Adventures of Bean

Yes, I'm alive and well!

2008-10-26T14:19:00.009-04:00

September 15th I moved into my new apartment up in Ruston, WA. It's basically Tacoma, but it's a little town in the north west corner. I really love this area. I live a few blocks from the Zoo, Marina, Waterfront, Grocery Stores, bars, specialty sandwich shops, antique shops, etc. I love it. Not to mention, the view from my apartment is fantastic. I have a 180 of Mt. Rainier, the Puget Sound, Cascade Mountains, Vashon Island, Olympic Mountains, and on less cloudy days I can see the Sea-Tac airport, Des Moines, and Mt. Baker! Who wouldn't want to live here?! Here is the south west view from my home. That's the top 4000' or so of Mt. Rainier. The clouds over it are called Lenticulars.

And here is the sunrise view from my home:

The view on my way to work in the morning:

Last but not least, the morning view from my office:

I have totally been on a knitting hiatus. I found a nice knitting group here that meets at Starbucks just a couple miles away. The ladies are nice, but my schedule has been sort of exhausting and it has been hard to actually go to the meet-ups. I have Christmas knitting ideas, but patterns are stressing me out right now. I never learned to do cable (sad, right?), and dropping stitches on purpose scare me. Maybe I should just get my ass in gear. I haven't been to a single yarn shop since I moved here. I've been so good. I haven't even been to a craft store. (!!!!)

Back in July I got my nose pierced. I'm in love with it. I've been told before that "A nose ring just wouldn't look right on you. It's not you." Well, fuck you. I like it. :)

I've been reading quite a bit. Recently I bought Three Cups of Tea and You Suck.

Last night I saw a commercial (yes, I got TV for a couple months) encouraging people to support the SPCA. I'm not one to usually cry at the television, but the commercial tore my heart up. I can't find the commercial online anywhere to show you though. I'm thinking of adopting a cat sooner than later. I'm not sure how Jasper will like it since he's so darn spoiled.

All of my NY knitting gals went to Rhinebeck last weekend. I'm so sad I wasn't able to go. I just couldn't afford the flight and the time off without pay. Next year, I am DEFINITELY going. I'll be buying my flight in the spring to make sure I actually DO go.

Things are looking up here in WA. I miss my friends at home, of course, but I'm doing okay. Thank you for all of your support!

Coming to NY for this weekend.

2008-09-18T15:35:00.002-04:00

As some of you know, Grandpa Art passed away at the age of 82. His memorial service will be this Saturday, so I am coming back to NY for a few days.

I will be arriving in NY tomorrow 09.19.08 at 630pm and I am leaving at 7am Tuesday 09.23.08. I will have some free time here and there, so if you want to get together please let me know. Please note, I will not have a car while I am home.

For those of you who are free Sunday evening.... There will be a get together at Erin's house on Columbus Ave in Westcott!! The party will start around 6pm and only go until 10pm since most of you will have to work in the morning. I'm asking for everyone to bring something yummy to eat and BYOB. I'm hoping for a decent turn out since I won't be in NY again probably until Spring 09 or after. Please RSVP to me and let me know if you're thinking of stopping by. I will send Erin's address when you RSVP.

I love you all. I will see you soon.
xoxo

Back to Neurosurgery?

2008-07-08T16:47:00.002-04:00

I've been in WA 1 full month today! Yay!

Well.... I did it. I finally got a job! A little patience and a LOT of time, and I scored a good gig. I'll be working at South Sound Neurosurgery! I originally applied for one position and had 2 great interviews, but I wasn't qualified enough for it I guess. The manager called me today and offered me another position that they created for me. I'll basically be learning everyone else's positions so I can cover when needed, but still have my own stuff to do there. The pay is good. The benefits are great. I can bike to work (YAY!!!!!).

Now, all I have to do is get out of my house.... More updates on THAT situation soon!

Yesterday my buddy Tyson and I went for a drive out to the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie and Wenatachee National Forests. The day was AMAZING. When I upload photos, I will try to post a few here. I hadn't been out to the mountains since I moved here. For anyone out in this direction, I highly recommend roaming the mountains. It's SO beautiful! On the way home we stopped in Cle Elum for some authentic Mexican food, then we stopped at the Snoqualmie Falls for one last look at nature before returning to the big city. What a great day.

The weather here has been gorgeous. And, on that note, I'm off to Point Defiance for some sun and R+R!

The laziest blogger ever...

2008-07-04T14:12:00.002-04:00

So I'm not MIA. I'm still here. Here's a quick update.

June 5th I moved from NY to Tacoma Washington. 3000 miles in 2 days and 18 hours. EEEK. It was fun though. I'm not settled in yet, unfortunately. The house I moved into is being remodeled. It was supposed to be completed before I moved in, but that didn't happen. Then the landlord said the downstairs would be done the week I got there. That didn't happen either. Needless to say, I'm not very happy right now. I'm finishing my 4th week here and I'm still living out of boxes and sleeping on the couch. If things don't get better in the next few weeks I'm going to have to re-think the living situation out here. I'm still job hunting. The job market isn't that great right now, just like every other city. Hopefully I will know on Monday if I got a waitressing job. If not, I might go crazy. Seriously.

I miss my friends and family dearly, but I know that this move is what I needed to do. I needed to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. I've met some amazing people since I've moved here, and I'm sure that will only get better too. I did meet some weirdos, but I just don't talk to them anymore. I'm being completely picky out here, and I have a right to!

I should be back to normal blogging, or at least a try at it again, after Wednesday. I will be getting internet at home so hopefully I'll be back on track!!

Hope all is well with everyone.

All that is wrong with this world....

2008-04-01T00:18:00.002-04:00

.Begin Rant.

So I was on My Space just now, and this **lovely** advertisement pops up:

Seriously? What the hell is wrong with people? Yes. I am fat. I don't need a god damn advertisement and QUIZ to tell me this!

.End Rant.

Over it.

2008-03-17T02:43:00.001-04:00

So I caught the NY flu that has been going around. It was ungodly AWFUL!!! You spend 2 weeks feeling like death is moments away, then another 1-2 weeks trying to just feel better. I *still* have a bit of a sore throat, but I'm hoping to get over that.

I feel like sharing some awesome links I have found recently. Maybe I will do this on a lot of my upcoming posts. I love to share with you all what is going through this strange brain of mine!!

10 Strategies for Better Sleep

Treatment for Cat Hairballs. Or, if you have a cat like mine- wait 2 weeks until he starts aspirating into his lungs, even after going to the vet and spending $200. All of a sudden, he will be all better with no help from humans.... :: sigh ::

This woman had a 10 pound hairball removed... EEEK.

Free money is always a good thing.

Anyone want a "Vagina Couch"???!!!

Toilet Paper Holders for awesome people like me.

Individual Cup Cake Holders are a genius invention!

On a quest to finally blog like a normal person.

2008-02-27T09:46:00.001-05:00

Ugh I feel like poo! Erin, along with everyone else in CNY, gave me the flu. Thanks guys!!!!

So my birthday came and went (January 22nd). Erin, Lee, and I went to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo for some animal fun! It was quite cold and no one was there. I love going to the zoo when it's empty because no one is bumping into you because you're taking too long to look at the animals. I really love the zoo!

Lately I've been doing quite a bit of knitting. I finished a scarf for James for Christmas, and socks for Mom for Christmas.

I've also made a Calorimetry for myself, a scarf for myself, and now I'm working on a pair of socks out of some lovely Mountain Colors Bearfoot, colorwave: Thunderhead. Pictures are on their way! I'm really trying to work through my stash of yarn seeing as how I have several giant Rubbermaid totes FULL of it. I have a ton of roving, too, and I don't even spin!

So I have made the decision on moving to Seattle, Washington. Right now I'm looking at leaving mid-June. Hopefully by then I will have the funds to do this. I have a bit saved up, but it's not enough yet. The first week of April I am flying out there to have a couple of interviews, explore the neighborhoods, and look at some sublets that will be open. I hope this all works out.

On knitting and being alive and such....

2007-10-19T17:18:00.000-04:00

I AM ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RHINEBECK IS TOMORROW!!!! Is anyone else going???

I've signed up for Ravelry. I am #33256 on the list.... only 1898 people ahead of me before I am accepted to the site. How awesome is this?

So yeah. I am making a point to never "back blog" again. I think that is where my anxiety with blogging is happening. I get so far behind, then I don't want to catch up because there would be so much to do. As a quickie, here is a list of stuff I have done since my last blog:

June 22-24 Went to visit Erin in Toronto. We went to the Toronto Zoo, Romni Wools, Lettuce Knit, and had some sushi.

June 28 - July 3 Liz and John came up from Hollywood Florida for a little week long visit. We went to the Dinosaur BBQ for dinner one night with her mom and Bill.

We also went to Ichiban for sushi!!

John and Liz:

July 4 We had a little shindig at Mark's house. I made awesome sandwiches. They were definitely not for vegetarians.

July 7 Renaissance Festival in Sterling, NY.

July 20-22 Back to Toronto to see Erin again. Brought her mom up this time. Got to play with the Rhinos too.

July 27-29 Camping at Cayuga Lake State Park in Seneca Falls, NY, with Erin, Lisa, and Mark.

August 3-5 Erin and I went to the Belleayre Music Festival in the Catskill Mountains of NY. We stayed at Woodland Valley State Park. Artists featured at the show are some of the Hotel Cafe Artists. Some of the ones that we saw include: Ingrid Michaelson, Priscilla Ahn, Cary Brothers, Rocco Deluca & The Burden, Rachael Yamagata, Meiko, Jay Nash, Buddy, Kate Havnevik, Tom Mcrae, Jim Bianco, and Greg Laswell. I think I got them all. If not, my apologies.

It was a pretty awesome trip with Erin.

August 20-22 I went to Jennings, Louisiana to visit with my friend Scott. We mostly just relaxed. I also got to hold a baby gator!

September 14 I had a party. Whoot! Whoot! This is a picture of Lisa, Chris, Dave and me.

September 28-30 I camped at Wellesley Island State Park with Mark and Lisa.

That brings me up to October at least. I haven't uploaded anything from October to Flickr yet. For more pictures, just check out my Flickr site. :)

On an off note... today is my brother Ben's birthday. He is 28. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!!! (He doesn't read my blog though.)

Off to Wegmans. I really feel bad for those of you who don't know what Wegmans is.

Enos Wedding

2007-06-17T14:23:00.000-04:00

Yesterday John and Becky got married. Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Enos.
The wedding party.

Mr. and Mrs. Enos.

Jon and the Boys.

Me and Tara.

Mark and Lisa <3

Boots 'n Shorts!

2007-06-16T20:10:00.000-04:00

Megan's boyfriend Mike, has a Bluegrass band called Boots 'n Shorts. THEY ARE TOTALLY AWESOME! I highly recommend you go check them out. Here are some pictures from Mike's 30th Birthday Bash at Walter's Cafe in Fayetteville, NY.

Mike and Megan! (Happy 30th Mike!)

Megan and Lisa.

Resident Graduation Dinner

2007-06-12T14:06:00.000-04:00

Last night was the Resident Graduation Dinner for work. This year there was only 1 resident, so it was a fairly short dinner, with shorter speeches. Yay.
James was my date.

Stan and Debbie were there. I am Debbie's Assistant at work.

Katie looked lovely! She is a float at work.

This is Dr.Charles Hodge and his wife Cathy Chu (NP). I work for Dr.Hodge.

Dr.Hodge and Debbie.

Katie, Dr.Ross Moquin, Debbie, and Me. Debbie really isn't that tall. She wore gigantic heels- don't let her fool you!

My girls :) Debbie, Karen, Josephine, and Me. These are the girls I'm with every day. We work so well together, it's great!

Memorial Day weekend at Limekiln Lake

2007-05-29T23:50:00.000-04:00

May 25th - 28th, a bunch of us went camping up at Limekiln Lake in the Adirondacks.
(Me, Jim, Stan, Krista, Amanda, Bryan, Mark, Mike, Deshanna, Jon, and Becky) We really had a great time!
This is my little campsite, with my new Coleman 3 person Tent. It's FANTASTIC.

