Silent night...

Christmas was quiet and nice... Just Josh and I (and Lucy and Molly and Lucky, of course). we opened presents in the morning, tried to find somewhere the eat in the evening, settled on Shari's (kinda like Denny's) and then went to a movie. (Yes Man, funny)



I am writing this blog on my brand new laptop computer :-) Now I can sit in bed, watch TV, be on the phone, blog, and surf the net at the same time... talk about multi-tasking....



My darling dear husband also gave me a digital camera and some UGG boots.... so now you will see more pictures of my life so far, the dogs, and of course new cute heels when I buy them!


Josh got a new guitar (Gretsch electromatic hollowbody - All Brian Setzer-like) and lessons... I told him he needs to sing the future not-yet-conceived baby lullabies all rockabilly-style.**



*but he needs to get a leopard-print velvet jacket and do his hair in a pompadour for the full effect...

Merry Christmas Everyone!

This is getting ridiculous...

Dear Mother Earth,

So what's up with all of this snow we have in Portland and the whole Pacific Northwest? I can understand a day or two of it, but this it going on a week and a half with no end in sight. I know others have to deal with it all of the time (someone I know continues to remind me she used to live outside of Buffalo, NY and didn't have snowplows and had to drive/walk/ski to school everyday, probably 5 miles uphill both ways), but we here in PDX are not prepared, nor are we used to it. We don't have a bunch of snowplows waiting in the wings to clear our streets. It's dangerous...

Case and point - My car is stuck at work in Woodburn, about 30 miles from here. It has been since early Saturday morning when it started snowing and I had to put my chains on at 6am in the dark in the snow (a feat which I am quite proud of, mind you). But then, WHOOPS, a cable snapped, which caused me to pull over on I-5, in the dark, wearing all black to take them off and pray the rest of the way to work. Oh, plus I was sick and lost my voice that day. Josh picked me up that day and it took us 3 hours to get home.

So Josh and I decide that we HAVE to get my car. TODAY. He is sick now, BTW. So we get out on our little major street here in Beaverton and promptly lost control of the car and started to spin. Twice. Into oncoming traffic. before you ask, YES we have 4 wheel drive, and yes we had chains.

Scared, I said, screw it, I will miss work and not get my car. I hope to hitch a ride with my assistant tomorrow, that is if she can get out of the driveway. Oh, and she decided to try to ski to the corner store and twisted her knee... See? Dangerous....

So I understand that you, dear Mother Nature, have something against us and think global warming is a bunch of B.S.

I just have one question for you.... It THIS the end of days? Snow-mageddon? If it is I won't waste time and money trying to get knocked up.

I await your reply.

Yours Truly,
Carol

P.S.
Maybe you did it for the dogs. They seem to love it.

P.P.S.
The no power thing was a nice touch. Touche'!

@)(&%#ing snow....

The snow turned to ice... my car got stuck AGAIN. I have chains that I have no idea how to put on, but I am gonna try cuz I have things to do.... and it's cold.....

SNOW!

So last night Josh and I felt like we were kids waiting for santa... every 10 minutes we peeked out the window to see if it was snowing yet... by the time we went to sleep around 12:30 it still wasn't snowing.

When we woke up this morning it was like Santa came... and DUMPED snow all over. It was beautiful to look at, but then it just wouldn't stop! The roads froze over, I had to close the store early and drive back home with my assistant Emma 30 miles away...

I am off work tomorrow, but since my dear husband tried to come get me and got my car stuck in a drift, then had to walk 3 miles home I am doing nothing but snuggling in... which is OK in my book...

Bomb blast in Woodburn...

Yesterday I left my house to buy my husband's guitar he wants and to stop by Sephora and the bank to make a quick deposit before work at 5pm. I made it to all places but the bank, I got stuck in traffic on the way to work so no time, so I went straight to work at 5pm. At 5:30 a concerned parent of an employee called to tell us that a bomb went off in a nearby bank and they don't know anything else... We all thought it was Wells Fargo, which is the bank we go to for work. Turns out the bomb went off at the bank I go to, West Coast Bank, the branch I opened my account at, the same one I was going to go to before work but didn't have time.

It killed one Police Officer and injured several others.... News story here...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE...
The bomb specialist who was brought in died this morning. Woodburn Chief of Police is in critical condition... No word on who did it and why....

Bettie Page R.I.P.

Bettie Mae Page
4/22/1923 - 12/11/2008

Bettie Page, notoriously famous pin-up queen, has passed away at the age of 85 after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday, Dec 2nd...

