Had a pretty productive weekend. On Friday, Aaron and I went to look at a house w/ our Realtor...the price was right, and it was in a really nice neighborhood. Unfortunately, it had been severely neglected by the last tenants, who were probably college kids with smelly dogs, because the house reeked of dog urine, and had been completely gutted, there was only a skanky old fridge, a washer, and a dishwasher as far as appliances go. The main floor wasn't too bad, aside from the kitchen, the upper floor was weird, with two tiny rooms created, they were seriously the size of my cubicle at work, and the basement was horrendous. There was also an in-ground pool in the back yard that was in need of major repairs or just being torn out of the yard.
The house tour was Friday morning, by the time I made it back to work, it was already off the market. Aaron said that made the decision that much easier, because he didn't really want to waste a lot of money tearing out a pool, and the house, especially the kitchen and basement, needed a lot of work.
Friday night I was invited to play in a double-header softball game by one of my co-workers, so while I was doing that, Aaron went over to a friend's house to play some video games and have some drinks. He ended up spending the night, and once he got home on Saturday morning, we went to the Paper Depot to get the wedding envelopes cut out so I could get them all folded.
Saturday night we saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine with a couple of friends - great movie, I thought, but probably because I got to drool over Hugh Jackman for almost two hours.
Today has been mostly cleaning and laundry, as usual. Possibly some grocery shopping. And maybe some tacos for dinner. Mmm, tacos.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Fires
I forgot one thing about this weekend. As Aaron and I were driving home from Will's house on Saturday night, there was a firetruck hauling butt on the bridge at our exit, heading in the direction of our apartments. Then, as we got closer to our exit, as police car was hauling butt to get to our exit, and to also head towards our apartments. The air was thick with smoke, and smelled like burning rubber or plastic. Once we made it to our exit and over the bridge, we couldn't initially tell where the smoke or fire was coming from.
This all made me a bit anxious, because I can't imagine something much worse than coming home to find all of your possessions destroyed, and being homeless, because of someone else's carelessness. What really made me anxious was the thought of Odin still in the apartment. If our apartment was on fire, he'd have no way of escaping. Sure, if someone came into the apartment to check for people, he might run out into the hallway...but what if no one did? Ugh, it just made me sick thinking about it as we approached our turn. As we got closer, we realized that the fire was actually coming from across the street in a different apartment complex, and that it wasn't anywhere near our building. I felt much better after that, but still a little odd.
Aaron and I drove by that apartment complex this morning before we headed out for breakfast, checking the windows of all the rooms, and not finding anything. Aaron had seen flames when we turned on to our street. Then he noticed it: two silver cars, burnt and melted, from the inside out, in the parking lot of that apartment complex. We aren't sure what happened, but Aaron thinks one of the cars was being jump started, and something went terribly wrong.
This all made me a bit anxious, because I can't imagine something much worse than coming home to find all of your possessions destroyed, and being homeless, because of someone else's carelessness. What really made me anxious was the thought of Odin still in the apartment. If our apartment was on fire, he'd have no way of escaping. Sure, if someone came into the apartment to check for people, he might run out into the hallway...but what if no one did? Ugh, it just made me sick thinking about it as we approached our turn. As we got closer, we realized that the fire was actually coming from across the street in a different apartment complex, and that it wasn't anywhere near our building. I felt much better after that, but still a little odd.
Aaron and I drove by that apartment complex this morning before we headed out for breakfast, checking the windows of all the rooms, and not finding anything. Aaron had seen flames when we turned on to our street. Then he noticed it: two silver cars, burnt and melted, from the inside out, in the parking lot of that apartment complex. We aren't sure what happened, but Aaron thinks one of the cars was being jump started, and something went terribly wrong.
more weekend adventures
So I never posted about last weekend when Aaron's folks were in town because we kept ourselves pretty busy that entire weekend. Friday the arrived and we ate a nice dinner, took a walk around our mile long path at the French park that Aaron and I had been to before, came home, then called it a night. On Saturday, we were up fairly early, and headed to downtown Minneapolis to go to the Mill Ruins Park in the old industrial area of downtown where a lot of flour mills used to be. It's right off the Mississippi River, and all in all, we walked around almost 6 miles that day. We stopped in the middle of our walk to get pizza at Punch. After that walk, I forget what we did for dinner, but I remember there was napping involved. We did watch the baseball game in the in-laws-to-be's hotel room, then headed home.
On Sunday, we drove around a bit to kill some time, got me some potting soil to plant my flower seeds, and went to the Twins vs Angels game (we won!). After the game, we had soup and sandwiches for Randy's birthday dinner, did some more hanging out, and then his folks left for the night, and left for South Dakota the next morning. They'll be back next month on Memorial Day weekend as they pass through the state again.
This weekend was not terribly exciting, as there was impending doom (see: rain) all day Saturday, and rain all day on Sunday.
