Google Chrome Follow-Up/Review

I figured it was about time to get this post up... I've been taking notes while using Chrome; so far, here is what I've come up with.

I think they are making improvements daily, because the built in spell check didn't work for me at first and now it's working perfectly (knock on wood!)

All in all I think it's pretty dope.  The speed alone is worth any sacrifice you feel you are making.  For example; I was a huge user of the Google Toolbar (I have the hardest time saying that Google Toolbar- say it 5 times fast!) and Chrome doesn't allow for that to be installed yet; It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for the speed!  So now I'm starting to wonder if the Google Toolbar is even necessary!?

Chrome, once you download it, imports all your favorites/bookmarks for you and it also will import all your saved passwords, from whatever default browser you are using!
I've noticed a few other things that I wouldn't call Cons, per se - but some things that might be frustrating to some.  First, if you use Hotmail, upon signing in it tells you that some features may not work and suggests you use FireFox, IE, or some other browser - you actually have to click to get past that, it's an extra step that would make me impatient if I were still a Hotmail user.

A few little things that aren't really a big deal, just take some getting used to:

• Some websites have small fonts - I've only noticed this on eBay thus far - but if you have bad eyes it would suck
• I have yet to find a pop-out for an easy organization of bookmarks - thought it can be done using the folder; I would say it's not the most 'user-friendly' process
• When using tabs (which I love and do often) it closes every tab if you close the window - Firefox had an option to be notified when you are closing more than one tab (I often forget that I have more than one open and it sucks when I close something I didn't want to).
  

I tried to post a blog on myspace and became very frustrated by the fact that I didn't have format (Font, size, etc.) options, and it didn't register my returns or hard returns when publishing.  I had to copy/paste and publish using a different browser.

The OmniBar (formally known to most as an Address Bar) in Chrome can be used as a place to enter your URL or used as a search bar (that eliminates the need for the search box on the Google Toolbar) - which I think is a pretty dope feature and I find myself using that quite a bit!  It obviously uses Google as the search engine :)
There also is no title bar, which provides a bit more room to view websites!

So, as I said, I think it's dope.  There are some things that I've had to adjust to (and I'm not big on change), but it's been pretty easy.  After only using it for a few weeks, I think I will continue to use it.
If anything I think the only downfall is that not all websites are fully functional in supporting Chrome (which is still in BETA form).  Most new things, be it software, electronics, etc., have bugs and need to make small adjustments as things are realized and they receive feedback from users.

This is just my opinion on Google Chrome.  Is there anyone out there using it?  I'm curious to hear what other people have to say :) Post a comment and let me know!

I found a couple of sites that I would like to share, if you are on the fence about Chrome these may provide you will some information to help you make the change:
The Power Users Guide To Google Chrome
There is even a FORUM!! (I'm beside myself with excitement over this!!)
Official Google Blog

Star Wars: Episode VI and Episode I

I watched 2 Star Wars Movies this weekend; Episode VI: Return of The Jedi and Episode I: The Phantom Menace


Being that I'm doing 2 movies here, I'm going to try and keep this short.
Let me be honest right off the bat; I was taking pulls straight from the (wine) bottle each night... that is not uncommon.  I was also surrounded by people who were chatting/giggling, pretty much the entire time.

Friday night we watched Return of The Jedi.
I was disappointed with the fact that Jabba the Hutt was killed so easily and quickly.  I always thought he played a larger role in these movies.
As Luke goes to see Yoda again, I think Yoda is just laying down to go to sleep... turns out he dies!  I don't get how he can be 800 years old, but not make it to 801.
It never crossed my mind that Luke and Leia could be related.. but then again, I'm not sure how well I've been following the stories here.
Ewoks are strange little things, but their babies are fricken ADORABLE!
The end, at the party, it was brought to my attention that in the original movie the ghost of Anakin used to be an older man but was changed when they were making the newer films; my friends didn't seem too happy about this.
I liked this movie; I followed it, it made sense, it ended.

Saturday night we watched The Phantom Menace.  Things from this night are a little blurry... I still have the movie and may watch it again as I got bored, tipsy, and stopped paying attention towards the end.
First let me say that I like Jar Jar Binks - I'd rather have dinner with him than Chewbacca!  Although he is kind of annoying, at least I can understand him and he's a lot better looking ;)
Just before starting to write this I went and read the synopsis to see how much I actually remembered; not a whole lot.  I pretty much stopped follow the story after the podrace.  I picked up on a few things here and there as we continued to watch... but it's all confusing.
There is no point in even talking about any of it... just a big ball of confusion. Although I do know that Anakin has more metaclorines in his blood than Yoda does!!  How's that for impressive?

anyhow, I shall leave you with these final words:
May the Force be with you...

OvErHeArD

So, I was checking out a blog of a friend of a friend (remember when I first signed up for this blog I mentioned there is a whole community involved with it?) - Her name is Dana and I was looking at this blog specifically.

She talks about a website called Overheard.  It caught my eye and I decided to spend some time there.  I highly suggest you take a few minutes and make a stop there... if you have any bit of a sense of humor you will truly appreciate this site!  There are many different sites for different locations; I was at Overheard in the Office for quite some time as well.

These are actual conversations people have had and someone has overheard... anyone can post, so keep it in mind next time you overhear some random hilarity.

Here is an example of one that made me laugh pretty hard:

Boss: I think I'm going to start keeping a supply of Bailey's in my desk to mix with my coffee to make the day more bearable.

Surprised secretary: Seriously?
Boss: Not really, but it would be awesome.
Secretary: I guess it would make it better.
Boss: Like two cups...then you would be set for the day. And plus, your tolerance would be higher preparing you for the weekend. It's two birds with one stone.
Secretary: Wanna go at lunch?

Q: What does St. Paul have that Minneapolis Doesn't?

