Nutcracker March Statues

i just had a mini heart attack.
i've been randomly taking pictures of those nutcracker march statues around town and have been trying to get as many as possible, without looking on the website for direction and on foot.
i searched for the statues on flickr and saw some that i hadn't found yet....and wondered....
i just cheated (and went on the website http://www.nutcrackermarch.org/) to see how many there were.
there's 60!! i only found 19.
i
need
them
all
now.

i will get them all before '07...........

Holidays

Thanksgiving:
For Thanksgiving, my brother and cousin - Nicolette sent me a picture of a plate of cookies and brownies. But not just any ol' cookies, these were the highly sought out thumbprint cookies that my aunt makes. These were the cookies that I would consume every holiday, for like the whole last hour of whatever holiday it really was. I would sit there and switch between thumbprint cookies and other cookies and/or brownies but mostly these darn thumbprint cookies. They are like crack.
The caption read "SUCKA!"
geez, thanks.

It fit quite nicely considering my last (myspace) comment from Nicolette (before leaving for seattle) was a picture of us at a holiday function, asking who's going to sit w/her at the dessert table?!

Christmas:
For Christmas, we have two gatherings, lunchtime - mom's side. dinnertime - dad's side.
I asked for pictures of my lil cousins, which my brother sent me throughout the day.
Dad's side. He sent more pictures of the cousins from my mom's side (err...guilty of playing favorites)...When I was about to set my alarm before I went to sleep, I found my ultimate Christmas Picture Msg (as seen above) this time the caption read "B!tch" and features my cousin, brother and sister - EATING MY COOKIES!!!!!!
but when I asked my brother on the phone today it was actually supposed to be "Biottchhhhhhhh!!!"

geez, thanks. snatches.

23 min left of christmas.

staying in WA for Christmas and i still ate all-day.
all-day. =)
it felt good until the last part, where i really did not need to finish the whole gyro and baklava. ugh.
good times. it just hurt. no - space - must - stop - eating!!
this is when my brother would usually poke my stomach to give me a clue.
but uh, no rescue in sight, jo - just kept on eating =)

shhhh...........

i can't wait until the apt party stops downstairs so i can finally - SLEEP *sigh*

today was an awesome saturday. awesome.

oops

how awkward is it to realize that the wedding invitation that you had received from your boss was actually due on 12/10/06. and you just realized it.
oops.
i swear i hadn't had it that long.....she must've given it to me on the 9th or something....=)

2006

with all of this time on my hands at home (cluster headache = home a lot), doing nothing i started searching through old blogs.

around this time i start thinking about the past year and everything that's 'been'.

2006 was interesting to say the least.
when i started thinking about seattle in november of 2005, i said i wanted to fall.
aiyaaaaaahhhh - well, someone poo'd on their own doorstep. but i've done that and more =)

Jo's 2006:
4 different employers
3 different residences
___ bad dates
1st white boy (dated)....hahaha?
1 scary (borderline manic) friend encounter
1st time driving in snow
1st scarf knitted (still knitting)
1st novel......attempted =/
1st time in Canada
1st time dog sitting overnight by myself (yorkshire terrier PUPPY sitting actually)
1st "migraine" or "cluster headache" - whatever it is - first time!
1st time in the movie theater by myself
1st time eating out by myself
(i don't know how i would classify my 1/06 trip to seattle, traveling alone by myself? even though now it's my home? but my 1/06 trip was awesome.)
1st time rentng a car by myself.
1st time in Portland
1st time donating blood
1st time plunging my own toilet (not my 1st time clogging my own toilet.....)
1st apt rented by myself
1st couch purchase
1st time being employed in two different states at the same time
1st time getting picked up by a taxi driver
1st time my work has been closed due to a power outage from a windstorm
1st time my work has given us the option to work at home due to the safety of getting to work with snow and freezing rain. (we don't have these concerns in oakland......it's different.....)
1st Thanksgiving/Xmas w/o family

*brain fart* to be continued

cluster headache

that's what the dr. said after i waited 5 hrs to see someone.
but as i'm reading it right now i don't think that's what i have.
It's not near my eyes but the lower back of my neck and it so lasted more than 3 hrs...everything else sounds right though. it does wake me up, i did drink vodka saturday night which would trigger it, it does hurt like heck, i do pace around aimlessly...the "cluster" part = sunday/monday/tuesday...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headache

"Cluster headaches are rare, extremely painful and debilitating headaches that occur in groups or clusters.

