Josivy's Xanga

Moving againg.. yup we're moving again..

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:28:03 GMT

I am sick of the place I am living in right now. Too tiny, puny for too much money. I have been dying for this lease to be up so we can move! Well, as fate would have it I stumbled upon a great place on the only place I hunt.. www.craigslist.org. the best place to find anything and everything.

Now our lease is up May first, so I have been keeping my eye out for awhile for stuff to come open on April 15th or so, and as luck would have it, a place was advertised, at the right place at a really great location that had everything I was looking for and more!

Where I am at right now that I hate;
1.) Only one teeny built in closet, and I have to keep my clothes in fake closets in the basement. Yuck! Having to go downstairs every morning to hunt for something to wear!

2.) No real place to sit and eat dinner. Right now all we have is a coffee table in the living room. There is a breakfast bar in the kitchen but its really inconvenient, and I hate the set up.

3.) NO BATHTUB!! This is the biggest thing that is bothering me the most. I miss and want my evening bath. I love to soak with a good book, and it totally helps during that time of the month, I will no longer live/stay in a place that doesn't have one. A stand up shower is really nice, but it doesn't replace the lovely soaking that a bath does.

4.) No room for a dresser. This is my big pet peeve is that Jim doesn't really have a place to put his clothes in other than laundry baskets.

5.) The upstairs guy is as loud as heck, and as annoying as heck. He comes downstairs banging on our door sometimes at 2am just saying "HI!" when he's wasted. I can't deal with it anymore!!

So... the new place will have all this and more... 5 real built in closets, a bathtub, 2 separate rooms for the kitchen and living room, rather than them meshing all in one, and the downstairs people are quiet. The bonus stuff that I wasn't looking for that this place includes is, central a/c, a garage spot, dining room, and we can get a cat! All this for cheaper than what we are paying for now!

Now the funny story that relates to this whole thing is that when I went to look at the apartment, I went last week during Jim's bowling night. So, I applied and explained that my boyfriend is bowling, and couldn't be there to look with me. The woman was like, oh yeah I know some one who bowls tonight too.. and it turns out that she knows the sponsor of Jim's bowling team!

Relaxing weekend... ahhhh

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:55:48 GMT

I orginally planned to do a ton of running around, but alas, nothing happened.

Friday night I hung out with my boyfriend Jim before he left for Green Bay for the Men's state bowling tourney, and then stopped at a local wine store to pick up supplies for the weekend, before going over to watch a movie at a friend's house.

We ended up totally vegging out on her couch with vino watching "Maid of Honor" then MTV's newest real world. I then bid goodnight and on the way home, I saw that the golden spot was open in front of G's (the parking spot just on the corner right in front of the bar) and decided to stop in for one.. or quite a few.

On Saturday, I woke up and decided to get ready for the day by playing Wii bowling, and discovered this training program where you try to knock down as many pins as possible as quick as possible. It starts with 10 pins, then it grows to 15, and by level 10 you have 92 (I'm not kidding) pins in front of you. Really fun, and really hard! I hit my best of 515, and decided to check on the time.. and then I saw I got a call from Jim, so I put in my hearing aid, and I realized I have an ear infection since it hurt like hell to put in the aid and keep it in while talking on the phone. I then decided that all plans were canceled because I was planning on hanging out with hearing people all day... (going to a birthday party and the roller derby) I didn't want to do that while being in pain. So, I ended up not moving from that couch until 9pm when I realized I needed food and to move the car. I opted not to move the car, and to call Pizza Hut using i-p relay. Pizza arrived quick.. and I kept getting calls from another widow this past weekend who wanted to go up and cheer on the guys. So, we decided to head up the next day.

I poped a bunch of aleve on Sunday, (no ticket for not moving the car! lady luck was on my side!)due to still having no cruise control on my car, and ear pain. I picked up my fellow widow, and had a blast getting to know her better. We arrived just as the guys started bowling.. and here is a link to the Andy, the sponsor's (onmilwaukee.com) account of what they did.. Jim is the guy with the brewers hat on in the team picture....

http://www.onmilwaukee.com/visitors/articles/statebowlingtournament.html

At the lanes, there was a raffle, so I bought 30 tickets for 10 bucks, and I got a good return, winning 50 bucks!

