Spider-Man

Spider-Man...Good...Very Good...need sleep...more later...

Nikki on 06.30.04 @ 02:48 AM PST [link]

Looming Doom

Ever had one of those those feelings that something bad is about to happen? That's what I am kind of experiencing right now. I hate that. More often than not, nothing comes of it. But sometimes I'm right. If only I could be wrong all the time. :)



Nikki on 06.29.04 @ 11:39 AM PST [link]

Little Black Dress

I was in the mood to wear my black dress today. No reason especially. I always feel good in that dress and I guess I just wanted to feel good.



Saw Harry Potter last night. It was pretty good. I know they had to cut a bunch of stuff out. But, it's been so long since I read it that I don't remember what it was. :)

Nikki on 06.28.04 @ 10:40 AM PST [link]

A Clean House

For some reason, I have a hard time doing things if the house isn't clean. It's really just an excuse tactic. "I can't work on the novel until the house is immaculate." But instead of hurrying to get it done, I just sit there. Call it laziness. Call it procrastination. Whatever. But now I don't have an excuse. The house is fairly clean and I am in the mood to write. So I am going to. :)

Nikki on 06.27.04 @ 03:44 PM PST [link]

Bikini Top

I'm cleaning the house...it's hot, so I decided to wear my bikini top. I've come to find it's kind of uncomfortable since it ties behind my neck. Could that mean it's tied too tightly or that the size is too small? Maybe it's just something I have to grow accustomed to. Bah!

Nikki on 06.26.04 @ 04:47 PM PST [link]

More About the Novel

Don't let anyone tell you that writing a novel is easy. That may seem obvious. And I think that I may have entered this endeavor knowing that. But sometimes it's the little things that are hard. I had a little time at work today, so made a list of things I've been thinking about for the novel- things I don't want to forget. And then I made a list of questions that I need to answer. Questions that I should know the answer to already, like

• What is Spence's last name?


• What time in May does Aubry go home?


• What is Lainey's last name?

You'd think that I would know that already. But I don't. Sometimes when I get stuck in a scene, usually on such a question, I just put in some kind of placeholder. But this list of questions don't even have that.



Then I made a rough timeline, for the majority of the book. I would say at least the first half, but probably the first three-quarters. This was probably the hardest part of all, trying to decide what month it starts, how long the relationship lasts, when one of the character's dies, when Spense comes back, yadda, yadda. I couldn't just pick months willy nilly. I had to choose carefully and line things up. I had to decide how long the major chunk of the novel actually takes. I decided on a year. It seems nice and round. Cyclical.



But the great thing is, I can change my mind any time! It's my world afterall.



The good thing is, writing, first then typing, all this up kind of inspired me to write another scene because I was able to answer one of my questions: how does one of the main characters get into a car accident when she isn't supposed to be driving.



I made hummus for the first time tonight. It's not as good as the stuff you can buy in the store, but it's sufficient for the needs of tomorrow night. Anything tastes good on foccacia bread, right? :)

Nikki on 06.26.04 @ 12:51 AM PST [link]

Food Poisoning?

Last night I had the strangest thing come over me. I was in the bathroom...doing my thing...and all of a sudden, I felt that kind of nausea that is bad enough to make you think about bowing down to the porcelyn god but not bad enough to push you to do it. I started to feel really clammy and was sweating. I stood up and felt really dizzy. When I looked in the mirror, I was pasty white. I somehow stumbled into my bedroom, although I don't know how I didn't trip on all the dirty clothes littering the place, and flopped down on the bed. There was a ringing in my ears. I felt very close to passing out, like the edges of my vision were kind of fuzzy. I was afraid to close my eyes in case that would somehow encourage passing out. It passed shortly afterwards. The whole episode lasted, maybe, five minutes, but it felt much longer. Now, could that be food poisoning? I had, I think, food poisoning, a couple of trips home ago, and that last all night long. Was this some sort of fluke thing? I didn't have anything unreasonable for dinner: beef, garlic mashed potatoes, peas. The only thing that was "unusual" was that I used chicken stock to mash the potatoes (but the expiration date was fine) and I used some margerine, which I haven't been using regularly but it's been refridgerated all this time. Strange. I don't recommend it.

Nikki on 06.25.04 @ 12:39 PM PST [link]

Some Things I Want to Do This Summer

• go on a picnic


• have/attend a bonfire at Golden Gardens or some kind of beach


• ride the paddleboats at Greenlake


• go to a movie at the Fremont outdoor theatre (I did this last year and it was fun.)


• go to Mt. Ranier


• go to Snoqualmie Falls (did this about 3 years ago and it was fun enough to do again.)


• see RENT


• Go on the Underground walking tour


• Ride the Ducks


• Go to the Aquarium


• See an Imax movie

I reserve the right to add things to this list. Taking suggestions.



