Makes you wanna buy a puppy, huh?

 

This is little Maggie-girl when she was 10 weeks old on the very first day we brought her home. Look at that full tummy! Puppies are the cutest things ever in the history of the world.

 

Trains, Automobiles and Coffee

I woke up late today by ten minutes. My work clothes were in the dryer and all wrinkly. Jim was in a hurry too, so we were bumping into each other and growling. The dogs sat quietly and watched us, probably snickering to themselves. Jim left before me and called me on the cell phone to say the fucking train was in the way and going very slow. By the time I got to the railroad tracks, the train was completely stopped. I live in an area where you must cross the railroad tracks to get out of town, unless you take the freeway. Well, the freeway was, of course, backed up to the moon, and there were many angry travelers. I knew I was going to be late for work. This did not stop me from getting my coffee at Starbucks. I was already 20 minutes late, what's another 5 minutes? So here I come, waltzing into the office almost a half hour late, holding my coffee. Oh well. What are ya gonna do?

Doggy Porn

Louie looooves his belly scratched. 

Good Story

There is a short story by Karawynn Long that I really like. It's called "Discovering Water".  If you can find it, it's worth a read.

More Random Cheryl Facts

I can't think of anything to write about today so I thought I could do part 2 of "The Real Cheryl". Not too exciting, I know, but when I look back on my ramblings 10 years from now, it will be fun to see if I've changed any. So, here goes:

I can't decide what my favorite color is. Sometimes it is green, sometimes it is purple.

My lucky number is 7 and I don't care if that is 10 billion other people's lucky number too.

I hate talking on the phone to people I hardly know, and avoid it at all costs. I would much rather email.

I would rather lift weights than do cardio.

If I had my way, I would be nocturnal. Up all night, sleep in the day. I get my best work done (cleaning, writing, etc.) after midnight and before 5 am.

Spiders scare the hell out of me, but I could sit in a pit of snakes and not flinch.

I hate people who think they are better than other people. I tell them we are all screwed, get over yourself.

My favorite thing to do with my husband is to go to a cafe either really late at night or really early in the morning and drink coffee, smoke and talk about good times, goals and silly things.

I never take a "quick" shower - 20 minutes minimum.

A face only a crazydogmama could love.

Isn't he a handsome boy, my Louie?  

Just a bunch of random nonsense today.

I saw the movie "Thirteen" recently. It was actually very well done, I was impressed. Makes me want to never have children.

I have been experiencing this extreme fatigue thing lately. I just can't seem to get enough sleep. Don't know what the problem is, and I hate going to the doctor.

I'm reading a new book, too. It's called "The Honk and Holler Opening Soon" by Billie Letts. She is also the author of "Where the Heart is" which I loved. So far, the book is great. Any book that starts off with the rescue of an injured dog gets my vote.

That is all for now.

Look what I made!

I made some pretty little bookmarks! How domestic and girlie of me!

Food!

Here is a picture of a meal I am proud of. I baked Copper River salmon in a roasted walnut glaze and put it over buckwheat soba noodles tossed in a little olive oil, soy sauce and sesame seeds. Asparagus is tossed in as well. It was yuuuummmmy. I came up with it myself! I must give credit where credit is due, however. Skwigg came up with the whole "putting pictures of your food on your webpage" idea. I think it is a great idea!

Miffed

OK, so when did groceries get so freaking expensive? I spent $200 at the store yesterday and didn't get hardly ANYTHING! Just barely enough for 1 week of groceries for 2 people! Then, I go to the gas station. My bill is double what it usually is to fill up my tank. Let's not even talk about cigarettes. I need to quit. $40 a carton,YIPES! No wonder I'm broke. Dog food is even more expensive. It is CRAZY! OK, enough complaining. At least I have a job (or two, or three). They had Halloween decorations at the store yesterday. Time flies, doesn't it?

10 Things to do when you're broke.

1. Make your 5$ Venti Mocha Frappuccino's at home instead of going to Starbucks.

 
2. Go out to lunch with your co-workers and give THEM a check for your part of the meal while they pay on their credit card. In my experience, they wait forever to cash checks, especially when everyone has direct deposit and no need to go the bank ever.

 
3. Play with your pets. They will never invite you to do something you can't afford.

 
4. Organize something. Your office, your bookshelf, your digital pictures, etc.

 
5. Take a nap.

 
6. Make a crazy Christmas list.

 
7. Draw something and put it on the refrigerator, whether you are an artist or not.

 
8. Come up with a new exercise. I came up with leg extensions while sitting at my desk with a heavy hole punch between my feet.

 
9. Look at all the food you have in your house. Figure out a new recipe from it, and make your spouse try it first. Do not tell them you are experimenting. Come up with a name for your recipe and act like you know what you are doing. If you drop some of it on the floor, and the dogs won't eat it, throw it away and go to your parent's house for dinner.

