18, 2006

So What's Up With Me, you ask.

In general, I'm not feeling very funny or witty right now. This weather's really getting me down. I think I need to move back to Cali. I want to go on long bike rides through the rolling hills with the sun beating down on me. I want to lounge on the beach and watch the sun set.

Anyway, aside from that, I'm trying to adopt this dog:

Isn't she cute???? She's a 12-year-old schnoodle named Heidi. You can read more about her on petfinder.

I have been slammed with proofreading work, which is great; I wish it was like this all the time. I've also decided not to go to Library school. I'm now leaning towards taking a certificate program at the UW for editing. We'll see.

So, yeah, life's a little blah right now...

I'll try to be more charming, witty, clever and funny later.

Posted by meloknee at 12:35 PM | Comments (8)

January 09, 2006

High School Reunion

The big question of the moment is to go to the high school reunion, or not to go. They just announced the class of 1996 Buchanan High class reunion. It's going to be in June of this year. Wow, 10 years, that's amazing. In some ways it feels so long ago; in others just yesterday (okay, that's stretching it, but still...).

Up until a month or so ago, I wouldn't have even considered going. Now that my high school best friend, Erica, and I are back in contact, we've been considering it. We didn't even hang out with anyone we went to school with, so it's questionable who'd we know when we got there. Our senior year of high school (I only went to Buchanan my freshman and senior year) was definitely a life-changing year for me. Four people that were actively involved in my life died within a six-month period; one of those people was our high school newspaper teacher. Erica and I spent a great deal of time with Dana. Not only that, but the person driving the car that killed Dana was a kid Erica and I had gone to school with in junior high; I couldn't stand that snotty rich kid, "Spike."

So, the question is: Will this experience bring up old emotions that I don't want to deal with? Will this bring closure to parts of my life? Will Erica and I get drunk and do something stupid? That last one's probably a given. Hey Erica, remember sneaking up to your grandma's stash at the cabin in Shaver Lake???

Posted by meloknee at 03:27 PM | Comments (2)

January 03, 2006

Goals for 2006

I don't really like to make New Year's resolutions; I believe they are just setting me up for failure. Not to mention, they are usually very open-ended and don't set you on any direct path. I instead make a Yearly To-Do List.

2006 To-Do List

1. Finish my HTML How-To Book in order to complete PerfectProofing.
2. Obtain a business license so that I can legitimately write off my business expenses.
3. Ride my bike as much as I did before my knee surgery.
4. Apply for Grad School.
5. Pay off medical bills.

Then I come up with a plan of attack:

1. By the end of February finish the HTML book.

2. Start paperwork for the business license by June 2006.

3. For Jan.-March, ride bike once a week; April-June, ride twice a week; July-Sept., ride three times a week; Oct.-Dec., ride four times a week (weather permitting).

4. Have the first draft of my personal statement written by March.
Decide which people I will ask for letters of rec. by April.
Return application by June.

5. Follow the budget created until med. bills are paid. After that, re-evaluate and look at remaining debt. Can you loosen the budget at this point?

So, that's my life. Man, I feel defeated already. Quitting smoking last year was easier!

Posted by meloknee at 01:24 PM | Comments (4)

December 27, 2005

My first shot at being a coder

In the last week, I came to the conclusion that I need a website for my proofreading business, and I needed it stat. I've never learned any type of coding or programming (except for a tweaking things in the blog a little bit, but nothing from scratch). I finally decided the time had come. At first I tried downloading Dreamweaver and experimenting with that, but it was too confusing. So, I'm teaching myself HTML/XHTML. I bought this book about a year ago, SAMS Teach Yourself HTML in 24 Hours. I just got through the first three one-hour lessons and I have a web page! It's pretty lame, it looks almost identical to a craigslist ad. In fact here's the comparison:

My 1st hour lesson:

My 2nd hour lesson:

My craigslist ad:

I know it's not much, but not bad for my first night.

Posted by meloknee at 10:01 PM | Comments (4)

December 21, 2005

The work Christmas party

Today was the second work Christmas Party. It was the potluck and Yankee/White Elephant gift exchange. I went into the gift exchange with a plan; my plan worked. The goal was to buy something that I would want and then win it in the exchange. A couple of days ago my brother gave me a book for Christmas from a new publisher, Hard Case Crime. They publish crime pocket books for cheap ($6-$8). I went and bought Kiss Her Goodbye, by Arthur Guthrie. The best part was because of the cover everyone thought it was a romance novel and so no one wanted it! I stole it from the first guy that picked and kept it in the end!!

On a side note, last night when I got home, around midnight, I saw a naked person. Aggie and I were walking up the stairs and trying to get the keys out when I looked up and through the doors; there was the backside of a naked person (I think a girl) walking up the stairway. I'm talking full on, buck naked! They were no where to be seen once I finally got inside...

Posted by meloknee at 01:39 PM | Comments (7)

December 07, 2005

Break-ups continued

On the subject of friend break-ups:

One may assume that due to me asking, "how do you break-up with a friend?" That I have never been dumped by a friend. Oh contraire. I have been dumped numerous times. It's a painful and bitter subject. I have not, however, been dumped in a decent way by any means.

In a couple of Liz's dumpings, she was given what seemed like clear-cut reasons, or reasons none-the-less. I can only think of one time when I was dumped that a reason was actually given and it was such a cruel lie by the evil friend, that my heart flutters and I get ill in the stomach just thinking about it.

