It's All About MeMe

No really, it is!!!  I don't get why people don't believe me when I tell them that!  You can stop laughing now.  Seriously!

I had another meeting with the job assistance place last Friday and I've come to the conclusion it isn't really a program to help find a job for you but more to give you suggestions for your resume, make sure you're following up on jobs you've already applied for, etc.  I don't need that, I can do that on my own.  I thought this was a program where they go out and look for jobs for you.  Very disappointing!  But it gets me out of the house and doesn't cost me anything so I'll probably keep going just for kicks.

They mentioned having me talk with an agency to do mock interviews which I think would be helpful!  I used to do interviews all the time and frequently got comments about how I presented myself well.  And now...well, not so much!  So it would be good to hear what I'm doing wrong and what I can do to improve.  The job assistance place said my resume looks really good and job service didn't have much to offer in the way of improvement but I might just ask the mock interview people to look it over too - it's always good to have another opinion!

Ran some errands this afternoon and when I came back, I decided to look for signs of spring in my yard.  And guess what?  I found some!  Yay!  Very, very, very tiny sprouts on my rosebushes but hey, at least they're there!

So... Melissa tagged me for a Photo Tag.  The rules are:

1.  Open your 1st Photo folder.
2.  Scroll to the 10th photo.
3.  Post the photo and the story behind it.
4.  Tag 5 or more people.

I'd seen other people do this and thought it looked like it might be fun.  Only I didn't realize people had more than one folder of pictures.  Maybe because I don't have a digital camera, my folder doesn't have much in it.  Mostly it's filled with awards and pictures I want to use for Wordless Wednesday's, the majority of which I snag from various emails. 

I opened it up, counted to 10 and came up with this:

For anyone who didn't read this post, her name is Cari Ashford.  I stumbled across her blog and read (what at that time was) the last post first where her husband let everyone know she had died.  I wanted to read her story so I started at the beginning and discovered a wonderfully warm and funny woman.  Her blog started out initially about her family and told about her journey with cancer once it was discovered.  I balled and balled when I got to the end.  I never got to know her but I felt like I lost a true friend. 

I'm passing this along to -

1.  Protege

2.  Kimberly

3.  Sasha

4.  Santa

5.  Juliana

Half-Full Friday and Blog of the Week

The week started off really badly but it's ending on a much better note!  It's Friday which means it's time to reflect on all the things that made me happy this week.

If you'd like to join in the fun, head on over to Eyegirl's and add yourself to Mr. Linky. 

I'm happy Monday is over!

I'm happy the snow melted after a day!

I'm happy Max has made it 20 days past his grim prognosis!

I'm happy to be getting my taxes done for free tomorrow!

I'm happy my chihuahuas are happy!

I'm happy I got to have dinner with two friends this evening.

This week's Blog of the Week makes me both happy and sad at the same time.  I found it through a comment that the blog originator, Wesley, made on Max's blog.

Skeletor's Salvation

Wesley found this when he was standing on his porch this past Sunday:

A walking skeleton of a dog!  Fortunately for him, Wesley has a big heart and has been caring for him ever since.  This blog is to help track his progress.  

As you can tell by the name of the blog and the dog's frame, his name  is Skeletor.  And Wes is his salvation.

He visited the vet and sadly, it turns out Skeletor has heartworm.  He only weighs 39.20 pounds as of this past Thursday.  Once he gains some more weight, he can begin treatment.  It's curable, but there is a risk associated with it.  He goes back in a few weeks and in the mean time, Wes and his roommate will continue to fatten him up.

The blog has been updated daily since it's inception with pictures and comments about Skeletor's progress and today there was also a video.  There's a spot on the blog for donations but Wes never outright asks for money.  If there was a way for me to give, I most definitely would. 

I just wanted to thank Wes for helping Skeletor.  Skelly is a pit bull which is a turn off for so many people.  He could have easily walked away and left the dog for an inevitable death out on the streets but he didn't.  He's made a real effort to care for this dog and asked for nothing in return.  The world would be a better place if there more people were like him!

Wordless Wednesday

Debbie Downer

Today has NOT been a good day!  But the day is not over so I'm gonna make the best of what's left of it. 

That is all.

Half-Full Friday and Blog of the Week

It's the end of the week which means it's time for two of my favorite things!

