I'm a meme-thief

My day was really not worth writing about, so once again with the meme-things.  I wasn't even tagged for this one, either, but who cares?  I don't need your rules.

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Four names that people called you: Jen, Mama, Jessiser, Darth Sniffles

Four jobs I have had: graphic designer/PR, bookseller (in the kids department no less), manager (augh!), customer service (aka "I'm not your bitch, bitch!")

Four movies I would watch more than once: The Princess Bride, Lord of the Rings, Transformers, Wall-e

Four places I have lived: Spokane, WA; Chattaroy, WA; Brecksville, OH; North Royalton, OH

Four places I have been: British Columbia, Chicago, Boulder, Coeur d'Alene (which is not a quaint little mountain village in France... more like Idaho)

Four People who e-mail me (regularly): Heather, Jolene, Uncle Jim, my boss Dave

Four of my favorite foods: Fresh crab straight out of Puget Sound, potatoes (any way you can cook 'em but mashed is my fave), cheese (especially sharp cheddar), biscuits & sausage gravy

Four places I'd rather be right now: Out in my garden (in the spring, not February), anywhere around Puget Sound, a cabin in the mountains by a lake, or a combination of the three.  (Right now, I'll just take some sunshine and warmer weather please.)

Four friends I think will respond: Anybody who, like me, has a bit of free time to kill and no sense of self-preservation

Four things I am looking forward to this year: Warm weather, my garden, our weekend trip to Chicago in April, and hopefully getting out to Washington to see family in the fall.

Four TV shows that I watch: Heroes, CSI, Lie to Me, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations

Time for a quickie

Just a brief note about life in general.

Still managing to avoid getting laid off.  Not sure how I'm pulling it off, and now there's rumors that I'm going to be cut from the national sales meeting schedule.  Which I totally call bullshit on.
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So far the trip to Chicago to teach the class is still on though.  Or at least, I haven't heard otherwise.  B and his brother are going to drive over to meet me on the Friday of the trip, and I booked a sweet room at Hotel Burnham for the weekend ($87!!  Holy shit!) so we can have some fun at the Field Museum and whatnot.  B's never been to Chi-town so it'll be fun... I just hope the weather is nice.

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Lily has started doing this weird thing lately where she balances on top of the dog/baby gate in the doorway to the kitchen, like she's a gatekeeper or something.  I have to try to catch a pic of her, it's really kind of funny.
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Three items into my list and I'm already running out of things to say?!?
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Oh, one more thing did happen lately, I went to the eye doc and he tried to prescribe me some glasses.  Until B looked at the prescription, and we realized they were cheater-strength.  Actually, LESS than cheater-strength, only .75+, and they were trying to sell me $150 frames!  Granted, most stores don't sell .75+, so we had to order them online for $30, but still.  I didn't like the doc much anyway (no sense of humor at all), and when they tried to rip me off, that kind of settled it.  I won't be returning to that doctor (although B still likes him, but I think we could get his contacts cheaper somewhere else too).  So now I have reading glasses, and despite the fact that they're pretty weak, I have noticed a big difference when I use them.  No eyestrain or headaches at the end of the day!

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Don't tell B, but I put out a dish of kitty bitties for these two stray cats that have been wandering onto our porch.  One is a pale orange tabby, and the other is a monstrous brown tabby tomcat with the biggest head I've ever seen.  I think I'll call him Head.  Maybe I could train him to bring me my pants.  I don't necessarily want to make these cats our pets, but if they would hang around and kill the moles in our yard, that'd be nice.  I'll try to catch them and have them fixed though.  I was this close to doing that to a stray cat last spring, but he must have caught my vibe and he disappeared.  But I think he might have been someone's pet, because he was super affectionate and not afraid at all.  I called him Jasper.  He was a dilute tortoiseshell, and so pretty!  I hope he's okay... I haven't seen him since.

Stuck in a rut

I probably could think of something to write myself, but I'm too lazy right now.  Also, I have another big pimple inside my nose, and it hurts.  So here's yet another meme, with a couples theme, from All & Sundry.

What are your middle names?
Mine is Ann, B has two, Stewart Taylor.  Any offspring will follow that theme, by the way.
How long have you been together?

Married just over 5 years, together just over 8.
How long did you know each other before you started dating?

Depends on how you define dating, and also on how you define when we met.  We were introduced via email in 1997 or 98, but we only emailed for a few months before losing touch.  Then we officially met face to face in 2000, and really got serious that winter, but it was all long distance. Then I moved to Ohio with him the following summer.  So, I guess the short answer is, 3 or 4 years?
Who asked whom out?

I think I asked him if he'd be able to fly back to Washington for my winter formal, which was our first official date I think.
How old are each of you?

We are both 29.  B is 1 month 11 days older than me though.
Whose siblings do you see the most?
B's, since mine live across the country.
Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Deployment and other Army related things.
Did you go to the same school?
Nope.  I went to college right after high school at Whitworth, B joined the Army and is just now working on his undergrad at BGSU.
Are you from the same home town?

Nope.  B moved around Maryland/Virginia/Ohio when he was a kid, I lived in Chattaroy pretty much my whole life.
Who is smarter?

I honestly think we're pretty even.  Sometimes I think I might have a little more common sense than him, but that might be more anal retentiveness than sense.  He's better with numbers & manual things, but we're both pretty intelligent.
Who is the most sensitive?

Me, but he's pretty sensitive for a dude.  I tend to get my feelings hurt easier.
Where do you eat out most as a couple?

