Jana Land

Orlando!

2008-05-07T13:26:00.003-04:00

I just got back from our annual business trip to Orlando. While we do have to go to meetings and seminars, it is still a lot of fun. We flew out Thursday at 6:00 am and we were in Orlando at 9:20 am. Our group was split up this year with multiple flights and as always, multiple hotels. Some of us got checked in and were at the bar drinking by 11:00. While it is a great time and I love drinking during the day, it makes for a very long day. After a few $6.50 Bud Lights we decided to head to another hotel that had a hospitality room set up for us. That's right all the free beer and food a person could ask for. Of course, with my short attention span, I got bored rather quickly and moved onto the main hotel where everything was going down. The hotel has it planned out perfectly though. They close the hospitality room at 5:00 and there is no more free beer until the next event at 7:30. So once they get us all drinking, they know we are going to pay ridiculous amounts of money for alcohol. Of course, I continued to drink until we got more free beer. By this time, my feet were killing me and I would have cut off my arm to just sit down. They did things differently this year. On the first night we usually have a dinner with 8,000 co-workers. Following the dinner was a concert. This year we had a huge outdoor party with different sections. MTV was even there hosting. It was a great idea and a lot of fun. I wish I would have gotten the memo on it being casual dress because I felt like a huge douche dressed up with my painful shoes. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. By 8:30 I was ready to go back to the hotel because my feet felt like they were bleeding.

The next day I had to go to my half day seminars and had a half day to do whatever I wanted to. After the seminars, I ate lunch with my friend, Dylan. He was trying to talk me into going to the pool. Not that I was eager to get in a swimsuit in front of what seemed like a million people, but I honestly couldn't find one the night before in my massive amount of shit piled in the spare room. I told him that I was going to go back to my room and take a 20 minute nap. Well, 20 minutes turned into two hours and it was awesome! I turned my phone off and just relaxed, something I don't get to do very often. I woke up to a bunch of voicemails, but I was ready to head out for the evening. Friday evening is always spent at Universal Studios. They close down part of the park just for us. There is no waiting in lines and anything you want to eat or drink is free. It's a really good time, but I don't think it lasts long enough. Our bus had a horrible smell of pee and of course it took us longer to get there than most people. I am a chicken when it comes to riding big scary rides so I was immediately discouraged when everyone went straight for the Drop Tower. That's when I became the official purse lady. The next ride they chose was The Hulk. I again was the purse lady. So as I am standing there waiting on everyone some girl comes up to me and asks me for a cigarette. Of course, I gave her one and we introduced ourselves. After a little bit of small talk I asked her where she was from and she said St. Louis. She said, "I'm part of the Taylor family." For those of you who don't know, Jack Taylor is the founder of our company. He started the business 51 years ago in the basement of a dealership with 6 cars. Now he has over 1 million cars on rent!!! Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool that she bummed a cigarette off of me. I was telling everyone about it, but they convinced me that she was probably lieing to me.

The next evening was our closing ceremony. The Marriott actually built an extra are on just for us because they didn't have a room that could accommodate us in the past. The conference room alone was the size of two football fields! It was pretty amazing to be sitting in the front and look back at all the people. Our group won an Exceptional Achievement Award this year so we were pretty pumped about that. Only 23 of 170+ groups and regions won this award this year. At the end Andy Taylor introduced us to his family and showed their pictures on the big screen. It was confirmed that the girl that bummed a cigarette from me was from the Taylor family. Her name is Allie and it was her birthday! So we sat through that and went to the "Club Hop." Basically they turned a bunch of conference rooms into bars with different themes. It was actually pretty cool. It seemed like a lot of people either went to bed early or went to another bar. After I was the last one standing, I headed back towards the bus. I ran into Dylan and Vince who were at my hotel as well. We met a girl from Texas on the bus. By this time is was after 1:00 and I had to get up at 4:00 in order to catch my flight home. Someone mentioned it would be a good idea to get beer and just stay up so that's exactly what we did until about 2:45. I snuck off to my room because I knew I couldn't make it anymore. My roommate told me that going to sleep would be the worst thing in the world and she was right. An hour later, which felt like a minute, the alarm started buzzing in my ear. After an hour of hitting the snooze button, I realized that I needed to be on the bus on my way to the airport and I hadn't even showered yet. I jumped up, got a shower and was ready in 20 minutes. I was almost the last one to the airport. Actually the last one to the airport on my flight didn't make it on the flight because he missed it. I almost did, but I slid in there just in time. Anyway, riding on a plane with an hour sleep and a slight hangover is the worst thing ever. I ended up getting sick because of my lack of sleep and I am still paying for it today.

So in a nutshell, a boring nutshell, there's Orlando.

I Guess I Won't Be Going There

2008-04-29T12:13:00.003-04:00

I have been thinking about getting LASIK eye surgery for awhile. I have never been very serious about it. There is one doctor I have heard about that does an awesome job. I actually went to his office last summer to ask about the consultation, but I didn't have the time and I can't wear my contacts for two weeks prior to the consultation. I didn't go back and I sure am glad I didn't. Read the article below about the "awesome" doctor I was going to trust my sight with.

Eye doctor pleads guilty to fake prescriptions
A Charleston eye doctor has pleaded guilty to writing fake prescriptions.
Dr. R. David Allara, 52, admitted in federal court Monday to writing the prescriptions to several women in exchange for information about a woman he was dating.
He pleaded guilty via information to one count of aiding and abetting another person in getting hydrocodone by fraud or deception.
An information, which cannot be filed without a defendant's permission, generally indicates that a defendant is cooperating with prosecutors.
Allara surrendered his medical license in August and attended a substance abuse treatment program in Williamsburg, Va. Last month, the state Board of Medicine, which had suspended his license, restored his ability to practice medicine and placed him on three years probation.
The former captain of the West Virginia University basketball team told Chief U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin that he was once addicted to cocaine, and that he hasn't used cocaine for 11 months or consumed alcohol in nine months.
Allara said he knew that the prescriptions he wrote to Danielle Lewis, Charity Grisanti, Julie Shoup, Cindy Merrill and Michelle Merrill between August 2005 and April 2006 served no medical purpose. He helped the women obtain the drugs so that Lewis, who was friends with Brandace Kinder, whom he was dating at the time, would provide him with information about the woman.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Schwartz said that the amount of drugs he prescribed was not typical for his practice as an eye surgeon.
In December, a former patient sued Allara in Kanawha Circuit Court, alleging he performed LASIK eye surgery on her without recognizing that she had a relatively rare condition that made the surgery too risky.
In addition, the suit alleges Allara treated the patient while high.
"Upon information and belief, Dr. Allara examined and/or treated Sherry Dew while he was impaired and under the influence of cocaine and/or other illicit drugs," the suit reads.
According to the Board of Medicine's Web site, Allara has faced five malpractice allegations. The first was dismissed in 1994, and the following four settled for $40,000, $30,000, $75,000 and $900,000.
The last settlement, for surgery performed in 2003, was finalized in December 2007, according to the site.
Goodwin released Allara on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond. Allara faces up to four years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced on July 17.

What To Do?

2008-04-28T11:53:00.003-04:00

So I got my economic stimulus rebate put into my account on Friday. I didn't know it was coming that soon or that I had it in my account until a few minutes ago. I guess I got mine early because I used direct deposit for my regular taxes and the last two digits of my SSN are 11 (apparently that's how they determine who gets them first). Since money burns a hole in my pocket I am dieing to spend it. I think that I should purchase Rock Band for the PS3 that we never play. We almost bought it on Saturday, but we decided to get the cornhole boards out. Well, the bags are locked up in the camper so we never did either one. I knew we should've bought Rock Band. PC thinks I should pay my Lerner credit card off. It's the only credit card I have left and the balance is only about $500.

My dilemma is that I want to do something fun with this extra money. I don't want to pay bills, that's not fun. Besides, I have already paid all of my bills until June. Sure, I can pay off my credit card with my next paycheck, but I hate to do that. I like to pay it off slowly rather than give them a bunch of money up front.

As soon as I told PC about it, he asked immediately if I was going to pay off my Lerner bill. I don't know why he even cares. It's not like he has to pay for it and it's not like it's a huge balance. I wish all of my past credit cards had a balance like that. If so, I wouldn't be paying $500/month to the debt agency for what seems like eternity. PC actually comments on a regular basis that, "I need to get my money right and then we'll talk about it". Well, as far as I am concerned my money is right. I don't use credit cards nor do I have them anymore. I use my debit card for everything. I don't ask him for money. I always pay half of the bills, groceries and other stuff. We take turns when we go out so he doesn't always pay for everything. I guess my money will never be right until I have an insane amount of money in my checking account, just like he does. Until then I will probably have to hear, "you need to get your money right and then we'll talk about it."

So I guess there will be no harm in going and buying something for $150. I am going to hear it no matter how much money I have or what I spend it on, so I might as well get something fun and rock it out!

FYI...I will probably be buying it today if I get a chance to get out of the office!

Why I Love Pork Chop (Part 1)...

2008-04-25T08:45:00.003-04:00

Pork Chop, Amber and I have this things for gnomes. We actually call them gnomies. It all started when we were Christmas shopping one day. Amber and I were still a little drunk from the night before. We saw a shirt at Steve and Barry's that had three gnomes on it and it said, "Chillin' with my gnomies!" Ever since then we have been obsessed with them. Pork Chop came home Tuesday night with this gnome and a card. Inside that card he wrote some sweet stuff about loving me and appreciating me. At the bottom of the card it said, "you should nomie better than that." It was even cuter that he spelled it wrong.

By the way Amber, have you found your UK gnomie yet???

Something Funny...

2008-04-24T13:01:00.002-04:00

Every morning I listen to the Coach Kidd and Libby Jo show on my way to work. This morning they played a clip that keeps cracking me up...

The clip was about people being able to vote early. They had interviewed one of our fine WV citizens and he said something along the lines of this, "I think it is a good thing for people to be able to get out and vote early. It's is especially good for those people who can't stand in lines for a long time, like those in a wheelchair."

If you aren't laughing your ass off by now, think about it. It's still cracking me up...

Yes, I am Still Alive!!!

2008-04-23T15:43:00.005-04:00

Well, it has been 6 months since my last post. I was looking at a few previous posts today and realized that I need to start blogging again. I miss being part of the blog world. I miss sharing my funny stories with everyone. I miss taking out my frustration with stupid people. I miss posting pictures of my friends and family.

After running through some old posts, I realized that I really miss Peanut the most! Although I have Emmy Lou, she can never replace Peanut. I know she was crazy and she was a little mean sometimes, but her and I had this special bond that will never be replaced. She was just a mutt, but she was my mutt. Maybe I am the reason she was so crazy. Maybe it was the people who abused her before I brought her home. Maybe it was in her genes. Who knows? The only thing I know is that everything happens for a reason and something bad was probably going to happen.

For those of you who do not know what happened to Peanut, I will share the story. She had a bad food aggression problem with other dogs. She had attacked my dad's dog a couple of times. The last time was right before we went out of town for my sister's wedding. She got him so bad that we had to take him to the vet and they kept him all weekend. When we got home, he had tubes coming out of his neck. My dad told me that I needed to take her to the shelter before anything else happened. About 7 months before that he had told me that I needed to get rid of her so I tried to find someone (See "Peanut Wins"). Nobody wanted to take her then so she was allowed to stay. I didn't try the second time and took her to the shelter. At the time I was living with my parents that's why she had to go. A couple of days after I took her there and after many calls to make sure she was still alive I decided that I was going to go back and get her and move out. When I called back to check on her, they told me she was put to sleep. I finally got the courage to tell my mom without the fear of crying and my mom said that Peanut had been adopted. She has a friend that volunteers at the shelter that apparently told her this (I still think she was lying to me). Either way this was really messing with my emotions. I called the shelter and told them I needed the truth. She put me on hold and came back on to break the news to me...She had been put to sleep on the third day that she was there!

Anyway, that's what happened to Peanut. I miss her so much and I still get choked up thinking about her. It was so bad that I couldn't even drink without crying because I would think about her too much. It was so bad that every time I saw someone at the campground with a dog I felt guilty for never taking Peanut. It got so bad that I finally got another dog, which brings me to introduce Emmy Lou! She is an 8 month old pug and she is also crazy! She's a sweet dog when she's tired, but usually she is wired and she loves to bite me!

She's all geared up because she has to wear a diaper right now. She went into heat the night that I made an appointment to get her fixed so we have to wait another month to get her fixed. The harness is Pork Chop's attempt to pin the diaper up, but now I use it to pull her out of the trash can! Pork Chop also bought her a $90 bark collar, which does not phase her one bit. My dad said she looks like she's getting ready to go mountain climbing with all of her gear on.

In other news, Pork Chop and I are still going strong. I have never been happier in my life. We live together and are looking to buy a house. I am against it until we are at least engaged, but I don't want to live in Elkview anymore so I will probably budge very easily if we find something we like.

Camping season is coming soon! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! I'm not sure when the first trip will be, but we have plans to go to Piney Creek, NC for 6 days over Memorial Day weekend. I'm not sure how much entertainment is in that town because the median age is like 75. At least we will have each other and the dog to entertain us for a little bit.

So there it is, an update for Jana Land. I promise to post more in the future and to keep everyone updated. So many things have happened in the past year and a half that I wish I could have blogged about all of them, but I slacked off (blame it on Pork Chop)! Looking back now I wish I would have blogged about so many things, but I haven't and from this day forward I will be posting on a regular basis.

It's great to be back!

Update!

2007-10-26T10:19:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been 5 months since I've update so I figured it was time. Everything has been going good for me. I am still living in Pinch and working in Ripley. The drive sucks, but hopefully I can get out of there soon. Pork Chop and I have been together over a year now! I can't believe how fast time flies. My sister and Erik finally got married (after like 800 years) in July! I no longer have Peanut. She attacked my dad's dog before we went out of town for the wedding. He was at the vet for a few days and this time she almost killed him. My dad made me take her to the shelter when we got back. I was going to go back and get her, but they had already put her down after 3 days. I would say that may be one of the hardest things I have ever gone through. Just ask anyone, I was a total mess! Well, I finally got a new dog, Emmy Lou. She is 8 weeks old now and she is so adorable, but crazy! I haven't had a good night's sleep since I got her and she loves to bite! I would post some pics, but I am having problems with the computer. Maybe I can get some on here when I go to Pork Chop's later.

We spent most of the summer camping and going out of town. It was a great summer and I can't wait for next summer. I have only made it to Huntington for one Marshall tailgate because there is always something else I have to do. We are going to one tomorrow as long as everything goes as planned. I almost don't have the motivation since we are 0-7 so far. Maybe this is the game! We can only hope.

I've gotta go for now, but hopefully I can get some pics on here soon (I know I have been saying that for about a year now). If I could put pics on here from my work computer, I promise there would be way too many!

Camping Fun!

2007-05-31T15:22:00.000-04:00

The summer has been oficially kick off with our first trip to the lake. It was a great time! It was the first time we used the camper and the first time Pork Chop and I had been camping together. We all had a lot of fun! It was a little exhausting being on the boat all day so I caught a lot of hell for wanting to go to sleep early or when I wanted to quit drinking. I have started a scrapbook dedicated to camping! Every trip seems to add a little more to our vocabulary. This trip seemed to be filled with great quotes. Here are a few I would like to share:

“That’s what Duane said…” – Jana (First one to say it, but then it never stopped!)
“Pork Chop must really like his job!” – Kristie (Talking about something adult…)
“Somebody give me some pepper.” – Pork Chop (Trying to make Jana “sneeze”)
“Makin’ memories…” – Greg (Greg’s favorite)
“It’s the ore of life!” – Duane (Started after Greg threw the ore at Jana’s head)
“A Fucka Youa!” – Pork Chop (That’s what the paper said when he was asked to read)
“Are you talking about cooking hot dogs?” – Kristie (Nobody was!)
“This is some good shit…” – Greg
“Weiner tonsils” – Amber (Said instead of tater tonsils, now Amber’s new nickname.)
“That’s sick!” – Greg (Usually followed a perverted comment involving Amber)
“Top of the mornin’ wood to ya!” – Jana
“Top of the head to ya.” – Jana (Amber’s head was burned)
“Man, this guy has had dentures since he was 12 and they are wooden!” – Mark (Booger played a 4 month joke on him about this guy they work with)
“Could you imagine going to 84 Lumber when you had a cavity to get some wood putty?” – Pork Chop
“Thanks you!” – Kristie and Greg (Amber thinks this is really cute!)
“Daisy sharted on me!” – Duane (After Daisy rubbed her ass on him)
“This is some good shit right here.” – Greg (Threw it in again!)
“I’m a land hoe” – Amber ( I don’t remember where this came from)
“I prefer to be called the aquamarine hoe.” – Jana
“Their Fun Station looks like the Blah Station!” – Amber (Other boaters didn’t have as much fun as we did on the Fun Station)
“I saw skeeters doing it!” – Jana (Waiting outside the bath house while Pork Chop pooped)
“I know that’s a female mosquito now…” – Jana (Saw one on the wall)
“That’s why she’s in here!” – Amber (In the girl’s bathhouse)
“Don’t write on his truck, John’s going to kill you!” – Mark (When Jana wrote on Pork Chop’s dirty truck)
“I think my brother heard us having sex last night”—Amber (After Duane honked the horn at them in the middle of the night)

Happy Campers!

2007-05-17T16:35:00.000-04:00

Pork Chop bought a camper! We are going to pick it up tonight. It's a pop up that sleeps 6, has a sink, refrigerator, and a stove. It's a 2002 model, Viking? The first trip will be to Summersville for Memorial Day weekend. We have to work hard to get it ready this weekend. I am so excited!!! I have been looking at camprgrounds online and I found several that I would like to go to this summer. I promise to get some pictures of it on here soon! We got it from an old man who cut his tow off with a lawnmower and has had knee surgery. It was just too much for him to keep up with. When we looked at it last week, he sat there talking to his dog about not wanting to give it up. I felt bad for him, but really happy for us. It's the first one we looked at and I fell in love with it. It's all I have been thinking about. I even went and looked at a campground in Ripley on my lunch break. I get so excited thinking about the campfires, the lake and all the fun stuff that comes with camping!

Boats, Tents, Water, Fires...

2007-05-08T10:18:00.000-04:00

Amber's dad got a new boat and I am too excited for this summer. I didn't get to go last year and I won't mention why so this year, I have too much excitment built up inside of me. When I think about camping and the boat, I smile from ear to ear. It's by far my favorite thing to do in the summer. We aren't going until Memorial Day weekend, but that's all I think about. I can' wait, I can't sleep and I can't eat! OK, I can sleep and eat, but we are still a couple of weeks away so that may change the closer that we get to this fabulous weekend.

The truth is I wasn't always a big fan of camping. Actually my idea of camping was in my aunt or my parent's yards and by the end of the night we would end up inside. Sure, we always camped in campers, but I never experienced "real camping" until two years ago. That is when I discovered that I love camping and that it's ok not to take a shower for a couple of days. I remember asking Amber is she was bringing a hair dryer. Much to my surprise, we were camping on a hill on the side of the lake. That's right, no electricity and no bathrooms! I admit at first I didn't like the looks of it, but by the end of the weekend I was rolling around in the mud with the rest of them! It was awesome! I even left Myrtle Beach early that summer to get back to WV and camp. So, as the summer approaches us, the tents are packed and the boat is ready, all I have to say is...

HAPPY SUMMER EVERYONE!!! and

HAPPY CAMPING!!!

I can't wait!

Orlando Baby!

2007-04-25T16:07:00.000-04:00

I'm going to Orlando! I'm going to Orlando! Yeah, yeah, yeah! Oh, sorry I was just singing that out loud. That's right, I will be in the air on my way to Orlando in the morning. I can't wait! I need a vacation more than a starving person needs food! I will only be gone Thursday through Sunday, but it will be nice. I am going for work. All of the branch and area managers in the United States will be there. That's a whole lot of white shirts! Pork Chop is very sad that I am going. He hasn't cried yet, but I think it will happen tonight. He doesn't know what he's going to do without me. Honestly, I don't know what I'll do without him. We haven't been away from each other more than a work day for a very long time. I will miss him, but I know I will have a good time! I will update when I get back!

The Warm Weather Is Finally Here!!!

2007-04-21T10:13:00.000-04:00

So it's Saturday and I am at work, YUCK! It's only three hours which makes the hour and half drive twice as bad. It's a good day though because it is warm outside and I have great weekend planned. It already started out good with a nice Friday night at home with Pork Chop, just watching TV. We haven't had a weekend home in what seems like forever. After work today, Amber and I are going to get pedicures. I am very excited about this and I have been wanting to do it forever! I am quite shocked because I have never really liked for people to look at my feet let alone touch them. What inspired me was my mom got one and her usually gross feet look great! I hate feet, I hate touching feet and I hate for someone else to touch my feet so I needed some support. That's why my good pal Amber is going with me and she has also never had one. The boys are little upset that we are going to get them done, but that's because they can't stand to be away from us! We are also going to go shoe shopping. I love my boyfriend and I love spending time with him, but damnit we need to have girl time every once in awhile! Anyway, after that we are going to go back to the house and hopefully start drinking. Savannah and Brandon are coming in town so we are going to hang out with them. Woo hoo! All we really have planned is to go to the WV Power game and then we'll probably head back to the house to play some cornhole, horseshoes and whatever else there is to do. We made a cornhole set about a month ago, but it has been too cold to play. I finally finished painting them last night and they ending up looking like the circus. Oh well, they're still cute! Happy Weekend everyone! Hopefully I can get some pictures on here soon. I have so many good pictures to share.

Dum, Dum, Dum, Dum...Here Comes The Bride!

2007-04-12T08:54:00.000-04:00

No, I am not getting married, at least not yet. My sister is and I have come to the realization of what I want to do for a career. That's right, I am starting a program to become a bridal consultant. Some of you may laugh like my dad and some of you may be happy for me like my sister and my mom. As I was looking through my sister's bridal magazine, I saw an advertisment to "become a bridal consultant". I admit, it's not something I thought I ever wanted to do even after watching "The Wedding Planner." I am not really that girl who has been planning a wedding since age 6. I honestly wasn't sure if I ever wanted to get married until recently. Last week we went to the resort where my sister is getting married and I was allowed to throw in some ideas as to what I thought. Maybe I put in a little too many and maybe I enjoyed it a little too much. Is there something wrong with that? I don't think so. Maybe I have found my calling. I have never really known what I want to do "with the rest of my life." I have always been kind of lost. The only thing I could think of that I would truly be happy at doing day after day was working for Candid Camera. That has been a dream of mine as long as I can remember. I came to my senses and realized that a girl from West Virginia probably isn't going to work for a show like Candid Camera that may not even be on TV anymore. I really don't have a clue! Anyway, as I was looking through the magazines, I realized that I loved every bit og this wedding thing and I want to plan as much as possible. I submitted my name on this website to "get more information." I got a call yesterday from the school and by the end of the phone call I was enrolled! I really think I will enjoy this as I am a very creative person and I can be very organized if I need to be. It should take 6 months to a year to finish the program. With my work schedule it will probably take me 10 years and by then I will probably lose interest! Well that's it for now. If anyone has any advice, please let me know. I am very excited!!!

Peanut Wins!

2007-03-12T14:49:00.000-04:00

Peanut gets to stay! I really did try to find a home for her, but nobody wants a full grown Peanut these days. My dad is going to let her stay and give her one more chance! Hopefully she has learned and we will never have another episode!
BTW, Pork Chop isn't as happy as I am about this deicision.

My Attempt To Help...

2007-03-08T15:20:00.000-05:00

In my attempt to be a better person and help out others, I am going to start participating in charity walks. So far I am going to do the "Race for the Cure" on May 5th and "Relay for Life" on June 16th. I like to walk, I like to help other people and this is a great way for me to get some exercise.

"Race for the Cure" starts at 9:00 a.m. on May 5th in Charleston. I know it's Cinco de Mayo, but it will be over in plenty of time to do as many shots of tequila as you want to. I am going to do to 5K (3.1 miles) non-competitive walk. The cost is only $15 and 75% of the money raised stays right here in West Virginia. Since I am new to this kind of thing, I think I am going to join the V100 team (More details at www.v100.fm) I think it will be a good way for me to "get my feet wet" and not get overwhelmed by organizing something I have never done. This race benefits breast cancer.

"Relay for Life" starts at 6:00 p.m. on June 16th and goes until 9:00 a.m. the next day. This is the one I am really excited about. The lady described it as "a big party." That's all it took to convince me to participate. She said that we camp out down at the capital and we have to have someone from our team walking at all times. There is going to be entertainment and she said it was a lot of fun. This one is only $10.00 to participate. I am going to be a team captain for this walk.

Anyone who is interested in being on my team for either or both of the races, please let me know. If you don't want to participate, you can also make donations. I think it will be a lot of fun and we will be helping out other people!

Poor Peanut!

2007-03-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official, my dad is making me get rid of Peanut! He didn't say anything for a couple of days so I had a little bit of hope, but then yesterday he asked, "Have you figured out what you are going to do with your dog?" I have posted her on my blog, put an ad on the Internet, put an ad on the radio, asked everyone possible I could think of and Rick is out handing out flyers as I type this. I hate this. I hate this more than anything I have ever had to do. I am sad. I am pissed. I don't really know what I am. This is my dog. It's like giving up a child! My sister said, "it's like asking someone to cut off their arm!" I can't believe that my dad could go from being in love with this dog to "she must go" in such a short amount of time. I really don't want to take her to the shelter, but I am probably going to on Saturday if I do not get any responses. Amber offered to take her and I really appreciate that, but I don't trust her around other dogs anymore. Pork Chop said there is no way he would take her, which even if he said yes, his brother would say no (Peanut doesn't like Mark). I just wish this never happened or would have happened later on down the road when I would be able to move out. If anyone has any suggestions, I am asking again to please let me know.

