Jess

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:40:03 GMT

My story - Finish the sentence...

Hi, my name is: Jessica, but for the most part I go by Jess

Never in my life have I been to: All sorts of interesting places

I hate it when: People have no common sense

If you're going to talk smack about me: Do it to my face

The one person who can drive me nuts is: There are a few special individuals

When I'm nervous: I fidget and probably talk too much

The last song I listened to was: I don't remember specifically, something on the classic rock station this morning

My hair is: Dark blonde and short

When I was 5: I wore a Mickey Mouse backpack to school

Last Halloween: Was just another day

I should be: More productive in general

When I look down: I notice how much weight I've lost

The happiest recent event was: Any time spent with good friends

My current annoyance is: Moving

I have a hard time understanding: The ridiculous and oftentimes stupid choices people make

The thing I want to buy is: A house

If you visited the place I'm from: I'm surprised

Most recent thing I've bought myself: Storage containers. Hooray grown up purchases!

Most recent thing someone else bought me was: Dinner

My middle name is: Lorraine

In the morning: I need a little more time

Last night I was: Happy/tired/vaguely annoyed

If I was an animal I'd be: Maybe a frog.

Tomorrow I am: Moving more of my stuff over to Bob's

Tonight I am: Ready to be off work, hungry

No more braces!

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:27:20 GMT

It's been almost 16 months, but finally I am free of braces! I'm really pleased with how my teeth look, it almost doesn't feel like they're actually mine. When I get home from work tonight I'll have Bob take some pictures and I'll post them. I also have the pictures from my first visit to the orthodontist as well as the first molds they took of my teeth, which they gave to me this morning (kind of weird, but also kind of cool).

Almost there

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:56:18 GMT

I got my permanent retainers bonded today. They feel a little strange, but I'm sure I'll get used to them. There are some minor adjustments to the top one that I'm going to ask about when I go in next week. The top one is bonded on all six front teeth, and is feels pretty unintrusive except for one spot, which I'll ask about next week. The bottom one is bonded only on the two outer teeth (canines) and spans the front six. It sticks out a little more but it's also a heavier wire than the top.

They finally removed the cement stops I had on my bottom molars, and it feels weird now that they're gone. They also smoothed out the edges of my top and bottom front six since I had little ridges on them from my bite never forming properly. I can't wait to see what my teeth look like when I'm all done. I only have my brackets left on, no wires, no powerchains, no elastics. I do have to wear elastics at night for the next week, but then on Wednesday I'm getting the brackets removed :) Getting pretty excited.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:55:43 GMT

I realized I haven't updated in a while, just been reading about other people's lives, so I figured it's time to catch up a little.

I guess the biggest things that have happened recently are as follows:

I am scheduled to get my permanent retainers placed on June 24th and scheduled to have my braces removed on July 1st (that'll make 16 months with braces, holy crap). I say "scheduled" because I've had appointments set twice before to have the retainers done/braces removed and both times it was pushed back. I think this time is really it though and I'm getting pretty excited about it. My teeth are looking great and I'm just so over having braces. I'm really interested to see what my teeth look like once the braces come off because there has been quite a big change. I'm going to see if I can get copies of the pictures and x-rays that my orthodontist took at my first visit since I neglected to record my progress. Publix sub, here I come.

Bob and I decided to start doing Weight Watchers together. We had both been pretty lax about our eating/exercising habits and were ready for a change. We started June 1st and today was our second weigh in. I didn't lose any the first week, but today I was down 4 lbs, which I'm pleased with. Bob, on the other hand, was down 12 lbs today! It makes sense that he would lose a lot to begin with, he's made a huge change to his eating habits and has been going to the gym every day. He's really sticking with it and I'm super proud of him.

My lease is over the end of July, and I'm going to be moving into Bob's apartment for a couple of weeks until our apartment is ready. We should be moving in sometime in the middle/third week of August hopefully. We're staying in the same complex (Reflections for any of you who are familiar with Gainesville) but moving to a 2/2 since it's just us. We got the apartment we wanted, 3rd floor, facing the interior of the complex (trees, pool vs. parking lot) and a screened-in balcony. I'm pretty excited to move into the new place and FINALLY be living with Bob. We've been dating a little over 14 months and the driving back and forth got old a long time ago. We already cook/clean/stay together every day/night and the only thing missing is that all of our stuff is in two places. We have a phone plan and bank accounts together, so there's not really much transitioning to be done. Oh, I also got the go-ahead from my boss to switch my schedule from 8-5 to 9-6 (since Bob works 10-7) so that our schedules can match up better. This will make things a lot easier in general and we could go to the gym together in the morning.

