I’ve decided that it’s time for me to stop talking and start taking action. For the past several months now, I’ve been wanting to move. I’m really getting sick of my apartment. It’s in an older building … it’s half under ground … and I just want something different.

I’ve been at my job now for about a year and a month. Not bad considering my web design/programming started out as a hobby. Now it’s a job. No … not just a job … a new career. I had a review this week, and I’ve got a raise on my paycheck. Kelly wasn’t lying when she said they were progressive about raises. I’m now making, after 1 year, more than I made at my last job, and I was there for about 4 and a half years. Definitely a good career move …

So … since I now know what my raise is, I’m going to seriously start looking for a new apartment. I have to give 45 days notice at this one. I’ll probably do that around the 15th of August. I guess I could do it now and just give 60 days. I doubt I’d be able to find an apartment where I could move in in the middle of a month. So … looks like I’m shooting for October 1st or so. I would have liked to get into a new apartment before the end of the summer, but I’ve been dragging my heels too long. But as long as I get in a new one before winter hits. Hopefully it won’t be snowing on Oct. 1st … but this is North Dakota. Who knows … LOL.

I’ve been figuring budget this afternoon. I’m working off of an 80 hour paycheck. We do get in 88 hour pay periods a lot of the time, but not always. That’s why I’m figuring with 80 hours. I don’t want to end up short changing myself with some paychecks.

I should be able to afford something a little nicer than where I’m at now. When I first moved in here, it was because the rent was so cheap. But I want something nicer. I want a nice kitchen … and maybe a little more closed off from the living room. My current apartment has no divider between the kitchen and the living room. While it is nice to be able to watch tv when I’m cooking or cleaning the kitchen, I’d still like to have some sort of divider. I’d also like to find something that has a washer and dryer in the apartment, but I think finding a place like that might be out of my budget. But who knows. Maybe I could get lucky.

So … this afternoon, I’m gonna go through the classifieds from last Sunday’s paper (I’ll get a paper tomorrow for the new ones). I can check out the listings online too. I’ve done a little looking around already, but nothing too serious (I’ve gotten lazy … ). But now it’s time to start acting. I just can’t take this apartment much longer. I’ve been in here since Dec. 1st 2001. It’s DEFINITELY time for a change.

Wish me luck on finding something nice and affordable. And after I find one … anyone wanna help me move?

Mood: okay

It’s that time of year again here in Fargo. It’s Street Fair time. Why does it always have to be so hot and humid during the Street Fair? It was like this last year too.

We’re working the info booth again this year (thank goodness we were under a tent). When I say we, I mean my co-workers and I. Work sponsored the info booth this year. So we have to keep it manned at all time. I was scheduled to be there from 2 - 4pm. I was there from 2 - 4:50pm … I just didn’t want to go back to work … After being outside for all that time, it would have been too hard to go back to work. I work in the booth again from 10 am - noon tomorrow. Then I’ll have lunch (with Robin) from noon to 1pm. Then I have to go back to work …

Nummy, nummy food. For dinner/lunch I had a Fry Bread Taco. Mmmm. I had a funnel cake for dessert (man … Becky loves her a funnel cake … LOL). I got a Hawaiian Shaved Ice (Piña Colada flavored) while I was in the info booth (it was right across the street from the booth taunting me). I’m not sure what I’m gonna have for dinner/lunch tomorrow, but I do know that I’m gonna get me some Dippin’ Dots. I love those. I might get a bbq pork sandwich or a philly cheesestake sandwich. Just not sure yet. I’ll have a couple hours to decide tomorrow.

Mood: lazy

Guess what was in my mailbox when I got home from work today …

Woohoo!! I was like a kid in a candy store. Or a little kid on Christmas morning. I knew exactly what was in that envelope before I even saw the return address.

What was in the envelope you ask?

