World Cup is over....

...time to move on I guess. Man, that month went way too quick. I hate that I have to wait another 4 years. At least the Euros have Euro 2008 and the South Americans have Copa America. To be the fan of the US, you have to wait until the next World Cup for a major competition. Yes, we have the Gold Cup, but that bites. Oh well, it gives the US time to regroup from the disaster that was the World Cup. Congrats to Italy for their victory. I thought it was an enjoyable game that was only marred by the Zidane head butt. Some people are placing the blame on him for France losing the final, but I don't think it really made a big impact on the game. It still would have gone to penalty kicks and Italy didn't look like they were going to miss any. Who knows. It is sad to see Zidane go out like that, but hey, shit happens.




















The new Rocky trailer was just released. Unlike the great teaser that was released a few months ago and didn't included any movie footage, this one has a bunch of footage. Most people are against this whole idea, but being the big fan I am, I'm going to go see it anyways. Check it out and let me know what you think...

I Can't Believe The Rudeness...

Manuel and I went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie Friday afternoon. This post is not about the movie, so I'll keep my review of it short: It was good. Not as funny as the first as it was a much darker story. There was a fun ending that was a cliffhanger for the third. And stay through the credits - there is a little fun thing at the end.

Now, why I'm writing... I am amazed at how rude and inconsiderate people are at the movies. Someone's cell phone rang. The people behind us talked. The girl behind Manuel took her shoes off and put her feet up on the empty chair next to him and her feet smelled. The guy behind me kept bumping my chair with his legs and even after a few dirty looks never apologized. Someone occasionally shined a laser pointer on the screen.

This lack of respect for other people spending their hard-earned money to watch a movie UNINTERRUPTED absolutely amazes me. I used to LOVE going to the movies, but lately, each time I go, something like this happens. It really frustrates me and I leave swearing to myself that I'll never go to the movies again. I just want to scream at these rude people to grow up and follow the rules of common decency. Is that too much to ask?

Samba your way out of here....

Never have I been so happy to be wrong. I got an amazing three out of four predictions wrong for the World Cup quarterfinals, but I am still smiling. Why? We'll get to that game last.

Recap:
Germany v Argentina - I predicted Argentina would win, but I said that I wouldn't be surprised if Germany won. Well, Germany did win in penalty kicks and I am still not shocked. It was the battle of two good teams. Unfortunately for Argentina, it went to penalty kicks where Germany does not lose. They are like friggin' cyborgs. Robots. Cold Hearted. They just step up and get it done. Once it went to PKs, I knew it was over for Argentina.

Italy v Ukraine - Italy won as I predicted, but I thought it would be closer. What a dominating 3-0 performance.

England v Portugal - Sad to see England gone. Sad to see Beckham limp off like that in his last game being captain of England. Sad to see Rooney be a bonehead. Sad to see England still can't shoot PKs. Depressing. Oh well, guess my prediction was wrong.

Brazil v France - I picked Brazil. How happy am I that I was wrong? Let's just say I have now seen the game three times. From Henry's beautiful volley, to Zidane's artistry of the ball, to watching Brazil's heads down after a disappointing loss, this really made my World Cup. I have my favorites, I want them to win, but ultimately, I went into the World Cup knowing I would be happy as long as Brazil didin't win. Now they won't, and I know I will watch the rest of the Cup in peace.





























My semifinal predictions -
Italy v Germany - End of the line for Germany, I think. Italy wins 1-0
France v Portugal - France keeps going strong. France 2-1.


On a REALLY sad note, tragedy has struck at my house. I have a shelf in my office that was bolted into the studs in my wall. Unfortunately, it still managed to fall yesterday. Remember those comic statues I got for my birthday? Broken. Mostly just fingers and arms, but it was a DISASTER. I HOPE, PRAY, that glue will stick these guys back together. I LOVE these figures. It crushed me. I just got them. They were expensive. Who would have predicted the shelf would break? What could I have done? What do I do now?!?!?!?


Movie quote time:
1. "It was great. She showed me all the wallpaper and where everything is going to go. And then she brought me in the back room where she took all her clothes off."

2. "No! Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you doing? You burned all the food, the shade... the rum!"

3. "El, you really must try this because it's puerco pibil. It's a slow-roasted pork, nothing fancy. It just happens to be my favorite, and I order it with a tequila and lime in every dive I go to in this country. And honestly, that is the best it's ever been anywhere. In fact, it's too good. It's so good that when I'm finished, I'll pay my check, walk straight into the kitchen and shoot the cook. Because that's what I do. I restore the balance to this country. And that is what I would like from you right now. Help keep the balance by pulling the trigger."

My New Boyfriend

With the World Cup constantly on at our house, I've watched more soccer than I care to. Oops, did I say that out loud?! Really though, I've quite enjoyed it. It has been exciting.

And as an added bonus, I've found a new boyfriend! Cristiano Ronaldo. He plays for Portugal. He's ADORABLE! In non-World Cup games he plays for Manchester United, which makes Manuel ok with the fact that we're dating. He's young. He's cute. What more could a girl ask for in a boyfriend?

I've included some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy! I do...

World Cup and Quote Quiz

Quarterfinals begin tomorrow so how did I do in the round of 16?
Germany v Sweden - Germany - correct
Argentina v Mexico - Argentina - correct
England v Ecuador - England - correct
Portugal v Holland - Portugal - oops, I picked Holland
Italy v Australia - Italy - correct
Ghana v Brazil - Brazil - correct
France v Spain - France - oops, I picked Spain(underachievers again)
Ukraine v Switzerland - Ukraine - oops, I picked Switzerland


So here is how the quarters shape up:
Argentina v Germany - I have no idea who to pick. Argentina has looked solid the whole time, while Germany keeps looking better and better. Can Germany ride this momentum even more? I don't know. They have a good chance. I am going to still go with Argentina but if I am wrong, I won't be surprised.

