My Journal- January thru December 2002
Tuesday December 17, 2002
Uh oh.I think I may be developing some form of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. And the reason I say this is because I've become ultra-obsessed with my fingernails. No, not just biting them, like I always have; but rather trying to almost pull the entire nail bed off of my finger. Now now now... don't gross out or anything... I mean, I don't actually pull hard enough (yet) to pull the nail beds off, but I just sort of bite, lightly pull and rub them over and over and over again. On ALL of my fingers. But mostly my thumbs and forefinger. I still bite my finger nails compulsively, they just HAVE to be short. But even short now doesn't seem short enough. I just sort of really want the entire finger nail off. They feel so smooth and long and just WRONG on my fingers. Then I take my finger nail beds and rub them together (left hand to right hand) as if they were some sort of musical instrument, like sandblocks or something. I get great joy out of biting my finger nails. Maybe not joy so much as satisfaction. Well, maybe not satisfaction so much as as maintaining sanity. As long as I bite, I seem to remain planted in this world. I fear if I stop biting and fidgeting with my nails I may become insane. Maybe I am already?
I'm 30 now. Did I mention that? 30 seems to be the age where things all of a sudden can turn on a dime. You know, you hear the stories: "Ya, so and so was perfectly normal, then they turned 30 and all of a sudden they developed this obscure disorder that distroyed their otherwise perfectly normal life. It's so sad. Who could have imagined this would happen?"
I constantly have thoughts of my finger nails. I'm a little worried. In the past, I've attempted to paint my nails and grow them long and beautiful, but it's always been a miserable failure. I begin to go crazy with thoughts of how I can't stand the feel of the nails on my finger and how horrible the sound of them clicking against stuff is. It becomes all I can think about... all I can concentrate on. So up until recently, I've always been content to bite my nails and keep them short. But now even biting them short isn't good enough. I fidget with them nearly every minute of every day while I'm working. I'm not even convinced removing the entire fingernail itself will help. I think perhaps it is just nervous energy and if it isn't concentrating on my fingernails, it will be something else. Perhaps the key is that it's WORST while I'm working. Maybe that says something about my job? Who knows?
Well, at this point I'm just hoping nothing serious is happening and that I'm just a little obsessed for no reason. But if I EVER end up doing truely crazy things such as... conversing with stuffed animals as if they were alive, shreiking "eeeeeeeeeee!" for strange reasons, collecting 3 eyed aliens to excess, stressing about crickets attacking and torturing me, and writing silly things in a public online journal, THEN I'll worry.
But not until then.
Thursday November 28, 2002
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
I found a few interesting websites that I thought you might enjoy. I found one website that tells you what the past weather history has been on a certain day for a certain zip code so you can perhaps tell the odds of what the weather will be like on an upcoming day. The date Oct 5th has seen rain 3 out of 49 years. The average high temperature of those years was 78.8 degrees. Looks like good odds for a potential outdoor wedding day, what do you think? I also found a site that tells you what time the sun sets and when the moon rises and what phase the moon will be in. On Oct 5, 2003 in Southlake, TX, the sun will set at 7:09pm Central Time and the moon will be waxing gibbous with 80% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
I also finally took pics of my new ring, the one David and I had custom made after we returned from the Bahamas. Sorry it's taken so long to get them up here, what can I say... I'm just a slacker! The ring is white gold which fishtails into a round center diamond and two side trillians. Here it is:
Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Can you believe Christmas is only 3.5 weeks away?!?! Goodness!
How could this happen to me? I was so careful where I walked between the car and her apartment. I only walked for a few steps on the grass, but one of those few steps was the mishappen one that led to my embarrassed and ashaming horror. Of course, it was then that I looked at the living room floor where I had just stepped. Indeed, there were my footprints, emblazzened faintly in diarrhea, for all to see. Ugh!