I think I may have finally found a bra that actually works for me. I know this doesn't sound like big life news but it's a pretty big deal for me. I have a really hard time finding bras in my size (38DD) that aren't meant for gravity-defying 'enhanced' boobs. I don't really care for tons of coverage, since I do show a bit of skin, but I don't like the cut-to-there bras because I tend to spill out of them, which is means I'm constantly adjusting myself and there's really no subtle way to do that. Once I lose a bit of weight I'm considering possibly going for breast reduction surgery, mainly because I pretty much constantly have back/neck/shoulder pain and I feel like my breasts are too big in proportion to the rest of me in general. I don't worry about how I look to other people, but when I see myself in pictures I'm pretty much always shocked at how big my chest looks. Gravity also hasn't been too friendly to them after I gained and then lost 40 lbs. For a long time I was very closed to the idea of surgery, but at this point, I don't want to have to deal with pain the rest of my life and be unhappy with my appearance.

Cakes

Sat, 23 May 2009 02:38:46 GMT

Here are the three cakes I've made in the past year:

This one was for my grandmother's 90th birthday in August.

My dad's retirement party in April 2009

Friend's birthday May 2009 (I just finished this one today)

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:52:22 GMT

A few things:

Bob and I decided not to move up to D.C. The big reasons for this are 1) the money he'd be making and the money (assumed) that I'd be making would not be enough to live up there, especially with Bob's school loans coming due this year. 2) The job itself was nothing that Bob wanted to spend a year doing. So we're going to be staying in Gainesville for now. Bob is applying for a few other jobs, one of which is in Florida, so there's a chance we could move, but I tend to think we'll be here for another year at least.

Today's my birthday. This is the first birthday that's made me feel... weird. I won't say it makes me feel old because I'm not, but I'm kind of freaked out by the idea that I'll be 25 next year. It also doesn't help that Bob turned 27 this month.

I'm getting excited at the idea that I might have my braces off this month. I think I'm going to have a dinner party and serve all the foods that have been difficult for me to eat this past year.

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:49:16 GMT

Bob finished his last exam for his MBA! Graduation tomorrow, drinking and shenanigans tonight! So proud of my baby!

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:12:46 GMT

There's really no better diet than having adjustments made to your braces which severely impact the ability to eat normally. I'm still getting everything I need, but it takes a lot longer, I eat a lot less, and I can't just shove food into my face all day. So in a way it's nice, but for the most part it's just a pain in the ass.

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:03:04 GMT

I went to the orthodontist yesterday. I get to wear (ridiculously uncomfortable) elastics for the next three weeks to shift my midline, and then when I go back they're going to put a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth. Hopefully at the appointment I'll find out when I'll get the top braces off too. Getting closer.

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:27:35 GMT

Since I don't really have a way to do it at work, I used my iPhone to post a picture of the guitar cake I made for my dad's retirement party on Facebook.

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:19:11 GMT

So we won't know until mid-April where we'll be living or when we'll be going. This is really pissing me off.

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:22:43 GMT

Tomorrow is the first day of my last full month in Gainesville. I think it still won't feel completely real until we know 100% where we're going to be living.

I'm not looking forward to all the stuff we'll have to do, and it doesn't help that Bob's kind of freaking out about the whole situation. It's completely understandable, I just wish I could do more to help him calm down about it. I know he's most worried about me finding a job. He knows I'll do everything I can to find something quickly, but until I have a job I know he'll be stressing about it.

I really wish I had more to talk about than just moving. I'm sure it's pretty boring to all two of you who probably read this.

This weekend we're having a small retirement party for my dad in Jacksonville. I want to make him a cake shaped like a guitar, but I'm worried I won't have enough time to make it come out how I want. I'll certainly give it my best try though. I've wanted to make him a guitar cake for a while, but since his birthday is May 10th I really don't think I'll have the time/my baking stuff will be packed, so this is probably my best chance to do it.