Italy v Ukraine - Ukraine's offense has only looked good in one game whil Italy has a strong defense. Sounds like a win for Italy to me. 1-0 maybe, but still a win.

England v Portugal - England still doesn't look that good and yet, they have made it to the quarters. Can this keep up against a good Portugal team. Honestly, I think England has one more surprise suckout win in them. England wins in penalty kicks.

France v Brazil - 2 games ago, we weren't even sure that France would get out of the group stage. Now they have a chance to upset Brazil. If France gets something behind their shots, they csn win as Brazil's defense is shaky. France will have to score as Brazil's offense is solid. Still Brazil wins. Unfortunately...

Quiz time, name the actor and movies he says these in:

1. "From now on I see a red sash, I kill the man wearing it. So run you cur. And tell the other curs the law is coming. You tell 'em I'm coming! And Hell's coming with me you hear! Hell's coming with me!"


2. "Okay, I get the picture White Tigers, Lords of Death, guys in funny suits throwing plastic explosives while poison arrows fall from the sky and the pillars of heaven shake, huh? Sure, okay, I see Charlie Chan, Fu Manchu and a hundred howlin' monkey temples, and that's just for starters, right? Fine! I'm back! I'm ready, goddammit let me at 'em!"

3. "When you pull on that jersey, the name on the front is a hell of alot more important than the one on the back."

Transformers Teaser

Well, I had it here so you could just click on it, but that link was taken down. Just go to the official site, and you can now watch it. Be warned, it is going REEEEEEEEEAAAAAALLLY slow right now probably because of everyone watching it.

http://www.transformersmovie.com/


Tired of waiting for it to load, watch the really cool teaser for Spiderman 3! Man this looks good!




Working again for now...

My Unlovely Lady Lumps

What the heck? Like I haven't has enough stress lately...

Saturday, as I was driving home from the Bay Area and the whole GG thing, every bump in the road that I hit sent pain through my left breast. Every time I moved my left arm and hit my boob, it hurt. I mentioned it to Manuel, but didn't make a big deal of it.

Then Sunday night, laying in bed, my boob started hurting again, so I checked it out. Yeah, I found a lump. When I squeezed it, it seemed to pop. I made Manuel feel and he felt it too. He got fairly alarmed and encouraged me to make an appointment to see the doctor.

Which I did first thing Monday. My appointment was for the next day, Tuesday at 10am. And of course, my breast hurt off and on all day Monday.

So today I went for my appointment today and naturally, no pain. It never fails - whatever ails you enough to go to the doctor goes away the second you sit on that exam table.

She felt around, the "good" boob first, to get a baseline. Then onto the "bad" boob. She said she felt some fibrous tissue that didn't really concern her. As she was feeling though, it hurt, so I mentioned it, and she dug a little deeper.

And as she dug, I saw her face change. She got quiet, and looked like she was concentrating. Sure enough, she said she felt a lump (not the one I had felt) and wants me to get an ultrasound. She said it's nothing to be seriously worried about - we'll wait to see what the ultrasound says - and better to be safe than sorry. She also had me make an appointment for 2 months so she can check and see if things are better, the same, or, god forbid, worse.

So yeah, I'm a little worried. My great grandmother (GG) had breast cancer and had to have a mastectomy. I don't know about my grandmother, but I know my mom has had breast issues and has had to have a few biopsies.

So I have lady lumps, but not the lovely kind. Good thoughts, please...

Confused...

Martin Luther King Jr. was a brilliant man who advocated for peace. Why then, I ask you, does every ghetto in this country have a Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard? Wouldn't you think, because he is so revered, his street would be in a nicer part of town?!

Let's check those predictions

Ok, the round of 16, the elimination round starts tomorrow, well, actually in 6 hours since it is 130 in the morning. Let's check my predictions on who would be in it against what actually happened.

Group A - I said Germany and Poland advance - actually Germany and Ecuador
Group B - I said England and Sweden advance - CORRECT
Group C - I said Argentina and Holland advance - CORRECT
Group D - I said Portugal and Mexico advance - CORRECT
Group E - I said Italy and USA - actually Italy and Ghana
Group F - I said Brazil and Croatia - actually Brazil and Australia
Group G - I said France and Switzerland - CORRECT, but in reverse rder
Group H - I said Spain and Ukraine - CORRECT

Not too bad. Let's see the matchups with predictions
Second Round
Germany v Sweden - Germany
Argentina v Mexico - Argentina
Italy v Australia - Italy
Switzerland v Ukraine - Switzerland
England v Ecuador - England
Portugal v Holland - Holland
Brazil v Ghana - Brazil
Spain v France - Spain

Quarters
Germany v Argentina - Argentina
Italy v Switzerland - Italy
Holland v England - England
Brazil v Spain - Spain

Semis
Argentina v Italy - Argentina
England v Spain - Spain

Finals - Argentina v Spain - Argentina

Got a few controversial picks, but just going on gut from what I have seen so far. We'll see. Bedtime...

An interesting concept

The United States is out of the World Cup(more on that tomorrow), so I thought it would be good to write something positive(the anger comes tomorrow). I stumbled across a great site today while reading the comments on Val's blog. This guy, the Complimenting Commenter, has a very cool site where aims to get people to leave positive comments on other people's blogs. As today is the first day of summer, he is challenging people to leave 100 comments to 100 different people by the end of the summer. Doesn't sound too hard. I actually think it is an awesome idea. I get to see what other blogs are out there while maybe(hoepfully) getting people to come pay me a visit. I added a link on the side here as well as a couple of other cool blogs I have discovered in the last couple of days. Check them out if you get a chance and wish me luck in my goal to leave 100 compliments. As angry and pissy a person as I am, it might be a good thing...

