I've been neglecting this blog recently, in favor of the other one.  I shouldn't do that.    I should get back to pic taking, as my internet is up and running again (finally). 

I'm heading out to PA this weekend to visit R.  Maybe I'll get some pics in out there.  maybe not.    we'll see how it goes. 

Work is starting to be delightful (in a sarcastically bad way), and it worries me.  But I'm gonna stick with it . . see where this takes me.  If I'm still pushing papers in a corner by next year, and I haven't won an audition . . then I'm OUT.  I might make that big move . . out . . somewhere.  West, East .. South.  Just not here.  Here is so depressing.  The city . . its state of . . well . . just sadness.  This whole city is sad.  I don't want that to rub off on me.  I need to find somewhere with live, with a bit of eccentricity, with style and . . well. . light.  Light would be good.   

Hope everyone has a fantastic day!

Well . . I finally did it . . . I broke down and bought a new desk.  I've spent the past couple of days struggling to get it together . . and I did it!    (its rather large . . . not your typical little computer desk type thing.)    So yeah . . I'm psyched.  (pic . . incase you're curious)
I'm also starting work with a personal trainer today.    Should be interesting.  I told the kid that I wanted a PT that would kick my ass.  *lol*  Now I'm wondering if that was very stupid of me!! 
(for those that don't know . . i'm overweight and needing to lose quite a bit . . . you can follow my happy little journey at my weightloss blog.)

anyways . . . so now I get to organize my office (FINALLY) and that makes me so incredibly happy . . . This room has been the 'catch all' since I've moved in . . and it has driven me insane.  But until I got the desk . . there really wasn't much I could do.  I cleaned it up . . but there was still no storage for my papers and binders and files and things . . . and now. . . NOW I have 2 nice filing cabinets, a lovely writing utensil drawer, shelving out the wazoo . . . now I can put my pictures up and make it look . . well, like home!   

Next project?  PAINT MY HOUSE.  and paint my mirror.  I think I'll do the mirror this weekend. 

Hallelujah and holy moly. . . I finally have internet access at home.  Took me long enough didn't it!  How did I survive without it?!?! 

pretty darn good actually . . . but thats besides the point. 

I can finally post pictures!  Wahooo!!  So here's a few . . . before I run off. 

this one was taken a while ago . . of the sculptures for the year of the Dog:

The city got a bunch of local artists to do up these dog sculptures . . this one was the best one (in my opinion) . . incase you can't see too well . . he's got stick wings . . and an old pilot helmet with round goggles on. hehe  And he's painted blue and white.

a lovely piece of student art that I saw at a show . . . not for sale though.  Cause I would have snapped that bad boy up . . its a very large watercolor . . and just absolutely gorgeous.  This pic does *not* do it justice.

another piece of art at the show.  again . . not for sale.  I would have bought this too.  I would have begged and cried to borrow money to buy this.  Again . . the photo doesn't do it justice.  It's marker, and oil and watercolor on felt. 
So. cool.

the KK.  on halloween.  being a full - blown princess.  Just look at the look on her face. 
I had just taken the resolution on my camera down . . cause I was running out of space.  I could kick myself.  KICK.

Just taken the other night . . .
You can't tell in this pic . . but the moon was HUGE.  I sped like a madwoman to this spot to catch this picture, and the moon had become slightly smaller . . . but it was still HUGE.  Usually with my 3.2 pix cam . . the moon is a teensy little dot in the sky.  So you can see how big it was that night. 

Ok thats it for now.  I'm off to go visit my Jenny. 

Later taters!

since this is the last time I will have internet access till Tuesday,
I'm going to post my new year stuff . . today! 

The new year is coming up here very quickly . . and I'm amazed at how quick 2006 went. 

it kinda scared me too . . because I now only have one more year of my 20's, and I can't be wasting the years like this!!  I have goals, and things I want to accomplish before I'm 30.  Bah! (I informed my mother the other day that I really only have a little over a year until I'm 30.  She told me I was a cruel woman, and that I need to shut my mouth.    hehe)  So, in light of the new year . . I'm going to compile a list.  It will be an on-going list of things that I want to accomplish.  And not just this year either . . this will be for. . well . .life!    And hopefully I'll continue to add things, and check things off as I go.   We'll see! 

