My mom and I are "pug-sitting" my aunt's dog, Trixie, who is, if you hadn't guessed, a pug. Mom played with her from the time she arrived at our house at 11 a.m. until I got home around 6. Then it was my turn. This dog? Is tireless! She's worse than the Energizer Bunny! She's still going like a mad fiend!!

God help me. I want one!













Edited to add: journal entry is here, and I might've changed my mind.
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 22:29

Yay! My period started! Finally!!

Now maybe I can return to a nice, normal human being.

Off to pug-sit; expect tons of photographic puggy goodness!

Cheers!
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 17:02

I would like to say "thank you" to Weetabix, TranceJen, Dooce, and Mimi Smartypants for their recent laugh-out-loud journal entries, as well as this funny news article regarding stinky food on subways for lifting my spirits today. Though I haven't mentioned it much here, I've been severely depressed lately, and have given in to the urge to burst into tears for no good reason several times. Then, just this past week, I began suffering from some serious vertigo unlike anything I've ever experienced before. I don't know why, and naturally when I started researching "vertigo", all sorts of unpleasant medical reasons for my brand spanking new condition appeared. So, now I'm depressed, wobbily and freaked out. Gah!

Anyway, thanks, ladies, for making me laugh today. I really needed it! Cheers!
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:37

I used to do "Favourites Lists" with my pen-friends when I was a kid. This one is sorta similar to them. Found on Brie's blog.

13 Random Things You Like
1. Coffee
2. Saltwater Taffy
3. Shasta daisies
4. Old Books
5. Cats
6. Blank books
7. Penguin Caffeinated Peppermints
8. Earl Grey tea
9. Doctor Who
10. Ansel Adams photography
11. Shoes
12. 5:00 Friday afternoon
13. The ocean

12 Great Movies
1. The Magnificent Seven
2. The Wizard of Oz
3. It's a Wonderful Life
4. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
5. The Towering Inferno
6. Hamlet (Branagh version)
7. West Side Story
8. Best in Show
9. This is Spinal Tap
10. The Sting
11. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
12. Rebel Without a Cause

11 Good Bands/Artists
1. Chris de Burgh
2. Vanessa-Mae
3. Bond
4. Joy Williams
5. Duran Duran
6. Reliant K
7. New Found Glory
8. John Denver
9. Clay Aiken
10. Eve 6
11. Barry Manilow

10 Things About You
1. I have lived in four states: Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California.
2. My travels outside the United States include: England, Scotland and Wales, Canada, and Mexico.
3. My favourite city is Seattle, WA. (Followed closely by London, England).
4. I own a 2003 Toyota Echo.
5. I like selling/buying stuff on Ebay.
6. I enjoy rubber stamping and doing crafts.
7. I collect spoons from places I've visited.
8. I call people "Dude" a lot.
9. I wear fake eyeglasses so I'll look smarter. (I don't think it works, though.)
10. I recently discovered the wonder that is the Ginger Chew.

9 Favorite Authors/Artists
1. Louise Cooper
2. Kage Baker
3. Judy Blume
4. Ellis Peters
5. Georgia O'Keeffe
6. Monet
7. Ansel Adams
8. Renoir
9. John Ramos

8 Favorite Foods/Drinks
1. Diet Dr. Pepper with a shot of Soli Vanil
2. Seattle's Best Coffee (medium roast)
3. Grilled fish (salmon, halibut, tuna; doesn't matter)
4. Pinot Gris (from Oregon, no this Pinot Grigio stuff we have in California)
5. Cosmopolitan martinis
6. Home-grown tomatoes
7. Kraft Cheese and Macaroni
8. Oreo Double Stuff cookies

7 Things You Wear Daily
1. A Watch
2. My College class ring
3. Earrings
4. Bra & panties
5. Sunglasses
6. Deodorant
7. Hairspray

6 Things That Annoy You
1. Drivers who tailgate.
2. Drivers who don't use their turn signals.
3. Bicyclists who don't obey the rules of the road.
4. Biting my tongue when I sneeze.
5. People who don't control their dogs/children/whatever obnoxious thing they're reponsible for.
6. Presidential election years.

