Go Cloris Go!

Even though Cloris Leachman has been at the bottom of the leader board with very low scores the past 2 weeks she has managed to maintain her place on Dancing with the Stars. Unfortunately, Mark was kicked off this week with Kim, but you figure after the amazing season he had last year with Kristy, it wasn't likely to be that good again.

And as much as I hate to say it... Warren Sapp is actually doing well... it doesn't mean I have to like him though.

Shopping for a dress..

So Ricky and I went to the mall today because I wanted to look for a dress that I could wear to Ashley and Bryan's wedding as well as to the Golf Channel Christmas Party this year and Ricky was in need of some new pants for work. We had a nice lunch at the mall and found some really good deals on pants at a couple different department stores. One of the pairs of khaki slacks that Ricky foud normally retail for $100+ and we got them for $14.99 at Macy's. Yay for the clearance rack!

Meanwhile, I had been looking for a dress that would work for me. Unfortunately, I have always had an impossible time finding dresses that actual fit AND looked flattering on me. One size that fits in one store wont fit in the next. As we were in JCPenneys, Ricky suggested that I look at what they had in stock. Having been dress shopping there before I was hesitant, but figured why not. As we were walking around, we came across a cute little brown dress that Ricky really liked. They didn't have my exact size, but they had the size right below. I pulled it off the rack and decided to try it on. I didn't think it would fit, but to my surprise it fit perfectly fine and actually looked good on me. I couldn't believe it. I actually stood in the dressing room for a minute because I was so shocked. Of course we bought it and managed to save $30! All in all it was an extremely successful and surprising shopping experience.

A day at Universal...

Ricky & I with the Cat in the Hat

All wet after the Popeye ride

Ricky & I at Universal

David & Annika before riding Spiderman

Awww... he's thinking of me.... =)

Choked...

Yeah... so those of you true Chuck fans out there who really loved the book Choke might find yourself wanting to leave the theater after the first 5 minutes of this loose "representation." For a film that is only supposed to be 92 minutes long, it felt like an eternity. When we found out that the movie was only 92 minutes long, we were confused. How could a book that is 100 pages longer than Fight Club be half the length of the Fight Club movie?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Choke, it is another novel written by Chuck Palahniuk (the author of Fight Club). Many people have seen the Fight Club film, and haven't read the book, but if one were to read the book, they would see the direct correlation between the two a would be able to say that the movie maintained the integrity of the book. This is not true for Choke. All I can assume is that Clark Gregg didn't truly understand the book and the overall theme it presented in its pages. He basically had an idea in his mind of the type of film that he wanted to make and pretty much ignored the integrity of the book.

To be honest, I don't even know where to begin. Well.. I take that back... the perfect thing to say is that the movie was the total disappointment that I thought it was going to be. The storyline didn't flow, the actors didn't do the characters justice, and above all... it was boring. So much of the book was left out of this film, that the only thing I can say reflected portions of the book were the names of the characters and the title of the film. The satirical and smart book that I have loved since I first opened to the first page was completely absent in what can only be called a stupid stoner movie version loosely inferring connection with a masterpiece in contemporary literature.

Ok.... ranting aside... the film as a movie was not successful. Several storylines flow throughout the movie, but none of them are ever resolved. They seem to start in the middle and end in the middle. There seemed to be no beginning-middle-end structure and to be honest, lacked a climax and closure. I felt that it was very hard to connect or feel for any of the characters. I didn't care about Victor or his mother, and I definitely didn't feel a sense of accomplishment for Denny. They didn't even end the movie correctly. Bad.... just bad sums it up.

What it comes down to is this... the movie was disgrace to the integrity of the book I have been such a fan of and to be honest this is one I don't even plan I purchasing the DVD if and when it ever comes out.

What will save this evening of bad movie watching?? The debates are on in 45 minutes... finally something interesting.

Running Hot and Cold...

