From the Arctic world called Chicago...

Okay, so someone's going to rip me a new one if I don't get another blog out. So here goes...

I HATE THE COLD!!! That's right, I said it. Now I don't mean ice cold water or even an occasional cold beer. To step outside into the "whatever winter wonderland" is losing it's sparkle. As the Midwestern girl, you'd think I'd be used to this weather by now, but this single digit, let alone (God forbid) negative temperatures, are really tweakin my keister! Now I know February is one of the suckiest months for temperature wise, but come on...it's 17 degrees outside, yet it's actually 8 with windchill!!! I don't even understand that...it's 17, but it's really 8. Why don't they just say it's 8 degrees and not confuse the heck out of us? One day it was 32 degrees, but with windchill it was 11...now that makes NO sense! So I check the weather channel and I'm thinking, "So it's not so bad outside at 32 degrees"...then I GO outside and the boogers in my nose freeze, my eyes are watering, and I can't grab the car door because it's too cold to the touch without gloves...I would've gone back inside if I hadn't needed to get something for dinner that night! Now if this is the way the weather is going to be from now on, I'm moving to Florida!

Now I know everyonce and a while we'd get weather below zero a couple of times a year, it's typical of the Windy City, but this is an ongoing battle with me wanting to stick a shovel up Mother Nature's bootay and tell her to cut us some slack! But at least it's getting lighter when I wake up in the morning...I miss waking up to it being sunny, and me not having to sleep in to wake up to it. The winter depression is really setting in, and you have no idea how happy I'll be when we start having mud instead of snow and ice all over the place. I'll happily take mud, that means I can start working in the garden!!! But then watch, I complain when the mud comes and everything is dirty. I swear, after the winter we've been having, I will wallow in the mud like a pig as long as it's not too cold outside to do it...I'll have a white outfit specifically for that moment, then I'll take a pic and put it on here...no fooling, and I'll take cash to post the pictures!

So what else is going on...I'm still smoke free!!! Stats of the moment:

My Stats: Your Quit Date is: 1/9/2008
Time Smoke-Free: 43 days, 10 hours, 41 minutes and 37 seconds

Cigarettes NOT smoked: 1086
Lifetime Saved: 8 days, 7 hours
Money Saved: $301.00

Whoo-hoo, I'm proud of me! I was even around smokers around the weekend, and had NO urge to bum one! Plus, a couple of the people have even started talking about quitting, so I sent them the link to the site I use to check my stats:

http://cookcounty.quitnet.com/qn_main.jtml?

You can also type in http://www.quitnet.net/ , but the link above is always what pops up after I type in this web address. They were surprised that I actually did it, now mind you I don't have the nic-fix energy I did before, but I'm trying to cope...and I've really cut down on the Mountain Dew to try to get some natural energy going rather than from the nicotine and caffiene. Bought myself a Magic Bullet ( it's NOT what some of you think...sickos!) to make some smoothies and I love it!!!

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13430918

I've been making strawberry smoothies with bee pollen (I bought the bee pollen last summer at a farmers market...it's supposed to give you energy), and even used it to grind up some cherry tomatoes to add to my pasta sauce and give it a fresher flavor. I could talk all day about cooking, but I'm not going to bore you today...we'll save that for another exciting time...

What else...etsy! What can I say about etsy. I get to be creative, yet I have no time to be creative. It's a wonderful place to shop for homemade and vintage goodness. This is my link-o-blog since I'm shooting out the links today!!!

http://www.etsy.com/

and my shop: http://www.abyiss13.etsy.com/ Not much to look at since due to school and the house from hell, I have no time to make, let alone list anything, but I'm trying to manage. It also helps me from ripping my hair out, and it's a good way to keep my hands preoccupied and not eating since I quit smoking.

What else...I've got at least 20 pounds to lose to be able to fit in a bridesmaid dress I got, and I haven't lost a pound!!! Well, I lost 3 pounds, but gained them back due to running from work to school and picking something up on the way, my niece's 4th b-day party (you cannot go to a family members birthday party and NOT have cake! And I even got yelled at for not wanting a piece!), and a NASCAR gathering where there was an abundance of the infamous Mr. Submarine sub tray!!! I swear, they lace the bread with crack, it's so addicting, and much tastier than a certain other sub place that I dare not mention for fear Jared will come knocking on my door, begging to differ. I've got an offer to go dancing this weekend, as a pre-birthday gathering, but this is the first weekend I've had since pre-Christmas/holidays (yes, I still say the word Christmas) and I plan to do absolutely nothing on Saturday that means leaving the house. I asked if we could do it next weekend, or if they go this weekend, let me know h0w the place is and we can celebrate next weekend and actually give people notice to come. Lol...I'm reading this last paragraph, and don't you love how my conversations can start off with losing weight, then turn into talking about subs, and end up talking about dancing? Just like my speech, my writing can turn on a dime.

Okay, what else...and I'm not kidding about that rolling in mud thing, anyone interested can send me a comment.

So I'm taking Microbiology, and being a bio buff, you'd think I'd be ace-ing the class. Nope, after 2 quizes and 1 exam, I'm at a C right now. How much do I suck? Apparently big time with the viruses, and bacteria, and microphages, etc. And I'm a whiz with the microscope! My staining techniques are next to perfection! Yet the friggin tests are kicking me in the cheeks I tell ya! But then again, you're going to love this, the tests are a, b, c, d, e, a and b, b and d, all of the above, none of the above...type questions!!! Man, if you've never had a test like that, then you're not being tested correctly! ARG!!! So I'm actually thinking about cutting down a couple of hours from work since the weekends are too stressful and busy for studying, even though I am stuck on the train something like 10 hours a week (with a 15 hour total commute, that's WAY too much traveling time unless you're making 6 figures), but that ain't a light book! Now if it was lighter, or if I could print out the specific pages needed for studying, I'd be more than happy to trek with that. I know, I sound like I'm whining, and yes, I am, but the fact is riding a train with 20 pounds of stuff on your lap, then putting it on your back and walking another 15-20 minutes to work, then doing the whole thing on the way back...speaking of back, mines already messed up and I don't need anymore problems...it's a little much. God bless the soldiers who carry 50lbs plus on their backs, I'd never be able to do it.

So here's my lengthy post for the day. Maybe I'll have more to write in a couple of days, maybe I'll take some time from my resting on Saturday to have a more whitty repose. Maybe I'll take some pictures and post them up for you all to see? Maybe I'll post some of my flowers, those will make me a little more cheery :) Maybe that, a chocolate fountain, a whirlpool spa makeover, and winning the lottery. Hey, a girl can dream, right?