Amanda insisted on swimming in the FREEZING water.

I took some portraits of Stan and Krista at the Lake.

We are BEAUTIFUL.

Limekiln Lake is even more beautiful though.

Mark brought his canoe and took people out for rides.

We drove down to Old Forge to rent some Pedal Boats.

Stan made some good fires.

On the way home I stopped in Inlet to take a picture of the memorial where my "Aunt Jo" has a spot.

She worked right near this pier for years and years. She passed away a few years back.

Around Town

2007-05-12T01:27:00.000-04:00

Mike, Heather (his beautiful wife), Fathi, and I decided to walk around Syracuse on April 29th and do a little photoshoot for school. I have yet to upload my black and whites that I took for the assignment, but I did take a bunch of color digitals. Here are just a couple pictures of the area.
This is outside the Landmark Theater.

The Dinosaur Barbque

A beautiful tree in Clinton Square.

This is what I look like on a photoshoot. 2 cameras in hand.

Playing catch-up

2007-05-09T18:13:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I have bothered to write in this blog. I've been up to no good as usual ::evil laugh:: No, really..... I have been so busy this last month it isn't even funny! Not to mention, I was living without internet from home ::GASP!::

1. Everything with Kevin is over and has been for quite some time. I don't want to talk bad about anyone, but let's just say this... Some people seriously need to grow up. Surprise Surprise. I'm really glad I didn't waste too much of my life before I figured THAT out. I don't want the "oh, I'm sorry" comments. Really. I am QUITE fine :)

2. My job is FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. I really love the girls that I work with. I feel like I fit in for once. You all know me... I don't generally get along with girls too well.

3. I got my finances all under control. I am now going through a debt management company to assist me in lowering my payments, etc. A couple years and I will be DEBT FREE!

4. Erin is graduating from JCC soon! I am so proud of my girl! She will spend 2 months this summer at the Toronto Zoo.

5. In the next couple of weeks Erin is moving in with me. Eventhough she will be in Toronto, when she comes "home", "home" will be my apartment. When she is done up there, then she will be here all the time until she finds a job or decides where to go from there. I can't wait to have Erin around a lot more!

6. I went Ovo-Lacto-Vegetarian a few weeks ago. So far I am loving it! I do miss my Filet Mignon, but I feel like I'm doing my part for the animal population. Not to mention, I am doing a lot for my own body. I haven't lost weight yet, but that will come soon.

7. My gym membership begins Monday. I will be going to the gym right next door from my office at University Hospital. YEY. I also joined a pilates class that meets Tuesday nights in May. This would be right at work as well. How freaking convenient is that?!

8. I can't wait to go rock climbing!!! I just bought my first pair of climbing shoes and I am psyched. Who wants to go ?!!? Rock climbing at the Jewish Community Center in Syracuse is on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Thursday may just be my night.

9. I feel some of my friendships growing stronger. I have become close with a couple people these past few months, and now I can't even imagine my life without them in it! (yea, that's you SHREK!)

10. This semester is over. PHEW. Next week I have 1 final and that's it. It will be sad not to be with my fellow photo students.... I will be getting a Community Dark Room membership instead. Either that, or Jim, Mike, and I will be creating a dark room in Jim's spare bedroom. YAY. I am not sure what I am doing with school anymnore. I need to find a direction and just go with it. Problem is, I want to be happy- school for the past couple of years has been bogging me down mentally. They're lucky I never went postal.

To see some of the stuff I've been working on, check out My Flickr! Photo page, or Jill Rachel Photography on Myspace.

Portraits

2007-05-03T23:20:00.000-04:00

So I've been working hard at my photography class this semester. I just wanted to share some portraits with you folks... These are just some digital ones- the ones for class are all black and white and I will have to scan them in one of these days.

If any of you would like portraits done by me, please contact me at jillrachel@gmail.com and I will let you know the prices, depending on what you are looking for. I'm really trying to get this business started!

Enjoy :)

Models: Heather and Mike

Model: Shayne

Models: Stan and Krista

Model: Walter

Vegetarianism???

2007-04-19T13:50:00.000-04:00

So I've been doing a lot of thinking... Should I go vegetarian? I am a hardcore meat lover, but lately I just feel bad for eating the foods that I do. I think on occasion I will still eat some seafood when I go out for sushi or to my mothers house, but this will definitely be a rare thing. I must say goodbye to meat.....

I've been reading up on sites such as Vegetarian Dining, Happy Cow, Scott Young, and the Vegetarian Society. I really want to become a healthier, happier person, and maybe this will help me? I think I am going to do a 1 month trial starting NOW to see if I like the lifestyle change. It definitely helps that a bunch of my friends are vegetarian or vegan- I know there will be good moral support!

Any suggestions on sites to go to or recipes to make?? Please help!

Happy Bloggerversary!

2007-04-03T14:01:00.000-04:00

Today marks my 2 year blogging anniversary. Yay me. I really need to get on here and blog more. I'd like to blog at least once a week, if not more. Maybe this will be the start of it!

Happy Spring People!

Jobs and Finances

2007-03-28T17:57:00.000-04:00

I still haven't started working yet. Surprised? I'm not.

Upstate called today and apparently the HR department has many stupid rules. Once a job is posted, no one can "officially" be offered the position until it has been posted for 10 days. Thankfully, this includes weekends. The Administrator said that on Monday, she will call me and *possibly* offer me the position. She laughed.... At least she knows how lame this rule is! We discussed salary, benefits, and our next step after *hypothetically* getting this job. The next hospital class is on April 5- If all goes well I will be starting that morning.

I would like to find a serving job that is 2-3 nights a week for a while. Just something for extra cash. I will probably end up at the Outback Steakhouse on Rt.31 in Liverpool, The Bluewater Grill on Rt.48 in Baldwinsville (why does it not have a website???), or some local joint. Now that I know more about the hospital job, a serving job will be easier to get.

I am really frustrated with finances lately. Without working, I have completely depleted my checking, savings, and credit cards. Go me. I applied for a Bank of America debt consolidation loan, but I was denied. Excuse me.... but how can they deny a consolidation loan when you NEED to consolidate? That makes NO sense to me, especially since BOA is a company that I owe money to. I think I found a way to borrow some money for a while so I can pay off my debt and not accrue intrest. We shall see.....

For those of you who would like to donate to the JILL IS POOR FUND, please email me at jillrachel@gmail.com I take paypal and money orders and of course, CASH!!! I'm *almost* kidding about this....

Stuff, and things, and well, you know how it goes.

2007-03-22T13:09:00.000-04:00

After 1 month of interviewing at Upstate, I finally got a job! Well, pending my references.... It's not the job I applied for, but they basically created a position because they wanted me in their office. I will be working with Dr.Hodge and Dr.Hall (the new Chairman) at Upstate Neurosurgical Associates. Basically, me Debbie (the administrative assistant) will be in charge of these 2 doctors. I am her assistant. We will be doing all of the administrative and clinical work for Dr.Hall, and all of the clinical work for Dr.Hodge. This probably sounds like a bunch of jarble to some of you, so I apologize. This job will bring me out of the night shift, and on to the 830-430 shift (approximately). I will have time for night classes and a 2nd job if I choose to get one. To celebrate me getting this job offer, Kevin took me out to dinner Ichiban's and we brought Mark along. I ordered the Crystal Bubble (sushi) and the steak/scallop hibatchi, Mark ordered Tempura Vegetables, and Kevin ordered this Sushi dinner- all raw fish (eek!) The sushi chef, Chris, also gave us a ton of free sushi samples. Of course, hot Sake was a must as well.

So the weight loss.... I've lost 5.2lbs in 10 days. Yey. Let's just hope I can keep it up! Having a job where I'm way more active will help me a lot. Lisa wants to meet at the park a couple nights a week to go running/rollerblading after work. As soon as the money starts rolling in I will be getting a bike and a gym membership too.

Next week will be the start of uber-busy Jill!

Classes are going well.... My photography class is wonderful- I love shotting rolls of B+W film then having the satisfaction of developing and printing myself. When I have a house I AM getting a dark room!!! I don't care the cost. Math class is okay... I'm a math nerd, but I'm finding myself very frustrated these days. I just can't get with the program! It's like, if I don't get enough sleep or enough nutrients, I can't concentrate on my math. There have been many occasions that I have left my computer, taken a nap, and returned to do the math about 4 hours later. I just keep telling myself- less than 2 months left.....

Noah has been working hard on his first musical, ANNIE JR.! I've been going up to the school to help him and the other boys with their makeup and costume changes. I really miss doing theatre- maybe I will do some this summer.
This is how mom does his makeup.

This is how I do his makeup.

Here are some pictures of the dress rehersal:

Take a bow!

Tonight is opening night- there are other performances saturday night and sunday afternoon. I'm so excited for him! He plays Mister Bundles, a servant, a NYC man, and the sound effects man. He does such a great job!!

On the knitting note.... I'm almost done with the birthday scarf, and I'm almost done with 1 of my socks out of the AWESOME yarn I got at Rhinebeck. No current pictures, because you can't really tell when only a few inches have been knit. I will post pictures when they are completed.

I think that's all for now.... Syracuse people- enjoy this burst of good weather!!

St. Patty's Day

2007-03-19T21:18:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, Syracuse held it's annual St. Patrick's Day parade downtown. Kevin (boyfriend) and I decided to go and bring our friend Mark. I had never been to one of our parades before, and I think this may be the last- well, unless the weather is better. I SWEAR it was only about 20 degrees outside and it was snowing and windy too. NOT my idea of a good time!!! I didn't do the normal drinking thing because I was the driver. Only thing to go in my belly was some hot chocolate from Dunkin' Donuts.

Here are some pictures from the day:

This is just an awesome car.

McGruff!! Wasn't he around when I was a baby???

This truck got the biggest applause out of the whole parade. Hmmm wonder why? GREEN BEER AT COLEMAN'S!!!

This guy? ADORABLE.

Me and Mark, freezing our asses off. Kevin refuses to get his picture taken. THE BUM.

What's a day on the town without my weird picture of me and an animal statue???

I just wish Erin could've come down for this. Unfortunately, she has a job :)

Oh, BEAUTIFUL day!

2007-03-13T23:56:00.000-04:00

Holy crap! Syracuse had a day of good weather!! Today was actually tolerable- temperatures in the mid 50's if not higher. I failed to look at the actual temperature. So, I decided to relax on my balcony for a bit and soak in the sun. Yep, that's right.... SUN! Blue skies, and sunlight. I love when the weather starts to get better. I feel more motivated, I feel happier, and overall just wonderful. Spring cleaning tends to kick in too, but not for another couple of weeks. Let's hope for a great spring. Here are some sunny pics!

Two posts in one day. What's wrong with me? =-D

Let the games begin!

2007-03-13T18:53:00.000-04:00

I started dating Kevin back in the fall of 1998. I was SKINNY! Yes, I was sick because of just coming home from being in China for a while, but I looked gooooood. I think I was somewhere around 140 or so. Not too shabby for a gal who is almost 5'8". Well, almost 5'8" on a good day :) We broke up in Spring of 1999. I went on to touring Europe for the summer of 2000 while having my home base be in Limanova Poland. December 2000 - January 2001 I was in China for the second time. March of 2001 I fell and injured my back. The weight just kept on piling on. March 2002 I finally had back surgery after gaining somewhere around 30 lbs because of immobility issues. I was on bed rest for 8 weeks and was also hospitalized a 2nd time for paralysis. I gained more weight during this time. Summer of 2004 I began to have some other medical problems that had me gain more weight because of my doctor messing around with my birth control pills. Then, my depression began to get worse. March 9, 2006 James and I broke up. My diet started that day. As my regular readers know, I lost a bit of weight. So, over the course of the past year with my dieting and not, I've only lost a total of like, 15lbs. NOT ENOUGH.

