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A dilemma...

Stay where I am safe but extremely unchallenged? Or take a chance on something new and uncertain?

My horiscope for today reads:

You are at a crossroads of sorts now, but instead of making a choice between two different alternatives, you need to choose how to expand your options. That's pretty exciting -- but time is short!

I am not entirely sure what that means, but it is very relevant to what I'm going through today. An opportunity has come up for a new job. Right now I am working at Measured Progress. I started working here last September, and it lasted through the beginning of March (it's a temporary position). Then I was called back at the end of May, and I am fairly sure I will be here through the winter again. So far, I have done approximately one full weeks' worth of work in the two and a half months that I've been back. It's that slow here right now.

Most days I sit and stare into space, or read crafting blogs and try to look like I'm doing actual work. Yes, I'm getting paid to sit here and do nothing, but it is depressing and the days drag on forever. I feel like I'm just wasting my time here, when I could be doing so many other things. I know the work will pick up in about another month, then get super crazy since everything's on deadline in November and December.

But...

A coworker sent my name to her temp. agency in response to a catalog design position that opened up at Brookstone in Manchester, NH. I actually had worked with this particular man and his agency before, so he remembered my name. He sent me the details for the position. It will run from September to November/December, and it pays $25/hr. $25/hr! That is a nice number to see on your paycheck. That's $5 more per hour than I make now. Over the course of a month, that adds up to an additional $600 take-home.

But...

It is only 2-3 months long. I'd be unemployed by the end of the year, rather than sometime in February/March. And who knows what else I'll be able to find for work once it's done? Ahhhh...I don't know what to do. I really want to take the new position, but my brain/monthly bill calculator takes over and says "no f-ing way!" I guess I'll be doing some serious thought about it this weekend, and lots of talking with Rob to find out his opinion. I'll keep you posted...

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What a surprise when I got home! Rob had the day off and he spent most of the afternoon mulching our new flower beds in front of the house. Mom and I had spend a few days yanking out the old dead shrubs and planting new ones a while back, but we didn't mulch the beds, so the weeds were running rampant! It almost looked like the grass extended all the way up to the foundation, rather than new dirt and plants. So when I got home, he lead me out to the front lawn where the valiant plants were no longer struggling to rise above the weeds. Instead, they were shown off beautifully by the thick layer of black mulch that matched so nicely with the front door and shutters. Our front lawn finally looks presentable!

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Yuck. Another trip to the dentist. I had another bad cavity on my little molar on the bottom left of my mouth. This time, I insisted on having a white filling rather than the silver he used last time. It took almost three weeks before I could stand room tempature liquid in my mouth without doubling over in pain last time. I am SO sensitive to silver fillings! After jabbing me with the insanely huge novacane needle a few times, he went to work. It took about a half hour, then he was done. Once the novacane wore off (about four hours later) my tooth didn't hurt at all! I can drink cold water, chew crunchy and chewy food, and there is no pain. Hooray! I wish I'd had the option for a white filling last time...even if it was more expensive.

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I always get happy when I see another CRX driving down the road. Especially red ones! This one was following me home from work for a while before turning into the Market Basket plaza by the Rt. 4 rotery. BTW...don't try to take photos while driving. It's really difficult!

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What cute little wedding favors! Easy to make, and full of yummy M&Ms. Good job!

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Today was Kerry and Rob's wedding. Don't they look so happy? Kerry looked beautiful, of course. Her dress was so pretty. Rob was hansome in his suit. I was very glad that we were invited, along with a few other members of Team XXX Racing. Andrew and Kathy, Claudio and Carmen, Chad and Caroline, Jared and Charles and their dates. It was strange to see everyone in clothes other than their racing tshirts and jeans and helmets!

After some missteps earlier in the day (like me forgetting my shoes and having to drive an hour back home to get them) we arrived at the church a little late. We snuck in as quietly as we could, just in time to see Rob and Kerry say "I do." Then we went back to Claudio's hotel room for an hour to wait until it was time to drive to the reception.

Once at the hall, we had cocktail hour with an open bar and yummy snacks. Everyone from Team XXX pretty much hung out together, as we really didn't know anyone else there. Then we were led into the dining room, where we were stuffed in the corner like I knew we would be. We were the rowdy table after all! It was ok though. We all had a great time laughing and exchanging stories about the bride and groom and each other's antics, and of course, cars! It was a wonderful night and I was sad when it came time to leave. It's fun to get together somewhere other than the racetrack with this great group of friends.

