The · Novel · of · My · Life

I've been trying to win Kelly Clarkson tickets today. They've been giving them away on the radio for the past week or so, but I hadn't been trying to win before because I don't know of anyone who would want to go with me. But this morning I thought I should at least give it a try! Why not? So I was trying to be caller nine, but it was really hard because my phone at work doesn't have a redial button. So I went next door to my co-worker's office to ask if her phone had a redial button. She was on the phone and she said, "no, but I wish it did because I'm trying to win Kelly Clarkson tickets!"

So we agreed to go to the concert together if one of us wins, since she also didn't know anyone else who would want to go. Then we heard that some people from the radio station were having a barbecue in front of the Albertsons in Carmel, and they were giving away two pairs of Kelly Clarkson tickets. So we took our lunch break together and drove to Carmel to enter our names. When we put our entrance tickets in, there were only about seven others in the bucket. Combining that fact with the fact that you actually had to be present at the drawing to win the tickets and there weren't many people there, we thought we had a pretty good chance.

Well, a bunch of Alberstons' employees came out and entered the drawing at the last minute, and although none of them won, the fact that there were more tickets in the bucket lowered our chances of winning. Some ladies from Marina ended up winning the tickets. But we didn't go home empty handed. I got a T-shirt and my co-worker got a ticket to some local New Years Eve event.

You might think that our mission to get the tickets is over, but you're wrong. The radio station is still giving tickets away over the phone. And between my co-worker and myself, we just might win!

Wish me luck!

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Are any of you Kelly Clarkson fans?

I got my first ticket. I am so upset right now, I just need to write about it to get it out of my system. No, I did not get pulled over. I got a parking ticket. I'm sure to some of you, that isn't a big deal. People get parking tickets all the time. But it's a big deal to me. I've never gotten a ticket before in my life.
I had decided to go to Taco Bell for lunch, but Taco Bell is located in an area where parking is horrible. I finally found a spot on the street, but the truck in the spot in front of mine was too big for the spot and so it came over the line into my spot a bit. I guess when I parked behind the truck, I also parked over the line behind me. But it wasn't my fault! It was the truck driver's fault.
Anyway, I was in Taco Bell for all of 15 minutes, and when I came back to my car, I had a parking ticket waiting for me on my windshield. The officer that issued it must have watched me park or something. And now I have to pay them $25 for being parked over the line in a perfectly legal parking spot for 15 minutes. It's not the money that bothers me. It's the fact that my driving record is now tainted, after 8 years of perfection.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How many tickets have you received?

I woke up this morning to the sound of raindrops on the window. Now, while I love that sound at night, I hate it in the morning. It makes me want to stay in bed for the rest of the day, and that's just something I can't do. So I'm feeling gloomy today because I would have rather enjoyed the rain from my bed than from the 20 minute back-up on the highway on the way to work.
This past weekend was one of pleasing everyone else but myself. On Saturday I went bowling with Nick and his co-workers. I didn't want to go because I had only bowled once before in my life when I was 12 years old. I didn't feel like sucking at something in front of a bunch of people I didn't know. But Nick really wanted me to come, so I went. By the end of the night, I was awarded a prize for getting the lowest score. It was a Nike gym bag, which was better than the prize Nick got for best form. He got scented candles and gum. After we left, I made Nick stop at the store to get me pumpkin pie as a reward for humiliating myself in front of his co-workers.
On Sunday I had lunch with my parents. That's always slightly painful, but it wasn't too bad. In the evening I had dinner with Nick and his parents. Not as painful, but I still would have rather been relaxing at home. So basically I did not get to relax at all over the weekend, let alone get any cleaning done.
I hope you all had a better weekend than I did.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Would you go to a company dinner and listen to a boring doctor speak about colon cancer for an hour and a half if you got a free meal and two hours of overtime out of it?

I don't know what's going on this week, but strange guys are popping up out of nowhere! No, not literally, although that would be funny. Okay, let me explain further.

It all started when I was online on Sunday afternoon. Someone IMed me asking for a picture. My profile says "happily married", so I hadn't gotten a random IM like that in a while. I asked him who he was and he said his name was Joe. I told him "I'm Stacy and I'm married." He said "oh, wow, do you want a cookie?" I asked him why he wanted a picture of me and he said, "Not anymore. Bye." Ookay. Strange.

Then on Monday I decided to go for a walk during my lunch break. So there I was, walking around, minding my own business when I heard someone behind me go "pssssst". I turned around very quickly to see if it was someone I knew. It wasn't. It was some guy in a metallic orange Jetta, and he was stopped at a light across the street. I quickly looked away and turned the corner. This guy must have made a U-turn or something because the next thing I knew, he had pulled over next to me and said, "hey there." I quickly looked away, thinking about what I should say to him. He thought I was ignoring him all together because he said "fine" and drove off. When I got back to the office and told my co-worker about it she said, "I'd ask you if he was cute, but the fact that he was driving a metallic orange Jetta answers my question."

