Moving on Up!

Hey all! Please check out my new blog at http://heatherangelinaorlando.wordpress.com/!

FOREVER...

I know it has been forever since I've posted. But I've been busy. It's been an interesting last few months. Here's the update:

First, sad news. My puppy Balto (who wasn't really a "puppy" at all, as he was 14) had to be put down last month. It was really sad because a) it was kinda unexpected as I was told it would not happen when it did and b) Balto is the ONLY dog I have really ever liked. It's really strange when something you are so close to for long just...disappears. But everything is okay now. Life goes on...

Second, I started a new job after my old one stopped paying me. It's a long story...but suffice it to say I'm really glad it's over. My new job is at a tutoring center two blocks from my house. Right now I'm tutoring a 2nd grader in reading and math and a high school student in geometry. Both are quite an adventure. The 2nd grader is named Berdy and he is soooo A.D.D. He does not merely walk, he bounces. And he is ALWAYS needing to do something that is NOT the work at hand. Our usual conversations go like this:

Me: Berdy please stop jumping and let's do your addition.
Berdy: But Ms. Heather my belt is too tight. *then he makes an irritating guttural sound*
Me: Um...okay...so loosen it. Then we have to work.
(5 minutes later)
Me: Berdy please stop throwing thing and do your work!
Berdy: *more irritating guttural sounds* But...there are ants in my shoes! I have to take them off!
Me: (pretty sure there are no ants in his shoes) Berdy! Seriously...sit down and do this!
(5 minutes later)
Berdy: My neck hurts!
(5 minutes later)
Berdy: My stomach hurts!
(5 minutes later)
Berdy: My tooth hurts!
(This goes on for ONE HOUR and then I happily hand him to his father and go home and take an aspirin)

My geometry student is much more fun. She actually WANTS to be there...so that's a relief. And she is really smart too, so that makes things easier. The only thing that is hard? I'm not the best at geometry. But I somehow make it through our lessons and she doesn't seem to know I haven't a clue...so I won't be the one to tell her!

In other news-I am baking a vegan/gluten free cake tomorrow. I'm excited about it. I'll post pictures.

Other than that...my life is kinda boring these days. But in a good, relaxing way. The only thing on the horizon is my Peace Corps interview on Dec 10 at 2pm. I guess we'll see how things go!

XOXO.

Lunch...yum

Quick post on my lunch today...because it was deliciously postable.

Pesto pizza with mozzarella and tomato slices on a honey wheat crust (homemade!). It was amazing.




Hope you all are having a great week so far! I am! :)

The Mystery of the Missing Minds

So, things are exciting around the Orlando house these days. We’ve got all the building blocks for a good mystery novel: suspense, embezzlement, surprises…with a little bit of insanity mixed in for good measure.

Let’s start with the suspense. Apparently my Dad’s job search is going well. He even had an offer from a company in Nashville, TN. That’s where the suspense comes in: we might have to move. Yes. You heard correctly. The Orlandos might be moving away from Orlando. But we don’t know quite yet, Dad is still looking and it is definitely premature of me to get sad or nostalgic. But even the mention of the word “move” makes me a little upset. But we shall see. Until then, suspense!

Now for the embezzlement. And “embezzlement” sounds way more exciting than this really is…just to warn you. Today I got a check from my employer for almost $600.00. This wouldn’t be a huge problem, except for the fact that my checks have been averaging $150.00 a week. Which I didn’t really think about until I got this huge check and thought it was a mistake. I was going to call payroll and alert them to the problem when my dad suggested we go over all my hours and try and figure out if it really was a mistake. So that’s what we did, and guess what? They haven’t been paying me all my money…they still owe me around $470.00. So this should be interesting.

Next, the surprises: Last week I went to get my metabolism tested. I was fully expecting for science to confirm what I have long believed about my body: it really hates me. I was ready to hear that my metabolism was crap and even if I starved myself I would never reach my ideal weight. Well, I was surprised. Pleasantly surprised, actually. Apparently, I have a crazy fast metabolism. Yes, you heard that right. So why are you a chunky monkey, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. Apparently, I’m burning around 2,000 calories JUST BY WAKING UP AND BREATHING and I have always believed the less I eat the skinnier I should be. Which is the case for most people—but not me. When I eat less I actually gain weight because my body goes into starvation mode really quickly. So, the lady told me TO EAT MORE TO LOSE WEIGHT. Which was fantastic to hear. In fact, she told me I had to eat 1600 calories A DAY. Which is a ton of food. I’m having to actually work up to it. It’s hard work. Let me tell you what.

Time for the insanity! I am running a half marathon in November! Yes, I’m THAT insane.

Don't Give Up (You are Loved) or not...

