Year: 2013

This is how you troll yourself on the internet and why my BFF is the BEST BFF.

IT WAS A PACKAGE FOR ME! And there is EVEN A TROLLFACE ON THE LABEL!

It will be displayed under the tree with pride till Christmas day when I cut myself opening it and end up in the ER and it’s ALL JULIE‘S FAULT! WHY ARE YOU RUINING CHRISTMAS, JULIE!?

*hugs*

Only 15 day till Christmas! That’s just two weeks! I have to admit this year that I am WAY behind where I usually am. Generally the day after Thanksgiving when everybody is out fighting it out in stores for those Black Friday deals, I’m online checking out all the website and making lists and planning on what I’m going to grab on Cyber Monday. I’m a BIG fan of online shopping for Christmas since around this time of year stuff is on sale and you can catch free shipping deals. I’d much rather sit on my couch sipping a mimosa in my PJ while shopping than venture out in the cold to elbow through crowds. Plus, you get to browse all the pretties. Like, I love these necklaces!

HOWEVER, this year I slacked big time. Black Friday I was REALLY sick then on Cyber Monday too! I’ve purchased exactly two items for Christmas so far so I have a LOT of making up to do over the next 15 days. I’m actually a little overwhelmed. I don’t even have a list yet! Not just a list of what I want to get others but a list for what I want too!

So, how about you?

I can remember when I used to blog at the end of every weekend to recap whatever it was we had done and somehow it was funny and silly and made people laugh. I know because they told me that I was funny and made them laugh. I haven’t done that in a long long time. Maybe just because I’m lazy, realistically it’s probably because I’m lazy, but also: OLD.

Weekends used to be parties and trips and race cars. Now weekends are naps and laundry and then more naps possibly followed by an exciting trip to the grocery store. Really, you don’t understand just how amazing a good nap is when you’re in your early 20s. I mean, you don’t if you’re doing your early 20s properly.

One funny thing did happen though. Well, funny in retrospect.

Saturday night Ben went to bed early because he had to be up early to run a 5K and I stayed up to “knit a few more rows”. I had started to finish watching Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (which, TANGENT, is my second most favorite movie in the world which makes me seem like a HORRIBLE judge of movies but it has a great deal to do with the fact that I’m a huge sentimentalist and it I can’t see it without thinking of my high school years fondly so stop judging me, asshole. /TANGENT)

Cassidy suddenly came bounding down the stairs and yelling something at me in a horribly high pitched squeal that resembled something like what I’d assume a tortured hyena sounds like about her friend Joel wanting to say hi. I mean, I assuming it was “bounding” because I don’t know what else it is you call it when a teenage girl manages to clear an entire set of stairs in three steps and 1.89 seconds.

I think I said okay. I don’t actually remember because before I knew what was happening the dogs were trying to eat Joel’s face and Cassidy was still using hyena voice and EVERYBODY SHUT UP, I’M MISSING KEVIN COSTNER’S ASS ON THE TV.

She asked if they could “hang out” and I didn’t want them in the house because Ben was trying to sleep but I didn’t want to be That Mom I Swore I’d Never Be and chase this poor kid out of my house with a butcher knife so I told her she could go somewhere with him and to be home by 10:30PM. TEN THIRTY. If my mom had given me a TEN THIRTY curfue at 15 I’d have spit battery acid in her face before slamming ALL THE DOORS and leaving anyway because YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF ME (PS CAN I HAVE SOME MONEY!? THANKS!).

So off they went.

And I spent the next 1 hour and 15 minutes rotating between:

1) FREAKING THE FUCK OUT SHE JUST LEFT WITH A BOY
2) Check clock on phone
3) WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING SHE’S WITH A BOY
4) Check the clock on the TV
5) WHY IS SHE FIFTEEN!? SHE WAS JUST FIVE, LIKE, LAST WEEK
6) Check the clock on iPad
7) MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH THEM THAT WOULDN’T SEEM ODD AT ALL I’M, LIKE, TOTALLY COOL MAN
8) Check clock on microwave
9) Drink glass of wine to stop hyperventilating
10) Check clock on oven

This entire process took about 60 seconds so I repeated it 75 times till they got home at which point I made sure to act like I was totally cool, man.

They went to Starbucks. I LOVE STARBUCKS! I COULD HAVE GONE TO STARBUCKS TO HANG OUT! I’M FUCKING COOL! MAN!

He’s a really nice kid. I mean, he’s a really nice kid around me. Which means he’s at least smart enough to be polite in the presence of a crazy woman and that can say a lot about a kid. He even thanked me for letting Cassidy hang out since they hadn’t seen each other in awhile and even though they are just friends I decided that I like him and they are allowed to hang out again.

