FFHT - Fractured Fryday Hairy Tails

I ( Shiver) tend to be on the shy side and even though I can be quite anxious, I can also be a little wild at times!  I know that's hard to believe, but it's true!  Just take this story for instance.

One day Mama got mad at me for chewing up a stuffie.  It wasn't so much that I chewed it up, it was more that I made a mess with the insides.  I got them everywhere!  She said that I should be more careful with my toys and to learn to clean up after myself.  I'm pretty sure she said a few HBO words too, but I quit listening after awhile.  All that yelling was making me anxious.  I really thought she'd appreciate seeing how much fun I had with the stuffie, so I'd made sure to spread it the guts around the house.  Just when Mama thought she had it all cleaned up, she'd go into another room and find a little bit more.  I thought she'd never stop yelling.

After finally getting it all cleaned up, Mama said we should go outside and play in the back yard for awhile.  She let us out and then went back in the house to get dinner started.  Chico and I wandered around the yard for a bit before I discoverd that someone had left the gate open.  FREEDOM!!!

We walked calmly through the gate and down the street.  As we walked, a UPS truck pulled up along side us and we spied the driver going up to a house to deliver a package.  Chico pointed out that the truck was still running, so in we hopped!  Chico insisted that he should be the one to drive since he noticed it first, but he couldn't reach the pedals.

We drove down the street a ways with the UPS guy chasing and yelling at us.  Boy, was he mad!  We drove around town for a bit, then decided to go check what was happening at the local Blogville Bar.  We saw several of our furiends there, so we hung out for awhile drinking, dancing, and having a good time.

Unfortunately, the UPS guy had called the Blogville PD on us.  The cops walked in and Chico and I knew we were in some serious trouble!  We had to call Mama to come bail us out of jail.  Boy, was she mad - even madder than before!  Since it was the first time we ever got into any legal trouble, the cops were kind enough to let us go.  The UPS guy didn't want to press charges since they stop at our house so often delivering our Chewy.com goodies for us to review.  The police said that having to go home with Mama was punishment enough, since she was so furious with us.

As much fun as that evening was, we learned our lesson.  Chico and I had to do lots of chores around the house for a very long time to make up for our misbehavin'.  Mama stays out with us whenever we go out into the back yard now so that we can't escape again.

Wordless Wednesday

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Is It Monday Again Already?

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I took a week off from life last week.  It felt good to not worry about looking for work or any of my other responsibilities for a little while.  The only thing I did that was even slightly noteworthy is that I volunteered at a conference for a half day hosted by the Department of Transportation on Wednesday.  Oh my gosh, was that boring!  I just walked around and made sure that the attendees in three different classes signed in.  Got a free backpack and T-shirt for my efforts, so I guess it was worth it.  Beyond that, the chi's and I had endless cuddle sessions.

Aaaaaand now it's back to reality...  I went to the store the other day and saw all of the back-to-school sales and got very sad that I won't be going back next month.  As stressful and busy as it was, I truly loved college.  And I miss it.  Then I went to check the mail that evening and got my very first bill for student loans.  Yikes!  It was an excellent reminder that I NEED to get my act together and find a job.  Luckily for me, Blog Goddess Kristen has granted me one of her AH-MAY-ZING cover letters, so that potenial employers will be all kinds of impressed with me and insist that they need to hire me immediately.  In addition, she also spared samples of her precious Lush and sent me not one, not two, but THREE packages of goodies recently.  Her obsession and addiction have become mine now.  She's done other stuff for me in the past too, and I don't know how I could ever repay her.  So I am bestowing this wonderous award upon her.  (I'd link to her blog so that everyone could share in her loveliness, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do that.  She tries to keep on the down low for work purposes these days.)

Unsure of source - saved it awhile ago and forgot where it came from.

Wordless Wednesday

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Monday Meme

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I got a call to schedule an interview to work at a radio station, but the next day they said that they decided to go with someone else -- before I even had an interview!  :(  This is not the first time this has happened to me.

In additon to checking numerous websites each week for job openings, I've been trying to network with anyone and everyone possible.  One woman I sent my resume to emailed back to say that she wasn't aware of any positions within her organization or any others.  The next day I got a call from someone else saying that this same woman had forwarded my resume to them, and they asked if I'd be interested in a job they had available.  I would love it, but it'd be full time work for less than minimum wage -- which I absolutely cannot afford!