Most of the time, my friends just stopped talking to me, or I would find out that they were saying really horrible things behind my back. However, I think the saddest of stories of lost friends are these:

The first was a close friend of mine that was raped when we were 16. I was on my way to her house to pick her sister up to go out with me. I had my friend in the car with me. When we got to her house, her sister answered the door. Obviously something horrible had happened. We were the first ones to find out what had happened. She had literally walked in the door just moments earlier, crying and telling her sister what had happened. It was devastating. I was the one that sat there and told her she had to call the police, I wouldn't let her shower, I made her call her parents (she was embarrassed to tell them). We stayed until the mom and dad got there and the police and then I took her sister out. She badly needed to get out of the house and have a chance to NOT think about things.

The weeks after this, this friend just quit talking to me. She didn't want to hang out with me, return my calls or anything.

I had a similar thing happen with my other friend. Her dad had a heart attack completely unexpected. He was in great shape, had always been healthy. He was actually at the gym working out when the heart attack happened. He didn't recover and was put on life support at the hospital. I was there the day they pulled the plug. I was there every day as long as my friend needed me. I almost failed my first semester of college because I spent so much time at the hospital. As soon as her father passed away she slowly quit speaking to me. She found a new set of friends almost over night.

I don't blame either of these friends for dumping me. I imagine that just seeing me reminds them of the most painful days of their lives. It doesn't stop me from hurting though, and missing them, and wishing things could've been different for all of us.

In fact, I did a very similar thing when I got divorced. I wanted new friends or I wanted my current friends to be only my friends and not the Ex's. So, yes, I understand. There are many reasons to end friendships, some are cruel, some are necessary and some are completely subconscious decisions.

These are some of the less painful ways I've been dumped by friends. Wow, this sure is depressing.

On a more positive note, I am thrilled to have reconnected with my friend Erica. I'm glad we grew apart when we did because we both had a lot of things to figure out about ourselves, but I'm even more glad that she saw my ad on craigslist searching for her. I can't believe it worked. Every single day I am thankful that she is back in my life. I am also thankful that she was out of my life for the entire time that I was married because she doesn't know the Ex at all so it's like getting a new friend that remembers all the wonderful things about me from the old days.

So, um yeah, off to the therapist for me now...

Posted by meloknee at 04:03 PM | Comments (5)

December 03, 2005

Christmas Tree shopping

I never realized it would be so hard to find a place to buy a Christmas tree in the city. I hadn't thought about it before because normally I just set up my antique silver aluminum Christmas tree and color wheel. This year I had a desire for a real tree, I needed the smell.

We searched online, looked for signs, asked around and didn't know where to get a tree without finding someone with a car to drive us. Finally we searched craigslist and found an ad looking for volunteers to work at a Christmas tree lot on Capitol Hill.

So, if you are looking for where to buy a Christmas tree in Seattle, or more specifically, where to buy a christmas tree on Capitol Hill, the dunshee house is the place to go.

Posted by meloknee at 07:58 PM | Comments (10)

December 02, 2005

Break-ups & Divorces

Today is the one year anniversary of my D-Day. Hard to believe that only one year ago I was headed to court with the ex to finalize the transaction. That's all it felt like too, just the formal paperwork. In my mind, it had been over since the week after we split up and I went to Boston with my friend Collin taking his place. That week was the end of it for me and that had been 7 months prior. I was lucky to have such a good group of people supporting me that day. I went out afterwards and had a fabulous divorce party with presents and all.

All of this, along with with recent posts of fade-outs and break-ups, I've been thinking about the difference in friendships and relationships. Why do people seem to stay friends for so long. Do you not grow apart from your friends? Do your friends not screw you over, stand you up, not return your calls, cheat on you with new and better friends? Yet, we always seem to take them back. Or we treat them badly and expect them not to dump us. Why aren't there more friendship break-ups?

When we were kids (especially little girls) we always dumped our friends. The constant fights, jealousy, and name-calling. When did the transfer happen to where we stopped dumping our friends and started dumping our boyfriends?

Why is it so wrong to dump a friend? What if I just don't like you anymore?

Then I start to think that this is probably why I don't have that many close friends; because I see nothing wrong with the friendship break-up. So tell me, have you really met friends that you don't get
annoyed with, mad at, hurt by, or do you just look past these things and realize the good outweigh the bad? What's the best way to break-up with a friend? Do you have to follow the same rules as breaking-up with a boyfriend/girlfriend?

What about online friends? Are you going to be mad at me if I remove the link to your site? Will you in turn remove mine? Or maybe this just goes back to me and my not maturing past age eight. Either I'm first at hopscotch or I'm not speaking to you :P

Posted by meloknee at 09:17 AM | Comments (8)

December 01, 2005

Sometimes I think I stopped Maturing at age 8

Or at least a part of me did. I get excited about things like a little kid. I can't sleep for a week before I go on vacation. I would give anything to go to Disneyland once a year. I love, I mean LOVE, Christmas. I even love the commercialization of it. I love the presents, the TV shows (yes, I watched Rudolph last night, how depressing is that story anyway!); I listen to the music, set up a tree, and decorate my 400 sf apartment. I love thounder and lightning storms, snow, hail, and wind storms.

Today, it is snowing in Seattle. I can't concentrate. My neck is getting sore because I keep turning around to look out the window. I want to run outside and play with my dog. A few days ago when they said it would snow, I woke up every couple of hours to look outside to see if it had started yet (it never started, in fact when I looked outside, it was clear and starry). I think my love for the snow is even greater because growing up in Fresno (you know), it only snowed like 5 times in my whole life.

So yes, I'm like a little kid. I can't sit still in my seat. I got to eat the first chocolate out of my advent calendar today, yay!! My friend Maria brought it back all the way from Germany.

