Incredible Hulk!

So last night was another great movie night. Tuesdays at Village Eight for the win! I think because of the two dollar nights, that night will become our new movie spot. Unless I feel the ultimate need to see them when they come out which won't be that often.

Anyway, so last night was Incredible Hulk. It was soooooo good. I am incredibly happy with the way that comic book movies are being directed these days. they are far more comic booky than they used to be which is a very good thing. I think the direction they are taking with tying in the entire Marvel Universe is amazing. This is something that I had wished for forever. And to the critics who said that the Hulk was too CGI in this movie need to get over it. How else can you do the hulk? It's a big hulking green monster.

And the tie in with Ironman at the end was priceless. The last half an hour of that film had us jumping out of our seats....Abomination, hand clap, Hulk Smash, and Tony Stark. Too much for me to take! And Liv Tyler did a good job as Betty. I was impressed.

Watching this movie had me rushing home and checking IMDB for other Marvel movies. I was so excited! Nick Fury! Captain America!! Avengers!!! Thor!!!! I was grinning. So yea, 2010-2011 is gonna be great. I STILL want a Black Panther movie. Michael Jai White would be awesome in this role. At first I was all like, Wesley Snipes. But Wesley can't do every black future comic book role. Plus White was good in Spawn even if the movie wasn't great.

So anyway, I had a great night and looking forward to more movie nights. Thanks J!

Words

Is it weird that I keep finding songs that mean so much about us baby? If it's too much you can tell me :) Even though I know you like it too. This is a new guy. Don't know if I like him yet but it has India Arie....can't go wrong with her. Tell me what you think. /kiss





Anthony David Lyrics
Words Lyrics

Lucky

I'm truly lucky to have you J. I love these lyrics. They express so much between us.





Jason Mraz Lyrics
Lucky Lyrics

Iron Man Weekend!

Ok, so it really wasn't an Iron Man weekend but that was one of the highlights of my weekend. We saw it at the Village Eight Movie Theater.

/begin rant

So everybody used to call the Village Eight Movie Theater the dollar movies. Why you ask? Because all the movies cost a dollar! No matter what time or what day, all movies cost a dollar! It was great for kids with no money (i.e. me). Fast forward about fifteen years and J and I visit Iron man at the "dollar movies". No longer is it a dollar...but four dollars. Somehow the four dollar movies doesn't have as much of an effect. Inflation is horrible but it's not that horrible

/end rant

So J and I visit the four dollar movies (see what I mean? Not as much of a ring) to see Iron Man. I missed out on it in the theater cuz J wasn't in town and I HAD to see it with a person who knew what comic books were all about. It just wouldn't have been as fun having to explain everything like I did with my sisters after getting home after seeing it. Even though it was cute seeing them go OHHHH!!! when I explained certain aspects of the movie. But I digress.

So I was super excited because I love Iron Man. He's one of my favorite comic book characters. I used to have an issue with the Iron Man origin story that was portrayed in the movies but I quickly got over that. They picked the perfect man for Tony Stark and I loved (SPOILER ALERT!!!) him and Pepper never got together. They aren't supposed to! But I do love how he just destroyed all the stuff that he owned in order to make the suit. That was the one thing he was focused on. And I loved Terrance Howard as Rhodie. He would make an awesome War Machine! If you didn't just understand that statement, look it up :). So I loved the movie. But the kicker was at the end. If you didn't stay through the credits, you miss out (that's why I ALWAYS stay through every movie until the very end). Samuel L.....as Nick Fury.....holy crap. Yea I was super, super excited. They chose the black Nick Fury and he's gonna be awesome. I'm excited to see him in the next one (and they better bring the next one.) So I loved it. It was so funny. Half of the movie theater were comic book people and half weren't. It was funny to see who got the inside jokes and who didn't. I love that they made a part of the movie for comic book lovers. After seeing the Dark Knight and Iron Man, my faith in comic book movies is starting to be restored. I haven't seen The Incredible Hulk yet but that's for next week. I hope that doesn't destroy me.

But I am soooo excited about my comic books now. I look forward to every Wednesday. The art and the plot lines are awesome. And I love the fact that I don't feel the need to get every comic just because it's there. I get it to read and enjoy it. If the story isn't good or compelling, I don't buy. But I love my comic books and the cliff hangers every week are great. Can't wait to have our comic book room J :) It's gonna be good.

Anyway, so the rest of the weekend was me just lying around with J which is what I loooove to do. My sisters did have a little party/potluck that was fun. I love being around them. They are so much fun! Count down to the beach.....four days! I'll take tons of pics :)

Louisville Diss

So J told me not to let these kind of people get to me; the kind of people that think they are better than everybody else and have nothing but bad to say about others and tout their good points to the point of excess. So it irritated me to read this article that I've posted below. Yes, I agree, our Mayor-For-Life Jerry Abramson shouldn't have gone down there to bribe former Louisvillians but still.....ugh. Read the article. Decide for yourself.

Poo-Pooing Possibility City in Sunny Florida

July 24th, 2008 by rick

Wow! Who’d have thought that taking on Tampa would result in so much buzz on the Internets.