Friday was pretty lame - Aaron ended up having to stay late at work because some crap was blowing up all day, and they got it mostly fixed by the end of the day, but as son as he got home, it started happening again, so he had to go back to work, and didn't get home until 2:30am. We hung out with some friends on Saturday night, after spending most of Saturday in Aaron's car, driving around. We ran a few errands, not really getting much, but we drove through quite a few neighborhoods, looking at houses and areas, seeing what we liked. We drove WAY out West of the cities, to a town called Mound, which is near all these lakes. Apparently there were some houses at a good price, but that would be a ridiculous commute.
Today was a rainy day - spent most of it cleaning the apartment, running a few errands, and going out for breakfast, something we haven't done since probably November when my parents were in town.
I planted my flower seeds and Odin's cat-grass on Tuesday after work - his grass is already about three inches high, and he LOVES it. My three flower pots each have a few teeny little sprouts! I'm very excited about those, can't wait to see all the different blooms that come from them. I've been keeping them inside the apartment for now, Aaron was worried the birds might come on the deck and eat the seeds, but I think I can start putting them on the deck now that they've sprouted.
We finally gave up on toilet training the cat. He gets upset when we have company over, and ever since Aaron's folks showed up, he's been pooping in the bath tub non-stop. So I've given up, he wins. He gets his covered litter box back. Dumb, stubborn cat.
And those are my last two weekends in a nutshell!
On Sunday, we drove around a bit to kill some time, got me some potting soil to plant my flower seeds, and went to the Twins vs Angels game (we won!). After the game, we had soup and sandwiches for Randy's birthday dinner, did some more hanging out, and then his folks left for the night, and left for South Dakota the next morning. They'll be back next month on Memorial Day weekend as they pass through the state again.
This weekend was not terribly exciting, as there was impending doom (see: rain) all day Saturday, and rain all day on Sunday.
Friday was pretty lame - Aaron ended up having to stay late at work because some crap was blowing up all day, and they got it mostly fixed by the end of the day, but as son as he got home, it started happening again, so he had to go back to work, and didn't get home until 2:30am. We hung out with some friends on Saturday night, after spending most of Saturday in Aaron's car, driving around. We ran a few errands, not really getting much, but we drove through quite a few neighborhoods, looking at houses and areas, seeing what we liked. We drove WAY out West of the cities, to a town called Mound, which is near all these lakes. Apparently there were some houses at a good price, but that would be a ridiculous commute.
Today was a rainy day - spent most of it cleaning the apartment, running a few errands, and going out for breakfast, something we haven't done since probably November when my parents were in town.
I planted my flower seeds and Odin's cat-grass on Tuesday after work - his grass is already about three inches high, and he LOVES it. My three flower pots each have a few teeny little sprouts! I'm very excited about those, can't wait to see all the different blooms that come from them. I've been keeping them inside the apartment for now, Aaron was worried the birds might come on the deck and eat the seeds, but I think I can start putting them on the deck now that they've sprouted.
We finally gave up on toilet training the cat. He gets upset when we have company over, and ever since Aaron's folks showed up, he's been pooping in the bath tub non-stop. So I've given up, he wins. He gets his covered litter box back. Dumb, stubborn cat.
And those are my last two weekends in a nutshell!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Walk
Went for a walk today with Aaron on a trail that goes by Medicine Lake, which is in the French Park off of Highway 9. I remembered to bring my camera this time!
Someone put a stuffed raccoon in a log - thought that was pretty cute
Things are just starting to bud and soon will bloom
Cat tails by Medicine Lake's shore
Me and Aaron
Interesting trees - wish they had leaves on them
![]()
Down the path we go
Aaron loves having his picture taken...or not.
Aaron dared me to lick it, but I didn't want poison ivy or something all over my tongue.
Hopefully we'll be able to go for a walk on the weekends out here this summer. I think admission to the park is free for now, but we may have to pay a season pass once it is officially opened. Not sure when that will be. And we can always go walking around at the bird sanctuary again, and you just have to pay for parking there.
Aaron's folks are going to be in town this coming weekend, so that's going to be fun. We'll be going to a baseball game on Sunday, and I don't really know what we have planned for the rest of the weekend. Now that we have our venue booked, I think it would be fun to take them INTO the Earle Brown Heritage Center and show them the room that we reserved.
Aaron bottled his beer this weekend - it's his first attempt at a recipe, not a kit, so there were LOTS of hops in the bottom of the beer keg when we were bottling - the tap got plugged up a couple of times, and we ended up bottling the last two by straining it through a cheese cloth, into a funnel, and then into the bottle. We'll see how those turn out! They'll be in the closet for another couple of weeks to a month, going through their second fermentation, and getting all bubbly.
Someone put a stuffed raccoon in a log - thought that was pretty cute
Things are just starting to bud and soon will bloom
Cat tails by Medicine Lake's shore
Me and Aaron
Interesting trees - wish they had leaves on them
Down the path we go
Aaron loves having his picture taken...or not.
Aaron dared me to lick it, but I didn't want poison ivy or something all over my tongue.
Hopefully we'll be able to go for a walk on the weekends out here this summer. I think admission to the park is free for now, but we may have to pay a season pass once it is officially opened. Not sure when that will be. And we can always go walking around at the bird sanctuary again, and you just have to pay for parking there.
