The artist...

formerly known as kitty...

I got a nice little present after kitty ate her dinner this evening... She's very artistic.




Seriously, this is exactly how it looked when I went to pick up the plate...





She's soooo talented!

"Tiny Cat"

There is this little black and white cat at a house on my way to work, it's not a kitten, but it's small... I named it "Tiny Cat"... each day as I walk to work, I pass by that house and see it in the yard. Most mornings I say hello to it and it just sits there and gives me a mean look...

I say it just has that mean ol' look on it's face to make up for being so tiny and it just looks at me more... so I keep going on my way to work each day.

This morning I saw a black and white cat by the side of the road, under a tree... it wasn't moving. I don't know for sure that it was Tiny Cat, it was a few houses down the street and there are quite a few black and white cats in that part of the neighborhood, but when I got there Tiny Cat wasn't in the yard...

I thought about that little cat most of the day, and when Tom picked me up from work I had him drive by that house... still no sign of my Tiny Cat in the yard, and that cat was still there by the tree...

I'll check again tomorrow... I really hope it's not the same cat... that poor little thing made me smile every morning I walked by the house... and that's a good thing.

No Mo Mrs Gap Tooth!

Well... today was the day. I took my birthday winnings and did something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember. Here's a rarely seen before smile and a (hopefully) often seen after smile...



It feels weird... hope that weirdness goes away soon. The dentist said that was normal, and when he had his bonding done it took about a week before it felt normal and the feeling that something was stuck between his teeth finally went away...

I'm glad it's done though...

*S*

My birthday...

Yesterday was my 36th birthday and Tom took me to the Miccosukee Indian casino. I won 140.00 on a nickel slot machine, got nervous and left after only about an hour there. I really didn't want to risk giving it right back to them.

I'm going to use the money to do something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember... have a little cosmetic work done on my teeth!

I've never smiled in pictures where my teeth would show if I could help it... maybe that will be changing soon...

After the casino I got taken out for a German dinner at Fritz & Franz Bierhaus.

It was a good day.

Samsung 932B LCD Monitor

I finally got something brand new for my computer... something not a hand-me-down from Tom...

Yesterday I bought a Samsung 932B 19" LCD Monitor.



I love it! It's hugemongous! My video games look awesome on it too!

*happy dances*

I'm freeeeeee...

got the stitches out today!!!

Day 5

Typing is getting a bit easier, but the finger is starting to hurt a little around that one really gross looking stitch.

They are being removed Friday. I can't wait!

Owwwww!

Wednesday night I spent 5 hours at the ER...

I sliced my finger open and had to get 4 stitches.

Typing is not easy...

Bleh...

It's not easy...

Your Life is 36% Green

You're on the right track to living a green life, and you're definitely doing your part to help out. You care about the earth, and hopefully this quiz has given you some ideas on how you can do more!

How Green Is Your Life?

Rock on!

You are a Rocker Girl!

If you don't have musical talent, you've got a talent for picking out great CD's. Music rules your life - and you've got the best MP3 collection of anyone you know. Many guys find you intimidating, but a select few think you're the catch of a lifetime. Start hanging out in more used record stores, and you'll find love with a fellow rocker!

What Kind of Girl Are You?

Star Wars Name

Your Star Wars Name And Title

Your Star Wars Name: Melcv Joroc Your Star Wars Title: Hcivan of Mot

What Is Your Star Wars Name and Title?

Alien Abduction?

There's a 24% Chance You've Been Abducted By Aliens

Even though you have a few alien abduction signs, you're almost certainly in the clear. However, if aliens ever do come to your neck of the woods... they'll probably be coming for you!

What Are the Chances that You've Been Abducted by Aliens?

Universal - April 2007

I arrived in Orlando before noon on Saturday (April 14). It was a quick flight up from Miami on a Beech 1900.


The view from my seat.

When I arrived I wasn't exactly sure how I was getting to the hotel from the airport. I'd looked up several options online before leaving Miami. A taxi with an estimated $35.00 fare. A shuttle for 17.00. Or the Lynx bus for just a few dollars, but making a few transfers.