Things To Do/Accomplish In My Life
(in no specific order!)

Travel to Italy
Travel to Greece
Get a full time paid position in a major Symphony Orchestra
Skydive
Hike in Yellowstone Nat. Park
Learn to play the Piano
(better than my 2 years of piano proficiency in undergrad)
Visit every state in the United States
(visited so far: CA, CO, NV, WI, IL, IN, KY, OH, PA, GA, NC, CT, FL, TN, AL, TX, HI . . I think that's it!)
take a class on interior design
reach my goal weight
have children
buy a pair of designer shoes (if I can a: find a pair in my size and b: afford them!)
paint my apartment
buy a house
create a large piece of art (or two or three)
win a photography award
learn to dance
(swing dancing, ballroom dancing, salsa, you name it, I wanna try it!)
write a book
fully organize my life (that might just take about all of my life!)
get a promotion (just about done!  will be complete 3/1/2006)
get another promotion 
learn how to invest in the stock market
ride horses again
own a horse again 
be a better friend (another on-going task)
go on another cruise
have a winter house somewhere warm

I'm sure there's much more to come . . but thats a good start.  (I *am* at work . . . hehe)  I hope everyone has a fantastic New Years, and I'll write you again next year!!

Happy Boxing Day!

I have an immense headache today.  I think its from being deprived of caffine for about 4 days.  That and the champagne we had yesterday.  *shrug* who knows.    But it is a killer headache.  Think thats enough reason to go home from work? 

I didn't think so either. 

So I hosted Christmas yesterday.  This was my year it seems . . I also hosted Thanksgiving.  I made Roast Beef, Roast potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding, and a smattering of veggies (asparagus, carrots, parsnips).  I wish I had taken a picture of the Yorkie Pud.  My mother often makes the pudding for special occasions.  She's the british one . . she's the cook as well . . everything generally works for her.  x-cept the pudding.  Her Yorkshire Pudding always falls flat on its face.  So when mine came out golden brown and perfectly puffed, I was a bit pleased.    definitely.  and boy oh boy was it good . . . light as a feather!  (Ok. . I'm done patting myself on the back now).

All this was done *after*  a flurry of Christmas gigs.  Church services all over NE Ohio.  I must say . . the paychecks are LOVELY though.  But I have been so busy.  I can't wait for Jan 1st to be here.  Aside from a visit (hopefully!!) from R, my numerous gigs will be over for a little while . . and I'll have some time to breathe.  and sleep.  And to finish organizing my life.  I have all sorts of plans for this coming year.  Goals. . projects . . . should be fun.

BUT . . time for me to actually do some work.  Thats the bad thing about it being the day after a holiday.  I'm not really motivated to do anything.  And it doesn't help that there is hardly anyone in the office.  Thankfully though, when I actually get down to it. . . I'll be able to get a lot of things done today. . . even with all of my anti-motivation going on. 

I hope everyone had a great Xmas!  Here's to the impending new year!!

I just had a fortune cookie with my lunch today.  My fortune read:

"The rubber bands are heading in the right direction."

???

I feel so un-creative recently. 

I look back on blogs I wrote a year ago, and the difference is amazing.  They were still few and far-between . . but they had color and personality in the writing . . . but recently . . they are just BLAH.  Its like I have nothing to say. 

Funny thing is . . . I think of tons of things to write while I'm driving places.  (infact . . most of my thinking is done at this time) . . . yet I get to a computer, and my brain just turns to dust.   Its like someone dropped a marble in my head . . . and you can hear it bouncing around in the nothing-ness. 
I'm sure it has certain things to do with the fact that I have no internet at home, and that I'm so busy, I rarely have time to think for myself any more . . . but hey. . . excuses excuses! 

