My One Summer Butterfly
Hello and thank you to all my new friends and followers! I’m not sure what has changed in these last few days but I am glad for the chance to expand my world and to become a part of someone else’s. Maybe all those storms that blew through the middle of America shook up the airwaves somehow and blew out the dust of our random lives and we all ended up in fresh spots to wait out the winter that’s looming ahead. Maybe it’s just a fluke.
Either way, here we all are and it’s good. Now on to my picture story: All those wild flowers in front of the house, that everyone else calls weeds, and I only managed to attract this one, big, beautiful, patterned butterfly. And he was late to boot. Showed up in August/Sept. But look at that photo. It’s nice, right? Perfect American image. Not planned, I swear. We keep the flag up all the time, and I was taking pictures too fast to frame this on purpose, because he kept flying around and landing anywhere that was away from me and my phone. Oh yeah, did I mention that picture was taken with my phone?? Just a smidge more bragging on the G4 even if I have to do it myself. Here are some more pictures of that butterfly below. All the flowers are gone now and it’s too cold for flyers. I’m just gonna start posting all my pictures as fast as I can without any central theme. Maybe I will just start at the first one and run down the line. I know I’ve said this before, but this time, this time, I swear I mean it. My time is really tight now because my new job is trying to kill me with paperwork. Nursing at it’s finest I swear. And I suppose I really really have to go back to school. As usual I find myself to be the least educated person in the crowd. Again. I swear, I keep saying I swear, and FYI for the kiddies out there: School NEVER ends. Love it. Tolerate it. Keep at it. You will be a student forever. Even when you work you still have to keep plugging away at the next big thing. Or little thing. It doesn’t matter. Forward roll. Oh Geez. As usual, I have run off the thought track and I wanted to, needed to, get some sleep tonight. Like I was saying, about the pictures, I can’t even remember why I took some of these or if I had any idea of what to write, so this should actually be kind of fun. Random. Just like me and my life and my personal beliefs. We live in a random world and I am good with that. Now, what was I talking about again? Butterflies. And flowers. Later.
Veterans Day
Another year to say thank you and to post my favorite picture of my dad.
To all who serve. Past, present, and future. Thank you.
Super Service!
Seriously. We have had Verizon for a long time. Even back when my phone was the Nokia doorstop:
Remember? You could throw it across the room, run it over with your car, and drop it into a toilet and it would never break or stop working. But, those days are gone now. We all have smartphones with very breakable parts and glass fronts and malfunctions that can occur if even a splash of water gets near the phone. But we love them so much! So, my daughter has the Apple IPhone. the BF has the HTC DNA and I have the Samsung Galaxy S4. We are very hi-tech over here and not super-brand exclusive, but we bought all these phones at the above Verizon store. 4G and always connected. Basically from the same guy or guys depending on who is working. We like this store. With these people. Anyhoo, long story short, because I have to go to work and my time is ticking away as it always is, my son just got the Galaxy S4, not from this store, but from a dealer in Kentucky, via his dad and his dad’s account and contract service, and of course, yesterday morning, it decides that he if he tries to make a phone call he will not be able to hear anyone talking and we will not be able to hear him. Microphone-speaker breakdown! We drove on over to the Verizon store above, (Matteson, IL), waited for the man we always talk to, figuring he might know how to press some buttons to make the sound work again. No good. It’s a manufacturing problem. Device fluke or whatever. Phone needs to be replaced. They just swap them out. No problem. But of course there was a problem! Not with the store, but with the location the phone was originally bought at. Verizon replaces all Verizon products. Without really getting into the nitty-gritty details, which are really boring and probably not important in the scheme of things, and more time-wasting to type than I have time to waste (although explaining is also wasting time…), we just had an out-of-state, multiple account, unique-situation problem in getting the new phone. But guess what? The sales guy, our sales guy, (it’s funny how we always claim those special individuals after we see them and they help us over and over, and they are awesome) and his manager, did some computer/phone/e-mail/process magic, and presto! We walked out with the new phone all switched over and fully functioning. I am happy. My son is really happy. And I think we made a cool new friend. So, long long story short: Thank you Michael S. and Phil (the manager–don’t know his last initial–but he was great). I hope it’s OK that I put their names/your names and the store, because they really provided outstanding service and should be recognized. Shout outs from satisfied customers. That has to be a good thing. Now I have to go to work so I can pay for the next upgrade my daughter will prob need soon. Here is a random picture of pool rings underwater (Lifeproof case also recommended by the store and works perfectly. As you can see, worth the money.) I really need to go. Later.