Nikki on 06.24.04 @ 05:18 PM PST [link]

Just Thought of Something...

Do I wait to get the belly button ring (that is, if I don't chicken out) til after Mom has left? Do I get it now and just hope that she doesn't see it? (her eye sight isn't that great anyway). Do I proudly display it by wearing a belly button revealing shirt when I pick her up at the airport? I mean, I'm freaking 30, and I know that I can do what I want. And she might be fine with it anyway. But part of me says, "oh my lord you have to hide that!" Hm. I don't think that, if I had it, it would be that difficult to hide it. It's not like I wear stomach revealing clothes that often. (shudder) Hm. But you know how moms are. They see EVERYTHING.

Nikki on 06.23.04 @ 03:44 PM PST [link]

Munchies

I have the major munchies! Last night I wanted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Today I want chips. Luckily, I don't have any more change on me. I managed to scrape up 75 cents and get some Sun Chips...but I want more. Sigh. I know you're thinking it's PMS but it isn't. And it's not the opposite of that either. My brain is in rebellion is all. It wants bad things. Evil junkfood. I am drinking water, trying to wash myself of the infestation, but it's not working. I am considering popcorn as a somewhat healthy alternative...but really I want Cheetos. And really I don't want to be limited to the small bag from the vending machines. ARGH!

Nikki on 06.23.04 @ 01:58 PM PST [link]

Mom's Coming

So, my mom is coming out to visit in August, from the 10-16th. I figured that it's a good time to come: I live on the first floor of a house so there's no steps to maneuver, I am fairly confident getting to most of the site seeing places that I wasn't when she came out the first time, I have a flexible work schedule. Keely's baby should be born by then. The weather isn't atrocious. So now I have to research motorized scooter rentals. Seattle is pretty pedestrian friendly, which is great, but it's almost a detriment. My mom can't walk for very long lengths at all because she has MS. The Seattle Center would be impossible for her without us stopping about every two minutes. I'm thinking of taking her to Pike's Market, but during the week. The weekend, in a scooter, would be impossible to navigate. Yikes. Mom is really excited to come out, meet everyone. She's used to knowing all my friends and now she only hears names and stories, sometimes pictures. I'm a little worried...sometimes Mom says things that make me...I don't know. Cringe. I tell myself that whatever she says or does doesn't mean people think that I am like that...I have a feeling that I am going to be shrieking, "Mom!!" a lot.

Nikki on 06.23.04 @ 12:00 PM PST [link]

Spider Alert!

I found another one of those big spiders...this one in my bedroom which makes me very uneasy. I tried to get it out alive but it got squished. I hate spiders.



I am craving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. ARGH!

Nikki on 06.22.04 @ 10:54 PM PST [link]

Shrek 2

Went to Redmond Town Center last night and watched Shrek 2. It's a very cute movie. Rarely is the sequel, to especially animated movies, as good, but this one was. I wonder if they'll do a third...



I am not feeling very motivatd to work today. There's not a lot to do, but there's always something that could be done. Mostly I want to do something else. I don't know what exactly...just something else.



Oh, I forgot to mention that yesterday was my grandpa's 70th birthday. Not that he reads this, but still...I probably should have called him, huh? I turned 30, he turned 70, and in January my mom will turn 50. How many big birthdays can one family stand in a year? :)

Nikki on 06.22.04 @ 12:29 PM PST [link]

Who Knew?

Who knew that a simple blog entry about belly button piercing would generate so many comments? Whoa! So, I have started to research places. There's one in Kirkland that I might go to to ask questions. I still think my stomach isn't flat enough...lol, but maybe it would be a good incentive? :)



Here's a picture from the baby shower last Saturday:





Nikki on 06.21.04 @ 11:43 PM PST [link]

Belly

So yesterday I was walking around the Fremont Festival. It was really hot, by the way. Thank goodness I put sunscreen on my arms and face, although my back got burned since I was wearing a tank top and my hair was up in a ponytail. Anyway. I don't know why, but I had the urge to get my belly button pierced. There was no piercing station there, so it's not like it was this impulse...Actually, I've been thinking of it for years, always saying that once my stomach was flat, I might do it. Now I am 30 am wondering if I am too old to do it. Maybe it was seeing the cute belly button rings for sale at the different booths. So I spent my time walking comparing my stomach (which was partially exposed, first time for that) to other girls that I saw, especially those who had the piercing. Of course there were the perfectly flat girls, but there were plenty of...rotund girls who had them and proudly displayed them. So. Now the thought is even stronger. I need to research where a good place to go would be. I don't want some dive. There's a place up on 45th...but that looks pretty seedy. I need a place like the places in the mall that do your ears. Why can't they do your belly button, too? :) I'm surprised with myself that I want this. What's come over me in my 30th year?? :)

Nikki on 06.21.04 @ 11:32 AM PST [link]

Father's Day

So I grew up without a father. To me, it's no big deal. I don't lament it. I even wonder especially what it might have been like. A lot of times, I forget I even have a father. For instance, tomorrow is Father's Day and I didn't even know it until Wednesday when I heard a friend talking about it. It's just not in my scope of consciousness.