Of course, I’m trying to imagine how defensive Jerry Abramson might get if Nashville, Indy, Cincy or St. Louis brought an entourage to town and let it be known their purpose was to steal the smarties and hotties from corporate offices around here. I’m trying to imagine the Courier-Journal’s editorial board coming up with copy like the piece below from the St. Petersburg Times, whose ultimate message to Jer is this — You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re better than us!

And the insult to southern Indiana tops it off. The folks at One Southern Indiana had better come on out and defend themselves.

It was written under an equally effective headline: Don’t Let the Bourbon go to your Head. Here it is:

The mayor of Possibility City shows up tonight in the city formerly known as America’s Next Great City. Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson is bringing bourbon and Kentucky Derby tickets to Tampa to help sell former Kentuckians on returning home. Before the liquor goes to their heads, those transplants to Tampa Bay ought to think twice about abandoning the Sunshine State for the Bluegrass State.

We have the beaches and the gulf. Louisville has the Ohio River, and you can’t see the bottom. The Belle of Louisville paddlewheeler is fun, though.

We have three major professional sports franchises. Louisville has minor-league baseball. We’ll concede the compact downtown stadium has more charm than Tropicana Field, even if it isn’t air conditioned.

The University of Louisville and the University of South Florida are both urban universities in the Big East Conference. U of L is older, but USF is bigger.

There is no comparison between world-renowned Tampa International Airport and Louisville International. TIA serves roughly five times the number of passengers as Louisville’s airport.

Tampa Bay has the office towers of downtown Tampa, the restaurants and art galleries of walkable downtown St. Petersburg and many other distinctive communities to explore. Across the river, Louisville has southern Indiana, a string of strip malls and depressed small towns once known as “The Sunny Side of Louisville.”

Louisville once had most of the vices covered in local industries, from whiskey to tobacco to gambling. Tampa has the Seminole casino and tops everyone in adult entertainment.

It is hard to beat the Kentucky Derby and the pageantry of the first Saturday in May. But next year Tampa will host another Super Bowl. And remember one more thing about Louisville before deciding to stop worrying about hurricanes, property insurance and traffic.

In Possibility City, it snows.

Pictures from Akron

It's Florence Ya'll! I love this water tower.















This was the movie theater my dad took me to see The Nutty Professor and Independence Day. It was a great day.














I wasn't sure what this building is but I wanna know! It wasn't here when I lived here.














I love the landscape in Cincinnati, all those hills!














This roller coaster is what scared me to death when I was younger. But I conquered it.














An honest to God phone booth. I didn't realize that they actually existed still.














There was another billboard with the rest of the commands. On the back of the billboard it said Hell Is Real.














Shanna was looking hawt! Ready to go mudding.



















I can't believe people were getting that muddy. I would have gone if I had knew that they were going.














People get crazy out there. But the craziness was pretty cool.














You had to duct tape your shoes to your feet/legs or they would get sucked off in the mud. I learned something!














This is the dodgeball pit (enclosed) and the volleyball pit.















I am so mad that my camera battery went out. But there is always next year!

Awesomeness of Hands

The Daft Hands Video was good. But this is better. Barats and Bereta have always made me laugh (interrupting sloth anyone?) and this is no exception...enjoy!

Akron Weekend

I was supposed to post pictures of my Akron weekend along with my description but it's been three days and I still haven't posted pictures. They will get posted on and added to the the story but everybody will just have to use their imagination for the time being. We decided to go to Akron to visit Danny and Shanna (they are a WoW couple too!) on the spur of the moment Friday. We decided our finances could take it, packed up and headed out. It was soooo much fun.

We had Garmina so we didn't need to print out Google Maps and she did great. Had a couple of little hiccups but I'm not going to blame that on Garmina. Driving up to Akron was one of the best things I loved about the trip. I got to share all of my memories from the six years that I lived in the area. And they are MY memories! Isn't that cool, baby! But there were a lot of things that I took pictures of that I had never noticed while living there. I loved sharing yet another part of my life with him. I could totally live there one day now :)

We didn't get there until late and Danny and Shanna met us at Eat and Park for dinner/breakfast. Their breakfast buffet started at midnight! So we had tons of fun there. I love them cuz they don't throw me out when I say things they wholeheartedly don't agree with. So after having fun at Eat and Park and eating ourselves silly, we went home and went straight to bed. It was late as hell.

The next morning, Shanna got dressed up in these hot looking clothes (a.k.a. horribly mismatched) and we went to the Mud Volleyball and Dodgeball Tournament. Which is volleyball and dodgeball....but in the mud. I can't wait to show you all the pics! It was a fundraiser which was a good thing...but there was mud everywhere, which was a bad thing. Don't get me wrong, if I had known the tournament was going to happen, I would have brought old clothes and been prepared to get dirty, but I didn't, so I just watched my friends and their friends get covered in dirty stinking mud....it was fun to see anyway. Maybe next year. The bad news is that my camera battery went out in the middle of the day. I was upset at myself and J bought a disposable camera for me so I wouldn't be out of luck. I love him!

