"And this is a HUMAN dress!" Why I may have the weirdest/awesomest nieces and nephews in the world!

That quote in the subject line is an original from my niece Lainie, when showing me her little sister's dress. I guess she was trying to distinguish it from... a dog's dress?

This is Lainie. She is almost three. She is awesome because:

If you ask her who her favorite Ghostbuster is, she will tell you "Peter Venkman."

She has recently REALLY gotten into watching 3 Ninjas.

When I showed her how to make a heart shape with your hands, she said, "He ate my heart. He a.a.ate my heart."

While looking at a book of animals together I pointed to what I thought was a hamster and she correctly told me that it was a chinchilla.

Almost every time i go to visit her she is wearing a new costume as an everyday outfit...a tutu, a Super Girl costume, one of many Disney princesses' dresses. One time she wasn't wearing a "dress-up" outfit, but it was a weird combination of mismatched separates. When I brought it up to my sister, she informed me that Lainie dressed herself. She has the same style sense when it comes to dressing her dolls. Its all about the layers and clashing patterns/colors.

And, of course, one of the main reasons I love her dearly, is when my mom did her hair to match mine. She looked in the mirror and said, "I look beautiful! I look like Auntie Hollie!" Did I mention that she is one smart cookie?

This is my nephew Ian. He is awesome because:

He has just turned two years old and he is already the size of an average 3.5 year old. Currently I am trying to perfect lifting him up without grunting loudly. Its a challenge, because he's a big boy (to put it not so lightly).

He is so fair (both skin and hair) that he is almost translucent. Its kind of funny to see him in my mom's (who is visibly not white) arms. Its such a contrast but you can see in their interactions with each other that they are clearly grandma (or rather gaga) and grandson.

When he is super excited to see me, he runs in place and then takes off into my arms.

He can sit through 9 innings of a Brewers game without whining!

Ian is an "intense" lover. When he hugs you, he wraps both arms fully around your head or neck and then attempts to squeeze the life out of you. Its pretty impressive that a kid that age and stature has that much strength. You can also see just a tiny amount of fear in his cousins' eyes when he goes in for a hug.

His lovey-dovey-ness also extends to ear rubbing. Apparently he treats everyone like a puppy with big flappy ears that need to be rubbed.

He is also a little bit of a food-swipper. It started at an early age. He was just old enough to walk when he first approached my plate, which I placed on the coffee table, and stole my pizza slice. From the point on whenever I was eating in front of him, it was almost a given that I had to share (he usually indicated this by walking up to me with his mouth open).

That habit has almost died out, but old habits sometimes die hard. When I recently came home from a work trip I was showing by brother my fancy box of chocolates I received as a gift for a job well done. Before I could stop him, Ian took one of those expensive chocolates and stuffed it in his face. Since it was a variety box, I read the description of the stolen chocolate and realized it was flavored with cognac. Ah the refined taste of a two year old.

Then there are the two most recent additions. Lucy:


and Gabriel:
They are babies, so I can't say much about their personalities. I can say that each one of them has already spit up on me within the two months of their existence. But aren't they cute?

Hopefully they will be as quirky as their brother and sister. I also hope that all of my nieces and nephews don't lose their "weirdness" because they are trying to fit in with the other kids. I won't have any stories to tell then!

In case you were asking yourself, "I wonder who took these wonderful photos?!?" Well look no further than LightFALLING Photography by Rachel Droppers. She is great!

Mason Jars...the bane of my existence

This wonderful (totally not being sarcastic here) woman sits kitty-corner from my cubicle. She is nice, friendly, outgoing and seems very intelligent from what I know about her. When I walk into the office in the morning she greets me and then politely asks me what I'm listening to on my mp3 player. She lets me know when shes brewing more coffee. She must notice me getting up every other hour for more. So why must she annoy me so?

Ok...ok. She doesn't annoy me. With age I have grown to understand that people don't annoy me, but situation/things annoy me. For example, her mason jars annoy me.

Like clockwork, everyday around 3pm, she whips out her metal spoon and mason jar of homemade yogurt. I want to find it charming. She needs an energy boost! And who doesn't need one at that time of day? She's being environmental! All the yogurt she's making herself and eating out of mason jars....why she probably saved a football field's worth of the city dump.

I should explain that my office is the quietest place that every existed. Any noise is amplified by the black hole that is the quiet of the office. That being said...the noise that those mason jars make when there is little-to-no yogurt left...it's right up there with Styrofoam rubbing together (which is my fingernails on a chalkboard). The clanking of the spoon against the jar..CLANKCLANK....CLANKCLANKCLANK..CLANK. I just want to let her know "It's gone. Leave it alone." In the nicest way possible of course.

There is a rule that we are not suppose to have any food with strong odor in our cubicle. I think there should also be a rule about no loud food at the cubicles, which would include loud containers/utensils.

Views From My Cubicle

I haven't updated this blog in a while for a couple of reasons:

• Who blogs anymore when you can make minute by minute updates in a 140 character limit?
• Up until a month ago I had a computer that was 8 years old. Looking at it made me sad so I avoided touching it.
• I didn't have the internet to work my dinosaur computer (blame it on me being cheap and lazy, but a job promotion has made both a new laptop and internet necessary).
• There is nothing to really blog about...unless you don't mind hearing about family and work. Interesting to me, but boring to everyone else.

Because I feel the need to post something and like I said in the last bullet point, all I talk about is work, please enjoy a montage I have title "Views From My Cubicle":

Some outdated pictures of my niece and nephew (Nice! I just made this a work AND family post).

People either get the reference or think I am both confused and conceited.

Yet another example of the mature and responsible woman I become.

This is my work station's H1N1's Prevention Station - provided by my employer. I haven't used either in months.

A plant that my old co-worker left in my care. Besides a rare shared drink from my water bottle I haven't touched it - as is evidence by the depleting soil and note that was left with the plant. Its still alive - kinda.

And finally, an actual view of downtown Milwaukee..from my cubicle.

A Postsecret Posting My Mom was Convinced was Written for Me

And I said, "No way! PostSecret is totally NSFW."