Most times, I don't have any desire to meet my father. I've made it 30 years without him: he never paid child support (couldn't even be made to pay it back then because he lived in a different state) he never, to my knowledge, checked up on me or expressed any interest in me. The closest I come to wanting contact with him is the intermittant curiosity to know how many more siblings I have. I know of two half sisters, and a half brother that died as an infant. Because I don't really look like anyone on my mom's side of the family and from the four pictures I have of my father I don't seem to resemble him (although she says I have his eyes), I wonder if I look like my half siblings at all. I know of families that look very much a like, where people says, "Oh you can tell she's a (insert last name)." And I never had that and I think at times it made me feel very...bland. Anyway. I've wondered how many more children he went on to have.



So every once in awhile, like every couple years, I do a feeble Internet search on his name. The closest I've come until recently was a man with an ICQ alias whose name and birth date matched his. I went to far as to set up a second, phony ICQ account and add him to my contact list. There was an e-mail address listed for him, so then I went and set up a phony Hotmail account and sent e-mail to him. It bounced. I sent him an ICQ message and never heard back. Never saw him online. But then, about a year ago, I found a second guy with the same name but a year younger than me. So, I am pretty sure that this guy is a brother. However, I can't find any sort of net presence for either of them. Today, I looked again, and found another guy with the same last name, listed with the guy I am pretty sure is my brother. I am not convinced that this is another sibling. He's within a year of the same age as this other guy. So. I don't know. Maybe my father is really prolific. It wouldn't surprise me. This is the guy who, when my mom asked for money back that he owed her before she moved back to WI, told her, "I think I've paid you back with what's in your belly." Idiot.



These Internet sources never give you much information. They want you to pay for all the good stuff. And at this point, I'm just not willing to pay for it. But it's also weird to look at the computer screen and see my father and brother's name and be so close to having more information about them. I don't like to tell Mom about the times I uncover this stuff because I know she gets a little worried. She's always said that she would support and help me find him if I wanted to. But I know it would make her sad. Right before I graduated from high school, she used to have nightmares that he showed up at my party.



I like to blame the few "bad" things that have gone wrong with me on him. :) Like, the seizures for instance. I blame it on him getting high, wrecking his sperm. No other reason for me to have had seizures. Has to be him. Oh, and I have his rare blood type, too: B-. Not a bad thing, persay. Actually, I kinda like telling people that.



The only real use that I can think of to having any sort of contact with him is to have a complete medical background. Maybe the seizure disorder is on his side of the family. I mean, what if I need a transplant or something? Or my kid (someday) does?



I am not bitter that he wasn't in my life. I'm not ecstatic about it either. I would say I am fairly ambivilant. Father-child relationships astound me very much the way sibling relationships do. It's like watching a foreign film, without the subtitles. I can get the gist of what's going on if I watch long enough but not everything. Not the nuances. The important things. Things about men still surprise me, catch me off guard. Stupid things. It took me a long time to not feel embarrassed when a guy who took off his shirt. Even if it was a guy I was dating! :) Mom and I lived with my grandparents and her (younger) brother until I was 2, but after that, no guys lived with us so I just didn't see things. It's odd. I'm a weirdo. :)


Nikki on 06.19.04 @ 08:12 PM PST [link]

It's Hot!

When I left the house this morning at 9:30, it was already hot. You know it's going to be hot day when it starts off like that so early. :)



Tomorrow is the baby shower...think everything is ready. Everything except those last minute details that have to be taken care of at...well, the last minute, like the food, picking up the balloons.



Took a picture of myself at Greenlake last weekend. I really liked it...and now I don't. Eyes are too squinted. Too much grey hair exposed. Sigh. I am not a photogenic person. If I could be either photogenic or not photogenic but at least pretty in "real life" I would be content. But to be neither...that's just sad! Don't worry, I am not fishing for compliments here. Just stating the facts, mam. Or sir as the case might be.



Okay, tonight I really am going to clean the house. Really. I made a step this morning and took the garbage out! If only someone would wash my dishes. That's really what's preventing me from getting going...ugh.



It's Friday...YAY!

Nikki on 06.18.04 @ 02:49 PM PST [link]

Sorry, Everyone!

