My Quiet Testimony

Video Blog

2010-02-01T18:46:00.000-05:00

The video is self-explanatory.

#best09 December 20: New Person

2009-12-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is Who is your favorite new person?

Far and away, my favorite new person of 2009 is Alex. I'm so happy I met my boyfriend this year. He was such a breath of fresh air after the douchey guys I dated earlier in the year. He's really special (awwww).

And I'll finally show you guys a photo.

#best09 December 19: Car Ride

2009-12-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is what was your best car ride?

I had a couple good car rides this year. Over Easter break I drove to Philadelphia with my roommate Steph, to spend the time with her family. Easter break is too short for me to fly back to California to be with my family, so Steph's family was a good substitute. The drive was easy, but fun, and we listened to a bunch of music in the car, and drove along with her dog Ike.

In May, I drove back to California from Pittsburgh with my dad and my brother. The car was stuffed full, and it took three and a half days, but it was good fun.

In August, I drove back to Pittsburgh from California to go BACK to school. This time it was with my mom, and we also had fun.

#best09 December 18: Shopping

2009-12-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is where did you do most of your shopping this year?

Hm. I couldn't really say just one store. Wait, strike that, yes I can. Target, definitely. I got a Target Visa this year, and it's been doing some damage... But I'm shopping responsibly with a credit card now! I don't need debt!

In other Angela News: guess what I'm doing today!!

I'm taking an exam for a forensic science job here in California! (Oh PS I guess I haven't mentioned that I'm back home for the holidays. I got back on Saturday afternoon. I guess I've been busy...!) I applied for a position at the beginning of November, and I heard back last week that my application has been accepted so far, and that the applicants need to take a written exam to further narrow the field. Um, can you say that I'm nervous? Shit, I have no idea what to expect. I'm just crossing my fingers that everything goes well!

#best09 December 17: Word or Phrase

2009-12-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is complete this sentence: "2009 was ________."

2009 was a year of surprises. I did a lot of things I wouldn't have expected of myself. (Good and bad.) I dated a lot. I made some mistakes. I dated ONLINE (yes! for real!). I shot some guns. I went to Vegas. I met an amazing man. I graduated college. And went back for grad school (although it wasn't really an option for me NOT to go to grad school--that's how my fosci program works). I learned how to speak up and stick up for myself when it comes to shitty guys. I got flowers in Denver from a guy in Pittsburgh (the Italian) on Valentine's Day (knocked me off my feet, that's for sure). I grew up a whole lot, and I'm proud of myself =)

#best09 December 16: Best Tea

2009-12-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is what's your favorite tea? Well, my favorite tea isn't something I discovered this year. Or maybe it is. The best tea that I drink on a normal basis is Irish Breakfast Tea. With cream and sugar. OR there's Apricot Blossom Green Tea, with honey, that tastes superb! And a tea that I had for the first time, was at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in San Francisco over the summer. I think it was a tea latte? It wasn't Chai, though. I just had normal black tea, but it tasted so yummy! It had a bit of vanilla to it, and omg. It was delicious! Too bad there aren't more Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf locations!

#best09 December 14 & December 15

2009-12-15T13:00:00.002-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. ~~Today's question is~~ yesterday's question was When did you get your best rush of the year?

The best rush of the year was either when the Steelers won the Super Bowl (wahoooo!!!!!) or when I went to the gun range a couple times with my class to work on a DNA experiment to see if you can get minute traces of touch DNA (the DNA left from oils in your fingerprints) from bullet casings when you load a weapon.

And then today's question is about the best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves? Hmmm..... let me think about this one. Well, I bought myself a new laptop for Christmas, so THAT was some pretty sweet packaging to open up!

#best09 December 13: Change in Living

2009-12-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is What's the best change you made to the place you live?

By far, it was just moving to a new house! At the beginning of the year I lived in that house with the terrible bed bug infestation!! Oh goodness, I'd never want anyone to have to live with bed bugs. They are a NIGHTMARE. So just moving out of that house was the best change. As for the house I'm in now, the best change I've made was buying a little compact space heater, to keep the gas bill a little bit lower. Something easy, but worth it. It heats up my bedroom really well and then we don't have to run the heat for the house as much.

Random Invention and #best09 December 12: New Food

2009-12-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is what's your favorite new food this year?

Oh gosh. I really need to think about this.... Have I eaten anything new this year? I really don't think I have. I REALLY don't think I've tried anything new.

That's kind of pathetic.