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I brought in this plant a few days ago to spruce up my cubicle at work. It had taken over cabinet shelves above the sink in my kitchen with it's tendrils, so it was time to go! It adds a nice little touch of life to my typically uninspiring cube. If I try hard enough, I can pretend I'm outside in the woods. Err...maybe not.

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I went down to Saugus to visit the chiropracter today. On my way back, I stopped in to my Mom's house to visit with my cousin Leanne. She's holding down the fort while my parents are on their cross-country camping trip this summer. We talked for a couple hours while she prepared for the party she is having tomorrow. By the time I got home, it was 9:00 pm. Rob and I watched Burn Notice, then he headed to bed. I went to the bedroom to give him a kiss, and realized that while I was gone, he had put together the new king-sized bookcase headboard I ordered from Amazon the week before. I didn't realize that it came in, and he didn't mention anything when I asked him what he did after work. Sneaky boy! He did a good job too. We still have to move the bedroom furniture around, but it's nice to FINALLY have a headboard, it's only been six years!

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Rob and I went to JC Penny tonight to find him something to wear to the wedding we are going to on Saturday. His old suit didn't fit anymore, so we were on the hunt for some dress pants and a nice shirt and tie. (August heat and suit jackets don't mix!) He (ok, I) ended up picking a pair of dark grey pants and a light blue, short-sleeve, button-down shirt with a light blue striped tie. He's going to look so handsome on Saturday!

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I drove home a different way from work today. It actually was the way I used to go home while I was working for Hot Diggity a couple years ago. It was a nice change of scenery. My ride home gets so boring day after day. This is a vineyard I remember passing all the time, although I don't remember it with grapes, just wintery vines.

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Check this sucker out! Huge! Like, bigger-than-my-thumb huge. He was chilling outside the work kitchen window, soaking up the sun. Today was one of the few days this summer that it didn't rain and made it into the 80s. He was pretty cool looking too, with purple streaks on his wings and a furry body.

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Rob got the borrowed chipper/shredder working today. I'm nervous about him using it, but he has no fears. We have A TON of branches that came down during that bad ice storm this past winter that have been sitting in heaps throughout our backyard. It will be nice to have them gone. Plus we can use the chips for mulch in the front yard garden. Keep up the good work, honey!

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Finally, something do to at work! This should take me a little while to finish...

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Oh my.

It's so...

Yeah...

So, getting back to yesterday's post, this is a classic example of a Cake Wrecks cake. I found this at Walmart last night when I was buying groceries. I think the character is supposed to be Wolverine, although it's hard to tell when he's face down in frosting. I'm not sure what the airbrushing is suppose to be, lava maybe? A lake with a really bad red tide problem? Whatever...it's nothing compared to the piles of crap scattered around. I have no idea what those are suppose to be. Rocks? Dinosaur droppings? Why would you want to buy this for your child?

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This is such a great blog! CakeWrecks.com was the first blog I started reading, late last year and I still check it every day. The girl who writes this has a great, sarcastic sense of humor. It is a blog about ugly professionally-baked cakes. I know, it sounds wierd, and it is, but it's SO funny! I can't believe people actually pay for the cakes she posts. Actually, the one pictured above is a pie, but it's still horrific. It's a fetus wearing an iPod. On a pie. An iPod-wearing fetus on a pie. OMG!

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I <3>

I found a cool website today (while trying to look like I had work to do) that had all sorts of characters you could print out and fold up into a boxy 3D version, like Hello Kitty above. Of course, she is the one I chose to print. But they had characters from Family Guy and other cartoons, superheros, real people, and more. What a great way to waste some time!

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Mmmmmm...campground breakfast. Anita, Vetree and Kirsten made pancakes, eggs and bacon this morning before we packed up the campsites. Note to self: don't put a brand new teflon frying pan on an open flame. It doesn't end well for the pan...or the bacon.

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Um, yeah...