There are many times where you just feel like nothing is going your way and everything is about to collapse. While other times you are so filled with excitement and happiness that you wonder why you ever worried in the first place. My mom and Ricky always tell me that things are going to work themselves out and although I know this to be true, I worry anyway. After all the dust settles and I hear all of the, "I told you so's" all I can say is, "I know I know."

As an update to my prayer request... I didn't receive the unemployment in my account this morning, but they did issue me a check for the full 8 weeks worth. So I should be receiving it in the next couple of days. =)

So for all of you who have put up with my worrying for the entirety of my life thank you! It's probably not going to get any better, but will promise you one thing.. I will always be appreciative of all of your support, love and understanding.

In need of a little miracle....

A quick request...

Ricky and I would just like to ask for your prayers and thoughts this evening for my unemployment to go through tomorrow. If you didn't read my earlier postings back in August, Bush decided to initiate an Emergency Unemployment Compensation plan to give previous unemployed individuals 13 extra weeks of unemployment. Because I was laid off in 2007 and am still unemployed I qualified for this compensation. Unfortunately, because I worked for a school system they have been holding my benefits for over 8 weeks now. That's a large sum of money that we were hoping for in order to pay several bills and to buy groceries. Still, every 2 weeks I claim my weeks and do everything I am suppose to do and when Friday rolls around..nothing.

It may not seem very significant and with all of the other issues our government and economy are facing I know it may not seem that important, but to our family it is very important. So any thoughts and prayers you can send our way would be greatly appreciated. I am sitting on pins and needles in hope that tomorrow will finally be the day.

Thank you for all of your support and prayers thus far.

Dancing with the Stars Update..

Well, 2 down and 11 couples to go. To be honest this season I haven't been able to pick a favorite couple yet. There are several couples that look like they have the potential to be really good, but unlike last year, there isn't really anyone who you look at and say "I know they are going to win." Last year Kristy was just that good.

All I can say is that I am so glad Rocco did better on his Latin dance and that he gets to come back next week. I would really like him to succeed since I do enjoy watching his cooking show. One person I wouldn't mind going home would be Warren Sapp. Ever since I met him at Disney while I worked at Blizzard I have never really been a big fan. Nevertheless, we will miss Jeffrey and Ted, but hopefully the rest of the season will prove to be an exciting one.

Being Sick

I hate being sick. The worst part is that I knew it was coming. Every year around this time, I would come down with a cold or the flu or something that would cause my sinuses to get blocked up. And how do I know this to be true you might ask? Because its smack dab in the middle of swim season. It always happens during swim season.. not to mention that it usually happened right before a tough meet too. For example... tonight the SPHS swim team is going against Palm Harbor (one of our newly developed rivals) and I am sick. If I were in high school this would suck because it is already going to be hard enough to race them, but now I can't breathe. I just think it is ironic that this happens every year like clockwork. I tell you... sometimes being predictable is a pain in the sinuses.

Thank You...

One thing I have learned from Calvin & Hobbes... sometimes the
answer to the hardest question, is the simplest one.

I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their support yesterday. It was so encouraging to receive all of those emails and comments. I think between being sick and the continuation of all of the rejections I have gotten all summer, it just starts to wear on you.

I am currently applying to another branch of the library for the same position. I am hoping that good things are to come, but we shall see. The posting doesn't close until the 2nd of October so I know I won't hear anything before then. But we shall see. Who knows, maybe my unemployment will finally go through. I'll keep you posted and thank you for all of you encouragement.

A good evening...

After a rough afternoon filled with not so great phone calls and feeling under the weather, tonight definitely helped my demeanor. Once Ricky got home, I was able to give him a hug and I made dinner for everyone. I started to feel better and calmed down a bit.

After dinner, once I had fully calmed down and watched a relaxing episode of Jeopardy, I began to get excited because tonight was the premiere of Dancing with the Stars. So, drugged up on Tylenol Cold Medicine and Advil, I watched the premiere with Ricky. Unfortunately, because I am sick, Ricky didnt want to sit too close because we need him to go to work.

