It's really hard not to take it personally when your friends are so much more important to you than you are to them.

Can you handle the lockdown?

One of our favorite shows is Ghost Adventures. Please, let me explain. ;)

I first started watching Most Haunted on the Travel Channel about 4 or 5 years ago. I had always enjoyed those ghost hunting shows, but lost the habit of watching them. Then, when I was visiting my mom a couple years ago, we watched Ghost Adventures. I thought it was ridiculous. This douchey guy taunting ghosts, his horrible voiceover skills, that hair.

Then I came home and forgot about it. Until it was one one night, when we were flipping channels. I told Mike he had to see this. So we watched it, laughed, enjoyed the freaky EVPs (or electronic voice phenomenons, as Zak has to explain EVERY SINGLE TIME) and actually had a good time. So the next Friday, we watched it again. Then we realized we actually liked the show, and set a series recording.

There have been some excellent happenings on that show. I was really excited when they went to an abandoned reformatory school in Ione, California because we drive through there on the way from San Jose to my grandma's house, and I've seen the roof of this place from a distance. The episode where they went to a haunted plantation in Louisiana actually made me scream. The slave houses were padlocked at night, with no electricity running to them, but one room had a light on, and while they were walking toward it, the light shut off. Then turned on again. And as they stood next to it, Zak said something like, "if you're in there, shut that light off," and it did. And I screamed.

Last night, we just watched Ghost Adventures: The Beginning, which is footage from their first lockdowns, back before they had a tv contract. Despite all cheesiness, there were some amazing parts of that show. Namely, a full body apparition recorded walking across a room, unmistakably a clear body, with visible legs. And the brick. Holy crap. They recorded a poltergeist picking up a brick and throwing it across a room. It was pretty amazing footage.

I'm not going to lie, the main reason we watch this show isn't for the ghost activity, which gets pretty boring after a while, it's for the crew. They are such douchebags. There isn't a better way to put it. They fist bump. Zak has the most ridiculous outfits. Nobody told him Jnco jeans went out of style over ten years ago. His hair is something else. One one episode he kept talking about how he wanted an incubus to come and do dirty things to him, only to explain in a later episode that he meant a succubus, NOT an incubus. Another time he decided to face his fear of snakes and pick up a fucking snake he found while they were shooting in the hills before a lockdown. And he was yelling, "ahh, why did I do this?"

The time we watched it when my dad was visiting, he likened it to Scooby Doo. It feels like that sometimes, because they're being so serious, but they don't always come off that way. It's not the highest quality show, by any means, but we have fun, and we look forward to new episodes.

Our two year anniversary!

So today marks the day I got Chester!

I still remember, getting up early to meet his owner at a gas station in Iowa, since she was driving through on her way to Peoria. We were early and I was sooo nervous. When she pulled up, I knew it was her, although I didn't know what she or her truck looked like. Then I saw Chester.

His name was Pugsley back then and he weighed 14 pounds. He was so tiny and cute! I couldn't stop laughing when I looked at his face. We transferred his stuff to our car, said our goodbyes and drove off.

I remember he had expressed his anal glands in all the excitement, because he smelled like the porcupines at the zoo on hot days. Mike had to get ready for work, so I hung around, trying to decide on a name. I decided to take him to get vaccinated, because local animal control has cheap vaccination days on Wednesdays. He got the full rounds since he'd never been vaccinated, aside from his puppy shots three years ago. It was the lady at the shelter who really named him, because at that point, I couldn't decide between Chester or Teddy. She liked Chester more, so that's what I wrote on the registration form.

Although I was told he was housebroken, he peed all over everything, when my back was turned. He was so excited, he didn't stop panting for THREE DAYS. I got him on a Wednesday, and decided to neuter him on the following Monday, because he was peeing everywhere.

I enrolled him in training classes around a month after I got him. That's when I started realizing how smart he is. He would catch on to the little tricks the trainer and I would try to get him to do things. I had the hardest time teaching him down. He just didn't get it. But of course he did it for the trainer right away.

He's put on a lot of weight since then, mostly because I felt like he was so tiny. But he has gotten a bit bigger than I'd like. It's his teeny little head. It looks so funny with the chubby body he has. We both need to get out and walk more.

Here is a video of him a couple weeks after I got him. I forgot how crazy he was! Now he's all fat and sleeps all day. Oops. Bad mom.

Adventures in unemployment

I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I eat one every single day, if I can. It all started around last December, when Mike and I both got really sick for two weeks and neither felt like going grocery shopping. So I'd eat one or two a day. I never really gave it up. I started experimenting with different peanut butters and jelly flavors. I should stress this, I HATE jam, but I love jelly. It's eating chunks of cooked fruit that bothers me. So I'd try a new peanut butter brand every time I needed a new can. I stuck with natural Skippy for a long time, until I learned about palm oil, so I switched to natural Smuckers, which had two ingredients, peanuts and salt. So we went to super target to see if they had a better selection, and they did. So I switched to the target knockoff, because it came in chunky. Mmm. And so I'll stay, for the time being. When I was a little kid, our local grocery store had a peanut grinder, where you could make your own peanut butter. If I could find something like that, it'd be perfect.

