The last day

Now what kind of blogger would I be if I did not blog this last day of the year? This eve of the New Year?

I never really get excited about the beginning of a New Year. The days will pretty much be the same after the New Year begins except I will become another year older and I will need to remember to write 2008 on my checks. But in a way I am kind of looking forward to the new year. I hope that it is much better than the last 365 days. Not that 2007 was all bad but major bad things ended up happening that have changed how I live my life. My Uncle’s passing did make these recent holidays hard, as it will all future holidays. Losing my job has thrown me for a loop. I am still not working but I am getting to the point where I really need to find at least a part-time job. Starting school was another big change. I have always loved school and learning something new is always a bonus. I miss seeing my old friends from work though. No one really stays in touch and that is sad. The husband was in a car wreck and the kitty got sick. So much happened I cannot even remember it all. One bright spot of 2007 was that it snowed. Now that was cool! Oh and “The Move.” How could I have forgotten about “The Move?”

This New Year should bring some interesting changes as well such as starting a new job and hopefully attending my 20th high school reunion (Man! I am old!).

The husband and I are home tonight. We have never really been ones to go out on New Year’s Eve. We will probably be asleep way before the clock strikes midnight.

i be lazy

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Originally uploaded by DreamsOfNyssa

What can I say?

This entire holiday break consisted of me being just plain lazy. I am running out of days and all the things I had planned to do over this break have not gotten done. I am not in the mood to go back to school. Not yet.

I cannot believe that tomorrow is New Years Eve. This year is almost finished. I am really looking forward to a new year - one with much better changes than what happened in 2007. I have never felt that way before. I always took things as they came but let me tell you...2007 is a year that I will not forget. So much happened this past year that I am surprised that I did not lose my sanity.

I was exhausted when this picture was taken. To read the reason why, click on the photo and it will take you to the story.

There's no place like home for the holidays...

There's no place like home for the holidays...
Originally uploaded by DreamsOfNyssa

I cannot believe it is the day before Christmas Eve! Wow! Christmas is here!

So are you all ready? The poor husband is out shopping right this very minute. Hopefully he finds something quickly and comes home without being super stressed out. Especially since he is shopping for my gift. All the other gifts have been purchased and I need to spend this afternoon wrapping them all up. I am only going to wrap them but let the husband do the bows. The husband and his Mom have a war going to see who can tie the better bow. I am sure this year will be quite interesting.

Last night we watched the movie Stardust. Have you seen it? I thought it was a cute story and even made me laugh. Thumbs up on this one.

It's almost Christmas!!

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Originally uploaded by DreamsOfNyssa

I cannot believe there is only a week until Christmas. I have so much to do this week that I am sure it will just fly past at an alarming rate.

I was not feeling well at all yesterday (Monday) so I left class early and headed home. I started to feel a bit better by the evening. I did have to run out and return the present that the husband bought for his mom. The mall was crazy! I did manage to find a super close parking spot but still had to walk to the other side of the mall to make my return. I managed to buy my mom something and I picked up the husband’s gift. He always knows what he is getting so I am NOT looking forward to wrapping it but I want something nice looking under the tree. When I bought his gift all the geeky boys in the geeky store (did I mention it was a geeky boy store?) ran over to watch me make my purchase. They were drooling and sad that they never got to see one out of the box. It was all too funny really.

Today, I am back in class and trying hard to concentrate. Lots of people asking for my help so I have been pretty distracted. I skipped lunch in the hopes of leaving a bit early today. Plus it is freezing in this room! Not just the everyday regular freezing I complain about but the actual A/C is on! And it is winter! Calls have been made since Friday (when it started) to complain but nothing has come from it. In fact today it is even colder!!! Who needs the air conditioning blowing when it is less than 60 degrees outside! Crazy I tell ya!

So how is your Christmas shopping going? Finished yet?

So...

Have you seen the movie, "I am Legend?" Did you like it? I want to see the movie but I am trying to decide if I should see it in the theatre or just wait until it comes to video. If you have seen it, do you think it is worth it to wait?

It is getting down to the wire with Christmas shopping. The husband went out today and bought gifts for his parents. One which I will have to return tomorrow (or sometime this week) since it is a duplicate. Hopefully, I can return it since it is a book. Are books returnable? Wish me luck as I brave the mall. Yikes!! I still have to buy my gift for said husband and for my parents. I never go to the mall but this year I am out of luck as it seems that is where I will be purchasing all my gifts.

So tell me...which picture do you like better? Color or Black & White?

Snowmen like it cold...

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Originally uploaded by DreamsOfNyssa

...but I do NOT!

It is freezing in the classroom and the Café is closed. :( No coffee today. Of course I really do need coffee today.

