so this is christmas.

I am sitting at work drinking a Red Bull I got at the store (2 for 6 bucks, that's something you take advantage of no matter what it is) and I remembered I have a picture of my Christmas tree to show.

The tree that I haven't named yet was put up on Sunday night while the Simpons was on the TV in the background.

It only took one hour to turn the living room into a holiday-less living room into a... living room with a Christmas tree. Ha ha

I think it looks TREE-rific.

TREE-mendous.

I really love decorating trees. So if you need some help or just want a buddy while you decorate yours, I am your gal.

thanksgiving break has officially ended.

If I could insert into this post to let you know how devastated I am to be back at work and no longer enjoying the long holiday weekend, I would insert it here. Thanksgiving break officially ended when my alarm was making that known-around-the-world alarm clock sound at 6:45am. But all long Thanksgiving breaks must come to an end I suppose.

This holiday weekend, I was all mixed up on my days, it was madness. On Wednesday I thought it was Friday. On Thursday I thought it was Saturday. On Friday I thought it was Thursday. On Saturday I thought it was Friday again. And on Sunday I knew it was Sunday, but I was hoping it was Saturday still.

I think everyone who knows me, knows I am thankful for and appreciate the little things, and I express that daily... hourly sometimes, depending on how many emotions I wake up with that day. But here is a list of things I am always thankful for. I'm not sure if this list is going to be long or short, so here it goes...

1. My job. Through my endless complaining, there is a great deal of gratitude for this job.
2. My health.
3. My family, friends, parents, dogs, people in my life.
4. My home.
5. My bed.
6. My shower, toothbrush, toilet paper. People around me are thankful for those too.
7. Music.
8. Books.
9. My hearing and my vision.
10. My ability to be constantly feeling. Even the sadness sometimes, I am thankful for that.
11. Dogs. Dogs. Dogs.
12. Food.
13. The internet.
14. Laughing & sense of humor.
15. Favors.
16. My car.
17. My emotions.
18. My legs.
19. Heaters, blankets, socks, mittens, coats.
20. Grocery stores.
21. My patience.
22. My optimisim.
23. Sugar and candy.
24. Hugs.
25. To still be alive.
26. Cameras and photos.
27. Movies.
28. Nice people.
29. My hair and teeth.
30. My blog/other blogs/blogging people/blogging community.

thanksgiving break has officially started.

As of right now, I am officially on my Thanksgiving break... from work. I don't have to work until Monday. That is FOUR whole days away from a place I just waste eight hours of my life each day.

Soooo right now:

-I am happy I got to leave work at 4pm instead of 5:30pm.
-I am hoping it was twenty minutes into the future so the cinnamon rolls I have in the oven would be done and I could eat the leftover frosting!
-Sitting on the couch in my pajama pants watching my #2 favorite movie of all time..... Garden State.
-And after this, I will be dying my hair. This time: Deep Auburn. I'M TYPING IN ALL CAPS SO YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS IS CODE FOR I AM EXCITED!

(above image from Garden State)

I wish every week was like Thanksgiving break.

just a girl in a hat.

That is a picture of me wearing a hat because I refused to do my hair today.

My day started at six AM. 

I'm okay with that, I surprisingly enjoy early morning time.

In a perfect world where I didn't have to work and I could somehow survive with zero income, I would wake up early everyday. Early as in before the sun rises. I would go for walks around the Avenues. I would get ambitious and make pancakes and french toast. I would start doing yoga just so I can tell people I wake up early and do yoga. And yoga is just cool anyway. I would make a nest on the couch and read the newspaper and/or books. If I had a dog, I would take the dog on a walk.
I would this all before the sun rose!
 I just don't like waking up early the days I have work because It's like waking up early just to go to a place you don't really want to be at. 

sundays are cool.

I like to think that If I was a day of week, I would be a Sunday. Because Sundays are cool. But I would mostly likely be a Monday... because Mondays have every potential to be cool... but they end up being annoying and too much to handle.