I've been running around all day. I ended up checking out the plus size consignment store I used to live by, since it has a new owner. I bought a doll, who I think is the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Sadly, he came with nothing but ill-fitted tassel pants. No Beast mask. I sold a pair of cords I haven't worn in a couple years. I'm thinking about bringing all my unwanted stuff there, since the new owner sells actual items, the old one just sold clothes.

Yesterday I gave my rat away. I'm really sad about it. I just didn't think I was giving him enough attention to justify him living alone, and Mike wouldn't let me get a second rat. So I gave him to some friends I used to work with at Petsmart who already have four of their own. I let him sniff noses with one of the boys they have, and both seemed friendly and interested, so I'm optimistic that he'll fit right in, and eventually be able to move in with one of them.

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday, and like the bad daughter I am, I sent her package today. Oops. I just never know what to give her, since she doesn't want or need anything, really. Well, anything cheap, I mean. She always asks for crocheted scarves, but it's getting to be summery soon and she has no real use for them. And I couldn't think of anything practical. Potholders are too impersonal, ponchos aren't her style, she wouldn't have any use for a tiny purse. So I knitted her an octopus from Hansi Singh's "Amigurumi Knits" in hopes that she can use it as a decorative piece on her desk at work or something.

When I crossed the street to the Post Office, I got yelled at by a turning driver for not waving to her to say I was crossing the street. Sheesh, if I'm at a crosswalk and the little walking man signal is lit, why should I wave to tell a person I'm crossing? In her disgust, she creeped up to ONE FOOT away from me as I was walking.

At first I was all angry and upset. Then I realized someone must have peed in her coffee and I had nothing to do with it. She was just venting on me. So I joked with the lady at the post office and left smiling. Then I came home and had some carrot cake.

Now Mike is grilling turkey burgers and "Beast" is going to get a hair treatment.

I love bats!

Ever since I was a very young kid, I've loved animals that most people are afraid of. Snakes, lizards, frogs, spiders, bats, bugs, you name it. When I was 6 or 7, I had a plastic bat from Halloween that I'd carry around and pretend was my pet.

My grandma lives in a wooded, mountainy area of California and has a bat house, but no one ever moved in, in all the years she's had it. Since we've been working hard on our yard, I brought up the idea of getting a bat house. We searched online for kits and such, but the cheapest houses were $15 PLUS 10 in shipping. So then we decided to check the Farm and Fleet website and found one! So we checked and our local store carries them! So off we went, and bought one.

Since then, Mike has become very interested in bats. It's so cute. He's researching them and really likes them now.

Bats really are amazing, though. One brown bat can eat several thousands of mosquitoes in one night. Can you imagine how overrun the world would be with pesky flying insects if it weren't for bats? When we were at Mike's parents, I was sitting out front with his dad and his neighbor. I told them about the bat house we had just bought, and his neighbor asked why on earth I would do that. Bats are so misunderstood. I think they're super cute and I understand how amazing they are.

I'm hoping we'll get some little guys moving in this summer, but I'm not holding my breath, because it can take up to three years for bats to become interested, that is, if they come at all. But we have a bird bath very close by, which always attracts mosquitoes, so hopefully, the bats will come, too.

I've got an itch

For cute boots. I wore fuggs all winter, time to get some new shoes. I need something that's appropriate for puddles, which absolutely none of my shoes are.

Except the crocs, but I wouldn't be caught dead wearing them in public. Actually....

I wear flip flops as soon as it's safe (as in my toes won't fall off) and I don't stop until it's unsafe again. I need some arch support, ok?

Self indulgence

I really want to start using an online diary. I have a Livejournal, but I never use it. I want to try something new. Let's do this!

My name is Brieana. I am 24 years old. I live in Illinois, but I grew up in California. I live with the most wonderful boyfriend in the world. Mike is the love of my life. He's 28. He's lived here his whole life. We met online six years ago. We talked online for a couple years before meeting in person, which we did in August of 2006. Then I moved here the following April. I brought my two cats (Noodles and Carmelita) with me. Mike had grown up with dogs and didn't really know anyone who had cats, so it was exiting and fun for him.

We bought our house two years ago, and since then, our little family has grown. He wanted to get a cat of his own, so as soon as we had unpacked, we drove down to the local no kill shelter and got Edgar. He was four and had lived in the shelter his whole life. He was adopted once, but returned. But Mike fell in love with the seemingly plain brown tabby who was terrified of being picked up. He was so happy that when we first got him, he would start purring if we just looked in his direction.

It had to be less than two weeks later when we adopted Chester. Oh, Chester. My sweet, amazing Pug. He's the best dog I've ever had. In our city, the legal limit on pets is four cats or dogs (or a combination therein) so we didn't plan on any more pets. But, of course, that October, a woman came into my work with a two month old kitten she couldn't keep. I worked at Petsmart and it was 8 pm. She'd had the kitten for a few days, but her son was allergic. None of her friends would take "Gizmo" and the shelter was closed, so she was going to put the kitten out on her patio all night if someone wouldn't take her. So of course, I had to. Once I held that tiny, black baby, I was hooked. Despite what I kept telling myself at that point. And that's how we got Penny. She is the funniest little thing. She's the cuddliest of all our cats, and will perpetually be the baby.

THEN my grandma in California called to tell me she didn't want to keep her Chihuahua, Chiquita anymore. She had Chiquita for 7 years, and I had always told her I would take her. I was so scared of Chiquita going to a shelter. Who wants a ten year old dog? Very few people. I just so happened to be going home for a visit the next month, so it probably was fate. I flew her home with me and she's never been happier. She and Chester are such a sweet pair. He looks out for her when they go to daycare and snuggle when it's cold.

I've been knitting for four years. I was terrible at first! It was so hard to teach myself. When I moved here, I started trying to crochet and that was SO hard! I gave it up for a while. Then one day, I tried and it just clicked for me! I dropped my needles and started making Amigurumis. I'm rather talented, but I have really low stamina, so I only make them as gifts ONCE in a while.

I started knitting again about six months ago, and now I LOVE it! All that time crocheting taught me some great habits that really brought my knitting up to a new level.

I was lucky to get an awesome old Singer sewing machine for free when Mike's great aunt passed away. I just learned to use it last fall, and I hope to make her proud as I make all kinds of things.

So far, I've made some skewed curtains for the kitchen and a Blythe dress. Sewing is like knitting for me, right now. I'm teaching myself, so it's hard to understand patterns and instructions.

I've become super obsessed with Blythe dolls since last September, when I got my Roaring Red. I was also blessed to find an AWESOME doll house at the Goodwill for $20! It's 4.5' tall and and three awful shades of purple. I can't wait to paint it, now that it's warm enough. But I'll save that for another entry.

This year I'm trying to go outside and be a normal person. We've been working on our yard for the last couple weeks. We've built a raised garden bed with cinder blocks, put in some flower beds and pulled down the hideous, ancient monstrosity that was the split rail fence around our property. It's really awesome and fun working outside, but I'm terrified of tanning unevenly and I hate wearing shoes, so being outside is a mixed affair for me. My neighbors must think I'm so weird, tilling the ground in bare feet.

I've been trying to lose weight for nearly a year, now. Last July, I was bigger than I've ever been. I developed some bad eating habits, living with Mr. Picky-eater-with-a-fast-metabolism. We'd eat out 3 or 4 times a week, and when I worked nights at Petsmart, I ate out every single day of the week. Most of the time it was Taco Bell. I'd get a grilled stuffed burrito at 9:15, eat it once I got home and go to bed around 10:30. Little did I know, said burrito is 680 calories. Plus I'd usually be eating a couple chicken soft tacos, also. I did this at least 3 times a week. Since I groomed dogs, I wore sweats to work every day. I rarely wore jeans, so I didn't catch on right away that they weren't fitting anymore.

Then I finally weighed myself. I was 255 pounds last July. That's when I started counting my calories. At first, I allowed myself to only eat 1,800 a day, but the counter I used reduced my alloted calories with every pound I lost. As time went on, I started making healthier choices to suit my caloric intake limits. I lost 20 pounds in four months, no exercise involved. At this point, I had a gym membership, but I never went, for various reasons (excuses). Then I went home for Thanksgiving, and after the second week, just ate whatever I want. I have tried, but it is SO hard to get back on that wagon. I hit 230 last Christmas, but I've hovered around there since. My lowest so far is 227, but since I just started counting again last Monday, I would eat whatever I wanted, whenever, and my weight would fluctuate.

Exercising on a regular basis is hard for me, and I do want to implement some kind of routine, but since I've been doing a lot of yard work lately, I've been lax on writing that schedule out. But I need to. My original goal is to lose 100 pounds, and that still stands. But we've been invited to a wedding in October, and I decided to lose 40 pounds by then. Technically 42 (or 45, depending on the day). I want to be 185 by then. I want to be able to buy a dress from a store, and wear a regular size, even if it's an extra large. I'll take it. I just want to buy my clothes in the normal sections. Lane Bryant is like a highway robbery, not to mention their clothes are so thin and cheap for those prices. As of the 9th, I was 229, which is fine with me. Fluctuations between a couple pounds don't bother me. It's 4 or 5 that do.

I've been slowly writing this entry for like two hours now. I think it's time to go to bed. I'm going to try to write in here and post a picture as often as possible. I'm really rusty on expressing myself on paper, and I think it's because I stopped writing self-indulgent journal entries after high school ended. Haha.