RIP Xavier

We seem to be having a string of bad luck lately at Kmart - really bad luck.

A few weeks ago on Monday, Nando's mom died of Pancreatic Cancer.

Just before that, my friend Nick cut off the tip of his finger at work, and thankfully they were able to sow it back on.

And heck, even though Judy 98 can be mean sometimes (okay, a lot), I felt bad for her on Wednesday when her husband (I think, at least someone close to her) went into diabetic shock and she had to call the paramedics.

But yesterday may just be the saddest point in all of our lives.

I'm sure that I've talked about Latonya on here before. She's the manager of the supervisors at Kmart and without her the whole store would go under. After school, her two big kids always walk to Kmart and wait for her to get off so they can all walk home together. We've all gotten to know and love those sweet little boys, some of us even taking our breaks to go spend time with them and talk about Spiderman :)

Yesterday morning, however, all of our lives were radically changed forever.

Latonya called in sick so that she could take Xavier to the hospital because he wasn't feeling well at all. Between that and when they reached the hospital, Xavier's asthma attack caused his bronchial tubes to close up, forcing him to go through cyanosis and he stopped breathing all together. Despite all the doctors did, they were unable to revive him.

As devastated as we all are, it's hard to imagine our Mama Latonya going through all of this. Just last week she was so concerned about Nando and how he was handling his mom's death, so worried that he would be okay after losing someone so close to him. I will not pretend to know what she is going through right now, but I'm sure it's worse than death itself.

If any of you know Latonya, there is a condolences card set up at Kmart for people to sign, along with sign-up sheets with things to help out their family. I think the biggest thing right now is helping out with meals and snacks for her remaining three kids.

She's done so much for all of us, both at work and in our personal lives. I just hope that we are all able to show our love and support for her, and that will help her cope with this terrible tragedy.

It's so hard to think that I won't be able to see his cute little shining face again, that I won't get to see more of his drawings or his coat and backpack left at the service desk.

RIP Xavier

Hate him back, it works for me

I had a terrible day at work. The schedule was so screwed up, and we had all the newbies who can't run registers yet on... I felt terrible leaving Sam there alone, but I know that Lucas helped him out quite a bit throughout the night.

To add to my horror, Pete Wentz married Ashlee Simpson this weekend... Oh god... *shudders*

I couldn't get the Brewers game on my radio, because apparently the am part doesn't work or something. It wasn't televised and every site I went to for play by play action was blacked out. So I heard everything second hand until about the 7th inning. Bored out of my mind and needing to see someone else cynical about life, I was glad to see that there was a House marathon on.

The episode was pretty interesting and one that I hadn't seen yet. There was a sick nun who was sure that she was being tested by God. At one point House came to talk to her about all nuns being liars, trying to get everyone to believe in some unseen, supposedly all-powerful being, and that it's not the idea of God that he doesn't like but more the idea in "forcing" other people to "believe" in things with you. Mostly, he hates the believing part... Seems to be because that means you have to open up and trust something/one you can't even see. She then made the comment back to him (of course, I'm paraphrasing a bit) that you can't hate something that you don't believe in, even a little bit. That got me to thinking...

Most people assume that I'm upset with God, that everything I've been through in my life has made me bitter and closed my heart, or whatever. But that's not the case.

Having been around and helped raise a lot of kids, I know that when s/he is lonely, a child will make up people so that they feel connected, important. I don't want to compare the majority of the world to children, but it seems to me more likely that our ancestors were a product of evolution and wanted a way to explain the things around them, wanted to feel connected to and a part of something bigger than themselves.

Q. So, the questions are going to start flying in... Why be a religious studies major if you don't believe in God? If you think the rest of us are delusional?

A. First off, I don't think you're delusional or crazy. You're just the product of thousands of years of believing in something that your families passed on to you, that you accepted as truth. Or, you felt alone in your own way and found a theism that matched what your core beliefs were and are.

