I’ve had a pretty rough go of it lately. That’s basically my reason for not posting for a while… a gigantic case of the blahs. While my current job might not seem very important, it definitely takes a toll on my overall mood. In short, people suck. A LOT. And I understand that people just blatantly suck and that I shouldn’t take it personally, but I do and I can’t help it. It’s just how I am.

And I know this job isn’t a permanent thing. I passed my state real estate exam at the beginning of the month (woohoo!) so that’s my ultimate plan, but it’s going to take a while before being an agent is a lucrative job. I’m going to have to stay at my current one for a little bit while I get on my feet as an agent. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel but it is a looooooooong tunnel. That said, I haven’t posted in a while because any free time I get is pretty much spent vegging out to recover from the (most likely) crappy day of work I just experienced.

The other night, during one of my veg out periods, I was watching Say Yes To The Dress while playing Candy Crush (my newest addiction) on my laptop. This particular episode featured this adorable 24 year old woman named Margo Mallory from West Chester, Pennsylvania. Margo had cervical cancer and was going through chemo, so she was trying on dresses with a bald head and you can tell that she was nervous and a little self-conscious, but she was just so sweet. I was incredibly sad to see a dedication to her at the end which said she lost her battle in 2012. I had to know more, so I googled her name and found her blog that she started when she was diagnosed in 2011. Her blog led me to another blog run by one of her sisters, which seems to be a diary of sorts for her to help cope with her loss. I was reading through and got to this post about her and other people close to Margo finding dimes on the ground near them. I had never heard this before, but finding a dime is supposed to mean someone in heaven is watching you. I’m not sure what I believe as far as heaven and all that goes, but I like to think that our loved ones don’t just stop being when they pass away. I’ve heard lots of stories about people getting what they believe are signs from their parents or grandparents or whatever who have passed, but I’ve never really experienced anything like that myself.

Tonight, as I was cleaning up after a particularly hellish day at my not-so-permanent-but-not-ending-any-time-soon job, I looked down and saw a dime face up on the floor. I’m not sure who’s up there looking down on me, but it was kind of comforting. I needed that.

This is becoming a tradition. Let’s hope Google never stops making these videos.

2010
2011

Wednesday was my Real Estate Fundamentals class final and I passed! I was SO NERVOUS leading up to the exam because it’s been years since I took a test for an actual grade. Not to mention, I have no study skills whatsoever. My studying consists mostly of reviewing the vocabulary words, taking the practice quizzes at the end of each chapter in the book, and reviewing any questions I get wrong. I’ve been doing fairly well on the quizzes we have at the beginning of each class but I knew I needed at least a 70 to pass, and I got an 81! I could have done a lot better obviously, but I’m happy that I passed and that I got a good bit higher than I needed to pass. Not too shabby for being 7 years out of college!

Real Estate Practice starts on Monday and runs for another 3 weeks. Once I take this class and pass the final, I can get my transcript and register to take the Real Estate exam. Once I pass that, I’m free to be an agent. Woohoo! I’m looking forward to this class because I really enjoyed the fundamentals class and this class will show us more of the things we’ll actually be responsible for as an agent. However, while I’m taking this class, I also have to study things from the Fundamentals class so it stays fresh in my head for the exam. Eesh! I can do it. I’ve done pretty well so far.

Thanksgiving was a blast. I can’t remember if I mentioned this in another post but my mom asked me to bake the pumpkin pies for dinner. I have never baked a pumpkin pie before so that was interesting. I bought the canned pumpkin because I didn’t have time to make it all completely from scratch (i.e. roasting a pumpkin and pureeing it) but I didn’t have all the spices I needed either and holy crap, spices are expensive! I have a decent amount of them, but ground cloves and ground ginger are pricey. And I’m a cheap ass, so when my friend Marilyn offered to help me make my pies at her house while she was making her own on Tuesday night, I took her up on that offer. We baked pies, drank some wine, and caught up.

Dinner on Thursday was very yummy, as usual. My family had joked about me hosting Thanksgiving at the new house, but thankfully it was all just a joke because I like my mom’s cooking way too much. I don’t know if I can measure up to all that yet.

On Friday, Jacob and I hosted a party for our fall softball team to celebrate our championship win. It was a pretty good time. I made hot sausage in the crock pot and some taco dip, Jacob bought some fried chicken from Giant Eagle, and our friends brought some chips and dips. We managed to not rip the house apart and had minimal cleaning to do this morning when we woke up.