My week in Montreal...6 days convention center, one day site seeing

I went to Montreal.



They spoke French and English there.



I was greeted with "Bon Jour, 'Ello 'Olland!" because there are no "H" sounds in french I guess.



There was a lot of churches and strip clubs.



I was told it was wise to never visit during the winter. While I was there is was 70ish degrees.


I would visit again, and actually see more then the inside of the place below. Work...it allows me to travel but not do much site seeing.



I'm definitely not complaining, because a day in Montreal was awesome.

What's a Blog?

Over 5 months...that's a long time to not update something. It also makes me realize how long it has been since I had internet connection. When I do get computer time, I'm too busy doing other things to update my blog. What am I doing?:

Facebook Stalking
Seeing if there is any updates on my myspace page (and wondering why I have one in the first place)
Purchasing stuff of my wish list on Amazon
Rewatching my favorite Youtube videos ("kick his ask", "charlie bit my finger", "blooood")--children are funny
Reading:
Best Week Ever blog
If it is during any "Cycle" of America's Next Top Model, FourFour for the snarky recaps.
Celebrity Baby Blog (don't look at me that way!)---i love me some pop culture "news"
PostSecret
Found
FartParty
Passive Aggressive Notes
Overheard in New York
I Can Has Cheezburger
Cute Overload -- I like looking at cute things

So now you see why I just have no time to blog about how there are no updates in my life.

Found - The Parents are Moving Edition

So my parents are moving out of the apartment that they have been living in for the past seven years. Because they are moving into a smaller place, my mom asked me to help her go through some of my old things that she had been holding onto (to see if I wanted to keep them myself, if I wanted to throw/give it away, or if I wanted her to keep it).

Along the way, I found some pretty awesome things:

1. A candy dish I made in some art class. It is severely deformed, and an awful shade of beige with aqua colored flecks. Yet when I pulled it out of a cupboard I still said, "Awwwwwwww." I told my mom she could get rid of it, but I think she is actually keeping it (such a-pack rat).

2. Notebooks from college, including a page from my Journalism Notebook that had a page that simply read "This Lecture is Useless".

3. A sign that I had up on my door my freshman year of college. It was made by the only two people in my dorm I had befriended. It was shaped like a shield and said "The Antisocial Club Welcomes Hollie and Jamie" on the back it stated, "Removal of this sign will result in immediate termination of membership". These are the types of people I befriend.

4. Patches and medals from various athletic and academic accomplishments in my high school year. My mom saw them and said, "We could never afford those jackets that you are suppose to put those packets on but you would never want on anyway right?" I believe my answer was, "Really no."

5. And the best thing I think I found, an old box (that used to carry candy I sold for softball) full of cassettes tapes. These tapes have been collected since the early 90's. Here are some awesome examples of what is there: Madonna - Who's that Girl, Hammer - The Funky Headhunter, Arrested Development - 3 Years, 5 months and 2 days in the life of...,Meatloaf - Bat Out of Hell, TLC - Ooooooohh..On the TLC Tip, Xscape - Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha, Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet, Naughty by Nature, Domino, and Foreigner 4.

And now I will have this stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

The only good thing about moving is the nostalgia.

Sarah Palin, I learned about her in my sister's bathroom

This morning when we heard the news about Sarah Palin being chosen as John McCain's running mate, unlike many in America, my family knew right away who see was. We read about her in the Alaska Magazine that has been sitting around in my sister's bathroom.

I think I have to begrudgingly admit that this choice was kind of genius. But it could also be the worst choice in history. I'm hoping for the latter.

Sometimes my childhood memories sound sketchy

First sketchy memory...rolling cigarettes with Grandma...But I have discussed that one before. Another sketchy memory...Sunday Night dart leagues.

My parents played on a Sunday Night dart league with my Grandparents, and Aunts and Uncles. Every Sunday they would go to a different bar to participate in the league. Every once in a while, mostly when their team was playing at my "Grandparent's bar" (not a bar that they owned but a bar that they frequented...their version of Cheers) they would bring me and my sister and brothers along with them.

We would sit around, drinking our Cokes and watch my parents play while late 70's classic rock played on the juke box. I remember one night my Aunt serenading her brother to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (this was before it became big again in Wayne's World) and I'm pretty sure she wasn't drunk.

Reasons it's sketchy sounding to an outsider: Children in a bar.

Reasons it's not sketchy:
A - It was Sunday "Nights" (everything was done by 9pm at the latest), not a big party night
B - The people in the league were older adults, who rarely drank, if at all (like my Grandparents who didn't drink. "Why did they go to bars?" you ask. Because that was their people.)
C - The only bar we went to was a place were everyone knew us and was surprisingly a family friendly place.
D - In Sheboygan, every other social event is held in a bar (or the event room of a bar).

Aw. Sweet Sheboygan childhood memories.

The Best Story Ever

Read this story about people saving a mother duck and her ducklings. Makes me feel happy.

Marie Claire Says Milwaukee is Sexy

That thought you just had..."WTF"...yeah, I had that too.

I was reading it on jsonline.com when my co-worker came over. We chatted a bit about Michael Phelps and the Russia/Georgia conflict then we had this conversation:

Me: In more local news, Marie Claire voted Milwaukee the sexiest city.
Him: shocked face Like 90 out of 100?
Me: No, as in number one.
Him: Well, obviously they've never been here.
Me: Actually they did say in the article that they didn't send a reporter here. They just did some research about how there was a lot of stuff to do during the summer, like festivals and stuff.
Him: Well that's just because its so cold during the winter that people just want to get outside during the summer.
Me: Yeah, but they are also using the term "Sexy" wrong.

Now...don't get me wrong. I liked Milwaukee before I moved there. And I love it now that I live there. But "Sexy" it is not. "Easy-going", "friendly", "cool" are words I would use.

Marie Claire is "silly".

I'm Going to Try and Have a Blog Happy Weekend

So, I don't have internet access at my apartment. I haven't for 10 months now. For awhile, I grew used to not being able to write my random thoughts on this thing, but I have noticed that lately I have missed it.