In another 15 year.

How was your Halloween? It was fun having a costume contest at work even though I didn’t win! I dressed up as Spock. Well, I never really said I was Spock, people just assumed and I let them run with it. Really, I was just a femaly Vulcan Science Officer. If they want to associate me with one of the most awesome Trek alumni if all time though, I’m totally okay with that! 😉

What I really loved though was the “scarry but delicious” food contest! I wasn’t expecting as many crazy interesting dishes as what they ended up having.

Like a watermelon brain! (Hope that guy knows how to find top law firms in san diego! 😉

There was the BBQ pulled pork devil. It looked seriously creepy and the BBQ sauce looked like legit blood. *shudder*

This was labeled mice in brains. And I have to admit they were more cute than scary. But they looked like a lot of work! And they also looked like delicious little… MICE!

Spider deviled eggs! Again, more cute than scary but I can assure you, they were QUITE tasty. And I HATE HATE HAAAATE spider!!

And the dish that won first place was this skull cake. I think there were some far scarier dishes but it was cute and you would tell she put a LOT of time into it. Awesome job!

One of the awesome parts about Ben working for a tech company is that I get to talk tech and have somebody get equally excited about new gear coming out. Ben and I often talk phones, tablets, laptops, games and computer geek speak over dinner. Even though I am firmly in the Apple camp and Ben is an Android lover, we can love and appreciate the strengths and weakness of both sides of the aisle. BUT! His work has him working for Android devices and as much as I like to make fun of him, those devices mean he get to go to CES this year! In VEGAS!

And I am really excited because that means that I will get to so too! Because I said so! I might not get to go on the floor of CES but there still VEGAS! And shows! And roller coasters! And SHOPPING! And gambling! And www.rapiddetoxlasvegas.com! And lights! And water shows! And people watching! And AMAZING RESTAURANTS! And swimming pools with poolside drinks! And clubs with dancing and more drinks!

I haven’t been to Vegas in about 12 years and I am so excited to get to go back. I’ll have all day to explore on my own then the evenings to have fun with Ben.

1) Which super power would you have, if you could only have one: flight or invisibility?
Invisibility! FOR SURE! You can fly places. Buy a ticket! Hop on a plane! But, and I think this is probably more true for women, the ability to spy on conversations? ALL THE GOSSIPS! Where do I sign up!?

2) Who is your favorite, fictional super-being?
Thor. Because abs.

3) If you could have any, one super-power, would you use it to change the world?
I would change the world by secretly possessing all the awesome things. Like cash and purses and wedding rings and possibly fancy cars depending on how mush I could make invisible with me.

4) Can you see yourself becomming(SIC) either a “hero” or a “villain”?
See above answer. I think I’d do cool things like become a real life Robin Hood/Santa. Steal from the stupid wealthy, leave said goodies for the poor and good people that need those things. But also, fancy cars for me. So I guess a little of both!

5) For your secret identity, what would be your occupation of choice and why?
I don’t think I’d have one! Why have a “normal” life? I’d just tell people that I come from “new money” like that feisty redheaded lady on The Titanic. I liked her.

SO! What are you all going to be for Halloween!? Previously we never really had a dress up event at work but our new director really loves to play up all the holidays. She started a committee to do Fun Things through out the year and so far it’s been a lot of fun. Lotto raffles for St. Patrick’s Day was awesome and then for our fiscal year end we had a different theme dress up day every day. Like Crazy Sock Day, Crazy Hat Day, you get the idea.

Now I’m excited for Halloween because I’ll get to dress up at work for the first time! You’d think this would be hard considering the ridiculous state of the costumes you see in the Halloween stores right now. 99% of them are NOT work appropriate! But I already have a costume picked out! I’m going to wear my Science Officer Star Trek costume! Dress, black leggings, black boots, Spock ears, phaser, DONE! Cute and comfy and totally work appropriate! I’ll probably play up my makeup really fun too because it’s an Original Series costume and they used to do some really funky stuff with the eye makeup. As a Vulcan, maybe one of my coworker could dress up to be my immigration lawyer. Starfleet Academy won’t let just anybody in, you know. 😉

On Tuesday, because WHY NOT!?

When did you get your first cell phone?
It wasn’t MY phone but we got our first family cell phone when I was a Sophomore in high school. I wasn’t really supposed to use it but I did anyway. Pretty sure it was like $10,000 a minute an my mom ordered a hit on me when she saw the bill. 😉

How old were you at the time?
Umm, sophomore year would make me 14/15.