Anyways, to answer the question, it's a form of sociology that is more personal than most sociologists are able to get in their studies. There is just so much to study when we look at the world around us, the only way to do it is to break it down into smaller chunks. Religion just happens to be fascinating to me, considering my ideas expressed above. It's fun, for me, to see and learn about the different ways that people interpreted events. That would also be part of why I'm majoring in history as well.

Q. So why do you buy into Buddhism?

A. Short answer? Because it doesn't deal with God at all. It just doesn't feel the need to address something that further back was seen as a philosophical idea, not a religious one. Plus, it's about bettering oneself, not getting redemption through appeasing someone that controls everything.

If anyone has any other questions, feel free to ask and I'll post my answers in the next entry.

I just need to vent

So work has been a total mess lately. It has nothing to do with carts or my employees being dumb or anything, but our HR person apparently isn't being able to keep a schedule straight.

She got this brilliant idea to print off a copy of the weekly schedule and have it up at the service desk. However, that one has been wrong pretty much all weekend... and so has the one in the back. But the daily one supposedly has who needs to be there right on. Today, for example, I'm on the schedule for the week (well, both of them) for the garden shop from 12-7. I've never worked back there, but okay, fine, I'll struggle through it I guess. Terry will be there to show me for a bit at the least. BUT on the daily schedule, I was supposed to be at the service desk from 8-230, with Nando there from 2-10. Originally though, Nando was working 8-4, with Latanya working 4-10.

I'm so confused right now, it's not even funny. Bob's pissed off majorly too. Like really, we can't call people once we change their schedules? Or we can't keep the schedule the same? What the fuck?

If they can't figure out how to take care of a schedule right, I'm just gonna find another job. I am so tired of this.

My Life Right Now

My hands are getting ugly because of the arthritis. My pointer fingers have started to turn inward towards my middle fingers, and my pinkys are getting a lot more curved. Both my middle fingers are swollen a lot lately, but the right one is way worse. I gotta stop popping my fingers... Eek.

Theron is totally trying to help me figure out how to take care of my hands and arthritis. I think maybe he's scared too a little... I'm super scared, but I try not to show it, especially for him and Kelsey. She has this too, after all, and I don't want her to be afraid of turning out like me the rest of her life.

School is going great. I'm having a lot of fun. Kim is the nicest teacher I think I've ever had, and I really like having her as a friend too.

While it gets really tiring working two jobs, I'm okay with it. I'm bringing in pretty good money right now. Almost got my credit card payed off and starting to save up for my first car! Kmart isn't being so bad now either - now that Grrr knows that I can do layouts, she respects me a little more I think... which is sooo nice. Not to mention it's nice to have Nando & Lucas back from their various trips. Although I never get to see Megan anymore :'( She's going to Jamaica with her mom later this month, and totally not taking me! *pout* I suppose I could go next year... :)

I'm kinda nervous for my mom. She has to drive to the University of Michigan tomorrow for training for her other job and the car is crap... and so is the weather. I know that she'll be okay, but she still worries me... not to mention that's a whole week without mom... so I kinda have to be mom... which isn't easy if you're not super-human.

I got to talk to my real dad for the first time this weekend. It was a little awkward, but it went well I think. Theron had just gone to bed and I thought maybe I'd just write Chris an email. I'd been meaning to contact him for quite some time, but was entirely too nervous. The email ended up sounding okay, and I figured I couldn't do much better... so I sent it. I was so happy the next day when I got the reply. He already knew a lot about the things that I was involved in, per google. Funny thing is, that was how I was keeping tabs on him too. Sunday night he called me. He was nervous too, so that made it a lot better. I have a brother who's nine and a little baby sibling too! It was really good to talk to him. I know that everyone was a bit nervous and jealous at my house, but I feel a little more complete. I think now that I'm older I can understand why certain choices were made so I'm not so angry anymore.

Sorry I've not been posting a lot lately. Life just feels so hectic, you know?

Okay, Okay

Yeah, told ya I'd be working a lot. Sorry it's taken me a while.

