GuitarBran's Xanga

Patriotic Babbles

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 19:14:56 GMT

Wow. I wasn't even sure if I would remember my password, it's been THAT long since I've updated. And again, I'll say it before Heather can beat me to it--I am a sloth.

I have more classes this quarter, so I'm keeping rather busy. I have two hours on Monday and twelve hours on Wednesday (thus the time to update--a three hour break), but I would prefer it this way. I would much rather be done working in just two days. Do you realize that means five days off? I have a typical workweek off. It's outrageous. Matt works his same three days, I work two, so combined we put in a work week. But, I will admit, it's a bit dull, those days off. My sewing machine is broken, I have no plot to garden, and the like. I end up making brother Nate roll his eyes because I go to the library, check out ten novels at a time, and read one in its entirety on each of my days off so that my ten books (a lifetime of reading for Nate, apparently) does not even last me the three weeks that I have them checked out for. Pathetic, I am, and I know it. Ah well. Who do I have to impress?

Speaking of impressing, I think I may have found an eligible bachelor for one of my single friends. We'll see how this goes. Of course, this could likely take a little time. I just met the man last week, and I don't think I should be breaking out the "Hey! I've got an awesome friend who likes a lot of the same stuff you do! Would you like to double date with us?" I fear that just meeting me might need some time for adjustment; I can't immagine subjecting him to me, my husband, and my best friend all at once. Especially since when we three get together, we tend to get crazy. I don't want to scare him off so soon because he really does seem to be a thoroughly entertaining, caring, interesting human being. If anyone has an suggestions on the conversation leading up to setting up a complete stranger with a blind date, I would be most appreciative.

I want to write a book. I've been thinking already of my new Nano book, which won't be written until November, but hey, who knows. If I plan the entire thing in my head, then perhaps come November, I will actually reach 50,000 words. I came up short last year. Does anyone have any ideas on something babble-worthy? Something that would make a good plot? Or even something that alone isn't a good plot, but could be added as a detail into a good plot? This face looks like it has curly steam spewing from its hair folicles. I know their supposed to be question marks...

Has anyone ever had their gallbladder removed? Does the gallbladder cause intolerance for certain foods (namely, every food I eat)? If not, what could? I have been experiencing quite a lengthy illness that I am sure has nothing to do with a flu bug.

Matt and I went to Zanesville yesterday to get estimates on our intended construction. Yes indeed, kiddies, the possiblity of a house this year is becoming more and more of a reality. We have someone lined up to the the escavating, some prospects of concrete, blueprints in our posession, and now some outrageously expensive estimates to put us farther into debt. Well, it is the American way.

Well, perhaps I should pretend to do some work now. Perhaps that is the American way.

Here is my feeble attempts at an update

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 19:27:34 GMT

Update:

I've failed.

Been sick.

Gained weight.

Eating Cici's tomorrow.

There. That's my update.

I failed my task at NaNoWriMo. My novel came in shy at 39,000 words, 11,000 short of the 50,000 I needed by November 30. Who writes a novel in a month anyway? I think I may continue to work on it though. I'd forgotten how much I love to write. Yes, come to think of it, I was a pretty happy camper last month, stressing over my word count.

Sick--that's self-explanitory. I work at a school. What can I say? Students are germy creatures.

Gained weight. Dang Thanksgiving. Maybe I should follow the advise of Melissa's cat and take away my feeder.

Eating Cici's tomorrow. I have a doctor's appt. in Marietta and so Matt and I are going to settle for Cici's (we usually eat at this great Chinese place there) because my mother is going to be with us and she dislikes Chinese food.

Oh yes, something that didn't make the list. Matt and I bought a new vehicle. We are insane. We bought a new Jeep Liberty. I don't know why. Here's a word of advise, thought. Don't buy one from Thomas Chrystler Dodge Jeep in St. Clairsville. They treat women like idiots and they use rusty screws to hold the lisence plate bracket. Actually, don't buy a Jeep period. Buy a Jetta or a Honda.

Brother Pip has been on me to watch You, Me, and Dupree, so I suppose I will tonight. Hope it's as funny as he claims, the warped little cheesewedge.

