Domestic Geek

Sorry this is way late this week. Between the snow storms, the holidays and the dog, I don't know what day of the week it is anymore. I decided that this week it's time for a little reflection on the year I had in 2006. Definitely not one of my better years by a long shot. Hopefully I'll remember that tough life lessons I had this year and won't repeat them. I also learned some good things, too.

Thirteen Lessons I Learned This Year

1. Don't Work with "Friends" — Don't accept a job with people you know previously, especially if the "boss" is someone you considered a friend.
2. The Graphic Design Industry Sucks— There is an oversupply of designers and therefore the pay has fallen off dramatically. There is also an overabundance of bad designers willing to work for those low wages.
3. Don't Be Honest With Your Employer — Don't turn down a raise because you hate your job and are up front that you are looking to work elsewhere. This will bite you in the butt.
4. Soda is Bad — I gave up drinking Coke/Pepsi this year. The detrimental effect is has on a person astounds me. I don't get heartburn hardly at all anymore.
5. Being a Freelancer Sucks — It was something I always thought I could fall back on and I was wrong. I don't have the temperament to deal with stupid clients.
6. Envy gets You Nowhere— I've spent a good portion of this year focusing on what others have and becoming bitter in the process.
7. I Don't Need So Much Stuff — I've been slowly purging myself of "stuff" and I'm finding I really haven't missed anything I've tossed. There is still much to get through, but one box at a time.
8. I've Been Living in the Past — Being unemployed for so long did give me time to really delve into my own thoughts. A lot of the revelations I have had have really surprised me. I was still berating myself and taking action based on things that happened over 20 years ago. I have really been stunted in my emotional growth. Now that I've learned what I was doing, 2007 will be the year I change that.
9. Doing Something for Charity Feels Good — I really enjoyed doing the Blogathon this year and was overwhelmed by the feeling I got from it. I will definitely be looking for ways to be more charitable in the near future.
10. I Can Really Count on Marcus — It's amazing that he has stuck with me through this really low point in my life. I know he truly loves me and I am thankful.
11. You Can Have Really Good Online Friends — This is the first time I've reached out to the people on the Internet and I've found some really wonderful, caring people out there.
12. Dreams Aren't Enough — I have lots of good intentions and wishful thinking is a bad habit. I have been always thinking I'll do this someday or I wish I could do that. Good things can't happen to you if you don't help. The only thing that gets results is action.
13. I'm a Good and Worthy Person — As strange as that sounds, I had a hard time believing it. I've always been the first to bash myself. "I'm not attractive" or "I'm such a loser" or "I'm not (whatever) enough." The truth is I'm not perfect, but I'm talented and I have a lot to offer. It's a lesson I'm striving to reinforce a lot in the coming year.

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Wow, I haven't done one of these in a while. Since Denver was hit with a blizzard and I'm snowbound, I present to you:

Thirteen of my Favorite Holiday Songs

1. Deck the Halls by Mannheim Steamroller — You know the Christmas season is upon us when you hear anything from them.
   
2. Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12_24) by Trans-Siberian Orchestra — I love this group. Someday I'm going to see them live. Did you know they used to be the metal band Savatage?
   
3. Snoopy's Christmas (Snoopy vs Red Baron) by The Royal Guardsmen — For some reason, this song makes me get all teary.
   
4. Santa Babyby Eartha Kitt — I like Madonna's version, too, but you just gotta love Eartha's sexy voice!
   
5. Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney — This is so happy and bouncy. My mom used to love it. It makes me think of her.
   
6. Gabriel's Message by Sting — I absolutely love this song. It is so hypnotic and peaceful.
   
7. Twelve Days of Christmas by Bob and Doug McKenzie — Not your traditional 12 Days song, but hey, you need a little humor during the holidays to keep from going insane, y'know?
   
8. The Little Drummer Boy by Chicago — I love a lot of Chicago's holiday tunes. Their harmonies are so cool.
   
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Barenaked Ladies — This has a great beat and I just love BNL anyway.
   
10. Colorado Christmas by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band — Hey, I live in Colorado...you've got to love this song!
    