Anyone who knows me knows how much I have always adored Bettie. Her memory will always live on, she was the original supermodel.....

Sharp Objects

REVIEW:

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

I just finished this suspensful novel about a VERY dysfunctional family. Camille Preaker is a small-town woman living in Chicago as a reporter who goes back to her town to report on a murder of a young girl. I don't normally read a lot of "serious" books, but this one has a cool cover.

The story was dark (which I LOVE) and disturbing (which I LOVE EVEN MORE)... It's a debut novel from Flynn, which is a surprise as it is written in such a way that the reader would never have guessed the author was new. I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down, there's just enough sex, violence, and weirdness to keep you hooked!

5 Stars!!

Screw it...

So I have decided to NOT temp and do whatever it is I please... I am gonna drink coffee, I am gonna partake in luscious drinks such as the Coconut Cream Martini at McMenamins. I am gonna ENJOY November and December, belly and baby-free because I know this will be the last Holiday season as a non-mom...

So there.

Shopaholic Movie... booo

So I am reading the SHOPAHOLIC series. I am loving it, but I am not excited about the movie coming out in 02/2009. Here's what I find VERY wrong from the trailer...

• The movie is set in New York... Wha? It's supposed to be in London!
• Rebecca Bloomwood is NOT a recent college grad, as depicted in the film.
• Isla Fisher as Rebecca? WTH?
• Some dorky guy as Luke? Luke is supposed to be tall, dark, and handsome...
• The trailer has Rebecca trying on bridemaid's dresses... presumably for her roommate Suze's wedding. In the book Suze is VERY single...

And now MY picks for the characters:
Billie Piper as Rebecca Bloomwood. She's from Dr. Who and Secret Diary of a Call Girl. She's huge in England.


Jude Law as Luke.. 'nuff said.


Emily Blunt as best friend/flatmate Suze. She would be perfect!


Steve Valentine as Tarquin, who's heart is broken by Rebecca. Creepy, mysterious, pasty, flawless as Tarquin...

And finally:Simon Pegg as Derek Smeath, the banker with a heart. SHAAAUUUUN!!!

Notice that they are all British actors... that wasn't an accident...

Yes, I HAVE been MIA...

So I have been missing here on my blog.... I haven't really had much to say to be honest! But here's an update:

My last cycle was a bust (anovulatory) and what I thought was spotting was really AF. So now I believe I am 4 days into my new cycle and too late to start any IVF testing/treatment... oops, I mean "box full of kittens" (sorry Josh!). So we will try one more... Maybe 2 with it being the Holidays and all... No I am not pushing it back because I am scared!*

*ok, maybe a little scared...

A week in review (TV edition)

A week in review of new or returning shows...

RANTS

"Kath and Kim"
New show starring Molly Shannon (normally funny) and Selma Blair (normally not so much). This Australian adaptation is about a tacky mother-daughter team who have to learn to live together after the daughter leaves her husband. This is supposed to be a comedy. Unfortunately it is instead a whine-fest. Shannon plays an annoying mom-who-doesn't-think-she-is-the-mom-type who looks like she dropped in straight from the 1980's. The opening scene shows her exercising in a (ew) thong leotard and spandex bike-shorts. Gross. Blair whines really well throughout the whole show and squeezes herself into to tight shorts to highlight her muffin top. Seriously, her face never deviates from the look like she eat a lemon and smelled something really bad at the same time. John Michael Higgins of Best in Show and The Breakup plays Shannons boyfriend (wha? he's not playing gay this time?!) I have a feeling if the show continues on he will come out of the closet....

RAVES

Dexter

Michael C Clark reprises his role as a vigilante who works in the Miami forensics unit as a blood spatter expert. The first episode of season 3 has proved that this series is worth the cost of adding Showtime to your Comcast cable bundle (well, that and Weeds. And Secret Diary of a Call Girl. And soft core porn. no, not really...). Dexter is following a new killer, nicknamed "Freebo". There are other major changes in Dexter's life which I won't spoil for you. Hint: rhymes with schmegment schmirlfriend. Jimmy Smits plays an assistant DA who's brother accidentally gets killed by - guess who? - Dexter. Ok that's enough, go get showtime now...