Posted by meloknee at 12:08 PM | Comments (5)

November 12, 2005

My life, is so exciting, you don't even know.

Ah, weekends, so unpredictable.

I awoke this morning and read Raymond Chandler's Little Sister. Almost done with that. Went to TJs, made breakfast, and then I swear I must have drugged me because after breakfast I fell back asleep for 2 hours (I had already had 10 hours of sleep).

Now it feels like practically midnight, every year it still blows me away how dark it gets here. We still have over a month for it to get even darker. It's only 5:00, and I feel like crawling back into bed, but that would mean a whole weekend of not going out and so I'd feel like a total loser ;)

So then I thought, hey, I'll be crazy, wild even and not just go sit at the usual hole, I'll go to a show. I know a bunch of people that will be there, and it's at my favorite venue, The Showbox. Showbox is especially good for all ages events because the bars are raised in the back so you get to stand above all the youngins' and look out at them with your drink in your hand and say to yourself, "These are my people, they worship me." Even though they are all looking in the opposite direction...anyway, plan FAILED.

Broken Social Scene is SOLD OUT!

So, back to the hole that I know and love, to sit at the bar. At least I'll get to take Aggielicious with me. Down with Crazy!! Down with Wild!! I'm just not cut out for it I s'pose.

Posted by meloknee at 05:00 PM | Comments (4)

November 09, 2005

all about work today

So, my coworker and I just had a gum eating contest, as in who could chew the most pieces of Double Bubble in one minute, then continue chewing for the following minute.

Score:
Chris: 10, Mel: 7
boo-hoo

On another note, we were just talking about where we should go for happy hour tomorrow and I was looking at Citysearch. Have you seen the reviews for the Summit??!! Hilarious (once you scroll past the "recommended" ones.

I almost got defensive and then thought, no this is fabulous, no one will ever want to go there.

UPDATE: For happy hour info check SeattleDrunks Wiki

Posted by meloknee at 03:45 PM | Comments (5)

November 06, 2005

Going to Boston

Liz e-mailed the other day to let us know that plane tickets to Boston were only $79 each way on Jetblue. So Alex and I decided we'd go in December - even though I'm totally broke. I was able to justify it because we're planning for the move.

I am so excited to be going back to Boston. The last time I went was with my friend Collin for my birthday a year and a half ago. We walked everywhere and learned a lot about the city, met some nice people and did some good shopping.

This time, there is a different agenda (aside from seeing Liz of course). I am going to attend an admission event at Simmons and hope to find some info that will help me get into school there. Alex scored us a 4-star hotel on Priceline in Copley Square for only $80/night. We're going to check out some neighborhoods and narrow down where to live come next June.

Posted by meloknee at 09:47 PM | Comments (3)

October 28, 2005

Today I wore my fancy new rain boots. They are black and pink with colored polka dots. It was supposed to rain, but it's sunny so I feel a little silly. They're still cute though.

I found a dollar on my walk to work. I felt like a thief picking it up off the ground. Then I thought I'd go buy myself some candy or something fun with it - not much you can buy with a dollar these days. Then I started to feel guilty, like I should give it to some homeless dude or something. However, today of all days, I didn't have one single person ask me for money or to buy a Real Change paper, or anything. So, I guess it's meant to be, I'll go buy myself some candy.

Buying candy a couple of days before Halloween seems a little bit frivolous. Maybe I should buy something else. What else can you buy for a dollar?

When I got to work this morning there was a wheel of cheese in the kitchen - yummy, stinky cheese - that my boss brought in. I ate some, it was good.

It's shaping up to be a pretty good day, despite the fact that I know I have about 30 hours of contract looming over my head for the next week, on top of my normal workload. It's amazing how much better the rewards feel when you work hard for them.

Happy Friday. Have a good weekend.

Posted by meloknee at 12:46 PM | Comments (0)

October 18, 2005

P.F. Shame's

Alex and I like to walk downtown on the weekends and pretend to go shopping. We always say we are going shopping, running errands, pretend we have things to do. Usually after one store though we are both grumpy and bored of shopping. The obvious thing to do at that point is to get drinks and appetizers (In fact, I think this may be the real reason we even go downtown). In the shopping core of seattle there really isn't much aside from chain restaurants.

There's Gordon Biersch, which is okay and the beer is good, but this girl we call Azrael works there and she kind of grosses us out. It's also at the top of a mini-mall.

Then there's Elephant & Castle, a little more off the beaten path, but the appetizers aren't that good, although the beer selection is superior.

There's Von's, which as you can read for yourself is Not Recommended. As one reviewer put it: Pros: None, none, none.

Anyway, I'm delaying, the truth is, when we're downtown "shopping" we often feel the urge to drink fancy-froo-froo drinks. Which, for those of you that drink with me and know that my usual drinks consist of Coor's light, PBR and maybe some Jager, and Alex with his Sol...we're not much for froo-froo. So, truth be told, Alex and I have become "regulars" at PF Chang's. Yes folks, regulars at PF Chang's. They know us, they know what I drink, they know what we order. When we realized this over the weekend, it was extremely embarrassing. The majority of the other people there are tourists or Eastsiders, we totally don't fit in. Then again, maybe that's why they like us, because we're not losers. The problem is we feel like losers for being recognized at PF Chang's. Oh well, the vegetable egg rolls and key lime pie martini are excellent. I'm not afraid to admit that.

Posted by meloknee at 01:07 PM | Comments (1)

October 12, 2005

Once Upon a Time

Today, as I was sitting on the porcelain god peeing and folding my toilet paper (before use), I was reminded of the exact moment I fell in love (platonically speaking) with one of my high school best friends.