A: A great city across the river!

Today I woke up planning on taking some pictures... I woke up, drank some coffee, got ready, and headed on down to the great city of Minneapolis.  I've been wanting to do this for a long time, but being the 35W bridge had just re-opened I figured now was as good a time as any.  What a beautiful day it was!

I have this strange thing about me; I love to take pictures but I don't jump at the chance to show them off to people.  I will generally post a few on myspace, but usually take them off within a week or so.  I know... it's stupid, but they are mine and for whatever reason, they are personal to me.  If you ever receive something in a frame that I have taken... feel special - I don't do that for many.

Today I came home with some of the most beautiful pictures I've taken in a long time (hell, I haven't taken any in a long time!)  I want to share my day with you, through pictures and some story.  This may get long, but it will be filled with pictures, so it's all good!

First I get downtown and start my day at a place I mentioned a few blogs ago; Gold Medal Park.  

Here is what I have to offer of the place:

That's the new Guthrie Theater in the background, along with the old Gold Medal Flour plant.

Here is a picture of the Guthrie; I love the way this building looks and the way it makes the city look.

I was hoping to be able to get a picture of the new bridge from this general area, no such luck.  I decided to drive over to the other side of 35W where there is a parking lot I know about.  Here is a picture of the traffic on the bridge, stay turned for a picture of the side of it later in my day :)

Notice the 3 little things sticking up in the center there?  There are 3 on each side of the bridge, at night they are lit up in blue - from what I understand they are there to symbolize the river below.  Pretty stuff at night :)

From this same parking lot I came out with some absolutely beautiful pictures of downtown; here is one:

As I was getting back to my car, Pam called me and asked if I wanted to meet up for lunch.  She was in St. Paul and could be to me in about 15-20 minutes.  So she mentioned this little polish deli (Kramarczuk Deli)  that she'd been wanting to try and we met there (Kristi, you should review this place for your Restaurant Blog - good stuff)

Pam said she was down to join me in my walking and picture taking, so we walked down by the Hennepin Ave. Bridge (I have a thing for bridges as well).  I wanted to get a picture of the Grain Belt sign as well; here are a few from that area:

and one of Pam and I, self portrait of course!

During our walking and talking, Pam mentioned to me that you can go inside the Guthrie Theater and walk out on to the long arm part (as you can see in the picture above) - so we decided to go back over that way and do that.  Pam had done it before, I had not.  A few pictures I took from up there:

The Stone Arch Bridge

This is Gold Medal Park, from up high

This is the new 35W Bridge

This is the craziest picture I have ever taken!  As you are walking out in the Guthrie they have small little windows you can look out, most of them have mirror or some reflective stuff around them - I took this from out one of those windows - it was so trippy!

A spider web out one of the windows

 

a couple of just me (thanks to Pam for being my photographer)

 

Another self portrait :)

Once Pam and I parted ways I stopped one more spot on my way home - this sign is one of my favorite things in Minneapolis (it also happens to be my favorite beer!)

I have a ton more pictures, but this is all you get!  As always, click on any of the pictures to see a larger image.

All in all it was a successful day, lots of good pictures!  I also had my 35mm camera with me, so I'm quite anxious to take those in and see how they turned out (ugh, film!)

I'm off to watch another Star Wars now...  :)

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Two down, Four (I think) to go.  

I watched Episode V this past weekend and left feeling pretty confused.  Not so much the actual story, but the places and people were mixing in my mind.  As I sat here preparing to write - I decided I should read a quick page to refresh my memory and maybe understand a little bit better.  The problem I kept having when trying to think about the plot was the damn movie Space Balls; we watched Space Balls right after Episode V.  Jeff and Steve thought I was ready for it.  I think it was a bad idea for the simple fact that I had a hard time remembering which things happened in which movie.  Didn't help that I was drinking wine and extremely tired during both movies.  

After reading the recap, I'm a little bit more confused by the people and places, but definitely understand the story better.  They sure do jump around a lot in those movies... one ship to another, one world to another - I don't expect that anyone reading this is a huge ... ummm... Star Wars follower (is there a name for Star Wars geeks?  Like Trekies or whatever?) but I would be curious if there is a website with a very simple child like explanation of the worlds and places within these movies.  I'm just lost by it all.  I'm also having trouble remembering what all the people are called and which side they belong to.  I know the dudes in White are on the dark side (right?) - couldn't tell you what they are called though.  The thing that I notice is that generally when the not-so-main characters are on screen they are also on screen with a leading man/woman and I can tell if they are good or bad.  I'll get there eventually.

I was also introduced to Jedi Master, Yoda, in this movie.  What a creepy little dude that is!  I fully understand that he speaks backwards and I can completely put it together to understand what he is saying when he does it... HOWEVER, I cannot understand what he is saying when he talks!  It's like he is drunk and mumbling; I get like every 4 words and have to try to make sense of it myself.  Strange thing is I understand every word when he talks backwards.

(I'll tell ya one thing... this give whole new meaning and an absolute understanding to the words "Jedi Janie"!!!! ...and people wonder why I watch Big Brother)

My last thoughts on this movie; I was absolutely disappointed by the build up of "I am your father" my entire life... only to be let-down when actually seeing it for the first time.  The lack of emotion, the lack of shock... I always visualized that scene to be huge and emotional - I felt nothing but disappointment.  Maybe it was Tommy Boy that built it up so much for me...

oh... I still hate Chewbacca and his annoying cries and R2-D2 and I are falling in love. :)

All of this being said, I am sticking to my plan and I will continue to watch all of the Star Wars movies.  I have the next at my house right now.  You can expect another confused blog soon, I'm sure.  

I am enjoying them; I just think I'll need to watch them all again eventually.

