Thursday, April 30, 2009

Day 52

Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats waking up at noon and deciding to go to the 1205 Brewer game.
I slept in like the true sleeping champion that I am (whenever my friend N. comes and visits or vice versa we have sleeping contests, I'm almost always the champion).

I wake up and desperately need a shower, but figure a Brewer cap will cover up my dirty hair.
The Brewer game starts in five minutes, but I decide, quite rashly I will try and get a Uecker seat for a measly dollar.

So I put on some clothes, brush the teeth and find a convenient parking spot by the WHS supercenter.
I get into the Uecker line and find, quite shockingly, that I got the last one.
I was fully prepared to fork over $10 for a nosebleed.
But there I was with my buck seat ticket in hand, waiting in the beer line.
Although Uecker seats are supposed to be obstructed view, super nose-bleeds, I decided to take my chances in section 225, which is one of the sections E and I get with our 20-pack.
I figured a day game, when they had already won the series, I wasn't doing anything terribly illegal.
Needless to say, I didn't have to get up once.
I WAS however talked to by various men at the game, impressed with my score-keeping skills and my "general knowledge of the game." Yep that was a quote from the hippie that was sitting in front of me who consistently wanted to fist bump/high five me.
Seriously.
Can't a girl just watch the game by herself?
I'm pretty sure they were harmless, however.
They didn't ask me to any after-game anyway.

After the Brewer game I should have worked on my copywriter test, but had a horrible headache and settled in for some tv.
And lawd, did I tell that tv what for.
I watched "Remember the Titans" because I can't get enough of feel good sports movies.
I really really can't.
If a sports movie is on, well a GOOD sports movie, you can rest assured that I will be watching said movie.
Plus.
Ethan Suplee is in that movie.
And he is HUGE.
I couldn't believe it.
So that made me laugh.
Also.
I'm always amazed at the awful racism in that film.
Not that I'm excusing hidden/secret racism, but some of those whites were so blatantly awful to black people.
And is Virginia even that far south?
I mean, jeez, a hundred years after the civil war.
Christ on a cracker.
Literally and figuratively.

After "Remember the Titans" I took in "Alvin and the Chipmunks."
Seriously.
I like Jason Lee, even if he is a crazy Scientologist.
And was that movie good?
No.
Was it the worst movie?
No.
I think it was actually kind of cute, with a good message to today's youth.
"Listen to your parents."
That was the underlying message.
And I have to say I am thankful for that...living in Milwaukee Proper and all.
Then I watched (I know, this is getting ridiculous with the movies, the bad movies) "Never Been Kissed"
Which is not good either, but I have to say, if I had a teacher that looked like that in high school, or college for that matter, I defs would have went to class more.
And worn more low neck sweaters.
True that.
And it's message is better than most romantic comedies as she didn't have to give up her career to be with him.

L&O took me thru the rest of the night, with my headache not getting any better.
I went to bed early style because I knew I had to wake up early the next day for the copywriter test and for prepare for my impending birthday party.

Day 51

I need to get better at posting like I used to.
It's hard to keep up though.
Truly truly truly outrageous.

Late breaking news from yesterday, however:
Yet ANOTHER test from my prospective job.
I'm okay with it though, as it's a copywriter test and from the looks of it, it looks as if they want to know if I can ape their style.
Which, much like my personality/singing voice, I should be able to do.
Should being the operative word.
I will wait until tomorrow to complete said test as I don't want to seem over zealous.
This is a fair assumption, yes?

Today we woke up early to make quiche for my grandma.
Now before you go saying how cute that is and what a good granddaughter I am let me say this.
Last Christmas
(I gave you my heart...you know the words, sing along)
I totally forgot to get her a present.
Insert wicked granddaughter gasp here.
So as her present I made her a "calendar" of "gift certificates"
Like in January I took her out for lunch.
February was her favorite dessert.
You get the idea.
Well May was some of Erin's "famous" quiche.
He does, in fact, make super awesome-delicious quiche.
Except this time I made the crust rather than buying in from the store.
I couldn't believe how freaking easy/cheap it was.
I have to say we are getting really good at cooking things.
We didn't have any cream so we substituted plain yougurt and a wee bit of powdered sugar.
We are awesome.
Needless to say the quiche was a hit.
We got to play some Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune as my grandma only watches the Gameshow Network or CMT.
Seriously.

We then get home and do a quick clean of the house as our guest greyhounds are do to go home.
They were quite lovely houseguests, however. And I think we were slightly sad to see them go.
Even if it did make us crazy cat people, but with greyhounds, per M.

Tuesday evening was spent with P and her future SIL shopping for dresses.
Because I am a hobo, I have no dress clothes.
So we spent the early part of the evening perusing Urban Outfitters, which had absolutely very little appropriate for the wedding (their website, however, is quite lovely and efficient). Plus I don't have a beard nor was I wearing skinny jeans or black eyeliner.
Something I did learn:
I can pull off just about any pair of sunglasses.
So maybe that is my super power.
Which would make sense, as it's completely useless and ridick.
Much like myself.

Later that evening I took in the Brewer game, in which they won the series vs. the Pirates of Pittsburgh.
Well done Brewers.
They've been playing well lately, which means JJ is a happy camper all of the time.
Item of note:
It was Trevor Hoffman's first "official" save for the Brewers.
It's exciting to have a bona fide closer on the team again.
And it's exciting that he has such a dramatic entrance.
He enters to Hell's Bells, which is probably one of the more dramatic songs a closer could have.
Sure it's not as funny as "The Dream Police" which is what they play when DiFelice enters a game, but it sure is ominous.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Day 50

Because I have four greyhounds in the house, it shouldn't be a huge surprise that they wake me up at ungodly hours.

After falling asleep during L&O last night (perhaps I'm in a mid-life crisis because I keep thinking of jobs I would a. like to do and b. be good at, and I can't help but think I would be smart enough to be a detective on the major case squad), the dogs (and by dogs I mean MY dog) woke me up at 7 this morning.
I let them all out and feel I should be able to get a couple more hours of sleep without whining.
Not true.
Super decides she needs attention during this time and Peanut (one of the hounds we're dog-sitting for) is barking.
So I get up after probably a collective 6 hours of sleep and see at least Peanut is barking because there is a random Rottweiler roaming the alley.
Oh Milwaukee Proper.
I promptly race downstairs, grab a leash and head out the door to try to catch it.
I thought maybe it was my neighbor's Rott, who doesn't like dogs, but is okay with humans.
So I'm walking up and down the alley in slippers and my pajamas looking for a pretty big rottweiler.
I did not find it, nor did I see it, so it must have been a speedy boy, or Peanut, in all of her tiny black greyhound glory scared it away.

So I'm up.
Facebook adds a pleasant distraction as does Improv Everywhere.
Seriously.
Check it out.
I find it highly humorous, mostly because I've been on a musical kick lately.

I finally get to blogging about the weekend, albeit late, at least it's done.

On the docket for today:
Job searches, obs. That doesn't ever change does it?
Grocery shopping! I love it, and I'm throwing myself a bday bash this week (you should come!) and I will be getting some basic supplies.
New this year: spinach dip in a home-made rye bowl.
Also new: sangria instead of punch! (I think it will be cheaper?
YES!
Except the bowl will be square one, as I don't have a round bread machine.
Let's be real.
I might also experiment with making tortilla chips to go with my taco dip.
They're incredibly easy it seems and cheap!
I might try those out tonight.

It looks as if my tomatoes are FINALLY growing.
I can't wait until we get our bed built in the back yard.
Why a raised bed you ask?
Because I am a horrible weeder and I feel this will prevent the onslaught of weeds that happens to my poor back yard garden every year.

E's off this week, so I hope to get the house in tip-top shape for party town USA.
I hope it's fun.
And people actually come.
I always get worried about such.

Day 49

I forgot to tell you of yet another rejection letter I got.
This came on Friday.
And I love that I get rejection letters NOW for jobs I applied to probably like a month ago.
Thanks for letting me know I didn't get the job, my deductive reasoning isn't that poor.
If after two weeks of submitting a rezzy I don't hear anything, I assume I'm not getting that job.
I think that is a fair amount of time.

Also as part of me getting laid off by The Bon-Ton Supercenter, I got this package from careerbuilder, with a resume writing service. And while my current resume seems to be doing okay in getting some hits, I figured I might as well use this service since I didn't have to pay for it.

So I send them all of my info and they create a new resume for me.
And.
I hate it.
It's one of those super flashy looking ones, and it's over one page long.
Which I don't like, because let's be real, it's not as if my career is that long and illustrious.
I do good, prompt work.
So I don't know what to do.
Maybe like use it and shorten it.
That is my thought.
I don't know.
Maybe some places like that sort of thing.
Whatevs.
I will keep you posted.

Today was another ridiculously lazy day.
And rainy.
So Cold Spring Park is still a garbage magnet.
In case you were wondering.

In other news.
My ear is plugged up.
And no insurance means I can't go to the doctor to get it cleaned out.
Ugh.
So pardon me if I have to ask you to repeat yourself incessantly.
It's not that I'm not listening, it's that I can't.
On the left side anyway.