We had known each other as children and were reunited at the age of 16 (she was 15). We went out to eat at a fast food restaurant the night we were reacquainted. For the life of me I can't remember which one, I'm thinking Carl's Jr. I remember that we ordered the exact same thing without knowing it until we sat down.

We both fought to talk over each other through the whole meal. There were so many things in common it seemed unreal. We were both in love with Cat Stevens, our favorite movie was Harold and Maude. There were some huge differences too though. She had her nails done professionally on a regular basis. She dressed girlie and had long curly hair. She was a country girl that liked to ride horses. I was a tomboy that liked to skateboard in skirts.

The thing I remember most clearly that night is that at the end of the meal, she folded all of her trash - her hamburger wrapper, french fry holder, that piece of paper that they put on the serving tray - she folded each of these items into little squares before she threw them in the trash. This is what made me love her.

I miss her, she turned evil.

Posted by meloknee at 02:41 PM | Comments (5)

October 11, 2005

Yeah, about that whole school librarian thing...

I don't think it's for me. After class with the kindergarten kids, I'm just not sure about things. I mean, really, why do I need to get two master's degrees to deal with kids farting and picking their noses (and then wiping the boogies on the rug)? We're not talking about a little toot either, this was at least a one alligator, two alligator, three alligator, four alligator, five alligator fart. I'm just not sure that is the challenge I am looking for in life.

So, not back to square one by any means, but back a step.

Posted by meloknee at 07:29 PM | Comments (2)

October 10, 2005

Good Weekend

I had an ideally good weekend. I have a certain way that I think weekends should go. Friday should include dinner and/or happy hour, followed by lounging around watching a movie. Saturday should be the day to get out and do something fun during the day and then go out on the town at night. Sunday should include a late breakfast out somewhere, then a walk or a bike ride, maybe a matinee, and then call it a day early and relax before the week starts up again.

That's pretty much how it went for me. Friday after work Alex and I went out for pizza. Then I went home and watched countless hours of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Saturday morning Aggie and I went to Trader Joe's and then made breakfast. We watched some cooking shows on PBS and lounged about. In the afternoon, Alex and I went to lunch at Six Arms and had a couple beers. Then we went downtown and went shopping. After that wore us out we went and had martinis and mai tais and appetizers.

Later that evening we went and got the Flexcar, after a tragic scare in which I thought I had lost my key card. This was extremely upsetting because we had been looking forward to good mexican food for weeks. The tragedy was averted however when I recalled that the keycard was in my corduroy skirt, hanging in my closet. When we got in the flexcar we found that someone had left a CD in the car, so we put that on. It wasn't labeled so it was really weird because we had no idea what we were listening to.

As usual,I got lost on the way to Coliman. I somehow or another get lost or make a wrong turn ever single time I go there. Once we were finally on the right track we drove through the incredibly cute old part of Georgetown and got stuck at the train tracks. We were waiting for the train to go by when it suddenly - or not so suddenly - stopped and started going the opposite direction. We contemplated running to the bar and taking shots and running back to the car.

Finally we were moving again and I managed to go the right way. When we turned around the last corner on the way to the restaurant we came across this amazing house. It was so freaking cool. The guy was outside putting on the finishing touches. There were life size casper blow-ups, zombies, skeletons, but the coolest of all was definitely this spider: Alex got out and talked to the guy. He apparently decorates for Halloween, Easter, and Christmas. So, if you're ever in the neighborhood, check out the house near the corner of Carleton S. and S. Willow.

We then headed down the street to Coliman. The food was delicious as always. There was a table of guys taking shots out of a tequila bottle and singing as they sat around the table. The flan was wonderful .

After dinner, we went and dropped off the Flexcar and grabbed a cab to the summit. When we got in the cab we were a little concerned about the beer can in the cup holder:

We had fun at the summit with andy and chase and we toasted to the anniversary of my first black eye and bloody nose.

It was a good night, with a really bizarre cab ride home too, but this is long enough, don't you think?

Posted by meloknee at 03:29 PM | Comments (0)

October 06, 2005

Whatever happened to Dick and Jane?

So, today was my third day volunteering at the elementary school library. Thursdays are the pre-school class. What a bunch of cuties. These kids have practically no clue about life. One thing's for sure, they don't know that you're not supposed to pick your nose, therefore, they certainly don't know you aren't supposed to wipe the booger on the rug after you fish it out.

I was excited for today because I thought I might actually learn some of the kid's names. But no. Where do people come up with these names? I can't even remember them to make fun of them. I remember that my teacher's always had trouble with the hmong and laotian names (xiao, xiong, ng, etc.) but this isn't the problem here. They aren't foreign names they are just bizarre...like they take other words and just add an extra syllable, I think one girl's name is Amillionay (kind of like A Millionaire??)

Oh, but the kids, they are so cute I want to stick them in my pocket and take them home with me. They are still innocent, at least I hope so. They aren't afraid or embarrassed of showing affection; the girls hold hands during reading circle, the boys like to give hugs. I suppose I'll learn their names eventually, because they all remembered mine and it made me feel like a million dollars.

Posted by meloknee at 06:29 PM | Comments (1)

October 04, 2005

Oh, to be a kid again.

I'm on a mission lately to do my best to become a kid again. Remember the days of cops & robbers, hide-and-go seek, Blindman's Bluff? What about when you would run, for no reason!? Skipping, hopping, galloping? Somersaults, cartwheels, moonwalking, attempting to break dance? Yeah, most of those things are very, very painful now. Not to mention hide-and-go seek is pretty damn boring in a 600 sf apartment.