I immediately took my shoes off and put them outside, then ran to find some paper towels to clean up the mess I had unwittingly made. I begged Christine for 409 Carpet Cleaner, but she didn't have any, so soap and water would have to do. Fortunately, it all came up rather easily. Christine was a good sport, but the experience has left me with long-term effects. I no longer want to walk on grass, which would could be aiding and abedding such dirty doo-doo. So take heed of my warning and beware, especially at night, when the ground is dark... who knows what diarrhea lurks... still, silent, waiting, fuming.
During David's and my week long trip to Sandals Royal Bahamian (in Nassau, Bahamas), David arranged for a romantic, candlelit dinner in our own private gazebo (Sept. 8th to be exact). After a splendid 4 course meal, he PROPOSED! Yup, that's right! And I excitedly accepted. Pictures of the trip and the proposal can be seen in my photo album under Trips/Bahamas- September 2002.
His proposal was absolutely sweet and darling and I think it's so cute that he was nervous. Like there was ever a doubt in his mind I would accept? Actually, I don't think it was that so much worring him as him just wanting the evening to go perfectly and the actual proposal to go as well as possible. He did a great job! I will remember it for the rest of my life.
We've set a tentative wedding date of Fall 2003. We will have to be more into our plans before being able to pick an exact date. We've pretty much decided not to run off to Sandals to elope. :-) Even though that would be cheapest! HAHA!
Can you believe I'm finally going to get hitched? After 30 (well, by then it will be 31) years?! Hey, maybe this means I can have a kid before I turn 40! LOL! Speaking of kids... I had the weirdest dream last night I had a baby that could talk in complete sentences and use big words. I had a genious kid! I couldn't believe it. First, the kid was like 3 months old and could imitate me perfectly everytime I squeeled "eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!". Everyone thought that was hilarious, including myself. It was too darn cute. Then, the kid was like one year old and was saying things like: "I'd really prefer it if I could walk instead of using the stroller." HAHA! I remember that I was really happy the kid was so smart, cuz it made it more fun for me, being able to interact like that with her at such an early stage (yes, it was a GIRL).
Hey, I never said I wasn't weird. :-)
In the upcoming week, I'll be working on posting more pictures such as the Labor Day Weekend pictures (from the Brazos River) and my birthday party pics. So, as always, stay tuned!
I mean, everytime I see one, it strikes me how funny and ancient looking they are. I was just walking to my desk from the bathroom and was actually stopped in my tracks by how funny my monitor looks. Even the black 21" ones. I still can't believe most of us are all sitting around with the HUGE GIGANTIC monitors on our desks that are like 3 feet deep. Flat screens are what everyone should be using now, but I can't figure out why they're still so darned expensive.
The way I NOW look at a monitor is the way someone will look at a monitor (non-flat screen) 20 years from now. It's nearly laughable. All that HUGE wasted space behind the screen for all the parts and stuff. It's akin to the way video cameras used to be in the 80s. Then... big, bulky, heavy. Now... light, sleek, practical and palm-sized. Why has our technology improved so much in camcorders and departed us from the "oh gosh this is so heavy, good thing I can rest this mammoth on my shoulder" way of thinking to the "good lord, could this BE any cuter and smaller" way of thinking? Yet our monitors are as big and bulky as they were back in the 80s?
I may lose sleep over this tonight. Does anyone have a flatscreen monitor they'd like to donate to improve my insomia case? I'd really appreciate it.
Photo update: Jon and Theresa Visit July 4th Weekend and Pool Party at Wes' House 7/20/02. Check 'em out.
More pics to come soon. David and I leave this Friday to go up and visit Dad in Pittsburgh for the weekend. Jon and Theresa are driving out there from WI as well, so it will be great to see everyone. This will be the first time my Dad gets to meet David. Hooray!
So the other night I'm dreaming away like I always do. I'm dreaming I'm fighting this evil guy for possession of the world or something. I can't remember exactly what I was fighting for, but it was for something very very important. And I HAD to win. We were face to face and I was like 'JAB JAB JAB' with my fist right into his angry mug. I was givin it to him good! Then next thing I hear is his plea begging me to stop...
