If You Don't Want Your Hair Red, Don't Color It Red

Is that good advice or what? Yesterday I had my hair colored once again, trying to cover the red that I had put in a month ago. It was only suppose to be red highlights, but it came out almost completely red. My stylist re-did the color that day and the red was still overwhelming.

Now my hair is dark, dark, brown (almost black) with red highlights. It looks like the red is staying for a few more months. Aw well. I suppose if it insists on being red there is nothing I can do about it. Especially, since, for the most part I have been really happy with my hair lately. It flips just right, rather than going all crazy and frizzy, which I hate. And I have finally found a conditioner that actually works. It's just a regular over-the-counter conditioner, but it works better than any of that expensive stuff you buy in salons. (At least on my stubborn hair.) It's not the cheapest conditioner, but it costs less than $10 and I love it.

I dropped Riley off at his dad's last night because he had mass this morning. That just left Brian, Darby, Jordan and I. We decided to go shopping, stop at Subway for delicious sandwiches, and then to Maggie Moo's for a scoop of ice cream. All in all it's been a nice and relaxing day.

Right now all the kids are at their other parent's places. I'm not sure what we're going to do. It's so nice here (as in here in Boise). It's suppose to get to 57 degrees, though I'm not sure what the temp is right now. I think Brian and I need to BBQ something.

Also, I've decided to have some sort of Easter party. I'm in the process of planning. It will definitely include a BBQ of some sort. I just don't know what the rest will entail yet.

A Quarterly Get Together

I jinxed us. We aren't going to the cabin. The power is out and something, I'm not sure what, needs to be fixed. That's okay. We're trying to make other plans. Not big plans, just get out of the house and do something together plans.

My workout routine is going quite nicely. I've started running. I never run, I usually just walk on the treadmill, but the running thing is helping. I want my stomach toned for the middle of March piercing I'm planning to get and I think running plus weights will work. Also, the summer months are approaching and I want to look decent in my swimming suit, so I've been working pretty hard.

I had a girls' night recently. I rarely go out on girls' night. I would say I go out about once every four months. Back in August I reported on my girls' night/bachelorette party, but I don't believe I've posted it on this blog. I also went out again in November. I can't remember if I wrote anything then either. That night wasn't as wild as the bachelorette party, but it was fun to get out. It was just three of us. Tammy, Amy, and I. Amy is the wild one. She is Barbie doll perfect. You walk into a bar and all the guys are looking at her, their jaws dropped. Anyway, in November Tammy picked me up, we met Amy at her work and headed downtown. We went to Boise Cafe (I think that's what it's called) and danced for awhile. Then we went to the downtown bars, had a few drinks, hung out and headed home. Innocent enough.

Last Saturday, however, was more of a parallel to the bachelorette party. (But not quite.) Tammy and two of her friends picked me up. We went to On The Border in Boise to meet two more girls. There we hung out, drank huge margaritas, and talked girl talk. This consisted of boob jobs and tummy tucks, nipple size, and blow jobs. I was surprised by the nipple size talk. I didn't offer a description, but I know way more about Tammy than I think I should.

After On The Border we headed downtown to Hannah's. Hannah's is a great bar for dancing and not feeling too old, such as I do when I go downtown. At Hannah's I had a couple of more drinks, danced with my girls and just sat around and talked some more. The conversation wasn't as exciting as in the more intimate setting of On The Border, but still interesting. The girl talk is what I love about girls' night. I never get a chance to sit down with a bunch of girls, from various backgrounds and interests, and just talk about whatever comes to mind. Sure, Tammy and I talk about all sorts of things at work, but nothing like we talk about on girls' night.

After Hannah's we walked to The Hangar. This bar is new to me and I don't like it as much as the others. We walked straight to the bathroom. There we were all standing around talking and someone mentioned that we should have a kissing club. At this point in the evening, I don't remember much, but Tammy filled me in on the details. Someone mentioned starting a kissing club and that's when I remember Amy kissing me. A full fledge kiss in the girls bathroom surrounded by our friends. That's Amy. Tammy says, "she loves her husband, she loves her friends." It was more of kiss than I was expecting, but I went with it and now I can say I have had my first real girl kiss. Not bad.