After getting dirty, everybody got cleaned up and went to Bennigans. It was damn good. I loooooved it. But I like going out to eat in any capacity. What made me think that this was going to be different. After dinner we went and got Margaritas for later (wink, wink) and then we went to watch The Dark Knight. AMAZING. I think the film really lived up to its hype, seriously, it was amazing. Of course the Joker stole the show and I really wish Batman wouldn't talk like that but it was good. Really good. And I loved that I got to see it with my friends. I just hate that all of my friends live so far away! At least Adrienne and Cole live close. I can't wait for them to meet J!

After the movie, we went home and lounged around and J and I got drunk off of Margaritas. Me, being a normal person, got tipsy, buzzed, then drunk. J went from sober to drunk. It was awesome! I don't get shitfaced cuz I hate throwing up and not remembering anything. We were a pleasant drunk to where everything is funny and a general feel good feeling. It was awesome. And J's hilarious and even saved me from being eaten by a spider! You saved my life J!

The next morning we had peanut butter and honey bagel sandwiches for breakfast and headed home and the trip home was just as good as the trip up. We rushed home cuz it was my little twin sister's birthdays! Happy 21st Danielle and Kim! I can't believe they are of legal drinking age. You all have no idea how weird that is for me. So the fam, J, and D all went out to eat at Chili's and we all had a good time as usual. D loved the fact that I had dessert first. Then the twins, J, D, and I went to Cheddar's and I bought Danielle and Kim their first drink. (Psst, they like Midori Sours). Then we went to see Dark Knight...again! I loved it just as much as the first time. That's how I really know if I really love a movie. If I can see it twice. Another perfect weekend.

I am loving J more and more everyday. I was afraid to get too into him as I have been with previous boyfriends. But I realize he's different. I can totally be into him. I can trust him. He won't hurt me. I can drown in him and it be OK. I can't wait until the day we are husband and wife. I love you J! Thank you for being perfect for me. I couldn't ask for more.

R.I.P. Estelle Getty

I had to give an R.I.P. to Estelle Getty. The Golden Girls was a show that has significant meaning to me and has ever since I was young. It was one of those 80s shows that I could watch over and over and Sophia "Ma" Petrillo made that show what it was. I loved her fire and her spunk. Kinda like me huh baby? But as I get older and iconic figures from my childhood start to pass away, I don't think it will ever get easier. I remember the first death of somebody famous. I remember one that really struck my heart-- Jim Henson. I remember crying because I thought Kermit would never again be the same. Thanks for the memories Sophia.

Jason Mraz

Me and my culturally diverse boyfriend have another winner. Jason Mraz is an awesome artist. He reminds me somewhat of Robin Thicke, but just not as soulful. His lyrics are deep, and they give me food for thought. So if anybody is looking for a little something different. Check him out. I don't think you'll be disappointed. I know I'm not. J and I are a beautiful mess :p.

Good Times Around Louisville

I FINALLY got around to putting the pictures from last weekend on my laptop along with pictures from last night. Soooo lazy. Anyway.

As J and I were walking down the street last Thursday, we saw this:


















At first I thought it was glitter, but it wasn't, they were like glass beads. I came up closer and got a description which was pretty cool. I want to ride in one of those!






Then Friday I spent some time with my best friend Michelle. She is the best friend that I have ever had. She has always been there for me and told me when I'm doing wrong and supported me when I'm doing right. It doesn't matter how often we talk, we are always there for each other. That girl is awesome. We ate at P.F. Changs...aren't you jealous?















Then Saturday was Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen Ice Cream Social. Ice cream for $.25 a scoop, how can you beat that. I loved hanging out with Kim and J but we missed Danielle. :(














So then J and I made dinner. Mediterranean Pasta In Minutes, homemade garlic butter, and salad that I swear tasted just like Olive Garden. See me if you want the recipe. It was sooooo much fun cooking with him and I can't wait to do it again. Baked French Toast this weekend!
















So then yesterday, it was time for us to do something good for the arts community. Mark's Feed Store was giving 15% of the proceeds that day to the Kentucky Opera Guild. that's a good excuse to go eat BBQ right?...right? I meant to take a picture of our Buttermilk Crunch Sundae before we ate it all but apparently I wasn't fast enough. Dessert first is always the way to go. See me for more details






























So then our meal came. OMG my dad claims Mark's isn't good. But this was. I am so glad I stuffed myself, it doesn't matter how uncomfortable I felt.




























After dinner we ambled on over to Ear-X-Stasy to support our local businesses. Keep Louisville Weird!















I picked out the new Dwele and a used Chris Brown (shhh J, I know I laughed at you!) and J picked out the new Nas. Get it, now, go out....and get in your car and get it. You will not regret it, he really outdid himself this time.






























We saw this artist after we got out.....He was so good. He's planning on painting the entire white wall beside Mark's Feed Store. I can't wait to see it when it's done.































Then I saw this on my way out. How true it is! Go Obama!















So I had a great time as always. The rest of the pics that I didn't post are here. I never realized that I could get deeper with J than I already am. But I did, and we are so perfect together. I have NEVER experienced anything like this before and it's a little scary but in a good way. I am so grateful for him. So grateful.

Don't Wanna Get Up

For the past month and a half, I have had the hardest time getting out of bed. I love my job which is the reason that I peel back the covers and stumble to get ready. I mean I've had days where I'm tired but it's not like that. I'm not tired. I just don't want to get up.

