Getting up here was interesting.¬† The car was over packed with presents for everyone.¬† For the most part, everything gift wise (including our luggage) fit nicely into the trunk.¬† The backseat was filled with a computer, monitor, a lot of booze and a gift for Karen’s sister.¬† The laptop was tucked behind the seat, it was almost the perfect placement for it considering there was no room for anything else.¬† Going home should be pretty easy considering gifts were minimal this year.¬† It’s not that they were cheap, it was mainly gift cards and other small items that can easily fit in the trunk so that we don’t have to have an overloaded car on the drive back.

There is about an hour and a half left of 2007 and Sean (as well as everyone else in the house) is fast asleep.¬† I’ll wake him up in about a half hour so we can head over to my aunts house.¬† He’s been sick and the allergy meds that he’s been taking have knocked him out.¬† I feel bad about waking him up but he also understands that I haven’t gotten to spend any time with my aunt in quite a while, so he shouldn’t be too annoyed by being woken up.

I went over to my mother’s last night, we had dinner and she cut my hair.¬† It’s way too short for me but everything she cut off of me was dead end, more than six inches worth so it’s going to take some getting used to.¬† Unfortunately my hair is so thick that it’s borderline afro unless I flat iron it, so while I once thought that shorter hair meant less maintenance, I’ve certainly been proven wrong with my new do.¬† It took about 30 minutes to get it straight with my new wet/dry iron from Remmington.¬† At first I was a little apprehensive about getting one that dries your hair while it straightens but it’s actually pretty decent.¬† It would typically take me about 45 minutes to blow my hair out and then another half hour or so to get it to the desired straightness.¬† Either way the time has dramatically been cut down, that’s all that matters.

When we got back here I wound up relaxing on the couch for a little while and passed out from about 12 to 2.¬† Then Sean woke me up to say he was going to bed, I followed and wound up sleeping until about 2 this afternoon.¬† I guess that had something to do with my lack of sleep for the last few days so catching up on things wasn’t so bad.¬† It’s not like I had any work to do today so there was no real reason for me to wake up.

The original plan for today was to go out east to see his aunt and deliver some gifts, but we decided that the traffic just wasn’t worth it on New Years Eve, so either tomorrow or Wednesday we’ll make the trip out there and that’ll be accomplished.¬† I’m probably heading downstairs to visit with my grandmother and aunt, and see how my grandfather’s doing, he has about a week left on his radiation and I heard he hasn’t been feeling very well.¬† So while it’s nice to see family, the situation kind of sucks.¬† But he’s knocking on 70′s door and people just have to accept that everyone ages, no matter how much it sucks.

So we stayed here today, had pizza for dinner¬† (which made Sean happy) and have basically been flipping through channels for the last few hours until it’s time to get out of here.¬† The only thing that seems to be on is Family Guy, and while I love the show I was hoping on seeing something interesting but no big deal.

My aunt is doing OK, thank you for all of the little notes and I’ve received.¬† She was a little shaken up and a bit sore but it’s been a few days and she seems to be doing OK.¬† I’ll know more tonight though.¬† I need to get all of my packages together, there are about 8 boxes going over to her house – plus a bottle of wine.¬† At least the car won’t be over loaded, everything should fit fine in the trunk this time.

In any event, I hope everyone has a Happy New Year.  Hopefully everyone can stick to their resolutions this year,  I know I will be.

Happy New Year!

I’ve been keeping myself busy to make up for the financial loss of the holiday season. I’ve gotten a lot of posting done, a lot of design work and even some personal things as well. I hope to be able to bring in the New Year with friends and family and not have to worry about any actual WORK until the 2nd or so. I’m heading up to New York this weekend and unfortunately got a phone call tonight that set me in a tail spin. My aunt was in a pretty bad car accident, her car is more than likely totaled. I did get in touch with her tonight though, she says that she’s fine, but she’s also a stubborn Irish woman so who knows if that’s actually the case. I know she’s a little sore from the accident but she’s assured me, a few times, that she’s absolutely fine with just a few bumps and bruises. I found out from my sister, she called me from work and told me I need to get back up to NY to see her, I’m thinking something is very wrong but a second phone call to verify information told me that I can wait until Saturday.

I went to the DMV yesterday to get my ID changed over, I’m officially a Delaware resident. I was apprehensive about surrendering my NY ID because I was unsure of the wait time for a new ID card. In NY you go through the motions and then you wait a few days and it shows up in the mail. In DE, however, the card is instantly given to you so I don’t have to worry about not having proper identification on me when I’m traveling this weekend. My next big task is to get a car and some insurance down here and the rest is cake. So that’s one goal for the year.

Another goal is heading back to school. I’ve decided on DeVry and luckily with my situation I’m eligable for full financial aid from 2-3 different resources. I just need to make sure to get all of the paperwork in around the first of the year. It’s only going to be an associates but it’ll carry over for when I’m going for my bachelors (maybe masters) somewhere down the road. So on top of an 8 hour work day, I’m adding a 3-4 hour school day. Then the other 12 hours can basically be spent relaxing and sleeping. Not too shabby – I know I can handle it.

On top of the first two goals, quitting smoking is certainly on the list this year. With a lack of health insurance and increasing lung issues, it’s time to stop beating the dead horse and moving on. I picked up “The Easy Way To Stop Smoking” because I’m a reader and figured a book could tell me more than those damn “Cold Turkey” techniques. I have to say that I can understand why so many people have read this book over the last 20 years. I completed it in about 3 hours and I’m confident that once I begin his methods I’ll succeed in quitting for good. Cold turkey and the patches and that horrible gum – none of it is worth it to me. You quit when YOU are ready to quit and you consider yourself a “Non Smoker” the second you extinguish your last cigarette. I’ll pick a day and then go from there. As of right now there’s a little too much stress in the air for me to pull this off completely. I know you’re sitting there like “Ha! Talk about another excuse” but that’s just how it is for me. I’ve got the little monster in my brain that won’t shut up and I’m going to have to slowly learn how to stop listening to him, that’s all.

And then of course there’s the weight-loss resolution that everyone has. The difference is I’m already ON a diet plan (and doing quite well, thank you) so it’s basically just keeping the concentration, continuing with my small-portion meals during the day and going on from there. Even Sean is going to get in on it with me, who knows – maybe by this summer we’ll spend more time at the beach than in the back yard – heh.

In any event, I hope everyone has a Happy New Year, I won’t be around until Tuesday afternoon so hopefully everyone has a fun weekend. Be safe!

To all visitors, whether you love me or hate me – I wish you and your families a happy, safe and healthy Holiday as well as a Happy New Year.

1. Do you wear a name tag at work?
Why would I? I work from home.

2. What kind of car do you drive?
Heh….right.

3. What do you order when you go to Taco Bell?
Quesadilla – yummo!

read more »

With only a few days left before Christmas, I’ve noticed quite a rise in traffic on Route-1. Everyone is getting in their last minute shopping, few think they own the store with the way they’re putzing around. I really can’t stand shoppers who wonder aimlessly around a department store and still walk out with nothing. I fully intend to do all of my shopping on Overstock and TigerDirect next year, no question about it. read more »