Then on the drive home it was hard, because it was dark and hard to understand the football game on the radio.. alas, I was happy to have my man home, but sad that he has the day off while I am stuck here at work! Alas, there isn't much to do but answer the phone..

Hurry up 2009!!!

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:50:34 GMT

Yeah yeah... another blog another year.. I had a long crazy year. It began last year on a bad note.. and continued on one for quite sometime, but I see the upswing now... life is slowly getting better. I did accomplish some of my new year's resolutions from last year, I have begun to eat onions, got a kick azz new job, hit the one year (amazing!) mark with my man, had a fabo time in Florida, however I have not yet begun saving for a house (all in due time eh?) and I have set some new goals for this year...

1.) Begin to eat 2 new vegetables on a regular basis.

2.) Lose some weight, and get back on track!

3.) Finally open that savings account..

4.) Move to a new place and get a cute puppy!

Easy goals.. and I now have revived last year's survey to look back on 2008...

Where did you begin 2008?
At Club Garibaldi's with my man.. a wild crazy night.

What was your status by Valentine's Day?
Taken.. very taken..

How did you earn your money?

The first part of the year, I was working for my Dad, then I finally landed a great job!

Did you have to go to the hospital?
Nope, even though I finally have great insurance!

Did you have any encounters with the police?
yeah, I see my friendly neighborhood bicycle cop, Hinkley all the time! He does a great job keeping our neighborhood safe...

Where did you go on vacation?
FLORIDA!!!!!!! Oh bliss!!! Last Feb... it was a much needed getaway!

What did you purchase that was over $1000?
Nothing.. nada...

Did you know anybody who got married?
yes, Jim's friend Mushy got hitched to her long time boyfriend.

Did you know anybody who passed away?
My Grandmother finally passed on Labor Day weekend, talk about "death by inches"... and we buried both my Grandmother and Grandfather together in Kansas.

Did you move anywhere?
You are all going to be shocked, but I did NOT move anywhere!! I have stayed put for more than a year, in the first time in 8 years!!

Did you fall in love?
Yes, I love my boyfriend...

What concerts/shows did you go to?

I saw my boys (Counting Crows) yet again at the Marcus Amp. I was planning to see Drive By Truckers, but alas, they keep coming to town when we go to Florida!

Where do you live now?
Bay View

Describe your birthday?
Well the friday before it I had a party, and I spent most of it crying and missing my mom, and being a debbie downer... at my own party! I can't wait to turn 30! I hate being 29!!

What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2008?
Finally got a salaried job!

What has been your favorite moment?

Seeing Obama getting elected, hearing the cheers, the roar in Club G's, and getting really drunk with my dear friend, since it was her birthday that day too!

What has been your least favorite moment?

Honestly the beginning of 2008 was so crappy.. and dealing with having no job, and no friends, boyfriend working long hours to support us.. really bad first 2 months

Any new additions to your family?
Nope, and there will not be any, sadly.

What was your best month?
March, coming back from Flordia and finally staring a job.

Made any friends?
I finally reconnected with old friends, and began reconnecting with Jim a bit..

And there you have a summary of 2008, it was a long hellish year.. the only 2 high points were getting a job, and Jim switching from second shift down to first back in September. I have a gut feeling alot of things are going to be changing in 2009..

First weekend of December..

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:21:45 GMT

Honestly.. another crazy weekend.

Jim and I met up after work on friday to head out to my company christmas party. I had fun introducing him to some of the people that I work with, and it was nice to finally meet some of the spouses of the people that I work with. Then out of the blue after dinner, Jim gets a text.. "Wanna go Bowling" from his pal who is never off on a friday night. So we had no choice but to skeddale, and head back to Bayview Bowl to meet up with said person. Turns out that like 3 of Jims friends are there before this other guy shows up.. and when we mention him coming, lo he walks in the door! We ended up having 15 people bowling.. as more people showed up! Crazy night...

Saturday, my orginal plans were do either do ALDA in chicago or roller derby. Then both plans get squished because Jim's pa is having a birthday bash. So we ended up in Newburg at Buzz's, hanging out with Jim's pa's landlord who is Tony Romo's uncle.

That night, out of the corner of my eye, I spied a guy shuffling some cards.. and I decided to find out what was going on. Turns out that they were planning on playing poker... texas hold 'em, 20 buck buy in. So I decided I needed some visual entertainment since the bar is getting too loud to hear... so I hit the ATM for some funds.. and buy my way in, with 6 guys and another girl.