I worked tonight and now Jacob and I are watching Ghost Adventures and relaxing. It snowed a little this morning. None of it really accumulated on the ground but there was enough out there to seriously confuse Millie when she had to go outside. She’s never seen snow before! It was kind of cute.

But, I think I rested my sore feet long enough. I need some “dinner”, even though it’s 1:30 in the morning now. And I really don’t have anything of substance to say. I just wanted to say that I passed my exam! Yay!

Well, I gave it a good try. NaBloPoMo has been a huge fail. I went from not having anything to do to having way too much to do and I keep forgetting to blog. I’ll continue to post as much as I can and continue to give it the “NaBloPoMo” tag, but there’s no use in trying to post every day like I was in the beginning. Oh well.

Steelers are on. I should be studying, but I have a puppy next to me, a laptop on my lap (obviously) and football on. I’ll study when the game is over for sure. I would just study tomorrow but I work all day and then I have class at 5:30. I’m hoping I’ll have a bit of a break in between. My final for this class is on Wednesday. Eesh! Hopefully I can get lots of study time in between now and then. This is a LOT of information to cram into essentially 3 weeks. I’m starting to get nervous.

That said, I’m going to try to calm my dog down, who has now started running back and forth on the couch like a crack head, and then hit the books. If only I had learned any kind of study skills in college.

I started server training at my new job today. Do you really want to hear about that? I didn’t think so. So what should I write about?

I decided if I’m stumped for topics to write about from now on, I’ll take a cue from someone else’s blog that I read that day and found interesting/enjoyable. Today’s writer’s block will be cured by Doniree! She wrote about guilty pleasures and lord knows, I have a lot of those. So, here we go:

Snacks
Oddly enough, like Doniree, I LOVE smashing chips on a sandwich. I don’t go the Cool Ranch Dorito route though. I’m more of a regular Lays/Ruffles on chipped ham kind of girl. I did it once when I was a kid and fell in love. Sometimes it’s the only way I can eat a sandwich because I’m not a huge fan of the taste of certain kinds of lunchmeat.

I also have a thing for Tostitos Salsa con Queso. I recently bought a jar and I’ve been adding a little to lots of stuff that needs a little extra cheesy kick. However the obsession started in college when my roommate and I split a jar of that and a bag of frozen french fries. Mmmmmm, that freshman fifteen sure was delicious…

Music
Ke$ha. And I’m not ashamed. She might look like she smells like a wet mop, but the girl makes some catchy tunes.

And dammit, so does that Carly Rae Jepsen. Yes, I admit it… I am a fan of “Call Me Maybe”. I first heard it at a friend’s wedding this spring, and it annoyed me. Then all the hype turned me off too. And then, one day, I was in the car and it came on the radio and I didn’t turn it off. And then I started to actually enjoy it. Who am I?

TV
I have a major addiction to Friends. This is no secret. I own all 10 seasons and I’ve seen every episode at least a dozen times. And if it’s on tv, I will watch it. Especially if nothing else is on. And yes, I will most likely beat you in a Friends trivia game.

Also, along the same lines, I love How I Met Your Mother. I own every season that is out on DVD so far, I’ve seen every episode who knows how many times, and I am going to be super sad when it’s all over.

Internet
I also have a major YouTube addiction. There are a few YouTubers whose videos I watch regularly (iJustine, My Drunk Kitchen, Jenna Marbles, DailyGrace), but then there is also this rabbit hole that I tend to fall down from time to time. One minute, I’m looking up a music video and the next, I’m watching LASIK eye surgery. I DON’T KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENS. But it does. Often.

Drinks
Wendy’s unsweetened iced tea is so freakin fabulous. It really is. I have gone to great lengths to get my hands on some late at night. One time, they were out of it and I had to settle for McDonald’s iced tea, which really isn’t settling since theirs is pretty good too.

Also, I love a good bloody mary. The spicier the better. And with lots of olives. I get very sad when I order one and it doesn’t come with lots of garnishes, but especially olives. There’s a restaurant near my neighborhood that has a bloody mary bar on Sundays. I went there once and ordered a bloody mary and the waitress handed me a glass of vodka. I was so confused until she told me you go to the bar and create your own. Heaven! And SO MANY OLIVES! So many different kinds of olives! Yum! I’m getting heartburn just thinking about a bloody mary. Ah, old age…

Movies
I’m adding this category because I absolutely LOVE the movie Mean Girls. I actually haven’t met a girl who doesn’t like this movie, although I’m sure they exist. I really can’t stand Lindsey Lohan and all her irresponsibility, but Tina Fey is a genius. I will stop what I’m doing to watch this movie if it’s on tv. I will also stop what I’m doing to watch The Sandlot, A League Of Their Own, and Forrest Gump. I’m sensing a baseball movie/Tom Hanks trend here…

And on that note, I’m going to go watch the How I Met Your Mother from last night and throw some salsa con queso mac n cheese together. If only I had a bloody mary to go with it.

