Confusion and the 3rd degree

Today was confusion day. Even the Cheat has been out of it. Right now, I was supposed to be at my Oliveparents'. Well, plans changed and I'm still at home. Tomorrow, I have to be at my Oliveparents because I have a concert that I'm going to. Not quite sure how I'm getting there. I'm feeling odd about this trip. It's been about two months since I've made a trip to Atlanta. Now, it's not that I'm not looking forward to going. Far from it. I've got an awesome day lined up for tomorrow. A fresh full helping of Tori and the Posse in the morning, a drive to Stone Mountain, and I'll top off the day by blowing out my ear drums by Arcade Fire. What could be more exciting? Then Friday, my craving for Thai rice will be fulfilled! Followed by some shopping (I need new black heels and flats) still with Eas, and ended with some of the best Turkish food ever to grace A'retta. I can't wait. Not sure how I'm getting home after my soiree with my ATL gang, but that doesn't matter to me right now. I just know there's no way that I'm skipping out on any of it. Meeting and grocery shopping Wednesday. Saturday/Thursday, I'll fit in a book study. Meeting Sunday. Home next Monday. I'll be with my Oliveparents'. Thing is, I know I haven't been in a while, but I'm having some mixed feelings about this visit. When I was packing last night, I just wasn't into it, and that's not like me. Part of it is, I don't want to leave Andy, which is pretty stupid because 1.) I'm not breaking up with him, 2.) it's natural to miss him, and 3.)we've been apart for a week before. Something about this trip though seems like I'm betraying him. Lately, it's felt like I am living two lives in two different places. There's the one out here and the one there. Somehow, I have to merge them without feeling...poser? wannabe? fake? High school drama. *sigh* I asked for it.

This story has high popularity rankings right now in the real world, so here's exposing it to the blog world. Last Sunday I went to my lost aunt's house and watched Buffy and Howdy Doody while she and her mom worked in the front yard and her dad, Andy, and Biscuit worked in the backyard putting together a playset for the kids. The orgininal plans has been rescheduled from a previous Sunday, so I was unsure if my invitation still stood since I played a less important role in the outworking of the plans. After the meeting, I found out that i was still invited and I asked mom pronto. She asked if the boys were still going to be there. It was right before that time of the month for me, so my temper was shorter than usual. I said, "I don't know," just as my "whatever" answer. Mom says, "You know they're still going over there. You just lied to me." So I was still granted permission to go, but when I got home, my punishment was issued. My keys were going to be taken away from me for a week. I served my time, since I knew it wasn't for that one time. (I with held information from teh previous month and slid by with a talking to and they were a lot worse than just a dsgruntled whatever answer.) It wasn't too bad, and I think it put a cramp more in mom's life than mine because Mehsha and I did things. Still, I served my time and received my keys today. Jeepie and I went to get the oil changed. Better than nothing. I do love driving.

Friday, I went to go see a movie. I was half watching the previews, but still couldn't help but notice how many sequels and "thirds" are coming out this summer. Some, I can't wait to see. Others, I'll go see for necessity's sake. Then there are the ones and you can't imagine who even thought to resurrect the original concept- much less a third time!
I do want to see:

• Spiderman 3- I liked the first two and I'm sure I won't be disappointed in this one, except it looks gawd-awful long.
• The Bourne Ultimatum- Oh how long I've waited! All the elements that an action movie needs, plus Matt Damon. I can't wait to see how they top the chase scene from Supremacy.
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End- Finally the second one will make sense! This one you can't resist.

Not too keen on, but will probably see anyway:

• Shrek the Third- Just because of sequel law, and the fact that I'll probably have to take the kids I babysit
• Ocean's Thirteen- didn't really love the "Twelfth" one, but Andy wants to, so I'll probably see it with his family

WHY????????????:

• Rush Hour 3- How old is Jackie Chan? Like 60, right? Come on. You can watch the first two on tbs all the time, why waste your money to see the same movie just in a different setting?
• Resident Evil 3- OK, I didn't see the first two (obviously), so understandably, I wouldn't want to see a third.

Plain ol' sequels:

• Evan Almighty- Now, Steve Carell is awesome. This will probably be very funny. I'll most likely see this one.
• Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer- I'm not into comic book movies. Just Spidey. Didn't see the first one, so same theory goes for this one as resident evil.

All I have to say is I'm going to see a lot more than five movies this year.

