Major Update #5
I guess it’s time for a “Major Update,” since I haven’t posted one of those in a year. Plus, I was surprised to learn that some people actually read this. I can’t disappoint on my promise of Yearly Muffins.
[Boyfriend]
Jonathan and I are still together, and we just celebrated our 1-year anniversary. We’re headed to the Hamilton House Bed & Breakfast this weekend, which should be every bit as wonderful as it has always been. The rooms are gorgeous (the Pierre Renoir room at right is what I based my room redecoration on), and the atmosphere is so peaceful. We also have tickets/reservations at the Fireside Dinner Theater in Whitewater, WI. The show, called Anything Goes!, is likely to be pretty lame, but the food last time was absolutely wonderful, and completely worth it.
[WoW]
I had quit playing WoW for about 9 months, but then I picked it back up again. I haven’t raided in over a year – that just took way too much time and effort – and I don’t plan on raiding again. Instead, Jonathan and I do things like 5-person heroic instances and quests that don’t require you to be on a “WoW work schedule.” I feel better about it, and it doesn’t have significant control of my life like it used to. What really got me to come back are the additions they’ve made to in-game fishing. With the new quests and rewards, it’s a fun, casual experience to partake in. I get my daily dose of current WoW fishing gossip at the El’s Anglin’ site & its forums.
[Car]
My ’97 Eclipse is still running. I’m driving it for as long as I can. I’m going to have a hell of a time ditching that car for a new one, especially after Tony installed my awesome car stereo (from the Corolla) in it. I remember when I bought that stereo, I thought, “What on earth would you want an auxiliary input for? Playing your guitar over your car stereo?” Now I don’t think I’d buy a car without one.
[Job]
I’m still working at All Tile. This past February, I was in Las Vegas for the annual Surfaces show for the fourth time. We have our busy times and our slow times, that’s for sure.
[Pets]
After Chris (aka Fishy #3) took his final excursion down the watery pipe of eternity, I have not gotten any formal house pets. However, we’re never without wild mammal company. My parents have taken to feeding not only birds and squirrels, but also cats. The first cat that frequented our porch we called “Fluffy.” She would regularly sit up straight and watch the door to wait for us to feed her. Fluffy, we found out, was a girl, after she had shown up very pregnant on our porch. 
Sure enough, a month later, two kittens arrived on our porch with Fluffy. As it was the dead of winter by this point, my family and I arranged for a “catch, neuter, release” specialist to come by and trap the cat family to get them fixed. After the trapping ordeal was over, my friend Nicole housed them until they were ready to go to their final indoor homes with her extended family. We would have taken them in ourselves, but unfortunately I’m severely allergic to cats. The allergy specialist I saw told me I’d develop asthma if I kept a cat. 
After the Fluffy family was gone, a black cat took reign over our porch. He (we presume it’s a he) has trouble walking some days, but he seems to get to the food just fine. Also, our attic seemed to have attracted the attention of a raccoon, who thought it would be a great idea to dig through our roof to get inside. He managed to escape through our attic fan, but since then, we’ve kept an animal trap in the attic. This trap, filled with cat food, has caught two very scared and confused squirrels, who were promptly relocated to a distant park.
Feeling: Hopeful.
Listening to: Jo Dee Messina’s Greatest Hits CD. There isn’t much hope for me.
Parents Bought a Sienna
My parents bought a 2007 Toyota Sienna LE tonight. I was there… and it took two and a half hours. The warranty room was by far the most high-pressure sales situation I’ve been in lately. It was insane. I’m glad that’s over with, at least.
Panda Bears Banished from the Bedroom
You heard right. The panda bears have been permanently removed from my bedroom, as has been the atrocious disintegrating red carpet. The redecoration process has been a very long and arduous task, but I received a lot of help from Jonathan, my parents, and even the folks at All Tile. If you’re curious, we used Benjamin Moore paint on the walls (color: Evening Sky) and ShawMark Anything Goes! Smooth & Silky carpet (color: Mirror). Underneath the carpet is a rubber underlayment from Sponge Cushion called Full House. The trim and ceiling paints were left over from other interior paint jobs in our house.
There’s still some work left to be done, but none of the remaining tasks are much more than weekday night projects (as opposed to removing wallpaper, painting, getting carpet installed and whatnot). I’d like to replace the closet doors with mirrored doors, replace the main door and replace the window treatments. After all this, there should be absolutely no remnants of my former room, heh.
Feeling: Exhausted, just from writing about all we did.