Amidst the rain and muck E and I took in the Falls Patio Players production of "Grease."
Because R. one of E's co-workers was in it.
And, apparently, a girl I went to high school with.
I'm about 95% positive.
Anyway.
R. did very well.
But the acting and casting of most of the other cast, was pretty horrendous.
AND!
The lead guy is a drama teacher for middle school! E and I felt really sorry for those kids.
Now, I realize I shouldn't complain because I don't know much about stage productions. I would have totally been a theater kid in high school, except that our high school only did musicals and I refused to go to practice every day after school so I could be part of a ridiculous boring chorus.
Because as much as I love to sing, I'm not very good at it which would mean "chorus."
And unless you're a moron, you could learn the songs and dances in one Saturday.
Plus I had a job, which made extra cirriculars impossible.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure I could act better than most of them AND E. was a total drama nerd in HS and actually has directed plays and such and is good at it.
I suppose it is just community theater, but seriously?
I have to think that there are better actors out there, not to mention a lot of them had been in other productions!
So I think perhaps my calling is to be a community theater actor.
I'm imagining "Waiting For Guffman" will now be my life.
I'm pretty sure I could get a job at Dairy Queen.
I will keep you posted.

In other news:
Because it was so rainy and cold and damp I decided to make a carb explosion for dinner.
Mashed potatoes and home made mac-n-cheese.
The best part of meal like this is it actually tastes better the next day and there are most assuredly leftovers for 3-4 days.
Good times indeed.
Because who doesn't love comfort food?
P. makes a mac-n-cheese pizza which I'm dying to try.

Day 48

Today was supposed to be a highly productive day.
The day was supposed to go like this:
Wake up kind of early.
Go get cambros of coffee and water for our neighborhood's clean-up.
Go to neighborhood clean-up, take part.
Beautify neighborhood.
Come home, shower.
Go to Genoa City to show Rex to a prospective home.
Get home, take in Brewer game.

Instead it went like this:
Woke up later than expected but still early by my standards.
Picked up empty cambros from neighbor.
Drove to Brady Street to fill said cambros.
Running about 15 minutes late at this point.
Load cambros in car and realize we forgot to get cups/creamers/sugars.
Turn around, pick up said items.
On the way home it starts pouring out.
Upon turning onto McKinley it's thundering and lightening out.
Not terribly conducive to an earth day clean-up.
M is torn as to whether she should just postpone it or cancel and reschedule.
As I hate getting wet, I vote for rescheduling.
We decide to go home, M. sends out an email TBA-ing another time.
I'm secretly happy about this as I'm exhausted and feel as if I deserve a relaxation day.
I take in a ridiculous amount of bad television (America's Next Top Model marathon on Bravo. Seriously).
But it enables me to veg without getting too angry.

Four o'clock rolls around and I'm off to take Rex to meet his potential new family.
They have a Shih Tzu so I'm hoping Rex doesn't think that the little fluff ball is lunch.
Three or four hours later I'm back home and Rex is adoption pending.
YES!
As I missed the Brewer game the night before, I made it a point to record the game.

Before I come upstairs, I make sure E. has it so I won't see the score of the game.
It's all set for me, E. is watching his game on the computer so it's just a fine night of baseball at the Burch-Castrapel household.

Before E. goes to bed he tells me I should probably extend my recording time further as the game is still on.
Which means extra innings.
I'm not extremely thrilled with this, but it DOES mean that we must come back from the deficit that they were in at the time.
The game goes to 11 innings, with the Crew winning it all in the end.
No rubber match needed, The Brew Crew had won the series.
YES!
That is two series in a row AND four games in a row.
It was a good game, but I'm glad I wasn't there, for scoring purposes alone.
How does one mark an out that was caused by a hit?
This is something I will need to research.
In all the books I checked out from the library, I don't think any of them are on scoring.
What kind of library-checker-outer am I???
One that doesn't use the card catalog and just wanders and takes music out in order, and baseball books out in order.
True.

Day 47

Today was a good day.
I only wish I would've gotten to hang out with P. today which I should have known wouldn't happen because I had made plans prior with J. of another E&J.

The day begins with my E. going to the hospital because he was to get a small country removed from his back.
Seriously.
He had a birthmark in the shape of Africa back there.
I always loved this birthmark, but the JD/MD said it could potentially be cancerous.
And I don't love it THAT much.
So in the midst of the recession, E. had a wee minor surgery.
Which is fine.
So he gets home and I had been having a FB party all morning long as the dogs had awoken me.
So I email J. and tell her I will be over sometime after 130 as E. has to get a prescription filled.
Plus I have to run to the store to get alcohol and other acoutrements.

I get to J's house around 230 or so and we start drinking wine coolers, which is completely fine with me, as I can't say no to vino mixed with a delicious lemon lime soda...can you?

So we drink, gossip, talk about our E's respectively (there was some minor drama with her E. that we discussed at first seriously, but then in became the joke of the day as these things often do, at least with me).

We screenprinted some bags for a fashion fair she was in (she's a clothing designer, and a good one at that, AND cheap! And I obs mean cheap in that I would buy her clothes, not that they are cheaply made). I'm totes jealous of her ability to sew and create and sell her stuff, but am thankful because I did get a shirt last year (or so) for my bday, which I flipping love.

So, I learned to screenprint which is dreadfully easy and can't believe I never did it before as I've been wanting JD/MD shirts for basically my whole life. So now I have this grand scheme of opening a shop to sell J's clothes, A's crafts, and my bread. Or if I ever screen print stuff, then that.

After screenprinting some bags we played some rockband, and before we knew it, it was like 11 pm. Good times indeed, with girly talk and minor plumbing mixed in.
True.

I got home around 1am, E. was surprisingly still awake and not in a vicodin coma, I just went to bed while E. watched his baseball game.
I had heard thru the grapevine that the Brewers had won so I was able to sleep restfully.

Top day (and night!).
Indeed.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Day 46

Interview day!
I have to say, I was quite thankful for all of the well wishes recieved via facebook, and oddly enough, via the USPS.
My dad had sent me some vouchers for Brewer tickets and included a small note wishing me luck.
Too cute.
And my mom called to wish me luck.
It's like I'm 15 all over again, trying to get a job at now-bankrupt Jellystone Park.

So I do dog duty.
Fill out all the forms required of me, get my portfolio together (my $50 shopping spree at kinko's).
Check into facebook.
Dig some tights out of my drawer.
And to be clear:
It was a nice day out yesterday, but I have a RIDICULOUSLY disgusting bruise on my let that was discovered at M & Z's last weekend.
I still have no idea where this bruise came from, but it STILL looks as bad as it did that day...it hasn't faded at all.
So I decide to not gross out the interviewers since my boots wouldn't cover up the the bruise and my skirt was like right at bruise length.
So I have some time to spare and I take in the Brewer game.
It's a day game, which I'm excited about as I will be able to listen to the game on my way to the interview. And provided the Brewers do well, it will be relaxing.
I leave (I think) sometime during the third inning.
Bush is pitching and so far has no hits.
One of my favorite things to do while watching games is to say "Well there goes the no-hitter."
Usually I do this in the first inning.
When it gets past the 4th or 5th inning, I kind of shut up about it because I don't want to jinx anything.
And there has only been ONE no-hitter thrown in Brewer history.
So I kind of was thinking, hmm...could today be the day?
Driving in my car, listening to Uecker on the radio.
Good times.
So I get to my interview just in time.
In the car I got to listen to Braun hit a two-run homer in the fourth, Fielder a bases clearing double in the fifth, and Hall a solo shot in the eight.
But I have to go in.
And at the top of the 8th Bush still has a no-no.
I, obviously, can't be late for my interview, but I think trying to listen to a no hitter would be a valid excuse if ever there was.

Interview:
The interview process lasts two hours.
I have to take two numbers assessments, and then I get the basic interview questions.
Which I think I did good on.
C'est la vie say the old folks.
It goes to show you never can tell.
The first interview was with the HR person.
Then I go across the way to talk with someone from creative.
This guy was awesome and he used to work in retail, and actually knew someone from the Bon-Ton. He said he had no weight on the hiring process at all, so he told me alot about the work culture there, which I was quite thankful for because it's hard to get that out of HR.
He discussed the dress code, which is skirts or suits for women (not business casual like the BT Supercenter), which I have to admit, I found a little shocking, but whatevs. I have skirts. I wear skirts.
Anys.
The interview ends and they say I will know withing 3-4 days.
So sometime next week I will be expecting a rejection email.
Ha ha.
The hour drive wasn't bad. Especially with the Brewers on the way down!

After the interview the Brewer game was obviously over.
I could find no sports talk radio, so I assumed that the no-hitter was ruined.
But then I thought, just because I would be talking about a no-hitter for hours on end, doesn't mean the general radio media in Milwaukee would be.

So I get home and I race up the stairs and I immediately ask E.
"Did he do it? Did Bush throw a no-hitter?"
Unfortunately.
No.
BUT!
The Brewers still won.
We FINALLY won two back to back games!
AND we FINALLY beat the Phillies in a series, the first time since 2006.
I'm hoping we continue this trend in Houston.
And this further extends my confidence in Bush.
Who would've thought that Little Latin Loopy Loo and Bush would be our aces?
Well, I've always had faith in Bush.
He pitched a no hitter into the 8th last year too.
And he just seems like a nice guy.
Plus he's all oddly beardy now.

In other news.
I may get to hang out with J. tomorrow and help her do fashion-y stuff.
I'm excited at this possibility.
Mostly cos I know it will involve cocktails and most likely some gossip.
Or at least giggles.
Plus I will get to see my favorite bully mix, Foxie.
And.
It's supposed to be 80-something degrees.
Maybe it's time to take the plastic off the windows?
MEH?

