My Porcupine

My darling husband is growing a goatee and it's quite sexy. In honor of his facial hair I have dubbed him my porcupine. His stubble is a bit prickly, but that's o.k. I still kiss him. I'm just glad he keeps his finger nails well maintained and doesn't have claws like those of the cute little fella to the right!

I miss Calvin and Hobbes

Real Christians

I have two very good friends in TN who I consider to be true Christians. Not once have either of them ever tried to impose their beliefs, thoughts, values, or morals on me. Not once has either of them ever tried to convert me. Not once has either of them ever professed to be "a good Christian."


They live it, therefore they don't need to proclaim it. They known from within who they are and that shines outward making them some of the best people I have ever known. They are honest, good, caring, kind, loving individuals. They seek truth by asking questions, through genuine curiosity, being open minded, and doing their own research and not just accepting something at face value. If only all "Christians" behaved and lived as these two do.

I consider one of these incredible people as the sister I never had, you know who you are - PPod! And the other is the lucky fella married to Zap. I love you guys and will miss you terribly when we return to CA. I can't wait for you guys to join us on the West Coast!

In case you haven't figured out what I really think of TN: It SUCKS!

I suppose any person who feels fondly of Tennessee may not be pleased by what I've posted regarding this $#!#@^* up state. I'm sure they don't like me, but then again, I'm an outsider so they wouldn't like me anyway. It's not part of the local "culture" to embrace outsiders, only the moola that outcasts spend in their calamitous excuse of a state.


I have met very few born and raised Tennessee folk that I not only like but have interacted with outside of work or school. Only three come to mind. Then again, there are only 173,890 people in the Knoxville area according to a 2000 US Census. So 3 out of 173,890 is A LOT! It's downright amazing when you think about it.


TN is a very scary place as this picture amply illustrates.






All of the allies I've met while residing in TN are also transplants - go figure! But don't worry TN I won't be here much longer. As soon as the ink dries on the closing documents for selling the house I'm outta here! ¡Nunca véale!

Clearly he lived in TN

I have seen the future and it doesn't work.
Robert Fulford

Dog Day

Today we decided to enjoy life as our furry little critters do and declared today "Pajama Day!" All hail PJ day, it's one of the best days on the planet. And, more importantly, you may announce as many PJ days as you like, there is no pre-set limit of PJ days per year. In fact the more the better. With PJ day comes fun things like eating cake and ice-cream for breakfast (if you do not already have these must-have staples on hand, donuts, candy, or any other no-no food will do), sleeping in late, and not leaving the house - not even to get the mail! I love PJ day. I think the world would be a better place if more people observed this very important diurnal course.

Forsaken

Just because an institution may claim: "... respects both the Judeo-Christian heritage and the cultural diversity..." doesn't mean they abide by it. Especially in TN where cultural diversity consists of hanging a picture of a non-Tennessee person on the wall and professing to be open minded. Whatever.

I was placed at a prominent private school in Knoxville on Thursday and Friday as a temp. On Thursday my contact basically ignored me. On Friday my contact at the school completely forgot me. Fine, I don't care. I'm not there to make friends, I'm there to earn a paycheck.

When a job is completed I fill out a time card and have the contact person at the job site sign it. When quittin' time drew near the entire school (save 2 students) was deserted. My contact was long gone, as were all other administrative personnel. I called the temp agency and explained the situation and that I had no signed time card. My point of contact at the agency said, "Well, I'll just take care of it on Monday."

While the school may believe in "Judeo-Christian" ways I believe in being paid for work done. I want my damn paycheck you freaks. I didn't sit in a small confined space for two days listening to loud, annoying students blather on about the upcoming regatta for my own enjoyment and personal fulfillment. I didn't wait for a phone to ring so I could direct the caller to someone's voice mail just for giggles and kicks. I was there because you needed a live body and unfortunately that was me. Just hand over my $130 bucks (minus taxes) and we'll all forget this ever happened.

Something To Do

When most people think of Antelope Valley, they think of Joshua trees, heat, tumbleweeds, and desolate landscape. However, within the last 20 years people have begun to think of Antelope Valley as something different - wine country. Well, it may not be "wine country" but a day of drinking wine in Lancaster, CA has got to be better than living in TN! We should hopefully be all settled in lovely Lancaster during my b-day so we can take a cab to Cameo Vineyards and get sloppy drunk should we so desire! Good times.
I've not been to Cameo so I don't know if their wine tastes like a pickling solution or if it'll be yummy stuff. One way to find out! Something of note... California Poppy Reserve, Lancaster, CA. I love poppies! Soon I'll be surrounded by them. They may be orange but I won't be thinking of UT when I see these beauties. I plan on creating new memories and wiping out all thoughts, nightmares, and frustrating experiences of life in TN (except for those involving friends!) with immersing myself into all things CA - good food, culture, diversity, differing view points, etc. I can't wait.