Life on Mars (US Version)

So if you ever watched the UK version of this show, you will know the premise. Cop gets hurt, wakes up 35 years in the past in London chasing the guy who kidnaps his future girlfriend. Now the US version: Cop gets hurt, wakes up 35 years in the past in New York City chasing the guy who kidnaps his future girlfriend. See the difference? The NBC show follows Sam Tyler, a fish out of water cop who wakes up in 1973. There are a few funny little quips (such as "I need my cell" "what the hell are you selling?"). Gretchen Mol plays a chick cop in 1973 who's job entails finding kitty-cats and calming down crying girlfriends. Harvey Keitel is the mean sergeant who belittles Mol and beats up the bad guys when he catches them. So far there's good acting, a good story line, and few 2008 references. So far so good, but it is hard not to compare it to BBC's version.

So it seems like the US is having a hard time thinking up new shows, so we are yoinking them from other countries. the only thing we do decent are reality shows and only a few on Bravo. Trainwreck tv, that's what we do....

I'm still here...

So after getting through the move to our new place I am back :-) Here's a quick update:

I STILL heart my job :-)

My cycle went all wonky this time so I don't know where I am in it... I am going to resume temping to get back on track.

AND GOOD NEWS

I spoke with my insurance company and the IVF treatment I am going to start (in a month!!!) is covered!!!!!!!

Cell phone mishaps...

Accidents happen, right? To me they seem to only involve cell phones...

I am now on my 2nd "backup" phone. My original phone decided life wasn't worth living and drowned itself in a pool of Vitamin Water that tipped over in my car and spilled into a little dip in my center console. Nice.

Last night I was making dinner, Ritzy Chicken Strips. I had the oil all heated, began dropping the chicken in while texting my sister about how Jason Mraz is coming to Portland and we should go. The cell figured it was his time to go and hopped out of my hands... right into the 8 inch pot of hot oil. It could have gone anywhere else in the kitchen, it decided it wanted to be a Ritzy Chicken Strip.

If my current (LAST backup) cell decides to off itself I will have to resort to buying a new one. Let's see how long this will last....

Wonderful weekend....

My sister, bro-in-law, and beautiful, perfect nephew Hunter were here over the weekend... It was so nice to see them :-) They all look great and we had a fabulous time. Some highlights:

- Went hiking in the Columbia River Gorge, specifically Horsetail and Pony Falls. the trail goes behind the waterfall, how cool is that?- Got *lost* trying to find Lucky Labrador Brewery in Portland, said screw it and went to Rock Bottom, still very good...
- Hunter spent most of the time in a fuzzy snake costume I found at a yard sale a few years back. He wouldn't even take it off for the trip back down to California

***I would totally have pics to share had my dear sweet husband not erased them. The pic above is, ahem, borrowed from the internet...***

It was awesome... It made me wish I had family closer, the closest is my sister-in-law 3 1/2 hours away... Next closest is my sis Shelby 600 miles away... sad....

THIS is terrible... Please everyone boycott Four Paws Inc!

Getting eaten alive...

I must be super tasty, last night I woke up at 2am scratching my arm and my hand. I have got bites all over me.. I practically bathe in hydrocortisone and pop benadryl* like it's candy...

On the bright side I am doing my IUI tomorrow. Bad thing is I am going it alone, my husband will drop off his, um, stuff and then has to go to work. Booooooo.....

I just want to get this cycle over with so that I can get on to the more aggressive stuff....

I found out yesterday one of my favorite bands is playing here in Portland in October... Yes, it's the Irish punk band we all know and love, Flogging Molly! Hopefully I will be knocked up and won't be able to go ;-)

*Yes, benadryl is ok to take while TTC... I checked.

PostSecret, you did it again...

I love this....

Here we go again...

*YEOUCH!*
No, not really. Actually, poking myself with needles everynight doesn't hurt one bit.

So I will officially be on Follistim for one more month before....

dun dun DUUNNNN

IVF!!

IVF stands for "In-Vitro Fertilization"... Basically, a test tube baby. Or two.

I am actually pretty confident that this will work. I don't think the Follistim will, but what the hell, might as well use it if I've got it, right?

The thing I am most worried about is the cost. We are basically putting all of our eggs into one basket (get it?!) and my doctor will freeze any unused embryos* (baby-cicles) to use later.

That aside... My dear sweet husband and I have FINALLY agreed on a couple of names (for now!) For a boy we like Dexter David Tudor Jones, and a girl Daphne Anne Amador Jones. So if we have both they will be Dex and Daph. Too cutesy? The middle names are family names, they ain't goin' nowhere...

* My husband says if we use any of the frozen ones they must be named after OTTER POPS such as Poncho Punch, Lil' Orphan Orange, or my personal favorite, Strawberry Short-kook.

