My OperaShe's Baaaaaaaaaaack...With Random Randomness
Monday, January 16, 2012 7:31:51 AM
Well, my laptop finally bit the dust. This time it's beyond repair. The screen went kaput. Since we only paid 100 bucks for the stupid thing through Craigslist nearly a year ago, it'd cost more to replace the screen than it would to simply get another laptop...so that's what we're gonna do. Not sure when, but I'll eventually get a new (to me) laptop. As for now? I've got my desktop PC hooked up. 
The only problem with this is the fact that we lost a bunch of monitors in storage, so Lonnie and I are having to share the one I'm using to write this. When he's not working (which is seldom), I then have the opportunity to use my PC. I still have my phone, but blogging from it is simply not gonna happen. I haven't the patience for that kinda jive. 
I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season! Our Christmas was awesome. Jameson got the big-ass LEGO Star Wars ship he was hoping for, Sunny got everything she wanted, and gifts aside, it was simply a lovely holiday. The kids woke us up at 7AM and the shenanigans got underway. I got some pretty awesome gifts this year. I've posted pictures of some of them on Facebook, but have yet to do so over here. Updating my Facebook page with my phone is SO much easier than updating my blog. I'll eventually get some pictures from Christmas posted...maybe. 
My buddy, Robert has moved up here to St. Helens! He got here on the 1st of January and has been staying with us. He's in the process of looking for housing and all that fun jive. In the meantime, we're really enjoying having him here. Not only is he really good company, but he's a freakin' amazing cook! The fact that he loves spicy food is flippin' killer...'cept for my Mom. She's not one for spicy. That's okay, though - it's all working out just fine. We're not sure if Robert will find a place here in St. Helens or if he'll wind up in Portland, but either way, he'll be close enough to hang out with regularly. This pleases me greatly. 
Lonnie re-proposed to me the other day. He took me down to Pixie Park - a beach off of the Columbia River, which just happens to be one of my very favorite places in the area to go. He surprised the heck out of me when he got down on his knee, pulled out a ring box, and asked me if I'd marry him. Of course, I said YES! He'd proposed over 8 years ago and I said yes at that time as well, but he decided to get me a brand new engagement ring and re-propose. HERE is a picture of the ring on my hand that I took about 15 minutes after he proposed and we got back in the car. Not the best picture at all...doesn't do the ring justice AT ALL and I look like I have old lady hands. (Compulsive hand washing tends to dry skin out like a mo-fracky) I'll post a better and more clear picture of the ring ASAP. Anyway, we are planning on getting married next month - February. We're currently considered Common Law, but we want it to be truly official, not only in the eyes of the law, but in the eyes of God. It'll be a very small ceremony in our church. Our pastor has already said that he'd be honored to perform the ceremony. My Mom and the kids will be there...along with Robert (I assume...and hope). We'll try to get Lonnie's parents here for it, but doubt that'll happen. Lonnie's Dad is on Dialysis, so he doesn't have the freedom to just pick up and take off on a whim. We'll see what we can do, though. It'd be awesome to have them there. Other than that? Nobody else. We don't want a big shindig. Just a small ceremony. Lonnie and I mutually agree that we'd rather spend very little on the wedding part of things to be able to save up for a killer honeymoon. We have no plans for a honeymoon yet - we're not financially at that point yet. Our main concern is being man & wife. (My old engagement ring is nestled safely in my jewelry box, btw.)
Lonnie, the kids, my Mom, & I are all doing really well. I can say with 100% honestly that this is the happiest I have been in many, many years. Lonnie's got two good jobs, the kids are both healthy and happy, I have my Mom with me, my good friend, Robert, is now here...I just feel very content. I've not been feeling physically up to par lately (lower back pain plus a cold), but that's no big deal at all. I feel mentally at peace. My Dad & I rarely talk anymore, and when we do, it seems that we just don't get along, but even with that being a fact, I'm still just SO happy. The way I see it is: Shit happens. It's unfortunate when it happens, but oh well. I refuse to let it drag me down, and I'm certainly not going to let ANYONE affect me in a negative way. I give things in life my best. Sometimes they work out great, while other times they simply don't work out. Such is life. I'm surrounded by people who love me, live in a house in a town that I love, and feel free to be myself without being judged for it. ....OH! Back to the marriage topic. (sorry...it's been so long since I've blogged that my brain's going 23984372 miles per hour) Jameson said that once Lonnie and I are officially married, he's going to change his last name to Lonnie's. Lonnie is also going to start the process of legally adopting Sunny. Both of these things make us all soooo happy!!!
