trying to keep faith

Finding a job is so…what’s the word? Tedious? Boring? Frustrating? Yes, all of those things. I get up every morning and search all the usual job sites, and maybe apply to one or two jobs (none of which are ideal so far). And then I wait. And I do the same thing tomorrow. Mixed in with that, of course is a healthy dose of the Discovery Channel, HGTV, and the Disney Channel (don’t mock me!).

Right now it’s not so bad, because John hasn’t started school yet. So I get to spend a lot of time with him, which means I’m not so lonely. But once he starts school…I’m going to have to get out and spend time with other people, and get back to work on my writing and crafting endeavors. (Those were put on hold because of the move.)

What I need is to keep my optimism and faith that a wonderful job will come along. It’s got to…

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top five tv shows from my childhood

In other news, I present to you the top five tv shows from my childhood (and possibly of all time):

The Smurfs
La la la la la la, la la la la la. Some of my favorite characters: Hefty Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Smurfette, Gargamel, Johan, PeeWee, Asrael. No cartoon has ever been better. (Don’t even try to deny it.)

Family Ties
Alex P. Keaton reminded me of myself. Not that I’m a Republican (though back then I may have been), but because he did his own thing even when his family didn’t understand him. And because he was selfish and self-serving, and let’s face it – I can be that! He always ended up doing the right thing, though. One of those shows I watched faithfully.

Saved by the Bell
My six favorite TV friends. (As opposed to those other TV friends.) These guys graduated from high school the same year I did, so how could I not adopt them as my own? I was not as obsessed as another person I won’t mention, but I did tune in almost every Saturday. “Hey, hey, hey, hey! WHAT is going on here?!”

Silver Spoons
I liked Ricky Schroeder. But I LOVED Jason Bateman who played Derek, the smarmy but lovable friend. I watched this show faithfully every day after school in junior high.

Three’s Company
Two words: Jack Tripper. This show introduced me to words like “affair” before I could even comprehend what that was. So admittedly, it probably contributed to the corruption of a young Holli Jo. But I loved it anyway.

Honorable mentions:
Perfect Strangers
Who’s the Boss?

I’m sure there are others that I’m forgetting. What are your all-time favorites?

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what are the writers thinking?!

Didn’t forget to watch LOST…but geez, what a disappointing episode.

*Spoilers ahead*

If that was supposed to be a ‘cliffhanger’, it failed miserably. Okay, so Ben might die. Who cares?! He’s interesting, but he’s one of the ‘Others’. So someone is holding a gun to Sawyer’s head. Does anyone really believe he’s going to die? NO! Everyone knows that Sawyer is LOST’s meal ticket. They’re not going to get rid of him. So Jack is trying to save Kate again…doesn’t he do that every episode?

So where’s the suspense? Very weak episode, especially since we’ve got three months to wait for the next one. Oh, and did they think they could write in two new characters that have supposedley been there all along and not have us notice that we’ve NEVER ONCE seen them before?

I really wish the writers would quit trying to increase viewership and just write the show as it was meant to be. I don’t want to lose faith in LOST…

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how could we?!!

Last night we were in bed and John said, “You looking at my bum?”, which is a Charlie quote from LOST. Suddenly the realization sank in and we both gasped at the same time — We’d forgotten to watch LOST!

Luckily, I think we can watch the episode at abc.com today. But still…it’s not the same watching it on a computer screen. I can’t believe we forgot LOST!!!

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my lost thoughts

We finished Season 2 of LOST last night. Oh my goodness. Several episodes in a row that were just crazy! Here are some of my thoughts. (I never thought I would be a person to write my thoughts about a TV show, but…here I am.)

*Season 2 Spoiler alert*

1. Several people mentioned that we might be disappointed by Season 2. That was not the case. Maybe it’s because we got to see all the episodes one after another, but each episode drew me in and intrigued me. Maybe I wasn’t disappointed because I didn’t expect any real answers. Nah, I can tell that the writers enjoy keeping us in the dark just enough to drive us crazy.