I Can Never Use This Picture Enough! Happy Memorial Day!
Thank you to all currently serving and all those who have in the past! And any new future soldiers we have waiting to go or going through right now!! You make it possible for me to type any damn thing I want on a daily basis. I must go to work, but if you are lucky enough to be off, enjoy the day, and remember for a quick minute why you got to sleep late today! And in case you were wondering, that’s my dad up top and the BF’s dad below. Later.
Smokin’ In The Boys Room
And by “boys room”, I mean the outside. While I work this weekend, my BF has decided to do many manly things, like, work on his motorcycle, cut large tree limbs with a chainsaw, and smoke much meat. It sounds like so much fun I just wish I could have had these days off to be here for all of it. Ahem. No, really. (Not really). I like to spend my holiday weekends working and taking care of sick people and listening to their families tell me what a crap job I’m doing. It’s what I got into this profession for. That rewarding feeling of spending more hours with other people’s families instead of my own. Without sarcasm, I really do like my job. It’s just some families make it very difficult to keep calm. The patients are fine. It’s just the families sometimes. Still, I think it will be better than the manual labor that needs to be done here. Sweaty, with heavy lifting. Oh wait, that’s my job too. Ha. OK. Enough. That’s my work rant. Back to the meat!
Apparently this is stuff you need. Along with a starter tube thing that gets the coals going, a temp gauge, (actually two temp gauges, one for the cooker and one for the meat), water for steam, spices, herbs, liquids, “rubs”, side dishes, buns, etc…and of course: The Meat. This will all cost you approx. 90 dollars or so. If you had to buy your own smoker, that could be an extra 100-500 dollars, depending on quality and advanced smoking technology. Or something. This smoker in the picture was the gift the BF got for working so hard at his job for this many, past 15 years. It seems like it’s nice smoker machine. I have just been informed that the meat is at 162 degrees. The number we are looking for is 190 I believe. We are doing pulled pork as the maiden smoking. I keep typing “we”, but I literally have done NOTHING except take the pictures and type this. Soon, I will get dressed and leave, so I won’t even be here for the big finish. But, of course I have a preview. Please feast your eyes below on three hunks of pure animal flesh, cooking and smoking, slowly, and at a certain temperature, for maximum tenderness and pullability. It really smells good too:
Two on top, one below. That sounds like a good name for a band or a book title. The key to cooking this right, I am told, is slow and low. Also, coincidentally a good band name or book title. At any rate, what we want is to put it in our mouths and not even have to chew. The meat should literally pull apart and melt like butter on our palates and slide juicily and effortlessly down our throats to our waiting tummies without any pesky chewing involved. But usually it’s on a bun with sauce, so please, family, while I am gone, chew a little, please. Bread mostly needs to be chewed, somewhat, to break it down. Then swallow. No need to ruin a good weekend with “Heimlich’s” or “ambulances” or “hospitals” or “morgues”. Thank you.
Thus ends the meat post for today. I hear and smell lots of manly things going on in the neighborhood today, so I need to get the hell out of here! The outside temp is up to 75 degrees. Sunny and beautiful for the Midwest. The meat temp is at a cool 165. The BF is cutting sticks with the chainsaw. The boy/son is playing XBox in his room enjoying none of the outside weather. The daughter is still at my sissy’s house and will prob go from there to her cousins house to spend the night, after she stops here first to eat meat. She loves meat. Yes, I see what I typed there, but I’m leaving it. It’s too early (for me) to try and fix the innuendo. She’s 14 for cry-yi. Some girls are salads and try a vegetarian phase, not mine. She is steak all the way.
Let them eat meat! And don’t forget it’s Memorial Weekend. Hug a vet! Thank a soldier while you are grilling those hot dogs and drinking that beer! Even if you just send up a big toast and a cheer into the great unknown. It’s all good karma to the universe. Later.
New Year’s Eve
Well goodbye 2011. Hello 2012. Ugh. I have never been one of those people that really marks the passing of time. Or feels the heavy burden of it wearing away at my youth and counting down the ever decreasing time I have left on this Earth. But this year…a lot of good. Nothing too bad. Things that pretty much stayed the same. That’s what gets me thinking the most. The times when nothing happens. Just stillness. Stagnation. The word isn’t even nice sounding no matter where you put it in the sentence.