Aaron's folks are going to be in town this coming weekend, so that's going to be fun. We'll be going to a baseball game on Sunday, and I don't really know what we have planned for the rest of the weekend. Now that we have our venue booked, I think it would be fun to take them INTO the Earle Brown Heritage Center and show them the room that we reserved.
Aaron bottled his beer this weekend - it's his first attempt at a recipe, not a kit, so there were LOTS of hops in the bottom of the beer keg when we were bottling - the tap got plugged up a couple of times, and we ended up bottling the last two by straining it through a cheese cloth, into a funnel, and then into the bottle. We'll see how those turn out! They'll be in the closet for another couple of weeks to a month, going through their second fermentation, and getting all bubbly.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Food Sampling
This evening, Aaron and I had scheduled a food sampling at the Earle Brown Heritage Center (EBHC), along with about 50-60 other people. It's something they do maybe once or twice a year, to give you an idea of the different foods they offer.
We arrived around 5pm, signed in, and found a table with room for 10, with a lone gentleman and possibly his mom. We sat down for a bit at the table, looked over the menu, which had appetizers, the main course, and dessert options, as well as the drinks that were offered. This was a very small selection of the actual menu that they have, but the gentleman who got on the microphone to start the evening said it was some of their more popular items for this year.
They had a LOT of very fancy sounding entrees that didn't taste too fancy, just good. Aaron took samples of everything I was too afraid of, such as the pasta salad, fennel and orange encrusted chicken breast, and walleye. I wasn't too scared to try the prime rib, but I'd ran out of room on my plate.
We shared some of our foods, and marked off the ones we did and did not like from the menu. We need to go through their full menu and figure out what we might like, as we will need to set up a time for a one-on-one tasting, with foods of our choice. I think that's how it works, anyway.
Dessert was good. I got a slice of chocolate mousse marble cake (which had the best icing EVER), and Aaron had a slice of the flourless chocolate cake, which was VERY rich. Between the two of us, we couldn't finish that.
It definitely gave us a good idea of what we'd like, and what we wouldn't like. For example, I was very excited for a certain dish, having seen it on the menu in the past, thinking it sounded good, but upon eating it; meh.
Oh, this weekend I got new frames and lenses for glasses. I'd been having problems with my contacts recently, and have just been hating them lately because they never stay comfortable through the whole day, I hate going out at night wearing them because they just kill my eyes, and they were a hassle. Aaron had gotten new specs a couple weeks before me, and the store was having a 50% off lenses sale, which was still going on last weekend when I got my glasses. They're super fun, a LOT chunkier than the other frames I had, so that's taking some getting used to, and they're heavier, too, which kind of makes the bridge of my nose hurt, but I think I got everything adjusted to a comfortable position. And I can see! My prescription in these lenses is much stronger than the one in my old glasses, and stronger than my contacts, which were only about 2 years old (the prescription, that is). Five years ago, my right eye had almost 20/20 vision, and my left was much worse. Today, my right eye is a bit worse than my left. Ugh, getting old sucks.
We were pre-approved for a home mortgage through a bank last week! I'm really excited, but the gentleman who we applied through wouldn't return Aaron's phone calls or emails, and seemed rather flighty. We'd get emails at 12:30 in the morning, or it would be a week or so before we'd get a reply. It's very odd, and I don't think we'll continue to do business with him. Once we found out that we were pre-approved, however, Aaron contacted a realtor who'd worked with one of his co-workers. We'll probably re-apply for the loan, just to make sure that it's okay, since we don't want to continue to do business with the first man.
We drove around and looked at some houses that were on the market in our area this weekend, and some of them were in some shady neighborhoods. Eeep! Hopefully we'll find something soon! Aaron's come up with another plan for saving money towards the house that will only work if we actually GET a house. Which apparently takes between 30 to 90 days from the time you REALLY start looking. So if we find a house we like that doesn't need any fixing up, we won't want to do anything until a few months from now, as we have the apartment lease until the end of August of September, and don't want to (or can't afford to) be paying double rent and mortgage loan payments. So we'll see. I'm really excited, though!
Most days I don't feel like an adult, but I think that owning a home will help remedy that. I realize that I'm 26 years old, and obviously not a child, or even a young lady anymore, but I don't feel like an adult. I have a good job, I work Monday through Fridays, I am making payments on a car, engaged, taking care of a cat...still hasn't clicked. But I'm sure after the wedding and a house, that'll change. Or it will never change, and I'll never grow up. Which might not be so bad, either.
We arrived around 5pm, signed in, and found a table with room for 10, with a lone gentleman and possibly his mom. We sat down for a bit at the table, looked over the menu, which had appetizers, the main course, and dessert options, as well as the drinks that were offered. This was a very small selection of the actual menu that they have, but the gentleman who got on the microphone to start the evening said it was some of their more popular items for this year.
They had a LOT of very fancy sounding entrees that didn't taste too fancy, just good. Aaron took samples of everything I was too afraid of, such as the pasta salad, fennel and orange encrusted chicken breast, and walleye. I wasn't too scared to try the prime rib, but I'd ran out of room on my plate.