It's just been another slow day today. Especially this afternoon. And to top it all off, the network seems to be down. I can access regular Internet, but nothing internal. I have to get to my mail through Exchange. So. Unfortunately, that means I have been leaving blog messages, e-mailing, etc. Way more than I ought to. Perhaps to the point of irritation. Sorry about that! I feel like I've had too much caffeine or that my fingers are on speed. Well, what I imagine it would be like if they were. Anyway. You know who you are. Hopefully you're out enjoying the day! :) As I am about to in five minutes if things don't get fixed here.



Nikki on 06.17.04 @ 04:13 PM PST [link]

Another Side Project

Teeeheee...I just started a little "side project" to amuse myself. We'll see how long before someone finds out about it.



I was up pretty late last night. Worked on the novel a bit. I layed in bed and worked on the laptop; I hadn't done that at all. What a treat. It's nice to recline against my many pillows and just tap away. I knew, of course, that this could be done...I think I just get too wrapped up in thinking I need to be at a coffee shop in order to write. Need to break myself of that.



It's hot today. I like that. Well, I don't like the sweating as I drive to work...but I like the warmth and the sun. It's one of the few things I miss about WI-the hot summers. But it's nice not to have humidity.



I haven't felt all that witty lately on here. I keep blogging about boring things. Sigh...

Nikki on 06.17.04 @ 11:20 AM PST [link]

Slow Day

It's been a slow workday. Now that the new site is live, that frees up a lot of time. Worked on so many broken links, as well as found so many that don't appear broken in the first place, that I need the scanner to run again to weed out those that are fine now. Most everything else is caught up. So. Spent some of the day bothering people that probably are working (sending them e-mail, instant messages, leaving comments on people's blogs, etc.). Ate some lunch. Haven't walked around the building yet, though. That takes a good five minutes. And it's a nice day, too. Sigh. Last week I was crazy busy. I guess that I should appreciate the breathing room. It never lasts long.



Nikki on 06.16.04 @ 03:06 PM PST [link]

I Look Cute!

I like it when I have a cute day and it's also a nice warm day! I don't know why that pleases me...but it does. Decided to wear the shirt that I wore to my birthday party, even though it's a little low cut. I decided, hell, why not wear it with the denim mini-skirt? Might as well get all the action going! :)



I think I am going to have to make another, let's call it's a sequel, to my amazing cd. I've now thought of at least four songs that I didn't think of before. For instance, I pulled nothing from the Jason Mraz cd! How could I forget him??

Nikki on 06.16.04 @ 11:29 AM PST [link]

Sore Quads

Step Teacher from Hell® took it easy on me last night. She still had us do the stinking walking lunges, but only one and then back across the room. Only my quads are a little tender. Thank God. Wincing with every step is not my idea of a good time.



The house did not get cleaned last night. In my defense, I did do two loads of laundry. Not going to happen tonight either since I have class. Maybe tomorrow. Yes! Tomorrow!



I have this hankering to take a dance class. Don't know why. Not exactly sure what type. Just looking for something a little different. Will have to investigate.

Nikki on 06.15.04 @ 10:57 AM PST [link]

Missing Song

I just realized that one of the songs I wanted, and thought that I had added to the playlist, for my awesome cd didn't appear. Damn it. Now I either have to go burn it again or make a whole new cd...but I am not sure that there are enough songs I want to warrant a complete cd. Sigh.

Nikki on 06.14.04 @ 03:02 PM PST [link]

Lunch

I packed my lunch...and promptly left it on my kitchen counter. First time that I've done that in over a year. Grr. And then, the cafeteria vendor isn't coming today for some unknown reason. So, I am eating popcorn right now. Maybe I will get up enough ambition to go to Subway later. It's the closest thing. Hopefully this isn't an omen.



This weekend, I was talking with someone about my novel. Now, I haven't divulged very much info. Yes, I've released a few rough drafts on the blog and during some chats here and there with this certain person, I've discussed a couple other details. But for the most part, I think I've been my usual tight lipped self. However, during this latest talk about the novel, he totally guessed my ending to the novel. ARGH! This made me wonder if my ending was just dumb. I was afraid of that even before; I don't want it to be some dumb romance novel. So now it seems I have a predictable ending. That's no good. What am I going to do now? Sigh...