Feeling Good!!

After all of the rants I have had recently, I decided to post nothing but RAVES:

• An END with my Wamu bank relationship (It's not you, it's me!) and the beginning of a beaufitul new relationship with a new smaller bank.
• A PLAN at said bank to get money situation all in order... which means no more starbucks for me, but eh, whateve, I can live with that!
• My new doctor is actually quite fabulous. He has an excellent patient manner, very caring, and we also have devised a plan for me and DH! WooHOO! this means one more round of injections (16% live birth rate) to IVF in September (a whopping 68% live birth rate!). Plus my embryos can be frozen in case it doesn't work and for more kids down the line :-)
• My store.... I am getting rave reviews of it from clients and other managers, PLUS I am killing my sales plan... HeLLO BONUS (which will go straight into my savings, of course!)

So I have a lot to be happy about, huh?

I have a consultation with my new doctor next week.... wish me luck, I hope this works...

I also told my mom about the fertility treatments I have had to go through and the many I probably will go through in the future. She of course is extremely supportive :-)

I also need to find a new abode and will most likely go back to apartment living for another year. I have a goal to work my ass of and save money so that I will be able to get one of these in a year... Not that exact one of course, but I do want some equity in my life and if I have to eat Top Ramen and drink tap water I am gonna do it dammit....

Rants and Raves...

Rants:

• In-laws were here and did nothing but complain the whole time. Such as when asked "how did you sleep?" replied with "terrible, it would have been better with a pillow and blanket, or at least a sheet on the blow-up bed we brought"... Ummmmm, you could have asked, we assumed you had your crap together.
• Having to hide my lovely bird tattoo from said in-laws as to not spark another conversation about it being "unclassy".
• Getting a letter from my landlord saying they were selling the house and if we would like to buy they would "work" with us. By work they mean attempt to list the house at $25K over the current market rate and "working" with us by knocking off 5 grand... So now there's the absolute certainty that moving will be in my near future as our lease is up in September. I wanted to sign another 6 months, but guess not.
• Spending nearly $10 a day driving to and from work. So I guess no more Starbucks for me!

Ok, raves:

• I am actually working now. Happy about that.... but although I get a killer discount on the clothes I still can't afford them.
• Going to the Happy Monkey Coffee Shop today! I loved it, lots of unclassy people there now. I felt like I belonged. And the prices are fabulous, so I can sorta afford it. And they had free BBQ today... yummmmm
• Molly (aka Jelly Moons) my dog actually let me trim her nails today. That's a feat (or "feet" if you want me to be funny)...

So I am feeling a little bad because it took mere seconds to write the rants and I really had to think of the raves... I mean, trimming my dog's nails?!

The Happening... well... wasn't so much...

punch-buggy-blue

Dear M. Night Shyamalan-adingdong,

I have one question for you... why?

Why would you put out AMAZING films such as Signs, The Sixth Sense, even The Village (or as I call it "the Willage") and then put out a piece of poo like The Happening?

Yes, The Happening has a decent storyline, but the acting... oh dear God in heaven...

Couldn't you have either directed Marky Mark* to not act douche-bag-like or cast someone else entirely? And what's with the lack of a weird twist we are all so accustomed to see...

Some of my favorites twists:

• Bruce Willis is dead?!


• The village is actually modern day!


• Samuel L Jackson is the BAD GUY (ok, we saw that coming...)

So why no twist, bad acting, and less than stellar dialogue (to put it nicely)?

I have my theories...

1. You ran out of ideas


2. You don't care anymore (nooooo!!!)


3. You have a film contract with some company you don't like and you are sabotaging your efforts....

So all in all it was a poorly executed, badly acted, made-me-wanna-kill-myself feel good movie...

I want the old M. Night Shyamalan back... I also want my 2 hours and $13.50 back...

*Don't get me wrong, I loves me some Mark Wahlberg, I mean did you SEE him in Boogie Nights??? Don't worry, Marky Mark, you are still on my list...

A little birdie told me....

I got a tattoo! It's kinda big, kinda on my shoulder, but completely awesome...

Thanks to Eddie at Maple Valley Tattoo for this!

Oh yeah, and my levels are good for my stimulation cycle. I have 3 to 4 maturing follies...I go back tomorrow....

I've always wanted a billion babies...

On to Cycle 12 and I am doing injections again... That's ok, I have a good feeling about this one....



WARNING!

Use of fertility drugs could result in lots of babies... or as I like to call it "the Apu Syndrome"...

