Day 35 of 365: Cancelled :(

I was supposed to be at this concert tonight. But apparently there was a death in the family of one band member so they cancelled their last five US tour dates. :( At least the ticket company emailed me AND called me to let me know. I was really looking forward to it, but maybe I can see them on the other side of the water next year.

Of course, tomorrow night I will be at the Maroon 5 concert!! I already found out it's okay to bring a camera! Yippee!!!!!!!!!! Stay tuned faithful blog viewers!

Day 34 of 365: Brannock device

Look what I got to play with! It's the thing they use to measure your feet for shoes. Who knew that it had a name?! There's actually a technique to using it correctly! :)

Day 33 of 365: FULL! (PHEW)

Yep, this is really what it looks like at the only gas station within about 10 miles of me to have gas! (Though we later got word that the Shell station nearby got gas while we waited...) When I got there, it wasn't as bad. SO glad I got there when I did to get a good place in line (second). There was actually no gas yet, but the word on the street was that it was coming.... It was supposed to have been delivered early that morning, but hadn't been. A tanker passed by and honked its horn and the Chevron worker thought it might be her tanker going to its other station first, but letting us know it was on the way. It still would be at least an hour or so.

Of course in these types of situations, you end up bonding with the others around you (which we did). I cleaned the outside and inside of my car (well, as best I could without water and a vacuum.) I was working on my trunk for about 30 minutes when the lady who worked at the station came out and said that there was in fact regular gasoline we could get. It was there the whole time, in fact! I waited nearly 1 1/2 hrs for nothing???? When I asked her why she didn't say that to begin with and she said "I wasn't allowed to." Huh???????? I have to doubt whether I will ever go to that station ever again now. Pretty scummy, in my opinion.

The guy in front of me had gone home (across the street) in the meantime and left his phone number to call him if the gas came. He seemed a bit peeved that I had already started pumping into my car before he got there, but oh well. He got to go home and I had to stay there! In the end, this was how much gas I got:



I announced how much it said and a guy near me said I couldn't leave it like that!!! He insisted that I should just dump a little more or something! LOL Unfortunately, Boyd had already jumped on the pump at this point, so it was too late....

Day 32 of 365: EMPTY!

Really not sure what I'm going to do if I can't find any gas by tomorrow. I found one place (off Jones Bridge at Kimball) but the line was about 100 cars long (no exaggeration) and I don't have enough to sit and wait that long. I probably should just go out super early morning tomorrow and try then. I'm so afraid that there won't be any gas and then I'll still run out! I wish the media would just start saying that there's plenty of gas now and people can stop panicking. *sigh*

Day 31 of 365: Beer

Just been that kind of WEEK!

Day 30 of 365: Ashley!

My good friend Ashley (known each other for many many years!!!) got together for dinner tonight. We had a great time, catching up and chatting! Pardon the grin on my part. Self portraits are definitely not my strong point!!

Day 29 of 365: Busted! (almost)

Yeah, so my tag is just *slightly* expired!! Got stopped by a cop (sitting a light next to me. He just was looking for something to do apparently!) He asked if I had a legal reason, and I told him "no, but perhaps a valid one!" I told him about being a teacher and working a second job (that I was coming home from just then!) He asked to see a school ID- which thank goodness I had it with me!!) and then said, well, if my license checked out, then we'd "talk".

A few minutes later, he came back to the car and said that his ex-wife was a middle school teacher so he knows what we get paid. He said normally he tows cars with expired tags this bad, not just give them a ticket! I got very lucky! He asked me when I planned on taking care of it and I said as soon as possible. He said if he saw me in 2 weeks still with the expired tags, he'd take the car! PHEW! I thanked him and shook his hand. LOL

Only regret- not taking a photo of the blue lights while he was behind me! Sorry for the blurry photo. I tried and tried to take a better photo but it wasn't working. No clue.....

Day 28 of 365: Kitties!

This is one of the stray cats living in the parking lot of my apartment building. There were actually a family of about 6 or 7 this time last year, but a neighbor took it upon herself to take care of them. She started by just feeding them, then slowly gaining their trust so she could approach them. She then slowly started taking some into her apartment and house/hand trained them. There are two left. I think she told me that they just didn't want to become hand friendly. They like to stay in this corner of the parking lot as if its their house! I sometimes speak to them if they are there when I get home. I've never been able to pet one, though.

Day 27 of 365: Can we say "panic"??

Yep. Out of gas! Well, not exactly, but they only had premium at $4.26/gallon. Yes, I know. That's nothing compared to what they pay in Europe, but to be honest, I won't be paying for any gas in Europe (at least not directly) since I won't even have a car!! This supposed shortage of gasoline has been mainly created by the sensationalist news coverage since the first day of Hurricane Ike last week saying that we are going to run out any minute!! Run for your lives! Well, get in your vehicles and queue up at the stations for ages to buy more gas than you need!!! Some areas of Atlanta are just fine, others are rationing (someone today told me that they are limiting purchases to $15 in Canton). I just got $15 (3.5 gallons!) worth since I had to get premium. I hope that lasts me through next week when prices (hopefully) fall a bit and we can get regular again. So annoying. Why do people believe everything they hear on tv???

Day 26 of 365: Pepper!!!!!!!!!!!!

My freaking pepper grinder broke. Right as I was using it over my salad for lunch. :( The tomatoes were for my veggie burger which I burnt because I was busy cleaning up the pepper corns! Grrr.

Day 25 of 365: Happy Birthday Dad! :)

We went to the wonderful Olive Garden for my dad's birthday dinner! It was delicious (had the portobella ravioli and tiramisu) and here's everyone after dinner fat and happy. Sorry for the blurry photo. The window was tricking the camera meter, but I couldn't keep taking photos there in the restaurant....

Day 24 of 365: My good buddy Gestetner

We are practically dating. I see him everyday (except weekends!) and I've seen him inside and out! I've touched him all over and comforted him when he wasn't feeling well and ate my papers. Sometimes, I've cursed him and hit him, but I always apologize. :)

Day 23 of 365: Tutoring!

Started a new tutoring job today. I'm so busy! It's good on one hand (reference above!) but I'm so sleepy. I need more time in the day!

Day 22 of 365: WATTs UP?

We have a program here at my school called "WATTS UP" which is just a sort of advisement program for the kids. Anyway, we got to do some team building activities today and they were doing the tangle web activity where they have to all join hands randomly in the circle and then untangle themselves! They had a good time! This is actually the second time they did it (at their own request!) :)

Day 21 of 365: Shoes shoes shoes!

Here's a view of some shoes at work! I told them about the Project 365 so they wouldn't think I was a total nutter taking photos at work! :) Here's a view of the women's shoes, including my favorite Mizunos!

Oh, and here's a co-worker that I just met today and was desperate to be in my blog today! His name is Tom.

Day 20 of 365: First day! :)

So here's the first day information packet I got tonight. It's chock full of fun rules like dress code (no running tights, especially the men! Thank GOD!) and tax forms to fill out. The first day went very well. Everyone is nice and it's pretty laid back. I am anxious to know stuff, though, so I don't feel so lost! I really felt awkward since I couldn't immediately help customers. Training is mainly done on the job, so it will be a few weeks till I get comfortable, I guess. Looks like I have some bedtime reading to do tonight, though, since I work again tomorrow night! I'm exhausted, but looking forward to my first paycheck in a few weeks! :D

Day 19: Gahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

What are those little black dots, you wonder?? They are dead ANTS!!!! I'm itchy/scratchy all over again just looking at it. *shudder* I went into the office yesterday in my apartment and sat down at the desk. I noticed one ant, then a second, then another... Then I looked up! There were hundreds of them crawling all up and down the window, wall, desk, blinds, corners of the room.... It's my worse nightmare. These beasts are the only real fear I have (beyond the normal stuff like getting killed or whatever!) The worst part is I have to be a big girl and go in there and clean them all. There are dead ants all over the stuff on my desk, the wall like this, etc. GROSS! I'm still sick so I'm especially irritable about this task. This is when I really wish I had a boy around to do the scary stuff. :(

They have been in every room of my apartment except MY bedroom and the dining room. I really really really hope this is the end of them! I can't imagine how bad it would have been had I not gone in there yesterday!

Day 18 of 365: Sick

These are my three friends for the past couple of days. I've got some kind of cold/allergy crap going on. Apparently friends all over the country (that I haven't even had face-to-face contact with lately!) have had this same thing. Just hoping it goes away by tomorrow so I can have one productive weekend day, and so I'm ready for my first day at the running store! *sniffle sniffle!!* *ahchoo!*

Day 17 of 365: Food!

Today was the first of the PTA sponsored luncheons for the teachers! Yippee! Obviously, it was italian food today. I love this sign. Someone took the time to look up how to say those things for us! :) I have to say, the PTA here at this school is so wonderful!! They really take care of the teachers, especially with food. We get these lunches about once every 2 months. It's such a treat. Sometimes they cater the main stuff, but they always get parent volunteers to bring in extras like side dishes, salads and homemade desserts! I got tiramisu (heavenly!) and 2 brownies made with marscapone cheese!!!

For those of us who aren't allowed to even leave the building for lunch, it's so nice to be able to have something totally different to change up the routine a bit. It's also nice to be appreciated! :)

Day 16 of 365: New job!

Well, I had my interview here at the running store this afternoon and was promptly offered the job! Super excited. Not only have I kind of wanted to work at a running store for a while now, this is how I will help finance the big move.... :) I took this from my car in the car park right after the interview. I tried to be discreet and I hope they didn't see me! That'd be embarrassing! I start next week! :)

Day 15: Look what I found!

