The Presidential Debate

Myles and I couldn't watch them on Friday so we set them to tape on the DVR and watched them last night. David and Misty were over last night for Myles birthday, so we watched it with them, and we all came to the same conclusion: it was one bug cluster you-know-what. We didn't really see that either of them really answer the questions, and the moderator even picked up on that and made some comments regarding it, too. They both kept saying what needed to be done, but neither ever said HOW they were going to do it, which is the most important part.

I'm not going to tell you who I'm going to vote for, because, well, I don't know who I'm going to vote for. I really don't like either one. I will admit, Obama did better in the debates by far. That still doesn't make me like him any better, though.

I mean, McCain...he's old, he's been pro-Bush's ideas (which I hate), he wants to keep us in the war...the list goes on.

And Obama. Ugh. He has absolutely zero patriotism, which I hate. He won't even put his hand over his heart when the National Anthem is playing or the Pledge of Allegiance is being said. And, straight from my brother who's in Iraq, was there when Obama went to visit Iraq. Obama refused to go into the hospitals and visit wounded soldiers because the cameras couldn't follow him in there. I do like how he wants to get us out of this stupid war and put or soldiers where they really should be, in Afghanistan searching Bin Laden out.

Like I said, I'm not big on either one, so I guess I'm just going to have to keep watching and decide who the lesser of the two evils is. Either way, I think this country is pretty much screwed.

Oh, and what's all this crap they were talking about that we're winning the war in a Iraq and we'll be the victors, blah blah blah. Can someone please tell me what the hell we're winning? Seriously. McCain kept talking about how the Iraqis look at us as liberators...um, no they don't. My brother said they hate us and want us to get the hell out of their country.

And here's a way to save money, stop giving it away to people like Georgia and Africa. I think it's time our governemt stopped trying to be everyone's big brother and aiding all these other countries and start paying attention to their own country for once. Start letting other countries deal with their own problems.

Can anyone tell I'm really annoyed by the whole entire election? Sigh.

I've been...

A bad, bad blogger lately. And the sad thing is, I haven't been all that crazy busy, so I really have no excuse. =P I'm just a crappy blogger lately.

I'll probably start to get busier in the next few days, since as of right now, the wedding is only16 days away. This weekend is the trip up to my parents' to pick up my dress from the alterations, next week is my two-day bachelorette party extravaganza, and then on Weds 10-8, family and friends start arriving from all over the country, including Hawaii. So yeah, I'm thinking I will continue to be a crappy blooger for a little while, though I will do my absolute bestest to remember. =) I just can't make any promises since I'm not sure I can keep them. lol

In the category of "Tera's Latest Obsessions" today, we have the Vampires Game on MySpace. Don't ask, because I have no freaking clue how I got into it. I think Misty sent me the invite and it's been downhill ever since. I sat in front of the TV last night, clicking over to my MySpace page every few minutes to refresh and see how much Energy and Rage I had. Yes, I know. It's sick. Completed depraved, but it's got me hooked. And with my OCD, once I'm hooked on something, it becomes a crazy obsession. Sigh. So if you need me, that's where I'll probably be, with my nose pressed into my laptop and my fingers frozen in place over the keyboard, playing Vampires. Yes, it's that bad. But hey, the more distracted I get, the less I think about things like food, so maybe it'll be a valuable weight-loss tool. (Shhh. Let me try and spin this into something positive.)

Things you need to know

Which myths about alcohol are actually true? Well, today I'm going to address five of them, thanks to the Exponent, Purdue University's newspaper. =)

Myth 1: Beer gives you a beer belly.

And the answer is........FALSE! (Oh thank you, lord). There has been any substantial research to confirm the fact the beer causes consumers to gain excessive amounts of weight. There are alternative explanations to the correlation between beer drinks and excess weight. Beer drinkers tend to eat food when they are intoxicated, so their weight gain can be attributed to excess calorie intake. Another reason beer drinkers may gain weight is because of the amount of alchohol they drink. Heavy drinkers who are putting down a six pack or more a night are going to gain weight...so basically, to sum it up, beer drinkers who aren't alkies are okay. Ya hoo!

Myth 2: Beer before liquor, you've never been sicker. Liquor before beer, you're in the clear.