Not being familiar with the bus routes I chose the shuttle this time around. Though after arriving at the hotel and seeing the bus stop right out front, I think maybe next time I'll try them out.

Our shuttle driver was very friendly and talked to us along the way. I shared the shuttle with a couple from Philadelphia that were staying at the Hard Rock Hotel. (Jealous!!!) After dropping them off he took me to my place.

I checked in and changed into some more comfortable (it was HOT) clothes and headed for Universal. I decided to walk because the girl at the front desk said it was about a ten minute walk that would save me about 8.00 if I didn't take a taxi. It actually took 15-20 minutes, but I walk all the time anyway so I didn't mind. If it hadn't been 900 degrees that day I could have probably made it quicker...

I chose Islands of Adventure first because I wanted roller coasters! The line for the Incredible Hulk coaster was 45 minutes and there was no single rider line so I decided to come back to him later. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man was my first ride of the trip. No wait at all in the single rider line for this one. Next I headed over to Lost Continent and the Dueling Dragons... Fire... and Ice!

I spent a few hours there and went to Margaritaville for a late lunch. Steven, Vera and Greg were still hours away on the road from Alabama and I was HUNGRY! I had the Cuban Meatloaf Survival sandwich and a Last Mango in Paris margarita. Mmmmmmm...

Next I was off to Universal Studios. I spent the rest of the evening there and then caught a cab back to the hotel.

After a shower and a late dinner from a nearby Wendy's I watched a little TV while I waited for the rest of the group to arrive. They got in late, around 11:00 I think. There was quite a bit of bad weather in the forecast for the early morning hours so we decided not to be in too big of a hurry to get going the next day. They were tired from the long drive anyway and we had 3 days there so we had no reason to be rushed.

By 8:00 or 9:00 the next morning, the weather still hadn't arrived, so we decided to get ready and go. We decided on an early lunch (around 11:00) at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. We arrived at Universal and parked, but on the way through all the moving walkways that take you from your car to the entrance of City Walk the rain arrived. She short sprint from the last bit of covered walkway to Bubba Gump's front door was an adventure, and we were soaked when it was over. Our waiter was very nice... he cheered us on and high-fived us as we ran through the door "The Wet Family is here!"

Vera's boyfriend, Greg had never been to Universal Studios, so we took the first day slow and made sure he got to do everything this trip. Several times we split up so they could do shows we'd already done. Me and Steven were there for roller coasters and alien attacks.

On this trip, Steven became the new Grand Champion of MIB Alien Attack, beating my previous high score. The new score to beat is 714000. I was very close on my last try... 675000 I'll get you next time Steven!

After Orlando I rode back to Alabama with them and spent a few days being Miss Kitty's favorite sleeping spot. She was on my lap for 3 days...

I always hate leaving... I can't wait for the next visit...

Halloween Horror Nights - here we come!

I'm back...

and already counting down again...

Updates III

I just added 15 more pictures to the Rock City Gardens page of the "Etc" section.

The place really is beautiful. I hope to be able to fit another trip in there when I go home either next month or in the fall...

It's still countdown time...

Click it!

My new desk.

Yesterday I bought a new desk. My old desk had an open back and things were always falling behind it, never to be seen again. I went to Staples and looked at their computer armoires and found this one...



We put it together without the doors because there just isn't enough room for them in the space we're using it. I just LOVE it. There's so much more storage space than on my old desk and the back is closed in!!

May 25th!

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Woo Hoo!

Updates II

Pictures from our 2005 Rocky Horror Picture Show are up in the Alabama section!

Website Updates.

I'm beginning to catch up on some updates at Melissa's Trips that I've been putting off for a while.

I just added some pictures from our January 2005 trip to Desoto Caverns and I've gotten a few of our Rock City pictures up. It will take me a while to get captions on all of the pictures... that's my least favorite part about doing these updates so I always put it off as long as possible.

Bugs!

A few weeks ago I noticed a few small black bugs in our kitchen. I didn't think much about them at first, that is until the "few" became the "many". I started searching the 'net to see if I could identify them. My Google search led me to a site called What's that Bug? and on that site I found them! Pantry Weevils.

I talked with Tom's mother and told her we needed to go through all of the cabinets in the kitchen and find out where they came from. I knew there must have been some kind of food in there somewhere that was causing it.

That weekend I searched through all of the food that belongs to me and Tom and found nothing. I figured his mom had done the same and didn't think anything about it again until tonight.

While I was cooking dinner I noticed a LOT of the little bugs on the floor around the cabinets, and more on the wall behind them. His mom came in so I asked if she had gone through her cabinet. Nope... she said most of the stuff in there had never been opened so she didn't think she needed to check it. WRONG! I found several of the little buggers crawling around inside her cabinet, so she starts taking stuff out and came across a box of organic rotini pasta in the back and hands it to me. I could see a couple of the bugs crawling inside the package through the little "window" on the front. She tosses it in the trash and that's that...

After dinner I'm back in the kitchen with Tom and he opens the trash can lid to throw something out and it is FULL of them... seriously, the whole top of the bag and inside the lid is black, covered with bugs! Ack!

We tossed it in the can outside and sprayed everything with bug spray. I really hope that getting rid of the pasta will get rid of the bugs. I need to do a bit more reading about them and find out I guess...

Seems like it's always something around here...

Carnaval on the Mile Pics

A few pictures from last weekend...


Hot 8 Brass Band



---------------------------------

Miami Heat Street Band

Countdown time!

| Create Your Own

BBQ Time!

A few of Tom's friends came over for a BBQ last night and after dinner they walked over to the Mile with us to listen to some jazz. We missed the Hot 8's 7:00 show but they joined the Soul Rebels for 2 songs and it was really great. I've got one more chance to see them today at 4:30. We also missed Dr John. I had a pretty bad headache after we got back last night and didn't feel like walking back over at 11:00 to see his show. He's playing again tonight though, and we're definitely going.

It was SO hot yesterday. When I went over at 11:00 AM it was already 82 (felt like 86, or at least that's what TWC said, personally I think it felt like 186). It was much hotter when I went back over at 1:30 for lunch, so hot I didn't even want to know the exact temperature.

I stopped by a Greek booth and picked up a couple gyros for me and Tom and got back to the house as quickly as possible.

Happy Birthday Steven!

Today is Steven's 16th birthday!

Woooooo....

Carnaval on the Mile

This weekend is the annual Carnaval on the Mile Jazz, food, wine and art fest on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, Florida.

I'm on my way over there now to check out the early exhibits.

I usually don't stay too long during the day because it's just too hot, but I'm definitely going back tonight at 7:00 to see the Hot 8 Brass Band and again at 11:00 to see Dr. John. The Hot 8 Brass band was there last year and they were great. Can't wait for the show...

CAT-astrophe!

Last weekend I had a cold so Tom had taken over the cat feeding duties at night so I could sleep. On Monday morning he told me of his sanity questioning adventure from the night before...

He said he had let our cat inside to eat her dinner because it was a little bit cold out... she ate, sniffed around the house a bit, and went back outside. At around 2:00 am or so he goes out to the kitchen to get something to drink and in the darkness he thought he saw a black cat run through the room. He wasn't sure... it was dark. So he gets his flashlight and searches the house, doesn't find anything and goes back to our room thinking he's losing it...

He watches a movie and around 5:00 am goes back out and is hit by this horrible smell when he opens the bedroom door. He again gets the flashlight and searches the house and this time finds a pile of poop next to the front door. He's really thinking he's losing it now... he can't find a cat anywhere in the house, and he's starting to think it must have been there all along, from when he let our cat in to eat. Now I'm having none of this idea because I just KNOW my cat would not poop in the house... seriously... I know. But really, what other explanation is there? There is no other cat and my cat was in the house earlier.