Not Such a Perfect Situation Anymore!

2007-02-26T12:09:00.000-05:00

My perfect situation has turned ugly. Last night my dog attacked my dad's dog and he is making me get rid of her. She really is a great dog, but she has some food aggression problems. I am posting this because I don't know what to do. I really want to keep her and I know that I will not be living with my parents that much longer. I hate to take her to a shelter when I know that I can take her back not long down the road. Does anybody have any suggestions on what I should do? Pork Chop already told me he wouldn't let me keep her at his house because he is never home and nobody can take care of her during the day. I really don't want to give her up, but it doesn't look like I have a choice. Is there anyone that wants her temporarily until I move out? Anyone know anybody looking for a dog? I really don't want to do this, but I have to. She is such a good dog, but I wouldn't recommend her for a house with other dogs. Please let me know if anyone out there can help me. This is killing me. I have pictures of her posted throughout my blog if you want to know what she looks like. She is about 50 pounds and is excellent except for the food aggression problem. PLEASE HELP ME!!!

FRIDAY!!!

2007-02-23T09:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! Today is Friday, which brings me to a story from last Friday. I just said to Jon, don't say you're bored today! Last Friday we said that and then it was balls to the wall! Jon worked until 9:30 and I didn't get home until 8:45. It sucked! All I wanted to do was sit down and drink a beer. Around 5:00 I knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Of course we had the usual, people that needed cars out of the blue, but last Friday was something special.

About 5:00 I got a call from Parkersburg and there was a customer that was broke down on the interstate directly in the middle of us. Neither one us had a car so he decided to send her my way and send a full size truck down to take care of this 90 pound girl. The girl got here and of course the vehicle wasn't. So while she was waiting, she decided to have a nervous breakdown. I just let her sit there and cry being the sympathetic person that I am.
My dealership called earlier that day and said they needed a 4 wheel drive vehicle. I got one from 45 minutes away and had it here for awhile. When we called them, they said they did not need it anymore. Great, another 4 wheel drive vehicle sitting on my lot over the weekend that I can't make money on!
I got a call from the Kenna fire station, about 20 minutes away. They had two elderly ladies there that needed a rental car. Perfect, we will rent them the 4 wheel drive vehicle that I thought I wasn't going to be able to rent. Rick goes to get these women around 5:20.
5:21: Tom Peden calls back. "We need that 4 wheel drive vehicle!" I said, "OK, we'll be down" because we cannot tell a dealership no.
Jon went to get the customers and we explained to them that there vehicle should be back in about 20 minutes. They were waiting to go to Ponderosa for dinner, but they said that would be ok.
20, 30, 40 minutes passed and Rick was not back yet. Where was he? Oh yeah and the truck from Parkersburg had just pulled up about 20 minutes after close. The Tom Peden customers being the rednecks that they are, wanted that full size Chevy and they didn't want to wait anymore. I didn't care, I had to get the train wreck girl out of my office and on the road.
About 10 minutes later, Rick pulls up with the elderly women and a bed full of shit. How these women got all of this stuff in there 2000 Mercury Sable is beyond me, but they insisted that it all went with them, including their rocking chair! Wait a minute aren't these the ladies that wanted to switch out into a small car? Yes, they were, but now they insisted on having the truck. I simply told that it was not going to happen. I got a vehicle for them, but it was in Marietta (45 minutes away) and that is all I could do for them at this time because we had been closed for 30 minutes. The ladies argued with me as the customers impatiently waiting outside needed to get to Ponderosa.
I finally convinced them that we would get them a car and all their stuff should fit if we left the ricking chair behind. That was ok just enough time for us to unload the truck into a car. We got the other customers going and they were off to Ponderosa, which is also where Rick was going to eat (will be important later).
Finally, we can get these ladies on the road and I can go home! Wrong! She hasn't even filed her insurance claim yet. Are you kidding me? That's all I could think of! She's filing the claim and in the middle of her conversation she asks the lady that has been driving her car, "What is your name?" What the hell? How do you not know the name of the lady that has been driving your car at least since Cleveland? Way beyond me!
Anyway, she gets her claim # and I think it's about over. Wrong again! They don't understand why they can't have the truck that another customer is already in. We convinced them once again that they would be fine in the car that we had to take them to. Finally, we were explaining the contract and I let her know that she needed to bring our vehicle back to us. Great, something else to confuse the poor lady. She was pissed by this point, because she was pretty much clueless about the whole process.
I told her that we would deal with that later. I was done by this point and had already started beating my head on the window. Jon tried to explain to them that they needed to leave their rocking chair at our office and come back for it the next day on their way through. They were originally headed to Beckley, but canceled their reservation there and made one for Marietta. Once they spent the night in Marietta, they needed to come back through. Simple solution to the "rocking chair problem". The older lady insisted that it would work and she would just sit under the chair. I said, "whatever works for you is fine!"
Oh, I forgot to mention when asking the customer for her cell phone number, she couldn't find it. She asked her nameless friend where it was and she said, "I told you to put it in the door of the truck." Well, she did, which meant it was still in there. I tried to call that customer and they were not home yet. There was not a cell phone number listed so Jon said, "They were going to Ponderosa to eat. Maybe we can page Rick and have him look for the customers." Yeah, I know, very ridiculous! The ladies wanted the customer's phone number, which I was not about to give to them. When I told them I couldn't they insisted that we called Ponderosa and paged them. We called Ponderosa and they couldn't find Rick, so the ladies were screwed.
OK, back to when we left the office. Jon is trying to situate them and all of their shit so he can get them to Marietta and transfer everything once again to another vehicle. About 5 minutes down the road I got a phone call. It was Jon and the women wanted to stay in Ripley for the night and come back the next day for a vehicle. I said, "Are you kidding me?" This was unbelievable!
I told Jon just to take them to a hotel and deal with them in the morning. Before he could do that, they made Jon take them to Ponderosa where they found the customers and they found their phone on the floor of truck.
Before he could take them to the hotel they wanted us to unload all of their stuff and put it in the office. Jon did so and then took them to the hotel. They made him wait while they registered. They couldn't get one on the first floor so Jon had to help the older lady up the stairs. You would think this was the end at least until the last day. Nope! Marietta had put the keys in the gas cap so Jon had to go get that car anyway so it wouldn't get stolen.
Meanwhile, I had to go to the mall in Charleston because Jon had special ordered some stuff for his girlfriend who would be in town that night. There was no way for him to get to Charleston by the time the mall closed so I told him I would go get the stuff and he could meet me in Elkview later on.
I got his stuff and headed over to Pork Chop's house. Usually the door is unlocked when I am coming over, but it was locked and there was no response when I knocked. I called him to let him know I was waiting outside and all I heard was, "Fuck!" He hobbled down the hall, let me in and then went straight back to bed. He wasn't even going to stay up with me until Jon called for me to meet him. So I cracked open a beer and watched "When Harry Met Sally." A couple of beers later Jon called and went to pee before I had to meet him. On my way down the hall, I realized that PC had closed his door. Apparently I was disturbing him!
Anyway, I met Jon and he said, "If we can get through these two ladies, we can get through anything," which has led me to believe so.
These two women had every problem ever possible wrapped up into one rental. They are still in a car and it is not over yet. In fact, they called Jon the other day on his cell phone. He said they got the number because they had to call his to get their own number.
These women have also led me to worry about the people that are out on the road.
Signs that you should worry include:
Not knowing the name of your friend driving your car.
Not being able to make it through the night without the rocking chair.
Leaving your cell phone, which you don't know the number to, in someone else's vehicle.
Making someone track down a complete stranger at the Ripley Ponderosa for their phone. They could have been shot!
Insisting to take the truck that they originally refused to rent.
The lists goes on and on...
This is an extreme example, but I do deal with this kind of crap on a daily basis. So the next time my Uncle Will tells me that I don't know what work is, I am going to direct towards my blog and ask him, "Have you EVER had to deal with something like this?"

Hopefully today will be a lot better than last Friday. I don't know if it can be worse!
Have a good Friday everyone! I will be in Huntington tomorrow and I can't wait!!!

Update!

2007-02-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

This isn't an official Ski Trip update like everyone else has posted, but it is my attempt to return to blogger world. Since I have moved back home and my parents are ignorant to the fact the dial up is not the fastest way to get online, I have slacked off in my updates. Another reason is I now have a boyfriend and we spend every spare minute together. It also doesn't help that he thinks we are all crazy with our blogs and our MySpace accounts. I have faith that one of these days he will give in and become a MySpacer, but I don't anticipate a blog anytime in this life. I am going to try to update my blog with pictures tomorrow from his house, but that's if we don't go to the movies. This entry I am just going to update everyone on what's been going on since I moved back home.

We'll start in October:
I got a promotion to Branch Manager of the Ripley branch. I had worked in Barboursville for a year and it was the closest route to a promotion. I figured it wouldn't be bad to move back home and drive 45 minutes to work considering I don't have to use my car or spend money on gas. Well, it's not that bad, but I hate it more and more every day. The thought that once I get off work I still have at least 45 minutes until I get home kills me. I miss the old days when I could be home in 3 minutes and down at Hank's within 15. I miss having more than an hour of free time in the evening before I have to go to bed. I miss going to Hank's or out to dinner after work and still getting home at a decent time, or a not so decent time. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy to be back in Pinch, but it's the little things that I miss about Huntington. Most of all, I miss all of my friends and knowing that I could go out for a couple of drinks after work without it being a production. I don't even drink during the week anymore, which is good for me, but sometimes it's nice to have a beer and unwind after work. My life is different now, but I am truly happy. Sometimes I think about where I would be if I didn't take this job in Ripley and that answer is...probably in the streets! I was living by myself and the expenses were getting out of control. I thought the solution was to put everything possible on a credit card and then pay it later. That's all fine and dandy until you reach your limit and you get denied a credit increase. That's when I knew I had to do something and do it fast. I thought about moving in with Amber, which would have been great, but I knew if I wanted to get out of debt and still be able to eat, I would have to do what I promised I would never do...Move back in with the parents!!! It's actually not as bad as it seems. I redid my bedroom that I had as I was growing up so it was nice to have a new "place" that I didn't have to spend a lot of money on. I got new carpet, painted the walls "paprika"(it turned out orange) and redecorated everything. It actually looks really good (pictures coming soon)! I love the fact that Pork Chop is only 5 minutes away when I get home instead of an hour away and only seeing him on the weekends. I love that my dad likes to cook so dinner is usually ready when I get home. I even get breakfast sometimes before I leave for work. I love that I do not have to go grocery shopping unless I want to and my dad makes it a point to buy things that I like. The best part...it's all free! The only thing I am obligated to pay for is my storage building which is only $120.00/month. I wouldn't even need that if I could get rid of the massive amount of shit that I own. The living arrangements have worked out very well. I can leave my dog whenever I want to and I don't have to worry about someone taking her out. She loves being at my mom and dad's house and she is free to run around there. In Huntington it was such a pain because I had to keep her on a leash and clean up her poop. My dad has fallen in love with my dog and I may not be able to take her when I decide to move out! I don't ever have to worry at night anymore because I am never alone. My bedroom door is never locked because of the fear of someone breaking in. It is really nice to not have to worry about these things. I have even convinced Pork Chop that's it ok to spend the night when my dad is in town. He used to only stay over when he was out of town, but he is over that fear now. Overall, it is the perfect situation for me right now. I don't want to do this forever, but it's works right now.

This is a typical day for me during the week:
3:00 a.m. - Wake up, but not by choice. This is when Pork Chop gets up and he insists that I am awake if he is.
4:00-5:00 a.m. - Usually spend this time driving home because I am afraid to stay at Pork Chop's, trying to go back to sleep, watching Dawson's Creek or a combination of all of them.
5:00-6:00 a.m. - I finally fall back asleep and this is also the time that I need to start waking up.
7:00 a.m. - This is when I leave the house.
7:00-8:00 a.m. - Drive to work and hating it more and more, waiting for another branch to open in Charleston.
8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. - I am in the office. I rarely get to leave, do not take lunches and listen to people bitch for the majority of the day. I really do like my job, but I hate Ripley so much! Sometimes in this time slot, I will go to Wal-mart or find somewhere to go outside of the office, but there isn't much to do.
6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. - Drive home and hate that a branch in Charleston has not opened up yet!
7:00 p.m. Watch Family Feud with my dad waiting for Pork Chop to come over. If I am going to his house, I usually go at the end of Family Feud.
8:00-9:00 p.m. - Sometime in here I go to bed. It depends on what is on TV or how tired I am. I am usually out by 9:00 especially since I started taking pills, which leads me to another subject.

I started taking anxiety pills. Mainly because my job is stressing me out right now. I am sick of the negative attitude and stupidity from my car prep and the fact that my new hire is taking so long to catch on. I know it's not his fault because he has had serious brain injuries, but it is very frustrating for me. I realized I needed these pills and had access to them when I went to the doctor a month ago. I was having sever back and stomach pain. I had no idea what was wrong with me. I just ate my mom's Loritab's until it got too bad and then broke down and went to the doctor. It turned out that it was only a UTI, but that shit hurts. I do not wish that upon anyone! I had a follow up appointment the morning of the Ski Trip and they also said I had an appointment for the radiologist the following week. They said I needed to have a halter monitor. When I asked them on the phone what that was and why I had to have one, they said, "we'll talk about it Friday." I was scared out of my mind. I have always been healthy and never had any serious illnesses. When I got there Friday they said I had to have the monitor done because I was having heart palpitations. Apparently, the nurse said that I was, which I never said that was going on. They cancelled that and just put me on anxiety pills. They are pretty good pills except they make me very sleepy and I have some of the most outrageous dreams. For example, the other night I was pregnant and I wasn't sure if it was my brother's baby or Pork Chop's! Seriously out of control... Oh yeah, don't even think about drinking on them! If I know I am going to drink I don't even take one. I turn into an instant retard when I've had two beers. Enough with the medical stuff, let's move on.

It seems like I have been going a lot of places since I moved back home. A couple of trips to Huntington, a couple of trips to Webster Co. (to see PC's family), a weekend at Hillbilly Haven (that was my gift to PC for his birthday), The Ski Trip...
I love to go out of town. It makes everything less boring. I also love to stay at home and not do anything. I wanted to do that this weekend, but I have a stronger desire to go to Huntington. That's right, we will be in Huntington this weekend. We got a room at the Holiday Inn downtown. We will be getting in town around 3:00 or 4:00. We'll probably drink a few in the room, go out to dinner and then hit Hank's. After that, I don't know what will happen, but I am very excited. By the way, I expect everyone to come out because it seems like it has been forever!

Finally, what everyone has been waiting for (if you made it this far without closing)...
The Ski Trip portion of my update!
I had a blast this year! I had a great time last year, but this year was much better. I hated that I got there last and had to leave early, but it was all worth it! I was so happy that Pork Chop came because I wanted him to meet all these ski trippers that I talk about. He ended up having a great time and I think everyone liked him. After all he did win the favorite John/Jon contest (Sorry Jon Connor)! I am glad that we played so much catch phrase that the wooden chairs were starting to get imprints of our asses. I love that people that you would never expect to play the games joined in (example: Marc Sherman). He may not admit that he had fun, but I could see it in his eyes. I love the crazy ass clues that made us laugh over and over again...B-52, Porch Bunny, Picasso!, Ole!... I hate that I was hungover from Friday and the thought of beer made me want to puke so I decided to chug Vodka and Sprite. It was so delicious until I realized it was 9:30 and my head was spinning. PC being the sweet boyfriend that he is, took me to the cabin, put me to sleep and immediately deducted points for passing out early. It sucks that the rules I made ended up getting me in the end. Like on Thumper when I said if you mess up you get eliminated and I was the first one to get eliminated! Regardless of my passing out early, I had a great time. The point system ended up being a hit, the games were fun, the drinks and food were good and as always, the people are a blast to be around. I finally got to meet Amber Scott and I also got to know a few people a little better. Thanks to everyone who has let me in this circle and I can't wait for next year!

Well, that's enough for an update now. I will try to post some pictures tomorrow and possibly create and album on Kodak Gallery. I will keep you all posted.

For those of you who made it to the end, please let me know that people (besides Amber Moles) are still looking at my blog. Leave a comment of any sort so I am not forced to delete my blog. It is not something I want to do, but I may not have a choice!

Just A Couple Of Redneck Girls!

2006-12-04T16:52:00.000-05:00

So, I have been working 6 days a week lately and I never have a Saturday off. I actually got last Saturday off and I took advantage of it. Once I found out I had the day off, I asked Amber if she wanted to go to Huntington. I miss going out on Fridays in Huntington so I was pumped up all day. Amber met me at Pork Chop's (he was ready to get rid of us fast!) and we were on our way! On our way, we got stuck in traffic, but we still had fun with that. Amber busted a guy dancing next to us and I thought she was making fun of the guy in front of us. I started dancing and as I looked to my left, I realized that he ended up busting me out. We stopped at the rest area and when we came out, he was sitting there. I noticed him and I asked Amber, "should I shake my ass at him?" Amber said, "anytime you have to ask that question, the answer is yes!"

Once we finally made it to Huntington, it was on! Hank's was pretty uneventful and so was the next place we went to. It wasn't until we got to The Same Old Place, that it got intersting. To make a long story short, Amber and I chased a girl down 4th Ave. and we were held back by two huge guys. I know one of them and he couldn't believe we were acting that way. Once they got us back inside, I took off again out the door. I don't really know what made us do that except for when Rea said, "did you see that girl?" She had been running her mouth all night so I just assumed that it was time to kick her ass.

Sadly enough, I don't remember a lot from this night. All I know is we should have been arrested. Or at least, I should have. On our way home I thought I would water the grass at Ritter Park with my urine because I couldn't make it two more blocks to Rea's house. Yeah, should have been arrested!

This story would have been more entertaining if you were there. I am still laughing my ass off thinking about it and I know Amber is too! It is very dangerous that Amber and I are back together again. I'll just leave everyone with that thought.

P.S. Sadly enough, I do not have any pictures of this night :(

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-24T15:08:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a good thanksgiving. Mine was good considering I spent most of the day moving stuff. I guess I can be thankful that it's almost over. All I have left is a table and my couch. Pictures will be coming soon once I figure out what to do with the clothes. It's tough going from two big closets and an extra room to only one medium sized closet. I've even given away a bunch of stuff, but it seems like it is multiplying. I have also decided that I will die at my parent's house because I am never moving again. Nine times in 6 years is way too many!

Of course, I am at work today and I am bored out of my mind. Maybe one of these days I will have an employee to talk to! The country station is putting me to sleep so I had to prop the door open with a water cooler bottle to stay awake. Well, at least it is Friday!!! Only three hours left until I get to go home, but of course I have to work tomorrow too. This boredom of this job is going to kill me!

Help!

2006-11-21T10:03:00.000-05:00

Every morning I listen to the only radio station that picks up inside in Ripley and they have a program called swap and shop. Usually I make fun of all the people on there because they try to sell things such as a $12 turkey certificate for $7 or they are looking for a Christmas tree that they lost on the way from Ripley to Spencer.

Today is a different story. A lady was on there and her family of four lost everything in a fire last week. I figure this is a perfect opportunity to help someone out especially since I am moving and trying to get rid of anything and everything, including Christmas! I called her and she has two little boys (size 3T and 4T), she is a size 8 (I can't help her with that!) and her husband is a size 30-32. I am going to make this my special project for the season and give back because I have been blessed so much in my life. If anybody has anything they want to donate to this family, please let me know. They live here in Ripley so I will get everything to them. Send me an e-mail (Banker134@aol.com or Jana.E.Banker@erac.com) or leave me a comment if you can help out in any way. After all it is the holiday season. Thank you!

Just Bored...

2006-11-21T08:47:00.000-05:00

So, I am at work and I am extremely bored. I would give anything to have the workload that I used to. You would think that being in charge and not having any employees would be a huge amount of work. Nope, it's boring as hell here. I am going crazy!!! I can't leave the office and I can't get a day off. I actually managed to get someone from Parkersburg to come work for me tomorrow so I can move the rest of my stuff out. Thank God! I may lose what bit of mind I have left if I don't get someone else here soon. Apparently there was another new hire, but they may just send them to another overstaffed branch like they did with the last girl. Oh well, I guess I'll survive.

I had a dream last night that I was shot and I died. It was maybe one of the scariest dreams I've had, at least in awhile. It's not real clear to me what happened, but I know I was in Huntingon, there was a bike involved and this guy stuck a gun up my shirt and shot me. I woke immediately and it took forever for me to go back to sleep. Once I did, I started coughing and I couldn't stop. That's when Peanut realized that I was still in the house so she started whining to get into my room.

I making some progress on the move. I can't wait until I am done and I can post pictures of "Jana Land". I wish I would have taken before pictures because that makes it even better. Nobody will ever believe how packed full of shit that room was until they see it. It's a pretty big room (12' x 17': I had to buy carpet) and somehow my mom found a way to jam it full to the ceiling. I literally had a small path to get to the bed and that was it. I am so excited to get it all done and just sleep in one day in my life. I probably could have had it all done by now, but for some reason we think that it is a good idea to get wasted every night before we want to move stuff. Not that great of an idea.

So, Kelly took the cat. Thanks again! I hope everything is going ok. It can't be worse than being at Cara's (but thanks anyway Cara).

Well, I am done rambling for now. I think I might go clean the windows.

2006-11-16T15:19:00.000-05:00

How could someone be afraid of this sweet little cat? I know, it seems impossible, but Cara is actually afraid of her!

Here is a copy of the e-mails that were seant to me by Cara after I dropped her off at her new home on Sunday night:

Email #1 Ok...I think we have a problem with the cat. I am completely scared todeath of her! Seriously. I don't want to be in the same room with itand it freaks me out! I closed my bedroom door last night so itwouldn't come in during the night, and it woke me up around 4:30 thismorning like it was gonna claw the door down! I am apparently scared ofcats. I am sooo sorry, but I just dont see this working. Do you thinkRea will take her? I thought it would be ok, but didn't anticipatebeing scared of being alone with it!!! Help!!

Email #2 It's not your fault! I just honestly didn't think I would be scared. I
mean...literally freaked out. I guess I'm ok with cats as long as
someone else is ther, preferably their owner...who is preferably not me.
I was joking last night, I figured it would take her some time to
adjust...but this morning I was totally freaked out! I didn't see her
this morning before I left. Since she's been by herself for a few
weeks, she may have her days and nights mixed up! Cause she was
certainly up at 4:30 this morning!! I should be ok untiil this
weekend.

Email #3 We are a little better, however I still can't keep her. She thinks we
are friends, but we are not. She wont stay out from under my feet...and
she tried to climb on top of me while I was on the couch yesterday. I
ALLOWED her to be on the couch, I thought that was quite generous
enough. She did not need to be on top of me! I am still fighting with
her to keep her out of my bedroom and out of the bathroom. And she is
dying to be in either of the two places!!! She almost got away with it
this morning while I was getting ready and she slipped into my room and
under the bed. I told her that was fiine...but expect to be quarantined
to the spare bedroom for the rest of the week if she didn't come out.
Strangely enough, she came out a few minutes later. ANy luck finding
anyone to take her? I have asked around and not had any luck. I did
get Mary's friend Susan to say that we should let her know if it comes
down to taking her to the pound. She said "Oh no...atleast call me
before you do that". So far, that's all the luck I've had.

Sorry Cara, but I just thought the e-mails were too funny not to share.

P.S. The cat is still up for grabs, but I might have a taker.

It's Time For An Update!!!

2006-11-15T10:11:00.000-05:00

OK, if anyone still reads my blog, here is an update. I have put off updating because I can't put pictures on here right now. I finally got Internet access at work so I am going to take this time to update and save the pictures for later. I have been in Ripley for about a month and I am bored out of my mind! This branch is the complete opposite of my other branch and I'm still trying to decide if I like it. The 45 minute commute isn't too bad. It's actually kind of relaxing and I don't have to drive my car. It's a good thing I don't have to drive my car because it is in the shop right now getting a new fuel pump. Not even 19,000 miles and the damn thing needs a new fuel pump. That's my luck!
Anyway, for those of you who do not know, I am moving back in with my parents. It's not going to be as bad as it should be. I am completely redoing my bedroom. No clues yet, it's a secret, but it's going to be awesome! (pictures will be posted after completion). Amber and I worked our asses off this past weekend moving stuff out and painting. The color is not what it's supposed to be, but I think I like it better (that's Wal-mart paint for you). I have until the end of the month to get all of my stuff out of Huntington. It wasn't going to be a problem because I was going to take a couple of days off and get it done. Well, my only employee quit on Friday so I cannot leave the branch...EVER! I am losing my mind. The sad thing is that I have almost 70 cars, no employees and I am still bored. What the hell? Everything is slower in Ripley and so is everyone! They have hired a new employee for the area, but they aren't sure what branch they are going to. HELLO, how about the one that doesn't have any employees?
OK, enough about work...

DOES ANYBODY WANT A CAT?
I can't take my cat to my mom and dad's house because my brother's boxer will eat it. She is a great cat, I promise. Just ask Cara! If you want to see a picture I have plenty on previous entries. I am willing to deliver, almost anywhere! Cara has her right now, but she just realized that she is afraid of cats. She said it was getting better, but she still can't keep her. She also said that Bella thinks they are friends, but they are not. I can't help but laugh :) Anyone who wants to give her a good loving home, let me know and it will be much appreciated.

