Sassy Sidenote: Ask Away

Hey all, just a little reminder that today is the last day to enter your question for me, Jon, or both of us here. We are going to answer them on Wednesday. In the meantime I don't really have a whole lot else to write about right now. So instead filling your brain with drivel here is a crowd favorite, pictures of Frank.

Enjoy and don't forget to go here and ask us a question!

Vintage Sass

The prompt for the "Blogger carnival" over at 20 something bloggers is "Looking Back". We are supposed to repost a selection from our first 2 months of blogging. So here you have it, my post from August 2007, my first month of blogging.

(Warning I was long winded back then)

She's Got The Whole Foods In Her Hands

Okay so today I let my inquisitive nature take me to the opening of the Whole Foods Market in Cupertino. Remind me to write a letter to my "inquisitive nature" and tell it to take a hike.  And you may be thinking what make it so different from any other whole foods? Oh nothing it would just make a great place to shoot the new movie "honey I blew up the whole foods"-in a nutshell it's gigantic!

Anyway, as soon as I pulled into the parking lot I knew this was not a good idea. There were hundreds of cars-not exaggerating- all trying to find and or leave a parking spot. Ridiculous but I soldiered on. So I finally found a spot from a woman that looked like she had just seen the best thing ever followed by a startling smack in the face (go ahead just picture it) and ventured up into the store.

So I get up to the outdoor market area and they are giving away samples of melon and I kid you not grown women were elbowing one another as if the man behind the counter said that for the next ten minutes he was handing out hundred dollar bills. I mean come on ladies...it's a melon (sure it's organic yada yada yada)...but a MELON none the less. I toy with the idea of fighting for a piece of the melon but then decide it's not worth all of the sweaty people I would have to rub up against.

Finally I am in the whole foods! As I said earlier its huge. I am willing to venture that all of the food products in that one store alone could have fed Ethiopia with some food left over. They had a Salad bar as long as half a football field, and some other assorted "bars" with "foods of the world" (which one lady thought was incredibly generous free samples until a worker finally came up to her and said "ma'am this food is for sale-not free samples) AND they had a deli, meat counter, bistro-ish restaurant (which by the way I am not sure why anyone would want to eat there today because it was beyond noisy). okay, focus....so I walk in and my only reason for going there was to get a Sigg Water bottle recommended to me by Erin. I swear I am on a quest for the perfect water bottle, I will let you know how this one turns out. 

So I am immediately overwhelmed as I walk into the store and I hate not knowing what I am doing so I decide to cut through the confusion and ask an aimless worker where the water bottles are; Our dialoge is as follows:
Me: "excuse me do you have Sigg water bottles?"
Him: "um...I'm sure we do....I just don't know where they are...."
Me: "oh...okay..."
Him: "yeah I usually don't work here (no shinaningans shirlock-it's opening day) I was just asked to come so that I could you know help out"
Me: "oh and what a help you are, I think they just asked you to be here so you could keep that name tag warm" (okay okay I didn't say that-I just said thank you and turned around to see the Sigg water bottles in front of my face.)

As I am picking out my proper color/size sigg I notice this woman towering over me as if these sigg water bottles were breaking news and she had to get one-I mean more power to ya but gosh give a girl some breathing room.

Okay so I got my sigg and realized that while I am here I should at least get some food right? So I go to the salad bar and am accosted by this balloon blowing clown (I HATE CLOWNS!) I don't want a balloon I just want a salad!!! As the clown goes off to scare others I notice that there are about 8 kids trailing him as if he were the pied piper! First of all I would like to know what kind of parent allows their child to follow around a stranger in grease paint around acres of a very crowded store? But I suppose there is always the other type of parent that doesn't even notice their child is missing until they pass some brightly colored display and doesn't feel a tug on their pants and the scream of "can I have that?!!?!" Which one is worse?

Anyway I finally get up to the cashier after being behind miles of people in line and having my patience tried by having a lady tap her cart methodically against my rear until I turn around and "smile" at her-she stops the tapping and then just tries to cut in front of me-how nice. By this time I am frazzled and think that there is not enough health food in the world to make me want to go back in that store. I meet Daniel, my helpful whole foods worker. I ask him if he is stressed out and he says not really as bells and whistles go off and that damn clown runs past him. He seems so at peace. I have never seen someone reach nirvana but he seemed pretty close to it; that or he partook in some other "all natural substance" before coming to work-I suspect the latter. Nonetheless, Daniel inspired me with his calm nature and sent me out of the store with a much more calm aura about me; until I was stalked like a jungle animal of Africa as I walked to my car. So big shout out to Erin for the Sigg water bottle, also a big shout out to Daniel thanks for calming me down and third shout out to that damn clown-stay away from me!

Surprise!

Before Rosie passed away on Friday, my family and friends had been planning a surprise party for me all week. Being caught up in my sadness over Rosie's passing I didn't suspect a thing. It took a lot for me to head over to my parent's house to celebrate Father's day. Friday and Saturday were filled with random moments of crying incredibly hard in numerous settings (like when I cried in the dog isle at Target or at our table at Red Robin).

So when I walked into my parent's back yard I was caught by surprise.

Having my friends and family come together for my graduation and in a time when I needed the support of these very people, well it meant the world to me. It just shows you that when life shoves you down, so far down you can't imagine ever getting up again, there are moments left that will shoot you just as far in the opposite direction, there are people that are there to soften the blow of pain you don't think will go away (and that includes all of your kind words). Life is just so fascinating in that way. And while I miss my Rosie like crazy, it feels so good to get a taste of the moments and people that make my life one that I love.

Remembering Rosie

My mom and my brother Richard found Rosie at a flea market. Well technically, they saw her brothers first. Ricky begged my mom for one of the puppies but my mom said that she wanted to get a female dog and all they had were male dogs-Ricky was out of luck. That was until a man that had just bought one of the puppies came back claiming he wanted a male, not a female. And that is where Rosie came into the picture. Richard reminded my mom of her promise and my mom agreed, and together they brought Rosie into our lives. 

Later that day my family picked me up from a sleepover and tucked in between my brothers in the back seat was Rosie. She looked so lethargic and scared but still oh so adorable. Her curly golden ears shined in the sun that day in May ten years ago and she had my heart right then.

We took her home and she couldn't seem to shake the lethargy, we got worried. That was until Jon (who was a very new boyfriend at the time) suggested we heat up a piece of ham and feed it to her. It worked like a charm, and she perked up right away.
Rosie always had a way of doing things her own way. She was a tomboy and loved to chase after her ball with the other dogs. She had a never ending stomach and a huge heart for all animals. Without fail she always respond to the word "cookie" and I swear when you caught her at the right moment, she smiled at you.
She would let me dress her up, paint her nails and trim her fur on a regular basis. She loved to be pampered and even when she wasn't really into it, she still let me do it anyway. She knew when you needed a cuddle but when you were feeling fine it wouldn't be uncommon for her to steal your seat on the couch. For the longest time she was our only dog and truthfully I think she really liked it that way. When the other dogs came along she would play with them at times but other times she would just hang by our feet and watch. She showed the other dogs how to fall in line behind her and they listened because she didn't give them a choice.

Whenever anyone would take note of how she was getting older I would look at her and say, "Rosie promised me she is never going to die, right Rosie?" And she would stare back at me-almost to say "yup". I know it is a silly thing to say, but for the longest time it made me feel safe, that she would always be there.

For the past two weeks Rosie had been sick and when my mom called the vet they said that she probably didn't have very long left with us. My mom told me this, but I think I did my best to ignore it. Rosie would be fine, she always has been. So instead I wrapped myself up in the preparation for graduation and tending to Frank's hurt leg (he recently tweaked his leg and the doctor said he couldn't leave the house, which resulted in me not leaving the house either). I should have listened to my mom, to the vet, I should have taken my chance to say goodbye. This is something that I will regret for a very long time. 

Early this morning my parents saw that she began to suffer so they decided that it was time to put her to sleep but on the way there she passed away in my dad's arms. I was soon called shortly after at 3am. There really aren't very many calls that report good news at 3am. My brother James tearfully told me that Rosie had passed away. I tried my hardest to stay calm for James, but after I hung up I lost it and really haven't stopped since. Right now I am devastated and I miss my first ever dog. I miss her so much my heart aches, I would give anything to give her one last hug.

Rosie you made our family "dog people" and for this I can not thank you enough. You are missed beyond words.

I love you.

Growing Up, Scaling Down, Staying the Same

"You grow up the first day you have your first real laugh at yourself"

-Ethel Barrymore

I was just browsing through my latest issue of Real Simple Magazine when I noticed the writing prompt, "When did you first realize you were a grown up?". So I sat and thought about it for a while, acknowledged that while I still have a lot of growing to do, these are some of the ways I have realized that I am growing up (one of them being that I subscribe to Real Simple Magazine).