5 Shows You Watch
1. Clean Sweep
2. Trading Spaces
3. Law & Order (includes the original, CI and SVU versions)
4. Days of Our Lives
5. SpongeBob Squarepants (because I'm five)

4 Things You Touch Every Day
1. The gear shift knob on my car
2. My hair
3. My computer mouse
4. My keyboard

3 Celebrities You Have a Crush On
1. Keanu Reeves
2. Doug Wilson (does he count as a celebrity?)
3. Sir Derek Jacobi

2 People You Have Kissed
1. My grandma
2. My mom

1 Person You Could Spend the Rest of Your Life With
1. My husband (if and when I ever find him!)

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:41

I took this survey from Select Smart to find out who my ideal candidate for president is, and here are my results.


1. Your ideal theoretical candidate. (100%)
2. Kerry, Senator John, MA - Democrat (63%)
3. Gephardt, Rep. Dick, MO - Democrat (61%)
4. Edwards, Senator John, NC - Democrat (57%)
5. Bush, President George W. - Republican (49%)
6. Lieberman, Senator Joe, CT - Democrat (43%)
7. Dean, Gov. Howard, VT - Democrat (40%)
8. Moseley-Braun, Former Senator Carol, IL - Democrat (37%)
9. Clark, Retired General Wesley K., AR - Democrat (35%)


I must admit I'm very surprised at those results. (Gah! You're kidding me? Kerry??!!) I'm still a registered Democrat, sure, but I was almost postitive my political position was, or indeed already had, moved closer to the republican side of things. Apparently, this is not the case!

Thanks to Dreama for the survey.
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:39

I almost got myself a cat last night. Almost.

My mom and I walked down to the Atascadero Farmer's Market last night, stopping by Hoover's cafe for dinner first. Because it was such a lovely evening, we decided to sit out on the patio. We weren't there five minutes when a small, thin (but not emaciated), light-coloured calico cat wandered over. There were three other tables occupied at the time, but she made a bee-line right to me! Naturally, I petted her, said sweet, lovey-dovey things to her, and she rubbed up against my hand and my legs before jumping up on my lap! She settled it, kneaded my thigh ever so gently with her front paws and purred. I was smitten.

I knew, of course, I couldn't have her: I'm still allergic to cats, plus she probably already had a home, she was just out for her evening stroll and cuddle from a stranger. She hopped down after a few minutes and went from table to table looking for love, but kept coming back to me, because I was the only one putting out. So to speak. Eventually she did leave, though, pausing to scratch the chopped wood piled up by the bar-b-que before heading off into the sunset. Sort-of.

Mom and I had our dinner and our wine (What? We were walking, remember?), then headed up to the market.

The Atascadero Farmer's market is nothing at all like the one in SLO: it's tiny, with maybe 20 vendors total, but it's still nice, and will hopefully grow and prosper. We ended up with some great looking produce - yellow squash, zucchini, and some totally delicious raspberries - purchased a large chocolate chip cookie to share, listened to the band for a song or two, then headed home.

It was a great evening! I had almost talked myself out of walking up there, but now I'm really glad I didn't. I feel a bit better today, and I think it's from the fresh air and exercise I got yesterday. Tonight is SLO's Farmer's Market, but I don't think I'll go. Two Farmer's Markets in one week is just a bit too much, I think.

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:14

DESCRIBE YOUR...

Wallet:   Currently it's a rainbow-stripped plastic bi-fold with a summery illustration of a girl sitting in a beach chair sipping a beverage and reading a book. I bought it at Payless shoes, of all places, and I've enjoyed having it this summer. I've already bought a new wallet for fall - black leather with my first initial in pink - and a separate coin purse with a pair of embroidered pink high-top sneakers (sort-of like the ones I've got).

Hairbrush:   I just got a cool new one: a handlebar brush, sparkly purple with purple streamers, from Littlearth.

Toothbrush:   The Braun Oral B Plaque Remover. The best toothbrush ever!

Jewelry worn daily:   My college ring (gold with a lapis stone set in it, on my right ring finger), a silver Claddagh ring (on my left ring finger, upside down, which is apparently incorrect. I'd heard/read/been told that if you're unmarried or otherwise available, you wear it with the crown facing in, towards your hand. This, however, says that wearing it this way indicates one is already married or engaged. Oops!), a watch, three pairs of earrings (varies with the day, my outfit or my mood), and a necklace; usually my gold cross, but as with the earrings, depending on the outfit I might wear something else.

Pillow cover:  Light chambray denim and white striped with solid chambray ruffle.

Blanket:   Just your run-of-the-mill blue acrylic with satin trim.

Coffee cup:   I have a ton of coffee cups, but my favourite is my newest purchase: Internet Girl.

Sunglasses:   I have several but the pair I have currently sitting in my car are brown and black tortoise shell, sort-of a Ray-ban style, but slightly larger.