They DID have awesome names for them, though.... I think I will name my firstborn Manifest Destiny"...

*sigh*

My temp went down today... guess its not meant to be. At least I am keeping busy with all of the mohawk hats I have been making. I made my nephew a black and blue one, my littl niece a pink and white one with a pink and grey Union Jack o the side (CUTE!), and my other niece is getting a striped hot pink and black one....pics of them soon...

Not your Grandma's knitting...

That baby hat I knitted...My future child is gonna be so punk rock...

Current obsessions:

• My chart


• knitting a cool punk rock mohawk baby hat (just cuz)
  
• Tillamook Rocky Road ice cream


• MY CHART!!!
  
• NOT looking for a job...
  
• Did I mention MY CHART???

That's right... I ovulated... by myself... no drug intervention...Woohoo :-)

Yet another nugget of wisdom from Postsecret.

With my glasses, my husband says I look like Velma from Scooby Doo. Why can't it be Daphne? She's way hotter...

That's ok, Daphne was a little ho anyway...

Tomorrow is a day filled with lots to do, unfortuately a lot of lag time bewteen the things to do..

1) Wake up at 5:30am. take my temp for my chart.

2) Drag myself to the computer (yes, still 5:30am) to register for school. YEP - I'm going back to school to become a phlebotomist!! So I have to take Medical Vocabulary before i start the program in the fall.

3) go back to sleep.

4) Wake up in time for me to get to my doctor appointment to find out what the hell is going on in my body (see #1).

5) go back to sleep.

6) Get my hair and nails done at Dosha Salon at 3pm. I think I want to go for the Katie Holmes look...

...minus the crazy husband.

7) go back to sleep.

Not me. Well, not yet.

UPDATE!

THE GOOD NEWS:

Officially a college student (again). I'm only taking one class, but heck, that counts!

THE BAD NEWS:

Tuition is terrible. I am considered a non-resident until I file a state border waiver. It's a difference of $500 YIKES

THE GOOD NEWS:

Doctor says my enlarged follicles are gonzo.

THE BAD NEWS:

Neither she nor I know where I am in my cycle. I could be waiting another month. And my thermometer isn't temping right (I think). so my chart temps may mean nothing.

YET ANOTHER UPDATE

MORE BAD NEWS

Levels came back as if I am *early* in my cycle.. but too late to start another round of treatment...

BUT THERE'S SOME GOOD NEWS:

I got my hair done and a pedicure, I officially look like Katie Holmes*

... minus the crazy husband that is...

*ok so I don't really look like her, but I do have her hair now.

Maggots Michael. You're eating maggots. How do they taste?

Last night I watched for the centillionth (it's a word, look it up) time what is arguably the best vampire movie of all time... ok AFTER Interview with the Vampire... and only if you can get past the ridiculous 1980's clothes that they wear. The Lost Boys is a classic, and you know it.


And who can forget the luscious Jason Patric? yumm.. I was wondering what he was up to lately, looks like not much. I also was wondering if he's still hot...


yep.

Lucky for them these 2 kids have never had to live up to the "are they still hot" factor. Poor Coreys never were...


...and still aren't.

I was watching American Idol last night, and I thought "ya know, if my dog were human she would look just like pop sensation Leona Lewis.."

So I should have like 4 more days until I get to start TTC again... While I wait I have picked up knitting and I am trying my hand at this hat but in black:

being on "the pill" this month will hopefully get my body back in shape for egg producing, and THIS TIME I will not dwell/stress/obsess over it. I will just go to my RE appointments, calmly stick myself with a needle every night, and quietly obsess about it in my head...

Oh, and I want this baby onsie BAD:

The Ocean

So we went away to forget about work, fertility, blah blah... enjoy the pics....

Keeping her warm.

Lucy being very happy

A very cold Molly

Molly trying to figure out how to get us to live on the beach.

She was scared of the fire, but too cold to really care.


I do luvz the ocean...

Thanks, Postsecret.com...

Ahhh, Seattle...

I am officially on vacation. I should be in New York City celebrating my anniversary with my dear husband, but unfortunately I spent all of our money on medical crap, so I am in Seattle at my sister-in-law's place. We have all been playing Rock Band (I tell ya, you haven't lived until you've hears an 8 year old little girl sing Metallica. My niece kicks ass.). Actually, I have been listening to them play while I read The Nanny Diaries and Bonk, the Curious Science of Sex.

Oh, and applying Mendhi (henna) to my hand:

I think I will do my feet next. I like this design:

I totally want a sari now...