35W Bridge Set to Re-Open

Just over 13 months after the collapse, the 35W Bridge is set to re-open to traffic this Thursday!
It still gives me chills to think about. That bridge had been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Now it will be new and safe - for at least the next 100 years.

Further down in the article you will read about the Victims Memorial which, for those not familiar with the area, will be just a few blocks away from where the bridge stands, at Gold Medal Park. Quite a beautiful location, if you ask me.

The opening is creating quite a stir amongst locals - the fact that it's nothing spectacular in way of design and the lack of panoply over the re-opening. It's understandable, I suppose. I say, let it open and get the city traffic flowing again!

Anyhow- Just wanted to post the update for those not in the area and for those who don't follow the news!

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope

As I sit here, on my unwanted day off, just having finished watching my first ever 2 hours and 5 minutes of any Star Wars movie... I'm kind of blown away!  

Thats the thing I love about this blog... I can begin writing, save it, and post it anytime I want...

After I got home from the doctor I debated going into work.. but then I decided it wasn't worth it to drive 45 minutes there, work for 3 hours, and drive 45 minutes back.  This injury has made it very uncomfortable to drive and sit in a car.

I thought I should finally get around to watching this Star Wars movie.  Little known fact about me: I've never seen any of the Star Wars flicks... and according to some of the highly respected people I know, that makes me un-American.  I hadn't watched any Indiana Jones movie until this summer.  There are a few others that I need to see to become a real American... or so they say.

I honestly don't even know what to say about the movie (Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope).  I'm quite honestly anxious to continue watching them to see where this goes.  I don't feel a super strong bond with any of the characters - though I do have some opinions.  My biggest annoyance is that damn furry thing... Chewbacca... the noise that comes out of that thing is enough to make you want to turn the movie off.  I did like the little droids though... oh, look at me using movie terms!  My heart actually dropped when R2-D2 was destroyed... I just wish I could understand him - I have faith he will be back though ;)

I felt a certain pressure to understand and become fully knowledgeable on the workings of the places in the movie.. but after watching for a bit I decided that it just wasn't necessary and I should sit back, watch, and either enjoy or hate the movie.  I think it helps that I've had 26 years listening to people talk about Star Wars, so I felt somewhat familiar with the names, places, and things mentioned.

I don't know that I can say I loved it, but I definitely didn't hate it.  I have the next episode (Star Wars: Episode V: Empire Strikes Back) sitting at my house now, hopefully I will get that watched this weekend.  I'm going to try and take it easy for a week or so, in hopes to heal myself a bit, it will give me good opportunity to watch a few movies :).  

I'll post again after I watch the next one... 

... May the Force Be With You.

Ribs Have Muscles Too...

Ok, so here is my story (and yes, I'm sticking to it)

On Sunday night I had a friend over... I was giving him a hug and I felt like my back could crack, so I told him to squeeze and see if he could crack it. For those who don't know, I crack my back on the regular along with almost every other crackable part of my body. Back to the hug... he squeezes, there is a pop. I felt it in my ribs, but thought it was our ribs shifting against each other, on the outside... he thought he cracked my back (right?).
It didn't hurt right away, but I started to feel some pain by the time I went to bed. All day Monday at work it hurt bad, mostly when I would laugh or cough. I called the doctor to talk to someone about it... basically I didn't want to waste my time and money going there only to have them tell me there is nothing they can do for me; that is what they tell people with broken ribs, fractured ribs, bruised ribs, etc. Those things have to heal on their own, basically. So she tells me there a couple reasons to come in: a) to have it documented b) in case there is a break or fracture, they want to make sure it doesn't have potential to hurt or damage my lung - good enough reasons for me.
I figured I would wait it out another day, and make an appointment for after work Tuesday.

Tuesday morning I am getting ready for work and I coughed, all of the sudden there was this super intense SHARP pain in my ribs and it dropped me to the ground. I take a deep breath, get up and make my way to the bathroom to finish getting ready. As I'm in the bathroom, still a bit shook up from the pain, trying to put my hair up I start to get light headed. I've had experiences like this in the past; light headed, short of breath, weak - only a few times, all surrounded by the fact that I have a weak stomach.
This time was no different, all the symptoms are there... so I attempt to make my way to the couch to lay down, crawling because I'm too weak to walk, well I didn't make it to the couch and ended up laying on my floor trying to catch my breath. I finally make it to my bed and, still short of breath, call Jayne to tell her I wouldn't be car pooling and I wasn't sure if I'd make it to work at all as I was going to try and get in to be seen. She, obviously, understood.

Fast forward to my trip to the doctor - I have X-Rays taken and tell my stupid story to about 3 people. The doctor comes in after looking at the X-rays and tells me she didn't see any crack, fracture or break in any of my ribs but that the expert would take a look and may see something different.
So, what's wrong with me then?!
Because my vitals are normal and my lungs sound normal she thinks I pulled a Intercostal Muscle, which can hurt as bad as a broken rib and can take several weeks to heal! At least she doesn't think there is a break, which is good and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it holds true after hearing the second opinion.
My next question was what about the sharp pain this morning? She said that once a muscle is pulled it can spasm at any time without warning. The spasm can and most likely will return upon sneezing, coughing, and in my case most likely laughing also.
I've been instructed to take an anti-inflammatory twice a day and to try and take it easy for the next couple weeks.

ugh.

That's about all I've got for you today folks.

One last note, completely separate from my ribs, I have a friend who needs prayers. She just found out there is a malformation in her sons brain; they are not saying tumor or cancer... but she has to wait a month before he can be seen by a neurosurgeon - she and her son are amazing people who have been though a lot in their lives. Her name is Terri, she is the woman I knitted the pink bag for and she also walks the Breast Cancer 3-day in Phoenix. She is a great person and deserves only good thing to happen to her. She and Nate (her son) need your prayers. Please.
Ter, hang in there... keep your head up... you are loved and in the thoughts and prayers of many!