Day 45

Recession food:
Because it has been effing cold here I decided to make some soup for dinner.
We had a can of black beans in the ol' pantry and I thought that black bean soup sounded like it would be a good option.
So I scoured online and found an easy recipe.
Since E and I are just a two person family, I just kind of guessed in the ingredients:
1 can of black beans
1 onion chopped
jalapenos, chopped (I used the kind in a jar, about two spoons worth)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp of cumin (it called for ground cumin, but I used seeds)
some southwest spice I found in the pantry.
Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a pan and cook everything but black beans until onions are soft.
Add black beans and simmer for about 15 minutes.
I topped mine with a bit of cheese, salsa, and some plain yogurt.
It was effing delicious.
I realize this soup probably won't be made in the summer all that much, but it sure was easy enough and filling.
I would definitely double the above recipe next time as E and I were sad there were no leftovers.
And be warned.
There was some definite kick.

As I was enjoying my quick and delicious soup, I took in a Brewer game.
Braden Looper was pitching.
AND WE WON!
Which means.
WHICH MEANS!!!
Rubber match tomorrow versus the world champion Phillies.
The very same Phillies who ousted us from the playoffs last year.
And with Bush on the mound.
(get your mind out of the gutter peope, GEEZ!)
I think we can get stuff done.
We may not win, but I'm confident we will put up a fight.
A FIGHT I SAY!
In other Brewer news:
I've come up with a new nickname for Braden Looper, since apparently he is our ace.
Little Latin loopy loo.
It takes a while to get there, but the whole scene is effing perfect.
That link just makes me want to watch that movie and quote it over and over and over again.

Interview tomorrow.
(Bites nails and looks around nervously).
Which means early to bed tonight as I have to drive E to work at the pre-crack of dawn AND i have to get all of my shite together.
Forms to fill out, questions to practice, nausea to power through.

E. bought some semolina flour so I am just one breadmachine run away from making homemade pasta! Perhaps for my birthday I will ask for the pasta attachment for my kitchen aid. Then I can make my own ravioli.
OMG OMG OMG.

I will let you know how this all pans out.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Day 44

Man oh man.
This recession just won't quit.
I was going to try and put in the latest rejection letter acquired from yours truly. But unfortunately I'm having issues the technicalities of it all.
So you will just have to believe me that I got a rejection letter from the UWCU.
No commuting to Madion for me.

Here's to thinking the phone interview went well.

In other recession news:
I applied for four other jobs today.
All of which, I think I would be highly skilled and enjoy.
In my job search I go back and forth between applying for anything I think I could do that would pay a decent wage or trying to find something I would like and enjoy.
Currenly I'm leaning towards the the latter because I've only been in the job search for well, 44 days.
Jobs applied to are:
*Office Associate at Marquette: I don't know why I keep applying to Marquette. I haven't even received any inkling of the fact that they look at my resume. But whatevs. It would be close, I've heard good things AND you get free tuition if you work there. True story people.
*Editorial & Administrative Assistant: I think this job is for a travel/medical company. Which sounds interesting and it involved a lot of proofing, which I love to do. It seems like it would be a combo of the MA and Copywriter position at the Bon-Ton supercenter.
*Receptionist/Executive Assistant: while normally I wouldn't apply to a position like this, it is for a PR/Advertising firm so I think it would be right up my alley.
*Online Copywriter: Obs, this seems like it would be good fit.

Other recession news:
Today was FREE DAY!
Things obtained free today are as follows:
1. Dog Food: We go to Wisconsin Garden and Pet and they have a pretty sweet program where you buy 10 bags and get one free. The best part of this is that they keep track of it for you. We had a suspicion it would be free, but one can never be sure about these things. And let's be clear that a free bag of dog food for us the equivalent to saving $50-$60. Greyhounds can have dickey tums.
2. Since it was errand day, we head to Mayfair to pick up E's tips. AND...
Free Ben & Jerry's ice cream cone! Wahoo! They were doing a fundraiser for autism or some other kid charity. So we put a dollar (each, we're not that cheap) in the bucket and enjoyed ice cream and feeling good that we helped some type of children.
I think.
3. E was hungry so we decided to stop at Qdoba because we are addicted to their nachos.
Side note: before the recession began I ate at Qdoba for like a month straight, totalling almost $300. Seriously. After that bill came I ate my organic ramen. A lot.
So E. has some type of rewards card and one of our entrees was free!
Great day in the morning.
All of the freeness made me feel a little bit better about being weeded out of the UWCU employment pool.
Ha ha.
At first I accidentally typed poop.
I'm five.

My only complaint about free day was that Outpost had nothing to offer me.
I did however enter an earth day contest, so maybe my free day will extend into that.
And they didn't have semolina flour.
Can I get this at Sentry?
I thought if any place would have it, it would be Outpost.
I'm taking the next step in recession cooking:
Making my own pasta.
But I need semolina flour to do so.
Any ideas?
I did get to stock up on bulk organic products so that is always a plus.
I love the bulk section at Outpost.
AND!
I just found out you can bring in your own containers and they will scale them for you, so you don't have to use plastic bags!
YES!
I'm still on the lookout for a big enough container that will fit in my pantry and store lots of dry goods...I'm thinking ice cream buckets? I could always paint them so they would look cute...
Hmm...this could be a great idea, as it's hard to find containers that you can fit your hand and a measuring cup into.
Maybe I will try this.
Except I would need to actually eat that ice cream.
And we don't eat nearly enough ice cream.
Maybe free cycle would have some.

Brewer News:
I've got the Brew Crew Blues.
Symptoms: Excessive foul language at heightened decibels directed at one, some, or all of the following: Brewers pitching staff, Brewers pitching ability, Brewers coaching decisions, Brewers fielding and hitting, umpires, Manny Parra, Jeff Suppan; reading during the game because it's become too disheartening to listen to Rock and B.A. try to excuse the poor performance, taking interest in your partner's team (in my case, the Padres); phone calls to family before, during or after the game that may or may not involve expletives; dreading watching the game.
Cures: W's. K's thrown by our pitchers. <5 BB's thrown by our pitchers. W's. HR's. 1B's, 2B's, 3B's (read hits). W's. No E's. W's. SportsCenter highlight plays. W's.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Day 43

Since the dogs woke me up ridiculously early, I've already accomplished the following:
1. blogging
2. facebook play
3. emailing
4. dog duty
5. coffee making
6. jsonline reading

On the docket:
I will most definitely continue the coffee making.
I have some assessments to take for the Uline interview.
I have some light housekeeping.
Ha ha.
I just said light housekeeping.
We also need to get dog food (I think we get a free bag this time! WAHOO!)
I need to return my Ryan Adams cd to the libes.
There might also be some bulk purchases made at Outpost as we need flours.

And in an effort to keep up my habit of complimenting good deeds.
I sent Journal-Sentinel columnist Eugene Kane a note of praise.
I thought his last article, about the tea parties that were taking place was good, and in kudos to me, he brought up the point I made while shouting at the various quasi-celebs that Fox got to help with their message.
The Boston Tea Party was about, say it with me "No taxation without representation."
Say what you will about public school, but I all of my school was public and I got this.
I got this in 5th grade.
Okay so I did a skit about the the tea party, but...I don't have a degree in history.
I don't even remotely consider myself a history buff.
And I got this point.
Unlike the Fox News Nation, where I saw/heard (okay so we were flipping channels and I wasn't glued to this as I can't watch it without raising my blood pressure to dangerous levels) NOTHING in regards to the taxation/representation argument.
So Eugene Kane brought up this comment in his column and I thought I would just say thanks.
I don't always agree with what he says, but I think he raises important issues that Milwaukee doesn't want to believe are there, namely persistent racist attitudes.

In dog news:
We will be dog sitting two dogs this week!
YES!
For the past two years we've dog sat for these guys and they are great.
Much like all the dogs in my life they retired racing greyhounds named Tipsy and Peanut.
If the mood strikes I will try to get some pictures, because they are quite the duo.
I think Rex and Super will be happy to have some extra furry creatures here.
Well Rex anyway.
With the Super Code McGavin it's always a crapshoot.

Update:
Finished the assessments.
This is what I've learned:
I am an ENTJ on the Myers-Briggs personality scale.
Which is interesting because I consider myself an introvert and as a child I tested as an INTP.
I then took a ridick sales/customer service test.
And all I could think of is how I handled people at Starbucks.
Which is humourous to say the least.
Because when it comes down to it.
I was good at my job there.
That test took a long time and frustrated me.
Mostly because I hate going places where there are sales people that want to talk to you all the time or the mentality is ABC: Always Be Closing.
I have no idea where I learned that but alas...see previous post about Best Buy vs. Apple store.
Then I got to take a writing test which I thoroughly enjoyed and think I did well on.
YAY ME!
Interview is Thursday unless they call me and say they don't want me due to my scores.
Meh?

Day 42

Yesterday was a lazy Sunday.
Much like many of my Sundays have become.
Slept in a bit, did some blogging, chatted with M. about the trials and tribulations of our perennial up-and-coming neighborhood and then took in the Brewer game.
On television.
And we won!
Suppan and most other pitchers were on.
Which is somewhat amazing, considering how much he has sucked this year.
But he did it.
And the Brewers were able to back it up with some runs.
I'm not gonna lie.
There numerous bases loaded jams.
But.
We got out of them.
I figure if we can't score with men on base, why should other teams?
So we pulled one out and won a game!
We didn't get swept at brand new recession-field.
Sure we lost the series, but I'll take what I can get at this point.

In other news.
E. screened a film a worked on and it got great reactions from the crowd!
Good job E.!
We celebrated with going out for sushi and it was, as always, so ridiculously good.
Here's to you Fujiyama.