Signs and symptoms

Cluster headache sufferers typically experience very severe headaches of a piercing quality near one eye or temple that last for fifteen minutes to three hours. The headaches are usually unilateral and occasionally change sides.

Pain

Persons who have experienced both cluster headaches and other painful conditions (childbirth, migraines) report that the pain of cluster headaches is far worse, significantly more severe than a migraine.^[1] The pain has been described as akin to being stabbed repeatedly in the eye with an ice pick^[2] or hot poker. ^[3] It has been described in medical journals as one of the most severe pain syndromes suffered by human beings.^[4]"

Migraines sound too similiar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migraine

I don't know what it is, but I'm hoping it will stop now. thanks!

contemplating

i'm sitting in bed right now.
dressed for work.
with a slightly less severe ache.
so i plan to go to work right now.
but it feels like it could creep up on my at any moment.
i definitely don't feel "good" it just doesn't feel as bad as last night.
i don't have sick time and i don't have insurance.
which means i need to go to work to pay my rent and i can't go see a dr.
hmmm....what a dilemma.
what if it creeps up on my while i'm at work? how would i get home?
or when i'm driving?
it feels like there's gonna be another one soon, i just don't know when.
oh what to do.

desperate

is taking 5 excedrin-migraine within 24hrs before realizing the maximum is actually 2.
it - won't - stop.
*sigh*

awesome.

awesome is having your name included on a birthday cake in CA while you're in WA at a surprise party that you couldn't fly out for.

that's awesome.

my brain!

i'm supposed to be eating crab right now.
i'm supposed to be enjoying a wonderful fun filled evening with my fair shelled friends.
but i'm sitting in bed, stuck with this pulsating pain in my dome.
it's my 3rd migraine since saturday night/sunday morning.
and if my parents knew that they would kill me.
literally kill me.
you know, some would say that to exaggerate but they would literally kill me.
i'm only guessing from the 6 months they've been telling me to get health insurance since i'm contracting. but hey, only a guess.
it feels like - man, i can't even describe the feeling. but it comes with nausea - woohoo! i barely ate anything today because of it, actually haven't eaten much recently because of it.
i used to not wish insomnia on anyone but pls. put migraines on top of that list because this sucks poo-poo.

itsy bitsy spider

last night i saw him.
he was sitting ever so still on my eye makeup remover bottle in the bathroom.
reluctant to kill him. (scared is more like it)
i shoved him into the sink and drowned him in H20.
i closed the sink so he couldn't climb back out and called it a night.
this morning when i looked at the sink it was open.
that's right! i woke up to use the restroom and forgot to close the sink back up after washing my hands.
i wonder.....
no, he couldn't have climbed back out.
(a day passes)
and if it's 9:27pm right now, it must've been around 9pm that i was getting into bed and who do i see?!!? the spider!! right where i usually lay down!
he came back out and crawled up the sink, down the counter, out the door, down the hall into my bedroom, up my bed - into my bed, waiting for me to not see him so i could swallow him in the night - revenge at its finest!!! yet i killed him.
and i swear i swear it was the SAME spider!? no one will believe me but next time i come across a spider, i will make sure i kill 'em the first time *grrrrr....*

migraine headaches

i've been lucky enough to last 29 years without migraine headaches so i'm a bit perplexed at why i am unlucky as of right now?
it started saturday night/sunday morning at 6am and i thought it was part of a hangover due to the mojito, kettle shot and rock star/kettle i consumed. yet, when i was woken up sunday night due to an even more excuriating migraine that brought me to tears - i realized it had to be more. i've been in bed practically all day. i made myself walk a block for internet connection so i can research if this is indeed a migraine and what the heck i'm supposed to do to ensure it does not effect my 8am interview in bellevue tomorrow.
*sigh*
why am i being tried now?
*sigh*
i can do this.
i have to do this.
(back to researching...)