Wall

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:48:11 GMT

I've hit a wall. My NaNo novel is not coming along so nicely as it was at the beginning of the month. Sigh. But we all knew it was bound to happen, right? Me being the sloth that I am--everyone knew there was no way I could write 50K words in 30 days. I should at least get credit for trying, though!!! And I had such high hopes for this story. I don't know whether to give up gracefully or pathetically putter (love that alliteration) along at an attept to recover. Hehe, what does it matter? It's all meaningless!!!!!! Meaningless, I tell you!!!!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:21:06 GMT

I stole this idea from Nicole!!! One major differnce to note--she will finish, and I will slack. Ask her--I used to look at her pathetically when it came my turn to write in our stories that we traded each month. "Nicole, I forgot to write." "Nicole, I couldn't think of anything to write." We shall see how this goes. The goal is 50,000 words in November. I'll be lucky to make it to 1000...BUT I'LL TRY! With my luck, I'll prolly make it to 50,000 words but then not be able to end the stupid thing. Look at this--already a lovely relationship with my unborn work. Now, to think of a novel-worthy topic before tomorrow...

Hey, it's good to be back home again.

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 17:42:19 GMT

Do not mock my choice of titles for this entry! So what if I have cheesy John Denver songs running through my head? I like John Denver!

Something pertaining to songs: When the alarm clock awoke me the other day, it interrupted my dream. I was listening to a Phish CD (in my dream--I haven't heard Phish since high school) and suddenly the CD turned into a live concert, which was performed in a cave. They had the gospel-style chorus singing "RollerSKATing, rollerskatING" and suddently Phish burst out with the chorus "Rollerskating to the throne of my soul!" Now, this might sound odd, but that song was quite catchy. In fact, I plan to write more music to it, since I did not get to hear the entire song, thanks to aforementioned alarm. Just thought I'd take some time out to let you guys know that although you haven't heard from me for awhile, I still seem to be just as eccentric as always.

So, I know it's been a long time since I updated because the format for typing entries is completely different! Where did all these buttons come from?

Matt and I are in the process (beginning stages of contracts and closings and preapprovals) of buying a house. Yes, we are indeed insane. In March we bought about 18 acres of land and hoped to build some inhabitable structure before winter, but that is not going to happen. So we think that buying this house might be a good idea. We shall see. I think we are trying to see how far we can go into debt in one year.

Anywho, this house seems to be a good deal. It's much closer for Matt to go to work, quasicloser for me. It's cheap and big, in good condition, and seems to be tailored for what we had in mind. It used to be an old store, so the downstairs has one giant room, a kitchen, and I think a bathroom. The upstairs has bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom. Our plan is to partition off the store into bedrooms, etc. and turn the house into two apartments when we are finished with it, rent it out, and hopefully earn back some of the debt that we have been so keen on racking up. Of course, these are just preliminary plans, and those of you who know us know of our luck, so you can likely immagine that nothing will come of this and we will be stuck with 18 acres and a house 30 minutes apart, both of which we can neither find a buyer for or a renter. Who knows though. Perhaps our luck will change.

This quarter at the Tech I am teaching again, Eng 101, 093/094 (sentence and paragraph writing) and a new course, Eng 104--Technical writing. It brings back fond memories of my Concord days in Mrs. Peck's technical writing class. She was, I'm sure, much more fun than I am. I don't believe my 101 class is very fond of my requirements. They are mostly first-quarter freshman who are not used to colleging yet, and they probably heard I was easy and are now quite disappointed that they have so much work to do.

My 104 class is much fun. They are NOT freshman students, so they understand how things work. They are quite humorous and talkative. Also they are a smaller class (six). ENG 101 has 14 (a large class for Cadiz). As for Eng 093/094, I think they may be my favorite group. They make for an enjoyable class of five.

Well, this is my update. As you can see, I am still quite boring.

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Sat, 25 Mar 2006 02:37:40 GMT

Hiya! Yes, I'm a sloth. I do not update often.