Only on here can I talk about the following without having to see passive-aggressive smiles or eyes rolling:
How while on the bus in the morning I randomly look at the older people around me and wonder about their past sex lives. (Probably my attempt to be Amelie-esque in my thoughts.)
My love of everything pop culture and how I try to keep it underwraps and nod when people talk about NPR, even though I rarely if ever listen. (I'm shamefully proud of my obsession.)
How lately my actions have been contradictory from my feelings to a potentially career-killing way. (Has to be some kind of undiagnosised something or other).
My absolutely love and adoration of my niece and nephew. (I love those monkies).
Random news stories and video clips on YouTube I find.

So, those that love my posts (Mom) and those that love to snark at it (I don't think there is anyone besides Mom) rejoice because I will attempt to make a post a day during my weekend in Sheboygan.

Soundtrack to my life

Recently, when I completed a project at work, I started to hum the Final Countdown to myself (and pumping my fists in the air ever so slightly). Then I realized that I do this all the time. Final Countdown is my "Victory" song.

Actually, I find myself humming songs (or at least singing them in my head) when I am in a particular mood.

Happy Song: Walking on Sunshine
Sad Song: Charlie Brown Theme (you know that sad song that plays when he is walking around)
Angry Song: Down with the Sickness (I have no idea why)
Songs I sing to make others feel awkward: Pony by Ginuwine and Silk's Freak Me
Nostalgia Song: When We Meet Again by G. Love and Special Sauce

and so on...


And according to this, the number #1 song on the day I was born: Maneater by Hall and Oates. And my life's theme song: Independent Woman by Destiny's Child. So true. So true.

This Makes me Feel Awkward

You can get the context of this video here.

I love reading the Best Week Ever Blog. If I am ever in a bad mood, it makes me happy. And this video is no different. I was laughing so hard that I was tearing out of one eye.

I Love Side-by-Side Comparisons

Even if it might not be all that accurate.

I like to think that Lainie looks like me when I was her age:


It's the checks!

But it is probably more accurate to go with my brother Andy and his wife Melody's thoughts on their son Ian:


That would be an uncanny resemblance to Little Foot from Land Before Time.

The Unfortunate Circumstance of Being "Of Color" in Sheboygan County

I always feel unlucky that I didn't end up with my mom's skin darker skin color. I think that she has a beautiful skin tone, and unlike me, she never has to convince people or deal with eye rolls when she tells people she is Native American. However, although my mom is very proud of her heritage, she tells me that I am lucky that I have lighter skin because I don't have to deal with a lot of the stuff that she has had to deal with in her life.

As you would expect in a mostly white town in the 60's and 70's she and her family were not treated that well. Even after more than 20 years, she still gets treated poorly. Take for example, an instance from this past weekend:

Late one evening she and my dad were leaving my sister's house following a visit with their granddaughter. My dad was going a little over the speed limit in city of Sheboygan Falls so was pulled over. Everything about the procedure was normal, until the police officer asked my mom, who was the passenger, for her ID. My mom, being any normal person, asked why. The police officer said it was just normal procedure. Funny...I don't ever remember having to show my ID being a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over. I was once even pulled over in Sheboygan Falls (for going 45 in a 45 mph zone, by the way) and they didn't ask my mom, who was my passenger, for her ID.

Later that night, my mom looked up what was standard procedures for police officers when pulling over a vehicle. The information she found stated that an office would only ask for other passengers IDs when there is suspicious behavior. I guess the suspicious behavior would be being a person of color in Sheboygan Falls.

"Holland, I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but you are hard to read."

I was recently told this by my boss. She thought that I didn't like my job. I told her, honestly, that I did like my job. I guess I have to make an effort to show it, but I don't know how.

I guess I have been thinking too much about it, because I asked my sister what she thought it meant. She didn't know either. She suggested that I go skipping down the halls.

What does that mean, "you're hard to read"? That statement is more what you hear when someone is giving you relationship advice, not so much personality advice.

In typical, break-the-tension-Holland-way, after she told me that I was hard to read, I told my boss that it was the way that I kept up the intrigue. Because what am I if I am not mysterious?

Dora The Explorer and Immigration Supporter

So I was recently watching an episode of Dora the Explorer with my niece. It was an episode in which we find out how she became friends with Boots, Benny the Bull, and all her other friends (and nemesis if you count Swiper).

In the episode she lists off all the places she has to go to, to get to the mountain to drop off the Fiesta Trio's instruments. One of her "obstacles" was a big river. She told all the audience that the had to cross the big river, or as she called it the "Rio Grande".

OMG! She just told the kids to cross the border illegally! For shame Dora. For shame! You know you can't speak like that with this administration.

The Cheese Stands Alone

This is probably the meanest children's song ever. I remember always being nervous whenever we sang this song in kindergarten. I really did not want to be picked last. Who wants to be picked last? Having children sing/dance around you singing about you being the cheese that stands alone...all smelly and lonely. The song is as torturous as dodge ball (I still recoil from the noise of the ball being slammed against objects). But I digress...

Not much has happened since the last time I wrote. I went to my first big conference for work in San Diego. This is as much of San Diego as I got to see:

We worked 12+ hour days, dealt with a leaky ceiling and (some) snippy people and I had a blast. I actually enjoy that time to what I am doing now at work, which isn't much since it is a down-time.

My niece turned one. I would have a picture of her attacking her birthday cake, but I don't have one because my digital camera broke. I still shed a tear thinking about it. So sad...so expensive...such a rip-off Service Plan.

Also, its been almost two months since the season started and I already have gone to three Brewers games, one of which I won tickets to through a raffle at work. Those seats were close behind the Brewer's dug out and we got a complementary parking pass right next to the stadium. I brought my dad, sister and brother-in-law and they were all "geeking out" as my brother would say. Yes, my family gets super excited over the little things, it's what makes us so endearing.

Speaking of Geeking Out: I saw Persepolis, which I wasn't even aware was being made into a movie until shortly before the Academy Awards. I saw the English dubbed version. So good...I highly recommend it.

And Now I Hate Spring

This is what greeted the first full day of spring in 2008 for Milwaukee. Wooo!

