Officially Technological

I'm supposed to be working on my syllabus right now, but in true procrastinator's form.... I'm blogging instead. Brian is diligently working (or watching his mom work) on the inserts for our invitations in Alto right now. He just called to ask a few questions about whether I would prefer the pictures to be black and white or sepia, what's our webpage address, how wide the pictures should be, etc.... So, it sounds like they've got it under control on their end. My end? I'm not under control. My class starts Monday and I haven't even flipped open the cover of the book. Bad Julie.

But this post isn't about my lack of self control. This post is about Sam's lack of self control. Sam, for those of you not familiar with our family, is my (which Brian is always quick to point out when Sam's being bad) 9 and a half year old Jack Russel Terrier. Sam was my sweet-sixteen birthday present from my parents. And has been, if nothing else, a very amusing dog. He's usually pretty decent company if you like ornery pets. He snuggles like nobody's business and will sleep on your lap for years if you'd let him. His biggest flaws are that he is extremely stubborn and that he has little-man syndrome. Big dogs don't scare Sam, he shows agression to all sized dogs. In fact, he prefers a big dog. Apperently he feels more like a man if he's biting the ankles of a big dog rather than a small one.

Anyway, it's been quite an adjustment (and to be frank - not a smooth transition) for Sam to realize (rather abruptly) that he is now under the care of another male - Brian. Since I moved to my brother's house, in Indiana, Sam has been living with Brian, and the two of them are getting to know each other. So, a few days ago, I went over to Brian's, after he went to work, to get some stuff done and because Brian called in a hurry to tell me that he didn't have time to take Sam out. So, I went over, took Sam out, at which time he did not go... uh.... (how to put this delicately) number two. So, I was at Brian's all day and took Sam out several times none of which did he manage to go number two. Then, when I had to go to work, I put Sam in his kennel (because he hadn't gone number two), and Brian got home around 9 and took him out for a nice, long walk. They turned a corner and there was a big, black dog standing there. Immeadiately Sam starts to pull and strain and bark and make his hair stand up. And the big dog saw Sam and then there was something like a fight that Brian had to get in the middle of and grab my dog, kick the black dog off his leg and go running back down the street. Of course, Brian felt Sam's life was in jepordy (not to mention his own), so he's trying to make his escape and what does Sam do? Sam stopped in the nearest driveway to go number two. Obviously Sam has no appreciation for the grave peril in which his tender life hung in the balance.

But that's not all! Oh no, there's more. One of Sam's rules (he only has about 2 rules - neither of which he follows religiously) is that he's not allowed to stay out of his kennel while no one's home if he hasn't gone both number one and two when we took him out. His best bet is to get it over with first thing in the morning, and he knows this but he still doesn't care much for our rules. So, the day after the black dog day, Brian took Sam potty in the morning and Sam kinda lowered his bottem like he was going to sit down. Then he looked over his shoulder to Brian who was thinking to himself, "Is he trying to pretend like he's going number two?" Sure enough, Sam got back up and bolted to the door like he was all done.

MORAL: Sam is not to be trusted. Within twelve hours he almost killed Brian by leisurely doing his business mid-flight, and tried to pshyc him out by pretending to go to the bathroom when he didn't.

Things Brian and I Have In Common:

1. We both like OJ (the juice not the guy)
2. We both enjoy movies
3. We both think that "The Emperor's New Groove" is one of the best Disney movies.... ever.
4. We both like my car
5. We both hate coconut
6. We both like fast-food
7. We both like getting mail
8. We both miss Michigan
9. We're both night people (or at least not morning people)

Things Brian and I Don't Have in Common:

1. I like jelly with peanut butter, Brian doesn't
2. I hate spiders, Brian doesn't
3. I wear skirts, Brian doesn't
4. I have straight hair, Brian doesn't
5. Brian drives an Audi, I drive a Honda
6. I was from the "East Side", Brian was from the "West" (of Michigan - if you're from Michigan you know how much that actually means)
7. Brian likes his cereal crunchy, I like my cereal to be soggy
8. I think dark purple is a legitimate color to paint a laundry room, Brian doesn't

Last night I went out with my friends (the lunch ladies) from my old job. It was great. We chatted about stuff going on in our lives, they gave me presents, and we all had great food.

Then on the way home, I talked to Beth (most of the way home - until my battery died) and then for another hour or so after I got home and could plug my phone in.

And it occurred to me that there is nothing as wonderful as good girl friends. Don't get me wrong, if I had my druthers I would spend 117% of my time with Brian, but for some reason Brian doesn't seem to be able to sustain a 2 hour conversation about which shade of eyeliner I'm using this summer (I'm switching from my dusty brown to plum).

Today I got to spend a few hours with Brian before he went to work, and it was great, but never once did our conversation turn to eyeliner. :) Anyway, I think this is something of a break-through for me. I think I've finally learned that I need balance in my life. Yes, I probably desire to spend more time with Brian than with any other one person, but on the flip side, I see how strange my life would be without my girlfriends telling me what should go on the tables at the wedding, and endless (and necessary) details about what makes the perfect pair of jeans.

Call me old-fasioned, but it has never occured to me to keep any part of my last name after I get married. Not that there's anything wrong about keeping your last name (it's more of a cultural thing than anything else), but regardless I will not be keeping my last name. I have no reason to, really. Some people keep their last name for culture's sake (Hispanic cultures, for an example hyphinate their names). For some they keep their last names because for business (Meg Ryan probably will never change her last name), but when you're a German-ish person who's entire vocation is done in 12 hours a week... well, you see what I mean. So, I am changing my last name.

So, as I'm preparing for the post-wedding name changing, I keep a list of all the places I'm going to have eventually change my name, because eventually people are going to stop thinking of me as Julie W- and start thinking of me as Julie K-. So, here is a list of all the places I am going to need to change my name. It's not exhaustive, and if you have any more ideas, feel free to let me know.