2. I’m totally shocked by how many people died this season. Shot dead. I was really starting to care about Libby and can’t believe the writers had the audacity to cut her out. Not fair! And Michael — I knew he was too emotional and selfish and couldn’t be trusted, but to kill people? I don’t know about that.

3. What about Hurley’s fear that the Island is just a figment of his warped brain? It never really cleared that up to my satisfaction. Is the final season going to cut to a scene of Hurley in the psych ward, explaining away the whole story as part of his imagination? I hope not, but it seems like the option is there.

4. Polar bears seem to be a running theme in many of the episodes. Sometimes a very subtle reference, but often there. I’m sure there are many other subtle themes like that. Makes me want to watch all the episodes over again!

5. Now we’re just like everybody else, watching the shows one week at a time. 😦

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gonna change my way of thinking

I’ve been feeling so nostalgic the past few days. Maybe it’s because an old friend is in town visiting. But my mood has bordered on the sad.

We watched a LOST episode last night (Season 2, baby!) and Hurley was scared that everything was about to change. Locke said, “Change is good.” Hurley replied, “Everyone says that, but it’s not true.”

Is change a good thing? There are times when I love change. I’ve moved five times in the past five years. I loved living in China on a whim. I love thinking that in one year we’ll be in an entirely new place so that John can get his PhD.

The hard part about change is the way it affects relationships. One of my best friends moved to Washington a few years ago. My siblings got married and started having kids. My parents are getting older. I don’t see my friends from college anymore. I got married, and friends I used to hang out with several times a week I’m lucky if I see once a month. Things just change.

When I was a missionary in Bulgaria and it was nearly time for me to come back home, I was so excited to go home to my family, but so sad to leave all my friends in Bulgaria behind. I wished so much that I didn’t have to give up one to have the other. But that’s the way it is. You leave one place and leave friends behind, but you make new friends in the place you go to.

I think Locke is right. Change is a good thing. It brings many new experiences and friends into my life that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I just sometimes wish I could stop time and keep everyone I love with me forever.

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monday monday monday

Happy Monday. Top thoughts of the day.

5. I hate work. The situation just gets worse. A coworker was brought into the boss’s office and berated for things she had no control over. We all pray for a way out of this office.

4. I taught Relief Society at church yesterday, and the lesson was on families and eternal life. I feel the need to be a better person. I know I need to, but it’s so hard to change!

3. I need a haircut desperately. My last haircut was great, and looked sort of like this, though with less bangs. I think I’ll do something similar again:

2. Saved by the Bell watching is going strong. I know you’re dying for some quotes:

Mr. Belding: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! *What* is going on here?!!
…….
Zack: I like school… it’s a good way to kill time between weekends.
…….
Lisa: Screech, would you like to rejoin the human race?
Screech: You always said I wasn’t a member.
Lisa: I’ll sneak you in.
…………

1. I am so excited! My husband said I can crochet this and he would wear it!:

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SBTB!

Guess what we just purchased?
Yep, Saved By The Bell Seasons 3 & 4! (I gave John Seasons 1 & 2 for Christmas.) Any guess as to what we’ve been doing lately? John and I have some specific goals we’re working on, and to stay motivated, we get rewards! This is John’s first reward for doing well on his goals. May he accomplish many others and bring us closer to owning all the Saved By The Bell episodes!

We’ve been watching lots of episodes every night. And sadly, I’ve been neglecting my crocheting. Usually I crochet while watching episodes, but I got sick of it! While on our trip last week, I crocheted all the way to Nevada, all the way to Utah, and all the way back to Nevada again. In all, I think I crocheted 40 rows of the baby blanket I’m giving to my nephew Isaac. I finished the body but still have the edge to do. I’m just crocheted out!

In other news: I’m Kelly Kapowski. But I have a hard time believing that’s true. Which character are you?

Which “Saved By The Bell” Character Are You?

I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that:
I still hate my job, and that gets me down sometimes, BUT…
It’s alright, cause I’m saved by the bell!

