Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Sleeping Baby

It was 2am, I had a shoot the next day and I was futzing around with my tripod settings. I've been having problems with my tours matching up...which equals a lot of restitching and a lot of wasted time. With my shoot the next day, I was determined not to do more work than was needed. This meant going over the measurements and settings on my camera and tripod. I had tried a few things that came to mind and decided to test.

Mario is on such a tough work schedule right now that when he's not working...he's passed out. I don't blame him at all. I also realized after I took this that I barely notice him passed out. It didn't occur to me that he was sitting there sleeping in the chair. It's not like I didn't see him there. But I'm so used to it that when I saw it in the photo, I realized how funny it really was.

My poor guy...



PS...don't even look at my messy house people!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

As you all know, I'm cat sitting. Every evening I go hang out with her for an hour or so. We cuddle, play, and just hang out.

Last night the rain was coming down. I had the front door open so the fresh air could waft through. It was nice really. We had a little break through. I told her I wouldn't take any more embarrassing photos of her and she decided she wouldn't bite me...well not bite me nearly as much. So we had an evening of uninterrupted cuddling.

Except there was something a little off. We both noticed it. Every once in a while there would be an odd feeling in the air. She'd look at me with a look on her little face almost asking if I noticed it also. I'll admit it's that time if year. There have been a few odd things happening around our apartment. I tried to ignore the feeling. She wasn't though. Every once in a while, her tail would poof up and she'd get a little jumpy.

But then I started hearing a low noise. I looked around a bit. The cat was looking at me. I turned down the television a little to see if I could here it better. It was gone. I went back to watching the television. Then I heard it again. It was low. Almost a low growl. The cat growled a little bit also. She walked over and looked in the kitchen. Then walked over and looked out the door. Looking around for what ever was making the noise. Then she came back and sat in my lap again.

I was trying to decide if it was far off thunder. I heard it again...we both heard it. The cat and I looked at each other as the low rumble turned into a growl. It was so eerie. I was frozen. I couldn't figure out which direction the noise was coming from. It sounded like it was right next to us.

I really wanted to turned up the tv and ignore it all together. But there was no ignoring this now. The growling was getting louder. I muted the television completely. I sat there and waited for it...the tension in the room grew and the growling started again. Man I wish Mario was here....wait a minute! Goddamn it, Mario!

I was leaning against the wall that we share with our neighbor. On the other side of that wall is our couch. Where Mario was passed out snoring very loudly. That growl I was hearing was Mario snoring away on the couch!

Can I tell you how frightening that sound is through the wall!!! It sounded like something demonic was in the room growling at us! I stormed back to our apartment and woke him up "goddamn it Mario! You scared the shit out of me over there!"

Then I started thinking about it...oh god, I don't want to know what sexy time sounds like!!!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Dear Mom,

I'm cat sitting for the next door neighbor this week. Cute cute cat, but she'll cut a bitch! She kicks both my cat's asses on a regular basis from INSIDE her apartment. Yes, through the screen. They totally deserve it though. They keep going back over there trying to be friends and then come home with their butts handed to them.

I'm one of those animal sitters that likes to send little updates to their owners. I'll send a cute photo and a message. I figured day three would be a good day send a little photo...but I couldn't get a shot of her holding still. She's a bit hyper, talkative...and a bit of a biter. When I wanted to take photos, she wanted to run around and bite me cause I wasn't giving her my utmost attention. How dare I. So this is the email I sent...


Hi mom,

I've been lonely without you here! But I've been keeping busy!




That's how mature I am...but this was the only clear shot I could get! I was nice enough to send a little video of her running around playing...much more appropriate I suppose.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Things That Are Annoying

1: I hate that when you are doing a really good house cleaning, there is always a point when the house looks far worse than when you started. And you feel like you are the only one who can look at the mess and know that it is actually a little cleaner than what you started with.

2: Mario can be talking up a storm in his sleep, but the minute that I turn on the voice recorder...he shuts up. I'm not sure if this is more annoying or should be used as a tactic to get more sound sleep.

3: Now that the voice recorder is on the other side of the room in the off position...Mario is having a full on conversation in his sleep...never fails

4: When I decide to hold off on buying any new clothes...Old Navy sends me a decent coupon. Stinking Old Navy!

5: It sucks when you go to a restaurant to work. You pick a nice quiet corner and set up. Only to have a bunch of teenage giggly girls take the table next to yours in an otherwise empty restaurant!

6: I hate that it takes me 14 hours and countless trips to the bathroom before I notice my undies are inside out.

