Hi guys,

I've got a new blog...I've been in a funk lately, well it's all explained on the new blog: http://drunkenknitter.wordpress.com/.
I'm going to try to put everything together in one place, and just have one blog, we'll see how that goes.

Stop by and comment, love to see you there!!

I was going to try and keep this journal up better than I have been, but having two jobs and going to school and trying to find time for a life.  I've been a little tired lately.

This weekend was pretty good, it was the first real Sat of the Haskell's Fall Wine Sale, but due to the weather and the economy, it was a little dead.  Sat night I had a date.  It was with a guy I have like for a while and I thought he liked me too, but nothing really happened.  I saw him on Sat, asked him if he was seeing anybody, he said no and asked me, I said no and then he asked me out.  I was really happy the rest of the day.  We went out to Tryg's over by Calhoun and then to Oak City for drinks and then back to my place to watch a movie.  It was fun.  We spent yesterday texting each other and I feel good about this one.

Sun was good and kind of low-key.  I spent the morning eat grapes and watching tv.  I went to my mom's house in the afternoon then spent some time with my nephew.  Then a couple friends wanted to go to the Bulldog for dinner and beer.  It was a pretty good night.

I bought my condo three years ago and now my mortgage is $6-7k more than what my home is worth.  I know I'm not the only one in this prediciment, so this really isn't a "poor me" thing.  I knew what kind of mortgage I was getting into and really, I was planning to sell a couple years down the line. 

Ok, now here's my deal about the Bailout.  The Bailout is basically going to save the asses of those on Wall Street, correct?  The big banks that are caving in on themselves because of all the bad loans they have.  The little guys like you and me who are stuck in their mortgages will still be left hanging.  I'm not in that bad of a situation but there are plenty of people who are in worse shape.  Oh the housing market may improve and that would be fantasic, but is it going to be enough? 

Russell Crowe was on the Tonight Show a couple days ago and said something to the effect of: if there are three billion people in America (I'm not even sure that number is correct), why not give everyone a million dollars.  He got an applause for that but lets look at that for a second.  If you give someone who has never had a lot of money before a lot of money, they are going to blow if faster than you can sneeze. 

Personally, if I were to get a million dollars from the government I would blow it.  I would put some aside for taxes sure, but I would spend the rest of it.  I would pay off mortgages and all of my debts, I would pay for my schooling, I would take my trip to an Australian vineyard so I could get soused, and I would buy crap.  Clothes, shoes, video games all just crap.  It would be gone in maybe a month or two.  This is not money I earned, I wouldn't feel any trepidation about throwing it away.

Is there a way to spend this money to benefit both the American people and the big banks?  Is there a way to give the Bailout funds to people without actually giving it to them.  A way to save the banks without hurting us?  I was talking with a friend last night and she brought up paying off the mortgages the banks hold.  That way, you give them the money without giving them the money, you help the banks by easing their load and in turn, you help the housing market.  Does this make sense and would it help?  I don't know, but I'd like to think so.  It may not be a million dollars, but it is something.

I've been feeling really blah lately.  Kind of lazy really, and it's really starting to show.  I worked out with Christin last night...well I walked while she ran.  I got at least a half mile of running and then maybe a mile of walking.  The last time I worked out was last Tuesday and before that, it had been about a month.  I had gotten used to working out 2-3 times a week and now that I haven't, I can feel the difference.  Also, I haven't been eating well.  A lot of junk food and not really on schedule.  I know that we are way more critical of ourselves and others will think "is she crazy, she looks fine" but I am not happy about this.  So last night, I made a stir-fry and rice dish, and along with my shake this morning I am starting to eat better.  I'm also going to get a cardio video so I can get a workout in at home. I have so much going on right now with school and two jobs, its hard to get everything in, but I am going to do it.

Last month I quit Park Nicollet.  I just  wasn't happy there anymore.  I picked up a few more hours at Haskell's in the mean time and started looking.  Last time I was out of a job I went to AppleOne and they were awesome.  They got me the job at Symantec the very next day.  This time, maybe three years later, nothing.  She told me about a job at a title company, but I never heard anything about it after that. Or about anything else.  

