Photos!
Actually, the photos aren't here. But I do have a new photoblog, with my uploaded pix from the 10th Frame on Friday night....
So, go visit my photoblog!!! Yay!
- posted by L. @ 9:09 PM

 
Meow!
I'm sorry I don't have anything exciting to post, but here's a picture of the new kitty at home. Her name is Izzy (worst. kitty. name. EVER.)...not Bear, but a sweet kitty nevertheless.
I SO am going through cat-withdrawl.
Anyway.
So, there really isn't anything exciting going on in my life right now, but the other day, in an email, I was asked the pertinent question: "Lauren, what is it that you actually do in your job?"
And the answer is this: I'm not telling. Yes, I work at a top-secret job, that if I revealed what it is that I do, I'd have to kill you. It's pretty simple. Or I'm just kidding. Let's just sum up my job this way: It sucks. I hate it. And it's just a stepping stone for getting in good at a rather large company that has great benefits, paid vacation (three weeks a year!), and really fun coworkers. So, there's my job.
But, in the meantime, it's also bedtime (this has been updated, and it's now 1am)....
But a big happy birthday to Liz and Heather - my awesome CP roomies! I sang them a song on their facebook, but just because I think it's amusing (and I'm still lame even though I'm technically sort-of grown-up now)...
Happy birthday, happy birthday!
Whoop-dee-doo! Whoop-dee-doo!
May your day be pleasant, open up your presents!
Just for you, just for you!
This birthday song courtesy of Binky the Clown (because Liz and Heather definitely miss my sad addiction to Garfield!! Of course, who wouldn't??)
But of course I'm definitely late with the birthday/Christmas presents (because the post office has the same hours as me!)...well, that and Westfield is prettttttttttty far away from Appleton. Otherwise I'd take it out there myself. Hmm, a road trip to Massachusetts? Well, not in the near future anyway. But it's the thought that counts! Yay for 21st birthdays!
- posted by L. @ 10:52 PM

 
Three pieces of useless (or maybe useful) information and a public service announcement (again).....
And now for another public service announcement:
After spending three months working for an insurance company, I have a public service announcement I'd like to think should be made into a law. People should NOT be allowed to have insurance until they UNDERSTAND THEIR POLICY!! If you don't understand your policy, you should NOT be ALLOWED TO HAVE INSURANCE.
This public service announcement is brought to you courtesy of oboesontour.
*steps off public service soapbox*
Now for your three useless (or maybe useful) pieces of information:
1. Kelly Clarkson absolutely fucking rules. There is nothing better than driving down Hwy 41 (past the useless highway construction workers, the retarded drivers, and the functionless weigh station), singing outloud to Kelly Clarkson songs. Hoopa for Kelly Clarkson!
2. To the street philosopher - I can't take credit for my title quote. It's from a Righteous Brothers' song - Rock and Roll Heaven (popularly found on GB oldies stations for singing loudly on the way to work as well).
3. Did you know that if you type in the following website: http://oboesontour.blogPOT.com, you'll get to some weird Bible site? It's pretty cool - or really freaking funny in a lame sort of way. Anyway, now that I've passed along those three pieces of useless information, I'm going to go play Super Mario brothers, go to the grocery store and make a mushroom dish. It's Friday night, baby!
- posted by L. @ 9:42 PM

 
The Latest Highway Phenomenon: The Weigh Station
Okay, so before I get on the actual rant of the day, I'd like to get on my two pseudo rants....
1. I think there is a syndrome for bras. It's called the "I Fit In the Store" syndrome, and it automatically becomes null and void after being purchased and worn for about 4 hours. And then, after having spend something like $20 on a stupid piece of fabric with some fucking wires, it becomes useless and uncomfortable after about 4 hours in a work day. BLAST! It doesn't even take a cycle in the washing machine...noooooooo, it's uncomfortable within about 4 hours of the first initial wear. And then, you're sitting there, squirming around and trying to figure out how to fix it and wondering, "why the fuck did I think this fit in the first place?"
Of course, maybe this is just a syndrome that happens to me.
2. A shorter rant: Welcome to bumblefuck Wisconsin, when you see that there are road construction signs placed on Hwy 41 in places where the IS NO ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND HASN'T BEEN FOR ALMOST A MONTH!!!! And then, a couple exits north of the supposed road construction, there actually IS road construction, except that they give you about half mile notice, and it is slowed down to one lane. And why? What is this supposed road construction? Well, I'll tell you, after five days of observation, I DON'T KNOW! When I drive past (at a measly 35-40 miles per hour), I observe the following: About five construction guys, ONE of them actually working. The one that is working is sprinkling something on the road. The other four are standing around picking their butts. It's pretty pointless. Today, the construction miraculously went away. But I haven't seen any progress.
Whoops, thought this was a shorter rant...
3. The Highway Phenomenon: The Weigh Station for Trucks.
So, around the Wrightstown exit, there is a little house on the road with a sign that says "Weigh Station". There's even a sign about a mile prior to the little house that says "Weigh Station, all trucks must weigh in" (or something like that). But every single freaking day, the light up sign says "CLOSED." This baffles me. What is the point of having a weigh station for trucks if it's NEVER open? I've been driving to Green Bay since the end of September. When I went in to work at 8:30am, I thought maybe the weigh station just wasn't open. So, when my hours switched to going in at 10:00 am, I thought maybe the weigh station would be open. So far, it hasn't been. So what's the point of the weigh station? Yeah, I'm not sure.
But the real kicker about the weigh station is there are ALWAYS cop cars outside. Not just one cop car, but MULTIPLE. Sometimes there are up to FOUR cop cars outside of the weigh station. But the weigh station is CLOSED. So WTF are the cops actually doing inside? Is that where the cops eat their donuts? Do they have parties? What the fuck do the cops do in the weigh station, since CLEARLY, they are not weighing trucks. Good to see our tax dollars at work.
If anyone has any idea of what the purpose is to weigh stations, do let me know. :)
This has been a public service announcement, courtesy of oboesontour.
- posted by L. @ 7:19 PM