Count Down: 38 days

Only in TN

L O N G afternoon

Today I temped at a prominent private school. The morning went by quickly enough. However, when I returned from lunch the computer timed out and being a temp I don't have the password.

I was there to ONLY answer the phone. I asked if there was any other work they would like me to do, "Nope, just answer the phone. Thanks." Swell. So, every 11 - 17 minutes - if I was lucky - the phone would ring and I would transfer the person to the extension of whoever they asked for, or, whoever I felt like transferring them too. Sometimes I got it right, sometimes I didn't. It wasn't intentional, the list of extensions they provided me was of the tiniest, microscopic print.

Anyway, there was nothing to do for 4.5 hours since I was shut in a tiny room all by lonesome. Sure, there were windows, and loud kids in the hall, and behind me was a window facing the parking lot so I could look at my car... sigh. But NO COMPUTER?! What kind of a cruel hell is that?

All there was to do was look at year books from 2005 back to 2000. Heck, all the students looked the same. Girls had long straight hair, boys had shaggy-dog hair. Why did they bother putting names near the pictures?

It was the longest, most boring afternoon in a long while. I couldn't even clean?! The place was orderly and tidy (thank goodness or I may have completely lost it). But again, NOTHING to do... and I get to do it all over again tomorrow. Ugh.

BUT, I have prepared for my day of torture. I've got some books I'll be taking with me, some sudoku puzzles and FOOD.

Lunch is at 11:00 am. That's too freaking early to be eating lunch. I'll not sit all afternoon listening to my stomach rumble in anger, no, I will take apple sauce, diced peaches, and chocolate to feed the hunger within.

Thank goodness that Mon. - Wed. of next week I get to work again at the place I temped at last week. It was FUN there. The people are really nice and they NEED my help. In fact they requested me!

A whole lotta fur

Yesterday I brushed Miss Karma. It took quite a long time. That poor doggie had a lot of excess fur just hanging around. By the time I had finished there was a mound of white fur. The wind kept blowing it around and she eventually rolled in it, which made brushing her a complete waste of time. But fortunately she sat so nice and let me do what needed to be done.

When it was Sass's turn, Sass didn't show much interest. Luckily Miss Sass didn't need to be brushed as much as Karma and it was over almost as quickly as it had begun.

I hope some birds are able to put Karma's fur to use in nests and homes for their little ones. All that soft fur should be doing something more productive than clogging up my vacuum.

Tapas from around the world

Last night we had two couples over for "dinner." However, our table barely seats four comfortably, so trying to serve six people would be tricky. The solution: TAPAS! Erik made a wonderful selection of various appetizers from around the world. He made wraps filled with asparagus hugged in ham and held together with a delicious spread, a cheese platter with grapes, two different hummus dips with bread, a seafood dip and crackers, pepper jelly and cream cheese (which was actually made by MIL - the mother-in-law) as was the apricot and strawberry tartlet. I cleaned house most of the day so my contribution was store bought almond, lemon poppy seed loaf and chocolates. I think there were some other dishes, but I can't remember right now. The table was abundantly covered. We ate on the screened-in porch then later in the evening as it cooled down we headed back inside to the living room. It was a very enjoyable evening. We were able to get everything cleared last night and loaded in the dishwasher, so this morning I only need to wipe down the coffee table, run the vacuum over the carpets, and wipe down the bathroom counters and fixtures. The house is being shown at 12:00 pm today.

The couples that joined us for the evening are from RET. We discovered that five of us had ties to St. Louis. What a small world! We found that while we each are involved in very different professions (psychiatry, property management, legal) we each had something in common - aside from RET - that helped us to connect. Not to diminish RET's involvement in these connections, for not RET we probably never would have met so many of our great friends. However, it's just nice to know that these kind and caring folks reside right here in the Knoxville area. I will miss them all very much.

Temp Job

It figures that the first day of a temp job, we get a call to show the house. Since I wasn't home I couldn't get it in tip-top shape. With 2 dogs and 2 cats that shed constantly I need to vacuum a lot more often than I care to. But, when trying to sell a house I'll vacuum twice a day if need be. Same with dusting the glass coffee table, wiping down counters, etc. Hopefully the potential buyers were able to look beyond the mess.