I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on participating in Half-Full Friday.  If you'd like to join in the fun, head on over to Eyegirl's and add yourself to Mr. Linky.

I'm happy I got chocolate for Valentine's Day!

I'm happy I lost 3 pounds in one day even though I didn't do anything to lose it!  My scale is my best friend today!

I'm happy I got all my dishes washed yesterday!  They pile up so quickly sometimes.

I'm happy my friend didn't make me feel bad when I ate all her cheese and crackers!  Yes, I'm a pig - I admit it!  LOL

I'm happy three of my four zits are almost gone!  I always have at least one but rarely as many as four.

*****

This week's Blog of the Week is one that I've been enjoying for over two years now.

15 Minute Lunch

I don't remember how I found this blog but I do remember thinking that with a name like that, it had to be interesting and I wasn't disappointed!

This blog originally started in 2004 with the first real post in September 2005 by Johnny Virgil.  The blog is filled with his hilarious childhood antics with his friends and family.  It's not all about his childhood though, lots of posts are just about his thoughts on everyday life in general.  And they are ALL beyond funny!

There was a pretty popular email that made the rounds awhile back.  It featured clothing from a 1977 Sears Catalog with humorous commentary on our fashion sense (or lack of) during that decade.  Maybe you got it.  If you did and want to refresh your memory or maybe you didn't and want to know what the heck I'm talking about.  Click here here for a laugh!  He followed that up with a Part II and III but Part I is my favorite of the three.  Yeah, this guy created the post and someone was smart enough to turn it into an email for all the world to enjoy!  And if Johnny's post isn't side-splitting enough, try reading the comments!!!  You will laugh until you cry.  No, seriously!

If ever you need a laugh, check out Johnny's blog.  Sometimes I like to read the older posts and I'm never disappointed. 

Bloggy Loves

I got THREE awards last week!  Well, actually I got two and Chico got one!  Shiver is highly jealous so Chico has agreed to share the award with him.  What a little sweetie he is!

This award is from Cocorue!  She awarded it to Chico because he asked her to be his Valentine.  Chico was honored when she accepted!  He has some competition but he's not worried.  He'll figure out how to get the adorable Coco all to himself next year!

Coco didn't say if we needed to pass this on to anyone or not but Chico and Shiver wanted to make sure they did.  After thinking it over, they've decided to give this to Batcat.  Even though he's a kitty, they'll overlook that fact. 

I originally got this award from Dip-Dip and The Bridge (and Elliot) but Cocorue gave it to me again.  I was just as thrilled to receive it the second time!

I'm giving this one to Max and Melissa because you truly are special! 

This next award comes from Melissa!

I love this one because of the butterflies!  The rules are to list 10 things that make me happy and do at least one of them today and then pass it on to 10 other bloggers.

What Makes Me Happy:

*1.  Cuddling my chihuahuas

*2.  Visiting my bloggy friends

*3.  Eating chocolate

*4.  Reading a good book

*5.  Watching tv

*6.  Listening to music

*7.  Reading celebrity gossip

8.  Taking a nap

9.  Working on my girly room

10.  Having a clean house

*These are things I have already done today or will do later today.

I'm passing this on to:

1.  Protege

2.  Iris

3.  Martine

4.  Cocorue

5.  KS

6.  Feisty Three

7.  Eyegirl

8.  Tiffany

9.  April

10.  Sasha

11.  Dip-Dip and The Bridge (and Elliot too!)

12.  Santa

Ok, so I cheated and gave it out to 12 instead of 10!  But I love you all so much and wanted to make sure you were all recognized! 

I'm too lazy to check to see if any of you have these awards already.  I hope they're new and if they're not - sorry!  It's nice to get an award, even if you already have it.

Thanks for all the bloggy love, ladies!  I'm always surprised, honored and excited to receive awards and hope you are too!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Is that you, Elliot?

Doggy Love, Part II

Yesterday I discussed my love of Shiver, the shivering chihuahua.  Today it's Chico's turn!

