CAUTION: Woman In Progress

It's yucky and wet here today. Thunderstorms, tornado warnings, etc. Generally a miserable day. So what did I do on this miserable Friday morning? I ran errands, of course! lol I didn't realize until Wednesday that my car tag was expiring this month. Because I've moved since last year, I didn't get the handy little card they normally send and well, Jana ain't the most observant chick in the yard. *sigh* And Daddy, bless his heart, noticed it WEEKS ago. Did he bother to mention it to me? Of course not! Mama happened to mention it Wednesday on the way home from work, him saying something about it to her. When she dropped me off I looked and sure enough, he was right. So since I couldn't get off work yesterday to go to the courthouse I decided to take off this morning and do it. *sigh* Drowned rat anyone?

So Wednesday nights, formerly Ghost Hunters nights, are currently Lost nights. Which is fine, since it's GHI season right now. Not much of a fan of the international version. Don't know what I'm gonna do next month when the TAPS gang returns. Guess I'll be recording one or the other. I need a DVR. LOL Anyway, Lost is one of those shows that when it's over and done (as in the series is cancelled, finished, done for) I need to get all the DVD's and watch them back to back to back. Watching last nights "recap" of last week's episode in which there are helpful little reminders scrolling across the bottom of the screen--presumably to help those of us with less photographic memories tie in things from previous seasons--I realized how much I had forgotten from previous seasons that would give this season more "aha" moments as apparently the show is coming full circle. Folks who don't watch Lost have no idea what I'm talking about, but...

So last night I went home and snacked on Thin Mints (Girl Scouts are EVIL, btw), did a little bit of half-hearted aerobics and crashed on the couch to flip channels. Nothing that interests me comes on television on Tuesday nights. I've tried getting into The Mentalist because Simon Baker is, well, he's just yummy. And I like The Mentalist okay, it just doesn't inspire much devotion. Turns out the President was on last night anyway. And political speeches? Not so much. (And how sad is it that my nights are so involved in television anyhow?) I could have read but my brain is fuzzy from cold meds and I want to devote full attention to the novel I'm reading now. Which, btw, I put The Host on hold for now because oh my gosh, that book is going to take some mighty heaping helpings of concentration to get through. lol Instead, I started the latest Kristan Higgins, the title of which my fuzzy brain has apparently leaked out. Anyway...I said all that to say that I got bored ...

After weeks of avoiding it, it finally caught up with me. That nasty, vicious, vile cold that everyone else has had. Yep, I'm sick. I hate colds. I especially hate that I had to spend my "fun money" (money earmarked for supper and a movie this weekend) on cold meds and tissues. Went last night and bought some Zycam and Nyquil. I figured between the two of them, one of them should knock the snot right out of this cold. Pardon the pun. lol Except, the Zycam I got was the quick dissolve tabs and while they weren't that bad the first couple of doses, now they're just...Ugh! Gross. But, I don't see me swabbing anything and the spray mist things make me gag so the tabs were my last option. The Nyquil, though...I loves me some Nyquil. Took it about fifteen minutes before I went to bed last night and I don't even remember my head hitting the pillow. That stuff rawks! lol Libby's a little confused by my new voice, though. I sound like a dude! LOL But anyway, in...

the country. Don't get me wrong. I love having fast food and fine dining five minutes away in either direction. But I long for the quiet peace of the country. Whatever made me think that I could be a "city" girl, anyhow? Oh, right. I almost forgot. Mice, bad a/c and mold. AKA Desperation. *sigh* I just miss having a private yard in which to play with the Devil Pup. A yard that wasn't taken over by neighborhood kids each weekend. Honestly, I can't even take the DP outside to pee or poop because the kids are outside in all areas of the yard yelling and running amok. And the DP does NOT like noisy kids any better than I do. And these kids antagonize her which makes me harbor violent thoughts and violence against kids is bad. So generally I try to keep me and the DP inside. This past Saturday I cranked up the stereo and blasted Kelly Clarkson in an attempt to keep the DP from hearing all the havoc outside. Even then she could still hear them when they'd get insi...

chew her chewie than play with Mama.

Yesterday was lovely. Utterly fabulous. I took the day off of work to get a few things done (a bank errand, trip to the vet for Libby's mani/pedi). Got up early and got all that business out of the way. Even went grocery shopping so I won't have to do that Saturday. (It's supposed to be a rainy mess by then.) On the way back from the vet's (it's out in the country) Libby and I took the long way home looking at houses and neighborhoods, trying to figure out what we want to and can do come July. Not much in the way we can afford but I'm trying to keep my eyes peeled, yanno? I have faith that the right home is waiting for us but faith without works is useless. So I'm trying to do my part. Libby enjoyed the ride and just being out of the house and I did to. It's nice to do something different. Shake things up. With that in mind, I decided that I was NOT going to be content spending the rest of the day cooped up in the house even if it WAS 42 degrees out. So ...

I just haven't had much to say. Life's dull right now. Busy, but dull. And ya'll really don't want to hear about my gorging on Rollos while reading the new Holly Jacobs book last night, right? LOL Yeah, didn't think so.