I also had a PJR moment.
As you know I've taken to watching films again.
I think it's interesting because my academic career I want to discuss every movie I see.
And not just be like "I liked it, it had a good beat, it was easy to dance to."
But the where the whys the hows.
And I know this makes me extremely pretentious.
I know this.
I accept it.
But I think everyone is permitted one thing they can be pretentious about.
Wine.
Movies.
Music.
What have you.
Mine is movies.
Anys.
I was watching a film on Sundance.
And I was just not entertained by it at all.
And I thought to myself "Why am I watching this? This isn't car-wreck bad, this is just boring."
So. I changed the channel.
Which is a big move for me.
Because usually I force myself to get thru it.
I force myself to read books I may not necessarily like, or want to throw across the room.
But I just changed teh channel and settled into a some OTHER film.
And I didn't like that one either.
So I found another one.
And this one had good actors, about the gays, written well, and was kind of funny.
So I decided to spend my time (waiting for E to get home) on that film instead.
And it felt good.

That was my big revelation for the day.
Other than that not too much else happened.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Day 41

Saturday.
In the park.
Ithinkitwasthefourthofjuly...

I don't know if any of you have seen "The Stella Shorts."
But this song is used a lot.
And I love it.
For some reason, it never gets old...

So another pleasant day in Milwaukee Proper.
I passed out 1/4 sheets for our neighborhood clean-up because I'm such a good vice president.
Talked to some neighbors, mostly about my "running dogs."
As in "Are them those runnin dogs?"
Seriously.
EVERY single time I walk them.
A close second is "Are they gonna have babies?"
I will permit the first comment because I realize I am a total dog geek, and will sit and watch dog shows. So maybe I'm a little more familiar with the names of certain breeds.
But the "having babies" comments saddens me.
It doesn't SURPRISE me.
But it does make me sad. Because it's hard to instill the values of controlling the pet population when you are shouting across the street.
Don't think I haven't done it before.
I really think the Wisconsin Humane Society, which isn't even located that far outside of Milwaukee Proper should do some inner city outreach.
I'm just saying. Cos I think the kids would like learning about dogs/cats and then you sneak in some spay/neuter propaganda. That's how I would do it.

After an hour or so of that I was sweating. It was not only nice out.
It was warm out...it felt good, but I forgot how many steps there are on the south side of Juneau.
Lawdy.
Hammies will be aching tomorrow. But I figure it's good exercise.
Get home in time to take in the latter half of the Brewer game.
The score is tied, 0-0.
I make myself a Bloody Mary and settle in to the first real pitching match of the season.
Gallardo vs. Santana.
And considering the score stayed 0-0 'til the bottom of the 6th or 7th (in my defense, I don't keep score at home and I had just drank a bloody mary on an empty stomach after walking around the neighborhood in the sun), it was a pretty good match-up.
AND.
When the run was scored due to an error from everyone's favorite 2nd basement.
Well.
Sheeeeeeiiiiiitttttttt.
While I would love it for the Crew to turn it around, a loss like this is kind of okay.
Because our bull pen doesn't really win games and if the game would have gone into extra innings it would be kind of like prolonging the inevitable.
Giving me false hope.
Oh Brewers.
There you go breaking me heart.
The really awful thing is they just need to win.
And they are so close.
All the freaking time.
(Usually.)
And Suppan is pitching tomorrow.
Kind of a guaranteed L.
But.
I will keep my hopes up.

In addition to putting my hours to use for CSP; E and I also did a home visit with our mutt-links.
Went well.
Dogs were good.
Family seemed nice.
Everything on the up and up.
So.
It looks like another greyhound will be adopted soon.
Yay!

E was not feeling well so he decided to lay low for the rest of the night.
M&Z had invited us over for some cockies and games with their friends R&A.
Good times were had by all.
I lost at Settlers of Catan (again!) but per yuge, they had delicious cheese and spirits to offer me.
PLUS!
I got to have some good conversation with smart ladies which I heart...even though I was quite surprised that they both chose "Bust" over "Bitch".
I pick "Bitch" although I used to pick "Bust."
In all fairness I let my subscriptions lapse on both due to my recession.
But once I get a job I will definitely be returning to both mags because I think it's important to support feminist media.
Once I turn Jewish I will subscribe to "Heeb."
And a special thank to M. who said she would accompany me on my search for a synagogue.

All in all, a great day.
Even if the BrewCrew did lose.
Nothing a little wine and cheese couldn't fix.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Day 40

Wow.
A virtual Lenten season of unemployment.
If I would have planned this better, and I practiced Lent, I could have given up working for Lent.

But.
BUT!

So I get a phone call this morning at 930.
No one calls me at 930.
So I decide to wake up and sound like I didn't just roll right out of bed.
Because apparently, when companies call you, their phone identity doesn't always show up.
And for phone screeners like us, that is a tricky situation.
So I answer it.
And it's yet ANOTHER job that I applied to.
Junior Copywriter at Uline.
And they want an interview!
I have to take a battery of tests/assessments prior to the interview.
Which should prove interesting.
My interview is for Thursday, April 23.
230.
Wish me some luck in this interview AND in hopes that I get another interview for the UWCU.

At least we know now that my resume doesn't suck.
Yay me.
Maybe if neither of these jobs pan out I can become a professional resume writer.

On the docket for today is OUTSIDE-NESS!
It's gorgeous out so I think we may need to head to a box-store to get a pooper scooper and my backyard can resemble a backyard again.
Rather than a land mine.
Pull weeds.
Lay some mulch.
"Pick up the dog doo, hope that it's hard."--Joe Walsh
In other recession garden news:
I moved my seedlings into the sun today.
Ooh!
And I found this awesome website which I think will be perfect for dummy-gardeners like myself:
www.yougrowgirl.com
Part blog, part forum, part garden geekery.
It's great.
Loves it.
I even sent an email singing my praises.
Because too often people don't hear that they are doing a good job.

For instance.
I just complimented Palermo's via their website.
For those of you who don't know.
Palermo's is a ridiculously good LOCAL frozen pizza company.
PLUS they have an organic line, and it's not any more expensive than the other ones!
So last year or so we decided to try one...mostly because of the Brewer games and the Palermo's Pizza Toss.
Seriously.
And we were shocked and awed into being repeat customers.
Not only do they do organic fro-poes (my nickname for frozen pizzas), but they have an extensive variety of vegetarian pizza's.
Like other than "cheese."
So I decided to tell them how I felt.
Just for visiting the website I got a coupon!
And after I submitted my compliment I got another one!
Happy Recession to me!
Note: You do need a pizza box to submit a compliment as they want to know the code (I'm assuming for quality assurance).
See?
Sometimes it pays to be a sweet lil' gal.
Who loves pizza.
And I'm not even getting paid for this.

In other news:
We also need to make a run to Kinko's to make some high-res copies of my work for my portfolio-a-g0-g0.
Do you know how hard it is for me to NOT make a collage on the cover of my portfolio?
Or at least a sticker of some sort?
It's very hard.
I'm going to see if we can push Kinko's onto tomorrow as today is so flipping nice and I just want to do some garden prep work.

I really want pizza now.
I could always make some.

Day 39

I wish I could say something great and awesome happened today.
But instead, it was the usual.
Took the dogs for a walk, E went and played tennis.
I did some research on my recession garden.
Oh.
Well.
I did find this pretty cool idea for how to deal with dog waste.
Which I'm excited to implement.
It requires a little work, but seems easy enough for me to do, and if it keeps my grass poo free, that is a pretty good thing.
Check it out.

Yesterday also entailed a neighborhood walk with local city officials.
We had a good turn out, got to see some a new neighborhood dog (!!!) and our dog was very well behaved.
Even that was pretty low key. Not too much has been happenin' in ol' Milwaukee Proper lately, so I had nothing to say.
Well at least nothing on my block.

No baseball last night so I have nothing to report there.

Did a spot of cleaning, but seriously.
Alot of research on composting/vermiculture.
Since I'm not smart about gardening at all.
I think I might subscribe to the theory that aliens came and taught ancient civilizations things because seriously...the more I think about how things like bread have been around forever and that I can't make it without a breadmaker...
I kid.
I kid.
Mostly.

I also took in a film entitled "Party Girl" starring Parker Posey.
And while I love Parker Posey.
The movie wasn't really good.
In my opinion.
It needed to be either way more over the top, like a Bollywood film.
Or it needed to take itself more seriously.
And Liev Schreiber was in it.
With an accent.
Which I thought was weird and unnecessary.
Upon further review, the director went on to direct "The Guru."
Which fits right in with my Bollywood theory.
And it was nominated for the grand jury prize at Sundance in 95.
Oh remember when ANYONE could make an indie film.
*SIGH*

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Day 38

I woke up nervous due to my impending phone interview.
I decided to waste some time on FB and my other assorted websites and then decided to do research on interviews.
And by research I mean look up sample questions and sample answers.
Which is totally lame.
But I also find it to be helpful because it puts me in a worker-bee mentality.
So I'm a nerd.
A jobless nerd at that.

The phone interview takes place and I *THINK* I do a good job.
It's hard to tell because HR people are perennially happy and perky.
I did get some "great answers" and "great questions." which I always consider a good thing.
I don't want to get too excited because the more she told me about UWCU the more it seemd like a great place to work...Like I was actually excited about having a job again rather than being forced to have a job again.
Potential good sign: She talked in great depth about their benefits, which I don't think benefits were ever mentioned in a first interview before for me...not like I have a lot of multiple interview experience...
Oh Le Sigh.
I will hear something by next Wednesday, I guess.
So please keep all yer fingers crossed and thumbs held for me.
Holding your thumbs is a form of good luck in the Czech Republic.
True.