**Again, please don't look too closely at the carpet.  I don't know why it looks so dirty in the picture.  I swear it doesn't look like that in person.  This was taken around Christmas time and I've since shampooed the carpet again because I was so grossed out by how it looks here!  Eww!!!**

Chico spent his first year of life at a puppy mill.  It got closed down and he went to live with a family who, while I'm sure they loved him, didn't think he should be in the house.  They had a three or four year old son and a brand new baby.  For whatever reason, they didn't think he should be around the baby.  He's just an itty bitty thing so I don't get why they think that having the baby around him would be a problem.  I got Chico in November last year on Thanksgiving weekend.  He had been spending most of his time outside or in the cold garage.  It was a cold winter and we got a ton of snow.  Chico is a short hair chihuahua which means he doesn't have a lot of hair.  I would hate to think of him being stuck outside all winter!  Why bother to have a pet if you're just going to keep it outside all the time?  I just don't get it! 

Several months after I brought him home, I wondered if he was happy.  I was thrilled to have him and Shiver loved that he didn't have to be alone anymore when I went to work but I knew that Chico wasn't Shiver's biggest fan.  Shiver tries to monopolize all situations for his own benefit which means he steals Chico's toys, he tries to steal Chico's treats and he will literally push Chico out of the way if he's getting any kind of attention.  One day I was sitting on my bed watching tv in my bedroom.  Shiver was in his requisite spot on my lap and Chico wanted to be cuddled.  I picked him up and held him on my chest.  Several minutes later, this tiny little dog fell asleep and very loudly snored up a storm.  It was then that I knew he was happy.  If he didn't feel comfortable, he wouldn't have fallen asleep so deeply in my arms.  He doesn't usually snore that loudly.  We've repeated that a few times since then and that's always when he snores the loudest.  It makes me smile.

What I love about Chico is that I don't think he realizes just how small he is!  He's very laid back and sweet but get him around the neighbor's pit bull or the other neighbor's big brown dog (not sure what kind it is as I've only seen bits and pieces of him through the tall wooden fence) and you would think he's just as big as they are!  He barks and growls so loudly in what I'm sure he thinks is a vicious manner.  No matter that those dogs could easily eat him as a small snack and come back for more!  Chico doesn't know this and doesn't let it stop him.  He may not be large but he definitely thinks he's in charge!!!

As I said above, Shiver thinks all of the toys and treats belong to him.  Chico lets him have the toys but refuses to give up his treats.  If anyone comes within 20 feet of him when he's chewing on one of his rawhide bones, he will growl until you're out of his line of sight!  Because he's so little, he can get into some interesting spots that I would never think he could.  In the rare instance I share my human food with him, he runs away and crawls somewhere where Shiver can't get him so he can enjoy his treat in peace.  When he's all done, he'll crawl out and run over to me to beg for some more!

There is a certain chair in the living room that my sweet kitty used to think was his when he was still alive.  Chico has now claimed this chair as his own.  He'll jump up and almost but not quite make it so he climbs up the last little bit.  It's so cute to see his little back legs push him up the rest of the way.  

I love to watch him do his business outside.  He'll lift his leg up like a boy dog and then when he starts to go, he lifts up the other leg!  I'm not sure why he does this or where he picked this up from but it's hilarious to watch!  He never falls down though, he's always careful to put one of his legs back down on the ground before he does.   

I'm Chico's third owner.  I just want him to have a happy life since his early years clearly weren't.  At his first home, he lived in a small cage and was only let out to go potty and make babies.  He received little to no human affection at all.  Yet you would never know this if you met him today.  He's so sweet and laid back.  He loves to cuddle and will seek out attention if he thinks Shiver is getting too much. 

I bought him off Craigs List and set up a time to go get him.  The guy let me in when I got to the house and Chico barked at me for a moment, then came over and hopped into my lap and stayed there for rest of the visit.  I don't know why but I stayed at the guy's house for probably an hour, maybe more, just cuddling Chico.  I'm sure the guy was ready for me to leave several minutes after I got there and paid him but he wasn't pushing me out the door or making me feel uncomfortable so I stayed and cuddled my new bundle of joy.  The next weekend I took Chico to the vet for his shots.  While waiting in the patient area, he got friendly with some guy and tried to hop up into his lap too but the chair was too high up for him.  The guy was a complete stranger to me and Chico both but he didn't let that stop him.  Luckily the guy was friendly and gave Chico some loves.  Shiver, on the other hand, cowered in my lap because he doesn't like new people or new situations.