Google Chrome

Google has launched their own Internet Browser- how exciting is that?!  Google Chrome; it's WICKED fast!
I'm planning a post once I use it for awhile so stay tuned for that.

Is anyone using it yet?  I'd be curious to know your thoughts so far, likes/dislikes, etc.

Incognito mode seems pretty dope if you are tracked at work!
The Google Toolbar is not yet available for Chrome (which is the biggest adjustment for me because I live off that thing!).

Stay Tuned... a review will be posted this month.

Oh yeah.. and I've added this widget to my blog (Followers er something like that) - I have no idea how it works and really what it is... but become a follower of my blog and lets test this bitch out!  There should be a box on the right side of the blog... find it.

Daddy's Little Girl...

As I approach my late 20's (eek!) I find that life is short. I have no idea where this summer has gone and I'm not sure why it's already getting cold (that's an entirely different blog). Thinking too much has never been good for me...

I went to lunch with my dad today. It's a really easy thing for us to do, obviously, but I mean it's easy in the fact that I have every Friday off and generally don't do much during the day because everyone is working. I could make it happen more and I should.
I love my dad, with all of my heart!

The reason I set up this lunch was actually in spite of my mother and the dumb ass games she plays. Some of you know the details behind my mother and father and for those who don't, simply put; they were married (happily) for 23 years and have now been divorced for 7, not together for 8. I still remember the day clearly. Divorce is no easier on an 19 year old than it is on an 8 year old.
I've been struggling in the past year and a half with the decisions my father has been making. I know I can't do anything about it and I don't wish to control him, I do worry about him though... a lot. Without getting into too much detail, his wife is an alcoholic. I worry about him in that situation and I have taken a stand to not go up to his house until some issues are addressed.

So the other night my mom lets me read this email chain between her and my dad... started by her. In that first email she adds at least 3 little sarcastic jabs at him and is surprised when he gets angry with her. My fuse was already short that day, so I went off and pointed out (not very nicely) that she knows damn well that her comments would piss him off and that she intentionally added them to piss him off. She thinks she is helping but she is doing the exact opposite and putting me in the middle of it, which is a place I do not want to be.
So I, in full tears, run downstairs and cry out my anger. Then I decide that I only have one dad and my life isn't getting any longer. So I call my dad and bitch with him for a few minutes about the games and tell him that I understand and I'm sorry she said those things. We set up plans for lunch, say 'I love you' to each other, and hang up.

I harbor negative feelings for both of my parents through the entire divorce, but the one thing that I have continued to tell myself daily is that if I want to have them in my life I cannot act on or let those feelings and emotions surface. Sometimes, because I am human, I lose focus.

I've completely lost my train of thought in where this blog was going...
I love my dad and I will always be a daddy's girl, I think I need to put my negative feelings aside and go up to his place more... maybe I will learn that things are not as bad as I think.
Having him in my life is something I need and I am the one making it less than what it could be.

Breast Cancer Site...

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2
This is not the first time I've posted this link asking you to click. Do I really have to give the entire speech again?
Follow the link, click the pink button.. help someone in need. You can do it in your underwear if you want!!
Free Mammograms for women in need... can you live with yourself if you don't do it?
They are trying to reach a goal again this month... so please, click DAILY!!!

Thank you for your time.
-Ang

Random - Vol. 8.14

I've been hit with the most depressing news today.  I'm going to make this story quick... Once upon a time I grabbed a bottle of Snapple out of a cooler.. somewhere.  I absolutely fell in love with it's contents - Kiwi Teawi was the flavor; simply amazing.
Since then I have had one hell of a time finding it again, and I've looked hard for it (even online).  I made it my goal every time I traveled to stop many places in hopes to find it (I did find it once in San Fran).  I went on to google today, to see if it popped up somewhere new to order online... I found this.  I now have an email in to Snapple asking them to confirm.. though I do believe it's true because Kiwi Teawi is no longer listed on their website as a product.  I could just die.  My search must end now... what fun with it be to travel anymore?  What is the point of living?

How was everyone's long weekend?  I babysat Jordan on Saturday; I know I say it every time I write about her, but I love that little girl!  She is so much fun... you can find a picture posted on both myspace and facebook.  I hope to get more posted by weeks end, on myspace most likely.

I forgot to bring food for lunch today, so I went to Finish Line Cafe here in good ol' Princeton, MN. I had a patty melt... I ate it all... I feel like puking.

Speaking of food.. I am a huge fan of breakfast food.  The breakfast sandwich is my favorite thing to make at home, but I always find it's so hard because generally I don't just have the perfect meat thawed in the refrigerator, so I opt for the eggs, toast, and whatever else I come up with.  Recently I had a thought... Since I don't keep bacon or sausage in fridge, is there anything I do keep in there that could be put on a breakfast sandwich?  Now.. hear me out before you say eeeeewwww.  I find bologna; I have absolutely no shame in admitting that I eat bologna sandwiches.  So... how to make the breakfast sandwich more than just a bologna sandwich?  Fried bologna, of course!  I fry an egg and grab a slice of cheese and pile them all on a bagel!  YUM-O!  Don't knock it 'til you try it...
just sayin'...

A few closing notes: I would give anything to have an office with walls!

The Office Season 4 comes out on DVD today... I plan to buy it and watch them all before the Season 5 premiere on September 25th.

word bitches.

just cause...

It's not often that I blog twice in a day, but all of the sudden I'm feeling out of control.

I want to get my message across but don't want to be that girl and freak out about this stuff. Forgive me if it doesn't make sense. I'm writing in hopes to calm myself down.
There has been this situation lately... one that I've grown emotionally invested in. It's becoming painfully clear to me that I shouldn't have invested any emotion in it at all. I don't understand why. Communication is simple... guess not for everyone. I'm done.


