Black Friday

I sometimes enjoy the occasional shopping spree. This usually involves heading to Express or Banana Republic with someone else (usually Michelle) to buy clothes and spend money I don't have...

But I refuse, at all costs, to participate in shopping the day after Thanksgiving.

The last thing I want to do is wake up at 3 AM after researching three dozen ads the night before, fight crowds of elbow throwing blue hairs and race to the closest retail store for the ONE thing I've been looking for. Don't bother, someone else is looking for the same thing, and they'll get it before you.

But, I wanted to find my Auntie Bobbie the perfect gift in return for the Corelle she gave me on Thanksgiving, and thought it'd be great to get her what she's been hunting for: a Wii Fit.

They were on sale at Sam's Club for $78.84. Since my mom has the membership, she'd need to come along. This morning, we piled into the car and headed to the west siide of GB -- traffic wasn't terrible, but there were still some crowds of people. It was about 11 AM. Not too shabby.

My mom and George had tentative plans to purchase a new flatscreen TV for their living room too. Mostly so George can play Halo 3. (I think he's addicted.)

On the list: a shiny new television, Wii Fit and a Columbia fleece jacket.

When you walk into the Sam's Club, electronics stare you in the face. In particular -- TVs. We got about 20 feet into the store, and stayed there for about an hour.

Since my brother came along, he was able to check out the different options and details for each TV, letting my mom and George know which were better than others.

He'd also ask questions like the refresh rate for the screen or the signal delay.

I checked out some cameras, the laptops and found some of the fleece sweatshirts (none my size.)

Finally, they chose a 46" Samsung flatscreen -- last one on the shelf.

We wandered around the rest of the store, showing off the TV to all the other shoppers. Checked out and hauled it to the car.

On the way home, we were pulling off the highway to the house, and my mom asked, "Did anyone look for the Wii Fit for Auntie Bobbie?"

Oops.

Ms. Fix-it

The great thing about my apartment is that it was a shithole before I moved in, so the landlord doesn't really care if I renovate it. As far as she's concerned, she can charge more for the tenants after me.

Before moving in all my furniture, I ripped out the living room carpet, cleaned the wood floors and painted all the rooms (they paid for supplies) -- except, the bathroom.

It's a small bathroom to begin with.

For the past five months, I've been climbing in and out of the claw foot tub, only to stand on the 2'x 3' bathroom mat strategically placed over the rotting golf green turf carpeting. I had a plastic drawer setup to keep all my bathroom accessories/extra shampoos/etc., so whenever I went to the bathroom, I'd sit face-to-face with that thing.

I couldn't take it anymore, so this weekend I decided to re-tile the bathroom floor.

BEFORE:

I bought some peel-and-stick tile and a straight edge.

First, I put gloves on ripped out the turf carpet. (Who in the HELL puts carpet in bathrooms anyway.) I vacuumed and picked up some loose garbage under the tub, like an empty travel-size shampoo bottle (not mine), a plastic bowl that at some point must've been catching water, but had turned black (not mine), and an ancient-looking gold mirror compact with flowers on it (ALSO not mine.)

I went to work laying out the tiles, cutting around pipes, the toilet and doorway.

In all it took about four hours, start to finish.

AFTER:

Now I can go into my bathroom without socks and shoes on, AND taking a shower actually means I feel clean.

Eyes wide open

I'm taking a hint from my blog's title, and losing sleep.

For some reason, the past couple weeks at my home after the sun goes down, my once-cozy abode becomes a creepy, rattley, drafty, scare-the-shit-out-of-me apartment. Over the summer, I slept like a corpse. NOTHING could wake this. Even if I only got six hours of sleep, I was bright and refreshed in the morning.

It seems the cold weather made the ghosts in the attic start hanging out in my apartment on the second floor. Probably because I have heat now.

So last night about 8 PM, I started watching the first season, first episode of Dexter.

Halfway through the show, my heat starts to clink on... fine. But after a few minutes, the wood floorboard between my couch and the vent starts to creak every couple minutes -- like a creak when someone walks on it. This is just my mind getting a little riled up. It keeps happening. Then I start hearing it outside my apartment door, every few minutes. I know my friend/neighbor/co-worker Lisa is at her other PT job until late, so she's not home. Can't be her. What IS that.

I'm not really into paranormal crap. But when I'm by myself, sometimes my mind gets the best of me. I could probably handle that, but what's worse is someone broke into my friend Sara's apartment here in Fort last weekend. Nothing happened because her boyfriend woke up and scared the guy, so he fled.