"Katie!" Funny, this new arch nemisis knew my non-superhero name. Yet I merclessly kept punching. I was takin him DOWN!
"Katie!"
Huh? What's going on? I felt this tug away from my dream world...
"Katie! Ouch! Stop hittin' me!"
And I was awake. Good lord! I was beatin' up on my honey's arm in bed at 4am. "OH!" I exclaimed, confused.
"Damn girl! I'll keep in mind never to move on YOUR side of the bed! What's going ON?! OUCH!" And all of a sudden, just seconds awake out of my dead sleep, I burst into fits of laughter. Oh my gosh! The thought I could beat up on poor David was hysterical; woke him up out of a dead sleep, evidentally. I apologized profusely and explained between giggles I was whoopin' some ass in my dream and that I didn't mean to hit him. He cracked another joke while I got up to pee. My fits of laughter wouldn't stop. Even minutes after I lay back down in bed I still couldn't stop thinking about that "show me mercy" tone in David's weary voice. I tried SO HARD not to giggle anymore because I KNEW David was falling back asleep, but the harder I tried to be serious and NOT to giggle, the more I couldn't hold it in. 'JAB JAB JAB' was all I could think as I finally fell back to sleep with a smile on my face.
Honestly, I really don't know what else to do to get this cat to come out. I don't even know where it's hiding. It's a very cute cat and I would not do anything to hurt it. Doesn't he understand?! I just want to love him and show him some attention.
On the other hand, this cat is about as easy to take care of as... a goldfish. Probably easier. I mean, it's not even really like it's here at all. Phantom cat.
I'm so sad that this cat won't come out and play with me. I want to play! I even have a great mouse-like toy for him to play with if he comes out. We'll have a great time together! Like best of buddies. We'd probably be able to star in our own Purina commercial that brings tears to viewers' eyes. 'Oh yes, look how much that cat and owner love each other! They probably grew up together and nothing could separate them. Gosh, I need to buy Purina for MY cat!'
But the thing is, I AM feeding the cat Purina. And frankly, the result is NOTHING like the commercials.
The funny thing is I think the cat MAY be hiding the same place my DVD Remote was. Yes, I finally found it (see story below). It was in a unheard of, nearly unreachable nook of my couch. I've discovered my couch has all sorts of nooks and crannies that are unreachable by normal means. Extraordinary talent and unbeatable braveness are needed to reach your hand into these spots. After all, who KNOWS what's in there? A family of Recluse Spiders, a moldy spore-growing cheese curd, an oozing ink pen... I mean, you just don't know. But this is the spot where the DVD Remote has been found, and where the cat may be as well. He could certainly fit.
I just hope the cat doesn't roll all over the pen and eat the cheese curd.
"Oh where, oh where has my DVD remote gone? Oh where, oh where can it be???"
I've discovered that life without my DVD Remote is not so great. I mean, I can't even watch the special features on the new Forest Gump DVD I bought because I have no way to get past the main menu without the remote. The actual DVD Player itself has no way to enable me to scroll up and down the menus. It's so frustrating. I just want to watch the special features on my Forest Gump CD and I can't! Erg!
But what may be even more frustrating than that is the fact I have NO IDEA what could have happened to the remote. I searched for it myself for about 35 minutes. Then David came home and we searched for it together for another 35 minutes. We tore the couch inside out looking for it... nope, not there. I've looked in obvious places, unobvious places and completely ridiculous places... like the dishwasher, refridgerator and even in my purse! We've looked everywhere and then everywhere AGAIN and it's just disappeared off the face of the earth.