I must say Dancing with the Stars once again does not disappoint. As usual, there were a few that looked very awkward (Rocco and Cloris .. bless her heart), the really good (Misty, Toni, and Lance) and the very humorous (Jeffrey). I am looking forward to the rest of the season because I feel there are several people that have a lot of room for improvement. But, we shall see what happens. In the end, I felt they all did a pretty good job, but it will of course come down to votes. And yes.... I did vote (all 13 votes).

Favorite Quote of the Premiere:
Jeffrey Ross: "Speaking of ballroom, these pants are very tight."

Library Job Update...

Well, if there was ever a person who heard the word "No" more than me I would like to meet them. In case the first sentence wasn't a dead giveaway, I didn't get the job at the library. They called me a few minutes ago and told me that the only reason I didn't get the job was because someone ended up transferring to their branch from another branch. But any way you slice it, its still a no. She did say that I did really well in my interview and that if another position were to open at their branch that I should definitely apply. That made me feel a little bit better, but it still gives me a heavier sinking with every rejection. There's always a reason.... there's always a no.

For anyone who thinks the economy is still doing well and for anyone who thinks times aren't as bad as they seem.... you are obviously blind. Just to total up my time thus far (not including the fact that I was a substitute because I made all of $1500) I have been unemployed for 16 months now. Almost a year and a half... and with every rejection I am starting to get to the point where I really don't want to get excited about anything anymore because once I do, that's when the rejection starts. I'm tired of being disappointed and I am tired of being rejected.

My only hope now is that I get an acceptance letter for grad school since I cant seem to get one from anywhere else.

Another Wonderful Trip to Seaworld...

Ricky and I got a little wet riding Atlantis

How adorable is he?

Ricky and I before Clyde and Seamore

Did we forget to get on the bus???

Cutest little UCF fan ever!

Ricky & Alana enjoying some chips and dip

Alana taking pictures

Ricky helping Alana fly

Ricky & I watching the game @ Dave & Annika's House

UCF DECIDED NOT TO SHOW UP TO THE GAME AGAINST BOSTON COLLEGE
(34 - 7 BOSTON COLLEGE)

IF I HAD TO PICK 3 WORDS TO DESCRIBE TODAY'S GAME THEY WOULD BE:
OH MY GOODNESS

Today we went over to spend the day with Dave, Annika, and Alana to watch the UCF vs. Boston College game on ESPN U. It was a lot of fun to spend some time with them since we haven't gotten to do that in a while outside of tailgating. We grilled some amazing burgers that Annika prepared and I of course supplied the homemade French Onion Dip. I also got to play with Alana, which is always a fun time and we found out that she is becoming a very talented photographer.

Now, the difference between the fun we had during the day and the "fun" we had watching the game are two totally different things. The game started out slow, but we were hopeful. Silly us, silly us. It only got worse and worse. Well, after the first half of the game, UCF was at least winning 7 to 3. There was a little bit of hope, but we all knew the dreaded 3rd quarter was approaching. And wouldn't you know it, we were right. UCF never scored again and yet BC managed to show up for the second half. I will say this though, the commentators were right. Throughout the entire game, the commentators kept saying, "No one is going to win this game, but instead someone is going to lose it." Sure enough, we did and did it badly.

All around it was such a good day and I am looking forward to spending time with them again next weekend at Universal Studios. Now if only we could get UCF to win a game or two... yea.. I think that would be a good idea.

A Productive Day

Well I must say, I think I have been more productive today than I have been in a long time. Not that I don't get things accomplished during the day at home, but there is just something about having to drive all over creation that just gives you a good sense of accomplishment that working at home doesn't bring.

I had my interview with the library this morning and it seemed to go rather well. I was able to answer all of their questions and the overall feel was very comfortable. I was even asked a few questions that I have never been asked in interviews before, so it was a nice change. Now I just have to sit back and see what happens. I will definitely keep everyone posted on that one.

After my interview, I was able to make it to a pilot test that I had scheduled which is always nice. They started up the pilot testing again so I am doing those in order to make a couple extra bucks. I am hoping that if I can get the job in the library and I can do pilot testing, then I will finally be able to contribute a little to the financial cause.