After The Hangar, we went to China Blue where we had another drink, danced some more and finally headed home. And of course the drinks described in this post are not accurate. I had a few drinks before leaving home, therefore rendering me sick as a dog. I threw up in our bushes. I know, gross. I was also ill the next day and Brian was not happy with me. He did not appreciate that I got so drunk. I don't blame him. However, all is well now.

These girls I have been spending time with are different than any other girls I have ever hung out with. These girls go out to hang with the girls. They don't want to hook up with guys, or get wasted. They just want to have fun. They insist you dance and dancing with them doesn't make me self conscious. I just dance with these girls and I don't care what's going on around me. I love going out with them and will continue to plan these nights every quarter.

No Longer Confused

Alright, I feel better today. I'm not sure why, but I got home and made dinner and hung out with Brian and the kids and for some reason the little co-worker issue seemed insignificant and stupid. Today I am at work without an irritated feeling. And I have avoided the co-worker, so that helps a little too.

Tomorrow night we're going to the cabin to hang out and spend the night. There isn't running water so we won't be staying very long. We won't be able to shower first thing in the morning and we'll be driving home all stinky but that's cool. I don't think I have ever had a horrible time at the cabin. Brian is going up this morning to check things out and see if it's still a possiblity to spend the night. I'm sure it will be.

Feeling Confused

Well, today has been frustrating for me. Whatever could go wrong did and I'm dealing with some serious feelings of jealousy that I have never experienced. I don't even know if it's fair to me to call what I feel jealous. Because essentially, I'm not jealous. I just don't know another way to describe it.

Amanda told me the other week that she sold her house and bought a new one. I am so genuinely happy for her. She lived in a much smaller house and has been wanting to move for quite awhile now. I think it's great everything worked out for her and I want to know all the details of the improvements she's doing and how the moving is going.

The opposite is true for another co-worker who seems to have a lot going on for her. I don't want to hear another word about it. I feel like I don't even want to speak to her anymore. It's almost as if she's rubbing it in my face. Like she is so happy these things are going on for her and not me. Like I will never have the things she has, which I don't believe to be true, and to tell you the truth, I want none of the things she has. And yet, when she speaks to me about them I get snippy, making me sound jealous. I hate it. And I'm not very competitive. I don't like to try and up people. I think it's rude.

The Perfect Relationship?

Last night, I finally convinced myself to watch the movie The Stepford Wives. I have wanted to see it, but thought it would just be too stupid. I didn't want to waste my time. I decided to rent it, mainly because there was nothing else to rent. It's not as horrible as I thought. Seriously. I wasn't completely disappointed. It's not Oscar material, but it's entertaining. There are laughable moments and the whole concept is actually realistic, in an inflated way.

The movie is based on a town that has believed to have achieved perfection. They have the perfect homes, the perfect cars, the perfect children, the perfect husbands, and the perfect wives. Everyone is happy. But only after the women have been programmed to be perfect and happy.

Apparently, the men who move to Stepford have very successful, very smart, and very dominating wives. This makes them unhappy and they have found a way to change this. They turn their wives into robots. The perfect wife whose focus is solely on her husband. She has no independent thoughts, she has no ambitions except to look pretty, keep a clean house, and cater to her husband's every whim. In theory, I suppose this sounds like every man's dream. But, would a man really be satisfied with a woman who never disagreed with him? A woman who is subserviant and passive? I don't believe so. (At least not an educated man. And I know there are the abusive types, but that's a whole different issue.)

At the end of the movie, it turns out that a woman was behind the activities in Stepford. A woman who was once very successful with a wonderful career. This woman came home one night to find her husband cheating on her. She thought it was because she had been neglecting him by focusing on her career. So, she decided to create "perfect women" so that things like this wouldn't happen. (Sorry if I ruined the movie for anyone. *eye roll*)

It seems to me she just went to the other extreme. I mean seriously. If you did everything the person you were with demanded you to do and agreed with them on every little issue wouldn't they soon tire of you? Wouldn't that cause them to want to find something different and more exciting? If you bend to their every need isn't that almost as bad as neglecting their needs? It has to be. I'm not saying to be obstinate, I'm just saying it seems that if you don't have your own opinions and you can't stand your ground, that they will seek out someone who does. I don't think anyone really wants to be with someone who is a sissy. I know I don't.