<building suspense />
Read the rest of this entry »

Mood: ecstatic

Mace tagged me on this one on Friday (I haven’t been reading my blog list daily … I’d better get better at that … LOL). So, here goes …

10 years ago: I was enjoying my first summer off after my first year of college. And I actually had a boyfriend that summer.
5 years ago: I wasn’t doing much more than working.
1 year ago: I had just started working at my new job … my new career.
Yesterday: Actually got up before 8am (which is a feat for me … I usually sleep in ’til at least 11am). Went to the grocery store (before 11am). Watched Martin Truex Jr run in the Busch race.
Today: Watched Dale Earnhardt Jr win the Cup race in Chicago. Woohoo!!!
Tomorrow: I gotta go to work … … LOL … I’d rather stay home and sleep all day …
5 snacks I enjoy: pizza rolls, ice cream, chips … anything else I have in the cupboards or fridge when I’m hungry.
5 bands that I know the lyrics of most of their songs: 32 Below, Gary Allan, BlackHawk, Kenny Chesney … can’t think of a 5th right now
5 things I’d do with $100 million: buy season tickets to all NASCAR tracks, buy a truck, buy a house, go on vacation, pay off all my bills
5 locations I’d like to run away to: Australia, Daytona Int’l Speedway, Hawaii, any place tropical, any other NASCAR track
5 bad habits I have: drink too much pop, put myself down, sleep in too late on the weekends
5 things I like doing: watching NASCAR, working on my websites, sleeping, reading, listening to music
5 things I would never wear: skirt, dress, thongs, flip-flops with the thing between your toes (I can’t stand anything between my toes) … I can’t think of anything else
5 TV shows I like: CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, One Tree Hill, Real World
5 movies I like: Twister, The Day After Tomorrow, Gone With the Wind, Pure Country, Sweet Home Alabama
5 famous people I’d like to meet: Martin Truex Jr, Dale Earnhardt Jr … not sure there is anyone else
5 biggest joys at the moment: Dale Jr won the race today, Martin Truex Jr is leading the Busch series standings
5 favorite toys: my computer, my digital camera … don’t really have any other toys
5 people to tag: Bobbi, Colleen, Harold, Christine … don’t know of anyone else since Mace tagged me

Mood: tired

I hate when I don’t know what it is that I want to eat. That seems to be happening a lot lately. I was like that tonite. I’ve got boneless chicken breast (a ton of it … I stocked up when it was on sale a couple weeks ago). I was gonna make some Chicken Helper. But I didn’t really want that. Then inspiration hit when I was watching 30 Minute Meals … it’s never a good thing to watch the Food Channel when you’re hungry … LOL.

I decided to make some Parmesan Chicken Nuggets. I’ve made a form of Parmesan Chicken a few times before (I don’t know if it’s the official way to make it, but it’s how I like it). I chopped up a couple chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. I mixed up some Italian breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese (I’ve got the shredded stuff, but I think the grated stuff would have worked better. It would have mixed better with the breadcrumbs and stuck to the chicken better. Oh well … next time … ). I coated the chicken in an egg wash (seasoned of course) and then into the breadcrumb mixture. I cooked it in some olive oil and margerine for a couple minutes on each side. Nummy!!

I cooked up some frozen broccoli (I didn’t have any fresh … it hasn’t been on sale recently) and threw in some margerine and parmesan cheese (But it didn’t melt very well. I need to find a better melting cheese for when I do that.).

It was a very good supper. Now I’m gonna go crash on the couch and watch CSI … I think there are a bunch of episodes on tonite on SpikeTV. I might even have a beer later … <Homer voice>mmmm … beeeeeeer</Homer voice>

Mood: okay

Man I love my employer. And I’m being sincere here, not sarcastic. We have ‘Fun Hour’ on Fridays. Well, today they let everyone leave at 4pm instead of doing ‘Fun Hour’. They’ve done it for the past couple of weeks. So … I’m at home right now.

And since I’m at home right now, I’m watching Cup qualifying on tv. Woohoo!! And it’s live … not tape delayed.

But it’s just not the same as it could have been. Obviously I didn’t win the NASCAR race tickets last Friday. You probably would have HEARD me if I had. But oh well. Lisa and I had fun at the game. But I will say this … baseball is so damn slow paced. I’ll take NASCAR any day.

So … instead of being in Daytona watching the race live, I’ll be sitting on my couch. But I did stop and get some beer (Bud Light of course) to consume tonite and tomorrow nite watching the races. I’m going to order a pizza for supper too (I got paid yesterday … ). I’m half tempted to order it now. I’m STARVING. I guess the tuna salad I had for dinner wasn’t enough. I guess I could make a turkey sandwich to tide me over.

I’m gonna go watch qualifying now. And think of how much fun Lisa and I could have been having if I had won those tickets … we could have kidnapped Martin Truex Jr (after he won the Busch race of course) and Casey Mears … Martin for me and Casey for Lisa. THAT would have been fun. Of course, we would have returned them before next weekend’s race. Don’t wanna keep them from running races …

Mood: hungry