It's true that you should be in a relationship with the person who makes you be the best YOU possible. Someone who makes you happy inside and out. Someone who you are IN LOVE with. Kevin and I got back together a few weeks ago after our almost-a-decade-stent. His sister found me on myspace and helped me get back in touch with him. Things have been FANTASTIC so far (knocks on wood). I hate getting my hopes up about relationships because when I do, they don't work out. So all I will say is that I am ecstatic that we are trying things again. He is helping me feel way more motivated and more conscious about my health (aka weight). He knows how happy I was back in the day when I was a lot thinner, but not too thin. I had curves. I still have curves, but not the right ones! So today when I got home from class I started going through an old box of photos. I found all the old ones of me and Kevin from way back in the day. You can tell from the pictures just how happy I was. I am scanning the pictures in tonight, so I will post them later or just another day.

So.... here we go kids.... This is me promising to lose all this friggen weight and to get back in shape! I'm NOT telling you how much I weigh because that's just embarrassing. Now, I don't plan on getting down to 135 or 140 because I think that's a bit too thin. I will have a more reasonable goal for now. Anyways, I will keep my blog posted as to my progress. I will have my weight loss/BMI ticker at the very bottom of this page (not in a side bar because the new blogger templates are not that great).

Wish me luck!!

Bean's Stock is back up!

2007-03-05T15:29:00.000-05:00

I have decided to move my Crafting business over to my friends at Etsy. Check out my new website HERE. I am in the process of listing all of my new cases that I have made. I have a bunch of new knitting needle case fabrics that I am excited to share with you all.

Prices for my knitting needle cases currently range from $18 - $32 with shipping costs at $6 via USPS Priority Mail in the USA.

Please message me if you have any questions!

Here are some examples of the new fabrics!

Yeah... I'm nerdy.

2007-03-01T23:11:00.000-05:00

I've been doing Where's George since April 4, 2005. I'm always excited to see where my bills go! So far, I have hits in 30 out of 54 states (including Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Washington DC, and the Virgin Islands) and other countries such as Mexico and El Salvador. However.... the other day I got some great news. I GOT A HIT IN JAPAN!!! Go look!

That's all for now. I'm excited :)

I've been published!

2007-02-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

Hours after I uploaded my peanut butter salmonella photos, I received this letter from Calder, the Director of Public Relations at NowPublic.com.

:: Your Salmonella photo

Hi Jill Rachel,

This is clorenz41. One of our Vancouver contributors posted
a story on the Salmonella recall, and found that people on
Flickr were sharing photographs relating to the story. I
wanted to see if you would be interested in contributing to
the article.

The post is on NowPublic, which is a news sharing community
that relies on stories, photos, & videos from sources like
you.

Yrs,
Calder
Director of Contributor Relations @ NowPublic.com

So... without further a-do... Here is my link :)
If for some reason it doesn't load, let me know. Here is a screen shot of the website!

Thank you NowPublic and Flickr!

Salmonella anyone??

2007-02-16T08:13:00.000-05:00

So apparently, according to CNN.com, Government scientists have pinpointed the first US salmonella outbreak to one of my favorite foods. PEANUT BUTTER!! Any jar with the code "2111" on the top indicate the infested jars.

It's such a shame though... To think that I already ate 98% of the jar! Ya know, Peter Pan Plus Peanut Butter is my FAVORITE peanut butter. Actually, it is the only one that I will eat. Hopefully things will get under control soon!

What it takes to live in a snow belt....

2007-02-14T20:34:00.000-05:00

So everyone knows that I HATE THE WINTER!!! I can't wait to move out of New York and not have to shovel or anything!

So yesterday in the spirit of Valentine's Day, or the fact that I needed exercise and wanted to do a selfless deed, I headed out to my horrid parking lot. Noticing that the plows had yet to come through and clean up the lot, I proceeded to dig out my car and move it to a more cleared out spot.

A couple people were snowed in, so I helped dig them out as well. Then I figured it would be nice of me to clear out a few spots so when people came home from work, they would have a spot to park. Walking back in towards the building, I noticed the walkways were way too covered. So, I cleared out the 3 of those as well.

I hope people appreciate this, since no one else did a damn thing about the awful snow covered complex. Too bad they don't know that it was me who did it all. Talk about a self-less deed!

When I finally got inside, 90 minutes later, I realized the necessities of snow shoveling.

I have to be glad though... At least I didn't get as much snow as Erin did!

Seattle

2007-02-06T12:29:00.000-05:00

Erin and I went to Seattle for a week for some much needed R&R.
From the plane, we had great views of Mt. St.Helen's and Mt.Hood.

On our first full day, the skies were mostly clear, and Mount Ranier made an appearance.

We spent a morning at the Pacific Science Center which is at the base of the Space Needle in the Seattle Center. I made friends with a grub.

This was an amusing display representing chromosomes.

I even climbed a fake rock wall- one of those lateral ones.

We spent quite a bit of time at the Seattle Aquarium in the freezing cold rain. Thankfully, most of it was inside.

We made our way to the Woodland Zoo just north of downtown. Lovely zoo, but QUITE chilly and VERY wet.

We got a chance to go to REI and try out rock climbing. I am HOOKED.

This is a view of the city from Union Station in the International District.

And we had one last view of the market on our last day....

Overall I had the best time ever. Erin is such a good friend to me, and a BLAST to be with!!!

2006 wrap up.

2007-01-13T10:58:00.000-05:00

I haven't been here in forever. And I can't even say that it's because I've been busy. In fact, I've been the complete opposite. Not a whole heck of a lot has been going on.

November:

Jeff needed a date for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, so he asked me to go. We started off the night with a nice dinner at Delmonico's, then we headed over to the WarMemorial. After the show we called it a night.

For Thanksgiving I went to Mom's house. Noah made some awesome cookies for us all to take home. Then, Noah serenaded us on the piano for a good hour. He's getting better!

December:

I got a new haircut. I think it's cute.

I was Betsy's date to her Holiday party for work at Pascale's in Syracuse. Good food, good times, good booze.

Betsy bought me a tree for Christmas. It's a small little fake one. It fit perfectly. I kept the decorations simple, because this year it was just me and Liz for the holidays. I worked Christmas eve at the hospital, and Liz spent the night at my house. John moved to Hollywood Florida a couple months back, and these were Liz's last couple days in New York. Christmas morning I came home, showered, and grabbed Liz. We went to Mom's house with Betsy and Noah and did the whole present thing. I was exhausted from working the night before, so I ended up passing out on her couch with Liz in front of the woodstove. When I buy a house, it WILL have a fireplace..... Sorry guys. No pictures from Mom's house! Surprising isn't it?

Liz moved to Hollywood Florida the last week of December. This makes me sad :(

Pecan Pie.

2006-11-13T18:15:00.000-05:00

28 Kraft caramels

2 beaten eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. pecans, chopped
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. butter
1 unbaked pie shell (graham, oreo, or chocolate)

Place the caramels in a small boiler containing 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup butter. Heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Combine the beaten eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Pour the caramel sauce into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Add chopped pecans and mix well. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes.

This past Saturday, my good friend Bryan and I made Pecan Pies for a get together he was to attend. The pies came out quite nicely, but I would recommend only using 20 caramels so it solidifies better. Make sure you allow the pies to cool for atleast 1 hour before serving. Serve with French Vanilla ice cream to make it an extra special dessert. This would be GREAT for Thanksgiving!

Enjoy!

A Thought For You About Growing Up

2006-10-27T13:23:00.000-04:00

I am really close with my Mom. We had maybe a year or so when I first moved out of her house that we didn't get along well. I think we both were just bitter and not ready to move on.

When I was a little girl, I'm talking like 6 or 7, I remember her putting notes in my lunch box saying "hav a great day pooh! love, mom" or some other sweet little note. They would always be written on this colorful lined paper, closed with a sticker. To this day, I still have a bunch of them that I tucked away.

One day Mom bought me a greeting card. This is what it said :

My Child, This Is a Thought for You About Growing Up.

This isn't an easy world
to be growing up in,
and I don't blame you
if you sometimes feel
a little confused about things...

For now, my child, remember that it's
okay to feel the way you feel.
Be yourself, and don't try to
hide what's going on indside.
Just don't forget
that a beautiful person lives there.

Even though you sometimes feel unhappy
with the way things are going,
don't ever stay sad for long.

I miss you when the happy you is gone.

and I'll always be here
to help you when
you need to find
your smile again.
(*Allison Alexander*)

Love Always,
Mom.

For some reason, even to this day, it makes me get all teary-eyed. I have had this card for 15 years maybe. I will never get rid of this.

3 Good Fall Recipes

2006-10-08T15:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I woke up and my car was frosted over... It's time to pull out those tummy warming recipes!

Classic Jambalaya

1 pound medium shrimp*
2 chicken breast halves, with bones (approx 1 pound total)
4 cups of water
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium celery ribs, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ pound andouille or kielbasa sausage, cut into ½ inch thick rounds*
1 medium green bell pepper seeded and chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can peeled plum tomatoes in juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups long grain rice
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the shrimp over high heat just until they turn pink, about 2 minutes. Cool, peel, and de-vein the shrimp, reserving the shrimp and their shells separately.

In a large saucepan, combine the chicken breasts, the reserved shrimp shells, the water, half the chopped onion, half the chopped celery, one third of the garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, until the chicken juices run clear yellow when pierced with a fork, 20-25 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the cooking liquid.

In a sieve set over a large bowl, drain and reserve the cooking liquid, discarding the solids. You should have about 4 cups of liquid; add water, if necessary. Remove and discard the chicken bones. Chop the breast meat coarsely and set it aside.

Heat the oil in a 5 quart Dutch oven. Add the sausage and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Then stir in the reserved cooking liquid, the remaining teaspoon of salt, the tomatoes with their juice, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and cayenne. Bring to a simmer, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon. Stir in the rice and return to the simmer. Cook over medium-low heat, tightly covered, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid, about 25 minutes. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat, stir in the reserved shrimp and chicken, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer the jambalaya to a warmed serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

*Side Notes:
You can use ½ pound of crabmeat at the end of the recipe to replace the shrimp.
You can use 1 cup chopped smoked ham instead of the sausage.

Yields: a lot. I think about 8 servings.

Texas Chili

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds ground beef (90% or better)
2 medium onions, chopped
2+ garlic cloves, chopped
28 ounces tomatoes, whole
12 ounces beer (I use low carb or something not too dark)
5 tablespoons chili powder
2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon sugar

Toppings:
Cayenne pepper (optional)
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Red onion, chopped
Avocado, sliced

Heat the oil in 6-quart saucepan. Add ground beef, onions and garlic and sauté until meat is browned. Stir in next 7 ingredients and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, about 45-55 minutes. Taste and season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper if desired. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with toppings if desired.

Yields 8 cups, about 4 servings.

Applesauce Muffins

1 ½ cups sugar
½ cupbutter or margarine -- softened
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup applesauce (homemade is the best)

In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter by hand. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine dry ingredients. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with applesauce. Mix just until combined. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. Sprinkle some sugar on top. Bake at 350f for 20-22 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Where has the time gone??

2006-10-01T02:41:00.000-04:00

Wow.. I just realized that it is October 1st. I haven't blogged in forever. My apologies to you all, and to myself. Keeping a blog, no matter how lame, is self-satisfying and rewarding. I find a lot out about myself by reading old posts as well as reading other people's comments. I will try to keep this more updated.

Atkins... I have been on and off the diet. My total now, is down a solid 24lbs. I was as low as -31lbs, but that was right after I was sick for a week. Sometime this week I will be going back to being extremely strict about what I am eating again. Maybe not so much the Atkins diet, but a modified diet where I can eat more fruits and some whole grains. My January first, I would like to be down another 25lbs. This is very reasonable goal.

I got a new haircut in August. It's so short but I LOVE it! Thanks to Cheri at Trade Secret. I am trying to decide if I should keep it short or grow it back out. Any opinions??

School started the 1st week of September. BAH is all I have to say to that! I am no longer at St.Joseph's College of Nursing. I am attending Onondaga Community College to finish my Math/Science degree. After that, I will finish my Registered Nurse degree. Currently, I am taking Advanced Composition/Literature, Intermediate Algebra, Biology of AIDS, and Modern American History. I don't mind all but the history. I feel as though I have not learned a damn thing in that class.