We shared some of our foods, and marked off the ones we did and did not like from the menu. We need to go through their full menu and figure out what we might like, as we will need to set up a time for a one-on-one tasting, with foods of our choice. I think that's how it works, anyway.
Dessert was good. I got a slice of chocolate mousse marble cake (which had the best icing EVER), and Aaron had a slice of the flourless chocolate cake, which was VERY rich. Between the two of us, we couldn't finish that.
It definitely gave us a good idea of what we'd like, and what we wouldn't like. For example, I was very excited for a certain dish, having seen it on the menu in the past, thinking it sounded good, but upon eating it; meh.
Oh, this weekend I got new frames and lenses for glasses. I'd been having problems with my contacts recently, and have just been hating them lately because they never stay comfortable through the whole day, I hate going out at night wearing them because they just kill my eyes, and they were a hassle. Aaron had gotten new specs a couple weeks before me, and the store was having a 50% off lenses sale, which was still going on last weekend when I got my glasses. They're super fun, a LOT chunkier than the other frames I had, so that's taking some getting used to, and they're heavier, too, which kind of makes the bridge of my nose hurt, but I think I got everything adjusted to a comfortable position. And I can see! My prescription in these lenses is much stronger than the one in my old glasses, and stronger than my contacts, which were only about 2 years old (the prescription, that is). Five years ago, my right eye had almost 20/20 vision, and my left was much worse. Today, my right eye is a bit worse than my left. Ugh, getting old sucks.
We were pre-approved for a home mortgage through a bank last week! I'm really excited, but the gentleman who we applied through wouldn't return Aaron's phone calls or emails, and seemed rather flighty. We'd get emails at 12:30 in the morning, or it would be a week or so before we'd get a reply. It's very odd, and I don't think we'll continue to do business with him. Once we found out that we were pre-approved, however, Aaron contacted a realtor who'd worked with one of his co-workers. We'll probably re-apply for the loan, just to make sure that it's okay, since we don't want to continue to do business with the first man.
We drove around and looked at some houses that were on the market in our area this weekend, and some of them were in some shady neighborhoods. Eeep! Hopefully we'll find something soon! Aaron's come up with another plan for saving money towards the house that will only work if we actually GET a house. Which apparently takes between 30 to 90 days from the time you REALLY start looking. So if we find a house we like that doesn't need any fixing up, we won't want to do anything until a few months from now, as we have the apartment lease until the end of August of September, and don't want to (or can't afford to) be paying double rent and mortgage loan payments. So we'll see. I'm really excited, though!
Most days I don't feel like an adult, but I think that owning a home will help remedy that. I realize that I'm 26 years old, and obviously not a child, or even a young lady anymore, but I don't feel like an adult. I have a good job, I work Monday through Fridays, I am making payments on a car, engaged, taking care of a cat...still hasn't clicked. But I'm sure after the wedding and a house, that'll change. Or it will never change, and I'll never grow up. Which might not be so bad, either.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
catching up
Sorry about the lack of posts, we've been kind of busy, but in a good way. Hanging out with friends, being out and about during the nice days on the weekends, and whatnot.
I don't really remember what we did last weekend, except our friend Nathan had a party at his apartment. We helped with making dip, pinwheels, and pico, but only four people showed up in the end, so it was kind of a bust. Everyone who was there had a good time, we were just expecting more people, so we ended up making a LOT of stuff that didn't get eaten by the time we left.
On that Sunday, Aaron and I went for a one-mile walk around a trail near Medicine Lake because it was about 50 degrees outside, and perfect for getting out of the house and doing something healthy.
This weekend, we were quite the busy-bodies. Ran all over town and back for random things. Ended up getting a Wii Fit because I had been wanting one for quite a while, but we could never find one during the holidays. So far, for the two whole days I've had it, I really like it. Aaron had gotten new glasses last week, but the lady at Sam's Club who did his prescription (they were having a discounted eye exam there, I guess), made his right eye weaker than the left, so we had to get the prescription changed, then get a new lens from the eye frame place - so we got those taken care of this weekend, as well. Now Aaron looks all spiffy in his new glasses, AND he can see out of them! Always a bonus.
We got supplies to create our wedding invitations yesterday, which I was very happy about! We went to to the same place as before for the save the date cards, and were able to get all of the same colors. We have all of the supplies except for the paper for the envelopes, because it has to be cut by the Paper Depot place, then they'll call us. I'm really pleased with the way the mock-up turned out, and excited to get to work on them.
We applied for a mortgage loan maybe two weeks ago, and still haven't heard from the guy. He e-mailed Aaron at 12:30 in the morning the other day and said, "Sorry I missed you, when is a good time to call?" Aaron gave him a time, and the guy never called. We're going to give up on him pretty soon and start searching other banks, because this is weird. We have to put in two months' notice at the rental office here before we move out, or we lose our security deposit, or last months' rent, or something like that. So I'd like to know well in advance if we've gotten the loan or not.
Hoping the weather starts warming up soon. I'm down to four pair of work slacks plus one pair of jeans for Fridays for my work wardrobe. I need to be able to wear skirts soon!