I pretty much loathe these stupid little icons I'm using in this post, but I have a limited amount of time, so I went with whatever was easiest. Lonnie's going to need to get back on his computer soon. He's been working SO hard. I feel shitty seeing him slaving away, but he seems to be holding up well. I'm very, very proud of him, and I certainly appreciate everything he does to ensure that we all live a happy and comfortable life. I'm not going to nag or push about my laptop situation. The last thing I want to do is make Lonnie feel like he needs to spend even more time working just so we can hook me up with a laptop. That'd be pretty freakin' selfish of me. I'll just have to make due like I have been for a while now.
My Mom got me a Sega Genesis for Christmas! w00t! I'm still SO stoked about it! Jameson and I played a lot of Mortal Kombat II today. Man, that's a freakin' fun game. We had a total blast. My Mom got me the Lion King game that I've been wanting to play again for so many years. Wow. A bunch of years go by and then you play a game you used to kick ass at and BAM! You suddenly suck ass at it! I remember going through the Lion King game in no time. I've lost my knack for that particular game. I'm doing okay, but nothing compared to how well I used to do. Mom also got me Sonic. Love that game, too. The other day, Lonnie came home with Phantasy Star III, Mortal Kombat II, Aladdin, and a pretty cool Mickey Mouse game for me. Playing all of these retro games is so awesome!!! It really makes ya' realize just how dumbed down games nowadays are. In the retro games, you're left to figure the crap out yourself. All of these newer games tell you what to do every step of the way. I never even realized it'd transitioned like that until I got the Sega. I mean, I play my NES and whatnot, but it just never occurred to me 'til now. 
My Mom's car had some issues and had to go into the shop, so we wound up having to rent a car. We still have it...it's hard to bring it back. The car's just so effin' badass that we don't want to part with it! It's a 2011 Dodge Charger. Holy Hell...I knew that I liked the look of the new Chargers, but damn. That is one hell of a sweet ride. It has EVERYTHING. It's even got a USB port built into it. Yeah...USB. *nerdgasm* You can check your freakin' email right through the dashboard! I took a shitload of pictures of it (of course), but I figure nobody really cares, so I won't bother boring you with them. If you're in the market for a new car, though? Seriously consider the Dodge Charger. Not only is it loaded with all the bells & whistles, but that mother can flat haul ass! It's no wonder all the cops around here drive Chargers! I now know why!
I'm still on a hiatus from freelancing. A part of me feels guilty that Lonnie is the sole provider, but the other part of me is just so happy to have a break from all that crap. I felt so taken advantage of by a couple clients. They were paying me pennies in comparison to what they were making from my work. It ate me up inside every single day. It feels nice to no longer feel like I'm basically selling my soul (so to speak) just for a few bucks. I still tweet for money once in a while, but that's nothing. Takes like 30 seconds, and I make over 2 bucks per tweet. The more I do it, the higher my rates will go. I started at 44 cents per tweet, so I'm doing pretty well with it. I can cash out at any time, but I'm keeping money in my tweet account as sort of a savings account. I don't have a bank account, so what the hell? (I detest and do not trust banks)
My ever so amazing and lovable Woolly Bear Caterpillar, Hermie is still doing great! He's got a roommate now, too. Charleston has been his roommate for well over a month now...probably closer to two months. They get along well. I know that sounds odd, but they really do get along. They seem to enjoy snuggling. I've posted a picture of said snuggling on Facebook (like I said, it's easier to update FB with my phone), and people seemed to enjoy seeing my boys being so snuggly. Of course, some people said, "Are you sure they're snuggling and not screwing?"...but even if that were the case, more Woolly Bears? OKAY! I'd love that! I still go foraging everyday for their food/stuff to climb on. They both seem to adore Rosemary. I'm thrilled that we have such a big thing of it in our yard. During the Christmas season, I even put some pine sprigs in there so they could have their own Christmas tree. My Mom realized that I have truly lost my marbles when she saw that. I didn't expect that they'd like the pine too much as it's not something they eat, but they really dig climbing around on it. I clean out the pine about every four days and give 'em freshies. I almost got busted breaking a branch of Rhododendron from a neighbor's yard the other day. The bush/tree thing is close to the street, so I figure that it's fair game. 
We watched "Contagion" with Matt Damon last night. Whew...bad idea. Lonnie and I are already total freaks about germs. Now we're REALLY freaky about 'em. Why do I insist on watching things that make my issues worse? For example, I watched "Infested" on Animal Planet the other night. This family's house was infested with cockroaches. *shudder* I have a MAJOR phobia of those little bastards, so watching the show was really stupid on my part. I wound up having roach nightmares and everything. Duh. I'm thinking that I'll never learn my lesson, but whatever. Maybe one day watching this type of stuff will help me get over my issues. You never know. Yeah, it's highly doubtful, but stranger things have happened.