This is what Ian and Lainie think about the snow:


Shock and Snickers.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

So lately, I have been telling this little story to whoever will listen to me. I just can't seem to wrap it around my head, and also why I am so affected by it. I was talking with a co-worker (I think we were talking about appearance at work) and she had mentioned to me that I looked "wholesome." If someone had taken a picture of me at the exact moment that word was uttered, they would have the perfect expression for WTF?.

I don't look wholesome! I wear holey jeans and ratty shoes! I have a mean-don't-mess-with-me scowl! I drink and swear like a sailor! I have tattooes! Isn't that the antithesis of wholesome?

Wholesome is defined, according to dictionary.com, as:
whole·some
–adjective
1. conducive to moral or general well-being; salutary; beneficial: wholesome recreation; wholesome environment.
2. conducive to bodily health; healthful; salubrious: wholesome food; wholesome air; wholesome exercise.
3. suggestive of physical or moral health, esp. in appearance.
4. healthy or sound.

And here is what thersaurus.com says:
Main Entry: wholesome
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: healthy
Synonyms: all there, beneficial, clean, decent, edifying, ethical, exemplary, fit, good, hale, health-giving, healthful, helpful, honorable, hygienic, innocent, invigorating, moral, nice, normal, nourishing, nutritious, nutritive, pure, respectable, restorative, right, righteous, safe, salubrious, salutary, sane, sanitary, sound, strengthening, together, virtuous, well, worthy

This doesn't sound bad does it? So what is my problem? Why do I fight being defined as wholesome? I guess for me when I think wholesome I think innocent, naive, pure. I would rather be seen as worldly, experienced (and not in THAT way), and realistic. Hey, I even would rather be definied as cynical and jaded.

But, in reality, I am just kidding myself. I like to spend, what others may see as too many, weekends home visiting my family. I like websites devoted to cute animal pictures. Babies make me smile and talk in an annoyingly high voice. Shows like Extreme Home Makeover make me cry (and if you tell anyone, I will kick your ass...ok, no I won't). I find myself smiling at strangers. Yes, I am more wholesome than I want to admit.

Introducing my nephew Ian James

So one of his auntie's on his mama's side is a professional photographer (you can see her work here) so he is going to be photographed well his entire life:




And, a picture that I took (just to compare the good from the bad):

I HATE WINTER!

These are put in chronological order.





And yet, these photos don't even start to touch the root of my hate. I'm looking forward to spring.

Warm Fuzzy Feeling of Grandma

When I was young, my brothers and sister and I would routinely go over to our grandma and grandpa's house. They would watch us while our parents worked or ran errands. All of us remember this with fond memories. We each remembered something different about the experience.

Michael would remember going over their to watch Lost in Space and Land of the Lost on cable (which we didn't have at our own home at the time). My other siblings would remember things like, grandma letting us have the sugar cubes that she used for her coffee. Or playing with her massive amount of knick-knacks (is that how you spell it?) or jewelery (she would wear a ring on each finger). But my memory was special.

Yes, I used to help my grandma roll her cigarettes. Not manually. No, grandma had a specail cigarette roller. I still remember pulling up a chair next to grandma. She would take out the rolling machine and her big coffee container-turned-tobacco-holder. I still don't remember exactly what my job was, but I have faint memories of the taste of rolling papers (and that memory would not be from recent memories), so it might have been my job to lick the paper. Perhaps I didn't have a job, and Grandma just told me I was helping to make me happy.

When I recently revealed this memory to my family we both ended up a little surprised. They were surprised because
A: None of them remember helping her with that task
B: They never heard about it until right then
C: It was kind of a weird "Good" memory to have
And I was surprised that
A: No one else helped her
B: I never talked about it until then
C: It was, in fact, a weird memory to have and enjoy

Then it kind of made me happy. I had a memory that was so distinct from my other siblings. Maybe that is why I never shared with others. Not because I was ashamed of it but because I wanted it to be my own. Sure, it is a complete bizarre warm, fuzzy memory to have but you would have to know my grandma to know why the memory is funny and cute at the same time.

I shall always think of my grandma when I smell stale smoke; when I see gawdy knick-knacks and land ornaments; when I pass by small little frail bodies that you have to lean down to hug; and when I see my mom look at her grandchildren with loving and adoring eyes. I can only hope that Lainie and Ian love my mom as much as I loved and love my Grandma.

My Very First Nephew...I Shall Call Him Tino

But really his name is Ian James. Melody, my sister-in-law, went into labor early this morning. I went to work, knowing that it would take a while, and that it would be hard to travel home due to yet another snow storm. Yet I still drove despite less than adequate road conditions to be with my family, my brother and sister-in-law and my new little nephew.

Unfortunately I can't share photos, because I forgot my USB cord. I shall save that for another day, another post.

Little Ian has blonde hair, which is totally odd for my side of the family as all the babies were born with dark hair. Who knows, he might grow out of it. He was 22inches and 8lbs and 1 oz. 5 days past the due date. On Valentine's on less. I like to think that Melody had this all planned out. She is such a romantic. Or maybe it was Ian's idea. He knew as an adult, he had to have a way to remember Valentine's. I have decided to call him Tino, short for Valentino. He looks more like a Tino anyway.

A quick note about the crazy ride home. Milwaukee to Sheboygan is about a little more than 60 miles so it takes about an hour at most to get back home usually. Well it took me two hours to get home today (35mph on the Freeway? Oh yeah). Family at the hospital knew that I left right after work so after a while people got worried. My mom and sister both called me and I didn't answer (I honestly didn't get any "Missed" calls even though their phones have "Outgoing" calls to me). My brother-in-law was about to drive to make sure I wasn't in a ditch. My sister, according to my mother, was almost crying. And my brother was worried, according to my mother, because he didn't want me to be hurt because I was coming home to see his baby. It turned out the last time they called me, I was sitting in the room with Melody, holding Ian. I wasn't in a ditch.

To conclude: If need be: my family will re-populate the earth.

Still Alive and Without the Internet and Now Addicted to Rockband

Not much has happened since I last blogged. I'm still working and loving the job. Its really surprising, because initially going into my position, I didn't understand the workings of association management companies. Now, I am thinking about how this job can benefit me longterm. It's exciting and kind of scary. Scary only because when I think of longterm anything, it scares me. I'm a bit of a commitment-phobe.