She says it killed the cat. Nobody ever said anything about dogs. Or Goddesses, rather .

LOL I "heart" the above title so much, I think I'll keep it. Not sure who coined it, but my co-worker DD tweeted it Saturday and cracked me up. Yeah. I'm easily amused. So, how did I spend my Single Awareness Day? Being blessedly single--and loving it. For the first time since I was a kid--back before I cared about things like men and boyfriends and how depressing Valentine's Day could be--I actually enjoyed the day. I only almost cried once. And that one time had nothing to do with the lack of male companionship. No, I almost cried (and did actually cuss a little) because McDonald's screwed up my breakfast order. hehehehe Well, it was very traumatic. I ordered my usual chicken biscuit meal (#6, if you wanna know) with a nonfat hazelnut cappuciano. First, I had to pull up and wait ten minutes at the drive through for them to bring my chicken biscuit. Then when I got home I realized that a) they'd forgotten to include my hashbrown and b) they'd forgotte...

I sat down yesterday and figured up my budget/bills for the next three months and guess what...if nothing major happens (meaning, no catastrophic events and I don't lose my mind) I should have two of my three credit cards paid off by April. That means in May I can start hitting Mr. Mastercard hard and heavy and if I can stick to my guns (and the cost of living doesn't explode) I can have him paid off in three years! Color me excited. Of course, that whole Mr. Mastercard thing is entirely dependant on my not charging anything on him anymore. Which means I'll either hafta cut him up or put him in the freezer. I know that's going to be the hardest part--not charging. Cause I love ordering books and music online and books and music are my downfall. I can live without buying new clothes and I can stop charging fast food but books and music are...well, my life's happiness often times depends on them. They keep me sane. But, I do have a plan for that, as well. Once I get t...

At least that's impression she gives. hehehe As I said yesterday, I've been reading the Jennifer Crusie collaboration, Dogs and Goddesses . I'm totally loving it. Of course, it makes me trying to talk to Libby all that much more frustrating because the characters in the book can actually understand their dogs. lol Libby has a few visual cues that she gives me for things like "feed me" "I need more water" "I need to go outside" and "rub my belly" but sometimes, like this morning, she got her cues all mixed up. She kept doing her "I need to go outside" thing but I'd already taken her so I knew that wasn't what she wanted. I kept telling her, "Tell Mama what you need, baby," because she was obviously trying to tell me something. I just didn't know what. Turns out she just wanted me to hurry up and decide to "get dressed" which means she gets a couple of milk bones. Yeah, she thinks "Let...

I'm so tired today. The week has felt like a super busy one, for sure. Yesterday was, especially. I was on my feet and running from about 12:30 until ten minutes after I was supposed to go home. When I walked through the door of my apartment, I very nearly collapsed. lol But of course the Devil Pup being who she is (she lives up to her nick name) wouldn't let me stay down for long. We had trips outside to make! Mail to retrieve! Food to eat! Bellies that needed scratching! Kisses that needed to be given! Bad breath to share! lol She did finally settle down about 6pm and we snuggled in the recliner while I read Jennifer Crusie's latest collaboration, Dogs and Goddesses. This one was co-written with Anne Stuart and Lani Diane Rich. I'm just past the first quarter of the book and so far, so good. The theme feels a little more toward the ridiculous but heck, sometimes ridiculous works. I especially love the talking dog aspect. Makes me wish the DP could talk. Or not. LOL T...

A couple of months ago, I gave an uncle my old laptop. He had a use for it and I couldn't afford to repair it so I gave it to him. When I did so, I asked him to get the pictures off of it that I had saved to it. He sent the disk by my mom this weekend and added a few surprises on there. Wanna see Jana as a child? LOL This is my grandparents on my mother's side. My biological grandmother who died when my mother was about 10 or so with Pa-Paw. I'd seen a few pictures of her but never one of them together. Rumor has it that my step-grandmother destroyed them all after she and Pa-Paw married. This one must have been one that Uncle saved from my great grandmother's house a couple of years ago. This is me and Sis2. (I'm on the right, in case you couldn't tell.) Don't know what that look on my face was about. There's really no telling. LOL This is a portrait of the three of us. I think I was around a year old in this one. And this one, I think I was around ...

Just found out that Sis1 is blowing off my birthday weekend next month in order to go to a friend's wedding. And she asked Mama couldn't we move my birthday "party" to the following weekend? It's MY THIRTIETH FRICKIN' BIRTHDAY and I'm supposed to move the celebration FOR HER? MY birthday. Mine . Not hers. Mine . And not just any birthday. A milestone birthday. And this isn't just a one time occurrence. No, she missed my birthday last year, too. Nice to see where I stand. Remind me again why I love my sisters? Some days it's really hard to recall why I even bother. *sigh* Yeah, I know, it's only a birthday. I'll (God willing) have plenty more. Maybe I should be more flexible. It isn't as though the family is going to do anything particularly special. No big party is planned or anything like that. Just the usual supper at home. But darnit. When else, but my birthday, do I get to be first? I'm always last at everything in this fami...

And other tales of a "gal about town." Yeah. Laundry. That and Ghost Whisperer was the highlight of my Friday night. Scintillating, right? LOL I had to work Saturday morning. Blech. I loathe working on Saturdays. For three dull hours I get to sit in an empty room and wait for anyone who might happen to wonder in. Yay. Not. Sis2 called just before I got off, though, and invited me over for lunch. So I hurried home, changed clothes and grabbed the DP. Turns out it was a little impromptu family gathering, as the folks were there, too. Mama had picked up KFC. Yummy. I'm not ashamed to say that I ate two drumsticks and a thigh. I love drumsticks. :-) Hung around there for a little while, playing with Lyssa. She's such a funny girl. She found the comb I keep in my purse so I combed through her little bit of hair. She sat so still, like she wasn't sure what I was doing, but she liked it. lol After that, she took the comb and tried to do it herself. Wasn't very succe...

It's about 55 degrees...IN MY OFFICE. *shiver* Forget your wimpy little snowstorms, all you yankees, thinkin' you're tough. Try sittin' in 55 degree temps IN YOUR OFFICE for eight hours a day five days a week. See how tough you are then. hehehehe Seriously. I may never be warm again. My fingers are frozen. Can't. Hardly. Type. *shivers* Probably warmer outside than it is in here. That's what's really sad. In other news, Daddy appears to finally be on the mend. Gums haven't bled in couple of days, look healthy and pink and he actually GOT OUT OF THE HOUSE the other day. Seriously amazing. Mama seems to have suffered no ill affects from her fall the other day. Me, on the other hand, I had a MISERABLE day yesterday. Imagine a million razor sharp knives stabbing you repeatedly in twenty different places and you know how I felt. Thanks to a magic trick from Mama, I almost feel alive again. I've stopped praying for death, anyway. I'm too busy praying f...

It's a widely known fact that this pup OWNS me. Where she goes, I follow. The leash is only so that I can keep up with her.

Daddy thinks his lightheadedness yesterday was from a sugar low. Since he's been diagnosed diabetic back in Dec, he hasn't experienced one so he didn't know what it was and it scared him. He said after he ate a mashed banana and drank some milk he felt fine. Still some trace bleeding from his gums though. And my mother--I don't know what I'm going to do with her. She tripped and slid down the stairwell in our building this morning. She's okay but said her hip was already getting sore. These parents of mine. *shakes head* Don't know what I'm gonna do with 'em. It was so cold last night that I was shivering on the couch with two shirts on with my pj bottoms, an afghan and the tower space heater directly turned on me. Seriously shivering. My feet felt like ice, my hands were stiff and the danged Devil Pup kept wanting to go outside. I don't know why I was so cold. I mean, yeah, it was miserably cold out but the inside temp was the same as always t...

If I didn't believe there'd be light at the end of the tunnel, I might be tempted to just chuck it all. Actually, everything's going fine with me at the moment. (Thank You, God!) I have nothing to really complain about. It's my parents who are being tried. Having a little Job (as in the book of) test. I feel so badly not being able to fix it for them and yet I know that fixing their problems isn't my job...It's HIS. The Almighty's. And He will, I know. He's done it before for them as well as for me. So I know it's only a matter of time. This dark period is just something they're having to go through to get to the other side. And yet, it hurts to see them both suffering. Daddy with his continued dental problems (his gums won't heal from the last procedure he had--keeps bleeding) and unemployment. Mama with her car issues (got the transmission fixed and now something else is going out. Don't know what, yet. It's still in the shop.) and ...

The first day of February was absolutely gorgeous. The sun was out, the sky was blue, a cool breezed tickled my hair against my face. I spent the day in a short sleeved t-shirt and jeans while Libby and I went exploring around the folks' yard. When what should before my wandering eye appear? There, amidst the mostly brown dead grass, Daffodils budding, getting ready to bloom. I couldn't believe my eyes. So of course, I had to get photographic evidence to share with those of ya'll in the colder states still covered in white. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. The Daffodils around here do tend to start blooming early but I don't think I've ever seen them bloom THIS early. And not with the cold we've had of late. A few warm days here and there, but nothing that I would think the Daffodils would find so inviting. As I recall, though, the Daffodils had already bloomed when it snowed here in early March, last year. So what do I know of Daffodils?

I hate being a blusher. I really do. What am I? 14? LOL Seriously, ya'll, a totally delicious male specimen came in while I was working the reference desk this morning. We're talking, nice suit, great smile, totally hot silver hair, very confident, sexy voice. Nicely built, too. Man-oh-man was he DELICIOUS. *licks lips* And what do I do? I blush to the roots of my hair and trip over my tongue trying to remember what it is that I DO here. LOL It's a wonder I managed to speak half-way coherently. I actually GIGGLED while instructing him on what forms he needed to fill out, etc. I'm such a dork. *sigh*