I am still working the night shift at St.Joseph's Hospital. I have only been working the weekends so I can free up my week for school, but I am thinking of changing back to more weekday so that I have some sort of a social life. It is really hard when all of your friends work during the week, AND the evening shift. Not many of my friends understand the Night shift concept. I lose my job in either December or January because I am not enrolled in a RN program. I will either find another position here, or apply to Upstate Medical Center- they pay more and have better benefits due to the fact that it is a State job. I would hate to lose the time invested into St.Joseph's, but I have to do what I have to do. Having a paycheck is important to me :)

The thought of moving to Seattle, Washington, is still fresh in my mind. Part of me would like a fresh start. I have been single now for over 6 months. Although I like being able to date, I wish I had the constant guy in my life to share everything with. I am afraid of finding someone here in NY, and then moving to Seattle and losing them if they do not want to move. I am unsure when I want to move. Maybe next winter after I finish one of my degrees...

Since I have been back from Alaska, I have been quite busy.
*Liz and I drove to Boston, MA for the annual Where's George BBQ at Dr.Ask's house. What a blast. All I have to say is... thank goodness I have medical background.
*Jeff and I went to GreenLakes State Park for the day.
*My Aunt, Uncle, and 6 cousins from Indiana came up for a visit and we had a picnic at my sisters house.
*My friend Walter and I went to the Turning Stone Casino in Oneida to see Chris Isaak perform. He was wonderful! I can't believe he's 50!
*Joe and I went to Buffalo for a weekend. We went to Darien Lake for the day and saw Rob Zombie and Godsmack in concert! woohoo!
*I went to the New York State Fair twice. I got to see Joan Jett (yay!!!), the 4 Tops, eat pizza frites, eat fries with cheddar, play with the baby chicks, checked out the Photography display in the Women's building, and bought my parents tickets to see James Taylor.

I think that sums it up.

Last weekend I made a day trip down to Ithaca, New York, with my friend Ben. We hiked the trail at Robert Treman State Park, from top to bottom. Word to the wise... Start at the bottom if you plan on hiking the whole thing. You will be happy you did! Here are a couple photos (pardon the extreme sweatiness). Go to My Flickr page if you would like to see the rest.

For those of you on MySpace, come check out my profile and add me!

I have been doing minimal updates on Jill Rachel Photography and Bean's Stock lately due to lack of time. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. I am hopeing this month will give me more time to work on them. I do still have quite a few of the Hawaiian Chocolate Knitting Needle Cases available- made to order.

On to knitting... I haven't finished a project in a while. I did start my girly version of the Dr.Who scarf. Pictures will be up once I have enough of it done to even take pictures of it. I have been working on a sock, but I will be taking it apart because it is too small. I was using a size 0 needle and forgot to add extra stitches to the pattern so it would fit me. Good job Jill. I have been thinking of things to make for Christmas this year, but I am running out of time! Any ideas of good quick gifts?

Alright... Time to get going. I hope to be blogging more often.

*Bean*

Alaska, part I.

2006-07-18T19:17:00.000-04:00

Hi guys- I made it to alaska last night. It's gorgeous here! The mountains are absolutely breathtaking. Right now I'm in a parking lot in downtown Anchorage where I just happened to come across free wireless that's connected to a hotel 2 blocks away. SCORE!! Check out my flickr! for some pictures. Blogger isn't letting me upload anything!! Ugh.

Japanese Star Festival

2006-07-07T02:58:00.000-04:00

Today, July 7th, is the day of the Japanese Star Festival. Not that I ever really knew what this holiday was, but it's also another very special day. On July 7th 1993, my step-father Gene, adopted me, my brother Ben, and my sister Betsy. I don't think anyone even remembers that this was the day, but I've always remembered it because mom used to say "you know, it's the 7th day of the 7th month. You can't really forget it!" So I called mom on that day, and she had no clue. Maybe I just remember the little things in life :)

666

2006-06-06T23:58:00.000-04:00

Ahh, the famous Evil Day. I like the way SpiteSpright decided to do her post. So, here is my version.

Here is what Evil things I did today.
1. I F'ing woke up. Grrr.
2. I took out the evil garbage.
3. I washed the evil EVIL dishes.
4. I wasted time on the not-so-evil internet.
5. Oh- the evil addicting MySpace too.
5. I weighed myself and found out I lost a total of 21 EVILEVILEVIL pounds. Woot!
6. I washed some evil laundry.
7. I arrived at my evil job.
8. I was called a "fat ass" by a WITCH, who we had to put in restraints in the hallway, who was continually yelling "THE DEVIL IS GOING TO KILL YOU! You have SATAN in your eyes! What did I do to deserve this? The DEVIL is taking my soul!!!"
Yeah, um, this was an interesting night :)

Goodnight Mr.Devil.

A little bitter... A little skinnier... A little greener

2006-05-30T16:44:00.000-04:00

Yeah, so, I'm a little bitter. WHY THE F*** IS IT SO MUGGY OUT?!!?!? I can't take it. I feel my skin starting to crawl. UGH. I can't wait to go to work tonight just to get out of this heat! I definately can't live in NY forever. I've made my mind up. I want to try other places. I really feel that Seattle will be my next move. Maybe next year, maybe the year after. I don't know. I was looking at their average temps out there, and it's much better than here. I'd rather be cold than hot. Although I do like tanning, there are always booths for that :)

Plane tickets for Alaska were bought this week! Horray! I'm leaving July 17th and coming home July 27th. I'm hoping Fun_with_cheese will let me use his fancy 2000 cubic inch backpack he just got for his Czech Republic trip. I was thinking of making a stop in seattle on the way there so I can visit, but there's not enough time. I'd rather go with someone, and spend atleast a week or so. Maybe I'll go in October to break up my semester so I don't go stir crazy :)

Look what came in the mail!!!

10 balls of Rowan Polar is color Jaffa. It's such a soft yarn!

10 skeins of Rowanspun 4-ply in Turkish.

and 10 skeins of Rowanspun dk in Drizzle.

I'm in heaven :)

On another good note, I'm now down 19 pounds. Woot!

This month was Project Spectrum's GREEN month. I figured that I would be my own inspiration. This is my new awesome shirt from old navy. What a nice lime green :)

buttons, atkins, and a+p

2006-05-13T21:19:00.000-04:00

Alright. Eveyone has to respond to this. I am debating on whether or not to buy a button maker! I can't decide between the 1" and the 1 1/4". Would anyone be interested if I did little button workshops for a very minimal fee giving you the use of the machine and the supplies? Machines are around $200 or less. I plan on making a line of buttons and maybe a line of magnets too. I could also take this machine to craft shows with some clip art or magazines and let kids make their own buttons. What do you all think?? I want to buy it in the next week if I'm going to get it at all. Just let me know if you'd be interested in using it. Thanks!

So my weekday class, Anatomy and Physiology is OVER. THANK GOD!! I was so sick of going to school 2x a week during the daytime. Not really fun when you work overnights. Here's a pic of my best bud Penny during our final exam.... I'm happy to say that we both passed. I don't know my letter grade yet though.

By the way- now I'm down 17lbs. YAYNESS. Here are some recent pics of me and some of my friends.

Me and Chase , and then Me and Tom- aka Bam Bam

So it's now my rule- you come over to my place, and you ARE getting a picture taken with me. Goofy or serious, doesn't matter.

Drunken man in pink pants???

2006-05-04T01:46:00.000-04:00

It's 1:00am and I'm spackling my bathroom so I can paint it in the morning.

**knock** **knock**
(Who the hell is knocking at my door? )
Me: umm can I help you? (don't recognize this man)
Man: Yeah, well, did you know someone is beating on your car?
Me: Huh?
Man: Yeah- I just watched him try to smash your car in with a shovel. He looked drunk.
Me: Okay?
Man: Your car looks fine but I wanted you to know.
Me: umm okay. (apparently he lives below me)
*we proceed out to my car, both of us in pj's and slippers*
Me: Well, atleast he had the courtesy to leave me the shovel.
Man: I called the cops for you. They're already looking for the man.
Me: How far can a drunken man walk without the sherriff's finding him? I mean, he can't even walk straight.
Man: I don't know. He was walking really slow but I came in to call the cops.
Me: oh well. Hey- here come the cops.
*6 sherriff cars pull in- not just B'Ville police, but the sherriffs.*
Me: you think you sent enough cops?
cops: Well we're just doing our job.
Me: oh okay. well my car is fine. here's the shovel.
cops: atleast they left you the shovel.
Me: that's what I said!
cops: did you see the man?
Me: no- I was spackling my bathroom.
cops: At 1am?
Me: yes at 1am. I do things like that. (do they think i'm LYING??)
cops: ummm okay.
*cops took our information and inspected the car*
cops: We're going to have someone drive around all night to keep an eye out for your car. This usually doesn't happen in your neighborhood.
Me: Yeah whatever- I'm up all night anyways.
cops: We'll find this man for you.
man: He's in pink pj pants and a white shirt.
cops: What?
man: pink pants.
cops: umm okay.
Me: Well, I'm done out here. I'm going inside. If you need to talk more come inside cause I'm too cold.
*cops sat there looking at the undamaged car for another 30 minutes*

What the hell just happened? It's like something out of a retarted dream. Cops are so challenged sometimes.

Yeah so, you F***ing man in pink pj's, get a life and new pj bottoms cause you look like a girl, and leave my car the F*** alone. You're lucky I didn't see your ass cause I would've chased you and kicked you in your head - or better yet, smashed your skull in with the shovel. HAHA. Loser.

BEP and PCD

2006-04-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

Last night Cheryl and I went to the Turning Stone Casino and saw the Pussycat Dolls and the Black Eyes Peas. I had such a great time! The opening band, Flipsyde, just wasn't good. I could've easily missed the first part of their crap. I was so mad though. There are a ton of signs that say "do not bring cameras, etc". NOONE was checked before the concert! I had seats 15 rows or less from the stage- GREAT SEATS- and no pictures. I'm pissed. Next time I'm bringing my camera in no matter what! So, these are the only pictures I got.

I'm really glad that Cheryl and I developed such a good friendship. It's nice to have her as a friend and a classmate! Nothing like a good concert, great wine, and great friends. :)

Project Spectrum April Wrap-up

2006-04-28T15:16:00.000-04:00

April was Project Spectrum's YELLOW and ORANGE month. I failed to post anything that was related to these colors because Blogger is once again, challenged. So here we go - better late than never, right?

Ahh.. Things that I love in Orange or Yellow. :)

No more Navy

2006-04-28T01:39:00.000-04:00

I got tired of my old blog template. So, I have changed it. The links and everything were lost in the change, but hopefully I will be getting it all up soon. I also have to figure out how to change the picture on the top since it's actually something like 4 pics together, and how to make this template into 3 rows like my last blog. I find that 1 sidebar is just not enough!

I also put together one of the Music Lists that everyone is posting. It's hard to come up with what artists you want to put here, so I picked the last few CD's that I have either bought or listened to in the car.

Create your own Music List @ HotFreeLayouts!

Yeah, I know I have weird taste.

Ceremonies and Sadness

2006-04-22T19:31:00.000-04:00

I know I neglect blogger most of the time. I'm such a slacking blogger! I want to back track for a minute.

On March 31st I had my committment ceremony for nursing school. This marks the fact that we only have 1 year left (yay!!) and we now committ ourselves to the healthcare field and pledge to be the best person that we can be. It truly was a life changing ceremony. The Father blessed crosses (our school's symbol- it's a catholic school) for us to wear everyday to remind us of our duty. This is me and Theresa, and me and Elaine. I love them both to pieces! Not to mention the fabulous hats....

On the same night that I had this wonderful ceremony, tragedy happened.
What's this you ask??

This is the JoAnns that just closed on the 30th of March. It makes me so sad to see it gone! I worked there for 3 years, starting the DAY that I turned 16. This JoAnns used to be across the hall from where it is now, and when I was even younger, they used to let me come in and roll remnant fabrics, straighten, drool, etc. They would pay me with JoAnns sweatshirts. What a deal! Before that, well, I guess I'm a JoAnns baby. I was born at 215 in the morning, and my mother didn't want to stay in the hospital because the food sucked. So, we got discharged and I was at JoAnns by 9am when they opened the SAME DAY I was born. How lame am I?? I feel like a part of me died when this store left... Atleast I have another one nearby.