And since I don't have anything to say about the best food I've tried this year, how about I share this random little gem with you that I found? When I was flying home for Thanksgiving (btw, I'm flying home today for Christmas break!!!), this random invention was in the Sky Mall magazine, and it cracked me up. It's a telekinetic obstacle course. Not kidding. You put on that headband thing, and there are clips that go on your earlobes, and then you try to maneuver a ball through this course using only your mind. Really? Really?? How insane is that. Your brain is supposed to send a "wireless signal" to the game board, which is supposed to control a fan, which moves the ball. Sure. Right. Let me buy two of them right now.

#best09 December 11: The Best Place

2009-12-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

Well, other than the best place EVER in existence (DISNEYLAND), I discovered The Hofbrauhaus on the South Side this year. Since, you know, it just opened this year. It's probably the most amazing bar/beer garden/restaurant ever. During the week, and before 9:00-ish on the weekends, the restaurant is pretty low-key. The seating hostesses are dressed as German beer girls, and the waiters and waitresses are dressed up, too. THEN, there's a polka band that plays on stage! Then, once people start getting drunk on the weekends, the place is SUPER loud, and everyone starts standing on the wooden benches at the tables. They band will teach you different songs, and they'll get you to sing and dance along. It's such a fun bar and place to have fun!

#best09 December 10: Album of the Year

2009-12-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is What's rocking your world?

What else than Lady Gaga?! I think she's been one of the superstars of the music industry this year, don't you? From the time "Just Dance" hit the airwaves (and it was basically the only song on the radio when I went snowboarding last January) and I thought she was singing "Gotta doo-doo then just dance," and then thinking "Poker Face" sounded just like "Just Dance." And loving the lyric, "and baby when it's love if it's not rough it isn't fun." Then watching her videos on youtube and discovering "Beautiful Dirty Rich" and thinking what a great Girls Night song it is! She's so avant garde. I love it!!

#best09 December 9: Challenge

2009-12-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

I think I had a few challenges this year, and I consider myself as overcoming them. I was dumped for the first time ever, and boy, did it SUCK! I dated a guy named Chris from the end of 2008 through the beginning of 2009 (yes, THAT Chris. I'm sure you guys are tired of me blogging about him. Get over it. Or, maybe I should be telling myself that). When he started blowing me off and then "broke up with me" in a text message, I was pretty darn hurt--I liked the guy. I had never been hurt by a guy before, so it was a really new experience. But I grew because of it. It made me stronger.

A few months later, I made a stupid mistake. I'm not gonna get into it, but I was schwasted and did something I shouldn't have done. But it reinforced in me that I'm human, too, and we all make mistakes. I started reading fmylife.com and read I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, and my roommate reminded me of all the stupid shit she has done. It made me feel better and reminded me that I'm not perfect.

I started online dating over the summer, thinking it would just be a fun way to put myself out there and meet people, since I'm really shy normally. I challenged myself to keep an open mind and learn about people before I meet them in person. And, as a result, I met Alex =)

A challenge that I'm going through now is job applications! I'll be done with school in six months, and then I'll neet to start a career. I applied for two jobs last month, and I've heard back from one so far. I have to take a written exam for that one in a week. Talk about challenging!

#best09 December 8: Moment of Peace (and tv shows on my mind!)

2009-12-08T06:00:00.004-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?

Gosh... our lives get so crazy, don't they? It's really hard for me to think of a moment of peace, where I wasn't worried about anything. I feel like this year was filled with a bunch of stress, whether from boys or from friends, or whatever. My favorite moment of peace, however, is when I climb into bed after a good day. That time when you just snuggle into the covers and can smile and think, "ahhhhhh, this feels good."

Another one, that I actually JUST thought about, was from a few weeks ago. I babysit for a family that has a little boy who is two years old. I babysit him once a week, sometimes more. At the end of October, the family had a brand new baby boy. When he was a week old, I was asked to babysit. The parents wanted to take the two-year-old out to a special breakfast, because they thought he was starting to feel jealous and left out with all the attention now on the newborn. So, while they took him to eat chocolate chip pancakes, I was the first person to actually babysit the little fella. The mom told me this was a big deal for her, me being the first one to watch him alone. She hadn't even had HER mother watch the infant yet! So, with the mom, dad, and the two-year-old out of the house, I got to babysit a perfect little week-old baby boy. And it was perfect! He slept so soundly, cried so sweetly when I changed his diaper, and ate with a huge appetite. He was the littlest baby that I'd ever babysat, and he was perfect. And it made me happy inside. =)

Changing topics, did you watch Jersey Shore last week on MTV? How ridiculously, hilariously awful is that show?? You gotta love it! My favorite girl is Sammi (although she was pretty sleezy by switching from liking Mike to liking Ronnie...), and my favorite guy is Ronnie. How sad is it to say that Ronnie is "my type?" Ugh, that's pathetic. But I don't like scrawny guys. I like guys with meat on their bones. Manly men. But.... he's kind of sleezy, too. I was excited they had a two-hour premier, and I'm definitely looking forward to it this week!