Otherwise, I think that's about it for me! Until next time!
I don't really remember what we did last weekend, except our friend Nathan had a party at his apartment. We helped with making dip, pinwheels, and pico, but only four people showed up in the end, so it was kind of a bust. Everyone who was there had a good time, we were just expecting more people, so we ended up making a LOT of stuff that didn't get eaten by the time we left.
On that Sunday, Aaron and I went for a one-mile walk around a trail near Medicine Lake because it was about 50 degrees outside, and perfect for getting out of the house and doing something healthy.
This weekend, we were quite the busy-bodies. Ran all over town and back for random things. Ended up getting a Wii Fit because I had been wanting one for quite a while, but we could never find one during the holidays. So far, for the two whole days I've had it, I really like it. Aaron had gotten new glasses last week, but the lady at Sam's Club who did his prescription (they were having a discounted eye exam there, I guess), made his right eye weaker than the left, so we had to get the prescription changed, then get a new lens from the eye frame place - so we got those taken care of this weekend, as well. Now Aaron looks all spiffy in his new glasses, AND he can see out of them! Always a bonus.
We got supplies to create our wedding invitations yesterday, which I was very happy about! We went to to the same place as before for the save the date cards, and were able to get all of the same colors. We have all of the supplies except for the paper for the envelopes, because it has to be cut by the Paper Depot place, then they'll call us. I'm really pleased with the way the mock-up turned out, and excited to get to work on them.
We applied for a mortgage loan maybe two weeks ago, and still haven't heard from the guy. He e-mailed Aaron at 12:30 in the morning the other day and said, "Sorry I missed you, when is a good time to call?" Aaron gave him a time, and the guy never called. We're going to give up on him pretty soon and start searching other banks, because this is weird. We have to put in two months' notice at the rental office here before we move out, or we lose our security deposit, or last months' rent, or something like that. So I'd like to know well in advance if we've gotten the loan or not.
Hoping the weather starts warming up soon. I'm down to four pair of work slacks plus one pair of jeans for Fridays for my work wardrobe. I need to be able to wear skirts soon!
Otherwise, I think that's about it for me! Until next time!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Employee Party
This weekend was the employee holiday party for Aaron's company. It started off with dinner at Spill the Wine, the restaurant below Aaron's office. I had a great steak and ice cream afterwards, and each course was served with a wine. I am not a wine person, and they didn't have hard cider, so Aaron ended up drinking all of my wine, plus his, and I had water. Then we headed out on a charter bus to Elsie's, a bar and bowling alley. We were split into teams, there were about 20 people or so in the lanes, and around 8pm, they turned on the black lights, which was a ton of fun.
I think I met almost everyone in Aaron's office, minus a person or two, plus all of their wives/husbands/fiancees. Had a great time, but I don't think I ever bowled over 100 in either game I played. Drinks were on the company, so everyone was drinking green beer by the pitcher.
Then we got back on the bus around 9pm, which was reserved until 11pm. So of course, we went bar hopping. First was a place where I don't remember the name, but the bar was in the center, with some tables along one long wall, and stools lined around the outside of the bar. Since it was the holiday before St. Patrick's day, everyone was celebrating by drinking the special - Green Meanies. I THINK they consisted of equal parts vodka & Sprite, with a bit of green food coloring, and some Kool Aid lime mix. They were TASTY! Dangerously so, that's for sure.
Then we went to Grumpy's North East, which was interesting, because the bar next to Aaron's work is Grumpys' Downtown. The NE location was quite a bit smaller, but their drink of the night was something called Dragon's Milk, which was a very dark beer that everyone had. We were there for a very short time - one drink, then gone, because it was getting close to 11pm, and we had to get back downtown.
Once downtown, we went to Grumpy's Downtown for some drinks and food, because we hadn't eaten since 5pm. It was packed, just like all the other bars we went to earlier in the night. There was a small room off to the side of the bar that had a few open tables. We snagged one, and then realized why no one was sitting there - at the other end of this narrow room, they had Rock Band set up, the whole band set, and then a large TV that projected the game screen so the "audience" could see, with a smaller screen for the band members to play off of. The first few bands we saw were pretty terrible, and a group from our employee party went up and did a Bon Jovi song - "Livin' on a Prayer", which was fun, and then Aaron signed us up to play Boston's "Foreplay / Long Time", so Bret, Aaron, me, and some random guy went up there. Aaron sang, Bret drummed, I guitared, and random dude bassed. AND WE ROCKED THE HOUSE. The start was rough, because the instruments weren't synced up with the screen right, so it took a while to get the hang of when to strum or hit the drum, but we got it after the first couple of measures. It was awesome - standing ovation. Okay, maybe not, but there was lots of whooping and hollering while we were playing, and no one threw beer bottles or rotten fruit at us.
And then we went home. Whew, what a night, but it was so much fun.
Today was clean the apartment day, and we rearranged some furniture in the living room, because I'd been wanting to do so for a while, and Aaron finally caved and helped me (mostly because stuff is heavy, and he's quicker at putting all the wires together for the TV and stereo and video consoles.