If I end up losing my house and have to move back in with my parents, they've already told me I'll have to give my dogs up.  They live in a mobile home park which only allows one dog per owner.  My parents actually have two dogs so they're disobeying the rules.  So far they haven't been caught or if they have, no one has said anything.  They already had the two beagles prior to this rule being instated so they may be overlooking it for my parents sake.  Plus one of their beagles is really ancient and probably won't be around for too terribly much longer.  She's in good health overall and gets regular checkups but she's still really old and nothing can change that.  Anyways, back to Chico!  I'm his third owner and final owner.  I refuse to take my pups to the pound.  The three of us will be homeless before it comes to that!  I refuse to give either of them up!!!

Doggy Love, Part I

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I LOVE my little chi's.  How do they know this?  Because I can (and do!) talk about them endlessly!!!

**Please don't look too closely at the carpet.  I don't know why it looks so dirty in the picture because it doesn't look like that in person.  This was taken around Christmas time and I've since shampooed the carpet  again because I was grossed out by how it looks here!  Eww!!!**

But anyways, back to my babies!  I simply adore them and don't want to forget why I do.  I've been thinking a lot about Max lately and I know the pain of losing a pet.  No matter how long you have them, it's never long enough!!!  Fortunately, Max is still with us but his days are numbered.  Every single time I visit Max's blog, I cry.  I just recently found him through Cocorue but I feel his family's pain in knowing there is nothing else medical science can do beyond making him comfortable in his last days.

So with that ~ I wanted a written record of why I love my babies.  If the memories ever start to fade over time, I can come back here and refresh them.

Shiver

Shiver is a big chihuahua.  I was a little disappointed when I got him ONLY because he was so tall and I've always wanted a little bitty dog.  He was four months old when I plucked him from the mall pet store and he was already a big boy.  When I first got him, people asked me what he looked like.  I always told them that he looks like Paris Hilton's dog, Tinkerbell.  And every.single.time people always said, "Oh, so you think you're Paris Hilton now?"  I don't know why they'd ask this but I found it rather annoying.  I then read that Paris' dog is also a big chihuahua!

I love that Shiver is a Mama's Boy.  He would be beyond thrilled if his life consisted of nothing but sitting on my lap 24/7 while I showered him with love.  He's very shy and whenever he meets new people, he prefers to cower down next to me.  It doesn't matter if he's at home or if he's out in public somewhere.  He truly has no interest in making new friends, he just wants his Mama. 

He's highly jealous of anyone or anything he thinks is taking attention away from him.  If I spend too much time on the computer or watching tv and my attention is diverted from him, he will grab something from another room that he knows he shouldn't have and bring it over to show me.  He stays just out of reach for me to grab him.  As soon as he knows that I've seen him, he'll run off with it, causing me to chase him and give him the attention he's craving.  If I'm reading, he tries to get between me and the book.  He loves to "help" me make the bed.  I'll be trying to put the sheets on and he'll come over to the side of the mattress and lick my face or wag his tail at me.  Or both!

He's very graceful for a boy and very dainty.  I love to watch him when he's sitting on or next to me (always touching me) and doing his little doggy thing, scratching an ear, yawning, chewing his toenails.

There is a house near me that I used to pass every morning on the way to work that has a big deer figurine in the front yard near the garden.  I was looking at Shiver one day and it occurred to me that he looked just like a baby dear when he curls up.  The only thing missing would be the white spots on his back.  Oh, and his tail is too long but he usually sits on that.

My favorite thing about him is that he doesn't ever like to be apart from me.  I used to have to stand outside in the backyard with him while he did his business or else he'd bark and cry to come back in.  If I ignored him, he'd just get louder.  He finally decided last year that it was ok if I went back inside but he has this need to scratch on the door a million times whenever he's outside.  I'll open the door and once he sees me, he'll run off into the yard again to play.  It used to drive me absolutely crazy that I can't get a moment of peace while he's outside.  In the spring and summer when we have warmer weather, he can be out there for quite awhile.  I finally realized he just wants to know that I'm still there even if he can't see me.  I'm the only Mama he's ever known and I'm pretty sure he loves me just as much as I love him.