I've started reading a fantasy trilogy recommended by Bob's friend Hutch. I wish I had more time to read, but I know if I don't make the effort I'll just get out of the habit again entirely.

I'm really looking forward to Bob and I (hopefully) being on the same work schedule once we move. Between me working 8-5 and a second job and him working 10-7 it's pretty frustrating. We make it work and I know it'll only be for like a month longer, but it'll be really nice to be on the same schedule. Not to mention being in the same apartment. Can't wait for that!

Since I have very little time to go to the gym anymore, I really need to get back in the habit of walking more. As it is I walk on my breaks at work (2 miles a day), but I've been lazy and I need to get back to walking in the evenings as much as I can.

So ready to be done with this second job. So ready.

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:54:38 GMT

I think I'm losing the ability to drink milk. I can eat ice cream and cheese alright, but Monday and Tuesday I drank milk (I drink it very infrequently anymore) and both days my digestive system was way out of sorts. I used to drink milk all the time, but in the past few years I've been drinking it less and less. I don't really mind, as long as I can still have my ice cream and cheese, since I've gotten used to drinking soy milk most of the time anyway.

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:33:12 GMT

I have nothing interesting to post about, but I feel the need to do something that isn't work, so here's another survey about Bob.

1 . Sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
If we're both there it's most likely Family Guy or House, if it's just him probably Entourage or BSG since I'm not up to date on either of those.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does s/he get on her/his salad?
That's funny. Bob only eats salads if they come with his meal (then it would be caesar) or if he's eating at someone's house (ranch).

3. What's one food he doesn't like?
Onions, mayonnaise (I still can't understand this and probably never will). One thing that's weird to me is he likes chickpeas, and he likes tahini, but he doesn't like chickpeas + tahini.

4. You go out to the bar. What does s/he order?
Beer

5. Where did s/he go to high school?
Santa Fe High School

6. What size shoe does s/he wear?
10 or 11

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Bob kind of "collects" in that he buys lots of things. There's not necessarily a trend to what those things are though.

8. What is her/his favorite type of sandwich?
Anything with meat on it. Or this weird peanut butter/jelly tortilla concoction he loves.

9. What would this person eat every day if s/he could?
Meat

10. What is her/his favourite cereal?
I've never seen him eat cereal, but apparently he likes Frosted Flakes.

11. What would s/he never wear?
If we're talking absolutely never, probably women's clothing. If we're talking in general what he doesn't like to wear, long sleeves.

12. What is her/his favourite sports team?
Gators

13. Who will s/he vote for?
He voted for Obama

14. Who is her/his best friend?
He's got a few. Matt, Hutch, Brett, me.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
Oh I'm sure there are tons of little things, but nothing really major.

16. How many states has s/he lived in?
Just Florida

17. What is her/his heritage?
I think maybe German on his mom's side, but his dad's side is uncertain because he doesn't know who his biological grandfather is.

18. You bake her/him a cake for her/his birthday; what kind of cake?
It would probably be a peach cobbler. Or brownies with ice cream.

19. Did s/he play sports in high school?
He worked for the soccer team but didn't play on it.

20. What could s/he spend hours doing?
Watching TV, playing video games, taking pictures, messing around with the computer, playing golf

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:39:55 GMT

Since I never really post much about Bob or our relationship:

1. Who eats more? It depends on what it is. When it comes to meals, he eats bigger meals. When it comes to desserts, I can put him to shame.

2. Who said "I love you" first? He did, but we were both awkwardly waiting for the right time for a few days.

3. How long have you been together? Our first date/meet-up was April 12, 2008.

4. Who sings better? Neither of us sing really. He'll sing along to a song in the car though, which is something I won't do if someone else is in the car.

5. Who's older? He's 3 years older.

6. Who's smarter? We're both smart (and dumb) in our own ways. Bob knows a lot more about technology and business-related things, I know more random stuff about languages and grammar and cooking.

7. Who's temper is worse? We both can have pretty bad tempers, but never really directed towards each other.

8. Who does the laundry? We both do.

9. Who does the dishes? We both do. It's pretty much an understood thing that whatever needs to get done gets done. We both don't mind cleaning and doing laundry.