Told Susan that I'd rather be at the service desk than in domestics. She was super happy because I'm nice enough to the customers that I can really excel up there. Had an Afghani guy hit on my today... It was the same one, this time accompanied by his friend, who had been a total ass to me last night. The customer behind him said last night said that he was afraid the guy was going to jump the counter and kick my ass... hehe

I'm so excited! Theron comes back from his house tomorrow for school. Knowing how he rolls, I probably won't see him until Monday, but at least he'll be around-ish. And now neither of us have super early classes, so that will be nice.

School starts on Monday. I'm super excited. I got my books and all except one of Theron's, simply because it wasn't in yet. At least the government is good for something X-P

I totally overhauled my room last night and organized it quite a bit. Now I just have to work on organizing my closet and I'll be all set. I work 8-4 tomorrow at the service desk. I'm gonna try to get some totes and organize my closet.

Anyhow, I gotta run.

Happy New Years

As always my holidays were filled with drama and stupidness. Grrr.

At work yesterday, I was like a 2-year-old on Christmas eve. I kept counting down the hours until I got to see my hunny again.I ended up getting off work late because I was covering Tyler's lunch in electronics and he always takes forever! As soon as I got up to the front, I get clobbered by Theron. I totally had no clue he was right there. We went to Pizza Hut for dinner, which was fun. I missed him so much and it was so good to be able to spend some time with him. I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world... and I think I am. I got my New Years kiss! :)

Usually my family has some big blow up on the holidays, but this time it was caused by our very special guest, Mr. Mike. I'm not going into details, but we stayed in my room the whole time.

Then of course last night, he has to go off on how disrespectful Kelsey and I are of my mom. Okay, yes, I'll admit, we can be that way just like every child can, especially during puberty and the stresses that we have. However, if he wants to talk about us like that, he'd best to examine his own relationship with his father and the way he speaks to dad.

Whatever, I'm tired of living in a high school where every five seconds I offend someone or there's more drama caused by the inner-brain of a retarded 12-year-old-mindset 24 year old. He should've grown up a long time ago. He keeps blaming his problems on dad and his mom's divorce, but he was 20 at the time. I totally had my shit together when I was 12... I hate immaturity.

I just can't wait until school starts again... or we kick Mike out. Either way, he has to get outta here. He's driving my family crazy and then me too... Grrr.

Last Post of 2007

It's true!

Adult Swim's contract to show Futurama ends tonight. :( I really love that show and it's so sad that I won't be able to watch it all the time. It's been really nice to watch the marathons on all weekend, but the last episode they're showing ends tonight at 10. I'm going to try and find the seasons on DVD so I can watch them whenever I want.

So at work yesterday morning, I ended up fixing my knee in the worst way possible. My foot got caught on a box when I was climbing over one of the conveyor belt things in the stockroom that I have to climb over to get to my stock.I hit right by my knee really hard and it instantly swelled. Here's what it looks like now. The weird black things are because my camera phone sucks, haha.

Pretty bad right? My theory is all the pressure that had built up in my knee got released into the bruise, because my knee is 100% better now.

On a super happy note, I get to see Theron tonight. He's picking me up from work and coming over for the night. I'm so glad that both of us have tomorrow off to be able to spend together. After that, I know for sure that I'll be able to see him on the 10th for dinner and after he moves back into his dorm a week later. And no, it's not because he's sooo sweet that I have to see him sparingly.

Well I'm off to shower before work. Enjoy your last day of the year!

A Weekend of Time Traveling

First off, I squared everything away with Susan. She just had forgotten to give me the days off, so I took an extra one off too and lied about my finals.

If I had been super smart, I'd have requested the 20th off as well, for Theron and my anniversary. Maybe I'll call in, maybe by then we'll have spent almost a full week together and we'll be annoyed with each other so it'll be good to work again. Nah. The only time we really get annoyed with each other is when there are outside influences/people making things harder on one or the both of us.

My weekend went well for everything that was going on. Theron was at home, and I was stuck putting up with my stepbrother.

He's a great guy and all, but annoying as hell. My parents are fighting more due to his presence because now dad is torn between new and old family, similar to when we moved here. We never get time to ourselves now. If he's not constantly asking me about Buddhism or trying to impress/woo? Kelsey and I with his amazingness, then he's just standing in the same room, watching TV he's not really even interested in. He smokes too much, interrupts and doesn't let you return to the subject you were on, acts like he knows everything about everything, tries to relate completely unrelatable things, is too sensitive, and is stupid to put it mildly. Maybe it's just because I grew up in an intellectual home, but yikes. On top of all that, the kid (he's almost 24, but definitely more like 10) is going through withdrawals for sure from pot and drinking and his girlfriend/"family", but I think maybe even more than that. Apparently the day before he got himself kicked outta his girlfriend's house, he smoked several ounces of pot alone. He picks on Kelsey constantly, more than a brother should in my opinion.

I'm not scared of him, because I know I could take him, but it worries me the amount of time Kelsey and he are probably going to end up spending alone together as school ends for me and I start working more. I'm worried for her, for her well-being. I swear, if he even eyes her differently, he's gone in every sense of the word.

Work this weekend wasn't so bad. Saturday was hectic, and I don't care for Steve's way of handling stress and only having one or two people on the floor. Poor Nando was trying to do almost everything alone, and I can't let him do that. Sure, the kid messed me up good for a few months, but I learned a lot from him and grew tremendously as a person. He's one of my closest friends, and I can't let him do too much like that alone, not when it's this busy.

Sunday went much better. I had a few conversations with Grrr about scheduling and working and just life in general. We're doing much better. She was not upset at all at me being up at the service desk and helping Nando to run things smoother. Maybe without me there on certain days, she sees how much I do to help. I finally got to work on some of my PLCs for once. I got a good chunk of things done. It was a pretty productive weekend, as far as work goes.

So Theron's got me reading The Time Traveler's Wife. It's gotta be the best book written ever. Period. It is so sweet. I recommend it to anyone who is in love, misses love, has to deal with long periods of absences of love... pretty much anyone. Don't look it up on Wikipedia though, because it's got spoilers. I don't know about you, but I'm halfway through this book and I want to read the whole thing without hints (except the ones that Theron has given me). They're making a movie, but I'm leery of how it'll translate. The book is organized quite neatly, by whose perspective things are from (Clare or Henry) and what ages and where Henry is.

Knowing that he cried reading this book is helping me to understand that it's okay to cry. I'm not a weak person for doing so. I don't always have to be strong, stoic. I'm getting in touch with my emotions, which has been a little difficult, I'll admit, but definitely a necessity. When I have kids, I want to be able to raise them right, which means being fully aware of and in touch with myself.

Here's a little teaser from the book...

"Well, you know, I'm not kidding about wanting that much sex. I mean, I realize that it's not practical. But I've been wanting to tell you: I feel so different. I just...feel so connected to you. And I think that it holds me here, in the present. Being physically connected to you..."
-Henry

Work

What do I do?

At work I asked for my finals week off, which is merely Wednesday (so I can study) thru Tuesday (my Calc final). But, of course, I didn't get it.

I'm supposed to work on Thursday right after my final, and close on Saturday night (11pm now), and then, although the schedule isn't up for next week, I'm sure I'd have to be there before we open (6am as is my usual Sunday shift).

I know that I need this time off so that I can be free from the stresses of work and simply focus on school. I don't particularly need this job, especially with the managers always picking on me (Barb). They act like I never do enough. They want me to simply stay in my domestics department, and not help out anywhere else. However, if I did that, the store would run quite poorly and customers would complain even more than they do now and most would stop shopping there.

I'd hate to leave all my wonderful friends behind, but I can't put school as a second priority, or I'll end up like Grrr. :'(

I've heard advice that I should talk to both Barb and Susan together and try to work something out.

But, what do you think, my mass populous of friends and random people?
Leave a comment on this note, or write me a message, and tell me what you would do in this situation.