 
10. Ask your friends if they have any books that they like that you could borrow. Reciprocate.

Waking Up

Not quite awake yet, my typing may reflect this. I could have very easily stayed in my nice warm, cozy bed this morning. Maybe get up and have a little coffee, get online, then go back to bed. Unfortunately, though, I am sitting in my cold, windowless office. What will today bring? I have no idea. I took a different route to work today thinking it would be a nice change of pace. It wasn't. I was 5 minutes late because of traffic I'm not used to. Sometimes things don't need to change. :) Well, I am going to cut it short right now because the marbles in my head are still rolling around. Need more caffeine.

Its raining, its pouring!

Yay! I love the rain. I love the grey and gloom. The sun can be fun, and I love warm summer nights, but fall is my very favorite time of year. There is just something about curling up in a soft warm blanket on the couch next to the window with a crisp breeze and the smell of fresh rain. It is a great time to get caught up on my reading and my mocha-drinking. (Not that I ever let those things slide too much.) My husband complains about the dark when you get up, dark when you come home thing, but I really enjoy it. I like driving in the dark. I don't get depressed by gloomy weather; I actually feel energized! It is so nice to go workout and not feel like I'm going to die from heat exhaustion. I hope it rains all weekend!

It is the anniversary of "911" for the US today. I don't want to dwell too much on it, but I do want to say that I am proud to be an American, and that day will forever be in my memory. It took me a day and a half before I cried after the tragedy, but when I did, I really did. Last year on the anniversary, the business complex I work in had a "pay your respects to the flag" moment on the hour the first plane hit. I cried then too during the moment of silence. It was very moving. I fully support what the President has done and is doing. There is no need for "hate" mail, it is my freedom to feel that way and to express it!

I'm so excited!

I really have to see the new movie coming out called "Cabin Fever". Its right up my alley! A flesh eating virus and lots of gore! I won't be able to see it Friday because I have a whole slew of people coming over to scrapbook until midnight. I'll have to see it Saturday during the day before I have to work at the restaurant. Oh, what fun! I'll get to ruin all my guest's appetites by talking about it!

The Countdown

We have finally decided on a long-needed vacation. Walt Disney World! Neither of us have been there, and Disneyland is not ideal right now. So to Orlando we go, but not until late April early May. I now have something to research online! (I love little online research projects.) Now, for my fit goals. I feel I must lose some more inches before this trip in order to not keel over and want to die after all the walking I will have to do. For those of you who have not been on a Disney trip before, it is definitely something you want to be "prepared" for, or your feet will look like raw meat at the end of the day, and you will want to sleep for a week. I could lose quite a bit of weight before then! You also must think of all those pictures that will be taken! Here is a picture that was taken in December of 2001 on one of our Disneyland trips. This is Jim and Pooh.

Pictures with My Trainer

I got pictures taken with my trainer this weekend. It was the end of my first 12-week challenge with her, and so we took comparison pictures, fun pictures, measurements and weight. I was really excited about my progress and my finishing stats until I looked at the pictures of me next to her. Now, I know we are supposed to focus on our own improvements, of which mine were great, but I couldn't help but be a little depressed that I still made 3 of her in the pictures. I have thought about putting the pictures on my blog, but I need to get over the initial shock of body-realization first. Bare with me.

Haven't got a minivan yet, can't quite afford the one I want yet. I am devastated over the fatality at Disneyland this past weekend. Another horrible tragedy! And of all places! This also happened on Friday, the same day of the fatal car accident I got behind. Bad day. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is my second favorite ride! Now, Space Mountain AND Thunder Mt. are closed, not to reopen this year! I won't ever feel completely relaxed on that ride now. Even though Disneyland has only had 10 fatalities since its opening in 1955, it seems things are getting worse quickly with all the cutbacks they have been doing. Disneyland is going downhill in my opinion. And I'm MAD about it!!!

Woohoo!

I'm down 3 pounds and lost some more inches! Visiting my trainer today wasn't depressing like I thought it was going to be! My metabolism must be higher because I have been eating like CRAP lately. Even my husband is on my case. (He says if I'm going to pay for a personal trainer I have to do what she says. I hate it when he makes sense.) I took out one of my inspirational books and my Muscle Media magazine that just came today and decided to kick it up a notch and get back on track. My trainer had me doing some Thai Chi punches today, and whoa, that gets the heartrate up in a quick hurry. I took kickboxing for a while and LOVED it, but I had to choose between a trainer and kickboxing for my checkbook's sake. I think what also got me thinking again was the fact that I was behind a horrific fatality car crash this morning on the way to my workout. Instead of being an insensitive twit and thinking "Now I'm going to be late", I thought about how precious life really is and how it can all end in a split second. I wondered if there were children orphaned and how the families of the crash victims would be feeling today. We all take our lives for granted too much, don't we? Oh poor me this, and poor me that. I called my mom on my cell phone as I took the detour. I asked her about her day and told her I loved her. Too bad it took an awful tragedy to get me to do that this morning.

Who are all y'all?

I checked my stats today, and to my pleasant surprise there were quite a few hits onto this blog! That is exciting and scary at the same time! So, this is what I want to know who is my audience? What are you interested in? Will you be returning? Email me and tell me about yourself.

