50. (seeing the energizer bunny in the moon)

perspectives are interesting. mainly because there can be so many variations on something solely based on who you ask about it. im not going to give any examples, but thats only because i dont really have any to give at the moment.

im half way through my 80hrs of hands on training in ann arbor. home for the weekend. we were supposed to go back today, as in, now, but WIC is useless. so i have to go to the WIC office tomorrow morning bright and early, and then head back to ann arbor. that the Lord i dont have to work tomorrow until 3.

i really am enjoying my training though. its really fun and interesting and informative. i guess the program used to be 4wks long, but they decided to cram all that learning into 2wks instead. i wish it was still 4. i would be a lot more confident if it were 4.

im excited though. im certainly learning a lot, and im really excited to start my career. so excited in fact, i want to possibly go to school for animal behaviorism. i have no idea how to go about that, or what schools, if any, offer that major in the area, but hey, at least im confident i know something i could go to school for, and actually do well in.

not a whole lot else going on. lana is army crawling a mile a minute, and has started pulling herself up on things. shes even taking steps when shes held onto/holding onto something else. she is constantly pulling herself up in her crib, making crying herself to sleep impossible. shes finally figured out how to use a sippy cup, but she is still overzealous with finger foods, and usually choking on them. her first word is "duck" and i think shes working on "dog". easy enough of a transition i think.

ok well, i think i might run an errend. peace!

49.

i discovered a beer i like.
i like corona.
a lot!
yum.

i cant believe altoids have been around since 1780. thats a crazy old mint, yo.


im bummed. misty and i were supposed to have a girls night tonight, but she forgot. and then the guy she likes invited her to go gambling tonight with a group of friends. so she told him she was free and could go. and i didnt say anything. but i was bumming. and he picked her up, and then a little later, i texted her and kind of jogged her memory about girls night. and she felt bad for forgetting, but, whatever. she said we can do it tomorrow, but well see how im feeling tomorrow.

so, i finished my beer, and i have to pee.
goodnight.

48.

UPDATE:













Thea was adopted when she was being shown at the petsmart in okemos. good for her! sad for me though, i thought she was adorable. but it looks like tonka and stewie are still up for adoption.


anyway, i had my second interview at petsmart today with the store manager. he said he really liked me and i did a great job on my interview. but he wasnt a dog trainer, so he wants me to come back for an informal meet and greet with one of the trainers so they can get a feel for me and see if they though i would be a good fit. so hopefully ruth likes me!
and hopefully he calls me before close tonight with some days i could do!

so im still super excited. i just hope i know soon (before monday 6/30) so ryan can get his two weeks in. in fact, i think i will call petsmart and see if the store manager has her schedule yet so this can be figured out.

and im going to make some soup, cause that sounds good.

47.

so my interview at petsmart went really well. they brought me in for dog washer, because it was a job offering a career path, but they also touched base on pet trainer, which i said of the two i would prefer. she told me they had a few more days of interviews but that she would take to her store manager about me, and that she thinks i would be a good fit for the company :)

puppies.....! misty is moving in TOMORROW! im excited. nike is the cutest puppy ever. today she called me asking if she could get a second jack russell pup, and 10mos old girl name baby, but i told her i was sorry but no. i said that once im fully trained through petsmart, and nike is fully house broken, crate trained, lease trained and command trained, then we could talk about it.

ryan said we cant have two dogs here. but he also made huge progress making me think one day we might be able to get one when he let me show him a cute puppy on petfinders site. usually he gets furious and yells at me because it breaks his heart seeing the dogs, and he wants a dog super badly, but we cant get one, so its frustrating when i show them to him.
but today he looked, and said "aww shes cute!"

here are the three puppies i want. in order from most wanted to adorable:















Above: This is Thea! She is an 8wk old Beagle Spaniel mix. shes my favorite!!!














Above: This is Tonka! He is a Beagle Coonhound Mix!












Above: This is Stewie! He is purebred beagle!


Thea was/is at the petsmart in okemos today from 11-4 being shown to find a new home. im so sad!! i wish we had the time, money and space to be mature and responsible dog owners right now!!! maybe after im done training academy and ive started working as a professional dog trainer we can get a puppy. maybe. if not me and ryan, then at that point misty will probably be able to get another! either way! i love dogs and i cant wait fr the day when we can actually get one!!!!

until then.. ill just dream i can take home boxes of puppies.
and if you cant tell, i really want a beagle!!!!

46.

i should have figured that the rude kids in the neighborhood who scream and yell outdoors in the middle of the week at 11pm would belong to the rude neighbors who do loud mowing and weed whacking at barely 8am, revv their crotch rockets for 5min in the driveway at midnight on a wednesday/thursday, and go tearing through the neighborhood at ridiculously unsafe speeds on the same crotch rocket. (and in their cars too)

there is a fine line between common curtosy and close knit neighborhood.
you can be a close knit neighborhood where everyone is friendly and knows everyone elses kids, without those kids trampling through yards, screaming and yelling in the middle of the night, and making out on the street.
and where people dont start loud yardwork until 10am.
and the neighbors with the fancy expensive corvettes dont burn out and speed through the neighborhood while there are kids playing on the street.

maybe its the southern polite extreme i was raised in.
but it bugs the crap out of me.
its not controlling
is common freaking curtosy.

45.

ooh gosh.
im pretty sure lana is cutting her top two teeth.
if shes not sleeping.. shes SCREAMING. and i know its cause shes in pain, but seriously, its grating, and it put me in a horrible grumpasaurus rex mood.

i love food network, its the best. it always makes me feel better. especially alton brown. hes great!

i dont feel well. ive been headachey and tummy achey lately. and grumpy and tired. and just sort of exhausted and run down feeling in general.
no, im not pregnant.
i dont know what it is. im glad i have an interview. i hope i get the job because i wouldnt mind a switch with ryan. me work 30+ hrs a week and he stays home with lana.

ok i think im nodding off. and im getting a brand new headache. so imma bounce. see yah!

44.

Screen Actors Guild Strike - June 2008

Predicted strike of 2008

Main article: 2008 Screen Actors Guild strike

The film industry is anticipating a strike by SAG, in addition to the recently resolved writers strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The strike, which could occur after the expiration of SAG's major contracts in June 2008, would stem from the current handling of royalties from the sale of films distributed through new media methods. This includes royalties earned from Internet distribution services such as iTunes, as well as DVD sales, neither of which are currently written into actors', writers', and directors' contracts. The strike date of June 2008 was chosen due to its coinciding with the expiration of several contracts between SAG and AMPTP.

Production companies are bracing for the strike by accelerating production of films and television episodes, in an effort to stockpile enough material to continue regular film releases and TV schedules during the strike period. A list of 300 high-priority film projects is reportedly circulating around talent agencies in accordance with this effort.

"hey, we all make millions of dollars for everything we do, but we want more money anyway."

greedy bastards.

43.

So my food stamps are officially a week late. So i called my caseworker today to leave her another voicemail, and her away message stated she would be out of the office until june 16th. i was FURIOUS. so i said'

"(all my information so she knew who it was) Im calling in regards to my food stamps. I have yet to receive any notification of a change, continuation or cancellation of my food stamps. They are now a week overdue, we have no food in the house, our paycheck was barely enough to pay our bills, let alone to buy food, and my parents had to buy us groceries the other day. I would like to know if you got this finished yet, it is very important. (left my return number)"

absolutely ridiculous. this women is useless and i am very tempted to complain to some sort of superior. its not the first time she has completely sucked at her job. there has been more than one occassion she flat out never called me back. she was supposed to set lana up on medicaid after she was born, called her with all lanas info, never happened. i had to refill all the medicaid paperwork and send it in nearly 2 months after lana was born. now this!!! food is important!! very important!!! she sucks at her job.

if our foodstamps dont reload on or before the 19th, im sending in a formal complaint about my caseworker.

ok im going to snack and maybe smoke, drink some water and go to bed.

42.

i want to live by a coast so i can have really good really fresh, and really inexpensive seafood whenever i want. its so iffy and overpriced in mid michigan.

if i could do anything in the culinary field, it would be asian cuisine. specifically, japanese food. i love japanese food.

but i doubt i will ever enter into the culinary arts.
so instead, i want to be a professional dog trainer. i love dogs, and i want to see dogs trained properly and living healthy happy lives.
since misty is a professional dog groomer, we tossed around the idea of opening our own grooming & training operation.


everything is better. missie and brian brought over some extra food, which helped alot! and then my step mom bought us groceries today. we get paid tomorrow, but it will be just enough to pay the bills. so its good paige took me grocery shopping today, because my food stamps are officially a week overdue, and i have no idea when i will get them.
lana will get her WIC refill friday.

ryan had a really bad allergy attack today about an hour or so after he got our of work. so hes been up stairs in and out of sleep with a horrible sinus pressure headache, and swollen itchy eyes, and itchy sneezey nose. i feel like i havent seen him at all today. ive tried to get him up twice, but hes not budging.

now i have a headache. excedrin, cigarettes and beer, here i come!

41.

you dont know what poor is until you have $30 to make it to a paycheck that will barely pay your bills. when youre relying on lazy state employees to enter your information so you can buy food. when until that bridge card is reloaded, you dont even have enough of your own money to buy groceries for one meal. when there is barely enough extra money to buy a tank of gas to make it to and from your job that doesnt pay you a decent wage, but takes up so much of your time you dont have enough time to look for a new job, much less have an interview. when you cant afford to buy a bag of flour to bake bread. when you have nothing left to eat in your house. when your 7 month old hasnt had any fruits or veggies in over a week, and is eating nothing but cereal and formula for every meal. to have too much debt you cant pay on your credit cards to use them to buy food.
take poverty level, and subtract $10,000/yr.

im so hungry i feel like im going to throw up.

but i know God has a plan and a reason for our suffering.
i still have faith.