<3

Sad

Yup. I kind of am right now.

My friend Mike at work got arrested and fired all in one today.

For a while now, there've been things disappearing out of the electronics department... I guess today, somehow, they traced it back to him.

It really struck me for some reason that he'd do that. Maybe it's cos he is younger than me and has had such a hard life already. Maybe it's cos he was a fun guy to hang out with, and flirt with a little, I'll admit. Maybe it's just cos he was such a hard worker and I would've never expected that it was him. Whatever the case, I'm saddened that 1) he did it, and 2) that he has had such a hard life that would push him to that. He was working two jobs to make ends meat, and now this stealing and pawning things off? *sigh*

I'm glad that I didn't get the chance to get romantically involved with him now. For a while, I thought I might ask him out, but it seemed like something better was on it's way. And how!

The worst part was seeing him being escorted out in handcuffs with a cop at his side. Looking at him for the last time, but not in the eye... feeling his shame as he walked past... wishing I could give him a hug, tell him thank you for all the times he watched my back when there were customers who were ready for a throw-down or bending over backwards and dropping everything when I needed his help... watching them begin the conversation over where he was going now and what was gonna happen.

As Theron would say, some people's kids, eh?

Yikes!

So much to say after not writing for almost a whole week! Erk!

Registration is tomorrow for next semester. I really hope that I get into the classes that I need/want to take. Hopefully, Theron's schedule and my own don't mesh too badly.

Wednesday night, Theron wrote up this mock test for calculus, and we spent like four hours going through it. I had a test the next morning, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Hopefully, I got a good grade. I've never been with anyone who wanted me to do well like this, and it's sooo cool. I hope he knows how very much I appreciate it.

Grrr was actually relatively nice to me on Thursday. Hopefully that means she's getting over her damn self. Nicki told me a fun lil story when I went to say goodbye to her on Saturday morning. Apparently Grrr might be going to a different store. *crosses fingers* I'm not going to look for a different job then, until I know if she's leaving or what's going on. Without her, that store is awesome, and everything runs well.

Friday was wonderful. I got to sleep in, because Dr. Feil was out of town at a conference, so he canceled class. I didn't have to work either, so that was nice. Theron's mom came down, and took us to lunch. The math tutors didn't get paid though, and it totally ruined the whole day. Stupid people not doing the right thing. Rawr.

Saturday was an awesome day! We went to the Milwaukee Public Museum with some people from History Club. It was tons of fun. I haven't really been in Milwaukee that much, or to a natural history museum, so it was definitely a fun first for me. I think that Theron had fun watching me be all amazed at all this stuff. It seemed like it anyways. There is so much to see there that I could spend literally three or four days in there. There's so much to read, so much to look at, to experience. I wish I could've been there all day. Four floors of all these different exhibits - ancient cultures, natural wonders, wars, dinosaurs, extinct animals, the rainforest, and more! I really liked it, can you tell?

After roaming around the museum for a few hours, we went and saw Dinosaurs Alive! at the IMAX theater. That was crazy cool! The screen was sooo big. I kinda had trouble focusing on a lot - so did other people though, because a lot of us almost or completely fell asleep. Might have had something to do with the reclined seats as well... sooo comfy...

We went out to lunch at Mo's Irish Pub. That was some good food. Very filing too. They have these garlic cheese fries that are to die for! I ate way too many of them though...

As a joke, some of us thought it'd be funny to go to the porn store. Haha, funny joke... Until we went. Some of those movie titles - yikes! A lot of the things in there are scary. It was the first time Theron had been in one, so it was kinda funny to watch him. Our group was probably one of the funnest to have in there though. We had Sam, the really shy guy who was a little scared, and Jenny, who is the hilarious lesbian who loves to make jokes about anything and everything, and then another girl - I feel bad, cos I forgot her name already... Ooops. She was cool, though. And then Theron and I... It was really funny. I love how they have pipes for "tobacco use." Yeah right, like anyone who buys those really uses them for that.

Sunday was okay, I guess. I worked later in the day (3-close), so it made it harder for me to do homework. I'd much rather work earlier. Maybe that's just me though. Grrr wasn't there, though, so my night was terribly pleasant.

I have to work tonight, Thursday afternoon, and Friday night, but I get Saturday off, which is sooo nice.

On a super happy note, I figured out that I can put my hair up! It's super cute.

Plus, it's 57 degrees out right now, so I get to wear flippity-floppitys! Yay!

Adios! Hasta luego!


----------------
Now playing: Dave Matthews Band - When The World Ends
via FoxyTunes

I should...

not be multitasking while doing homework, but oh well.

I really like my Asian Religions class, and my decision to switch over to Religious Studies as a major. I think I finally found my niche.

I halfway told Grrr off yesterday, and Latanya totally did. I hope that she isn't going to get fired. Grrr tried to make some joke to me about me not having a doctor's note for my OCD/Perfectionism, and it totally offended me. So I said no right? And she says, "Well it must not be THAT bad then." So, I got all up in her face about it. "No, Grrr, that just means I don't have insurance or enough money to get you a doctor's note." Ha! She ignored my comment.

I stopped by Tallinger's last night to get an application, filled it out, and hopefully the other girl she hired isn't going to work out (I'm a horrible, horrible person!). I can't wait to get away from Kmart, even if that means less money. Ugh.

Theron left me the cutest messages when I was at work the other day. It was super cute even! I really like writing about him on here, because I'm bragging about him, but he gets to see it too. It's kinda fun, cos I think mayhaps he gets embarrassed about it... Then again maybe not.

Well, since I've not multitasked my homework at all, I'm gonna go finish the reading for class in a half hour...

Toodles

Ahhh, the weekend update...

So my weekend was alright, I suppose. I've been super busy... well, and super lazy.

Saturday went well enough. Aside from getting some stuff at the store, there wasn't a whole lot of eventful stuff. Theron and I cleaned my room. It was nice to have him there to help motivate me, but at the same time, I feel bad... I should be able to motivate myself... I'm just super lazy and lethargic, I suppose. X-P

Oregon whomped Arizona State Saturday night, moving them to the number 3 spot in BCS standings. They play Arizona there Thursday night and in UCLA the Saturday after next before coming back home to play the civil war game against Oregon State. This game is legendary, for those of you who have no clue about it. Almost every year, these are the first tickets to get sold out. Go ducks!

We made dirt cake Saturday night, which was supremely fun. I got to crush all the loverly Oreos, but I didn't do a great job... We put sooo many gummy worms in there. I think the piece I had last night had like 5 or 6 in it!

Sunday was a terriblie day at work. I found out the price changer girl - who never does her job right - and my boss were talking about how I never do my job right. Between that, and then price changer girl telling me that I'm not allowed to put up the ad signs unless they're ringing up right, even though it's HER job to put them in the damn computer, I've just about had it. Poor Latanya was standing there listening to stupid girl talk to me like that, and SHE almost walked out. No one there is happy. Everyone is tired of trying to pretend, and our boss doesn't treat anyone right at all. She actually said to me the other day that this is not a job that requires thinking!!! I turned to Morgan (one of the newer girls), and she was just as floored as I was. I'm a college student - I've been trained for years TO think! Not gonna stop just stupid lady says so. It was so bad that, when I got off work, Theron and I drove around looking for places that were hiring. I'm gonna go apply at Tallinger's tonight after work. I know it'll probably mean a dock in pay, but I'll take it as long as the atmosphere is a little bit better.

Last night, Theron and I ate a whole box of cereal for dinner. It was pretty amusing, I thought.

On an even worse note, my arthritis is being terrible. I'm trying not to show it in front of Theron, because I don't want to freak him out or look like a complete doofus. I don't think it's gonna stop being this way for a while now though, so maybe it's time to break out the crazy tape.