Right now, I’m sitting in my living room, under a blanket, under a roof, puppy at my feet, and I’m cold. I’m not freezing, but I’ve definitely been warmer. Just walking to and from my car a few times before and after class was enough time for the cold to cut straight through me. And I’m not one of the crazies that are still hanging out in Heinz Field at the Steeler game. If any of you happen to read this, you’re nuts! And also, I have to hand it to you. I wouldn’t be out there right now. I hate being cold and I’m cold enough as it is.

On a semi-related note, one of my biggest pet peeves is when someone adds a location to Foursquare or Facebook places and they spell it wrong. Typos happen, I get that. But it just looks… unprofessional. Earlier today, someone on Facebook checked in at Heniz Feild. Seriously? I really doubt that this person is the one who added this location. I’m hoping they weren’t the one that added it and spelled it SO incorrectly. But it bugged me enough that like, 4 hours later, I’m still thinking about it and actually blogging about it.

And on a high note, the Steelers just won! What an ugly game, weather-wise and playing-wise. But a win is a win and we’ll take it. Goodnight!

I haven’t posted since Wednesday. Whoops. Truth is, I got super busy. I had orientation for my new job on Thursday. Then I had dinner with a friend for my birthday that night and then met with another friend to assist with my upcoming unemployment hearing. Friday was a busy day as well. I had to take Millie to the vet to get her kennel cough vaccine so that she has it in case we ever have to board her. Then Jacob and I had to get our stuff together to go to PSU for the weekend. We dropped Millie off at a friend’s house and off we went.

Ugh… this weekend. It really was a lot of fun but SO EXHAUSTING. We got into town at around 8:30. By that point, all of my old roommates had already been out for a while so we met up with them at a bar called Duo. I guess the downstairs of this place is a restaurant but the upstairs is very club-like, which I am not a fan of. This bar has changed names quite a few times. When I was in school, it was called Big Easy, and my friends and I really liked it. It was New Orleans themed, they had really good Hurricanes, and I don’t think the upstairs part existed, but I could be wrong. Then it was Club Love. I had been there a few times and it was okay, but again, very clubby. It might have changed names a few other times but at one point, I know there was a stabbing there. And I always saw cops outside of there any time I was in town. Thankfully, nothing happened while we were there. It was actually pretty empty.

Then we went to the Saloon. I love the Saloon. I used to go there all the time when I was still in school. The Saloon usually has live music and cheap drink specials. Velveeta was playing, and they are always awesome. And this is where that night starts to get hazy. After the Saloon, we went to the Rathskeller, which is usually a good time. There was a good band playing there too but I don’t think we stayed there very long. Then we got subs from a restaurant nearby and went back to the hotel.

Saturday morning, we woke up, and I needed to eat. Jacob stayed in bed until 3ish because he was feeling pretty crappy. I met up with my old roommates to watch the PSU/Nebraska game at G-man and get some food. We ate and drank during the game, and PSU got robbed of a win. Afterwards, I went back to the room to shower and get ready to go out later. We went to this place called Levels. Levels used to be Crowbar and was a really cool bar and concert venue. Now it’s like a club and pretty lame. And the bartender we had there sucked. Her drinks were awful. After that we went back to the Saloon again and I don’t remember much after that. There was a band playing again. I had a Monkeyboy. Some guy kept trying to steal our drinks, which is weird. And then we left, got some pizza at Canyon, and went to bed.