#best09 December 7: Blog Find of the Year

2009-12-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question wants to know if I found a gem of a blog this year.

And I really can't answer that one! For many of the blogs I read, I have never kept track of when I started reading them. But I think I started reading Sarah's blog this year. She seems so much fun! I love the fun outfits that she comes up with (when she blogs about them). She's really trendy. And her dog is quite the looker. And she's posted some really yummy-sounding recipes!

For this past week, I've posted every day, but I haven't told you how I've been doing!! I got back from California from Thanksgiving break last Sunday, and this past week was my last week of classes. My final exams start today. Today's final is actually the one I'm most nervous about, even though the class is only one credit, so if I don't do well, it doesn't matter all that much.

Those boots I bought came in last Tuesday, and they fit really well! They are 100% suede, and the go well with skinny jeans and long skirts. I'll have to see what they look like with leggings and a tunic.

It snowed for the first time in Pittsburgh on Saturday. I'm so surprised it waited this long before it actually snowed! DECEMBER! Oh well, I'm NOT complaining! Traffic was terrible Saturday night, though, with lots of accidents on the icy bridges.

I have only this coming week of school before I go back to California on Saturday for three and a half weeks! =) I get a pretty nice long Christmas break this year, and I get to go to Disneyland for New Years!!

#best09 December 6: Workshop or Conference

2009-12-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is: Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?

Oh of course! In February I went to Denver for the AAFS Conference, where national and international forensic scientists come together for a week and do their thing!! I don't know if it was "especially beneficial," but I was exposed to the more professional aspect of forensic science, when I've only really been exposed to the academic aspect so far. It was interesting to listen to the research topics that are being discussed and experimented on currently. I liked learning what other people are doing across the United States and across the globe. We listened to talks about Italian mafia murders, how plastic garbage bags affect decaying bodies, what other academic programs offer/require their students, saw some companies that are hiring, etc. It was really nice to get the professional aspect.

#best09 December 5: Night Out

2009-12-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is: Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?

Oh gosh, yes!! I had a TON. At the beginning of the year there was SUPER BOWL XLIII, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals. My friends and I went out on the Southside at noon, and stayed out the whole day/night. FREAKING FANTASTIC!!!!

Then there was when I went to Denver in February, and that whole week was fun.

In May, my classmates and I went out on a bar crawl after finals and before graduation. It.... was a shit show, haha. But it was a lot of fun.

In June, I went to Las Vegas for the second time with all my good girl friends from high school. I don't think I need to say much more than that.

On one of my dates with Alex over the summer we spent the afternoon at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, ate dinner at First Crush (that I blogged about earlier this week), and then went to see Bruno. Lots of laughs and lots of fun.

I went to a party with my friend Audra over the summer in San Francisco and had a lot of fun being totally stupid. Me and her had a good, silly time.

Alex and I also did the San Francisco Ghost Hunt over the summer, and we went to dinner beforehand at La Mediterannee--so delicious. That was also the night we first held hands (awwwwwwwwwww!).

Also with Alex (and also in San Francisco), we went to see Wicked on our last "going out date" before I came back to Pittsburgh for school. That one was really nice.

When I actually got back to Pittsburgh, I went out with my roommate Christine out on the Southside for a reunion with friends. We did it big! It was a ton of fun.

When Alex came out to visit in September, we went out to The Melting Pot and then rode the incline to see the Pittsburgh skyline. =) That was cute.

Other than that, Halloween this year was fun. My friends and I did Halloween on three separate nights this year: one party at a friend's house, one party at our house, and then barhopping on actual Halloween. It's the best holiday, so you gotta live it up!!

#best09 December 4: Book

2009-12-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is: What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?

Hmmm... I have to think about what books I read this year.... (I guess this is where my goodreads account comes in handy!!)