Listening to: Dixie Chicks – Cold Day in July
Really Radical Room Redecoration
Jonathan helped tremendously with the cleaning, redecorating and redesigning my room. The pictures (in slideshow at right) say a lot. Together, we cleaned out & removed the entertainment center, cleaned out under my bed, moved the existing bookshelf (took help from Dad and a 2-wheel dolly as well), added in another shelving unit, cleaned out my closet, moved my bed, installed a wall-mounted nightstand/shelf, rearranged my desk, and did a lot of vacuuming. I bought a new duvet cover and a matching throw pillow, which I think added a lot to the room as well.
I still have quite a few plans for my room. My new Westinghouse 32″ LCD Flat Panel HD TV (SK-32H240S) (pictured at left) is coming in on Friday, and we’ll be wall mounting it above my bookshelf. We’ll also be painting (Benjamin Moore in Blue Heron), laying new carpet (ShawMark Smooth & Silky in Mirror), replacing my dresser with one from my grandma’s old guest room, replacing my closet doors with mirror doors, and getting new window treatments. At least, that’s the plan. I’m so busy over the next few weeks, I’m not sure when it’s all going to happen.
The past 3 weekends, Jonathan and I have seen each other. He came out here this past weekend (when we worked on my room and went to La Strada and Maggiano’s). The weekend before that (Memorial Day weekend), I went to his place and then we drove up to Philiadelphia for his friends’ wedding (at which I took over 200 photos). The weekend before that, he came to visit me and we just hung out.
This coming weekend, Renee, Michelle and I are going to northern Wisconsin to a house that Renee and her dad have been building. It doesn’t have hot water yet (frown), but at least it does have running water, electricity and plumbing. It should be a relaxing getaway weekend… that is, if my allergies magically disappear.
Feeling: Extremely full from having eaten two amazing dinners this weekend.
Listening to: the Meow Mix commercial (yes, it’s on my iPod) hehe
Flyin’ and Singin’ in Pairs, OH MY!
Jonathan will be coming to visit again on Easter weekend. 14 Days, 4 Hours, 47 Minutes according to my countdown Google gadget. We’ve got a lot of plans made so far, so I may as well relay some of them. He’s flying in Friday afternoon, getting in just when I get off of work. Since All Tile is so close to O’Hare, I can pick him up right from work and take him to his hotel. We’re planning on picking up Steak ‘n Shake for dinner, since he’s never had it before. Saturday, we’re going to wake up relatively early and head downtown. We’ll tour the city, since he’s never been there, and then head over to Blue Man Group for the 4pm show. Afterwards, we’ll pick up Lou Malnati’s and have a pizza and Arbor Mist night with Renee, and then head over to karaoke with Michelle & Jake at the Neighborhood Inn. So, as you can see, our Saturday is pretty booked. Sunday, we’ll be going to my family’s Easter party, which looks to be dinner at some sort of restaurant, but we have no idea what time. I took off from work on Monday, and we have plans to go to Claim Jumper for lunch/late dinner before his flight leaves. Also, Lexi and Scott will be in town that weekend, so we might try to see them.
Karaoke should be fun again. Last time he came to visit, we went with Michelle, Nicole and Renee. I sang my song (“All that Jazz” from Chicago, a real crowd pleaser), and Jonathan did a very spirited rendition of “Baby Got Back” (a very good crowd pleaser… so good in fact, he had a few guys come hit on him afterwards). The place was pretty crowded, so we didn’t get many more songs in. I went up with Michelle, Nicole and Renee to sing a song, but I don’t think we stayed much longer than that.
For whatever reason, Jonathan wanted to buy me stuff. He bought me three Karaoke Revolution games, an idea he came up with on his own. It’s funny, because I’d had two Karaoke Revolution games on my Amazon Wish List for something like two years and had recently taken them off of the list, assuming I’d never get them because they were out of print (at least the versions I was looking at). He got me the Country version and the American Idol version (complete with two microphones) when he saw me a few weeks ago, and he has ordered the Party version, which I’ll probably get the next time I see him. Renee really likes playing these games, which is great, because the two player modes are a lot of fun – particularly the “Sing Off,” where you both sing a song at the same time and try to out sing the other person. You can adjust for different skill levels, too: Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert.
I’ll be going to Maryland April 20 through the 22nd. I’ll be going to O’Hare straight from work and coming home late on Sunday. So far, we’ve got plans to have dinner with his friends on Saturday night. After this visit, we’ll likely go to the wonderful Hamilton House Bed and Breakfast. I went there in probably late summer 2003, and the rooms are just as beautiful as the pictures let on. I’ve wanted to go back for a while, but it is on the expensive side.
