Creative Juices

Petie's Little Joke

Yesterday, when I got home from work, I was greeted by the unexpected. A huge spiderweb before my front door. And at the center of the web was Petie. Now, it was one thing when Petie was on the other side of a glass window. I was pretty comfortable with his presence, I could admire his web-making skills. But now, now, he was blocking me from entering my home. And after I've been so kind to him...
So I called Steve, who's ETA was 20 minutes. He tried to convince me that I could just detatch the tips of his web and he would retreat from the center of it. He rambled on about lifelines and said if I started messing with Petie's web he would either go up on his lifeline or go down. Of course, nothing he said could erase the image of Petie spraying his web in my face and attacking me. I mean, I love Petie and all... but he is a big hairy vicious spider with scary (yet interesting) legs. And even though I was glad to see he was okay (was a bit worried when he didnt show up at the window after Isabel), he's still a spider.
So, I retreated to my car and flipped through Parade of Homes, looking at beautiful floorplans of homes I'll never afford.
And then my hero arrived. I followed Steve to the front door, standing a few feet away and watched as he detached the pieces of Petie's web. You could tell he wasnt too happy. And I almost felt bad for having to ruin his masterpiece, but then remembered he'll just make another. Once Petie was settled above the doorjam, Steve opened the door and let me run inside. Steve asked for a paper plate, and after I made sure he didnt intend to kill Petie, I gave him one. And then I watched through the peephole as they played Spider vs. Steve. Eventually, Steve managed to fling him into the grass.
Later that evening, when we were saying goodbye to Simpson and Christine (they came over for dinner), Petie was already back to doing what he does best. But this time we was smart enough to make his web on the overhang.
That's my spider.
Let's just hope he's not planning another fun surprise for when I get home today.

Cant Fight This Feeling Anymore

In celebration of the first day of Fall (which, might I add, has brought a beautiful breeze), I bought my first bag of Candy Corn. I love candy corn. And the first bag of the season is definitely the greatest of them all. So great, that I cant seem to stop eating them.
But I did a little research, and here's what I learned.
As far as history knows, some Germans were the first responsible for candy corn. Goelitz Confectionery Company began commercial production of the candy in 1898. Back then, candy was manugactured seasonally from March to November (and thats why you should hibernate). We all know candy corn is pure sugar, but there are four ingredients that make that precious concoction. Normal sugar, water, corn syrup and marshmallow. This mix was cooked in large kettles and then poured into hand held buckets called runners. Then, the candy makers (not elves) would walk backward pouring the way hot candy into trays in the shape of kernels. One pass of white, one of orange and one of yellow. This tricolor design was considered revolutionary for its time and people went crazy over it. Poor Goelitz Candy Company had to turn orders down for lack of production capacity.
And today, it is the candy that some people love and some people hate.

Love Affair

I'm in love. And his name is Michael Bublé. His CD has been in my CD player for eight days, which is a record. He sings standards, but they're new and refreshing. And since I'm a sucker for the classics, it's great to hear a new voice sing them (havent heard that since Harry Connick Jr.). How do I know he'll make it? Cause Steve is already intimidated by him. (Or maybe it's because I described him as the Cute Canadian Guy). But I like him, no I LOVE him. I can't get enough.
"But remember this, Every other kiss, That you ever give, Long as we both live, When you need the hand of another man, One you really can surrender with, I will wait for you, Like I always do, There's something there, That can't compete with any other..." - Kissing a Fool

In Conclusion

I realized I never concluded my story of my battle with Ticketbastard.
After a couple emails back and forth with customer service, to which they insulted my intelligence and computer knowledge, they decided 'my' problem (though I continued to insist it was their problem) was unfixable.
Their final solution: Please email us back with your credit card number, expiration date, company billing info...
I was appauled! What company in their right mind would even THINK of requesting such confidential information via email? I didnt even know that was legal! Should I send my social security number and mother's maiden name too? My original reaction prompted me to write back "Are you out of your EFFING mind??" but I calmed down, and instead wrote "Thank you for your suggestions. Unfortunately, I am not so desperate for these tickets to risk identity theft."
End of story. We did not get to see Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Save the Rocks!

I pulled over for a rock yesterday. I thought it was a turtle crossing the road. But it was just a rock. I felt kinda dumb and was glad I was by myself. In my defense, I've redirected two turtles on that road before, so I keep an eye out. And this rock was very turtle shaped. You know, without the head and other extremities.