After the first real bite of the recession E & I decided to celebrate in recession fashion:
Getting library cards!
As some of you may know.
E and I aren't the most prompt people in the world.
And this included library books.
So after shelling out $30 to pay for fines that were acquired from when we lived on Shorewood, we got library cards.
And then!
Books!
Music!
I'm currently listening to a Ryan Adams cd I don't have, but will have forever thanks to the digital revolution that is MP3.
I was even super proactive and put stickies on each thing we got so we can remember when they are due.
Classy I know.
And I got three books on baseball! YES!
I will now be even smarter on my favorite topic!
But can I tell you what I'm really excited about?
The CountyCat system.
You can renew/reserve books ONLINE!
And AND!
You can have reading lists (I think).
Which is perfect for someone like me who loves lists but so rarely uses them.
Remembering that a lot of my childhood was spent at the library, I have to say that my mom did a pretty good job with us...She used to be a reader back in the day.
So needless to say I was so very very excited about the library and all my future adventures there.
I know I know I know.
I really should have been on this bandwagon a while ago...but alas.
I'm a late-bloomer.

Unlike my turnips/mesclun mix/broccoli which are growing like crazy!
I think I will have to move my other seeds in the sun as they are not growing nearly as well.
Well, one lone sunflower out of like 8 is.

How could the day get any better you ask?
Well...the Brewers FINALLY won a game.
And a Happy Jackie Robinson Day to you.
Mike Cameron belted TWO homeruns in the game...no easy feat.
9-3 being the final score and are pitching was ON.
As were the hitters.
Yay us.

Recession food news:
Cheese was on sale a week ago so E and I stocked up.
$2.99/lb seems like a pretty good deal for the basic cheese: mozzerella, cheddar, what have you.
So tonight we decided to make homemade pizza.
Delicious, filling, and CHEAP!
The dough was prepared in the breadmaker with the simplest of ingredients; flour (I was out of all purpose so I used wheat--healthy!), water, yeast, salt, olive oil.
After the breadmaker had it's way with it, I kneaded the dough a bit to get the air out and then rolled it into a circular shape.
About 1/4 of a can of tomato sauce, then cheese, then the canned tomato/garlic/basil mix that we use for bruschetta (about 1/2) that can) then some mozzerella and parmesean.
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes and you have one of the most delicious pizzas in the history of the world.
Well homemade at least.
I'm excited to start growing veggies so I can experiment with different types of pizzas.

Top day.
Top night.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Day 37

While I would love to have great news regarding the Brewers.
Alas.
I do not.
Instead I have created a mantra that I keep repeating to myself after each and every loss, which is 6 for those of you not keeping track:
It's still early in the season. It's still early in the season. It's still early in the season.
Lawdy.
If this play keeps up, I will most definitely have a heart attack by the end of the season.
Or at least the hypertension will be back.
The West Bend Silver Lining(s) are the following:
Parra actually had a quality start. While I don't necessarily believe in quality starts, they seem to get a lot of press. He just had no run support. Which let's be honest...I think if you score 16 runs over the span of three losing games, I'm thinking you might be tired physically and psychologically.
Hardy's bat is waking up it appears. His solo homer was the only score in tonight's game.
Even our bull pen looked good tonight.
And by bull pen I mean everyone but Villanueva.
Who gave up three runs in the top of the ninth.
To give us a five run defecit rather than a much more manageable two run deficit.
I can't wait to hear "Hell's Bells" ring through Miller Park.
That will be a fine moment indeed.
Either way we lost.
I did get to see me pops and got lots of accolades for my baseball knowledge/fandom which is always a good thing.
And a free dinner (thanks Pop!)!

I still think we have talent.
I know, I know.
Call me crazy.
But I'm not a fair weather fan.
I don't believe in leaving a game early, much less a team 8 games into a 162 game season.
(that's about 5% of the season for all you mathletes out there).
So.
I'll watch.
I'll love.
I'll get my heartbroken numerous times.
But there not going to lose EVERY game.
And the wins will be that much more dramatic.
At least that's what I keep telling myself.
And I have my mantra.
For now.
Here's hoping it doesn't morph into:
"It's not even the all star break. It's not even the all star break. It's not even the all star break."

After the game I needed something to occupy my time and a couple days earlier I had DVR'd "Reality Bites."
And I have to say.
I still really like this movie.
It's so so SO 90s.
The Gap.
AIDS tests.
Gays.
And the decadeless drama of boy vs. girl then boy + girl.
It's pretty perfect.
Not to mention some of the gems of dialogue that I quote on an almost daily basis:

Are you retarded?
No I'm rhyming.

PFLAG. I'm behinning to like the sound of that.

Roll 'em right up.

Melrose Place is a really good show.

I'm sure this totally ages me and I don't care.
It's funny.
It's ridick.
And it put me in a way better place than the Brewer game did.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Day 36

Recession news!
I know.
I know.
You can hardly believe it.
But.
BUT!
I have a phone interview scheduled for Wednesday!
This is the greatest news the recession has offered me thus far.
So wish me luck.
And don't call me on Wednesday at 2 pm.
Because I'll be trying to get a job.

And this IS good news, because upon searching for jobs today, I found not alot.
Read: none.
I found jobs I had either already applied to and got rejected from or there was just nothing.
So I'm hoping this phone interview pans out.
We will see.
Per yuge I will keep you all posted.

In other news I got a new foster dog today!
And we all know how much I love the doggies.
His name is Rex and currently he is wearing boxer shorts.
Seriously.
He has a sore that he likes to lick so the boxer shorts are acting as a big loose bandage.
Luckily he is a typical greyhound and the extra work of nudging the shorts is too much for him, so he has left his sore alone thus far.
He is very handsome.

The Crew plays the Reds tonight, and with our "ace" on the mound it should be a W.
SHOULD being the operative word.
We'll see.

I'm waiting for the weather to get warmer so I can go outside without worrying about losing all feeling in my digits and being able to work in my garden.
I see little day lily sprouts all over the place and am getting antsy!
Not to mention the blooming success of my recession garden.
Pun totally intended.
But alas, nearing mid-April and the plastic is still on the windows, sweaters are still not packed away and I am still consistently dressing in layers.
Oh 'Sconnie.
I love ya.

Side note:
I have to HIGHLY recommend putting plastic on your windows during the winter season.
Our house is over 100 years old and new windows are quite expensive...especially when jobless.
So while we wait to replace the draftiest windows in the world, we covered the worst ones in plastic.
While I'm no mathematician, I can say with certainty that we used less energy than last year AND kept our house about five degrees warmer!
Is it ugly?
Abso-frigging-lutely.
But smaller energy bills are so very very pretty.
So there is a winter recession tip for all of you.
But I have to admit, I will continue this trick until the end of time.
Because who doesn't love to be thrifty?

Day 35

This recession just keeps getting longer and longer.

Today is Easter Sunday.
And E and I made bagels for the family gathering, where I missed my cue to the "He is Risen" line.
It kind of felt like one of those dreams where you have to take a test for a class you never went to.
So I racked my brain for what to say on Easter Sunday.
I mean, I was at church the first 12 years of my life, and those are formative ones, so I knew it had to be in there somewhere.
But instead, I just stood there like I was the Easter Bunny getting caught hiding the baskets.
Finally the aunt who had quizzed me initially said "He is Risen, INDEED."
WHAT?!
Upon hearing that I knew that I had never heard this before, so I didn't feel like a complete bagel making heathen.
I was wearing my "Jesus Loves This Chick" shirt after all.
Which was a HUGE hit.
So we see the extended family, say our hellos, talk about weddings, the yuge at any Burch event.

We leave early-ish because, you guessed it.
Another Brewer game. Rubber match.
The series thus far is tied.
1-1.
But with Suppan on the mound anything can happen.
And did it ever.
The first pitch of the game Soriano belts for a solo homer.
Oh, this does not bode well.
And then the worst inning in the world.
Well at least, the worst inning I have ever seen.
The 4th inning.
And Suppan WALKS 3 runs in.
And then our reliever WALKS in a fourth.
It was bad news baby bears, literally.
We almost took those back with a would-be grand slam from Fielder, but he was robbed by an amazing, sports-reel-for-the-ages catch.
Boo.

The good news is that we have bagels and cream cheese left over.
And my recession garden hasn't died yet.
Tomorrow the dance party job search continues.
Yippers.

Day 34

I wish I had some good news.
Good baseball news, good recession news.
But I got nothing.
Nothing.

The Crew lost another one, although Bush did pitch well.
And as an added bonus we sat by normal people, not crazies/jerks.
So it was at least a bit more enjoyable.
But still.
An L is an L.

My seeds seem to have sprouted quite well, the shade ones anyway...I'm still waiting on my sun-lovers to do their duty.
Hee hee.
I just said duty.
I'm five.

Boring day.
Boring day.
Boring day.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Day 33

And what a day it was.
The Brewers home opener versus the dreaded Cubs.

The good news was that there seemed to be way less crazy-drunkards than there were last year.
E and I had a quaint little tailgate with veggie burgers, bloody marys and some potato chips.

Our seats were in our usual section, but on the end/aisle.
And that is when the trouble began.
Since it's opening day there are idiots wandering all over the place, oblivious to those who are actually there to watch baseball.
So for some pitches we had to stand up to see how they were called.
Well the guys behind us didn't like that we were standing up.
And they kept making comments.
This was the deal:
If you stayed sitting you couldn't see the pitches.
If you stood up you could.
So the two jerks sitting behind us, who were against standing at baseball games apparently, kept making snide comments.
So finally I turned around.
And dropped some F-bombs.
I asked what the big deal was if they couldn't see when we stood up when they wouldn't have been able to see anyway.
I tried to be cool, "It's opening day, let's just be cool."
But they were drunken AND kept yelling gay.
For no reason, which is bothersome.
The best part was when they took it too far.
YES.
A large Cubs fan was waiting to get into his aisle, (in between innings, mind you) and the jerks behind us started yelling things in reference to this guy's weight, sexuality and team affiliation and, of course, the fact that he was standing up.
And to be fair, these guys weren't in wheelchairs nor were they paralyzed.
I likened them to a way meaner and less entertaining version than the old men that would open The Muppet Show.

And to be clear.
I am all for good natured ribbing.
Sure, Cubs fans are notoriously douchey, but not all of them.
(Something about one bad apple...)
But the large Cubs fan was not douchey, he was just returning to his seat.
As people do at sporting events.

Well, the jerks behind us yelled something like, "Hey Fat-Ass Gay Wad Cubs fan sit your lard ass down, are you gay?!?"
Seriously that is the jist of what they were saying...who talks like that?!)
And the big guy turned around, stormed up the stairs and and grabbed the jerk's shirt and got in his face.
The look of sheer terror on the jerk's face was the perfect comeuppance for his previous actions against me and E.

And.
AND!
The Crew won!
With a walk-off hit no-less!
It's always a good day when the Cubs lose.

And.
As an added bonus?
The time it took us to get home from the time we got in our car and in our house?
10 minutes!!!!!!!!!!
It was an Opening Day Miracle.
I have no idea how it happened, but we weren't complaining.
The Brewers won, we got home safely and super-quickly, and I continued my Opening Day tradition of getting into a fight with a stranger.
And I am so not a fighter.
Ask all the pregnant looking girls at Lee's.

Speaking of Lee's.
I was in a good mood due to the success of the Brewers so P and I decided to head to Lee's since we hadn't been there in probably over a month.
Needless to say, we were welcomed back with smiles and gifts!
No lies!
M. had a present for me.
Which is always lovely.
And!
J. came! Which was a pleasant surprise cos I hadn't seen her in a very long time.
And.
It was just like old times.
Talking about a wide range of topics from apartments to transgender issues to autism to baby heelie to good old fashioned gossip.
Well played, team.
Well played.

Day 32

The good news?
I dropped off my application for MATC and went to Alterra to do some writing.
And I did.
And it felt good.
I think I know where I'm going with the tale, so that is quite a bit different for me.
After a good day of writing I decided to see P. and catch her up on all the gossip of my life.
And I know one wouldn't think being unemployed would lead to any type of gossip.
But it has.
It did.
And.
And.
AND!
TOMORROW IS OPENING DAY!
Becasue E and I are complete procrastinators we had no supplies, so I stopped at the market on the way home to get the very basics of tailgating.
Sometimes I wish we weren't perennial college kids.

I made it home in time for first pitch.
Parra was keyed in at first but...
I'm sure you know what's coming if:
1. you follow the Crew
2. you follow this blog

Well.
Parra didn't make it past 5 innings.
Bad news.
Bad news bears.
Things have to turn around if we expect to beat the dreaded Cubs.
Things must.

After a disappointing/dreadful loss, I settled in for a night of watching television.
It's my new thing.
To watch movies.
I'm in "A's" for the Cinemax on Demand.
So I was going to settle in for a night of classic rock and thwarted teenage romance with "Almost Famous."
I think the main reason I love this song is because of the Tiny Dancer scene on the bus.
I don't know if you know this, but my dream in life is to be in a bar and start everyone singing a song together.
Like that ridiculous Coors Light commercial a while back.
Or the scene from Almost Famous.

But then my cousin calls.
And wants me to meet him in Tosa at Mo's.
I have never been to the Tosa Mo's.
But it was a treat.
There was a dj, which I thought was ridiculous.
And people were doing actual dances.
Like choreographed routines.
That night out secured my entry into adulthood I'm afraid.
For I didn't know many of the songs nor the dances.
It was a good night.
Except.
My excitement from opening day negated a good night's sleep (maybe 5 hours were had? Maybe?) and induced some sickness.
Because I'm five apparently and can't keep my nerves under control.

Sorry kids, this one's a shorty.
I put all my time pontificating on my characters, rather than my life, today.
Good for my newest miserable failure (i.e. book/story), bad news for you.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Day 31 (best cheekbones in all of MLB free inside!)

Today I will be applying for jobs the old fashioned way.
Well.
Kind of old fashioned.
I will be turning in an application that I filled out.
Which was weird, AND a pain.
I am also including my resume as the they did not give you alot of room on the app to write down stuff.
Weirdzoes.
It's a job at MATC and it sounds like I would be good at it AND it pays well.
A strange combination indeed.

Recession Garden News:
Some seeds sprouted! I can't believe it! AND it's my veggie seeds!
I think a turnip, a broccoli and a salad mix seed!
Yay me!
Maybe my thumb isn't black like my heart after all.

I've also been having the weirdest of dreams lately.
I attribute this to the full moon.
Does this make sense?
I have no idea, but my friend on the west coast has also been having highly irregular dreams.
So perhaps.
What else is constant in our lives?
Besides our awesomeness.

Recession food news:
I made a delicious Iranian dish last night.
Tanjeen? Tangeen? Something to that effect.
I didn't have saffron, which is apparently the most expensive spice of all time.
So I substitued turmeric and Emeril essence.
It's not a main dish, but it's cheap, easy and will most likely be made for the various potlucks I go to.
PLUS!
I think I could add some sugar/cinnamon/spice/all things nice and make it into a dessert.
I will, obs, keep you posted.

And the greatest news you may be asking?
THE BREWERS WON!
Gallardo was ON AND hit a three run homer.
That is a feat for a pitcher.
A PITCHER I SAY!
It seems as if the bats are waking up a bit, and the pitching was definitely there.
I'm not going to say he's our ace.
Which seems to be what the Milwaukee sports community is doing.
I am cautious and don't want my heart to be broken later in the season if he completely falls apart.
Remember Villanueva last year?
Remember Parra last year?
Cameron is looking good though.
He is playing how I expected him to play last year:
Making good plays, getting on base A LOT.
And let's be real.
He has the greatest cheekbones the MLB has ever seen:

Them's some cheekbones.

Tonight Parra pitches and he makes it past the 5th I will be a happy girl.
I would also like to give props to Villanueva, who closed the game quite well last night.

In other baseball news:
I still find Ryan Braun extremely attractive.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Day 30 (free song list inside!)

Wow.
A full month of my recession.
Happy Anniversary to me!

A list of things accomplished by yours truly during this "ass time:"

*Consistently clean-ish house. I say clean-ish because it's me, and I did not get the Burch gene of anal-ness. But it's not embarrassing for me to have people just stop by so that is quite nice.

*Cream Cheese Wontons!
Yes, this might seem mundane but I add things to my repertoire so rarely that this is a big deal. Plus they're good! Plus they're easy! Plus they're cheap!

*My recession garden!
Not unlike a victory garden, we're hoping to be able to can some veggies and eat 'em up, eat 'em up yum. Although I don't fancy myself a gardener by any means, I know it's in my blood, somewhere...I just need to find it and channel it. If 50% of my seeds sprout, and grow fruit and flowers, I will be a happy camper. E's goal for me is 75%...that is pushing it.

*Resume and Cover Letter writing skillz!
Yeah, that's right. With a "Z" because they're not just skills, they're SKILLZ. So they haven't gotten me a job yet, but BUT they can't altogether suck as I've gotten one rejection letter, a sample request, AND a phone call. Better than absolutely nothing. Right? RIGHT?

*Domesticity Training.
Okay so I may not ever have children, but I DO think homemade is awesome (which I'm guessing I wouldn't have time to do even if I DID have little ones). So I'm a little late coming to the DIY revolution, I have to say I love it. I have to say I love having a pantry full of staples and that I make bread (parmesean peppercorn slice, anyone?), E makes jam. It makes me feel a little bit better about decorating like a college freshman. I still haven't mastered homemade mayonnaise, but I'm not giving up.

*Dog Town USA!
Who wouldn't love hanging out with their dog(s) all day? Add in a couple extra dogs while dog sitting and it's Puppy Pary Central! And if I get PAID?!? (which I never ask for, but sometimes people feel they need to get you something...) Well, that is just the cherry on the sundae. Or, since I don't like sweets, the nacho cheese on my tortilla chip. Mm mm mm.

*Books!
Well the writing of books. I've gotten back in the fiction game, am actually excited about something I'm working on AND have ideas for a short story collection! This doesn't even count my non-fiction idea.

*Movies!
I've taken to watching films again! Sure they are old and most of them aren't very good, but a professor of mine once said, "Any movie actually made is worth seeing." While I don't actually agree with his assessment, it does stick in my mind whilst watching absolute dreck like SATC. [Sidebar: Did you know dreck is Yiddish in origin?!]

*Soundtrack Channel!
I can't really express my love for this channel that plays songs from movies I didn't know existed, completely forgot that they existed, or songs that I haven't heard since 3rd grade. It's the best and worst wrapped in one musically terrifying/exhilirating package.

*Unlimited Baseball Watching!
No more accessing Gameday on the internet at work, or trying to get 620 on a tiny clock radio to Uecker's "Get Up! Get Outta Here! Gone!" Now I get to watch it in the comfort of my own home. Beer/cider in hand, dog cuddling, and I can shout as many expletives as I want! And when the weather gets nicer? Uecker will be on the radio, outside while working in the garden, Dos Equis next to me, probably in bib overalls. You know, just to give you a mental picture. Brewers aren't on? I can always always ALWAYS cheer against the Cubs.