Now we get to Thursday night and we head out to the kitchen to get food for our cat. We hear this loud noise in the room between the kitchen and garage, like things are being knocked around and the blinds are being shaken. My first thought is that someone is out there messing around, but we look in and no one is there... no person anyway... there is a cat in there!!! One of our neighbors strays that she keeps around has hidden itself in there since Sunday night and we can't get it out. We use that room for storage of your basic junky stuff... empty boxes, camping gear, old books... The stupid cat has gotten down under all of that stuff and will not move. So at 10:30 pm, we have to start unloading all of the stuff in that room into the back yard and dig out the cat. Finally, we get enough stuff out that we can see exactly where it is... for a while we would just move a few things then stop and listen for movement... and poke around blindly with a broom handle. After we found it, that is when the fun began...

The cat was obviously terrified. It would run around the room climbing on top of everything it came close to. At one point it climed the window screen and got on top of the blinds. I had to go outside and tap on the window to get it down... It kept going back down under this old weight bench and hiding. Finally we were able to get it to run outside.

We were so worn out afterwards that we just left everything in the back yard overnight.

We're still not sure how or when the cat got in. The door had been left open by a few people throughout the day, so I guess it could have went in at any time and found a place to hide. It's just amazing to me that it was there that long and no one saw it.

Dog or Cat?

You Are: 30% Dog, 70% Cat

You and cats have a lot in common. You're both smart and in charge - with a good amount of attitude. However, you do have a very playful side that occasionally comes out!

Are You More Cat or Dog?

First Deadwood...

and now I think they're going to cancel Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

I'm really not happy about it either... I like the show alot. I've decided that we just shouldn't even start watching any new shows again because they eventually get canceled when we like them.

More BlogShares stuff

I still haven't gotten this thing figured out completely...

I made a voting mistake and now I have - Karma

I did figure out how to get my Networth graph though.



Maybe after I get over this cold I'll feel like reading about it more... right now I feel like crap.

It's the weekend...

and I'm sick!

I was just fine when I woke up yesterday and went to work. About an hour after I got there my throat got a little scratchy and in another hour I was sneezing, had a stuffy nose and just felt horrible. I think that's the fastest a cold has ever come up on me before...

Blog$hares

I started playing a game called Blog$hares last night. It's a fantasy stock market game where you buy shares of blogs. I've barely gotten started but so far it looks interesting.

If you want to try it out, click here... who knows, maybe I'll even get something if you sign up.

You do not need to have your own blog to play.

Oh yeah... I had surgery!

I have been letting this blog go unattended for quite a while...

I had surgery in December... got myself fixed so I could stop taking those evil birth control pills. They were doing all sorts of horrible things to me and after taking them for about half of my life I actually am starting to feel better since stopping them 2 months ago.

The surgery went well and I got over it relatively quickly... and I don't think I whined too much during recovery, but you would have to ask Tom to find out for sure.

He really took great care of me while I was recovering. Yep... I have got me one really good boyfriend.

I had a laparoscopic tubal ligation, and I have only a tiny little scar from it. The worst part of the whole ordeal was getting over the carbon dioxide bubble that parked itself under my right rib for about 3 days after surgery. That was a horrible feeling and it kept me out of work for a couple days longer than I had originally planned. I am SO glad that went away...

I'm very happy I had the surgery AND that I have fully recovered from it... I do not miss taking those pills every day.

Orlando trip - April '07

I finally made my hotel reservations at a Universal Studios area hotel and am really ready to go...

Is it April yet?

I'll be spending 4 nights at the Suburban Extended Stay Universal. It's nothing fancy, but it's definitely affordable and extremely close to Universal Studios. I was actually looking forward to being able to stay at a nicer than usual hotel on this trip but the surgery I had, and the unexpected extra doctor bill from that surgery put an end to that idea. It's not a big deal though considering the small amount of time we actually spend at the hotel when we are in Orlando. We're really only there to sleep and shower anyway...

After Orlando, I'll be hitching a ride back to Alabama with Vera and Steven for a couple days before flying back to Miami...

V Day!

Well it's almost time... time to spend 12 hours at work inflating helium balloons and selling flowers. I will be so glad when it's over.

It's Stupor Bowl Sunday!

It's the big day in rainy South Florida. I'm looking forward to all of the great commercials during the game tonight and also the big halftime show with Prince!

I've just started using a new IM program that is web-based. It's called Meebo!



Check it out!