We frequent a couple of places, Mi Hacienda for Mexican and Glendale Garden Cafe for breakfast.  But I've been cooking more lately so we haven't gone out in a while.
Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
From Ohio?  Seattle.  (It's still weird for me to think of Seattle as being so far away.)
Who has the craziest exes?
Neither really.
Who has the worst temper?
We both have pretty bad ones.  One of us will overreact first, then the other overreacts to the overreacting...
Who does the cooking?
Me, but B likes to pitch in sometimes.  And in the summer he mans the grill.
Who is the neat-freak?
I am, but I'm kind of a lazy neat-freak.  
Who is more stubborn?

I guess we're pretty even.  I'm stubborn about how some things should be done, and he's stubborn about doing just the opposite!
Who hogs the bed?

The dog.  Although we both are very practiced at the art of 'tuck-and-roll'.
Who wakes up earlier?
Usually B.  On the weekends he lets me sleep in, which I love.
Where was your first date?

First time we met was at The Blue Spark in Spokane.  First real date was to my winter formal, but I totally don't remember where it was held.
Who is more jealous?
Right now, me I guess.  He's in college surrounded by hot little girly boxes all day, how can I not be??
How long did it take to get serious?

Not too long.  We were officially 'together' (albeit long-distance) for about 6 months before I moved to Ohio to live with him.  It was 2 years before we got married though.
Who eats more?

He does, but we're working on sharing meals better so he eats less (and slower).
Who does the laundry?

We both do our own.  B freaks out when I wash his clothes with mine, insisting that they've been contaminated with cooties.  Yes, I live with a 3rd grader.
Who’s better with the computer?

We're even I think.  He got pretty good with them through his Army job, and I grew up working with them at home and now spend my entire day staring at one.  
Who drives when you are together?
We take turns.  He likes getting to drive my car, but I also annoy the crap out of him when he drives.

My personal library

I snagged this meme from Captain Dumbass @ Us & Them, who, if you’ve never read his blog, is friggin hysterical.  Three words: grilled cheese men.

What book has been on your shelf the longest?  My boxed set of The Chronicles of Narnia.  My sister got it for me when I was a kid, 20-odd years ago.  They’re still in good shape, and still in the original published order too instead of the re-released chronological order.  I still read these, and can get through the whole series in a couple of days when the mood strikes.

A book you acquired in some interesting way:  What constitutes ‘interesting?’  I supposed I could say Lamb by Christopher Moore… when I worked at B&N, we basically had an obsession with this book.  I think pretty much everyone there read it, and we took turns putting on the ‘recommended reads’ shelf.

Most recent addition to your shelves:  The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and Agnes & the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer.

A book that’s been with you to the most places:  Probably Watership Down, by Richard Adams.  The copy I have now is a relatively new purchase from a used book sale, but my original paperback went with me on many camping and fishing trips when I was a kid.  Or at least until all the pages got glued together by a leaky syrup candy tube thingy.

A book that reminds you of something specific in your life:  I agree with Captain Dumbass, pretty much all of my books do this.  But if I’m going to talk about one, I’ll pick This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti.  Reminiscent of my Bible-thumper days, but still incredibly good stories.  They make me think of all those years that I spent at church, how much I learned about who I am and who I’m not, and how much I value my ability to think for myself.

Last book finished:  I admit that I didn’t finish the last book I checked out from the library (Stiff, by Mary Roach).  From my shelves, I just recently re-read The DaVinci Code, the illustrated version, which is ten times better than the original!

I'd like to hear about everyone else's book collections too!  So I'm adding a couple of my own questions:

The book(s) you've read over and over and will never get tired of:  Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.  First off, I have a terrible memory so I can read pretty much anything over and over again, but these books are so rich in detail that I always find something new and fascinating in them.  Plus, it's a long series!

The most frequently-referenced book (fiction or non-fiction):  The Beginner's Guide to Gardening, put out by BH&G, and also Cesar Millan's books. While I thoroughly believe that no one dog training technique is gospel for every dog, Cesar really gets to the heart of dog behavior: the owner.

A book that changed your way of thinking about something:  Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn.  I challenge anyone who thinks they can just live in this world without taking into consideration the ramifications of their way of living to read this book. 

A cause to follow, and other bits

If you read my notes on Facebook you'll know this already, but those just reading my blog I thought I would share this with you too. I just signed up to participate in the Toledo area Walk MS event, and I'd love your support! My sister has MS, and has been in a wheelchair for as long as I can remember, but by God she is the strongest person I know. I also recently learned that one of my co-workers has MS, so I'm dedicating my walk to both of them.

You can go to my donation page to contribute, or if you want to find a walk/bike event in your area, go to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society page.

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I've managed to survive the layoff field day at work last week. It was pretty heartbreaking, watching my friends pack up their things, hoping that they'll get a call back soon, wondering if they'll be okay in the meantime. What makes it especially hard is knowing that if I hadn't gotten this new job, it totally would have been me. I guess my timing was perfect in regards to getting trained on how to teach this class... I think that's pretty much the only reason why I'm still here. I got word that my first opportunity to teach will be in Chicago in April (whoo hoo! Thanks Lisa!) so I guess I have a bit of job security until then at least. I also have a new cube, up at the front of the office again. I miss the quiet and the skylight, but I don't miss the isolation and loneliness. I sit next to a phone-shouter now, but that's why I bring my mp3 player to work.

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B's spring break is the second full week of March (I think I've mentioned this before, but March in NW Ohio is not spring) and we were going to take a road trip to visit some family in NC and VA, but we've decided that time would be better used to work around the house, getting the gardens ready to go, spring cleaning and whatnot. I'll take a few days off from work, and recharge my batteries a bit before starting with the travel again. Nothing like digging in the (half-frozen) dirt to relax and boost your confidence.