THEN... after I've been dealing with this for a few days, I come to find out that a friend of mine has chosen to associate himself with people who have hurt and betrayed him in the past.
I know one person reading this will know exactly who I am talking about.
Fucking myspace... I actually check out my friends profiles every once in awhile - I go to one tonight, to see what, if anything, is new, and maybe leave a comment saying hi. Unfortunately for me I read another comment and feel the need to do some investigating. Come to find out not only is he associating with these people, he is back with them on the regular?!
I understand history, I understand forgiving and forgetting, I even understand the benefit of the doubt... but I was there for the entire depression he suffered because of these people. Our (at the time) new friendship couldn't develop as it should have because of what he was going through.
I'm all for people making decisions for themselves, and who am I to tell someone how to live their life? Especially when we aren't even that close anymore...
I'm scared for him. I don't want it to happen again, not to him.
I guess I'm also pissed that I had to find the news via myspace and not him.

I'm not a fan and, friend or not, I don't think I can be.

Random - Vol. 8.13

Is it possible to write a 'quick blog'? That's my goal.

First and foremost, I forgot my phone at home today. I meet Jayne in the parking lot of my gym on days we ride together... she was running behind this morning, so I thought better pull out my phone in case she tries calling, only to search my entire purse and find nothing! Panic instantly set in...
I'm going to clean my grandmas appt tonight after work... and I'm still debating if I need to stop home and get it before I go, or if I can make it a whole 14 hours without my phone.
This is going to be interesting. ... makes me feel pretty lame.

Jayne and I stopped at Sonic this morning for breakfast, that helped me forget about the phone thing for about 20 minutes. Nothing like a HUGE Cherry Limeade to get you going in the am!

Work is getting nuts-o crazy... ugh!

I started watching the series Weeds last night, from Season 1 by way of Netflix. I'm uber curious to know if anyone out there has watched this show. I think I got 2.5 episodes under my belt and I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it! It is so up my alley and honestly makes me drool :)
I'll be writing more about this show if I continue to watch it, which I'm sure I will.

Is everyone looking forward to the long weekend?  Big plans?!

There were a few other things I wanted to touch on this morning... but I can't remember them.
I'll leave you with this:

This is a picture of me from Jen's wedding - I found it tagged on facebook this morning. Curious what I'm doing?

I am painting toenails!

Michelle's toes looked ghetto, so she had the polish and I offered to hook her up - what a friend :) Do you know anyone who would paint your toenails outside at a wedding reception (besides me)? I also painted Amanda's toenails outside of my car before we went in....

BTW- for those working with me on this change from myspace blogging - I wanted to let you know, you can click on any of the pictures in my blogs and it will blow them up super big for you {in case you have bad eyes ;)}

Hey Jealousy

jeal·ous [jel-uhs] –adjective

1. feeling resentment against someone because of that person's rivalry, success, or advantages (often fol. by of): He was jealous of his rich brother.

2. feeling resentment because of another's success, advantage, etc. (often fol. by of): He was jealous of his brother's wealth.

3. characterized by or proceeding from suspicious fears or envious resentment: a jealous rage; jealous intrigues.

4. inclined to or troubled by suspicions or fears of rivalry, unfaithfulness, etc., as in love or aims: a jealous husband.

I've always know myself to be a jealous person.  The older I get and the more I learn about life and those pesky life lessons, the more I think I need to figure out how to overcome my jealousy.  I'm aware that it's there... and I think that is the first step. 

I've been battling with this for a long time, always with the intent of changing.

 

Today I was overwhelmed by this feeling... I was on Facebook looking through the "People You Might Know" feature (which is where Facebook points out people that are friends with your friends or went to the same school as you, etc. that you may know; it's actually a pretty handy feature), I came across a name I remembered from a long time ago.

A female, someone who used to be close to a guy I was dating... I was always jealous of their relationship (even thought he assured me it was strictly a friendship), it just never sat right with me.  I've always hated her, because of that.

I looked at her profile, and noticed she is engaged.  I'm not even close to being with this guy anymore, we are still friends, but that is where it ends... I found myself still having these feelings of jealousy!  She is getting married, I'm not in a relationship with him... so what the hell is the matter with me?

 

I think I've come a long way in getting over the jealousy thing, in all aspects of my life.  I used to be a lot worse... now, I am at least (mostly) able to hide it.

There are tons of websites out there that offer ways to get over jealousy.  I'm not sure reading a website will help though... I think it's just one of those things you have to realize and make small steps with time.  That's my plan at least... small steps with time. 

 

Growing up is such an interesting experience!

Conquering Fears One STEP at a Time...

This weekend I went up to McGregor, MN to a cabin. The Johnson's cabin... let me give you a brief back story on how I know these people; Tom and Nancy Johnson used to live across the street from us when we live NE Mpls. They have 4 boys: Tony, Nick, Mark, and Jeff. Nick went to school with my brother and Mark went to school with me. One of my best girlfriends, Pam, has dated Nick for ... ... a lot of years and Mark and I are good buddies.
So... the plan for the cabin was to be Tom, Nancy, Nick, Mark, Pam, and myself. Nick and Pam went up Thursday afternoon, and Mark came to pick me up Thursday evening.

I went into the weekend assuming it was going to be a drunk wild blur... but it was one of the most relaxing weekends I've had in a long time! We really didn't do much all weekend, but there are some pictures I would like to share and a story worth remembering.

Pam had told me about this Ranger Tower that we could climb... I had no idea what that meant, but I figured I could muster up the courage to do it. For those that don't know, I have a semi-large fear of heights. It's the looking down thing that gets me... not so much looking out. In my years I have branched out and tried to overcome it; mind over matter (MOM) is what I always say. I've been up in the Sears Tower (Chicago), Hancock Center (Chicago), Top of the Stratosphere (Las Vegas), Top of The Rock (NYC), and on top of all that I have been skydiving! After it all, I still lose myself when I'm faced with the uncomfortable situation, though I always fully embrace it.