How do things like this happen? I mean seriously? Did a quantum worm hole open up in time and swallow my DVD remote and only my DVD remote? Why didn't it take any of the garbage that was probably sitting next to it? My empty granola bar package, the Victoria Secret catalog or perhaps one of the many bottles of the hotsauce that David leaves around? So far the only thing that seems to be missing is that specific remote. Where do these things GO?! I mean, is there some cosmic junk drawer in space that these things "fall" in to? My green grade school pencil sharpener, the heart pin I got from my 4th grade boyfriend, my rubix cube, my favorite black sweat pants in high school, my rechargable batteries, my copy of Turbo Tax 1999... I could never find these things! They just diappeared... just like my DVD Remote. Perhaps this is a way of life; you've had this happen to you, right?! Once every few years something just disappears to never return again no matter how hard I look. I remember the day back in college I tried to find Fran, my newt, who escaped her cage. I thought her little body had disappeared mysteriously, too, until I finally found her in a most unexpected spot on move-out day (you'll have to read the story to find out where). Oh, how sad. Gosh, I hope my DVD Remote isn't lying as road kill on the side of a country road somewhere. Bleeding its little buttons out.
Anyway, I'm eager for the day I DO find my DVD Remote (if that day ever comes) because I'm anxious to know where it's been hiding (if it wasn't in fact swallowed by the quantum worm hole) and I'm dying to see my Forest Gump special features. Momma always said "Stupid is as stupid does"... guess that's why I can't find my remote.
Guess what? David and I have been together for over 6 months now! Amazing, huh? Actually, it seems a lot longer than six months that we've been together. I mean that in a GOOD way, though. We've really done a lot together. We've gone to Vegas, Austin, St. Lucia (Caribbean), New Mexico skiing; have shared several holidays together (my b-day and Christmas), and have had lots of fun parties together (Brazos River, Halloween, New Years, and several smaller ones). Heck, I mean, we've packed into 6 months what many people take a year or even TEN to do! And on top of all that, we're blissfully happy and in love.
They say you know (like deep down inside in an uncanny way) when a relationship is just right. And this one clicked like no other one has before. Partially due to my age, and where I am in life, but mostly due to the GUY. And the great thing is that we BOTH feel the same way. Six months... Six years... Sixty years... It's all good. David's the best mix of sweet, bad-boy, playful, serious, romantic, practical, thoughtful, genuine, spontaneity, success, health, partying, faithful and attentiveness that I've ever met in one man. The other day I was trying to think of the thing he does that annoys me most. You know, just to make sure he's not perfect or a freak of nature. And the worst thing I could come up with was that he sometimes leaves the refrigerator door open too long when looking for something to eat! SERIOUSLY! If that's a gal's chief complaint then I'd say she's pretty lucky! I couldn't have imagined the past six months without David in my life. By some stroke of luck, David feels the same way about me and we know we undoubtedly want to spend the rest of our lives with each other. That's a pretty big statement, isn't it? And I wouldn't make it out loud, to everyone I know, unless I honestly, truly meant it. So there! :-)
OK, so enough lovey-dovey crap, you say? Fine, then.
Well, I told you I had been busy. Check out what I just did. On Feb. 27, 2002, David & I closed on a plot of land in Highland Village that David and I are buying together! It's a beautiful sloped, highly treed lot right across the street from Lake Lewisville, and across the road from some good friends of ours! It will be very exciting to begin building on this lot hopefully just before Christmas '02. A couple of months ago we were talking about how nice it would be to be able to build our perfect home, rather than have to buy someone else's house. David works in the construction/remodeling field and has lots of great contacts for building. We agreed that not only would building our ideal house be fun, but it would actually be cheaper than buying a nice pre-built house. I then mentioned that if we were gonna buy land, we'd probably start look soon, since it takes quite a while to build and I didn't want us to be stuck in my small 2 BR house for too many more years.
Well, just a couple weeks after that casual conversation, David calls me up and excitedly starts telling me about this spectacular plot of land in Highland Village, near our friend's (Brad & Elise) house. He comes home and we begin already dreaming up houses to fit the lot, even before I've seen it, or before we've placed an offer. But as I knew it would be, the plot of land was exactly as he described and we were both so excited about it. I am surprised no one else snatched it up before we did! It was on the market quite a while, evidently, so the seller kept lowering and lowering the price. We were able to lower it slightly more before getting our offer accepted. It's written as the last buildable lot in Highland Village. During the time we were working the deal, there was a ton of interest in the land. I felt sort of bad for those poor people who missed such a great plot in a great location.