After pilot testing, I went and had lunch with one of my favorite people in the world (Jack) and MT and Nicastro. We had lunch at the mall and joked about baseball. It was just a great time as always. Just to finish off my productive afternoon, I dropped off my transcripts from DBCC to UCF and my application is now complete. Now more waiting begins.

Waiting... ugh... that's always the worst part. BUT at least there is UCF football this weekend.

Certificate Update

IT IS HERE!!!!!

Today I officially received my Professional Teaching Certificate in the mail!! If you can imagine me doing a little happy dance that should only be done in the privacy of your own home, then you are probably looking at something that is not only accurate, but unmistakeably hilarious.

I found out that apparently one of the reasons you do not receive your professional certificate until you get a job is because the issuance of a certificate requires fingerprinting. Apparently, since I had fingerprinting done in order to be a substitute, they had them on file so I could be issued a certificate. Granted, I am not 100% sure that is what happened, but whatever the case may be, I received it in the mail today.

So.... since I received my actual certificate, I was able to apply to grad school today for the program I wanted. I applied for the Art Education MEd program at UCF. All I have to do now is get my tetnus booster shot, get the doctor to sign my immunization form, and send it in with my transcripts from DBCC (All of which I am taking care of tomorrow... after my interview of course). Then... we wait again... woo hoo. At least one step of the process has been completed. I will keep everyone informed as the days go on as to the progress of my application. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers thus far. They were greatly appreciated.

The rainbow

These are the 2 photos I took today of the rainbow that was pretty much over our house. I couldn't get the whole rainbow in one photo because of its size and I took the photos on my cell phone, but I just found it interesting that it was over our house. That has to be a good sign right??

An Interview on Friday..

So today I received a phone call from the Orange County Library for an interview for a part time job at their circulation desk. I am excited... and a hoping that this could be a possible job for me. Granted, it is only part time, but that is ten times better than the no time I am working now. The interview is on Friday at 9am.

Everybody pray! (and for my certificate to arrive soon too!)

Have you ever???

Have you ever stood in front of the mirror in your underpants and said, "Today is the day I conquer the world?"

Never??

Well, this is how I felt today when I called the Florida Department of Education and found out that they are mailing me my certificate. I know, I was excited too.

Now I haven't received it yet so I am trying not to get too excited, but according to the guy I spoke to today, my "certificate" was mailed out last Thursday. Don't worry I will keep you posted as to the whereabouts and progress of the certificate as the week goes along.

BBQn' on a Bye Week!

First of all... I must say that I am truly proud of our UCF fans. We were watching College Game Day (as we usually do on Saturdays) and what do we see in the background. That's right a UCF FAN! Ricky was so excited that he took this picture of the TV. Those doubters of UCF fans may say, well it was a relatively close location. But you would be wrong. They we in Southern California for the Ohio State vs. USC game. That's right.... Southern California.... our UCF fan got air time for his UCF sign. Now I know that there are other schools that experience this sort of thing on a regular basis, BUT this time it was us... GO KNIGHTS! (and we didn't even have a game today)

Ricky and I relaxing on the couch watching college football

Ricky acting goofy

Ricky grilling steaks for dinner

This week UCF had a bye week so Ricky and I found ourselves longing for football and a little tailgating. We had football for the past few weekends and now we dont have another home game until October. So Ricky's family decided to come over and BBQ while watching 5 to 6 different games throughout the course of the day. We switched between Michigan/Notre Dame, Purdue/Oregon, FAU/Michigan State, Memphis/Marshall and others (and now the USC/Ohio State game) For our menu, they brought over steaks, salad, baked potatoes, and delicious chocolate pudding cake. It was a great day and a lot of fun to be able to watch football in the comfort of our air-conditioned house. Now dont get me wrong, I love a good tailgating session, but this time of year is just a bit too hot for games and tailgating it the middle of the afternoon.

Words of Wisdom...

