NotesFromtheVoices

I had a great time Monday night. Plus I looked cute in a dress--a sleeveless dress. There was great art, food and folks. My newspaper has a magazine for people who live on the lake in the area. It is a monthly thing and looks great. I just received my first assignment on it. An article about the artist. So I am working on the article. I feel like things are finally coming together here. And my car should be ready tomorrow or early Friday. I have missed my wheels. Daily Dose 1. A magazine article 2. So grateful for all my blessings

I worked all day Saturday so I had today off. I used it to try to sleep late. This didn't work. So I straightened up my room up some. I watched Grease for the first time. And just chilled out. Tonight, I am going to a Sip and See art thing at the art gallery tonight. This means wearing a nice dress and heels. So I need to shave my legs, do my hair and make myself look fierce. I have watching an American Top Model marathon. It has been a nice relaxing day. Since my car is not ready, GI Joe will be picking me up. He is determined to get me out of my comfort zone and shake things up. And I am ready to shake things up and live a little. So I am going out tonight and mingle. Even though, I will miss Gossip Girl and House. I'll get over it. This is why Hula and Fancast were created. Daily Dose 1. I love having a day off during the week. 2. Watching the traffic go by while eating mac and cheese. 3. Discovering that I own makeup

I have made it through another week. And by Wednesday, I should be mobile again. The mechanic picks up the engine for my car tomorrow. And I owe this good fortunate to a new friend I made. A friend who is a Sgt in the Army. We'll call him GI Joe. Military guys know their stuff and mechanics. So soon my car will be fixed and I can go home and see my peeps. It was my weekend to work. This morning I met the most amazing artist this morning. The Arts Council here spotlights an artist each month with the Sip and See reception and did have the artist work on display for a month. Tina Gregory is the artist and her work is amazing. One cool thing is that her husband makes the frames with wood from 100 year old barn. I am not one to attend art stuff and functions unless it newspaper related. I am going to attend not as Silly Girl the reporter but as myself in a cute outfit and socialize. I have been very fortunate to have this job. And I am not going to squander the opportunity. There is mo...

On the blog, Thoughts of a Square Peg in a Round World (square--peg.blogspot.com), he posted the top ten books that influenced him the most. It inspired me so I wrote down my top ten. It wasn't easy because I looooooooove to read. So thanks Square Peg for making me think and pare down it down to the ten essentials. My ten most influential books: 1. Nancy Drew series—These books made me questions things. I truly believe they are what led me to journalism. 2. Winter Girls--Laurie Halse Anderson—This book illustrates how it feels to be anorexic. A lot of things in this book that the main character felt is how I feel sometimes but am afraid to say out loud. 3. The Real James Dean—John Gilmore—I found this book when I was in high school. And because of it, I became a lifelong fan of James Dean. 4. Joy of Cooking—Before journalism and anorexia took over my life. I wanted to be a chef. I wanted to prepare every recipe in this book for my grandmother. I didn’t prepare them all but the one...

A week ago, I agreed to do all the best of 2009 stuff since my car was in the shop. I didn't count the number of places on the list. There were fifty. In one week with a stomach virus, I did 40 something interviews for 40 stories that ranged from 150 words to four hundred words. I did all of this. I am proud but stunned when my co-worker told me what I had done. "Didn't you think to count them," she said. I told her no. I knew it would overwhelmed me if I counted the stories. Plus, I figured maybe those stories would be my swan song at the paper. I have to admit that September has not been a good month for me. There have days I have wanted to give up and go home with my tail between my legs. I miss my guys. It is great having a job and not just any job--my dream job of working at a daily newspaper. So I continue to take it day by day. I love award shows. I fell asleep on the Emmy's. I fell asleep. Thank God for recap shows. I saw about an hour of it and thought Ne...

I am so sorry that there hasn't been any updates. I have been sick with a stomach virus. It started out with me being very nauseuous on Tuesday. We won't talk about Wednesday. And Thursday, my co-worker D had to take me to the emergency room because nothing was staying down or in me. It is amazing how an iv and nauseou medicine can perk a person. Throughout this whole illness, I was trying to do interviews and write all of the best of 2009 stuff and try to get my car fix. It was too much. So after my er visit, I declared Thursday as a sick day. I spent Friday playing catch up on the interviews and all day Saturday writing stories. I got it done. I have went from drinking chicken broth and Powerade to a grilled chicken breast and garden peas. So I am finally on the mend. And I think I found someone who can fix my car so things are improving here in RR. Last night, I watched Dirty Dancing for the first time. It was a great movie. I have seen pretty much all of Patrick Swayze'...