Other good news...I consolidated my debt yesterday. It's something I've wanted to do for over a year now, but I was too afraid. Now that I am freeloading off of my parents I can afford to do it and I am very excited.

Overall, everything is great! I kind of miss Hutington, but not as much as I thought I would. I miss all of my friends, but that's just about it. I don't have time to get bored anymore considering I am gone from at least 7-7 everyday and I have been trying to get everything together for my new room, which is going to by called Jana Land or My Pimp Pad. It's still up in the air!

Well, I have to go because I have a conference call, but I promise I will update more often so don't give up on me.

On The Midnight Train to Ripley

2006-10-11T12:33:00.000-04:00

So, this time it's for real. That's right and I am actually going away and it's for more than a week. It's permanent!!! I got another promotion and I start in Ripley on Tuesday. Holy shit!
I don't know when my official going away party is going to be. I'm still trying to figure out when I can move and maybe even where.
I am going out this weekend for my birthday so everyone must come out. This is not a joke, Patrick! I am seriously moving. I know you are all going to miss me very much.
P.S. Any volunteers to help me move?

This One's For You, Stacy!

2006-10-08T15:19:00.000-04:00

So Stacy thinks he's hot and he's right. He loves pictures of himself. I sent him to my blog, but I forget to mention that there weren't that many pictures of him. I gathered a few and I am extremely bored. This is for you Stacy!

Drunk Dialing!

2006-10-02T19:22:00.000-04:00

Someone posted this on MySpace today and it reminded me so much of my friends, especially Cara, Rea and Kelly!

I have to say that I am not guilty of any of these...ha ha ha!

1. Only drunk dial when you are drunk. Everything else is false advertisement.

2.It is okay to call someone 27 times in one night. If you don'tremember it, it didn't happen.

3.If you are going to drunk dial a family member, say something nice. Ex. "Mom I'm in McDonald's and they're playing our song. I love you"

4.Dirty talk while drunk dialing is always preferred. Who doesn't want to hear your best raspy, phone sex voice at 3 in the A.M. asking to bend them/you over something.

5.Voicemails are always better. This way your friend can let theirfriends have fun at your expense for days, even weeks to come.

6.Drunk texting is alright... If you are prepared to read what youwrote the next day when you are sober.

7.It is definitely a good idea to call all of your exes and remind them that you were the best lover they've ever had and everything they know, they learned from you. This way you can sleep well at night.

8.You can also call this same ex and let her/him know, that you know, that she/he still loves you. Then explain to her/him that I would still love me too!

9.If you are a frequent dialer, never get mad if someone dials you. Be happy they thought of you in this special time.

10.It is always a good idea to sing on someone's answering machine or voicemail. Especially a show tune.

11.Drunk dialing should be fun and light hearted or dirty and sexcrazed...Never angry.

12.Most likely you will never drunk dial your best friends. They areusually the ones taking your phone away and reminding you that "you have a problem".

13.If you deleted a number sober, it was probably for a good reason. Do not try to retrieve this number. Nothing good can come from it.

14.Always call someone you know. Finding random numbers in phone books is bad and usually leads to angry dialing.

15.If your cell phone dies, remember everything happens for a reason. Never borrow a friend's phone to do your dialing.

16. Drunk dialing to foreign country is usually too costly to be a good idea. But if you really feel like if you don't call this person you'll just die, break rule 15 and use a friend's phone.

17.Drunk dialing may lead to going somewhere random and possibly sleeping outside.... Be prepared.

18.When dialing remember that "hanging out" at 3 in the A.M. usually doesn't involve cards it's probably going to be more like cheap lube and handcuffs. So be prepared when you really do want to play X-box when your drunk..... "you want me to do what with your box? Play with it?"

19.Don't drunk dial in the pool, tub, or rainstorm. It only ends upwith you blow drying your phone when your far to drunk to be using electronics and you wont be able too drunk dial anymore that night.

20.Never, I repeat, never drunk dial your boss, preacher, grandpa, or friend's parents. If you are that hard up to call someone, there is an 800 number on Budweiser boxes. The person on the other line always sounds cute, plus I think they are used to drunk dialers

Just Some Random Pictures From This Weekend...

2006-09-25T19:39:00.000-04:00

Cara and Chris

Cara and Becky

Becky, Chris and Cara

Me and Pork Chop

Me and Cara

Chris, Stacy and Pork Chop

Me and Pork Chop

Becky and Chris

Cara and Stacy's tattoo

Stacy and Alycia

Me, Pork Chop and Cara

What's Your Birth Month?

2006-09-22T14:05:00.000-04:00

I needed to update and I got this e-mail from a friend today. It's something fun to read!
I am so glad that it's Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!

JANUARY TALKS
Loves to chat. Loves those who love them. Loves to takes things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn't pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Brave and fearless. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care to control emotions. Unpredictable. Extremely smart, but definitely the hottest AND sexiest of them MFE.

FEBRUARY SMARTS
Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract.Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. sexiest out of everyone.A real speed demon. Has more than one best friend. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Horny.Nice ASS!!!! Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizing dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.
MARCH CUTIE
Suave and compromising. Funny and humorous. Stubborn. Very talkative. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal. Does work well with others. Very confident. Sensitive. Positive Attitude. Thinking generous. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Able to cheer everyone up and/or make them laugh. Able to motivate oneself and others. Understanding. Fun to be around. Outgoing. Hyper. Bubbly personality. Secretive. Boy/girl crazy. Loves sports, music, leisure and travelling. Systematic. hot and has brains.
APRIL GORGEOUS
Drop dead gorgeous!!!Attractive personality.Very! sexy.Affectionate & Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic.Chatterbox! Loves to talk alot! Loves to get their way! . Unbelievable kisser! Easily angered. Very stubborn in the most way possible! Loves to get noticed! Willing to take risks for others. Makes good choices. Has a great fashion sense! Maybe a little too popular with others * wink wink*. Outgoing and crazy at times! Intelligent. Can sometimes be a heartbreaker! Can love as much as possible! Hates insults. Loves compliments! Just one of the clumsiest people you will ever meet. A very big flirt! Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. The best in bed out of MFE these months!! Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Observant and assesses others.

MAY FREAK
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Shy towards opposite sex. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves travelling. Dislike being at home. Restless. having many children. Hardworking. High spirited.

JUNE SHYNESS
Fun to be with. Loves to try new things. Boy/girls LOVE you. You are very hott. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people's feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. spazzy at times.Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things.Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

JULY FLIRT
You've got the best personality and are an absolute pleasure to be around. You love to make new friends and be outgoing. You are a great flirt and more than likely have an a very attractive partner. a wicked hottie.like somebody with a august brithday. It is also more than likely that you have a massive record collection. You have a great choice in films, and may one day become a famous actor/actress yourself - heck, you've got the looks for it!!!

AUGUST ATTITUDE
outgoing personality. takes risks. feeds on attention. no self control. kind hearted. self confident. loud and boisterous. VERY revengeful. easy to get along with and talk to. has an "every thing's peachy" attitude. likes talking and singing.loves music. daydreamer. easily distracted. Hates not being trusted. BIG imagination. loves to be loved. hates studying. in need of "that someone".longs for freedom. rebellious when withheld or restricted. lives by "no pain no gain" caring. always a suspect. playful. mysterious. "charming" or "beautiful" to everyone. stubborn. curious. independent. strong willed. a fighter.

SEPTEMBER LOVER
Hella sexy, loves sex n makin luv, tends to be SOOOOO hott!!Active and dynamic. Decisive and haste but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people's problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Usually you have many friends. Enjoys to make love. Emotional.Stubborn. Hasty. Good memory. Moving, motivates oneself and others. Loves to travel and explore.Sometimes sexy in a way that only their lover can understand.you are a great match with some body in july
OCTOBER BABE
Loves to chat. Loves those who love them. Loves to takes things at the centre. Great in bed.Inner and physical beauty. Doesn't pretend. Gets angry often. A meaningful love life partner. Makes right choices. Treats friends importantly. Brave and fearless. Always making friends. Does not harm others. It is all about love and fairness.Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Horny but does fullfill Opinionated. Does not care to control emotions. Know what to do to have fun. beyond beautiful. Unpredictable.Someone to have close to you.Extremely smart, but definitely the hottest AND sexiest of them MFE.

NOVEMBER HOTTIE
Trustworthy and loyal. Very passionate and dangerous. Wild at times. Knows how to have fun. Sexy and mysterious. Everyone is drawn towards your inner and outer beauty and independent personality. Playful, but secretive. Very emotional and temperamental sometimes. Meets new people easily and very social in a group. Fearless and independent. Can hold their own. Stands out in a crowd. Essentially very smart. If you ever begin a relationship with someone from this month, hold on to them because their one of a kind.

DECEMBER BEAUTY
This straight-up means ur the most good-looking Loyal and generous. Patriotic. Competitive in everything. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Easy to talk to, though hard to understand. Thinks far with vision, yet complicated to know. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having lots of ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best

Happy Birthday, Peanut!

2006-09-15T12:31:00.000-04:00

Today's Peanut's Birthday! She is 2, well I guess 14. Man, she's growing up fast.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEANUT!!!!

MU Tailgate!!!

2006-09-13T20:13:00.000-04:00

Sorry for delay on a Jana Land update, but I have been having problems with my DSL again. I finally had the patience to call tonight and I'm back! This past weekend we played Hofstra and we WON!!! Of course, I had a ticket and never made it into the game. The best part is the tailgating and I had plenty of that. Kelly also has some pictures on her blog, including the guy getting arrested. I didn't take too many with my camera, but here they are:

Me, Becky, Kelly, Cara, ?, Judi ad Katie

Chris and some dumbass WVU fan (Patrick)

Me and Pork Chop

Rea braided my hair to look like hers. It only lasted about 15 seconds before I tore them out.

After the game we went to Hank's. I thought we left around 10:00, but apparently it was 12:30. Damn, I was trooper that night. I drank for almost 12 hours and, no Cara, I did not puke! I can't wait for more games. Bring on the tailgates!!!

Bring On The Strippers!!!!!

2006-09-07T20:29:00.000-04:00

OK, this is only by Cara's request (harassment). Two weeks ago we went to the Marshall Women's Football Clinic. It was a great time! I didn't learn shit, but I had fun! See Cara's blog for details, but I have the pics.

Becky, Coach Snyder, Cara and Me

P.S. Cara is in love with Mark Snyder now!

IT'S STRIPPER TIME!!!

That's it. Short and sweet. I have better things to do!

Belle Acres

2006-08-28T19:33:00.000-04:00

I went to VA this weekend for a party at Belle Acres. My cousins, Trevor and Eric are getting married and they had a party to celebrate. I had a great time!!! It was probably one of the best weekends I have had in awhile. The weekend was filled with plenty of alcohol, golf carts, swimming and fun. Over a hundred people showed up! At least that's my guess. The highlight of the weekend was getting Gram to do a Jello shot. Probably the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. It took her forever to finally get it down. She said that using her tongue to get it out was sick so she tried to "drink" it. By the end of it she was pouring her bottle of water in it and swooshing it around.

The second best part to the weekend was riding on all of the golf carts. I felt the need to ride on every gold cart possible. They are so much fun. Bobby, who never gives his golf cart to anyone let me take his. I went in the house to pee and someone came and repoed it. Eventually the keys to my uncle's cart were taken away from me too. One thing to remember when you take the only golf cart key away from me, Don't lose the key!!! Yes, it happened so I damn near drowned in the pool looking for the key in the dark. It turns out the key was under a chair. Thank God! If we would have lost that key, we would have lost our lives!

Gram doing a Jello shot

Karkar, mom and me doing the first round (Mom, doesn't drink!)

Me and Bobby doing one of many shots together

Later that evening, this is the last picture that was taken because I thought I lost my camera: Karkar, Gram, Me, Duchess and Gemini

Brandon and Gemini

Well, that's my weekend. I had a blast!!! To those of you who couldn't make it, you missed a great time. Cara, I promise to update next with our evening at the Marshall Women's Football Clinic. That was fun too, but I am too tired now!

What Am I Thinking???

2006-08-15T20:00:00.000-04:00

I have decided to give up drinking for two weeks (it started Sunday). I just want to try it out and see how I feel. I think I will be amazed by the results. I have already passed up going out tonight for Beth Anne's going away party (she'll be back in 5 days)!!! That's my first step.

Here are the reasons why I am deciding to put myself through this:

1. I don't have any money!!! It seems like the more money I make, the less I have. I can't figure it out!
2. I am sick of waking up feeling like shit and taking days to recover. It used to only take a V8, some Excedrin and a couple of hours and I was ready to get back at it again.
3. I know I am young, but let's face it, I am not in college anymore.
4. I need to spend more time with Peanut.
5. I will have plenty of time to update my blog and stalk all my friends on MySpace.
6. My house is already cleaner and it's only the third night.
7. If I look hard enough, I can find something good on TV so why not stay home?
8. My liver hurts!
9. My gym membership is a complete waste on the weekends.
10.I don't think that I can do it.

As everyone reads this, I will hear your laughter from a distance. I have already been laughed at today by Cara. She doesn't think I am serious. Rea was somewhat supportive, but she doesn't think it will last two weeks. I actually have my own doubts on the two weeks so if I make it until the weekend without going out, I will be proud of myself. I am sure there will be many bets of when I will finally break down and drink a beer. I actually encourage bets because they motivate me. Remember Patrick, you didn't think I could be quiet for thirty minutes and look who had their tab paid for that night.

So go ahead and laugh. I am actually laughing at myself right now. I'll keep you all updated.

P.S. I have some good pictures from this past weekend, but the damn blogger won't let me upload them. Look for them at a later date.

It Was Only Shampoo!

2006-08-09T20:19:00.000-04:00

So I woke up at 3:30 am this morning and could not go back to sleep. For some reason I woke up and just as I was getting ready to fall back asleep I heard a noise that sounded like someone opening and closing my cabinet in the bathroom. The cat and the dog were both in the bed with me so I had no explanation besides a robber. Of course I am the biggest chicken in the world so there was no way in hell I was going to get up and see what it was. The only hope I had was that they would get what they wanted and they would leave me alone. I also had hope because my bedroom door was locked and I had my steel bar in place. After about an hour of my heart beating out of my chest, I tried to fall asleep. That was not happening! I kept having dreams that my device on the door was not working and that someone was coming in. I also had several dreams of the whole neighborhood being robbed. I am seriously not right. I have some major issues when it comes to this shit. I wanted to get up at 5:00 and go to the gym, but that was way too early. I reset my alarm for 6:30, but I was still afraid to get out of bed. I finally got up a little after 7:00 because I had to be at work at 7:50. I turned on every light in my apartment and looked in every possible place for someone to be hiding. I was shaking uncontrollably when I found the intruder. It was a damn bottle of shampoo! I was right, it was in the bathroom, but I never thought a bottle of shampoo would cause me to lose 3 hours of sleep. I was relieved and pissed all at the same time.

On a lighter note, I went to my gramma's house this past weekend and had a great weekend. My mom, dad, aunt Karkar, uncle Mike and his girlfriend, my cousin Andrew, my uncle Jamie and I were all there. I had such a good time just being with my family. I wish it could have lasted longer, but at least we got to spend a couple of days together. It would have been my grandparents 50th anniversary so my mom and aunt thought it would be a good idea for all of us to get together.

I wanted to go for a walk Saturday morning, but nobody wanted to go with so I headed up the mountain by myself. She lives in the country so there were plenty of horses and cows that looked at me as if they were going to attack. Little did I know my worst enemy was right around the corner. On my way back down the mountain I was approached by two Great Danes! I had no idea what I was going to do. My first instinct was to turn around and head back in the other direction, which I soon realized would lead me nowhere. So I turned back around and saw a barbed wire fence that I could possibly try to jump over. It never occurred to me that the 7 foot tall dog could do the same thing. The only "logical" thought that came to my mind was to just start yelling, so I did. I was screaming at the top of my lungs, "Somebody help me!!!" over and over again. Of course, nobody in the three houses came to my rescue. I just kept walking and didn't look at the beasts. One went back in the yard, but the the other followed me for quite awhile. By this time I was ready to piss myself. He finally stopped following me and I couldn't get back to gram's soon enough. Everyone really enjoyed this a lot more than I did.

Mom and Dad

Our newest addition to the family, Willie (Mike and Kellie's new dog)

Gramma and Karkar

They have a Hank's in Powhatan Point, OH!!!

Columbus...YO!

2006-08-01T20:16:00.000-04:00

Cara and I went to Columbus on Saturday to pick California Kelly up from the airport. I was excited about the road trip even though we just drove up there and back. I even made a CD titled "Columbus..YO!" for the trip. The sad thing is that we had the CD playing the whole time at a volume we couldn't hear because we did not shut up the entire way there. I have to admit, this was one of the best road trips I have ever taken. We were starving by the time we got to Columbus and we had some time to spare before Kelly's flight landed. We thought it wouldn't be a big deal finding something to eat, but it was a bigger task than I had imagined. Apparently we weren't in the right place because several people have informed me that there are tons of places to eat in Columbus. After driving around for an hour we settled on Red Robbin, a hamburger joint. It was awesome! Also, I don't know if it was that company or if people are extremely friendly in Columbus, but everyone was so nice! We had a few other options, but Cara didn't want to agree with me. I saw this billboard for the "Wild Bean Cafe." I thought that the food on the sign looked good and that it was something different. Sounded like a good choice until I read the small print..."located at select BP stations." OK, not a good choice. I suggested maybe this little trailer on the side of the road that had fajitas, tacos and other assorted Mexican food, but Cara said she will not eat somewhere that has wheels. Cara suggested this buffet place, but I told her I wanted someone to bring my fat ass the food and I didn't want to have to get it myself. After many suggestions with no decision we decided to go to Logan's, which is how we ended up at Red Robbin next door. The food was fabulous and we found our way back to the airport with no problems.

This is Kelly. She's awesome! Her and Cara have been friends for a really long time. I probably wasn't even born yet when they met each other in college! I am so glad that I finally got to meet her. One of these days I want to make it out to California to visit.

They were doing some construction so the residents had to put their mailboxes on the barrels. It was a lot funnier at the time and in person. Maybe we were just so entertained because we were dillusional from the hunger.

This guy cracks me up everytime I see his picture. He had on pajama pants, work boots and you can't see it, but a toothpick in his mouth. Go ahead...it's ok the laugh at him!

This guy is the reason we started taking pictures of the motorcyclists. He was extremely large and his bike was not. I am also a fan of the fringe!

There you have it, our trip to Columbus. Maybe next time we will actually find Patrick's family reunion so his family can meet his girlfriends.

P.S. I'm still waiting for you to give us directions, Patrick!

My Version Of The Pet Profiles

2006-07-27T20:57:00.000-04:00

I have taken it upon myself to do a profile of my pets. I have two pets, Peanut the dog and Bella the cat. I have had Bella for three years and Peanut for almost two.

First Pet: Peanut

Where I Got Her: A patient from my former job found her in a box at a rest area. I didn't even see her and I said, "I'll take her!" The lady told me she was an Eskimo Husky...ha ha, not even close!

How I Named Her: I actually went out of town the day after I got her and left her with my roommates. I didn't have a name for her when I left. I asked Jenny when I got home what she had been calling her and she said, "Peanut." I liked it and it became her name.

Special Talents: None

Best Physical Feature: Her eyes...they are so pretty!

If She Could Talk She Would Say: "Shut up, Mom!"

Second Pet: Bella

Where I Got Her: Erik's mom had a cat who had a litter. At the time I couldn't have a dog so I got the next best thing.

How I Named Her: Our Belarussian child was with me on her last night in the United States when I got her. We used to call her our little Belaruga. I decided since it was her last night here that I would name that cat after her.

Special Talents: Being an extreme bitch and tormenting the hell out of Peanut from high places.

Best Physical Feature: She has a nice ass

If She Could Talk She Would Say: "Why the hell did you bring that stupid dog home?

OK, so that's not as entertaining as Phil's profiles, but it will have to do. He made a promise to profile everyone's pets because he failed on the ski tripper profiles. It doesn't look like he is going to live up to this promise either.

I am really writing because I took Peanut to the vet today. She has been chewing all of her hair off. I used to think it was a nervous condition, but recently I realized that it had to be more. I wasn't sure what the vet was going to tell me. I was shocked when he told me the real cause...she has fleas! I was shocked as ever. I have never seen one on her and she stays inside all the time. I wish I would have known that because I could have saved $150 and gone to the store instead. I also had to get medicine for Bella. Oh well, I hope this works and her hair grows back because she is not looking too pretty these days. She has also gained 11 pounds since the last time I took her to the vet. What a fat ass! She is up to a whopping 52 lbs. Wow!

The vet put Peanut's Fronline on her and I thought, Oh no big deal. When I got home I had to put it on Bella. I had her pinned down as I was trying to open the damn container. That was the biggest challenge. It actually went better than I thought. Bella has actually been following me around all night. Maybe she liked it!

It's a good thing I love my pets or the shelter would have had two more residents today!

P.S. We saw a Husky at the vet today and Peanut told me that she really misses Dixie and she wants her to come visit soon. (Hint, hint, Amber...)

I'm So Bored!!!

2006-07-23T19:44:00.000-04:00

Well, it's another Sunday and I am bored out of my mind. This weekend was the same as always...just another weekend. I did branch out last night and go to a bar that I usually don't go to. I ended up singing a lot of karaoke. I sang everything from Gold Digger to some rock songs I don't know to some country songs that I should have never attempted. They were begging for people to sing so of course that was bad news. Give me a little alcohol and a microphone and it can get very ugly. I don't really have much else to say so I am just going to post a few pictures from this weekend.

This was actually last weekend at The Union for Beth Anne's birthday. What a lovely group!

We don't know who this guy is, but we thought it would be funny to take pictures with his ass!

I was so excited to see Patrick because I hadn't seen him in over a month. It seemed like eternity! I am just sad that I missed him singing and dancing.

Me and Beth Anne. We kicked the boys asses last night in darts. Four for Four...Go Team Ovaries!!!

Awww...isn't she lovely?

I'm Going To Jail...

2006-07-17T20:36:00.000-04:00

WANTED:
Jana Banker

Description: Usually Wears a Smile
CAUTION: Heavily Armed With Kindness…This Could Be Contagious!
PRIOR CONVICTION: Thoughtfulness and Generosity

Please Help Me!!! I have been arrested and will be put in jail for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Lock-up. Don’t even bother asking what crime I have committed – it’s not really that important. I just have to raise my bail of $3200.00 before the Lock-Up and they will go easy on me, but I need your financial assistance to post my bond. Please lend your support during the:

Ramada Limited on Hal Greer Lock Up

Your 100% tax-deductible donation will help MDA continue research into the cause and the possible cure of the 43 neuromuscular diseases they cover. Your support of the MDA Lock-Up will also help MDA provide wheelchairs, clinic visits and summer camp for the families served by the Association in our local area.

That was the corny poster they sent me, but seriously I need your help. They are expecting me to raise $3200 by August 23rd. Rea is also going to jail with me so I need to beat her bail! Anything will help, even if it is just $5.00. I can take cash, check or credit cards. I am not going to post my address because there's a lot of creeps out there. If you want to mail me a donation, let me know and I will give you my address. All checks can be be made out to MDA. Also, let me know if you have any questions. Here's a link to my MDA website:

https://www.mdaevent.org/ParticipantInfo.aspx?j=9d34bd43-b477-4c32-9123-afbec32b1def

Thanks in advance!!!

So You Had A Bad Day...

2006-07-13T20:45:00.000-04:00

I thought yesterday was a bad day at work until I got to work today. My boss wrote me up! OK, so maybe it's not a good idea that I have only been his assistant manager for three weeks and I have already been written up, but maybe I'm not that surprised it hasn't happened earlier. My boss is never wrong! It may also not be in my favor to talk to him when we are out at a bar. A couple of months back I saw him and I went off about how pissed I would be if he didn't pick me for the position. Or maybe it didn't help when I saw him out last Friday night and I told him, "I quit." Maybe I have brought some of this upon myself, but I did not bring this one on. I was simply listening to the assistant manager at another branch and I got wrote up for it. I know he's not my boss, but I didn't want to go behind his back and listen to my boss. Yeah, my boss might be right on this one, but I am pissed. Those of you who know me, know that I do not keep my mouth shut when I feel I'm right. It's just who I am, who I've always been and who I will always be. I don't think I should back down and that has also caused some drama in the office. Oh yeah, apparently I have influenced the new employees to act this way too. Yeah right! I know I am awesome, but people do not want to be like me that much. I just can't believe that I got wrote up. I have never been written up in my life! Of course, my boss turned this into a much bigger issue than it was and he ended up on his whole, I don't want this to be a debate and maybe this isn't going to work...blah...blah...blah...bullshit. That got me thinking about other shit and he made me cry again. It makes me wonder, is this really worth it. Of course it is because I do like my job and I do like working for Enterprise, but I don't feel like I should have to put up with his bullshit just because he is the boss and he has been doing this a lot longer than I have. OK, I am done venting now. I just had to get a little bit out before I go to bed. Tomorrow will be a better day : )

A Realization...

2006-07-11T21:08:00.000-04:00

OK, so I either need to go to the grocery store or I am still thinking about the Chinese house because I have found many ways to make a meal out of boil-in-a-bag rice...