FALSE! Sweet. I've always made an attempt to follow this one, but it never quite works out with all the shots I take while drinking beer. =P Studies show confirm that mizing alcoholic beverages with fruit beverages or carbonation makes and difference, but not with beer or liquor specifically. The one reason you may get sick is because of the congeners in alcohol, which are a by product. Basically, stick to the same drink if you can, because if you're drinking different types of drinks, you're getting different types of congeners in you, and sometimes they can have a reaction that ain't so great for you. Bottom line, alcohol is alcohol and if you drink enough, it doesn't matter what you had in what order, if you drink too much, you'll make yourself sick.

Myth 3: Sucking on a penny helps you pass a breathalyzer test.

Yeah, so not true. Just watch Mythbusters. They already covered this and said there is pretty much no way possible to beat a breathalyzer test, so don't even try.

Myth 4: Hair of the dog as a cure for a hangover.

This one is actually false, which surprises me. When I was in my big time party days when I was a bit younger we always did this. Maybe it was just psychological that we felt better. Actually, the metabolites in alcohol will actually make your hangover first. The researchers go on to say that the best way to cure a hangover is to moderate your drinking so you don't get what. Um, yeah. I take it they don't get out much. =P

Myth 5: Alcohol kills brain cells.

This one is actually sort of true. Sigh. It certainly explains all my blonde moments. It's something about alcohol being a neurotoxin, and if you have the right genes, or the wrong ones haha, if you drink a lot over the course of your lifetime, you can develop something called Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, which deteriorates the brain tissue. Well, that sucks.

And now that you have been enlightened, go out and have some beers and have some beer before you get to your shots. =)

Love Me by Kelly Jamieson

How far does she have to go to get his attention? Another girl’s arms?

Melina Wenham is worried and frustrated. Lately, her boyfriend of six months seems to have lost interest in her. Yes, she knows he’s stressed about his big project at work, but jeez, it seems like he’d rather go solo than have sex with her. Sexy lingerie, a Brazilian…nothing seems to get his attention.

Gavin’s frustrated too. He’s under enough pressure at work, without feeling more from Melina every time he gets home.

Another night, another party, and Gavin is off talking to the boys. Feeling ignored yet again, Melina confides her troubles to an acquaintance, Abby, who suggests shaking him up by flirting with another guy. Hmm. Not a bad idea, except there are no flirt-worthy guys at this party.

Then Abby suggests a different tack—flirt with her.

Could a little girl-on-girl tango be the match that reignites romance with Gavin? There’s only one way to find out…

Warning: Hot girl on girl scene!

A day late and a dollar short

But there's a reason for it. I couldn't really post this before I had watched the show.

Last night, Myles and I sat down and watched the 102 Minutes show on the History Channel. I thought it would be interesting to watch and see footage from a non-news aspect. Wow, it gave me a whole new perspective on things.

I know a lot of people compare the attacks of 9/11 to that of Pearl Harbor. I wholeheartedly do NOT agree. The 9/11 attacks were MUCH worse. When Pearl Harbor happened, they attacked a military post with military people, people who signed up for a job, knowing there was risk such as that attached to said job. It was also a time of war (Yes, I know, we weren't in the war yet, but it was inevitable and everyone pretty much knew it at the time). 9/11 was none of those things. It was during peacetime and it was to everyday, innocent people. Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying that the people at Pearl Harbor weren't innocent, but I think you know what I mean. The people who lost their lives during 9/11 were non-military people.

Watching that show last night really made me think more about 9/11 and what the people were going through, and I don't think the news has ever really shown that aspect of it. These were people on the streets as it happened, regular people, who were there as it all went down. You are seeing peoples' reactions as the events happened, in real time. You are feeling their panic and terror, and I had a hard time keeping myself from tearing up as I watched part of it.

In one part there are two college girls taping it from their apartment window, before the second plane struck, and one of them notices "things" that are falling faster than the other debris, and she is hit with the epiphany that those are people. In this footage, you can see the people jumping and freefalling, you can see the people on the top floors, above the impact area and fire, hanging flags out the window, leaning out of their broken windows and yelling for help. And you know, these people you are watching, they're all dead now. None of them lived through the collapse.