Nikki on 06.14.04 @ 12:14 PM PST [link]

Tonight, I Became A Woman

Sometimes I am amazed that even at the ripe old age of 30, I learn new things that I think most girls know. Tonight at Target I bought a couple things that I never thought I would buy, one of which was a electronic razor. What made me even think about it was wondering why it is guys always get annoyed when their wife or girlfriend or whatever uses their electic razor. Why is that? I wondered. And why does the girl use it to begin with? So I went down that aisle and low and behold, they make them for girls. I was intrigued so I bought one. An impulsive buy; one step closer to ADD. Bought some other things (if you're desperate to know what, and why I won't say what, let me know. lol) and then came home. And then, I came home and used the new purchase. OH MY GOSH! Why has no one, not my mom, not my plethora of girl friends, never tell me how nice this is? It was well with the investment of $30. I don't think I will ever go back to the regular razor. Yippee! It was an interesting, but overall productive, day at Target. :)



I also have discovered that my journey to Greenlake today gave me a sunburn. It was sunny but I didn't think it was that sunny. Hopefully it will fade. :)

Nikki on 06.13.04 @ 11:35 PM PST [link]

Greenlake

Walked up to Greenlake today since it was so nice out. Was glad that I brought my sweater with me, though, since the wind came and went throughout the day. Brought my trusty camera for fun. Didn't take a lot of pictures but here are a few. The first is of some paddleboaters. Every since I moved here and saw 10 Things I hate About You I've wanted to paddleboat. And have I? No. I officially put that on my list of things I want to do this summer. The other picture is of a cute little girl that was walking with her older sisters. They were all dressed in similar dresses, but this girl was definitely the cutest. Was careful about taking her picture since I didn't want to appear as some weirdo. :)









After I finished Greenlake, which included having to make chitchat with some guy who insisted I take his phone number, I walked up to the zoo and sat in the Rose Garden for awhile. I was surprised so much was in bloom already since it looked pretty much the same as last year when Wendy got married there, which was at the end of July. It smelled really nice. :) Hung out for awhile and caught up wiht some journal writing, listened to my newly burned cd. Judy called and we chatted as I walked home. Over all, I had a good day. Still need to go to Target. Ugh, and clean this house. I've been in the mood to redecorate lately, but I don't think that's going to happen tonight. :)

Nikki on 06.13.04 @ 07:40 PM PST [link]

Yup, Working

Yes, I am at work right now. No one asked me to, nor does anyone really know that I am here. I wanted to get some broken links fixed and it's difficult during the week when I have a hundred other things to do. Broken links requires me to focus and I like to focus for longer than a half hour at a time. :) There were a slew of broken links where all that needed changed was the backslash to a forward slash. They're not really broken in one browser, but the tool picks up on it since it is others. So, I've fixed them. Nothing I like better at work than the list of broken links to drop. I swear, if it goes up...

Nikki on 06.12.04 @ 06:26 PM PST [link]

Compilation CD

I used to make a lot of compilation cds. Actually, it started back in the day when I was a kid and too poor to buy tapes. I would wait for the rare night that my boombox antenna could pull in a decent radio channel from La Crosse (Z93) or Madison (Z104), or once in awhile the local station WRCO played an hour's worth of the top 40, and tape as many songs that I liked as possible. Since rarely did I like most of any group's album, it seemed like the most cost effective plan to simply tape the songs that I did like. Until I moved into this apartment and starting throwing a lot of relics out, I had most of those mixed tapes that I made back then. But then, I bought a computer with a CD burner, and it has been taken to an all new level. I make cds to work out to, that are good for writing, that have good slow songs...whatever strikes my fancy. Last week I came across such a cd in my boombox in the bedroom. It was dated 2001. I started looking around and I realized I hadn't made a new one in a couple of years and it was high time. So tonight I spent going through my cds and..well...other places and picking the songs that I like. I came up with, what I consider, a kick ass cd! In fact, I made two copies: one to have in the bedroom for at night (yes, I'm one of those likes music at night people) and one to take to work or keep in the stereo in the living room. Whatever. It's really too bad that I can't go into business doing this. I'm quite good at it. :)



You may be asking, What is she doing up so late making cds? One, I am a night owl. Second, I've been contemplating this cd for quite some time (a whole week now) and was anxious to get it in production. Three, I just drank some Mountain Dew. :)



I can't wait to listen to this in bed. :)

Nikki on 06.11.04 @ 12:49 AM PST [link]

Triage

Please pass me a scalple...

Nikki on 06.10.04 @ 02:50 PM PST [link]

Not So Sore Now

So I went to step aerobics last night. I wasn't too pleased with that sub. First of all, she chose music that in order to keep up with, we all would've needed to be on speed for. She changed it a ways in, but then kept us going fast "to keep our heart rates up." Another thing I don't like about her is the fact that she doesn't do a routine. It's kinda like circuit training. I don't like that. I like the "danciness" of step and her way is not dancy. Plus, I was really sore. But I got through it and lived. Last night I took a nice long bath with some epsom(is that the right term) salt. I feel much better today. Don't know if it's being a couple more days removed from the initial workout that got me in this predicament or the bath or the working out (because I didn't on Tuesday). Anyway. I just don't think that I'll go when she's subbing. I don't feel like I get that great a workout.



Last night I used the cocoa scrub and lotion that Judy got my for my birthday. Yummy! It's not quite as chocolately smelling as I remember it being in the store, but it's still good. The scrub is the consistency of chocolate mousse, flecked with chocolate shavings. It was fun.