Civil War

I got back into comics recently because I heard that there was a storyline coming out called Civil War that sounded interesting. Through 2 issues, I have to say that I made an amazing decision to start reading again. The storyline has been amazing. Basically, this is what is going on. Some young superheroes have a tussle with some villains which leads to an explosion and the deaths of hundreds of kids at a school. The public turns on heroes and demands super hero regulation - training, organization, and the topper, the unmasking of secret identities. It passes and becomes law. Naturally, not everyone agrees with this. Some heroes see it as way to make the public happy and support it. Others are clearly against it, mainly because of the secret identities thing. It puts them AND their families in danger. A bunch of heroes have now gone into hiding as vigilantes led by Captain America while the heroes who support it vow to track them down. At the end of the second issue which came out last week, the ultimate unmasking occured at a news conference set up by Iron Man and Spider Man(You can click on the pics to make them bigger):

Peter Parker's boss, Jonah Jameson, watches the press conference on tv...









Peter Parker voluntarily unmasks in front of the cameras....












Jonah Jameson faints. A classic moment in comics. Loved it. Can't wait for the next issue...

Let's look at those World Cup predictions...

Each team has played 2 games now and the final group games for each team start tomorrow. Let's review and look at my predictions...

Group A
I said it would be Germany, Poland, Ecuador, Costa Rica. Well, I was wrong here. Especially about Poland. They have stunk it up. They play Costa Rica tomorrow in a game that is strictly for pride. Germany and Ecuador tomorrow should be fun. Ecuador is actually in first on goal differential and only needs a tie to win the group. How crazy would that be? But you know what, Ecuador has played pretty good. Germany has been ok, but will need to step it up in the knockout stages. I predict a 2-1 German win tomorrow with Germany and Ecuador finishing 1-2 in the group.

Group B
I think the biggest surprises have been the heart of Trinidad and Tobago and the difficulty that England has had in scoring. With England/Sweden and T&T/Paraguay tomorrow, there is still a little doubt in the air. England has already advanced. They move to second though if Sweden beats them. T&T can squeeze past Sweden for second if England beats Sweden, T&T beat Paraguay, and T&T make up the minus three goal differential. I would love to see T&T advance because of how hard they have played. It is a longshot though. I see Sweden and England drawing making the other game pointless. England and Sweden go one-two in the group as I predicted.

Group C
Ivory Coast has played well, but Argentina and Holland have been the class of the group. They have won both their games and now play each other for control of the group. Because of goal differential, Argentina wins the group with a draw. I still predict a 2-1 win by Argentina making Argentina and Holland go 1-2 in the group as I precited...

Group D
Well, it SHOULD end up Portugal and Mexico. Portugal has looked ok, while Mexico looks lost without Borgetti. Unless Mexico loses big to Portugal in the last game while Angola beats Iran by a bunch, it should be Portugal and Mexico going 1-2. Mexico can get first in thr group if they beat Portugal, but I don't see that happening. My predictions should remain correct.

Group E
Well, after that gutty tie by the US against Italy and the upset win by Ghana over the Czechs, I actually think the US will advance. As you may know, they have to beat Ghana and have Italy beat the Czechs. There are other scenarios possible, but they are LONGSHOTS. Yes, I see the US doing it. Italy and USA go 1-2 like I predicted...

Group F
Blah, blah, Brazil is going to win this group. What will be interesting is the fight for second place. Australia needs just a tie against Croatia while Croatia advances if they can beat Australia. Australia has been a pleasant surprise while Croatia has been so-so. I don't see Australia letting down now. The game will end in a tie making Australia the second place team to the Brazilians. I thought it would be Croatia, but I think I'll be wrong here. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, OY OY OY!!

Group G
The biggest surprise has been how bad France has looked again. However, they play Togo last while the two teams ahead of them have to play each other. If France wins and Switzerland and South Korea doesn't end in a tie, France will go on. They can even go on if that game ends in a tie and France wins by two goals. There are a lot of options. Therefore, I see Switzerland and South Korea drawing, with France beating Togo by two goals. Switzerland gets first and France gets second. Just the reverse of what I predicted, but the right two teams...

Group H
Despite being rocked 4-0 by Spain, Ukraine is still the second best team in this group. Both will win their matches against Saudi Arabia and Tunisia respectively making Spain and Ukraine go 1-2 as predicted.

I will make my predictions for the second round on Friday. Thank you to those who got this far. I had pictures for all these groups, but they aren't loading for some reason...damnit...

Running out of time...

My job is killing me! No matter how hard I try, things just aren't clicking right now. I mean, I do what they ask me to, I try to stay busy, but the $ is just not coming in. I'm tired of things falling through for me and watching others who started at the same time as me start to get deals. I am not doing anything differently than them. They tell me that. Well, one lady just has a ton of friends who suddenly want to buy and sell, but I don't see that happening for me right now. I have my listing right now, but that still hasn't sold and it is frustrating. The overabundance of houses for sale and the way the market is right now is just killing me. I picked a career change at the absolute worst possible time. I talked to an experienced agent the other day and she said it has been the worst 6 months of her career. How is a new agent like me going to survive like that? If I could sell my listing it would be great because I will be getting 2 deals out of it. They tell me that they understand that I am doing all I can so at least I have that going for me. But they have given me until the end of July to sell it. Basically, I have 6 more weeks to sell it or I lose 2 deals. And if I lose them? Well, I could get lucky and pick up some more buyers in the meantime, but my luck hasn't gone that way yet. Jessica and I have basically given ourselves till the end of the Summer for this Real Estate thing. I love my job, she loves that I am happy, but we can't live with no paycheck from me. I only need about 8 deals in a year to make what I did as a teacher. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but it isn't going that way for me. And then what do I do? Well, I guess I have to find another job. I don't know what. I don't want to go back to teaching. I hated teaching. I guess I could get a state job. I just don't want to end up in some job that they will give to anyone with a high school diploma. I have a college degree from a good school. It would kill me to waste it. I don't know where to begin. I could always do Real Estate part time when deals happen, but that would require me switching companies as my office doesn't allow part timers. Who knows, maybe I will find the perfect job. I think I have the perfect job right now. Just not the perfect timing. Well, I guess we will see in a few more months.