A week later, I sent an application to Accountemps.  After a couple weeks of phone interviewing and waiting, they had a job for me.  It's temporary, until the end of December, but it's a lot closer at maybe 6 miles.   So until December, I will be an employee of Regis Corp.  But hey, maybe they'll decide to keep me on ;)

Oh, and school is going good! I'm only taking two classes this quarter, so it's not too much.  In one class we have to hand in journals and I was a little afraid that my last journal wasn't good.  I looked online at the grades and I got a 10/10.  Sweet!!!

Later,
Janel

 

Well, last night was my first day of classes.  Everything was fine, accept for walking into the wrong class. I realized it a minute later and made my exit.  When I was in the right classroom, a kid was kind enough to ask if he was in the right room, cause everyone looked so much older than him.  Thanks kiddo, would you like a snack?

We had our first quiz too, well it wasn’t really a quiz but showing us what to expect from the class.  On the one side was a reading and the other questions about the reading.  The reading was the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln.  Or Martin Luther King Jr, if you ask the student still. in. High. School.

It was good and I’m still excited.  Not so nervous for my class on Wed, I’m just hoping I don’t walk into the wrong room again.

Peace out,
Auntie Nell

I guess I should know by now that anytime I talk about a boy online, things go sideways.  I went of to Boy's house on Wednesday night and we went to dinner at the Bulldog.  They have awesome burgers.  We went back to his place and I could tell something was up.  He had been a little quirky at the restaurant and not very touchy.  We get back to his place and he drops the bomb.  He doesn't see us going anywhere.  Well okay, I'm not going to stay in something that's not going anywhere.  Whatever.

Anyways, a couple friends of mine and I went to Stillwater yesterday for the day.  It was fun.  We did a little shopping and poor JR got stuck in the girly boutiques with JK and me.  We also did some wine tasting at the Northern Vineyards.  Very nice, most of the grapes used in the wine are from the Minnesota-Wisconsin area.  After that we went to Nacho Mama's for Margarita's and food.  It's a cute liitle place and they have a veranda outside.  I got the street tacos which were really good, except for the hotness that was in the pico de gallo.  I switched out the street tacos for regular tacos but I was sooooo tired, I couldn't finish my meal.  After lunch, we headed over to the gelato place.  I pretty much fell asleep while JR and JK had there gelatos.

All in all it was a good day.  It was fun to get away for the day, for reals yo.

See Ya'lls later,
Aunty Nell

Okay, so last night I dropped something on my toe but I totally forgot about it until I was getting dressed this morning.
Sorry about the nasty toenaii.

It's been awhile since I've last been here, sorry for the dust.  I didn't have access at my last job and I've been a little busy with the job searching and all. 

Achoo!

Well, things are going good, well except for the no job part.  I do work part time at a Wine Store so I do have some money coming in.  I'm also starting school in a couple weeks and I am pretty excited about that.  I'm also dating a new boy.  I've known him for a little over a year and we've been dating for about two months.  It's nice, he's a nerd.  Which I like.  He's a little older than me, not as much as the last guy, hee hee.

My nephew turned three in June and its really amazing how animated he is.  Last weekend, he was showing my mom and me how a frog sleeps.  He also decided that my sandals were now his mom's sandals and got mad at me every time I tried to get them back.  He finally threw them outside and then locked the back door.  Silly little boy.

Anyways, well I am back and I plan to keep this little area free of dust.

Love Always,
your Auntie Nel

Last weekend I drove to Rochester to visit with my dad's family.  My aunt Jane and uncle Lonny came up from Texas and my dad, stepmom and sister from Iowa.  We met at the Canadian Honker for dinner and then drove to my Grandpa Frank's house in Preston.   My uncle had placed the house on the market a few months ago and has only received one offer, kind of a crappy offer really.  He counter offered and she backed out. 