I have completely fallen off the wagon. I haven't worked out in several days, and my eating is less than poor. I had a Venti Mocha Frappuccino (whip-less) this morning for breakfast, then a zone bar for a snack, then PIZZA for lunch. Why I had a DIET coke with that cracks me up. It is not a free day. I have to weigh-in, get photos taken and get measured tomorrow with my trainer. I am going to have to come clean about my effort. The last time I did that a few weeks back, the results were so-so. No weight loss (or gain), but I did lose a smidge in inches. As a result, I have been tired, irritable and non-productive. Time to find some motivation!

The Real Cheryl

OK. Where is it appropriate to ramble on about yourself? 1.) Therapy. 2.) An Interview. 3.) A Blog. So, I have decided to post random and trivial facts about myself. Why I have decided to pick these particular facts will remain a mystery to us all. Does it make me vain and self-centered? Probably. Do I care? No. Not really. I love reading other people's blogs too, I think reading blogs are a great way to broaden our horizons, learn stuff and see things from someone else's point of view. It also kills time. There are a few rules before you start reading. Please try not to get offended by anything I say, I am a freak like everyone else, and I have many quirks and issues. Also, remember, this is a BLOG, this is just for FUN. Here goes:

I check my bank account balance EVERY day. Sometimes more than once. I am extremely anal-retentive about my account, and if my checkbook doesn't balance, it is a vendetta until it does. I have been known to call my husband ON the golf course on his cell phone to inquire about a debit. I have been told this is not such a good idea, so I stopped doing that. I have never bounced a check. (Knock on wood!)

I was born blonde, and I will stay blonde. I don't care what it takes.

I think my dogs are the greatest dogs ever, even though they are Tasmanian devil-dogs. I hate cats. No, I will NOT like your cat. Everyone says I will like their cat, that their cat is different. I promise you, I won't. Kittens are cute, though. All baby animals are cute. Human babies, not always.

I love to lay or sit down in the SHOWER. Not a bath, a shower. I also love warm summer rain, the real thing, AND the movie!

I am obviously a hopeless internet junkie. I should be working.

I prefer Cream of Wheat or Oatmeal to any dry cereal, with exception to Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries.

I HAVE to have teriyaki on my steak, unless it is very gourmet.

I generally don't eat candy or popcorn, although I like Junior Mints and Reses Peanut Butter Cups if I go to the movies.

I live for Frappuccino's and mochas.

I smoke like a chimney, but I rarely drink.

I love the holidays. I like hearing Christmas songs 3 months before Christmas, and I love snow. I become a silly little girl in the snow. I will get up in the middle of the night to check to see if it is snowing, and then if it is, I get giddy and wake everyone up. The same silly girl appears at Disneyland. I have many Christmas CDs and DVDs. Rudolph and Charlie Brown being my favorites. (I also have "The Official Disneyland Album" and actually listen to it in my car. My husband does too.) I also like cooking Thanksgiving Dinner. I want to try and go Thanksgiving-gourmet someday - but my family would probably go ballistic. Ironically, I have no kids.

I am an adrenaline-junkie. I love theme parks, skydiving, snow skiing, waterskiing, driving muscle cars - pretty much anything that gives me that "adrenaline" high.



One of my eyes is a little smaller than the other one.

I love to laugh. Who doesn't?

My scrapbooking/stamping stuff probably adds up to more than the price of my car, and my car is a 2001.

I drink milk with pizza and my favorite pizza is pepperoni, green pepper and jalapeño.

I live in the Seattle area, and I LOVE the rain! I can only handle the hot sun if my butt is planted next to a pool with a margarita.

I like the way my dogs smell. (Not after they roll in poop, though)

I believe that if my house is vacuumed, it looks better than if it is dusted and scrubbed. I have a thing about clean and spot-free carpet. If I buy another house, it must have brand-new carpet.

I could eat Italian food every single day, not just pasta, but ALL kinds of Italian food. I am very picky about quality, though. Il Bacio is my favorite Italian restaurant.

I love to workout (especially with weights) and eat healthy (most of the time), but if I could get away with smoking while running on the treadmill, I would.

Last but not least, I think Jesus is cool.

I'll post more later, I'm tired of typing.

A Picture of Moi

 

OK, here it is. I don't like pictures of myself, generally, but I thought it would help readers who don't know me to put a face with the insanity. I like this picture because for some reason the angle, or the lighting, or something makes me look thinner than I actually am. The picture was taken awhile ago, though. I know it looks funny. I took a self-portrait to test my new digital camera. Check out the cleavage! (That was unintentional, I am fairly conservative normally.) Currently, I am reading "Succulent Wild Woman" by Sark. It is wonderful! It is inspiring me to finish writing an article I'm working on. I love silly, inspirational and colorful books. My interests go all over the place. When I go to Borders and buy books, CDs and DVDs all at the same time, I get really funny looks. For example, the other day I bought a gory horror movie on DVD, a colorful little blank journal, an alternative music CD, the Succulent Wild Woman book and a golf book for my husband. The cashier didn't say a word, but I saw his face crinkle a little when he was ringing up my purchase. It was one of those "these must all be gifts for different people" looks. I wanted to laugh. But instead, I went and had a protein shake and sang loudly to my new CD in the car.