Here is a glimpse of my Sunday:
-Woke up.
-Laid in bed wondering if I was going to fall back asleep.
-Did not fall back asleep.
-Walked out to the living room.
-Five minutes later of staring, the little messes are still there. And I decide I have to go to the grocery store. I consider grocery shopping a hobby because I love it so much. But grocery shopping on a Sunday morning? AMAZING. It's my favorite.
-Come home and eat and eat and eat and eat.
-Go to Amazon.com to buy Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk, swallow disappointment when I see Amazon knows of no such book.
-Browse internet.
-Browse internet.
-Browse internet.
-Browse internet.
-Shower.
-Decide I need a haircut. Tuesday will be a great day for this.
-Decide to take nap. Nap taking takes place.
-Wake up, feel need to update blog on how much of nothing took place today but for some reason I still love days like today.

things i didn't know i wanted until i saw them.

A bunny kiss.

In case you missed the cuteness in the first picture, here it is again:

If "Santa" is reading this... I want a bunny for Christmas.

so many dippin' dots, so little time.

I was lucky enough to eat some Dippin' Dots today.

So this means today was a good day.
I got flavor: Strawberry Cheesecake.

When I get married...

there WILL be Dippin' Dots served at my wedding.

some dance to remember, some dance to forget.

Question: 

Kaleena, what are you bad at?

Answer:

Well, everything. But mostly, I get inspired on an hourly basis and I am awful at acting on the inspiration in the way that I just don't know how. So it all goes to waste.

Question:

Is there a better feeling than painting your finger and toe nails after weeks of staring at the sad remains of the nail polish that hadn't chipped away yet when you were sitting somewhere bored?

Answer: 

Basically... no.

Question:

Could you be more thrilled that the weekend starts tomorrow?

Answer:

Absolutely not.

Question:

Why are you still awake and not in bed?

Answer:

Because the internet happened, that's why.

Question:

Do you freaking love the internet and all the silly videos and pictures on it that make you laugh so hard you have to hang up the phone?

Answer:


Freaking yes!

Question:

Did you just give yourself a Q & A?

Answer:

Definitely.  Because I am crazy.

the storm.

"And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about."

Haruki Murakami 

today i am thankful for medicine.

I had a really good day yesterday. These days, I qualify "good days" as the ones where I don't get hurt or killed. This good day of mine was pretty much destroyed around 10pm when I got yet ANOTHER migraine. Since I don't like taking medicine unless I really really have to,  I curled up on the recliner chair and fell asleep watching Fraser, hoping this would cure the migraine. But nope. I woke up like an hour later feeling worse and stumbled to my room to sleep.

I woke up this morning pretty much expecting to be gone but the pain mulitplied over night and I just laid in my bed hoping that maybe if I concentrate on my ceiling really hard, it would go away; that didn't work either. So I finally took an Excederin and the migraine left me alone.

LESSON LEARNED: Instead of being an idiot and waiting til I desperately need the medicine, just take medicine when I first feel the headache.

Here is a picture I took (and a reason) why I love this time of year and sunsets:

a whole lot of nothing can happen in a week.

So not eventful. But I still liked this week.

Monday - We go see the movie, Tower Heist. I go into the theater with zero expectations and leave the theater still laughing and ready to see it again.

Tuesday - I meet my Sisters at Subway for dinner. I try cucumber and tomatoes on a sandwich and become more obsessed with my nephews and nieces.

Wednesday - I go visit my friend, Dustin, who works at the Radisson Hotel downtown. We watched Llamas With Hats together on Youtube. While I was there, I decided I really want to work at a hotel.

Thursday - I wake up. I go to work. I come home from work. I don't do the dishes even though I should. I go to bed.

Friday -  I call in sick to work because of a migraine. I feel better around six PM. I go on a date with this guy again... we went bowling, he beat me and then we spend a few hours talking and people watching at the bowling ally.

Saturday - I go to TWO football games... BOTH involving snow. I stood a total of six hours outside this day, in freezing temperatures and snow. Later this night, I eat a piece of chicken with only a knife (cutting with it and taking bite with it) because I still haven't done the dishes.

Sunday - Harry Potter marathon on TV.

“People are screwed up in this world. 
I'd rather be with someone screwed up 
and open about it than somebody perfect 
and ready to explode.”
 
― Ned Vizzini, It's Kind of a Funny Story

the cons of winter.

Winter is my second favorite season. I like the Winter because:

• The snow.
• I look better bundled up in winter clothes than I do in summer clothes. Take my word for it.
• I think winter clothes in general are cuter. Like scarves, hats, boots, sweaters, etc.
• I don't like Summer heat.
• The holidays.
• Being a hermit is more fun in the cold.
• I just do.