It was really weird to walk into the house with almost nothing left inside.  Benches and tables were moved, chairs gone and my bedroom, the middle bedroom, empty of that old bunk bed I both dreaded and loved at the same time.  It reminded me of my childhood and spending weekends there.  Waking up in the morning to my uncle peeking in the room, I'm sure this would have terrified anyone else, but he is my Uncle Scotty.  Saturday mornings were my favorite.  I'd drink Tang out of my little jelly jar glass and my uncle would make breakfast.  Sausage, eggs and pancakes, I can almost smell them now.  After dinner, my Grandpa and I would walk to the Wood Shed to get ice cream.  Now the Wood Shed is a liquor store. 

It was good to see everyone again, good but also bittersweet.  This November will be my grandpa Frank's 93 birthday.  We are not entirely sure he will make it until then, and a part of me doesn't want him to.  In 1985, my grandpa had a heart attack.  After three days, my uncle Scott was able to convince him to get to a hospital, this resulted in a triple bypass and a weakened heart.  Now, almost 22 years later, his heart is slowing giving out on him.  He's still sharp as a tack, maybe getting only a little dull.  He's lost quite a bit of weight, his skin hangs off of him and there is almost no muscle.  He is still able to recall past events, but falls to sleep every few minutes.   He gets confused easily, he woke from a nap and took his evening pills just a few hours after taking his morning ones. 

My grandma Merlyn has been gone for almost 30 years and Vera for just over a year.  He really doesn't have the quality of life he had even six months ago.  Seeing him on Sunday was the worst thing I have ever experienced.  I love my grandfather. I love him so much, I don't want him to suffer much longer.  He wants to "check out" as he put it.   I will always have my memories of him, and that is more than enough for me...



Okay, I'm blinking in the picture, but you get it.

I'm about to go to bed, but I wanted to post these pictures.  They are from the Vikings game last Friday (the 10th).  My mom got tickets from my cousin Erin.







The pictures are pretty blurry and out of order due to them being from my cell phone.  It was a fun time although they did lose 13-10.

Well, Good Night all!!!

Well, I thought I should actually post on this since I do have the means to ;)  I actually want to do this often...we'll see how that goes.

A couple weeks ago, my friends Bob and Christin had a summer party.  They live in Chanhassen and have a HUGE yard, so they had a slip n slide, a volleyball court and a Moonwalk.  It really was a lot of fun.  I had arrived early to help them setup and people started arriving around 2pm.  I had invited Dennis, and told him he could mess with my ex, the lier, if he showed, but he didn't.  I think Dennis had fun anyways, he spent a lot of time on the slip n slide.

Later on that night, Bob lit the fire pit and a group of us started roasting marshmallows.  Well, we tried anyways.  The fire hadn't been going enough for them to cook well.  Its not like I cook mine anyways, mine are usually charred by the time I'm done.  But, anyways, at the fire pit is were I met Nick.  He is a friend of Bob and Christin's from Volleyball.  He cute, tall and has nice arms.  At first I thought that he was with someone else, he had come with a girl and I assumed they were together, but I was informed that he is single.  We talked a bit, small talk really.  Later I found out that he is 27ish, divorced (he got married really young), buys properties, fixes them up and sells them.  He also works in computers.  Hopefully I get to see him again.

At the end of the night, eight of us went in the hot tub, were the real fun began.  When someone commented on that we had four guys and four girls in the tub, Tigger, one of the girls (her nickname, I promise) jump out of the tub and grabbed one of the oranges she had brought with her and suggested a game of "Pass the Orange".  You know, where you hold the orange with your neck and chin and pass it to the person next to you without using your hands.  It's fun, but hard to play cause you usually don't play in the hot tub.  I got whisker burn from my friends husband, and the drunk Russian guy, Victor. 

After that, we played "Suck and Blow".  Usually you play with cards, but we played with booze.  One person would take a big swig  of whatever they had and pass it the person next to them (only using mouths) and so on until it got back to the original person who had to swallow it.  We played a round of that and then Bob suggested that just the girls go.  So we did, and the guys got excited, but then Bob told the guys that they had to go, and they were like, "Yeah, not so much".  It was really funny to watch the guys play paper rock scissors to see who had to go first and then go through with it.  Some wouldn't pass through the mouth and just spat at the next person. 