I decided not to play the first few hands.. get a feel for how other are playing, and half the guys were drunk, so I figured I would wait till someone went out before I made my move. Lo, in the second round, some one did. So I kept waiting.. then I was slowly limping in.. ect. Then I was the big blind.. and with a lowly 5-2 I saw the possiblity for a straight on the flop. So I kept betting..got the straight on the river and made 2 guys go out at once. Sheryl, the other woman at the table was pretty good... but I managed to get some guys out.. and rake in the big chips. Then finally it was just the two of us, heads up. I was so happy to be playing against a woman.. and her chip stack couldn't compare to mine... so in the end.. I won 100 bucks! Well 80 after you count my ante, and she won her ante back plus 20. I was shocked and amazed. Never before have I beat that many people in real life, and I haven't played since last spring! Sheryl and I became instant friends.. since we beat the boys.. at their own game. Next time they will know better.. hahahaha.

I had a few drinks in celebration, and we stayed there till close, when I saw some dude stealing tips that we left for Buzz at the bar. I was soo pissed! I yelled at him.. then I finally got Buzz's attention and told him what I saw.. he confronted the guy and made him give the money back. Buzz was so thankful. He worked so hard for that money and is such a sweet guy and a great bartender. I found out later that the kid who stole from Buzz is in his 30s, has no job, and still living at home with mom and pop! God, get a life!

Sunday morning we were still in Newburg and decided to go to Filmore to watch the Packers. Really bad idea since the packers sucked. I mean it.. oy!!!!! I wanted to kill the refs. So many bad calls against the packers! We finally ended up back on our side of town late Sunday afternoon.. and ended up spending the day relaxing infront of the tube.. nice and relaxing.. after another long strange crazy weekend!

Going to FLORDIA

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:11:05 GMT

I just got a new credit card, so I decided to use it by booking the annual trip to Flordia. I was really happy about the deal I was able to get. I found tickets online flying out of Milwaukee for the both of us for under 400! Last year Jim paid over 500 for our tickets..oy!

Hotel wise.. since I now know the area that we like.. I managed to book a kitchenette at a hotel across the street from the one we stayed at, that we really liked, that was a wee bit cheaper and a wee bit nicer than last time, however I will miss the lagoon, and we will probably wander over there... hehehehe. Called the Lighthouse Resort, it has a wonderful Tiki Bar by the pool that serves up Jim's beloved Pabst, and I can get my Mike's there too. I also booked a package, so we will get beachtowels and sunscreen when we arrive as well as a coupon for the bar for 25 bucks, and its only 20 bucks!

Now I did not rent a car. No need. Honestly there are tons of resturants and bars within walking distance, as well as a grocery store that is only a 50 cent trolley ride away. Oh and the beach is across the street too! We will get a ride to and from the airport by Jim's godfather who lives nearby..

Let us know if you would like to join.... gonna be a kick azz time!

Giving back at Christmas

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:06:02 GMT

I belong to a special club. You probably are unaware of us, we are part of the underground here in Milwaukee, since the early 1900s. We give food and gifts to people who really need it, getting names from social workers and top social organizations.

Every year we have 3 events, the first event we organize all the food. The second event we wrap presents for kids, each child gets 2 brand new outfits, and if they are under 12 a toy. Kids older than 12 get gift certificates, to top name brand stores and of course the clothes. The third party, we get into teams and deliver this christmas cheer every year just prior to christmas all over the city. Annually we do 500 or so families and seniors. This group is so underground.. we prefer is this way.. to remain quietly giving good cheer to those who need it.

I have been involved since I was 6, wrapping presents and organizing the food, each year until I was old enough to attend the giving party. Personally, it gets me into the christmas mood so much that I am bouncing off the walls until Christmas is over. It is a delight to see the faces of those who need it, crying, and being so thankful that they will have enough food to feed their family a proper christmas dinner, and to have presents under their tree for their children.

I love giving back, and this is my favorite club to be involved in, and I enourgage everyone to give something back this holiday season.

Once a year....