I guess I'd better get off of here now. I don't want to hold Lonnie back from doing his thing. It's just been so long since I last blogged, I figured I'd better do so. I had a full inbox with people asking me where I was...now you know! I'll do my best to blog again as soon as I can and also check on other people's blogs, comments, and whatnot, but cannot promise anything. I've gotta just go with the flow for now. I hope everyone is doing well! I miss all of my MyOpera friends a lot...if some of you weren't so stubborn about Facebook, we'd be in much closer contact, though. Nah - I understand. Facebook simply isn't for everyone. Anyway, take care, everyone, and I'll be seeing you when I see you! 
(34%)
Robert Hurleyrfhurley # Monday, January 16, 2012 8:18:11 AM
You mean that CRAZY HAND JIVE?
KarenNerak # Monday, January 16, 2012 8:21:11 AM
Mad Scientistqlue # Monday, January 16, 2012 8:49:36 AM
Caterpillars don't screw untill they become moths.
Dark FurieFurie # Monday, January 16, 2012 9:51:27 AM
Kevin Johnsonkmj1ak # Monday, January 16, 2012 10:51:41 AM
Glad to see a new full post by you.
And glad to see you are so happy. And so in love!!
Charles SchlossChas4 # Monday, January 16, 2012 4:01:19 PM
Congrats again
Dacotah # Monday, January 16, 2012 6:48:08 PM
Happy New Year Karen. So happy that you had a lovely Christmas.
Great that you have a good friend there.
Congratulations Lonnie and Karen.
So very happy to hear you are HAPPY. I'd say content to.
Well I like the icons.
Practice makes perfect.
*nerdgasm*
Glad you are on hiatus. May-be when you are ready to go back you will know what to charge for your freelance that won't make you feel that you were taken advantage of.
Hope to see photos of Hermie and Charleston.
Phobias, hope you will overcome them or sorry, don't know how to say it. I just don't want you to have stress or discomfort from anything and the phobias are giving you that. Why distrust banks?
Miss you lots of My Opera. Facebook I tried and may-be will go back someday.
KarenNerak # Monday, January 16, 2012 9:25:23 PM
Originally posted by qlue:
Awesome to know! They're just snuggling then.
Originally posted by Furie:
Yes, that's me.
Originally posted by kmj1ak:
Thanks, Kev! You're always so encouraging and I really do appreciate that!
Originally posted by Chas4:
Thanks, Chaz!
Carol, thank you for all the lovely things you had to say.
I'll post photos of my furry little guys soon!
I distrust banks because...well, there are many reasons. The bottom line is that I think they're crooks and if something ever happens to the bank, I can say buh-bye to my money. I prefer to keep it in a box buried in the back yard.
I miss you, too! I know you did the Facebook thing before and just didn't dig it. No biggie! I'll get on here as much as I can! Lots o' love!
KimberlySqueakeyCat # Monday, January 16, 2012 10:59:21 PM
Will look forward to seeing new posts from you, no matter how long in between them.
BTW, in case you weren't notified in your email, Baking Life is "dead". They pulled it from facebook. apparently, they either didn't like how facebook was doing things, or there weren't enough people playing it.
KarenNerak # Tuesday, January 17, 2012 2:27:09 AM
Yeah, I know about Baking Life...and am INCREDIBLY pissed off. I played that fucking game for three damned years. Now - BAM! They just remove it and don't give a shit that we've built up money, items, and all sorts of other shit. I am really, really, really pissed off at the way they handled it.
The fact that their "solution" is to direct us to some gay-ass Bejeweled game? FUCK THAT! I hate, hate, hate those games! So tedious.
</rant w/ cussing>
KimberlySqueakeyCat # Tuesday, January 17, 2012 3:59:23 AM
Originally posted by Nerak:
I agree
BeccaBeccamaus # Tuesday, January 17, 2012 4:38:31 AM
Dacotah # Tuesday, January 17, 2012 4:57:06 AM
KarenNerak # Tuesday, January 17, 2012 5:06:34 AM
We're working on a fix for the monitor situation already!
Carol,
Dacotah # Tuesday, January 17, 2012 4:13:22 PM
BeccaBeccamaus # Tuesday, January 17, 2012 6:06:09 PM
Originally posted by Nerak:
Yay! Whatever works, right? We haven't moved on to flat screens yet since what we have at the moment just doesn't want to die...lolKarenNerak # Tuesday, January 17, 2012 8:29:02 PM
BeccaBeccamaus # Tuesday, January 17, 2012 10:04:41 PM
Originally posted by Nerak:
That will just get me into troubleKarenNerak # Tuesday, January 17, 2012 10:34:34 PM
BeccaBeccamaus # Wednesday, January 18, 2012 2:49:10 AM
Originally posted by Nerak:
What a whimpKarenNerak # Thursday, January 19, 2012 1:01:55 AM
Thanks! Luck is on our side, so we're not too worried about it.
Spaggyj # Thursday, January 19, 2012 7:13:14 PM
Mad Scientistqlue # Friday, January 20, 2012 7:04:07 AM
KarenNerak # Saturday, January 21, 2012 6:58:33 AM