Much has happened. Me and Matt broght some property above St. Clairsville. About 18 acres. That is about 15 mintues from work for me, 30-45 minutes for Matt. We are hoping to build the garage this summer and stay in it until we decide on a houseplan and get a loan or save up for it or whatever we decide to do moneywise with that. Anyway, that's all working out well.

Belmont Tech renewed my contract again for yet another quarter...amazing. They must really be desperate or something. When I started there last fall, I was teaching the zero level classes, like the remedial classes. The advisor/scheduler (I enjoy her) decided that I would be better suited to teach "real" classes so I have Eng 101, 102, and speech class starting Monday. I find this hilarious because, as I warned her, I have never taken a speech class. I avoided the one in high school, and REALLY avoided the one in college. I did everything I could to get out of it. I used German to replace it, in case anyone was wondering. So am I really qualified to teach speech? They assured me I am, but honestly, I don't feel qualified. But I think I am going to enjoy it. If anyone has some speech class advise, I am listening though.

Well, better get off here. I'm going to watch Cheap Seats with my bro Nater. Now I am not so much a sports-ESPN fan, but if anyone gets ESPN classic, I recommend Cheap Seats, airing weeknights @ 10:30. Hilarity. From the Dr. Phil impersonations ("You can't have the cow pee in the butter and call it margarine!") to the spelling bee mishaps to the hot dog skiing, which is what Nate informed me is the topic tonight, it is ususally a good laugh.

Now, I will leave you with this quote from TravisTV, which features Travis Pastrana (dirtbike man), which is what Nate was just watching before CheapSeats, oh nevermind. On with the quote: "Nothin' says lovin' like marryin' your cousin!"

Friday, December 02, 2005

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 18:09:56 GMT

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, (even if we don't speak often) please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad - BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE.

When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you!

Alright, Heather, this is your chance to get back at me after the whole "Orange Volvo tongue-rolling squirrell and Proclaimers" incident. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH

Well, all, I turned in grades today. My first quarter is over, Winter quarter begins in January. I have FIVE classes (count them, five!) next quarter. I have been graced with a 101 class! I am so excited! I'm going to be teaching a composition class! Yay! I get to make them read books and write papers! Woooootywoootywootywoooty! I am happy.

And along with more happy news! Thursday is my last day at ye olde stupido warehouse. HAHAHAHAHAH Yippeeeeeee!

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Tue, 08 Nov 2005 00:55:22 GMT

Huzah!

I learned a few things from my jury duty:

1) Just because you went to law school...that doesn't mean you're smart. Yeah.

2) People will do anything to get out of jury duty.

3) It is very disappointing when the accused does not get in the witness stand.

4) People really do shout "Objection!"

5) Not all judges have a gavel.

6) Most importantly, lawyers must have some sort of creed where they must gel thier hair back. Both lawyers at this trial had their hair combed straight back. I believe John David Smith from Concord used to as well.

I cannot wait to quit my job at the warehouse. It is a ridiculous way to make money. Today they informed us that we will not get any days off for Christmas. Because the holiday falls on a Sunday, it will be work as usual on Monday. Thankfull this will not affect me because I will be long gone by then. It is nothing but absurd demands and crappy compensation. Unless they infuriate me to the point of walking out, my last day there will be December 8. But honestly, I expect to get fed up before then.

Ahem! However, teaching is going very well. I had a suprise evaluation last Thursday...a bit nerve racking, but he was very nice and generously said that I meet all professional standards. So that's one good thing that goes in my permanent file. One step closser to becoming a professor!

Another exciting thing...maybe I've mentioned this before...I can take classes at the Tech for free. So hello real estate! Just for fun, ye know. And since it's free...I'm going to get certified. Just in case Matt ever decides to take up reposessing houses, as he did in West Virginia. It was a rather fun job, he thought, just the place he worked was a bit mismanaged. He has talked about starting his own business like that, so a real estate agent for a wife would be a big plus. Of course, I would take a large percentage...

Mr. Rocky called me yesterday. We are planning a grand escapade next Sunday. Us four shall go see Chicken Little.

That's all for now, ya'll!