The past week has definitely been interesting. I have been driving myself crazy over the grad school application because I am still in the process of figuring out which Master's program I should be applying for. Because of my non-employed status and my skipping over my temporary certificate with EPI, apparently I have made life more complicated instead of easier. But as I was sitting in the shower today contemplating life, I was reminded of a quote that my dad told me a long time ago.

He told me:
"If the path you are on is getting difficult or seems too hard... It just means you are going in the right direction."

After thinking about that, it actually made me feel better. As usual I am working myself up for no reason, but I guess it just takes some calm and focused thinking to get you back on the train of thought you need to be on.

UCF Grad Fair

So today, I went to the Grad Fair at UCF with the intention of finding out which Master's Program I wanted to enter. The fair started at 4:30 so I figured if I got there right when it started, I would have time to walk around and get the information that I needed. Incorrect answer. There were so many people at the Grad Fair, it was unreal.

I have been deciding between going for Art Education or Creative Writing. It has been a tough choice because I can start Art Ed in the spring, but I cannot start Creative Writing until the fall. I was hoping to be able to start in the spring because I wanted to feel like I am doing something productive even though I still cannot seem to find a job.

As I was walking around the hoards of people, I finally found the Education section. Unfortunately, there weren't any professors from the Art section there, so I really didn't have anyone specific to speak to. I attempted to get information from one individual, but I' not sure she understood my situation exactly. Under normal circumstances this wouldn't be a problem because I know I want to try Art Education, but unfortunately, there are 2 different kinds of master's and I want to make sure I choose the right one. I don't think she understood my situation in those terms, so I am going to send an email to the director of the program to see if I can get a better understanding of what it is that I actually need. Once I find that out, I will be able to apply. Hopefully, I will be able to apply within the next day or so. As I continue the process, I will make sure that I update everyone.

Until then, I am looking into financing my master's and still attempting to find a job. Hopefully, the outcome will be relatively soon and hopefully positive.

The worst tradition ever!

Ricky & I @ the game

Dave & Annika

Smokin' Joe running in for our 1st touchdown of the night

Greco warming up

My cousin Henry carrying the American Flag in the Color Guard

UCF CONTINUES LOSING TRADITION AGAINST "RIVALS" USF BULLS
31 - 24 (OVERTIME)

The three words to describe this game would have to be:
TENSE, 3RD QUARTER, & INCHES
(yes I now thats 4 words technically, but work with me)

For the 4th year in a row, UCF managed to come up short against the Bulls of USF. Granted, the game was not a blow out this year by any means. We tailgated prior to the start of the game for several hours. Aside from the heat and the orange box "hamburgers" the tailgating went well. It was also very nice to see Dave and Annika again since it has been awhile.

This as a very interesting and highly attended game because this is supposedly the last time UCF and USF will play for awhile. Most people believe that there is not a rivalry between UCF and USF, but considering the number of fights that took place during the game and the taunting between the fans, I would say the only one that doesn't want the rivalry is the USF coach. All I know is that there is at least a rivalry between my cousins since one goes to USF and one that goes to UCF.

Aside from the Greenberg household rivalry, this game was special because my cousin got to carry the American Flag in the color guard during pregame. He did an excellent job and they looked excellent. Ricky walked around the stadium to get closer photos and managed to get a lot of really good shots. The hardest ones to get were during the national anthem because the flag was directly in front of his face. Nonetheless we still managed to get some great pictures.

The game was great up until half time. The score was tied 10-10. We had hope. Then the 3rd quarter came and things went downhill. It wasn't until 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter that things started getting interesting. Within the last 3 minutes, UCF scored 2 touchdowns and USF missed a field goal. The end of the regular game, the score was tied 24-24.Unfortunately, during overtime, USF scored and we missed our opportunity on 4th down by about 4 inches. It was so close and yet we were so far. The only problem is that now we can't say next year because there isn't one.

Fortunately, we have next week off and then 2 away games so we have some time to recover from this week. Besides, we only have 2 more out of conference games (Boston College and Miami) and the rest are C-USA games, which are the games that count. So here's hoping the conference games go a lttle more smoothly than this game did. We just need more consistency and our large number of freshmen need more experience.