Today, we packed up our hotel room, walked around campus a bit, got lunch, and then drove home. I was so excited to see my Millie. She was apparently really good at her puppysitters this weekend. They will still be our friend so that’s a good sign. And I’m so sleepy. So so sleepy. I can’t wait for bed tonight. There was a time when I thought hotel beds were awesome because they were so much more comfortable than mine was. Now, my bed wins. And I’m really excited to sleep in my comfy bed, with my boyfriend and my pup, and actually SLEEP. I really have no clue how I used to party like that in college. After two days, I’m exhausted. It was a blast, but I’m so tired. I’m so tired that this post was really lame and probably didn’t make a lot of sense. Oh well. Until next time…

I am so sleepy. SO SO SLEEPY. I was up entirely too late last night watching election coverage, after playing two softball games in 40 degree weather. The good: My team won the championship and Obama was re-elected. The bad: I still haven’t warmed up from being outside for so long last night. I slept in Under Armor and knee high socks, which I never do. I woke up sweating and nauseous for some reason and in SO MUCH PAIN. I’m guessing it’s from not doing much physically in the last few weeks and then playing two softball games in freezing weather. But my entire body hurt so badly. My ankles, knees, hips, chest, back, arms… I thought I was having a heart attack. I really did. I was terrified. But I appear to be okay now so… Yay.

I’m currently at the coffee shop again, trying to get some studying done. But there is a guy painting watercolors across the shop from me (???) and he is talking SUPER loudly on his cell phone. Rude. I took one of the comfy chairs in a corner and all I want to do is nap. After not getting a lot of sleep last night and not feeling well this morning and my body being tired from my games last night, I cannot wait until bedtime tonight. It’s happening early. Plus I have to be up early tomorrow so it’s best that I go to bed as early as possible.

I start a new job tomorrow morning. For anyone reading this that doesn’t know, I lost my job in September. I currently don’t think I should go into any details about this due to an upcoming unemployment hearing (UGH!) but yeah. That happened. I’ve been applying for jobs non-stop since, went on quite a few interviews, but nothing has worked out yet. Then, recently, I decided to start taking classes to get my real estate license. When Jacob and I were in the process of buying our house, our realtor (a friend of mine) was talking about how much she loved her job and I toyed with the idea of going for it myself, but at the time, I had a job so I didn’t give it a lot of thought. Now that I don’t have a job, I decided to go for it. I should have my license by the end of the year as long as I do well in the classes and pass my exam. However, for the first year or so, agents apparently don’t make a lot of money because they’re just getting everything started up. Makes sense. So I decided to look for a job with a lot of flexibility that I can stay at for a while and that I know won’t drive me insane. Tomorrow morning, I start a job as a waitress again.

I’m totally okay with this. I worked for this particular restaurant chain when I was in college and I liked it a lot. I mean, it has its perks and downfalls, just like any other job. But when I look back on all the jobs I’ve had, I didn’t like any of them as much as I liked this one. I like the flexibility, and when I’m an agent, I’ll need that. And I like that I can work there as much or as little as I want. So for a while, I’ll take as many hours as I can get but once I get on my feet as an agent, I can cut back if necessary.

So that’s why I’ve spent two days in this coffee shop studying. I’m studying for my real estate license. Woohoo! It’s nice to have some direction finally and it’s also REALLY nice that a plan I came up with is actually happening. It always seems like my brilliant plans don’t work out for one reason or another. This one seems pretty solid and I’m making it happen.

And on that note, I’m going to stop rambling and go study. I just needed a brain break. Happy Wednesday!

That is all. #Obama2012

Once again, if you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me just post this picture. I’m being a HUGE cliche right now. I brought my laptop and books to a coffee shop near my house so I can study for a class that I have tonight. It’s next to impossible to study at home. Millie either lays directly on my chest so I can’t read, or she attacks me. She’s in this biting phase still, but she only really goes after me. It’s annoying and hopefully she grows out of it.

But, while I’m here (and obviously not studying yet) I may as well do a quick review of this place! I am currently at Cannon Coffee on Brookline Boulevard. Please don’t stalk me. This place is pretty neat. It’s a local coffee place so it’s already lightyears ahead of Starbucks. The coffee is better too. They have lots of tables, a few comfy chairs, art hanging on the wall that you can buy, a book shelf full of books that you can read, interesting music playing, and free wifi. And when I got my pumpkin spice latte, it had that little design on the top. I didn’t take a photo of it, but maybe I will when I get my next one and I’ll add it. I’m obviously going to need another one. It seems to be cheaper than Starbucks too, and I’m all about cheap. It is a little cold in here though, but that could be my fault since I’m wearing yoga capris. Oh, and they have free Obama stickers! Don’t forget to vote tomorrow!

This review is a rambling mess. I think the coffee is kicking in. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I guess I’ll give this place 4 Millie faces. It doesn’t blow my socks off, but it’s pretty cool for what it is. And anything that wins over Starbucks wins in my heart.

You can like Cannon Coffee on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.