The only explanation that I have now is J. I feel so safe and warm in his arms, who would want to leave that? And we even go to bed on time (most nights)! When my alarm goes off, I used to press snooze, now I just turn it off and wait for his to come on. But J has the same problem I do as well. So he can blame his not wanting to get up on me as well.

I feel like saying "World leave us alone!" sometimes. But I keep saying there will be enough of that in the future. I'm looking forward to us going on vacation in couple of weeks. I can't wait for him to meet the rest of my mom and dad's family and to spend some time at Virginia Beach. Me sharing my life with him has never been more important. So I'm ready for sand, waves, and fishing. I can't wait! I love how this post advanced from me not wanting to get up to going on vacation. I love my mind :p.

They Speak Truth, Sort Of

I am a blanket of information today so I don't know how many posts I'm going to put up. As a former server (I think I'll always have some server in me) I appreciated this post immensely. I hope those of you who are servers or former servers chuckle with me and we can also educate those that need to be educated. I agree with EVERY single one of these except for number 3. I haven't seen anybody ACTUALLY spit in food. But I have seen food dropped and put back on the plate and old food scraped off of dinnerware that didn't come off in the wash. At least I know what I might be getting when I go out to eat. Oh this is from Reader's Digest BTW.

EDIT: Ok, so I also don't agree with number 4. Owner's do have friends. But name dropping means that you aren't friends. Asking them to come by the table to say hi, that's different. But exclusively saying I'm friends with the owner to demand some type of service? That's just idiotic.

1. Avoid eating out on holidays and Saturday nights. The sheer volume of customers guarantees that most kitchens will be pushed beyond their ability to produce a high-quality dish.

2. There are almost never any sick days in the restaurant business. A busboy with a kid to support isn't going to stay home and miss out on $100 because he's got strep throat. And these are the people handling your food.

3. When customers' dissatisfaction devolves into personal attacks, adulterating food or drink is a convenient way for servers to exact covert vengeance. Waiters can and do spit in people's food.

4. Never say "I'm friends with the owner." Restaurant owners don't have friends. This marks you as a clueless poseur the moment you walk in the door.

5. Treat others as you want to be treated. (Yes, people need to be reminded of this.)

6. Don't snap your fingers to get our attention. Remember, we have shears that cut through bone in the kitchen.

7. Don't order meals that aren't on the menu. You're forcing the chef to cook something he doesn't make on a regular basis. If he makes the same entrée 10,000 times a month, the odds are good that the dish will be a home run every time.

8. Splitting entrées is okay, but don't ask for water, lemon, and sugar so you can make your own lemonade. What's next, grapes so you can press your own wine?

9. If you find a waiter you like, always ask to be seated in his or her section. Tell all your friends so they'll start asking for that server as well. You've just made that waiter look indispensable to the owner. The server will be grateful and take good care of you.

10. If you can't afford to leave a tip, you can't afford to eat in the restaurant. Servers could be giving 20 to 40 percent to the busboys, bartenders, maître d', or hostess.

11. Always examine the check. Sometimes large parties are unaware that a gratuity has been added to the bill, so they tip on top of it. Waiters "facilitate" this error. It's dishonest, it's wrong-and I did it all the time.

12. If you want to hang out, that's fine. But increase the tip to make up for money the server would have made if he or she had had another seating at that table.

13. Never, ever come in 15 minutes before closing time. The cooks are tired and will cook your dinner right away. So while you're chitchatting over salads, your entrées will be languishing under the heat lamp while the dishwasher is spraying industrial-strength, carcinogenic cleaning solvents in their immediate vicinity.

A Whole New Way to Go To The Gym

My weekend post is coming up but I want to add pictures which is why I'm waiting...soooo, while I'm waiting for that. I came across this on the internet. Since J got the job that he wanted, we will be working out at the company gym. Glad I found this article to help me along. I used to use every single one of these machines and never knew it to be wrong. Gives you something to think about. Wonder what they would say about Billy?

http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/publish/best-body/10_Machines_You_Must_Avoid.shtml

Congratulations Baby!

I am soooooo proud of you. I told you that you could do it. I am ecstatic and I can't wait to celebrate with you. Hmmmm maybe we can make the celebration last the rest of our lives. I think that would be the best. You and I know what this means to one another. I always say that I can't wait to start out life together. But it's already begun, all we have to do is relax. I believe in you as much as you believe in me. So once again, I love you and Congratulations! You deserve it more than anybody.

I'm Amazed

Yes, I'm aware that I'm posting a lot today but it's OK. This is what a blog is for.

Every day, I am amazed by J. I believe that we are meant to be. I saved him from somewhere he didn't want or need to be. I believe that without each other, we would have fallen. If we had never met, we would have never achieved the happiness that we needed to be whole, to be ourselves.

I realize this is quickly becoming a shrine to J but that's a good thing. He is my life and my future. I'm so mad at myself for not having realized this earlier. And I hate that it took someone else to convince me but it was needed. And I should be thankful that I realized it now. Our relationship is deep, oh so deep. We have reached a special place where only we know.

