1. As a child, who was your favorite superhero/heroine? Why?
I loved Wonderwoman. Linda Carter was, and still is, one of the most beautiful women on the planet. She was a careerwoman who in her free time, saved the world. And she came from this beautiful exotic island of strong women. She was AWESOME.

2. What was one thing you always wanted as a child but never got?
I believe it was a Lite Brite. That thing looked SO COOL.

3. What's the furthest from home you've been?
The Philippines, when I was 12.

4. What's one thing you've always wanted to learn but haven't yet?
Javascipt, DHTML, XML, ASP, all that good stuff.

5. What are your plans for the weekend?
Tons of wedding plans. Tasting foods for the reception, finalizing the photographer, checking out the tuxes, checking out invitations, going to see Stars on Ice, going to a baptism, buying the dress, etc. On top of all that, I need to finish a magazine layout, work on my Salt Lake bizznezz, and pack for SLC. CRAZINESS!

So yesterday me and Dave went to the church to take a test. A 165 question scantron test covering all aspects of our impending life together. ScanTron makes me nervous. I concentrate really hard on making sure my circles a completely filled in. Here's a sampling of the questions:

I am concerned that we will not have enough time to nourish our relationship.

My future spouse "always" has to win.

We are in agreement as to how we will divide household duties.

We have discussed how many children we want to have.

165 questions, about what seemed was everything under the sun. I think I messed up the test though, because I never used the 'Uncertain' choice. I always chose 'Agree' and 'Disagree'. I SHOULD have chosen 'Uncertain' for a lot of them, but I just wasn't thinking. I was freaked out that I had to use a scantron again. I thought I was done with it in college. Well, after my GRE anyway. So I think I messed the whole thing up. I'm thinking when the priest gets the results back he'll be like 'DUDE! These two can't get married! They are totally incompatible!' There were some questions that kinda made me chuckle...

I am concerned that my spouse may have homosexual feelings.

I am concerned with the amount of time that my future spouse watches television.

For the latter one, I KNOW Dave put an 'Agree'. I don't know how many times he's called me during 'Smallville' and I've said 'Hey, I'll call you back during a commercial'.

It was a really interesting test to take, truthfully. It gave us a lot of things to talk about and an idea of the things that we still need to go over.

I've been CRAZY busy lately. Not only with the wedding and work, but also with my extracurricular activities. And I'm so horrible at budgeting my time that I'm hardly getting any sleep. Well, yesterday I got sleep, but I don't see much sleep coming in the next couple days.

Hey, I'm watching Stars on Ice tomorrow! I'll get to see Jamie Sale and David Pelltier! Whoo hoo!

Forgot to mention, I got a haircut on Wednesday. Not much off. Just about 2 1/2 inches. My hair looks so much healthier now! I'm thinking after I get married, I'll do a big chop. Get that married old hag look.

Well, for some reason yesterday was a busy day on the job for my whole team. I have no idea why, but we were really swamped.

Today, to give us a treat for working so hard yesterday (yes, I work hard), my manager took us out for McFlurries. Yes. It's freezing outside, but hey, it's free food!

I'm a busy little bee in all aspects of my life lately. First, I've got a wedding to plan. And then I have all of my ST stuff that I'm involved with. In the week before SLC, it really comes down to time management with all of the stuff I need to get done before next Wednesday. And I work, too. But in a way, I live for this stress. It keeps me entertained. If I didn't have the stress I would just be sleeping.

But now I have a dilemma. I'm going to be doing a project, where I'm going to be on camera. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with that. But I do now. I have a big problem. I discovered it a couple days ago, but not the enormity of it. And now all the hard planning over the last couple weeks is going down the drain. Why? Because I HAVE A ZIT!!!! Not just any zit. It's the zit that sits on your face and calls out to other people to look at it. 'LOOK AT ME! SEE ME!! GAZING UPON ME WILL BRING YOU GOOD FORTUNE!' It takes up about a fourth of my face. It talks to me before I go to sleep. It has its own time zone. And I know this little sucker is going to be here for a while. ARGH! I'm not saying that I never get zits. But this is my once in a blue moon nasty zit. Even loads and loads of coverup can't hide it. Yeccccchhhh.

OK. Venting is over.

So I didn't win any money in my office Superbowl pool. That's ok. There will be always something else to bet on, whether it be how long the new guy is going to last, or how long it's going to take Bryan to propose to his girlfriend. Speaking of...It looks like I won that bet!

A couple months ago, a group of us, out of sheer boredom, decided to bet how long it would take Bryan to pop the big question. He had been dating his girl for a little less than a year, but she really seemed to be 'the one' for him. So in December, we placed our bets. Tony said next December, Don said September, I don't recall what Amy said...I think she may have said May. I went for February 14th - Valentine's Day. Everyone said it was too soon, but I stuck to my guns. THIS was the girl for Bryan. So it turns on that in early January, Bryan and Jen decide to book a hall for their wedding. The actual question wasn't asked and the ring not chosen, but they were pretty sure that they were going to get married in 2004, and decided to get a jump on a prime reception location. February 14th wasn't looking so bad to me! And then last week, they went ring shopping. Then BAM! He proposes during the Superbowl, in front of both of their families. I think he told her to go out for a long pass and threw the ring to her. J/K. But if proposing during the Superbowl isn't romantic, I don't know what is! *wink* So I win the pool. With 3 weeks to spare. A whopping $10. (if even that)

Today it snowed. Actually, it's still snowing now. Took some pictures, but well, it's nightime, so I don't think much is going to show.

Well, the superbowl has come and gone, and let me throw in my two cents.