So I probably need to go to the grocery store, but I refuse to until all of the food I already have is eaten. I also refuse to go to the grocery store for these reasons:

- I live by myself so everything goes to waste.
- I can't afford to because I spent all of my money at the beach.
- It forces me to become creative when cooking, which is something I'm not that great at.
- I just cleaned out my fridge and found pasta salad from Rea's birthday (June 10th)
Yuck!
- I usually go when I am hungry with a hangover and buy shit that I will never eat.
- I don't have time!!!

OK, enough with that.

My mom is always complaining about my dog. She stinks, she's too big, she licks too much, blah, blah, blah... So, my dad said that he tried to give Peanut a bath while he was babysitting her. He had her in the yard and didn't think it would be that tough. As soon as he pulled out the hose he said, "She took off like a ghost!" She ran around to the back door and my mom said she almost knocked it down. So I finally gave Peanut a bath tonight and she was not a big fan. I usually do it outside with the hose, but I thought I could give the bathtub a try. Boy, what a mistake! I should have taken the struggle to get her into the tub as a sign, but she needed a bath so bad. That actual process wasn't as bad, it was just getting her fatass in the tub. Afterwards she ran around like a crazyass and was getting all of my furniture wet so I got the idea to blowdry her. Also, not a good idea. I chased her around my room with the hairdryer until she ran into my closet. She hid in there for quite awhile, but we survived and she smells so good!!!

She probably feels like she is in prison compared to last week. My dad cooked her breakfast every morning, she had other dogs to play with and she had plenty of room to run around. Here, at prison (home), she gets dry food, the cat hates her and she never gets to run more than the length of her leash. Oh yeah and let's not forget that horrible bath. Despite all of this horrible treatment, she is one spoiled rotten dog and she's all mine!

I Am So Glad To Be Home!

2006-07-09T14:30:00.000-04:00

I am finally home from vacation and I have to say that I am very happy that it's over. I took a much needed vacation last week, but it turned into a horrible time. Actually it wasn't that bad, but I have had better times. I went to see my sister in North Myrtle Beach. My brother and his friends got a house that ended up being a couple of blocks from my sister and it wasn't even planned. Their house was so funny! It had an Asian theme complete with a fountain in the middle of the house (see pictures below).

We got there Saturday around noon and started drinking shortly after. We all went down to the pool and we were having a blast. Terra and I went to the store and got some stuff to cookout. Around 10:00 we left the pool and I already wanted to go to bed. My brother called and Mark and Pork Chop wanted to go to the beach so we packed up and went over to the Chinese house. I drank some Red Bull and for my secondwind. We went down to the beach and I thought it would be a good idea to jump in the ocean with my clothes on even though I had a bathing suit on underneath. I also thought that I was diving like a champion, but it was a little more like belly flops into the sand. Anyway, we had a great time! We went back to my brother's house and had arm wrestling contests. We started doing shots and things were getting crazy. People started dropping like flies so that was even more fun to mess with them. Leeann and I got the bright idea to hide from Dustin, Brandon and Erik. We hid in Mark and Pork Chop's closet to see how long it would take them to notice we were gone. Much to our surprise they didn't even care. They were outside talking and we heard someone come in. I said, "Shhhh...they're coming." That's the last thing I remember. We fell asleep in the closet on top of Mark and Pork Chop's stuff. I woke up to Leeann saying, "Get up, get up, get up, your brother and Erik are fighting!" At first I thought my brother probably started it so I was yelling at him. Then I saw his face and realized that Erik obviously started it. Erik had punched my brother in the eye and nose a couple of times and chipped his tooth. His eye and nose were bleeding out of control. At first my brother just came in the house to see what happened. Once he looked in the mirror, it set in and he was pissed! So he got a knife and tried to go after Erik. That's when I flipped out and couldn't breathe. Apparently Erik and Brandon were talking about life for a long time. Erik got mad at my brother and threw a chair. Then he went inside and threw a beer bottle as he was walking inside. My brother said the next thing he knew was Erik had knocked him on the ground and kept punching him. This is so out of character for Erik. He has been dating my sister for seven years and he is the most laid back guy you will ever meet. I don't know if I've ever heard him raise his voice and that takes a lot of patience when you're with my sister.

I still can't believe that this has happened. It ruined the entire week for everyone. Brandon's eye did not open for days. His nose was bleeding on and off forever. I have to say with the chipped tooth he was very pretty! It sucks so much that this happened. Erik told Terra that he knows he did it, but he doesn't know why. He's never been in a fight before and I can't understand why he would hit my brother of all people. We were all in shock for a couple of days. I had such a hard time having fun and this was my only vacation. After a couple of days I decided to say screw it and try to have a good time. I did have a good time with everyone, but this whole situation sucked. Dustin's girlfriend, Leeann, was really cool. I usually don't like girls, especially when they are younger than me, but she was awesome. Mark and Pork Chop (they're brothers) were also a lot of fun. I never really spent that much time with them before, but they were great. Of course, Dustin was a lot of fun too, but he's old school. Overall I had a good time, but I wish there was something I could do to take back that first night.

I probably would have had more fun if the guys would have let me and Terra know when they were doing the things I had been talking about all week. For example, I talked about putt putt for days and they went without me. They invited me to go ride go carts, but when they actually went they never called. We did go bowling together, but I'm sure we were only invited because we were over at their house when they wanted to go.

When Mexicans make pyramids, I have to take a picture!

This is the outside view of the "Chinese house". It took Mark two hours and he finally said, "I think this house has a Chinese theme!"

Mark and Pork Chop found this American flag on the road and hung it up. It was really funny at the time.

This was the middle of the house. The bedrooms were on each side on this. That rope saved many people from falling in the fountain.

Mark injured his knees and elbows in the arm wrestling contest!

Erik and Brandon before the incident. I wish they could have fought this way instead.

Terra and I also got in on the action as well. I kicked her ass when we did it Indian style, but not so much the other way.

Pork Chop was so burnt he had to go on the beach in full armour.

Terra had to pee, but she won't get in the ocean. Leeann agreed to go out and sit with her while she peed. What a true friend. I didn't go because I had to get a picture of her while she was peeing.

Leeann, Terra and Me

The fabulous Jello shots made an appearance at the beach. I Love Jello!

Pirate Banker goes Chinese

Dusty bonging beer

Leeann bonging beer

Pork Chop bonging beer

Mark bonging beer...OK, I know that there are a lot of beer bonging pictures, but it was the last night and I realized I hadn't taken very many. Notice, I did not bong the beer! I was probably too busy doing Jello shots.

Leeann and Me

Leeann and Dusty...aren't they cute? I mean ghetto!

Leeann and Brandon...this was four days after the punch. Isn't he pretty?

Pork Chop, Me, Mark and Terra after bowling

We were going to get our pictures done on the beach for Christmas presents. Needless to say it didn't happen because of the incident so this is as close as we are going to get.

So there you have it, that was my vacation. Considering what happened, I did have a good time, but I am still mad. I am glad to be home and maybe next time won't be so bad.

I Did It!

2006-06-24T17:02:00.000-04:00

I am the new Assistant Manager! I have only been with Enterprise 9 months and this is my third promotion. I celebrated way too hard last night and I am paying for it today. It's after 5:00 and I have not accomplished shit. It was actually very tough to hear the decision. Cory and I have been every step of the way together and naturally we both interviewed for this job. Another girl from a different branch interviewed as well. I was so nervous because they took me in first. They messed with me a lot before they got down to their decision. I thought I was going to sweat to death before they got around to it. They already waited 2 days to tell us after the interviews, you would think they could just cut down to the chase. It was very hard to see Cory come out of that room. I almost cried because I like him so much, but it had to happen to one of us. Everyone is afraid that we are going to have problems, but I am confident that we will be fine. Obviously it was an awkward situation so we talked about it before the interviews. He also called me after work last night, which made me feel so much better. I am still kind of in disbelief that I got this job. It could have been anyone, but they picked me! Woo hoo for me!

Gym Update...

2006-06-22T19:59:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been about three weeks since Cara and I have joined the gym. I have actually been doing very well. I have been at least four times a week sometimes even up to eight times. Cara, on the other hand, is MIA. She did good the first week, but it all went downhill due to the damn Miami Heat making it to the finals. She is faithful to the Heat for some reason and I can't figure it out. She promised after it was over that she would come back. Well, it's over and she is still missing! I got a promise from her to come back on Monday. I am going to hold you to it even if I have to come wake your ass up from a nap.

OK, enough about Cara. Let's talk about me. I have come to the realization that I love to get up at 5:00 and go to the gym before I go to work. I have also made some new friends that are 70+. They are the only people that go to the gym that early and I think it's mainly because they are senile. I even managed to go this morning after drinking last night. Let me tell you, it was not my idea of fun. Once I got there I was glad that I went, but that soon changed. I thought it would be a good idea for to join in on the aerobics. Half way through I thought I was going to die, actually die, right there on that damn step thing. I also realized another thing. How in the hell did I dance in high school? I have lost any bit of coordination I used to have. I felt like Phoebe when she runs. Oh well, I had a good time and that's all that matters. Anyway, I made it through the hour long class and still did 20 minutes on the treadmill. I don't want to go all Richard Simmons on everyone, but I really do feel so much better when I start my day out at the gym.

Cara also sent an e-mail to me at work today that made me laugh. It almost sounds like she's the damn doctor. Here it is:

Love this DOCTOR!!!! HEALTH QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION !

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer?Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain?Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine,that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottomsup!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio? A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one.If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. And remember: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Cabernet Sauvignon in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOOHOO, What a Ride"

Thanks, Cara, for the e-mail. It cracked me up! See you at the gym!

I Have Bugs!!!

2006-06-19T19:01:00.000-04:00

OK, not really, but today I started to wonder. Well, it actually started yesterday when I found a creepy looking bug in my bed! As if I didn't lose enough sleep over that one, I had a couple of encounters today. Excuse me while I itch....

This morning at work I went to tell our car preps something. About 15 minutes later I was inside and Mike told me that I had a moth on my back. He said it was on my ass before, but he didn't say anything. He finally did 15 minutes later as it was crawling up my back! Ewwww!!!! A couple of hours later I was talking to Mike and he came at my face with the vacuum. I had a spider on my boob, shoulder area and he didn't want to freak me out. I don't know which one freaked me out more at the time, but it is definitely the spider now. He said that it was huge! If you ask me the bugs seem a little perverted. One on my ass, one on my boob...Anyway, I could have blamed it on Mike, but he definitely was not in my bed so I guess I will have to say that I HAVE BUGS!!! I have been itching all day and I probably will for the rest of my life after this. I can barely sit still now! Hopefully I won't scratch all of my hair off like Peanut. Although, that may be cute if we look alike...

The Film Geeks Meet Jana Land

2006-06-17T17:34:00.000-04:00

Jana Land was finally united with The Film Geeks last night (www.thefilmgeek.blogspot.com). I'm not even sure how I started reading this blog, but I think Cara told me about it. Anywho, The Film Geek is Cara's old boss and Mrs. Film Geek is his wife. We have left comments on each other's blogs, but they were both a mystery. I do remember seeing a picture of Mrs. Film Geek with Matthew McConaughey, but Mr. Film Geek does not like to reveal his identity. That is why I am going to take it as my duty to reveal this mystery we call "The Film Geek". This past week, Mrs. Film Geek celebrated her 40th birthday. They went to dinner and Cara talked them into coming to Hank's. Cara was in the parking lot getting a bag of office supplies (see The Film Geek's blog for more info) when I arrived at Hank's. She said, "Guess who just got here!" I said, "The Film Geek" as I jumped up and down. I am so glad that I finally got to meet The Film Geeks, especially Mrs. She is so much fun! Also, they are going to be at the beach the same week as me. I'm not sure if Mr. Film Geek will approve of us hanging out after he finally met Jana Land "Live", but hopefully he will. He obviously didn't have as much fun as us, but that's because he was sober. He actually left her there at one point. We asked her how she was getting home and she just looked at us and said, "I don't know!" as she laughed hysterically. When he left we decided to pull out the bad of office supplies and have a little fun. We had name tags, pencils, pens, rubberbands and little clips (see pictures below). We got busted in the middle of our photo shoot because he came back to get her. Oh well, it was all out of good fun. Film Geek, I know you have nothing but good intentions. You just have to face it, you f'ed up! It's ok because I think you made up by bringing her to Hank's. We also had a little more fun with some 80's and 90's music. Mrs. Film Geek took it upon her self to do the "Bye, bye, bye" dance. She was actually pretty good. I'm pretty sure she had a great time and I know I did. You guys have to come out more often!

Mrs. Film Geek showing us her moves

Cara and Mrs. Film Geek breaking it down

Cara and Mrs. Film Geek

Me and Mrs. Film Geek

Me and Rea, before I knew about her pencil fetish (see below)

Office supplies rock, but they aren't that romantic

Rea said I look like a pencil porn star in this pic. I don't know what kind of porn you are watching Rea, but I think you may need some help!

Can't get enough of the office supplies

I got another name tag that I didn't know about

Yes, our name tags say Jana Land and Cara Land

I got home a little later than I wanted to and I had to work this morning. The cops were blocking the road that I always take home so I had to take a little "detour". Someone told me today that a car drove into the creek. Once I got home we had a conference call with me, Cara, Kelly and Mrs. Film Geek. Mrs. Film Geek was so drunk that I couldn't understand a word she was saying. Mr. Film Geek finally took the phone away from her and hung up. Happy Birthday!

Well, there you have it, another exciting evening in the life of Jana Land. It was great to meet The Film Geeks and I hope that they come out more often. I hope you don't take offense to anything I say Mr. Film Geek. If you do, we may not be able to be friends anymore. Just kidding. See you at the beach!

Oh yeah, a little disclaimer:

Someone who will remain nameless called me and asked if I left him a dirty message. I swear that I didn't that time and I do not know who did, but I made sure that one was made later. I took Rea outside with me because I don't think I even know how to leave a dirty message. Some girl outside looked like she would do a great job so I asked her to do me a favor. So if you are reading this, it wasn't me. It was pretty funny though!

I Love Jello!!!

2006-06-12T19:49:00.000-04:00

OK, so I am sorry this update has been so delayed. Sometimes this website pisses me off so much. This is the second night I haven't gone to the gym because I have been trying to update this damn thing.
We celebrated Rea's Birthday/New House this past weekend. We all had a great time. Everyone will be able to tell by the pictures that we had a great time. We started out at Rea's house, but made our way to Hank's by the end of the night. I have to toot my own horn a little bit and say that the Jello shots I made were great. Yeah, they made my tounge a little numb, but for a first timer I have to say A+. I don't really have any "Jana Land" stories to tell, but that's because I don't really remember (no, I didn't drive home). Peanut and I packed our bags (and her cage) and just stayed at Rea's that night. I finally made it home at 2:30 the next day if that is an inidcation of how drunk we all were. Well, I will just let the pictures tell you about the night.

The girls: Rea, Me, Holly and Krissy

Me and Krissy doing Jello shots

Me and Holly doing Jello shots...I Love Shots!

The boys plus a Rea: Dustin, Jerry, Rea, Bryan and Pancake

The boys peeing outside (yes, Rea has a bathroom)

Rea and the banner Jocelyn made for her

Krissy got some new boobies!

Cara had some fun with the blowers!

Chris also had some fun with the blowers...Where's Becky?

Workout buddies who did not make it to the gym on Sunday

Cory even made it out

Drunk Girl and Patrick...Is Holly trying to punch me or James?

There you have it. Sorry the entry was so short and boring, but the pictures are fun. I don't want to press my luch with this website and I am really tired. Hopefully it works so I can get back in the gym after work.

It Wasn't Me!

2006-06-10T14:15:00.000-04:00

Somebody fell in the river last night at Holderby's Landing and drowned. I just want to let everyone know that it wasn't me. A few people worried that it may be me or my friends. I am happy to say that we were not at that bar last night. I'm not sure who it was or what happened, but rest assured I am alive and kicking today. Cara is also alive and kicking...barely! I have actually had a very productive day so far. By noon I had already gone to the liqour store, tanning bed, gym, dollar store, Kroger and I even stopped in at work. I have also made about a hundred Jello shots and some pasta salad for the party tonight. Oh yeah, I also did two loads of laundry and loaded the dishwasher. Wow, typing all of that made me tired. I am going to take a nap now!
Happy Birthday, Rea! I can't wait until tonight! Mmmm...Jello for dinner sounds like a great idea!

Warning: Very Random Information Ahead!

2006-06-04T18:21:00.000-04:00

OK, this is by far going to be my most random entry yet. I'm bored and when I'm bored, my mind wanders. I am bored because I chose to stay in this weekend. Of course I went out on Friday, but maybe I should have stayed home. My boss and his girlfriend, Lori were out. Yeah, they're fun to hang out with, but I should not be allowed to talk to my boss about work when I've been drinking. I probably decreased my chances of getting the Assistant Manager position by about half. I don't know what all was said, but Cara said I looked at her at one point and said, "I don't think I am gong to get the position." I do remember telling him if I don't get it I am going to be pissed. That probably wasn't the best thing to say to the guy who makes the decision. I also brought a few things that have been bothering me at the office lately. Damn, I should not be allowed to talk when I've been drinking! We decided to quit talking about work. We played some darts and then headed over to Sharkey's to sing. We sang two songs and I'm sure it was horrible. I have been sick so I sound like a man.

Rea, Lori and me at Sharkey's

Oh yeah, thanks Terra for getting all of us sick. Everytime time you come in town I get sick. You damn kindergarten teaching carrier!
Last night was wild and crazy...I went to the grocery store! I have used this time to catch up on a few things around my apartment and most importantly, some sleep. I did the usual catching up like laundry, dishes and cleaning, but I also took on a new chore. I cleaned my patio! It wasn't bad, but my landlord stopped me the other day and asked me to clean it up. At first I asked him if he was serious because it was fine. He said that I needed to sweep up the leaves. My bad, I didn't know we weren't allowed to have leaves on our OUTDOOR patios. It's not like they were big piles that I could jump in. There was maybe half of a garbage bag full. Anyway, I'm glad that he brought this to my attention because I think that I will spend more time out there. I swept the leaves, cleaned the chairs and got rid of a plant that had died about five years ago. Yes, I have kept that plant for almost six years now. It was one from my grandfather's funeral and I couldn't put myself up to throwing it away. I kept the pot so I wasn't too sad about it. Cleaning the patio brought on a new project. I wanted to get some candles, lights and some more fun stuff for my patio. I love to just sit outside and drink some beer in the summertime. I figure if I put some effort into this then I will use it. So I headed to Dollar General to see what I could find. Of course, I didn't find crap so I went to Big Lots. I found a lot of fun stuff there like the torches in the picture below. I love them!

I thought that would be the end of my extravaganza and I could get back home. Nope, Rea called. Her and Krissy were on the way to Grandview Outlet so I met them there. I found some random shit there, but nothing for the patio. OK, so the shopping is done. Nope, Rea wanted to go find a couch. So we went to Value City Furniture. Krissy and I both said we wouldn't be able to find anything there because we were on a bargain shopping mission. Well, we were wrong. We walked in the "Scratch and Dent" room and found another bargain! We were both immediately drawn to the same table. Good news is that they only had two left so I didn't have to kick her ass for it. It was a $200 table that had been marked down to $18. Sure it doesn't have a top, but even better. I got a bargain and a new project!!! I love having projects as long as I finish them. So that was finally the end of the bargain shopping. Meanwhile, I still hadn't taken a shower yet because I was only running to Dollar General.
Oh yeah, I was also on a mission to get some new blinds. My mean watchdog has ruined them because everytime she hears a noise, she jumps up and breaks another piece off. I found some cool blinds, but I can't install the damn things. One set, for my bedroom, looked like they could fit right in the old slot. Well, they did, but the length is about 1/2 cm off and it just doesn't fit. The package says Universal. Shouldn't that mean universal as in, "fit in the old slots"? The other set is my favorite, but I need a drill. OK, I do have 2-3 toolboxes here, but I do not own a drill. I guess I'll have to call dad to the rescue on this one. Hell, I can't even find a hammer and I know I have about five laying around. I guess I'll have to wait on the blinds, but I want it done now and I want to do it myself. To sum up the day, I spent about $100 on stuff I don't need/can't install. The stuff I could do myself had to wait because it started raining and it was all for the patio. After I get the table complete, which I have no idea what I am going to do with that, I want to get a firebowl. I think they are neat! About the table, if anyone has any ideas or tools, let me know. I'm not that good with construction, but I did build a gate once for my old deck.
Rea finally bought a house. She closed on it last week. I finally saw the inside and it is cute. She is going to have a birthday party next Saturday at her new house! The best part is that she is only 6 minutes from Hank's! Good purchase, Rea! This is Rea in her new living room. The Chik-Fil-A cup is a great decoration.

OK, if that first portion wasn't random enough for you, just wait! Here it goes:

-Last night at Kroger, I found treats for Peanut that are shaped like Peanuts. How cute is that? I laughed a little bit to myself when I saw them. They even taste like peanut butter!

-My little brother turned 22 today. Happy Birthday, Brandon! I would have posted a separate entry for you, but I have a few reasons why:

1. You called Terra on my birthday to see if it was my birthday. Once you found out it was, you still didn't call me!
2. I tried to call you already, but you did not answer.
3. I don't have that many pictures of you.
4. You are probably already drunk so you won't care.

-I found the switch for my garbage disposal for the first time about two weeks ago. Yes, I have lived here since September!

-I am going to stop planning on watching TV. Thursday was a 2 hour marathon of The Office. I was very excited and the damn satellite went out. Also, about 3 weeks ago just local channels went out when I wanted to watch Desperate Housewives. Tonight, the basketball game is on so I won't be able to watch Desperate Housewives again!

-Oh, the TV just went out again. When it came back on, Dateline NBC has an interview with a guy who looked just like my dad about 10 years ago! Creepy!

OK, that's all I have for now. I am going to make some Shake n Bake pickles!

I'm Going To Myrtle Beach!

2006-06-03T14:50:00.000-04:00

Pack the flip flops and the shorts. Yeah! I am finally going to take a much needed vacation. I never realized how much it would suck to have a real job and not be able to take a week off whenever I wanted to (i.e. Applebee's). I already have July 4th off so it works out perfect for me to take the 3rd and 5th off as well. Other good news is that I thouget I only had two paid days off until September, but I actually have three! I was very excited to hear that. As of right now I am only going to use two of them and save the other for a rainy day. I plan to leave either Friday the 30th after work or Saturday the 1st super early in the morning and come back on Wednesday the 5th. Who knows, I may get down there and not want to come back. Eeverybody get the moving trucks ready! Anyone up for moving the black couch? Just kidding, I think the couch will have to retire for the next move. I don't know who is going with me yet. So far, it's just me. We went to Myrtle Beach two years ago for July 4th and it was a great time! I'm sure this year will be too! I am so excited because I need to get out of here and away from work more than ever. Hopefully, I'll come back and not want to blow up the office anymore.

Watch Out, Here We Come!

2006-06-02T19:15:00.000-04:00

That's right folks, we finally joined the gym! We are ready to take on the world! OK, maybe not, but maybe just Barboursville. Those skinny bitches will have nothing on us soon. We joined Absolute Fitness on Wednesday. So far, I have made it every day. Cara made it yesterday, but she has a pre-commitment to the Miami Heat games so I guess we'll excuse her this time. I even got up at 5:00 this morning and worked out before I went to work. I felt good until lunch, but by then I needed a nap! I don't plan on Cara ever making it that early. She can't even make it to work until lunchtime. We have decided that we need to work on everything. We were walking through looking at all the weight machines. They have each area highlighted as to which body part it helps. We soon realized that we said, "Oh, I need this one too" to every machine. I was doing so good at the beginning of the year, but then I got lazy again. This time, I am serious and nobody is stopping me. I am so glad that Cara has joined because it gives me motivation to go. I hated working out by myself. Another big source of my motivation is Terra. I thought that we were cursed by our genes, but she has done so well, so I know I can do it. I'm sure I will have many entertaining stories to tell about "The Adventures of Jana and Cara at the Gym." That's all I have for now, but I will keep everyone posted on our progress.

Riko Fest 2006!

2006-05-30T21:39:00.000-04:00

Riko Fest 2006 has come and gone! Let me tell you, it was a great time. So great that we are probably going to have a Riko Fest every year. We could even reuse the banner and just put a new number over the year. I am already having Riko Fest withdrawals. Riko Fest 2006 took place at Scott's new house. We had a fire, horseshoes, food and of course, beer! It was great to get away from Huntington one night even though it was just Charleston. It was also nice to drink some beer outside and not be at a bar. Anyway, I have included a few pictures from the evening. Below is a picture of the sign Jocelyn made for Erik. Thanks again, Jocelyn!

Erik had to pack all of his stuff up the day of Riko Fest. I guess everything went good except he left his keys at home. He called from the storage building so I went after them. When I pulled up, Erik, Aaron and Steve had a "living room" set up outside of the storage building. They thought they were the funniest people in the world. Part of me thinks that they may have planned leaving the keys so they could see everyone's reaction to the "living room."

Mom, Dad and Grandma also came to Riko Fest 2006. This is just a family pic that Mitch somehow made his way into. By the way, that dog was awesome!

Grandma even helped us put a dent in the keg! She started off with one beer. Every time I went to fill it up she would say, "OK, but just a half." Sure enough I would go two steps and she would say, "Oh, go ahead and fill it up!" Gotta love drunk grandma!