This morning started out with having a flat tire. I made it to a gas station but had to ask if they even had an air pump as it was hidden. I am so glad I did not have to keep looking for one and that the one I did find was free. Free is always nice.

Today is a short day of school. I did manage to take a major test today so it’s all good. Now I just need to decide on what I want to work on next.

Yesterday the husband and I drove to the mall to buy a gift for the boy (aka the oldest nephew). The store did not have what I wanted to buy him so we had to drive all the way across town to a different mall that did have it. Yay! Another present purchased. That makes two! LOL!

After the mall we stopped at Best Buy. The husband really wants a PSP3 but they are not backward compatible. They don’t play PSP2 games. He has been doing a ton of research and I guess that he will be able to play some of his PSP2 games on the PSP3 but only if he buys the most expensive (80GB) and he may have to download some game emulators to make it work. We keep hearing that there was a 60GB version that played everything but Sony has discontinued that version. :( It is times like this that it really bugs me how the large companies steal our money. Not that it doesn’t bug all the other times. They make 2 versions of a game system but you cannot play your old games unless you buy the more expensive model and then with that one it is a maybe. Bad, bad, bad move.

This kind of reminds me of what one of the local scrapbook stores here in town does. They offer a reward to those that spend the most in their stores. There are two levels, (Silver & Gold) depending on how much you spend. However, the store cannot tell you if you have spent enough to have reached one of the levels. We will call it the “special club.” So if you make the “special club” one year and spend the same amount of money the next year that does not mean you will be in the “special club.” I got a postcard in the mail that stated I was $100 away from reaching Gold status (which is the highest level). It told me that I needed to spend this amount before the end of the year but that even if I did spend this amount that did not mean I would reach Gold status. Gold status is dependant on the amount spent by their super best customer. So you get those with tons of disposable income coming into the store and jacking up the amount we have to spend in order to get even a little bit of benefit. I can spend thousands in that store and still not make it into the “special club.” I was there a month or so ago and a lady was just throwing stuff on the counter. When they told her she was already at $250 and she was still piling things on the counter, I walked away. It did not help my mood any to see her waving around a Gold status coupon. Must be nice to have that much money and get a huge discount because of it.

Okay. I really did not want this post to end up being a gripe. Just a couple of things I have been thinking about lately.

* Foggy

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Originally uploaded by DreamsOfNyssa

My drive this morning was quite interesting. The city was covered in fog so thick you could only see a car if it was right in front of you. Forget seeing any of the stop lights. I had no problems driving to school but let me tell you…those that drive in fog without any headlights are idiots! They were also the ones that were driving fast and changing lanes. Except for those idiots, traffic was not bad; I think it was the best driving day so far.

With all my school work, I have not been keeping up to date with all the holiday preparations. I did not plan on sending out any Christmas cards but the hubby started bugging me about them. He only wanted me to send out a couple so that is good. I decided to just send cards to a few family members and those that sent me one last year. Can I tell you that I mailed babies of this morning! I am so excited! I am so ahead of the game. I usually don’t send out our cards until the week before Christmas and I am sure everyone gets them a few days after the holiday. I may send out a handful more (like to friends) but I am not pushing it.

Our tree is decorated but the Christmas storage boxes are still out and the tree is looking a bit bare. Usually it is in a corner and we don’t decorate the back. This year, we have to decorate the entire thing. I think we need more ornaments.

Took two (2) tests yesterday, today…not so much. I had planned to complete a couple but only took one. Some of these sections are quite larger than I anticipated. I met with the instructor today and it appears that we will have to submit an extension in January. :(

So tell me, what do you think of this picture? I posted it to my stream but I guess no one likes it. :( I knew I should have picked that other picture.

* It's wet - wet - wet!

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Originally uploaded by DreamsOfNyssa

It is quite wet outside and oh so chilly.

It has been raining since I left school yesterday. The hubby had quite a hail storm outside his work and so I had to drive over and pick him up. I did not drive thru any rain the entire way and when I got to his work, the huge storm was already over. Once we got home, it rained and it is still raining. I am not used to the rain so it is quite exciting. Of course I am inside (without a window) so I am missing it. I REALLY want to see the snow capping the mountains but they are covered in clouds.

Yesterday, I was able to take one test. I now just have to wait for it to get graded. I have two that I am waiting on and one of them was the hardest test I have had to take yet. At least it was the last one on that particular subject matter (ICD-9).

Now I am off to take another test. Wish me luck!

brrrrr…it’s cold outside!

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Originally uploaded by DreamsOfNyssa

It is finally starting to feel a bit more like winter. I like that. Now I can wear my nice soft and warm sweaters. Tonight the mountains around town should get even more snow and we should get even more rain. It was quite foggy this morning while I was driving to school. Yet we had to turn the A/C on this morning. Go figure!

Speaking of school…

I am supposed to be in class for 30 hours a week. I cannot complete a section until I test out of it and that can only be done in class. There are also sections that can only be completed in class (and not at home). On Friday, we got kicked out of class early because the hours have been changed. Too bad no one ever mentioned the change in hours to either the students or even to some of the staff. I was not a happy camper to have to leave early. I have my class days all planned out and I was unable to complete the sections I had planned. I now also have to change my entire weekly schedule to accommodate the change in hours. Since I am already at school 9 hours a day (plus a little over 1 hour drive time), I really don’t have a way to fit in any additional time. Plus each month, the department seems to close earlier and earlier. I am so not a happy camper.

On a brighter note…Candy Cane Hershey Kisses! Need I say more?

* Just one of those days

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Originally uploaded by DreamsOfNyssa

Today did not start out very well. The hubby and I had an argument and so I was not in the best of moods when I got to class.

There is one lady that bugs the heck out of me (and others). She was in the little side room where I sit with 3 other people today. She has a seat in the main classroom but for some reason she feels she can only study the medical stuff in our little room. When I got to class, I noticed that the chair I use was missing. This chair is not a regular classroom chair but an office chair. It was adjusted to fit me. This lady was sitting in my chair. I did not say anything to her but she finally overheard me looking for a chair to sit in and made a comment that she did not know it was mine. Hard to believe considering it was at a desk with my full name on it and she moved it down the row. So she gives it back. She had changed EVERYTHING about the chair. All the settings (height, angle, etc) were changed. I was SO not a happy camper. Not only did I have to readjust everything, but the chair reeked of smoke and she only sat in it for a short while. In fact the ENTIRE room smelled so bad today. I just had to mention it to the instructor. I found out later in the afternoon that I am not the only one that found it to be a problem. Other people in our small room complained as well. This is also the lady that yelled at the instructor when the instructor was helping another student. Let’s just say she has issues.

I did hear today that one of the gals in my class already got offered a position for a job. She is barely into her 2nd week of her externship. I am so happy for her. I hope that I am just as lucky.

* drained

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Originally uploaded by DreamsOfNyssa

I am happy that this Monday is pretty much over. It was such a weird day. I really had problems concentrating and pretty much felt like I was in a fog the entire morning. Everyone else I talked to felt pretty much the same. Just one of those mornings I guess.

I ended up taking 2 coding tests today. Boy they are getting harder and harder. I really had wanted to complete more than 2 sections but it takes over an hour to complete each section and no less than one hour for the test. The coding final is even worse. The instructor says that some people have taken 2 days to complete. The gal who sat next to me took the ENTIRE day (8+ hours) to complete hers. I am NOT looking forward to that.

Here's hoping that Tuesday is more productive.

* Wool is itchy

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Originally uploaded by DreamsOfNyssa

I am so glad I don’t have to wear it all the time. Well I don’t have to wear it ever, but I have such a pretty sweater and it was so cold and rainy yesterday that I just HAD to wear it. It rained the ENTIRE day yesterday. It was 100% chance of rain and that is just what it did. It got really bad around midnight with huge gusts of wind and hard pouring rain…then it stopped. Just like that.

Today it looks a bit dryer outside but I have only briefly glanced out the window. I hope it stays dry so I can do some laundry.

Thank you to all that took the time to comment on my last post. I appreciate the words of encouragement.

My instructor has been on vacation this past week but I did see her briefly on Friday. I mentioned again how I did not have enough time and I think she realized that I was supposed to be on a faster track. She mentioned that we could probably do an extension but I really don’t want to have to do that. See… once I am finished with this program, I can then look for a job. I REALLY want to go back to work. I NEED to go back to work. My unemployment also runs out in January so I am SUPER motivated to finish. I took seven tests last week and I hope to crank out even more next week. Lots of subjects I still need to cover.

On a much better note…

Remember my eBay saga?

I can finally say that it is finished! YAY!

I had purchased a Silhouette from an eBay seller and she took off with my money. Well she did not actually take off because I did finally talk to her on the phone. She said she felt so bad about the whole situation and in the same breath kept bragging about how much money she just made selling Tupperware and did I want to buy some Creative Memories from her. I don’t really trust someone when they tell me they do not have any money to pay me back but then tells me she just made $600.00.

PayPal would only return $200.00 of my purchase and when I submitted a chargeback for the remaining $99.00, PayPal just ignored it. eBay also ignored all claims. But I am happy to finally say that after many phone calls and emails to the bank, I finally found a $99.00 deposit in my account the other day. Happy times!!!!!