Well I am slowly but surely trying to make my blog all that it can be. So the below picture is my lastest acheivement. Not too much of one and the picture I chose was random. but hey, it's on the damn page isn't it?

and I want to do more with the template, but my HTML's skills are lacking.

so I decided that I should talk to "I" about JB. This conclusion came after bawling to my mom on the phone for a couple of hours last night. I think that it is really important that I figure out exactly what my position really is at "The Mec" (as Paulie boy terms it). I talked to June about it a bit today and she informed me that when Mandy was me (as in my position) she kept track of not only "I" but the AA as well, and when she became the AA she just kept on doing the old job and the new. If that is really the case I should just chalk up her bitchiness to managerial styles and shut up. I couldn't sleep last night, I was thinking about everything and nothing-and the little bit that I did drop off to sleep I was having weird work website dreams--this seems to be an regular Sunday night occurance and it ticks me off. At 3 am I turned on the TV and watched the miserable reporters whose job it is to do the middle of the night news. but meet the press was on....I guess that they must re-air it. Either way, I had a major brainstorm about ideas for the next lecture series at "The Mec" and was madly scribbling them down by the light of the TV. By 4:30 in the morning I could sleep, but 7am wake-up was not pretty. My eyes just hurt today. But nicely enough, I was too tired to be bothered with her crap. She should be there only until the end of july, the end of july, the end of july... if I keep repeating this mantra the world will become good and right again. please. I was so non-plussed with her today (I think that I am using that in the right context) that I even did the mundane job of retyping her file tabs---yes the task that was to take me a week, and yes, it took a half hour....but I streched it out to a full hour. hee hee my office laziness skills increase!

from yesterday's dance class I taught my knees are killing me. I really hurt them in January ---for those of you that don't know, my car and I got in a little bit of a "fight" and I got dragged a bit---and the way that they hurt now, I really screwed them up. I would go to the doctor (I didn't when it happened because I had no insurance then) but I fear the news will be quite depressing. Ann and I were going to work out today but she had a dentist's appointment. Although I didn't work out at all when she was gone in Chicago last week, and I was looking forward to starting up again this week, I'm glad that we didn't meet today. I think that I am going to need a cane soon.

being paid every month on the 7th and the 22nd each month turned out to be bad this last month. I was so excited to empty my checking account for rent of the 22nd that I forgot my own anniversary. June 22nd marked my 3 year anniversary of being Muslim. On 6/21/2001 somewhere around 5:30 am in Istanbul I took the Shaahda. That was a good day. A really good day. And even though Grandpa doesn't know, I am actually taking a really big chance by outwarding stating that in this blog, because I know that he used to check it. But if I can't be honest to myself here why bother? I try to live my life as an open book, and this is the perfect format for such a thing.

on another note, I have been reading this book called "Salam Pax, the clandestine diary of an ordinary Iraqi" which is excerpts from a blog done my an Iraqi man just before and during the Iraq war. I find that not only do I totally respect him, but I get the impression that I could get along with him (his music likes are similar to mine and the Libster's for that matter) A lot of people who are familiar with the blogging world already know about him, and as I discover every day that is quite a complex world. Anyway, when I get the linky linkyish things to work on this frigging page I will have his site on there, for the moment though here is his web page www.dear_raed.blogspot.com It is just cool, he has great links,an acerbic wit (I learned that word today-had to use it), and a wonderful and insightful writing style. And no I am not getting paid to type this, but I think that I stumbled upon somthing so incredibly unique and special that I want other people to witness it too. So go and check. It's nifty neat-o.


and the last item for today's mini novel about my boring life. My turtles miss me. When I let them run around last week I stayed mostly in my bedroom watching TV (I am trying to break myself of that habit---I didn't come home everyday and watch TV all evening when I was in school and I am not going to start now) but the entire time they were in the room with me, hanging out by my bed. They would sleep directly under me and then when I was awake come out and make the occasional noise so that I would notice and talk to them. Scooter would watch me until I noticed her and spoke to her and then go play on my shoes. It was soo cute. and I am not a crazy turtle lady, but it dawned on me that they follow me around the house when they are out of their tank. When I am in the main room they stay in there, when I am in the bedroom they go in there. In the mornings, Scooter would station herself in the mini-hallway between the front room and my bedroom (a situation where on a couple of occasions I almost stepped on her) and Zip would hang out in the bathroom in the morning. I guess that many people don't think of reptiles as being the type to emotionally attach to someone. But my family has been the safest and most stable home (we have had them for over 8 years now) that these little guys have had, and I guess that is a sign that they are happy. Their tank is on the computer desk and the lamptop screen blocks a third of their view, but I just moved it back to look at them and they are both asleep nestled in the turtle bedding on the side close-est to me. Zip is completely relaxed with her arms and legs splayed everywhere and Scoot is using her arm as a pillow. Man, I wish that they would take a decent picture because I love these moments when they are like this.