And as an extra special treat here is my long-awaited compilation, "Songs for MY Recession:"
  1. These Things Take Time--The Brunettes
  2. Live Your Life--T.I. feat. Rhianna
  3. Learning to Fly--Tom Petty
  4. Bring on the Dancing Horses--Echo & the Bunnymen
  5. Journey Through the Past--Neil Young
  6. I'm Still Here--The Notations
  7. Hounds of Love--The Futureheads
  8. More Than This--Roxy Music
  9. November Rain--Guns N' Roses
  10. A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsinger--Of Montreal
  11. Ghost of Corporate Future--Regina Spektor
  12. A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold--Neil Young
  13. Can't Get It Out Of My Head--Electric Light Orchestra
  14. That's the Way--Led Zeppelin
  15. It Happens Every Time--Tim Buckley
  16. Jackie Dressed in Cobras--The New Pornagraphers
  17. Don't Take It Too Bad--Townes Van Zandt
  18. Home at Last--Trevor Jones
In other news:
The Crew lost yesterday, but am still hopeful that they can pull it out today, and for the rest of the series for that matter.
Silver lining? The Cubs lost as well.
Offensively we were there, no long balls and we still scored six runs (sure one was an error). Small ball was being played, and being played well. Hells, even Supes hit a double. Seriously.
The problem?
Pitching.
Pitching.
Pitching.
Which is what has been scaring everyone this side of the Illinois border.
I'm hoping that our young guys (YoGo and Parra) will step it up, but that is a tall order coming from a team that is used to Sheets and Sabathia.
It's a sad day when your offense scores six runs and still loses by four.

*SIGH*

Today is a job search and writing day since the Crew doesn't play until later.
And maybe I will try making mayonnaise again.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Day 29

BASEBALL STUFF!!!

Today the Brewers begin their season versus the Giants of San Francisco.
With Suppan on the mound, things could get interesting.
But.
If our bats quake I think we could get out of any type of jam Supes gets us in.
Only time will tell.

In other baseball news:
The Cubs won last night.
I felt really good cheering against them.
Stupid Cubs.
And.
CC, former Brewer ace, totally TOTALLY did not do a good job for the Yankees.
6 earned runs in 4 1/3 (I think).
0 K's.
And while I want to like CC because he did help us get to the playoffs, he does play for the most hated team in all of baseball.
The Yankees.
And I think his paycheck is ridiculous.
I think most paychecks are ridiculous at this point.
Historically, CC doesn't do well in April.
At least he didn't last April.
And if this is the case, is he doomed to hear "Boo's" for the rest of the season from Yankee's fans?
Or will they cheer him on when he does well?
It's not like Yankees fans are known for their cooth-ness.
And yes, I know some Yankees fans, and they are nice, I'm making huge generalizations here.
I'm just interested to see how that will play out.

In other news:
Election Day today!
MPS School Board Elections.
Which mostly I'm happy about because I will have people stop calling me and stop knocking on my door.
Boo.
Annoying.

Recession news:
I got a call from a job today.
YAY!
But since I have no experience writing press releases (not like I can really fake that as I have none on a company letterhead or anything like that) I was ruled out.
Boo.
Hiss.
The good thing about that is that at least my resume doesn't suck.
It, at least, is being looked at.
So...
That is good news anyway.
That was the West Bend Silver Lining of my day.

E and I officially started our recession garden.
We planted our seeds, well the seeds that have come.
I may need to call the other company as the rest of the seeds haven't come yet.
But I'm gonna probably wait it out.
I'm gonna middle it out.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Day 27

It's Baseball day here at the B-C household.
The Padres' first game is tonight (E's team).
I'm even wearing my Beavers shirt to support them.
(The Beavers are the Padres' AAA team.)

The Cubs play the Astros and I will most defs be rooting for the Astros.
Right now anyway, until we're in a pennant race.
Then and only then will I (begrudgingly) root for the Cubs to beat another team in our division.
It's an "if/when/but" situation.
And I don't like to do it.
Not at all.

But then!
THEN!
Brewer Ball starts tomorrow!
Excitement is brewing.
Pun totally intended.
I will re-read all the Brewer info I have amassed.
Maybe I will finally work on that baseball cd.
I've already been practicing my baseball sayings/cliches:
*If you can touch it, you can catch it *STRIKE this guy OUT *Turn it turn it turn it *It's still early in the season. *It's a long season. *You gotta make that play.
*Too high! Too high? *COME ON BLUE!
*Effing Cubs *The Cubs still suck
Just to name a few.
I usually pick up a few as the season goes on.

Recession news:
Applied for two jobs today.
Media Relations Assistant for the Salvation Army
and
Outreach Program Coordinator at Cardinal Stritch
I actually think I am qualified for both of these.
But I'm not expecting much since I have gotten one bite in almost, what, 20 resumes sent out?
Applied to get my unemployment check.
Big news for MY recession.
Per yuge I will let you know how the job search goes.

Day 26

Lazy Sunday.
Lazy Sunday.
Lazy Sunday.

Read the Sunday paper.
Looked at the ridiculously minimal job section.
Read the Brewer 09 special insert (the whole reason E. bought me the paper).
What if I just turned into a newsie and started calling them "papes?"
I'm afraid people would just think I am a bad typer.

Even the paper was a lazy read, except for the Brewer stuff, there was nothing of excitement or import, really. Nothing I really remember anyway.

E and I had another Chinese food fest with some wontons (no wonder my pants don't fit me anymore) and some fried rice.
We watched Hitchcock's "To Catch A Thief."
Not fabulous, but entertaining.
And Cary Grant is a dreamboat.
True.

Then I made the mistake of a lifetime.
I was perusing the the movie channels, seeing if I could find anything that was starting around that time.
And there it was.
Opening credits rolling.
The Sex and the City Movie.
And as much as I didn't want to see it.
I thought it might give me a few cheap laughs.
And lull me to sleep.
Except.
It got me so angry I had to watch the last part of Juno to put me in a better place.
The only thing I didn't hate about the movie was that Samantha broke up with her bf.
That was great.
But also oddly placed since she seemed like an afterthought throughout the whole movie anyway.
But everything else I hated.
EVERYTHING.
Vomit vomit vomit.
Also how LONG was this movie?
Seriously?
Almost three hours?
And there were no funny parts at all.
Although, I did like Miranda's hair in the film.
What I didn't understand was at the end, Carrie's voiceover was saying how she and Big just needed each other, and not some marriage, blippity bloo, and then the final scene is her getting married.
Because her being a successful writer, living luxuriously in NYC with her bf is not enough.
Even though she just said it was (in the v.o.).
So it seemed like the film was trying to be "We're fierce, we just need each other" what you saw on screen was the complete opposite.
Case in point:
Carrie reads Samantha's daughter "Cinderella" and says, "You know this is just pretend, right?"
The girl nods and says "Again."
To which Carrie says, "Another one bites the dust."
Except that is what this movie is.
It's a fairy tale.
The difference is that in fairy tales, the princesses generally have to over come some kind of hardship...I will take Disney Princesses over SATC any day.
What do the ladies on SATC have to get over?
Can't find husbands/shoes?
Seriously?
I won't even comment on the one sided view of feminity it provides.
Could not one of them be poor? Or non-white? Or jobless?
Okay so that last one was for me.
Homogoneous, heternormative horse hockey.
This could totally be my thesis if I ever went back to grad school.
That or baseball films and feminism.

You know it's bad when a Hitchcock film portrays the ladies better than a current movie.

I had to find something else to watch just to get the bad taste out of my mouth.
So I found the last hour of "Juno" which was schmaltzy in a much more palatable hipster way.
Because if any kind of pregnancy is funny, it's white teenage pregnancy.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Day 25 (free recipe inside!)

I'm not gonna lie.
I was a little wrecked this morning.
Mostly tired as J, S & I pretty much closed Nessum Dorma the night prior.
And I had dog pick-ups and dog adoption to do.
But it wasn't anything that coffee and a bagel couldn't fix.
And about two hours watching the soundtrack channel.
And an hour long disco nap.
And some diet pepsi.

Back in the day that list would have consisted of diet pepsi and MAYBE a bagel.
Ogh.
What a drag it is getting old.

The good news is that a greyhound got adopted, the house got straightened, and some girlies came over for a movie night.
Which, like so often when we get together, was domestic bliss in the kitchen for the first hour.
(I was starving and made more cream cheese wontons, because I'm addicted.)
But then we watched the "Pepileptic Dogs" episode of Flight of the Conchords and laughed.
Then we watched "Drop Dead Gorgeous."
And let me say, this movie is full on hilare.
Minnesota accents, smoking, and dancing with Jesus on a cross.
Good times.
And then, quite possibly the greatest musical of all time:
Labyrinth.
P and I wanted to see if we could recite the movie line for line.
Almost.
And we still don't understand why should pick her brother over David Bowie.
I didn't understand it then.
And I don't understand it now.
But that movie is still amazing.

I would also like to comment on the fascination that the soundtrack channel brought me for a good two hours last night.
As we are living in a recession, E. had control over the computer.
So I settled in for some bad television.
Which turned into really good television of the soundtrack channel.
If you don't have the soundtrack channel, you are missing out.
I got to see the video for Batdance by Prince.
Addam's Family by MC Hammer (or was he just Hammer at that time?)
Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins
Footloose by Kenny Loggins
3 Star Wars songs
If You Could Read My Mind by three chicks that did not do a very good job
And more.
That were awful and awesome all at the same time.
It made me realize that there is a whole world of music that needs to go on my ipod.
And I forgot how much I loved "Batdance" by Prince.
True.
It's definitely going on my next Halloween compilation.

Recession news:
A job I applied to actually requested writing samples from me.
I was quite excited to see this, and will most definitely keep you posted.
I'm not expecting much, but it's the first bite I've had since my recession began, so the fingers are crossed and the thumbs are being held.
I have to say I think I'm doing a really good job of applying for jobs.
I now have decided I need to do a better job of writing my fiction, because I think I may have a novel on my hands.
Eek.