I recently discovered my local supermarket now has a whole end cap with British products! I think I'm going to set a goal to try one each week. I've already decided I want to get some of the curry sauce. I can already taste it on some tofu or chickpeas over rice. Yummy! I want to get some of the cream in a jar, too. I was told it's for scones? Of course, the trouble is finding decent scones around here..... I also want some of the vinegar and make some proper chips! Something to pass the time, I suppose. Good thing I'm doing all that running to work off the calories, too!

Oh yeah, notice the funny sign in the top right corner! It instructs Americans how to properly read the British dating format. LOL

Day 14: My Mizuno Inspire 3s

So these are what I see first thing in the morning (we're talking 5:30-ish!) I like running before work but it leaves me knackered. Plus I can only get in 3.5 max if I leave by 6:15. I've been getting to work between 5-10 minutes late. I know, I know, leave 5-10 minutes earlier for the run, right?? Seems easy and logical enough, but it just never happens no matter how hard I try. And I am trying. Really. I am. And I'll try harder tomorrow again. I will. I promise.

It's quite dark in the morning, though. Most of my run is in complete darkness. I look forward to when it's cooler out and I can run after work. At least sometimes. Looks like I will have a new part time job after school now. Morning may be my only time to much of anything! Oh well.. pain's only temporary. Happiness is forever! ;)

ETA: I did get up about 10 mins earlier this morning! Yea me! But I was still a few minutes late to work. Oh well!

Day 13- When the Rain Comes!

"They run and hide their heads..." ;) [That's a Beatles' reference just in case you didn't recognize it!]

We've missed out on pretty much all of the hurricane rains. Today it actually is pouring. Since we are in a drought, this is great news! There's thunder and lightening and everything! Very cool. Felt great to be inside with warm mushroom risotto for dinner. I hope it stops raining in time for my early morning run tomorrow, however.

By the way, that's my old red car there in the shot. I really need to clean it out and sell it!!! [Hello, ticket to London in February!]

Day 12 of 365- Augelu

Here's my one and only last hamster (for now... waiting till I get over there to get a new one). Been many years since I've only had 1 hamster at once to take care off. Sadly, two died over the summer while I was in Italy. Augelu is missing one eye and going blind (cataract?) in the other. Poor little girl. I rescued her from the pet store when I went in to buy food for my other hamsters at the time. She was clearly being "bullied" by the others in the cage. I convinced them to give her to me for free since no one will buy a one-eyed hamster. I'm pretty sure the eye injuries came from the other hamsters there. However, she now seems pretty content running and messing with her food (methodically moving it to each corner!) and making a nice little nest for herself. She loves the old paper rolls and makes quick work of them for her nest!

Day 11 of 365- Hockey

Yes, I miss hockey. I miss it bad! I've been re-watching the Stanley Cup finals games on the NHL channel. It was nice to see Pittsburgh whoop Philly's butts again 6-0 in the round-clinching game! Even my boy Dupuis got a nice goal!! Just a few more weeks till I get to see live hockey again! It's been a loooooooong off-season! Whatever will I do next year???????? I'm going to enjoy every moment of this season for sure!

And sorry for the carp photo quality. It was the best I could do to take a photo of the television! It does weird effects to a camera!

Day 10 of 365- Visit from Mandy!

My sister came over for dinner tonight! :) I had a crap day at work and she came over so I could cook for us! Yeah, she's so sweet and supportive like that. (Especially the part about ME cooking for HER!) Hehe. It was nice to have a visitor however. We caught up on some fun chat, photos, and Men in Trees finale and me on Graham Norton show!!!! Fun fun! :)

Day 9 of 365- Morning Traffic

This is my normal morning traffic just trying to turn right out of my apartment. There is a Starbucks in the strip mall in front of the entrance so there is quite a backup of people coming and going to get their daily $5 fix. Notice all those stupid trucks and SUVs and other general gas-guzzlers. On the left, you can see the sidewalk where I start/end most of my runs. I walk to the corner there from my apartment (approximately 3-4 minute walk- just long enough for one song to play as a warm up on my ipod).

Day 8 of 365- More tea!

Yes, I said "no repeats" but I had to show off my fun new purchases from the weekend! I now have an easy peasy way to make tea (correctly!) in my classroom now. I've got the hot pot for water and the neato mosquito tea steeper. Pretty fun. The kids like to watch it empty out into the cup when you put it on top! I think this will definitely be coming with me next year.

Day 7 of 365- Butterfly bushes

As mentioned before, here is a photo of the butterfly bush (one of them at least) outside my classroom window. I have to admit I will miss this view! It's so beautiful! These are possibly my favorite bushes! :) They haven't been attracting many butterflies lately- just bumblebees. It's sad when they cut the bushes down in the winter. Not sure why they do that actually.

Day 6 of 365- Shrooms!

A couple of the mushrooms that have popped up along the sidewalk (pavement) I use to walk up to the street to start my morning runs. I think they look friendly.

*Sidenote: I was going to save the mushrooms for tomorrow, because the plan was to get a pedicure today, since it's Labor day and I have the day off! Wouldn't you know it, they took the day off, too!! Oh well.. later in the week or next weekend....