Who am I to argue with God?

5 Days

The house has been on the market for 5 days and shown twice to the same person. Today (day 5) she put in an offer for our asking price! We of course accepted. We hope everything else goes as smoothly. Hopefully she does not encounter the same financial lending woes that we faced just 5 months ago. But, just to be on the safe side, we're having an open house on Sunday, April 30th. I hope soon we get to see this in our yard:

Round 2

They're coming back! The folks that looked at the place last night are coming by again to check it out this evening. I'm so excited. Just trying to keep a level head and realistic expectations. I hope they LOVE the house, want the house, must have the house. Maybe they want our keys? Yippie, I hope to be in escrow soon. So much for realistic expectations!

An Hour and A Half!

Today our house was being shown at 5:00 pm. We left at 4:30 to grab a very late lunch/early dinner. We were busy all day preparing the house. We bought more quarter-round trim at Home Deport for the guest room because the day before we laid a new wood floor and did not have enough trim to finish the job. Several attempts at obtaining and installing the threshold for the doorway and we still haven't been successful, so tomorrow we'll embark anew on that. Returned the guest room furniture from its temporary holding place in the garage. Ironed the pillow shams and bedside table cloth. We also steam cleaned the carpets; cleaned the oven, windows, and mirrors; measured, cut and painted a chair rail for the master bathroom; and... more but heck if I can remember.

All the effort was hopefully worth it because at 6:00 pm when we headed home we noticed a car parked out front so we went to Wal-Mart for Oxy-Clean to get some stains out of the carpet that the steam cleaner wasn't able to lift. We returned at 6:30 and the car was still here! We hid on a side street and waited.

An hour and a half, that's gotta be good - right? Why else would the hang around that long? Cross your fingers for us, hopefully they loved it! I hope all our home showings take that long.

Don't let this slip by, be there on 4/25/06!

Wash away your sins at Wal-Mart

On one of the holiest of Holy Days, Good Friday, I went to God's Land (a.k.a. Wal-Mart) to purchase a few sundry items. I was fortunate to witness first hand one of God's miracles in action. As I walking toward the doors of salvation I was almost run down by a disabled woman. I could tell she was differently-abled because of her license plate. I realize it is very rude of me to expect a blind driver to not run me over. Good thing our Wal-Mart has Confessionals (a.k.a. dressing rooms) whereupon I immediately went to ask for forgiveness for the slew of #$!#^%%! expletives that spewed forth from my naughty mouth during my near-death experience. Fortunately one only needs to tithe a minimum of a $10 bucks for full forgiveness. But, I bumped it up to $23 and change just to be on the safe side.

First Scheduled Showing!

Our first scheduled showing is for 5:00 pm on Monday. I can't wait. The more potential buyers that the see place, the better our odds of selling it. I'm excited!

Apparently someone wanted to see it yesterday?! The place was only on the market for a few hours. This is fabulous. I don't know if the folks coming on Monday are the same as those wanting to look at it yesterday or not, but hey, who cares?! Someone at least wants to see the place. Yippie.

I've created a "Welcome Book" that contains basic information like:

• Appliance Page - includes manufacturer's names, model and serial numbers for all included appliances
• "Paint Chip Pages" - actual paint chips of the selected paint colors for every room, along with the formula for mixing the custom colors, and where we purchased the paint from
• Utilities, Etc. Page - names, phone numbers and basic information of the cable company, electric & gas company, trash service, water, etc.

I hope the future home owners find the book helpful and useful.

Welcome to Tennessee!

Happy Easter!

Got a Realtor

Today we signed with Gary Lawson to sell our home. He seems like a nice guy and is just what we're looking for in someone to promote our home to potential buyers. He has 10 years experience in the area. He is more of a "Seller's Agent" than a "Buyer's Agent" (which is what we wanted) and is very likeable. He thinks our house is perfect for first time home buyers (just like we were when we bought the place in Dec.!). Gary said there wasn't anything we needed to do to improve the place (yippie!), so hopefully we sell it FAST! Cross those fingers for us.

University of Phoenix (UOP)... good practice, but not the real thing

I have finally come to the conclusion I've been trying to avoid. Having to admit that 2 years worth studies, money, time, and effort will eventually be worthless as far as the ol' resume is concerned sucks. Erik (who teaches at UOP) and I (who have been a student) have compared notes for the past 2 years regarding students' performance, or rather lack therefore, and the institution's standards regarding the same. As UOP continues to relax its policies and requirements, students continue to perform at lower and lower levels.