Highland Village is a neat small, quiet town nestled within Lewisville. It is so different than any other area I have seen in Dallas. I remember the first time David and I drove up there to visit Brad and Elise, I felt like I was somehow transported back to Wisconsin where trees, hills, and lakes abound. Little did I know that just 5 months later I'd be closing on a plot of land just across the street! It's just over a quarter acre. For those of you familiar with Dallas, it's the same exit as Sneaky Pete's (a very popular trendy Lake party hangout place) off of 35E in Lewisville, but about a mile WEST of the freeway. Click here to see some shots of the land!
One more thing I wanted to mention before going back to doing whatever I was doing before writing this story. What was I doing? Oh yes!!! Eating Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies! YUMMM! I love Girl Scout cookies. Have you tried those new ones they have out now with the shortbread and the chocolate? OH MY GOSH- they are amazing! Though, I wish they still made Scott-tees. Those were my favorite when I was a kid. Sugar cookies with the big granules of sugar on top. I actually met someone else who remembered those the other day. I met her in... oooops
Where was I? Seriously? Oh my gosh, yes... I thought you might want to check out www.PlanetKConsulting.com - my new professional web site. Since I've decided I'd try out my hand a little longer at being self-employed. Again, if you know of anyone needing a website, please pass along that URL to them! I'd really appreciate it! Happy March to you and yours!
First and foremost, I have to get something out of the way. Remember in my previous journal entry when I was talking about how excited I was about a certain HUGE gift under my tree from David. And it was driving me crazy wondering what it was??? Here's a photo of me hugging the gift a few days before Christmas:
Now, I've had many people emailing me (friends, strangers, family) dying to know what was in the BOX.
Well, folks, without further ado... here it is:
A really cool tall water bubble lamp with really cute fake fish that swim around in it! And even cooler, the water appears to change color every few seconds thanks to a filter between the light bulb and the water. I love it alot! As you can see, I've put it on my fireplace mantle. Oh, and if you want to see OTHER Christmas photos, just visit my Christmas 2001 Photo page.
OK, now next item of business... Wes, Heather, David and I threw a combo New Years Party at Wes' house and it was a huge success. You can check out pics from the party here.
Cool. OK, so now onto something a bit more serious and only slightly more desperate...
I NEED A JOB!!
Anyone out there know anyone who needs a website or some web work done? I contract and freelance.
"I'm quick, I'm great, my skills really rate!"
Anyone in the Dallas area know of a company needing a full-time webmaster? I'm your gal! See, I've pretty much figured the only way I'm going to find a job is by networking through my friends and colleagues. As you can see, I've even resorted to networking with fellow aquaintences and stranges who read my website. That's right! It's YOU who can make a difference in someone's life! Forget donating to Sally Smothers and instead donate your networking references to ME!! I'll send you a picture of me, smiling at my new job every month! I'll even hand-write you letters, thanking you for your generosity and telling you how my life has changed all because of YOUR email (cheaper than a cup of coffee)! Imagine the satisfaction you'll feel!
Here's my story, for those of you who don't know. I was laid off from e2 Communications back at the end of August. I made it though 3 or 4 rounds of lay-offs before it was time to go. I then found a full-time contract (thanks to networking) with Alliance Systems that lasted through December. I finished their new site on time and that's all the web work they had budget approval for. So as of the new year, I was (and still am) back on the market, looking for a new contract or a new full-time position.
I've got great references. I've even got a sorta cool website. You can check out my online resume here.
Needless to say, I'd be MOST appreciative if you could pass along my name and email (Katie@Planet-K.com) to anyone who might be looking for a web developer! THANKS! I'd be happy to email them a complete copy of my resume.