However, there are two very huge things that are really worse than death that cannot be avoided in the Winter. And they are:

My jeans getting wet at the bottoms.

The days when I don't wear boots and the snow/sleet get the bottom of my jeans wet. My days and life feel so miserable when this happens. It leads me to start complaining about everything. Also, as I was Googling that picture, I found out that there is an actual Facebook fan page dedicated to hating when the bottom of your jeans get wet. I'm not alone!

Scraping the snow and ice off my car.

Does this count as a chore? If it does, this is 100% my most hated chore. Life would be complete if I would never have to do this again. 

story of my life.

three solid truths.

There a three solid truths in life that I am confidant in knowing they are true:

1. You will notice a certain object laying around your house every single day, but when the time comes that you actually need the object, you can't remember where you saw it.
2. I am always a very tired girl when I'm a work. I can only concentrate the image of me in a ball in my bed; but when I finally get home in my bed, the sleepiness has been replaced with mass amounts of energy that I don't know where to direct it to.
3. Whenever I want time to crawl, it goes by too quickly. Whenever I want time to go by quickly, it will go slower than tar going up Mount Everest.

Today, I was so busy at work, I e-mailed Shandey (my sister) to bring me a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger from Wendy's after she gets off work. She kindly accepted my request. Not only did she come with Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers, but she also surprised me with a mini chocolate frosty. This was great news because my belly had the rumblies that only Wendy's could satisfy.

And now, before I go to waste more time on the Internet... I leave you with this thirteen second video that I highly encourage you to watch. It's only thirteen seconds. It does not disappoint.

pretty please.

Tonight, I am really wishing that my laptop would not be idiotic and let me put my memory card in it to upload my photos that I have taken over the last three months. I really miss the days when I could take a picture of something pretty or ugly or funny or stupid and put it on my blog to remember forever. But now I can only do it from my phone camera. And my phone camera is not the kind of camera you want taking all your photos you want to remember forever.

One day, when I can upload my real photos, there is going to be an overload of photos. A photopocalypse. Get ready.

why dogs make me happy.

How many Butterfingers can you eat before you get sick of them or feel nauseous in the tummy? I don't have that answer for you Reader, because I just ate a whole bag of mini Butterfingers in two days and I did not get sick of them nor feel sick myself. And if you are judging me for eating all those Butterfingers, I just do not care because Butter fingers are awesome. Not my number 1 choice, but still awesome.

Up until this point in my life, I'm pretty sure my #1 love/interest/passion/hobby/obsession in life is: DOGS. I'm being 100% honest when I say I could watch dogs play for 24 hours straight and I would not become bored once.

So where did this post come from? Well, when I got home from work today, the Beagle dog that lives across the street from my apartment building was wearing a hat. A HAT. Everyone should get to see a Beagle wearing a hat sometime in their life. That simple thing made me so happy.

aunt kaleena.

In three pictures, I am going to show you three reasons why I love being an aunt. Especially the aunt of these sweet boys, Gavin and Jackson.

 (above) Me and Gavin.

 (above) Silly Jackson.

(above) Silly Gavin.

I am so lucky to be their aunt. You won't find any other boys who are as funny and sweet and these two. I just love them so so so much, it hurts.

ALSO.
Let it be known tonight at Subway, I tried a bite of my sister's sandwich that had TOMATO and CUCUMBER on it. I liked it a lot considering how much I hate tomatoes and cucumbers. I can cross "trying a sandwich with tomato" off my new year's resolution list. 

buncha quarters.

Usually when people get quarters back from a transaction, the think 'Oh cool, quarters, I will probably lose these.'

But I look at them and think 'Oh cool! I get to do laundry with these!!'

That is not a sarcastic statement either.

So I will spend tonight doing laundry.

in reality and dreams.

“I regret that it takes a life to learn how to live.” 

jonathan safran foer

Over the last few months, I've been learning a whole lot about myself. I don't know if it's just that I'm at that age, or that I just got over a break up, or what, but I have been becoming more aware of myself and my likes, dislikes, habits, preferences, etc.

It seems silly. I think that because I live with myself for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, I would already know myself pretty well.