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 01:09:17 GMT

Well, yeah. It's been awhile since I last graced everyone with an update. I'm sure you've been quite anxious to know how life is going...well I'll tell you. It's good, great, wonderous. So there, that's an update.

Yesterday, I spent joyous hours with Miss Julianna, Rocky's fiance, at her bridal shower. I have been honored with the opportunity to be a bridesmaid in their upcoming December 10th wedding. This is quite a humorous turn of events as compared to my teenage years. Up until and during part of my 16th year, Rocky was my first boyfriend. That part of the relationship has been over for many a moon, and somehow we have developed into very close friends, so as you can imagine, it wasn't such a bitter breakup. Of course, this was years ago, but it would typically be awkward. But Rocky has been one of my closest friends throughout the years, and you can only imagine how very honored I felt when Rocky asked me to be a bridesmaid. In the process of all this, I have been able to get to know Julianna, and I must say, I am thrilled that a wonderful man like Rocky has found an equally wonderful lady to share his life with.

And all this exposure to bridal showers and wedding plans takes me back to my own wedding (two and a half years ago, kiddies!) and makes me appreciate and love my Matthew that much more. I'm such a sap tonight.

Ah, I'm happy tonight. I don't have to go to work tomorrow (although I do have to get up three times earlier) as I have been called to fulfill my civic duty as a juror. Yes, that's right, all...I have jury duty. As of now, I'm a bit excited. Mainly because I don't have to go to the warehouse tomorrow, probably. But I don't know that jury duty will be as bad as everyone always complains it is...Nerdy Susan is excited to be a juror. I'm not really sure what to expect. I don't know if I actually get to serve as a juror or if I am going to go through preliminary stuff. But anywho, I'm looking forward to a day of shirking my stupid job. Oh yeah, and I plan to get my hair cut after my dificult day in court. Excited about that too.

I sent my notice that we will be vacating our current premises by December 31st. I CANNOT WAIT to be out of this apartment. We have our eye on some property over around St. Clairsville. Some in New Athens and some more in Flushing. I would prefer the New Athens property, for it is more acreage. Also, I can only imagine the ridicule from my brothers for living in Flushing. lol I do enjoy those brothers of mine although they torture me like crazy.

Matt finished his management training at Lowes and is now thinking of moving on and trying at the WalMart warehouse in Wintersville. We will be moving closer soon, and the warehouse seems like a good place to work. Matt's cousin works there and he likes it and has also advanced quite a bit in the year that he's been there.

I expect to hear that all my Concord peeps parked themselves in front of VH1 last week to watch I love the 80s 3D. I will admit, I didn't watch all ten years, but I did catch three or four of the years. They'll be on again.

What does one wear to jury duty?

Happy Halloween, ya'll!

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 23:38:53 GMT

Well, I'm going to post my excitement...even though I don't think anyone reads this.

I had my interview today at ye olde Tech. I didn't feel that it went too well. I was planning on going to the mall after my escapades, but I was exausted so I went straight home.

I came home, not expecting Matt till late, but he got home early. Yay! He was showing me his management training book and the phone rang, so I answered. (Play by play action--exciting, huh?) It was the Dean, telling me I got the job! WOOOOOT! I am now an instructor...at a college! Yay! It's the remedial reading classes, but I think that sounds just peachy to me!

Now the hard part...I have to tell the warehouse that I have to leave early again tomorrow (I have to sign papers, tax forms, pick up my books, etc). They shall not be pleased, but what will make them even more upset is the rest of the story. Classes start Tuesday. I will not be able to put in my two week notice. Actually, I plan to ask them if I can have my hours cut back to three days a week, plus maybe two half days, since classes are early on Tuesday and Thursday. If not, then I will just have to tell them that Monday is my last day. I'm giving them as much notice as possible, but I'm not going to pass up this opportunity to appease the warehouse. I'm trying to be helpful, as this is quarter end and whatnot. Either way, I won't be working at the warehouse long because I planned to quit in December to move to (insert place, unknown to us as of now).

So life is blissful for the Guthries. I just can't help but wonder...what is going to go wrong? I shouldn't think that way, but things seem to be going all too well.