Luckily, I'm not. No, Brian is anything but subservient and he definitely has his own opinions about everything. Which can be frustrating at times, but when it comes down to it I enjoy his company and would never trade him in for a different model.

Of course, maybe I'm completely wrong. Maybe men do want someone to baby them. Pick out their clothes, serve up their dinner, cut their steak into bite size pieces. Hmm, I hope not.

Parties

I just returned from a Tastefully Simple party. I wasn't going to buy anything, but I decided that the Garlic Garlic was delicious and couldn't resist.

I don't really like to go these parties. A few weeks ago I was invited to a jewelry party. I didn't buy anything from that party. I think all these parties are silly. I've been to the naughty toys party, a Pampered Chef party, and unfortunately a Mary Kay make over. I could be doing anything else in the world and be happier than sitting at one of these parties.

I hate being a grown up girl. When I was younger I was never invited to such parties. Now, every time I turn around someone is throwing a party to sell something. Not that I don't want to be supportive of my friends, but usually there is little I want to purchase at these things. Everything is extremely overpriced and not that appealing. The garlic seasoning I purchased today is the exception.

Regardless, I continue to be invited and I will continue to attend because it's a great way to meet and talk with new people. I like hanging out with girls and you never know who you might run into. I guess the whole point is to socialize and while I'm somewhat shy, I like socializing.

However, I will never be talked into having one of these parties. I like the other kinds of parties. Birthday parties, Mother's Day parties, Christmas parties. Those are the parties I love to have and put together. That way, everyone is coming over strictly for the fun and free food rather than any merchandise. That's more my cup of tea.

Useless Facts About Me

I found this while perusing blogs. I thought it was fun.

A to Z

Accent: None, I live in Idaho. I don't think we have accents.
Bra size: 34 B--How sad :(
Chore I hate: Vacuuming
Dad's name: Harold John Cook
Essential make-up products: lip gloss, concealer
Favorite perfume: Goddess
Gold or silver?: Silver
Hometown: Boise, Id (but I was born in Dallas so that makes me cool)
Interesting fact: I was adopted.
Job titles: Transportation Analyst
Kids: 2, Riley 8 and Darby 4--Brian whom I live with also has a son age 4, Jordan.
Living arrangements: I live in sin with Brian
Mom's birthplace: I don't know, I'll have to ask
Number of apples eaten in the last week: None
Overnight hospital stays: 2, one for each kid
Phobias: Dirty dishes in the sink at night, small spaces
Question you ask yourself a lot: What the hell?
Religious affiliation: None
Siblings: 1 brother, older. Two sisters, younger.
Time I wake up: 5:30
Unnatural hair color: As of now, red. Blah. As of next week, dark brown.
Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Tomato
Worst habit: Not listening
X-rays?: 1, broken finger.
Yummy food I make: I love the tater tot casserole. I'm not sure what everyone else likes.
Zodiac sign: Leo, duh!

What A Stupid Day

My day was going perfectly fine. Perfectly fine, that is, until I received an email from someone downstairs in Accounts Payable. They informed me that a carrier has been trying to get a hold of me all day to no avail, and would I be so kind as to help this carrier with her issues. Three managers and the carrier were also copied on this email. So begins my evening. It's about an hour before I leave work and I receive this email. First of all, I had spoken with this woman earlier that morning, I had faxed her information about payments, and she had faxed me information back. She left a message that she had faxed me back and to call her when I had a chance to look at it. Which I was going to do tomorrow because, believe it or not, I actually deal with several carriers and the transportation needs of ten or so locations of my company. Pardon me if I wasn't jumping over fences to help this woman. I had spoke and corresponded with her 3 times that day. She wasn't being neglected.

Second, her issues are simply that she doesn't know how to apply a damn payment. She, in a nutshell, is a complete idiot. And I was completely upset and irritated while talking with her, which was apparent to several people in my office, and flustered afterwards. I just hope I am completely right and she is completely wrong. I don't want there to be any gray areas. I want the situation to be black and white. I really hope it is.

That being said I am now here, watching American Idol, writing on my blog, and drinking a beer. I also went shopping at the one place where I can wear one to two sizes smaller than I actually do and bought two shirts and a pair of pants for super cheap. Now I am happy and better. A little bit. Until tomorrow I suppose. Hmph!

On a happy note, my puppy is almost perfect. She is such a good puppy. I don't know if I think that because Bailey was so bad or if she's actually good. I do know she is super cute and super sweet and, I've come to learn, super persistent. When she has to poop there is no dinking around. You need to take her immediately or she will harass you to no end. Geez, Chloe!

Another Lazy Saturday

I'm doing nothing right now. Nothing except searching the web for a delicious cookie recipe, reading random blogs (which so far has consisted of ones in different languages and those insipid ads), and listening to my new puppy snore.

The kids are downstairs playing with their friends from down the street. You would hardly even know any of them were here except for the occasional footsteps down the hall and the closing and opening of doors. Weird. Usually, when there are no friends around, they're running up and down the halls and screaming at or to each other. Once the friends arrive--angels. Again,weird.

Well, I wish I had more to write but I don't. I found my cookie recipe. I think it's just a plain old sugar cookie. I don't believe there's anything special about. I suppose I'll find out after I make it. I was going to go buy the refrigerated dough, but I received a very nice mixer for Christmas and figure I should use it instead of letting it go to waste.

I also might take a nap. I love taking naps. Happy Saturday!

Our Puppy Not Yet Named

We picked up our puppy last night. I'm so excited because she is so super cute. She isn't a pug, but she is so sweet. I love her little black spots and her ears when they perk and she has the sweetest face. She snores. It's adorable. Brian picked out a pink collar and leash for her. He bought her a bed to sleep on, which she seems to really like. She tries to jump on the couch, but I think she'll be broke of that soon. She's only jumped on the bed a couple of times and didn't even try while we were sleeping. She just laid on her little bed all night except when she had to go potty. Which she immediately let us know she had to do. I'm so happy she's already potty trained. She must be perfect. I will have pictures soon. I hope.

Something Inscrutable And Two Things Gleeful

Last night Brian read me an article about an Idaho teen being scalped. Here's the article. It's absolutely disturbing and weird. I don't know what else to say on the subject.

On a happier note, Brian is possibly going to adopt our puppy today. We found this sweet little dog at the shelter and he's going this morning to get her. We won't be able to pick her up until tomorrow because she needs to be spayed, but that's okay. I have three names I like. Pebbles, Piper and Laci. Either one will do. She is so cute. She has a spot on one of her eyes and she's white with black spots all over her.

Also, I'm taking Monday off and Brian and I are going to have pedicures. Not just any pedicure either. We are having "luxurious pedicures". They last 1.5 hours. It's going to be wonderful. Brian isn't as excited as I am, but that's alright. My favorite co-worker thinks it's sweet I'm taking the day off and we're going to do that together. So there.

My Karma Is Back to Normal

Well, my hair is back to normal. As in, it curls properly now. It's still ultra red, but that too will fade with time. I had a good day today so the karma police have laid off. I am no longer under surveillance. (Cross my fingers)

Brian is working late tonight. I'm not sure when he'll be home but he left around 1:00 pm and will return after bedtime. So, Jordan and I went shopping. We bought some Valentine's Day presents and ate at Pizza Hut. Brian and I are no longer eating at McDonald's and this has distressed Jordan a tad. He can't understand why we possibly wouldn't want to eat at McDonald's. The chicken nuggets are so good. I told him that it makes people sick to eat there. It's not healthy for us to eat there. He still didn't grasp the ban on his favorite eatery. I told him his dad got sick when we ate there. Okay, that worked. We walk into Pizza Hut and he tells the waitress, "We don't eat at McDonald's anymore. It makes my dad sick." I think he was implying that since we don't eat at McDonald's, we had to eat there. That wasn't his first choice and he isn't particularly happy about it, but this will do. I didn't get that from the two sentences he said, but rather the way he said them. (I also realize that Pizza Hut is neither healthy nor good for us, but the ban is on hamburger joints right now. I figured pizza was okay. And that was his immediate second choice.)

We also spent the better part of the day puppy shopping at the two animal shelters near us. I was going to spend the day shopping for bras and panties and clothes and such, but somehow puppies won out. There was a good selection this time around, but nothing that grabbed me. Jordan seems to be in puppy withdrawals lately. He keeps speaking of Bailey and how he misses him. I just don't know what I want. My brother's pugs are cute, but I don't think that's what I want. I want a bigger dog. A dog that runs, and fetches, and pounces on the kids. (Because it's always fun to watch little kids be mauled by dogs, in a playful way that is.) I want a lab or a golden retriever. My heart is set.