My newspaper is doing a Best of 2009 special section. I agreed to do all the stories (about 200 words each) for this. I don't have a car right now so this will keep me busy and allow me to pull my weight. I think things are getting closer to resolving the car situation. I have start wa lking at lunch. It is not for health reasons but just so I can get away from the newspaper. I eat my lunch outside while reading the newspaper or a magazine. The weather has been awesome. After eating, I go for a short walk or just people watch. It recharges me so I can finish the day. I miss therapy so I am patiently waiting for my insurance to kick in. I am looking for eating disorder specialist around here. I am taking things day by day so I won't overwhelm myself. Tonight is the season premiere of Gossip Girl. I am celebrating with Domino's pizza. For the first time in a longtime, I watched the MTV VMAs. Kanye West is such a jerk. What he did to Taylor Swift was just wrong. Why didn't...

I had a quiet weekend up here. One of my co-workers took me to the Ducky Derby. It is a festival centered around the releasing of more than 4,000 rubber ducks. You pay $5 per duck in order to try to win a million dollars or at the least a few hundred bucks. No one has ever won the million. I went to the event and had a good time. It was nice to get out. I am not sure what this week will bring but I am ready. I hope I figure out what to do about my car. I miss going home to see my guys and being mobile. I am trying to ween myself off of watching so much cable. You start watching one episode of CSI and soon most of the day is gone. Daily Dose 1. 99 cent value menu has returned to Wendy's. I love the chili and baked potato. 2. Being able to

I still have the car situation. I was ready to give up and go back home. But my managing editor and news editor refuses to give up. They love my writing and said they will do everything in their power to help me figure out the car situation. This gives me hope that all is still good in the world. I have had some down moments where I felt like restricting. Wednesday was not a good day because I skipped lunch because I had no appetite. I am starting to feel better and reread some journal entries to motivate myself. Since I am up here this weekend, I decided to have some food. After work, I walked to Little Caesars an ordered the $5 large sausage pizza. I have already eaten three slices. This is something I wouldn't have done a few months ago. Plus tonight is the broadcast premiere of 300. I love that movie and all the handsome men. I'm feeling a lot better all of a sudden. Today is September 11. In 2001, I was in Pickle Land. I had just started the job the month before. That morn...

I think it should be mandated that we have four day work weeks. Today was long and wet. When I got home, I accidentally took a small chunk out of my finger rummaging through one of my bags. A frame had broken and I didn't know it. Here's a picture of my bandaged finger. I can still type pretty decent. The mechanic is still trying to find parts for my car. I am still managing to get things done without a car. One good thing about this is I am not punishing myself by not eating. Three meals and two snacks. I am proud of this fact because usually I take to the bed and sleep. But I am doing what I needs to be done. I am trying to stay focused and not get discouraged by things. I have faith that the mechanic will find the part and I'll get my car back. I want to go home this weekend and see my guys. Daily Dose 1. The mechanic help to bandaged my finger. 2. I still love my job.

Happy Labor Day! Labor Day takes on meaning when you are working because it means an extra day of rest. Today, I watched a Project Runaway marathon, Baby Mama movie and two naps. One of my favorite movies--Runaway Bride-- will be on soon. It has been quite a week with my car in the shop. I was suppose to get it yesterday but found out the most sad news--my car has a blown head gasket. This means another week without a car. A week full of meetings that I must cover in another county. My co-workers have been very nice making sure that I get to and from work. I have managed to get stories done by phone. But I am still worried about my job. I guess I am a little down because I am far away from home with a broken car. When I got the used yesterday, I just wanted to scream and cry. But I was calm. While I waited for one of my co-workers to pick me up, I read Sports Illustrated and came across a quote that helped me to figure out what to do. "Quitting is not an option. No matter how dark...

Ever had a day so bad that when you get home, you declare the day over. This was yesterday. It started like any other day. I arrived on time and did an interview at school. Then I headed for Jackson. To get to Jackson, you go through two towns and head for the middle of nowhere. A nowhere where I get NO cell phone coverage. None. It is in the middle of nowhere that my car breaks down in the pouring cold rain with no cell phone coverage. After sitting there for 15 minutes, a state trooper stops. He calls the newspaper to let them know that I am okay and broke down. The news assistant and her husband pick me up and take me back. My managing editor uses his Triple A to tow my vehicle back. I used all the money I had to move to RR. A car repair leaves me weak and lightheaded. I was dropped off at my room. I found my favorite movie of all time--Pretty in Pink. It cheered me and was a sign that maybe being in RR wasn't a bad thing. After Pretty in Pink, I watched Ferris Bueller Day Off. ...