What type of phone was it?
It was this one. Sexy, right?

What type of phone do you have now?
I have an iPhone 4S still but I’ve been slowly saving up the money to get a 5S. I’ve almost broken down a few times and just ordered it knowing that I will be able to make up the rest of the cost when I sell the 4S but I’ve been trying REALLY HARD to stick to a budget I’ve set out for myself. I’m only about $30 short. SO CLOSE! Plus, this way I can put whatever I get for selling the 4S to my Christmas budget fund. So far I’ve been able to make it all up by selling stuff and blogging and I haven’t had to take on any odd jobs that require disposable coveralls. 😉

Do you prefer calling or texting/mailing?
I prefer to text short stuff like quick questions or shopping items I need. For anything more I prefer to call.

Summer Camp Safety Concerns All Should Know About

Summer camps can provide safe, adult or trained professional-supervised activities and explorations designed to keep children entertained, happy, and most importantly, out of danger. The safety of our children is of upmost importance, a sentiment that should be shared by those individuals we leave to supervise.

You should be wary of the type of people hired at the summer camp your child is attending, the culture surrounding the camp, and its procedures on how to deal with dangerous events and occurrences. You should know how background checks are handled by the summer camp’s program director and how he or she screens employees of the camp and volunteers. Make sure you are asking the right questions.

Criminal Background Checks

Ask the program’s director about the process for hiring and if employees and volunteers must pass a criminal background check before they are hired. More than likely, because the job entails working with children, the clearance of such a requirement is essential to the hiring process, but there is nothing wrong with double checking this.

Sex Offender and the National Sex Offender Registry

Be cautious and inquisitive when it comes to volunteers and teen counselors. You have the right to know if voluntary staff members have been checked and cleared under the National Sex Offender registry, even if you have been told that paid employees must be screened for such offenses. Knowledge of all persons that may interact with your child is your right as a parent.

Rules and Regulations

Ask program supervisors for a handbook or pamphlet detailing all rules and regulations regarding the safety and well being of campers. The regulations should go into detail about river and lake safety, outdoor activities, and forest animal interaction. Summer outdoor safety guidelines should be afforded to you before your child is registered to attend the camp.

Prevention

Inquiries about the prevention of bullying, sexual abuse, accidental poisoning, broken bones, etc. should go through your mind when sending your child to a summer camp. Be sure to ask program director’s about the steps taken to train and educate staff and employees on how to prevent accidents, sexual misconduct, the consequences if rules concerning sexual misconduct is violated, and if and when accidents occur, are staff members trained in first aid and medical care.

Ask about all training procedures staff members must go through in order to awarded a position at the summer camp. For instance, New York summer camp counselors must receive 8 days of intensive pre-camp staff training, interactive seminars, and must study modern concepts in child care and motivational techniques. The more you know about the camp and its staff, the safer you will feel about sending your child to the camp.

Licensure

Ascertain that the summer camp is certified by the state, have passed all necessary tests and trainings, and have received all licenses to operate.

Summer camps and their employees should be considerate of your concerns regarding the care of your child and the preventative steps they have taken to ensure the campers’ safety. Not until you are completely satisfied and content with the answers you have received from the program coordinator should you sign your child up for the summer camp.

Additionally, talk with your child about your safety concerns and what they should do in the event that they feel threatened or unsafe. Discuss their concerns, as well. Children may be apprehensive towards attending summer camp for the first time so address their questions and concerns openly and honestly.

All steps by each party involved that can be taken to ensure the safety of your child are necessary to take. Establish a piece of mind and send your child to a summer camp you both feel is a safe environment.

Information Provided By http://www.chateaugay.com/

After three weeks off because of all this horrible sinus crap that I’ve been going through, I got to do a FULL WORKOUT for the first time. I did have a bit of pressure during the squat track but I just paused to let my heart rate drop down a bit and was able to get back at it after resting for a rep or two. Normally I’d be really hard on myself for that but I’m not feeling to bad about the fact that it was only my head holding me back and not my body!

I did notice that while doing the deadlifts and deadrows that I have the tendency to pull my shoulders up towards my ears expecially towards the end of the track when those muscles are getting fatigued. I made sure to watch my form in the mirror after that and REALLY focused on my back and squeezing my shoulder blades together and MAN, can I feel it today. It’s such a good feeling! That slight twinge of soreness that reminds you that you are growing muscle and STRENGTH. I absolutely love it.

And no I’m super excited to get back into a normal routine! Perhaps after an amazing massage. 😉