I think what got to me the most was the reactions and the expressions on the firemens' faces. Many of them are walking toward the building resolutely, scared shitless, some with tears in their eyes, but they are still going willingly. That is such bravery and courage, and I have even more respect for them than I had before, and my respect for them has always been very high up there. You can see the reactions of the firemen as people who have jumped or fallen land on the ground in front of them. And you can see how dazed, confused and utterly helpless they are after the collapses. You can see that they simply didn't know what to do at that point.

I know a lot of people don't like to hear things like what I've said, and they choose not to pay attention to that, but it's important we never forget. This was one of the worst days in the history of our country. Hell, it should be a national holiday like Labor Day and Memorial Day.

And people need to think of the many other American lives that have been lost since then, of our men and women fighting in the middle east, who were dragged into this mess. And yes, it's a mess. I may support our troops, especially since my brother is over there fighting in the Army right now, but the reason we got into this war in the first place has not been dealt with. We should be looking for Bin Laden, he should be dead already. Instead, we went over there because the president wanted to settle Daddy's old score. Saddam is NOT who commited the atrocious acts of 9/11, and the people who did are still out there, still hating America, still planning other ways to "get" us.

I know a lot of people don't agree with what I may have said, and that's okay. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and this is mine. It's something I feel strongly about. Like I said, it's okay if you don't agree with me. And no, I don't believe 9/11 was a conspiracy...that is just an absolutely ridiculous notion and has been disproven time and time and time again.

Ooooh, pretty

So, we went and got our wedding bands tonight. And after three hours of looking and comparing prices, we finally bought some. Our intent was just to get plain gold wedding bands, since we didn't want to spend a lot of money, but, well, that just didn't happen. At all. And since I had requests from people to post pics, I had Myles take one of mine before it gotten taken away from me to be sized, since I have mini hands and my ring finger is only a size 5.

And you know what the worst part about this whole thing is? Myles just bought me a beautiful ring with certified diamonds in it, and I can't even wear it for another month. Blech!

My Bridal Shower...

Was absolutely phenomenal. Misty and my mom are awesome! =) The first thing I saw was the cake when Misty came over with everything early yesterday morning. Oh. My. God. And as you can see, not just one cake, but two. =) A pink elephant in a wedding dress, complete with tiara and veil, and a wedding shoe cake. =) And she even tried to make the dress look like my wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses with the ruffles on them. She's so awesome. =) She always outdoes herself with the cakes she makes, so I was super curious as to what she was going to do for this, and she, once again, outdid herself and made a cake that was absolutely perfect for me. =) And actually, she told me she can't even take the credit for the cake design, it was her husband (one of our best friends, David) and her daughter, Grace's idea. They know me well, too. It's really great and such a blessing to have such close friends who know you that well.

As most of you probably read in my blog yesterday, right before my mom and dad and Matthew got there, I was banished to the upstairs to sit in my office while everything was being done downstairs. (Hey, I actually got quite a bit of editing done in that two hours. lol) After my parents and Matt got there, my dad and Matt and Grace were going to run out to Meijer to pick up some forgotten supplies. I actually got out of my office for a bit to have something more to do...and let me tell you, going downstairs with your eyes closed with your ten-year-old brother leading you isn't the most fun...especially in a pair of my signature three-inch heels. Hahah. I cheated and peeked, but I shielded my eyes and only looked at the steps. I didn't want to ruin the surprise that my mom and Misty were working on so hard for me. But then, I was finally able to come down and look at like 12:45, fifteen minutes before people were to start arriving. =P And that was partially because I sat on the top step, where I couldn't see anything and kept asking if they were done yet. LOL They wouldn't let me come down until they were ready with cameras, since they wanted to get my reaction. =)

This is me abolsutely loving the little high heels and purses they put on the table to hold candies. =) And the kicker of the candies in the high heels is that they were white chocolate high heels that Misty made. Perfect! They basically took all of my favorite things and that was the theme of the shower: black, white, pink, calla lillies, high heels, purses, elephants, ice cream, lip gloss and a few others things. Everything in the favor/gift bags was something that is one of my favorite things. Little wooden elephants, little ice cream cone-shaped bubbles, little lip sticks and high heels with bath gel in them, little blocks of Post-Its (I'm a Post It FREAK), blank note/Thank-you cards with elephants on them, my favorite candy bars (Rolos and Hershey Cookies N Cream bars. No Mr. Goodbars since Misty is allergic to peanuts), little candles in the shape of ice cream sundaes, glass coasters with calla lillies etched on them....it was perfect. And my favorite types of food, too. Mexican, Italian, and hick. LOL The hick part is the little mini pigs in a blanket. Hahaha. Taco dip, bruschetta made with yummy frency bread, homemade cinnamon tortilla chips with fruit salsa, and a BIG bowl of homemade sangria. Everything was perfect. I had a really great time. And afterward, my mom, dad, Myles, David, Misty and I went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (bloody steak, my fave!) and then to our favorite bar...well, everyone except My's. He's not so big on it, but he is wonderful enough to put up with it sometimes for me. =) And no, dinner and the bar weren't for me. It was to celebrate Mom's b-day on Sept 5 and Dad getting his MBA a few weeks ago. =)