Cold today. My hands are freezing.

Nikki on 06.10.04 @ 01:10 PM PST [link]

Hammer Time

Because I am used to fast Internet connection, when there are days like today when things don't go so well, I start to get a little cranky. I hate it when the network is slow. The reasonable part of my brain knows that there's nothing that I can do, that someone, somewhere, is probably working on it. If rebooting and/or relogging on doesn't fix it, nothing on my end is probably going to. Might as well relax. But I can't. And then it spills over to other things. Like, I have this link I need to add to a page and for the life of me I can't get it to work. It's a link to a multimedia file, which for some reason, surprise surprise, the tool I use to create the page can't handle in quite the same way as though it were a regular page. People have pointed me in a bout five different directions and nothing has helped. ARGH!

Nikki on 06.09.04 @ 03:46 PM PST [link]

Still So Sore

Dang. I am still really sore. How am I going to do step aerobics tonight? But, I think it's a better idea to move than not, so I'll give it a try. Step Instructor from Hell® only teaches on Monday nights. Oh wait. The sub for the regular Wednesday/Friday class is going to be there and she's bad, too. Damn. I will collapse. I suppose I could just go and do elliptical and bike. Sigh. But I like step. Just not with that particular teacher. And I didn't bring a cd with me to listen to. Hm. Choices choices. Actually, it's not the moving around part that's so painful, once I get warmed up, it's the getting up and down that's excruciating. (maybe that's a strong word...but it is...uncomfortable.)



You know, that birthday cake is still sitting on my kitchen counter. That's not a good thing. However, the good thing is that I haven't had more than that first piece for Sunday morning's breakfast. I think was stopped me, though, moreso than thinking of calories, was the fact I didn't ever put it in the fridge and I wasn't sure if that made a difference, because of the mousse middle. Too bad I have to throw it all out. Starving children in some third world country might have enjoyed it...



Tim, how does it look now? I didn't use the paragraph tags this time. That should be an interesting habit to break.

Nikki on 06.09.04 @ 02:13 PM PST [link]

Pleasant Surprise

I pulled out a dress from my closet today that I bought almost five years ago. I didn't get a chance to wear it when I bought it and then I "grew out of it." Well, today it fits. That's a nice feeling. It's even a little baggy in places. :)



Class went pretty well last night. It's a long time to sit, but it's only once a week.



Found out this morning that Mom posted a picture of me in the local Shopping News for my 30th bday. Now, people do this all the time, for anniversaries and other congratulatory matters, so it's not out of hand. But she used a picture of me from the church I went to at the time's directory. Ugh. I don't especially like that picture. I would have preferred she used a kid picture of me than that one! That's what most people do. Sigh. She thought it would generate a lot of cards and calls for me...however, this did not happen. lol I'm not quite sure what that says...it could say a number of things...which, I just don't know. :)

Nikki on 06.09.04 @ 11:28 AM PST [link]

Snappish

Geez, everyone I talk to today is rather snappish. Must be the sun.



It's my alcove mate's birthday today. Funny how I am often surrounded by Geminis. Well. Gemini girls. Cancer males. What does that say?



Gemini Girls

• Shannon


• Keely


• Laurie


• Marie


• Jenny


• Alcove Mate


• former manager

Exceptions: Gemini Males

• Peter (who is really Keely's friend, but we've met...)


• current manager


• Josiah

Cancer Males

• My father


• Grandpa


• Ryan (aka The Monk)


• Jeff


• several guys that I've dated but can't remember their names because I tend to nickname them

That's all I can think of now, but I am sure there are more. It's kinda crazy.

Nikki on 06.08.04 @ 01:04 PM PST [link]

Lunges Work

In case you were wondering, lunges work. I mean, yes, you'll feel pain the next day, as I do right now. I try to avoid lunges. Lunges and squats. I hate them. But during last night's step aerobics, the instructor got a little lunge and squat crazy. Ugh. And now it's tortuous to walk. Good thing I sit in front of a computer all day.