Currently, I'm early waiting the arrival of my brother and sister-in-law's first baby...my first nephew. I actually came home to Sheboygan because I was convinced that this was THE WEEKEND. However, it didn't happen. I feel bad for Melody, my sister-in-law. Everyone around her was so sure that she was going to deliver really early, and here it is a day after her due date.

When I first saw her this weekend, I asked her how she was doing, she just looked at me and sighed deeply while every so slightly rolling her eyes. She then went into how she can't sleep because it is too uncomfortable. Makes me stand even firmer on the stance of me NEVER having babies. I'm way to selfish to give up my body for someone else to feed off of for 9+ months.

Offhand, I just have to say that it feels weird to "surf" the internet now. After checking my email, facebook and myspace, I don't really know what else to do. I am acutally liking this new found freedom. For serious, I thought I was getting addicted to the internet for awhile. Its nice not having to rely so heavily on something.

Speaking of addictions...I just got to play Rockband for the first time this weekend, and HOLY SHIT! Is that stuff awesome. I am probably the worst player ever, but it is still fun. I got to play with my brothers and Melody last night (by the way imagine a heavily pregnant lady playing a tiny guitar resting untop of her stomach...too funny). My dad said that it was humourous to watch 4 young adults get so giddy about a video game. It made him flash back to our even younger years.

Highlights of the Rockband experience:
-The singer doesn't even have to sing really, just hum in pitch. Which is probably why its something I am better at.
-My brother was so focused on "winning fans" that he demoted me from drums to guitar to bass. My mom passed by us and asked me what was wrong, I just frowned and said, "Andy thinks I suck, so he put me on bass."
-My niece Lainie was over while her parents were out for a night at the Milwaukee Symphony. My mom asked me to keep an eye on her while she finished cleaning up. I was practicing my drumming while Lainie was fussing in her exasaucer. I just kept on playing but saying, "What's wrong Laaaaaaaiiiiiiinnniiiieee?" in a funny voice. It was my way of trying to pacify her while still playing. Hey...it worked.
-This morning I woke my mom up because I was rocking out so hard on the drums.
-I have now perfected my "power stance" and high kick while playing the guitar/bass.

I think I may have to visit Sheboygan more often.

My...those are nice fallopian tubes you have

I hate going out to drink in Sheboygan. There is something about the chance of running into old classmates that makes me want to vomit. But I will go out if there is a special reason. And this past weekend there was two: My sister and brother-in-law actually going out for the first time in a long time and my friend Kim coming home from South Carolina.

Let me explain my friend Kim before I go on. She loves to start conversations with new and random people. Usually she will start with an oddball opening, or trying to convince the people that she is someone that she is not. A good example of this is her telling people that I am a ballerina.

So my mission for the night, was to try out Kim's new pick up line: "Excuse me, but I thought you would like to know that I have really nice fallopian tubes." Normally my reaction to this would be, "Fuck yeah Kim. There is no way I will do that." Unfortunately I am very susceptible to peer pressure, so with Kim, my sister and brother-in-law cheering me on, I spotted some non-threatening guy and decided to try it out. Here's how it went down:

Me: Excuse me guys, but I am going to say something to you and I just want your immediate reaction to it.
Guys: Ok. Go.
Me: Well, I have really nice fallopian tubes.
Guys: *Nervous laugh*
Guy A: No one has ever said that to me before. And I am kind of turned off right now.
Guy B: Besides, you wouldn't know how your fallopian tubes look like. I would know because my mom is a gynecologist.

*some random talking about guy b's mom being a gyno and other pick up lines*

Me: *after some awkward silence and staring at each other* Uhhhh..So, I don't know what else to say. Would you like to hear a joke?
Guys: Yes.

*I tell a dirty joke involving Cinderella and Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater.*

Me: *Immediately following the joke* Yeah! High Five! *I high five both of them*
Guys: *Laugh and look at each other like they think I'm weird*
Guy A: Ok, so what are you drinking because I'm buying?

Yeah...that's right. That line got me not only one free drink, but two.

Reason #1234, Why I'd be a Horrible Mother

This past Thanksgiving weekend I was back home in Sheboygan with my family celebrating my little cousin's 4 year old birthday (isn't that crazy that I have cousins that are over 20 years younger than me?). Her 6ish year old brother tells all of us that he has a Ryan Braun baseball card.

I say to him, "Really? That's awesome! You have a Ryan Braun rookie card?" The surprising thing is I said it without a hint of sarcasm, because A) He's 6 and doesn't understand sarcasm and B) I actually really, really like Ryan Braun.

My cousin got all excited and ran over to me with his little box of baseball ball cards. He shuffles through them and shows me a Ryan Braun card. Just not the Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun.

Instead of saying, "Whoa, that's way awesome Brandon." I say, "That's not THE Ryan Braun!"

Right after I say this, I see his little face look so dejected and I feel like crap for not being nicer about it. I did ask him if he had any more cool cards, and he showed me a Corey Hart card. Still awesome, which I let him know.

To make up for it even more, I play Life with him and his older sister. Then comes Reason #1235 why I would be a horrible mother, the entire time I was playing I was thinking, "Come on, let's make this snappy. I got to get back to Milwaukee and get drunk."

Rules of Riding the City Bus

I can't and don't want to drive to work. This is because parking on the street is out of the option (no room) and parking in the reserved structure would cost me nearly 60 bucks a month (on top of any parking I would pay for street/apartment parking). Plus I hate driving (even if it is a short distance). So instead of taking my companies discounted parking pass, I opted for taking the discounted bus pass (which I can use at anytime, even if it isn't work related).

When I was a kid, I took the bus every where. But riding the bus as a kid in a small city (with either of your parents with your) and riding as an adult female by herself in a city 10x the size of her hometown, are two entirely different kids. Here are the rules I have set for riding the bus in Milwaukee:

1. Have your money/pass ready upon entering the bus. Only doucebags hold up the bus by rummaging through their purse/bag/pockets for spare change.