Commercials were good this year, but there was nothing that really stood out for me. I remember seeing the EDS cats commercial from a couple years ago and dying laughing. There were some good chuckles here and there, and let me give you my top ones:

- The Budweiser horses play review. 'The ref is a jackass'. 'Actually, he's a zebra'.

- The upside down clown Budweiser commercial. 'Do you guys serve hotdogs?'

- The Budweiser 'Man with Dog on Head' commercial just for the fact that I, too, have worn Ewok on my head. Not to get into bars, just for entertainment.

- Basically most of the Budweiser-related commercials were pretty good.

- The Fed-Ex 'Castaway' commercial.

- The Pepsi Osbournes commercial

- Movie previews. Daredevil looks badass. Charlie's Angels looks like a good time. The Hulk looks so-so. I don't find the CGI effects believable. And can I get a Keanu 'WHOA!' for the Matrix! Those movies are gonna KICK SOME ASS!!! Oh, I can't wait. It looks SWEET!

- The Anti-Drug commercial with 'The Youngest Grandparents in Town'. Yeah, it was a downer. But not as much a downer as Gannon's passing game. It was an interesting twist to the end. I liked it.

- Don Cheadle's 'Crazy' ad. I've been seeing him all season, and damn, this guy is COOL. Nice to see a finale of sorts to all of his other NFL spots. I love this game! It makes me, c-razy.

As for the game, I had wanted the Bucs to win, since it was their first time at the superbowl and all. It was a good game, and you could see the Bucs pulling ahead early in the game. It was a battle that many wondered about - the best offense against the best defense. Defense came out at the end. Poor Gannon. I almost feel bad for him. And that interception he threw in the last minute didn't help any either! But that Bucs ruled! I'm really happy for them.

Although I'm a little miffed at Simeon Rice for saying he came from 'The School of Hard Knocks' when they did their intros. Dude, the guy went to U of I! He's an Illini! I went to school with him! Can't he give props to the school? Noooooo...he's gotta be the cool guy. Well, I guess that's ok, because he did a great job on defense, with two sacks (unfortunately his sack during the 2 point conversion didn't count).

I was starting to get a little bored by halftime. The halftime show was ok. Too bad Shania was on memorex. Gwen did a great job. Though I love her so much more without so much makeup. Is it me, or does every halftime show feature either U2, Aerosmith or Sting?

Luckily, the Raiders tried making a comeback in the 3rd, or I would have fallen asleep. It was too little too late. But it was a valiant effort!

All in all, it was a good Superbowl. Looking forward to next year!

Whoo hoo. The Pirate Bowl!

I think I'm hoping that the Bucs win. But really, I just want a good game.

Here's my numbers for my office superbowl squares:
Raiders: 6/1
Bucs: 5/3

Which means that the team has to end with one of those two numbers for me to win.

And I can't wait for those ads! I LOVE superbowl ads!

Looks like Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue may have some competition!

National Geographic's Swimsuit Issue

NG isn't for gaping at naked tribeswomen anymore!

I realized yesterday that I don't like being an angry person. It's not me. It's so far from who I am. Thanks to everyone that emailed and called me. It really means a lot. Don't worry about me. I'll be ok. I just need to sort things out in my head. But the next time I feel a cry for attention coming on, I'll post an angry post. Looks like people come out of the woodwork during my angry posts. *wink*

So yesterday was a bad day. I was a little distressed later on, because I was going hang out with Dave, and I didn't want my mood to rub off, or have me instigate a fight. But I realized something when I saw him. Someone asked me a couple weeks ago, 'What does Dave do for you? You seem like such an independent person, like you don't need anything, how does he fit into your life?' At first, I was at a loss for words. No, Dave hasn't bought me tons of jewelry. No, we don't spend every second together. No, me and Dave don't have tons of things in common. But yesterday, I realized that his very presence, a look, a smile, a hug, makes everything else insignificant. All my troubles are gone when I'm with him. He's my comfort zone. My rock.

Lucky thing I'm marrying the guy!

Anyway, we went to go see Chicago yesterday and it was AWESOME! I saw the musical when it was here, and I loved it. I was really excited to see what it would look like on the big screen. I wasn't disappointed. Catherine Zeta Jones was gorgeous, and damn, the gal can sing! And Renee Zellweger did such a great job, when you think to yourself that she had never done musical theater before. The choreography was great (though I wanted more dance sequences). This is something I would be buying once it comes out on DVD!

And so, for my rock, I offer this song, because whether he realizes it or not, he makes everything OK. (cue sappy music here)

I'm so angry right now. Angrier than I've been in a while. And for those of you that know me, I don't get angry often. It's so rare that I don't know how to deal with it. I'm silent. I cry. I shut myself away. I don't want to talk to anyone or see anyone. I think horrible thoughts. I'm like a child that has been reprimanded on the playground, forced to be away from the other kids, standing apart, whose jaw is set in a thin line, fists clenched, as hot tears fall silently down from eyes staring at an unseen foe. Even after the long drive home, trying to figure it out and calm myself down, I haven't come to a resolution. The sad thing is, I'm not even sure what I'm angry at. If you asked me, I think I'd say that I've been hurt. But it's more than that, and less than that. I'm sad. I'm tired. But I can't pin it down. Betrayed? Wary? Insulted? Is it what was said? Or how it was said? I dunno. What is also fueling it is that I don't understand. I need to understand things. And when I don't, when I can't fit it into my little world that I've created in my head, I don't know what to do. And I know I'm sensitive. And I know that I'm blowing everything out of proportion. But who can stop how they feel? How can I turn away from the gut reaction I have when words are said? What the hell am I doing?

Funny how your feelings can change so quickly in a matter of hours.

I can blame it on a crappy day at work. I can blame it on not managing my time right. I can blame it on making assumptions when I don't know how people really feel, letting life go on like everything's ok and not preparing myself for any bumps that might happen in the future. I can blame it on me giving the impression to people that I'm strong and that nothing can hurt me, when in fact, a lot does. I just don't let on that it does. But it builds up. It's funny that I mentioned the roller coaster of emotion before, under the impression that I was off it, for even a little while. But no. It comes back. Up and down and up and down. More downs than up as of late.

And I'm so tired. Not even just physically, but my soul is tired.

For those of you that have put their trust in me, I thank you. You'll never know how much it means to me right now.

For those of you that don't, well, I can only be myself. You have to decide on your own if you trust me or not.

Sorry for the venting.

Seems as of late I've been entrusted with a massive amount of secrets, in many areas of my life. It's kind of funny, in a way. It always seems to start with 'Hey, I have to tell you something, but you can't tell anyone, ok?' Man, I hate those words. Because as you know, I like talking (and gossiping, just a little). But then again, I love KNOWING things. But I dislike knowing things and not being able to share, especially when other people talk and wonder about things and I know the answer to. What do you do? Say nothing? Lie? Usually, I'm able to take myself out of the situation. The good thing about secrets is that they usually become public with time. Then I can do a sigh of relief and breathe easy knowing that other people know the things that I do.

I don't know why people feel that they can entrust me with their secrets and their troubles. Sometimes I wonder if I subliminally am telling them 'Tell me your deepest secret, I want to know.' But I guess with people, they just like to have a person listen, because for as much as I talk, I'm a pretty good listener, too. As one of the secret tellers told me, "I had to share it with someone, and I knew I could share it with you, Christine, because you have strong shoulders." Me? Ohh. That made me feel all nice and warm inside. And as of late, I've been through my own little emotional roller coasters, from depths of self loathing to the heights of my inflated ego. It's good to feel good. Not to high, not to low. Just good.

So if you're reading this, and you think I'm talking about you, I probably am. But know that I'm talking about a lot of people here. And don't worry, your secrets are safe with me.

Well, gave blood again today. I think the experience went much better than it did last time. Last time it took me FOREVER to fill up the bag. Today, just 10 minutes. However, I had a lot of blood leaking from where they stuck in the needle. It got kinda messy. I know I'm going to have some bruising! And afterwards, there was blood everywhere and the lady was like 'I'm surprised you're not fainting'. Me too. But there's just something fascinating about watching your own blood run down your arm. That, and feeling the blood drain out of you. Pretty cool stuff.

And then. The free juice and cookies. That's the only reason I go, really. They have the best orange juice ever!

Well, I haven't been keeping up with my New Year's resolution to get more than 4 hours of sleep a night. I dunno, there are so many things to do and so many things going on in my mind that I'm just not sleepy at night. Now during the DAY is another matter. However, I think this lack of sleep is getting to me. I went to take a nap yesterday at about 9 and didn't wake up til 5 in the morning. Luckily, I woke up at 5 and was conscious enough to set my alarm. If not, then I would have just slept right through work!

Did I say it was cold yesterday?

FUCK! It's even colder today! I woke up, and it's -3 outside, and that's without the windchill! With the windchill, its -28. And I found out on the news today that a couple years ago they changed how they calculate the windchill, so in actuality, the windchill would be -35! Ack! I didn't even bother taking the train today. I don't want to freeze to death out there. I must live!

Well, I actually took the train to work today, and DAMN! It's fucking cold out there! I don't want to have any skin showing. It's a 5 block walk to my office. By the time I get there, my hands are numb. So the temp today is in the teens, windchill in the single digits. Tomorrow, they're expecting it to be in the single digits, can you imagine what the wind chill is gonna be? Makes me kinda wish I was back on the west coast again. Either that, or under my blanket, nice and toasty warm.

And to top it all off, no more hot cocoa in the office today!

Tell me if this is weird or not. I've taken a poll of people before, and they've said it's weird. Over the last 2 or 3 weeks, I've seen a lot of street lights turn off. Like I'll be driving along a highway, and one of the streetlights will burn out, right before I pass it by. Or even just on city streets. I'd say on average, I'd see one burn out 3 times a week. Does that happen to you guys at all? It used to happen often before (like once or twice a month) but had stopped occuring until a couple weeks ago. I find it really strange. And really eerie. Almost supernatural. Opinions, anyone?

Been making little updates to the site. Here's a couple things I've added/modified:

- Art menu now links directly to the Artist/Comic
- Added all the old Blogger entries to the archives
- The Webcam Archive can now be seen in the Pics page
- Added random pic of me in the main page

This page is a constant work in progess, so I'll be changing/adding things often.

FYI for those of you that don't know...my last name isn't Yano. My name is Christine Feliciano. (I just threw that in there because this site doesn't come up when you search on my name) Yano is just an abbreviated form of the last 2 syllables of my name. HOWEVER....it has come to my attention that there IS a Christine Yano out there....and it looks like she's a pretty smart cookie. AND she lives in Hawaii. *sigh*

Christine Yano

So yesterday I did more dress shopping. I took along my cousins Marian and Marilyn to help me out. We went to David's Bridal, and it was a lot of fun. I let them pick out some of the dresses that I tried on. Some were cool, some I wanted to gag in. It was a very different experience than my trip to Saran Bridal. You could tell that David's Bridal was a chain by the service I got. It wasn't bad, but at Saran it was a bit more personable. Though I DID like the idea of being able to go through all the dresses and pick the ones that I tried on. Also, I liked that we were able to take pictures, too.