Feeling: Very, Very Glad it’s Friday
Listening to: My iPod at Work! Woo! The Ataris – San Dimas High School Football Sucks
Kicking Boxes and Taking Names
One thing I forgot to mention in my major update post is kickboxing. I’ve been going to kickboxing twice a week since July 27, 2006. It’s not sparring or anything crazy, but it is taught at a karate school by a third degree black belt, JR Hutson and occasionally his wife, RC Hutson (pictured at right). It’s a very upbeat class, and JR in particular is very motivational. We do a lot of punching and kicking, but there’s also a cardiovascular component and even some basic strength and core training.
I started going to kickboxing because Renee wanted me to come. Renee started kickboxing because JR owns the restaurant she works for, Pilot Pete’s, and he recommended it to her. Now, Michelle comes as well. The classes are at National Karate in South Elgin (yes, there are closer National Karate schools that teach kickboxing, but the instructors aren’t as good) on Tuesday & Thursday nights. There’s also a Saturday morning class if you’re insane enough to want to punch things at 8am.
Feeling: Sore from yesterday’s kickboxing :-/
Listening to: Carrie Underwood (yes, again) – Starts with Goodbye
Major Update #4
[Boyfriend]
To the surprise of many, Alan and I broke up after nearly five years. As with many relationships that end after such a long time, it was ugly and painful. After a week, I started eating again. After a month, I made significant progress on self-discovery. After a month and a half, I found myself in a relationship with Jonathan.
Jonathan has been very supportive throughout this whole ordeal, and he honestly wants what is best for me. I could babble on about how wonderful he has been, but instead I’ll just sum it up. He’s the most sensitive and thoughtful guy I’ve ever met, and every day I find some other hobby/preference/bizarre quirk that we have in common.
So um, there is a catch. He lives in Maryland.
After talking to him for about 2-3 hours a day on the phone for over a month, he came to visit me this past weekend. We had a wonderful time going to karaoke, two fantastic dinners (plus some great lunches and a tasty breakfast), watching movies and playing the Karaoke Revolution games he bought me. We’re still planning where/when our next visit will be, but I imagine it will be finalized in the next couple of days.
[WoW]
I’ve significantly reduced the amount of time that I play WoW. Since it was an activity that I primarily participated in to have more in common with Alan, I am trying to determine whether I actually enjoyed it or not, and if so, what did I like doing. Do I like raiding? Do I like leveling? It seems that more than anything, I like playing with friends. If nobody is around to play with, it just isn’t that enjoyable for me. Oddly enough, WoW is where I met Jonathan.
[Betta Fish]
Chris (aka Fishy #3) is doing well. He is still one of the most active fish I’ve had, which is surprising considering that he came from a Walmart. Every once in a while, though, he seems to get really jealous that I spend more time staring at the computer than him.
[Car]
My Eclipse is running well, in spite of many projections that it would be kaput by now. I have the thought in the back of my head that I will need to replace it eventually, but I’m not actively seeking a car or even actively researching a car.
[Job]
I’m still working at All Tile. I recently went on my third Vegas trip for the Surfaces 2007 convention. The trip itself was fantastic, considering we were having our typical Chicago winter and Vegas was having its typical February spring. It’s always refreshing to go from seeing snow everywhere to seeing palm trees and sun. Our Sell-A-Bration show went very well. Since the show, however, we’ve been pretty busy playing catch up with all of the important things that were put off to make sure the show went off without a hitch. I still don’t think that we’re fully caught up.
Feeling: Tired. I’m still not caught up on sleep from the weekend.
Listening to: Carrie Underwood (yes, country, sadly) – Before He Cheats
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
Don’t you just love it when you get a haircut and everyone asks you “Why’d you chop it all off?” not “Where’d you get it done?” or anything even slightly flattering. I swear, everyone but the guys who have commented on it have asked the former. I’m starting to hate hair as much as I hate shoe shopping.
Feeling: Frustrated, as usual
Listening to: Too many people’s opinions
The Alien has Landed
And here it is, the new Alienware m5500. By here, I mean sitting on my lap. Not that it helps you see it or anything, but I’m too lazy to actually take a picture of it.
I’ve never had a laptop before, so I am trying to use it like one would usually use one. Right now I’m in my living room. Wireless internet, battery powered. It’s neat, I suppose. If it was later in the day (I woke up at 6:30 this morning, ugh, that’s what you get for going to bed before 11pm), I’d probably be talking to people on GAIM. Which I haven’t done since, well, probably since I started playing WoW. Just like updating my blog, I hadn’t done since I started playing WoW.