2. If there are open benches, sit in an empty one as opposed to sitting right next to someone. This makes the person feel uncomfortable.

3. Wear earphones so that there is minimum interacting with other bus patrons. Also stare off to space and never make eye contact.

4. Don't sit in the handicap seats unless necessary. Also get your ass up if you see a senior citizen enter and there is no other sitting area. Your young legs can handle standing.

5. Be polite to the driver.

6. If bus is full, don't use the seat next to you for your bag, legs, hat etc. Allow someone to sit next to you. Once they are next to you, act as though they don't exist.

7. If person around you has distinct odor (ie. excess BO or cologne) act like you don't smell it. Its the polite thing to do.

To sum up. Be fast, efficient, polite and mind your own business.

Another quick story, while waiting for the bus one morning I witnessed a squirrel get run over by a car. It was surprisingly upsetting. I was shocked when I first saw it. I kind of looked like this:



OK. The story was true, but it was an excuse to post an adorable picture.

I'm Alive and Well

I'm also living Internet-less in Milwaukee. That's why I haven't written anything in here, and most likely won't again. At least not for awhile.

Things are going extraordinarily well. I have a tiny little efficiency on the east side. The job is going well. In fact two weekends ago I had my first business trip (to Worcester, MA) with the new job. I didn't really have to do much, because I was and am still learning but it was nice to see the process of the organization. Plus it was good bonding time with my co-workers and the software guys we work with. Let's just say there was a lot of talk about zombie movies, video games and other nerdy stuff. It was awesome.

You know what else is nice? Having a job and constant source of income.

I have nothing else of interest to say. Obviously being content with my life has made all the stories go away. Give it a few months (and easier access to the Internet) and I may be back with my complaining and hating.

Yeah, that's right...trust me with your 4-month old daughter...for an entire weekend!

My sister and her husband went on their one-year anniversary weekend get-away. They asked me to watch their daughter Lainie (since I live with them, and they didn't want her to be in a different environment). As it turned out, I didn't even really have to watch her by myself for that long.

I was suppose to start Friday after work. However I got a call from my brother Thursday night asking me to go to the Brewer's game with him on Friday night. I love me some Brewer's, so once I found out my mom was watching the baby, I said sure.

Here's the summary of the game. The Bratwurst won:

A girl wore socks with sandals:

I got myself my first Brewer's Bobblehead. Don Money:
The Brewer's lost, thus closing any chance at the playoffs:

It's ok Andy, they are a young team, there is always next year.

By the time I got home, Lainie was already asleep. My parents left, I turned on the monitor and went to sleep at around midnight. Lainie woke up at 6am, I played with her like a dazed, sleepless zombie and she was back down for her routine nap at 8:30am. So what did that mean for me? Naptime! Both of us got woken up by my parents who came to get us ready and take us to the Brewer's game (once again)! This was Lainie's first Brewer's game, so we got her dressed to impress:

Of course everyone thought she looked like a boy. As I was walking with her up the stairs, a man said, "Aw looks. He's going to be quite the slugger." I responded with, "Yes. Yes, SHE is."

So, our seats weren't the best. And by not he best, I mean were were in the last row we could possibly be in. But we still had fun:

Mostly we had fun because the Brewer's won, thus sealing a winning season. Hey, beggars can't be choosers. Oh, and the Italian Sausage won, no picture for this one.

That night, my parents stayed until Lainie fell asleep (it was my turn to do it this time). We all marveled at how well behaved she was the whole weekend. My parents left around 10, and I went to sleep shortly afterward. I woke up at around midnight to Lainie crying. As I walked down the hallway, I noticed that the door was open. My sister's cat, Iggy, had knocked open the door. When I walked into the room, I saw Iggy trying hard to cuddle up to Lainie, and she not taking any of it. Not only is Iggy a cuddle slut:

but he adores Lainie. I yelled at him, she got out, I soothed Lainie back to sleep.

Because she doesn't understand sleeping in on the weekends, she got up at 6 once again on Sunday. I groggily talked and played with her. This time she didn't take a nap (she was about to, until her mommy awoke her with a phone call informing me that she was coming home). When her parents came home, I stayed up long enough to inform them of her (and my) weekend and watch Brett Favre get his record breaking touchdown pass, before I passed out myself.

Overall, exhausting weekend, and I am still sure that I don't want kids (I like my sleep WAAAAAY too much). It was too hard, and I barely even really watched her. I'll just adore my niece and all future nieces and nephews:

I Got an Extra Bounce In My Step!

Normally I hate the start of fall. The sky gets greyer, the weather colder, its the same season that my grandma passed away. In general, its the time I start to get sad and gloomy, but suprisingly, I am not even close to that. Nothing is keeping me down from this high I'm on. I don't know what it is, besides starting a new job, but I am just so happy with my life right now.

I think the ultimate test was yesterday. It was "Date Night" in Sheboygan Falls. Couples were walking around downtown, going to bars, getting carriage rides, holding hands. Normally this would have me buh-hum-bugging all day. But, to my surprise, it actually made me smile...even more than I already was! I'm like the Grinch, and my heart is growing three sizes too big.

I catch myself doing a tiny happy dance while I'm standing in place (of course not when other people are looking, I don't want to embarrass myself). I just feel like squeeling, "WEEEEEEE."

BTW: I Google Imaged the term "happy dance" and found this from this website



Yeah...that's how I feel.

I Think I Have Another Movie to Add to My Favorites List

My sister told me that she was watching Little Manhattan on one of the several different movie channel she has, and that she liked it a lot. She told me that I should watch it too, that I would like it. When she told me the plot, kid is experiencing his parent's divorce and falling in love with a girl at the same time, and I thought it didn't sound that great or interesting.

So, I was wrong. It was one of the most sweetly innocent and funny movies I have seen in a while. I spent about 75% of the movie either giggling or going "awww" without going on a sweetness overload.

I may be going out on a limb here, but I am thinking that it is even sweeter than Amelie (not saying that it is better though). If you haven't seen it yet, you should.

The New Job Experience...So Far

Well, I just finished my first full week at my new job. The first day I went into work, I was feeling really insecure and nervous, almost as if I was waiting for them to say that they made a terrible mistake in hiring and that they would have to let me go.