Weather or not

I'm what I call an under-reactor. When it comes to hurricanes, at least. And while Isabel is "approaching" and people are "freaking out," I'm just sort of taking it easy. Hurricane Shmurricane.
But, I'm still kinda obsessed with the weather. So, I've been reading lots of articles about the storm and how the crazies are preparing.
Here's a quote from an article off of weather.com:
"If (the boat) breaks loose, it's going to run aground somewhere. If it does, I'll step off," said the 59-year-old air conditioning man, who had stocked his vessel with 120 pounds of ice, 50 gallons of water and a half gallon of rum.
That's what I'm talkin about. And I dont even like rum that much. When a hurricanes acomin, all you need is ice, water and rum. Apparently.
And did you know that you can actually declare a state of emergency BEFORE your state is in an emergency? Mmhmm. Because it's very important to get that paperwork in before the rush.
Dont get me wrong.. people on the coast should board up their windows and get the hell out of dodge. Wind and rain are one thing, but dude, the waves get vicious. It's not something you need to see first hand, there will be plenty of pee-on reporters out on the beach as it errodes under their feet trying for the best story.
But Raleigh, is like, inland. There shall be rain, and high winds and maybe the electricity will go out for a little bit. But we couldnt ask for better conditions. The weather has been beautiful this past week, and they are promising the same for the weekend. It's a storm, people, it too shall pass.
And when it does, you'll be stuck with 100 pounds of melted ice, 49 gallons and water and totally out of rum.

Stop Laughing

Sometimes I wonder if my laugh is annoying to some people. Because sometimes, it annoys me. And if, I, the bearer of the laugh can be annoyed, then others must be really annoyed.
But the thing is... I have several different laughs.
There's the talking-to-boys-giggle... and the Jon-Stewart-eeeheeeeheheheeeeee (with clapping)... there's the back-to-my-roots-laugh-just-to-shut-you-up-nasal-laugh... and the just-like-my-dad-silent-catch-your-breath-laugh... then there's the watching-tv-short-HA!...
I'm sure others might be able to identify more... but thats all I can come up with.
I have no point to this. Just thought I'd share a little self-observation.
You can go now.

Ticketbastard

Nick reminded me to blog these events, so here we go.

I got a great email for $10 off tickets to see Thoroughly Modern Millie. Since I'm all about musicals and thats one I havent seen, I thought I'd check it out. Turns out I could get some good mezzanine seats for 25 bucks. Not bad, not bad. So, I go through the whole enter in your crap and then it errors out. "There was an error processing your request. Please try again." And I did. For TWO days. So, today, I decide to call. First I talk to Amy (that is, after repeatedly pressing "0" so I could talk to a human being). After I explained my issue to Amy she told me she couldnt help me because the online offer is only for online orders. I said "Oh, okay." Since I avoid confrontation without even realizing it. After hanging up, I thought, hmm that doesnt seem right. And why am I paying a $5.50 convenience charge for something that has become entirely inconvenient? I fester on that for a little bit, try a couple more times and call back. I'm totally ready to be a bitch. But come the time when I would say something pissy, I dont. I say "Oh, okay" in the most passive way possible. Then I decide to try the email customer service method. I'm much better at writing my emotions anyway. I think I got my point across and now I'm waiting for them to reply. Wish me luck.

Today Sucked

But then Mary bought me an icecream and I get to go home early (thats how bad it sucked) so, yay.

Steppin' Out

I got new shoes! Yay! Two pairs of new shoes! Double Yay!! For under $25. Whaaaa???
Yay for Payless. Sometimes they got it goin on, sometimes they dont. Today, they did. Mind you, I am incredibly picky about shoes, you can ask any of my girl friends, they will tell you I wore the same type of shoes ALL though college. What did Sabrina wear ALL through college? "Purple and white tennis shoes from J.Crew." I say... at least they were from J.Crew. That makes them cool, right? "Um, not when you wear them with dresses." OK, so I've made some fashion mistakes. But I'm trying to make up for it now, with some trendy shoes, and I dont wear nearly as much purple. It's still my favorite color and all, but I'm trying to, uh, grow up a bit. But, despite my pickyness, I've found two pairs of shoes, at the same store, and I think I will love them.
Shoe number 1:

Aren't they the cutest?!?! Could my calves look any better in them? I dont think so.
And for those lazy days...
Shoe number 2:

One more time! Yay!!!