I’ve been on a Josh Groban kick lately. I absolutely adored him freshman year of college (as Tiffany and Jessica can attest), but the fascination had fizzled a bit in subsequent years (further demonstrating my obsessive and then entirely dismissive personality). But now I’m listening to his Awake album, Don’t Give Up (You are Loved) and my cynical side is almost letting me enjoy it (with inevitable sarcastic quips of course). It is fantastic writing music.

Which leads me to my next topic: I’ve started writing again. Which feels great. There is a total release when I write, not unlike an addiction; but I flatter myself that it is a healthy addiction and therefore I’ll indulge. I’m working on a novel and a short story at the same time. The short story should be interesting, mostly because it says a lot about my views of marriage these days (And that’s a whole other story). When I’m done I’m going to start another blog for my fiction and I’ll give you the link if I’m not too embarrassed. But I should warn you--at the rate I’m going--it could be a while. I find that I write about two pages, stop, and then spend two hours polishing. It might be better if I could just push through and keep writing, but my random perfectionism (random because it only pops out occasionally for random activities) does not permit it unfortunately.

Speaking of random activities, my dad’s boss laid him off yesterday. Which is EXTREMELY random because he is one damn good sales guy. And I’ve never even been to business school but even I know Business 101: Don’t lay off the guys bringing in the money. I think we’re all pretty confused about it. However, I think in the end it will be a good thing. He hated that job and after this move, I’m glad he doesn’t have to work for arrogant, business school dropouts who obviously have NO idea how to run a business. So long unidentified audio and visual supply company. Go f*** yourselves.

And that is my update. Sorry it ended on a sad note, but this week has been kind of s*** and I’m feeling a little melancholy myself.

Radioactive Squash and Other News

There is so much to update you all on! I’m not sure where to start. So I guess I’ll start with the abnormally large squash that is sitting in my kitchen right now.

Last week my uncle gave us a squash. It is large. Extremely large. We’re talking this things weighs 40 pounds. And last night as I was going into the kitchen with the lights off I swear it kind of glowed a little. So I’m not ruling out nuclear radiation. Here is a picture of it:

Nuts, right? So today I am working on getting this thing down to size. I’m making squash soup, squash casserole, squash salad, roasted squash and sautéed squash; then I will freeze most of it for later.

On another note, Monday was my first day of work and it really is perfect so far. I love to set my own hours and do things at my own pace. I also like what I do; right now I’m in the middle of making appointments to check out some venues for a business meeting in September. The client is from Arkansas and they want something “unique.” So I’m giving them a few options: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, The Hard Rock Hotel, Leu Gardens (so pretty!) and The White Wolf Café, among others. Tomorrow someone from our Atlanta branch in flying down to check them out with me, so that should be interesting.

I’ve also started collecting herb plants and naming them after famous biblical villains. Right now I have Judas (an oregano plant) and I plan on buying Barabas (a basil plant) at the farmer’s market next weekend. Judas is doing really well; I took him to the beach with us when we went for vacation earlier this month and he really liked it there. I think he grew, like, three inches. I’m starting to like herbs more than flowers, and that is HUGE because I really like flowers.

This is Judas. Isn’t he cute?








Also, I can run 6 miles now! Mom says that’s not a big deal and we should start running 8 soon. AHHH! But I’m proud of it. When I started I couldn’t even run 3, so its progress.


And now I’m going to leave you with one of my drawings:









And my cat Isaac Hampton:
















Hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

YAY LIFE!

I’m employed! And this job is perfection, sweet, marvelous perfection. (Awww! It just thundered! I love afternoon thunderstorms!) My position title is Marketing Coordinator, which is the natural next step after Marketing Assistant (My title at TV Guide). It’s “part-time,” which is great because it’s really flexible. I can also work from home, but even if I wanted to work from the office it’s 10 minutes away from where I live. My boss’ name is Jennifer and she seems really laid back. Everyone wears shorts and flip-flops unless clients are involved and the inside of the “office” is painted a very Floridian and cheery yellow. I’m also getting paid pretty much to same per hour as I was in NY and I’d be doing exactly what I want to do! My primary responsibility would be writing content for several web sites they are promoting as well as planning events. Jennifer also just asked me if I could also work with the Atlanta office on sales, so that should be fun and travel could be involved possibly. And who doesn’t love Atlanta? Peachtree Street!! So that’s my praise report for the day (or week)! Thanks so much for your prayers!

I also wanted to end this post with a photo of some insanely delicious vegan banana/blueberry bread I made last night but sadly my camera is being a butt head. So I'm just going to tell you how awesome it was: It was WAY awesome. I have to boast about this...I'm usually the world's worst cook. I'm going to eat it with my tea for a rainy afternoon snack! I wish I could share...


Love you guys!

*EDIT* My camera is back to normal now! So here is the photo: