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.

My niece looks like...

Me. Here is a picture of her, and a picture of me as a baby inside it:

But I have also realized that she looks like Mac from Mac and Me:

So does that mean?:

I can see it.

How did I never see this article before?

50 Greatest Conservative Rock Songs

This list is some funny stuff. I really like the author's explanations on song choices. I wish I could be creative enough to come up with this kind of stuff.

The number one choice being "Won't Get Fooled Again" is hilarious to me. I always took it as a song that was anti-leader because all structures (liberal AND conservatives) are corrupt. In reality, the song is fatalistic. Anyone in power, is bound to be corrupt.

Other hilarious additions:

"Sweet Home Alabama," A song promoting Wallace, can be all yours.

"Wouldn't It Be Nice,"

"Janie's Got a Gun,"

Creed? Ew.

"Godzilla"

And where oh where is the Toby Keith song about putting a boot in someone or other's buttocks?

Seriously, just read the article for an example of poor journalism. I seriously wish I found this earlier.