Here's a couple of extra pics from the shower. I don't have everyone's pics yet, but I'm sure I will in the next couple of weeks and I'll post some good ones as I get them.

This one has me eating and making some sort of funny Tera face, but it has a really good view of the table stuffs. =)

By the way, the awesome picture of my cats...my dad drew that. =) He's a phenomenal artist. And I'm sitting in my throne, cheesin' at something or someone.

The three littlest ones who weren't participating, but sitting in the living room playing and watching cartoons, saw a few people come out to do the toilet paper wedding dress game and were so fascinated they wanted to do it do. All under the age of six. =)

And this one is of me and my practice bouquet....something I never even knew about until yesterday. I'm telling you, I'm pretty green regarding this whole wedding thing. =-P

So today....

Is my bridal shower. Right now I'm sitting upstairs in my office with my neice Grace while her mom, Misty, is downstairs cooking and getting everything ready for when people start to arrive in a couple of hours.

She brought a bunch of the stuff over last night and helped me rearrange the house and get it back together after having the carpets cleaned and was showing me the stuff she put in the gift bags. =) Everyone is going to be getting things I like... all of my favorite things. =) Bubbles in the shape of high heels and lip sticks (since lip gloss stuff is hard to find, lol), little wooden elephants, some Ariel from the Little Mermaid stuff (since there will be kids here and the Little Mermaid is my FAVE Disney movie), my favorite candy bars, glass coasters with calla lillies on them...and the list goes on. It's so neat and it's so perfect. There is no theme other than "Tera". LOL She even has done everything in my favorite colors, black, white and pink.

This morning, she showed me the special surprise that she had set up...a scrapbook recipe book. She get recipes from all the family members on Myles's side and my family and friends will be contributing theirs today. Each family member has a page with their name on it and my favorite recipes. When I looked through it, I cried. It was really touching. Even though Myles's grandmothers have both passed, they even have pages in there. Wow.

This all feels so surreal. Myles and I have been together for four and a half years now, and we've been engaged for over two of them. It's like the wedding and all this has been such a long time coming that now that it's finally here, it still isn't quite real yet. It's amazing and wonderful. I'm so excited about everything and I can't wait to see what else Misty has in store for today.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the cake. Er, cakes. She made two. One is a wedding shoe, since, well, duh. LOL And the other is a pink elephant in a wedding dress with a tiara and a veil!! Oh my God, it's awesome. I'll be sure to post pics of everything. =)

Ah, having an office

I moved into my office today, even though it isn't 100% complete. We still have to paint some chair rail and put that up one night this week. Myles is currently putting up the chair rail in his office right now. The room I'm in has been painted and unused for two years now. Yes, we've had an entire room in our house that has been unused. It's slated to be the nursery when we have kids in a couple of years, but until then, it's my office. And I have NO CLUE what I'm going to do for an office when the first rugrat comes and I have to give my space up, but I'm sure we'll figure something out. Gar. But, for right now, it's nice to have my own space for editing and such. I have all of my reference books and notepads and highlighters and pens and such in one place, and now the living room isn't cluttered with all my crap. =) I've been needed to seperate work and relax time for a while now, and I'm happy it's finally done. I'm sure I'll work just as much, but I'll work more efficiently. LOL Plus, when I'm not in front of the TV, it enables me to place all my concentration on the submission I am reading or the story I am editing. I think it will work much better this way. And did I mention that it's nice to have a room that's JUST MINE? =) I think that's my favorite part. None of the bookshelves match, the desk isn't the greatest, I still need to hang some pictures on the bare walls and I don't have any curtains for the window yet, but dammit, it's mine. =)