10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does, mainly because that's the side that the fans blow on, and he's always hot.

11. Who snores? We both do.

12. Who's hair is longer? Mine, but it's not really a fair contest since he shaves his head.

13. Who's better with the computer? We're both very computer literate, but he knows a lot more about the inner workings than I do.

14. Do you have pets? I have two birds and two rabbits, he has a cat.

15. Was it love at first sight? No, but it was definitely mutual attraction.

16. Who cooks dinner? I do most of the time, but he makes really good pasta.

17. Who drives when you are together? We both do. It depends on who feels like driving.

18. Who pays when you go out to dinner? He does, but that's because he typically wants to go out more than I do, and he makes more money than me. We've been eating at home more, and we both buy food for cooking at home.

19. Who is the most stubborn? We both are pretty bad about that, but we do well not letting it become an issue.

20. Who is the first one to admit when they're wrong? Either of us will if we realize we're being ridiculous about something. We both are able to have a sense of humor about admitting fault, so it works out.

21. Who's parents do you see more? We see them all about the same amount. My parents live 2 hours away, so it's longer in between visits. His mom lives in Gainesville, but we only see her every few weeks. His dad lives half the year in Gainesville, half the year in Nevada, so whenever he's in Florida we see him every few weeks too.

22. Who named your pet? I named Jack, Oliver, and Bella since I got them before we met. I got Molly from a rescue shelter, so she was already named. He named Skippy because he got her when he was 12.

23. Who kissed whom first? He tried to kiss me on our second date, but I was clueless and gave him a hug instead. Our first kiss was the next date.

24. Who asked out whom? He asked me out for a beer, with no romantic intentions. I asked him out on a second date.

25. Who was more nervous? Neither of us were the first date, because it wasn't intended as a date at first. The second date I was just looking forward to seeing him again, I don't think I was very nervous.

26. Who's more sensitive? I guess it depends on what you're talking about. He's more sensitive when it comes to dealing with people. He's much more sympathetic and patient with people who are annoying (and children) than I am. But we're both pretty good about reading body language and knowing when someone is upset.

27. Who's taller? He is. 5'9" versus 5'3".

28. Who has more friends? He has a very large group of good friends from high school and from just living in this area for so long. I have a smaller group that has become larger since I met his friends.

29. Who has more siblings? He does. He has three half siblings that are like 20 years older than him. But we both grew up as only children.

30. Who wears the pants in the relationship? We both have an equal say in the relationship. Neither of us gets to override the other one when it comes to decision-making and neither of us is in charge of the other one.

31.Who's sexier? Well, I suspect we both would have our own opinions on this one.

32. Who sleeps naked? Neither of us, we both wear something to bed.

33. Who has been with more ex-lovers? He has.

34. Who has more money? He makes more money, and has more disposable income, but he also has a lot of school debt. I make less money, and have a reasonable amount of disposable income, but I have a lot less debt. He's very financially responsible though.

35. Who has more tattoos? I do. I have one and he has none.

36. Who eats more sweets? He eats more candy than I do, I eat more ice cream.

37. Who is closer to his/her family? We're both close to our families in different ways.

38. Who has the older car? I do, but both of our cars are in really good shape.

39. Who feeds the pets? We both do. If the animals need to be fed/taken care of, whoever is around does it. Sometimes we do it together.

40. Who cries more? Me. To date I don't think I've seen him cry. He lets out his emotions, he just doesn't really express them through crying like I do sometimes.

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:32:15 GMT

I saw my orthodontist this morning and told him that'll I'll be moving away from Gainesville the end of May. He said that I can possibly be done with the braces by then, and that my tooth is moving into place well, so fingers crossed. The wire he put on my top teeth is pretty hardcore, and my teeth are reacting accordingly, with pain. He said my bottom teeth are pretty much where they need to be, except for a few minor adjustments, so I now have a wire and a powerchain on them, which is new to me. The powerchain is exceptionally good at catching 95% of the solid food I put in my mouth.
Basically, my teeth feel very tight, but aren't painful unless I put pressure on the top front ones. But it's all worth it if I can get them off in a few short months. I also had a panoramic x-ray done since it's been a year since I first had one done. My teeth look all straight and orderly and he said that everything is where it should be.