Alas, though, none of them held a candle to THE DRESS that I found a week ago. There was a small debate in my head, because the dresses at DB cost half as much as MDWD (my dream wedding dress) which would save me a lot of money. But then again, none of them made me feel as pretty or as excited as MDWD did. I think the extra money is worth it!

If you'd like the longer version, and pictures of our adventures, check out my wedding blog.

Afterwards, we went out to Baker's Square for some pie. I've been itching for some for a while. It was nice to hang out with the cousins. We've never hung out together like this before. It was really nice. We talked about my crazy life (oh yeah, it's CRAZY) and shared a lot of good laughs. Definitely something we have to do on a bigger scale next time! Melanie, Fatima and Claudine, keep your calendars open during Easter. We're gonna have a gals night out! And we'll find a fake ID for Marilyn! *evil grin*

Looks like a New York Judge has deemed that the X-Men aren't human. Well, I think they are officially now 'non-human creatures'. The funny thing is, Marvel actually WANTED them to be ruled as non-human so they can pay lower the duty rate when importing internationally. I guess human figures are called 'dolls' and have a higher duty rate than the non-human 'toy'. It's an interesting article. Check it out!

Fans Howl in Protest as Judge Decides X-Men Aren't Human

Thanks to Wally for the link.

Drove in to work today again. Funny how travel times are different on a non-holiday. Yesterday, on MLK day, it took me 17 minutes to drive in to work. I was going an average of 70mph the whole time. Today, on a normal-ish rush hour day, it took me 50 minutes to get in. I was going an average of 5mph the whole time. Ech! I think on average, it takes me about 40 minutes to drive in. Today was pretty bad because the sun was so bright, and it's dirty car time in Chicago, which means that everyone's windshields are dirty from the salt.

CD for the Drive to Work: Norah Jones - Come Away with Me: I love this gal. I've loved her for a long time. She just has the sweetest voice. If this girl doesn't win a Grammy, there's something wrong with the world.

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and lustice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!""

There are 60,000 brides getting ready for their weddings in Chicago at any one given time. And I believe every single one of them was at the Bridal Expo I attended yesterday. The place was PACKED! I could hardly breathe. I still need to find a florist and a photographer, so at the last minute I decided to go. I've also been doing a lot of research online, but I don't think I'm any closer to finding either one. We'll see. The photographer is my top priority right now. Those are my memories. And for those of you that know me, you know I have an AWFUL memory. So I need to get a photographer that captures my day, every little detail, every little emotion, so that anyone can see the pictures and know what a great day it was for me.

Saw the Golden Globes yesterday. What in the hell was Lara Flynn Boyle wearing? She made Bjork's swan dress look normal. I mean, the outfit is cute and everything, if you're playing ballerina dressup for your boyfriend, but to wear at a formal event like that? I dunno. Other than that, everyone else looked gorgeous!

I have GOT to watch Chicago. Man. I loved the musical, and it looks like Catherine Zeta Jones, Renee Zellweger and Richard Gere make an awesome ensemble. I just need to get my lazy ass out and get to a theater. Congrats to them winning their Golden Globes. And I love with Gere said at the end of his speech, 'And I'd like to thank my wife, who taught me how to smile.' Everybody now! 'AWWWWWWWWWWW'

After picking up Dave yesterday from the airport (he was in Minnesota for an interview) we headed over to Brian's for our group Christmas party. We usually have it around Christmastime, but I guess the older you get, the harder it is to get the gang together. It was a small group yesterday, but it was nice to see old faces. We watched a video that Brian's cousins made, and I think we were expecting to watch a cheesy parody. But this was high tech stuff, with a great plot, semi-good acting, and awesome special effects. It took them almost a year to film and edit. It was pretty cool. After the movie screening, we played some intense games of Taboo. The only way that the game is fair if you split up the Dynamic Duo, Bryan and Brian. But it was a lot of fun. I am a master at Taboo!

Yes, here it is once again. The Friday Five...

1. Where do you currently work?
at a small software company. only once when i've mentioned it to someone had they known what i was talking about. i'd love to say the name, but search engines have a funny way of linking my homepage with my company name so that when clients search for my company, they come here. and even stranger than that is when clients send me birthday e-greetings because they've gone to my site. uh-oh. no more.

2. How many other jobs have you had and where?
Hmm...not many. Worked as a temp, worked at the airport, a liquor distributor, a bartender, uh, I can't think of anything else. But that was all before graduation. I've been at the same place for the last 5 years.

3. What do you like best about your job?
I love the people I work with. It's a great bunch and we all more or less get along. There are also a lot of freedoms with my job that a lot of people don't get at their jobs. Also, I don't have a routine. Every day is different.

4. What do you like least about your job?
The pay, playing the corporate ass kissing game, traveling too much, having upper management expect you to make everyone happy, but in reality, it's impossible to please everyone.

5. What is your dream job?
Something having to do with teaching kids, arts and crafts, sleeping and eating. Oh. Did I just describe a kindergarten teacher? Oh, but wait, I meant that I could sleep on the job...not the kids...

Well, I've finally got it, thanks to a kind soul that sent me a couple email links. Here's the ESPN.com article for the Michael Jordan Gatorade commercial with the Wizards MJ vs. the Bulls MJ. (we all know that #23 is the best ever). There's a link to the commercial on the right hand side. Hopefully they don't take the link down, it's on the right hand menu. As I said before, this commercial kicks ass. I love it!

Rod, go ahead and use this if you want your hits to go up!

Click on the pic for the link!

Yesterday Corin and Torrie invited me over for dinner. It was great and really tasty, except for one thing. Green beans! (sorry for not telling you guys!) I should have warned them ahead of time to my preference of not eating anything that was grown from the ground. But they were on my plate, and they went to all the effort of cooking me dinner, so I chowed down. Truthfully, the green beans weren't that bad. By eating a proportionate amount of pasta with the beans, I hardly tasted them. I'm quite proud that I finished all but 1 and a half green beans. My father would be proud!

Afterwards, we talked a lot, about Dave and the wedding, and how they met, and of course, about short track. Which they know A LOT about. It's nice to talk to people who know a lot about the sport, who don't necessarily have one favorite skater, but who can see the full picture. And I also got to see their pics from Bormio, which there were A LOT of. It was a really good time. I'll definitely look them up again next time I'm in Denver.

At the airport, I got randomly picked for the super security. This is where you have to take off your shoes and they use the metal detector all over your body, and every time it beeps, they have to check out the area. It's THIS close to an anal probe, I swear! Anyway, there were two guys that were going through my bag, and they went through every inch of it. I was talking to the lady who was doing the metal detector, and she was really nice. Then one of the guys that was checking out my bags says 'Are you getting married?' and I say 'Yeah, you saw my Bride's magazine, eh?' And he says 'Yeah, congratulations!' And since everyone heard, all of the security people are congratulating me on my wedding, telling me stories, asking me questions, etc. It was kind of a weird experience, me standing there, with my arms away from my body, in my socks, talking about my wedding to complete strangers. So anyway, I'm done, and everyone is wishing me luck on my wedding. And I tell them, 'You guys are pretty swell!' Yes. I actually said that. How nerdy am I?

Denver is cold, though not as cold as Chicago. Its actually feeling warm here to me. Anyway, the flight was fine, I was zonked out for most of it. It's a pretty long drive from the airport to downtown Denver, but that's ok, because yesterday I bought "Fast Eddie's Greatest Hits". Just who is this 'Fast Eddie', you ask? Only the creator of such timeless classics like 'Yo Yo Get Funky', 'Make Some Noise' and the song that could be first dance at my wedding, 'Booty Call'. Ah, you can't beat da booty house! Awwwww yeah, I was jammin' in my crappy rental car!

After I got in, I had dinner with a couple friends. Thanks Torrie and Corin for the great dinner, and the wonderful conversation. I think I could have talked all night if the restaurant didn't close.

It's fucking 2 degrees outside! As soon as I step outside, I turn into a human popsicle. Eek! Well, at least I'm heading out to Denver today. I don't know if the weather is any better out there, but I have a feeling that it can't be this cold out there! This was a last minute trip, and as you know, I HATE last minute trips. But at least I know some people out there, so the trip shouldn't be too bad.

Yesterday, Melanie suggested that we go out and eat at Todai, this all-you-can-eat seafood/sushi buffet out in Schaumburg. It was me, Fatima, Chariya, Mike and Mel that went, and let me tell you, they should NEVER have 'all-you-can-eat' and 'sushi' in the same sentence. I had maybe 4 plates of food, not counting the 3 plates of dessert I had. We were there for hours, just eating and eating and eating. We definitely ate our money's worth, if not 4 times that. There was SO much food there, sushi, sashimi, rolls, lobster, crab legs, teriyaki, my head is still spinning, and my belly is still full. I ate so much I couldn't breate. But my belly is also VERY happy. It was a TON of fun at dinner. Haven't gone out with those girls in a while, and we laughed a lot. And I think the laughter helped to settle our stomachs so we could eat more. It was a lot of fun!

After that, we went to go see baby Jilly over at Maui and Jane's. She's so adorable, and I actually held her for 15 minutes before she started crying. Wait until she's 2, the gal is gonna love me!

Yesterday, I tried doing some wedding stuff. I'm looking into photographers, trying to figure out what price range I want and what style I want. I'm leaning toward a photographer that does traditional photos, but I also want a lot of photojournalism type photos. I really like the look of black and white pictures. I feel like it's telling the story of my wedding, rather than a bunch of people who are posing for the camera, mouths all cramped up and waiting for the pain to end. I hate that. I hate posing for pictures for hours. But I know it has to be done. But for my wedding, I want all the spontaneous moments to be captured, too. The photographer is probably the second most important thing on my list next to the reception place. The pictures are the things I'll be looking at for the rest of my life.

I also made an appointment yesterday at a bridal salon by my house. I've never gone shopping for dresses before, but it's something that's gotta be done sometime! So me and Fatima head out there, and the woman who took care of me was awesome. She was really nice. I told her what kind of gown I was looking for (based on my internet poll, the spaghetti straps and open front panel was the one most popular) and she brought out some samples. The first one she brought out was a bit tight. When I looked in the mirror, it looked nice, and I was getting a little excited.

The I tried out the second one, and it had a long train with some embroidery around the edge. It was really pretty. The room we were in had three mirrors along the walls, and when I looked to the side mirror, I had to exhale a sigh. It was such a sight! I came to the realization that YES, I AM GETTING MARRIED! The train was so long, and the dress was so elegant. Me and Fatima were all giggles.