I suppose that’s about it. I could probably type forever on this thing. I don’t know why, but there’s something about laptops (the feel of the keyboard, the look of the screen) that make me feel like I could write a dozen novels on them. Not that I’m inspired enough to do so, but it is a nice thing to be able to type and such wherever you want.
I think that was a squirrel that was jumping on our roof just now. Kind of loud. But as interesting as squirrels are, I digress. Because I’m just babbling at this point. Time to end this bloggy entry.
Feeling: Alone, because no one is awake yet
Listening to: I disconnected the harddrive on my desktop that has all the MP3s on it, and I’m too lazy to turn off / reconnect / turn back on… so nothing.
Major Update #3
[Alan]
We are still together and will be celebrating a 4-year anniversary in about a month. He’s going to graduate with a masters in Computer Engineering this semester. He doesn’t have any immediate job plans, and I recommended to him that he take a few months off after school is finished. Going straight from years and years of school to a full time job isn’t my idea of a good time. Everyone deserves a break once in a while. I’ve been driving down to visit him every other weekend, and due to the below reason, dragging my server-case-sized computer down with me.
[WoW]
As some of you know, I now am one of the many addicted to an MMORPG, namely World of Warcraft. I really do play it too much, but I enjoy it. It keeps me entertained daily for a monthly fee, which works out to be (like Nathaniel had once tried to convince me) cheaper than if I had been doing things IRL (in real life). Alan plays too (as well as many of my other friends from college), so it’s nice to keep in touch with everyone so much.
[Laptop]
Because dragging my heavy computer to Champaign is dangerous to its lifespan, I started looking into laptops. I’ve wanted one for a long time, but I’ve never liked how expensive they are.
Last night I purchased the following Alienware Laptop.
Area-51® m5500
Processor: Intel® Pentium® M 780 2.26GHz 2MB L2 Cache 533MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Warranty: 90-Day AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support
Display: Alienware® m5500 15.4″ WideSXGA+ 1680 x 1050 LCD – Xeno Grey
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 915GM + ICH6 Chipset
Wireless Network Card: Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 b/g Wireless Card
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz – 2 x 512MB
Hard Drive: 60GB 7200 RPM ATA100
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go MXM 6600
Sound Card: Intel® High-Definition Audio
Optical Drive: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Ethernet NIC: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Modem: 56K Modem with V.90 Technology
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
There are a lot of reasons I like this model over others, including the Dell XPS ones. First of all, it’s small. I want the option to use it as a “coffee shop chic” tool as well as a heavy duty gaming machine. Since I’ve never had a laptop, I don’t know how much I’d use it, but I want to try to take it as many places as I can. To add to this utility, it has two video cards. You can choose which one to use with a switch on the outside of the machine. The 256mb video card can be used for gaming, while the other would be good for power saving. I wanted an Alienware computer from the start. I’ve been a big fan of their brand since I built my current desktop (back in August of 2003?). I actually modeled mine after one of the ones they had, and it is pretty relatively good even now, two and a half years later.
[Betta Fish]
Brian and Stewie have both died. Brian freaked out and we think he may have had some sort of heart attack, and Stewie got pretty depressed and simply didn’t want to swim anymore. Stewie had been playing dead for weeks before he died (he’d sleep slightly on his side at the surface of the water, and when I’d tap the bowl he’d wake up… but he looked dead). I do have one fish left, Chris. I bought Chris at Walmart because he had the longest fins I’d seen on a betta that was for sale. He seems pretty young so he’s active and funny.
[Car]
My Mitsubishi Eclipse seems to be running perfectly after the folks at Weber Automotive fixed it. It’s been a long time since they fixed it, and the problem hasn’t even come close to returning. I would highly recommend them to anyone. If you have car problems that no one else seems to understand, visit them. 890 S. Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling, IL 60090. Phone: (847) 520-3740.
[Job]
I’m still working at All Tile. Not too much has changed about this. I went to Las Vegas again for the Surfaces 2006 trade show, and we again had a “Sell-A-Bration.” It went pretty well, but it was a lot of work (again). No, I didn’t win any money, but I only lost something like five bucks. I went out to dinner with one of the salesmen I’m friends with and one of his clients. We all shared 13 pound lobster, on top of our incredibly expensive and filling meals. Considering it was the second time I’d ever had lobster (the first being an Outback lobster tail that really sucked), I really liked it. If it wasn’t over $700 for 6 people, I’d think about going there on my own. 
Feeling: Glad it’s Friday
Listening to: I know it’s corny, but the Wicked soundtrack is a lot of fun to sing along to.