This week I'm scheduled to volunteer for some conference that the Department of Transportation is hosting.  It all sounds extremely dull, but at least it'll get me out of the house for a bit and amongst the human race.  Hopefully I can network a bit more there. This is really not how I pictured my life after graduation.

*******

Took this from here.  Just to be different, the questions all come from different posts.  

1.  Are you comfortable in front of people, or does the idea of public speaking make you want to hide in the bathroom?  Why?

I'm not a good public speaker.  I get nervous, my mind goes blank, and I stutter and stammer.  It's a painful experience for both me and for the audience.  Every once in a great while I can do a decent job, but these moments are few and far between.  I'm sure that if I had to do it with any regularity that I would improve, but I'd rather just not have to do any public speaking at all and avoid it as much as possible.  

2.  Think back to your school days.  What would you do if you had four math problems marked wrong that were right?  

I've never been very good at math and would be absolutely shocked if this ever happened!  But if it did, you can be sure beyond a reasonable doubt that I would point it out to the professor and ask to have my grade increased.  If it's for a math class, I would need all of the extra points that I could possibly get!

I actually did have a couple of problems marked wrong on an economics exam once, and brought it to the professor's attention.  He changed the grade then and there in his gradebook right in front of me.

3.  Tell us a moment or an incident that you treasure - not necessarily because it brought you happiness, but because it taught you something about yourself.

I attended a leadership conference last month.  It was a weeklong event, and I only knew a couple of other people who would be attending.  I'm very shy by nature and tend to sit back and observe.  I quickly learned that this was not going to work at this event.  I had no choice but to actively participate.  They days were very long and we had very little free time.  By the end of the week, I knew everyone's name and personal things about them that I probably would not have known if I'd met them under different circumstances.

I learned it's OK to take risks.  It's OK to fail, just so long as I learn from it.  It's OK to not necessarily have a solid plan in place for every single little thing.  I can put myself out there and be vulnerable, and not everyone is going  take advantage of that.  Most of all, I learned that I'm stronger than I thought I was.  

4.  When do you feel the most lonely?  

This is hard to answer.  I feel very lonely now when I'm mostly home all day praying the phone will ring and it'll be someone offering me a fabulous job.  But I can also feel very lonely amongst a crowd of people where I don't know anyone.  

When do you feel the most lonely?

5.  Show and tell.  What comes to mind first when you see this picture?  Or tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Blue hippos!  It doesn't remind me of anything really.  They're kinda cute.  The ears on the one on the left make me think of Shrek's ears.  This looks like it could be from some kid's animated show or movie.

Wordless Wednesday

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Monday Meme

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Last week was pretty much the same.  I sent out more resumes, I tried to network more only to be ignored or told to just keep doing what I've been doing and eventually something will open up, I went to the Basque Museum with my mom and got a tour of an old boarding house from the early 1900s, I met up with someone in the field I want to get into only to be told that since I don't already have experience that I will likely not be hired, and I steam cleaned my carpet.  Yes, my life is seriously exciting these days!!!  So you get a Monday Meme since I really have nothing else to talk about.

Took this from here.   

1.  What was the title of the last self-help book you read?  Did it help?

I don't remember because I don't typically read those kinds of books.  I just finished Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult this past week though, which is not a self-help book.

2.  Why did you start your blog?  Is that why you still use it, or has it gone in a different direction than you'd planned?

I originally started my blog because I kept checking out other people's and decided I needed one of my own.  I didn't post much back then because I didn't know what to say.  So one day I decided that I either needed to post or delete it, so I posted very irregularly.  I remember thinking that I would immediately have tons of followers, but that did not happen.  It actually took awhile to get my very first follower, who sadly does not blog anymore.  But we're Facebook friends, so that makes me happy. 

I lost my job and needed an outlet away from my bleak and depressing life.  I've made some really amazing friends, and have had way more positive than negative experiences blogging.  Everyone has been with me through my ups and downs, and I've been with them through theirs.  We've shared laughs and tears, and I can't imagine not blogging anymore.