He amazes me. Every second, of every hour, of every day. He is perfect for me. He listens and understands me. He gives advice but doesn't nag. And he's brilliant. He downplays his genius but I know it. Every day I expect the dream to end, it just goes on and on. I can't wait to be married to him. He is the light at the end of the tunnel. And I believe that everything happens for a reason. All of the events in my life have led me up to this, to meet this perfect person.

I have to thank World of Warcraft and as lame as that sounds, it's true. This game is where we met, got to know one another, and decided to move it off game. It's a special place for us and we are a testament to show that WoW relationships do work out. (Danny and Shanna are another testament, grats you guys!).

So World of Warcraft has been a blessing to our relationship and many others. I'm glad that I have J. He is meant to be with me. And I am meant to be with him. Any problems that come along the way, we will work them out with honesty and openess as we always do. Thank you so much, J, for you love and your presence.

They Think They Can Dance...And They Can

As I watched the last couple dance on So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) last night I was enthralled. It was a Bollywood routine. This is the first time they have ever had Bollywood and I loved it. J is worried that the newness might skew peoples minds and there is nothing to compare it to. Therefore, it would seem excellent no matter what. He might have a point and I may be affected by this but I loved it anyway.

I think seeing world dance is refreshing after American styles over and over (not that I don't love some of the routines). Even the Latin dances like Tango, Paso Doble, and the Cha Cha are Americanized. I hope to see more world dance on the show. Shake things up a bit. And like Nigel said, dance is all one language, as corny as that sounds. That said.....the hip hop routines on the show are a step down because there is no Shane Sparks this season. He is the most phenomenal hip hop choreographer I have ever seen on the show and I really hope he comes back next week.

I think I love the show so much because I can tell the creators have a deep down love for dance and hate to see people making a fool of it as witnessed at the audition shows when Nigel would go off on a dancer who obviously just wanted to get on television. This show is so different from American Idol in that way. I have a respect for the show. A respect that keeps me watching week after week.

The 20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1

View this item.

Food prices are climbing, and some might be looking to fast foods and packaged foods for their cheap bites. But low cost doesn’t have to...




This article is pretty darn good. I could definitely live on these...and some grilled chicken thrown in there. I have to remember this on my next trip to the store.

Radda Radda Radda!!!!

Radda radda radda radda. Radda! Radda radda-radda radda radda? Radda radda. Radda radda radda. Radda radda radda? Radda....radda radda? Radda radda? Radda radda radda. RAAAADAAAAAA!!!!!

Shnitzel FAQ

So to ring in the new year, I thought I'd take a few minutes to answer some questions about Shnitzel.

Q: What is he?
A: He's a big, strong rock monster. His job is to help lift and move stuff, along with other grunt work, around the kitchen.

Q: Why a rock monster?
A: Well, here's a little history on him. Shnitzel originally began as a drawing I did in the late 90's as an exercise to see if I could clean up a character in Adobe Illustrator. I was even going to try and animate him in Flash, so I did alternate pieces of him. Back then he was called "Tapiocaca." He was supposed to be sort of like a big rock tiki monster that was always on fire. I even made a cool logo for him. Well I didn't really do anything with him after that, but I still liked the design. So when I was forming the world of Chowder, he seemed like a good fit. I like to think of him as a living menhir from the Asterix comics.

Q: What're all the lines in his pattern supposed to be?
A: The idea is that he's covered with scratches and grooves from all the abuse he's taken over the years. In the pilot (Froggy Apple Crumple Thumpkin) his pattern is swirly. But I felt it looked too much like hair, so I changed the lines to straight criss-crosses.

Here's a very early scribble of Shnitzel from 2000. He was a bit stubbier and didn't have his apron yet.

Here's the way to construct him now.

Q: Why does he have ears?
A: To hear things.

Q: Why does he have chest hair?
A: Because he's a MAN, and real men have chest hair.

Q: Why "Radda radda"?
A: It sounded funny. No real reason. Casting for his part was surreal - Hearing dozens upon dozen of actors saying those words then trying to decide just from some gibberish.

Q: Who does his voice?
A: In the pilot, he was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. But Kevin was unavailable when we started the series, so John DiMaggio (Bender on Futurama) jumped in and saved us, doing an amazing job.

Q: Will he ever say anything other than "Radda radda"?
A: I'd rather he didn't. It's like asking if Chewbacca will ever speak English. You can pretty much say he won't, but you don't want to rule out any weird alternate universes or anything.

Q: Is it hard to write a character that speaks in gibberish?
A: The key is context. If other characters repeat back what he said then you'll always know what's going on. Like if he says "Radda radda radda," Mung says "No, we can't chuck him in the furnace!" It gets really hard if he's alone and you have no characters to translate for him.

Q: Is he married?
A: Originally in my head he was. He had a wife that we'd never see, like Norm's Vera on Cheers. But it never came up and didn't really give us anything to add to his character. Plus it's more fun to think of him as the swinging bachelor. So he's definitely single.

Q: Will we ever see his private life?
A: I like his life outside of work to remain a mystery. He's the guy that clocks in, does his job, and goes home. He doesn't share a lot of personal info. Occasionally we'll get glimpses. Like in Gazpacho Stands Up when we saw him doing stand up comedy and he was horrified to be caught by Mung and the rest.