Things I have added to my life recently in order to regain my youthfulness:

* Skipping & galloping while walking the dog.
* Running - for no reason.
* Eating ice cream with chocolate powder after I get home from work (remember after-school snacks?).
* Eating fake, cake-like products - hohos, ding-dongs, cupcakes with swirly designs and cream in the middle.
* Turning up the music and dancing like a dork.

I'm working on other things and am open to suggestions...

I want to be able to do things without constant pain, worrying about what people think, and be able to eat what I want without getting fat, which means I will be needing to do lots of skipping, galloping, jumping and dancing...

Posted by meloknee at 12:58 PM | Comments (4)

September 27, 2005

First Day of School

Today was my first day of elementary school, or volunteering at the elementary school anyway. I had been looking for a library to volunteer in for a while now and just a week or so ago finally heard back from the school librarian at TT Minor, the grade school a couple blocks from my apartment.

I was so nervous as I walked into the office. I don't know what it is about school that is so intimidating. I mean really, I spent over two years working with high-risk teenagers that were straight out of Juvi'. How could I possibly be nervous about a few 5-year-old kids?

Things went marvelously though. The school serves mostly underprivileged children - 85% of the kids are enrolled in the free/reduced lunch program. Of the 40 children I met today, there was one little blond, white girl, 90% African-American, and the rest of the kids came from many different backgrounds (American-Indian, Indian, Asian, Mexican...).

So, today, I got the pleasure of meeting some adorable little kids. I held hands with little girls, I practiced my stop, drop, & roll, just in case I ever catch on fire, and I talked a little boy that swore he "just could not move," into joining the rest of his class.

I'm going back for more on Thursday, so yes, more stories to come.

Posted by meloknee at 03:43 PM | Comments (3)

August 31, 2005

help me...

I woke up this morning only to find myself having a mental breakdown.
I know people at my work read this, but I just have to say it...I don't like my job. It is Boring, yes, Boring with a capital B. It is starting to depress me. My brain is going to mush.
This is only part of my mental breakdown. The other part, the main part, is that I, once again, want to change what I plan on doing with my life. That's right, I don't think I want to be a librarian. I think I want to be a proofreader/editor. I think I have wanted to do this for most of my life...hence the red pen collection I have at home. I love, I mean LOVE, red pens. My friends used to buy them for me as gifts.

I used to edit my friends' school paper for them for free, for fun. I love the power of the red pen. I just can't help it. I started correcting my father's grammar when I was like 6 years old (After one too many evil eyes-I'm gonna spank your butt if you correct me again-however, I stopped).

Is it really too much to ask for a job that you enjoy?

I have made many, many lists of what I enjoy, it goes something like this:
Reading
Editing/Proofreading
Taking Pictures
Organizing
Cooking

Why do I not pursue any of these options? I went as far as to get that useless English degree. That's it. What now?

I will start over now, I suppose...

I have had this problem for many years, perhaps my whole life. Actually, that's not true, I have a specific incident that I believe led to this problem (for another day, another time). I never do anything that could lead to failure. I didn't try out for school plays after I got cast for a crappy role because I figured the next time, I wouldn't get cast at all. I took AP classes but not the tests. I only applied to the college I knew I could get into. I have only applied for jobs that I am over qualified for and I have gotten every job I have ever interviewed for. Most likely this is because the people that interview me realize that they have totally scored by finding this girl who doesn't think she's good enough for any other job and is totally over qualified for the job they are offering. This then leads to me being a *star* employee because most of what my job requires I could do in my sleep.

This is also why I think my favorite job ever was working in the group home. That was a job that required my full attention every minute that I was there. I loved it but it drained me to the core.
Anyway. Now I'm feeling lost. Words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Tell me what I should do with my life.

Posted by meloknee at 06:02 PM | Comments (4)

August 22, 2005

Impromptu movie fest

Saturday Alex and I participated in the very first Genrebusters movie fest. What started as a "veg day" turned into an awesome movie day. Dan rigged up a screen out of a couple sheets of foam core. We had a projector on loan. Who knew it was that easy. If only we had a couple grand laying around to buy our own projector, every weekend could be movie fest.

Movies watched:
1. 6ixtynin9 (Alex and I missed this one)
2. bittwersweet life (totally gruesome)
3. super inframan (one word = fantastic)
4. bullitt (truly a classic-McQueen is hot)
5. we're going to eat you (cannibalism and kung fu)

Posted by meloknee at 07:38 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

August 18, 2005

Neighborlies

I can't stand my neighbors. They don't do anything in their apartment that annoys me, it's them, as people. First of all, they're hippies. Not that pot smoking, mellow, drum beating type of hippies. That stuffy, we don't do any harm to our bodies, we are at the least vegetarian, if not vegan, don't do harm to the environment, type hippies. Maybe more new age? Not sure really, I try to avoid all contact with them.

They complained to the property manager (not just the resident manager-they don't like her, she's too relaxed in her managing style) the day after I moved in about my precious little aggie crying in my apartment. They never talked to me about it and have since made comments like, "we heard your poor little dog crying last night." But I know, that is their way of complaining. The girl is totally freaked out by my dog.

Anyway, with people like this, you must win your battles in small, discreet ways, for they are tattletales. You do anything too outright; egg the door, leave nasty notes, poison their cat, they'll tell on you. So, this morning, I was able to sneak in a tiny little snide remark that made me smile all the way to work.

I walked out of my apartment with aggie and saw the guy (who always looks as if he's heading out on safari) out on the communal balcony. He called me over, enticing me by saying, "this is so sad, you must see this..." I walk out and they are finally demo-ing the old house across the way. It's been a home to many homeless people over the years, well, not a home so much as a place to break in and sleep. Anyway, it was a mess and was about to fall down if it wasn't torn down.