Tomorrow is Chico's turn!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Half-Full Friday and Blog of the Week

Well, I didn't get job #3 that I interviewed for.  I wasn't too disappointed because it wasn't exactly a dream job and I already had interview #4 scheduled.  That interview did not go well at all!  There are 3 locations in the town I drove to and as luck would have it, I went to the wrong one.  I don't know why I didn't confirm which location I was to have gone to but that was the first strike against me.  I got to the correct one only I was late.  Strike two.  The first location called the lady I was to interview with so that she was aware of it but I felt incredibly stupid and was really upset with myself for being late. 

I had emailed them my resume previously and when I got there, I was asked to complete an application.  Stupid me, I never bothered to turn the page over so I didn't realize there was another section to fill out.  Strike three.  I knew this did not bode well for me but I wasn't ready to walk out and be defeated. 

I was interviewed by two women who both basically in their own way said that I wasn't qualified for the job and that they didn't have time to babysit me.  Yes, they used the word "babysit!"  I wanted to ask why they even bothered to interview me then but I didn't.  I remained polite the whole time.  At the end, they asked me to finish completing the application.  I almost asked them why I should bother since we all knew that I wouldn't be getting the job but I knew they were just going through the motions and that I should too so I completed it and left.  So now I'm back to Square One. 

On that note, lets move on to something happier!  It's time for Half-Full Friday!  I participated in this last week and several of you commented that you liked it so I'm gonna do it again.  If you want to join in the fun, head on over to Eyegirl's blog and add yourself to her Mr. Linky!

I am happy that Shiver is always there to "help" me make the bed!  It can be annoying sometimes but I'd really miss it if he stopped doing it.

I'm happy my friend invited me over to her house for dinner!

I'm happy this same friend made me cupcakes when I mentioned having a craving for them!

I'm happy I had enough points to get a free Subway sandwich!

I'm happy I got my housework done and that I now have a clean house! 

I'm happy that spring has shown signs that it's on it's way!

I'm happy my migraine is finally gone!

I'm happy that I get to cuddle with my chi's for a little bit every morning before I get up!  It's one of the few perks of not having a job.

This week's Blog of the Week is one I just discovered via Santa and Minnie!

Coffee With A Canine

Santa and Minnie were featured recently and posted about it on Santa's blog, that's how I became familiar with it.  You can read their interview here. 

I haven't done any research on this blog like I should but it appears it started in 2009. The premise is asking dog owners questions about their pets.  Most of the participants seem to be book authors or magazine journalists although not all of them are.  As the name suggests, only dogs are included.  The interview questions are mostly the same for everyone with a little bit of variance.  The average interview is about 15 questions.  An ordinary day in the life of the dog is given as well as their proudest and most embarassing moments.  There is at least one photo of the dog(s) with their owners and then two or three of just the dogs themselves.  At the end of the interview, there is a brief description of the author and their work.

This may not sound interesting but it truly is!  After reading Santa and Minnie's entry, I took a look around at the other various breeds they've featured in the past and I probably read for a good 2 hours, at least!

Wordless Wednesday

From Me To You

A few weeks ago I was thinking about changing my avatar.  I've had the colorful rose for awhile now and while I do still like it, change is good now and again.

In keeping with the sprinkles theme, I went to bing and searched for images of a cupcake with sprinkles on the icing.  While I didn't find exactly what I was looking for, I did come across this:

I've been wanting to give out my own award for awhile now but I don't have the knowledge or probably even the programs necessary to create one.  I don't know if this is supposed to be an award or not but I'm gonna use it as one!  It perfectly describes what I want to say to all of my followers!

So...if you're a follower, please grab this for your blog!  I realize my blog is not nearly as pretty or as interesting as many of yours so the fact that I actually have any followers at all is a shock to me. 

Just a little thanks from me to you because you truly are the sprinkles on my cupcake!

Blog of the Week & Half Full Friday!

Well, I didn't get the job I interviewed for last week.  :(  But...after crying and feeling sorry for myself for awhile when I got the email, I got a call from a bank here in town asking for an interview!  First we did a phone interview which I thought went horrificly.  (Is that a word?!)  The guy kept asking for specific things I've done in certain situations and my mind was completely blank so I gave him very generic responses of things I thought he might like to hear.  Apparently it worked because he asked me to come in for a face to face interview!

The interview was this morning.  It went well, I thought!  They have one more candidate to interview this afternoon and then they'll make a final decision. 