Q: Why does he stay with Mung, Truffles, and Chowder if they make his life hard?
A: They're like his family. Your family can drive you crazy, but they still love you. We're making a special half-hour episode right now that answers that very question. Watch for it in about a year.

So that's it. I'll put up some more history and early doodles on the characters soon. Happy new year!

**From http://nerdarmada.blogspot.com -- The creator of Chowder**

PS3.....Drool?

So I have the PS3 bug. And your asking why I got it so late? Well I've been out of console gaming for awhile but I recently got back into it. Plus the Extra Life comics did it to me. Granted, they don't have a big library that I'm excited about. But they have Grand Theft Auto IV....and Metal Gear Solid 4. So I think I'd buy it just for that. I'm aching to get it now but I can't afford it along with everything else I'm doing so I just have to wait. Plus I think I can get a special deal in Nebraska when I go to visit...maybe.

I just really want to play again. It's been years since my previous GTA and I miss it. It was soooo much fun. But it's a lot of money and I guess I have to think how much I'm really going to play the PS3. I hate being an adult sometimes. I can't just buy without thinking of the consequences.

Edit: So my desire for PS3 is waning. I think it was the initial...I want! I want! I want! But now I'm like....$600 for a PS3? or $600 for a wedding...yea....think about it.

A Classy Lady

This weekend, I really started to miss my grandmother. She hasn't been with us for a couple of years but every now and then I think about her and it tears me up. I wish I had lived closer to her and got to see her more as she grew older.

She was one of the strongest and kindest women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She spoiled her grandchildren and great-grandchildren rotten but she knew when to lay down the law and you better listen. When she liked you, she gave her all to you. I remember when I went to see her for the last time before she passed, she kept saying my name over and over with tears streaming down her cheeks. She wasn't fully aware of everything then but she was totally aware of me. Tears come to my eyes as even I write this.

I think I just miss her. She was an awesome grandmother and a beautiful woman. I'm glad I have the pictures of her to remember and the best part is, I see the endearing qualities that she had arise in my own mother. She is even getting some of the same mannerisms which she might see as a bad thing but I love it. I feel her presence and I know she is looking down on me and sending her love to me. Yes, I'm sad. But I know she's proud of me.

Mary Ella "Mayrella" Huntley, you are the epitome of a classy lady and I miss you.

Fourth of July 2008

I think this is the longest post i have ever written but it was such a perfect weekend that I felt the need to write it down so that I would never forget it. I tried to break it up into sections. More pictures can be found here with captions to follow.

Fabulous Weekend -- Part 1 (Thursday)
J and I started off our fabulous July 4th weekend on Thursday afternoon. J snuck out of work a little early (shhh I'm not telling anybody). We wandered down to Story Avenue to try and get some soul food from Sweet Pea's but.....OH NO!...it was closed down. At first we were all QQ but it ended up being a very good thing. We wandered down the street and saw a Persian cafe and decided to stop.

Shiraz Mediterranean Grill is one of the best restaurants I have been to. It's not fast food and it's not a sit down place where you give your order either. We had the most amazing Hummus that I have ever had. I couldn't stop eating it! We had the Shiraz salad which is just cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes but mmmm it was great with the Hummus.

Then we had the Joojeh Kabobs which is kind of like buffalo chicken. They even have pictures of the menu items on the website. Quickly became one of my favorite places to eat. That was the perfect start to our Fourth of July Weekend. The friendliest woman even offered to take our picture. Cute huh?








Fabulous Weekend -- Part 2 (Friday)
The next morning we woke up at 6:40 and I'm not sure why. At first I was mad but now I'm glad that we did. I had the brilliant idea of playing Dyanasty Warriors 3. OMG! We had so much fun. I haven't played in years so I was a bit rusty and J actually did better than me, (a little bit). That's ok, I blame it on my characters. If we hadn't of woke up early we couldn't have done that!

Then we went to see Hancock. All the critics are wrong that say the movie gets slow in the middle, if anything, it picks up. And anybody could see that Hancock was supposed to symbolize the United States...I mean, there were eagles EVERYWHERE. And the movie would have had to do bad in order to do wrong. I mean, it's Will Smith....you can't go wrong! (With his fine ass)

We had already planned on seeing Wall E right after and that was even better than Hancock. Your my Wall E and I'm your Eve, J. WAAALLLLEEEEEE!!! lol. But that movie almost made me cry which not that many movies can do. That is going to be on that I will add to my movie collection. But the movie also has a message. Take care of the environment people, it's the only home we have.

After that we went over the Chinese Buffet and mmmmmm it was so good. I wasn't in the mood for Chinese but I was when I got there and saw all that they had. Thanks J! Awesome suggestion. We were going to go home and take a nap because all that food made us exhausted but then my mom told me that she made brownies....why did she do that? She knew I had to go over to her house to get some. Thanks Mom!!! So that gave us an excuse to go to Blockbuster because I had never seen Cars and J really wanted me to see it. AT the store, they had Guitar Hero Aerosmith set up. J was soooooo good. With his modest ass. I was reluctant to play but when I got on it, it was all over, I want Guitar Hero!! I'll get it for PS2 but as soon as I get my PS3, that will be the first thing that I buy. I wish I had taken a picture of me rockin' it out!