And that was our weekend!
We're trying some raw food stuffs for Odin that we picked up this weekend. You keep these little medallions of raw food in the freezer, then let one thaw out in the fridge overnight and give it to the kitty the next day - we'll see how he likes it - he was awful excited to sniff at it when I was transferring it to a dish to thaw in. Hopefully he'll like it.
I think I met almost everyone in Aaron's office, minus a person or two, plus all of their wives/husbands/fiancees. Had a great time, but I don't think I ever bowled over 100 in either game I played. Drinks were on the company, so everyone was drinking green beer by the pitcher.
Then we got back on the bus around 9pm, which was reserved until 11pm. So of course, we went bar hopping. First was a place where I don't remember the name, but the bar was in the center, with some tables along one long wall, and stools lined around the outside of the bar. Since it was the holiday before St. Patrick's day, everyone was celebrating by drinking the special - Green Meanies. I THINK they consisted of equal parts vodka & Sprite, with a bit of green food coloring, and some Kool Aid lime mix. They were TASTY! Dangerously so, that's for sure.
Then we went to Grumpy's North East, which was interesting, because the bar next to Aaron's work is Grumpys' Downtown. The NE location was quite a bit smaller, but their drink of the night was something called Dragon's Milk, which was a very dark beer that everyone had. We were there for a very short time - one drink, then gone, because it was getting close to 11pm, and we had to get back downtown.
Once downtown, we went to Grumpy's Downtown for some drinks and food, because we hadn't eaten since 5pm. It was packed, just like all the other bars we went to earlier in the night. There was a small room off to the side of the bar that had a few open tables. We snagged one, and then realized why no one was sitting there - at the other end of this narrow room, they had Rock Band set up, the whole band set, and then a large TV that projected the game screen so the "audience" could see, with a smaller screen for the band members to play off of. The first few bands we saw were pretty terrible, and a group from our employee party went up and did a Bon Jovi song - "Livin' on a Prayer", which was fun, and then Aaron signed us up to play Boston's "Foreplay / Long Time", so Bret, Aaron, me, and some random guy went up there. Aaron sang, Bret drummed, I guitared, and random dude bassed. AND WE ROCKED THE HOUSE. The start was rough, because the instruments weren't synced up with the screen right, so it took a while to get the hang of when to strum or hit the drum, but we got it after the first couple of measures. It was awesome - standing ovation. Okay, maybe not, but there was lots of whooping and hollering while we were playing, and no one threw beer bottles or rotten fruit at us.
And then we went home. Whew, what a night, but it was so much fun.
Today was clean the apartment day, and we rearranged some furniture in the living room, because I'd been wanting to do so for a while, and Aaron finally caved and helped me (mostly because stuff is heavy, and he's quicker at putting all the wires together for the TV and stereo and video consoles.
And that was our weekend!
We're trying some raw food stuffs for Odin that we picked up this weekend. You keep these little medallions of raw food in the freezer, then let one thaw out in the fridge overnight and give it to the kitty the next day - we'll see how he likes it - he was awful excited to sniff at it when I was transferring it to a dish to thaw in. Hopefully he'll like it.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Four Years
Today marks our four year anniversary - the day we met and started dating. It doesn't seem like it's been four years in some ways, and in some ways, it does. We started off living a block away from each other, and then five months later, Aaron moved in with me because my college roommate was moving out, and I couldn't afford rent by myself. Some people thought it was too soon to move in together, but at the time, it was my only option, and it worked out perfectly.
We lived together in Spearfish for a couple of years, and then moved out here to Minneapolis together when Aaron was offered a job. In April of 2008, we got engaged, and we're planning our wedding for October of 2009.
I doubt we have anything special happening for our four year anniversary - but that's okay. As long as I get to spend some time with him, and maybe eat a good dinner together, I will be happy. Aaron is my best friend, and I don't know what I'd do without him. He loves me for me, tolerates my quirks, embraces my weirdness, and has been nothing but supportive since I've known him. I couldn't ask for anything more. Except maybe a few more back rubs *smile*.
We lived together in Spearfish for a couple of years, and then moved out here to Minneapolis together when Aaron was offered a job. In April of 2008, we got engaged, and we're planning our wedding for October of 2009.
I doubt we have anything special happening for our four year anniversary - but that's okay. As long as I get to spend some time with him, and maybe eat a good dinner together, I will be happy. Aaron is my best friend, and I don't know what I'd do without him. He loves me for me, tolerates my quirks, embraces my weirdness, and has been nothing but supportive since I've known him. I couldn't ask for anything more. Except maybe a few more back rubs *smile*.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
plasma
This weekend I decided (finally) that I was going to sell my plasma. I always say "donate", but I got $40 for it, and "selling plasma" sounds like I was doing it on the black market. Anyway, I have donated blood several times in the past, and have had very little problems before, aside from them piercing my vein once, and passing out a time or two. No big deal.
I made it down to the center early in the morning to be told I needed my Social Security card, a 2008 W-2, or a paystub within the last 30 days, along with my photo ID. Well, I don't happen to carry any of those with me, so I had to go home and get something and come back.