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:04:32 GMT

These are 5 things that Melissa (I don't know how to link to lj usernames) wanted me to say more about. If you are interested, comment to this post. I'll come up with 5 things I want to know more about with you, and then you post it in your LJ. It's fun! Or it's...well, it passes some time at least!

1) Bob

Bob and I met on Facebook, of all places, because he was looking for agnostic/atheist girls to hook up with. I thought he was a frat boy the first month or two we were messaging back and forth, so I didn't even entertain the thought that we might date. Our first date was more of a meet-up, but I asked him on a second date, and from there it's been awesome. I'm not used to having a boyfriend that all my family and friends really like, or being in an emotionally healthy relationship. It's lovely.

2) Career
I don't have one, and I don't know what career I might actually want to have. In a few years I'd like to go back to school and I always find my self thinking of going into something along the lines of speech therapy, so who knows.

3) UF
I was raised to be a Gator, even though I'm the first in my family to go there, the first to graduate, and the first to have a Bachelor's degree. I always knew I would go to college, and even though I was never pushed to go to UF specifically, I know my mom was even more thrilled than I was that I got accepted.

4) Fernandina Beach
I'm glad that I grew up in Fernandina, mainly because it was great living so close to the ocean and living in an area that was safe enough that my cousins and I could play mostly unsupervised a lot of the time. It's also neat to me that my mom was born and raised on the island, we attended the same high school, and even had one teacher in common, even though there are 30 years between us. I know I could never move back there, it's too small and closed and stagnant, but I do have a lot of great memories from growing up there and it is a beautiful area of Florida.

5) Jack and Ollie
Jack and Ollie are as close as I'll ever get to having children (along with any other pets). I got Jack 4 years ago when he was a baby, never having had a bird before, but being won over by his personality and attitude. Ollie was an unexpected addition 2 years ago, but she and Jack are very different personalities, and they behave as though they belong to the same flock. They can be very challenging and annoying, but they are also incredibly intelligent and clever and it's fun to see what new sounds Ollie learns to imitate and what new shenanigans Jack gets into. The best description I've ever heard for a parrot is that they are like a 2 year-old with a can opener on it's face, which is disturbingly accurate.

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:31:07 GMT

Added some new pictures to my Flickr account of our visit to Fort Clinch and some miscellaneous tchatchkes from my room.

A few things

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:01:51 GMT

- Today for lunch at work I'm having this. For a while I've been leery of soup in a carton for some reason, but I finally caved and decided to try it, since it would be so easy to make at work. Aside from the fact that it looks absolutely vile when it slimes its way out of the carton, it's pretty tasty and now I'm interested to try the other flavors. Unfortunately it does contain huge amounts of sodium, but I eat very little salt otherwise, so I guess it all works out.

- I got my very own Flickr page since I'm now actually taking pictures. I've loaded a few pics so far. Right now I'm playing around with shutter speed, so there will be lots of random pictures of things in varying stages of blurriness, and also pictures of the birds, since they're always willing to get attention from the shiny flashing thing. Go see: http://flickr.com/photos/robotpenguin/

- March is almost here, and that means that shortly I can begin the 2 month countdown the the big move. I'm beginning to get a taste of what it will be like to have my budget and my savings caught up in a whirlwind of chaos. First up is my car, which recently decided "Hey! I'm going to need new break pads and sensors, oh and while you're at it, a 50,000 mile checkup would be nice too. K thanks." I don't mind so much because I do need to have it running well before I make a long distance trip, and my car has been good to me for 6 years, so I want to keep it that way. What I do mind is depleting my saving in one fell swoop. Oh well, I do know that I'll be able to build it all back up in the next few months, so that makes me feel a little better. I also am in the middle of trying to sort out my apartment lease, which ends in July but needs to end in May if I don't want to be paying for two apartments for June/July. I'm pretty confident that that will have a positive conclusion though.

- Going to Fernandina for the weekend.

- I see my orthodontist in 2 weeks and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that when I ask how much longer until my braces come off they tell me 2-3 more months.