That pretty much sums up the entire weekend camping at Dennison Lake in Winchendon, MA. Rob and I worked today, so we didn't get to the campground until after 5:00pm. Once we finished setting up the tent, we turned around to see Darren and Chris lounging in the hammock behind us. They look a little to cozy to me! We all drove to our boat in Winchendon for a late afternoon swim. Darren and Anita brought two HUGE rafts to be towed behind the boat and we all had fun splashing around in the lake for about an hour.

Then, just as I was docking the boat, we got pulled over by the, um, lake police for lack of a better term because Rob was on the outside of the boat railing. He was prepared to jump to the dock and tie us off, but I guess he was out there for too long and the cop didn't like that. He ended up giving me a ticket for $60 for having no boating license, although he did skip the fines for driving an unregistered boat, driving to endanger (because Rob could have fallen in the water and I would have run him over), and towing more than two people in a raft at a time, with no lifejackets. We also had to prove that we had lifejackets for everyone on board, a fire extinquisher, and a few other things.

We did get off easy, but that ment that there would be no day on the lake the next day. Oh well, what can you do? At least Rob said he would pay the ticket for me. I guess we have to get our boating license now...

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I finally got a picture of Mr. Cardinal! He and the missus have been frequenting our feeder for a few months now, and I haven't been able to get a photo of them before today. He is so skittish! I think they have a nest in the big pine tree by our driveway. Isn't he beautiful?

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"Where did all the birds go?"

Pip Squeak was watching the cardnals and sparrows at the feeder today, but when I put her on the window sill, they all flew away and didn't return. Oh well, she'll have to watch them from behind the curtain.

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So what do I see when I go to my car this morning? Yup, it's been egged. Really? Who still eggs stuff nowadays? I went to the car wash before I drove to work hoping that it would wash it all off. Nope. I get to work and see that it has dried on, so it now has to be scraped off the paint before it damages the clear coat. I got some window cleaner from the janitor, and procede to sit in the parking lot and scrub the egg off my car. I could tell the people walking by me were like, "what is this girl doing?" Then I get to a spot that won't wash off and realize that is where the egg must have hit the car. Yes, part of my paint is missing. What ASSHOLE eggs a car!!!!! I'm just thankful that it didn't hit my week-old paint on the front of the car. GRRRRRRR...

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Today is a 2fer post!

I went to a staff retreat for all of the publishing department for my work today. We went to the Eliot Boat Basin in Eliot, ME today at 12:30 for some creative bonding with our coworkers. It actually wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. We had lunch (salad, sandwiches, and chips) when everyone arrived, then split up into our groups and headed to one of four stations that were set up around the park. Each group visited three out of the four stations where we played a game that expressed some facet of togetherness we were supposed to learn about. Communication, sharing, working together, etc... After the games, we were treated to free ice cream treats from the ice cream truck that pulled up during our last game. Of course, we ran for the truck like little kids! I got a Jolly Rancher popsicle, which was huge! Then came some little-known fact sharing, where I got a round of applause when I said that I can rebuild engines, and the wrap-up thank you speech. Then we all booked it out of there and went back to the office to get our cars and go home for the day.

Mmmmmm...sushi and red velvet cupcakes. Now that's a great meal! Rob and I went to his cousin Meghan's house for dinner today. I love hanging out with Meghan, she's crazy and funny. We were supposed to have a picnic at a local castle, but the weather didn't look so good. It didn't rain after all, so we ate out on her little deck. She had a nice assortment of sushi (California and veggie for me!), and then she brought out red velvet cupcakes for dessert to go along with my fruit salad that I brought over. Those cupcakes were soooooo good! I've never had red velvet cake before. Now I know what I've been missing out on all these years. YUM!

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It's official.

Our deck has a floor!

It's only taken 3 1/2 years to get to this point. We have no railings, stairs or a door leading out to it from the porch, but at least we can walk on it! So what if we have to use a ladder for a while? Thank you Leo for getting it done for us. Now, I just have to hope that the mold stains on half the boards will fade over time...

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Today Rob and I went to a cookout in Everett, MA to visit our friend Jay's mom. We haven't seen her since she moved down to Florida about eight years ago, so it was nice to visit with her for a few hours. Plus some of our friends that we haven't seen in a couple years were there also, Dan and Sharon, and Matt and Sarah. We had a good time hanging out with everyone. I hope we will see our friends a little more often now that we will have a place outside to entertain people. I can't wait for the deck to be done!