• Cell Phone (I'm going to have to change my phone number eventually too)
• Car Loan
• Car Registration
• Car Insurance
• License
• E-mail
• Social Security Office (which maybe I should have mentioned first - for the guys out there, the SSO is the first place you go.
• Bank Accounts
• Post Office
• Voter's Registration
• Blockbuster (which is only important if you you're as frequent of a customer as I am)
• Credit Cards
• Library Card
• Employment Paperwork
• Resume

I know I'm missing some, but I don't have my list with me. So, that's all for now. But just remember ladies (and gentlemen who are disgruntled with their names), it's not for the faint of heart.

It's 74 degrees right now in Ft. Wayne, Indiana (my new home town). Other things that are 74 woud be:

• The wind in mph.
• The number of stores Brian and I went into to find ties for the wedding (OK, that may be a slight exaggeration, but probably not).
• The number of minutes before I can go back to Jeff and Margo's and eat dinner.
• The number of pages I've read in my novel (I just finished one, and I'm already on another one! I like this working part-time business. It leaves much more time to do the things that are really important - like looking for ties, and reading).

That's all I can think of right now. This weekend Brian and I are going to Lowell to be with his family for Easter. That should be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing people. And I have decided to make Whoopie Pies to take with us. Whoopie Pies are the treats that my family uses as an excuse to eat lots of sugar at Easter time. They're basically little round chocolate cakes (maybe 3 inches in diameter) with marshmellow creme frosting and green sprinkles (for grass) and jelly beans (to make them look especially Easter-y). Basically, it's the most amount of sugar you can cram into 7 cubic inches without having a gigantic Smartie. They're great. And this weekend is Brian's sister's (Hannah) birthday, so we will celebrate that as well. It should be fun. I'm looking forward to it.

There's a duck in the pond outside the school library (which is where I am). The duck's not moving at all, but the wind is blowing him straight across the pond... oh! He made it all the way across. I don't know why that strikes me as funny, but it does.

I got Brian The Chronicles or Narnia and gummy bears for his Easter basket, and I was so excited about it that I left it for him last night. Which makes mewonder if it was more for me than for him. Although so far I have been very good and have not even touched his gummy bears (he's hiding them in his room).

There goes another duck. LOL!

I think I'm starting to really de-stress. I was starting to feel really burnt out at my old job (which it kinda seems like I'm just taking a long vacation from). I was so tired i couldn't get anything done, and I had so much to do that even if I had had enough energy I couldn't accomplish it all in the amount of time I had. It wasn't the work so much, because as you all know, I didn't really do anything at work, I think it was the looking for a new job, moving, getting married, being sickish, etc. etc. etc. Anyway, I was really burnt out, but I'm feeling so much better now. I feel a like a human again, instead of being in survival mode all the time. I'm not sure if that makes sense to anyone but me. I think Easter should be a thankful/grateful holiday like a Thanksgiving for Christians. And that's one of the many blessings I'm thankful for this Easter. I'm thankful because for the first time in my life I'm peaceful about where my life is going. I'm really excited about marrying Brian, I'm pleased with my job, I feel like I'm doing something useful with my career, I'm happy about making Whoopie Pies and going to the in-laws' for Easter. I just feel restful. And for someone who's a little "tense" by nature, to feel "restful" is a blessed thing.

A Complete Inventory of the Three-Seasons Room
(at Brian's House)

• 2 Tables
• 8 chairs
• 1 Bathroom Cabinet
• Paint thinner
• 4 differnt kinds of Sand paper
• 4 Sponge brushes
• Grout Sealer
• Charcoal
• Paint sticks
• Paint rollers
• 1 Paint Scraper
• Wall Paper Remover
• 1 Paper Tiger
• 4 packages of Wainscot
• 1 gallon of Primer
• 3 Regular Paint Brushes
• Extra Tiles
• 1 can of White Spray Paint
• 1 Wall Paper Scraper
• 1 Grout Float
• 2 Paint Roller Pans
• 1 Grout Bucket
• 1 big fluffy Yellow Sponge
• 1 Yellow Paint Drop Cloth
• 1 Ziplock Baggie of screws
• 3 Screw Drivers
• 1 Bag of Tile Placers (I forget what they're really called)
• One Large Green Tote
• 2 Curtains
• 2 Curtain Rods

In case you can't tell, the three-seasons room is not a place of endless summer nights and romantic dinners. The three-seasons room is actually "Project Central". But the good news about that is that I finially finished my little coffee table. It looks great. I'll probably post some pictures soon because I'm very proud of it. Right now (since I made it for the three-seasons room and the three-seasons room isn't ready for a coffee table) it's the night-stand in the guest bedroom, which will be containing guests this week.

started teaching monday stop been fun stop been planning wedding stop crisis occured when mom could not find return of address labels for invitations stop she found them stop many rowdy adolescent boys sitting next to me in library right now stop they smell like boys stop brian and i enjoyed tcby today stop i stole all of brians quarters for tcby stop brian did not like that stop

Old Friend, new Friend,
Blue Friend, glue Friend,
One Friend,
Two Friends,
Friend's Friend's Friend's Friend.

Big Friends, small Friends,
Mall Friends, lull Friends,
Short Friends,
Tall Friends,
Only calls Friend.

Meet Friends, greet Friends,
Like Friends, love Friend,
Hugs and Shrugs
And Tugs and Slug Friends.

O the Friends for Friendly Friend Friends,
O the tends and mends of Good Friends.

(To all - thanks for helping through the move, the homesickness, the happiness, the boredem, the insanity, the fun, and the pleasures of the last month.)