Ok. I'll definitely say that my favorite book was I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, by Tucker Max. I can't say that it "touched" me, but it was freaking hilarious. I read it after I made a stupid mistake, and it made me feel better about my life, because someone else's life was more messed up than my own. His stories, while I'm sure are somewhat exaggerated, were totally off-the-wall. I loved it. I read parts out loud to my roommate, and talked about it with other friends who had read it. His Las Vegas stories were absolutely the best. Now, I just have to go see the movie.

#best09 December 3: Article

2009-12-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is: What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious'd and reference throughout the year.

That's a good question my friends. I really couldn't say one off the top of my head. There was one article that I kept reading, though, because I was... I don't know if I was intrigued or what I was, but I kept going back to it.

One day in October, I believe it was, I went to Target and I was browsing the shoe department. There was a young girl there with her father. She was maybe 10 years old. As I was going down the aisle, she had her back to me. She turned around as I got closer to her, so that she could ask her dad something. I was not expecting what I saw. She had a skin condition I had never seen or heard of before. Her whole face, neck, arms, every bit of exposed skin was bright red, waxy/shiny, and peeling. Not like she had been sun burned, but looked as if her skin had been broken and restretched over her body. I looked away quickly, because I didn't know what else to do. I kept browsing the aisles, looking at shoes, and then quickly forgot about it and finished my shopping.

I had forgotten about the girl's skin condition until a few days later when me and my roommates were talking about something. It made me think about it, and I picked up my computer and searched different terms in google. "Skin disorders/red skin/red skin diseases." I couldn't think of anything else to describe it. Since reading the text results wasn't helping me out very much, I started looking at the images of what came up. And then I saw a picture of a girl and her sisters who had the same skin condition. I clicked on the image to find out more, and learned the condition is called "harlequin ichthyosis," where keratin build up in fetal skin. You can look it up if you want, but I can only say that it looks better for children than it does for babies. For babies with the condition, it looks horrifying and painful. I wish I had a nicer way to describe it. It's definitely a disease that I hope science will find a cure for.

#best09 December 2: Restaurant Moment

2009-12-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is: Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

My best restaurant experience this year was probably with Alex, on one of our first dates, when we went to First Crush in San Francisco. We went to the city one afternoon to go check out The Exploratorium, a fun, interactive science museum. It's kind of for kids, but it's fun for adults as well. The weather was BEAUTIFUL that day in San Francisco. I was able to wear a skirt and I wasn't cold at all. We spent a few hours at the museum, and then we sat along the beach for a little while people-watching. When it was time to get our reservation, we hopped in a cab and went to the restaurant. It was a small, intimate place, and we were seated in a corner. Our servers were very attentive, and the food was EXCELLENT! I had hand-cut pasta, with I think it was a crab cream sauce. And there were truffles in it. REAL TRUFFLES. I'm not talking about the chocolates. I'm talking about the fungus kind. And they were omgsogood! No wonder they're a delicacy!! I had never had them before and they were so tasty. We got a complimentary appetizer from the chef, a tuna sushi salad--delish. And Alex and I split a chocolate thing for dessert. I would have liked the portions to be bigger--everything was TEENY TINY--but for how delicious the food was, it was still worth it. =)

#best09 December 1: Best Trip

2009-12-01T19:59:00.005-05:00

This nifty little best of 2009 meme/challenge is going around, brilliantly invented by Gwen Bell. Today's question is: What was your best trip in 2009?

This was definitely when I went to Las Vegas over my birthday weekend in June! Me and nine of my closest girl friends went for four nights, and it was a blasssssst! It was a bit more drama-filled than the last time we went, but it was still fun, nonetheless. Oh boy, we drank too much and danced too much. We stayed up all night. We lost money, won money, met boys, got free cocktails, it was ballin'. We bar-hopped all night. During the day we snuck in to pools at different hotels (including Bare--the topless pool--at The Mirage. Don't worry--we all kept our tops on!! and the lazy river pool at the MGM Grand--soooo fun and chill!). We got kicked out of a club because my friend argued with the bouncer about using the bathroom. I drunk-dialed my mom for the first time EVER, at 3:00am. And we're cute. Checkit.

Best Thanksgiving, Ever?

2009-11-30T12:10:00.002-05:00

I had SUCH a nice Thanksgiving holiday. I had a week off from school, and eight days to spend with my family and friends back in California. Everything went smoothly.

