guess I'll be a sheep too.

“The problem with Livejournal is that we all think we are so close, but really, we know nothing about each other. Hence, I want you to ask me something you think you should know about me. Something that should be obvious, but you have no idea about. Then post this in your LJ and find out what people don’t know about you.”

So as many of you know I used to have an online business, well that is no longer open, but I have a whole bunch of stock leftover that I need to clean out. I'm selling everything off at cost. I've made a photobucket album with pics of everything that I'm selling. They're divided into categories such as Clothing, Accessories, Home Decor, Jewelry, and Greeting Cards. I have the sizes, descriptions and such listed on each pic but I don't have prices, just message me or email me at azureravendzara@gmail.com for those. I thought it might cut a little too close to the rules on selling stuff on there to list prices too.

the album address is http://photobucket.com/carrie-stock

if you have any questions, want to try anything on, or know someone else who would be interested in this please let me know, I don't want to move it to New York and I really need the money..

thanks all.


Carrie

So two of my roommates are moving out, they need wedded digs apparently. That means that I need to find someone new to move in, or two someones. Rent is cheaper with four of us living here and the space is large enough for four people to move around comfortably. We're looking for someone/s to move in at the beginning of November. Let me know if anyone knows people looking for a cool place to live in Magnolia.

So thanks to domestinatrix  I'm addicted to canning/pickling. I already had a bit of a problem but it's now a full blown addiction. Last weekend it was pickling green beans. Yesterday it was picking about 40 pounds of plums. Today we made jam. Used only half the plums and already have 18 half pints of plain jam and 18 half pints of conserve. We're doing a different flavor with each batch. Two more to go. Tomorrow I'm going to arrange to get a box of cucumbers, a really big box. Which means that next Saturday I'll be making various different kinds of pickles. Next is talking to the other people across the alley and talk them into letting us denude their apple tree to make yummy apple butter. I have to figure out what to make next. possibly something with pears. Soon it will be cranberry season and there will be more cordials and some cranberry jam. Once the garage is cleaned out I'm going to start brewing mead, and also some cider. If anyone know anybody with a press, lots of apples, or lots of fresh cider let me know, I'm going to be looking for a source soon. I guess it's back to jamming now.

no, this doesn't involve guns or bad movie story lines. Once again we have to find a new roommate for our household. We thought we had a good one, then the universe conspired against him and he was laid off and is now moving back to D.C.

So this leaves an opening in our house. If anyone is looking for a place in Magnolia or knows someone who is let me know. I can give you a much more detailed description of the place etc. The rent is 495 a month plus utilities, which comes out to about 700ish depending on the season. It's a three bedroom house with each bedroom having its own full bathroom. There's lots more to say so if you're interested just ask. 

When we make decisions in our lives we wonder if they’re the right ones. Afterwards we wonder, should we have taken a different path, was that the choice that was best for us? My trip to Tucson answered one of those questions for me. I realized that while I do have some friends there and some things I miss my life there is over. I really do enjoy Seattle. I looked forward to coming back all week. Granted it was a stressful trip, the wedding was beautiful and it was great to see people, but there was always so much going on and people getting ticked for stupid reasons that I just wanted to come home. That’s what made me realize that Seattle has become just that, home. The lack of sun is annoying, the passive-aggressiveness of the people drives me nuts, and the driving skills of its’ citizens are non-existent, but those are compensated with some pretty great things.
I’m trying to decide if some of the decisions I’ve made since I’ve been here have been as good for me. I have made some great friends, and made huge strides in getting myself healthy and back into life. I’ve also fallen into a few old patterns that aren’t so healthy, I’m going to try and change those, break the patterns, find things that are better for me. This is going to be interesting.

I think I’ll do some redecorating tomorrow, make some visible changes, work out a bit, maybe make a super yummy dinner and some dessert.

so the time has come to venture south to Tucson for the marriage of two of my roommates. We're leaving in about an hour and will hopefully hit Tucson sometime early tomorrow night or very early Thursday. We'll be in town until the following Friday. If'n you be wanting to hang out with me let me know, if you have my number call me, otherwise I'll check this when I get computer access again on Thursday. guh I hate long car rides, I don't wanna spend 25 hours in a car.. But I am so looking forward to the sun, the wedding, good Mexican food, and seeing good friends after over a year of not.

I will be checking my email, myspace, and lj regularly while I'm there so I'll be in contact. I'll see all my Seattle friends again in a few weeks.

really, it does, you'll be singing it for days, but damn is it funny.

So G and I are on what is turning out to be our annual holiday baking bonanza. So far we have made a TON of sugar cookies (which are the best I've ever had, go G for finding a great recipe), fudge, chocolate chunk cookies, marshmallows, and the crowning glory maple bacon cookies. All of this in the last two days. We plan on making a few more kinds of cookies including snickerdoodles, gingerbread, peanut butter cups, and more marshmallows to make into smores. This is on top of what we're actually using for gifts for some people of homemade peanut butter, apple butter, pear honey, cranberry jam and homemade bread. This all stemmed from G one day saying 'hey, wanna make fixings for P,B,&J for gifts this year' and then it just spiraled out of control like usual.

Due to so much baking I am now experiencing a monumental sugar high and can't sleep yet. It is actually kind of annoying since I have lots I would like to get done tomorrow. But damn were those cookies good. I think I will now bounce off and see if reading helps, if I can focus on the page that is.

This is something that is brought home to me anew whenever I travel home for any more than a day or two. You really can never go home again, not like it was when you were a kid. You've changed, home has changed, but never at the same pace. I haven't lived in Kansas City for longer than a month or so since high school, this means several things.

First: I haven't made new friends there since then so all of the friends I have there are from when I was 17 or younger. I'm not saying that this in any way lessens them as friends, if anything they become more special for being around so long, but they live very different lives than I do. Most of them are now married and have kids, I have neither and do not see them in the foreseeable future, this doesn't mean their decisions are wrong, they are just on a different life path than I am right now. I do love spoiling their kids though. But due to them being at a different place in life we have different priorities and view points on some pretty important things. Also they can't really go out partying anymore, which I do on a regular basis. This makes my visits home odd since I don't really go out there anymore, mostly just visits. I have grown and become a very different person since college, if you don't see a person very often it makes changes hard to understand and see even.
Second: this somewhat leads from the changing and growing topic. As most of my friends who have met my mom know she can be a very difficult person. She is amazing, someone who truly lives there ideals and morals. She's also pretty influential in certain parts of the KC community, as you can imagine this often makes it difficult to be her daughter. She's very critical, I think she views this as being helpful and trying to encourage me to make my life better and become a better person. Unfortunately all it really does is make me angry and resentful towards her. I've tried pointing this out to her but she refuses to believe that she is overly critical. I think I wouldn't mind as much if she balanced it out with encouragement and support, but often whatever she says just comes across as criticism. lame. This makes me not want to talk to her very often or about important things which really sucks since she has been one of my rocks my entire life and since my grandmother died my main source of wisdom. . Everyone has problems, most of us try and work on them to make ourselves better and such, but often this takes time and is a difficult process, having someone constantly picking on you about your flaws make fixing them that much more difficult. If you have encountered me after she has pissed me off and I've taken it out on you I do apologize, I try not to, but sometimes it's just difficult.

Third: My mom keeps remodeling our house, granted it really needs it, it's from the 20's so things need to be fixed, updated etc. I do know that these changes are happening, often I have some input in them, but knowing and experiencing are very different. Example, I went home this time and the bathroom that I used for my entire childhood is totally remodeled, different colors, different bathtub/shower, hell even different toilet. Now this really needed to happen, the old shower that my dad put in was leaking and she did put in a jacuzzi tub which is awesome, but it is a huge change from the room I remember getting ready in to go to school or out to Rocky. It just makes clear that time marches on, for everyone.

Also, parents aren't supposed to get old, it makes one feel old because you remember as they were when you were a kid and you know one day you won't have them around.

ok, now that I have gone all introspective I think I'll go unpack and enjoy my really awesome house.

so I have made it to KC with only short flight delays, I almost didn't make my connection in Denver, then they delayed the heck out of that flight so I got to sit in the damn airport for a while, took me back to being in college and waiting in Denver to fly out during a school break.

I will be in KC for 9 days, longest trip home in a while. I'm hoping I have fun and get to see a bunch of friends. I'll see everyone when I get back.

I finally put together some slide shows of pics from the birthday party.

http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l175/AzureRavendzara/Birthday%20party/?action=view&current=8b94061f.pbw

http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l175/AzureRavendzara/Birthday%20party/?action=view&current=60b79e8c.pbw

http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l175/AzureRavendzara/Birthday%20party/?action=view&current=8cf53831.pbw


enjoy

You know where, you better know when, if you don't, ask. I'll tell ya. That is all. 

Well this last week has been interesting, and fairly productive too. The drywall in the garage is FINALLY done, well mostly. It took a month but we can almost use the garage again, we're looking for another carpet remanent since the first one didn't survive the indoor monsoon. Hopefully within the next week I might be able to sew again, I've got a few projects in mind that I would really like to be able to at least start. We also found out that our landlord, he of the ever changing mind on who's paying for what with the water damage, waiting two freaking weeks to call his contractor, TWO WEEKS, this while saying that he was waiting to hear back from him. bah. and now he wants to take the cost of refinishing the kitchen floor out of our deposit, we've had to pay for everything else, why does he want to use that money for this. I don't understand and I'm pretty much fed up with this bullshit.

I had to work Saturday, there was a WSU Hospitality Alumni party at the store and I had to be there to make sure they didn't break things and also to pour soda. It actually turned out to be pretty fun. Tutta Bella catered the event and had some damn good food, I got to chat with some pretty awesome people and have some tasty drinks, all while getting paid, so I wasn't too upset about having to work. Saturday night was a Hollywood glam night at the Merc and I needed a break from the Noc so I told K I would go. Since I didn't have anything to wear I went on a quick shopping binge, hitting a whole bunch of stores on Broadway. I found the swankiest dress at Metro for 10 bucks, that made me happy since I am trying to save money. Then I found shoes and a really amazing necklace at Redlight, they had some really cute dresses but they were kinda pricey so I decided to stick with the one I had already found. Got all dolled up and had a blast, I actually enjoy the Merc when there's no smoking, it doesn't smell as moldy and I can breathe, who would have thunk it. Got to dance a bit, would have danced more if the shoes hadn't tried to rub my toes off, and here I thought I was being smart by getting low heels and such, stupid shoes, stupid blisters, stupid walking funny.

Sunday I got in a little relaxing but then had to contend with a bitch of a migraine for most of the day. Finally got to see Shannon on her last night in town, and actually got to hang out with Joy as well. That was fun, I wish there had been more time, but she'll be back up.

Now I'm trying to figure out exactly what classes I"m going to take this fall to prepare for trying to open my own restaurant in two summers, yep that's right, finally decided that's what I want to do and am going to go for it, after getting some more knowledge and experience under my belt of course. I'm going to start applying for assistant manager gigs at local restaurants, hopefully someone will be willing to hire me part time.

well that's the update for now, I'll write more when I feel like ranting sometime soon.

so most people break down and get myspace pages, I'm weird, I finally broke down and got an lj page. I'm not sure how much I'll be updating, but I should have some good rants occasionally so that'll be fun. This is mostly to keep track of what some of my friends are up to.