As we are driving to said Ranger Tower I have no idea what to expect... we park, we walk a little bit up some stairs and finally I see it...

YIKES!

So, there are several stairs... and some platforms... I decided to take a picture of Mark and myself before the hike up... just in case we didn't make it back down

After we start to walk the stairs ... it gets windier the higher up we get... and the whole thing starts to shake. This is a ballsy mission I'm on. I finally make it up to the top. Proof:

notice the death grip on my purse?

A few more shots from atop:

The Lake we were staying on (Lake Minnewawa)

Group Shot from atop

A couple looking down...

So... walking back down was the hardest part... my legs were shaking so bad I felt like I had tripled my workout in a matter of 5 minutes. UGH! Not fun. I did it though... and that's the point.

A few more pics from the weekend:

The pop-up trailer Pam and I slept in.

The small little motor-bike that ruined my nap

Casey painting my nails... cause everyone else was so crabby!

Casually cock-tailing...

Notice how in most of these pictures I am wearing my hoodie? We didn't have the best weather over the weekend, so cold in fact that we turned on the heat in the trailer, so most of our time was spent indoors or at least in my hoodie.

I'll be posting a few more pictures on myspace, if you are interested.

I had an awesome weekend. It's always nice to get away and enjoy the great outdoors. There is something about being able to wake up and take your morning coffee out on the deck and lose yourself in the beauty of the water and nature as a whole.

That's all I have to say for tonight... hope you enjoyed :)

Migraine Wars; I have yet to win.

I don't really have a whole lot to say today.

I want to write about my migraine this weekend, just so I can have some sort of blog history of these stupid things.
It started on Thursday night, I was at home working on a banner for this blog and burning CDs. All of the sudden my vision started to go blurry in my right eye, I was instantly flashed back to last June when I had my first migraine. I knew what was coming next. So as I still can't fully see out of that eye, my right arm starts to go numb, from my fingertips and slowly working upwards. Then, right side of my face goes numb, including my tongue (which was a flash back of the dentist the other week). Anyhow, I never got the full blown migraine headache, but my head was very sore all of the sudden. I woke up Friday morning and felt just ok... very groggy but ok. Then I learned as my day went on that coughing, laughing, sneezing, and bending over all hurt like a mo-fo. Those are pretty typical things for me the day after a migraine, my head always gets extra sore the next day. Anyhow, I had dinner plans on Friday and I didn't really want to be dealing with this, so I decided a nap was in order (which ended up being 2 hours) and as I got ready I decided I need to take some of my medication, so that my night should not have any problems. As it turns out I should have read the bottle before I took those pills and went cock-tailing - I was wasted from an amount of alcohol that normally would barely give me a buzz, and I mean WASTED!
I probably should have made it a point to get some good sleep that night, but the other option was just too much fun to pass up, so I ended up getting roughly about 4.5 hours of sleep. I woke up with a throbbing head, wasn't sure if it was from the alcohol or the migraine still.
My weekend was very full and I really couldn't and didn't want to bail on any of my plans, so I got moving on Saturday after relaxing a little bit in the morning. I made my way down NE to meet up with DP for the Twins game, head feeling pretty alright. As we are sitting at the game, I decided beer was just not an option, and mid-way through the game my head starts to hurt again. At this point I'm pretty sick of this stupid head crap, but I suck it up and deal with it (I had no medication with me because I don't bring my purse to games). It fades in and out the rest of the game.
After the game I had to meet up with the girls for our night out, so I hook up with Pam first, and we get ready together... I took some meds while getting ready and decided not to have more than a couple beers that night. While I was waiting for the meds to kick in I started to feel a bit of nausea, like I could puke but I was pretty sure I wasn't going to. That night turned out to be a horrible night for other reasons, but my head felt fine and I didn't get wasted!
I woke up Sunday feeling good, I slept until noon, which I never do anymore. I figure it was from lack of sleep the night before and these damn headaches are super mentally exhausting. I actually felt great all day Sunday, so I thought it was over.

I woke up today and was unbelievably tired, I'm sure from the entire weekend and not getting to bed on time last night, but my head didn't hurt. I figured another day without headache was a great sign... until this afternoon rolled around. It could be from lack of sleep, but I have the nausea back, so I'm thinking it's more than that. I had my hair up this morning and I've found during these headaches that having it up makes my head hurt more, so I took it down but it's not helping all that much.

I have plans to go to the Twins game tonight and I have no intention of bailing, though it would be smart to pass it up. It also means another night of less sleep than I am used to. All in all, I am not looking forward to my tomorrow and I have to be smart tomorrow :(


Very strange, it seems like all of these migraines have been quite different for me. First was full blown (blind spots, numbness, horrible headache), another was light sensitive (no blind spots, no numbness, but light caused pain), this time I never really got the full headache, but had a lot of the symptoms, the newest being nausea.




FYI-
I need to go through and tag my myspace blogs, so for those who have subscribed via feed, I'm pretty sure it's going to mess up the order for you (i think it alerts when changes are made), just FYI.. they aren't new blogs, just tags added to old ones.

Parental Advisory: Explicit Content

You know that everything you read on the Internet is true, right?
If you don't like Rap music, I'd highly suggest not reading any further...

Tuesday night I was picked up to go to the Twins game and much to my surprise I hear some Eminem coming out of the speakers.  Dope!  As we are rollin' down, rapping along to the dopest white boy out there, I gots to thinkin'; 'Damn, I really need to make sure I have all these Eminem CD's in my car, and listen to them one by one'.  Which I have not done yet, but will hopefully do tonight - tomorrow will be a good day in the Yaris.  Then... we gots to talkin'; 'When is Dre supposed to drop his new album on us?'  Now, a couple days later I find myself still thinking about this.  Wikipedia, here I come.