I HATE YOU!!!

There is this doctor at work who, I think intentionally, gives me a bad time. Every time I speak with her on the telephone it is a battle. I can't remember every single instance, but for example, she has interrupted my report then accused me of not giving her all of the information. And last night, the following exchange occurred. For the sake of anonymity, we'll call the doctor Dr. A (and yes, Mom, she's taken care of you...)

Background: I had a patient with a bad rash and the skin had broken open and was causing the patient a great deal of discomfort. Being the good nurse I am, I called Dr. A.

*ring ring*
Dr. A: (speaker phone) Hello?
Me: Dr. A? (it didn't sound like her)
*silence*
Me: Hello?
Dr. A: Yeeeessss...
Me: It's Jessica from San Juan. I'm calling about (patient) who has a rash on her (location) that...

At this point she interrupts me and tells me what medicines to give her, which is cool, but I feel it is important to give her all the information and let her know that the skin is broken (which I was about to do before she interrupted me). So I tell her.

Dr. A: Ok... Give her the Diflucan and Neosporin like I told you.
Me: Ok, can you tell me how the Diflucan comes? Milligrams and all?
Dr. A: No.
*silence*
Me: Well, I don't know how it comes, Dr. A.
Dr. A. *sighs* 150 mg.
Me: Ok, how often? (There are always 4 things you need for a correct medication order: 1) the drug 2) the dose 3) how to give it 4) how often to give it)
*silence*
Dr. A: (very patronizing) Just once.

When I hung up I honestly was on the verge of tears from anger because speaking to a doctor and advocating for your patient's safety and comfort should not be that difficult. I should not be given a bad time, harassed or spoken to like I'm a 5 year old retard for doing my job. If it was only once that this happened, I could let it go, but every time I speak to her on the telephone, without fail, I hang up pissed off because she does something like this.

A wise woman at work said that I'm probably especially sensitive to it because I go into the call with her on the defensive. And that makes sense - if she's treated me like crap every phone conversation we've had before, why wouldn't I be prepared for more? But also, in so doing, it's like I'm looking for it, thus more sensitive when it does happen. It makes sense...

But it doesn't make it right. Whatever I did to piss her off or get on her bad side, I wish I could take back because it is a horrible feeling to be spoken down to/harassed/belittled for doing your job.

Hopefully, there is More Than Meets the Eye

Yup, just a little over a year away until my movie dream comes true. They sure are keeping a tight wrap on the filming right now. Most pictures that get leaked quickly disappear for fear of lawsuit.

Crap....

Well, the U.S, got watch the mighty Czechs celebrate three times today. Just depressing. Guess we have to go and beat Italy now. Yeah....

What many Americans wouldn't understand...

The first three days of the World cup are over and what a spectacular time it has been. There have been beautiful goals, hard play, and a few surprises. No surprise can top 0-0 tie that Trinidad and Tobago was able to get with Sweden. In fact, this may have been the best of the 8 games so far. Wait, a 0-0 tie is the best game you may ask? See, this is where American sports mentality comes in. One of the reasons that many in America hate soccer is that they feel it is too low scoring. They feel a game can't be exciting unless many goals/points are scored. But they are so wrong. Let's look at this game deeper. This was Trinidad's first game in their first ever World Cup. They were going up against a fairly strong team in Sweden. By all accounts, they were supposed to get blown out. Yet, with one half down, they were still at 0-0. Then 1 minute into the second half, a Trinidad player gets ejected and now Trinidad has to play the entire second half with one less player. So, they are inexperienced, playing a good team, and have one less player. Yet somehow, they were able to play their hearts out, giving it all on the field. The last 5 minutes, as they blocked shot after shot from a charging Sweden side were some of the most tense moments I have ever seen in a soccer game. When the ref finally blew the whistle, the players of Trinidad mobbed each other as if they had just won the World Cup. They had accomplished what nobody thought they could. It was straight out of a movie. Yet, American mentality will look at the final score and say that it had to be boring. Little do they know, the game had a storybook ending. Trinidad may lose their next two games, but they will probably return home as heroes for the shocker they were able to pull on a Saturday afternoon. Not bad for a "boring" 0-0 game.

World Cup Time!!!

It only happens every four years and it is the greatest sports event in the world. Nope, not the Olympics, but the World Cup. For one month, I am going to be on the edge of my seat as the greatest soccer players in the world will compete in the game I love. Being that it is only every 4 years only adds to how great it is. Mess up in the first round, you have 4 whole years to think about it. So, here are my predictions and don't worry, if you don't care about soccer, there will be some movie trivia at the bottom...

First Round features 8 groups of 4 with the top two in each group advance. This is how I see each group finishing...

