Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Do I Look Like an Idiot to You??

Ok, so this post is really more of a pissed of rant than an update of any real caliber. Update portion is this: I've been looking into becoming a dog-walker part time between now and August (when Munchkin Melice enters stage left). The first place I applied actually called me right away. Walking dogs in the wealthy communities of DC and making a butt-load of money while getting in some exercise sounds like fun to me!!! Secretly, I've always had a little fantasy about being a dog-walker for a short season of my life, just to see what it's like. I keep remembering Maggie in "In Her Shoes" and having her first real job ever be walking and washing dogs. I know, oh so glamorous, but when this girl gets an idea in her head, it's hard to get it out. Call it checking off an item on the Bucket List.

Anyhoo.... so I've been in contact with this guy who's running the dog walking business in DC. We met last week (I swear it feels like it's been longer than that) up in Silver Spring, where I got turned around and he was still pissy about me being late. We talked for about an hour, which he kept saying he wasn't happy about. *rolls eyes* He tells me he's going to schedule me to come up for training and to get set up with a couple clients so I can start walking sooner than later. Sure, fine, I can handle that. Just let me know when to be where.

I don't hear from the guy for almost a WEEK! So, I call him and ask when I should start hearing about training and he says to come up Tuesday. Great another long drive to Silver Spring. Sure, no problem. I call Monday to confirm and he says no, Tuesday's to packed, he'll set up a meeting for me to get some training in Dupont. Oh yeah. I forgot to mention... I talked to the guy THREE times and he couldn't remember who I was!!!!! Does anyone else see anything seriously wrong with this!?

So, surprise, surprise, I never heard from him yesterday. I've been planning my week and my day around having this meeting in DC and I still don't know if it's happening! So, I call him this morning at 8:26. Yes, I know. Too early, but if I have to leave at 9:20 I need to get moving! No answer. I call again at 9:20. STILL no answer!

And then.... I get a TEXT MESSAGE!!!!!!!!! Are you freaking kidding me?!?!?!?!?! Seriously. You are placing me in an employer/employee relationship and you're seriously going to TEXT me to tell me you're in a meeting and the person YOU were supposed to schedule me with would call me to set something up?! Ok, fine. I'll play your stupid game. Keep in mind, please, that I'd already left two messages telling him I'm unimpressed with his lack of communication and giving me the run-around, especially since I'd been planning my whole day around this.

I text him back asking him to call me after his meeting because the way this has turned out is NOT ok. He then responds that "unless you take initiative, it is hard for me to manage every bodies schedule, until I get an office manager sorry. I have 45 people working for me right now."

And yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is exactly, letter for letter, how the message was typed. And apparently now I am the one who isn't taking initiative. Interesting how that works, huh? So I responded, "I am not arguing this with you over texts while you are in a meeting. Please call me when you are done."

Oh yeah, and by the by, it's now noon and I haven't heard from him OR the girl.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Another Giveaway!!

Hello ladies! Another new blog find, Newbie New Yorker is hosting a giveaway in honor of her 200th blog! Please go check her out and be sure to let her know I sent you.

Plus, I'm getting some inspiration, so stay tuned for a giveaway of my own coming soon!!!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Fab lia sophia Jewelry Deal!!!

Hello Ladies,

I hope this post finds you well. I probably won't do this very often (unless I get feedback that you want me to!!), but I want to give you all one last chance to take advantage of my fantastic February special before time runs out at the end of the week!

Our special this month is for every item you get at regular price (2, 3, or more) you can get an equal number of items at half price!!! Don't forget to make your MOST expensive items your half price ones!

Plus, as an added bonus, when you call or email me your order this week, buy 4 items and get $5 off. Order 6 items and get $10 off. Order 8 or more and I will give you $15 off your whole order!!!

The new catalog is absolutely stunning and I don't want you to miss out on the opportunity to SPRING into this season's fabulous new trends. You'll be the hottest mom at the bus stop (or chick on the metro)!!!

I can't wait to hear from you and put you in something beautiful today. I've placed my contact info below for your convenience. *kisses*


Sparkle and shine bright,

Irene Melice
Your lia sophia Advisor
irenesparkles@gmail.com
703-887-2000
http://www.liasophia.com/irene

Friday, February 20, 2009

Fabulous Giveaway!!