Keeping in mind the first line of this blog; here are a few things I've found:
Read just the Background Portion - Dre has obviously been planning this for a long time, and from the sounds of it we may get to hear it before year end! 
In that same paragraph you'll notice mention of Eminem's album in the works, also set for release in 2008. 

Now, wikipedia can be edited by about anybody who has a clue, so really how much can you trust it?  Well, google is my friend and friends come through for one another: USA Today is talking about it, LA Times has a more in depth article.
I feel pretty confident that rap music will be blessed with some dope beats and lyrics that no longer talk about grills, money, or 'boots with the fur'.  Dre is the master of what he does and hopefully this release will help get some of these new 'rappers' either on board with what rapping should be or off the mic completely.

Moving on to Eminem, whether you love him or hate him, you HAVE to admit that boy can rap like no other.  Not only his ability to flow, but his creativity to come up with some of the most amazing lyrics and rhymes in the industry.  In case you didn't notice, I am a huge fan of his.  I love music with emotion and, when he's not being silly, Eminem has more emotion in his music than any other rapper I've heard.

I love music, most all genres, but I've found myself searching out new music because of the way rap and hip-hop have changed.  It makes me feel old saying stuff like that, my BFF and I were talking about that the other day... "Whats with all this rap music now-a-days?" we laugh, only it's not funny growing out of a genre you usually enjoy because a few punks think they can rap. 

This could be the biggest year in music if both Dre and Em come out with new stuff.  That being said, support the artists you enjoy, BUY the music, don't steal it.

I wonder if there are any other blogs out there about rap music...

Getting a feel for a new way of doing things...

As it turns out, my life is pretty dope.  When was the last time you stopped to be thankful for what you have? 
I cannot stress enough what amazing people I am surrounded by!  Family, friends, and everything in between... (that would have been a good title for my blog!)

Prepare to be wowed by the next banner I am making.  I had a lesson in photoshop from my dear friend Steve.  Talk about amazing, this guy is off the charts with his amazingness; you can feel it when he walks into the room! 

I spent most of my Monday at work setting up a Blackberry!  Talk about a good way to spend your day :)  Honestly, I enjoy that kind of crap so much.  The Rooster (who is really Chuck, the president of the company) needed a new phone, so I was able to help sway the decision into the world of BB life!  I ordered him the BB Curve - it was nice being able to check out a new version of the device, my little Pearl is great but it's the only BB I've ever known.  It was interesting going from holding the Curve to holding the Pearl... kind of makes me want a new phone.  ;)  Have you seen the Blackberry Bold?!  I've spent some time looking at that thing and holy hell that thing looks dopest!  I'd probably stick with the Curve or the Pearl for now (new products always have bugs), but it has serious potential!

Twins are in first place in the A.L. Central... just sayin'
I know K.C. is not the most promising team in the world, but I hope they destroy the Sox this series.

I'm straight up addicted to talk radio and sports talk radio.

OK - so I am still learning and playing with the features of this new blog, but so far I can say that I hate the fact that there are not faces to play with!  Those little guys are fun to pop in every now and then. 

I don't have anything else to say.  Good Day.

A new home for my words...

I must admit, blogging is not something I ever thought I would be into. I never considered myself a writer, and I still don't - probably never will. I'm very overwhelmed by the changes, the ownership, and the community that goes into blogging. I'm pretty sure I will lose some loyal myspace readers by changing... but I think it's about time I branch out and take some chances, right?
I designed my first banner:
It was pretty easy, if I'm being honest; nonetheless, I am quite impressed with myself for doing it. I wish I could have a new/different banner for each blog. Hell, I might be able to; all the setting and options are confusing to me, it's in bloggers language.

Speaking of language: can someone explain to me what an RSS Feed is? I've been trying to figure out how to make it easy for my friends (some of which I have to help with great detail {but I wouldn't have it any other way!}) to subscribe to my blog, or at least know when I've posted something new. Ideally I'd like to give them easy instructions without having to install anything or sign-up for much, if anything at all. That was the one perk of myspace blogging, you could subscribe easily and know (assuming they alerted you) when something had been posted. I'm pretty sure I have a subscribe button on my blog, but how it works beyond that, I'm just not sure; maybe I need to sign out and do some research. Any help on this topic would be greatly appreciated.
I'd like to know what backlinks are and how they work as well...

The one other thing I fear about changing is the anonymousness of the comments. I don't want people leaving anonymous comments... but I think you have to have some sort of account to leave any other kind of comment. I don't know, I'm still very confused.

Last but not least, I'd like to welcome everyone to my new blog!! I was able to copy/paste (horrible process) all my blogs from myspace, but wasn't able to get the comments over... I'm sure I could, but it would take forever. Now it's a lot easier to go back in time and read my older blogs; the archive function on blogger is bomb.com!!
Feel free to subscribe; I'm no poet, I don't (often) have much insight into life, but I like to type out my thoughts and share them with whomever likes to read them! Just another person in the world doin' her thang!

words to live by and my favorite sign off:
WORD BITCHES!

Follow up: Random - Vol. 8.12.1

ok, since only a few of you answered my question and said you'd read my blog if I took it off MS, I'm posting asking for help now.

Blogging is a super huge ...'trend'... so naming a blog takes creativity in order to find one that is available; I lack creativity, especially when I'm being asked to be it.
I have to create not only a blog title, but a blog url.
I have NO idea what to do here. I don't want to be lame and just name it 'Ang', or something along those lines... but I'm drawing a huge blank in going further than that and still making it mine.

So... you guys know me, some better than others, what url can I use that screams ANG, but doesnt actually say "ANG"??
I have lots of ideas for how to personalize it once I have it... photo shoots (Morgan, interested in helping with that?), layout designs, formatting...
and Steve, maybe once I get this rollin' you'd be up for sitting with me and helping me design a 'banner' in photoshop (or just doing it for me ;) )?
I have to get it set up before I know what options I have though.

btw- I am thinking of using blogspot, which is associated with google (and I LOVE me anything to do with google), also known as blogger.

Please post some replies... I'm under pressure to get this blog going (so that someone else can get theirs going!!)
and please... post a few ideas... my brain is not working this morning.

Once I get everything going, I'll post a link to my new off-site blog.

Random - Vol. 8.12

Brett's a JET! I can't seem to get the Jets song from West Side Story out of my head... "When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way" - I'm so excited!
The best part of all this is the "poison pill"... the Packers made certain that NY would not trade Favre to The Vikings. If Favre were to be traded to Minnesota , NY would have to give Green Bay 3 first round picks! Way to cover your asses Green Bay!!! I might jump on the Packers bandwagon this season, 2nd to the Vikings of course.

I'm so fricken happy.

I had my first Chipotle experience last night. Got a burrito. It was heaven. I want more.
I think my taste for spice is growing... most would think that's a good thing.

So... did you realize Batman is the only superhero without any superpowers? Erin and I watched Batman Begins - Everything he does or is capable of doing is on purpose (correct me if I'm wrong, Joey). I don't recall the original Batman movies all that well, so there could have been some back-story there, but I guess I just always assumed he was attacked or bitten by a bat and all of the sudden could fly and stuff (like Spider-man). Maybe it was just me being a naive child. Now I'm looking forward to watching The Dark Knight (we are going tonight!).

My friend Kristi suggested to me that I start blogging outside of myspace. I'm thinking about it... but I'm wondering if anyone would read it then? To those who read my blogs here, even if you never comment (cause I know you're out there); would you read it if it weren't on myspace? Thoughts please!!

This was a shorty... I have a job to do.
Good day ladies and gents.

Random - Vol. 8.11

First of all... I'm so super sick of myspace not alerting me when someone comments on my pictures, or writes a blog, or leaves a comment... WTF?! What's the point of having a myspace; oh yeah... what would I do if I couldn't see my long distance friends everyday. and I do look at each of you everyday - I miss you guys!

Closely related to the reason I miss my BB friends is all these damn boys knocking down my door - well not really knocking down my door, cause not all know where I live. You'd think I'd be happy about it... OK, so I might love the attention, but I'm getting bored with it.... and I'm honestly starting to get confused! I met a guy at Jen's wedding, another new guy to try and keep straight. He's pretty dope though... we'll see how it goes. He sure does like to text...
There was this other guy I went out with a few times; I'm not honestly sure why I did. It was kind of a secret, cause we might work together (or we might not; who knows?!). Pretty sure I was just doing it for the excitement of keeping the secret and it being sort of taboo. I'm so over that... he's not even close to anything I would ever pursue.
I'm a very physical person, always have been - so I like to have that in my life, but I'm not a piece of meat. I wish I knew what dating expectations were or are. I don't mind kissing on a first date, but what after that?
And really, on top of all this - I don't want to be in a relationship, so what is the point of dating?! It was fun in the beginning... but now it's just time consuming.

Bob here at my job likes to make up names for all the guys in my life, potential mate or otherwise. It all started when I was dating a guy from Chicago, Bob named him Chicago Boy. Then one day a sales person from Quill (our office supply company) came in to talk to me (he may have been quite friendly with me, borderline flirting) and Bob started calling him Quill Boy. It's gone on from there. My buddy Steve gave me an awesome gift once; a bottle of Tequila (Sauza) but relabeled it as Swayze (it's a long story that we share, but I'll post a picture of it sometime so you can see it's amazingness), anyhow after telling people at work about it Steve is now Tequila Boy. I also have UPS Boy, Pop Boy, Friend Boy, Billboard Boy, and many others! It's pretty much the single funniest thing in my life!

Oh yeah, there is also Hitchhiker Boy... which is the perfect segway into a different topic.
Remember the blog I wrote about the hitchhiker? I'm sure you do; I get asked about him ALL THE TIME from people who have read the blog. The update, as sad as this is to me, is that I haven't seen him since I wrote the blog! My gut says he got in the wrong truck one day and is no longer with us. The optimist in me, albeit not realistic, says he got a good paying job, bought a fancy new car, shaved, showered, and is now a successful business man which in turn means he no longer has to hitch a ride! I'm pretty sure he's dead, drugged himself to death... probably meth, that stuff is all over in Princeton. Bob and I used to talk about him all the time, cause we'd both see him on our drives (hence Hitchhiker Boy).

I have some strange thoughts while driving... I love to have my window down, but I drive by the dump in Elk River everyday and not only does it stink something fierce but there are always trucks in and out, up and down on Hwy. 169. I had several huge rocks hit the windshield on my van, a couple even put a chip in it. What if those rocks came in my rolled down window and took out my eye?!
Have you ever thought about what would happen if you are driving... you are wearing sunglasses (or regular glasses)... and your airbag (assuming you have one) deploys?! Would those glasses break leaving shards of glass or plastic in your eyeball?
I mention in one of my last blogs that I went through and read all the blogs I've written here on myspace; I once wrote a blog about being so tired at work and having an open 3-ring binder in front of me... my thoughts went on to what if my head dropped onto said 3-ring binder and popped one of my eyeballs! I don't know what's wrong with me.

I haven't worn shorts in probably 8 years, other than boxers to bed or at the beach or something; I don't like my legs. I bought a pair this year at Old Navy for like $4.00 - figured why not give it a shot... I've been hitting the gym, maybe it will be okay. So I wore them the other week... it wasn't half bad! I haven't rushed out to stock up on them or anything... but I've taken a step forward. Good for me!