Group A
Germany
Poland
Ecuador
Costa Rica

Group B
England
Sweden
Paraguay
Trinidad and Tobago

Group C
Argentina
Holland
Ivory Coast
Serbia and Montenegro

Group D
Portugal
Mexico
Angola
Iran

Group E
Italy
USA
Czech Republic
Ghana

Group F
Brazil
Croatia
Australia
Japan

Group G
France
Switzerland
South Korea
Togo

Group H
Spain
Ukraine
Tunisia
Saudi Arabia


Second Round
Germany over Sweden
Argentina over Mexico
England over Poland
Holland over Portugal
Italy over Croatia
France over Ukraine
Brazil over USA
Spain over Switzerland

Quarterfinals
Argentina over Germany
Italy over France
England over Holland
Brazil over Spain

Semifinals
Argentina over Italy
England over Brazil

Finals
England over Argentina...and I will rejoice in England's win!!! It's finally their time to reclaim the cup. A betting man would put the $$$ on Brazil, but I hate Brazil and refuse to proclaim the winner. We shall see....


Movie trivia time...We'll make them sports movies in the spirit of the Cup. Name the movie and the character who said it.

1. Bats, they are sick. I cannot hit curveball. Straightball I hit it very much. Curveball, bats are afraid.

2. If we play 'em 10 times, they might win nine. But NOT this game.

3. Yeah, starting defense! PLACE AT THE TABLE!!! YEAH!!!

Early Morning Telephone Call

I was up this morning at 615am, which is no big deal, since I work tonight and will nap at some point today anyway. So I got up, fed and pottied the dogs, ate breakfast and checked e-mail/played on the computer until 700am, when I woke Manuel with a kiss to the forehead and the morning paper. When he got up to get ready for his day at work, I went back to the computer.

At 725am the telephone rang. Normally when it rings at that time, it is either my mom or step-mom calling, thinking I worked the night before and trying to catch me before I go to bed. I was sitting in the living room and when the ringing started, I looked up to where the phone usually is, but alas, it wasn't there. I stood up and looked around for it but still couldn't find it. I ran to the bedroom to answer the phone, and by the time I got there, the answering machine had picked up, so as the recording was going, I kept saying, "Hang on, hang on" to whoever was on the other end so they knew I was there and wouldn't hang up.

It was a good thing I couldn't find the phone and the answering machine recorded the whole conversation because it was entirely bizarre and what follows is a direct transcript I took by listening to the recorded conversation over and over again. The person calling had an VERY thick Indian accent and the words in parentheses are what I think he said.

Me: Ok, go ahead.
Him: Yes, Miss. Can I speak to Manuel?
Me: He's in the shower.
*pause*
Him: Ok...
Me: Who's calling?
Him: My name is (Satchel?) and I'm calling, uh, from the credit team at (paytroll?), ok?
*pause*
Me: And what is that?
Him: Well, this is regarding an online purchase that he made (out of a trite?), ok? What I will do is I'll just give him a call after 5 or 10 minutes, Alright? That ok?
Me: Ok, but, I mean, where are you calling from?
Him: I'm calling from United States.
Me: Well, I know United States but, I mean, it's 730 in the morning here.
*silence*
Him: (VERY quietly) Ok. I'm really sorry Ma'am.
Me: Ok.
Him (Still VERY quietly) Bye bye.

Yeah... Whatever online purchase Manuel made isn't important enough to require a telephone call at 730 in the morning.

Oh, and by the way, it is 845am right now, and he still hasn't called back. So much for that 5 to 10 minutes... I think I scared the crap out of him.

Free Money

I got a call from my boss at work a few days ago. She said she was embarassed to tell me this, but Human Resources never got the paperwork notifying them that I took my boards. So all this time, HR had me as an RN-IP, working under an interim permit that is good for 6 months or until I pass (or do not pass) my boards. My IP started 6/04, when I started working, and was due to expire 6 months later, 12/04. Well, I took my boards in 9/04 and passed, thus nullifying my IP and becoming a REAL nurse, and I've been working like that ever since.

Only, like I said above, HR never got that info (which REALLY gives me faith in our HR department, working under a licence that expired over a year and a half ago and nobody caught on to it...) But the good news is, and I did not know this, there is a pay difference between IP and real RN status, which I have not been receiving since 9/04 - 21 months! So yours truly is apparently going to get a check for retro pay, paying me 21 months worth of IP and RN pay difference. I don't know exactly how much the difference is, but regardless, it's like getting free money!

Now we can get those hardwood floors! Score!

Birthday update

Had a wonderful time in Vegas, but never have I felt so old before. Even though most of the guys are older than me, they are also mostly single. They always were in party mode and it just drained the crap out of me. It was like a nonstop party. I need more sleep than 530am-1030am(?!?!?) on Sunday morning and 4-7 am on Monday morning. By the time I got home at 11am on Monday, I was dead. However, as little energy as I had, I still went straight to the movies from the airport with Jess to see X-Men3. LOVED IT!!! Loved seeing all these characters although they still left out Gambit. Bastards! Maybe in the next one....and you know there will be one. Got some $$$ and gift certificates so I was able to pick up some great resin figures today at the store. Here are some pics...






I also have on order this new DVD set for your computer that has every Uncanny X-Men comic ever made to read on your computer. Only $40 bucks so I also ordered an Avengers set today with some money I got in the mail today. Looking forward to those!

Movie trivia: Last weeks mystery Will Smith quote was from Enemy of the State.

In honor of all this comic news, something different today. Each quote is from a different movie based on a comic. Name the movie and the comic character who says the quote...

1. Does it ever wake you in the middle of the night? The feeling that one day they will pass that foolish law or one just like it and come for you? And your children?

2.Well, to each his own. I chose my path, you chose the way of the hero. And they found you amusing for a while, the people of this city. But the one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying. In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you. Why bother?

3.You're making me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

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All Alone

Manuel left for Vegas with the boys this morning. His ride came to pick him up at 930am. Since I worked last night, we hung out until about 915am, then he tucked me in bed and we said goodbye.

I slept the majority of the day, got up, got ready and went to work. It was slow, so I volunteered to go home - I have plans for tomorrow and sleeping all night will be better than not.

So I'm sitting here, looking at websites, and I hear my cell phone ringing to Manuel's ring tone - The Simpsons. He's calling me! I run to catch the phone and sure enough, my sweet love is on the other end. I play yell at him for calling - Vegas is roaming, thus $0.50 a minute, and you know what he says? "I just wanted to tell you that I love you." I could hear his friends in the background, and normally he keeps the love stuff on the down low in front of his friends, but here he was, out with the guys for a weekend in Vegas and he calls to tell me he loves me.

I didn't realize how much I missed him until I heard his voice. It really filled my heart and made me happy talking to him. I smiled the whole time I was on the phone, and even for a few minutes after we hung up.

I love that boy SOOOOOO much!

Season Finales

Two exciting finales this week. Let's start with 24. Pretty exciting. Pretty much happened how I would thought except for the end. This is the first season we have watched so I don't know the whole story behind the Chinese, but I knew enough to know that when they took off their masks at the end, I knew I was supposed to say, "Oh shit!" Should be an exciting season next year and I am anxious to see where it goes. My only complaint was that they did not kill Chloe. We HATE her and I hope she dies a violent death soon!












Lost finished last night and again it was a trip. Yeah, it answered so many questions, but it just replaced them with others. Still, a great show and again, it will be a long summer waiting for this show to come back. I have heard rumors that this show is only going to be three seasons long so if that is the case, the end really started it on that path.

Jess and I saw Da Vinci Code last Friday. Pretty good movie. We both read it a few years ago, and recently bpth reread it to refresh our memories. For a movie, it was pretty entertaining. It had differences from the book, but overall, I just wanted to be entertained and my goal was met. Lot of people seem to hate the movie adaptation, but it would have been very hard to totally get it right from the book. I'm ok with the final product. Now bring on Angels and Demons which is an even better book. We passed on Poseidon from my list of Summer movies. We'll just NetFlix it instead. This week is X-Men 3, but with Jess working and Vegas this weekend with the boys, I don't think I will get to see until my birthday on the 29th. Oh well.

Trivia - Not very many answers from the last one. It was Tom Hanks and the first quote was from Toy Story. The 2nd was from That Thing Uou Do and the third was from Saving Private Ryan.

Today's:
1.Now back up, put the gun down, and get me a pack of Tropical Fruit Bubblicious.

2.It just be raining black people in New York.

3.You're the only woman for me. You and Janet Jackson.

Meet the Nielsons

So this is exciting news - we've been asked to be a Nielson family. They contacted us a couple of weeks ago to get some demographic information for their consideration. Well, today they came by and said we have been chosen. So, in a couple of weeks, they are going to come by, install some box to our two TVs in the house, and we are officially a Nielson family. In case you don't know what that is, they keep track of every TV show we watch so that they can come up with the TV ratings. Pretty cool. If our TV should break any time between now and when we stop being a Nielson family, they will pay for half of it. Kind of fun...

House(Castle) sitting was a blast. Meant to take pictures and of course, we forgot. Hopefully they will ask us again so we can rectify that. Their puppies were adorable, the scenery was great, and the BBQ/poker game on Saturday was a BLAST! Didn't hurt that I won the poker game. $140 for first isn't too shabby. Here is the only pic of the house I have for now:

















Some trivia for ya:
1.That wasn't flying! That was... falling with style!

2.It is very important that you don't stink today.

3.Earn this.

The many faces of Manuel

In case you didn't know, I've been working out!

















And don't get me angry! You won't like when I get angry!!! Manuel Smash!
















I'm joining the BlueMan-uel group...

I was sucha freakin Talent

About the author:
Richard Bauer is the 12 year old son of Denise Bauer. He is studying in St. Lawrence School in Sacramento, where is received the King Author Certificate of Excellence and also the Christian Citizenship Award.
The award reads : This young man exemplifies what our school stands for Christianity. He is respectful, courteous and friendly. During mass, Richard shows reverence and a quiet deep faith. In class he is helpful, for instance, after Math class last Monday, a fellow student needed assistance and Richard quietly and courteously gave his time to help. As a sportsplayer, Richard exhibits true sportsmanship- the desire and ability to win, but with humility. Richard is friendly to all and doesnt spek unkindly of anyone. He always tries his best whether it is at Mass, in the classroom, or on the playing field. Thank you Richard for being you.

Following is the unedited essay of Richard:

Being a piece of paper is exciting. I never know what is going to be written on me until its done. Sometimes a person writes poetry and expresses their feelings. Other times a person writes an essay for me, but for this one day, I would be an A paper.

It started when a kid named Richard was assigned an English essay. He had to write about a day in the life of an inanimate object. The day before the paper was due, I was chosen as the paper to be turned in. What an honor! For the first time I had a chance to be an A paper. When Richard started, two of my friends were crumple up. I was praying that he wouldnt throw me away. Richard was watching T.V. and he was halfway through the paper. I could be an A paper, only a paragraph to go.

I had always dreamed of this moment and it had finally come. It was my first and last chance. It was up to Richards teacher to decide if I was worthy of this honor. The next day, Richard turned me in and only fate could tell.

The next Monday Richard got me back and boy was he happy. He got an A and I had the honor of being that paper that was Richards first essay to be an A.

Monday

This video is pretty funny.





Only a few more days until we get to house sit at the castle. We're so excited! Maybe if I hang out in front of the house enough, I can get their neighbor, Mr Artest to come over and play poker. Yeah, maybe....

Nobody got the second quote last time. It was Nic Cage's great line from The Rock.

Here ya go with some more quotes...

1. I know that I have put you through hell, and I know that I have been one rough pecker. But from here on, you are all in my cool book.

2. There's a ninety-five pound Chinese man with a hundred sixty million dollars behind this door.

3. You fascinate me.

Survivor Women Top 10

In honor of Survivor's Finale tonight, I thought I would do a top 10 of the hottest girls that have been on the show. I've seen every episode of this damn addicting show and it has not been lacking in girls I thought were cute. Here ya go from 10-1...


10. Brianna - Cute, but didn't last very long. Was pretty worthless if I remember correctly.











9. Eliza - Another cute one, but I seem to remember her being pretty worthless also.











8. Sally - From this season. Cutie. Read she was a soccer player!!!











7. Neleh - Even though she was pretty much just a retread of the upcoming Elizabeth, I still thought she was pretty cute.











6. Danni - The winner last season. Waaaaaaayyyyyy too skinny, but she was damn hot. The fact that her skinniness was probably due more to running rather than just being a non-eating skeleton somehow made it better.









5. Jenna - Actually, I couldn't stand her the first season she was on, despite how hot she was. Then once All-Stars rolled around, she really grew on me and now totally dig her. 











4. Amber - Just a cutie. She seems totally opposite of Boston Rob, but hope it works out for them. 











3. Elizabeth - Pretty hard not to have a crush on this girl. Seems like she has done pretty well for herself now. Although, she does have to deal with that alien, Star Jone,s every day.









2. Colleen - I had the BIGGEST crush on her during the first season. Then she got a movie role. Then? Where are you Colleen?!?!?











1. Danielle - Number one didn't come around until this season. Besides her extremely fake boobs which I HATE, she is just so hot. She even has a chance to win. She is one of three people who I wouldn't mind winning tonight. We'll have to see how it goes. And.....another soccer player!!! Can't get much better!

Happy Mother's Day

To all mothers out there, especially my wonderful Mom, have a happy and fun Mother's Day. You ALL deserve it for what you do!

The Evolution of Dance

Press play to watch this video. It is HILARIOUS!!! This guy dances to pretty much every imaginable dance through the years from Elvis to N'Sync. Let me know what you think! There is still a quote below that needs answering!

A celeb who gets it! FINALLY!!!

I agree the paparazzi can sometimes get out of hand. They can stalk celebs to the point of being dangerous, but I believe the large majority of them just want a picture so they can sell. Most are very harmless pics. But many celebs freak out and cover up their faces when leaving a restaurant, club, etc. Who is it hurting. Some even grab the cameras and destroy them. This seems to be happening a lot. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who was in Bend it Like Beckham and is now in MI3, seems to get it though. Here is what he had to say:

"You're putting yourself out there in the public eye and selling what's essentially your personality. So if the public buys you for twelve bucks in a movie and pays for popcorn, well, you feel you own a little bit of that person. So when people then become famous and go, 'Oh God, I hate the press; God, I hate the paparazzi,' I'm like, 'Dude, it's not as if you didn't fucking beg for it.' Really! I've spent ten years working my arse off so I can't in my heart of hearts be one of those guys going, 'Hey man, no fucking photographs man, I'm an artist.' If I'm on set and a paparazzo comes up, I'm like, 'Hey, take your shot, if you get 300 bucks, good luck to you.' I couldn't imagine anyone paying 300 pence for a photo of me, but if they can have a job from doing that, great."

Bravo Johnathan, bravo!!!

I don't watch American Idol, but apparently, Chris getting kicked off was a big shock last night. He seems surprised too in this pic.







Here is my first For Sale sign which is now up. Now I just need to get the thing sold so I can concentrate on finding the clients a new home.






Movie Trivia:
1.You ate SAND?

2.You've been around a lot of corpses. Is that normal?

3.Put... the bunny... back... in the... box.

This and that....

A whole lot of stuff on my mind this morning while I sit at work hoping the phone will actually ring on my floor time.

Jess and I saw Mission Impossible III on Monday afternoon. Yeah, everybody including us is tired of Tom Cruise, but this was pretty much a must see movie. We were definitely not disappointed. In fact, I really dug the second one and this new one kicked the second one's ass. This one had wall to wall action that kept you on the edge of your seat from the very first frame. Sure, it won't win any Oscars, but if you want to be entertained for 2 great hours, you have to go see this movie. First movie of the summer season did not bring me any disappointment. I will give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars(I LOVE action movies, but it is rare I will give any pure action movie the full 5 stars).


So the Kings essentially fired Adelman on Tuesday. Nobody can really say this was a surprise. I am not one to put all the blame on a coach because he isn't the one out there on the court. However, the mentality of a team is the responsiblity of a coach and I don't think he brought the right one night in and night out. He was a good coach, but I am all for going in a new direction now and then. They did that when they traded Peja, Webber, etc. Let's see what some new blood on the pine can do. Yes, Adelman got more of a bad rap that he deserved, but I can't callt his a bad thing.

Monday evening, Sony unvelied the price and release date for Playstation 3. Well, it looks like on November 17, people are going to have to kick out $599 for it(There is a lesser model that will be available for $499, but it looks like it is pretty useless.) Now, that price is just absurd. I really want, one but can I justify that? The bad thing is, my Playstation 2 is on the way out and is very difficult to get to work. I pretty much need a new system soon. I am going to have to do more investigation on how good the PS3 really is. But if I do buy it, looks like it will have to be from Besy Buy on their wonderful no interest for 18 months plan. God bless Best Buy! Screw you Sony!!!

Nobody got the second quote by Val Kilmer in the last quote contest. It was from easily his best role - Tombstone!!!

Quote contest(although this doesn't mean you can't respond to any of the above either):

1.No it felt real good, thanks for bringing that up, man. Hey, my parents died when I was ten, would you like to talk about that?