You’ll have to forgive me for this depressing post. I feel happy that I am pretty healthy (except for that acute case of FAT-itis I picked up over the last year, that my mother was kind enough to dx for me so that I can take the proper course of action—although that won’t be tonight–wink wink). And I did finally graduate and get that RN license. My life’s goal. However, I am currently 2 weeks to 4 months behind all my classmates on the job and experience getting. I totally and completely underestimated how much having a job and earning money and being a vital part of society has on my own personal self-esteem and general disposition as a woman in the world. Also it just sucks being broke. And as always, I am grateful and happy for my two gorgeous and hilarious children. My reason for living pretty much and never giving up. Except that neither one will be here to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new as both have abandoned me for better and more exciting evenings of fun and celebrations. Traitorous spawn of my loins! The boy will be off with his dad and uncles (who are the same age actually, but that’s another story, so we just call them cousins because it is easier) and he will be spending the night hanging out with other teenagers, playing xbox and acting like teenage boys do. Crazy on the Pepsi and snacks and late night shenanigans. The girl is with my sister and her children and friends. Actually, now that I think of it, is at this very moment, having a New Year’s Eve party at a place my sister found where they do a package thing for the younger crowd. Then they will go home and celebrate again by eating snacks and having “drinks” while watching TV and one of the shows that they have to ring in the new year. Hmm. It’s rather sad when your kids have more going on then you do. Oh well. Hopefully they will at least call me at midnight. Or send a text. Ooooh!! and Eewww!!…look at me turning into one of those old, sad, mom ladies, crying because their kids never call or come over! Yikes! I am definitely on the slippery slope to old age. Poopers!
I didn’t really have a plan so I guess it’s my own fault. One of these years we are leaving town and I’m spending New Year’s in Vegas. Or Hawaii. Yeah Hawaii sounds really good. Maybe the Caribbean. Someplace warm and beachy. I know I’ve said that before. Well, not this year. This year is just me and the BF. (Who I am also very grateful for and extremely lucky to have in my life. Thanks honey. Even at my lowest moments I can still say I have a boyfriend and that’s something. Love you.) He thinks I won’t be fun but he’s wrong. I’m just playing sad and despairing. Once I get some junk food and a drink in me the party will be rolling over here. For now though, we still have to go out and get some stuff for tomorrow. We are making appetizers for a family get-together for the New Year Day. It’s something fun and new we are trying to keep our extended family together and in each others lives. It’s so easy when you are little. Anyway, I hope it’s not too crazy out there. I hope the stores are still open. Then we can settle in and find something to do I am sure. My brother-in-law said this, about tonight, when I left my daughter there the other day, “If I can’t go out to the bar then I want to sit home and stuff my belly full of as much food as I can.” Wise words brother. And pretty much MY plan for the night too. So thanks for that! I’ll see you all tomorrow!
Despite the above paragraphs, life is pretty good. And I hope it’s good for you too. But if not, then I’m glad this year is over and we can start brand new in just a few hours! Even though some of these days can really break a soul, I truly believe that as long as you wait for just one more of those days, you always have another chance to do something different. Now who’s gonna argue with that?
Have a safe and Happy New Year! Don’t drink and drive please. That kind of chance is NEVER worth it. Wake up alive tomorrow so we can get this new year started! I have some goals and resolutions too I guess. The usual stuff, weight loss, job, school, etc…maybe I’ll post about it tomorrow or later on. But, as a treat to my loyal readers, and something I usually never do, I posted a snazzy self portrait of myself! Lucky! That’s me in the red ornament above taking a picture of myself. Looks just like me! Oh and I also used red to highlight the first sentences. Cheers!
Happy Veterans Day! Thank You!
Nothing silly, just a quick thanks to all who serve or have served. I’m also using my favorite pic of all time. That’s my dad. It’s definitely been here before, but I love it so much I use it whenever I can. Remember to take just a quick moment to thank a vet today. You wouldn’t be reading this without them!
Neverending Halloween will be ending shortly.
Don’t be fooled by those fake pumpkins. But they look so real! This is the last of the pictures I took in the same area as the bench. So I guess I can declare Halloween and the rest of the Holy Days over for another year.
Also, it would seem I have picked up a few more fans in the last few days. It’s a peculiar medium, and a strange way to communicate with the outside world. It’s usually just me, alone, typing whatever pops into my head, and then putting it out there, never really knowing where it will land. Sometimes you get lucky, like these last few days, and I know some one is connecting with something I’ve written, but usually it just floats. That’s ok too because I write it for me anyway. I know it can’t possibly be just my family generating so many “hits”, there aren’t that many of us. So to everyone out there that keeps checking in, whether you comment, or like me, or just read and move on…
THANK YOU!!!
I should go do something weekend-like now. It’s pretty nice out for November in the Midwest. And my jaw is only hurting a little bit now. Teaser. Updates coming later! Everyone to the outdoors!