After that we played "Guess the Passer", which now typing this, all of this sounds so unsanitary, but I later found out that my passer was Nick, so I'm not to unhappy about that part.  What I was unhappy about was when Bob and the guys were playing with feet.  I DON'T LIKE FEET.  I really don't, I think they're gross and ucky.  I don't like touching feet, looking at feet, smelling feet.  So, Bob grabs my foot and as I squirm and shudder, Nick and Carter (another guy in the tub) stick my feet in the mouths.  YUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!   Shudder....I was a really grossed out by that, but I did get to sit next to Nick and we talked for a bit more. 

It was too much after that when everyone got out to go home.  Bob promised to get me Nick's number and to have another get-together so Nick and I could see each other again.

I have so much more to write about, but I will leave that until to tomorrow.  I promise I'll write.

I got my new laptop today.  I just barely made it to the DHL place before it closed.  I drove to my mom's house...its closer than mine and I really wanted to unwrap it.  She didn't have anyone wireless connections by her so I ended up driving home to try out the wireless connection.  

I would love to stay and chat/type...but I've got to get to bed BUT I do have quite a bit to write about so I will get to that tomorrow and Wednesday.

I'm a bit of a nerd (not complaining though), and I just set up a CafePress shop.  It doesn't have a whole lot in it but I'm pretty proud of it so far.

Also, you can see how ODD my sense of humor can get.

www.cafepress.com/nellbell55420

Oh, and all proceeds (the ones that I receive anyway) will go to the purchase and care of my Sheep. 

Seriously.

And maybe some cool stuff for me ;)

I made a post a couple weeks ago about my Grandpa Frank, here's an update.

He was admitted to the hospital late last week and they found that he had some internal bleeding.  He takes an aspirin everyday and that makes your blood really thin.  So on Sunday, I headed down to Rochester and my dad, stepmom and sister (who has GROWN in the past two weeks!!!!) came up.  

I met my Uncle Scott and Aunt Trudy at the Canadian Honker (think geese) right across from St. Mary's Hospital.  We had a bit of lunch and talked.  My aunt Trudy asked me if I would like my grandma's wedding dress.  Wha? Really?  YES!!  I don't have anything from my grandma, I just have a picture of her, so to have something of hers is just awesome.  I'm also getting the glass I used to drink Tang out of when I was little.

After lunch on our way to the hospital, we bumped into my dad and family.  Not literally, we were behind them driving into to parking ramp.  We visited for a few hours, I left around 4pm to get home.  It was good, I always feel much better after seeing my grandpa.  It always amazes me that he is so mental there.  He can remember stuff from 20 years ago, like my mom's name.  I don't think he'll loose any of that, at least I hope he doesn't.  He's still very capable of functiing on his own, he just needs a little help every now and then.  The doctors gave him 6 months but my mom is under the impression he'll last much longer.

The drive home wasn't too eventful.  It rained for a good portion of it and I mistook the smoke from Flint Hills for a funnel cloud.  Ohh, and it took me 20 minutes to find my car in the parking lot.  I'm good ; )

I haven't mentioned this yet on here, I don't really know how many people read my LJ, but I have talked to others about it.

My Grandpa Frank is 92 years old.  He lives on his own (for the moment), he still walks around pretty good, and he's pretty sharp.  He's doing well for a 92 year old.  A couple weeks ago I got a call from my Dad, my Uncle Scott took my Granpda Frank to the hospital.  He wasn't doing well.   He wasn't eating and had lost a lot of weight as well as muscle mass.  My dad had gone to see him later that weekend and the conversation I had with him at that time wasn't good.   My Aunt Janey and my Uncle Lonny came up from Texas and they are staying with him for a month.  Which is good, my Aunt is really bossy and usually gets her way.

My Grandpa is doing better, although he's down to 135lbs (that's just two pounds more than me!).  The family got together for Father's Day and drove down to see him.  I'm feeling better about my Grandpa, he understands quite a bit and has told Scott that he needs to go into Assisted Living.  He even told Scott that he should sell the house.

It was really good to see my family too.  The only person who couldn't make it was my step-mom, but that's how it usually is.    Anyways...here are some pictures from my weekend...there are even one of Jacob in the bathtub.