I got to see Alex every day while I was home, except Friday because we both had to work. I met a good number of his friends last weekend in San Francisco, when I went with him to his friends' house for an early Thanksgiving dinner they called "Friendsgiving." I was nervous to meet them (who wouldn't be?), but it turned out ok! One of his friend's sisters made, I would have to say, the BEST stuffing I've ever had in my life! I need to get her recipe!! It was made with artichoke hearts, and it was so moist and flavorful! And the guy who made the turkey? It was fantastic, too, and it was the first time he'd ever made one. Cooked one, I mean. He didn't make the turkey. Anywho, deeeee-lish!

I bought a pair of boots from Piperlime online while I was home, because it seemed like a good deal. I'm just waiting for them to come in the mail. Trying to wait patiently. But I want to wear them!!!!

I also bought an HP laptop online from Best Buy as my Christmas present to myself. It is being shipped home to California and I'm excited to use it!!! =)

It was nice to be able to see my dad while I was at home, too, ESPECIALLY because I wasn't expecting to. I think he's doing good at the House of Acts. It's a six-month program, and he's completed one month so far. I'm praying for him, and he has a lot of support. We're all hoping it works as well for him as it did for my Uncle Dave who went through the program two or three years ago. It changed HIS life.

I guess that's all. I'm trying to adjust back to the time change, and I need to take a nap now.

Surprise!!!!!

2009-11-22T16:02:00.002-05:00

I had a full day of flying yesterday. While I was in Las Vegas for my layover (I won $20 cha-ching!), my uncle Mike called me. Something I was never expecting, that's for sure. And he gave me some of the happiest news!

My dad, since he's been in rehab for the past month, was supposed to be in "black out" for 45 days, where he can't use the telephone or have contact with anyone on the outside. I knew this, so I was writing him letters. When my uncle called yesterday, he said my dad's "black out" was reduced to only 30 days! His 30 days are up on TUESDAY!

AND, even better, since his counselor is a pastor at a local church, his pastor allowed him to come to church today, so I got to see him!

My dad calls me every night that he can. It's a really big deal to us both that we haven't been able to talk for the last four weeks. I was SUPER excited to see him today, and he sounds so positive about everything now. I really think the House of Acts is working for him.

On Thursday, the House of Acts is letting him out for four hours so that he can celebrate Thanksgiving with everyone.

Hallelujah!

It's really a day to give Thanks in our family! =)

So Excited!!

2009-11-20T18:01:00.001-05:00

I'm super pumped!

Wanna know why?

I get to go home for Thanksgiving tomorrow!!

For a whole week.

And see my family.

And my friends.

And my dogs.

And Alex!!

And I don't have shit to do while I'm there!

Woot!

2009-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever used Woot? It's a site that gives a different super great deal every day. I've looked at it probably almost every day for the last year, and this weekend I found something I really wanted/needed, and I bought it.

My MP3 player broke last month, and on Saturday there was a deal for a Sansa 4GB MP3 player! WOOT! FORREAL! I snagged that sucker up for $32! Cha-ching!

This is after I spent $100 on groceries on Friday afternoon and lost $25 at Pittsburgh's new River's Casino on Friday night.

Oh, and I bought five pairs of undies at Aerie on Sunday. Well, I had a 20% off coupon!

I need to stop spending money. Like NEEEEEED to stop.

Someone put a chastity belt on my wallet, will you?

Tricky Little Buggers

2009-11-13T09:59:00.002-05:00

Last month I was running out of checks, so I went to my bank website, PNC, to try to order more. I had to spend like $20 for five books of checks. I thought that was ridiculous, because I'll probably only use one book until I'm done with school in May, and then I'll be switching banks.

So I went INTO my bank to try to only order one book. No go. I have to order the five or whatever. But the customer service woman I talked to told me about a secure website/catalog where I could order custom checks with designs that are cheaper than ordering through the bank.

So that's what I did. I now have pretty, flowery checks that make me smile when I look at them.

(In the past month, however, I have written more checks than I normally do.... hence I'm spending more money..... maybe having pretty checks was the wrong choice....)

At the end of my order, I guess I clicked the option to receive 15% off my next order. Who knows if I'd actually use it, but hey, I might as well see about it.

Cut to yesterday when my account is charged $15.00 for something I didn't buy.

Turns out that just by opting to get that 15% off my next order, I was enrolling in a rewards program for $15.00 a month. So I was actually CHARGED for the 15% coupon I NEVER USED!!

THANKFULLY, their customer service rep was extremely helpful when I called about it today, and my account will be credited the $15.00 and I'm not in that silly "we-charge-you-for-discounts" rewards program anymore.