 
Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored....
Huzzah, it's Saturday. The eternal day of boredom....at least for me. But alas, boredom is glorious, at least today. Though in my boredom I was somewhat productive...okay, not really. I went to the pharmacy, found out that I'm not off of my parents insurance yet (yeah, that should have happened in June, so hopefully these prescription claims won't get messy, eessh). Then I went home and made lunch, but I have a sinking feelings that the hamburger meat was suffering from extreme freezer burn, so I didn't eat it. Yeah, I'm a gourmet cook...really...
Anyway, I finally got my lazy ass down to the music store and rented a DIGITAL PIANO! I'm SO excited!! I get my 'piano' on Monday....(it's gonna be a long day at work)! Then I'll probably have a very LONG week until I can go home to Milwaukee and get all of (or most of) my piano music! In fact, I might even bring my *gasp* oboe back to Appleton (gotta blow the dust off...). Yeah, it'll be weird. But I figure, I've got that spare room with absolutely nothing in it, save a futon frame.
Anyway, YAY! I have a digital piano - as of Monday!
That parking ticket I got because the f***ing cops drove by probably about two minute after my meter expired while I was at the music store doesn't really matter....:)
- posted by L. @ 6:01 PM

 
Toothpaste crisis solved - maybe...
So, today while I was shopping for the most fun of all things: soap, toilet paper, lasagna pans, contact solution and Claritin...I stopped in the toothpaste aisle in hopes that mayhaps the store would have a leftover stash of Colgate Herbal White. Alas, no luck in the Colgate department. But I did find a possible suitable substitute: Crest Whitening Expressions, Extreme Herbal Mint (it even had a scratch-n-sniff on the outside). It smelled fine (not the same, of course), and it probably will be a good toothpaste. And as my Colgate loyalties have been severed, I'm all about the Crest!
I'll keep you all updated on the Crest toothpaste. ;)
Anyway, outside of the toothpaste, there hasn't been much excitement (hence, the lack of updates). I've watched tons of movies (The Sound of Music! Office Space - incidentally, MUCH funnier since becoming a cube monkey, The Great Muppet Caper! The Muppet Movie! etc...), as well as lots of Garfield and Friends, and FRIENDS (you can buy your Friends...or get someone to get the complete set for Christmas, anyway)!!! I've also tried the Indian restaurant by my apartment (finally), made plans to make a mushroom lasagna, started to work on replying to emails, reading my friends' blogs, and started to *gasp* look at kittens.
Yes, I think I'm going to get a kitten in March...at least if I can fit the litter box in an area that won't make my whole apartment smell. But, we'll see...I really want a black cat again, because I miss Bear...but then again a black kitty like Bear might make me just miss Bear even more. Well, we shall see...time will tell.
Anyway, if life keeps up, there won't be many posts in the near future - wait'll something exciting happens...like there's a chance of that happening! Oh well. :)
- posted by L. @ 11:39 PM

 
Happy New Year....
Let's see, at the very end of 2004 I did a recap of 2004, both the finer and darker moments. However, 2005 was, in a word: sucktastic (is that a word??)....
A quick recap: I started second semester of senior year, I wrote my senior sem (of DOOM), I had my senior recital (of DOOM!), and I graduated. I then went to Cedar Point and worked a job (of DOOM), quit said job, bummed around in Milwaukee/Appleton for a month and a half, and then got another job (of DOOM!)....went through training (from HELL), and now am at my job. I'm officially grown up! Yay!
Okay, so that's about it...I guess...
Anywho, so I guess there were some finer moments:
**the night before graduation! who would have thought that the drunker I get, the better I play darts??
**happy 22nd birthday to meeeeeeeeeeee (wait, that's pretty uneventful. never mind).
**meeting some really awesome CP folk, and reuniting with some others (so that was good)...and living with the COOLEST FREAKING TWINS EVER (yay Liz & Heather)!
**getting my own apartment!!!
**standing up as Maid of Honor in Jamie's wedding (awww....)
**fall formal 2005!!!!!!!!!!!
**i think graduating from college and not having to deal with college bullshit anymore just makes life worthwhile...who cares if the job sucks?? a job's a job...;)

2005 was also a year to say goodbye....
September 26, 2005: my kitty Bear, age 16 to kitty cancer :(
November 11, 2005: Tom Laedtke (Joe's dad).

So, yeah, 2005 was still pretty sucktastic. But it's over, and there were some good moments....but I think I will file it away as a year to forget. :)
- posted by L. @ 7:08 PM