1. I listen to talk radio. When I was little my ears used to glaze over whenever an adult would have talk radio on in the car, now I seek out talk radio more than music-weird I know.

2. I care about thread count. About two years ago I had a little extra money to spend so I bought myself some new sheets. I cannot begin to tell you how excited this made me. I swear there is nothing like slipping into some quality sheets at the end of the day.

3. I care for my little Frankie as though he is my child. I swear you guys, this little pup has stolen my heart for good. When I see him sleeping I hope he is dreaming happy puppy dreams, I take joy in feeding him and even taking him out to go potty. Having this little guy depend on me has really re-organized my life in the best way possible.

4. I had no idea who "People's Sexiest Bachelor" was.  Seriously, this magazine appeared in the mail at work and I was all, "yes he is cute, but who the heck is he?"

Apparently he is Chace Crawford and he is on Gossip Girl. For all I knew he could have been a grocery bagger from Hoboken. This happened before when I watched the MTV movie awards recently. At one point I thought, "hmm these fresh faced teens must have won the chance to present on this awards show from Clearasil or something". That was until I saw how nutso the crowd was for them and figured they were "somebodies". I am still not sure if this is a by-product of being busy this past year or from getting older.

5. I look at kids these days and feel like they are missing out. (Also, I use the term "Kids these days")  Even though kids today have much more advanced technology at their finger tips I still can't help but feel a little sad for them. When I was little, before the internet and cell phones (oh man I was around before the internet and cell phones!!!) I can remember playing outside for hours at a time and only stopping for meals and potty breaks. When I take walks around neighborhoods I hardly ever see kids outside and when I see them out and about they are attached to a technological device. I am glad that these kids are born in an age where they understand and have the ability to use this technology, but part of me is sad that they don't have the simplicity that I did when I was little. (And yes, I do realize that not all kids are like this)

Reasons I Still Have A Lot Of Growing Up To Do:

1. Listening to the boy bands stations on Pandora makes me giddy. 

There is something about those infectious tunes and melodic ballads that get me all weak in the knees and singing along in moments. 

2. I still giggle when anyone mentions "Fish Tacos".  I know I know, that's gross. But I cannot help it. If you like fish don't ever go eat Mexican food with me unless you want to see my impression of a 12 year old.

3. I get upset when I don't get my way, I have even been known to pout.

It's not the most mature reaction to bad news but it's the most honest one I have. The pouting doesn't lead to me getting my way but it does make me feel better. Have you ever noticed how I write "harumph" after some stuff I write? Well that is me pouting via the internets, just picture my arms folded across my chest and my bottom lip protruding. 

4. I do the quizzes on Facebook that are Disney related and since we are on the topic of Disneyland, I would rather go there than to Las Vegas...yes really. And for your information, according to the "which Disney Princess Are you?" quiz, I am Ariel.

Tell me, how did you know you were growing up/are a grown up? Also, how do you know you still have more growing to do?

Ramble On

Since graduation last week I have been enjoying the simple pleasures in life such as watching movies after work, cooking dinner instead of heating up dinner and taking naps in the afternoon, Frank and I like to call it "Sassy and Frank's Siesta Session". Ok I just call it that, he just naps with me.

Today I saw "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist", which I liked infinitely better than "He's Just Not That Into You", which I was not that into at all. I felt like a lot of the scenarios they showed were just downright stereotypical and somewhat insulting. Just blegh. (I think I got bristly over the whole "you have to be married to have a real relationship"-hello red flag/sore spot/sour grapes heh).

Even though I am enjoying the non-homework lifestyle there are some points of business I need to take care of, the main one being that my insurance coverage is dunzo when I turn 25 on the 12th of next month. As I told Jon, me not having insurance is like playing Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun-nothing bud bad stuff will come of this. You see I have random health issues that pop up out of the blue (i.e. hives, an allergic reaction to the changing of the seasons, my eyes swelling shut for 3 days, torn discs, arthritis, nearly blind,  oh and the fact that I had the flu for roughly 2 months straight...ya know to name a few). Oh and as of last Friday I found out I have asthma. Yes, seriously. 

So as you can see, there are many reasons that insurance is a worthy investment. I was hoping to get on Jon's insurance but since we aren't married or same sex domestic partners I can't get on his policy. harumph. It'll work out, it always does.

Oooh and I bought one more pair of shoes....they were a good deal and I needed a pair in this color. 