Here are some things that I have recently realized about myself and just some thoughts I have:

1. I have no idea what I want in life. Some days I am like, "I WANT TO GET MARRIED!" other days... "MARRIAGE IS PROBABLY THE WORST THING SINCE THE JR. BACON CHEESEBURGER GOT TAKEN OFF THE DOLLAR MENU AT WENDYS!" But when I really think about it, I think I like the idea of marriage... I don't really like what marriage has become in this day and age. There is also a good chance this is all my ignorance on marriage speaking here.

2. Sometimes the idea of me ending up "alone" doesn't bother me and send me into an anxiety attack. I would be completely fine with this, as long as I had a close group of supportive, caring friends and a steady job I enjoyed doing. 

3. I am grateful that I can really notice and appreciate "the little things" on a daily basis without having to remind myself or having someone else remind me. As cliche as it sounds, (and saying how cliche it sounds is cliche) the little things are really what matter. 

4.  I like blogging and am shocked I am blogging almost 2 years after I started... mainly because I suck at keeping up on things I start. I started blogging out of sheer boredom but I am happy that I did because it is a great way to document the things I'm thinking and doing (or wish I was doing). 

5. I pride myself on being a nice person. I can stand up for myself and be mean if I have to... but 99% of the day, if you talk to me or approach me, I will be super nice to you, regardless of the kind of day I am having. So I get highly offended when people don't treat me the same way back. I don't get offended if they are mean, I get offended because I KNOW I wouldn't treat them that way. Does that make sense? I am kind of crazy.

That is all for now.

four things that don't make me mad.

1. These pictures I took this morning.

2. Snow.

3. The weekend.

4. Being warm.

Those four things are basically what is happening right now, so I am happy and not mad.

photos by: me

SNOW yeah, baby.

photo by: me

That is a picture of falling snow and a lamp post.

I was pretty happy to see snow falling from the sky.

We went to a basketball game tonight, and as we were walking out, we saw it had been snowing. 

I caught a snowflake on my tongue.

I love the snow.

Even if it makes my hair go wet, flat and wavy. 

I got to leave work early today. 

Very few things are more pleasing than hearing you get to leave work, a place you don't like spending mass amounts of time, early.

I could be having an awful hair day, have no feet, hungry, wearing soaking wet clothes.. and none of this would matter as long as I would find out that day, I would get to leave work early. 

panda attack!

This is me.

This is me with a panda bear as a warm, fuzzy hat.

This is me loving panda bears so much, I got one to wear as a hat while I was in San Francisco. 

This is me telling you that it's not made from a real panda bear, just yarn and wool. 

in a perfect world.

In a perfect world... I would be as productive as I was today every day at work.

In a perfect world... I wouldn't be so awkward in groups of people. I don't care that I am shy, I just need to not be awkward.

In a perfect world... I wouldn't be hungry right now and I would eating instead of typing.

In a perfect world... It would be this time of year, all year long.

In a perfect world... I would take more road trips.

In a perfect world... people wouldn't use their Facebook as a personal diary.

In a perfect world... other drivers would not upset me every time I am driving on the road.

In a perfect world... I would still have some leftover Halloween candy to eat.

In a perfect world... people would use the world "literally" correctly.

In a perfect world... Jim Morrison would still be alive and I could get backstage passes to a Doors concert.

november.

I can't believe it's already November 2011. I know people say things like this every month/year, but seriously. It honestly seems like New Years Eve was last week.

When I think back on 2011, there are only a few memories I like and want to remember... other than those few happy memories, I hope 2011 will burn in hell... or something else drastic.

Here are things that happened this year that I did not like:

-I turned 22.
-I was dumped.
-I had my heart broken,
-I didn't get a new job that paid $100 per hour.
-I had to get rid of my first car, my 1993 Ford Explorer.
-I was sad a lot.
-I didn't get to go to Harry Potter 7 Part II on opening night.

And a few that made the year tolerable:

-I got a new desk at work.
-I went on some fun dates with some fun guys.
-I went to L.A. and San Francisco.
-I went from blonde to brunette.
-I got a Diana F+ camera, a Holga camera and an Instax camera.
-Made new friends

So yeah, I already have a lot invested in 2012, I hope it doesn't let me down like that good for nothing 2011 did.