The Nerve of Some People's Children

"The nerve of some people's children" is my favorite saying when I see people doing things that peeves me. I actually got that saying from one of my favorite math teachers from middle school. Mrs. Horvath, man, I miss that lady. She was so genteel and always wanted her students to behave in an exemplary manner. But when we got out of line, she'll always say that phrase and it always brings a smile to my face.

Maybe I Should Get Some Sleep

It's 3 am on a Monday. Why am I up so late? I dunno. I have trouble sleeping sometimes. Tonight I decided to do some research on laptops. I want to get a new one before the end of the school year. I want something small and portable since I'll be taking it with me when I travel over the summer. I like those mini laptops, but I'm not sure. I kinda want one I can play my Sims 3 game on (should I ever buy it, highly possible). So I might end up buying a gaming laptop instead if it's not too heavy/bulky. I saw on Dell that they sometimes have this offer - you buy their XPS gaming desktop and get a Mini 9 laptop for $99 (normally priced at $379 or so). Hm. The best of both worlds? I'm still looking, so we'll see.

I decided to get reacquainted with knitting. My friend, Jenny, wants me to make a hat for her boyfriend. It's the Jayne Cobb Hat that the main character wears on the TV show Firefly. The pattern she gave me was for circular knitting. I went to AC Moore with my sister today and bought a 10.5 US 29" circular knitting needle - but the wrong length. I was supposed to buy the 16". Eh. So I asked my boyfriend to drive me back there tomorrow so I can do an exchange. I hope I can still keep my discount - 40% off regular priced items. I'm a yarnaholic. This is bad, but not too bad. I only bought 3 skeins for the hat and a bag of random end of the line yarns that was on sale. They had an okay selection but I promised myself to not buy anymore random yarns that are not going to be used in the very near future.

Okay. Ranting done. I need to sleep now. Good night everyone. Happy Monday. =)

Can't Wait To Get My Own Place

After living for 4.5 years on-campus with roommates, I can't wait to have my own place after graduation. There are certain pet peeves that every year at least one roommate does and it drives me a bit batty. I'll list them. If you're living with someone, please be courteous and respectful to them and learn from these pet peeves.

• Not cleaning up after themselves - this includes all shared spaces such as the kitchen, the bathroom, and the living room. This should just be the topic of this rant.
  
• Leaving personal items in the living room - you have a closet in your bedroom for this purpose and leaving your stuff all over the living room makes it messy. I have to apologize to guests and shove other people's things out of the way to make sitting room.
  
• Putting pots and pans in the dishwasher - yes, using the dishwasher supposedly saves water, but when you're putting huge objects that should be hand washed into it, you're wasting space and not using the dishwasher efficiently.
• Not maximizing the space in the dishwasher - I usually end up going back into the dishwasher and organizing it before running it because people don't understand how to stack thing in it properly.
• Leaving the Brita empty - that's great that you drink a lot of water, but hey, when you are the last to use the Brita and there's about an inch of water left over, just fill it up. It takes about 7 secs, maybe 10.
• Eating my food - it doesn't happen often since I label my things in the refrigerator. I found bread crumbs in my butter the other day and I know for a fact that I never do that. I also never dig gorges into my butter. I like to level it off. Thanks for using my stuff, at least be sneaky about it.
• Using my stuff and not cleaning up right away - I have about one of everything (kitchenware) and when you use things and leave it dirty, I can't use it. Chances are you don't have it too so now I have to clean the mess you left behind just to use something that belongs to me. Not cool.

To sum it up - clean up after yourself and be respectful of other's property. If I use someone else's stuff I make sure I clean up right away so that they can use it when they want. If you have the time to cook, you should have the time to clean. Having your friends or significant other over doesn't mean you can't clean up. When I have my sister and/or my boyfriend over, we clean up right away. Saves the time to clean up later when everything is stuck on and you're aggravating others by leaving a mess behind. That's my rant for now. I should write a book about roommate etiquette. Meh.

Not Again...

Okay, so I've been getting this lost feeling for the past year pretty much. I used to have my life planned out, but now, I don't know anymore. I get so frustrated with myself and every now and then little things will just trigger me to breakdown and cry. I'm never like that. I try to refrain from showing a lot of emotions.

I'm just an emotional and confused mess right now. My life (mostly personal, not academic or work life) suffers from it. Sometimes I feel like I'm fooling myself. I paste on a happy face when sometimes I don't want to smile. The stress of not having a job lined up and my Capstone project being behind schedule doesn't help.

I just have to deal with it somehow. I just have to let it out and stop bottling my frustrations and do something about it. Okay. Breathe. Everything will work itself out. It has to.

Happy New Year!!!

It's finally 2009. Oh wow! It's a brand new year and a chance to start fresh again. New Year's Eve brought snow in the morning and festivities in the evening.

Last night I attended a party with my boyfriend. It was a party hosted by his brother's friend, John. His house was huge and pretty. I think it's kinda interesting in a weird way that my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend happened to show up with her latest boyfriend. Fun stuff. I can't stand the girl and it's the first and last time we'll ever see each other in person. It's almost symbolic that I ended 2008 with her there and started 2009 oblivious to her presence. I hope it's the last time I ever see her face. She caused a lot of drama the entire time I've been with my boyfriend. It's about time she grew up and get her own life instead of interfering with mine via Sean.

Anyways, on to something else. We're going to Sean's grandparent's house for some New Year's Fondue. I'm excited! I made the guys bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches this morning. Sean and I made the Baked Macaroni and Cheese for his grandparent's and it smells heavenly. =)

The McD's Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Serving Size: 6-8 people (maybe more)
Preheat oven to 350 deg F

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Macaroni (we prefer elbows)
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 tbs butter
• 5 tbs flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 3 cups milk (we use fat free)
• 4 cups cheese (we use 2 cups White Cheddar and 2 cups Monterrey Jack)

To Cook Macaroni:

1. Follow instructions on the package.
2. Drain then rinse in cold water.
   

To Make Sauce While Macaroni Cooks:

1. Melt butter.
2. In a large sauce pan combine flour, salt, pepper, and melted butter. Stir.
3. Add milk slowly and continue to stir until sauce thickens.
4. Add shredded cheese to sauce and stir constantly until cheese has melted.

To Combine Macaroni and Sauce:

1. Place cooked, drained macaroni in casserole dish.
2. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni. Stir to combine.
3. Optional: Dot with butter.
4. Bake in 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes.
   

A Week in Connecticut

I arrived safely in Connecticut on Saturday, December 27. My boyfriend picked me up from Bridgeport, CT. We went to his mom's boyfriend's brother's house in Somers. They have this amazing recreational room in the finished attic. All hardwood paneling with leather chairs spread out in different nooks. There's a bar-like area with a beer/alcohol fridge. The fireplace was huge and gorgeous. In the middle was the pool table. I wish I took pictures, but I think one of Sean's relatives might have some.

Sunday was spent hanging out and shopping. We went to Canton and had lunch at Five Guys. It is the most amazing burger place ever. EVER. I went to Barnes and Noble and got the Interweave Crochet Winter '08 magazine and a crochet book: Beyond the Squares Crochet Motif by Edie Eckman. Then we went grocery shopping at Shaw's. We always stock up his mom's kitchen when we visit. The total was $180. Oh jeez.

I'm also crocheting my aunt's new hat. Pictures to come when I get back to Boston. I forgot to bring the cord with me. =( Well, I've been distracted by my new Nintendo DS game - Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. Okay, I know what you're thinking at this point... Is she seriously playing a little kid game? Yes, I am. It's so addicting. I got it on Saturday and as of Sunday night I already played 6 hours of it. Ahh. Well, I'm probably going to go play another hour and then finish the hat or vice versa. I think the hat is easier to finish and I need to get that out ASAP.

Until next time!

Not So Funny...

So today went by pretty quick. Of course it usually is when you have a lot of things to get done. Hopefully the snow stays away until later in the day tomorrow. I need to finish a test report, a very long one. I have a doctor's appointment in the morning so I won't be in until noon if the weather holds.

So after work we gathered at Friday's. Everything was going great and everyone was having a good time and lots of different conversations were happening at the same time. About an hour in we started the Yankee Swap. There were some cool gifts and some not so cool ones. My favorite was the one my boss picked out. It was a top half of a women with bouncy jelly like boobs. OMG. It was hilarious. It was suggested that we put it on the shake table. Haha. That will make Art and Cristian's day.

At the end of it all I got a $20 Au Bon Pain gift card. Hey, college kids never turn away free food. Lisa, one of my co-workers gave me her scratch cards that were part of her gift. The first one had nothing, the second one had $1, and the third one had $2. The last one looked the same as the other ones and the prize was $10,000. I proceeded to scratch the pyramids one by one and then in front of my eyes... $10,000. I was like... serious? No way... I was so happy that I shed some tears. Then someone suggested that I sign the back to claim it. So I turned it over and I started reading...

It was a fake. It had stuff on the back like "Write to [...] the NorthPole" and "Winners only get laughed at by their friends." Something along that line. Great. There are two things I hate doing and I did them tonight. 1. I cried in public and 2. I was made a fool. At one point during my happiness I yelled out that I was going to go to Europe with that money. Guess not. Oh well. My tears of happiness became tears of sadness and disappointment.

Money's always been an issue in my family. We always just had enought to make do. Since I was 9, my mom has raised us, Joy and me, single handedly and gave us everything, though she had nothing. When I was 16 I understood the debt my mom was living in and wanted to help. I've been working every summer and every school year since then. The only time I wasn't working was when I was in San Fran for two months this summer. Every other paycheck up until my second co-op went to my mom to help pay for the phone bill, the electricity, and other expenses. Even now I'll go home and give my mom $500. It's something to help her out for all that she's done for us. I love her and I can't say no if she's feeling pinched.

So when I saw that $10,000 I thought of what I can be doing with it. I would put half towards my trips and the other half will help pay off some of my schooling. To find out that it was fake was very disappointing. I'm not sure who put it in or why they bought it. Maybe they didn't know it was fake, maybe they thought it would be funny. The wrong person got to scratch that card and definitely didn't take it as a funny joke. I think the people around me felt awkward because here I was so happy and finding out it was fake totally killed my happy mood. Well next time I'll read the back before jumping up and down and making a cake out of myself.

Catching Up

Okay, so I've been a bum and haven't updated my blog in quite some time. So here's an update. I won't say it's a quick one because I can write on and on about nothing. Hm. I rant.

Crochet Projects:
After weeks of intense crocheting, I decided to give it a break and get back to my romance novels. I managed to read 3 of them in the past two weeks. I made my aunt's cloche, 15 mini Christmas stockings, and started Chris's convertible mittens and a tiger amigurumi. I'll post up some pics soon.

San Fran:
I went to San Francisco, CA for Thanksgiving and stayed there until the Tuesday after. While there I went to Sausalito, Tiburon, and the Marin Headlands on Friday. Took in a Raiders game on Sunday afternoon (they lost) and went on the Alcatraz Night Tour on Monday. Sean took most of the pictures so I don't have much to put up on Facebook. Alcatraz was pretty cool, though it gave me the creeps... just a bit. The Raiders game was an interesting experience. I have the worse luck... every time I went to the concession stands they would score a touch down or field goal. =( We had really good seats in the Season Ticket Holders area. Section 139 Row 42.

Work:
My co-op is winding down to a close. I have about 2 weeks or so left. Originally I'm supposed to work until December 19, but that might get extended to the 23 or 24. I planned on going home on Dec. 20, but I'm going to aim for the 24. I can't wait to see my mom and doggie again.

Random:
While I'm on the subject of home, I plan on bringing up some of my yarn stash and taking home random clothes that I don't plan on wearing anymore while I'm up here.

School:
The upcoming spring semester is my last. I'm almost done! Last day of class is April 15 and commencement is May 1. I'm sooo excited!!!

Upcoming Trips:
I plan on going to Thailand mid-May and then Europe at the beginning of July, both for a month. Well, it depends on my financial situation next year... sad story.

Okay, I think that's about it for now. =)

Why Can't You Bag Groceries Properly???

Do they not training people to correctly bag items at the grocery stores anymore? I go grocery shopping once a week at either Shaw's near the Pru or the Stop & Shop near Brigham Circle. Both places I hate to leave the bagging up to the bagger. They never do it correctly. Who puts the bread and other delicate items at the bottom? I normally bring a reusable bag that I bought from Shaw's with me. Since it's bigger I feel like these kids just toss my stuff into it...

Today my apples got bruised, last week my zucchinis were almost squashed. WTF?! I used to work at Costco (summer after freshman year) and we pack carts (think bagging but on a bigger scale). I did an amazing job. =) When I bag my own groceries everything makes sense. You put the frozen and refrigerated foods in one bag, cans and odd items in one bag, produce in one bag, and boxy items in another. You can combine them together by putting the heavy big objects at the bottom and work your way up to the top with the lighter, delicate items. Sometimes I just want to teach these people how to bag properly, but it's not my place... I blame it on their supervisors and trainers.

There was another pet peeve, but at this point I don't remember what it is... =P

Oh Roommates...

Did I mention that my roommate has the thermostat that control both of our rooms in her room? (My on-campus apartment is so weird like that. Two out of the four bedrooms actually has their own climate control. The two that don't are controlled by the living and by another bedroom). So my room is either freezing cold (her bf sleeps over a lot and they have a lot of body heat) or super hot (she turns off the air conditioning when she wakes up in the morning and I get back before she does). So today I had Joy and her friends over and Joy commented that it was hot. So I knew that my roommate was out so I opened her door a crack and turned on the AC and shut the door again. She came back about 30 minutes later. So to be polite I told her that I adjusted the thermostat and that she can turn it off again if she'd like.

So she was getting ready to leave or something 10 minutes after Joy and friends left and I hear this noise... she was testing out her room lock or something (we use our school ID to swipe into our building, our apartment, and our rooms if we lock it). Goodness, like I would really rifle through all the shit she has on the floor, peak around, or steal her stuff. Right. So she leaves to sign in her bf or something and I checked her door and she definitely locked it. Okay, now that's just being ridiculous. I never go into her room unless it's to adjust the thermostat which is right inside the door and I always close her door like how it was before. If she keeps locking it this is going to be a problem because it's not fair that she's also regulating my room temp without my input and I can't adjust it when she's not around. And she's never in anyways. She gone most of the day and comes back late at night to sleep. I hate waking up cold in the morning... brrr.

I can't wait to live in my own apartment. Then I can control every aspect about it.

P.S. I love playing the Sims 2 because I get to live in this fantasy world. The Sims I manage do get annoying sometimes. Especially when they know they have to go to the bathroom and don't quite make it there. Lame.

P.S.S. My sister also does a lot of art and crafts stuff. She makes beaded necklaces. She's just saying that it's a granny thing to do, but I know she thinks it's cool. =)