Of recent importance

I've got four little indians at the house right now. Contessa, Ethan Toad-head (another young boy in our congregation that is in the same grade with Contessa), plus two neighborhood kids. I'm thinking I might go all Agatha Christie on 'em and take them out one by one. I feel like mother hubbard or something. How appropriate that there's nothing in the cubbards at Mountain Man's house... ever.

I haven't locked my keys in the car since Sunday, but I did dream about it last night. Mountain Man locked his keys in the car Thursday for the second time this week. It's downright contagious. Oh, speaking of Mountain Man, his fiancee (Like Totally Nineties Woman) has moved to our congregation. She offered me a job with her current employer if I was interested. I told her not currently, and it would probably be a little while after she married him before I'd be willing to look into it. She is totally trying to be my friend. Honestly, I may be 18, but I'm not that naieve.

Wednesday was exciting as all get out. I got my own credit card in the mail. It's so beautimous... sparkley and all capitol one-ish. Deborah Clasky went all crusader voice and did the commercial... word for word.

TOMORROW IS DSL DAY! The brother is hooking us up today and by Monday, I can be blogging from the own comforts of my home in my holey pjs. Plus, I can do school too... maybe.

Pretty Good Year

I'm going to quit posting if you guys don't at least tell me how stupid a post I've put up, but of course, I haven't given you any opportunites this month yet... barely. Maybe one.

So, not much of a public nature has been going on that's of any sharing importance. The only thing I can think of is the fact that this month marks a year since we've moved out here. In just this year, the county has grown so much. I can drive around and be like Deborah Clasky who has lived here twenty years now, and say, "I remember when that wasn't here," or "There used to be a gorgeous old house right where that building was." I do it all the time when I drive thru Snellville and Loganville now. I lived in that area for thirteen years and it's changed so much that you wouldn't recognize it if someone had moved away around the time I moved there. It's not that way here yet, but someone that visited us when we first moved out here would see changes now, especially where we live now.

We moved twice this year. Twice. I had only lived in two houses my whole life and then we live in two in one year. That's quite a shocker. I'm used to having new cars around every few years, but a new house every few months... I can't imagine living like that, but I know some people do. It was hectic enough. The second time, we did most of the moving ourselves, but it worked out well. We had a lot of help from our congregation. Everyone was willing and offered to help. Plus, the house was twice the size of the rental we moved into, so there was plenty of space to put boxes. The rental house. Was that an experince. Roaches are not the bugs to mess with. I'm sure everyone has heard my mom's story about the roach being on her at night... yeah, we had some unwanted guests. The house was cute and adequate, but thank goodness we snagged our house. I'm still quite in love with my room AND bathroom. My bathroom was recently painted a sea foamy green. Very spa-ish and all the fixtures are up and in place. Towels aren't for the floor anymore. My room will soon be a soothing grey with my old favorite, navy blue, and what I always wanted, lime green, accents. I can't wait. Overall housing worked out great in the end. We're going to be able to have a bookstudy in our basement once it's finished and there's plenty of room for grandparents as well. Plus, there's very little yard to take care of and the neighborhood is great, but moving back to Atlanta is still my ultimate goal.

As far as I go in this pretty good year, a lot changed too. I wouldn't have ever dreamed I'd move into this congregation and fall in love with it. I was immediately welcomed by three wonderful sisters who haven't stopped caring for me since. In the course of starting to pioneer, one has become my partner and always supports me. She makes it even easier to attain my goal of regular pioneer service by this September. Though her sons have thrown me for a loop this past year, they've come to be just like my brothers. I got my driver's license in April of this past pretty good year and I've used it and abused it. Hopped a few curbs. Almost been tagged with a few tickets. Used it to go to Atlanta and back two dozen times. It's the ultimate freedom. I started babysitting, which I will be free from on March 31, 2007 when her father gets married (the wedding of the year: Mountain Man to Totally Like Nineties Woman). I've come to adore the little brat I babysit and give her the hardest time about the stuff she does. At least I can keep her mouth and hands clean. New glasses, a recent addition in this past pretty good year, but they're still included. Then there's the friends. Within one year, only two of my "best friend" slots remain occupied by the same people. Some left the truth. Some I left. Some I gained. Either way, my current circle of friends from all ages is probably the best group I've had in 10 years. (I really appreciate all of y'all- including my family!) That's the thing that makes this past year pretty good. I've got a life! Once in a while, I'll get it together enough to have one, so I enjoy it while it lasts.

So I leave you with a picture of my new glasses. (Click Me!...except mine are the blue ones)

All we could think of was...

Well, I have a few things to cover before I get to that.

I swore that I would never cook dinner for Contessa's dad, who shall now be Mountain Man- at least until I can think of something better, but microwaving some mac-n-cheese and steaming some veggies and picking up a rotisserie chicken isn't dinner. And even if you want to call it cooking dinner, I'm doing it for Contessa. Since her father has started seriously seeing a sister, she and I have really bonded. I got back from Atlanta and didn't get to pick her up until 4:30 from Deborah Clasky's house. Deborah babysits on Thursdays and was happy to pick her up for me and I was very grateful, since I was having a good time spending the rest of last month's pay check with peeps from Baltimore at the AmericasMart. When I picked her up, of course I walked right in and scared the beejesus out of Andy and she ran and jumped into my arms. Three months ago, that would have never happened. She and I are pretty good friends now, and I am so happy for that.

Oh a big "what up home fries" from the Mehsha corner. She misses you all in our dwindling blog land and if she had access to a compy, she would be blogging. There's plenty for her to say. And so much that I want to blog about, but just don't have the access to. Definetly like the new phone that I want to get and the mindless TV that I have finally indulged in and totally love. It's depressing, but so lets get one thing I wanted to blog about out of the way:
This Thanksgiving weekend, we drove to see my Grandmama T. She had her gallbladder taken out two weeks ago and we went to visit her and help her out. She went out for the first time today to go to the chiropractor. She feels great. It was an emergency surgery because she developed pancreatitis and that's pretty serious. People die from that. So we went to help her out this weekend and it was an OK trip. I knew it wasn't going to be a top ten, if anything a bottom ten trip. (I did find a spiffy brown corduroy blazer on sale that's perfect and there was no tax in SC. Don't know about here...) Overall, the best part about the trip was the ride we take now going and coming. We take I-20 to Columbia and then 521 I think is the number, but we do some bypassing now and go thru cities like Manning and Andrews that we didn't go by before. Manning is a cute city. We haven't stopped there yet, but it doesn't look as podunk as some of the other cities we drive thru (i.e.- Rembert and Salters). On the other side of Manning, there is this farm with goats. As we were going thru there on Thursday, there was this brown blob running across the road. It looked almost big enough to be a small horse, but we knew it wasn't. Man was it running fast. We got closer to see it was a fairly large goat and watched it hop the fence. Then there was a white and brown splotched one that hopped over after it that was even bigger. The brown one ran into the little shack there and all of the other goats (about 15) were just staring at the only brown one that had just run across four lanes of "traffic" and a wide median. Those of us in the car (mom, Mehsha, and me) were just dumb-founded at this event. All we could decide was that they were bored since nothing was open and it was Thanksgiving. The other splotched goats dared the smaller brown one to run across the road to the field across the street and eat some grass and then run back. The other goat that had hopped the fence but was still on the right side of the road was over the fence so that he could see and time the brown one because he had to do all of this in 30 seconds or less. That was the most logical explanation. When we came back through on Sunday, they were all laying down asleep, obviously still exhausted from the dare on Thursday.

Goats are not very cute farm animals and I couldn't ever move to South Carolina.

Just a simple little update

So... I cut off from service after four hours today. Deborah Clasky finally realized when I fell over at about 2:30 that I needed to go in. I barely made it here, but I have some school work that I needed to send, so I drove here. I'm hoping that I can make it home. Yesterday, I went out for four hours while it was raining, so I don't feel too great today and I hit my head getting into the van again and that still hurts. I'm hoping that will go away tomorrow, or sooner.

Speaking of driving... I may have to get a real job. I finally babysat again this Monday. Contessa's dad (who still doesn't have a nickname) had given me off four work days in a row and now I'm working again. But it seems that the truck is having trouble starting. Thing is with the truck, it's 18 years old. That's quite a while for a car, even if it doesn't have 100,000 miles on it yet (it's only up to about 70k). But if it quits working, that means dad has to drive the Jeep everyday to work and it's not like I can just adopt the Trail Blazer from mom. That's her car. Dad's vehicle for as long as I can remember has been free range for users. Nobody really touches mom's car but her, unless I'm washing cars. That leaves me, the continuous auxilary pioneer, without a car. I don't expect mom and dad to just buy me one either. They really can't right now, especially since we just moved and don't know the money situation yet. It also takes a lot of saving to buy a car. I don't have enough to do that now. So... I'm hoping and praying that the truck can hold out until I finish high school and can get a real job. If not, I don't even want to think about that.

The DSL situations is looking very bright at this point. Cable is not avaliable in our area. We are too far in the boonies. A brother in the congregation actually works for Bellsouth and is THE DSL guy for the O.C. Isn't it glorious? Bellsouth told us that all the ports were "full." Well, this brother said he has to check, but he always leaves a few open for businesses and he considers us a business. Mom needs it for work and I need it for school. It's a necessity. So he's calling tomorrow to tell us for sure if he has a port. If not, we'll be without for another two months.

As far as the situation with Andy Clasky goes, I'm going to answer P. June's questions:
3. “Personal/Meaningful” = Intimate/Private? For instance, do you discuss things with him that you wouldn’t normally talk about with anyone else just because of convenience and proximity? Or that you would ONLY (previously) talk about with Easel? Would maybe all the conversations of the infamous “month” fall into the personal/meaningful category?
Andy and I have done well this week so far. Yesterday, I met in the afternoon and was sandwiched in the middle seat of his truck with him driving and another sister on the other side of me with Billy Ray Cyrus on softly in the background, and that was a little awkward, but it only lasted an hour and then he went in and I stayed with Deborah. We were only together today for about 2 hours, and even then I wasn't going to doors with him since we are doing this tract work, which is going suprisingly well. I've placed almost my whole 50. I have about 15 left. In two days. But the answer to all of those questions is "yes," so I do realize that some things have to change. We haven't been together so much lately so conversation has not been "personal/meaningful" at all. Some simple conversations about what we have been doing (drinking a lot of hot chocolate and visiting race trac and a few blurbs about Billy Ray Cyrus and Jammies), and about what we are encountering in the territory. Light and fluffy stuff. I'll just have to see if it happens to ease itself back into old ways, but of course, one thing has changed since this first became a situation. Most everyone that reads probably knows what has changed again too.

Jules sent me some things to think about as far as schooling and hopefully we'll have DSL next week and I can hunker down with those e-mails.

Here's a little something special. I know everyone has seen this, but it's been years since I have taken it. Probably about five, and that does not encompass the last nine months that I have been out here. It's all over. This was my score: 76% Dixie. Your neck must be a little pink! Last time I took it, I was 45% Dixie. Andy says that there's not much left keeping me from saying "yee-haw" instead of my "that sounds like fun." Mom says that the Claskys are becoming bad association because my grammar is going and my southern accent, which used to be light, is getting to be just as thick as molasses. The other day, our P.O. was saying that we need to get all of this territory done. Andy looks back at me in the rear view mirror and asks me to say it. He likes to hear me say it because I sound SO very redneck when I do and I'm always sticking it to him and his mother about their grammar, when I'm getting just as bad. It's really starting to get scary y'all.

Our house, in the middle of our street

I just illegally downloaded that song! Yay! Anyway... so I almost wrecked on my way taking Contessa back to her house about an hour ago (that's where I am now). I took the turn into her neighborhood waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too fast. I was in the opposite lane and jumped the curb and was driving in the grass. I did a total no-no and jerked it back onto the street. You don't jerk Jeepie around. Gosh, I was so scared when I jumped the curb on the other side of the street. We made it safely back to the house. It takes something like that to keep you from being careless. So... if you ride with me in the next month (my six are up) be prepared for the safest ride of your life.

On to the house. It's absolutly glorious. Mom is in love with it, which is all any of us need. The stinky thing about it is that I have to walk to the middle of the cul-de-sac to talk on my cell phone, which I use for almost all my calls and right now, it's necessary because we won't have a home phone until this Thursday, nor will we have DSL until then. Don't know when we will get cable, or shall I say dish. That feels like a dirty word to me, but cable doesn't run out where we are. Y'all, we have rural delivery. Someone in a car delievers our mail. Forget a mail truck. Now we aren't Mayberry Rural Free Delivery, but we are rural. I love having my own bathroom. Right now, it's missing it's fixtures like a t.p. holder and towel rods, but mom is going to go ahead and get the piant for it and such and I can knock it out all by myself in an hour or two. All I've been taking is baths since I don't have a shower curtain yet either. Most all of the boxes are in the garage right now because we had a bad roach problem at the other house and roaches love cardboard and mom doesn't want all those boxes in the house, so unpacking is taking a little longer. The kitchen is basically done. I did that for all of Sunday. I never realized how big the house was until we got all of our stuff in it, and our stuff doesn't fill it up. It's a great house though. I want everyone to come visit.

That's all I have time for right now.

Job Perks

It may not be The Office, but it pays well enough for as little as I work and how little expenses I incur monthly (except for those texting charges). It's babysitting, so it's no big deal. All I do is pick her up from school and sit with her for about six hours a week, it's just solid days now with a flat pay. Since I've never tried out the list button on my blog window, I'm gonna click it and see where we go from there.

PROS:

• Free food. There's never a lack for junk food at their house. What more could you want besides...
• Free cable. Contessa has more channels than I do, and that's a lot of channels.
• That's where my most recent cat lives now, and she still loves me. Doesn't everyone remember Kitty? AKA- Tiger-Lilly fandango-smeller samurai "kitty." Just rolls off the tounge, don't it?
• I get along with Contessa, who may become the Burger Queen or Chicken Nuget and she's so easy to watch. She fits in well with the family.
• In two months (including this one), I'll have enough money for my very own MP3 player.

CONS:

• The deal is for Mondays and Fridays. Mondays are fine. That's not my service day and I don't have a massive school subject scheduled for that day. Fridays though...that puts a cramp in any chance of Mehsha and I getting to GSAM once a month and Friday is my well established service day.
• Contessa knows it well, and expressed it outward today. She can't sit still for longer than 5 minutes. That'll put a cramp in my studying while I'm watching her.

I get paid well for as little as I do, but if this interferes with getting to GSAM once a month, something might have to change. Gas prices are now a clincher in getting up there as well. GSAM is enjoyable and I don't get to go often in the first place. We'll see how this works out. The steady income is an attractive lure, but Good Soup is an enriching experience.

"John and Jane" Flashback

This is going to be short, since I'm so very tired. I've been babysitting at least once a week for Contessa. Although she is about 8 years old and isn't hard to deal with, she's very active. There are no problems with that, except she likes to ride bikes for like 3 hours and, being an asthmatic, I can usually only go for about two until I need a break. I think she would ride all day if I would let her. Her dad isn't as watchful as I am. The whole thing is, I would let her ride for forever if I didn't know how much it would break her dad's heart if she wasn't there when he got home. See, it would break any parent's heart, but his especially because Contessa's mom, his wife of almost 15 years, passed away in November and I don't think he's over it yet, although he likes to talk about it like he can handle it. So she tires me out plus, I went out in service on Wednesday and today (for my school friends that's when I go from door to door and place magazines...basically. Y'all know it's more complicated than that but back to what I was saying...) And I physically can't go to sleep before 11 PM for some weird reason, and if I do, then I wake up around 2:30 AM and will not fall asleep again until around 5 AM. My friend Easel Weasel Beezit, whom I'll just call Eas, got back from a trip to Baltimore Monday and talked to me (I didn't get to say much) until after 12 PM on Tuesday, after I was already exhausted.

Now for the point of this post. It was definitely Wednesday when I picked up the phone. It was from MBNA and I know mom was having some issues with them lately so I picked it up when I normally would not have. Immediately, I was greeted with a warm hello with a thick Hindi accent. Most of my readers remember John and Jane. How could you forget Naomi, with her "totally natural" blonde look? And the guy who pleged his life to Amway? Not going into that. H'n'B did a great job of describing the premise of the movie way back when we went...when was that...May? Whenever it was, it resurfaced in my mind when I heard this girl's voice. I told her my mom wasn't available and she said she was glad she had caught me. Lord, I've been caught. How do I say no to this poor soul in the call center? I let her give her spheil about how I could lower my intrest rates and such and all she needed to do was check my address. I verified that what she had was correct and then she asked for my name. Well, then I told her the honest truth that I was too young for a credit card. (I'm not, but that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.) She then says, "Oh well, I'll try back for (my mom) later then." And she was so nice. I hated to turn her down, but what can I do with a credit card except get into debt? I don't have a regular income, so it's more than pointless. After I got off the phone, all I could do was think about how they're pushed to fufill a certain quota and all that. The worst part about it is I know I won't answer the phone again when MBNA shows up on the caller ID.