7: Despite feeling stupid about #6...I put my undies on inside out again today.

8: I won't know if I've learned my lesson about putting on undies correctly until tomorrow...probably after countless trips to the bathroom.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

All You Can Eat!

Last Thursday we went to what I like to the biggest all you can eat buffet of all...A Taste of Burbank. It's basically a big sampling of a lot of local restaurants. It was actually pretty fun. I got to try a bunch of restaurants without committing to a full meal.

The plan was basically stand in line, get food, get in another line, then eat the food from the previous line while you wait. It worked quite well. Except that by the fourth line, you start slowing down. Most restaurants gave two to three small samples. But those small samples really start adding up.

I think the half way point was when I started feeling uncomfortable. I had also purchased the wine and beer samples. So, I had to make sure I had room for my 5 booze samples. Ultimately I couldn't finish those either. Luckily I was able to sneak the cute little mini wine bottles out.

The second half of the tasting was kind of a waste. I just couldn't do it. My heart wasn't in it. I couldn't even think of trying any of the deserts. However, Mario and Tadao were still working it. I'm not sure if they really had room or if it was more the challenge of it all.

One thing I wanted to try and didn't, was this one lone stand. It was this awesome little pink vehicle that had the sides open. They were doing little make overs. They had bare essentials mineral makeup make overs. I've wanted to try it. However, I was on a mission for food the first time I passed it. So, I figured that I would hit it on the way back.

As we made our way back down the street. I started heading towards the cool stand. There was a bit of a line, so I sort of paused. That's when Mario saw where I was looking.

Mario - "Oh cool car!"
Me - "Yeah, I was thinking of trying it out but there's a line"
Mario - "Well, I don't care about the line...they have little quiches!"
Me - "Who has little quiches?"
Mario - "The cool car people"
Me - "Babe that's makeup not food"
Mario - "no it's little quiches"
Me - "nope makeup"
Mario - finally getting close enough to see clearly "damn, those little makeup things looked like little quiches"
Me - "nope"
Mario "Man I wanted a mini quiche"
Me - "go get another hot wing from the hooter girl"
Mario "That's not the same at all"

I think he pouted about the quiche for about two feet. Then he found the stand of a local market. They gave him a huge peach...I think it totally made up for the quiche.

Overall it was fun. I think next year I will prepare by fasting for a week before hand. The little samples don't look like much, but I've learned that little foods fill you up fast!

Thursday, October 07, 2010

Another All Nighter

I haven't seen much of Mario lately. He's working on the season finale of the show he's on right now. Lots of hours spent at work. LOTS of hours. He worked all last weekend and most of the weekend before.

Luckily it's been lots of hours but not many all nighters like earlier in the series. Until last Sunday that is. I was at home watching scary shows on television while working...fully expecting mario to come home. So of course he called to tell me he would be working through the night!

I was already freaked out. It's that time of year that I watch ghost shows and I'm always a sucker for real life murder mysteries. So of course I was watching the murder mystery that was about the woman at home alone, who's home gets broken into and she is killed. Figures. Of course this is after I had watched some ghost hunters and some other murdery shows.

At that point I knew I should just stay up. I had work to do still and there was no way in hell that I would be sleeping that night. I think I made it to about 5am. That's when I started fading, but I figured at that point I was tired enough to get in bed and fall right asleep without worrying if someone was going to break in and kill me. I started the normal door locking routine...checking twice because I had also watched that show where the husband and wife both think the other had locked the doors and a dude broke in and she woke up to a man standing at the end of the bed then beat them both and WHY DO I KEEP WATCHING THESE SHOWS!!!!

Doors are locked. Windows have been checked. I get in bed and then realize that it might be smart to have a weapon close by. Well, I just happen to have this wooden vase on the dresser...




So, I moved the vase down to the floor next to the bed. Easy for me to get to and fairly concealed. My secret weapon...if you don't happen to think that a big wooden vase next to the bed is weird. I felt pretty good.

Then I realized that there was a pain in the ass fly in the bedroom. So I went to the kitchen and got the fly swatter. I killed the little jerk. Flushed him and then realized that I might keep the fly swatter next to the bed also just in case. It's not going to knock an intruder out, but I can certainly bitch slap them around. Yup weapon number two!



I felt confident. I fell asleep pretty easily. Only to wake up two hours later to Mario climbing into bed. A quick kiss and I was already passing out again... then Mario noticed something. 