Operating Room

2006-04-17T17:25:00.000-04:00

So I went to the Operating Room at the hospital where I work and go to school. Today was my clinical experience with watching operations. Can I say that this was FREAKING EXCITING!!
My case didn't start until late in the morning, so I got to see an extra one. The first case was a LAP assisted Large Bowel Resection. I only got to see about an hour of this procedure, but it was still awesome. The case that I was actually there for, was a LAP assisted Ventral Hernia Repair. This was the most interesting case. The MD and PA inserts 3 scopes into the stomach so that lighted instruments can get under the abdominal wall. Using the scopes, tools are inserted to locate the hernia. They tear away all the fat that's attached itself to the abdominal wall and and other organs that it's not supossed to be attached to, then they insert this large piece of mesh- it looked like it was 10" by 5". they insert it through that little scope space and flatten it against the body cavity (on the inside). Once it's in place, they inserted this cool new "stapler" and put in about 40 staples that are permanent. All tools and scopes were pulled out and the patient was stitched up. AWESOME. I was kind of mad I didn't get to see a CABG (coronary artery bypass graft, aka open heart) because I thought it would be awesome to see the chest sawed open and see the beating heart. My friend Cheryl go to see that one. :( I am happy, however, because I did get to see 2 different surgeries that interest me. I also got to hang out with my FAVORITE doctor, Dr. S. He showed me how to administer anesthesia to the patient, and how to put that tube down the throat. VERY COOL. Eventhough I was supossed to be paying attention to the RN in the room, I concentrated on Dr.S. We had the chance to talk about my career ideas, and I think I finally figured out what I want to do. I want to be a CRNA- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesist. Afer I finish my last year at this school, I will have to go for my BS which is 2 more years, then it's only 2 years after that which includes all of my training.... I think it will be great! Starting rate when I get out of school would also be around 150K per year base. I think I'm going to find a CRNA to shadow for a day or 2 so I can see what exactly then do.

I really wanted to show you all pictures of the surgeries, but there's this damn thing called HIPAA so I couldn't take pics to show you. Damn it.

Sorry to bore you all with medical shit. I just love this stuff.

Quick update

2006-04-13T15:23:00.000-04:00

So today marks 5 weeks on the Atkins Diet, and 5 weeks being single again. Can I say I feel completely different? I do, however, miss the companionship of having a boyfriend and not being alone when I come home from work. Maybe I will just buy me a fish? I can't have a dog here, so yeah.. maybe a nice little Beta fish. As for the pounds, I don't miss them at all! I have lost 14 pounds to date. It's been a slow decline, but it's healthier than losing it fast. I feel great, and I don't crave all those nasty foods anymore. I'm so proud of myself for losing this much weight so far. Now, if I can just keep losing it!

My new home is coming along nicely. It was DESTROYED when I got there, so I had to do a lot of repairing, painting, cleaning, etc. I still have a lot of painting to do... I am proud to say that I have been slacking :) I picked my color palate from Martha's collection. I want this place to have a nice asian flair throughout all the rooms. I still have stuff to move out of ex-Mr.Bean's (who will now be called fun_with_cheese) apartment, but I will get it eventually. I really need to have a GIANT garage sale.

What about my knitting you ask? HA!! In the past 3 weeks, I picked up my dreaded sock project for 5 minutes yesterday. Then, some good company came to visit with me for a while and my motivation ended. It's not that I don't like the sock, but I am just bored with it! I've made 1 full sock, and 75% of the other. Yet I still have no motivation to finish the toe. I have a feeling this will be a Christmas present for someone. Someday I will get back in the groove!

I met my first blog-reader on Thursday. Becka, The Knitting Wounded, flew to Syracuse from her homestate of California. She purchased my 1st ever Hawaiian Chocolate knitting needle case. I was so excited! It's really funny how Blogging brings people together.

Moving Day has come

2006-04-10T09:28:00.000-04:00

Today I'm moving into my new apartment across town. I'll be living alone in an apartment owned by my mother. Thankfully I am able to paint or do whatever I want. Yay! I'm so sick of "eggshell" colored walls everywhere... I will have an actual craft room, and of course, I am making a knitting area in the living room. I will miss the days here of the sun coming through the windows all the time. I will miss how pretty our buildings look. But, I need my independance, I need my sanity, and most important, I need more time for school and work. Let's all hope that this is a good move for me.

Oh!! For those of you that keep bugging me about my pictures from florida, here are a few.

I now have my own Flickr site, and there are more for your viewing pleasure :) The link will always be on my page for convenience.

I am updating Bean's Stock. I am not using blogger anymore for the site- I have a private one. The blogger site, well, probably just as an update page for Bean's Stock. Please visit my store! I have decided to incorporate some new ideas and they will be posted there soon. Please send comments about that site to beansstock@gmail.com so I know how to improve it. Thanks!

My internet will be hooked up Wednesday morning. Posting will definately resume then and be on a more regular schedule.

So long for now!

How time flies.

2006-04-01T20:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Blogger-versary to me. It's been one year of pure bliss. Thanks to everyone to reads about my boring life and projects! In the next few months to come I hope to re-vamp what I have here and make an interesting site. Imagine that!!! Please leave me any suggestions.

This picture is just too ridiculous... Thanks to Liz for taking it. I look so lovely...

Suede Messenger bag for sale!

2006-03-21T00:40:00.000-05:00

I'm selling a bunch of these faux suede messenger bags for only $12 each! Price just reduces!! Retail was $30. Just go to my Bean's Stock, eBay style and you can purchase them there! Great for a gift or for yourself.

Bean's Stock

2006-03-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

Another new knitting needle case is up for sale! It's called "Hawaiian Chocolate". It's probably one of my favorite fabrics that I have. Just click on my link to the left or go to www.BeansStock.com to purchase.

I have also created a button for those of you who would like to add me in your sidebars to advertise for me. Thank you so much!

For those of you near Syracuse, New York, I will be at several craft shows in the upcoming months. More dates and locations to follow!

Also, my knitting news I was talking about? Well, KPixie wants to sell my knitting needle cases!!! I'm so excited for this! My schedule will be hell, but it's worth it to get my name out there. I really take pride in my creations, and I hope you all like them too. I may just be starting a whole line of accessories... We'll see :)

That's it.

2006-03-09T17:25:00.000-05:00

Mr.Bean and I ended our relationship today. We were together for 4 years a 5 months. That's really all I have to say about it for now.

Fatty Bean

2006-03-09T12:09:00.000-05:00

So I've decided to start my new diet today - I will be joining the Atkins crowd. I've tried this diet before and I lost 20 lbs in 7 weeks. I really want to be more healthy and lose my chub by the time I graduate in May 2007. That's just over a year away!! Hopefully I will be posting some great recipes that I find for those of you who want to eat great tasting foods with low carbs. Many people think that this is just a high fat diet and it's really bad for you, but if you eat the right foods (lean meats/fish/poultry and vegetables) you can be healthy! In a few weeks I can start adding on more carbs to a point where my body weight is maintained. I really want this to work for me. I need a change. If anyone out there wants to join me in this life change, let me know and we can all get through this! No more FATTY BEAN!

Oh- I PROMISE knitting and vacation posts will be coming!

I'm home.

2006-03-05T17:17:00.000-05:00

My flight was, of course, delayed. Can I say that I HATE delayed flights? Leaving NY my flights are always on time. Coming home there's always too much damn ice on the wings and the runway. I definately have to move out of this state when I'm done with school. Where should I go??

So now that I am home, I just joined Project Spectrum.

I also joined the Project Spectrum post card swap.

This is where once a month I design a postcard in the designated color scheme. How crafty is this? I can't wait. You all should join!

I will be posting some wedding photos soon! Oh- and of course, my purchases from the trip.

Vacation, Here I Come!

2006-02-22T23:31:00.000-05:00

In 4 1/2 hours, I will be leaving for FLORIDA! I'm so excited. (and I'm not packed yet! AHH!!) My Brother is getting married on Saturday at the Crosley Mansion in Sarasota. I will not be back until Friday morning March 3rd. Of course, I will be bringing my trusty laptop hoping that I can get wireless internet at my uncle's (where I'm staying). If not, I will have to venture to a Panera Bread or somewhere that has free wireless. I admit- I'm addicted. This is my 9th post this month. Definately not the norm for me! I need to do some soul searching, so hopefully this vacation and this blog will help me with that. Anyways, I will take many pictures, and hopefully post as I go.

Oh- I may have some Bean's Stock news when I get back. We will see!!

Day #1 rains a bit.

Day #2 rains a lot.

Day #3 has really HIGH winds. If you look closely you will see white caps. This is supossed to be a lake, NOT an ocean. The picture craps because I was driving 55mph while taking it. Woops.

Day#4 snows and snows and snows. This is the same stretch of road as day #3. Now I'm going 10mph.

Now WHO can tell me they would rather be in NY than in FL right now???

...I thought so...

For the first time since 3rd grade.....

2006-02-21T23:48:00.000-05:00

I got myself some bangs!! I went to the hair salon today and saw Cheri. I love her. She's the best stylist I know. Here's what she produced. She cut only about 3 inches off, but she layered most of my hair, gave me BANGS, and for the first time EVER, I got some highlights too! She gave my 2 shades of blonde. My hair in real-life looks nicely sun kissed. I'm excited. I really never thought that I would ever want bangs again, but there was a Behavioral Psychologist in the chair ahead of me and her bangs looked so cute! So, we'll see how this goes. :)

Another logo?

2006-02-19T10:55:00.000-05:00

Fabrication took the time to make me this logo. What do you all think?

In honor of VD

2006-02-14T12:56:00.000-05:00

Happy VD to all. I found this interesting link for Customized Conversation Hearts. My favorite, of course, states "I want to be your tampon." How disturbing??

Limited Edition "Denim Swirl" now available!

2006-02-13T19:07:00.000-05:00

The time has come! I have officially started selling my Knitting Needle Cases! Right now I have listed my Limited Edition "Denim Swirl" case. I only have 4 left with this great interior fabric design. Here's a preview!

For more information, check out my Blog for Bean's Stock, or go directly to My store to purchase. If you have any questions or comments, post one here or email me at BeansStock@gmail.com

Mailbox 'o Goodies, all for me of course =-)

2006-02-12T23:47:00.000-05:00

My mailbox has been full lately.
Look at what's arrived!!!

My "Pork Chop" pincushion that I bought from a crafty gal, Kimberly Pye, who sells her stuff on www.etsy.com. I'm so in love with this thing!

Ahh... Martha Stewart. I got this book cheap because the editor made an error on one of the pages. What do I care? A MS book for $4? I can handle this.

Again, my Pork Chop pincushion. :)

My nursing life in a nutshell. The 2nd edition of The Atlas of Pathophysiology is the best text I think I have ever bought for my education. It's CRAZY the amount of things that I have learned just this week from it.

Lastly, oboe supplies. I know.... I'm dull. But HEY! This is NEEDED gear. I got my new waterholder that clips to my music stand, Fishskin (aka Goldbeater's Skin. Good substitution is plumbers tape), a new ebony cutting block, and a new plaque. Yay!!! They also sent me some cool stickers that aren't pictured.

Pick a font, any font!

2006-02-11T18:39:00.000-05:00

Okay- so I downloaded some new fonts that I'm thinking of using when I get around to builing my new site www.BeansStock.com. Hopefully I can really get this going when I go on vacation in 2 weeks. I should have 7 days of NOTHING planned, except for my brother's wedding. More on that later of course. Anyways, here are the fonts that I have liked so far.

Please vote on a font and place the vote in my comments area. Comments and advice is ALWAYS welcome! (hint hint).

dooced?