OMG I am so glad that J suggested watching Cars. If nobody has seen it, I suggest they do so. Pixar as a company is amazing. I never knew that J knew so much about race cars. He's amazing. Lying in his arms watching Cars was so damn awesome. Ghost Light!!!!!! I am so glad I am with him. He treats me better than I have ever been treated before and he makes me feel so damn special and I feel like I am because of him. So Cars will be a memory that I will treasure. Kachow!!!!!!!

Then we watched Memento. This psychological thriller will explode your mind. It's kind of crazy. But it was fun trying to figure out what was going on. It's definitely not something you can sit through without putting on your thinking cap.

Then finally, we went to a midnight showing of the classic Jaws at the Baxter Avenue Theater. I have never seen it all the way through and I felt I needed to pay homage to a movie that is so talked about. I liked it even though it was dated. They made the shark look pretty good for being 30 years ago. After that, we were exhausted....and ready for the next day!

I am so perfectly matched to J. And I wish that I had realized this sooner. I guess I just needed that kick in the ass but I'm glad I finally got it. Heh, better late than never. He is so perfect for me in every way. And I'm glad I have him. He'll take care of me and I'll take care of him.

Fabulous Weekend -- Part 3 (Saturday)
The next morning I lazed around and it was great. Lazy Saturdays FTW! Then we got up and went to go the dog shelters to look at dogs. The tan and white one below would be the one that we would have taken home if we were looking to adopt at that moment. She was tugging at our heart strings! The Animal Care Society is a shelter that we really like so when we go to adopt a dog later this year, we're going there. I'm so excited!









After rocking out at Guitar Hero again at Best Buy, we headed home and made ribs. Mmmmm I love getting back to my roots. My broilin' baby! And brownies...mmmmm brownies. Then we met again where we first met and told each other we loved each other. Another perfect day. I think I can get used to this.

Fabulous Weekend -- Part 4 (Sunday)
The next morning I woke up early on purpose....on a Sunday morning....I'm nuts. But I really wanted to take J to Lynn's Paradise Cafe for breakfast. And I am sooooo glad that I am. Playing with the toys, looking at the scenery, breakfast and the gift shop were soooooo awesome. He loved it and I think it's become one of our favorite places to eat. The food that we had tasted amazing and I'm so glad he liked it. I hope to make a lot more memories there. They are having an ugliest lamp contest....I mean seriously...can you get better than this? That's a hot fork and spoon huh? This is the place that I want for my rehearsal dinner. I love the feel of it. It's right up my alley.







Coming home and relaxing and enjoying the last day of our three day weekend really topped it off. I can't remember having a relaxing time like this where we can just be ourselves and be so honest. Honesty is the cornerstone of our relationship. He knows everything I'm thinking as I do him. This allows each other to be ourselves and nothing else. We are real, raw, and that's how we'll always be. I love him so much. And I can't wait for us to spend the rest of our life together. Life isn't about the destination, it's about the journey.

My Lifeline

If you had told me 10 to 15 years ago that I would crave a cell phone like I do now...well then I probably would have believed you because I craved a pager. But if you had told my Dad that, then he wouldn't have believed you.

But after leaving my phone in Indiana last weekend and not having it all week, I realize how much someone needs a phone now. It is the lifeline to the outside world (yes I am fully aware no one calls me, J, but it's the principle of the matter). So now, I probably will check ten times before I leave from an out of town place or going to an out of town place that I have my cell phone.

Someone may call me to tell me that I've won ten million dollars....or they could just call me to tell me that I have an overdue library book. Either way, something I need to know, right?

I'm Worth It

J you are not stupid for being with me or giving me a chance. I promise you, I am worth it. I love you and I want to marry you.

I don't care what anyone else says, you are not stupid for loving me and being compassionate and kind. This is the reason why I love you so much. Anybody else would have given me up and left me to fend for myself. If it wasn't for you, I don't know where I would be. I don't even know if I'd be alive. You bring me back from the abyss from where I've fallen and you continue to lift me up. I NEED you.

I'm worth it. I promise. Believe in me as you have all this time. Don't let anybody sway you from the time we have spent together. Only you and I know what has happened between us and all that we have been through. That has bonded us together and nothing can tear that apart. We're a Beautiful Mess but one that I would go through all over again. Love me, as you have all this time, love me.

Betrayed

Some things that a very close friend told me some time ago came back to bite me in the ass. I was horribly lied to by one of the last people that I never thought would. It would be almost comical if it wasn't so damned horrible.

I went through stages. At first I was fine. I actually felt that it didn't bother me. Then I went through sadness. And J knew that I would. He just waited for me to come around. Thank you for holding me in the darkness, wiping my tears, telling me that you would be whatever I needed you to be.

This morning I felt anger. Not as much as I would have liked. But it was there. I trusted them and what they said to me. It was something so important to me but they used me and I hate it. That betrayal even made me look at J for a moment to see if he was being sincere in the things he says but that's ridiculous. He won't do that to me. He won't lie to me. I truly believe that. He stays with me through all the stupid stuff I put him through because he believes I am worth it in the end. That means so much to me. I just hate that being lied to makes me look at others to see if they would do the same, making me jaded. Guess when you think you know somebody, you don't. One less friend in my life....does it really matter?

