Jazzmin is a Juice Taste Tester

I do online surveys for this website Mindfield - most of the time they're just online or I don't qualify for the survey. About once a year they ask me (and/or Jazzmin) to participate in product testing. I've product tested for companies like Perdue and Chef Boyardee. I'm not sure if we're allowed to say the name of the beverage company but it rhymes with fun and it's a very well known brand of juice.

The first batch we got was last week - fruit punch flavor. It was good. We decided to buy the juice in the store and then compare with the juice we were testing. It turns out the test juice is less sweet - but still very tastey. Today they had me relay Jazzmin's opinion of the juice in an online survey. And, as it turns out, they want to send another batch of the juice. Maybe they'll give us a different flavor??? We'll see!

It's kind of cool to do product testing such as this - feeling like you're having an impact in the way they make a product or choose to market it. And free stuff - everything tastes just a little better when it's free (unless it's liver or cream corn - which can never taste good).

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"Zits" Comic

Today's "Zits" comic reminded me of Brenda - her love of technology and need to stay busy.

CLICK HERE to view larger ver. of comic.

I'm a Copy Cat - What Can I Say!?!

Hillary posted this on her blog and the video had me laughing out loud at my desk, making my co-workers think I've gone a little nutso (or maybe they already thought that??). So I am posting it on my blog, for those who don't read Hillary's blog (because they don't know her), and want a good laugh! Enjoy!!!! Watch it all the way through!

My Old Cats Listed on ASPCA Site

Azucar and Arecibo have been posted on the ASPCA site as "available for adoption". So that's good - at least they weren't considered unadoptable and put to sleep. I feel bad for them in a way. But if they find homes - then it was for the best.

They put them back with the names they originally had when I adopted them, Murphy and Domino. Ho-hum - such boring names. Oh well.
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"The Argyle Sweater" Comic

Fruity Want Some Chocolate

There was an article in the paper this morning stating that chocolate (esp. dark chocolate) is beneficial for fetuses and pregnant women. So, Hillary, give fruity what he/she really wants - CHOCOLATE!! YUMMY!!!

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Asthma - Rhymes with Plasma

I don't think I am going to tae kwon do tonight - I am afraid of going and then 5 min. into class being crazily out breath and then having to turn right back around and go home. Plus it's raining - I don't like to go anywhere when it rains.

Jazzmin is going to be with her Grandma Simon Wed. - Fri. due to school being closed. Maybe I will go to class on Wednesday when I don't have to deal with picking Jazzmin up. I was also thinking about waiting until Saturday to start back up with classes. Saturdays tend to be more tranquil, which is not to say that I won't have to work out just as hard as the other days. It's just on Saturdays there are a fewer students and it doesn't have the boot camp atmosphere. I really should go on Wed. though instead of putting off the inevitable. We shall see.

I think I am going to take Dawn up on her offer to take my remaining cat for the summer. I'd like to see if I feel normal again. I'd like to know what it feels like to feel normal again. Every day my asthma is on my mind - everytime I approach a staircase (which is often), I wonder how out of breath I am gong to get going up. Lately, it's not uncommon that if I lay flat in bed that I feel a slight tightness in my chest from the asthma. Asthma, asthma, asthma - I am so over it.

I have an appt. with the pulmonary doctor on Friday - we shall see what comes of that. If they can work some magic then it looks like Nova (cat) is stuck with me. I am so annoyed that I stayed with the allergist I initially went to when the onset of allergies reared it's head. A quack, no doubt, that should not be allowed to practice medicine. My first hint should've been when they did the allergy test to see what I am allergic to and cat did not come up positive. Let's see - without cat I was OK, with cat I have allergic reaction - obviously their test was wrong. Instead they told me I was allergic to 2-3 things that I have never had a reaction to (ragweed, etc.). But I didn't care if I got shots for those as long as I got shots for the cat allergies. When I started with the shots they didn't even have cat allergies as one of them - I had to request it. Even after having told them I have cat allergies at previous visit. There are several other things that happened that lets me know this place is only interested in milking people's insurance for immunatherapy shots and don't really care about the health of the patient.
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Tae Kwon Do on Monday

I am starting back to Tae kwon do on Monday. I am nervous about going because I am not sure how my asthma is going to hold up. I have good and bad days since taking the prednisone - I don't think my asthma is completely under control. I still get out of breath over things I should not. But I think I am well enough to take class, I hope so at least.