When I walk over to him, he said, "Have you ever heard a house scream before?" Ugh. I wanted to vomit all over his word vomit. A house scream? I thought it was cool. I wanted to explain to him that someone had to sell that house to developers, they didn't just take it from them. Someone had to let the house go to shambles and not take care of it. Someone has to knock down old houses to make condos and new apartments, that's what makes a city. How can we grow, create more jobs, if we don't change?

Anyway, instead, when he said, Oh how sad, such a beautiful house being torn down for new condos. I said, "Well, they're keeping me employed because I work for an engineering firm."

With that, I turned and left. I felt good. I am being paid by "the man" at least in safari guy's mind. Of course I didn't bother to mention that I work for one of the most eco-friendly civil engineering firms in the city. That my coworkers are bigger hippies than they are. My boss's daughter has never been allowed to eat non-organic foods. The other boss is a vegetarian. We have done tons of city work with green roofs and win the bike-to-work challenge every year.

He doesn't need to know that. He doesn't need to know that I feel like the biggest heathen in my whole office because I love meat, dairy, fast food and clothing made in sweat shops (okay, not really). In fact my office looks like a living and breathing REI advertisement.

Anyway, screw you neighbor. I hope you don't keep me awake with your crying, and that house better not wake me up with its screaming either.

Posted by meloknee at 06:18 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

August 16, 2005

new found joys

The new found joys of being a non-smoker, or one joy, at least.

I was always jealous of people that could shower at night and be fine to go to work in the morning. How lucky they were to have that extra half hour to sleep. I, however, was not able to. My head and hair were always stinky. The hair loved to hold on to the stale smoke smell that surrounded me. The hair also became really greasy and stinky. Not just smoke stinky but head stinky. I've since concluded that it must have been tar and nicotine escaping from my pores (I wasn't even that huge of a smoker, a pack lasted 4-5 days).

Just the other day I was running really late. I hadn't taken a shower since the morning before and it was now the next afternoon. I really didn't have a choice though, I was meeting the fam at the movies. I had to leave without showering. At first I felt horribly disgusting (did any of you notice me stinking up the movie theater?), after all, it had been years since I hadn't showered before leaving the house, for fear of my stinky head. After the movie I felt fine though. In fact, I went out to dinner and then went shopping. It wasn't until later that evening I finally showered.

Well, since then, I have become a religious evening showerer (it's only been 4 days). It is so refreshing to shower when I get home for work, especially since I have to climb the ginormous Madison hill to get home, seriously folks, I walk uphill both ways. Then I just put on the PJs and relax. I'm so loving it. eew. isn't that the new mcdonalds slogan. I don't even eat mcdonalds and they've managed to brainwash me. I hardly even watch TV.

Anyway, seven months later and I'm still finding reasons to be happy that I quit smoking. Yay. I can sleep with rollers in my hair!

Posted by meloknee at 07:13 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

August 14, 2005

HELP!!

Right now there is a bird in my apartment. it's a small bird, thank goodness. It's been in here since 7:00 am or so. At least that's when it woke me up. There are now at least 2 bird shits and there are little feathers everywhere. That bird is really lucky that my dog is having a sleepover and won't be home until late this afternoon.

So, I have no idea how to get rid of said bird. If I chase it or wave things at it, I'm afraid it will poop on all of my furniture. I put some bread crust on the window sill to lure it out, no luck yet. My window was only open about a foot, because I have a fear of birds getting in my apartment. Now I have both of my windows WIDE open so there are about 50 flies in my livingroom. Once Bird decides to leave I'll have to spend the next 2 hours with fly swatter in hand acting like a killing machine. I normally kill about 5 flies a day. Today is going to be a new record.

Posted by meloknee at 10:51 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

August 10, 2005

Grandpa with Aggie

My grandpa, Reuben "Bill" Henry Doss, died last night.

Five things about my grandpa:
5. He lived in snow caves during WWII and saw Mussolini hung in the Piazza Loreto in Italy.
4. His family was so poor when he was a child that one year for Christmas they got tin cups filled with cow poop in their stockings, just so they'd have something.
3. My grandpa taught my brother and I how to kill a rattle snake, shoot a gun and catch a rabbit with nothing but a box, a stick and a carrot.
2. He gave me my love for dogs. In fact, he gave us our first dog ever, a poodle named Tiger. He also died with Olive, my parent's poodle that had pretty much adopted my grandpa as her owner, laying in his lap.
1. He loved his wife and daughter, very, very much.

Posted by meloknee at 12:54 PM | Comments (6)

August 08, 2005

Note to self:

Do not watch Office Space on Sunday afternoon. This will make your life miserable. Talk about a case of the Mondays.

A few things I learned while on vacation, as of now only one of those will be discussed.

I learned that I have a very firm idea of what a vacation really is, and I need one. I know, I'm an ungrateful bitch. I just got back from an 8 day "vacation," poor me. Seriously though, I realized that my family raised me with certain types of vacations. I think it was because we never had very much money, so our vacations were very simple, usually camping. Sometimes there was a cabin or beach house involved, but that's it. We'd either pack up our tents or rent our cabin and go, for a week. Once we got where we were going we did nothing.

If we were camping, we'd read, fish, cook lots of yummy food, dad played the guitar. We drew pictures, made crafts, wrote letters to our friends. We'd do this for 6 or 7 days and it was great. We'd go swimming in the lake, boogie boarding in the ocean, riding on the trails. We did all of these things with no agenda, half the time we did them on our own. We didn't have mandatory bike riding time, or daily fishing excursions. If I wanted to wake up early at the butt crack of dawn to drink hot chocolate and fish with my dad, I did; if I didn't want to, he went by himself. Usually I wanted to.

I miss those vacations. I guess now, I feel the need to go places and do things, I don't know why. I want to go back to the old days. I want to feel rested or bored on vacation. I want to get a tan by the lake, read so many books that I have to read something I wouldn't normally because I finished all the books I brought. I want my iPod to run out of juice and not have anywhere to plug it in. I want to cook yummy, delicious food, make s'mores and drink hot buttered rum while sitting on a cooler full of Coors light.

The only problem: I want my boyfriend to come with me.

So, if anyone knows of campgrounds with wireless internet so alex can go on vacation with me, I'd greatly appreciate the knowledge.

Posted by meloknee at 07:50 PM | Comments (2)

August 07, 2005

Vacation wrap-up #1

There's way too much to say in in one entry...

Pictures will come in the next few days but since alex and i both managed to forget our digital cameras i have to take actual film in to be developed.

I'm so glad to be back with my doggie, i missed her so much, i can't stand leaving her to go on vacation...next time i want her to come with. I did have to give her a bath as soon as i got home though because she had so much fun with her cousins at the dog park today.

Here are my favorite purchases:

Alex loved Fresno State!

80s Vans

Kid Robot Rocks

Oh, and despite the massive amount of food i consumed, i only gained 3 pounds...it was so worth it!!

Posted by meloknee at 08:47 PM | Comments (0)

August 02, 2005

Fresno, You Know!

Restaurants eaten at as of Tuesday, 5:00 pm, 27 hours into the Fresno experience:
Foster's Freeze
Di Ciccos
El Cochinito Contento
Me-N-Ed's
Uncle Harry's

pictures to come...

Posted by meloknee at 05:02 PM | Comments (1)

July 28, 2005

My body is failing me

How many times does the average person have surgery in a lifetime?

Okay, sure, we can count wisdom teeth and tonsils. I have no idea what the answer is, but I'm pretty sure I'm already above average and I'm only 27 years old.

Age 16: Surgery on left wrist for the removal of a ganglion cyst

Age 17: 4 wisdom teeth removed

Age 19: Exploratory surgery on right wrist to determine what was wrong with is.

Age 20: Surgery on right wrist to replace the torn ligament that was found during the exploratory surgery.

Age 20: 4 months later, surgery to remove the pins that were holding the new ligament in place until it got settled.

Age 26: ACL replacement and partial meniscus removal surgery on right knee.

Today: Just found out that I will most likely be having surgery on my right wrist for the newly formed/discovered ganglion cyst. Oh, but not to worry, there's good news; they'll be able to open me up using the scar that is already there, so I won't get another scar. Well, then...sign me up.

Damn, this sucks. I am just starting to feel normal again after my surgery that was only 6 months ago. I thought I might be able to ride a bike sometime in the next couple of months. I thought there was hope of paying off the medical bills.

I know, you're thinking, "What the fuck is wrong with your wrists? Are you deformed or something?" Well, my previous wrist surgeon said, "Some people have bad knees, you have bad wrists." Bad wrist, bad. Go lay down. Go to the naughty chair. Thank god I'm not a boy...I'd probably tear a ligament masturbating. My old friends use to think it was hilarious to constantly say things like, "Don't pick that up, you might tear a ligament." I have the wonderful reputation at my physical therapist office for being a huge klutz. I don't know why, maybe it was because 3 months after surgery I fell down the damn stairs in front of my apartment. They are now teaching me how to walk properly.

Shannon, I'm pretty sure you've got me beat. Especially with the severity of your injuries. I just want to say, I feel for you, as much as I can.

So, I'm pretty sure it's time for me to go out and purchase a bubble.

Posted by meloknee at 06:38 PM | Comments (3)

July 23, 2005

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

Okay, you all remember that Jim Hensen show I made you watch at our Christmas Dinner. The one I swear is my favorite and I love so much. The one you all hated and laughed and laughed at me for liking so much and making you watch and you all went along with it because you felt sorry for me because I was having surgery and because shannon and I bought you all those really sweet toys??

Well, I'm not even sure now of the chain in which led me to this chick's blog, but she likes to make shit jokes and she LOVES emmet otter's jug-band christmas. It's nice to know I'm not the only one. I also like the fact that she blogged about it in the middle of the summer. Probably because it had been at least 6 months since she last saw it and forgot how even though it is so good and my favorite christmas show, it really is painful to watch.

I'm not hungry, I'm hunnnggrrryyy!!!!!

Posted by meloknee at 05:14 PM | Comments (1)

July 19, 2005

Freezer Rags

Last night was a freezer-rag night. For Seattle, it was pretty darn hot, 88 degrees. At noon today, while walking to work, I said to myself, it's cooler right now than it was at midnight last night. I was right, at midnight it was still 70, at noon it was only 68.

Growing up in Central California, no one could afford to run the air conditioner 24 hours a day. So, at night, we'd turn on the fans and my mom would give us a wet wash cloth to cool our faces and necks so that we could fall asleep. As I got older, my roommates and I invented the freezer rag. Late at night, we'd all go get a wash cloth and get it all wet, ring it out and then lay them in the freezer. We'd go out back, drink a few cold beers and then go inside and grab our freezer rags and go to bed. I'd lay in bed with the freezer rag balancing on my nose while it would slowly melt and form to my face.

Now I live in a tiny apartment with a crappy old fridge that barely even has a freezer, so I couldn't make a freezer rag. However, after trying for hours to fall into a deep sleep, I did go get a wet wash cloth to put over my face. I pointed the fan straight at me and fell fast asleep.

Aaah...what would I do without my mommy?

On a side note, also while walking to work today, a lady threw a coke at me. I don't know why, or if it was meant to actually be thrown at me, but I got coke all over my feet and had to walk to work with sticky coke feet. Sucks.

Posted by meloknee at 07:35 PM | Comments (4)

July 18, 2005

i am officially obsessed with california.

i guess I'm suffering from a bit of, "you can take the girl out of California but you can't take the California out of the girl." It's fairly obvious that I am going through some serious homesickness. It is so embarrassing to admit being homesick when you're from Fresno. I don't think that it's necessarily Fresno that I am homesick for, I think it's California as a whole.

This weekend, Alex and I went to the Mariner's game. What a perfect day for a baseball game. It was 80 degrees, sunny, warm, baseball weather. People were leaving the game because it was too hot. Too hot?!

I knew when I first moved to Seattle that I wouldn't live here for the rest of my life. It's beautiful here, don't get me wrong. I love the weather, I'll probably never be able to afford the views I've had here in any other city, the mountains and water are gorgeous. It's really the people and mentality that I just don't get. For example; for the first 3 years that I lived here I lived in the same building. We had a huge, grassy backyard that overlooked the city. It was fenced so the dogs could run around, there were tables and chairs, you could BBQ and drink beers. The whole 3 years that I lived there, a total of maybe 10 people went in the backyard. The building had roughly 60-70 residents, I would think, and hardly any of them ever went in the yard. I felt so lucky to have a yard in the city and just couldn't understand how no one ever went back there.

Now I live in a neighborhood with a few really nice condo buildings that have balconies with gorgeous views. I do not have a balcony or yard anymore. I take my dog out on walks every day and none of these people are ever out on their balconies. They have all this super nice, matchy furniture that is NEVER used. It makes me so angry and confused.

I don't think I ever ate a meal inside during the summers when I lived in Cali. We never went to bars and sat inside. The summers were all about being outdoor sun worshippers. Here, in Seattle, we are blessed with the most amazing summers. People get all dressed up in their REI gear and do what? Where are they? Sure, maybe they hike on the weekends and spend their summers camping on the peninsula, but what about every night after work?

My friend told me that she lives in a condo that has an outdoor heated pool and she is the only person ever swimming in it. How do people in Seattle learn how to swim?

Anyway, for everyone's sake, I hope that my trip to Cali cures my longing and obsession. Until then, you may be cursed with the constant rantings of stupid Seattle and the praises for a place I no longer live.

In fact, I may just feel a list coming on...

Posted by meloknee at 07:19 PM | Comments (1)

July 15, 2005

Dilemmas of dog custody

For those of you who don't know, I have joint custody of my dog, aggie. I am the main guardian and if either of us ever move away, full custody rights belong to me. Meanwhile, in Seattle, the Ex gets visits with her on Monday evenings, Thursday & Saturday overnight visits. I dream of the day when I get to take custody away from him. I am so tired of sharing my dog, I miss her when I don't have her, I'm sick of arranging my schedule around him, I'm tired of seeing him so many times a week. But, we got her while we were together and raised her together for the first 3 years of her life, so it's not really fair. The only reason there wasn't a battle over who got custody is first, that my parents bought her for my college graduation and second, he was an asshole to me so I pretty much got first choice in what I wanted of all our stuff.

This morning I went outside to meet them in front of my building as I do every Friday at 8:00am. He must have had to get to work early or something because he just handed me the leash and started running back home (yes we live close enough to run home). I took aggie and started walking inside. Normally she runs up the stairs ahead of me but this morning she wouldn't even walk up them. I made her do it figuring there was some food or really good smell at the bottom of the stairs, but when we got to the next set, it was the same thing. Finally I walked over to her and realized that her harness was on backwards and if that happens, it's really, really tight. This is very easy to do, if you just grab it and start putting it on without really paying attention there is no obvious right or wrong way. You just have to remember which side the clasp goes on. Apparently in the Ex's rush to get to work on time he didn't notice it was backwards.

Anyway, I took off the harness and aggie started whimpering and crying and was really stiff, she wouldn't go up the stairs. I had to pick her up and carry her. We went inside and she went straight to bed, just whimpering while laying there. Now we are laying in bed together, if I pet her she whimpers, if she moves, she whimpers, it's so sad. I called my mom first and she said wait a couple of hours and see if she can get up and walk. I then called Ex and told him what happened. I wanted to be mad at him for hurting her, but I couldn't be...not when he starts crying when I tell him that she's hurt, and he feels like it's his fault. I mean, I'm not even crying or teary eyed. I feel really bad for her because every time she moves she cries...but I'm not crying, yet anyway.

How can I take custody away from a cry baby?

Update:
Shannon was kind enough to take aggie and I to the vet this morning. Aggie is fine, she just has some sore muscles. She is spending the afternoon lounging on Shannon's couch.

Posted by meloknee at 08:44 AM | Comments (3)

July 08, 2005

old friends are good friends

I've been talking with some of my old friends in preparation for my and alex's trip to California. I always felt like I grew up faster than the rest of my friends my age, but that's an entirely different story and more like a novel than a story. It's fun and interesting now to watch my friends become "adults." I say "adults" because we aren't becoming adults in the way people used to. Most of us aren't getting married, having kids, settling down in the suburbs or settling for some job where we hope to one day reach partner.

My friends are going back to school, moving to a new city, trying out new jobs, meeting great people that they'll share these journeys with. Instead of sett