It was a good night. Our friends Frances and John came over for dinner. Tbtb made beef bourguinion which we ate with beer followed by shots of Celtic Crossing. Frances had been accepted into a new job at the House of Cupcakes in the city and she was very happy about it. John's going to PA tomorrow 5am for a new job of his. Im happy for them. They're good company and I feel comfortable around them :) Mtthew was his usual charming floppy-feet and shouting excitedly self. I put him to bed without tears from either of us and then came back to the living room to chat. Sounds of the Seasons was playing on tv. IT's a channel that plays house and ambient chill music :) Drinks, brownie, trippy music, and cool air blowing through the windows make for a perfect night.

What have I been up to lately?
My tbtb <3
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction will reside in my CD player for a few months.
Buckethead - REDEEM TEAM! Finally I know the title of the song!
Seed-Forums - Back to the roots, plus Klaha Sama is there so it's all good.

Will attempt to restart Gundam 00. I never got past the 10th episode because I got tired of waiting for the fansubs to come out.

Will see the tbtb again tomorrow ohmygoodness!! And craving a beer or something cold. Hm, maybe the grapefruit soda imported from Italy, excuse me. HAHAHAHA!

Around two weeks ago, I went on Craiglist and searched for clay and tools to help me in my newfound hobby which I call "fun with polymer clay". I found two postings in my general geographical area. One sent me clay and today, the kindly grandmother Dorita sent me a HUGE package of everything a budding polymer clay artist could dream of but couldn't afford: 32 packs of clay, beading tools, molds, PearlEx powders, an Atlas pasta machine, liquid Sculpey and glaze, Kemper cutters, cookie cutters, a foot-long acrylic roller...wow, I can't even remember everything that was in it! She had sent it out Wednesday and it arrived today via FedEx, Friday. I was so psyched when I saw the package at the door. I felt like Christmas in June. :)

Yesterday, Chris and I searched for a wedding gift for Jen Tan, whose wedding we are attending in Lake Tahoe soon. Although there is an abundance of fine gift stores in Englewood, we purchased nothing. There were many delightful objects we encountered - a Lazy Susan inlaid with a mosaic of a Southwestern-inspired sun; hand-painted picture frames made in Vietnam; glass sculptures of eyes said to ward off the evil eye; and a stunning glass plate embedded with a mosaic dragonfly. The last item we saw in Ophir Antique Store, a discreet store with bars on the door. Discreet and barred with good reason, too: the place was a treasure-trove of antiques from the 1900s, specializing in Tiffany objects. It was two floors of tastefully-arranged furniture, sculpture, and lamps. We had to be buzzed-in by the owner, who was in the middle of a photo shoot of a cushioned, high-backed chair. I saw the dragonfly plate in a glass shelf; however, no price tag was seen, and at the risk of being called "gaudy" by the owner, I didn't ask. After all, the other items in the glass shelf had an impressive price range of $1,000 - $36,000. Chris provided me with a graceful exit ("Sleep on it") and although I was relieved as soon as we stepped out, I couldn't help but wish I was more familiar with objects of quality.

I considered getting the hand-painted Mexican mirror from Encke Flowers but decided that my $85 could go to something more...useful? Attractive? I don't even know Jen's taste in decor. In the end, Chris and I decided to get them a gift from Lake Tahoe. Hopefully we can find a great little shop supporting local artists.

I passed my Personal Trainer test! I'm relieved. I need only complete a 30-hour internship course before I am officially certified. I am excited at the prospects this new career holds for me.

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Sometimes I reflect on my life and discover so many frustrations that could have been avoided if I had either common sense or a great sense of adventure. "Could-haves" and "should-haves" poison the memories of a life well-lived; I must remember I am, nor do I desire to be, "other people". Envy is bitter bile; I will live and let live.

Finally it's over! After getting postponed for another week, my exam is over. It was surprisingly easy, and as the curse of post-exam contemplation goes, I'm pretty sure I would've scored higher if I had studied more (and had more common sense: humeroulnar joint is NOT the wrist joint. DOH.) The practical was easy too. It helped a lot that our instructor was someone we had never met before (Maddie). If it had been Scott or Tom, goodness knows I'd have been a wreck the whole exam. Doreen and I finished before the two pairs that were called like ten minutes earlier. All in all I feel good about the test and I'm hoping I pass so I can get on to making people healthy :)

This is pure win. I feels sorry for the guy though and although he seems a little short of a load up there, he did have some valid questions which the cops never answered.

My Personal Trainer Certification exam is tomorrow and I'm nervous about it. I've been practicing the practical part of the exam with my mom as my client/very helpful critic, but I have loads to tackle for the written exam. And so why am I on LJ bitching instead of studying? Because...I



LOL.

Time Warner Cable is retarded. They disconnected me too early and now it has been four days since losing my internet and I have to wait another day for reconnection.

Tonight Chris treated me to dinner at Batten Ramen in Fort Lee. We had the usual Friday night special: mini katsu curry and mini batten ramen, with gyoza to start off. I began to talk to him about what my ideal partner would be - humble, appreciative, thankful. And I realized that people make their own problems by being discontented with what they have; preferring to complain about the bad traits rather than recognize the good ones. But then again, isn't such dissection, such logic, good? Doesn't it stand to reason that man improves on his or her life by being cold and reasonable? I am perplexed, and in the end I surrender my worries about the future to God. Chris said He has a masterplan, and we are living our lives according to the plan. It's comforting and terrifying at the same time.