Monday I have another appointment with the job assistance place.  So far they haven't been of any help at all but I'm thinking maybe they want to see my homework first before we go any further.  I don't know?!

So...  Eyegirl started a Half Full Friday feature which I decided to join in today!  She challenged her readers to keep a list of at least one thing that brought us happiness each day this past week.

I don't know that I'm gonna do this every week but I thought it'd be fun to do at least one!  If you'd like to join in, please head over to her blog and add your link to Mr. Linky so that others can see what made you happy this week!  And while you're there, check out the rest of her blog too! 

I'm happy my little chihuahuas are healthy and happy.

I'm happy my brother is back in my life again, even if only through email.

I'm happy my friend took me out to dinner at a new restaurant yesterday.

I'm happy I had another interview this week.

I'm happy it's been raining rather than snowing!

I'm happy that it's February, which means that we're that much closer to spring!

(Stole this one from Eyegirl because I really am happy we're that much closer to spring!)

I'm happy that I have a $76 credit on my heating bill.

I'm happy that I've been able to pay my mortgage every month even though I don't have a job.

And now on to...Blog of the Week!

Are you a fan of celebrity gossip?  Yes?  No?  Well, I can't afford to have a life at the moment so I tend to live vicariously through others for the time being.  And sometimes that means reading celebrity gossip to find out what else is happening in the world!  I've checked out a bunch of different celebrity gossip sites and this one is by far my favorite!

Crazy Days and Nights

This site was started in November 2006.  I linked to it from another blog who gave it a shout-out and have been hooked from the very first post!

The guy who writes it is supposedly an Entertainment Lawyer who knows a ton of celebs and is up on all the latest gossip.  Each day (Mon - Fri) he gives at least one blind item and every Friday he gives four!  This is in addition to regular gossip he gives throughout the day.  The best part of this website???  Twice a year (Jan. 1st and July 4th) he acutally gives the answers to some of his blinds!

There has been quite a bit of speculation about whether or not the author really is an attorney, attorney-client priviledge, whether he's really a guy, etc., etc., etc.  There's even an anti-Crazy Days and Nights blog out there saying the whole thing is completely fake!  (Sorry, not gonna link it here.  You could probably google it if you really wanted to find it though.) 

What do I think?  I don't know and honestly, I don't really think I care all that much one way or the other.  I enjoy it purely for the entertainment value.  Some of the blinds that Entertainment Lawyer has posted have actually been proven to be true.  So I do think he must have some kind of Hollywood insider info. 

I don't comment there very often but it's a wonderful site to go to and pass the day away!  The other commenters are like a family towards each other.  Sometimes they fight but more often than not, they support and care about one another. 

As of this posting, today's blind isn't up yet so to give you a taste, here is yesterday's - CDAN Blind Gossip Item.  Check it out and enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

Award Season

Recently, Dip-Dip and The Bridge received an award from their good friend Tessa the Maltese .  She gave it to the first 10 people who commented.  Normally I only accept an award if someone specifically tells me that it's for me but I like this one because it's got several cupcakes with "sprinkles" on top.  Since I go by sprinkles, it seemed fitting to grab it so I did!

The rules of this award are as follows:

1.  Copy and paste to your blog
2.  List 10 things that make us happy
3.  Select 10 bloggers that brighten our day

Ten things that make me happy:
1.  My chihuahuas
2.  Friends and family
3.  Books
4.  My house
5.  My "girlie room" (It's where I keep my angel figurines, candles, etc.)
6.  My car
7.  Shoes and clothes
8.  Makeup
9.  Music
10.  CHOCOLATE!!!

Ten things that make my chi's happy:
1.  A full belly
2.  Treats
3.  Bellyrubs
4.  Long naps
5.  Curling up in my lap
6.  Sitting in front of the space heater
7.  Having lots of toys to play with
8.  Running around the back yard
9.  Barking at the neighbor's dog
10.  Walking on the wet kitchen floor immediately after it's been mopped

Thank you Lynne, Dinah, Bridget and Elliot! 

To quote Lynne - All our bloggie friends brighten up our day so we are awarding this to the first 10 friends who comment on our blog who haven't got it or would like it, congrats!

I have my own award that I'll be giving out probably next week. 