2006-02-05T01:37:00.000-05:00

In my daily blog-hopping, I found this blog that I rather enjoy. I don't know why. It's simple with nice pictures of pretty people. This women takes pictures every day of stuff- everyday stuff. I love reading blogs about people I don't know. Well, interesting people I don't know. Or interesting people I DO know. And, if the post pictures of their pets (preferably dogs) and children, I love it even more. I think children are so amusing. Check out this site and listen to this little girl. It turns out that the woman who writes this blog, Heather Armstrong, was dooced. She's the chic who got fired from her job in LA because she was blogging about it. (see definition #2)

The terrors of when class is canceled last minute...

2006-02-01T01:44:00.000-05:00

So, I'm a sucker for wanting class to be canceled. In grade school I remember *wishing* for the damn day to come that I didn't have to catch the awful bus with my dreaded bus driver Judy, (who by the way only listened to the oldies station and I have fearful nightmares about the 1964 #2 hit song "My boy Lollipop" ), at 640am. Who seriously thinks that students enjoy waking up this early? So last week we obviously didn't have a snow day since it was in the 50's for most of the week. We did, infact, just had a day off. Our teacher's child got sick. Sorry for the child, but YAY TO ME!!!

So what would you do if the class you were supossed to be in for the next 4.5 hours got canceled and you didn't even have to work that day?? SHOP!

I ran up to LeMoyne College bookstore to buy my favorite Avery sticky tab thingies that I am now obsessed with. They are just so great because they are restickable, eraseable, reinforced with a thick plastic backing, and they come in these pretty colors. I despise the plain 'ol yellow ones. I can't seem to find many places in Syracuse that sell these, so I truck up to LeMoyne and pay only $3 per 48count. Not a bad deal!

I then realized that The Knitting Connection off of Thompson Road, is not too far from the college. Yay! I went over there and found some nice stuff. The first thing on the left when you walk in the door is a "left over" bin. Everything in there is only $1. When they make samples or have classes, the left over gets wound up into a ball and tossed there. I got, from L to R (front row) 1 ball of this light blue flecked cotton worsted weight, 1 ball of grey wool mohair goodness, 1 ball of a fabulous orange in wool and something else soft, and 3 balls of grey wool and angora worsted weight. I'm thinking of making mittens for my nephew and little cousins. Not sure yet. The Angora is going to be mittens for myself because my school campus is on a hill and it is COLD. In the background are 7 skeins of Frosting, by Bernat (Wool and Nylon, 110 yards per skein). These skeins were in the clearance bin for CHEAP! I think I'm going to make myself a nice fashion scarf to wear with my Dark purple cordoroy jacket from Eddie Bauer that I love. With the left overs I will be making dress up scarves for my 2 little girl cousins, E and K.

That ended my shopping for the day. I was very pleased.

My Post Birthday, Post.

2006-01-31T01:00:00.000-05:00

For those of you who forgot, my birthday was January 22nd.

The evening before my birthday, Skein Street, Sprightly Spite and I went to Skaneateles to visit our friend, Elegant Needles. This store is just to lovely. Of course, they decided to buy me yarn for my birthday. How exciting! I FINALLY got the Debbie Bliss Book 6 just so I could make the Reversible Bag. But of course, I fell in love with most of the other patterns in the book too.

After the yarn shop, Mr.Bean, Skein Street, Sprightly Spite, Ted, Andrea, and their son Toby, went out to eat dinner at Pastabilities in Armory Square. (In Syracuse, NY.) What a blast!
(Pictured in just that order)

Mr.Bean bought me beautiful Roses.

I ordered the Beef Tenderloin with Gorgonzola Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, and Fresh Vegetables. I also ordered a "Special Salad" with fresh baby greens, endive, roasted walnuts, pears, dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese, drizzeled with fresh Champagne Vinegrette. Are you drooling yet? I sure was! I was VERY excited about dinner. Sorry the pictures crap.

Our waiter's name was Patrick.
Here's Patrick and Toby.

Also, there were these lighted ball thingies. I want them. Anyone know where I can get them?

Ah, yes, what a great evening. :)

I'm amused by weird things....

2006-01-30T22:06:00.000-05:00

Giant Knitted Bunny.

Vaginal Earrings. (WTF?)

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches...

Hamburger Safety Pin? What's the point?

Pork Chop Pin Cushion. (I just may buy this!)

For the Obsessive, Knitting Needles.

Post Secret. Makes you think.

That's all for now. Enjoy.

Chinese lesson

2006-01-29T23:56:00.000-05:00

In honor of The Chinese New Year, I bring you a mini Chinese lesson.

Chinese (Cantonese)
Gung hay fat choy (a New Year greeting meaning, "May you become prosperous.")
Sun nien fai lok (meaning, "Happy new year")

Chinese (Mandarin)
Xin nian yu kuai

One of these years I will attend the celebration in New York City. Actually, I'd love to spend it in China but NYC is cheaper for me right now.

I really miss China... Maybe I should do an internship in Hong Kong when I get out of school? Even if it's only for a month or 2, I would LOVE it. Either way, I really want to go back. One of these days I will post some pictures of my past trips, one of them with Skein Street.

Gung hay fat choy! (that's my favorite one.)

Bean

Meme Anyone?

2006-01-24T02:27:00.000-05:00

I have never been tagged for a Meme. I saw this one and thought it was one I may actually do. I am tagging everyone who reads this blog. Actually, I think that's only maybe 4 people?

4 jobs you have had in your life
Present: Nursing Assistant, night shift float at. St.Joseph's Hospital
Past: Technical Assistant at Laboratory Alliance of CNY in the Microbiology and Referral Testing Dept.
Medical Secretary for the Family Practice Residency program at St.Joseph's Hospital (45md's and 10000 patients)
Server at Applebee's in North Syracuse.

4 movies you could watch over & over

A Mighty Wind
Notting Hill
When Harry Met Sally
The Princess Bride

4 places you have lived (ok- 5)
Liverpool, New York (a little of my childhood)
Baldwinsville, New York (most of my childhood - highschool)
Syracuse, New York (eastwood)
Mattydale, New York
Liverpool, New York (again.)

4 TV shows you love to watch
Friends
Gray's Anatomy
Americal Idol
Trading Places (actually, anything on TLC)

4 places you have been on vacation
China for 5 weeks
Poland for 6 weeks
France/Germany for 2 weeks
Seattle, Washington

4 websites you visit daily
www.slickdeals.net
www.news10now.com
www.wheresgeorge.com
www.noaa.org
omg- I now know why I am so boring....

4 blogs you read daily
Skein Street
Sprightly Spite
Not Martha
Knit and Tonic

4 of your favorite foods
Beef Tenderloin
GOOD Pizza
Beef Pad Thai
Peanut Butter (does this count? I eat it with a spoon...)

4 places you would rather be right now
China
Seattle
Anywhere where it's more than 55degrees out.
Bed (it's currently 230am)

4 bloggers you are tagging
The only 4 that actually read my blog =-)

Happy Birthday Bean!

2006-01-22T18:05:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so, I'm 23 today. Woohoo! 2 more years and my car insurance prices will FINALLY go down. I can't wait. I am working a 12 hour overnight tonight, so tomorrow when I wake up I will post about my fabulous pre-bday excursion to the yarn shop, and dinner with my friends. Happy Birthday to me :)

Logo Time!!

2006-01-17T18:02:00.000-05:00

Okay. I can't seem to be creative enough to make a damn logo. I made 2 up using the colors from this blog, and the other out of the colors from my Store's Blog. The actual website should be coming soon! Does anyone have any tips on making a logo for my knitting/crochet accessory/needle bags that I'm making? Should I have the background be a fabric that I will be using? This is totally stressing me out. I was Ben's (my brother) fiance Kesar create one for me since she has a graphic design degree and makes all the stuff for Ben. However, they're getting married in a month and haven't the time. Should I hire someone?

Here are some lame ideas I have started with:
Number 1:

Number 2:
Number 3:

Keep in mind, this will be printed on Business Cards, Lables, Flyers, etc. Please give me input or suggestions! If someone submits to me a GREAT logo suggestion that just captures my little heart, and doesn't look like the ones above, you may just receive a little prize in the mail.

BUSTED!

2006-01-12T16:46:00.000-05:00

My blog has now officialy entered the world of BUST. I'm listed under the Girl Wide Web, and "Welcome To My World: Blogs & Journals Links".

20days of back blogging tons of pics

2006-01-07T23:34:00.000-05:00

So finally, I'm sitting here at Erin's apartment in the middle of nowhere. She is forcing me to back-blog . I mean really, twist my arm! Liz and I drove up to see her tonight to knit, but as you can tell not much of that happened for me. I ended up taking pictures of her new Knit Picks sample cards. I think I'm in love. Aren't my gals just the best??

Being the semi-socialite that I am, this post may take a few days.

Alright! Let's start with the back-blogging.

December 15, 2005
I GAVE MY NOTICE AT WORK!!!! Can you tell I'm excited? I decided to give them just about 3 weeks so that I didn't screw them completely over since I'm the only one in the office who knows how to do any of the reports/stats/whatever you want to call them. I was offered a position as a Student Float nurse at the hospital part time which actually will pay more than working full time where I currently am. How stupid would I be not to transfer? My last day will be on Wednesday 1/4/06 (Strategically after the 1st so I don't loose my saved up holiday time =-) ). For the first time in a LONG time, I will now be working part time and going to school full time. yay!

December 18, 2005
Finals for school were this weekend. I just feel like vomiting. Our 101B course (professional nursing) final was just dreadful. I don't even want to mention my Pharmacology course. I like drugs- they're interesting. I do NOT like listening to why drugs are classified as whatever and the history behind the making of drugs. BORING. Just give me the pill and I'm your friend. =-) Anyways, when a teacher tells you to look over the information that you missed on the last tests, you really should listen. See, in test review we're not allowed to have writing utensils or paper so we can't write out what we got wrong. Unless you have a photographic memory, this is impossible to remember the 100 questions on the test. Anyways, I was not prepared. I even took the morning off on the 16th to study. However, we had a lovely blizzard that piled several feet of ice and snow blocking my front door from opening, and my car from moving out of the parking lot. Thank goodness for those usually worthless maintenance people at my complex. One guy who was plowing helped crack the ice around the tires while I chizzled the ice off of my windows.... 1 1/2 hours later, we were done. So much for getting to school early to study! Rule of thumb? DON'T PROCRASTINATE!
Oh! Here's our school Christmas tree and Receptionist:

Isn't she just fabulous?

December 24, 2005
I feel like crap. For the first time in years, I'm missing the Christmas Eve service at Mom's church. Not that I go to church on a regular basis, but Christmas Eve doesn't seem to bother me. I get to see all of the kids I grew up with, their husbands/wifes/SO's/kids. It's hard to believe that these people have families!! They're only 22 years old! I couldn't even imagine being ready to take care of children. I just want to be in a career before I worry about never having ANY time to travel and study. I always feel like I should be all dressed up and looking pretty for these mini-reunions. However, I always end up looking like crap because you know what? I just don't care.

December 25, 2005
!!!MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Mr.Bean and I woke up early and opened presents at our home.

Finally, after a few years asking for these, I got them!! Yes, my leopard print slippers!!! Believe it or not, I have had these slippers since January 2000 and I have replaced the insides 4 times with various faux furs to try and save them.

My poor old SAD SAD slippers.... My new babies. I think I'm in love!

Mr.Bean also got me a gorgeous handmade jewlery box from People's Pottery. Artist Michael Fisher created this piece called "Meadow". It is made of Bubinga and Bird's Eye Maple I'm so excited to finally have a GOOD jewelry box.

*For Liz, I bought her the pen she really wanted. A Retro51 Fountain Pen in Turquoise. Also some other random stuff including a lovely lime green yarn from Elegant Needles in Skaneateles. I wish I could remember what the yarn was called.
*For Betsy, my sister, I made her a scarf out of Homespun Yarn, bought her POCKY from Seattle, and new Fiskars Soft Touch scissors (which I almost kept for myself!) I also handmade her 3 stockings and gave them to her Christmas Eve.

I bought Erin a pretty green(s) woven scarf from Banana Republic.

Mr.Bean and I spent the day at my Mom and Dad's home.

We ate breakfast, opened presents, then lounged around the rest of the night. I LOVE doing nothing days.
Oh yeah, I got THIS! How exciting?!?!?!?