Thank you for being there for me. I needed you last night more than ever and there you were, every step of the way, even when I insisted I didn't need you. I might need you more in the future, just don't go anywhere....I really think I'm going to need you.

Sing With Me Baby

Dance Like No One Is Watching

Dance Like No One Is Watching

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D Souza.
He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."
This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time...and remember that time waits for no one.
So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy...

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Thought for the day: "Work like you don't need money, Love like you've never been hurt, And dance like no one's watching."

Author Unknown

Heartbeat

J, this picture is for you. /kiss

Last Thing

Every point that you made. I laughed. Because you don't know what in the hell you are talking about. I love how you think you know everything. But yet how little you know. Everything you said, you were mistaken. I love how you judge a person on their past. Wonder how you would judge yourself from your past. If you want to know something, the real truth, email me and ask me. So you wonder how I can look at myself in the mirror when you call yourself a mean bitch, rotten person, and judgmental? Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black. Makes me wonder why somebody would want to be with you. Blinded by love I suppose. I really do feel sorry for my ex. Grow up...and it's going to take awhile because you have a lot of it to do. Guess you can continue reading this blog and "feeling sorry for me" and all of that. What you say doesn't have a bearing on what I think or do. You've been entertaining up until now but now you are starting to bore me. I am so done with the back and forth. I have a life to live. I suggest you do the same. K thnx bye :)

P.S. I keep your bf's name out of it. Keep mine out of it. Cool? :p

You Are Beautiful

Sorry I don't have a real video. But I really wanted to put this out there. I love it. You are beautiful.

Jack Handey Quote of the Day

“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”

--Jack Handey

“I believe in making the world safe for our children, but not our children's children, because I don't think children should be having sex.”

--Jack Handey

I Remember

I started some therapy yesterday. I cherish the memories that bringing with my ex brought. So I thought of a good way to keep the memories without fighting to keep them. I've started a list of all the things that I remember about being with him. Good memories that occurred for us both. So in this way, I won't feel the need to fight to remember them. It might seem like this method would bring more memories on...but I think it's working, I feel less stressed once I write these memories down. That way, I will always have them but they won't have to be in forefront of my mind. Just like we talked about baby!

I wouldn't list them here because the list is absolutely huge and ongoing for the time being. These memories encompass seven years so it's no wonder the list is so huge and so long. But I will keep this list. I might not look at it often...but it will always be there. Like a part of him will always be with me.

And now for a private service announcement:
And yes, I read your blog. That's no secret. As you read mine. When I read something that makes me mad, I don't lash out. Makes me wonder. Anyway, you have no idea what was said in me and my ex's life. You don't know the conversations, things that were said, feelings that were had. And you will never know and you will never understand. And I wouldn't expect you to understand. Not sure what your problem is. You have what you want, so why do you insist to soil my memories and what I have. You have your life and it's totally separate from mine. And mine is separate from yours. I realize this. There's no need to get your panties in a bunch. I'm not in a competition with anybody. So I have no idea why you are acting like I'm competing. I'm writing what I feel. That's what a blog is. Just so you know, I will continue to write about what I feel. Like I said, if it offends anybody, just don't read. And this is my therapy, if anybody, I would think you would like me to get over him the most. So you stick to writing about your life and I'll write about mine.

Focus on your own life please. The life I focus on is mine and my past. I'm chilled out and you should be too! So yes, I repeat, I loved my ex's son. The things that we did and said concerning him, were done when we were young and that's how we rolled. Once again, I don't expect you to understand. We were a family. No, not anymore, but I recognize what I had in my past. I lost that, I don't have it anymore. But I have my future. But that doesn't mean I have to totally forget my past because it makes me a part of who I am. In the end, what I write doesn't matter to your life. It shouldn't matter to you how I feel about him or anybody else. Just know that he loves you. So just chill out, read my blog, and enjoy your life, and mine too since your reading. Have a great day! :)

Jack Handey Quote of the Day

“Why do people in ship mutinies always ask for "better treatment"? I'd ask for a pinball machine, because with all that rocking back and forth you'd probably be able to get a lot of free games.”

--Jack Handey

“When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmmm, boy.”

--Jack Handey

I miss Two :(

I have been thinking about my ex's son more and more lately. I miss him a lot. I grew to love him as much as my ex did. I saw him grow up from the cutest chubbiest baby to a respectful young man. (He's not that old but he had to grow up quickly so I call him young man.) I remember when we went to get him for the weekend and he didn't want to go back home. I loved spending time with him, rollerskating, shopping, and Christmas's were the best.

I know I will probably never see him again. Who knows, I might see him around in the Ville. It's not such a big place. If he sees me and recognizes me, I'd be excited. I no longer have a volatile relationship with his mother so I don't think she'd mind if I said hi. I'll keep an eye out for him on the high school football team and will be rooting for him. For seven years he was a part of my life so it's as impossible to put him aside as it is my ex.

I hope he's doing well. He's loving little boy who I will never forget. My favorite picture is still one of him grinning with a chubby face leaning on the edge of the bed. People always thought I was his mom when we were out and after a while we stopped correcting them. Ahhhh good memories to hold onto.

At Last We Meet

Click on it to see a better image! I love this!