2.If I saw myself dressed like that, I'd have to kick my own ass.

3.And I like Vicki, and she like me back! And she showed me her boobies and I like them too!

Conspiracy Theory?

I'm re-reading The Da Vinci Code before the movie comes out May 19th. I really enjoyed it the first time around, and thus far, it's proving equally enjoyable.

But I'm a little stumped... Have I stumbled upon something, or am I reading too much into it? You be the judge...

Like most other novels, on the top of every left page is the author's name (Dan Brown) and on the top of every right page is the title of the book (The Da Vinci Code).

Well, here is where I get stumped. On the top of page 60, a left page, are the words "Ankh Fendile." Hummm... That's not the author's name... When I first noticed it, I did a double take, furrowed my brow, then laughed - surely I caught the publishers in a mistake, printing the name of a different author in the wrong book. Silly publishers!

But I saw something else later that made me second guess my publisher's mistake theory...

On page 95, a right page, it reads "The De Lancs Code."
And on page 138, "Das Brilli."
And on page 141, "The La Sufrete Code."
And on page 192, "Reon Tigaldo."
And on page 217, "The De Ysosy Code."
And on page 262, "Mer Reve."

I know it's not just my book, or the batch shipped to Sam's Club, where we bought it, because I have a friend at work who bought her book at Costco and hers has the same things on the same pages.

And all those words can't mean "Dan Brown" and "The Da Vinci Code" in other languages because those are names and names translate literally.

Mistakes? I don't think so.

Codes? Maybe...

Paranoid? Probably.

Great Way To Start My Night...

Thursday night, on my way to work, traffic was heavier than it has EVER been, which made me a little late to work. I wasn't late to WORK, but I normally park my car in the parking structure at 1830, and Thursday night I PULLED INTO the parking structure at 1835. Not a HUGE difference, I know, but you know how you feel hurried when you're behind schedule...

So I find a parking spot and turn left to pull into it. As I'm pulling in, the kid in the passenger seat of the car next to me decides to open his door RIGHT AS I'M PULLING IN!! Yes, his door hits my car. Of course I stop, look over at him (mind you, I'm in a hurry and mildly stressed out already because of running late, so I'm sure the look on my face was less than pleasant) and he looks like a deer in headlights. His eyes are wide, his mouth is open, he's staring at me, not moving. I wait a few seconds for the kid to close the door so I can continue parking, but the little dude is frozen. I finally motion with my hand for him to close his door, which he does, and I park. I sit there, waiting for him to get out of his car, but he's still frozen, so again I motion with my hand for him to get out of the car, which he does.

Then his mother comes over, going in front of her car so she can look at my car where the door hit (driver's side wheel well.) I open my door and she says, "Didn't you see him opening the door?"

ARE YOU SERIOUS?! If your kid was opening his car door BEFORE I pulled into the spot, do you think I would have kept going?! Generally, when I see something obstructing the path of my vehicle, I stop!

But I didn't say that. I just kept quiet.

I gather my bags and get out of the car. She says, still looking at the wheel well, "Well, it looks like there's no damage." I go over to inspect it and immediately my eyes are drawn to a white scuff on the car. Her car was white. My car is dark gray. A white scuff on a dark gray car is no damage?!

Finally I speak up. I reach over and touch the scuff and say, "This wasn't here before."

She says, "No, I don't think he did that."

I just stare at her.

She says, "Ok then, what do you want to do about it?"

I start to walk away, saying, "I don't have time for this. I'm running late and it's not THAT bad."

Of course, they walk behind me to the hospital, and I hear her talking to him the whole time about how important it is to look before you open the car door.

BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS ALREADY OPEN BEFORE I PULLED IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Am Legend Update!!!!!

Last week I was giddy that I Am Legend was going to start filming NEXT YEAR after years of waiting for me. Well, good news was just announced. Due to some schedule rearranging, the movie will start filming NEXT MONTH!!! This is great news. I am still not sure about Will Smith being the star(and only human in the movie), but I'm ok with it as long as they don't make it into a comedy and it keeps its serious tone. This is so exciting!!!


Movie trivia:
1. The plaque for the alternates is down in the ladies room.

2. Maybe poker's just not your game. I know! Let's have a spelling contest!

3. It's the car, right? Chicks love the car.

Easy today...

I've been tagged by Valkyrie to fill this out so here goes, some fill in the blank goodness...

I AM: an overflowing cup of human goodness

I WANT: to be sucessful in Real Estate

I WISH: for a baby

I HATE: Where do I begin? How about just stupid people...

I MISS: Not too much...having money???

I FEAR: Heights and the dark

I HEAR: Jessica giving me chores! Love you honey...

I WONDER: Will the Kings or US soccer team win a championship in my lifetime?

I REGRET: Not starting real estate right away after college. How was I to know though?

I AM NOT: Too serious...

I DANCE: Only in front of Jess

I SING: Wonderfully, just ask me!

I CRY: When I verbally have to fight.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: Very clean.

I MAKE: Dinner only when I have to.

I WRITE: On my blog so a whopping 3 or 4 people are nice enouh to comment on it.

I CONFUSE: Ummmmmmmm?????

I NEED: Money, time, clients

I SHOULD: Try to be neater.

I START: only what I plan to finish

I FINISH: what I promise.




Movie trivia time! NO CHEATERS!!!

1. If this is a crush, I don't think I could take it if the real thing ever happened.

2. If anybody's anybody, I'm Hans and you're Chewbacca.

3. You are responsible for raising an icon which draws worship from the Lord. You have broken the first commandment. Not only that, I'm afraid not a one of you passes for a decent human being. Your continued existence is a mockery of morality.