So my last day of work was last wednesday. Thursday by noon I was contemplating going to visit the baby. I did catch up on christmas shopping and then there was christmas. I loved getting cash from mom and a the hottest orange suede prada purse from my sister and neice. Yesterday I got called into work. So today was my first real day with no work being at home left to my own devices and my own motivations towards productivity. The day is almost over and I am still in my pajamas. Today I.... 1. took pictures of my christmas tree and lights 2. wrote some letters 3. researched how to get from truckee to reno 4. made a car rental reservation 5. sorted a rack of clothes in the garage 6. downloaded aol instant messenger 7. made potato latkes 8. researched the California prison facilities 9. watched a french movie with subtitles 10. really that's it. But here's what I should have done today that I did not.... 1. Pack for my trip tomorrow 2. Go get stamps and mail out letters 3. return things to the mall 4. brush my teeth 5. cook something with apples and mangos before they rot 6. shower 7. go for a run (I got as far as setting exercize clothes). I'm tired now from doing nothing and I don't want to pack but I have to. Kinda last minute, my clients decided they wanted to go up to Northstar and asked if I can come. So we leave first thing in the morning. After they leave on Saturday, I am continuing on to Reno to visit some family. And while I'm in the area, I am going to pop by Susanville State Prison to visit my psuedo brother whose locked up there. I've never been to a prison so I'm a bit nervous about how that works. I can't wear underwire bras there. Ok, I'm yawning so I'm either going to go pack or go to sleep and get up early to pack.

You Are Most Like Charlotte! You are the ultimate romantic idealist You've been hurt before, but that hasn't caused you to give up on love. If anything, your resolve to fall in love is stronger than ever. And it's this feminine optimism that men find most appealing about you. Romantic prediction: That guy you are seeing (or crushing on)? Could be very serious - if you play your cards right! Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You Most Like? Take This Quiz Right Now!

Today I am home sick. I slept until 2. And didn't feel very mentally capable to do anything until maybe 20 minutes ago. My tasks for the day was to fix my closet curtain that had fell down and to download Vindicated by Dashboard Confessionals. I ate lots of left over party food... mainly pepper jelly and crackers. Speaking of party, it went quite well. Only about half of those who RSVP'd actually showed... no big surprise... if it doesn't involve a keg, my people just won't come. This one really catered to my married with kids group of friends. Afterwards I went on a horse drawn carriage ride through Willow Glen to see the christmas lights. Very romantic if I hadn't been with my family. Then I went up to Palo Alto to meet my friends at Miyake's so I could be their designated driver home. We had a ton of fun. While there I ran into an old friend named Cory. He use to work at Hidden Villa with me and everybody thought we were brother and sister because we look alike with dark prominent freckles and all. These days Cory has started a pharmaceutical company promoting a drug he invented that is like a morning after pill for the HIV virus. If it all goes through, he's going to be loaded. It definately will have a market being used in hospital rape kits, as well as those stupid enough to engage in unsafe sexual practices with strangers. But there's more ways to contract hiv other than sexual. I could see this being used as a precausionary after all blood transfusion (not that we don't test the blood anyways these days) or any time there is an accidental exposure to another persons blood. I could see doctors using it alot after treating hiv positive patients. Anyways, if he's really done this then he's genius and will make himself really rich.

Ming Quong and Me

Today I put my cat Ming to sleep. She was 20 years old. I found her as a kitten when I was 7 years old. It was the hardest thing ever, but she was so sick and was basically dying anyways so it was the only thing to do. So here's the ever so depressing poem that accompanied the experience...
euthanasia
My eyes sting from the many tears.
They fall on a green plaid blanket.
I'm sure it had seen its share.
My chest heaves with sobs.
Hers with slow silent gasps of breath.
The breath of life slowly fading
Amongst whispers of love and apologies.
My eyes blur but I'm trying to see her
To remember her.
Longetivity runs through her veins.
Two doses of death and still her heart beats.
Perhaps all nine lives were not had.
My hand is tucked against her pulse.
In a moment I feel it ever rapidly
And then not at all. It is over.
Twenty years wrapped up in tan fabric
In my arms as I walk out the side exit.

Gift wrapping has been going great. Tonight I'm serving on another front... I'm babysitting my pastor's kids so that both him and his wife could be at the gift wrapping event tonight. Today I made lots of cookie dough but still more to do. I feel so not ready for the party. There just isn't enough hours in the day. I can't wait until next year when I have all the time in the world to do everything and even time to do nothing. It will be wonderful. Well, I have to get back to party business.

O Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree, How Much Money You Do Cost Me
I got my tree Sunday night. And last night I busted out the boxes of ornaments, but wasn't feeling it. So I ran out and spent a small fortune on all new matching theme ornaments. And now my tree is absolutely beautiful. And matches for the most part... my roommates slipped some stray harry potter ornaments on it while I stepped out to get ornaments. I couldn't take them down, so I just moved them to less prime locations. I just still need to find a good tree topper. These will be my ornaments for at least the next 3 Christmas seasons so I feel justified in spending so much on them. I ended up not using more than half so maybe I didn't spend as much as I thought. Soon I'll post a pic of it.

This morning I got early peak into my Christmas goody coming from the east coast. My dear love of a cousin called to say she is shipping me out her old digital camera.... YEAH!!! That's completely what I wanted/needed!! I have to fix the shutter, but no big deal. I can't wait!!! Yeah!!! Now my bloggie can be fun, interesting and picture filled just like hers, except mine is superficial in design as a protest.

Tonight for all those who are wrapping paper disabled, you can bring your gifts down to Westgate Mall where my church (South Bay Vineyard) is lovingly wrapping your gifts up pretty and presentable for free. Absolutely free. No donations accepted. We've all donated supplies and we'll be volunteering our time to offer this service to the public just to show God's love to y'all. Some come take advantage of our good will. We'll be there from 7 - 9 through Thursday.

Lastly, this article surfaced in the Mercury News...

You can't put a price on pretty legs, but two San Jose girls who have endured months of antibiotics, oozing sores and accompanying distress are calling on a lawyer to give it a try.
The sisters -- ages 11 and 15 -- have sued the nail salon where they say they picked up a rare bacterial infection that has left their legs speckled with ugly, painful sores. They are among 79 people so far who have reported symptoms of the pedicure-related infection to Santa Clara County health officials. Thirteen area salons have been mentioned in the complaints.

These are my hairdresser's daughters. You don't mess with my hairdresser. She's been doing my hair since I was twelve. And she knows beauty and cosmotology standards, so she was not one to be reckoned with. She's been interrogating everyone who sits in her barber chair regarding their pedicure practices, and educating them with on the horrible consequences of these chop shop nail salons. She sits you there and makes you read all these articles and shows you pics and calls her daughter over... pull up your pants and show Liz your legs. Those poor kids. And now I educate you. Beware.

Bad Christmas Streak
So what else could go wrong...
*My party invitations were all returned to me because my envelopes were just slightly oversized and there wasn't enough postage to cover that. By the time they get there it will leave just a one week notice on the party.
*Because I am never home I have not raked all fall until now only to discover that the thick layer of leaves has rotted my grass by not allowing any sun to get in. I now just have black as coffee mulchy dirt where there once was lawn. I guess I'll try to deter people from the backyard.
*I accidentally bought a set of blinking lights but didn't notice until I had hung them and therefore had to take them down, go back to buy more lights and replace them. The other light problem I incurred was that my new lights wouldn't plug into the old lights. You know how sometimes there is one prong that is bigger than the other.... ya, that was the problem. Tip for next year... line up your lights on the ground tracing your house and connect them all and then plug them in and inspect before you actually hang them. I know that seems like common sense to most.

Last night at home group we discussed this great article called "Our Western Religion in an Eastern World" and how it relates to community. How did our nation aquire the disease of individualism? I think it started with the settlers who came over and abandoned all sense of their community objectives to participate in a greedy race to accummulate more land, resources, and wealth for themselves. In a new world that had so much to offer with so little competition, greed became the institution on which this nation was built. And although I think we all crave community, very few have the mindset to put their desire to fulfill their own needs aside even just momentarily to make such an ideal notion truly exist. To do so requires making the the good of the whole priority number one over not just your own desires, but even your basic needs and trusting that your needs will be fulfilled through the community. So anyways I found this on Sherry's blog and found it so appropriate for a world where the masses just pick and choose what we want to believe out of a spiritual buffet of religious theologies and philosophies according what suits their lifestyles. Belief-O-Matic - A quiz to see what religion your beliefs most coinside with. I have a friend who has gone a step further and is founding her own religion. For what it's worth, here's how I fall on the spectrum:

1. Orthodox Quaker (100%)
2. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (89%)
3. Islam (82%)
4. Orthodox Judaism (82%)
5. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (77%)
6. Liberal Quakers (77%)
7. Reform Judaism (76%)
8. Eastern Orthodox (74%)
9. Roman Catholic (74%)
10. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (71%)
11. Seventh Day Adventist (70%)
12. Sikhism (70%)
13. Bahá'í Faith (68%)
14. Unitarian Universalism (63%)
15. Jehovah's Witness (58%)
16. Hinduism (51%)
17. Jainism (50%)
18. Neo-Pagan (39%)
19. Mahayana Buddhism (38%)
20. Theravada Buddhism (37%)
21. Secular Humanism (36%)
22. New Age (36%)
23. Taoism (29%)
24. Scientology (26%)
25. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (23%)
26. New Thought (22%)
27. Nontheist (21%)

I've been having trouble finding time to put up my Christmas lights. It is dark by the time I get off of work. I did the lights I could do without getting on the roof. So I figured I would get up at 6 and do the rest only to figure out that it isn't light out then either... not until 7. So I dilly dally on my computer and then get dressed and gather what I need only to find out that it has started to rain. There is some force of nature out there that is adamantly against me celebrating christmas. First the family fued over decorations and now the lights. I will have my Christmas with lights and decorations!! (I have to... I already planned a party around it and the invitations are out there already).

a8a9
Originally uploaded by Lizapalooza.