Hey ladies! Seaside Prep (a new blog to me and one I'm happy to have found) is hosting a fabulous giveaway! Check it out!!!

Re: My Heart Goes Out...

Well, I was just going to post this as a response on WM's blog entry, but I have too much to say. So I decided to make a post of my own instead. To see Wearing Mascara's original entry, click here. And now for my response.

I've seen the TMZ photo and it's devastating. No, I won't post it here either. I can't decide which I'm more appalled by - the photo itself, or the fact that someone was disgusting enough to leak it. And what breaks my heart even more are the people who are calling it a fake, or are saying we should hear Chris Brown's side of the story. (?!?!?!)

I don't care about HIS side of the story! I don't CARE how it went down, who started what, blah blah blah! You DON'T hit girls! It's disgusting. If there is something good that can come out of this, and the photo leak, I can only hope that this horrible atrocity breaking national news will give more women out there hope, and the courage they need to take a stand for themselves.

You DON'T deserve it, you DIDN'T "ask" for it. Now, I won't go so far as to say that Chris Brown should be put six feet under, but at some point in life, regardless of what you've been taught growing up, you need to learn that you and you alone are responsible for your actions. No man or woman should EVER resort to violence as a response to anger. I don't care who you are and how much money is in your off-shore accounts. Someone somewhere needs to let these rich boys know that they can't get away with crap like this!!! Ladies, you are beautiful and powerful, and you deserve to be treated better than that.

Ok, if I say anymore, I'll just be repeating myself. I've said my peace and I've counted to three.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Oops...

Well...... It's here! I'm excited it's here! But, um... well... I'll just let you see for yourself.


Yeah..... I know. My living room is ONE BIG COUCH!!!!!!! I say this, of course, with really more of a smirk than with angst. I kinda had a feeling this might happen, but I was still hoping and deluding myself just a little into thinking it was all a smidge smaller than it really is. And I figure, well, we just have to make sure our next living room is a good bit bigger!! And there may be a bit of rearranging to see if we can make better use of the space.

The major culprit, I'm sure you can see, is my beloved chair. But well, I was not and am not willing to give that baby up, so here it stays! And, man, let me tell you, this has got to be the most comfortable new couch I have EVER had the pleasure of sitting on, regardless of bad spacial reasoning.

On the down side, we finally got it all in, and then we discovered a gash in the storage ottoman and a huge scratch down the corner of the couch! So... now I'm off to call the distributor and see when we can get replacements. Oh well.

Bluebird On My Shoulder

Well, after two solid days in a total slump, I think I've finally reemerged into the land of the living. *aaaaahhhhhhh!* The sun is back out, which means I've got the bright blue of the sky reflecting through my office window and I can hear birds chirping outside. Plus, I'm getting my new furniture today!!!!!!!!!


Yes, yes, oohs and ahhs please!! I'm particularly excited about the round swivel chair because, well, it's my adult version of the egg chair I'd always wanted as a kid (*cough* and adult *cough*). Plus, this is the FIRST new furniture we've ever had as a married couple, short the bedroom set his mom got us for the wedding. Of course, now I'm thinking.... wow, I'm about to have a KID, and I thought stone microfiber was a good idea?! Thank God for Scotch Guard...

Now, I have to spend the rest of the day finishing my presentation on the 12 Deadly Habits of People Skills. This should be fun!!! To be honest, I'm looking forward to it a little more today than I have been the rest of the week, but I'm still not ready and would rather do anything else at the moment than this. Yes, I'd even go do the dishes!! Or blog, even...

I guess I should quit procrastinating and get back to work.... ho hum, I'm sure I'll be back here later.

Peace!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Cleaning Up My Own Mess...

Ok, not as dramatic as the title sounds, but that's kinda how I'm feeling today. I was doing a-ok while I was in bed (till almost noon... oops!!) reading Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner. Good book, not at all what I was expecting! It's a great, easy read about 3 women struggling with new mommy-hood and a new friend who, well... isn't. To find out more, hit the local library, girls!


Up next, I'll be tackling Certain Girls and The Guy Not Taken, which I think I noticed is a collection of stories.

Ok, so while I was in la-la-land reading my book, with my kitty curled up asleep with his head resting on my growing little belly, my day was just peachy! Then I finally got up, padded my way to my computer in my overwhelmingly chaotic office.... not dealing with that today... and tried to start doing research for a presentation I'm giving this weekend that SHOULD have been done weeks ago. But I guess there's only so much I've felt capable of doing over the past 2 or 3 months, getting my handle on "this pregnancy thing," which has turned out to be a little more taxing than I think I was expecting.

Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited to BE pregnant. To be having this baby, to be looking forward to and planning for this tiny little being that will rely on me for every last thing until my eyes are sunken in and my hair is falling out from lack of sleep and utter delerium. And that's not a complaint, dear, that's just reality. A reality I eagerly look forward to embracing, along with the insanity and mild psychosis that comes with it.

But today? Today I'm not doing so hot. I don't want to develop a training, I don't want to think about what clothes I'll need to be wearing and whether or not my pre-pregnancy clothes will fit me well enough that no one will really notice. I want to just stay in my PJs and make a pizza or some eggs and finish my book and catch up on the shows waiting for me on my DVR. I want to get caught up on the laundry so my husband and I can have something to wear, and I want to find the energy to start putting this house together so I won't be embarrassed to have people over, looking at my mail scattered all over every surface, and dishes piling up in the sink.

Maybe I'll start writing my own short story about my boring, boring life, sitting at home watching the sun go up and back down, and ending the day realizing I've accomplished absolutely nothing other than "resting," which so many insist is exactly what my baby and I need. And I'll change the names to protect the innocent, but it will be a loosely veiled picture of my own version of reality, where things are never quite what you expect them to be, and even though the reality turns out to be so much greater than the fantasy could ever be, there are some days that you'd trade it for the fantasy in a heartbeat and go get that mani-pedi you've been dying to get.

Friday, February 13, 2009

A New Read and A Fun Movie!

As I'm writing this to you this morning, dear reader, I keep thinking there was something else I wanted to write about last night, but now I can't remember what it was. Blame it on my poor pregnant brain!!

Yesterday turned out to be a lot more fun than I originally expected it to be. Hubby and I decided to take a trip to the library to see what fun books we hadn't read yet. I got 5, get got one on hold at another branch that I had to pick up later! The first one I dove into was...


Well, I started reading around 3-ish yesterday afternoon, and I'm already nearly half-way through!!! This is a frabjous book (callooh-callay!) about imaginary friends and learning to believe that the extras are what make life!! I strongly recommend it (and of course, it's predicessor P.S. I Love You, which I mentioned in a previous post.) I've been warned that there is a bit of emotion to it, and there have been a few heartbreaking moments so far, so take heed. Although, I can say that I haven't been reduced to tears QUITE yet!

(Actually, I have to confess, this is my first time getting to the computer today at almost 1:00pm because I stayed in bed reading all morning!!!!! I love first pregnancy... no kids yet and I can still DO that!)

Last night, I got to be spontaneous and go out to catch a movie with my friend SR. She and I haven't had the chance to do much together lately, so we grabbed the chance! Since we'd both been waiting and waiting to see it and hadn't had a chance, we saw...


The move was great, but the REAL story of our evening comes before the previews even started! We were the only people in the theater at the time (only 3-4 other people came in later anyway), and this big guy in a pinstripe suit and a fob comes in and asks if he could have one of our ticket stubs so he can leave the theater and get back in! ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Ummm, yeeeeeahhh.... so we played it cool, I "looked" for the stubs, and we concluded that I had tossed them while getting our snacks. Can we say CREEEEPY?!?!?! So he finally left us alone with our nachos and popcorn, but SR went to let security know there was some crazy guy trying to filch a free movie. The REALLY sad part? They didn't even care!!!

Well, after that bizzare moment, the last few people came into the theater Secretly, I was kinda hoping they wouldn't. I've always had a little fantasy about being able to see a movie in an empty theater. Makes me feel like they played it just for me! After the previews, we enjoyed the movie, cracked up at a few moments, were scarred by Candice Bergan's old woman clevage (SHE NEVER SHOWED THAT MUCH IN BOSTON LEGAL!!!!!) and totally called a wedding disaster before it happened, but trust me, it was better off that it did. I recommend it, but since it's on its way out of theaters, you may want to just sit tight for the DVD.

Well, that's all for now, my pretties. Enjoy your afternoons and have an amazing Valentine's Day. I will be enjoying a $100 per plate dinner/dance for my mom's work... for FREE!! Unfortunately, hubby couldn't get his shifts switched so I'll be going stag. Oh well, I'll be dressed up and pretty anyway.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Nice Boys Don't Hit Girls

Well, perhaps there are some who are tired of hearing about this, but personally I'm really shocked. I missed out on the Grammy's the other night but started hearing about the incident earlier this week.

At this point, the big thought going through my head is "Chris Brown hits girls?! Automatic expulsion!!! Didn't his mama teach him any better?!?!" Geeze Louise, people.

For anyone who missed it (which at this point, may be about 5 people out on a farm in the midwest), here's a link to an article which gives a few follow up details. What I can say for sure? I bet Rihanna's getting a new man after this settles down!

Ps. I definitely stole this linkage from Wearing Mascara. Thanks love!!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Getting to Know You...

Well, I've been completely stubborn and am refusing to post my "25 Random Things About Me" on facebook, but I decided that since I'm starting this new endeavor I would love for you to know a few fun things about me. Who knows, maybe I'll cave and go ahead and post this to my FB later on... but only because I already went to the trouble of writing it out here.

Therefore, here are 25 random things about me, some that are well known, some perhaps not very well known. Here we go!!

  1. I hate Harry Potter and I love Twilight. Arguments could surely be made for both sides, but my opinion still stands. Sorry, JK, I just can't stand the way you write, dear! (Although, to be honest, I do kinda enjoy the movies. Just won't read the books.)
  2. I love pink flamingos. This is as a result of a fundraiser that I started for my senior class in high school, where we went around flamingoing people's yards for money. We made over $500!
  3. I was in a fraternity in college. Yes, that's right, a FRATERNITY! Phi Mu was the second female fraternity in the United States (only 2 months behind Alpha Delta Pi), in 1852, by Mary, Mary, and Martha. We were founded at a time that the word "sorority" had not yet been coined and so, to this day, we are called what we have been since the beginning, a fraternity of sisters. I LOVE my Sisters. LIOB.
  4. I'm secretly really a fun mix between Idina Menzel and Imogen Heap. Well first of all, we all have "I" names. HELLO!!!! Plus, Idina and I are both lefties, and I'm pretty sure we're all about the same height. I like to think my voice has some similar qualities to Idina (although I think I probably have a style closer to Ingrid Michaelson - another I-girl!!! - or Sara Groves), and I am totally committed to playing Elphaba on Broadway someday before I die. Or in local theatre if that comes first.
  5. I love to write, but I'm not sure I'm actually any good. Don't get me wrong, blogging like this is pretty fun, and puts me in a bit of my element, but I REALLY love writing short stories, have tried to write the Great American Novel a couple times, and I am an attempted songwriter, but I never feel totally right about the way anything turns out, or how the words come together.
  6. I wanted to be an artist up until 7th grade. At which point I realized I really can't draw. At all. I draw people and they look like freak shows. I'm too much of a perfectionist. But secretly, there are some days that I just want to pick up a paintbrush and go to town doing something really abstract and crazy.
  7. I actually CAN sing! I just don't do it in public much... and I get shy. Being on stage in a character, makeup and costume is a breeze for me. I have somewhat of a mask to stand behind. But singing is just flat out raw and naked. And that scares the crap out of me. If I ever fulfilled my dream of being a recording artist, it would take a LOT of practice and ugly disasters before I could perform in front of people. Yikes!!!!!!
  8. I love fashion but I normally just wear jeans and tees. I think this is mostly because I'm afraid of what I'll really look like in some styles, so I cave and revert to my oh-so-not stylish HS/College wardrobe. Boring, but comfy. I DO have a few outfits I'm proud of tho. I'm getting there...
  9. I have a red guitar named Bella. This isn't entirely because of Twilight. Honestly, Alice is my girl all the way, but I've always thought the name Bella is pretty and when I saw it in the book, it just fit! Plus, my friend Ashley named her red jeep Jasper, and I kinda felt the need to be a copycat.
  10. All my guitars are girls. Alex, Olivia, and Bella. But I don't name my cars.
  11. Addendum to #10, my first car was the PMS Mobile. This is because she was always moody and I never knew what she was going to do. It was annoying, but slightly endearing at times.
  12. I watch shows like Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, and the like because I want to see how the actors developed the characters and how well the writers did, not so much for the storyline.
  13. When I was a kid, I wished I had blue eyes. Then I read the story of Amy Carmichael, and how her brown eyes saved her life when she was in India, and I stopped complaining after that.
  14. I had a birthmark on my left cheek that I had removed my Senior year of high school. It was hard for me, but I was too freaked out by the chance of it becoming cancerous. Plus, now I have a cool scar from where it didn't heal quite right.
  15. I just recorded demos for the first time last month! Granted, it wasn't my own music, and it was for a submission for a children's worship CD, but still! I'm pretty dang excited about the whole thing.
  16. I miss Charlotte and still kinda want to move back.
  17. I LOVE fried pickles. From the Penguin OR from Tim's Rivershore. Don't care. And the ones at Cheeseburger aren't half bad in a pinch, but the others are definitely better.
  18. Regina Spektor is actually growing on me. She got on my last nerve when I first heard her music, but now I kinda like it.
  19. Cheeseburger's House Pina Colada is my favorite frozen drink in the WORLD!!! And why can't I spell that with a tilde??? Grr...
  20. I have one tattoo on my right foot. I want more. It may or may not ever happen.
  21. I had a crush on Johnny Depp. Right up until he played Willy Wonka. I can't see him the same way anymore... and while he was pretty hot as the barber of Fleet Street, it was a little much for my little heart.
  22. My favorite part of P.S. I Love You (the movie) was seeing Jeffery Dean Morgan's naked backside. Yes, my husband knows it. He makes fun of me for it.
  23. I wish more people would read P.S. I Love You (the book). I really want to have more people in my life who will understand what the heck I'm talking about when I say things like "Spensive white dress," and "...have a cup of tea." The movie and book are TOTALLY different - and maybe really should have just had different titles - but both wonderful in their own rights. (BTW, I cried like a baby in the movie, and laughed my head off reading the book)
  24. I'm an artsy singer, actor, excentric of sorts, but I am also a Republican, 5-point Calvinist Christian (no, not Baptist), and I despise the thought that anyone could possibly consider the life of an unborn child as optional.
  25. I'm REALLY opinionated, and not terribly shy about it. The challenge for me is finding a way to share my opinions only when they are appropriate to share, and in a manner that is loving and respectful.
Well, that's a little of me! I hope you enjoyed what you learned. Three blog posts in one day is a lot for me, so we'll see how long that pattern lasts. See you soon, lovelies!!!

Irene

Ta-da!

Well, I think I've settled on a blog title (and one that no one else has taken yet, thankyouverymuch!!!). I'm pretty happy with it, correct Italian phrasing or no. Now I just have to find a super fancy background that fits, and get some blog entries that live up to it! Enjoy, dears!

Irene

Internal Disaster, Part One

Well, hmm... it's actually been a while since I've even attempted a blog, but I've been feeling the urge lately, so maybe I'll give it another go and see what happens. Thing is, I'm not TOTALLY sure what I want to blog about! Hence my unusual blog title... for the moment.

I could just ramble senselessly about my day to day routine (which, trust me, isn't nearly as quirky and exciting as some blogs I read... at least not very consistantly). Or I could use this as a platform for my rantings on herbal living and my war on High Fructose Corn Syrup and artificial sweeteners. But that could get old pretty quickly too. There's always my love of fashion, purely limited to my gawking at couture designs and Christian Louboutin shoes *sigh.* BUT, I don't want to be too much of a copy cat of my lovely friend Julie at Wearing Mascara. She's got that side of the market cornered BEAUTIFULLY!

No doubt, I'm sure I would throw some fun posts in here somewhere about my first pregnancy (I'm currently 14 weeks along - wahoo!!), or my super cool jewelry business (shameless plug for lia sophia). And I'll even throw in a bone or two about some of my quirks, like my constant tendancy to badly abuse the poor little exclamation point. Just keep an eye out, you'll notice, I promise. *wink*

So, there's that (to quote Stacy London). What are your thoughts, unsuspecting readers? Any opinions on what I should blog about?