Mario - "Why is the fly swatter in the bedroom?"
Me - "Killed a fly"
Mario - "Ah"
Me - "and for protection"
Mario - "Think a little swatting is going to stop someone?"
Me - "It's to discourage an intruder"
Mario - "Do I need to get you a tazer?"
Me - "Nah I have this!" (pulling up the wooden vase from next to the bed)
Mario - "I was wondering where that went....Do you really think a hollow lightweight vase is really stopping     anyone? It's just gonna echo and bounce off their head when you hit them with it"
Me - "Look it works really well in my head. Plus I swing really hard...cause I'm strong!"
Mario - "Go back to bed...Thank god I don't have to pull all nighters very often. I was already in the house and in bed before you noticed! You were kissing me before you even opened your eyes to see who it was."
Me - "Shut it or I'll hit you with my vase!"


Wednesday, October 06, 2010

A few weeks ago, I came home to find my sister in law sitting on the couch talking to my mister. As I walked in the door she said "Oh thank god! I need you to work your magic!"

I was a little confused, "um, whatcha talking about?"

Angela - "I need you to mix up that Janis Joplin Cocktail you came up with"

I started laughing "Ah! So you liked it did ya? I take it you have a migraine"

Angela - "Yes! Last time I had a migraine you handed me a handful of pills and told me to take them. It was amazing. My migraine was gone before it had time to sink it's hooks in!"

I felt a little proud! Mario and Angela are not medicine people at all. They'll suffer with something for a week before they even think about going to the doctor or maybe taking medicine. I, on the other hand have learned to deal with the migraine when I feel it coming on or it will be days before I get rid of it.

Angela's migraine symptoms are worse too. She's a barfer. She has about an hour of the migraine coming on before she starts barfing and then passes out...she's fun that way. She works about a mile from our house. We've had her show up on our doorstep, knock, turn around and throw up off the side of the stoop, then walk in and pass out on our bed. We felt so bad for her! However, she got up four hours later, apologized for barfing on our plant and went back to work. She just takes it. I won't go into the story of her being stuck for 2 hours in moving traffic when a migraine came on. Let's just say it's was very bad news. I cringe when I think about it.

I'm just not one to suffer that way. Plus, I'm not a good barfer. I cry when I throw up...I avoid it at all costs. So, after consulting with My doctor, my optometrist, and a nurse friend, I figured out the right combination to kill an oncoming migraine. It's not so bad, but to someone who never takes any medication, I can see why she calls it the Janis Joplin Cocktail.

Is it wrong to feel a little proud? Cause you know I am!

PS...The day after Angela barfed off the side of the porch, the plants and ground cover died in that area. We teased her about the bald spot in the garden for a while. She was pretty embarrassed. But one day a cute little plant grew in the bald spot...we affectionately call it the barf plant. It's very robust!

Monday, October 04, 2010

Another mystery magazine arrived this weekend and it's got my mother written all over it! Mc Calls Quilting magazine. Quilting magazines are no question. She's a quilting fanatic. Her nickname is "Quiltress". So yes my mother has signed me up for another magazine that I don't want.

The only question remains...can the Quiltress harness her power to get me magazines that I am actually interested in?

This random magazine problem has not only afflicted me but now my sister. She has recently started receiving a bridal magazine. I had two suspects right off the bat. My mother the Quiltress with her special free magazine getting powers and my sister's future mother in law. The random magazine in the mail says my mom, but she's not a bridal magazine type of person. However, Tim's mom definitely seems like a bridal magazine type of woman. Diane's had their wedding planned in her head for a few years now. She actually came very close to making wedding favors for my wedding. She was thankfully stopped before any money could be spent. It was then explained that she hadn't met me yet, so although it would be very sweet, it would still be a tiny bit odd.

Really the bridal magazine is pretty perfect considering they'll be getting married next year around this time. And it is awesome because, it did freak my sister out quite a bit. My sisters best friend and I would have loved to have taken credit but we just can't. So it's still a mystery. Her future mother in law did post a comment deflecting attention from herself, which either means she really didn't sign Lindsay up for the magazine...Or she's brilliant and her special power is deflecting suspicious attention.

All these special powers make me wonder what my secret mom power will be...cause I don't think my body can handle "falling up and down stairs without injury" for too much longer before it changes to just falling up and down stairs. I'll be honest, I wouldn't mind inheriting my mother's free magazine getting powers if I could hone it for getting really awesome magazines. Cause another quilting magazine? I'm starting to think my mother isn't thinking I'd love a new magazine, so much as making sure she has reading materials when she visits.