Nikki on 06.08.04 @ 10:29 AM PST [link]

Pretty in Pink

So yesterday afternoon, as is my bad habit, I took a long nap. In my defense, I was up late the evening before. :) Anyway. So, when I woke up at 9:30ish, I knew I was in for trouble trying to get back to sleep later. Got some groceries. Cooked chicken fajitas. Watched tv. After midnight, much to my pleasure, TBS showed one of my favorite 80s movies, Pretty in Pink. I think I have it on video tape, like off of HBO from eons ago, but I watched most of it anyway, despite the commercials and voiceovers for swearing and such. I love those John Hughs' movies; Some Kind of Wonderful is another one of my favorites. I always wanted my hair, although it's blond instead of red, to look like Molly Ringwald's. Oh I tried, but my hair style accumen was even less then than it is now, so I was always unsuccessful. :) And why is it that I found Andrew McCarthy just as appealing last night, in all his 80s regalia, as I did when I was 12? The only thing I don't like about the movie is the ending. At the end, Andy attends the prom with Duckie and low and behold, Blaine is there. Once he spots her he makes his way over there and basically blames her for not believing in him. What?? He was the one avoiding her calls and retracting his prom invitation, claiming "he forgot that he'd asked someone else beforehand," under the pressure of the Spader character who also has the hots for Andy. It all ends happy enough, I suppose. But I never got that, that he gets to blame her and somehow she accepts that blame. Maybe I missed something. Maybe I've spent too much time decontructing a movie that just isn't supposed to be analyzed like that. :)



Fortunately, I was able to fall asleep again around 2, which isn't too bad. And, I'm not too sore from all my walking yesterday. I think it's a good thing that I wore real tennis shoes for it.



Not much going on this week, I don't think. Zine meeting tomorrow night. Meeting with Judy on Thursday for official baby shower business. It's all going to seem downhill after Birthday Week, isn't it? :)

Nikki on 06.07.04 @ 11:49 AM PST [link]

Second Birthday

Well, Birthday Week is over. It was a fabulous time, but I don't think I can talk my friends into any more celebrating. :) Last night, a bunch of us gathered at Jillians, because grey clouds and a smattering of sprinkles throughout the day chased us away from the preferred venue of the beach, and had a nice time. I don't think I've had a birthday party since I was a teenager. It was kinda fun. I have to admit that I was fairly nervous, mostly about how everyone would mix. I think it worked out okay, though. :) I bought a shirt for the festivities, that maybe was too low cut; I kept adjusting myself so not to give such an eyeful. :) Raked in the loot, too! :) I finally have some big towels! Other things, not ranked in any kind of order: new journal and pen, home spa kit, cocoa scrub.lotion, hand painted picture, a novel, an autographed Stein picture that I've wanted forever, a Tower Records gift card, a mini candle holder with mini candles, a rose, and a flamingo balloon. A had a huge cake, and upon Suganthi's suggestion, I had Keely cut my piece from the middle, because that's where the "30" was. :) It was a huge piece, though, and despite their attemmpts to bully me into eating it all, I only ate half. :) The remainder of the cake sits on my kitchen counter right now...I don't know what to do with it. Maybe I'll take it to work. I'm certainly not eating it. I had a small piece for "breakfast" already...

Had a rematch in air hockey and at least this time I was demolished. Came close to winning the last game, but he prevailed. Played pool and a bunch of video games in the arcade, too, and lost them all. However, he was gracious enough to tell everyone I won. That just may be the best present I got. lol I know I won't get it again til next year. :) I better savor it.



Today, of course, it's fairly sunny. Sigh. I guess I'll just have to have a beach party later in the summer. There's just something about a beach party...



Well, you don't know this, but I actually wrote the above earlier this morning and forgot to post it. I've just returned from walking to, around, and back from Greenlake. So I will continue, I guess. :) Listened to my new Jars of Clay CD, which is pretty awesome, I might add. They're technically considered a Christian band, but I think they have plenty of songs that aren't "Christian." Love songs, or whatever. Anyway. They're one of my favorite bands, so I am glad to have their new CD. :) I like walking around Greenlake. I'm especially glad that now walking around it isn't as tortuous as it once was. It used to sem like it took forever to traverse it. I stopped a couple times during the walk and wrote in my journal. There were a lot of ducks out. But, at least the lake didn't stink. I hate it when they treat it with the alum. Almost witnessed a tea cup chihouha get ran over by a bike. Then almost witnessed said dog's owner duke it out with said bicyclist. Dangerous place, Greenlake.



Better stretch out a bit or will be sore tomorrow.

Nikki on 06.06.04 @ 03:56 PM PST [link]

Weather.com

Weather.com seems to think it's going to rain tomorrow. Crap. I mean, Jillians will be okay to have the party at, but I really wanted to go to the beach. Think positive thoughts everyone! :)



Thanks goodness it's Friday. It's been a great week, but upon retrospect, Monday seems like it happened a very long time ago. Monday was actually Memorial Day, which seems like was at least three weeks ago. However, after the party on Saturday, I am hoping that life doesn't turn to Dullsville. I've rather enjoyed my Birthday week of celebration.

Nikki on 06.04.04 @ 04:08 PM PST [link]

Another Sunny Day

What are the chances that tomorrow will be as nice?



I think I've fixed a billion broken links today. My eyes are spinning.



Debating. Go to ab class and step aerobics? Haven't worked out all week. Hm. Not in the mood really. But, I never am until I actually get there. Then I actually like it. Traffic will be bad. Might as well go. Hm.