I keep dropping things midway through holding on to them... My eyes are starting to get funky again... I actually had to get eye drops the other day. My ankle, which was already bad from me twisting it trying to be all cool and sportsy (which was a bad move, knowing my klumsiness), is hurting worse now. Thankfully, that's the only joint that's being attacked right now, but it's my friggin' ankle! Not a good thing to have problems with. Hopefully it gets better soon, but seeing as it's getting colder and colder, I highly doubt that'll happen. I had to start taking my Aleve again, which means I'm gonna start getting sick to my stomach.

Excitingly though, the main gene responsible for Rheumatoid Arthritis was found in the past couple of days. Maybe there'll be a cure or better treatment by the time I have kids so that they don't have to go through as much of this as I have. It's bad enough to have watched my little sister get sicker... I don't want to see this happen to anyone anymore. Stupid pain, grrrr!

Halloween

So the rest of my Halloween went well.

Theron and I went trick or treating with my friend Nicki and her kids. Well, we didn't actually trick or treat, but we went around with them in any case. Her kids are really fun to be around.

I didn't wear any extra clothes last night whilst trick or treating though... When I finally got home, I was frozen right down to the bone. Brrr! Before Theron headed home, he piled 6 or 7 blankets on me - all the spare ones we could find... I still am a little cold, but mostly better.

I'm supposed to work tonight from 130-6. I think I'm gonna call in though, because I don't feel that good, like I could give 100%ish, and if Grrr's there tonight, she'll chew my ass out for being slow and not moving at her pace. Nicki said she was in a terrible mood yesterday, and I doubt that'll change anytime soon. Nonetheless, I'm gonna call in after my class.

I found out that if I eat a snacky breakfast in Calc, it's impossible for me to fall asleep. I think maybe I should do that from now on. And maybe my homework would be good too. I gots a lot of catching up to do before our test next Thursday.

On a much brighter note,

I had my advising meeting today. Found out that the school gave me SPA201 and 202, so I don't have to take a language. Also, they gave me HIS105 and 106, so I've fulfilled that for a history minor. Just four more classes and I'll have it! Yay!

You HAVE to read the comment on the blog that I posted yesterday. Theron made up a new version to the Bubbly song which is pretty cute. Click here to see it.

Gah!

It's cold. It wouldn't really bother me except that my metabolism is all low because I haven't eaten yet today, and my sweater - which looked so warm when I bought it - is crap! I should just take it back later...

My body is aching so bad. Not sure whether it's the cold or the fact that I walked so much yesterday... Or that I'm hungry and cranky, and maybe trying to find things to complain about to a whole new audience!

I don't have to work again until Friday night. Hopefully my boss won't be there. Grrr is my manager at Kmart (for safety's sake - thanks Theron). Outside of work, she's an awesome lady - relatively easy to get along with. But when I'm at work... it's a totally different story. It feels like she doesn't think I'm capable of things. I am! I work my butt off everyday that I'm there. I'm the soft home team lead (basically, I manage towels, sheets, pillows, curtains, and other domestical items). I am the only one that does anything in that department. I used to have someone in charge of me, but now I report directly to the managers. They're not hiring anyone else to be my boss either, so I'll be alone there forever! It's extremely hard to take care of all of that and go to school full time. I have a minimum of 20 hours that I have to work in that department, and on top of that I end up doing a million other things. I know how to do everything in that store, so everyone asks me to cover their breaks and such. It's not my fault that there's no one on the floor - let alone anyone who knows how to do hunting licenses or has override numbers or knows where everything is in jewelry! I make more than people that have been there for years - which really actually makes me feel really bad - but it doesn't seem like I'm appreciated by Grrr otherwise. I bake cookies and buy pizza to share with everyone so they're happy, because she's brought down the morale so much that it only takes small things like that... All the best people have started to leave or are looking to, because they can't stand her and the way she manages the place. The store keeps getting worse and worse, because no one cares about having their job anymore - no one cares if they do well, because they hate everything that store is now. I do too, but I at least try to work a little bit. I guess I just feel stretched thin, and being unappreciated isn't helping it.