Camera

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:15:15 GMT

So my photography odyssey can finally begin. I've been needing a new camera for a while now, but I haven't had the motivation to actually do the research and find one. Two things kicked my urge for a camera into high gear: 1) Bob got a fancy pants new camera and actually knows quite a lot about photography, and 2) I want to chronicle our move to D.C. and the hijinks we get into once we're there. At first I felt like I wanted to get a small, fits-in-a-pocket kind of camera, just for east of taking it everywhere, that and I was a bit scared off by the pricier cameras.

I settled on one and tried it out to see if it would meet all my needs, and I soon discovered that I really wanted to have a nicer camera, something that would allow me to experiment a bit and learn to really use a camera, since that's something I've always had the desire to do. I have some experience with film cameras, my dad has an old Minolta that has been in my custody for a few years, but I've never had my own nice digital camera. Sunday, we went to Best Buy to return the little camera, and then headed straight for the SLRs. Bob has a Nikon D90, which is lovely but way out of my price range, and has more features than I know what to do with right now.

I decided on the D60, since it's much more in my price range, is a good camera to start out with, and I didn't have to shell out even more money for a 35mm lens since Bob has one for his camera that will work with mine too. In a few months a less expensive version of the lens will be coming out and I'll by it then, but for now this arrangement will work out so I can learn to use it before I spend more money. I'm excited to play around with all the features and see what I can do, and I'm really happy to finally have a camera of my own. I already have some subjects, since the birds are very photogenic and love getting the attention. One of them actually starts grooming herself and preening whenever the AF light is on her.

So yea, I need to start playing around with it a lot. I read the manual last night, which was really helpful and easy to go through. A lot of the features and menus are pretty common sense to me, I just have to get used to all the adjustments I can mess with. I need to use the 35mm lens so I can get the hang of manipulating the aperture and shutter speed a lot more, since I'm a beginner when it comes to all that.

books

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:24:15 GMT

Done with Fahrenheit 451, starting on The Golden Compass.

Finally, a survey I haven't done before. Stolen from the other Jess.

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:32:57 GMT

What's the last thing you ate?
A granola bar

What's your favorite cheese?
That's a tough one, I love so many. I'd probably have to go with goat cheese or provolone as my top cheeses.

What's your favorite fish?
Salmon or tuna

What's your favorite fruit?
Bananas

When, if ever, did you start liking olives?
I've always loved olives, all kinds

When, if ever, did you start liking beer?
When I was 20

When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish?
Never. I can stand the shrimp they make at Kabuki, but that's it.

What was the best thing your parent/s used to make?
My mom makes amazing egg sandwiches. I can never make them exactly the same way she does.

What's the native specialty of your home town?
Shrimp. Go figure.

What's your comfort food?
Mac and cheese, spaghetti

What's your favorite type of chocolate?
I have a great fondness for M&Ms or brownies

How do you like your steak?
Medium rare to medium.

How do you like your burger?
Medium well with mayo, mustard, ketchup, pickles and sometimes cheese

How do you like your eggs?
Fried or as an omelet

How do you like your potatoes?
As french fries or with plenty of sour cream

How do you take your coffee?
With sugar and flavored creamer of some time. I prefer tea.

How do you take your tea?
A good amount of honey, and occasionally maybe milk if I feel like it.

What's your favorite mug?
I don't have one.

What's your cookie of choice?
Chocolate chip

What's your ideal breakfast?
Oh, I love breakfast food. When I was growing up we always had full breakfast on the weekends. I almost never eat a big breakfast anymore, but if it was up to me it would be everything, eggs, grits, bacon, corned beef hash, biscuits, french toast.

What's your ideal sandwich?
A Publix sub with honey wheat bread, mayo, spicy mustard, jalapeno havarti, Boar's Head turkey, lettuce, green peppers, black olives, pickles. I haven't been able to have one since I got my braces and it kills me.

What's your ideal pizza (topping and base)?
White pizza from Moon River.

What's your ideal pie (sweet or savory)?
Cherry pie

What's your ideal salad?
Satchel's salad, but with more toppings

What food do you always like to have in the fridge?
Veggies for the bunnies, eggs for me.