Jordan shopped with me for 5 hours. He asked a couple of times when we were going home and could we go home after this store, but other than that there were no complaints. He beat Darby. I am shocked.

One more Jordan story for today. He asked me, "where did Darby come from?" I was a little confused. I didn't know exactly what he was asking. I replied, "from me." He says, "I know, but where did you get her?" I think this is funny for two reasons. First, we had just finished looking at puppies at the animal shelter, or pet shop as he calls it, and it occurs to me that maybe he thought I went to a shop and picked Darby out. And the second reason is because he asked where I got Darby from, not where did I get Riley. He must think she was picked from some place other than the place he and Riley came from. It was so weird. After he asked where I got her I told him, "my tummy", because I wasn't sure what else to say. Then I asked, "where did you come from?" thinking the answer to this question might clarify the conversation for me. He didn't know. I think this conversation is best left for him and his dad.

Bad Hair Day

Well, the karma police have got me. I have been having bad hair all week. Brian says it looks pretty, but it doesn't. First of all, I had it colored on Saturday. It turned out very, very red. I wanted a hint of red. It was red. I had it redone to darken it up, but it's still more red than I want it to be. And now, it doesn't curl the same or style the same and I hate it. I have been doing it the same way since I had it cut this way and now it decides to do whatever it wants. Stupid! Now I'm pouting. Poor me. Everyone should feel sorry for me. Not! It's all my fault this is happening. However, I am going to change my karma around. I am. I am going to be the nicest, sweetest person.

What I'm Not Going to Write About

I was told that I was a grouch this weekend. I think that may be true. I feel much better now. I don't know why I was so grouchy, but I remember thinking I was going to post some things and almost everything I wanted to talk about was negative. Not necessarily negative about my life and things happening to me, but the post ideas were rather bitchy towards others. For instance, when I was looking through the photo blog I noticed a picture of my sister. I wondered what she would look like if she actually took the time to take care of herself. I get so annoyed that she doesn't give a second thought to the way she looks. Wouldn't she feel so much better if she styled her hair in some fashion or maybe dressed in things other than t-shirts and sweat pants? She takes no pride in the way she looks and she's always embarrassed about it. I wonder why she never wants to have her picture taken. I'm not even talking about her applying make-up, I'm just saying brush your hair or have it cut. Something.

I was also going to write about how the state I live in is insane. I am amazed that people are so ignorant. Ignorant is actually too nice of a term to use. People in this state are stupid. I mean, I sort of knew this already, because I've lived here all my life. But I'm still shocked when I read the stupidity in the paper. Honestly, I read an article in our local newspaper about a law banning gay marriage and some of the remarks that people are making whom favor the law are asinine. It's just ludicrous the way these people think. They believe that the sanctity and institution of marriage would be ruined if gay couples are allowed to get married. How absurd is that! I know, most sane humans know the absurdity of these remarks, but people say them out loud. They are, in mind, fools. Idiots if you will. I'm not going to go into anymore. I think my opinion on the subject is rather apparent.

I was also going to write about how some of co-workers drive me up the wall. Seriously, one lady says my name and she may as well be dragging her nails across a blackboard. That's how annoying it is.

But, I have since changed my mind on all of these topics. First of all, most of these are minor annoyances that sound like they may be my problem. It's not my sister's problem that I am annoyed by her appearance. She is allowed to dress the way she wants. She's an adult and if she wants to dress like a teenage boy, so be it.

If people want to believe that allowing gay marriages to take place will ruin marriage as we know it (stupid!), fine. As Brian likes to say, you're allowed to have your own opinion, even if it's wrong. (Not a direct quote, but pretty close. And yes, he says this to me.)

As for the people at work. I just have to live with that. There's nothing I can possibly do about it. There is always that possibility that they could be abducted by aliens, but I don't wish that would happen. That's bad karma. I just want good karma.

That is why I'm not going to write about these things. I don't want to have one of those blogs. I want a happy blog. Not necessarily one that is harsh and negatively opinionated. If that makes sense.