I have pictures to post (like stated before). . . but I can't get the USB port in my work computer to work correctly.  So I can't post them.  *sigh*  I got creative and downloaded some pics onto my jump drive, drove the drive to work, and attempted to plug the drive into the computer.  It's supposed to work.

it doesn't.   

so instead, I sign on and whine about being un-creative.  baahaha.  I'll have to come up with some other creative things to do in the mean-time. 

the blow-up christmas decorations are making their appearance again this year.  It seems a few of my neighbors are having a christmas light war with each other . . . I can't sit in my living room and watch tv w/o catching the glare from the beaming houses across the street.  I threatened pics last year . . . I'm going to try to take them now.  hah.  Takes me a year to follow up on my ideas.  Greeeaaat.  I wonder if thats why I have umpteen unfinished projects around the house. . . . . like my mirror . . . and my dining chairs . . . and painting.  *cough* anyways.  I'll get there.  eventually. 

work calls . . . more later!                                                                                                             ~Moi

there's still no sign of the boot.  I'm rather distressed at this fact, as these boots are my most used boots in the winter.  The heel is low enough that I can walk comfortably all day . . yet they are so darn cute, everyone mentions them.  And now one is gone.  GONE.  oh the tradgedy of it all. . . .

and in other news . .

Season two of Beauty and the Beast is in full swing.  If you look back about a year on this here Xanga, you'll see pictures and stories of the year past. ( I think it's a little less than a year . . we didn't get the pics till January I think?)  This year is (supposedly) better than last.  I'm still having fun back in the pit . . where we act up like children and make disgusting jokes (as only brass players and musical theatre folk can do) . . and laugh at the fact that Dan's dressing room (the Beast), is basically in our pit (right next to the orchestra director.)  The most interesting part is when the Beast strips down to his buff colored thong, and the director smacks his ass. Quality theatre . . . most definitely quality theatre.  Also . . things you wouldn't know about the show if you were in the audience.  There's a scene where most of the cast is singing a song (Human Again, for those that know the show), and at the back of the stage, Belle is reading to the Beast. supposedly reading King Aurthur.  but what you *don't* hear, is that Belle (who's awfully tiny and cute) is telling dirty little stories to the Beast while the cast cavorts on stage.  Better hope the sound guy doesn't turn on their mic's accidentally.  whooops!!

December is my busiest month . . . I have Beauty and the Beast every weekend, I also have christmas gigs coming out my ears . . . and when its all done . . I think I may sleep through the month of January.  wooho! 

Things with R are going well.  Because December is so busy for me, we don't get to see each other much until January . . . but I was out there for the weekend following Thanksgiving . . . and he'll be out here the weekend after this next one (though with all the gigging and such . . he'll probably want to go home and be sedated for a while. hehe) .. hopefully after the first of the year we'll be able to see each other more.  3.5 hours isn't too far . . but it's not like we're down the street.  And that can make it a little tough.  But we're having fun. . . and hanging out when we can.  So thats good. 

anyways . . . back to work!  Hopefully I'll be getting internet at home in the next few weeks . . . so I can actually update here more often.  And share pictures again!  I have so many pictures to post up here . . .   soon!  soon. 

One of my favorite boots is missing.

how does one misplace a giant sized boot?  I could understand if I had feet the size of pixies . . but since I'm 6'1 . . I have the size 12 boats to go along with my height.  So how, I repeat, does one misplace one (just one!) boot? 

strange.

the fact that I have recently moved (ok . . I moved August 26th) . . but thats still pretty recent.  That scares me.  I hope I didn't permanantly lose the boot in the process of moving.  It was rather . . unorganized. 

I won't mourn the boot . . . not just yet.  I need to have a search. 

I've been on a chinese food kick recently.  I've had chinese twice in the past 3 days.  (I'm eating it right now).  And now I'm thinking of a chinese restaurant tour.  Saturday evening was a Chinese Buffet out in MD.  yeah.  we went to Maryland for chinese food.  (we were in PA).  The food was pretty fantastic (for a buffet).  Now I'm eating food from one of the most popular chinese restaurants in Cleveland . . . reports (from friends and acquaintances) touted this place to have "The Best" authentic chinese food. 

I must say I'm underwhelmed.

there's just no flavor.  I don't get it.  and the Lo Mein just looks * wrong *.  (funny curly noodles with strange flowering greenery in it.)  My father served in China with the Army and he adored the culture and the food . . . so I got a pretty good chinese food education from him . . . and this was just weird.  It tasted like the sweet and sour chicken was barbequed.    who knows.

I guess everyone has their own taste in Chinese food (if you even like the stuff at all) . . . so I shouldn't judge.  But  yeah . . underwhelmed.