I have an appt. with the pullminary doctor next Friday. Hopefully all this drama will be resolved soon so I can breathe like a normal person and not have to worry if something is going to make me out of breath and unable to function properly.
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Bring Your Child to Work Day

Yesterday, Thursday, was 'Bring Your Child to Work Day" - they did much the same thing they've done every year. Classroom for about 2 hours, lunch and then fun time until around 4pm. This year, in the classroom, they taught the kids about handling their money. Talking about saving, budgeting and several other things. I like that they always try to teach the kids something valuable every year.

For a couple hours out of the entire day Jazz was with me at my desk. She failed to understand that I actually do work on my laptop and wanted to take it over so she could play on the internet. I let her play with it a little bit just to get her off my back. lol

It was a good day.

My Other Boss Remembered

Well, as stated in my post yesterday, I thought my other boss would end up just not doing anything for EA Day. Which is totally fine because the Christmas money is the most important thing for me - that's always the time I could really use it. But as it turns out he did get me something today to make up for missing yesterday. He gave me a card (see photos) and..... $150!!! YIPPPEEE!!! I was so happy about that - and it was totally unexpected. I don't know what I am going to do with the money - spend it on practical things or a treat for me. We'll see!

Happy EA Day to ME!

One of the Partners I work for remembered it was EA day today! This is the new Partner who I was assigned to this year. He sent me this beautiful flower arrangement and a box of chocolates!

I was very surprised to get them because the other Partner I support is very forgetful (and never gets me anything on EA Day) and the Partner who ended up sending the flowers is out of town on business. But he said he was reminded it was EA day on the radio during his drive to the airport.

It was a pleasant surprise!

****UPDATE****

One of the of the Sr. Assoc. that works with the Partner who didn't get me anything (and sits near me) sent him an e-mail reminding him it was EA Day today. The Partner then forwarded the Sr. Assoc. e-mail stating, "Sorry I am a loser I had no idea. I will fix tomorrow. " He'll probably forget anyway - but it's OK. As long as I get the $500 at Christmas time I'm not really concerned if he remembers EA Day. Though I certainly do enjoy getting flowers, etc.! :)
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Pinch Me I Think I Am Dreaming

I randomly keyed in "Korean Movie Rental" into google and found this site that rents out Korean dramas like Netflix! Maybe I'll suspend my Netflix subscription for a while and use this service for a while. YIPPEE!! It costs $30 a month for unlimited DVD rental - 3 at a time. It's more then Netflix but at least I'll get my dose of K-dramas! Of course I may have to bring my laptop home to watch them since they might have a code on it - blocking it from being played outside of Korea, but it's worth it. ;)
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Korean's Different Approach to Male Fashion

I can't believe what they made "my" Kim Jeong Hoon (aka John Hoon) wear in this fashion show! I guess it's been kinda obvious that male Korean fashion is a little more in touch with it's "feminine side" from watching the k-dramas (they even have clear mascara catering to men) - but geesh... The white suit at the end isn't so bad - esp. since you don't notice the knee-high white boots over the pants.

Check it out and see it for self - somebody on YouTube.com put together a slide show of he things he wore.

Running Out of Korean Dramas to Watch

Sad, but true, I think I'm on the last Korean drama (K-drama) that Netflix has to offer. ::sigh:: I just got through watching "Goodbye My Love" and the last one I'll have to watch (see photo) is "Shoot for the Stars". I'll have to join some K-drama 12 step program to be weaned from my addiction.

I had e-mailed Netflix a while back with a list of suggested titles for them to buy. Maybe at some point I'll see an increase in K-dramas?? The problem is that K-drama DVDs are so expensive - that's probably why they don't have too many. On YesAsia.com they cost anywhere from $95 to $150 just for one series - and YesAsia.com is probably the most affordable way to buy K-dramas.

I wish they had carried more that featured Kim Jeong Hoon (aka John Hoon) - he's such a cutie. :) And I know he's done a lot of K-dramas. I've searched him on YouTube.com and a lot of people have posted segments from these dramas. Only problem is no English subtitles in these postings. :(

One interesting I noticed about the K-dramas is when any of the few shows that had a white person in it they were an obnoxious person who didn't speak Korean and was giving the Korean person a hard time for not speaking English, as if they expect all Koreans to be able to speak it. I guess this means that it's not uncommon for English speaking people to live in Korea and not speak the language. But why would you move to Korea and not make a concerted effort to learn the language?

I think I am going to start working my way through Korean movies and see how that goes. lol But it's not going to be easy 'cause most of the movies Netflix carries from Korea are horror, action or period movie/martial arts ones. We'll see how it goes.

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"The Argyle Sweater" Comic