j

Everything happens for a reason. I've heard that many times before but yesterday I thought I saw it come into place. Yesterday after the library and after wandering around downtown I walked to Pike Place. I had my camera with me and thought I'd see if they had any holiday decorations before heading to Sea-Tac. I was on the phone walking down the street when I decided haphazardly that I wanted to check out the flower bouquets. So I crossed the street immediately and headed into the market. As I merged into the the busy bundle of bodies in the market, I turned to my left to ensure I didn't bump into anyone. And as I turned who do I see immediately to my left? J. And as we turned, I awkwardly had about 2 seconds to decide if I had any room to quickly shuffle my feet before he recognizes me. "Hey...." I say with the most obvious hesitation. "Hey how's it going?" "Good, and you?" "Good"......*insert completely awkward silence considering we both did not have anything else to say to each other* so I turned to keep walking in front of him and continued my phone conversation. seattle is small but i didn't know it was that small.

not good

not that i feel bad.
but i don't feel good.

after the storm, i haven't had internet connection until today.
@ Vita's right now.

and i miscalculated my volunteer gig that was YESTERDAY.
terrible feeling, flaking when you're the only person scheduled for that time.
Purrfect Pals is the organization. And it was to wrap presents in the Barnes and Noble @ Crossroads in Bellevue.

So how did I spend my time instead?
Picked Aileen up from the airport and watched Lost before heading out to Bleu Bistro and Linda's Tavern.

Just a bad judgement call. I was going to check my email @ the library after my volunteer gig from 10-2pm but the internet connection was down at the library too!?! (some very unhappy patrons.) so i just thought - "it's ok! it's not till next weekend anyways!" no....nope - it was yesterday.

I'm sitting here checking my email and i just received the rejection e-mail from my interview last week. *sigh* not a good feeling. i'm hoping this tuesday will work out better.

My feelings recently have been somewhat up and down.
I've been fairly happy with finding different volunteer gigs to involve myself with. But fairly unhappy with not knowing where I'm going to be employed next month. (contracts suck!) I've been happy with my ability to continously send out my holiday cards to friends miles and miles away - but i've been unhappy at the thought of not seeing them this year. I've been happy with my ability to keep in touch with my brother on a regular basis but unhappy with my ability to get lost in Season 1 of Lost. I've been happy with my continous employment throughout this year considering the move but unhappy with knowing that for my taxes for 2006, I will have at least 4 employers sending me w-2s. I've tried to keep optimistic about the unknown but sometimes I just get lost in it.

I wonder how I'll feel tomorrow.

Daniel Henney *speechless*

msgs

my parents like to send e-cards.

i delayed a bit, but just clicked on my parents cards. they sent individual ones.

my mom sent a mushy-gushy Hallmark one. Saying all of the motherly things and ended it somewhat predictable by saying I need to eat more food. And to stay warm. predictable.

my dad sent one that was somewhat more flashy - bright neon colors, I assume to try to be more "hip"!? and in the personalized section, did not tell me to get on my health insurance, or to stay safe, to find a permanent job or to make sure i lock my doors at night but -->

"Jo, Happy Birthday. Have fun, but not too much. Dad"

awesome =)

Volunteering

I almost felt bad.
I almost felt bad when my alarm went off at 5:30am this morning and I pressed snooze. I must have pressed snooze or off or something because I did not wake up until 6:53am.

This might be early considering it's a Sunday morning.
But it was actually late considering I was supposed to be at the Volunteer booth at 6:30am at Westlake Center.