Now, I've got to worry about real people, and fake people, err, ghosts?

Called my mom, talked for a little while. Forgot about it. Got ready for bed.

STILL hearing this creaking. It's already 11 PM.

I called the one person I knew would be up: Matthias.

Being an excellent multi-tasker, he continued playing his Left 4 Dead demo (for the duration of our conversation) while I told him what was up.
"So, what you're saying is someone is trying to rob you?" MATTHIAS WTF WOULD YOU SAY THAT I'M CALLING BECAUSE I DONT WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT. "Now I've jinxed it. You'll get robbed."

So the first part of that conversation didn't go well. But after that, we started talking about Thanksgiving, 4chan ("It's the Mos Eisley of Internet content"), water and zee Germans.

I was getting tired around 11:30, so I said I'd try to sleep. But, he'd be up till 3 AM or later if I needed to call back. Awesome.

Too much TV

Last night, I sat on my couch eating dinner when Heroes came on. Being the second episode I've ever seen (the first one was last week), I started watching and couldn't stop. Then I had questions, like, "what is this formula?" "why does Claire think she's the catalyst?" and "who the HELL are all these people?"
I knew my friend/neighbor/co-worker Lisa liked Heroes, so I ventured over across the hall and started asking her these questions. She immediately, and excitedly, dug out her Heroes Season 1 boxset, and said I had to watch.

Now I'm excited to find out what happens, and when "It's coming," and what "it" really is...

Now, that's all well and good except, my co-worker Dionne came in to work today with the first season of Dexter for me to catch up on. And, this weekend my friend Betsy insisted I take home and borrow "Freaks & Geeks." JC.

Every time I turn around, there's a new sitcom to watch... and people to provide DVDs for said sitcoms.

This has become a particular problem now that almost every single TV show ever produced is now on DVD.

Greg and I started watching the first season of Arrested Development. Now, I've seen a few episodes on TV before the canceled the show a season after winning an Emmy. (Yeah, tell me that makes fucking sense.) But we're almost through Season 1.

Anyway, I currently have borrowed, and in my possession:

-Heroes Season 1
-Dexter: The First Season
-Freaks & Geeks - the entire series
-Futurama - Season 1 & 2? (from Matthias)
-It's Always Sunny (from Michelle -- more for a recap, because they're all so good)

I also have an avid interest in watching:

-Entourage
-It's Always Sunny (Season 3)
-The Office (Season 4)
-Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 3+)
-The Sopranos
-Spaced (The British sitcom produced by Simon Pegg)

I know there are different websites I could go to and watch each show, but #1.) My computer is the biggest POS in the entire world, and #2.) It's more difficult to get into one episode, let alone three or four in on sitting, while being less comfortable sitting in front of a computer screen, versus laying sprawled out on the couch.

People have also suggested Netflix, or renting each DVD from Blockbuster. Now, I'll support my favorite things by making the purchase (for instance musical artists, like KOL), but I'm not paying $5 to watch three episodes of Larry David be a cynical asshole.

This whole pop culture business is getting out of hand.

At least it's getting colder outside, so I'll have reason to hibernate on the couch.

Also, if someone could let me know who to contact in order to get Pete & Pete on DVD, that'd be helpful.

Am I missing any?


I promise one day I'll try to write shorter posts, but once I start -- can't stop. won't stop.

Urban sprawl

I headed home to Green Bay this past weekend (for free laundry at mi madres, and to visit Biddy in Marinette).

As I pulled off the highway from 43 N, I noticed a change in the skyline of boxed buildings around the off-ramp.

Great, more stores.

I understand the need for shopping centers, grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants, but since moving to Green Bay 12 years ago, there's been significant development, turning the once prairie-grassed, isolated suburb into a full out traffic laden, brick-built, strip-malled, pavement landscape.

And every time I go back, there's a new commercial building being built.

When we moved in, there were three buildings -- Lou's One Stop gas station, the Dorsch Ford dealership and Cliff & Ceil's ballroom -- and they were just beginning to build a Hardee's.

BEFORE:

Now, across County JJ, passed the backyard of my mom's house, cookie cutter homes dot the other side of the road. Not to mention, the following businesses in the area:

-four strip malls
-Menards
-Festival Foods (my H.S. job as a cashier)
-a rebuilt Cliff & Ceils
-TWO more gas stations
-Home Depot
-a hotel
-some Harley Davidson repair center
-two banks
-Tumbleweed, McDonalds, Jimmy Johns, Taco Johns, A&W and Subway

And the newest edition, right across the street: Stein Gardens and Gifts.