I filled out some paperwork, was asked to read something out loud to make sure I was literate, read some donor information, get weighed, do blood pressure, temperature, and iron testing, as well as a physical which included a urine analysis, lung sounds, and checking my veins and hands to make sure I am not a needle drug user, ha. Then I got my picture taken for my file, and they checked the veins in my arms to see which would be the best to use for donating. Once it was decided that they would only use my right arm for donating, and my left arm was for emergencies, I sat down and waited for a donor chair.
Sit in the chair for about 15 minutes before I actually get hooked up to my machine. By this point, I had drank a large glass of juice with breakfast, a bottle of water from the donor place, as well as a box of Hi-C fruit punch from the donor place (because of the urine analysis, and they want to make sure you're hydrated before donating). Well, I'll tell ya what, I was SUPER hydrated. But by the time that realization hit me, they were poking me with needles and hooking me up to the machine. "Just try not to think about it," the technician told me. Hmmm, okay!
So the way plasma donation works is they hook you up to a machine that draws the blood into a centrifuge, spins your blood away from your plasma, deposits the plasma into a container, and then returns your blood to you. The machine does this over and over again until the right amount of plasma has been obtained. It took me 5 cycles and 100 minutes to fill up my container. Most of the time, it takes someone 45-60 minutes, but there was a problem with my first return of blood where they had to switch needles to my other arm, and I almost passed out before they gave me my first bit of blood back.
Fortunately, when they got me hooked up in the other arm and returned my blood, I felt much better, and there were actually no problems in using my left arm, which they said was "only for emergencies." Well, I guess that counted as an emergency, and it worked.
When I was done, I got my $40 and was told the soonest I could come back is Tuesday (I went on Saturday). This whole process took 5 hours. I didn't leave until after 1:00pm, and I watched two entire movies on TBS (they had TVs in the lobby and donor area). I watched Legally Blonde 2 - Red, White, & Blonde, and Clueless. Both movies, all the way through, with commercial breaks, started and finished while I was there. They promised it won't take as long next time I donate because I won't have to go through the physical portion, just sign in, weight, temperature, blood pressure, and iron, then donate.
So it was a long day. But, I made $40, and my plasma can be used to help burn victims and can be used for vaccines. So that makes me feel good! Plus, I have to donate at least one more time, or they will have to destroy my first plasma donation. I'm not entirely sure why, but I'd better go in this week for another round. We'll see if it's worth the hassle to go in again after that.
I made it down to the center early in the morning to be told I needed my Social Security card, a 2008 W-2, or a paystub within the last 30 days, along with my photo ID. Well, I don't happen to carry any of those with me, so I had to go home and get something and come back.
I filled out some paperwork, was asked to read something out loud to make sure I was literate, read some donor information, get weighed, do blood pressure, temperature, and iron testing, as well as a physical which included a urine analysis, lung sounds, and checking my veins and hands to make sure I am not a needle drug user, ha. Then I got my picture taken for my file, and they checked the veins in my arms to see which would be the best to use for donating. Once it was decided that they would only use my right arm for donating, and my left arm was for emergencies, I sat down and waited for a donor chair.
Sit in the chair for about 15 minutes before I actually get hooked up to my machine. By this point, I had drank a large glass of juice with breakfast, a bottle of water from the donor place, as well as a box of Hi-C fruit punch from the donor place (because of the urine analysis, and they want to make sure you're hydrated before donating). Well, I'll tell ya what, I was SUPER hydrated. But by the time that realization hit me, they were poking me with needles and hooking me up to the machine. "Just try not to think about it," the technician told me. Hmmm, okay!
So the way plasma donation works is they hook you up to a machine that draws the blood into a centrifuge, spins your blood away from your plasma, deposits the plasma into a container, and then returns your blood to you. The machine does this over and over again until the right amount of plasma has been obtained. It took me 5 cycles and 100 minutes to fill up my container. Most of the time, it takes someone 45-60 minutes, but there was a problem with my first return of blood where they had to switch needles to my other arm, and I almost passed out before they gave me my first bit of blood back.
Fortunately, when they got me hooked up in the other arm and returned my blood, I felt much better, and there were actually no problems in using my left arm, which they said was "only for emergencies." Well, I guess that counted as an emergency, and it worked.
When I was done, I got my $40 and was told the soonest I could come back is Tuesday (I went on Saturday). This whole process took 5 hours. I didn't leave until after 1:00pm, and I watched two entire movies on TBS (they had TVs in the lobby and donor area). I watched Legally Blonde 2 - Red, White, & Blonde, and Clueless. Both movies, all the way through, with commercial breaks, started and finished while I was there. They promised it won't take as long next time I donate because I won't have to go through the physical portion, just sign in, weight, temperature, blood pressure, and iron, then donate.
So it was a long day. But, I made $40, and my plasma can be used to help burn victims and can be used for vaccines. So that makes me feel good! Plus, I have to donate at least one more time, or they will have to destroy my first plasma donation. I'm not entirely sure why, but I'd better go in this week for another round. We'll see if it's worth the hassle to go in again after that.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
meme
A) People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blog and replace any question that they dislike with a new, original question.