My UOP GPA is 3.92 and my lowest grade thus far as has been an "A-". While I wish this were true I don't honestly believe I'm an "A" student. I do the reading, the work, and "participate" online, but how does that equate with earning an "A"? The course work isn't overly challenging and most teachers are abysmal at best (at least the ones I have had). I'm an average student at best. Maybe some "A's" but more likely "B's" and probably some "C's".

Student expectations continue to be lowered and thus I feel I have been raised to "A" status. I suppose in comparison to some of the students I've been unfortunate to have in "class" I am A-class material. But I don't want an "A" simply because most of the others in class turn in such sub-standard work that mine seems to shine. This is absurd. That's not doing me or any of the UOP students any favors.

Today I read an article in the New York Times by Sam Dillon, Panel Considers Revamping College Aid and Accrediting. "Months after suggesting that standardized testing should be brought to colleges and universities, a higher education commission named by the Bush administration is examining proposals to change sharply how the nation's colleges are accredited and how federal student aid is administered" (emphasis added). I do not see how UOP won't eventually lose its accreditation!

Articles like these:
Panel's mission: Boost America's colleges, Members seek ways to measure quality and expand access

Colleges pushed to prove worth, Standardized testing at the university level?

Will Your Degree Have Value?

Diploma mills insert degree of fraud into job market

Accreditation

scare the bejesus out of me. So maybe UOP won't lose its accreditation today, next month or even next year... but at some point the "Degree Mill" will most likely be found out and my so-called degree will be worthless and my future employment opportunities could be jeopardized. I have thus decided that Financial Accounting II will be my last UOP class.

I'll live, work, and enjoy life in CA for at least a year then enroll at a California State university and pray that most of my credits transfer. To delay, what seems to me to be inevitable, just doesn't make any sense.

We did it!

The garage is neat and tidy, BOTH cars even fit inside - at the same time!!! Now if I have to go into the garage for something (take out the trash, grab an item from the car) I don't dread it. I can easily maneuver and find what I'm looking for.

The previous owner left 2 large peg-boards behind with hooks. I filled those babies right up with lawn implements, extension cords, and step ladders.

During this exciting excursion we discovered a couple of unpacked boxes from when we first moved here in Jan?! We quickly disposed of those items - either donating to goodwill, finding a new residence inside the house, or they'll go to E-Bay for RET once RET sets up an account.

We also set up shelving (that was originally piled about the floor) and now all the paint, joint compound, tools, and other related items are stored together neatly.

Erik's diving equipment and golf clubs still linger on, hoping to get some use some day... either way, it's just fun carting them around the country, collecting new spider webs in every local.

We also found a few empty boxes that we'll be able to put to good use when I start packing everything up. We'll need a ton more of boxes and packing material but fortunately MIL has offered to give us all of hers once she unpacks. Her belongings should arrive in TN in a week or two.

I guess our next big job will be to tackle the yard. The grass is a bit over grown in some areas and seems to have male-pattern baldness in others. Dandelions have also taken root, so I suppose I'll have to yank those suckers out. Good times. Unfortunately I'd rather clean and organize than do yard work. Yard work sucks, but gotta sell the house, thus we gotta make it presentable to the world of would-be-buyers.

Stampin'

Last night I stamped ten cards for up-coming events. Since we'll be hopefully moving in early to mid-June I needed cards for Mother's day, Father's day, friend's b-day, a thank you card, a congratulations card, and a blank card for any occasion. I figure in May I'll be busy packing and all my supplies will be boxed up. June I'll be busy unpacking, setting up the new place, looking for work, etc. so card making won't be on the agenda for a long while... sigh. Hopefully I can sneak one more card making session in before the packing begins.

Maybe the new place will have a room, a closet, somewhere I'll be able to keep all my supplies out and not have to put them away after each session. Right now that's not feasible. I stamp at my desk where I'm typically doing homework, blogging, etc. so I have to keep it neat and tidy. Then again, who am I kidding, even if I had a WHOLE room dedicated to my art projects I'd clean up after each session cause I'm such a neat freak. Hmmm, perhaps I can try to break that bad habit?

Cleaning out the garage

Well for weeks now I've been asking the hubby to help me clean out the garage. I figured I'd increase my odds of him saying "Yes, I'll help you clean the garage" if I gave him two options of which to select from.

First Attempt:
Me: "Hey honey, I thought it'd be fun to make our 2-car garage clean and clutter free so we can park both vehicles inside. So, want to help me accomplish this or would you rather have sex?"