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:34:47 GMT

This only happens once a year.. is when I take my first sip of a peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks. This year I decided to do it early due to a freak snowstorm that hit the upper Midwest last night.. It took about a half hour longer than usual to get home. Jim and I were also proud of our navigating skills, by staying off the freeway, which had zero traffic and only getting back on the freeway at a point after an accident with thanks to the Hog.. 102.9! So this worked out amazingly well and saved us sooo much time and effort!

So this morning, I had to get some peppermint hot chocolate, since it only comes to Starbucks from Nov 1st until the day after christmas. It made me get a little into the Christmas mood, and thinking about how I will be a hunting widow this weekend while Jim heads up north to snag the buck of his dreams.. woot!!

Never use SmartPost by FedEx...

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:34:00 GMT

Yesterday after much trouble and turmoil, I got home after picking up Jim from work and my lenses are there, sitting on our front porch. Amazing considering that they are supposed to be at this moment sitting in Los Angeles. In fact I just checked the tracking information again, and it says its in LA! Oddish, but I am just happy to finally be able to throw out my old lenses! Hurray!!!!

Getting contact lenses in the Mail.. oy!! lens.com

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:04:28 GMT

Ok.. I admit I am terrible person when it comes to dealing with contact lenses. I am so bad at taking them out.. oy!!

Well I finally went to the doctor to see about getting some contacts back July. The ones I needed with them were 225 bucks. I decided to wait till I had more money in my heath care benefits account. Finally in September, I looked on line.. 1-800 contacts, they where 200, hmm.. so I kept looking. Finally, on lens.com they where 150! So I used my heath care benefits card to get them.

Now, somehow I accidently gave them my wrong address, just the numbers the last two digits accidently read 36, when they where supposed to be 46! Whoops! I called them right after they got shipped on 10/31 to inform Lens.com of the problem. They said they would reship them out to me after they get them back. So last week I still hadn't gotten them yet so I checked the shipping information and the lenses where in California. Hmmm...

Today I checked the tracking numbers again... STILL IN CALIFORNIA! I called FedEx, and they said oh, its with their smart post division, I will transfer you. So they did and the person was not helpful, all they said they could do was make a note of the error of address.

So I called Lens.com, and they said oh... we will inform the tracking department, and they will send you an email sometime this afternoon. I said I want an email by noon or I will be calling my credit card company! Lo.. 11:30 rolls around and I get this message, "we cannot reship until 30 days has passed and you have not received your item." I emailed them back and told them this is not accecptable. They emailed me back to let me know that they have assigned a number to my problem. I did call them back again and got a hold of the supervisor, they said the could reship today, they could charge my card then reverse the charges when the original box goes back to them. I told them that was not acceptable. Yet again I said I would call my credit card company, but still they wouldn't help.

So I took a break.. then decided to call Fed ex again, they gave me a 800 number to call.... I FINALLY found.. someone who was willing to investigate. I told her my package is missing. She is like oh where is it.. I gave her my tracking number. She is like we can find it and you can come pick it up, and I am like.. well I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that might be hard. I told her it had been mis-routed.. and it has the wrong address on it.. she asked me for my phone number and address.. i gave her the right address and the wrong address. She said they will send out an investigator asap to find it, and to get it moving.. since its been stuck in LA for a week. She also said they will add a trace with the right address... thank god!!!!

Now I am waiting a phone call from them to find out if they found my package or not, and I am happy that someone is finally working on finding my package!

Raving about the Redbox!!

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:57:04 GMT

I love me some Redbox. Honestly, its a vending machine for movies and its ONE BUCK A NIGHT! Not only that you can reserve the movie you want to see online and then pick it up at the box you want, you have until 9pm the next night! I love this feature. I was able to get Hellboy II reserved online today and I will pick it up after work.. there are 4 locations about a mile away from my house.. so I am lucky I can pick and choose which one to reserve a film at! I discovered this cool vending machine when I was in Iowa back in September, for a Confrence, my hotel room had a DVD player, and I accidently ran into a redbox in front of a mc donalds.. where I was grabbing dinner.. I was planning to leave the next day and I needed something to do! So I rented two movies, and ever since, I adore this really awesome service. Its a buck a night then if you keep it after the 9pm time, its only another buck to keep it, up to 23 nights then they stop charging your card. Note that they only have recent popular movies, nothing really old... check it out!!

www.redbox.com

No more Blockbuster for me!