Just breathe and relax. I am almost done!
A few soothing pictures in my favorite colors to help me maintain some peace and calm. All is well. And hopefully all will be better in about 72 hours. I am signing off of here for the next few days. Thank you for any and all support, well wishes, etc! It’s been a crazy few weeks (and years) and it’s so close to the end of this particular ride! Congrats to Noelle–I’ll prob see you Wednesday. Mom–I will call you on Tuesday, after I am done. And a special thanks to my sissy Amanda…you kept me nice and straight and soothed my very last nerve! You rock. Later.
Graduation! Anti-climactically followed by MORE school!
I spent two hours, apparently looking like a non-stop-grinning-photo-posing idiot, at my first formal graduation ceremony, preceded by two hours of standing around in very high, very painful shoes (but looking sexy–winkity wink), waiting for said graduation. I will say that I greatly disappointed my mother by not attending my high school graduation, (although our recall of the reason why differs–another wink there)….but…. hopefully, this kind of makes up for it!
After the ceremony…we took some pics, hung out for a bit, talked and laughed, remembering the good times and the bad, exchanging well wishes and promises to keep in touch….one last look around….and we left the school, tears in our eyes, painfully hobbling toward the car (my shoes were REALLY killing my feet!!) to my future….
For one whole day!! HAHA. I know my sissy was probably reading that, like, “WTF?? What the HELL is she talking about??!!??” Hee hee…As you can see I am still just as funny as usual. Anyhoo…we went to a restaurant with my family and had lunch. Then we all went home. I have never wanted to sit on my ass and do absolutely NOTHING more than that moment. I think I said that after my finals too. I think I probably say that alot. Hmmm. So I did. It was a nice night. The BF went to hang with his friends and play poker and I watched terrible movies with my kids. Like really terrible. Sharktopus. Dinoshark. Mongolian Death Worm—kind of a Tremors rip off but who are we to complain when we willingly pay money to rent them?
I just got home from my extended class, that I voluntarily registered for so I can prepare for the Nclex. Graduating is good, but it doesn’t get me a job. I need a license for that. So please hang out with me four more weeks!! It will be fun! Less pressure, more downtime. I am just making sure that I know all that I need to know, and everything I don’t know I won’t feel so stressed about because I did what I could to prepare!
So anyway, I want to put a few more pics around this site but my phone doesn’t want to cooperate. High tech photography is what I rock over here! But this is some of the loot…Flowers!—More flowers!—(Mommy and BF and children!) Shiny, helium, Mylar balloon! (Sissy!) A box of chocolates! (Sissy!) A card that tells me I cannot talk about school anymore for at least 2 family parties! (Sissy!) A beautiful angel figurine with a “don’t kill anyone” message—but much more poetically phrased! (Other sissy! And my almost-driving, little (?) bigger than me, niece!) A big, fat, check…cha-ching! (Other mom!) T-shirts with RN on them (Beth and Wayne!)—that I can never actually wear in the general public! They tell us that advertising is not always the best option. And it’s not because we don’t want to help people—of course we do! I would not have gone through all this stress just to ignore people! The problem is that I am still just a person, without a medical degree and without access to hospital type stuff when I am not at the hospital! I would LOVE to think that I am so smart and so brilliant enough, that I can diagnose or answer any and all questions anyone might have about anything! Sadly, I am not. Not even close. Bummer. But I do LOVE my t-shirts! They make me so proud to be just who I am! Another nurse! It’s awesome!
I only listed these things, not to brag, but because I want to say thank you. Again. I appreciate the time you spent with me Saturday, and the gifts are nice, but I would have been cool without anything!! So thank you for the “extra” stuff! You guys are all awesome! Love you!
Alright that’s enough. I never mean for these to be soooo long and they always are. My goal during (my last—forever) “pre-job summer” (besides study for nclex, prepare a resume, write letters, fill out apps, go on interviews, get a job, get a job, get a job) is to stream line this website again. Get it back to quick and mindless, BUT amusing and relevant, posts, that I can handle WHILE working a 12 hour/day job! High goals as usual. Especially since this may never have been considered amusing and certainly not relevant. But I have a degree now! I am one piece of paper smarter than I was last week! See?
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?! (c’mon that was the PERFECT segway…no??)
Alright look for some pics and some “found money” updates. I have about a year and a half of dirty, crusty street coins, sitting in little bowls waiting to be tallied. And I have to do a little reading for tomorrow….so how about this…abrupt end. Bye!
just shy of pretty 