I felt I even didn't belong based on my appearance either. I don't own that many business-casual clothes because at my last job, I could essentially wear what I wanted (and was encouraged to do so because it made the residents more at ease with me). All the women my age that work in my building look much better dressed than me, and look like they take more than my usual 10 minutes to get ready. Maybe I should try this make-up and hair brushing thing.

A lot of my job duties include daily administrative assistant stuff. But the most exciting thing is that I get to travel and partake in meetings with doctors/psychologist/nurses/etc. It makes me feel like such a grown-up. My first trip (to Massachusetts) is apparently already coming up in late October.

My co-workers are kinda different than my old co-workers. Before I worked with mostly African American women, now I am working with mostly White men. Luckily, my new co-workers seem that they are going to be just as nice as my last co-workers (they are really helpful and patient in my never-ending question sessions).

Overall, the organization and its mission is quite different from what I have done in the past but it is still fascinating to me. Its refreshing to be trying something new. I will be busy and occupied all the time. Learning a lot about the behavioral medicine field and meeting planning/society management. The position also leads to the high possibility of upward mobility in the company, so things are looking up for me.

Now, I am just counting down the days until I can move back to Milwaukee. This commute is killing me. Lucky for me, not much can bring me down from this personal high.

You know what they should make???

That is, if they haven't made it already.

...Body pillows built with life-like arms...

Don't think I am weird. I have actually had conversations with a friend about this. Granted, me and the friend I had the conversation with, always end up talking about random things, but I think it is completely reasonable.

What is the purpose of a body pillow? One purpose is that it provides support for hips/back (or bellies, if you are pregnant). Another reason people use body pillows, is to have something to cuddle with. (Totally random, but I hate ending sentences with prepositions, but I am not smart enough to know how to re-word that). But when you are selfish like me, you don't like to be the spoon-er (which you are essentially doing with body pillows)you want to be the spoon-ee. That is when the body pillow with life-like arms. The arms would wrap around you be soft enough to cuddle with. Seems like a good product idea, right?

Or maybe, I'm just sleep deprived.

I...think I...like The Departed?

Ok, so just seeing the previews for The Departed a year or so back, I totally wrote it off as a stupid crime thriller. Today I walked into my sister watching the movie. She was about 30 minutes into it and told me what had happened so far, and it actually seemed a lot more complex and interesting than I first presumed. So many lies and betrayals, it's like a straight man's soap opera (well, after professional wrestling, I should say).

However, because I started watching it 30 minutes in, and because so many people were revealed as "rats" (also, I wasn't really paying attention to names or faces of the minor characters) I ended up being a little confused at the end. Which is weird because it doesn't seem like a confusing movie. I wasn't confused by Usual Suspects, which so many people thought was confusing. If I re-watched it from the beginning, I think I would appreciate it more.

So, when The Departed won the Oscar for Best Motion Picture, I didn't get it. Now, I can kind of sort of get it. Kudos Scorsese.

Woot!

Today I accepted a job offer. I shall be working in Milwaukee once again. I am very happy but stressed once again. Should I just commute for awhile? Should I quickly find a place to live? How will transporation work for me? What about parking (I'm working downtown Milwaukee)? But I am trying not to let the stress of all the minor details get me down. Right now I am all about the new job glee (money money money).

Since I am working downtown Milwaukee, it means that the job is much fancier than my last job. Which means I have to buy new clothes, because I don't own much office wear. My old job was more of a casual "hey-don't-mind-me-I'm-one-of-you" feel to it. The office I am working in is way fancy. And I shall have a way fancy view of the Milwaukee skyline. I know that in a few months I won't be saying it, but right now I am only saying....YIPPEEE!

This week I also chopped off my hair. It is about 12 inches shorter. I felt that there was so much change and chaos happening in my life, it was time to start a new. The day after my hair cut, I got the job offer! It's like good luck. The bad thing about the cut is that I am not feeling it. It has this weird ability to make me look like a 40-year-old soccer mom and a 5-year-old school girl...all at the same time. The good thing about it is that it dries faster, and since I am not a huge fan of brushing my hair, I don't get nasty snarly hair or rat's nests.

Lastly, this weekend my little brother is getting married. The youngins grow so fast!

Ah, it's a sunshine day!

This be my life for now

So it's official, and has been for four days now. I no longer reside in Milwaukee. I am now living with my sister in Sheboygan Falls, like a true bum do. When the person that came in to see my apartment wanted to move in early, I was told that I would be refunded for half of August rent. So I was all like, "Money? Sweet! Will do." So I totally used and abused my family by telling them that they had to move me out by the 13th. Now all my possessions are either in my sister's basement or in her office (which is now acting as my bedroom/her office).

I figured that my future is all up in the air right now, it was best to find a place that was "rent free" (I am paying her to let me stay, but a small amount) so that I could save up money and find work without having to worry about finding extra cash for a security deposit/first month rent for a new place in Milwaukee. So this is not a permanent move. Ideally, I will be back in Milwaukee within a year, at the max. But even then, Sheboygan, and its surrounding areas, have their way of getting their evil claws in you. If I follow trend, I will end up knocked up within the year.

Oddly enough, and not so odd as this type of crap always happens to me, the very next day after my move to Sheboygan Falls, I got a call from a job I applied for in Milwaukee. They wanted me to come in for an interview. My brother-in-law (who did all of the major physical move) just kind of rolled his eyes and responded with, "Oh great. If you get this does this mean we will have to move you in somewhere in Milwaukee by the first?" This of course made me feel really guilty to even go in for the interview, but I did any way, of course.

The interview went really well, at least that is my hopeful thoughts on it. The executive director seemed to be almost guiding me into the "right" answers. The building was located downtown on the 11th floor of a big building, so it felt way fancier than my last job. I like to think I charmed the pants off of those interviewers. We'll see how it turns out. As one of my college mentors said to me, "High hopes, low expectations!" or...was it the other way round?