What food do you always like to have in the freezer?
Frozen veggies

What food do you always like to have in the cupboard?
Macaroni and cheese, pasta & sauce, canned beans

What spices can you not live without?
Garlic & onion powder, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, red pepper flakes, dried herbs

What sauces can you not live without?
Crystal hot sauce, does sour cream count as a sauce?

Where do you buy most of your food?
Publix

How often do you go food shopping?
At least once a week

What's the most you've spent on a single food item?
Once I bought a beef brisket that was like $60

What's the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own?
My stand mixer

What's the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen?
A sudoku knife with a pink handle. I'm always buying kitchen items, it's a serious addiction.

What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
A good sharp knife

How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients?
Depends on the week, but I used raw stuff pretty often

What's the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients?
I don't know

What's your favorite thing to make for yourself?
Quesadillas or pasta

What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig, chicken and turkey?
Lamb, turtle, frog, alligator

What's the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor?
Um, I don't know, I don't really do that too often

What's the last time you ate something you'd picked in the wild?
Something I personally picked? It's been a long time.

Place the following cuisines in order of preference (greatest to least):
1. Japanese
2. Chinese
3. Italian
4. Irish
5. French
6. American

Place the following boozes in order of preference (greatest to least):
1. Vodka
2. Rum
3. Bourbon
4. Scotch
5. Gin
5. Tequila
Gin and Tequila deserve the same spot here because they are both terrible.

Place the following flavors in order of preference (greatest to least):
1. Garlic
2. Ginger
3. Basil
4. Lime
5. Aniseed

Place the following fruits in order of preference (greatest to least):
1. Banana
2. Strawberry
3. Apple
4. Pineapple
5. Melon

Bread and spread:
Whole wheat and peanut butter

What's your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order?
I try to avoid fast food, the only one I can handle is Chik-Fil-A.

What are three of the best dining-out experiences you've had?
The Sovereign with my parents.
Any time I've been to the Melting Pot.
Miya Sushi with Bob on our second date.

Favorite cookbook/s?
I don't really use them, I just make stuff up or look things up online

Got any favorite food blogs?
Always Order Dessert is very cool

What's the next thing you'll eat?
Whatever I order at Napolitano's tonight.

books books books

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:41:48 GMT

I've finally gotten back into the habit of reading regularly. I don't know what happened that made me stop in the first place, but I'm happy to be reading again.

The catalyst for all this is a book club started by a friend of mine. I joined it with the promise from her that there would be no Nicholas Sparks books chosen. The first book we read was The Time Traveler's Wife, which is now one of my favorite all-time books. It takes a little getting used to, and some flipping back to figure out what's going on, but it's really engaging and a great story. I recommend it to anyone I can.

In between the first book and waiting for the next, I read The Other Boleyn Girl, another wonderful book. This one was almost 700 pages, which is a nice length in my opinion. My one problem with books is that I read them too quickly, so having one to read that's long enough to keep me entertained for more than a few hours and well-written enough that I want to read it again is always a win.

The second book that was chosen was The Time Keeper's Daughter. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous two, but it was decent. I had a free afternoon, and finished it in a few hours. Now I have to wait while everyone else reads it, but fortunately it's relatively short so it hopefully won't take too long.

In the meantime, I have a small but growing stack of books on my to-read list. Currently I'm reading Fahrenheit 451, which is turning out to be a quick and enjoyable read. Next, I'll probably do The Golden Compass, then maybe a book in the series that's in the same time frame as The Other Boleyn Girl.

There are 5 of us in the book club, and I'm pretty sure I'm last to choose. I've decided that I'm going to pick Watership Down for my book, since I've been wanting to read it for a while now.

Until then, I'm looking for suggestions from anyone for books to read. I like having a stack of books waiting to be picked up and read. It gives me something to look forward to, and frankly, I just like having lots of books around. I also enjoy borrowing books from people, the only problem being people who want their books kept in pristine condition (Mel and Dustin). Whenever I read a book the first thing I do is crack the spine open, and I don't use bookmarks.... and occasionally a rabbit (or bird) might decide to take a little nibble....

Thanks to Paloma

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:11:23 GMT

It seems like these are all I do anymore. I'm too lazy to form a real post, and I don't think many people even read my journal anymore, so why bother?