*My mom, being the wonderful mom that she is, got me a brand spanken new serger! This serger will help me make my store, Bean's Stock, full of top quality products. (More info coming soon of course.)
Mom got wireless internet from my Dad, so us 4 sat on our laptops at the Dining Room table for a while looking at a trip to Alaska for my Mom's 50th Birthday. How exciting :) It was a wonderful day with my family and I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

January 1, 2006
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

School gave us the day off. Can you believe it? We had to stay late on friday and saturday, but it's worth it! I'm going to go to Mom's all day to make some scrubs for my job. James has to work.

Tips for Keeping Your Resolutions:
(sent to my by ING Financial Planning.)
1. Think about it. Don't make a last minute resolution for the sake of it. Resolutions should be well considered and meaningful to your own situation.
2. Make it realistic. Don't make a resolution that is unreasonable or unrealistic to achieve. Consider your own ability to actually achieve your resolution.
3. Set a firm resolution. Resolutions tend to fall into one of two categories, you are either going to start or stop doing something. Take it a step further and be speific and measure about what the results of that action will be for your own life and situation.
4. Set a timetable. Remember that a goal is a dream with a deadline.
5. Make a plan. Assess how much time and effort your resolution will take, and plan for it.
6. Find resources. A resolution is a change in behavior, something new for you to accomplish. It's logical that you might need help or advice.
7. Remind yourself. Create a self reminding prompt that keeps your resolution top of mind well beyond those early days of January. Tape a piece of paper to the mirror, set up a computer prompt or reminder, mark your calendar.
8. Don't give up. Don't panic or let setbacks derail your overall plan. If you slip, simply pick right back up again.
9. Find a resolution partner. Find a sympathetic partner with a resolution of his or her own. Support each other.
10. Reward yourself! Don't forget to recognize and reward your successes! Changing habits and behaviors is hard work; use your imagination to find creative ways to treat yourself for your accomplishments.

January 4, 2006
Today was my last day at work. I definately have mixed emotions about this place. I will miss some of the staff, few of the patients, and only parts of the work. I really enjoyed creating spreadsheets, automated report stats, and being the creative go-to person for the whole office. My days of being a medical secretary are over. Woohoo! Here are my ladies:

2 of my favorite ladies in medical records, Michelle and Chris, got me these lovely roses.

I will definately miss parts of the job, but I know I made the right decision to persue my nursing.

holy slacker

2006-01-04T22:05:00.000-05:00

Okay. I wanted to let everyone know that I AM ALIVE. I've been so busy and I have so much to tell you! I am going to make catching up on my blogging a priority for the next 2 days. Well, after I attempt to clean up the house.....

and America's Next Top Model is.....

2005-12-07T20:58:00.000-05:00

NICOLE!
Yay! I've liked her from day #1. She's a model that I would actually be interested in, because she's a real person. She "embraces her inner nerd". I'm really happy it wasn't some stuck up bitch. Yay!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bean!

2005-12-02T23:13:00.000-05:00

To my beloved boyfriend, Happy Birthday Mr.Bean! I hope the time you spent with your family was wonderful! Sorry I was not there for most of it.

I Love You!
*Bean*

Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-25T22:47:00.000-05:00

I wanted to take time to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I think everyone should take the time once in a while and really think about what they are thankful for. Not just the materialistic shit, but what really means the world to you.

Genuine Things I am Thankful For:
1. Mr.Bean, who I have been with for over 4 years now and love so much.
2. My parents, for giving me all the childhood experiences I needed.
3. My true friends, for being so wonderful eventhough I may not keep in touch as well as I should.
4. My overall general health.
5. Nursing School. I have learned so much from school to take with me for the rest of my life. I've had some really wonderful experiences with some awesome classmates.
6. Mrs. Needham (professor at school). She has taught me a lot about finding myself and figuring out what I really want to do with my life. She has been nothing but supportive in my school endeavors and re-entrance into school this year.
7. Traveling. I don't know what I would do without knowing I was free to travel wherever I want. I'm so thankful I've been to China twice, France, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Canada.
8. Freedom to quit my job if I want to.
9. Good opportunities, which come along once in a while.
10. Being a woman and knowing I can do whatever the hell I want. :)

Shallow Things I am Thankful For:
1. Peanut Butter! Peter Pan Plus, Creamy. MMMmmm.
2. Yarn, oh so lovely yarn.
3. My new laptop.
4. Fabric! I can't resist a good piece of fabric.
5. Coupons for craft stores.
6. My blog! I love having a place to vent or just get my ideas/thoughts out there.
7. My bathrobe, for it lets me do nothing if that's what I want to do.
8. Sparkley stuff because it's so pretty.
9. Leopard print faux fur slippers, size 9, which I need a new pair of desperately!
10. My sewing machine, which hopefully will make me some money one day.

Finally a Rhinebeck recap!

2005-11-02T18:10:00.000-05:00

I'm one to always have my camera with me. How the heck could I forget it when I went to Rhinebeck??? Needless to say, I'm annoyed. I have to use Erin's and Elizabeth's pictures. Ugh.

I wish I could get a llama. Or an alpaca. If I had my camera I would have taken pics of some alpacas. This is me with my new friend.

Holy Awesome Fries! Elizabeth and I ordered a "Jumbo" fry. They served it to us in only what looked to be a cardboard DOG bowl. Boy were they delicious! Not to mention the place is called "Tish's Amazing Fry Factory". Who is named "Tish" other than MY mother??? I didn't think it was a real name because it's mom's nick name.... Actually, I just noticed I'm in the pic on the right. I never knew Elizabeth took this with me in it! ATLEAST LET ME POSE!!

After a long day's work, here we are, goodies in hand!

Surprisingly I bought the most stuff out of all of us. It's odd to me because I don't know how to spin, yet I only bought fiber! Do I have fiber fever???

Here I have 2 skeins, 2oz. each, of Merino Tencel. Color? "Fire".
This is from The Sheep Shed in New Hampshire.
See the shimmer? I can't believe how soft this stuff is.

1 Pound of Superwash Merino, White with rainbow colored specs. Shall I try dying it??
This is from Misty Mountain Farm in Virginia.

1/2 Pound of Merino, color unspecified but its blues and purples.
This is from The Sheep Shed in New Hampshire.

This is a 1/2 pound, contents and color unknown. Honestly, not really sure where its from either! It feels like a wool blend, and the colors are to die for!

There. That's my recap. That's all you get.

Atleast being home sick I can catch up on some blogging!

I don't talk about the penis as much as some others....?

2005-11-02T14:46:00.000-05:00

So today is day #5 of being home sick. That's 2 weekend days and 3 days off from work. Do you think I would have gotten ANYTHING done yet? Answer? NO!! No knitting, sewing, reading, studying, or cleaning. Not only have I gotten nothing done, I now have more to do because I've done zip since Saturday morning.

Actually, Saturday morning I went to Starbucks around noon with Elizabeth to knit, the headed over to The Sound Garden to purchase a Christmas present for someone, then stumbled upon RazzBerry in Armory Square where I surprisingly found another Christmas present! I love when things happen by accident- one less shop to go to when everyone is down to the last 5 shopping days of hell until Christmas. I really hate those days. Saturday night James wanted to spend some quality time together, so he invited people over. Bleh. Atleast I like the people =-)

Sunday I still felt like crap. I slept most of the morning then went to Carousel Mall and bought a new tote at Eddie Bauer. (It's Chocolate with a lavender lining! Yummy!) Sunday night James' sister/husband/child were supossed to come over for dinner. Elizabeth and her DH (James' Brother) came over and made appetizers and such while we waited. And waited. And waited. No call.... No show.... How dare they? Atleast I got to bed early.

I'm so exited because my new checks came in the mail. woohoo! They are the cutest Hello Kitty checks in 4 pastel designs.

Today instead of studying like I should be for my HUGE ASS test Friday for nursing school, I roamed around the net. I've decided I'd like to start selling crafty goods on my own website. I will be taking some pictures soon and asking for input on what you all think will or will not sell. I'm concentrating on Wine Charms, Stitch Markers, Tote Bags, Run Around Bags, and Origami Lapel Pins. Please give me input when I post the pictures!! I'm going to add some to my eBay store Bean's Stock and see how they sell within a few weeks.

While roaming around the web, I came across THIS. I can't believe someone actually made this!

Congratulations is in order for PDX Super Crafy on releasing their book Super Crafty. Anyone who has interests in craftyness should spend some time reading this site and exploring all the links that are presented. I spent hours on this website...

Yesterday I rejoined "Friends of George" and my profile is now current. I can't believe how many states I have considering I've only been a member since April of this year. go me! Not to mention, I have a hit in EL SALVADOR! Now if only I could get a hit in North Dakota before someone else does... MUWAAAHAAHAHA

I'll leave you all with this for now:

You are Jacques Lacan! Arguably the most important
psychoanalyst since Freud, you never wrote
anything down, and the only works of yours are
transcriptions of your lectures. You are
notoriously difficult to understand, but at
least you didn't talk about the penis as much
as other psychoanalysts. You died in 1981.

What 20th Century Theorist are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

What???

Rhinebeck Here I Come!!!

2005-10-14T21:17:00.000-04:00

So I've decided to go to Rhinebeck, thanks to a persuasion by Erin and Elizabeth. We're all going to carpool the 3 hour drive to spend the day trying not to spend money. My problem is, I am new at knitting. I started almost 1 year ago. I have made a scarf for my boyfriend, a hat and 1 mitten for myself (the otherone is coming i swear!), 1 3/4 socks (they seem to never end), a neonatal winter hat to donate to the hospital, and I've started making some Christmas presents that I can't talk about because some of those people read the blog. I've seem to fallen out of the knitting mood lately. I'm hoping this festival will help enthuse me! I guess the blogger meeting time is NOON outside of Building #26. See you all there!

So I'm annoyed with eBay. I listed my "coach-like" bags, and they deleted them because they're violating some stupid eBay rule. UGH. So, if anyone wants to buy a bag, they're $12 w/o shipping and I take paypal. Just let me know. On that note, I'm looking for a somewhat local retailer who would be willing to buy all of my Chinese items off of me. I have about $25K worth of merchandise. I believe that justifies my 15-20 40gallon totes in my storage closet... Bleh. I just don't have time to eBay them all. Any leads for me??

I really should be working on my homework....

F*** SPAM Comments... I HATE THEM.

2005-10-11T21:58:00.000-04:00

Hey guys- Due to a MILLION rejects posting SHIT comments on my blog, you now have to be a registered user for my BLOG. I'm not sure how this will all work, but if you have any problems posting a comment, please let me know. Thanks!!

*Bean*

Bags Bags Bags

2005-10-11T21:16:00.000-04:00

I have some new things up on eBAY including these 2 WONDERFUL bags... Let me know if you're interested!

Bag #1- Imitation COACH handbag. Great Buy!!

Bag #2 - Faux Suede Messenger Bag, made by J&J.

All but pleasurable....

2005-09-08T21:40:00.000-04:00

I've finally found my CD to study to. It's Sarah McLchlan's "Acoustic Pleasures". It's so soothing.... I guess this is kind of ironic because what I'm studying is all BUT pleasurable. It's stressful. What if I mess something up on clinical with a patient? I can only read so many times on how to give an enema, but get this- my professor told us a true story on how someone inserted the enema into the wrong part of the body and it killed the woman. How horrible is this? How could someone let this happen?! Another classmate that started last year with me said that for her FIRST patient ever on clinical, she was giving her a bed bath then a few minutes later the family was called in because the patient died. That's what scares me... What if my patient dies on me??? Lack of pleasurable things may be why nurses can make so much money.

Guess Who???

2005-08-27T21:58:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIN!!!

I'm so happy that we got reacquainted after all these years! Ahh... To remember the days when we were young... HAHAHA. I hope your weekend is going fabulous! Love you!

I did it... FINALLY!!

2005-08-24T20:09:00.000-04:00

After months of agonizing over what haircut to get when I donate for Locks of Love, I finally decided. Today was the day! I went over to Trade Secret in Great Northern Mall where they will shampoo/cut/style your hair for free, then mail it in. Nothing felt better than a FREE haircut!