B) Tag eight people. Don't refuse to do that. Don't tag who tagged you.
1. Make a list of 5 things you can see without getting up:
Cat Monster
chapstick
closet
concert tickets
window
2. How do you style your hair?
either in a ponytail or down and straightened. *snore*
3. What are you wearing now?
Pajama bottoms, an old Corporate Games shirt from 2000, and warm socks
4. What's your occupation?
Desk Jockey
5. Do you nap a lot?
Only on the weekends
6. Who was the last person you hugged?
Most likely Aaron. He's one of the only people here in the Cities I'm on hugging terms with, and I see him every day.
7. What's your current fandom/obsession/addiction?
Can't think of anything right now...saving money for the wedding and searching out houses on the internet on a nightly basis are starting to come to mind, though...
8. What was the last thing you ate today?
Laffy Taffy, cherry flavored.
9. What was the last text message you received?
"Home!" from Mom, who, along with Dad, just got home from sunny Florida.
10. What websites do you always visit when you go online?
Gmail, Facebook, Myspace, Cute Overload, LOL Cats, Woot!, Netflix, Twitter, bank acct.
11. What was the last thing you bought?
a Cherry Coke from the vending machine at work. I was about to fall asleep at my desk at 2:30, and thought that would probably be bad.
12. What are you listening to right now?
The loudest computer fan EVER. Almost makes me want to never use this thing.
13. What do you think about before you go to bed at night?
"Ugh, I still have to go to work in the morning"
14. What was the last book you read?
The last full book I read was the last book in the Twilight series. I tried to start another murder mystery book, loaned to me by a co-worker, but I just can't get into it. I'll have to give it back to her.
15. What is your favourite weather, and why?
60 degrees, partly cloudy, with a slight breeze. I hate being cold, and I hate being hot. I want to be just right, and be able to wear shorts and short-sleeved shirts while doing so! Oh, and flip flops!
16. If you could play any musical instrument, which one would you play?
I tried to learn the guitar a few years ago, to no avail...but if I had to pick something different, I would like to learn to play cello again.
17. How are you?
I am ready for this week to be over with. I want it to be Friday so I can get my coffee at Caribou, I want it to be Saturday so I can sit around the apartment and do nothing and not have to think of work right now. I am tired and a little crabby today, and I'm not sure what's setting me off, which has been bugging me most of the day, and probably adding to my problem.
18. What's something you'd like to say to someone right now?
to the cat - "why don't you do anything I tell you to?!"
19. What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
African or European?
B) Tag eight people. Don't refuse to do that. Don't tag who tagged you.
1. Make a list of 5 things you can see without getting up:
Cat Monster
chapstick
closet
concert tickets
window
2. How do you style your hair?
either in a ponytail or down and straightened. *snore*
3. What are you wearing now?
Pajama bottoms, an old Corporate Games shirt from 2000, and warm socks
4. What's your occupation?
Desk Jockey
5. Do you nap a lot?
Only on the weekends
6. Who was the last person you hugged?
Most likely Aaron. He's one of the only people here in the Cities I'm on hugging terms with, and I see him every day.
7. What's your current fandom/obsession/addiction?
Can't think of anything right now...saving money for the wedding and searching out houses on the internet on a nightly basis are starting to come to mind, though...
8. What was the last thing you ate today?
Laffy Taffy, cherry flavored.
9. What was the last text message you received?
"Home!" from Mom, who, along with Dad, just got home from sunny Florida.
10. What websites do you always visit when you go online?
Gmail, Facebook, Myspace, Cute Overload, LOL Cats, Woot!, Netflix, Twitter, bank acct.
11. What was the last thing you bought?
a Cherry Coke from the vending machine at work. I was about to fall asleep at my desk at 2:30, and thought that would probably be bad.
12. What are you listening to right now?
The loudest computer fan EVER. Almost makes me want to never use this thing.
13. What do you think about before you go to bed at night?
"Ugh, I still have to go to work in the morning"
14. What was the last book you read?
The last full book I read was the last book in the Twilight series. I tried to start another murder mystery book, loaned to me by a co-worker, but I just can't get into it. I'll have to give it back to her.
15. What is your favourite weather, and why?
60 degrees, partly cloudy, with a slight breeze. I hate being cold, and I hate being hot. I want to be just right, and be able to wear shorts and short-sleeved shirts while doing so! Oh, and flip flops!
16. If you could play any musical instrument, which one would you play?
I tried to learn the guitar a few years ago, to no avail...but if I had to pick something different, I would like to learn to play cello again.
17. How are you?
I am ready for this week to be over with. I want it to be Friday so I can get my coffee at Caribou, I want it to be Saturday so I can sit around the apartment and do nothing and not have to think of work right now. I am tired and a little crabby today, and I'm not sure what's setting me off, which has been bugging me most of the day, and probably adding to my problem.
18. What's something you'd like to say to someone right now?
to the cat - "why don't you do anything I tell you to?!"
19. What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
African or European?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)