i can’t wrap my mind around this story … how is it even possible? a moving train? and isn’t the baby attached by a cord or something? EXPLAIN THIS TO ME. please.

peek-a-boo!

look! there’s blonde, red AND brown!

emo kid.

scary face!

hmmm….

thoughts?

the debate was magical last night. it’s neat to see democracy in action … i can’t wait for plans to be implemented! it’s time for a change!

oh! my valentine’s gift came in. isn’t it pretty?
 

and btw, see what i come home to every day? tres adorable!

well, i’m off to my doctor’s appointment… then, it’s VOTIN’ TIME!

loves and AOT,
–jen

here’s some important voting info for texas democrats.

essentially, if you want your vote to fully count, you have to go back after the polls close to caucus. blarg.

the POSITIVE change the nation will experience is going to be totally worth it, though. promise.

*totally off-topic*

we’ve been watching weeds the past week or so, and finally finished season one. it’s a delightfully messed up show. we love it.

loves and AOT,
–jen

there was an eclipse yesterday. around 9, alex, riley and i went outside to see it.

fortunately, there was a small break in the clouds, and we could see the beginnings of it. it was a weird red color, slowly taking over the moon’s face. really cool.

alex told me to go get the camera. i did. i get back outside, and the clouds took over. sniff. no cool pictures for you to see.

it sucks, because i only got to see a few seconds of it, and it was gone.

lol, he was looking at the “stars” moving … i pointed out it was just really high planes. he didn’t believe me. he’s so cute.

one of the web comics i read just encapsulates last night:

lol!

what else?! … oh yeah. i have two free tickets to this sunday’s bridal show. any one wanna go with me? (the perks of being a registry writer, i guess.)

don’t forget, the obama/clinton debate is on cnn tonight at 7. broadcasting from austin. watch it. (then watch lost, duh)

i get to vote tomorrow! hooray!

loves and AOT,
–jen

p.s. the weirdest/dumbest/grossest thing EVER:

(source: TMZ.com)

people are after our tax rebate.

the government is trying to keep us informed.

juno was an awesome movie.

christina’s baby pictures are worth twice as much as nicole’s.

president clinton shook a kid’s hand.

lost is one of the most complex (and enjoyable) shows out there.

kosovo, 1 … serbia, 0. (congrats!)

it’s too close to call texas. yet.

damn formaldehyde.

lol. a list of the world’s worst dictators. aren’t all dictators, well, dicks?

no day is complete without the random wikipedia article of the day…

… hope you’ve enjoyed a small sampling of my randomness.

loves and AOT,
–jen

i’m starting to feel better again, slowly. being sick has really taken a lot out of me.

riley went to the groomer saturday. she smelled from the previous two weeks of ickiness, and looked really ratty, (despite us brushing her daily).

i asked them to trim the hair down a bit, and they did. really, really short. she’s still cute, but looks so different. i’m sure it’s liberating for her, and honestly, it’s easier for me. besides, the hair will grow back …

stretching out on the bed…

“what did you do to me?!”

“ok, the haircut is growing on me…”

bathtime!!

today: me, at work, on the phone.

loves and AOT,
–jen

i woke up this morning, and my right foot managed to find riley’s poop in the dark. oh, the re-training of the dog starts today.

she’s doing so fantastic, btw. everything looks good and normal so far; we just have to keep the e-collar on her until next week (which is a pain). today’s the first day we’ve left her alone at home in two weeks. hopefully nothing gets ruined while we’re gone.

…

i don’t know how i feel about valentine’s day. as i said yesterday, it’s a pointless holiday created by greeting card companies. i totally believe that. i don’t understand getting overpriced flowers (out of an already-tight joint budget) to have them die in a few days.

but once i get to work, and see all the other girls with their flowers, i get a little sad.

it’s not that he wouldn’t have bought me flowers. i told him no, more than once. and despite the pangs of sadness, i stand by that. but still, it’d be nice to have some sunflowers sitting on my desk… lol.

and i don’t really appreciate that valentine’s day being geared mostly toward women. the poor men of the world stress out to get her a gift or gifts (which she only wants as proof of his adoration for her) and he gets little to nothing in return.

does the gift(s) we get our men ever measure up to what they do for us? probably not. i want to change that, and have been trying to for four years.

i wanted to show my husband that i loved and appreciated him just as much as he does me. i know when he gets home tonight, he will shower me with gifts and attention (because he wants to, not because i make him). i wanted to do the same.

he was going to get a video game he’s been wanting for months, but they
keep pushing back the release date. i’ve had that idea since last year.
i was banking on it. a few weeks ago, they pushed the date back again,
and i was without gift. i had an epiphany the other day, and rushed out to get it.

since he’s at work, and won’t have a chance to read this until after dinner tonight, i can share with you all what i got him. it’s more practical than anything, but he’ll appreciate it. i got him a divx dvd player. he’s got a lot of things on his computer that he wants to watch, and now he can burn it to a disc and watch it somewhere other than the computer screen. i am a genius.

the other part of his gift? dinner. he was in charge of dinner arrangements last year, and this year it was my turn.

i ended up spending 90 minutes at target last night, getting ingredients for tonight’s dinner. we’re having a ribeye roast with potatoes, mushrooms and fancy pan gravy. garlic bread. sparkling cider. and if i have time, a fabulous chocolate/peanut butter dessert. mmmmm …

switching gears slightly …

as most of you know, i consider myself an independent woman, despite being married. (most people consider marriage the kiss of death on a woman’s indy mentality … not me) i enjoy reading empowered women’s thoughts. i have a long line of blogs i keep up with, and one pointed me in this story’s direction.

essentially, it’s about a woman who never wanted to settle. she decided to skip love (basically skipping men in general) and had a baby on her own. there was absolutely nothing she couldn’t herself. life was hunky dory.

now, she’s realizing, that maybe she should have settled. she’s just looking for someone she could stand, and vice versa. no care for love, attraction, spark … just someone who can be there to change a lightbulb when needed.

while i don’t agree with her, she has a very compelling argument FOR settling, and i suppose it would strike a chord with some women to follow in said mentality.

the story just made me sad for her. sad for women who lower their standards so they won’t be alone. i’m not saying to be super-picky, though. EVERYONE has their quirks and annoyances. you have to weigh those against what you feel you can live with.

women may feel like they can take the world on alone, but in ten or twenty years, she’ll more than likely be changing her tune. don’t let yourself get to that point. just keep an eye open for someone worthy, and don’t count him out just because he eats crackers in bed or something. good luck, girls.

for me, i just feel grateful for not settling. i found the whole
package. while being an independent woman, i know when to give it up
and let another person (read: man) in (whether it’s for comfort, help or whatever). so far, i haven’t lost my sense of self in
this relationship, which shows me that no woman has to, either.

(with that said, don’t go on a perpetual man-hunt. just be open to the idea of a mr. right, instead of a mr. okay. you CAN live without a man, quite successfully, but don’t do it because your independent pride says you should. get over yourself. you’ll find a happier you in the process.)

loves and AOT,
–jen