After trying on a couple dresses, came 'THE DRESS'. She brought out this dress, which, on the bodice, had a little too much beading for me. (I had asked for minimal beading. I want to keep it simple) It had doube spaghetti straps, which formed a criss cross against my back. It also laced up in the back, kinda like a corset. The skirt and the train had some simple beading and lace around the edge. It took about 15 minutes just to put on and lace it up, but once it was done, it fit perfectly. When I went in front of the mirror, I melted. I fell in love, head over heels in love. In my heart, I thought, 'This is the one!' The look on Fatima's face agreed, she loved it, too. I swear, I could have started crying right there if I wasn't so excited by the dress. I told the lady that this dress had just shot up to the #1 spot. She asked if I wanted to see it in the front room, where they had better lighting and a full length 3 paneled mirror. We went out to the front, and I stood on the little pedestal that they had, and looked in the mirror. She turned on the overhead light, AND I SPARKLED! I realized that the beading on the bodice was just what I wanted. It was gorgeous. I felt like a princess. The bodice, the train, the back, it was all perfect. She then brought out a tiara and veil and put it on, and it was magical. I don't know how else to describe it. I was on top of the world. Fatima got teary eyed, and my heart skipped a beat. Other customers came out from the back and remarked on how beautiful I looked. And I did. I looked and felt beautiful.

Of course, I had to practice dancing in my soon-to-be dress, and it looks like it will be able to handle my 'dangerous on the dancefloor' moves. I looked like the biggest dork, but I didn't care. Everyone got a good laugh from my cool moves. I was so excited. I'm STILL so excited. I love that dress.

Though it's a little pricey. But I'm going to work my ass off to get some extra money for it. I know I hate traveling, but if it's what I have to do, then I'll do it.

And I still have other dress fittings arranged. I might find something better. But those other dresses have a tough act to follow!

Ahh...

I'm so excited.

I'm getting married!

Yesterday we went out to Hooters with Mike and Don, who just recently moved back to Chicago from San Francisco. I guess they miss the cold weather and crappy football team. (What are they thinking!) Anyway, it was great to see them again, and to hang out and laugh. And to eat, of course - I love the shrimp there. The clam chowder is pretty tasty, too. I've really missed seeing these guys around. It'll be great to have them around again.

Damn the Jets for losing. I think it's because I didn't watch the game. Oh well. Maybe next year I'll make some money in the football pool!

It's back to work today. It's freezing in the office. I'm turning into a little popsicle. Luckily I've got my superwarm fleece on. Hopefully no one notices that I'm going against company dress code with my warm fleece hoodie. But hey, when they get the building to an acceptable temperature where I can feel my fingers when I type.

Today was fun at church. Yes. Fun. Never thought I would use 'church' and 'fun' in the same sentence, but it was. We had a guest choir come in, and they were pretty diverse, and they sounded AWESOME. My church, let me tell you, is about 95% white. So I know that the parishoners were given a treat that they rarely see. And this choir had some great singers, and they really livened up the mass. When I went up for communion, I could see on the faces of some of the people in the choir that they were happy to see some color in my parish. Everyone had a good time. I haven't heard so much clapping in my church since I graduated from 8th grade.

Yesterday, I had a very much needed night out. We went out for Deo's birthday to Minx, and it was fun. I can't believe that I've know him for almost 7 years. It seems like yesterday when I met him and the rest of my FAR boys. And for an extra treat, I saw some faces that I hadn't seen in a LONG time, Jay and Jerry. Dave was really excited to see Jay, because they haven't seen each other in years. I was really excited to see Jerry, because he was one of my first friends in college. So it was a good time. Had a couple drinks, had a couple shots, and had lots of laughs. Good times!

I'm back in Chicago again. Although it was nice to be around the nice warm weather and good people in California, nothing beats sleeping in your own bed and being surrounded by family.

But I had a good time in California. My consulting with the client went well, the classes went smoothly and everyone was really cool to work with. I wouldn't mind going back there again. And that's not because I get free pop all day long. It's because I got free donuts! Heh heh.

I'd also like to thank a bunch of people who I got to hang around with during my time out there. To Rod, Rusty, Lanie, Rick, Rocena, Bugs, Peter and Paula (and anyone else I forgot) thanks for making me feel so welcome and for all the laughs. It was great to see you all again/meet you for the first time. To the people who I didn't get to hang out with, I'm sure I'll be in the area again.

I'm not in a really great mood today. Lots of stress in life, I guess, but I've also done something that I'm not too proud of. I broke a promise to a friend. It was preventable, but sometimes, I just don't think about how my actions affect other people. A couple of you know this already, but sometimes I get really self centered. Most of the time, this just hurts me. But this time, I hurt a very good friend. I feel horrible about it. And I'm really angry with myself. I'm at one of those points where I'm examining myself, and why I do stupid things. People rely on me, people trust me. And if they let them down, due to circumstances that I can control, well, there's no excuse for that. But I also understand that people make mistakes. I made a mistake, and I'm paying for it, big time. But I know better now. Who knows if I'll still have this person's friendship. I don't really deserve it right now, but I'll do everything I can to fix it. I know what a fragile thing trust is, and when you lose someone's trust it's difficult to win back, but I'm willing to try. To me, this friendship is worth it. If I didn't care, I'd just say, 'You know what? Forget this drama, I have too much shit going on in my life to fret over this.' But I do care. Even though my selfish actions in the past may have shown otherwise, I care very much about this friend. And I'm going to try everything I can to make to make things better.

And if that friend is reading this, I'm sorry, I really am.

Sorry for getting dramatic on you all.

Well, contrary to popular belief, I'm here in Californnia for work. Yes, work. And boy, did I work yesterday. I started work at 6:30AM (yeah, it was pretty tough after that night of fun) and I had two training classes. The thing about having multiple training classes is that for the last class, I didn't remember if I had taught it to them or not. I asked them a couple times 'Did we go over this already?' My memory is awful. And I'll be teaching the same class 4 more times! I need to take notes while I train!