Once I started school, I didn't blog regularly since I didn't have the time anymore.  Surprisingly, I only lost a few followers during that time.  Thank you all for sticking with me.  Now I've graduated and am back to having too much time on my hands. 

I continue to do it because I find that I miss everyone when I'm gone.  It's nice to maybe take a week or two off, but then I can't help but wonder what everyone else is up to.  Then I discover what I've missed, and realize that I can't stop now.  Plus it keeps me busy in between applying for jobs and trying to network. 

3.  If animals could talk, what are some of the questions you would ask them?

I'd ask my chi's if they're happy.  If not, what can I do to make them happy?  I'd ask animals how they see humans.  I'd ask my mom's beagle why he insists on licking my mom's recliner and trying to chew it up.  I'd ask Shiver what I can do to make him less anxious.  I'd ask Chico how he got those sores on his head.  I'd ask both Shiver and Chico why they think that I should share my food with them when they won't share theirs with me.  (Not that I really wanna eat dog food...)  Anyway, these are just a few off the top of my head.  I'm sure that if we really could have a conversation that I'd come up with many more.  What would you ask?

4.  Show and tell.  What comes to mind first when you see this picture?  Or tell a story if it reminds you of one. 

I always thought it would be cool to play the piano.  I remember asking my mom for lessons when I was a kid and she said that we couldn't afford it.  I told her that I could join the school band and that they piano was already there so it would be free to learn.  She didn't go for that.  We didn't really have any extra-curricular activities as kids.  We didn't have much money and I also think my mom didn't want to have to deal with driving us around where ever we needed to be. 

ROH-DEE-OH!

Howdy, Pardner!  We, Shiver and Chico, are super excited to be at the rodeo today!  We've never been to one before and pleaded with the mama to let us attend, especially since we've missed out on so much stuff while she was busy with school.  (Putting the guilt trip on her works every time!)  We're just as excited that we have our very OWN cattle brand, courtesy of Sarge!  

Do you love them as much as we do?  The mama has plans this afternoon, so she'll be around to check out everyone else's this evening.  We wanna see all the other events Blogville has lined up especially for the rodeo too.  Mama's been spending a good deal of time feeling sorry for herself lately due to the whole lack of a job thing, so she's looking forward to getting out and about for a bit today, then coming home and headin' to the rodeo with us.

YEE HAW!

Wordless Wednesday

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Sweet Chihuahua Love

There's really nothing better than sweet chihuahua love!  There really isn't!

It's been about a month since I returned home from the leadership conference I attended.  I was gone for a week, and worried endlessly about Shiver because he's an anxious boy and we've never been apart for that long.  I did not worry nearly as much about Chico.

Chico is much more secure in his chihuahua-ness (yes, I made that word up!), and not much seems to bother him.  I remember bringing him home when I very first got him and wondered how he'd adjust.  It took no time at all to settle in.  He didn't seem to miss the old owners at all.  But then, they left him outside or in the garage most of the time so I can't really blame him there.

Chico

My mom messaged me on Facebook the first night I was gone and said she knew I'd be worried about the boys, but that they were fine.  The next night she said that they hadn't eaten much, so she'd hand fed them.  When I finally got home, Shiver was upset and I think he thought that I was going to leave him there.  Chico had lost weight, and insisted that I hold him as much as possible.

When we got home, the boys didn't want to go out in the yard to do their business.  They wanted to curl up with me for the rest of the day and night.  Fine by me; I was exhausted, so cuddling sounded perfect.  If I got up for any reason, they weren't too far behind.  

Since then, I've noticed that Chico seems to have this need to have me hold him or for him to sit in my lap from the moment I sit down until I make him get up.  I knew he loved me before, but now I really know he loves me!  And I know he missed me.

Shiver

Shiver is back to normal now.  If I'm out of the room for awhile, he comes to check on me now and again.  He seems much more playful now too, especially if I have somewhere to go.  He got extremely upset if I had to leave the first week or two, but he's better about it now.  He still hates to see me leave the house, but he doesn't make me feel quite as guilty now.  

When I'm down in the dumps, it feels good to know that at least my baby boys love me!

Happy 4th of July

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Wordless Wednesday

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