So as you can see I am fresh out of blogging tales right now, so I will now open the floor to you guys. Tell me something you would like me to blog about or a question you would like me to answer. Ooh and let's make this interesting...Jon is willing to open up the floor for questions for him (since I wrote that last sentence Jon said "We can call it ask Jon, ask a guy, ask a guy corner....yeah"). Ready, set, ask away!

Pomp and Circumstance

The past few weeks I have been having flashbacks of school moments that stick out in my mind. Mainly these flashbacks consisted of studying with the thought that this may be the test that would do me in, or dragging my booty to class even though I really didn't want to go, and I also thought of all of the times my friends would invite me to spend time with them and I had to decline because there was always a test to take or homework to do. And while these seems like not so fond memories, in their own way, they are because they remind me that I got through it. I did it.

So on Friday as I got dressed (in the cute little dress that you guys picked for me) I was in disbelief that all of that exhausting studying, class going, homework doing was over. It was a huge feeling of accomplishment, pride and an overwhelming thrill of the unknown that lay ahead of me.

Sitting at the banquet with my dearest friends and family I could literally feel my heart swell, which I'm guessing is similar to what the Grinch felt like on Christmas. Here I was sharing in a moment that meant so much to me with the people that, each in their own way, held my hand on this crazy journey. Gah I felt the love.

Before I knew it I took my place in line and then I walked across the stage. And where I was nervous and shaky during my undergrad graduation, I was confident happy and ready this time. You guys I strutted across that stage. And my friends and family cheered their brains out. It was damn awesome!

And then the next day I bought myself some beautiful shoes wit some graduation money.
Graduations are so awesome, I should do it more often ;)

Dress Me Up!

Ok everyone I need help picking a dress for the graduation banquet. Let's make a decision shall we?

Dress#1:

I like this little dress, it's fun, it's flirty and it has a bunch of pretty flowers on it. Annnnd it is actually an old dance costume. But to be truthful, it was a regular everyday dress that we used as a costume.

Oh and the towel on my head is not part of the ensemble, it's just me being lazy and fresh out of the shower.

Dress #2: For dress number two I remove the towel and show you this beauty.

Dress #3: I wore it for new years 2008...apparently I have gained a pound or two in the interim. I feel like a sausage in this dress...I won't be offended if I get zero votes for this sausage casing.

Dress #4: This is not a serious option, I just felt like putting it on because it's gold and sparkly and fun. And yes that is Jon's bike in our bedroom and no I am not ok with it.

So go vote on the right side of the screen!

Everything Must Go!

So if you haven't taken a peak at airfare and hotel rates lately let me inform you, they are so low you would think they are kick ass limbo players. So it would be the perfect time to travel. Kinda like a no duh huh? But here's the thing you kinda need money to do so and to be perfectly honest I don't have sufficient funds that constitute travel at the moment. (And how lucky is Princess Nebraska with the $1200 plane vouchers?!)

It's just so weird to see price's for everything dropping, not just travel, but most people can't afford to take advantage of these steals and deals and if they do they are probably socking it away-Suze Orman would be proud. Well I may just be speaking for myself, some of you may still be all about champagne wishes and caviar dreams.

At this point I would be thrilled if the tourism board of Sacramento wanted to pay for me to attend a week long basket weaving convention (and just in case this actually exists, Sacramento, I am totally interested!). I am just antsy to pack a suitcase. And the irony of all of this is that the next time I will travel will probably be when the economy is bustling...and prices are back to normal absurdity. Oh life you are such a teaser. Tisk tisk.

Are you traveling this summer? If so let me live vicariously.

Miss Sassy How Does Your Garden Grow?

Since school work has taken a back seat lately (I graduate on Friday woot woot!) I have been looking high and low for a new hobby to fill my time. Lately a new interest in gardening has begun to bloom (get it...bloom...garden? heh). I am so inspired by the brilliant colors and the way different plants need sun while others need more shade and how if you follow the steps and pay attention you are paid off with new buds and beautiful flowers.

This morning my Uncle and I went to the farmer's market and I added some new beauties to my potted garden. Here are the begonias and dahlias I got from the farmers market.

Frank loves to help me garden, he is just a fool for flowers, see:
And yes, he really is smelling the flower...with his eyes closed...oh man the cuteness is too much sometimes. But my garden doesn't end there, here is a photo tour of our patio. (I really wanted to do a video tour but our patio faces the rest of the neighbors and I really didn't want to give them any more reasons for thinking I was odd).

