annoyed.

today, i am annoyed. here's why:

one: my graduate program does not let people freely enroll in courses, but instead assigns courses to you and this process takes months. my current job interviews are just laughable.s

employer: "tell me about your availability."
me: "well, i think i will have class on mondays and wednesdays, but if i don't get an add code for class a, then i will have to take course b and then i'll have class tuesdays instead of mondays. but if i get into class b and not class c, i will have to take class d and that will give me a tuesday, thursday, friday courseload."

two: i purposefully wait until 10 am to leave for school to avoid the rush hour mayhem. and yet, because of the holiday's coming up, i hit a plethora of traffic at every freeway exit that leads to a shopping mall or outlet center.

three: someone today actually said she had always wanted to attend a "mardi grass" party. yes, she said "grass." and i told her that "marti grass" did not exist and she shouldn't hold her breathe for an invitation. she thought i was being funny.

four: my term paper is due THIS monday, not next monday.

five: i had to lock my kittens in our bedroom for "random apartment inspections" that i'm still aren't sure are totally legal but i can't argue it to the leasing office because they open after i leave and close before i get home.

six: i have a cold.

seven: parking at school was bad.

eight: i've lost my favorite (and expensive) sunglasses.

and now the fact that i can't get to an even list of ten is annoying me.

tomorrow, i promise to do a happier list. but for the remainder of today, this is me:

grrrrrrrr.

times, they are a'changin.

at year's end, i guess it's normal for people to start feeling a bit nostalgic about where the time has gone. it is so hard for me to believe that it's almost christmas already. this past weekend at home, i started thinking about all the things that have changed in the past year.

October 2009

September 2010

last year, hubby was working at the bottom of his company's ladder answering customer service calls with a horrible work schedule. this year, he's moved up three or four pretty significant rungs and is actually involved in the testing and development of the games during normal 9-5 business hours.

last year, i was cramming for my last b.a. finals at csu fullerton and preparing my graduate school applications. i had no idea if i would get into graduate school, or where i would end up going. this year, i'm finishing up my first year of graduate school at the top ranked program in the state.

last year, we had one fun-loving kitten. this year, we have two.

last year, we had a 'functional' apartment with no personality. this year, our apartment is our favorite place in the world.

it's crazy to think about how much has changed this last year. but it's even crazier to think about all the things that will probably change in the next year.

next year, i will finish my academic classes in school and will be looking for a job. my cousin will have a six month old baby.hubby could be designing video games. our best friend could be married. my baby sister could have a degree.

while it's sad to see another year end, it's nice to be able to look back and see the great things that have happened to us and the progress we're making in life. the coming year is going to be so exciting, scary, amazing, nerve-wracking, sad, happy, and full of change. and i really can't wait to see where it takes us.

thanksgiving.

thanksgiving was great! went to san diego to see my mom and my sister and had dinner with my aunt, uncle, and cousin that i'm very close to.

and the best part was that this was the first thanksgiving that hubby has been off from work in three years. he was so excited to just have time off, he even took me black friday shopping (which was great-got some great shoes and clothes, some christmas presents already picked out, and hubby got me an early christmas gift that i picked out for myself yet can't have for another month).

back to school tomorrow so tonight will be all studying and left overs, but pics to come later.

hope everyone in cyber space had a great thanksgiving, too! anybody score any great deals?

dear goodwill.

dear goodwill,

you and i have been friends for quite some time now and i've really appreciated all the great things you've done for me over the years.

thanks again for today's special present you picked out just for me (seriously, who decided they could get through life without this umbrella?)

i'm hoping that because of our close relationship,you will know what i'm about to say is from the heart, and only for your own good.

goodwill, half (three-fourths) of the fun of the excursion to your store is the thrill of finding something amazing hidden in a stack of stuff that's, well, less than amazing. when you go through and pull all the 'label' merchandise out of the pile and put them on their own 'designer' rack and charge twice as much for them, shopping is no longer fun.

but because the store is all about 'good will' and what not, i was willing to accept that by charging more for the lucky brand dungarees you can help more people get off of the streets, and that's a fair compromise. especially since at nineteen ninety-nine they are still a steal.

but goodwill, target brand jeans are not, i repeat-not, a designer label. you cannot charge nineteen ninety-nine for a pair of used pants that probably only cost twelve ninety-nine to begin with. lets keep the designer rack open for, i dunno-brands that are at least found in a mall? sounds fair to me.

furthermore, i went to ross today looking for shoes and found black boots i wanted for a cheaper price than the used black boots at your store. need i remind you that your merchandise is used. if one could spend twenty bucks on a pair of shoes, one would be at wal-mart or target (with the exception of people like me who really like the chance of finding something vintage-although, i did go to ross, so maybe vintage love isn't even enough anymore).

also, it's currently 2010. the yellow sony walkman/cassette player probably doesn't need to be locked in the jewelry case.