Recession fun:
Here is the recipe for cream cheese wontons.
I feel this is relevant because these are wickedly easy to make and wickedly cheap.
Okay and Becky requested it.
To wit:
1 pack of wontons (which is about 80 I believe) $1.99
1 bunch of scallions (maybe $1, but probably less, and you don't use the whole bunch)
1 can of water chesnuts ($.79)
1 pack of cream cheese ($.88, generic on sale)
The filling mix above makes about 20-30 wontons, which is easily enough to feed a small army.
One caveat: You should only make what you are going to eat that night. They don't keep/re-heat well. So you may want to halve the following recipe:
Ingredients:
Wonton wrappers

4 scallions, chopped
1 can of water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 pack of cream cheese, softened.
Paprika to taste

*Combine ingredients.

*Mix until thoroughly combined.
*Take a wonton wrapper and outline the edges with water (I usually have a wee cup of water and use my finger and run it along the edges of the wonton).
*Fill wonton with about a tsp. of mixture (maybe a more maybe less).
*Fold wonton in half so it makes a triangle, the water you outlined will seal the edges. *Continue until you have as many wontons as you need.
*In a frying pan (or you could use a deep fryer) line the bottom of the pan with oil, then do it again (you want the bottom of your wontons to be able to rest in the oil).
*When oil is hot place wontons in the pan, fry until the bottoms are brown, and then flip over. *When both sides are brown they are done!
*Drain on paper towel
*Enjoy!
They are delicious, but probably not so nutritious. But they ARE way cheaper (and more delicious) than ordering them via take-out!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Day 24

I woke up rather early today due to the presence of a pseudo foster dog.
So I let the dogs out.
Have a morning smoke.
Battle some random vertigo (??? Seriously? My life has become a JD Salinger novel), and make some coffee.

Upon checking my email I have the obligatory facebood notifications, the job search results (mostly populated with jobs I'd already applied to) and...
And?
And a message from one of the Madison jobs!
I assumed it was a "Thankyouforyourapplication.Duetothehighvolume...blahblah Bleah."
But it wasn't.
Instead it was just a cordial note checking to make sure I knew the job was located in Madison.
Why yes.
Yes I did know that.
So I'm hopeful that is a good sign.

In other recession news:
I've had 3-5 people talk to me about grad school.
In the past 24 hours.
Is this God trying to tell me something?
Is this my mind playing tricks on me?
Is this me just finding pointless connections?
Is grad school the answer to the recession that everyone gives?
So I wanted to make a statement.
If I still do not have a job by the end of baseball season, because let's be real.
It's kind of a blessing that I got laid off right before Brewer season starts.
God doesn't shut a door without opening a window.
Man I love cheesy cliches.
This is God's country.
And it's not like I'm going to be concentrating on much else once the Brewers throw out the first pitch.
I mean job searches, blogs, and baseball I can handle.
But job searches, grad school applications, blogs AND baseball? That is a lot.
I think.
Plus I think the summer would entail many professors on sabbatical or vacation.
So it works out that way too.
Because I really do miss talking about film.
And books.
And cultural zeitgeists.

So last night I watched "Fried Green Tomatoes."
Mostly because I love Mary-Louise Parker and I just finished watching the last season of Weeds.
So I remember seeing that movie in the theater and liking it (I think I was like 11?).
And then I remember all these rumblings about whether or not the characters, the two girl characters were gay.
And my reaction was thus (in order)
eww
well...maybe
really?
whatevs.

Upon watching the film again there is obvious lesbian symbolism, but I couldn't help but wonder:
Much like Flagg (the author of the book) stated, she didn't write specifically about lesbians, just two women in love, with a deep commitment/bond to each other. While I agree to a point with this, I also think my view on sexuality(straight or queer) is a lot more fluid than most other people. But I also think representation in film or culture is important.
If you want to read an interesting article on the film you can do so here.
I really enjoyed it as it's written in the relevant time of the movie, but sadly a lot of the topics are still super relevant today.
[I realize this is probably only interesting to me, but this is what I mean when I say I'm a film geek/snob. I read articles on films to validate my theories.]

In other news:
I get to go out to dinner with friends tonight and in the waiting time I plan to edit some of my newest miserable failure.
Or.
Work on making my screenplay into a short story, as I think it would actually help the screenplay itself. And as much as I hate to admit it...I tihnk it might actually work better as a story.
But I'm not promising myself anything.
I'm gonna middle it out.
I'm actually quite excited at the mental picture of me, alone at a bar looking studious with wine.
It's the little things.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Day 23

New dog day!
New dog day!
Dog sitting for a couple of days for a fellow GPA-er.
He's big and black and goof-o-matic.
For a greyhound.
His name is Dodge.
And for some reason I've taken to calling him Senor Dodge or Dodger or Dodge Ball.
But I like it.

On the docket for today.
More job searching/applying.
Although I have to say I am getting dreadfully sick of it.
Possibly some planting of the seeds.
So I can start my urban vegetable garden.
If anything grows.
I still don't have much confidence in myself.

The good news:
As I am having some besties over on Saturday I think I will discuss my book idea with them.
As I will need their help and the help of people they still know.
Because I am highly paranoid, I will not discuss the premise of the book here, because I'm sure there are people who are way more motivated than I am.
And will get it done much more quickly than I can.
So.
Stay tuned.
Good times on the bayou.
Good times around the corner.
[That was a hint.]

Besides jobs, I'm also searching for a rolling pin.
I just want a plain wooden one.
Are these so terrifically hard to find?
Target, mega super fun town that it is, only had non-stick ones.
They were super heavy and ugly.
Which isn't a huge deal, as it's just a rolling pin.
But if I'm going to pay $20, it better be the exact one that I want.
I'm just saying.

Recession update:
Applied for two jobs in Madison.
Make that two copywriting jobs in Madison.
I don't think we'd move there necessarily.
And let's be real.
I have heard back from zero jobs thus far.
So if I have to drive an hour or so to a job I really like.
I guess I can do that.
I can listen to the new Neko Case.
And there is the badger bus which goes up there.
Which is also something to be looked into.

Wifery update:
I found a rolling pin.
I knew Crate and Barrel wouldn't let me down.
AND!
Cheaper than Target.
Nice.
I'm doing a good job at the recession.

Also.
Added to my cookery repertoire:
Cream cheese wontons!
So delicious and easy.
I'm sure each one is a heart attack in a fun little (edible!) package but I figure what better way to die than eating delicious puffs of cream cheese and onions?
JK JK JK
Teenage suicide
Don't do it.

Day 22

While I would never advocate moving to the suburbs, I found the greatest election going on next door in Menomonee Falls.

E and I had to go pick up an adoption folder for a greyhound that we're adopting out on Saturday.
And as we're driving I think I see a sign that says "Jefferson Davis."
Now, I'm no political strategist, but I'm guessing that if my name were Jefferson Davis I would go by Jeff, or Ferson, or maybe take my mom's last name.
Not this guy.
Which made me think maybe he's playing to the base of those who really do wish ill upon our African America brethren.
We were in the Falls after all.
E and discuss the utter insanity of it when we come upon another sign.

"Randy Newman"
Who, OBS, would get my vote.
Because I agree.
Short people got no reason to live.
Plus Randy Newman has other connotations for me which is an extreme inside joke that would prove not nearly entertaining enough to keep anyone's interest except mine and a very few select friends.

So for a split second I wish I lived in Menomonee Falls so I could get the most ridick ballot of all time.
And cast my vote for a great satirical singer-songwriter.

It should be noted that I actually have no idea what either candidate stands for.
I'm making this analysis purely on their names.

Recession News:
I actually tried to apply for a job that I had already applied to yesterday.
Luckily monster wouldn't let me look like an ass in real life.
Needless to say, I'm assuming I didn't get that job as they are still posting for it.
Boo me.
So I applied to UWM for two positions that I'm pretty sure I won't get cos I never hear anything from UWM or Marquette when I apply there.
I also applied for an Administrative Assistant at Alverno.
E. thought I should hold out for some more "writerly" jobs, but considering I've applied to about 12 jobs and have gotten one rejection letter, and one "Thanks for you interest" letter, I'm guessing this economy doesn't afford me to be that picky.
I think it will be hard enough to match my previous wage.

In other news:
I went and saw B's baby today.
I always find it hard to believe, and yes kind of amazing, when I think that a baby was just in her uterus.
It's weird.
Even though he was super tiny (and quiet! jeez!), I still couldn't believe she pushed that kid out.
Weirdzoes.
But I think I still prefer dogs to babies.
I find as I'm getting older I'm really leaning away from breeding.
I don't have a drive in me that says "have kids have kids have kids" and I don't think one should have a kid if you're just "kind of maybe" thinking about it.
I think that is why we have so many shitty people, kids and acts in the world.
Other people's kids are good enough for me if I randomly feel motherly.
And let's be real.
When does that happen?
Plus it seems to take a lot of your time.
And I like my alone time.
Plus, I don't want to get fat.
Or give up drinking for a year.
All true stories.

God that got boring.
Boo me.

This weekend I actually have plans which should prove fun.
Dinner and drinks with work people on Friday night.
Well, ex-work people.
If it was my current work people it would be Dog and I.
Which, let's be real, would be pretty awesome because Dog would eat everyone's food off their plate at a restaurant.
AND!
I finally get to see one of my besties this weekend for a night of drinking and movies.
Since the recession has hit ALL of us.
Well, me.
S-I-L wedding stuff for her.
Whatevs.
Tomato Tomato.