So anyway, here is my herb garden. My mom and I put together this little herb garden (another reason I love gardening is because it's something my mom and I do together) and I have actually used the little herbs already!
And these are the tomatoes I have been babying. You might be thinking to yourself that those tomatoes look upside down.
That's because they are! My mom bought be a topsy turvy I had been eyeing on info-mericals. And guess what? It actually works! We have a total of 8 tomatoes growing so far and I think we are in store for some more!! I think I may have even started a trend because soon after I put up our topsy turvy three more neighbors put them up. I'm tellin ya if you have limited space but want to grow stuff, the topsy turvy is the way to go!
Here are some more dahlias.
And field poppies.
And the beautiful smelling jasmine.
I am so into gardening lately and I wish that I had a yard so I could watch these plants grow in the ground instead of in a pot, but that will come in time. Gardening also really helps me slow down and pay attention to each little sprout and bud and pay attention to the progress they are making. What color is your thumb?

Perspective

When I was little, say around the age of 8, I had a vision of what my twenties would look like. I thought that by the time I was 25 (which I will be as of July 12 this year), with an awesome job, I would have a house, a marriage and kids-and lots and lots of fabulous clothes and shoes. While I am pretty content with my clothes and shoes (but there is always room for improvement-did I mention I had a birthday coming up?) and I will be starting the awesome job in the fall the rest of my life looks nothing like I had envisioned when I was a wee one.

It's so strange how that happens.

In some respects I feel like I am behind in the game. Jon and I aren't married, which is cool for now, our only child is covered in fur, which actually will probably be true of our actual human children because I am one hairy Italian girl...anyway....and we still rent. Would you believe that many of our friends are all of the above (I mean married, with child and home owners-not the hairy part)?  On one hand I'm like wow, we are so young to be doing all of that stuff...and then I look at my license and realize that I have been a legal drinker for four years and that maybe we are old enough for all of this adult business.  So in that respect I feel much younger than my chronological age.

But on the flip side I am a grandma in many respects. I never really got the appeal of going out and drinking myself silly and flashing my Britney, so forth and so on. I really prefer hanging out at home with those I care about and talking for hours on end (and if drinking ourselves silly at home happens so be it).  

So it's an interesting parallel and it has made me decide that any one age doesn't have a look or feel to it; it's different for us all. But it's just funny how off my little 8 year old self was.

What expectations did you have for your current age when you were little? Does it match up?

The Princess and the P

You see I have this issue where I can fall asleep anywhere at any moment. I guess it's not really an issue at all, more of a gift really. I was discussing this very gift with Jon the other day.

ME: I am the opposite of the princess and the pea.

JON: The who and the what?

ME: The Princess that couldn't sleep because there was a tiny pea under her stack of matresses...ringing any bells for you?

JON: Are we talking about the letter P or a vegetable?

ME: Why would a story be written about a girl who couldn't sleep on the letter P?

JON: So this is a story about a light sleeper essentially? 

ME: Forget I said anything.

Consider My Gears Grinded

I have some things I have to get off my chest:

1. Back in the day (about 5-8 years ago) when you went to get a pedicure they would take off the calluses/use a pumice stone for free. Because if I am not mistaken, that's what a pedicure is all about, a foot smoothing of sorts. Now when I go to pedicures they ask if I want my calluses worked on with a pumice stone & special lotion for an extra five dollars...so am I must paying for the polish and dipping my feet in warm water? That's just silly talk.

2. Hey do you guys remember swine flu? Yeah what the heck? For one solid week we were made to believe that THE WORLD WAS ENDING, and then the next week, nothing. And I still haven't heard anymore about it. OH wait, yes I did; I heard that Swine flu was nothing more than another strain of the average flu. mmhmm, so a whole lot of panic over nothing...NOTHING. call me nuts but I think the news has a responsibility to inform the public while not over-sensationalize stuff for ratings. Just me? Okay then.

3. On Saturday I woke up to the feeling that my entire face was numb. Oh that's comforting. So I get up and look in the mirror to see that my nose (which is already a substantial size on it's own) has swelled to scary perportions. oh my. Veins around my nose started to pop out like they were a vein on a body builder's bicep. I was freaked out. Jon suggested I take some Benadryl which seemed to help but the next day I woke up with a huge red dot on my nose. So now the swelling is gone but the dot still exists. Check it out:

So tell me what grinds your gears?