School is great. I love being in college, and so close to my goal of teaching. I just wish I had figured out that's what I wanted last year, so that I didn't have to stay here longer. My Calc 1 class hasn't been going so well, but hopefully since I'm doing the homework now, and I understand more, I'll be able to do better on the test tomorrow. Crap! I gotta catch up on that fast!

Theron is so cute. I'm sure he's gonna be all, "Why are you bragging about me? Now the people on my baseball blog will think I'm all crazy...ier..." But he really is. He's perfect for me, and it's awesome. I really feel like I have a center now, and whether or not he is it or helped me find it, I'm super grateful.

I got all these Buddhist books the other day, and I'm slowly working on them. It really is mostly what I've believe my whole life. I don't necessarily believe everything, but most of it. Reincarnation? Sure. No soul attached to the reincarnation thing? Not so much. Otherwise, you wouldn't really remember it, right? Not that you do anyway, but when you achieve Nirvana I mean.

For now, I'm going to go get some hot chocolate... or some coffee... maybe Theron won't notice that I had some with my coffee breath... I doubt it though.

Enjoy this fascinating tidbit on JRA:

Many famous people have suffered from RA. Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the 19th-century painter, developed RA in mid-life. His hands became so crippled that his paint brush had to be wedged between his fingers. However, he kept his sense of humour. He joked that he never finished a nude painting until he thought he could pinch it!

Comedy queen Lucille Ball of "I Love Lucy" fame had rheumatoid arthritis when she was 17 but that didn’t stop her from pursuing her dreams. Her first attack came while she was working as a model for Hattie Carnegie’s famous dress shop. She felt excruciating pain in her legs and the doctor who saw her said she would probably end up in a wheelchair as a result of the disease. Lucy was later referred to an orthopedic clinic near Columbia University where she was given experimental "horse serum" shots for several weeks that drained her money but didn’t stop the pain. Frightened and discouraged, she returned to her parent’s home in Jamestown, New York. "Gradually the pain subsided and finally one day with the support of her father and doctor, Lucy stood up, feeling wobbly and unsteady. Her left leg was now somewhat shorter than her right leg and it pulled sideways. To correct this, she began wearing a 20 - pound weight in one of her black orthopedic shoes. Though Lucy had residual pain she was able to take a part offered her with the Jamestown Players and she later returned to New York City in search of her dreams," said Carol and Richard Eustice - the people behind About.com’s Arthritis Guide who both have rheumatoid arthritis as well.

Hollywood star Kathleen Turner was so bothered by the pain of rheumatoid arthritis that she had suicidal thoughts.Rosalind Russell, star of the silver screen, had severe RA and did much to garner support for the advancement of research into this disease.

Aida Turturro- Aida Turturro plays Tony Soprano's conniving sister, Janice, on the HBO series "The Sopranos" , AND has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis since she was a child.

Camryn Manheim- "I went to several doctors before visiting a rheumatologist who finally diagnosed the painful swelling and stiffness in my joints as rheumatoid arthritis," says Camryn. "It took close to eight months for me to get properly diagnosed and treated. I lost valuable time, and the joint damage I sustained is irreversible. I'm sharing my story with the hope that it will inspire others to take control of their rheumatoid arthritis by learning more about the disease and working with a rheumatologist to manage it." Camryn first noticed the pain and stiffness in her fingers while she was practicing sign language, a passion of hers for more than 20 years. Initially, Camryn was told the pain was due to aging, but because of the severity of her symptoms, Camryn knew it was something more. It wasn't until Camryn conducted her own research and consulted with a rheumatologist that she received a proper diagnosis and found a treatment regimen that worked for her. Now, Camryn's symptoms are under control and she again has the energy to enjoy her normal daily activities, like teaching sign language and playing with her four-year-old son. Camryn's rheumatologist also is managing her treatment process closely to ensure she does not endure additional joint destruction.

-I got this from Michelle's Myspace page on Fighting Rheumatoid Arthritis - check it out on my JRA links list.