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I spent the day with Dad today. We went into Boston to see the Tall Ships. I remember the last time the Tall Ships came around. I was little, maybe nine or ten? I remember standing around all day waiting for the ships to arrive. It was so cool to see them flying over the water, all their sails billowing in the wind. The ships today were all docked and the sails were tied to the masts, but they were still a sight to see. We took a tour of the largest ship there. It built in Russia during the 1920s and it was about 375' long. It was pretty cool to poke around the deck, and talk to the sailors that were hanging around. Not all of them spoke English, but quite a few did. Dad snapped a picture of me and one of the Russian sailors. :) We also went on a battleship built in 1944 that was part of WW2. It was cool to see some of the old equipment from the war displayed in little corners of the ship, like gas masks and huge shells for the guns. There were about six other ships that we saw but weren't able to get on board to tour. Except for the 40 bazillion other people milling about, it was a fun day spend with Dad.

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I have discovered what RSS feeds are today. It is the coolest thing! Now I go to Google Reader to check out all of the blogs that I read daily without having to go to all the blogs that I read daily. :) It notifies me when a new post is up, and it also cuts all of the ads and clutter that are on each website, so I can get to the good stuff faster. I love stuff that makes my life easier!

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Wow, here's another product from Simone Legno. Now he's designing stuff for Target, like every other cool designer in the world. This is a reusable shopping bag that folds up into a small pouch to carry it in a purse or car. Now, I have quite a few reusable shopping bags, but this is by far the coolest one I've seen! Plus it has a small pocket on one side to hold even more stuff. And it was only $1.99! I think this will replace my small zippered bag from...where else...Target as my go-to bag in my purse. Love you Simone!

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It's Sushi Time!

We're back at Yokohama's in Lawrence tonight. I love going out for sushi on Friday nights. It's such a great start to the weekend.

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Hmmmm...I think I have a problem. Maybe a tiny obsession with butterflies? I counted five things in my cubicle alone with them this afternoon. Is there a 12-step program for this?

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I heart Tokidoki

I am such a sucker for small, cute, Japanese, cartoony things. These little figures are from the artist Tokidoki. Rob found them in Borders Books on Saturday while I was looking for Bluray movies. Usually, Tokidoki stuff is super expensive, but this was only $6! I also bought a larger version of one of the cactus pups, Bastardino. He is the size of a baseball, and green instead of brown. Next to Hello Kitty and Sanrio, this is my favorite Japanese artist.

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Dandylions.

I like them. They are the bane of Rob's existance. He has made it his personal goal in life to rid our front lawn of every single dandylion. I don't care if the take over the lawn entirely. It would be easier to maintain! :} But I have to admit, the lawn does look better with no weeds. I hope by the end of the summer, our front lawn will look presentable. I'm embarrassed to have the worst lawn on our street.

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Happy 50th Birthday Mom!

All right, I know your birthday was in May, but we are finally celebrating it today. And what better way to do it than with Barbie? It is Barbie's 50th anniversary, and Mattel has rereleased the original 1959 Barbie, swimsuit and all. So I decided to make you a Barbie cake to celebrate your birthday. I got a little help from Anita and Kirsten, since they have the entire baking section of Michael's in Anita's kitchen, but I did most of it myself. The graham cracker "beach" is chocolate cake, and the royal icing "ocean" is yellow cake. Everyone loved it at your annual Third of July party today. I'm glad you got the birthday party you wanted, with all of your friends and family celebrating with you.

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...and the feel of the sun on my face is but a distant memory...

I think I should build an Ark before we all float away. It has been raining, misting, and gloomy since the summer started almost two weeks ago. Right now it is a downpour, with thunder and lightning. I don't know how much more of this weather I can take.

I miss the sun.

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I love the colors that are mixed above.

Anita and I were painting edible sugar flowers and stars with luster powder for the Un-Wedding cake she is making for Kirsten's Divorce Party on Saturday. We mixed the beautiful metallic powders with some Raspberry Stoli to make a paint, which we brushed on the flowers and stars with small painbrushes. We used the alcohol rather than water because it dries very fast. That way the sugar doesn't get soggy. I can't wait to see what the cake looks like when it's done!