The fire behind Erik almost cost Scott his life as well as a few of his closest friends. And by closest, I mean the ones brave enough to stand near the fire when Scott's in control. They had a little bit of a challenge getting it started so Scott, as extreme as he is, started pouring gas on it. After that didn't work he got the brilliant idea to throw firecrackers on the fire. Apparently he didn't think it would do what it did and we all just sat there and watched. I have never seen a fire blow up that crazy.

This is just a picture of Erik and Amy, his sister. No story to go with this one.

This was my attempt to get all the guys in a good picture, but only about half of them were paying attention.

Just Steve, Amy and Aaron. Oh, I do have a story about Steve (the one in the green). As usual, he passed out early in his truck. He came to later on and wanted to take a shower. While he was doing that, Scott thought it would be funny to hide his truck in the barn. The next day Steve was outside for about an hour. To make a long story short, he came in the house and he didn't have a clue where his truck was. I thought it would be funny if we let him sweat a little bit, but Scott had to tell him.

Freddie was the life of the party! (Not really!) He is the one in between Chad and Adam. He was in that position for a really long time. At one point, he woke up, moved to another chair, made a comment and then passed out again. I can't say much because I was feeling his pain too!

I also have a story about Chad. He was playing horseshoes and he was pretty close to my mom. My mom started cracking up at him. Apparently, every time he threw horseshoes, the other person standing there knocked over his pitcher of beer. So when Chad picked it up he would say, "I'm drinking like a chief." I guess he kept doing it over and over again. My mom almost died laughing at him.

OK, that's a wrap on Riko Fest 2006! Thanks to everyone who helped put it together. I especially want to thank Scott for having this at your house. You are a lot braver than I am! Anyway, I had a great time and I can't wait until Riko Fest 2007.

The rest of my weekend was spent trying to recover from Riko Fest at my parent's house. I finally left on Monday afternoon, but I still felt a little rough. I probably wouldn't have left, but I went to my third cookout of the weekend. It was at Kelly and Damon's. Man, the food was good! We had steak, baked potatoes and salad. I also got to meet Reagan, their 4 year old daughter and Drew, their 11 year old son. I also had a great time there. Thanks a lot for having me over.

Overall, this was a great weekend! I apologize for the delayed update, but I am a busy person. That's all I have for now. Cara and I joined the gym today so I am going to work out. Alright, everyone have a good week!

Good Luck, Daddy Riko!

2006-05-25T18:56:00.000-04:00

Well, this is a double feature. Erik's birthday is tomorrow and he is moving this weekend. All I have to say about the move is, "Good Luck!" You are going to need it with Terra. I have been there and done that. It's can get very ugly at times. Dad said that you were going to need a preist to go with you!
For those of you who don't know, Erik is my sister's boyfriend. They have been dating for decades now and it's about time they get married (hint, hint...) Anyway, I just wanted to post a few pictures of him to say goodbye and Happy Birthday. I realized that the hardest task in the world is to find a picture of Erik without a goofy face. He is always doing something funny in pictures. As much as I hate to admit it, I will miss him and all of his smartass comments.
Erik, I was going to buy you something, but then I decided that my car was enough of a present! OK I lied, I do have one more surprise for you. Hmmm...what will it be? Will it be a smoked meaty knuckle? A rubber arm? A picture of my grandmother in a thong? A picture of you and an old girlfriend? Some dinosaurs? Oh my, this is going to be fun!!! Prepare yourself. I am going to pay you back for all of the years of torture!
OK, enough with that before I give myself away. Just keep in mind that you will love what I have in store for you.

Happy Birthday and Goodbye, Daddy Riko! I'll see you on Saturday!

Woo Hoo!

2006-05-24T19:51:00.000-04:00

Woo hoo, I passed! I went through one of the most horrible interview/tests I have ever had in my life. Basically it was eight hours, eight departments, ass ripping, much anticipation and a whole lot of pressure. I did it and I have received another promotion. I am well on my way to being rich, which is my ultimate goal in life anyway. OK, so I still have a long way to go, but I'm going. Tonight I am going to recuperate from the week filled with stress and shot nerves. This almost caused me to develop a heart condition!

This is my "Woo hoo, I passed!" picture

Needless to say, I went out last night immediately after I got back in town. Anyway, I am going to relax tonight and thank God that I am through with this. From here on, it's interviews only for promotions. No tests, no set format, all I have to do is be me. Well, maybe that isn't the best idea!

Hey Cara, I am watching American Idol! Oh yeah, here's your "Woo hoo, I'm not supposed to be out" picture! You almost look as scary as that child! Just kidding.

Happy Birthday, Terra!

2006-05-21T12:23:00.000-04:00

Today is my sister's 26th birthday. I just wanted to post a few pictures of her to say Happy Birthday, I miss you and I love you! I can't wait to see you this weekend. I hope you have a great birthday. In honor of your birthday, I had a few drinks for you last night. Anyway, here are the pictures. Have a great day, Terra!

The Truth Is Within The Tree

2006-05-18T19:10:00.000-04:00

OK, so I should be studying right now, but I have some other meaningless way to waste my time and avoid the thing I hate to do the most. I may not do so well with my interview, but ask me about a tree and I will ace that shit! I decided to share an e-mail that Rea sent me today. I am a Rowan Tree. That's an actual Rowan Tree picture. If you read it and you know me, you know that's very true! This is really fun. It only takes a few seconds to find and read about your tree. It would be cool if everyone would leave me a comment and let me know what kind of "tree" you are. Enjoy! Oh yeah, I do know that I am a dork : )

What are you?
Find your birthday and then find your tree. This is really cool and somewhat accurate. Then send it to all your friends, including the one who sent it to you, so they can find out what tree they fell from, but don't forget to change the subject line to your tree...
Dec 23 to Jan 01 Apple Tree
Jan 01 to Jan 11 Fir Tree
Jan 12 to Jan 24 Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03 Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08 Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18 Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28 Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10 Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20 Lime Tree
Mar 21 (only) Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar 31 Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10 Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20 Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30 Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14 Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24 Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03 Ash Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13 Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23 Fig Tree
Jun 24 (only) Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04 Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14 Fir Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25 Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04 Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13 Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23 Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 02 Pine Tree
Sep 03 to Sep 12 Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22 Lime Tree
Sep 23 (only) Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03 Hazelnut Tree
Oct 04 to Oct 13 Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23 Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11 Walnut Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21 Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01 Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11 Hornbeam Tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21 Fig Tree
Dec 22 (only) Beech Tree
YOUR TREE (in alphabetical order)
Apple Tree (the Love) -- quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal,and attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous,sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs affectionate partner.
Ash Tree (the Ambition) -- extremely attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be very egotistic, reliable, restless lover, sometimes money rules over the heart, demands attention, needs love and much emotional support.
Beech Tree (the Creative) -- has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.).
Birch Tree (the inspiration) -- vivacious, attractive, elegant, friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere. Cedar Tree (the Confidence) -- of rare strength, knows how to adapt, likes unexpected presents, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, a great speaker, determined, often impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waits for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.
Chestnut Tree (the Honesty) -- of unusual stature, impressive, well-developed sense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hardworker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times, fiercely family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit.
Cypress Tree (the Faithfulness) -- strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give but doesn't necessarily like it , strives to be content, optimistic, wants to be financially independent, wants love and affection, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered at times, can be unruly and careless, loves to gain knowledge, needs to be needed.
Elm Tree (the Noble-mindedness) -- pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.
Fig Tree (the Sensibility) -- very strong minded, a bit self-willed, honest, loyal, independent, hates contradiction or arguments, hard worker when wants to be, loves life and friends, enjoys children and animals, few sexual relationships, great sense of humor, has artistic talent and great intelligence.
Fir Tree (the Mysterious) -- extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them, hard to trust others, yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest, talented, unselfish, many friends, very reliable.
Hazelnut Tree (the Extraordinary) -- charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.
Hornbeam Tree (the Good Taste) -- of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very conscientious.
Lime Tree (the Doubt) - intelligent, hard working, accepts what life dishes out, but not before trying to change bad circumstances into good ones, hates fighting and stress, enjoys getaway vacations, may appear tough, but is actually soft and relenting, always willing to make sacrifices for family and friends, has many talents but not always enough time to use them, can become a complainer, great leadership qualities, is jealous at times but extremely loyal.
Maple Tree (Independence of Mind) -- no ordinary person full of imagination and originality shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress
Oak Tree (the Brave) -- robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.
Olive Tree (the Wisdom) -- loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.
Pine Tree (the Peacemaker) -- loves agreeable company, craves peace and harmony, loves to help others, active imagination, likes to write poetry, not fashion conscious, great compassion, friendly to all, falls strongly in love but will leave if betrayed or lied to, emotionally soft, low self esteem, needs affection and reassurance.
Poplar Tree (the Uncertainty) -- looks very decorative, talented, not very self-confident, extremely courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, great artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership Seriously.
Rowan Tree (the Sensitivity) -- full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.
Walnut Tree (the Passion) -- unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromise.
Weeping Willow (the Melancholy) - likes to be stress free, loves family life, full of hopes and dreams, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful, musically inclined, loves to travel to exotic places, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with when pressured, sometimes demanding, good intuition, suffers in love until they find that one loyal, steadfast partner; loves to make others laugh.

Congratulations, Ben and Sabrina!

2006-05-16T19:46:00.000-04:00

They tied the knot! Ben and Sabrina got married last Saturday, May 13th. It was a very nice ceremony and reception. Sabrina looked beautiful! The wedding took place at a church in Sissonville. After the reception, we all went to a bar in Charleston. Everyone had a great time and I am so happy for Ben and Sabrina. I met Ben almost four years ago when I started working at Applebee's. Sabrina didn't come along until later, but I sure am glad that she did! These two are such a great couple. Congratulations!

Ben and Sabrina

Ben and Sabrina, again!

Jess and Justin

We all got hotel rooms in Charleston that night. It was nice to get away for the evening even though we were only in Charleston. Before we went out, we played some Catch Phrase, which is one of my favorite past times especially with my Applebuddies. We went to The Sound Factory in Charleston. I hadn't been there before, but I really have a great time. After we closed down the bar, we headed back to the hotel. From what I remember, some of us stayed up for a little bit and some passed out. I do remember a security guard coming to the door, but I don't think we were being that loud. I think it was the girls next door that had a bachelorette party. Oh yeah, one of them looked in our room and asked, "Is this prom?" I'm not sure whether we should have taken that as a compliment or an insult. Oh well, we had fun!

Me with the bride and groom

Big Gay Bill also made an appearance

Katie, Rea, Jess and Me

My sister's boyfriend, Erik, even showed up

This weekend was also spent with a few friends from out of town. Of course, Jess and Hunter came in town from NC for Ben and Sabrina's wedding. Katie and Billy also came in from Columbus for Ben and Sabrina. Ashley came in from Pittsburgh for her friend, Amy's wedding. Kat also came in town from Maine for Amy's wedding. The weekend flew by, but it was good to see everyone. It was like a miniature Apple Reunion. Ashley, Kat, Rea, Jamey, Socks and I went to lunch Saturday afternoon. I think we were all a little drunk from the night before so we all decided a bloody mary would be the best cure. I could have easily stayed at the bar all day, but we had to go get ready for the weddings. I really miss everyone and I wish that they could all move back! I just got some good news, but I am not allowed to tell anyone! Maybe the secret will be revealed in an upcoming blog entry...

Me, Ashley and Kat

That's the weekend summary. I had more pictures than words for once. I have to go study for my grill next week. The grill is an all day interview I have to pass to become Management Assistant. I'm not really that nervous, but I haven't studied yet so that will probably change soon. Wish me luck!

Star Studded Weekend

2006-05-07T13:40:00.000-04:00

This weekend was filled with stars in Huntington, WV! The best part was that I got to hang out with all of them. Well, all two of them. "Earl" from my name is Earl was at Hank's Saturday night. OK, it really wasn't him, but this guy looks just like him!

Rick Huckaby was the real star that I got to hang out with. He performed on Friday night at Saddleridge. I didn't make it there on time because Sarah, Coop and I had a couple of drinks at Tascali's after work. We thought we would celebrate Cinco de Mayo at an Italian restaurant! By the time I made it downtown they were all at Holderby's Landing. Rea and Krissy had been drinking since 5:00 so they should not have been in public by the time I met them! When Rea said that they were hanging out with Rick Huckaby I thought she only meant he was in the same bar. It turns out that my friend, Scott knows him so we were his "groupies" for the evening. We weren't at Holderby's very long before Scottie wanted to go to The Lounge. I had never been to The Lounge before, but I really liked it. It was almost like a bigger Hank's, which is a dream come true. Anyway, all of our drinks were paid for the entire evening because we were with Rick. He is a very cool, laid back guy. I'm really upset that I didn't make it to see him perform. Oh well, maybe next time. I had a dream the night before that he had a contest and the winner got to be his manager. Of course the winner was...ME! I told him about that dream, but he didn't seem as amused as I was with it. It's very odd that I had that dream because I wasn't even sure what he looked like until I saw him on Friday night. For some reason I was thinking about someone completely different.

Me and Huck

Me, Krissy and Scottie

Huck, Me and Krissy

Krissy, Me and Rea

Apparently I didn't want anyone else to be in this picture. If you see everyone else's face, it's very understandable. This may be one of the funniest pictures I have ever seen! That's Rick's brother, Andy, in the back. We played darts together and kicked ass! Hey Lexington buddies, I spy my little eye on a UK hat.

Chris and his friends decided that they were going to grow mustaches just for Conco de Mayo. They called it Cinco de Mustche. Thank goodness that's over, they all looked pretty ridiculous!

Ferg decided to return from the dead this week.

It's a good thing that I had a good weekend because it was long week at work. My boss, along with every manager in the United States, went to Florida for a "conference." Basically it's 4,000 Enterprise idiots all together in one location, drunk! I can't wait to be a manager! My assistant manager, who I frequently butted heads with, quit on Saturday. He sure did have good timing on that one. Another guy was on vacation. This left Sarah and I all alone in the office with me in charge. At first I was a little worried, but it ended up being the best week ever. We were very busy, but the stress level was minimal. It sucked because I didn't get to leave for lunch at all, but the days actually went by a lot faster than I had imagined. Overall, it was a good, but busy week. I am glad that it is over and hopefully things will get back to "normal" this week, whatever that may be.

I have almost completely recovered form my surgery except for the cut in the front of my mouth. It feels ok today, but it has been a bitch all week. I am very excited because Desperate Housewives comes on tonight. I haven't accomplished anything today and I don't plan on it. It's cold and rainy outside so I don't feel guilty about being a bum today. OK, Kelly there's your update, now it's your turn. Oh yeah, I am glad to see that you finally included your son in an entry. I thought maybe you left him somewhere and forgot that you had a son. Just kidding! Hey, can we combine entries and have him wearing Cara's old dance costume? I think that would be interesting.

Home Sweet Home

2006-05-01T16:22:00.000-04:00

Hooray, I'm alive!

Well, I made it through surgery and I made it home around 4:00 today. The drive here was horrible! I quit taking pain pills last night, but I am still very drowsy. It was the longest hour I've ever been in a car (except for the time I puked on myself)! Anyway, the surgery went very well. I am actually surprised how well it went. Of course I was very nervous beforehand, but I have been doing great. I haven't had much pain, but I am taking my pills faithfully every four hours (except for today). The bleeding was minimal, which is always a plus. I didn't have much swelling and absolutely no bruises. As soon as I came out of surgery they called my mom back to the recovery room where she found me crying. Apparently I was balling, but I don't remember that. It also caused my mom to cry too. She asked me if I was in pain and I said no. She asked if I was scared and I said no. She asked if I knew why I was crying and I said no. I guess that anethesia does that to some people and I am one of them. After a few minutes, I sat up and wanted to go home. My mouth felt like it was the size of a football and I couldn't feel shit, but I thought I was ready to leave. The nurses came in and told me that I had to wait at least thirty minutes. At the time I thought that meant eternity, but I was on my way very soon. I thought I would spend the rest of my day sleeping, but I was wrong. I took one nap as soon as I got home and it only lasted about twenty minutes. Besides that, I was up the entire day. If I was at my own apartment I would have slept all day, but there was too much going on for me to sleep. My mom has taken over my bedroom so all I have left is a bed surrounded by all of her craft shit. My grandma came in town so she got the priveledge of that room. I was fine on the couch, but I didn't want to sleep there with the blinds open. I have a little bit of a nervous condition and my family thinks it's funny. I asked them to close the blinds in the living room if they were going to leave me on the couch all night. They closed them, but I didn't realize that someone could easily see in the front door. So I woke up in the middle of the night I freaked out because they put my dog in her cage and left me with the disabled dogs to protect me. I was fine by the next day, but I wasn't happy when I woke up to that.
Most of my weekend was devoted to watching Desperate Housewives. I've never watched that show before so Sarah let me borrow her copy of Season One. Me and my grandma were glued to the TV for 23 whole episodes! It took us two days or I should say we wasted two whole days on that, it was well worth every minute. My dad was not too happy with it because he never gives his TV up in the living room. He knew he wouldn't win the battle with me so he quietly slipped into his bedroom to watch whatever it is that he watches. Everyone was amazed because that is something that my dad does not do! That was the most exciting part of the past four days. I have to go back to work tomorrow, but I really don't want to.

Dum, dum, dum...The Day Is Here!!!

2006-04-28T09:15:00.000-04:00

OK everyone, the day is here! I have made it until the actual day without passing out! In less than two hours I will be at the dentist having my wisdom teeth taken out. I'm surprisingly not as bad as I thought I was going to be. I got about 10 hours of sleep last night, which is a first in a long time. I've been a little itchy because it sometimes happens when I am nervous, but I'll take that any day over puking. Well, I have to go get ready. If anybody want some cheap entertainment, call me this afternoon.

Oh Shit, It's Really Going to Happen!!!

2006-04-25T18:59:00.000-04:00

As Friday gets closer, I am getting a little more freaked out. Sure, I am excited to take a weekend off and be drugged up, but I really wish it was under different circumstances. For those of you who haven't read my previous posts, I have to have my wisdom teeth taken out on Friday. Phil, hopefully it means that I will be smarter : ) For most normal people this is not a big deal, but for me it is! Before I knew I had this problem, I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. Since it was the first time I had been to this particular dentist they did some X-rays. This is a simple procedure that kids can survive. I, on the other hand, looked at it in the worst possible way. I imagined that everything possible was going to happen to me. I imagined the dentist was going to come in and say, "We have some bad news and we need to operate right now!" I got myself so worked up that I passed out. Meanwhile, there was nothing wrong with me! For more details look at my previous posts. I really can't type much more about it because I am getting sick thinking about it. This post came about because I have been consumed with the thoughts of Friday. This morning on the news, they had a story about doctors operating on the wrong limbs. What if the dentist gets confused and removes all of my teeth except for my wisdom teeth? Hey, it could happen! If it were to happen to anyone, it would be me. Since it is raining f'ing cats and dogs, I decided to do a little research on this. I didn't get very far because I thought I was going to pass out and yes, I did have a few tears in my eyes. Everyone thinks I am joking about this, but I am honestly a mess! I can't imagine how bad my drive to Charleston is going to be the night before. I may need to hire a driver in case I pass out thinking about it. Oh yeah, and I typed in red to symbolize all the bleeding that is going to occur. OK, I am going to quit writing about this because I am getting way too weak! I am going to leave you with this article I found about the pro's and con's. I'm trying to focus on the pro's, but the con's are f'ing evil and that's all I can think about.

The Pro's and Con's of Wisdom Tooth Removal

Some Pro's of Removing a Wisdom Tooth:

Wisdom teeth may be hard to access with your toothbrush or floss. Over time, the accumulation of bacteria, sugars and acids may cause a cavity to form in the tooth. If it is not restored with a filling, the cavity may spread and destroy more tooth structure causing severe consequences to the tooth and surrounding supportive structures.

Due to the difficulty of keeping these teeth clean with your daily home care (brushing and flossing), bacteria and food debris remaining on the wisdom teeth may present a foul smell-causing bad breath.

A wisdom tooth that is still under the gums in a horizontal position (rather than a vertical position) may exert pressure to the surrounding teeth, causing crowding and crooked teeth. This also may occur if there is not enough space in the mouth for the wisdom tooth. This may warrant braces to repair the damage.

A wisdom tooth that is still under the gums may become irritated. The gum tissue that lays over the tooth may harbor food debris and bacteria that gets trapped under the gum, resulting in an infection in the gums.

Some Con's of Removing the Wisdom Teeth:

Depending on the size shape and position of the tooth, removal can vary from a simple extraction to a more complex extraction. With a simple extraction, there is usually little swelling, bruising and/or bleeding. More complex extraction will require special treatment which may result in more bruising, swelling and bleeding. However, your dental professional will provide you with post treatment instructions to minimize these side effects.

Following an extraction, a condition called "dry socket" may occur. If the blood clot that formed in the extraction area becomes dislodged, it exposes the underlying bone. This condition is very painful, but resolves after a few days. It is preventable by following the post treatment instructions provided by your dental professional.

The longer you wait and the older you get, there is the potential for more problems to occur. This is because as you get older, the bone surrounding the tooth becomes more dense, making the tooth more difficult to remove. The healing process may also be slower.

Oops...I Forgot Something!

2006-04-24T19:30:00.000-04:00

Wow, how could I forget about the wonderful cookout I went to on Friday night? It was such a great time! I can't believe that I did not mention it in Jana Land! How foolish am I? Well, I will tell you how the evening went. A customer called 10 minutes before we closed and told us their rental car broke down. It just so happened that she lived very close to where the cookout took place. Since my assistant manager was also attending, I took the car to the customer and he picked me up there. This left me 15-20 minutes away from my car. We weren't planning on staying long, but that never works out for me. The cookout was hosted by Candlewick at Krissy's house. We had a fun-filled evening with "Orange Shimmies", which eventually turned into "Blue Shimmies", beer, food and some loud annoying frogs! Krissy hasn't cleaned up her pool yet so there were a few frogs that decided to make it their new home. It was funny because they would stop making noise whenever someone walked around the pool. Then, they would wait until we were back on the deck and start their shit again. Like I said, it was a fun evening. I didn't even make it Hank's on a Friday night! The best part of the evening was waking up at 4:30 to someone trying to steal my blanket (it's ok, Lori)! After I finally came to my senses I realized that "my ride" had left me there. I wouldn't have been so mad except for the fact that I specifically asked them to wake me up when they were leaving. I get very worried about my dog and I was so pissed that they didn't wake me up to leave. I ended up taking a cab back to my car, which took an hour just to come and pick me up. Everyone knows that I hate riding in cabs by myself, especially at 5:30 in the morning out in the middle of nowhere. To beat that, "my ride" did not call me until about 2:00 the next day with some bullshit excuses. So there you go, are you happy now? You got a mention in my blog!!!!! I hope this makes your day!

On a side note, thanks Krissy for having us at your house. Lori, it's really ok that you tried to steal my ONLY blanket. I had a really good time on Saturday! To all of my friends, I am sorry that I can't mention every single one of you in my entries. If I posted everything I did and I everyone I hang out with, I would never have time to do those things. Please accept my apologies for the past and the future. Oh yeah, if you don't like what I post on here, DON'T READ IT! It's here for the my friends to read. If you feel left out, write your own damn entry about your cookout!

A Whole Lot of Nothing

2006-04-23T16:49:00.000-04:00

Nothing exciting has happened this week. Matthew McConaughey left yesterday. We went to the Green and White game and he was there. I am a little disappointed because I did not get to see him. I thought for sure we would be married by the end of his trip. Oh well, maybe next time. In other news, work was crazy because we didn't have any cars Besides that it was a pretty mellow week. I only went out one night during the week and that was just to happy hour at Tascali's. This may be a first, but I really don't have any interesting "Jana Land" stories. I think I will take this opportunity to share a few random e-mail I have received lately. The first is one from my dad titled "The Rules". Many females would be offended by this one, but I thought it was funny. Here it is:

The Guys' Rules At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down. Finally, the guys' side of the story. (I must admit, it's pretty good.) We always hear "the rules"From the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules!
Please note.. These are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Men are NOT mind readers.
1. Learn to work the toilet seat.You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.We need it up, you need it down.You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides.Let it be.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport.And no, we are never going to think of it that way.
1. Crying is blackmail.
1. Ask for what you want.Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work!Strong hints do not work!Obvious hints do not work!Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly Acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do.Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.
1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect us to act like soap opera guys.
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
1. You can either ask us to do somethingOr tell us how you want it done. Not both.If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched.We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong.We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...Really.
1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, golf or camping.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!
1. Thank you for reading this.Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

This next one if from Cara. She sent it to me awhile ago and suggested I use them in the blog.

Here is a collection of famous insults, classy and thought-provoking (if not hate provoking). Enjoy:
"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill
"A modest little person, with much to be modest about." - Winston Churchill
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." - Clarence Darrow
"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" - Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." - Moses Hadas "He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." - Abraham Lincoln "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx
"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain
"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." - Oscar Wilde
"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play, bring a friend... if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if thereis one." - Winston Churchill, in reply

I've also become a MySpace junkie, which contributes to slack in the blog entries. I found few funny pics on there today so I thought I would share those as well. The last one is a picture that Cara (I think) sent me awhile back and I ran into it as I was uploading the others. Enjoy!

Again, I apologize for the lack of "Jana Land" stories. For once, my life was pretty lame this week. I am sure that things will change soon. I am having my wisdom teeth removed on Friday. I am sure that will lead to some interesting stories. I am getting pretty nervous. I haven't passed out since the X-Rays, but I sometimes feel like I am going to when I think about Friday. Also, I have a few stories to tell on days that I am extremely bored. Keep a lookout for the boat story and my car troubles story. I promise they will be worth reading unlike this entry. I hope everyone has a great week!

