new: volunteering

today was my first day as an Idaho humane society volunteer. I even wore my new shirt:





I worked in the volunteer office putting together mailers (ok, more labor intensive than it sounds! labeling 300+ envelopes, folding letters, inserting coupon, and then mailing everything!), and I met several new people-- they were all very nice and appreciative!

then I stopped by the cattery and almost cried.





so then I had to go INSIDE the cattery.





8 week old kittens! and they have tons of big cats too:





at least I had the self-control to avoid the puppy rooms.

I decided to dedicate my time to an organization for animals so that I wouldn't be serving stupid people. but today I saw the effects stupid people have on our furry friends and I'm equally as saddened/frustrated/angry as I would have been at a soup kitchen. I hope my efforts at the volunteer office will encourage other volunteers to share a few hours of their time benefiting their charity of choice.

i know we have busy schedules, but as the back of my IHS volunteer shirt states, "volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart." well said, elizabeth Andrew, well said.

new: jewelry and jeans

tonight, I attended a combo party that my best friend hosted for her coworkers selling silapada jewelry and zipper jeans. we ate papa murphys pizza and talked about bowel movements (no joke...). I remember when "party" used to mean dressing up and sharing a cheap bottle of booze and katy perry-like music was droning in the background.

now it means buying stuff





and learning to play with others in a "sit in your spot and nibble politely on your appetizers and say nothing discriminating or make references to obscure poems or imaginary childhood friends so you'll blow your cover and show everyone you really are neurotic."




kari and Kim chillin before the group embarassment of revealing your Jean size (in waist measurements) in front of everyone.

grown up parties make me realize that yawns before 9 pm are just a fact of life nowadays.

new: onesie

getting cozy at target!

new: dinner guests

I am ashamed to admit that tonight was the first time I've had my family over for dinner at my place. my mom is an excellent cook though and Sundays are our usual family dinner night at my folks' house in eagle. but tonight, I made a vegetable and chicken sausage stew (based off a weight watchers recipe that uses mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, sausage, beans, and spinach), french bread, and berry pie for dessert.

here's the model recipe pic:





I substituted low fat chicken sausage for the beef Italian sausage the recipe called for, and I added white beans (instead of using all kidney beans), garlic, and cayenne pepper powder.









and finally:





then we played wii and my brother dominated.





I'm dead.

cooking isn't very hard and I love my family. I do like the calm and quiet of my own place though. if you know any fast and easy recipe that are cheap and delicious, please pass them on!

new: monkey

don't you think the monkey resembles jim gaffigan?





i think so too.

so of course i bought it.

new: girls' night/wii party

friday night, i hosted my first girls' night.  i bought/made some snacks (trail mix, grapes, apples, jelly belly's, pizza toasts, etc), supplied a few beverages, set out some girly magazines (although my anthropologie catalog seemed to draw the most attention), and played wii games. eight girls (including myself) attended, and i'm thankful amy brought some folding chairs with padding because my wooden kitchen chairs are not butt-friendly.

we played wii play, and here's christy, anna, me, and tennille thinking up different "i" words. i think anna should have won bonus points for "ignomious." leave it to the english majors to dominate.

amy took several pictures of tennille and i boxing and bowling-- some funny, mostly unflattering. but i'll be a good sport and post one...

i hope the girls had fun!

not new: but still worth posting

I went to winco tonight to buy some food for my party tomorrow, and--like all visits to the grocery store of horrors-- I experienced two things that made me question humanity:

1) I turned right into an aisle and a boy about 11-12 years old was standing in the middle of the row. he was about my height and slender, wearing a baseball hat. his dad looked at me looking at his son/obstacle and said, "move outta the way and let the little girl through." did I almost run over another child? I looked behind me, saw no one, and realized he was talking about me. so because I'm relatively the size of a teenage boy, my adult status needs to be diminuitized why? I'm a grown up, and I feel kind of insulted that people don't take me seriously.