I was supposed to be done at 4, but the database that my program resides on seemed to have deleted half of the data. Of course, they thought it was my fault, since I was there, but it wasn't. But I tried helping out, but I was stumped, and prayed that it wasn't my program that did it. There were a few moments of panic for everyone. Fortunately, the person who caused the problem (not though my program) was able to fix it. Whew! Big load off my shoulders!

Not much time to post, but I got to go watch Rusty practice today, which was pretty neat. I should read my manual, though, because all my pics from practice turned out pretty crappy. Afterwards, we went to the Outback Steakhouse for dinner. Good laughs. Good times! To end off the night, we hung out at Rick's and watched Rusty's races and interviews and discussed a gameplan for SLC. Should be a great time. I also had a great wedding conversation with Lanie. Might have found a cheap place to get a good dress! Sorry for the tiny post.

And the weather here in LA is STILL awesome. I'm loving it!

Here's a couple pics. I'm on a dial-up (which sucks ass) so I can't upload too many pics...

Tomorrow it's off to dinner with Walter, and hopefully Mike and Ann!

The plane ride to LA was gorgeous. We left at around sunset, and since we were flying west, the sunset was prolonged for a long time. It was gorgeous, with an array of red, yellows and oranges. At first I had an aisle seat, but the guy next to me found out that his friend had an empty seat next to him, so I got his window. Bonus! I just sat and watched that sunset for as long as I could.

The weather in LA is awesome. It's breezy, but it's a warm breeze. I had a great time driving to my hotel with my windows down and 'California Dreaming' blasting on the radio. Good times!

I don't know why they put me up in a Holiday Inn. I don't know if its the hotel's theme or what, but I feel like I'm staying in a log cabin. Oh well. In the end, all hotels are the same. A place to lay your head at the end of the night.

After coming in, Rod and Rocena took me out to Downtown Disney. It's very different from the Orlando one. But it's pretty cool, too. It was so nice to sit outside and eat. Sorry to all of you in Illinois and the 32 degree weather. Its gorgeous out there. You should come visit. The breeze feels so good, and we went into the Grand California hotel and sat by the fire and talked. Rocena gave me some advice about the wedding, which was pretty helpful. Rod, of course, talked about himself. No big surprise there! *evil grin*

Well, not looking forward to work tomorrow, but it's gotta be done. Got some fun plans for the rest of the week, so we'll see how that goes...I'll keep ya updated!

Well, last Saturday my family and Dave's family went for some dim sum in Chinatown. It was really tasty and my belly sang.

Afterwards, we had a meeting with Council of Elrond epic proportions. I shall hereby call it the Council of Dave and Christine's Wedding. My dad wanted to have a meeting because he wants to get a timeline together. It stresses me out. Not only do I get the stress of planning my wedding, but I also get the stress of everyone else NAGGING me to plan my wedding. It was good in some ways, though, to get some of my opinions about the wedding aired (and Dave's opinions, too). It got a little heated when we started discussing who would be in the wedding party. It's a fragile game of family politics that you have to dance around, and me and Dave don't want to do it. But we've got to hear the parents out. It becomes a battle of the old generation vs. the new generation. They believe that if we don't have some people as part of our wedding party (or invited to the wedding for that matter) they'll be upset. Well, it's our wedding. And only 250 people can go. What we're trying to stick with is that we're going to invite our friends, and then whatever relatives that we want to be there, then if there's any spots left, it can be filled in on people that our parents feel SHOULD be there. Then there was a lot of 'You should call a photographer', 'You should find a DJ' type of things, where, yes, it's obvious that I need to do these things. I don't have a temper, but boy, I was ready to snap. I just don't like being pushed into a corner, and that's a little of how I felt, like the wedding was spinning out of control. I mean, it was good that they wanted to participate and help out. I appreciate it. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that it stresses me out a lot.

But I'm better now. And I'm working on wedding stuff. It'll be a little tough, since I'll be in LA for the whole week for work. But I want to get a lot of stuff done. We'll see how it goes.

Noelle, Internet Icon extraordinaire and all round cool chick, finally has joined us in the blogging world. When ya get a chance, welcome her. One step closer to internet nirvana, she is!

http://blogatelle.blogspot.com/

Today we took down our Christmas tree. I remember when we were younger, all we pretty much had to do was take down the ornaments and our dad would take care of the rest of it, packing the ornaments, taking off the lights, packing the tree, and bringing all the boxes upstairs to the attic for storage. But today, it was just me and Fatima (Claudine helped and took down two strands of beads - she had to leave for school). Not as fun as when we were kids, and a LOT more work lugging those boxes around. BUt we did have a couple good laughs when I put 'Jump Around' on the CD player and did my crazy cheerleader dance. I was dancing around the living room like the biggest 'tard and I was concentrating on my stupid dancing so much that I started drooling. Yeah. I'm cool. Then came the whole adventure of lugging the tree up to the attic where me and Fatima laughed so hard we actually cried.

Yes. I count today's adventures as exercise.

Ohh..Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is on TV!

The New York Jets are beating the Indianapolis Colts 24 to 0 right now. Cheer 'em on! If they win the Superbowl I make lots of money!!!

Well, on my old blog I had this little ditty on there...

'On other sporting fronts, watch out for the latest Michael Jordan Gatorade commercial. Can't find a link to it, but let me tell ya, it's pretty badass! Michael Jordan of the present faces off against young Michael of the Bulls (complete with hair!). I love the trash talking in the spot. And the end gives me a little giggle, too.'

It seems that I've been getting TONS of traffic for people searching on 'michael jordan gatorade commercial'. Sorry, you won't find it here! But if you do find it, email me a link!!! I'm looking for it!