And I almost felt bad that I did not make it to duty. My guilt subsided when I recalled the Volunteer Coordinator at the Library who passive-agressively (?) got mad at me when I told her I did not sign up for the Saturday shift she called to confirm. She called to confirm a Saturday, 10am shift at Friday, 5:10pm - that I had not agreed to. And in telling her I had not signed up for that but did not want to leave her high and dry the day before(therefore saying I could still be there), she made the executive decision to find someone else. She wanted to find someone else because I was not "prepared". As we closed our conversation and I told her sorry about the mix up - she hung up. She hung up abruptly, even though, she confirmed during orientation "I would not sign you up for shifts without confirming with you before".!? And also after we had both signed me up for Saturday shifts every Saturday in December, except yesterday. She is also the same Volunteer Coordinator who waited a month to contact me for an orientation.

So in the end I was able to transfer the miscommunication with the Seattle Public Library and ease my guilt for a completely separate volunteer organization that really was counting on me to be there this morning at 6:30am for their benefit event.

Ah, well, at least I feel better now =)

Irreplaceable

When I lived in Oakland, there was a theater we would sometimes frequent. Sometimes, but not regularly. Parkway Theater. They would have $2.50 movies on Wednesdays. They had cheap food, served alcohol and had comfy couches as long as you got there early. It was close by. It was a great deal. The food was inexpensive therefore usually a line. The couches were limited so it usually took at least two people - one to run and grab a couch and the other to get the grub. I miss it. I miss it, along with "The Meat Place" - that has awesome korean food and this killer salad! I miss arizmendis pizza. I miss the Kettle Korn guy at the farmers market by Grand Lake Theater.

But as I was looking for volunteer gigs recently, I came across Central Cinema. Central Cinema is based on 3 theaters and one of them being Parkway!! --> http://www.central-cinema.com/news/index.htm

What a coincidence!?

So I found it and we just came back from watching Citizen Kane! Too bad I watched it when Hearst Castle is only a million more miles away from me now!? The showing was at 9:15pm but since I only had soup for lunch, I caved and ate dinner when I got home. I was saving it for the yummy menu but once we got there and I started ordering, well, let's just say I pretty much had my beer, my salad with the complimentary toasted focaccia, most of the popcorn with curry seasoning and a slice of his pizza and all of the chocolate orange creme brulee ALL TO MYSELF.

Central Cinema -->
http://www.central-cinema.com/

Parkway Theater -->
http://www.picturepubpizza.com/

power of word

having just come back from 'half' of a poetry slam, i was reminded about the power of word.

http://www.poetswest.com/venues.htm

and how i have been neglecting that power and this blog. and i have no idea why. in a state confusion. all the marbles all the balls - flying everywhere.

my first day volunteering at the library was awesome. i will get to know more about the library and seattle - by default. it's a 10-2pm shift on alternating saturdays so it's a fabulous hop-skip-jump over to grab some caffeine and a nice leisure walk over. by the time i get out - there's a whole day ahead! fresh start! feeling good!

i've set up the rest of my saturdays and some sundays (i think 3 of 'em?) for december for random volunteering events. i'm still continuing my knitting until i can master the "cast on" and "cast off" before crochet class. I'm hoping that'll be january since december - well, ain't happening.

i've convinced my brother to do all of the family holiday shopping since he'll be there in person to give the presents away - and he bought it! sucka! i'm terrible at picking out gifts! but i do have to partake on the long winded phone calls that always end up with him picking out the gift anyways!? hello??

i've been knee deep into making my holiday cards and also Scarecrow Video http://www.scarecrow.com/ dvds and preparing for my baking event. every holiday i can find an excuse for it-i like passing out the baked goods to peeps. a great way to excuse myself from tasting as many as possible.

today a lady honked at me for stopping at a yellow light.

i just confirmed my second interview for my perfect job. (perfect for me right now) nervous - uh, kinda!?

i've been trying to calculate how much HR classes will really cost.

i've been starting to apt shop - to get an idea for when my lease is up.

i've been having problems sleeping because i keep imagining the honks that go off in the parking lot - are really mine.

i'm truly convinced that the neighbors above me, the ones i've never seen, are really HUGE heavy people. who are loud drunks and overall angry ppl with a hyperactive wolf for a pet because - seriously, there's not really any other excuse.

beep beep

*woken up by a familiar beeping sound.*

some mother f'r just tried to break into my car.