As for now, I continue my job search (expanding it to the Sheboygan area) and enjoy the time with my family. I am especially enjoying the time with my 3 month old niece. I like to have conversations with her, about when the time comes that I shall be watching her, there shall be no crying or fussing. Or as I simply told her, "There is no crying on Auntie Hollie time." Her response is to stare at me and drool (and every once in a while add a "Guuuuurrrrcccchhllll").

Lastly, if you haven't already, go see Superbad. It is hilarious. If CM hasn't already called dibs, Michael Cera would totally be my pretend boyfriend.

Who has been having some bad luck lately? Oh yeah, that would be me.

I'll admit, some of the "bad luck" has been partially my fault (not giving ample notice to my landlord that I was moving thus ending in me paying for September rent plus 10% increase) but everything else has been just bad situation after another bad situation.

First I lose my job, two months before my lease for my apartment ends. Horrible timing for job and apartment hunting (both which are sucking...a lot).

Getting denied weeks of unemployment, for mistakes on my old job's part.

Getting big bill one after the other.

And now my car. The brakes have decided to stop working today. Tomorrow I had two appointments which were basically one after the other at different points in Milwaukee. I won't be able to get my car back until the day after tomorrow (with a hefty bill, may I add). So I have to cancel one of them and take the bus to the other appointment.

And as I write this, I have someone looking at my apartment and wondering if I could leave earlier. I'm so desperate for someone to rent it out, that I said I would think about it.

All these things are not horrible, just extremely inconvenient. Don't worry, I am just waiting for the day that I am told I have some incurable disease.

Brewer's Baseball Basics for Women

This is an actually class that is being taught in Milwaukee. My head hangs in shame. "For Women?" Please. It should not be limited to just women. I know a few idiot men who don't get baseball either. But from the description of the class, it seems pretty sweet. Perhaps I shall play dumb and join the class.

"Um, what do you call it when that person with the bat hits that white thing up in the air, and it only stays in the brown sand area...you know like it doesn't go further out to the green area...what happens then? I know its called something because my big bo-hunky boyfriend that knows everything about sports always has to remind me of that rule. That guy with the bat gets, like, a touchdown right?"

At least the person teaching the class is a woman. The title of the class still sounds demeaning.

Purging and strong handshakes

So I gave my apartment's on-site manager my notice that I would be moving. A few days later he told me that he would be bringing people in to view my apartment. Upon hearing this I let out a silent yelp and began my race to clean my place and make it look presentable. The activities included massive scrub down of my entire bathroom, kitchen floor, oven/stove-top and refrigerator, vacuuming, dusting, and cleaning out my closets.

While cleaning and organizing my closets, I decided that now was the best time to get rid of stuff I don't wear or don't need anymore. In Public Allies we were told that it was good to go through your possessions and get rid of those things you no longer need. "Purge" yourself of the "dead weight." Other examples of purging dead weight included deleting people from your cell phone/e-mail lists, eliminating activities that are unnecessary. I find it hard for me to purge. I am more of a binge person(aka pack rat).

I ended up giving four pretty big shopping bags full of clothes and shoes (I haven't started going through other belongings yet). I don't feel like I have gotten rid of dead weight. In fact I am already feeling a little nostalgic of my long-ago belongings.

So after that was over, I waited for the three potential tenants to come (I could've left to go somewhere else, as not to be intrusive, but I had this weird fascination to see who could potentially rent out my apartment). Two of the people didn't show up, but one did. When he came in with the on-site manager, he looked a little surprised to see someone inside. He greeted me warmly and shook my hand firmly. It took every effort I had not to make the yaaah-owwww!!!! face.

He seemed semi to somewhat interested in the apartment. I talked it up. Told him how quiet it was, how I never had problems with my car being parked outside, how there was a police substation down the street and a bunch of older college students living around so it was mellow. He seemed to appreciate my input and even went in for a handshake goodbye. I tentatively gave my hand with a grimace. He should have known better, I am a delicate flower.

If you are anything like me...

not only will you get this song stuck in your head for the rest of the day, but you will like it too.

You'lll probably have to watch this more than once

At first I was bored, and then I laughed and watched it again.

Thoughts while watching the YouTube Democratic Presidential Canidate Debate

Wow...Bill Richardson looks like that guy from Amelie (whose name is Urbain Cancelier, he played the part of Collignon, the mean market guy):



And that is pretty much it. I didn't have any other thoughts. At least nothing interesting.

Hmm, this doesn't remind me of anyone in particular...

You can click on it to expand it. This is today's Fart Party. This may be how I interact with my friends. I'm really good at keeping in contact with people.

Still Swimming and Looking for a Job

So I have received my first unemployment check in the mail yesterday. As a child, I never thought that I would ever say that. My future seemed so idealized as a kid. I didn't really know what I wanted to do as a child, but I knew no matter what I ended up doing, that I would be super successful. I wish I could go back to my childhood and still believe that.

When I am not being gloomy about my situation, job hunting, cover letter writing etc. I like to find ways to keep me busy. CM has introduced me to a Firefox application called Stumbled Upon. It introduces you to a bunch of random sites that are time wasters. Such as this: Bubble Wrap!

Good Times.

I still *heart* Demetri Martin

Sometimes I want to Crush Heads.

Come on. Please tell me that you did not do the Kids in the Hall Head Crusher routine. "I'm crushing your head. Crush, crush."

"I love you more that hamburger cheese store."

This was a quote was stated many times by my brother Andy when he was little. Lately my mom has been saying it to my sister's baby. I love her more than hamburger cheese store too.

Today was my first official day unemployed. I hate it. What am I going to do that I cannot even stand being one day without work? Halfway through my day I decided to come early to my parents house to celebrate the Fourth of July. I get antsy easily.

While spending some quality time with my family tonight, I read some Pop-Trivial Pursuit questions to my brothers and dad. My brother Michael gave some unintentionally and intentionally funny answers.

Q: What Dallas star was the only actor to win an Emmy award?
A: Deion Sanders. (He wasn't joking here)

Q: What was the name of the diet book written by (some author I forgot) that used recipes consisting of pineapple, mangoes (some other tropical fruit)?
A: Who has to go poop? (He was joking here)

My family makes me laugh.