Feelin' Like Hot Stuff, Baby

So, Saturday morning, I woke up feeling slim. Dunno why, but I decided to try on a pair of khakis that I havent been able to get over my thighs in a few months. And bam! like butta! They go on, button and zip with ease. Yay me. So, I spend a few minutes admiring my accomplishment in the mirror and then decide to go out to the store and make sure the rest of the world takes note.
So, I'm at Kroger, checking out in the UScan, as usual. This guy, a Kroger employee, comes up and asks if I need help with my bags to the car. I say "No thanks, I'm fine." and he says, to my face, after making that sound gangstas make with their mouth "Yea, I know you fiiiine"
Um, thanks. I suppose a compliment like that was exactly what I was looking for.

It's 4:20PM, but it looks like 4:20AM

It's not raining... yet... but the sky is so black, it's amazing.
Couple of things on the weather... the other day, Steve's friend Dave called. Dave and his wife Kelly are from New York. Dave calls, and tells Steve there's a hurricane about to hit us. We're like, "what?!?!" First of all, I watch the weather every morning. Cant get out of bed, till you know what the weather will be like (which is kinda silly, since I'm, like, outside for two minutes a day). I had heard about Hurricane Fabian (when will they name one SABRINA?!?!) and I knew that he was waaaay down there. So, I was surprised and wondered, had he really been traveling fast enough to head towards us? Plus, the pattern that my weather man drew out showed him veering towards Bermuda and off into the Atlantic. Not even a worry for my Florida family.
Which is another thing... we grew up in Florida. I went to school DURING a hurricane. Water up to my thighs while walking too and from class (our lockers were outside, no real hallways). My friends surfed during the storms. Hurricanes made surfers happy. They dont bother me a bit. (tornado's on the other hand...).
So, Steve told Dave this mumbo jumbo about currents and the gulf stream and whatever and managed to calm Dave and Kelly down. Not to mention the fact that we're, like, 3 hours inland. A hurricane would be nothing but a bad thunderstorm by the time it reached Raleigh.
It's raining now.

The only other interesting thing that happened to day was that I got my Creative Memories order in. For those that actually read this and dont know, I recently (well, a month ago) became a Creative Memories Consultant. Since my current job is far from fulfilling and one day before I'm 30 I might like to have a kid or two and stay home with them, I thought a home business would be an excellent idea. I greatly enjoyed scrapbooking through college and decided that out of all the cool home businesses to start (Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Tupperware) Creative Memories was the one for me. It's been up to a slow start, everyone is so damn busy and I'm not the pushiest person. But I did get enough together to put in my first order. And I got it in before my first 30 days, so I got a bunch of kick-ass bonus stuff (yay me!).
So, I see the UPS man in the hallway and I say "Oh! UPS Man! I'll sign that!!" He confirms my name and I sign on the silly electronic thing. 2 big boxes and 1 little one. I'm so freakin excited.
I tear into them (even though I sort of made a deal with myself that I wouldnt open them at work, I couldnt help it). I notice right away that two albums are missing. Albums are big. So, my high becomes a low, very quickly. Did I mess up? Did SHE mess up? Did THEY mess up? NO NO NO!!! I quickly call the number I'm supposed to call in such a situation and press random numbers till someone answers. And, what luck, it's Amanda! (the SHE I referred to). I tell her my plum albums are missing and she asks if I checked for everything else... I didnt, cause I was so upset about the albums, so we agree that I should go through my boxes and order form and check on stuff while she looks into my shipment. I do so, and realize that A LOT of stuff is missing... and then I feel kinda silly. Now I have to call Amanda back. She tells me that another box is en route and I should receive it tomorrow. Not sure why it got split up from the others, but it should have what I need.
Problemo solvedo.

I think Pacey the fishie likes to sleep on his side. I know that usually signifies a dead fish.. but he's not dead. He stops swimming, lays on his side and then swims around again. He's been doing it for weeks. Now, when he does die, I'm going to have to let him sit there for a week before knowing for sure that he isnt just sleeping.

Still raining.

Yippie!

My first comment from a person I dont know! Yay!
He calls himself Ace. This is his blog.
He said "Nice blog. Sounds fun!"
And that makes me happy.

You know me, you really know me

Which Happy Bunny Are You?

you are the cute but psycho happy bunny. You're
adorable, but a little out there. It's alright,
you might not have it all, but there are worse


which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

The Prodigal Son

Petie is back!
At least I think it's Petie. He's about three times the size since the last time he was home. But his legs are interestingly striped, so it's got to be the same spider. I actually started looking on the web to find out what kind of spider he is, but that required looking at pictures of other spiders, and, lets face it, spiders are kinda creepy.