11. White Christmas by Bing Crosby — It's a classic and I love Bing's voice.
    
12. A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives — You just have to smile when you hear this one!
    
13. All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey
    

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Since I'm in the middle of making my Thanksgiving shopping list (Dad and I are heading out tomorrow to start procuring foodstuffs), here are:

Thirteen Foods for My Thanksgiving Feast

1. Turkey - We always get the biggest one they have so that we'll have plenty for leftovers.
2. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy - No boxed ones here. I make real, skin-on mashed potatoes. Yum!
3. Broccoli and Cauliflower with cheese sauce
4. Corn
5. Shrimp Stuffing - I use a recipe from Kellogg's. Finding the Kellogg's stuffing is the hardest part of shopping every year. The last two years they've had it at Kmart. I hope they still carry it because it's YUMMY and just doesn't taste the same with any other mix.
6. Crescent Rolls - It's become a tradition to have these.
7. Cranberry Sauce - This year I want to try a recipe posted on Artistic-Array for an Orange Cranberry Sauce.
8. Corn Muffins I don't always make these, but I really like them.
9. Pumpkin Pie - I love making them from scratch, but if I'm in a time crunch, premade from King Soopers aren't too bad!
10. Apple Pie - Dad loves his apple pie.
11. Cheesecake - I've said it before and I'll say it again. I make an AWESOME cheesecake.
12. Egg Nog - We don't do the alcoholic kind...just the carton stuff. I can't take much of it, though.
13. Canned Peas - Marcus really likes peas, but they have to be canned, not frozen or fresh. I always make a can just for him.

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So, how off am I this week? I just went to the TT site to see if comments had opened up yet and saw 288 comments. D'oh, it's Thursday night, not Wednesday. So, I'm later than I wanted to be this week. Here we go:

Thirteen Observations About Being (Partially) Employed Again

1. My Sleep Schedule Is Whacked - You can't stay up until midnight on the PPP forums and function early in the morning.
2. Traffic - I really hate Denver's traffic problem. It shouldn't take 40 minutes to get to where I'm working.
3. I'm Out of Shape - Sitting on my butt for 4 months surfing the computer and looking for jobs has left some of my muscles a little weak from under use.
4. My Clothes Suck - Fortunately, this place allows jeans, tennis shoes and a collared shirt. I only have one pair of jeans that fit.
5. I Hate Feeling Stupid - I know it's just the training phase, but the control freak in me hates having to ask for help.
6. Boyers Coffee Bad - This place has Boyers brought in and it's yucky. Bad heartburn and an aftertaste that sticks with you the rest of the day. At least I'll drink more water this way.
7. Workplace Snobs - You know the type...every workplace has them. They've been there forever so they're above menial labor, even if it really needs to get done.
8. Seeing Marcus at Work is Cool - Isn't it a little sappy, but still neat, that after 14 years my spirit lifts and my heart beats a little faster when I get a glimpse of him?
9. My PVR is Full - I'm way behind on my TV watching after only a week.
10. Scheduling Showers - It's been a looooooong time since Marcus and I had even remotely close work schedules. I'm going to have to shower at night so that he'll have hot water and my hair can dry before work.
11. Surfing Withdrawl - It's weird to not be able to just look up whatever I'm thinking about at the particular moment. Even at my old jobs, I surfed a lot and could IM with anybody while working. I can't do that now. I started making myself notes of stuff to do online after work.
12. Feeling Useful - This has got to be the suckiest part of unemployment. I felt so useless. Even though I didn't catch on to everything here in my first week, at least I'm contributing something.
13. Steady Income - Tomorrow I get a small paycheck and after that they'll be regular.

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Thirteen Pets I Have Had in My Lifetime

1. Dogs - I've had dogs almost all my life. My first dog was named Herman.
2. Hamsters - My first small pet was a hamster. I've had many different hamsters.
3. Birds - I've had 4 different birds. Three were parakeets and the one Lovebird I have now.
4. Chameleon - I got to take this home after a class project. He didn't live very long.
5. Hermit Crabs - We used to keep these. They're kind of creepy to look at when they're changing shells.
6. Guinia Pigs - I had a couple of these. They didn't live long (got diseases). Poor things.
7. Rabbits - I've had many rabbits. Right now I have five.
8. Gold Fish - Too many of these in my lifetime to count.
9. Oscars - Marcus brought home some really big ones. He liked them because they ate other fish.
10. Frog - I raised him from a tadpole.
11. Cat - My parents had a cat named Annabelle when I was born. She was hit by a car.
12. Snails - I like snails. They're really cool moving around an aquarium.
13. Chia Pet - OK, not really a pet, but I ran out at 12.

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