AFTER:

Do we really need eight different fast food options, three places to get gas and two DIY stores within a half-mile radius?

Wouldn't it make more sense to construct one large building (AKA a mall), with a whole bunch of stores, instead of completely destroying all of the natural land around the highway?

It was inevitable that development would happen, especially with so many people moving into the area. (It is a suburb, after all).

Not to mention the affects of locally owned stores. Mom and pop shops are completely run out by corporations who build 1 mil.-sq.-ft. facilities, undercut prices, then abandon the building. From personal experience, I saw it happen in Stevens Point as they continued building along Hwy. 10 instead of renovating and continuing to develop the downtown area.

So I say, develop and remodel what's already there, instead of continuing to spread like an epidemic.

With the increased traffic, destruction of land, and the overall loss of aesthetics to the area -- it only supports what I've been thinking recently: it makes more sense to live in a more metropolitan area.

Although you're not exactly removing your carbon footprint by living within city limits, at least you have access to mass transit, stores in close proximity, and the option to live and renovate buildings that are already there.

Build up, not out.

Flu shots

Disclaimer: I've taken some factual liberties with the plasma story, like the use of two needles. See comments afterward.

I am terrified of shots. I can't give blood. If I'm within a 10-foot radius of a needle, I suddenly become light-headed with the onset of fainting symptoms.

Well, this week, my employer is offering both the opportunity to Give Blood to help out our community AND the option of paying $10 for a flu shot.

The former is absolutely out of the question. I've developed a justified phobia to needles.

Here's why:

Back during my freshman year of college, I decided to join my roommate and a few friends at BioLife in Stevens Point to donate some of my plasma. Now, not only was I doing science a favor by giving up my precious fluids, I was also being rewarded handsomely in cash.

Initially we had to set up individual appointments for a physical. I passed but couldn't give plasma that day because, apparently, I hadn't drank any water at all that day. (You need to be hydrated in order for them to stick a needle in your arm.)

I had given blood a couple times during high school blood drives, so I was vaguely familiar with the procedure. I'd like to think it was to help out the community and give something back -- but in all honesty, I got out of at least one class for the day. Plus, you get juice and cookies.

I have perfect veins to donate, but I have the problem of becoming severely light-headed when I would give blood. (Or, get shots at the doctor.)

Move ahead two weeks for my donation appointment.

I walk in, fill out the paperwork and wait for them to call my name. As I sit down in the dental cleaning-esque chair, I hold out my right arm, ready for action. Unbeknownst to me until that point, the nurse begins prepping not one, but BOTH arms for needles.

Time out.

See, when you give plasma, they draw blood out of one arm, remove the plasma, and put your blood back in. The other arm has a saline drip to keep you hydrated.

A little apprehensive at this point, I realize I'm in trouble. I can hardly handle one needle, just taking blood out. Now, they want to take blood out, put it back in -- and THEN, introduce some other foreign shit into my arm? My mind made me physically regret this decision immediately.

Move ahead about five minutes.

I start getting light-headed, and tell the nurse. She suggests slowing the blood drawing, and upping the saline. Good idea? Bad idea.

When the saline enters your veins, it's room temperature. Think about it. It's maybe 72 degrees F on a good day. My body sits at a balmy 98.6 degrees.

It felt like death was crawling up my left arm.

Apparently it looked like it too. The nurse decided then that I was no longer eligible to give plasma. As I started to get tunnel vision, she advised me she'd be stopping, but they needed to keep the needles in my arms while they got my body back to normal, continuing the saline drip.

There were at least three people helping out when I came around. They told me my eyes rolled back in my head, and I started shaking uncontrollably.

As I recooperated lying down in a nearby room, I saw on both arms, purplish-yellow bruises beginning to form. The nurse came in to inform me that "your body rejected the needles."

WTF does that mean?!

I walked up to the counter about 20 minutes later, waiting for my much-deserved compensation.

The cashier placed her hand on the $20 bill, slid it across the counter and said, "Don't come back here again." I haven't had a needle in my arm since.

Now, shots are along those same lines. Granted, things are going in instead of being removed -- but any foreign change in my homeostasis, and my body goes nuts.

I've decided I'd rather be vomiting in a cold sweat for three days with the flu, rather than have to deal with that crap again.