Blog of the Week

I just got home a little bit ago from a job interview.  Please, please, PLEASE keep your fingers crossed and pray that I get hired!!!  The job is for a teller position.  I started out my banking career as a teller and did not really care for it.  I didn't feel like I got trained very well and most of my co-workers were *NOT* nice.  At all!  But this job seems to be much different.  It's a small bank so I'd get to do a little bit of everything.  Because it's such a small company, they do a lot of their own work in-house rather than sending it somewhere else to be processed.  This would be an excellent opportunity to learn soooooooo much!

The interview was short and sweet.  They didn't ask me much really, I felt it was more me interviewing them.   Not sure if that was a good or a bad sign.  The questions they did ask were bascially more about my work ethic.  One question they asked was what I like to do in my free time.  I don't know that I've ever been asked that before from a potential employer!  I was glad to be able to say I volunteer for a community service type thing because I think that sounds much better than just saying that I enjoy blogging, reading, watching tv, playing with my chi's, hanging out with friends, etc.  Hopefully that might give me the edge over someone else who doesn't have any kind of volunteer activities.

Now - on to the good stuff!

You know how you look on other blogs sidebars and check out their favorite blogs?  You click on one that maybe has an interesting name and then you check out their favorites and link to another one and so on and so on?  That's how I stumbled across this one:

UnDomestic

I originally read what at that time was the very last post.  The originator of the blog, Cari Ashford, passed on on September 22, 2009.  This was the first time I've come across a blog where the originator had died.  I immediately wanted to read her story so I started at the beginning.

Cari's very first post was in July 2005.  It started out as any normal blog.  She was a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) with two sons, Cameron and Max, and was pregnant with daughter Ella who was born in December of that same year.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her life and her family.   As she detailed the many hilarious antics of her children, I couldn't help but fall in love with them too!  She has a wonderful sense of humor and I'm sure that if we'd met in real life that she and I would be friends.

August 22, 2007 marked a whole new world for Cari; she discovered a large lump in her left breast.  She was diagnosed with Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma and had a mastectomy the following month.  She received chemotherapy and radiation and in late summer 2008, she was given a clean bill of health.  Sadly, the cancer returned. 

She had a brain tumor and eventually the cancer went to her spine.  She recounted her various treatments along with her attempts to keep everything normal for her children.  At the end, her mom kept the blog up to date as Cari became weaker and weaker.  The final post was written by her husband, letting everyone know that Cari had died.

I cried for Cari many, many times while reading her blog.  I had grown to love her like a close friend.  So when I got to the last post, I literally could.not.stop.crying!  Her loss touched me deeply and I miss her. 

I didn't want to forget about Cari so I followed her blog.  I wanted to still be able to come back and read her story over and over again.  I'm not sure why I didn't just bookmark her blog to my favorites, I just felt it was important to follow her and come back to visit from time to time.  In January of this year, her husband posted an open letter to Cari.  As I read it, the pain of losing her all came rushing back.  I still feel the grief even today.  I can't even begin to imagine how her husband and three beautiful children must be coping.

May You Forever Rest In Peace

Cari Ashford

March 19, 1973 - September 22, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Dream Blogging

I dreamed last night that I was working on a blog post.  I'd been tagged for a MeMe and was trying to come up with 7 things about me that my bloggie buddies might not now.  I'd come up with 5 fairly easily but those last 2 were really difficult!  I've had some bizarre dreams before but I don't think I've ever had one about blogging.

I had an appointment today with a job assistance agency in my town.  I wasn't even aware there was such a thing here!  It's not really a job assistance agency, it's just one service they offer among many for low-income people.  Most of the appointment was spent with the lady helping me find what services they could provide for me, even though I was there only for the job assistance program.  She looked over my resume and said that it looked really good, she couldn't think of anything I could add or delete to make it better.  She thought I had some really great experience and said she had high hopes for me.  I told her I have no hope.  I apply and apply and no one ever calls.  I call to follow up and have to leave voice mails which no one ever returns.  She did say that she has monthly meetings where she hears about different job opportunities before the general public does so that's good!

We discussed applying to fast food places and she told me not to yet.  Because of my experience, she thinks that there are better opportunities out there for me so not to apply for flipping burgers until it gets to the point where I'm about to lose my house.

I have some homework to complete and then I'll go back in a few weeks for a follow up appointment.

I still have a bruise on my foot from when I twisted it.  Somedays it's really tender and other days, not so much.