kk thx bye,
mel.

p.s. stop putting ridiculously cute shoes in the window that i'm willing to spend one million dollars on when they are only a size four and the only person in the world they would fit is the person who donated them. thanks.

bling.

i love my wedding ring. a lot. like, to the point where hubby teases me about be materialistic. which i'm not. i just really, really love this ring(s) -technically it's a set.

but i'll let you in on a little secret. this ring that i wear everyday and stare at during boring lectures and purposely position to sparkle in the sun while i'm driving to see if it will blind passing motorists, is not in fact the same ring that was slipped on my finger in march of 2007 when hubby proposed. nor is it the same ring that was placed on my hand when he said 'i do.'

hubby proposed when i was a freshman in college majoring in journalism and he was working part time at a movie theater and taking community college classes with no major in sight. i believe in total my wedding ring set cost under two hundred dollars. but i loved it. it was my most prized possession because it meant i was going to marry my dream guy.

a few months before the wedding, hubby got hired at the company where he still works and is building his lifetime career and i switched my major to communication disorders in preparation for becoming a speech therapist. our life was slowly starting to fall into place.



i have no idea why it's all woodsy.



fast forward to our second wedding anniversary. i had a diploma on the wall and was preparing to start graduate school, hubby got a promotion at work, we now had our first kitten-baby. and for a christmas/anniversary/graduation/valentine's combo gift, i got a new ring set. i'll start with the obvious- it's a much larger diamond than my original ring. and since my favorite color is polka dots, i adore the smaller, round diamonds that make up the bands. and i love that when i put them on, they do not fit perfectly flush against one another but instead make a cute, quirky zig-zaggy gap.

but most importantly, i love that two years after we were married, after two new jobs, a big major change and decision to go to grad school, after living with me, helping me through the bad and helping create the good, and despite the fact that neither one of us were still exactly who we were when we got engaged, hubby still felt sure enough about us to make the committment all over again. so when people ask if i get sad or dissappointed that it's not the 'ring with all the meaning,' i politely let them know that there is more meaning in this ring than there is in the whole dictionary.

and that is why this wedding ring set is now my most prized posession, and my original is in second place.



gogurt.

how did i go so long without knowing about gogurt- yogurt.....on the go. my whole life is on the go, thus i assumed yogurt was no longer a food choice for me. since it's discovery approximately seventy-two hours ago, i have eaten yogurt whilst:
-driving
-reading
-walking between classes
-putting make up on
-straightening my hair
-hanging laundry
-washing the dishes
and
-paying for my latte this morning at the drive thru starbucks window.

this is possible the single greatest invention of our generation.

home sick.

today, i stayed home sick.

but i have a bit of a confession. today is the first day in a couple of months now that i don't have a single quiz, test, paper, report, client, or meeting to worry about. if there was any day to miss, it would be today. so maybe the tickle in my throat and the quease in my tummy are more welcomed guests than hated enemies this time. and maybe i'll be watching 'home alone' while eating pumpkin pie today.

and if 'elf' happens to be on tomorrow, maybe i'll still be under the weather.

mac & cheese &....?

there is probably no greater food than mac&cheese. it's tasty, budget friendly, easy to make, and-oh yeah, tasty. and as bad as it is for you, i firmly believe nothing tops the kraft original. the og of mac. hubby and i eat mac& cheese a lot, and sometimes to make it a more substantial meal, we'll add stuff to it.

MY favorite is adding seasoned, lean ground beef to it like a better 'hamburger helper.' hubby doesn't really care for it. the only thing he really likes in his mac is a can of tuna. which i don't totally love. it's good every now and then, but there has to be better out there.

if anyone has any suggestions of what to add/alter with my next batch of cheesy deliciousness, i would be much obliged. and please, nobody say hotdogs. that is a nightmare from daycare's past that is another topic for another day.

motivation.

some days, i just do not want to do homework. with the holiday on thursday, i told myself i could relax for the day, but by friday i had to start working on one of my five term papers or study for a midterm.

yesterday, i did nothing. and now today, i want to do nothing. but i really have to get on it. so before i lock myself in my bedroom and start trying to negotiate with myself, i thought i'd take a few minutes to think about why this insanely hard work will be worth it.

first, this is san juan capistrano, ca. i want to live here. it's a nice neighborhood with good schools, it's very historic and it's just beauftiful. plus, it has a lot of small town charm that a lot of places in southern california are just lacking. in order to live here, i will need a well paying job. to have a well paying job, i will need to finish my master's.

in san juan capistrano, i want a house. period. not a condo or town-home. maybe not THIS one house, but something cute and roomy. and that will cost money.

and i want to go to here. neither hubby nor myself has ever been to europe. as soon as this pesky school thing is out of the way and i collect my first paycheck, we'll be packing out bags and heading out!