The name game

I love lists, but sometimes I have trouble remembering the lists I make in my head before writing them down -- including grocery lists, things to do, people to talk to, etc.

That also means I don't remember important things, like phone numbers, birthdays or when to watch the Office. (I've been getting better at the last one.)

I'm scatterbrained in general.

Say I decide to clean my house. I'll start putting clean clothes away, only to find some shoes are in the way of me getting to my closet. I'll remember there's another pair of shoes in the living room. Better put those away too. When I get to the living room, I realize there are some DVDs strewn all over the floor. Better put them away. But one of them I borrowed from Kim at work. I'll put it on the kitchen table to be sure I grab it on the way out tomorrow... What was I doing again?

So when I was trying to list all the Christmas gifts I need to purchase in the next month, I made sure not to leave out my two little cousins... Kimberly and _____.

CRAP. What the hell was my five-year-old cousin's name? Kimberly and... Kimberly and...

Not remembering reminded me of an article I read yesterday by Woody Allen in the New Yorker: Think Hard, It'll Come Back To You.

Writing this post helped me remember. But I hope it doesn't take a 15 minute blog post to help remind me about other things, like where I put my car keys.

It's Amber.

Pack rat

Denial is the first step... and I'm pretty sure my mom is still not fessing up.

I've developed a problem due to her inability to throw anything away; which begins with buying more crap.

It all started when I mentioned to my mom and Aunt Bobbie over the summer that someone stole some of my Corelle dishes from the UWSP dorms a couple years ago. I was missing a plate and a bowl. No big deal.

(I've all but given up on paper plates and bowls -- except in the case of pizza.)

My aunt just moved to Oshkosh last summer, right by the biggest outlet mall in NE Wisconsin, which just happens to have a store exclusively devoted to selling Corelle dinnerwares, utensils, baking things and cooking business. And if you know anything about aunts, grandmas and moms, they like to go on shopping missions with the sole purpose of finding the most perfect purchase for family members, and then some.

So at my aunt's request, I sent a picture of the inept dinner set I already had, with the hopes of once again having my full line of plates and bowls.

Also as an aside, I mentioned if she found any larger bowls that could fit an entire can of soup, that'd be swell; as well as a 9x9 baking dish.

She did.

Except, when I was on the phone last night with my mom, she mentioned I could get an entire SET of baking dishes, instead of just one 9x9 baking dish, with pie pans and custard cups for $20 at Target.

I DON'T NEED PIE PANS or CUSTARD CUPS. If you've seen my apartment, you know I have a counter space that's 2 ft. by 3 ft., with one cabinet underneath for all things cooking-related. It's already full.

Now, I love cooking. I'd like to think I'm not half bad; but what am I going to do with a 10-piece set of Pyrex cookware? (It's a rhetorical question.)

I think I know what I'm getting for Christmas.

Oh my gourd

Back from my week-long hiatus, I was able to return to my normal morning routine on the way to work.

I head into the local gas station, to the cappuccino machine with my silver mug over in hopes to tame my craving of the cinnamon nutmeg goodness.

Lo and behold! They still have my favorite flavor: Pumpkin Spice. OMNOMNOM.

Now, I've just about substituted all caffeine consumption away from coffee, and switched over to teas. Not so with flavored drinks.

And it's not just the cappuccino that kicks ass.

Think about it. With the exception of maybe pumpkin gum or pumpkin jello, pumpkin flavored foods are amazing.

Pumpkins provide delicious pumpkin seeds, which can be salted, baked and consumed in large handfuls.

My aunt ("aww-nt") even makes a mean pumpkin pie, which she brings every Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin granola bars, bread, muffins, ice cream. McDonald's pumpkin shakes. Even squash, the first cousin to pumpkin, can be delicious in raviolis, or on it's own.

Thing is, seasonal flavors kick ass. And there's nothing better than a delicious cinnamon-y, harvesty pumpkin flavor in October and November.

I can't take all the credit. My editor, Brendan, first acknowledged the deliciousness that is pumpkin-flavored foods.

Next up: mint.

That means come December I'll be enjoying candy canes, grasshoppers, and peppermint teas. I also hear they're getting a Peppermint Patty cappuccino flavor.

Viva Las Vegas

I know you're all anxiously awaiting my return... but I'm out of the office this week in Las Vegas for the AAPEX/SEMA/NACE shows.

I heard Billy Mays and Danica Patrick are here. No sightings yet.

Until next week...