2) while paying for my groceries, the checker looked at me and said, "how old are you?" which I grow increasingly tired of being asked. it's not like when I was 3 and can hold up my chubby fingers to reveal my age and boast about being SO OLD. i'm mid-20's now, people. so I asked why, and she said, "you look 14! and you're using a debit card!" LYKE OMG ROFL IDK LOLZ!!!! so I said, "oh. I'm 15. good guess." and she said, "really? do you drive?" 4 REALZ GURL? "I'm 25 actually." and she just stared at me, handed me my receipt, and said, "wow, good job, honey!" idiot.

why is our society obsessed with youth? should I be thankful that apparently I don't look like whatever 25 is supposed to look like-- that I can shave off half a decade of my age and no one would question me? should I be frustrated that society passes me off as a coming-of-age youngster needing guidance and assistance and curfew checks?

so I guess this means my Britney Spears obsession can stick around for a few more years. no need to rush that.

new: donation

I've outgrown that phase in my life where I feel judged by the books on my shelf or the need to showcase my novels like, "heck yes, I've explicated that." i'm donating 3 boxes of books to BPL and have more sitting on my floor waiting to go. I am surprised by my hesitation to get rid of my teaching theory books. a little voice somewhere inside whispers "what if..."

new: blood and kittens

two new things today:

first, I completed a health screening (although my employer prefers to call it a "wellness incentive") which will hopefully discount my weekly health insurance payments. like most things in life, I pondered the ramifications of learning about myself; I've never had my blood glucose or cholesterol tested and I believe all doctors' scales have a secret vendetta to ruin my self-esteem. in all actuality, my numbers revealed only good things (including that I've supposedly dropped 11.5 points on the BMI scale since joining Gold's-- inflate numbers much, dear trainer?!!!) and my poor finger throbs every now and then to remind me that it was stabbed.

then, the rest of my afternoon was dedicated to an orientation meeting for the local humane society. I decided to volunteer in light of my decreased hours at work, although I originally submitted the application to IHS in March and never heard back. I figured it was misplaced or lost, so I applied again and heard nothing. then I started to wonder if people still think that dogs and asians don't mix, but a quick phone call resulted in finding out my volunteer confirmation letter must have been lost in transit. anyway, I learned a bit about the non-profit organization, how to handle the dogs and cats, and what I will be doing--which is mostly clerical. I saw a room full of bunnies, which I am excited about! working with animals is my volunteer activity of choice because 1) they are cute, 2) they are not people, and 3) I will cure my "ohhh maybe I should get a kitty!" itch.

and I got a free purple volunteer shirt. you know I love free shirts!

new: redemption?

today, a boy gave me his phone number. and not just any boy. he was "popular" in junior high and high school. athlete. gorgeous. I would have died if he talked to me 9 years ago. but today, he left me a facebook chat message with his phone number. "you should text me," he wrote. huh *pinch myself* what is going on?

because in junior high, he hung out with people that thought it would be entertaining/funny/sick and twisted to-- after somehow finding out my secret-- have my long-time elementary school crush (I harbored my silent admiration for this boy for years!) pretend to like me, pretend to be my boyfriend, and then break up with me and date an equally popular and attractive cheerleader. and you wonder why I think people are stupid. I grew up truly believing I was nerdy and awkward and unlikeable. and maybe I am. at least now, I am mentally capable of handling that (self) perception and no longer fall asleep crying from humiliation and loneliness.

however, homecoming king wrote me a really nice facebook message saying that he always thought I was pretty and asked when I would visit my California hometown again. I'm actually really flattered and sort of confused. so does this mean I'm actually not the real life equivalent of "never been kissed"'s Josie Grossie? I don't have to regret not possessing Carrie-like powers? did I create a world of adolescent torture out of pure misunderstanding? I mean, I know I have changed since high school-- I gained 15 pounds and got all learned up and I don't listen to the spice girls anymore.

who the heck am I and how did I get here?!