Then on Tuesday, I swear some man who was in his forties was following me at the mall. Every turn I made, he made right behind me. I finally walked into a furniture store, just to get away from him. He stopped and looked into the store window. Coincidence? I don't know, what do you guys think? I was getting kinda scared because I had been walking toward the parking lot to get to my car, but I didn't want him to follow me out there. I laid low in the furniture store until he went away.

What is up with guys this week? This kinda stuff has not happened to me since college.

Okay, not really. But they are taking up a lot of my time. Last time I posted I told you all that am playing Neville Longbottom in an RPG. Well, since then, I signed up to play Hermione Granger and I joined another RPG where I also play Neville Longbottom. So I have 4 live journal user names! 2 Nevilles, 1 Hermione and of course this one. It's so much fun!

The house is coming along nicely. We might be able to host our house-warming party in a few weeks! I'm so excited about that because not very many people have seen the house yet.

Nick and I bought Cinderella on DVD last night! I had been looking forward to that release forever! I love watching all the bonus features where they show the animators and the people who did the voices and deleted scenes and all that. It's so interesting.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What is your favorite Disney movie and why?

but once we're settled in, it will be so nice!

So far, we've painted the living room, family room, downstairs bathroom, kitchen, master bedroom and study. We have two more rooms left. I have also started setting up the kitchen, but I'm sure I'll probably change it around a couple of times before I'm satisfied with it.

The refrigerator was delivered yesterday. Our new dining set should have been delivered today, as well as our garbage and recycling containers. I won't know for sure until I get home. Tomorrow is a big day! Nick and his friend Steve will be moving in all the furniture. Friday, our washer and dryer will hopefully be delivered. Only after Friday will it finally feel like a home!

We will be sleeping over at the in-laws' house tonight because we will get the U-Haul from Morgan Hill. I'm kind of bummed about that. I want to sleep in my own house! I've been sleeping in Morgan Hill all summer. I don't want to go back for a while! Besides, the tile guy will be at our house (to fix something that should have been done before we moved in) between 8 and 10am, and I'll have to be there for that anyway! I'm going to have to get up at like 6am! NOOOOOOOOO!

Yeah, tomorrow will be interesting.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Anybody care to take bets on how many scratches I will have on my walls after the guys are done moving the furniture tomorrow?

It's official! All the document finished processing today and I am now a home owner! My father-in-law is on the way to the sales office to get our keys as we speak! I'm going straight to the house after work! I want to see MY house now that it's finally mine! I'm so excited!

Needless to say, you won't be hearing from me the next few days. I'll be at MY house painting and putting up light fixtures and ceiling fans and not to mention moving. But I'll update you all on Monday. Until then...

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What color are the walls of your bedroom? If they're white, what color would you choose to paint it?

After Nick gave our broker a piece of his mind, the broker is going to personally come to our offices so that we can sign the new documents without any delay. That means he will be driving from Capitola to Salinas and then to Monterey. It looks like someone is trying to kiss our buts to make up for his mistake! I love it!

And he personally called our developer's office and arranged to have us pick up our keys on Thursday, even though the documents won't be fully processed by then!

Things are finally starting to look up! I still don't regret raiding the liquor cabinet when I got home yesterday though. I know, it's not like me, but it helped me calm my nerves. Don't worry, it was just one shot of ouzo (Greek hard liquor). That's not so bad. Come on... stop looking at me like that!

I'm glad this all got resolved. Paint party still on!

I hate our mortgage broker. I don't just dislike him or not care for him. I hate him. Why? Because he's done nothing but mess up...

( Read more... )

As our move-in date draws nearer, I have found that I'm being more and more productive each day! There is still so much left to do that I can't afford NOT to be productive. So basically, a lot of my weekend revolved around getting ready to move in.

I was supposed to get together with co-workers from my previous office on Saturday, but they both flaked on me. So instead I went to the home and garden show with my in-laws. It was so much fun and frustrating at the same time. I never knew just how much cool stuff you can do with your house, but it's frustrating not being able to afford it. I picked up a lot of information though, for the future, when we can afford to do nice stuff with our house. Maybe even stuff for the next house we buy.

On Sunday, I sat down with my in-laws and made many lists about what we'll be taking to the house and on what days. I don't think I've planned anything in such great detail since my wedding. But it's fun! Planning makes the whole thing seem more real.

Then in the evening, I went to Andrea's for dinner. We had fun playing games and having deep talks. I miss spending time with my friends. I hope they come visit me in Salinas.

Today, Nick and I will be signing all the house documents. Who knows how long that will take? But at that point, the house will be pretty much ours! Yay!

That's all I have to say for today. Oh, except I want to thank Andrea again for making me yet another icon! It's so pretty, isn't it?

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What book are you currently reading, or what was the last book you read?