Happy Easter!

2006-04-16T09:46:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter everyone! Peanut is very excited because she gets to see her cousins today! Terra is leaving tomorrow to go back to SC so she won't get to see Denardo for awhile. I thought my brother was going to be home for Easter with his dog, but he's not going to be here. That's ok with me though. Gemini is a cool dog, but Peanut doesn't care for him more than two minutes. He is still a puppy and Peanut is starting to calm down a little (Thank God!) They make me nervous sometimes because they get a little grumpy with each other. My brother also makes me nervous because he has a temper from hell and he has attacked my dog a few times.

My brother's boxer, Gemini

My sister and her rat dog, Donatella

I was going to go home last night, but I decided to stay in Huntington and go out. Of course, I had a good time. The guy in the picture below, I don't know his name, cracked us up last night. Cara's cigarettes were sitting by me and he asked him he could have one of my cigarettes. I said, "They're not mine, but sure!" It just so happens that Cara had bought me some candy cigarettes and they were also sitting on the bar. Cara looked at me and said, "Why don't you give him one of your cigarettes?" So I held up the candy cigarettes and asked him if he prefer those. He said, "I don't care", so I gave him one. He put it in his mouth and was about to light it. It was so funny that I told him I was taking a picture of him to put on my blog.

This tastes like candy!

Cara, Patrick and I decided to go down to ICON last night because Patrick wanted to dance and when Patrick says dance, you dance! We had a great time. At first we were the only people on the dance floor, but once everyone saw our moves, they couldn't resist. Soon there was a lot of ass shakin' going on. We ran into Steve down there (see first picture below) also.

Man, Steve, you've got the moves!

Somebody call the police because Patrick stole Steve's moves!

I'm not sure if Cara is dancing or if she's having a hard time holding up her head!

This is a picture of Ashley and I at ICON Wednesday night. She was in town last week and I didn't get a chance to post anything about her trip. We didn't get to hang out as much as we usually do, but I still had a good time. I miss you Ashley and I'm sorry I didn't get to hang out much. I'll see you in Pittsburgh for a Pirates game!

Guest Blogger: Cara Hedrick

2006-04-13T22:38:00.000-04:00

Cara sent me an e-mail today that I thought I would share with everyone since she doesn't have a blog. I was there last night, but I didn't look at it quite as emotional as she does. Of course, I am all excited about the movie, but she brought up a good point. I'll let you read it yourselves.

Hello all! If I had a blog this would be a great posting. Since I don't have a blog...This long, rambling email will have to suffice. I went downtown yesterday evening to watch some of the filming of the"We Are Marshall" movie. The first scene I watched was of a young black man walking out of the Arcade building (a young black man in tight, babyblue pants and an afro!). He stops when something in the newspaper machine catches his eye. He stops at the machine, bends down and reads the paper inquisitively. After which, he stands and shakes his head and walks on. I can only imagine that this scene will depict someone stopping to read the news of the crash. Then I watched as Anthony Mackie (the actor playing Nate Ruffin) and another young man rehearsed their scene of "going to the movies". For those who may not know the whole story, Nate Ruffin was a Marshall University football player who missed the trip to East Carolina University due to a broken arm. Ruffin and a friend went to see a movie at the Keith Albee that night (according to the Keith Albee marquee the movie is "Kelly's Heroes"), and that is where he learned of the crash. Apparently they rehearsed this scene in the early evening and then actually shot it later in the night. Many of the store fronts along 4th Avenue have been transformed to portray the look of 1970. There is a furniture store with a mock living room set up in the front window (it is very bright!). Next to the furniture store is a shoe store, and then a hat shop. They all look very authentic, as well as the old Frederick Hotel and the Keith Albee building. These two buildings have had a lot of work in the past few weeks in order to restore their outward appearance. The next scene was one that caught me off guard. Several blocks of 4th Avenue had been sprayed down to give the look of the harsh rain that had just fallen on the night of Nov. 14, 1970. I stood on the sidewalk of 4th avenue and watched as 2 fire trucks, 2 ambulances, and 1 police car raced down the street... Imaginably on their way to the crash site. According to a movie staff person standing nearby, a few of those vehicles were actually driven the night of the crash. Intermingled with the emergency vehicles were random 70s-style cars. Watching this scene was never "Hollywood" to me. It was as if I was standing on that sidewalk in 1970. I WAS watching police and firefighters approach a scene that would change their lives forever. All of a sudden the excitement of "making a movie" was not what people were thinking about. The streets were lined with people watching the filming (at a short distance away in order to not be in the shot), as well as approximately 50-60 production staff but there was an unexplainable silence. The only sounds were the roar of the old engines of the trucks and the whistles on the emergency vehicles. When I left at approximately 11pm last night there were still people showing up to watch the filming of this scene. I watched as an older man stood with what I imagine to be his grandson and pointed to the old cars. I wondered what he was telling him. I think maybe I should stay away from the set for a while! It's a bit too emotional for me. I've attached a few pictures from the last few days of filming that are on the Herald Dispatch web site.
Cara

Here's a few pictures from the newspaper:

This was taken on Tuesday on the set of the memorial fountain scene.

Thanks, Cara, for the e-mail, the pictures and a different point of view on this.

One Crazy Week!

2006-04-09T16:12:00.000-04:00

My sister, Terra finally made it in town yesterday. She was a few hours late, but I wouldn't expect anything else from her. She moved to South Carolina last August. I didn't think she would last, but she seems to love it down there. As a matter of fact, Erik is getting ready to move down there and Amy(his sister) may go as well. I've been thinking about it, but I am in my lease until at least September. We'll see what happens when the time comes. I also have an issue with my job. If I transfer outside of my group I will have to take a step back, but the way things have been going lately, South Carolina looks better everyday. My sister was quite the party animal when she was younger, but by my sophomore year in college, she calmed down considerably. Usually when she comes home all she wants to do is sleep on mom and dad's couch (which is what she is doing right now)! She never wanted to go out, but something has gotten into her lately. Apparently she is quite the happy hour drinker down in SC. I just wish that I could be there at the bar next to her. Erik, Terra, Amy and I decided to go out last night in Charleston, but we didn't go out until midnight. Any night in Huntington I am usually already out a few hours by this time. I really didn't want to go out, but I made an exception. That's right, I DIDN'T WANT TO GO OUT! It wasn't a typo. I have had a very exhausting week and here's the breakdown:

Sunday I had to work at the airport and that's usually my day to rest and get ready for the upcoming week. We only work one Saturday a month and of course this Saturday was my turn. I ended up working 7 days in a row for a total of 55.5 hours. It may have been a little less draining if I could just go home after work and chill out, but that's a concept I have a hard time grasping.

Monday night I had to go out because Jess and Hunter had their going away party. I set a curfew for myself, but I broke it. I probably would have stuck to it, but they didn't get there until late. Also, I saw a lot of people that I haven't seen forever.

Tuesday I met Jess and Hunter at Chili's for a couple of drinks for a final goodbye.

Wednesday was mandatory drinking for work. I never like to pass up free drinks and food, but I really wanted to this time. Anyway, the "after hours" turned into a drunk fest and ended up at Stats. I agreed to go for one beer, but that was it. We drank one beer and left. Well, I thought we were leaving. Much to my surprise a group of guys from other offices, my area manager and my corporate account manager showed up and dragged my out of Rea's Jeep. I ended up staying for a little bit of karaoke and dancing.

Thursday was my flex day, but I had to go to the doctor before I went to work. By this point, I wanted to choke everyone, well almost everyone, in the office. I get very grumpy when I'm tired and this week I have been deprived of my sleep. Thursday evening I managed to stay home after work, but it was spent doing laundry and stalking people on My Space.

Needless to say, by Friday I was ready to kill everyone. I had a little bit of a breakdown at the office because I was so tired. Friday night I went to dinner with my friend Kat who was in from Maine. After dinner we went out for a few drinks that ended up leading to 2:00 a.m. Hillary and Amanda met us out, which was a nice surprise. I used to work with both of them at Applebee's. I left Hillary a message back in October and told her she was out of my life forever if she didn't call me back. Of course, she didn't call me back. I reminded her of that when I saw her and she said she must have been drunk when she got the message because she doesn't remember getting it. Oh well, I told her she could have one more chance and that was it. Seriously!

Rea, Me and Kat

Amanda, Hillary and Me

Saturday I had to work, but it was only for four hours. Usually it's not so bad because I can go home and take a nap. Not this Saturday. I had to go to my friend, Sabrina's wedding shower as soon I got off work. I am so glad that Terra is always late because I went home and took a nap until 7:00. Then I got up and drove to my parent's house, which is where I am right now. We went out in Charleston. We got to ride in Erik's sweet ass ride, the good old Sebring! It used to be my car, but I thought she died. That is going to be a whole blog entry someday when I run out of things to talk about (if that ever happens). We had a good time, but we should have gone out earlier. Some guy came up to Amy and asked her what her name was. When she said, "Amy" he said "Bullshit!" Again, this is another one of those Jana Land stories that you won't think is funny unless you were there.

Me, Amy and Terra

Erik and Terra

Sunday has been pretty relaxing, but I haven't had much sleep. I didn't go to bed until about 4:00 a.m. and Peanut woke me up at 7:00. I took a nap for a little while, but not too long so I can sleep tonight. Not much going on today except for hanging out with the family.

That's the breakdown on my week. Hopefully this week will go a little smoother, but I seriously doubt it. My friend, Ashley is coming in town from Pittsburgh tomorrow night. I can't wait to see her! She'll be here all week so I'm sure I'll be out every night against my will. Damn, why do I have so many friends? My life would be so much easier without them. Just kidding! I wouldn't trade my friends for the world. Without them I would probably be crazy and really bored. Without them my whole blog would consist of Peanut and Bella with nobody to read it!

Two Very Special Friends

2006-04-04T23:02:00.000-04:00

I said goodbye this evening to two of my friends. These two are not just friends, but they are very special people. That's right..none other than Jessica and Justin. Those of you who know them, know how great they are. I met them almost four years ago when I started working at Applebee's. We didn't really hang out much, as I was a little unsure of the "Applecrew". The first time I remember us hanging out on purpose was for my 21st birthday. I invited a few people from Applebee's to come out that evening because it was the biggest day of my life (at least it was then). We met up at Applebee's before the outing and Jess showed up with big news. Her and Justin were getting married! I have never known these two without each other, but I am sure that I would have been friends with them either way. They got married last June and their wedding was a blast. Ever since, they have been "talking" about moving, but I never took them seriously. It was kind of like me and moving. The first thing I wanted to do after I graduated college was move to another state, but two years later, I am still here. Jess surprised us with the news about two weeks ago. Honestly, I think she surprised herself and Hunter with the news. They got pissed at work one day, which if you have ever worked at a restaurant you understand, and they put in their two weeks notice. They decided, "This is it. We're moving to Ashville!" I have to admit that I am not happy about this. I am happy for them and I know it is the best thing for them right now, but I can't believe that are leaving me. I am so jealous and very sad about this decision. They are those friends that you know will always be there for you when you need them. They are always up for drinking some beer, going to different events, watching sports or just whatever. These two are two of my favorite people in the world. I am so grateful that I met them. We have shared many memories together. Some of my favorites include just sitting around playing games, watching the olympics, drinking all of Hunter's vodka and one other unmentionable moment. All I have to say to Jess is "I sound like a man!" Jess and Hunter will get this, but nobody else should. Let's just say it involved a little bit of illegal activity. Anyway, I can't express how great these two are. I still can't get it through my head that they will be gone. It doesn't seem like it yet, as everything usually hits me a long time down the road. Also, they will be back in town soon many times. Funny story: Today they were loading up the truck. They went outside and founf some 14 year old kid sitting on their couch, in the U-Haul truck, smoking a cigarette. The kid looked at them and said, "These couches are very comfortable." While this boy is sitting inside their trcuk on their couch some girl eas throwing rocks at him. Of course, Jess and Hunter were amazed by this.

I want to wish them the best of luck and let them know that I love them very much! I have so many great memories with both of you and I am so grateful that you have been in my life. I also want to say that I will miss Achilles (their dog), Meg and Stewey (their cats).

Damn, That Man Is Fine!

2006-04-02T21:30:00.000-04:00

If you think Matthew McConaughey is hot on screen, you haven't seen him in person. He is so much hotter in person! As most of you know, they are starting production on the "We Are Marshall" movie tomorrow. The move is about the plane crash that happened back in 1970 that killed all 75 passengers, which included most of the football team, fans, family members and the flight crew. I don't know the details, but I am very interested to see the movie. In my opinion, anything with Matthew McConaughey will be a great movie. Rea and I met a few friends down at the block party around 3:00 yesterday. They had a couple of blocks closed down for this There was supposed to be a parade, but I'm not sure what happened to that. Maybe I just missed it. The crowd seemed small at first, but then it was miserable. We were packed in like sardines by the end of it. The worst part was that I had to pee for almost 2 hours and there was no way I could get to the restroom. I have never seen so many rude people packed into one place. There were also some people that came out of the woodwork for this party. Some of the people were an embarrassment to Huntington. We had a great spot to start out, but then it turned into the worst spot possible. We were off to the side of the stage and after we got pass that damn 93.7 Dawg blow up, we had a great view. I was a little disappointed with my camera because the zoom didn't work as well as I had hoped. Kelly had Cara use her camera and the pictures are great. That's what pictures I have posted. The one far away was from my camera. I just wanted to post it to prove to the out-of-towners that he really was in Huntington. Most of my pictures had some stupud bitched arm in them. She had a disposable camera and I guess she thought that the pictures would turn out better if she threw her hand in the air and blocked my view everytime. Nonethelss, I had a good time. I was very happy to get back to Hank's where some sort of sanity was present. Of course, the sanity didn't last very long. It was such a long day, but I am glad that I went.
I had to work at the airport today at 7:00 a.m., which was really 6:00 due to the time change. I am glad that it will be lighter longer, but this messes with me for at least a couple of weeks. I had such a hangover today that I thought I was going to die. I tried to call off last night when I was drunk. I called the AM and made up some kind of lie about being sick. I told him that I could at least make it there to start out the day, but I didn't know if I could stay. I guess I really fooled him because when I talked to him today he was concerned about how I was feeling. I played it off as an April Fool's joke because I was extremely drunk last night and I deserved to feel like crap today. I made it through the day, but that was with many obstacles. First, I get to work and the computers are down. I called the help desk and they said there was a corporate outage and it would be at least an hour. We had 1 car and 11 reservations. When the computers finally came up, the printer wasn't working. I also broke the keyboard. My first contract did not print. I'm pretty sure I will go into work tomorrow and the ticket will be printed there because it was in our callbacks and not the airport's. Needless to say, I was the only one working and I have only worked at this branch for a couple of hours prior to today. I didn't even get a car prep! Today was also the day that everyone wanted a car, but there was no way I could help them out. The poor guy that came in at 3:00 to replace me had to deal with all the people I couldn't take care of, including a guy that had a reservation for 9:00 a.m. I wonder how he's doing right now.
One good thing about today was that I met a couple of the guys from the film crew for the movie. They invited me out tonight for some drinks. I wasn't in the best of shape when they asked me so I didn't seem so interested. I told them I doubted I would be there, but I told them about Hank's and let them know that was the best place to go in Huntington. They said, "We'll see you there!" Not sure if they meant tonight or over the next couple of weeks, but nobody was seeing me anywhere tonight. Hopefully I will run into them sometime before they leave because they seemed like pretty cool guys to hang out with. That's all I have for now. I will leave you all with some very beautiful images. Hopefully that's what I dream about tonight!

Status on my Matthew McConaughey encounters: I have been about 25 ft from him, but still have not made actual contact. I will keep everyone up to date.

It's Just Freakin' Unbelievable!

2006-03-31T23:26:00.000-05:00

The one Friday night I do not go out and who does Cara talk to? Yep, you guessed it...
Matthew McConaughey!!! I have been out every single Friday night as long as I can remember. Why, on this night, did I choose to stay in? Why did I say no on this night? I am so unbelievably upset that I could cry. I just can't believe it! It's just another exmple of the luck that I have. Why did this week have to be one of the most stressful and draining weeks of my life? I always have energy for Hank's, but just not tonight. I know there will be many more nights to meet him, but I will have a hard time getting over this particular night. Cara said that he walked into Hank's for a brief moment and then he walked out. Hank's is a small bar and she said it was crowded tonight. Cara followed him to St. Mark's (a bar down the street). She said she was standing by the restrooms and she realized that he was three feet away from her. She approached him by putting her hand on his shoulder. At this point, I probably would have pissed my pants, but she said she kept her cool. She said that a bunch of twenty year old, tan, big boobed girls were staring at her wondering how the hell she was talking to them. She said, "Those skinny, young, big boobed, tan bitches can kiss my big, fat, white ass!" She welcomed him to Huntington and wanted to make sure that he was having a good time. He raised his beer to Cara and said that he had only been here about 30 minutes, but so far he was. We figured that Hank's was probably the first place that he went in Huntington. I knew that he would be there at some point and everyone laughed at me. Why did it have to be the night I stayed home? I may never get over this! There is a block party tomorow on 4th Ave. (in front of Hank's) to introduce the stars. I am planning on going down there early so maybe I will get my chance then.
I just got a text message from Sarah that said, "I just touched the big m! More later! Whoo!" Damn, why am I at home writing a stupid blog entry? I am half tempted to get a shower and get my ass dowtown.
On another note, I almost became a mother again today. Rea found a sweet little puppy in the parking lot this morning. She brought it by work today and I didn't want to let him go. He was so sweet and cute. He just layed on me and slept. I have never seen a puppy as calm as this one. If I had a house with a fenced in yard, he would have been mine. I thought I was going to have to take him for the weekend until we found a home for it, but I didn't. Todd found a guy that wanted to give it to his kids. He layed in a box for a couple of hours until Todd left. We got him out for a little bit to run around. I tried to talk John into letting us have him as an office mascot, he wasn't going for that idea. Here are a few pics of the little guy!

He hid in our safe until John made us take him out.

Well, that's all I have. It's now 12:45 and I'm on my way out the door. I knew I couldn't stay home on a Friday night!

This One's For Mike!

2006-03-29T21:05:00.000-05:00

So Mike and I went to Hurricane the other day. We dropped off a car. It was a nice day. We came back and Mike held the door for me. He went to the Movie Gallery and I embarrassed him on the Walkie Talkies. He had a green headband on for hours.

OK, just kidding. This entry was inspired by Mike though. Mike is the car prep at my work. The other day we went to Hurricane and we were talking about blogs (because I am a blog crackwhore). He was asking me about the types of entries I have and what the big deal is with the blogs. I told him that I got addicted to them thanks to Phil, but they are so much fun. He proceeded to ask me about the content of my entries and if they went like the first part of this entry. I told him that I do have some random entries and most of the time I don't remember what I'm talking about, but I hope that they sound better than that. So the rest of the day we were joking about everything he did and I said it as if I was typing on my blog.
The Movie Gallery story actually happened the next day, but it was entertaining. Mike went over to the movie store and said if I needed anything to call him on the Walkie Talkie. We've had those things ever since I started working there, but we never use them and I decided to have a little fun with them. At first, I didn't mean to embarrass him, but apparently I did. I was trying to figure those stupid things out, but I was having difficulties. Mike worries a lot about what people think so it's even more entertaining than if I did this to someone else. This is how it went:
Random beeping and ringing...
Mike: Yes, do you need something.
Me: No, I am just messing with you.
Mike: Oh well, you are embarrassing me.
Cooper and I played some music in it for awhile, but I can't remember what song it was. At this point Mike said he was holding it close to his stomach so nobody could hear.
Cooper: Hey Mike, don't forget the condoms for tonight. You know that I like protection.
At this point I think people were looking at him and his face was probably red as fire.
I not sure what else was said, but he came in embarrassed by our stupid joke. May not seem as funny to everyone else, but I got a kick out of it!

The green head band was also funny (see picture above). Mike will randomly wear some of the things he finds in cars. Usually he remembers to take them off. Not this time! He came back in the office after making a trip to Huntington and Dustin noticed it on his head. When Dustin asked him about it, he had a look on his face that was priceless. He said something along the lines of "Oh crap!" He completely forgot that he had it on. It was something that an elementary school girl would wear and it was bright green. He wore it downtown and I think they went to two separate branches. Again, maybe not so funny for someone else, but Mike made it funny.
While we are on the subject of Mike, he let me in on a little secret a couple of weeks ago. He looked at me and said, "when you first started working here, I hated you!" I knew he was a little unsure of me, but hate is a very strong word. I asked him to explain and he said that I freaked him out. I tend to cuss more than the average female and it made him uncomfortable. He doesn't cuss at all. As a matter of fact, I don't think I have heard him say one cuss word ever! He's not sure if I've gotten better or if he just got used to me, but he likes me now. I've learned from a few people lately that they don't like me at first. They end up liking me in the end, but I guess I leave a bad first impression. I think that's something I may need to work on. No, just kidding. If you don't like, that's your problem!
Mike, you have finally made it to my blog. Sorry if I embarrassed you, but I really shouldn't write what I am actually thinking right now (bad experience with, yes, another boy). I will say one thing about it. I hate boys at this moment and I have the worst luck in the world. That is why I always tell me lesbian friends that they are the smartest people I know. Have a good evening!

Someone Please Take This Microphone Away!

2006-03-25T19:43:00.000-05:00

Amber came in town last night. No special reason, just to hang out with her soulmate (me). Of course we started out at Hank's. After awhile we went to Sharkey's to sing, which is always a good time. Amber decided not to embarrass herself this week, but I couldn't resist. When it comes to karaoke, I am a microphone whore. I think that I am a fabulous singer when I'm drunk, but in fact I am horrible! I think I sang a couple of songs, but the only one I remember is 9 to 5. Amber's cousin, Dwight also joined in on the singing. I don't know what he sang, but I know he did because I have pictures. Candlewick sang Piece of Shit Car, Baby Got Back (again) and Summer Lovin'. Amber and I almost got in a fight with the bartender because our tabs were so much. I don't care about having a high tab, but they charged us for stuff we didn't even drink. The fight ended by me ripping up my credit card receipt and a little bit of yelling. This is way out of character for me, but it was bullshit. That about sums up the evening. Not much to write about, but we had a great time as always!

Soulmates

Hank and I may also be soulmates

THE STARS OF THE EVENING

Of course, me...
Dwight...

and Candlewick (Andrew)!

Happy Hour From Hell

2006-03-23T20:33:00.000-05:00

One or two drinks turned into 6 hours last night. The guys from the office and I went to a local restaurant for “business appreciation night”. Of course, I told myself I only wanted to drink one or two beers, but that never happens. Krissy and Candlewick also met us there. I had a good time last night, but not so much today. To make a long story short, we ended the evening at Stats. Jess met us there after she gave me some bad news. Her and her husband are moving to NC in two weeks. It's something they have been thinking of, but they just decided to do it out of the blue. Candlewick sang “Baby Got Back” with my assistant manager (see pictures) who was coincidentally “ate bad chicken” yesterday. I’m not a doctor, but I am going to lean towards too much liquor and leave the chicken out of it. Don’t blame the chicken, Dustin! It’s your own fault.
WVU plays tonight at 9:40. I was planning on making it out to watch the game. The way things are looking, I am not going to make it anywhere except my bed.
That’s about all I have for now. I can’t wait until this day is over and my head hits the pillow!

Road Trip!

2006-03-19T17:10:00.000-05:00

Peanut and I packed up and went to visit to our best friends’ house on Saturday. It was a spur of the moment trip, but I’m glad that we went. It was Jon’s birthday (Amber’s boyfriend) so I figured it was the perfect time to make an appearance in Lexington. I surprised Amber because I like to do that to my friends when I visit. I called her around 6:00 to see if she was mad because I wasn’t coming. She said no and then I started laughing. I said, “Well good, because I’m in Lexington!” She called me a jerk, but then got really excited. She woke up Jon up yelling, “Jana’s coming! Jana’s coming!” I’m not sure, but I could almost guarantee that is not what someone wants to hear when they first wake up! We started the evening out with cosmic bowling, which I really enjoyed. We bowled for an hour, drank some beer and headed off to a different bar. I think the name of it was Squires Tavern, but don’t hold me to that. It turns out this bar was close to Amber and Jon’s house so that was a major plus. We sang karaoke and I don’t know if that was such a great idea. Everyone did great, but Amber and I should have sat out. Amber never sings so I was excited when she said, “If that song’s in there, I will sing it!” Much to our surprise it was and the song was “The Happiest Girl in the USA”! Needless to say we made asses of ourselves. Neither one of us had a clue, and still don’t, on how that song goes. I guess that’s what we get for making fun of Phil and his “interesting” choice of music. Oh well, we survived without getting stuff thrown at us so it couldn’t have been that bad (or maybe everyone was just that drunk)! There was a couple at the bar that grossed us out all evening. Of course we took pictures of them and we got caught (see Amber’s blog- www.ambermoles.blogspot.com ).

That bitch was scary!

One of my favorite parts of the evening was the scary doll in the claw machine. That bitch was staring at me as I walked by to go to the restroom. Of course, I made a big deal of it and had to take some pictures. Jon ended up capturing her along with a little happy birthday guy. That doll provided more entertainment than she should have, but we were drunk. The Timmy incident was very funny as well (see Amber’s blog again). Wow, I love the fact that I can just say, “See Amber’s blog” and not have to write about it. It makes my life much easier. We got very camera happy, but that’s not much different than any other night of my life.