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office space

My favorite item of clothing a coworker has worn – the vest with appliquéd patriotic stuff sewn on. Come on ladies, a vest? Although I enjoy the puff painted Christmas t-shirts as well…so maybe it’s a tossup.

Also, I’m going to file this one as one of life’s mysteries, but how come my coworker with diabetes eats more cake, candy, and sugar than I do? (And I’m not exactly your model citizen when it comes to sugar…)

That same coworker with diabetes is also remarkably dedicated to her job. One day she packed it up an hour early and said, “You ready to go home?” When we pointed out that she was off by an hour, she said, “Oh good! An extra hour to get work done!” and raced back into her office. (This wasn’t said sarcastically, I promise you.) I doubt I need to point out that this is NOT the reaction I would have had. I believe swearing would possibly be featured in my reaction.

I work in a cubible, or ‘cubie’ as a coworker puts it. Have I ever mentioned that? Before we moved to the building we’re in, I had an office. Or should I say broom closet? Everyone was excited for me that I would be rescued from my tiny little broom closet and become one of the masses in a cubicle. It may have been abysmally small, but it was MY broom closet. It had privacy. I miss it.

I don’t know what came over us, but John and I had a fight one time over the phone, while I was at work, sitting in my cubicle where every word you speak is heard loud and clear. I believe I was crying. What the bleep?

Working in an office is weird. It’s no wonder that this concept made its way into a TV show. Though why anybody who works in an office would want to spend time after work hours watching a show like that, I’ll never know.

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obsessions and late nights

We watched the final episode of Season 1 of LOST yesterday. I am now DYING for some answers…I don’t know what Season 2 is like, but if it’s anything like the first one, they could drag this story on forever, just giving hints and bits and pieces of what’s really going on.

Well, now we have to figure out how to watch Season 2…

I’m officially obsessed. Completely. It rivals DDR for my one-track mind.

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this has been a good week

I have a SparkPeople update. I weighed in on Friday, and I’ve lost another pound and a half! Which is good, because I was getting quite frustrated about the scale not budging for me. But I’ve been eating better and exercising more, and it’s starting to show. Yay me!

Someone else I know and love also lost a few pounds, but I won’t post his info unless he clears me to!

And guess what else? John dyed my hair! I dyed his black, he dyed mine red. It was quite the party. Except when I sat down and the chair leg was on top of John’s foot. Ow. Not so fun. But he did a good job on my hair.

And I don’t know how or why it happened, but I am addicted to The Apprentice. There’s nothing I can do about it now except watch this thing through to the bitter end. Then I need to shun the tv, because I just get addicted to dumb shows when I watch.

I had a really good weekend, by the way. We hung out with friends on Friday, and as friends seem to be in short supply these days, we enjoy the ones we have. Then on Saturday my whole family came to visit, and we went swimming, toured the Mystery Castle, ate at the TGIFriday’s overlooking Chase Field, and held a Murder Mystery party. Oh, AND we played DDR until we collapsed. Good, good times.

Also, because we had family coming, our house is so clean! I love it. It feels so good to be in a clean house.

So life is good. And getting better every day.

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you’re fired!

I had a dream last night that I was on The Apprenctice, only it wasn’t Donald Trump on the show, it was ASU President . We were all competing as we worked on the ‘task’ in order to win favor with him.

All I know is, I was terrified of him! He notices every detail, every little flaw. He expects nothing less than perfection. (I should know; in a round about way, I work for him.) I just find it funny that subconsciously I put our president in the position of Donald Trump. (I can see him saying to me, “You’re fired!”) I think that image would only be funny to someone who currently goes to ASU.

I’m sure he won’t read my blog and find out what his employee is saying about him. Why would he? Though he seems to have time for EVERYTHING under the sun including googling himself on the internet, he surely wouldn’t care what people think of him. Andf he does care, he has to know already that people are intimidated by him.

(If you’re reading this, please don’t fire me.)

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