This weekend started with a Dave & Busters outing initiated by Sheila. I brought Jaime & Amy along because they had never been. I went home a bit early because I wanted to spend some time with my kitty Ming. She's a very old girl... 20 years old. Poor miss kitty has had a really bad ear infection for 6+ months... it's more like a huge growth with lots of puss and blood. Vet wants me to go into mass debt for me to make it better and I just can't justify the expense when she might just keel over a few weeks later of old age. I had decided to let her be as long as she was not in any pain. But then last week she started to wine a bit. The roommates tell me it's reached the point of cruel to keep her alive. I cried alot, came to terms with it and was going to take her in to be put to sleep. I figure she needs to have the best last day ever. So Friday night I take the mattress out from the sofa bed, bundle up in 3 layers of sweats, grab my thermo insulated sleeping bag and the space heater and make bed out in the garage because kitty's best day would be us sleeping together like our childhood days. She was so happy that she didn't wine at all. And I cried alot and took her picture and then in the morning my mom came over (who has not yet come to terms with the situation). She didn't even scream her head off like usual when we were in the car. Then on the way over part of my tooth fell out and the realization hit me that I am going to have to go to the dentist and that's going to cost me a fortune. I can't afford to take the cat in. So we turned around and she got spared. She seems happy now that the space heater is in the garage. Maybe she was just cold all along and not in pain. I slept with her out there again on Saturday night just in case.

The rest of the weekend was spent christmas shopping and fighting over the family christmas decorations with my mother. I decorated the house weeks ago after my mother had flaked on coming over to sort through the 30 boxes of christmas stuff I store in my garage. Then Saturday my mom comes over and sees all these things she wants for her house and packs up literally all the decorations that I already put up and takes them home leaving me nothing. Well, if I don't get to use them then I'm not going to store them. She can go pay for public storage after the new year. Besides this forces me to go out and buy my own decorations so I won't have room to store hers anyways.

Don't you hate it when...
You forward on a protest email that happens to be bogus and then you get a thousand emails back telling you and everybody you sent it to that you are wrong. My bad! I rarely pass these things along, but I did this once. And I didn't confirm it at any urban legend website because I didn't care to take the time. It wouldn't be so bad if everybody just responded back to me saying that I am wrong (Mind you that I didn't write it- just forwarded it). But what they do is a reply all that is like letting all your friends and family know that you are an idiot spewing evil false rumors around about a company that, as far as they are concerned, is right up there with the Holy Virgin Mother Mary. Luckily I only sent it to either close friends or family who already know I'm an idiot and love and accept me otherwise or the few people in there that I don't care much about what they think of me. My official apology to Starbucks and all those I have offended by forwarding false info.

I enjoy dinner for breakfast. Right now I am eating mash patatoes, spaghetti and pork (or is it beef- whatever). I enjoy calling and waking up my friends to tell them how I am so excited about what I got them for Christmas and how I bought one for me too and I'm wearing it right now. I enjoy extrodinary coincidences that leave me pondering fate. I enjoy the way the steam rises off the water at swim practice and having a lane all to myself. I enjoy having some kind of power over my contractor to convince him to come over and do menial handyman work for me on a Saturday.

My dream last night... I never ever remember dreams so I'm shocked that I have this to tell. I had baby allison with me and I was over at my old office at Marriott. And there was this big political conference going on there and there were alot of Pres girls from high school there. But only the nice ones, I don't recall seeing any of the snobs. And the hotel was all decorated for Christmas. And I saw Jessica from the skate rink there. And the bellhops were all surprised to see me at the hotel again. And then I was kinda interested in the conference (odd because I'm hardly interested in anything political), but I didn't have a ticket so baby and me sat on the old steps to my office because we could see from there. And then a fire broke out and the bellhops weren't doing anything so I was telling them what to do and keeping baby away (she had fallen asleep in my arms during the conference). They got the fire out and that's all. Perhaps my subconscience is trying to adjust to another job change. It was this time last year that I was looking to leave Marriott and searching for a nanny position. I always like the hotel at Christmas.