Harry Potter comes out tonight. I am behind on watching movies. I really want to see Shrek 2. I want to see Harry Potter, too. And then soon, out comes Spiderman 2.

Nikki on 06.04.04 @ 01:57 PM PST [link]

Sunburn

So now I have a weird sunburn from my nap outside this afternoon. Damn pale skin.

Nikki on 06.03.04 @ 10:59 PM PST [link]

If Only Saturday Is Like Today

I went outside to get some sun, in an effort to wake myself up. I reclined on the grass, closed my eyes, and then fell asleep for a half hour. The point had been to get awake not fall asleep. Oh well. Maybe now I will be more wakeful. :) I've been here long enough to go home...but since I was gone yesterday, I feel guilty.

Nikki on 06.03.04 @ 03:43 PM PST [link]

The Birthday

This birthday was perfect. Slept in. Woke up to a warm sunny day. Rainy birthdays kinda suck. I can only hope that Saturday is at least as nice for the party. Anyway. Called Gene Juarez and made a hair appointment, but then cancelled and scheduled with Bombaii Cutters in Kirkland because GJ was way too expensive. I needed to be on the Eastside eventually anyway, so it was all good. Suganthi recommended the place and the particular stylist so she came over at the time I was going to be there and brought me some flowers and a caramel. Getting the hair foiled always takes way longer than I think it's going to, so from Kirkland I drove like a demon to the Bon to get my make-up done. I like doing this on my birthday. Of course, there's always that pressure to buy something, which I did (some lip gloss), but it's essentially free, so that's always good. :) Stopped at Mervins to buy, uh, girlie stuff and then hightailed it to Redmond Ridge.



From there, we sojourned to downtown Bellevue, hitting every stoplight between beginning and end. Had a little difficulty finding the place, which was still masked in secrecy at this point, because of the typical Seattle area problem of 2nd Pl being right next to and mistaken as 2nd St. After a bit of a kerfuffel, we parked. And that's when I saw...(insert crescendoing music)...The Melting Pot! I have wanted to go there forever. I hadn't known that there was even one in Bellevue; I thought the only one was the one on Queen Anne. So. I was super excited. The food was awesome. For the special for two (or whatever it was called), first we got a fiesta cheese dipping sauce with all kinds of things to dip: bread, tortilla chips, apples (which were amazingly tasty in the fiesta cheese), and vegetables. Then they brought us a salad. Then the main course they brought the liquid concoction, the name of which alludes me right now, which we cooked shrimp, salmon, chicken, beef, and vegetables/mushrooms in. Now, you're thinking, Wow! What a great dinner. Oh. But that's not even it. Then there was dessert! We chose the yin yang, which was white chocolate swirled with dark chocolate and to dip in it we had: marshmallows, pound cake, cheese cake, strawberries, bananas, pineapple...SO YUMMY! Oh, and I had two glasses of a really great wine, which of course, I started to feel the effects of after half a glass. I asked if I seemed okay, was told I seemed fine, but I did feel slightly dizzy and worried that I wasn't coherent. lol



They even put a candle on the cheese cake slice! :)



The only unfortunate thing is that I didn't take any pictures. I brought the camera. But the lighting was very conducive to pictures in the restaurant.



I just don't think anything can top this birthday! :)

Nikki on 06.03.04 @ 07:26 AM PST [link]

Happy Birthday to Me!

So, here's today's pic. Someone suggested to me that I post a picture of myself on my birthday of my birthday. So this is what it looks like for Nikki to be 30 years old. Sigh. I just remembered that I wore this shirt on my birthday two years ago. lol But I like it...so there! Today should be good. Getting my hair done later. Going out tonight, plans are unknown so far by me. :) I was told only "nice but not fancy." So now I don't know if the blue dress is too fancy. Bringing back up clothing in case. :) Decided not to go to work today. Not quite sure what to do with myself until my hair appointment. So, am going to U-Village.



Remember, I took this pic myself on self-timer. Not the greatest. Hopefully better later. And on Saturday at the party.

Nikki on 06.02.04 @ 11:49 AM PST [link]

Flamingo Cake

I used to collect flamingo things. I don't know why. I think because, at the time, they were difficult to find so that way I knew the purchaser of the gift was really thinking about me. :) This particular birthday, which I am thinking is either 17 or 18, probably 17 because I have bangs, Mom made me a flamingo birthday cake. Cool, huh?



I have no recollection of what we're laughing about. There's another picture, same kind of group shot where we are really laughing and I almost drop the cake. Oh to be young again.



A question that I ask myself is, "Did you wear nothing but that Bart Simpson t-shirt all the time?"

Nikki on 06.01.04 @ 11:03 AM PST [link]