honestly, i just want a car that doesn't squeal at under twenty miles an hour. but this would have to be my first choice.

i keep on this school path so i can have a good career and provide for little Sophie or Stephen (yes, we already have names picked out. no we will not be procreating for at least three more years). i want to be able to give him/her everything

most importantly though, i keep with it for this guy. because despite his decision not to go to college, citing it as both a waste of time and money, he works all the overtime he can get to help me get through school. and despite upwards of 70 hour work weeks, there are still things he wants that we can't afford because of my being in school.so come may 2012, i fully intend to return the favor.

and so i guess that's why i'm really going to actually go write my papers....."the impact of stuttering on job outlooks"- your time has come.

meet my holga, nena.

nena.

hubby and i are a bit of anomalies.  he's a hard core video game nerd who also loves punk music and playing guitar. i consider myself to be hippie/vintage chic but that doesn't stop me from listening to the classic rock station or decorating my bedroom in a shabby chic country way. it took me a long time to just be comfortable with me and the things i like and do/have what makes me happy.

case in point: my holga. i am not artsy (not that i wouldn't love to be but i just don't have the talent for it). but i had to have this perfectly-imperfect vintage film camera from the moment i first read about it on someone else's blog.

my birthday is in october so hubby tends to buy me everything i hint at wanting for the whole month (i'm so spoiled) and that included a Holga 135BC camera which we named nena (after the lady who sang 99 luftbalons) since hubby that holga was a sucky name.

i love this camera, and i love these shots from it:

downtown

our apartment complex and some trees

some of these pics are what's called 'cross processed' - i have a friend who is a photography major who does cool developing stuff for me. and in the interest of full disclosure, a couple have been run through picnik.com for added color boosts.

but i love walking around with my cool vintage camera. and i love not knowing exactly what the shot is until i pick up the film, sit down with a hot chocolate and peruse. and the fact that i love it is all that matters to me :)

so i'm off to put on a vintage dress, play the led zeppelin playlist on my ipod and walk down to the store for a country scarecrow for the patio. what will you be doing today?

commuting top ten.

i live about fifty miles away from school. i got accepted to a school north of where hubby and i live right around the same time he got a promotion at his job south of where we live. and, since school is two years and jobs are forever, and because he works many twelve hour days, we decided to live closer to his work.

the commute is rough. i have to leave two hours before class to leave ample time in case of traffic, road closures, parades, space ship landings, etc. usually this sucks. but today on the drive, i decided to create my first ever 'TOP TEN' list-

*drum roll please*

TOP TEN REASONS WHY COMMUTING ISN'T AWFUL!

10. excuse to shop/get a nice lunch-whenever hubby is like 'oh my goodness! you went to panera again?' i can be like 'well, i had to eat before the long drive home and he's like 'cool.'

9.excuse not to study-typically, other drivers on the road frown upon seeing someone read while driving. thus, for the hour plus it takes me to drive to school, i have no excuse not to blast the radio, sing and dance all the way to school. or better yet, have an in depth conversation with my mom or bff.

8.no chance of running into people i don't want to see outside of school- my first day of grad school, hubby and i went out to dinner and i told him every annoying thing about everyone i interacted with that day. and i didn't once have to look over my shoulder. no more worries of running into a professor on a tampon run or seeing my clinic clients while i'm acquiring taco bell in my pj's. sweet.

7.listening to the radio-when you only have a twenty minute drive or so, you can keep one cd in your cd player forever almost. i get tired of a cd after about two days worth of driving so i spend a lot more time listening to the radio. the other day, i heard old school brittney spears and nsync. plus, it's a good chance to hear new music that you would be completely unaware of otherwise.

6.people feel sorry for you- whenever i'm too tired/lazy to make dinner, do laundry, clean house, i tell hubby i'm just too tired from the commute. 'traffic was horrible and it took me an extra hour to get home' and he says he's sorry i have to go through that and leaves me be. it also works on professors who want you to do extra stuff and clients who want make-up time.

5. scenery- i live in southern california and it is beautiful. my commute allows me to see and appreciate so much more of it. from the distant, snowy mountains, to the beautiful buildings of downtown la, the last thing i can complain about is the view from my rear window.

4. double store inventory- sometimes, i go to target or walmart and fall in love with an article of clothing or a piece of  home decor that i must have. but the last one isn't my size or i want two or the lady walking in front of my won't give me the last one from her cart. no worries 'cause i'll hit up the store by school and have a new inventory to pilfer from. and it they don't have it  it just wasn't meant to be.

3. instant days off- if i sleep in on accident, i can't really throw on jeans and run out the door and expect to be on time. instead, i have to succumb to the fact that if i don't leave on time, i will be late and spend the day at home.  guilt free.

