O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

On Sunday I decided to put up my Christmas tree. I don't really like my tree - it's articficial. I grew up in a home where every year we'd go to the u-cut farm and pick us out an awesome tree, usually a Douglas fir. Since I moved away, my parents have had noble fir or some kind of spruce, but in my opinion, the Douglas fir is the best. I can even tell you how to easily identify a Douglas fir when out and about. I guess you never forget some things from 6th grade (JF: can you say Waskowitz?)

I wasn't sure how Mandy would react to the tree, so I didn't put any ornaments on it. The girl loves to jump, so I could easily see her making her flying squirell leaps to and from the tree. I was right. The girl loves it! She didn't knock the tree over, so I put lights on it. Plus, a Christmas tree without lights or ornaments looks pretty pathetic. I did buy a small Charlie Brown type treeto put on the counter (Mandy's final frontier if you will) so I could actually put up a few ornaments. I really don't like Mandy climbing in the tree and chewing on lights, but she is just so gosh darn cute!

Mandy after learning how to unroll toilet paper

Mandy assaulting the Mariner Moose

Best Barista EVER!!

Usually if you go to a Starbucks with somewhat regularity, a barista will remember your drink order. It's nice being able to say "I'll have the usual." The only time this is a problem is when you decide to change up your drink order. It can cause some confusion. Anyway....

The best barista I have ever met was Ken (Note to JF: yes, there is a non-DB one out there!), the manager at the Sbux in the Pentagon City Mall. I would go there before work and sometimes meet raine_days there too. Ken would see me in line and get my drink started. In the summer he would simply ask "hot or iced" and I would get my drink. He knew I would meet raine_days so if I got there before her, he would ask if my friend was on her way and would then get her drink started. Fridays were the best - I'd get a free upgrade to venti. Just because! Then Ken disappeared. Then one weekend while out shopping, raine_days and I went to the Caribou at Fairfax Corner and lo and behold Ken was there!! He left Sbux to help open new Caribou shops. I'm sure we got a free upgrade or something that day. Then he disappeared from that store, only to be found again in Lorton! We went there and not only got free venti coffees, but free pastries as well. This guy rocks!!! To this day I have never found a more attentive or friendly barista. And I got to Starbucks A LOT!!

More Mandy!

I must give a big thank you to Dallas for telling me about the kitten her mom was trying to give away. Mandy has to be one of the best cats I've ever had, and I've only had Mandy a week! She has personality, is cute as a button, and is very loveable! She also has one of the best purrs. I really lucked out! Even when Mandy tries to help me type emails or takes flying leaps across the furniture to pounce on me, I still find it cute. So here are a few more pictures of my little girl.

Treasure Trove of Crap

When my dad came down to visit last month, he drove so he could take all the things I had stored at my parents' house. There were 21 Rubbermaid crates and one bookcase. Apparently my dad decided to bring anything I may have breathed on. There were graduation caps and gowns, a couple bridesmaid dresses, a lot of books, even more notebooks full of notes from college classes, my Cabbage Patch kids, I think every stuffed animal I ever owned, and a bunch of other random things. Not everything that made its way to Las Vegas was mine though. One crate had my mom's Tiny Tears doll and a Madame Alexandre doll from when she was a girl. Both of these dolls are easily over 50 years old. When I asked my mom if she wanted them back, she told me to keep them. I am to consider them my inheritance. Gee, thanks? I thought Tiny Tears was creepy as kid, and it still kind of creeps me out! In that same box was my Teela doll, some She-Ra doll, but the rest of my He-Man toys were absent. I think Castle Gray Skull is still in Seattle. Also, a few of my brother's GI Joes -Tomax and Xamot, Duke, and one of Zartan's cronies - were in that same crate. The sad thing is I actually remembered the names to the action figures. I guess I'll be keeping those too!! Well, Christmas is coming up. Maybe my brother will be nostalgic for toys from the 1980s!!

Home Sweet Home

I first came out to Las Vegas on my house-hunting trip in early August. I found a cute townhome- decent area, good price, easy commute to work. Well, let's just say that the seller had some issues. So less than a week before I was leaving Virginia, the deal completely fell through. This was after going through a roller coaster of good and bad news about whether things would work out. However, I am a firm believer of everything happens for a reason and as a result I found a better place! I got the keys on the 27th but didn't actually move in until the 28th. The movers came the 29th and since this move was paid for by Uncle Sam, I didn't have to lift a finger. I just stood there telling the movers where to put things. Then they unpacked it all! I plan to have a house warming party at some point in time. I was unsure at first because I didn't know if my co-workers would want to come or not. I had this fear that I would invite the group and everyone would cancel. For all those fans of "The Office", I didn't want to make large quantities of guacamole, only to have to eat it all myself! Below are a few pictures. I'll post more later.


spare bedroom

master bedroom

kitchen

dining room

living room and Mandy

Raine, Raine, Don't Go Away!

Last week I found out that my good friend raine_days would be in town this weekend with her family. She works back in Virginia. We sat next to each other in training in Q-Town. She is also the friend that drove out to Las Vegas with me in September. I was super excited when she told me she was coming to Vegas. Yes, it's only been 6 weeks, but I am starved for friends!! At the time I talked to her, I had tentative plans to have drinks with this guy that I mustered up the courage to ask out, and I was more excited about the prospect of seeing my friend!! And I was pretty darn excited about going out for drinks. So, it worked out that seeing my pal would be the highlight of my week. Here it is, a week later, and drinks have yet to be had. But that could be a whole other posting......

Anyway, I met up with her, her parents, and brother for dinner last night at CUT. It was really good. No celebrity sightings, but still good. It was the first time I tried Kobe beef. I also had the baked Alaska for dessert in honor of Palin's defeat this past Tuesday. Tomorrow I am picking up raine_days at her hotel. The plan is to grab breakfast and hang out until it is time for her to fly out. Yay! I get to show off my new house and my new kitten!

Here Kitty Kitty!

On Wednesday I got a new kitten!! I got her from my co-worker, well, her mom actually. I have named her Mandy. Mandy you ask? Well, I wanted a "Vegas" name for my kitty. It is short for Mandalay Bay where I saw NKOTB and Mandy is also the name of a Barry Manilow song. She's a tiny little thing but she is full of energy and love!

Her first night with me went well until 5:30am the next morning when she wanted me to wake up and play with her. Mandy would leap onto the bed, hop onto the nightstand and then leave her face in real close to mine. Any movement under the covers elicited a dive-bomb attack. She really is a cuddler though. She napped with me this afternoon, sitting on my chest the whole time. In fact, I wanted to get up before she did!

And she really does love attacking me as you can see below. While I sit at the computer, she leaps from the floor to my leg and grabs hold with her claws. She also likes to walk across my desk, including my keyboard. That problem was solved by having her sit on my shoulders. I was going to post more photos, but I had technical difficulties. More will surely follow!