If you're looking for any other Jordan commercials, you can find a bunch here:
Michael Jordan Commercials

Found this fun little link. You can make your own South Park character. Here's the one that I made of me...unfortunately, they didn't have straight hair like mine, so I went with the Farrah Fawcett look.

South Park Studio

Well, my cousin Karen has been debating on whether or not to go to Salt Lake City for the short track World Cup. I think it'll be a lot of fun. She's a big fan of Apolo Ohno, and that will be her best chance to see him for a long time. What do you guys think? GO KAREN GO!!!!

Well, I've been made an official 'Website Helper' for rustysmith.com, and today I made my first post. Whoo hoo! I've been going on the site since last April or so, and I think that I had annoyed the webmasters enough with my suggestions and nagging that they just decided to have me do the updates that I wanted so I'd leave them alone. They're the best! So thanks to Bugs, Rick and Rod (though I don't know if Bugs even knew it was happening), thanks for making me part of the team. Oh, and I guess Rusty, too! I was bit nervous making my first post. I don't know what, I just was. But it's been done, and nothing tragic happened (I have this fear that I'm going to crash the site or something) I'm just an assistant, anyway, all the work I do has to be approved by the big boys. But that's ok. I'm happy to be working on the site. I've been working on the picture gallery there, compiling all the pictures from his Chicago and New York pictures, and getting permission from the right places to post them up. I've also been working on getting the news article area up to date as well. I've been backing everything up because I'm paranoid, but I guess I did everything ok, because the site still works. Whoo hoo!

I can't wait til Salt Lake City!

1. Do you wear any jewelry? What kind?
My engagement ring, hoop earrings, sometimes a necklace and a watch.
2. How often do you wear it?
I wear my ring and my watch all the time except when I shower.
3. Do you have any piercings? If so, where?
Just my ears. And a piercing on my elbow. Just kidding. But why don't people pierce there? It looks painless, but it would be pretty cool.
4. Do you have any tattoos? If so, where?
No. I have a problem with commitment.
5. What are your plans for the weekend?
Dim Sum with the family, hanging out with friends, getting ready for my trip to LA.

fyi -

Change your links to

http://www.yanowhatimean.com

Join the party. Have some fun!

Had a great New Year's. Spent it at my cousin's place, and as always, it was a fun and crazy time. We've been addicted to playing 'Cranium' and we had a pretty big group of people playing. We had 4 teams and I was part of the U of I team, consisting of U of I graduates (who graduated in 4 years). Fatima and Vernon were excluded. We thought we were all hot and everything because we had 2 med students on our team. But we got our asses whooped. We were stuck in the same spot for the longest time. Did you know that Bruce Lee was a cha-cha champion in Hong Kong? We didn't. Well, I was thinking that he could have been, but I had answered so many questions wrong that when I started answering questions right my team no longer believed me. We did pull a remarkable comeback at the end, though, but not good enough! My theory for the loss was that the other players knew the only weakness that U of I students have - alcohol. We were so impaired we couldn't think right. Then again, the game took about 2+ hours, so I think everyone was a little impaired. But we had a lot of laughs, it was a good time!

We had just finished our game right before the countdown, so I didn't even get to watch it on TV along with everyone else. It was so packed in the house that I was on the outer fringes of the crowd. I'll post up some video later of the countdown and the kiss-a-thon. There's about 2 million people in the house, and everyone gets a kiss for New Years. It's pretty crazy!

So we spent the night at my cousin's, and woke up and ate the rest of the tons of food that was made for the night before. We played a little more Cranium, and then I headed out to Dave's. We hung out for a bit, then picked up Gil and we went to watch Lord of the Rings. It's the second time I've watched it, but the first time we came late and had to sit in the front row. It sucked, because it hurt my head. Then again, during the battle of Helm's Deep, I felt like I was fighting, too. The movie was just as good as the first time I watched. I was kinda surprised that Dave liked it as much as he did. He liked 'The Fellowship of the Ring', but he was raving about 'The Two Towers'. He loved the battles and the action. Of course, him and Gil twittered like little boys every time Frodo and Sam came on screen. After the movie, he asked me, 'Christine, do Frodo and Sam get naked together in the last movie? BecaUse I swear, they're gay!' Funny. Me and Fatima were giggling about the same thing when we watched it, too. But it's because we were biased due to an email that we got - The Very Secret Diaries of the Fellowship of the Ring It's hilarious. Take a couple minutes and read it! Anyway, I'm glad he liked the movie. Legolas is his favorite. He's my favorite, too. But for different reasons. *wink*

Here's some pictures from New Year's Eve for you to enjoy!

Well, I've finally finished the reorganization of the site. It may not seem like there's been any big changes, but trust me, they're there. First thing, I'm off Blogger. I've moved on to Moveable Type. I've heard it's a lot better, and from my preliminary tests, it looks like it is. Also, with MT, I get my own comment boxes. YACCS has been so unstable lately I've been going crazy. So I don't have to worry about it anymore.

I've updated the art gallery to have my favorite comics and artists. Coming soon in that area, I'll have my photos posted up there. I like to take silly pictures. And serious ones, too.

The picture gallery probably has the biggest changes. It's got thumbnails now, and opens up in it's own window with a caption. It was a bitch to set up, but I think it's worth it.

So look around. Some stuff isn't all together there yet, but if you see anything really funky, just comment or shoot me an email. I'm always changing things in here.

Thanks a lot for coming by. It's really appreciated. I never knew that so many people would be coming by my site. Thanks to all of you, commenters and lurkers. I'm having a lot of fun with this, and I'm glad that you're enjoying reading it.

I hope you all have a Feliz Año. Get it? Feliciano? yano what i mean? Har har. I'm gonna kill that phrase to death.