2.less embarrassing for the multiple starbucks trips- i am a grad student, and it can be tiring. some days are just a two latte day. and instead of facing the shame and embarrassment of the possibility of seeing the same barista behind the counter with a witty remark about how he recognizes me, i hit a different, equally convenient starbucks near school and nobody (except me) is any the wiser.

1.i could not possibly appreciate my home more- after an hour in the car, possible traffic situations and usually at least one idiot who attempts to change into my lane while i'm still in it, seeing my kittens, putting on my pj's and watching tv is the greatest part of my whole day. and i couldn't be happier.

jetsons, meet the jetsons.

no, my last name is not really jetson. yes, it would be really cool if it was. so let's just pretend.

first, there is me, mel. i am a twenty-three year old speech pathology grad student. i drink a lot of coffee, i watch 'pushing daisies' and 'gilmore girls' on dvd constantly, and i'm usually the weirdo singing and dancing to the radio on the freeway. also, i tend to make funny faces when pictures of me are being taken and i really, really love disneyland (annual passholder three years running). my mom is my best friend and my sister is super bomb.

hubby works. he decided to forgo college when he got offered a spot at his dream company. literally, he has wanted to work where he works since he was eight. he tests video games for a living and couldn't be happier. except that business is booming and he works almost seventy hours a week (the money is good, and God knows we need it, but i do miss him).

hubby and i were high school sweethearts. we met playing husband and wife in our sophomore production of 'you can't take it with you.'

we've been married since january 2008. he proposed to me by placing a ring on my finger while i was sleeping so i 'couldn't say 'no'.' i thought that was cute.

since we've been married, we added two lil' ones to our family- lulu and harley.

the first picture we took of lulu-oct '08

first picture of harley -july '10

both of our babies are from the orange county animal shelter, and they are the happiest kittens we've ever seen. they keep me very entertained when hubby works or if im studying too much.

it's been a pleasure to meet you. that's our little family, and i absolutely couldn't be happier with it or the people (and kittens) in it.

study day.

big test on tuesday. i'll be spending the day studying, listening to this, and giving myself permission to dance along every hour or two. enjoy!

b's get degrees.

any other grad students out there feel like they are sinking all the time? like no matter how many hours you study/research/write/plan you are never caught up?


me too. and then this past weekend, i didn't do any school work. i redecorated my room, went thrift store shopping, visited with my mom and played with the hubby. it felt really good while i was doing it, but sunday night i had immediate 'hang-out remorse.' i had a midterm, a quiz, and three clinic (speech pathology) lesson plans to finish for this week.

and i did really poorly on my quiz and was really hard on myself. then, it hit me. 


i am in absolutely no danger of failing this course in anyway. a three-point-oh average keeps me in good standing with my university, and i have so many a's on my transcript i could get c's from here on out and pretty much be fine. so why was i upset? because with this quiz grade, it will be a bit harder for me to get an a.


so, to summarize:
-i now have a great, redesigned room that i love to spend time in.
-i had a great halloween weekend with the person, and kittens, that i love most in the world.
-i found a great new blouse at the thrift store for only five bucks.
-i slept more this weekend than i have in months.
-i saw my mom, had a nice dinner (and a nice lunch).
-and i spent three days feeling completely relaxed and blissful in my life (i even had time to paint my nails and straighten my hair!).


and if i get all of that in exchange for the possibility of a b, i'd say it's well worth it. 

-unless at my first job interview they ask me directly 'what letter grade did you receive in each of your courses.' 
then i'm screwed.

ode to the thrift store.

i love the thrift store. for numerous reasons.
1. i love that nobody else will be wearing what i'm wearing
2. being a speech-pathology grad student, i have to look professional but the LAST thing i need in my life is a closet full of slacks and button-downs. cheap dresses and skirts give me lots of cute options.
3.i love that i could be wearing something really old with a great history.
4. they color code EVERYTHING
5. helping people by putting money into a charitable organization.
6. the prices. duh.
7. did i mention the color coding?
8-12. these gems...

steve madden. ten bucks.

love how flowy it is.

how cute are those buttons?

my first thrifted dress.

close up on the tulle/print.

 what's are some of your favorite finds?

chocolate that is hot.

this weekend, hubby and i trekked to best buy 'cause he needed a new keyboard (which was something he wanted for a while and was a bit happy when his finally broke). after we left best buy, i spotted my own mothership, starbucks, across the parking lot and asked hubby if we could stop for hot chocolate. at which point, this happened:

'chocolate that is hot, chocolate that is hot'- yes, he was singing it to the tune of 'drop it like it's hot' which i'm ninety-nine point nine nine percent sure he's never actually heard before. also, there was a dance.

then he ran out of words and made 'hot chocolate making sounds' to the melody.

thanks, hubby, for the much needed chuckle and for reminding me why i love you. and for the chocolate that is hot. it was yum.

(love the colors/effects possible with my film camera :)