Dig 'em up, dig 'em up mother f***er!

That night I got everyone excited to go eat Golden Corral in the morning. I am a bog fan of breakfast food lately, especially when I’ve been drinking. I woke up at 7:30 ready to go, but decided we should wait awhile. A little bit later I woke up to Jon asking for the living room, “What time does Golden Corral stop serving breakfast?” I looked at my phone and said, “In like one minute”. I was so upset considering I hadn’t had anything to eat in about 24 hours. We decided to try something new and went to Perkin’s. Either it was the most awesome breakfast I have ever had or I was just that hungry/hung over. I left Lexington around 2:00 and headed back to West V. Peanut was worn out all day, but I could tell she had a good time. As a matter of fact, I had a great time too and I need to make it to Lexington more often. F.Y.I. Lexington friends, I have made my trip there, now it is your turn to come to me! Tag you’re it!

This will teach Phil not to leave his wallet laying around.

Amber, when are you going to trade Dixie for Peanut?

Where's The Green Beer?

2006-03-18T14:10:00.000-05:00

Another St. Patrick's Day has come and gone and I have yet to drink green beer. Do people still drink green beer? If so, where can I get it? Maybe next year I'll have to go to a different bar. Just joking, I'm not going anywhere else! This year was a little more low key than the past, but I still had a good time. I hope everyone else did as well. I was reminded this week of last year's St. Patty's Day extravaganza. I had a job interview the day after with Philip Morris. Of course, I got drunker than I expected and was still drunk the next day for the interview. Shockingly enough, I didn't get the job! The lady that did the interview loved me, but I guess that wasn't enough. She recommended me to her daughter's law firm and they called me a couple of days later. They caught me by surprise so I didn't do so well. I was laying in bed sick and my eyes were so bloodshot when I showed up for the interview. I was completely unprepared for this and blew it. I wonder if I would have been sober for the Philip Morris interview what would have happened. Oh well, that's in the past now. I learned my lesson and that is to go to job interviews sober!

Here are a few pictures from last night. I don't really have any crazy, off-the-wall, Jana stories to tell. Maybe some will come to me as time goes by.

Rea and I did not plan to wear shirts that were so much alike. I promise!

The girls took a break for picture time.

The infamous "Candlewick"

This looks like a low budget glamour shot. Oh yeah, that's Kelly

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2006-03-17T11:35:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope everyone has a great time drinking green beer tonight. For those of you who will be drinking all day...I'm jealous! Also, everyone please be careful. Look for an update tomorrow.

Ligers, Tigons and Bears...Oh My!

2006-03-13T20:22:00.000-05:00

Nothing exciting happened at all today. As a matter of fact, this has been the most boring Monday of my life. Usually Mondays are so crazy that I don't have time to breathe. Today was the complete opposite. I don't know if I am just bored with my job or if there just isn't enough work for me to do. It wouldn't be so bad if I had Internet access at work, but I am not granted that until I am a Branch Manager. The most exciting part of my day was the internal audit phone call which took up about 30 minutes of my precious work time. I have to go to training tomorrow so maybe that will help diminish some of the office boredom when I get back on Wednesday. Although I was bored out of mind at work today, I did learn that a liger really does exist. I thought that it was only something on Napoleon Dynamite. We were looking at these pictures today and my boss said, "that is a huge cat!" It doesn't seem that funny now, but if you would have heard the way he said it, you would have laughed too. There are also tigons. The difference between the two has something to do with gender and breeding.

I really don't have much to write about, so I am going to list a few things I have learned in the past couple of days.

The obvious, ligers do exist, but only about 4 in the entire United States.

Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Surive" was the number one song this week in 1979. My girls at Hank's will appreciate this!

When you ride a mechanical bull on Saturday night, your legs do not feel better by Monday. They may actually feel worse.

I now require more than one night off to recover from five nights out. Damn I am getting old!

This may be the most boring and pointless entry ever.

I am bored!!!

Ride 'em Cowboy!

2006-03-12T18:51:00.000-05:00

I thought that I was going to break my perfect attendance last night, but much to my surprise, I ended out once again. My sister's boyfriend, Erik, came in town just to go to Saddle Ridge (the new country bar previously known as The Wild Dawg). Just like any other night out, I had to start out at Hank's, but soon after I went to Saddle Ridge. It reminded me of The Wild Dawg so it's not like it was new and exciting. I spent many nights there my freshman and sophomore years in college. Scott Hasa was there so that also made me feel like I went back in time. All we were missing was Terra outside on the wall with no control over her body. That was one of our favorite bars to go to when Scott came to Huntington. Anyway, it was his girlfriend, Karen's birthday. Erik, Aaron, Brian, and Steve were also there. Karen, Brian and I have known each other since elementary school, we graduated high school together and we went to the same church. Of course I had just enough liquid courage to ride the mechanical bull. Boy my legs hurt today. It seemed like a great idea, but the boots I had on weren't. Scott was the only one that would ride the bull besides me. It doesn't seem like we were there very long before I talked everyone into going back to Hank's. I had a great time and I am glad that I went out. I haven't really figured out how to do the captions on the pictures so I will just do it my way. The first picture is when we got back to Hank's. Karen is on the left followed by Scott, Erik, Brian and me. The next picture is Erik, Brian and Scott. The one after that is Scott riding the bull. The other three are of me riding or attempting to ride the bull. They go in order. Mount, ride and "dismount". I don't think Erik could have got a better shot than he did for the "dismount". I have more pictures if anyone wants to see them all. Just let me know and I'll send you the link.

Other updates:

I finally found Frosty Paws ice cream for Peanut. She loved it! Thanks Amber for letting me know that stuff existed. She would have eaten the cup if I didn't take it from her. I have been looking for it ever since this summer because I saw how much Peaches and Dixie loved it.

I forgot to mention Thursday's highlight. The Budweiser guys were at Hank's and that always means a good time along with a cheap tab. They bought us endless bottles on Michelob Ultra Amber a.k.a. Ultrabock. That stuff is awesome! I am a Michelob Light girl, but this may become may new favorite beer. Way to go Budweiser! Damn, I have found a new favorite beer and diet soda. What's next?

Funny story about last night:

Some random kid opened up my car door and tried to get a ride. I don't know if he was that drunk that he thought we were his friends or if he really just wanted a ride. At first, we were like, "what the hell?" Then I asked him how much he would pay me. He seemed harmless enough! Steve gets his crippled ass out of the car and tries to fight him. Erik also got out and eventually the kid walked off. I felt bad for him because he was obviously clueless.

Erik and I went to breakfast this morning at Golden Corral. It was the first time I ever had breakfast there and the first time I had an omelet. The omelet was prepared by Chef Jeff and it was awesome! I couldn't finish it because I didn't feel so great. I think that five nights in a row with no sleep may have something to do with it. I was very ashamed of myself because I couldn't eat anymore. I regretted it a few hours later when I woke up from my nap so I decided to go to Walmart hungry and I spent $250 (not all on food).

Girls Rule...Boys Drool!

2006-03-11T16:59:00.000-05:00

I know it's been forever since an update, but remember that Brett went 4 months. OK, now that I don't look so bad I am going to get started. I need to vent a little bit today. I usually don't let things get to me more than a few minutes. In fact, it takes a lot to get me fired up and that I am at this moment! I am going to refer to the subject of anger as "the boy" to protect him for embarassment, but most of you will know who "the boy" is. As a matter of fact that is how I referred to him to other people. I knew it was bad news because we met when he was on a date with maybe one of the craziest people I have ever witnessed. Just ask the people that were at dinner on New Year's Eve. My favorite highlight of the evening was when she said to her food, "stop it, you're embarassing us." Another favorite is that her New Year's reolution was to brush her teeth more often. Yuck! Anyways, that evening I met "the boy" and he seemed like a nice enough guy, but that's all I knew about "the boy" and thought it was the end. A couple of weeks later we ran into each other at the bar and we played some darts. Again, I didn't think anything of it. I was just having a good time and that was the end of it. I wish! That evening I left to meet some other friends at a different bar. "The boy" said he wanted to go because it was on his way home. Of course at this point I was in party mode and I thought the more the merrier! Anyway, to make a long and boring story semi-short, we ended up talking for a few weeks. I knew that something wasn't right. I never really knew what the attraction was, but I guess there was one. However, it did not take me long to realize that it just wasn't right. Don't get me wrong, "the boy" is a nice guy, but very "different". And by different, I do mean strange! He is so whiny and pathetic. He never wanted to do anything. All he wanted to do was sit at home and watch his sci-fi crap. He was so uptight about everything that it made me want to choke him out. He worried about every little thing. I, on the other hand, am so the complete opposite. I love to just have fun and I have developed a very careless attitude, which by the way, I love! Why did I think this was a good idea? I don't know. If anyone has an answer, let me know. I thought I was just being a bitch so I thought I would give "the boy" a chance. My friends all told me,"just see what happens". At this point, most of them thought he was a nice guy too. I thought, "ok, I don't have anything else going on right now". Damn, I wish I knew then what I know now. One night something just wasn't right so I asked "the boy" what was wrong. He had a story about an ex (who wasn't an actual girlfriend) that I am not completely sure is true. He said that she called him and he was having a hard time trying to decide. I let him know that it was his decision, but he needed to make it because I don't need any drama with his baggage. "The boy" picked me and I wish he wouldn't have. After that incident I didn't really want to work things out. I knew I was done. Things started to fade and I knew things were over on Valentine's Day. I had the day after off work and "the boy" knew that well in advance. By the time I got off work, "the boy" still hadn't called me to see if I wanted to do something. I have never liked Valentine's Day, but I thought for a change I may have a date this year. Wrong again! "The boy" didn't call me until 7:30 that evening and I was already at the bar. I knew then that we were through. I think I was just waiting for an excuse. I also learned that February 14th is also Singles Awareness Day (SAD). I love that! It all worked out very well because I had an awesome time that evening. I met the girls out and we had a blast. We were also blessed to meet Candlewick. Funny story how he got this nickname and I am happy to say that I am the one that gave it to him. I asked Cara what his name was and I thought she said Candle. I said, "first name Candle, middle name Wick." Needless to say that name has stuck with him and everyone now refers to him as Candlewick. I think it is hilarious that people that have known him for years are calling him that. I guess he used to be a Hank's regular. He finally returned from the dead after a couple of years. Anyway, we ended up singing karaoke and I had a great time. Here is a picture of us singing "Love Shack" in the style of Hooked on Phonics! Anyway, back to the bitching. I am not complaining about "the boy" and the time that we spent together. For the most part I did have a good time, but I am highly pissed off at him today. You may ask why has brought on this bitchfest? Well, "the boy" freaked me out last night. When we were talking, "the boy" did not like to go out. Now that we have called it quits, "the boy" is out all the time, at my bar! I see him out all the time and he doesn't bother me. I have sort of avoided having conversations with him lately because we don't really have much to talk about. Last night, I played one game of darts and he was on my team. I know that I am mature enough to have a conversation with him without getting crazy, but he is not. Apparently "the boy" took my nice gesture of playing darts the wrong way. I left to go meet some friends at another bar. Not long after I got to the bar, I looked over and he was there! I bet you're thinking it's not so bad, but it gets better. He did not meet anyone there and he is not friends with any of the people I met there. He didn't even talk to anyone. He just stood at the bar and stared at me. When I left Hank's, he was heading in the other direction. I don't know why he thought it was a good idea to come there. He finally got the hint and left. I thought, "ok, no big deal, he's gone." Nope, wrong again! He sent me all kinds of goofy text messages. I won't go into detail, but he is obviuosly nuts. He said stuff like, "tonight reminds me of old times". What the hell is he thinking? Old times! We talked for a short amount of time and it was only a month ago! By this point, I was so pissed that I was not a nice person. He still did not get it. Finally after several annoying text messages I told "the boy" goodnight. This morning I wanted to send an e-mail just to let him know how creepy I thought it was that he followed me to the bar. As I am signing on, he sends a message to me apologizing for last night. "The boy" obviously has some issues. I went ahead and sent him an e-mail just to save some time because I had to go to work. I let him know that it was strange and asked him what the reason for all this crap was. I do not know what his intentions are, but I do not want to be anything more than friends. I'm not even sure I want to be his friend after this episode. There are many more details, but it makes my head hurt to think about it. Anyway, he replied a few hours later saying that the bartender, which is my friend, thought that I was a little tipsy and she suggested that he checked on me. Bullshit! One, I was sober because I had to work today and I was driving. Two, the bartender does not let me drive if I've had too much to drink. Three, I am pretty sure that she would have said something to me and not him! Maybe I am wrong, but it just doesn't add up right. If you don't think someone is ok to drive, the thing to do is talk to them about it before they drive. Do not stalk them! He even admitted that it was a little "stalker-like." You think? This is why I am so pissed? My friends that did witness this situation were also freaked out. I would never put myself in this situation. I hope his excuse is that he was drunk. If not, he's just plain retarded.
OK, enough bitching about that. I just can't believe "the boy". Something must be in the air because people are breaking up left and right in this town. I know of several break-ups and one divorce that have happened recently. Not including me and "the boy" because I did not consider that a relationship. Some of the people are handling it very well. Others may need to seek professional help. I just can't believe all the drama. The other night I was evaluating my situation. I never really have any drama myself. I was joking around and said, "I wish I had some drama in my life. The only drama I have is my friends'." The bartender, who will remain nameless, did not like that comment. I was just joking, but it is very true. I never really have any drama. I am always helping my friends with their drama, but why don't I have any? I am not saying that I want it. I am actually lucky not to have any. I also find it funny that people come to me for realtionship advice because I am an idiot when it comes to relationships. I love to help them, but I don't think I am much help. My answer to everything is that the solution is at the end of the bottle! Not really, but drinking is the only kind of therapy I am able to provide in these situations.
Oh I just thought of a good story pertaining to my boy drama. I needed a date to my company's Holiday Party back in December so I asked a friend to go with me. I had only known this guy for a couple of months, but I thought it was a good idea. Note to self, I will take someone that I know very well next year. It was a nice party held at the Embassy Suites in Charleston and from what I remember, I had a good time. The last thing I remember is saying I will be right back as I stumbled up to my room. Damn the bartenders giving us two glasses of wine at a time. I woke up two hours later on my stomach with my arms streched out still in my dress. I guess I passed out around 9:30 or so. Not really sure on the details. The next day I woke up and had no idea where my "date" was. He finally came back to the room, but I didn't ask for any details. I kind of gathered something about him hooking up with someone and it was a Branch Manager from another branch. How funny is that? The funniest part is that they now live together and they are thinking about buying a house together. Keep in mind this was just about three months ago. I am so happy that I could contribute to their happiness! If it wasn't for me they would still be lost.
In other news, Cara and I have had perfect attendence this week at Hank's. It is very sad considering we both work early every morning. Tuesday we agreed that we wouldn't go out until Friday. Wednesday we agreed that we wouldn't go out until Friday. Thursday it was safe to say that we weren't going out until Friday. Don't get me wrong, I have a great time when I go, but I have been so good lately. Peanut is about ready to divorce me! Also, I have a funny story to share. Cara called me on my way home last night to tell me about her Wendy's experience. She pulled up to the window and they took her order. The "nice lady" told her to please pull around. She pulled around and patiently waited for her order. Much to her surprise, Wendy's was closed. I guess they have automated systems there now and they forgot to turn them off. I'm just wondering how long it took her to realize they were closed.
I don't know if anyone has heard of the show "Monk", but I also have another Cara story. She called me when I got home last night laughing her ass off. She ordered me to get to a TV fast. I turned it on and she told me to go to USA. The episode where he was at the dentist was on. Apparently she thinks my trauma with the dentist is funny. I, however, almost got sick watching it. I would like to watch it sometime because I'm sure it's great, but I will have to take a nerve pill before I do!
I also have a little update on my dreams. I keep having dreams about cargo vans and people from Hank's. Maybe it's a sign that I work too much and go to Hank's too much. It's true, I do work too much! I think I was traumatized by the thought that Scott was mad at me because that night I had a dream that he held a gun to my head and made me drive a cargo van. 321 ZAP, bitch! I also had a strange one about my gramma's house. For some reason she had this long driveway. I left my purse in my car at the very end and it was unlocked. When I realized that I went out to get it. Some chubby kid came running up the hill with it. I chased him and he threw it at a very mean dog. Then the dog was wearing it. The dog was biting the crap out of me. Finally I beat the shit out of him with a stick and got my purse. I have the craziest dreams. Wow, this sure is a long entry. I think I'll end it now.

No, It's Not A Junkyard...

2006-03-06T21:37:00.000-05:00

I know, you are probably thinking "What the hell is this picture?" or "Does this girl ever clean?" Well, it is a picture of my spare bedroom. I admit that I have used it as another closet since I moved in, but that has all changed as of this evening. Something hit me on my way home from work. My gym membership expired yesterday and I was debating on whether or not to renew it there, at another gym, or not at all. Then I decided no at all, at least for now. I have all kinds of exercise equipment and a room I could easily turn into a "workout room". So that's what I did. I was on a mission and surprisingly it didn't take that long to accomplish. I had it done in no time. The end results...

My ghetto version of a home gym. Complete with everything I want except for a treadmill. I guess I can rough it. Besides when it gets warm out I will be outside most of the time anyway.

The room is not spotless by any means, but it is a great improvement. I still need to go through the boxes and probably get rid of 90% of my stuff. Some of the boxes have not been unpacked since my freshman year of college. Everytime I clean, I realize that I have way too much. I think Rea is going to have a yard sale April 1st so I may get my stuff together by then. Whatever I don't sell is going to Goodwill. I really don't have an excuse becuase Goodwill is basically next door to work.

You may be wondering, "What's with the bathing suits?" Well summer is just around the corner and I need to get in shape. I figured they would be motivation for me to work out even harder. They all fit me now. My goal is for them to be too big by the time summer gets here. I have a pool just three doors down so I can see myself spending a lot of time poolside this summer (or at least on the weekends). I got the idea from Rea. She said she has her bathing suit hanging on her refrigerator. So staring tomorrow I need to get serious again. I am going to wake up early so I can work out before work. I always feel better when I do that and then I don't have to worry about it after work unless I want to.

On a completely different subject, Amber, you will never guess what I found. It's the video! Sure it's not as good as the work done by Phil, but we thought we were awesome back when we were in high school for this great work of art. I haven't watched it yet. I'll wait for you so we can laugh our asses off together!

That's all I have for now. It's my bedtime. Goodnight everyone!

Jana To The Rescue

2006-03-05T15:54:00.000-05:00

Of course this weekend went by way too fast. Sunday is my favorite day of the week, but I have a hard time enjoying it when I know that I have to be at work at 7:00 Monday. Of course, I started my weekend out just like any other. The picture to left is me in Holly's coat. She was missing for awhile, but her coat was still on her seat. So the crazy person that I am thought it would be funny for several people to out it on and we took pictures. The guy to the right (one of the many people that wore her jacket) looked too good in it. I'm still not sure if she knows half the bar had her jacket on, but she will soon. Friday night I thought it would be a good idea to meet the guys at the strip club. Thankfully they didn't go there and we just met them at another bar. The only time I have been to a strip club was the Capital City Gold in Charleston. Let me just tell you that it was not my idea of a good time. I do have a funny story to share about that experience. It was maybe 2-3 years ago when Amber and I were both back home for some reason. We went out in Charleston with our guy friends from high school. They all wanted to go to the strip club, but we didn't. One of the guys said they would pay my way in if I danced with this dorky little boy. Of course, I did it and we were on our way to the strip club. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it still sucked. I had use the restroom so I asked one of the "nice young women" where it was. Well, it was upstairs in the "changing room". That made me nervous enough, but that's not the funny part. I was on my way back down the stairs and I thought I had found the door to leave. I hesitated for a moment because I didn't remember the streamers on the way up. I thought it was the only way to go so it must be how I got there. I walked through the door and said, "Holy shit!" I was on the stage!!!
Although it is good to get a change of scenery, there is a price to pay with that. Here are a few reasons why we shouldn't go to other bars:
1. The bartender should not have to ask what you want to drink.
2. The bartender should not have to ask when you want another drink.
3. When you order a So Co and lime, you do not want So Co with a lime slice on top.
4. Cold Sam Buca is not chilled.
5. The highlight of this bar was a guy dropping a quarter into a jar for free shots.
6. This particular bar did not have a dartboard.
7. They also did not have Bell Biv Devoe on the jukebox.
8. People looked at us like we look at strangers in our bar.
9. They don't take credit/debit cards.
Cara has informed me not to ask her to go to another bar again. She will not be offended if I just say, "I'm going (insert different place). See you later!" She has also informed me that she does not like Barboursville. I admit, it does get a little redneck, but it can be fun!

I honestly had no idea this was going on, but it's a funny picture.

On a different note, it was a sad weekend for one of my good friends and when my friends are sad, I am too. She called me Friday and I knew something was wrong when her message started out, "I may need you this evening." I knew exactly what is was, but I wished it were something else. Tha'ts right, her boyfriend broke up with her the evening before and I needed to come to the rescue. So most of my weekend was spent trying to cheer her up, but I don't think I was successful. I'm not good with relationships myself so I'm not sure how I could help in this situation. Hopefully I helped her out and made it a little easier. She may not know this, but I learned a few things from her too. She also helped me come back to my senses and realize being single is not too bad of a deal. Is it really worth putting all your effort into something that will possibly end? Sometimes I think yes, but after seeing her this weekend, I say no. Maybe that's my problem. Quite frankly I enjoy being single and I know that when it is the right time I will be ready for a relationship. Hopefuly she's going to be fine, but I hate for my friends to be upset. I would much rather be the one that's upset.
By the way Brett, I love your idea for trivia on the blog!

I Have A Dream...

2006-03-03T11:38:00.000-05:00

I'm on my lunch break and I usually don't have time to write an entry, but I do today. First, the picture to the left is just a picture that a friend sent me and I thought it was adorable. In case you can't tell, they are baby porcupines.
Moving along, I had some very strange dreams last night. The first one that sticks out in my mind is the one about my neighbor's little boy, Braden. He's about 3 and he is so cute. I'm not sure why I had this dream, but it's pretty funny. Of course I will tell it and it sounds good in my head, but others won't understand. Just another prime example of Jana Land. I've been known to tell "fireworks stories". It's just a nickname a friend gave my stories a few years ago. He said that they start out good, they usually have a good story, but then they just fizzle away. It's very true. I have a horrible time telling my stories, but they are quite enetertaining if you understand them. Anyway, back to the dream. I was at my apartment and Cara came to the door and told me not to let Braden in. She said that he's been going around the neighborhood with dirty hands and asking if he can use the sink. Cara said not to fall for it because it is a way for his mom to find a babysitter. So this sweet little boy asked me if he could wash his hands and I told him no. He left, but then he came back. He was not backing down so I fell for it and I got stuck watching him. Not so bad, huh? Well, it turns out he was the meanest little kid. His eyes turned red! I can't remember what he did that was so wrong, but I remember him saying something like, "Ha, ha! You should have listen to Cara, you dumb girl!" It was kind of scary!
I also had a dream that Kat and I were fighting over the same guy. I don't remember what he was like or even what his name was, but he ended up picking me! Sorry Meow! I think there was some kind of a prom involved or some kind of dance. Not really sure on the details of that. Kind of random, but funny too!
Another dream I remember was about a Ski Trip. We went on a Ski Trip to Nitro, WV. For those of you who aren't familiar with Nitro, there is nothing there! So we went on this trip (it was all the Ski Trip 2006 people) and I was so excited that I forgot to pack the important things like a toothbrush, contact solution, deodorant, etc. I guess I called my dad and he was bringing me stuff. He was at the door and he said, "Drug Patrol" and everyone freaked out. My dad came in, laughed at everyone and became everyone's new favorite ski tripper. A lot of it is blurry, but another part that sticks out is Amber. She kept asking people to take pictures of her feet! She got mad when anyone would take a picture of anything else. Jon had a bunch of pictures of her feet, but he accidentally erased all of them and she got so pissed. How random is this dream? I think I might be having Ski Trip Wihdrawal. It was the one month anniversary. Have a good day!

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

2006-03-02T18:01:00.000-05:00

It's official, I now have spring fever! I hate when it's cold outside. What's worse? When it's warm like today, but then it gets cold again. It's mother nature's way of teasing the hell out of me. To enjoy this weather while it lasts, Peanut and I went cruising around the neighborhood today. I've lived here since the end of September and I've only taken her on a long walk one time. Even then it wasn't much of a walk because it started getting dark and we had to go back home. I will be going on a lot more once it gets warmer, but Peanut may be limited to only once in awhile. She was good, but she raised a little bit of hell in the neighborhood. She had every dog within a two mile radius barking. She managed to find the biggest mud puddle and ran right through it. She got so tired that she wanted to sit down every five seconds. Also, she pooped in the yard at a church.

I was going to take her home and go back out, but then we got stuck. I was walking down a street I've never been down before and out of nowhere there was a HUGE dog that wasn't on a leash. Before there was a disaster I turned around hoping there was an escape route. I thought I found the way out until I looked up and there was a Dead End sign. The only way to go was up this hill that may be the steepest hill I've ever walked up. Not knowing where it lead to, I walked up the hill. Surprise! It led to another dead end! So there we are on top of this mountain and I have nowhere to go because I feared that other dog would attack us. The only way out was to go wandering through random yards. I didn't want to do that considering every house has an ADT security sign in the yard. My only option was to go down the hill and hope that dog was gone. Luckily the owner was taking it inside so I didn't have to climb anymore mountains that lead to nowhere.