You see, last Thursday David and I left for a long road trip. We decided to go skiing in Angel Fire, NM (pictures to come very soon) where his friend owns a 2 BR condo that we can use for free. On the way, we passed many many po-dunk towns. Yet each one of them had something in common... a Dairy Queen. It began as a harmless mention: "Oh look, this town has a Dairy Queen." But before long it became a running joke: "Dairy Queen: 3 o'clock". And just when we figured EVERY town couldn't have a Dairy Queen, we'd drive by another one.
Here's how it all started: On the way to NM, towards the beginning of our 10 hour drive, I had to use the little girls' room something fierce. The first billboard we passed said "Dairy Queen 25 miles ahead." And I waited and waited for that Dairy Queen. And when it finally came, there was not a second to waste! When I finished, David was buying a Dilly Bar.
Then a few towns later, I had to pee again and I saw another Dairy Queen and we pulled over there. David bought another Dilly Bar and noticed it was quarter more than the one in the previous town. Interesting!
I stopped drinking so much, and David stopped wanting Dilly Bars, so we never visited another DQ. But throughout our trip we continued to see them from town to town. I never realized the reach Dairy Queen had. What scope! Perhaps (if I had a JOB) I should buy stock in Dairy Queen! I'm not even sure if they're public. I always knew Dairy Queen was a small-town, laid back, inexpensive type of store. I've just not that crazy about icecream. As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, I have a DQ just a mile or two away from me. Perhaps this Saturday I will go there and enjoy a nice big, fattening meal from DQ. Sounds good to me! Perhaps if I get a wild hair I will apply for a job working the register and making Blizzards! What the heck, It'll look GREAT on my resume!
Wednesday November 6, 2002
I had a gruesome, traumatic experience happen to me last Friday night. It was awful. I realize it might be a bit vulgar for me to share on my website, but they say it's best for me to get it all out. This story may not be for the faint of heart.
Last Friday night, while walking from the car to my friend's apartment... I stepped in doggie diarrhea. It was the stinkiest doo-doo I'd ever smelled. What's worse is that I didn't even know I had stepped in it originally, until I had walked into my Christine's apartment and sat down on the couch. Out of nowhere, we all began to smell this horrible poo-poo smell. Of course it was then that I happened to look at the bottom of my shoe and there it was. A huge partially slimey gob of well... diarrhea. Sunken into the tread of my tennis shoe. There was actually so much that it was overhanging the tread and the sides of my shoe. It was pretty digusting. And the wiff I caught as I looked at the bottom of my shoe was overwhelming. WHEWW-WEEEE!
Thursday September 19, 2002
Weee! Wow, what a past 4 weeks it's been! First a trip to Pittsburgh to see my Dad, then a weekend visit from Stacey, then Labor Day weekend and parties, then a trip to the Bahamas, then my 30th birthday! What craziness! And on top of all that, I have FANTASTIC NEWS to share with you...
Thursday August 13, 2002
Does anyone else out there think that computer monitors look funny (not so much as the screens, but the actual bulky part of them)?
Thursday July 25, 2002
Hey! How's it going? Before I forget, you gotta check out my brother's new website project called FakeSportsNet.com! It's a hilarious sports news site containing the latest happenings in all sports arenas (golf, baseball, basketball, football, tennis)... but it's all absolutley 100% FAKE... and hilarious! Check it out and bookmark it! Oh, here's my fave news story as of late.
Thursday June 20, 2002
There's a cat in my house. It's not my cat, but there is a cat in my house. It's been here for 5 days now. I cannot find it. I know it's black with yellow eyes. It will NOT come when I call it, it will NOT come when I feed it. This is an extremely shy, unsociable cat. If I leave the house for a few hours and come back, the food and water I left out will be gone. This is the only way I know the cat has not died in some dark corner of my house.
Tuesday May 14, 2002
I've lost my DVD Player Remote.
Saturday March 2, 2002
Oops, it's March already?! Dang, February done gone and slipped away from me. I apologize. But I've been a busy bee!
Thursday January 24, 2002
Hey! It's my first Journal Entry of the new year! wowwy zowwy!
Now onto another issue, foremost in my mind... Dairy Queen.
See what happened to me in June through December 2001!!!