Meme about 2008

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Got braces, started dating someone who isn't a total douchebag.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions and will you make more for next year?
I don't make new years' resolution, so I don't think I'll make any this year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Just a girl I work with, no close friends, thankfully. I don't think I'm ready for that yet.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit?
I went to Chinatown in D.C., does that count?

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Teeth without braces on them

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
04/12/08, first date with Bob

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I don't think I did anything particularly special this year

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not having real goals? Not keeping up with old friends. <--- I'm going to steal these from Paloma.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No major injuries, unless you count my mouth being torn up by braces. No major illnesses, just a random cold that Bob brought back from Russia.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I bought a lot of good stuff this year, but my favorite thing so far is something I got as a gift, the PS3

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
No one I can think of really

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Most everyone.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, buying random things, a decent chunk has gone to paying for these damn braces

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Bob, going to D.C., the possibility of moving

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2008?
Probably the theme song to The (U.S.) Office, since I started watching that this year, and all the random songs from Little Big Planet, since I'm obsessed now.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? In some ways happier, in some ways the same
ii. thinner or fatter? Thinner
iii. richer or poorer? I make more money, but I don't really have more money.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Kept in touch with a few people, knitting/beading/anything crafty

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Stress out over stupid stuff

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
In Fernandina Christmas day and part of the day after, then Gainesville the rest of the time.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
I certainly did

22. What was your favorite TV program?
The Office as a new favorite, and House as a continuing favorite

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate is pretty strong, there are a few people who have annoyed me quite a bit over the last year though.

24. What was the best book you read?
The Time Traveler's Wife. Absolutely wonderful.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery of 2008?
I didn't discover anything brand new to me, just developed a new appreciation for some old artists, mainly Jackson Browne and oddly enough, Billy Joel. Also, Flogging Molly.

26. What did you want and get?
Someone I love very much, even though I wasn't looking for him.

27. What did you want and not get?
Getting my braces off

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Iron Man

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Went out with friends and my parents before my birthday to a Japanese steakhouse; went out with Bob on my birthday. I turned 23 but it seems so long ago now.

30. What was one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Again, no braces.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Jean and t-shirts? I'm lucky to have a job where I can come to work dressed exactly the same as when I'm not at work.

32. What kept you sane?
Bob, the dream of moving

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I can agree with Robert Downey Jr., and the more House I watch, the more I love Omar Epps.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
I tried to ignore politics for most of the year, and I was pretty successful, until the debates started, and then I just couldn't avoid the presidential race any longer.

35. Who did you miss?
Danny, but we're talking again; and Dustin.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Definitely Bob, but on a friend level, I'd have to say Mel, and maybe Hutch, a.k.a Mean Zach. Best new non-person, Skippy, my cuddle buddy.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
I don't think I learned any one lesson very well, though I have learned a lot.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you might find, you get what you need.

I feel kind of dirty quoting a Rolling Stones song, but it's been beaten into my head by House, and it does work pretty well.

I am always bored enough to do these

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:59:14 GMT

A is Age: 23
B is Beer of Choice: Yuengling or Red Stripe
C is career: don't have one yet
D is dog's name: no dog, only birds and rabbits
E is essential item you use every day: cell phone
F is favorite tv show: Scrubs, House, Family Guy
G is favorite game: Super Mario Bros 3
H is hometown: Fernandina Beach, FL
I is instrument you play: none
J is for favorite juice: orange
K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: no one currently
L is last place you ate at: besides lunch at my desk, Zaxby's last night
M is for marriage: most likely in the next year or two.
N is for middle name: Lorraine
O is for overnight hospital stay: when I was 2 and had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic.
P is people I was with today: Bob, people at work
Q is quote: "Hell hath no fury like the vast robot armies of a woman scorned."
R is biggest regret: losing touch with friends
S is sex: Female
T is for time woke up today: 6:30, then again at 6:50, then for good at 7:05.
U is underwear you have on right now: blue and white
V is for vegetable you like: Everything but mushrooms, asparagus and raw onions.
W is for worst habit: procrastinating
X is x-rays: teeth, knee, chest
Y is something yummy you ate today: Italian Rainbow Cookies, a delightful new discovery
Z is zodiac sign: Taurus