So that's all that happening in my life right now.

Blog of the Week

I just got an award a few days ago from Iris over @ My Life In Purple.  I'm not sure how I linked to her initially but I share her love of all things purple and with a name like that, I knew I had to check out her blog!

I have waaaaaaaaay too much time on my hands so to pass it away, I do the daily blog check and usually, but not always, leave comments.  And as a result, I was lucky enough to get this:

Thank you, Iris!  If and when I get a job, I won't have time to comment nearly as often.  There were no stipulations about passing it along to anyone but I wanted to be sure to do just that!  There is one person who has commented on I think just about every single post with the exception of a couple when she took some time away from the blog world this past holiday season.  I'm passing this on to the very lovely Protege!

Speaking of awards, I have one that I'm going to be giving out probably within the next couple of weeks.  So stay tuned for that!

Ok, on to the fun stuff!  Everyone seemed to think this whole Blog of the Week feature was a good idea so I'm gonna move forward with it.  I know I could have done it without asking anyone's opinion since it is my blog and all but I didn't want to add anything that the majority thought was a really stupid idea!

I have no clue what-so-ever how I ever found this site.  I'm sure everyone has heard of it as it's extremely popular!  It's updated every Sunday and I make a point to check it out at least once a week, if not more.

postsecret

Frank Warren has been running it since 2004.  He invites strangers to share their deepest, darkest secrets on a postcard and mail it to him, anonymously.  Some of the secrets are sad, some are disgusting.  Others make me smile, some of them are shocking!  Some of them make me laugh, some make me cry. 

Every single week there is always at least one secret that I can relate to. I'll never have to send in one of my own, they've already been posted on someone else's card!  I think that's what keeps me coming back every week, I never have to feel alone as I can usually identify with the secrets posted.

Some of the postcards are just plain white with writing on them, some people go all out with their decorations.  No matter what they look like, they all contain deeply held secrets.

There are also Italian, French and German versions of this blog too.  I'm not sure if Frank runs those or not.  (Sorry, I'm too lazy to find the links for them!)

To date, there are 5 different books to go along with the blog.  Frank also often speaks at universities where he displays some of the many, many different postcards he's received and allows the audience to share some of their own secrets if they want to.  Unfortunately he hasn't come anywhere near me so I haven't been able to attend one of his conferences. 

At one point, all of the proceeds earned from the blog, book and conferences (after paying Frank's expenses, I presume) were given to the Kristen Brooks Hope Center to aid in the prevention of suicide.  I'm not sure if that's still the case as I haven't seen anything on his site stating this in quite awhile. 

First Meeting

My chi's were both very excited to attend their first Pup Scouts Troop Meeting today!

They started out with a song:

"Everywhere we go-o

An-imals want to know-o

Who we a-are

And where we come from

So we tell them

We're from Order of the Paw

Mighty, mighty Pup Scouts

And if they can't hear us

We woof a little louder!"

Then  Troop Leader Miss Bailey had everyone raise their right paw and say the offiicial oath:

"On the honor of my paw I will do my best

to do my duty to my fur and non-fur community

& to obey the Pup Scout Law

to help other pups and their people at all times

to keep myself in tip top pup condition,

furry aware & ready at a moments notice."

Next, everyone received their official troop meeting badge! This badge is given to distinguished members who have joyfully attended the first troop meeting.

They discussed selling the official Pup Scout Biscuit to raise funds to raise funds for service projects like...

- eradicating our neighborhoods of squirrels!

- creating legislation to stop the pupperazzi form taking our photos!

Don't they look tasty?  Well, they prolly would if you were a dog!

Miss Bailey also took time to remind everyone of the importance of leashes:

The meeting closed out with one more song:

"Be a good Pup Scout, and always wag your tail,

Be a good Pup Scout, give licks all the time,

It's the creed, yes indeed, that a Pup Scout must practice merrily.

Help those in need - do a Good Turn daily,

Be a good Pup Scout - be Loyal, Sweet and Brave,

On your honor, do your best

When they put you to the test.

And always be a good Pup Scout!"

If you haven't joined yet, what are you waiting for?  You're missing out on all the fun!

***Edit:  I'm not sure what is up with the weird spacing.  It wasn't like that when I typed the post out.  I tried to fix it but blogger won't let me.