Here is before:
(Me and James for Christmas 2003)

And after:
(this evening after my haircut)

Do you all approve? I feel like the picture on the left ages me, but the pic on the right doesn't. How the hell does that happen????

Goodnight y'all.

2005-08-24T13:25:00.000-04:00

I was reading Diana's Site and decided to try her little "What's your summer ride?" quiz. Here are my results:

Your Summer Ride is a Beetle Convertible

Fun, funky, and a little bit euro.
You love your summers to be full of style and sun!

What's Your Summer Ride?

Unlike Diana's results, mine are OPPOSITE of what I really drive. I drive a Hyundai Elantra. Not even one with a sun roof!! I like my little car... it gets me from A to B, and I get 400 miles to the tank (I think its a 12gal tank?). Either way, it will be paid off in under 2 years I believe. Then I will milk the damn thing until it dies on me, and buy myself a nice new car. My dream car will never be a reality, but I can always hope... Hell- my brother has one. If he can buy one so can I!!! Ahh.. to be rich.

But then if I was rich, I wouldn't be working fulltime. Maybe per diem or something if I felt like it. I would spend my days travelling the world. I really do want to live in China and Europe for sometime in my life. Rather it be because I'm wealthy or because I have a job there.... I miss travelling. The US is okay, but there's nothing like other cultures.... When I was younger I used to want to be Asian. Now that I know that's impossible (damn!) I really want a Chinese baby. I mean, I want to HAVE one, not just adopt one. Seeing as how James is not Asian, I guess adoption will have to do. But give me time.... Maybe in 10 years I'll have the time and money for little children to be hanging on me.

Can you tell I'm home and BORED????

Just my luck...

2005-08-22T22:14:00.000-04:00

This morning I get to work and I have to cover another secretary's position. No big deal- at least I still get paid. I got up to go on my break, went over to MY desk, and noticed that someone opened the window that is supposed to always be closed due to patient confidentiality. I tried to close the window but it was stuck. The damn window had come off its track, which it does on occasion. I went to lift it back on track and I felt my upper back muscle tear. HOLY SHIT it hurt! I went to the Employee Health Office and laid on a stretcher for an hour with ice and meds. I am so paranoid to begin with because I had lower back surgery in 2002, the last thing I need is another back problem. Needless to say, I went home at noon today. I couldn't take the pain! So I've been sitting here now, for 10 hours, doing nothing. I mean NOTHING. Actually, the past hour I did work on my 2nd Magic Stripe sock. Yes, you read that right, my SECOND one! I'm now almost done with the heel, and headed for the toe. Yay! I can only knit a little at a time because my shoulder blades are not thrilled I'm moving them at all. I am unsure if I'm going to work in the morning or not. I want to go see my MD or my surgeon, but I don't have the money to right now. We'll see what the morning brings. I'm off to sleep. Goodnight.

Darien Lake

2005-08-16T22:37:00.000-04:00

So last weekend I hung out with Andrea. On Saturday we ventured out to the Chalet. Here's the traffic we encountered... STOP START STOP START for 1 hour.... And for what???

To see this RV that was flattened on the side of the road in the Montezuma Refuge. It's not like it was a little RV either- it looked to be about a 35-40 foot-er. How horrible is this? There was a little girl bent by the side of it trying to find what remains she could... How sad.

All I could think about was my Mom being in the mid-west all alone in her RV travelling for the summer.... I sure am glad she's back in town.

On a good note, I FINALLY REACHED 30,000 MILES ON MY CAR!!! I was so pissed I missed the 30K picture....

On Sunday we went to Darien Lake. It was such a gorgeous day! I thought I would enlighten you all with some photos:

Bathing Beauties! (Including the goose!!)

You think we got enough sun? Our skin was so fried! :)

You all have to go on the Superman Ride of Steel. It's so awesome!! Plus, it takes a good picture in the evening.

We're thinking of going one more time in September maybe....

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Dorky Bean

2005-08-05T05:57:00.000-04:00

Isn't my profile photo rediculous??? The lovely hat I'm wearing is a CHILD'S hat made out of wool. I think it's not that flattering. I was just goofing around and Liz took my picture. I don't really look like this, I swear.....

Look at what I bought this weekend!

2005-07-27T21:04:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday I went to Starbucks with my knitting gals. Unfortunately, I somehow, with some help from the wind, managed to spill my IZZE Sparkling Blackberry drink on our table, the ground, IN my purse, all over the outside of my knitting bag, on my pants and sandals, and worst of all.... on Erin. I felt like such an idiot! I decided to blame it on my least favorite person, George Bush. Erin, her mom, and I took a drive over to our LYS and look what I bought!!

4 Skeins of Rowan Kid Classic! Colors are #827, 835, 845, and 847. I am going to knit myself a Dr. Who Scarf. Isn't this exciting?! Purple is my favorite color, the red matched my shoes and my skiing gear (that I still need to buy), the orange matches my shoes AND my kneelength jacket, and the sage is just perrrrrty. And, all of these skeins were 20% off. YAY!

10 skeins of Rowan dk tweed in color #852 Seal. This eventually will make me a luscious sweater. All of this yarn only cost me $50! Seeing as how it's normally $10 PER skein, I got it all for 1/2 price! That's HALF PRICE!!!

Last but not least, I got these 6 balls of GGH Gala. I bought them because of the color and the slight shine to it. Little did I know that regular price was $11 per ball. I got ALL 6 for..... SIX DOLLARS! What a steal! This will make a heavenly scarf.

Needless to say, I have a few things to make. Now I just need to find more time.... Thanks for the fun day Erin!

Nothing is wrong....

2005-07-20T23:04:00.000-04:00

So apparently "nothing is wrong" with my car... How the hell can this be true?? Obviously, if the damn thing didn't start on more than one occasion, SOMETHING IS WRONG. Either way, I got it back today and they fixed a few things under warranty that I wanted replaced. Let's see how long my car makes it with "nothing wrong".... Screw you Billy......

Also- today is Dad's 46th birthday- HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! I love you!

Count away!

2005-07-18T22:59:00.001-04:00

This is short, but I don't care.
Check out my new Andale Counter! Isn't it COOL!!

I'm so proud of it, sitting on the bottom of my left sidebar.... YAY! I got it only to read when a new person comes onto the site, not when it's just refreshed. Now if I could only remember my chinese numbers....

Billy Fucillo isn't so HUGE.

2005-07-17T22:37:00.000-04:00

I have to start on a good note, because the rest of this will not be so pleasant. School is going much better than last year Currently I have a B, and I'm trying to raise it to an A. I do need to study more so I've joined a study group. I can't wait to get into the hospital and have the chance to work on a REAL person- not just a dummy.

So Saturday I was leaving school to go on my lunch break, when low and behold, my car wouldn't start. The radio/AC/lights came on, but the engine didn't even turn over. HOW INCONVENIENT! James came to get me at school and we went out for a lovely lunch at Biscotti's Cafe. After class ended I called Hyundai Roadside Assistance and they came to get my car. Unfortunately, I was in a parking lot, parked on a hill, with a barrier infront of my car. The towtruck guy couldn't move my car enough to get it on the flatbed. If we waited until Monday to tow it, he would have about 200 extra cars in the way. So I told him I would do it. He put it in neutral and I pushed the damn thing up the hill to a spot where he could get it on the flatbed. Yay for adrenaline and my muscles =-) My car is now at the dealership where it "could take a couple weeks to get it looked at". WHAT A CROCK OF SHIT. I have a warranty that covers all the work on the damn thing as long as it's not the battery or the remote car starter. With my luck, it will be both. They don't have any loaner cars, so I'm going to have to find ways to get around for a while. If my car is in the shop for so long, I wonder if they will pay my car payment for next month??? Hhmmm... I HATE them.

Coming soon....

2005-07-12T22:40:00.000-04:00

Bear with me- I'm trying to update all of my links, my template, and load in more pictures. If you have any suggestions to this blog, feel free to comment! Seattle pictures are coming soon!! So is my creative project gallery!!!

Also 1 rant.... THIS WEATHER IS AWFUL. I can't believe how hot it is outside. I started my car today, turned on the A/C, and let it run a few minutes before I got in it. After I climbed in, I drove for 15 minutes... Shouldn't the A/C decide to KICK IN by then? I think my car is soaking in the heat and ignoring the A/C.... Maybe I will move to Seattle in a few years.

Seattle here I come!

2005-06-25T15:02:00.000-04:00

James and I are leaving for Seattle, Washington today. I CAN'T WAIT! We've been together almost 4 years and this will be our first REAL vacation together. YAY! I still have yet to pack- actually, I'm still doing laundry. Did I ever tell you I'm a procrastinator? Yeah- It's 3pm and we're leaving the house at 430pm... I will post my vacation notes, as well as pictures of course, when I get home next week.

Bean's Stock

2005-06-01T20:16:00.000-04:00

My EBay store has opened!!!

It is lacking many items, but the basic stuff is up and running. Despite Liz's reactions to the name of it, it is Bean's Stock. You know, Bean, like Jillybean, and Stock, like BeanStalk. Get it?. Atleast I thought it was a cute name. I plan on selling Instrument Mouthpieces, Designer Cosmetics, and most of all - Chinese clothing (traditional and non). If you want to purchase anything without going through the shipping, let me know and we can make a deal. I hope to create a catalogue that I can bring to our knit-ups.

Wish me luck!

My Idol

2005-05-25T23:41:00.000-04:00

I just have to say congratulations to Carrie Underwood for doing an outstanding job during American Idol. Bo Bice had a very good season as well. I wish them both best of luck in their careers.

Does this post make me a geek?

*Bean

Appendicitis-less

2005-05-19T17:45:00.000-04:00

So I spent the last 2 days thinking I had Appendicitis. Now I think that I'm just fine. I had a temperature of 101.6 with severe lower abdominal pains. A nurse that I work with checked me out yesterday and suggested I go the ER. I called my on-call doctor and she suggested the same. However, like a bad patient, I didn't go. A few hours later my pain and temperature decreased. (Yay!) Today I just had mild stomach tenderness and NO fever. Whatever it was thank goodness that It's gone...

YellowJackets

2005-05-12T23:36:00.000-04:00

The otherday James won tickets on NPR to go see the YellowJackets This evening James and I headed out to Rome (NY) to see them.
They were outstanding!
I haven't been to hear a Jazz Quartet in some time. It makes me think about how much I miss playing my saxophone.
The opening band, however, was the Rome YMCA Jazz Band I guess they were good for their ages, but honestly I would not have felt bad if I missed them. Sorry guys (and 1 gal).

Glad to do nothing day...

2005-05-01T02:16:00.000-04:00

For the first time in who knows how long, I slept in until 1015am. Can I tell you how GREAT that feels? To actually wake up to NO alarm clock... What a great concept!

My goal for today was to do nothing. Hooray for achievement!!!

I went to the Knitting Meetup at Wegmans. I'm kind of disappointed that there were only 4 of us. I understand things come up, but I still have yet to meet 1/2 of these knitters! COME TO THE MEETINGS!!! I stayed there for 3 hours and worked on my Magic Stripe Socks.

Er, well, sock.

I do have to mention that I am in LOVE with Wegmans' coffee cake muffins. Soooo Yummy.

James and I went to John and Liz's tonight for some food. We had paella- it's a rice dish with chicken, sausage, roasted red peppers, peas, and saffron. It did have mussels in it though.... they really creep me out. Liz and I took a stroll over to ACMoore before dinner. I bought some Gedifra Fashion Trend Color yarn in a nice Navy Blue to start the Stitch n'Bitch Sparkle Hat (minus the sparkles).

The yarn is WONDERFUL. I also bought another pair of dpn's- Clover, size 10 1/2. Thanks goodness for coupons! I really need to start knitting more.

For some reason it's 2:10am and I'm still awake. I think I need to go to bed. I have a date at the gym at 9am for a class. Let's see if I can get my butt up and out of bed!

Welcome

2005-04-03T15:14:00.000-04:00

This is my first attempt at a Blog. I hope to spread my interests to everyone that reads this. Feel free to inquire on anything I have posted here! Welcome to my life.