His answer: "SEX!"

Second Attempt:
Me: "Hey honey, I thought it'd be fun to make our 2-car garage clean and clutter free so we can park both vehicles inside. So, want to help me accomplish this or would you rather have a root canal?"

His answer: "ROOT CANAL!"

Third Attempt:
Me: "Hey honey, I thought it'd be fun to make our 2-car garage clean and clutter free so we can park both vehicles inside. So, want to help me accomplish this or would you rather bang on the drum all day?"

His answer: "BANG ON THE DRUM ALL DAY!"



Last Attempt:
Me: "Hey honey, I thought it'd be fun to make our 2-car garage clean and clutter free so we can park both vehicles inside. So, want to help me accomplish this or would you rather have death?"

His answer: "DEATH BY SEX, IN THE GARAGE, WHILE THE DENTIST BANGS ON THE DRUM ALL DAY!"

Why did you do it?

Dear Magic Eight Ball,

Why did you lie to me? Why? I don't think I can ever forgive you.

Q: Was it because you don't think I can handle the truth?
A: Yes

Q: Was it because if I had won the lotto I'd purchase silly things like a tiara?
A: Yes

Q: Is every answer going to be "Yes"?
A: It is decidedly so

Q: Would you like to be submerged beneath boiling tar for eight minutes?
A: Outlook good

Q: You're a pretty stupid little ball, aren't you?
A: It is certain

Q: So, I should toss you in the trash?
A: You may rely on it

Q: I should make my own decisions?
A: Most likely

Anyone want a slightly used, tar covered magic eight ball?

Teacher Teacher

Erik's teaching Torts to the students in the Paralegal Certificate program at UT. I'm so proud of him. It's fun to watch him prepare for his classes. He puts in a lot of effort into each session. He creates interesting hypos for the students, develops lesson plans/handouts, and my favorite... he talks to himself in the shower! I'll be putting clothes away or making the bed and wondering what on earth is that man chattering about in there? It's hard to hear what he's saying but every now and then I make out a word or two. Of course I always ask, "Who were you talking to in there?" I keep expecting him to say something like, "Giada, I'm just going over the menu for when she caters my b-day." But no, instead it's usually, "I was going over my lecture for tonight's class." Oh really? Heck, does it even matter? As long as the man is happy, I'm happy. Talk away shower boy, enjoy!

Gator on the loose in LA

Anthony Brewer, 36, of Los Angeles, was ordered to complete 45 days of work for the California Department of Transportation. It is illegal under California law to keep alligators as private pets.

I can't help but wonder if Mr. Brewer is a TN native.

Also, I wonder when SciFi will make this into a movie of the week!

The Magic Eight Ball Lied

We didn't win the lotto?! I can't believe the magic eight ball lied. I don't like the magic eight ball anymore. Bad magic eight ball, bad.

Magic Eight Ball

The Magic Eight Ball is NEVER wrong! Tonight the hubby and I asked the Magic Eight Ball some very important questions:

Q: Should I make bacon boots for the dogs? (Becky)
A: Very doubtful

Q: Will our house be sold by June 30, 2006? (Erik)
A: It is certain

Q: Will I earn an "A" in Financial Accounting II? (Becky)
A: Yes

Q: Will Giada De Laurentiis cater my birthday? (Erik)
A: Reply hazy, try again

Q: Will I find interesting and rewarding work before moving to CA? (Becky)
A: My sources say no

Q: Will Quebec secede from Canada? (Erik)
A: Ask again later

Q: Will we win the lotto on 4/5/06? (Becky)
A: As I see it yes

Hell, no need to ask any more questions!

My Best Friend

Last night the hubby and I were working hard at our computers till we thankfully received a call alerting us to the fact that some nasty weather was coming our way. I shut down my computer and headed to the TV. Erik brought the laptop with him and checked out the weather online.

As we got settled in the wind picked up, rain slammed down, and hail pinged off everything it hit. It was very loud, but the critters could have cared less (which I'm grateful for!).

So, we sat in bed most of the evening watching the weather reports and playing Flip Words together. Then, it seems as quickly as the storms came, they left. But a few hours later it started all over again!

I'm glad the weather turned as it did because it brought me closer to my best friend. We had so much fun trying to come up with six-letter words and trying to guess the phrase before our turns ran out - that and watching "Sexy Quincy" as Erik likes to call it (Crossing Jordan) was entertaining, predictable, but entertaining all the same. A much better evening than doing just homework.