A gloomy depressing day...

I suppose it is appropriate that it is a gloomy day outside since I am feeling kind of down. The 10 day counts for most counties are in and the deluge of rejection letters has begun. For awhile, the letters had stopped. It was my assumption that the positions that were left were waiting for the 10 day to see if the budgets were going to be there since most of them were Art positions. I was holding onto that little piece of hope that I was actually going to get a call for an interview that would ultimately lead to a job. My mistake. The schools were indeed waiting for the 10 day count, but instead of phone calls and interviews, I am getting emails and rejections. I keep waiting for that right job to come around, but it doesn't seem to want to show its face. Because of this, it gets me to thinking, maybe there isn't one out there for me. How depressing a thought is that?

So to counteract my depressing thoughts, I decided to entertain the idea of going back to school. Ricky and I discussed the possibility of me going back and getting my Masters. Granted, I would be getting more student loans, but in this day and age who doesn't have them? One of the concerns that I had was the fact that I knew Ricky wanted to go back to start taking a few more classes. The plus side, is that if he started to go back he could enter the reimbursement plan with the Golf Channel so my going back wouldn't affect his ability to go back. So I am seriously considering this course of action. There is a Grad Fair at UCF on Tuesday that I plan on attending in the afternoon to find out more information. There are a couple different courses of action that I might take and I figured it would be a good idea to talk to the right people. I do miss taking classes and to be honest, if I had nothing but money I would probably be one of those continuous students. I love to learn and I thoroughly enjoy the learning process.

Ultimately, I think this is a path that I might need to go down because I am tired of being stuck in a place where I am overqualified for one half of the jobs and underqualified for the rest. I just want employers to finally say, "We need you" versus my saying, "Please I'll do anything."

*On a side note, I am curious as to your thoughts on the matter so I have posted a poll on the blog to see what you think.*

Kristine's Birthday Part Two

Enrico, Kristine, and Kenneth @ Ale House

Ricky and I @ Ale House

3 pounds of Gummi Bears... life is good...

I'm just not sure...

After we got back from Seaworld, we relaxed for a little while and then headed to Ale House for dinner. There ended up being 6 of us there (Kenneth, Kristine, me, Ricky, Enrico, and Tara) We sat and chatted for several hours and managed to have a very nice dinner. It was a great day overall and I am pretty sure Kristine had a great birthday.

Kristine's Birthday Part One

Kenneth trying to be Shamu

Howard the Penguin

Kenneth petting Howard

Yesterday was Kristine's 22nd Birthday. One of the things that Kristine wanted to do was to go to Seaworld and pet a penguin. On prior trips to Seaworld, we discovered that they have extra little tours that you can get once you enter the park. One of Seaworld's "World of Discoveries" is called the Polar Expedition Tour. This tour lasted about an hour during which, we got to go to the backstage area and see the new beluga whale that just recently joined the exhibit as well as a few seals and a polar bear. The tour was actually filled with a lot of good information and was relatively entertaining. The climax of the tour was that we actually got to pet a Magellean Penguin.

One of the things they warn you about before you go in is that you have to stand to the side of the penguin otherwise they may be startled or scared. The problem with them being scared is not that it upsets the penguin, but rather, penguins are known to be projectile poopers. When they get scared, they can project poop up to 6 feet. Fortunately, none of us got pooped on and we managed to get some really cute pictures.

To be honest, it was definitely worth it to get to touch a penguin and experience something new at Seaworld. It was a great morning/afternoon.

We'll miss you movie trailer guy...

For those of you who haven't heard, Don laFontaine passed away today at 68. If you are not familiar with who he is, he is one of the main voices you hear on movie trailers. He recently did a Geico commercial where he parodies himself. Granted, he was not the only person who did voices for trailers, but he is one of the most recognizable.

If you want to have a good laugh, here is a video that has the main 5 voices of movie trailers, all in one limo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQRtuxdfQHw