So someone sent us a gift certificate at work for Starbucks, so my boss got us all some good tasty treats. I had to think of what I wanted, so I looked up the nutrition info for all the drinks. Usually I get a Toffee Nut Latte on ice, but that's over 200 calories and that's not good for me at this point. So I ended up getting a small Iced Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte with no whip cream and nonfat milk. I know, right? But it's 60 calories and it's GOOD. I like it a lot. I just dislike the fact that I now have to write my order down so I can remember every single word of my complicated beverage.

Also, completely random question: has the cursor on livejournal always had a little...flecky thing at the top of it? Does anyone know what I mean? It's so distracting, I always think there's dirt or something on my monitor and I want to clean it off but it's the cursor. Right? Okay then.

In other news, General Hospital Night Shift doesn't suck as bad as I thought. That is all.

I've been working out a lot lately, as you're supposed to do while on the JC plan. I've missed 2 days since last Monday. Anyway, this morning I woke up EARLY and...get this...TOOK A WALK. My apartment has lots of pretty trails and such and it was very nice. There was a little pond, and nearby were pigeons, ducks, and squirrels. All congregating together! So that's what nature is like. I never knew.

Here is a meme that is like the one on all my f-list but is not exactly like it, so that I can be the differents.

Give me a fandom and I will tell you:

1. The first character I fell in love with.
2. The character I never expected to love as much as I do now.
3. The character everyone else loves that I don't.
4. The character I love that everyone else hates.
5. The character I used to love but don't any longer.
6. The character I would shag anytime.
7. The character I'd want to be like.
8. The character I'd slap.
9. A pairing that I love.
10. A pairing that I hate.

That is all.

I watched Field of Dreams tonight in preparation for my Geekfiction ficathon entry. I now know that whatever I will be writing for this story, and I have a few weird ideas, will be long and complicated and I probably should have started writing it weeks ago. My brain hurts already. But in a good way.

In other fic news, I need to write more of my Sara Confronts her Ghosts story, my beta even emailed me and was like, "Hellloo? Are you alive?" But I'm getting ideas for a story I wrote a year ago and never finished. It involves Lady Heather. I know, right? But I think this story should be finished. And I think maybe I need to finish both of these stories at the same time and do my ficathon story too. I am setting myself up to be rather busy.

Anyway. That is boring and I apologize. So here's a music survey meme thing that I will now share.

( Moar! )

Got weighed today...a certain friend of mine that may or may not be homosexual was right--I didn't lose as much as I thought.

( JC Weigh in--week one )

So anyway. I'm going to the farm today to see my doggies. It will be pleasurable, at least if my dad doesn't make me plant some tomatoes or something. It's hot. So very hot.

That is all.

So, day four on Jenny Craig. I keep saying I'm going to talk about it, so let me get some 100 calorie yogurt and then I will.

( mmm, yogurt... )

There's some crazy thunder right now and it's making me all tingly. I love storms. So very much.

Also, there is cake in the kitchen at work and I am not having it, even though it has been reported that it tastes quite good. Jenny Craig does not allow for this cake bullshit. She'd be maaddd.

More JC stuff later. For now, I should probably at least pretend to work.

So, I've been avoiding CSI spoilers like nobody's business, but I'd say this one is a pretty important one, y/y?

( cut for people who don't want to know anything/people who couldn't care less... )
So October is gonna be awesome with the premiere of CSI, the DVD coming out, my birthday, and my high school reunion. 10 YEAR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION OMG.

In more relavant news, my first day of Jenny Craig was...how you say...difficult. I'll talk more about that later because right now I've been at work for 46 minutes and have done nothing. Also, I decided not to put my Jenny Craig talk on a filter, I'll just put it under a cut and if you give a shit, you'll read it. Good times.

You know how when you're about to embark on a "lifestyle change" on Monday and you spend the preceding 4 days eating everything you want and then on Sunday night you feel like you're about to explode from the sheer amount of eating? Yeah.

So I'm going to be talking about Jenny Craig. Probably a lot. I think it'll be good for all of us if I put the people interested in my forthcoming weight loss journey on a filter so that I don't make everyone else die of boredom. If you wish to be a part of this filter, please comment here and we'll do it.

I'm starting tomorrow. I have a week's worth of food ready to go. I think it's going to be a pain in the ass trying to figure out how to do this every single day, but the majority of my thinking is positive. I've always wondered, what if I took 3 months and did everything I could possibly do to lose weight? 3 months from now will be about October 12th, my birthday. And the week before that is my 10 year high school reunion. So the timing is awesome, let's see if I can make a difference.

So anyway. Comment here for some filtering fun.

Before I begin, here's a cute picture of my mom's doggies:


Stolen from flying_colours.

( I like movies... )

Today is the last day of my vacation and there's about 10 things I want to do. However, it's already noon and the only thing I've accomplished is running a virus protector on my computer. It's taking forever because I have to manually tell it what I don't want, and apparently I have like 2,000 threats or something because OMG, just hurry it up already!

So, I've decided to join Jenny Craig. I've been thinking about it for a while and I went in Monday to find out more about it. Typical me, I cried when I was talking to one of the counselors, mostly because my mom really pissed me off earlier in the day. My mom is awesome 90% of the time, but she's never struggled with her weight and doesn't exactly know how to deal with me being the fat one in the family. And I know it was hard for her to see me being all kinds of fat while I was in Utah. They weighed me at Jenny Craig, and I'm not exaggerating when I say I'm the fattest I've ever been. And I don't even know why...it's not like I'm eating more than ever. I figure it's because I'm getting older and because I need to start taking ALL my pills. So...I'm going to get my pills, I'm going to join Jenny Craig, I'm going to start working out again...and if these things don't work, perhaps I will just give up. That would be exciting and liberating and terribly unhealthy. And I'm rambling.

So, I never talked much about my trip. Here's a few highlights:
- As usual, I am completely fascinated by Mormons. They are so interesting to me, and I still want to find out more about them. They're nice people, I know this. But what I find intriguing is how young they are when they start having babies. A lot of the younger girls I see are pushing around strollers with a young baby, have a toddler walking around, and sometimes are also visibly pregnant. And they look so young! Now, Richfield, Utah is a nice town and everything, but don't these girls want to get out and experience life a little before they start settling down and making as many babies as possible? I am probably offending about a million people here, but I just don't get it. Why all the baby-making as soon as possible?
- My mom and I went to see Wall*E. I loved it. Aside from all the screaming babies in the theater.
- I met my mom's new dog, Lion. He was a stray that apparently cased out the house for a couple of days before making his move. The funny thing about him is that he mimics everything Tonto, who was also a stray, does. If Tonto stretches, Lion stretches. If Tonto barks at a passing car, so does Lion, even if he doesn't really know why he's doing that. He's kind of like an alien pretending to be a dog. He's cute as a button, but we didn't really bond as much as I wanted to. I think most of that was because Tonto is in love with me and does not want to share.
- I played a lot of Sudoku. I couldn't figure it out at all at first, but I did eventually. I can't complete a Medium, though, so I'll have to keep practicing.
- Going back home, my plane was delayed an hour and a half because they had to change 2 tires. That was good times. And then when we finally landed in Dallas, my BFF was waiting for me by the baggage claim! I mean, how cool is that? I can't say anyone has ever done that for me before. She's the best BFF there is.
- My mom made cream chicken and mashed potatoes for me. This is my favorite meal. And it's the best ever.
- I miss my mommy.
- That is probably all at this time.

Urgh, viruses can suck it.

I posted this over in ADIML and thought perhaps some of y'all would be interested in taking a look. I will give you a real entry about fun vacation happenings tomorrow, because for serious, this took me all night and I've about had it.

*****

Hiya. Liz, 28, from Dallas, TX. First timer here! This is my July 4, 2008, in which I am on vacation in Richfield, Utah, visiting my mom and step dad. If you like clouds, dogs, and mountains, you'll love these pics!



59 pictures, including non-repeating teaser. Also, I am always in the mood for new friends.

( I like mountains! )

Obviously I fail at not checking internets while I'm gone. But today is my internet checking day and then I will be over it. Really. I swear.

I am having a lovely time among the Mormons at the moment. My mom's dogs love me. I am getting lots of rest. And I have discovered Sudoku, and my life may never be the same. It's sooo hard, y'all! But I managed to figure one out and it's all good from there. My brain has never worked so hard, I'm telling you.

That is all. I am going to go get some sun now. Rock on with you and yours.

Welp, it's that time of year, FINALLY, where I go to Utah to see my mommy. I'll be gone until Saturday, and I'm going to do my damndest not to check email or check my friendslist or what have you. Who knows if that'll happen, but I need to take an internet break.

I only got 4 hours of sleep, mostly because I thought it would be awesome to stay up late and write fanfic that nobody is going to read because it's Warrick/Sara instead of OMG! GSR! And now I feel like shit and I'm regretting that particular decision. I have the longest day ever, too. Oh, well, that's why they make Dr. Pepper.

Anyway, I leave you with my favorite song, Don't Cry, with alternative lyrics. I hope you all have a fantabulous week, and I will be thinking of you while frolicking in the mountains. I'm out!

Stolen from everyone, pretty much.

1. Name: Elizabeth, but mostly everyone calls me Liz.

2. Age: 28. Birthday is in October.

3. Location: Dallas, TX.

4. Occupation: I do closed captioning for the hearing impaired. I really do enjoy it even if I have to do at least 10 hours of overtime per paycheck to have any decent money. To give you an example of what I work on, yesterday I did a show called American Latino, and then followed that up with a terrible Hallmark movie called Pandemic. Having Tiffani Amber Theissan play a doctor is like having Marky Mark play a teacher.

5. Partner: Josh. We've been together since December 2005. We don't live together for a few reasons. One, he lives with his parents, and they're a little older and kind of need the extra assistance. Also, he does not have a job, nor has he had a job since we've gotten together. I am, in fact, his sugar mama. These things will have to change if we are ever going to live together. I don't know if they will. So, there's that.

But despite all that, he is lovely. He is an awesome cook and makes the best guacamole that exists. He's very affectionate. He has 2 doggies that I love with all my heart. He also has this incredible thirst for knowledge that I admire. He'll watch a documentary about anything, from the habits of beavers to what goes into making wicker. Seriously. He's into everything sci-fi and has every episode of Star Trek, Farscape, and BSG. Also, he's hot and the sex0rs is awesome.

6. Kids: None. None planned. I do want one or two in the future, like...before I'm 35. But not anytime soon.

7. Brothers/Sisters: I have a brother, Robert. He's 34 and has a 20 year old boyfriend who is adorable. They have 2 dogs, a golden retriever and a boxer. The boxer is a puppy and she wears a pearl necklace. Like, literally. They live in Austin. I love Austin but it's not somewhere I'd want to live. I did live there for a year and it just didn't work out. The traffic makes me want to scream.

8. Pets: This could take a while. I don't have any that live with me in my little apartment because I go to Josh's a couple of times a week and it just wouldn't work out. Plus I don't have a yard. But everyone in my family has 2 dogs each. I already mentioned my brother. My dad has the cutest golden retriever ever, Alf, and a pit bull-bird dog mix named Allie. My mom has a black lab named Tonto and a golden-something mix named Lion. I've never met Lion but I will get to next week! Whee. Josh has 2 Boston Terriers, Iris and Lily. I lub them.

9. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life:
1) I'm going on vacation to Utah, where my mom lives, on Monday. I'm taking the most vacation days I ever have, which I'm excited about, because I need it. I love my co-workers but I need to get out of here and be away from them for a while. Also, Utah! I loovvvee mountains.

2) I need to lose weight. So very, very much. When I get back from vacation and have that sense of dread because there's no more vacations for a while, I'm going to use that energy on figuring out a plan on how to do this. I've been overweight for 10 years now and it has to stop.

3) I'm taking an online writing class. I'm way behind on the lessons but what I've done so far has really put a clear picture in my head of the novel I want to write. The major problem with the novel is that for some reason, I visualize it in India. The name of it is Remember India, for crying out loud. It's just that I know nothing about India. Nothing. At all. I will have to research a lot but I think it'll be interesting and intriguing.

4. After seeing the Notebook, for some reason I got it in my head that I need to write smutty CSI fanfic about Warrick/Sara. This disturbs me as the majority of my fanfic is Grissom/Sara. But it involves a piano and Warrick plays, so...there ya go.

10. What did you go to school for? Journalism, with a focus on news-editorial. College wasn't really all that great for me. I should have gone to the school I was first accepted to, The College of Santa Fe. But that's a whole different entry entirely.

11. Parents: They got divorced when I was 14. My dad lives in Dallas and dates women who are way too young for him. I think the cut off age is 40, and they all have to be batshit crazy. My mom lives in Richfield, Utah with my stepdad. They moved there a few years after they got married since that's where he's from. He used to be Mormon, he isn't anymore. Every time I go to Utah, I have to say that I am quite fascinated by the Mormons. They intrigue me. But I digress.