We almost got run over by some crazy person. Luckily, I thought fast and jumped off to the side and by side, I mean a really big ditch. Apparently leaves do not always indicate there is solid ground. That's right, I fell into a ditch! I didn't fall completely down, but it could have gotten ugly. Thank goodness I am so graceful (just kidding)! The person who almost hit me probably got a good laugh out of that one. As a matter of fact, I did too.

I realized today that I enjoy walking outside much more than the treadmill at the gym (except for the ditches). It's so refreshing! I also did a lot of thinking while I was out crusing around. I'll share just a few of the random things I learned today.

Peanut has the ability to get every dog in the neighborhood barking, inside or outside.
The cutest dog (yes, even cuter than Peanut) lives right down the street. I'm not sure what kind it was, but I have to get a picture next time.
Peanut will always find the biggest, muddiest hole to play in, even if there's a drought.
The very steep hill DOES NOT take you anywhere!
Peanut does not like little boys that think they are thugs.
I write way too much about Peanut on this blog. Sorry about that, but she's my bitch!
There is a very big ditch on the side of the road under a very big pile of leaves.

On another note, way to go Pepsi! They brought out a diet grape soda. I love grape soda, but I only drink diet. I have been wishing for this for as long as I can remember. It may not be something new to those of you who live in real cities, but you have to remember I live in Barboursville, WV. I was so excited when I saw it at Wal-mart today! On a scale of 1-10 I give it a 15. This stuff is fabulous and I highly recommend it even if you don't like diet soda. Move over Diest Dr. Pepper, Pepsi One Grape is here. I think I'll go get another one!

Spring Fever

2006-03-02T16:22:00.000-05:00

Today is a beautiful day! It's almost 70 degrees and sunny. It's very windy, but at least it's not cold. The best thing about today is that I only had to work until 1:00. Ususally the weather is crappy when I have a day off. This morning looked like it was going to be the same old thing. It even drizzled a little bit, but it took a turn for the better. I don't really have any big plans. All of my friends are at work so I don't know what to do. I may go to the park later on with Peanut, but I'm not sure because I just cleaned out all the dog hair from my car. I just want to get outside and enjoy the day.
I made it through the dentist appointment yesterday. I didn't even get weak! I just lsat there and focused on the flowers on the wallpaper. The girl asked me about every five seconds if I was alright. I'm pretty sure that I have the whole office freaked out. I still don't understand this whole train wreck and what it means, but I had another incident. Chad and I were standing outside yesterday and I was telling him about the tractor trailer clip on the news. As I was telling the story, a train went by about 15 feet from us. It wasn't one of those slow moving trains. It was one of those that look like a huge bullet flashing by. Now, I don't want to make this a big deal, but where is this coming from? How ironic is all of this?I guess it's just another crazy thing that only happens in Jana Land. If I ever have grandchildren or even children, I am going to have so many stories to tell. They will probably look at me like I am the dad from "Big Fish", except all of my stories are real.
I missed the Real World the other night. I saw about five minutes of it. I didn't even make it to the part when they first get to the house. I woke up half way through, but I just went back to sleep. I'm sure that it will be on sometime this week. I just hope that I catch it. I was excited because I was actually able to watch Oprah today. I haven't seen it for at least 6 months and I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed with the show today. Oh well, I'm going to enjoy the rest of this beautiful, sunny day!

Is It A Sign?

2006-02-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

I was at the gym tonight and I saw a clip for the upcoming news that I could only take as a sign. I'm not sure where it happened or why, but it was from the local news. The only information I got was that a tractor trailer crashed into a dentist's office. Sound familiar? Well, it does to me. It sounds a lot like the image of a train wreck in my head as I passed out in the dentist office. Even crazier, I have another appointment tomorrow for a cleaning. Now I know that it is just a cleaning, but it was also just x-rays last week when I passed out cold. The dentist called me yeaterday to confirm my appointment. Of course, I couldn't get to my phone because I was ont the other line at work. I was afraid they were going to leave a message that they did find something wrong and I needed to come in right away for immediate surgery. Will this fear of the dentist ever stop haunting me? I doubt it. Will it ever get easier? I doubt it. All I know is that I am going to be a nervous wreck until I get my wisdom teeth taken out. In a way I am looking forward to it. I will be able to sleep during the day without feeling guilty. Jen said a little bit of weight loss may occur (I can definetely put up with that). Pain pills are also a plus according to Brett. My mom might be able to come stay with me for a couple of days. On the other hand, I'm not looking forward to it because I want to pass out everytime I think about it. So I am going to quit talking about it now.
I am trying to get back to the gym, but I have had zero motivation lately. I was going 3-5 times a week. I felt great and I wanted to go every night. Regretfully, I have only been 1-2 times a week since the Ski Trip because I haven't had any motivation. By the end of my 10 hour work days, I just want to come home and relax. The problem is that I can't relax because I feel guilty for not going to the gym. So if I don't go to the gym I wake up in the middle of the night pissed off because I wasted another evening. It's a viscous cycle!
On a different note, the first episode of the new Real World is on tonight. Yeah, I admit, I am a Real World junkie. I never liked the show until Chicago, but now I'm hooked. I am having a hard time staying awake for it because this is usually my bedtime. I will probably fall asleep as soon as it comes on. I wonder why they don't have Real World marathons anymore. They were the best especially when I had a hangover. Actually, I wonder what happened to a lot of the "quality" television I used to enjoy. Sometimes it seems as if I can't find just one decent show to watch when I want to. OK, this is all I have for the evening. Goodnight!

Where Have You Been All Of My Life?

2006-02-26T20:06:00.000-05:00

Peanut and Dixie finally met today! At first, it was a little scary. Peanut was sleeping when Amber got here so she woke up to a strange dog in her house. She was not happy at all. I put her in the cage to try to calm her down and it sounded like there was a monster in there. We decided it would be best if we went outside and tried it again. Of course, she still refused to accept Dixie. She doesn't really like other dogs because she's used to me giving her all of my attention. Dixie was fine, which I knew she would be. I knew that Peanut was going to be the problem. After a lot of growling, barking and snapping, they finally got used to each other. One minute later they were running around and playing with each other like they were the best of friends. Amber and I got caught in the leashes a million times. I am so excited that they get along. Now I can go to Lexington and take her with me! We took them back inside and we didn't have any problems except when Amber was eating her salad. She had a piece of chicken and Peanut decided she really wanted it and she would bite Dixie's head off if she needed to in order to get it. That's the piece of chicken in the picture that caused the fight. Obviously, the picture was taken pre-fight. I heard her snap and I about jumped over Amber's head because I was afraid we were going to have a fight. Everything was fine when Amber gave Peanut the piece of chicken. Besides that incident, they were perfect angels. They were so funny and cute together. Dixie really wanted to go upstairs, but Peanut would get in front of her everytime she tried. By the time Amber was ready to leave, they were both passed out in the floor. After they left Peanut cried for a good ten minutes. It was the saddest cry I have ever heard from a dog. These two were meant to be together. It's just a shame that they can't have more play dates.

I Love Sundays!

2006-02-26T14:50:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that this weekend has gone by as fast as it has. It has been a good weekend. Of course I went out Friday night, but I also went out last night. I usually use Saturday to recover from Friday, but I met my mom, dad, and gramma for lunch yesterday in Teays Valley. Then I went and spent way too much money, but I needed to get some more clothes for work.

Amber just called and she is going to bring Dixie to meet Peanut. For those of you who don't know who Amber and Dixie are, I'll explain. Amber is my best friend from high school and obviously Dixie is her dog (look to the right). Thanks Phil for the picture. Amber lives in Lexington, but she went home this weekend. She is going to stop by on her way back through so they can meet. I'm not sure how it is going to go, but I think it's a disaster waiting to happen. I'm not worried about Dixie. It's my crazy ass dog that scares me. I don't know what is going on in her head sometimes. I woke up this morning and she had chewed up a beer coolie, some tylenol and bandaids. I didn't even know I had the tylenol or the bandaids so who knows where she got them. Maybe she found a first aid kit somewhere.
This weekend was like "Hank's Gone Wild". Friday night is usually the crazy night and Saturday is more low key. It started out that way, but by the end it was the complete opposite. We decided to play a little game that got started by Holly taking pictures of herself. The picture to the left isn't part of the game, but I thought it was funny. I know that I was drunk because not only did I think of turning this into a game, I participated and it was a lot of fun. If anyone wants to play the game, send me an e-mail and if you're lucky I will send it to you when I get it together. That is my next mission for the day. Wow, what an exciting day! Maybe I should get another job. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this weekend.

I bet nobody can guess what song I was dancing to in this picture. Actually everyone probably can.
Do the right thing! I want a tooth in my hand right now! Scottie's eyes are so funny in this picture.

I stopped writing because Amber and Dixie came. I have some pictures, but I have to wait for camera battery to charge, so I am going to wait on that entry. I am going to Target and then I will write about the experience when I get back. Also, Amber is starting a blog!!! I am so excited. I am addicted to these damn blogs now. I'll make you wait for the name. It's a really good title and I'm not saying that just because I helped her name it. I'll be back in a little bit with more on the meeting of Dixie and Peanut...

What A Day!

2006-02-23T21:43:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a day! Obviously I have been busy because it's now almost 10:00 and I'm not in bed. I passed my test that I took for work. My city manager said congratualtions this morning and I didn't even know that I had passed. I really didn't have a doubt in my mind, but everyone else knew before me. Oh well, I am just glad that I got that over with. After I got off work I went to the gym. I came home got a shower, made some dinner and checked my e-mail. By the way, nice job everyone for replying to the survey. I had no idea that many people would respond. Now if we could just get some of the others to reply. Anyway, after I got done with my e-mail, I cooked breakfast. I promised everyone at the office that I would bring them breakfast in the morning. Hopefully I will remember to put it in the oven in the morning.
I went to the dentist today. Good news is that I do not have an abscess tooth or any cavities. Bad news is that I do have to get my wisdom teeth cut out and I passed out in the chair. Yeah, that's right I passed out completely. It gets even worse. The poor girl was just getting X-Rays when it happened. I hadn't even seen the doctor yet! One minute I was sitting there kind of nervous and shaking, but I told myself I would be fine. The next minute I had some freaky image in my head about a train wreck (which may be a symbol of my life). When I came to one of my shoes had come off and I had no idea where I was. Of course I started freaking out and I cried. I have never passed out before. Well, at least when I'm sober. I think not eating all day may have something to do with that. They took me to another room to calm me down. I finally calmed down and they finished the X-Rays. I apologized to the girl and told her that was the first time this had ever happened to me. She said it was her first time too. I might be a an adult, but I am not going back unless my mom is with me. Of course, I called her as soon as I left to tell her what happened. She laughed at me! I had to go back to work afterwards and I wasn't right for the rest of the day. I'm still not right. I was as pale as a ghost forever today. I'm still in shock over this. For those of you who have never passed out, I hope you never go through it. For those of you who have, I feel bad for you. I never want to go through that again, but chances are I will next week when I go to get my teeth cleaned. The dentist suggested that I take a valum before my appointment next week. It's just a cleaning, but I think I freaked him out. I freaked myself out. I am going to be nuts until I get my wisdom teeth pulled. I am going to have to buy The Office DVD and some more seasons of Friends to make it through the down time. Thanks to Brett and Jen for the good advice. Pain pills and weight loss, count me in! Well, that's all I have right now. I am getting light headed thinking about this. I'm going to bed.

My Tooth May Be The Death Of Me

2006-02-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

I hear you Amber! Maybe I shouldn't have set these standards for myself. I didn't write yesterday because I went out right after work. By the time I got home I went straight to bed. Well, I take that back. I made drunken quesadillas and from what I remember they tasted pretty good! Today I only worked half a day, but Peanut and I went to my parent's house as soon as I was done. I just got back from there about 30 minutes ago. My mom had surgery on her knee Monday so I went to visit her. Also, my gramma was in town so I wanted to see her too. Although I have been busy the past 2 days, not much has happened. I took my test yesterday to get promoted. I won't know until tomorrow or Friday whether I passed, but I don't have a doubt in my mind. It was a piece of cake. I'm pretty excited because I will get a bonus (not much) and a raise (also not much).
The only major thing I have been thinking about the past few days is my tooth. I thought my wisdom tooth was pushing my other teeth and that was why I have been feeling pain. Well, I think it's more than that now. My mom said it is probably an abscess tooth. I have a dentist appointment next Wed., but I don't think I can wait. It just so happens that I read an article a couple of days ago about wisdom teeth. It said that it is best to get wisdom teeth removed before 25 because leaving them in will increase my risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some other problems I don't need. I hate the dentist more than any other doctor. They always seem to hurt me. I talked to Ashley tonight and she said one of her friends went into a coma because of an abscess tooth. So if I don't write for a couple of days someone may want to come and find me. Also, another guy we used to work with, which I don't remember, got a goider from an abscess tooth. Needless to say, I won't be able to sleep until I get to the dentist. I'm sure nobody is interested in my teeth, but I needed to write about it for three reasons.
1. I can't stand pain. When it comes to pain, I am the biggest baby in the world!
2. I am freaking out about this!
3. If it kills me at any point in the night I would like for someone to come and find me. Note: Please walk the dog while you are here.

That's all I have for now. I am going to try to sleep. I'm going to use this spray that makes my mouth numb. I'm afraid that is going to make me drool! Oh well, the pain is killing me. I wouldn't mind a little drool if the pain would go away.

2006 Winter Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends

2006-02-20T18:43:00.000-05:00

OK Phil, I do have to work during the day. Unfortunately I am restricted to work e-mail only while I'm there. Where's your update? Since I don't really have much to write about today, I am going to respond to Megan's e-mail as a post. I usually don't like these type of e-mails, but I thought it would be a good way for those of you who don't know me that well to get to know me better. If any of you want to fill it out with your responses and e-mail it to me, that would be great. Obviuosly, not much happened today. Here is the e-mail.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:30 I have to work at 7:00 on Mondays.
2. Dimaonds or Pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? American Wedding, it's been forever!
4. What is your favorite TV Show? Friends, The Office and The Biggest Loser
5. What did you have for breakfast? Breakfast Lean Pocket
6. What it your middle name? Elizabeth
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Can chili count?
8. What foods do you dislike? Tuna, salmon and most fishy seafood
9. Favorite chips? Salt and Vinegar
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? James Blunt
11. What kind of car do you drive? 2005 Mazda 3
12. Favorite sandwich? Turkey, slice of colby cheese and honey mustard
13. What characteristics do you despise? Selfish, dishonest, stupid and snobby
14. What are your favorite clothes? Sweatpants
15. If you go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Anywhere warm
16. What color is your bathroom? Green w/palm trees
17. Favorite brand of clothing? Not that big on brands anymore. Just whatever looks ok.
18. Where would you want to retire? Don't know. I am only 23!
19. Favorite time of day? Evenings after work. Mornings are great in the summer.
20. Where were you born? Pittsburgh, PA
21. Favorite sport to watch? Football, as long as there is beer
22. Who do you least expect to send this back? Probably everyone because I can't believe I am doing it.
23. Who will be the first to respond? Nobody!
24. Coke or Pepsi? Coke (Sorry Phil and Jon)
25. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Morning person unless I've been up all night
26. Any new and exciting news you would like to share with everyone? Not a damn thing. Otherwise I would be writing about that and not doing this e-mail.
27. What did you want to be when you were little? Work for Candid Camera. I still want to!!!
28. What is your best childhood memory? Anything with my family. They are great!
29. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? Kroger, Laredo Steakhouse, Applebee's, Pro Eyes Optometry, Mac's, Hank's and Enterprise
30. Nicknames? Banker, Jana Banana and Jana Spanker. There actually many more, but we'll leave it at that.
31. Number and location of piecings? 8 in my ears
32. Eye color? Blue
33. Ever been to Africa? Nope
34. Ever been toilet papering? Not that I remember.
35. Ever been in a car accident? Yes
36. Favorite day of the week? Sunday
37. Favorite Restaurant? Tidewater
38. Favorite flower? Doesn't matter, I love flowers!
39. Favorite ice cream? Mint Chocolate Chip
40. Favorite fast food resaurant? I don't eat fast food much, but I love Chick Fil A
41. Which store would you chose to max out your credit card? I could do it any store, but I think Target would be the best.
42. Bedtime? 9:00 to 10:30, unless it's the weekend
43. Who are you most curious about their responses to the questionnaire? Anyone who answers. I love to learn new things about people.
44. Last person you went to dinner with? It's usually just me and Peanut at home for dinner. The last time I had dinner with someone was with my dad and brother last week, but it was at my parent's house. I think New Year's was probably the last time I went out for dinner.
45. What are you listening to right now? Wife Swap on ABC. I love Reality TV!
46. What is your favorite color? Blue
47. How many tattoos do you have? 0 and I probably will never get one because I hate pain.
48. Who was the last e-mail you got before this one? It was actually from my friend Rea telling me that I am a dork because of this blog...ha ha!
49. How many people are you sending this to? Whoever reads my blog. So maybe 2 or 3 : )
50. What time did you finish this e-mai?l 8:15

Wow, that so wasn't as much fun as it looks! I'm going to stop now so I can get ready for my test in the morning. Thanks Megan for the e-mail!

Still Bored

2006-02-19T20:25:00.000-05:00

This is my cat, Bella. She likes to sleep on my dresser or on my pillow. I can't believe how bored I have been these past two days. I think it's because I haven't had anything to do. It was nice for a change, but I really need some kind of chore or something to do. Of course tomorrow when I get to work I will be wishing for today. I woke up from a nap today and when I walked downstairs there was a book in 5 million pieces. I guess Peanut got bored with her chew toys and now she prefers paper. She knew that she had done wrong because as soon as I looked at her and said "bad girl", she ran upstairs. That's what this photo is. After she finally came out of my room, she sat at the top of the stairs with the saddest face. She hasn't done anything like this for awhile. She also ripped off her Steelers bandana that my sister made for her. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with her today.

I never went over that stuff that I needed to for work. I started looking at it and it made my head hurt. Oh well, I think I'll be ok. I am watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I love this show! I got hooked on it when there was a marathon on one day. Ever since, I have loved it. Nothing else happened today. I am going to finish watching this show and probably go to bed. I have to get up at 5:30 on Mondays.

2006 Recap...Sort Of

2006-02-19T11:39:00.000-05:00

So far 2006 has been a good year. It has gone by so fast! I can't believe that February is almost over. Where did January go? Not much happened in January except I went to visit my gramma in Ohio for a weekend. I haven't been there in so long because she usually comes here. Peanut also had a great time because my gramma has a huge yard for her to run in. I think she slept for 3 days straight when we got home. I can't wait to get a yard with a fence so she can go outside and run around. Right now I have to keep her on a leash and she just about drags me down everytime I take her out. Anyway, there I go again rambling about something noone cares about.

The most exciting event of 2006 so far was THE SKI TRIP. I was so excited when Amber invited me. I had never been on this trip before, but I sure am glad that I went. I met about 20 great new people. This is the group photo. We had to take it again on the last night so we are missing a couple of people (Damn, format buttons). Anyway, it was awesome! I have never had so much fun without going in public for three days. Actually I've never stayed inside that long. The only time I left the cabin was to go on the deck to get more beer. For more photos and details Phil's blog is where you want to go www.allthingsphil.blogspot.com
The funny thing about this trip is the name of the trip. It has been going on for six years now and nobody goes skiing. I think they attempted it the first year and that's where the name came from.
My favorite part of the trip was "Gatlingburg Idol". The second night kind of got interuppted by stair diving, but that's ok because I sang enough on Friday for the whole group. I hate it when nobody will take the microphone away from me. Even though we didn't have Bell Biv Devoe, I managed to make it. We better have it next year or I'm not going! I really had a great time. I can't wait until next year.

Not much else has happened so far. At least nothing worth writing about. As always, Valentine's Day sucked this year. I think it is the stupidest holiday ever. Ironically enough my boss made me take the day after off. Note to all: Never give a single person the day after Valentine's Day off. It's just a free ticket to get drunk. I had to go to the hospital with my mom the next morning and then I drove to Beckley to pick up my brother. It was complete torture. Well, I guess this wasn't much of a recap, but I can't recap things that don't happen. I need to do some stuff for work. I am going to take a test on Tuesday to get promoted and I haven't even looked at the stuff.

Powerball

2006-02-19T08:22:00.000-05:00

Someone won The Powerball and it wasn't me! I really thought I had the winning ticket in my purse. I never played the lottery until this week and I wish I never did because it's not that much fun when you don't win. I've been thinking about what I would do with the money. Of course I would give to charity, my family, friends and all that good stuff, but what would I do for fun? Here is a list of just a few things that I would do with the money.

1. QUIT MY JOB!
2. Buy Hank's and the movie theater next door
3. Move somewhere warm after I travel the world
4. Buy a Kia Sorento for Mike and smash out all of the windows. Of course I would have another for him that didn't have smashed windows. I may even buy him his Kia Sorento race track.
5. Buy a speed skating suit for Patrick to wear, with either cowboy boots or rollerblades, on the streets of Huntington. This is something I may do anyway because it would be worth every penny. Patrick, I know that one in the picture isn't flourescent green, but it may be harder to find than I originally thought.
6. Buy Bell Biv Devoe
7. Make an outfit out of money and wear it just to piss people off
8. Buy Candid Camera. It is my dream to work for this show.
9. Find something better to do than update this blog

Now I am just getting mad because I didn't win. I guess I could check my ticket to see if I at least got the powerball number right. Crap! I didn't even get that. Well, I might as well just go back to bed. I'm not a millionaire so there's no point in me staying awake any longer.

One More For The Day

2006-02-18T20:31:00.000-05:00

I promise this is the last one for today. I just got off the phone with my sister and she met Vanna White's parents last week! Like I said earlier, she lives in South Carolina. Her and one her friends from work went out on Valentine's Day to a sports bar across the street. It was Vanna White's parents' anniversary. To make a long story short, they ended up meeting and my sister is invited to the family reunion this summer, which Vanna will be attending. I am so jealous. I may be a dork, but I love Wheel of Fortune. I have always wanted to be a contestant on that show. She got a picture on her digital camera. When she learns how to upload her pictures to her computer I will put it on here for everyone to see. OK, I am done for the day.

My Favorite Things

2006-02-18T19:05:00.000-05:00

I am up from my nap now and I am feeling more up to this blog thing than I was earlier. I stayed out a little later than I expected last night and I had to work this morning. It was only 4 hours, but it seemed like much more. Anyway, I have had my nap and I feel much better now.

I'll start "Favorite Things" out with one of my favorite pictures. This one is of me and my sister, Terra. It was taken last summer at her going away party. She moved to South Carolina last August. At first it was hard to get used to because we've never been more than an hour away from each other.

Favorite TV Shows: Old-Friends (Hands down) New-The Office, The Biggest Loser and The Best Week Ever

Favorite Movies: What About Bob?, Hope Floats, When Harry Met Sally and Uptown Girls

Favorite Song: Bell Biv Devoe, Poison

Favorite Radio Station: On Sirius, Channel 12 (Super Shuffle). Well, it is now thanks to the ski trip.

Favorite Game: Catch Phrase and Scene It, thanks to the ski trip again.

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Day of the Week: Sunday, I never have to work

Favorite Month of the Year: Ocotober, it's my birthday and I love the fall

Favorite Food: Chili

Favorite Vacation Spot: Anywhere warm

Favorite Outfit: Pajamas, I would wear them everywhere if I could

Favorite Sport: Tennis

OK, I am really bored with this right now, so I am going to stop with the favorite things. I just saw something really funny on VH1. It was on that Web Junk 20 show. It was a clip of Ken Jennings on Jeopardy. Ken answered, "What is a hoe?" to "A gardening tool with a long handle and also known as an immoral pleasure seeker." That may not be the exact wording, but it was pretty funny! I've never watched this show before, but I think I need to more often. OK, I am really bored right now. Tomorrow I might do a recap of 2006 so far.

My First Entry

2006-02-18T15:16:00.000-05:00

I have decided to start a blog. I have wanted to for awhile now, but I haven't had the time. I am extremely bored today so I figured it was a good day to get the ball rolling. Many people have told me that I need to write a book because of the crazy, interesting, and stupid things that happen to me. Well, I don't have the patience for a book so this blog will have to do.
First, I'll just give a brief background of myself. My name is Jana Banker. I am 23 years old and I live in Barboursville, WV. I am orginally from Pittsburgh, PA, but I moved to Pinch, WV in 1990. Five years ago I moved to Huntington, WV to attend Marshall University. I graduated in May 2004 with a Marketing degree and I am still here. I currently work at Enterprise. I have a dog, Peanut, who was found in a box at a rest area. I have had her for a little over a year now. I will probably post a lot of pictures of her. I also have a cat, Bella. I have had her for almost three years. She finally started coming around again after a year of hiding from the dog. Here is a picture of Peanut. Isn't she cute?

I named my blog "Jana Land" because everyone says that it is where I am most of the time. Last summer I went on a trip to my friend's cabin for her birthday. I had some off the wall comment and everyone just looked at me. My friend Ashley said, "I would like to go to Jana Land for just one day." I replied, "it's a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there!" Apparently that has become a few of my friend's favorite quote. I thought that name was very appropriate for the blog. Thoses of you who don't really know me will understand more and more after each post. That is all I have right now. I am going to take a nap because it is cold outside and there's not much else to do.