Underwear:   Plain white cotton bikini style.

CD in stereo right now:   Clay Aiken Measure of a Man.

Tattoos:   Just one so far - a dagger and rose just above my left ankle. I'm looking to get some more soonish.

Piercings:   Three holes in each earlobe.

What are you wearing now:   Comfy clothes: sloppy heather-grey capri sweat pants that are two sizes too big, but which are incredibly comfortable, heather-grey tank top with built-in shelf bra, and my oversized blue sweater because even though it's July, it's darn cold out there!

Hair:   Currently coloured with L'Oreal ColourSpa in Sunset (a light copper) and highlighted with Clairol Herbal Essences in Rich Copper, so basically it's orange, and is right now pulled up in a pony tail.

Make-up:   Face: Revlon Skinlights diffusing tint in Nude, Maybelline compact powder in Fair, Cover Girl liquid concealer also in Fair, and Maybelline blush in Mocha Velvet; Eyes: Maybelline eye shadow in Champagne, Stila combo shadow/liner in Ivy, and Almay One-Coat Lengthening mascara in brown/black; Lips: Aveda lip glaze in Raspberry Tea, or just plain ole Blistix.



(found here, with much thanks.)

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 19:39

1.   My grandmother's 89th birthday today! Happy Birthday, Grandma!!

2.   Having a picnic with my mom and grandparents in our backyard on Saturday to celebrate.

3.   Making a pretty birthday card and matching bookmark for my grandmother, using a photograph of our Echinacia flower.

   


4.   Planning a weekend in San Diego with my friend Jewel in three weeks.

5.   Finishing my JournalCon swag.

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:14

This evening we had a picnic in our backyard to celebrate my grandmother's birthday (which is actually Monday). We had lovely weather for it: warm, but not too hot, good shade from our neighbour's tree, a slight breeze, but not enough to send stuff flying off the table. Just perfect!



We had turkey sandwiches on yummy foccacia bread, a veggie tray, a pasta salad with chopped tomatoes in it, and for dessert, a lemon pound cake with cool whip topping! Yum!




 



Lisa-Marie wrote this at 22:54

. . . considering I'm a Lutheran!

"Sin is incurable by the strength of man, nor does free will have any validity here, so that even the saints say: 'The evil which I do not wish, this I do.' 'You are not doing the things which you wish.' 'Since my loins are filled with illusions,' etc."

You are Martin Luther! Yeah, you have a way of letting everyone know how you feel, usually with Bible quotes attached, and will think your way through the issues, although sometimes you make no sense! You aren't always sure of yourself, and you can change your mind about things, something you actually consider a strength. You can take solitude, especially with some music.

What theologian are you?

A creation of Henderson

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:58

1.  Penguin Caffeinated Peppermints.

2.  Ginger Chews.

3.  Spider Solitaire. (With a special "Gee, thanks, buddy!" to Spunky Jillian for that one!)

I need a support group - stat!!!

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:56

Take the What High School
Stereotype Are You? quiz.
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 18:47

Mom and I headed over to Morro Bay for a while today, in an attempt to escape the oppressive heat here in Atascadero. It worked for a while, until the sun burned off the marine layer! We had a great time, and you can read all about it right here! Cheers!
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 21:14

This morning when the news media was speculating about Martha Stewart's possible punishment, my mom turned to me and said, "I bet you money they only give her probation! She won't get any jail time!"
 
I didn't say anything at the time, because frankly, I agreed with her. But, now? I'm wishing I'd taken that bet!

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:05

I went to Farmer's Market in SLO this evening. First time in a long time, and it was really great! The place was packed, however, so I didn't end up staying long. You can read all about it here, and there are some pictures here. Enjoy!
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 22:02

Okay, my hair looks much better today. I used a bottle of Casting Colour Spa by L'Oreal in a bright, coppery colour to lighten and even out my whole head. Now it isn't so obvious that I screwed up trying to do my own highlights.

I need to be extra special careful to my hair now, after two colouring procedures in a row: lots of TLC, a gentle shampoo, moisturizing conditioner, and no blow dryer! And, I should probably get it trimmed again at the end of the month. I dyed my eyebrows, too. I know they say you shouldn't do that, but I was really careful. I like the way they turned out, and I'm not blind, so that's good!

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:34

Seen on CNN:

This is really horrible! Those poor people! I very nearly cried when I read that!

Thankfully, this act of kindness cheered me up a little. That was a very cool thing to do!
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:05

OMG! I just can't stop giggling about my hair! Every time I look in the mirror in the ladies room, I just have to laugh! Mom said it didn't look so bad this morning. I think it looks ridiculous! Bits of bright orange, bits of darker brown. Gah! I should know better than to do something that complicated by myself. So far no one at work has said anything. I would like to think it's because they haven't noticed, but I imagine they're just being polite. Tonight, I'm getting some more colour, and dyeing it all over in an attempt to tone it down a bit, or at least even it out.

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:26

Gah! Earlier this evening I got a wild hair up my ass (so to speak), and decided to colour my hair. More accurately, I streaked it with Herbal Essences Highlights in Rich Copper. Having never been one to follow the phrase "a little goes a long way," I pretty much slathered the highlighting crap all over my hair. That little "streaking tool" they give you? Crap. Complete and utter crap! It would drop a large glob of dye at the top of my head, and have nothing left when it got to the ends. Now I look like I did in high school when I sprayed my hair with Sun-In, in a stupid attempt to be blonde for my senior pictures, then my hair grew out, and I had bright orange hair with dark brown roots.

God help me!

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 22:19

Our first tomato of the season! We got "porch" plants this year, so I don't think our tomatoes will be any bigger than this.

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 20:40

DeeDee, Suzie and I got to hang out together last night. It was a blast!!!



Read more here.
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 20:35

Woo hoo! My friend DeeDee is in town! She came down for M.'s Farewell Party, but didn't tell anyone (except Suzie with whom she's staying), so it was quite a surprise when she suddenly appeared in the office! She, Suzie and I are meeting downtown for the Concert in the Plaza, then maybe we'll see a movie. Or something. Anyway, I'd better run! More later.
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 17:05

Yay! My copy of Trance Jen's chapbook arrived in the mail today!

I'm so excited! It's a really nice, professional-looking book. I thumbed through it briefly, and look forward to sitting down and really reading it. Jealous? Don't worry, you can still order your very own copy!

And, now? I think I need to get off my lazy butt, and get my own book written!

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 21:05

I am so excited! The super-cool, totally recycled purple handlebar brush from Littlearth arrived today! It reminds me of the purple banana-seat bike I had as a kid - sparkly handlebar grips, purple streamers and all!

Lisa-Marie wrote this at 21:41

Ahh! A steaming hot mug of coffee and a good book! That's exactly what I need!





Lisa-Marie wrote this at 12:22

Why, o, why am I so tired? All this fatigue and mid-afternoon napping seriously cut into my Fun Holiday Weekend time! It wouldn't be so bad, I guess, if I knew why I was so tired all the time, but I just can't figure it out. It's like Energy Vampires have come along and sucked all the vitality out of my body. I'm sluggish, exhausted (even after a full-night's sleep), and just feel blah. Not really sick or anything, just . . . nothing. Like a lump. It's annoying!

I had plans for this weekend! Fun plans! I was going to organize my writing stuff, work on some of my photographs, sit out in the hammock in the back yard and read, read, read! But, did I accomplish any of these things? No. I accomplished very little. Except sleeping. I got a lot of sleeping in. I estimate over the three-day weekend, I got 35 hours of sleep! And, I still felt tired every time I woke up.

I need to ask my doctor about this. Being this tired just can't be normal!

That said, I did accomplish one thing this weekend:



My mom and I put this little art display board thingie together. We saw the design on Clean Sweep (that episode, by the way, was aired this evening!), and had been wanting to do it for some time. Now I have space to display my stamping art work and photographs!
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 20:07

1. Three-day weekend!
2. A fun picnic on the Fourth with my family!
3. Completing a cool new project!
4. Playing with pugs!
5. Reading Jane Eyre!
6. Napping in the afternoon!
Lisa-Marie wrote this at 09:29

20 Questions to a Better Personality

You are an SRCF--Sober Rational Constructive Follower. This makes you a White House staffer. You are a tremendous asset to any employer, cool under pressure, productive, and a great communicator. You feel the need to right wrongs, take up slack, mediate disputes and keep the peace. This comes from a secret fear that business can't go on without you--or worse, that it can.

If you have a weakness, it is your inability to say "no." While your peers respect you, they find it difficult to resist taking advantage of your positive attitude and eagerness to take on work. You depend on a good manager to keep you from sinking under the weight and burning out

(Holy cow! That's right on the money!)


Lisa-Marie wrote this at 20:20