12. Who are some of your closest friends? My BFF Alison was out of the picture for a few years but recently moved back from Colorado. We've been BFF off and on since we were 12 years old. Her birthday is literally the day before mine. We've had our dramas, A LOT of dramas, but I think we're in a really stable, drama-free friendship at the moment.

I also have a co-worker friend who I am becoming closer to as the days go by. We make the time go by at work by sending probably close to 50 emails a day. But she has like 10,000 friends and I am never for sure if I am just one of the 10,000 or someone she is closer to than that. Time will tell.

That is all. Carry on.

Hullo, new people that I bullied into being friends with me. In light of this new friendship, I offer you a Sex and the City fanfic (yes, I'm one of THOSE people) that:
a. None of you will read;
b. Got me kicked out of lastficstanding;
c. Is not that good but I like it anyway.

Before I do, here is a quick recap of me and my me-ness: I'm 28. I have a boyfriend that I do not live with for reasons that I will probably go into at some point, I have a strange obsession with Axl Rose that has endured for 16 years, I love me some TV and I'm currently emotionally involved with CSI, Reaper, Life, Pushing Daisies, Kathy Griffin, Anthony Bourdain...I never managed to get over shows that were cancelled, like Friends, Sex and the City, and My-So Called Life. I also have pretty much zero self-esteem and common sense. Welcome! And onto the fanfic...

Title: The Real Me
Summary: Carrie goes through some of her darkest days, but comes out of the haze to find the sun. Major spoilers for the movie!

( The Real Me... )

So my dad has this farm situation in East Texas. I went this weekend and the caretaker/friend/former crush of mine has collected 4 teeny tiny puppies. I believe he's going to give them away soon, but they were mine to play with for the weekend. And if you know me, you know that there's pretty much nothing in the world that makes me happier than a puppy. So here's a few pics for my puppy friends to enjoy...



( I just want to smooshie their faces! )

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Comedian-actor George Carlin, known for his raunchy but insightful humor, died of heart failure Sunday in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 71.
Carlin performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

Carlin performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

Jeff Abraham said Carlin went into St. John's Health Center on Sunday afternoon, complaining of chest pain. Carlin died at 5:55 p.m. PT.

Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

"He was a genius and I will miss him dearly," Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told The Associated Press.

First of all, I just wanted to say that I've been "voted off" lastficstanding. I am kind of bummed about that 'cause I only got to participate for 4 rounds. Phhhttt. I really enjoyed it and I got to write for 2 fandoms I haven't ventured into before, Sex and the City and My So-Called Life, so that was fun. I'm gonna miss it, I think. At least it made me write at least one fic a week, and now I'm in a groove. Maybe I can even finish my friggin' Sara Facing Her Ghosts WIP! That would be just lovely.

Oh, and also, I watched Mike Myers: Best of SNL tonight and I relived a lot of awesome memories. I've heard he's tough to work with, but when I was a youngin, there wasn't anybody funnier than him on SNL. And they played the best skits; the skits I remember cherishing when I was 10, 11, 12 years old, staying up late on Saturday and changing the channels between SNL and Headbanger's Ball on MTV. Man, I'm old. But they included the Wayne's World with Aerosmith, hosted by Tom Hanks! And the "I'm a hyper hypo" sketch! And the Wayne's World with Madonna and the whole Justify my Love thing! And Dieter, and Simon, and the Coffee Talk where Barbara Streisand makes an appearance. This is my childhood, people. I lovvee it.

ANYWAY! What I'm really here to talk about...
Thanks to my new (whether she likes it or not!) BFF flying_colours, I am listening to leaked songs from the much anticipated GN'R album, Chinese Democracy.

It is...amazing. Like, OMG goosebumps amazing.

( The Ballad of GN'R... )

I would like to share some pics. Y/Y?




This is me and Nathan's Boy. He's the most cuddly horse you've ever seen! He's like a gigantic dog, really.

( Moar! )

Title: Lake Mead
Author: Butliz
Rating: Teen
Summary: Nick is having trouble with the grieving process, and Greg is there to help him deal with it. Nick/Greg friendship.
Spoilers: Last episode of season 8.
Author's note - Another entry for lastficstanding. The prompt was to use the words map, cut, and bucket. I cleaned it up, added to it, and here it is.

( Lake Mead... )