wow this is one neglected Blog. i only have one thing to say:


I'M ENGAGED! YAY!

update

- i got a job if you didn't know. as of May 23 (a day after i get off the road forever with BER) i start at the Alzheimer's Association in Seattle as their Donor Relations Coordinator.

- getting a job did not relieve my post-travel job woes a bit. for a while i constantly looked at craig's list for an uber cheap apartment. Liz Fact: i obsess over money

- just today Justin and I were hired on as Property Managers in Capitol Hill. Property management = free rent. A free 2 bedroom in a nice area at that! Can I get a woot, woot!! exciiiiiited. do you live in capitol hill or the seattle area? yes? than we will haaaang out

- tonight i was supposed to be flying back to seattle. however, portland, maine hates me. and i hate it! i got delayed here which meant i woulda missed my connecting flight so here i am at a holiday inn waiting for my 6 am flight tomorrow. my one day in seattle in a 5 week period. my one day!! portland, me delayed my arrival in vegas, too. damn you maine.

really. i guess that's all. if you have a decent couch, table and chairs or bike to sell i will be needing those items. cough em up


toodles

i should never have started a blog. im terrible at it.

so, i write to you from my friend's couch in eagle mountain, utah. i ended the week in salt lake and decided to give my pregnant, mormon friend a visit. annaliese can never just be "my friend" but "my mormon friend" and now "my pregnant mormon friend" or maybe "my pregnant, married mormon friend" and soon "married mormon friend with babe"

this past week wasn't too bad. i was in sunny areas for the most part. denver, phoenix, grand junction, etc. on thursday i was in portland, or. justin came down to visit me, which was wonderful. we had the worst group of participants in portland. worst!i came back to my table after lunch sometime to find a lady sitting at MY desk talking loudly on the phone. she did not bother to move when i approached her so i politely asked her to move from my chair.

she proceeded to just scooch over to the chair next to mine (still behind my table). i didn't really know how to handle such horribleness, so i wandered around for a sec and came back and politely asked her to move to a chair nearby. she got up and stood against a wall so she could be in glaring distance of me. 15 minutes later she came out of the class and delivered her evaluation. the evaluation had an essay about how "unprofessional" i was while she was handling an "important legal matter on the phone" and that after first asking her to move i told her to leave.

ummmmmm. ??? some people are so blatantly retarded i can't stomach it. what is sad is she was fairly close to my age, so i can't blame her attitude on menopause or old-people grouchiness, but plain ole BITCHINESS. and i like how she acted like it was out of order for me to ask her to move. if you came into work one day and found someone sitting at your desk, talking on their phone wouldn't it be assumed they had no right to be there???

anyway...that's my rant and it's a much better one in person. Portland is not Seattle's kindred city, but filled with huge bitches.

better things... i had an interview with the Alzheimer's Assoc. last Saturday and a phone interview with the Seattle Children's Museum last Friday. i'm waiting to hear back from both, but i really, really want the former. now i'm acting like i already got it and am looking for apartments. im so antsy!

wish me luck! comps about to die so ill say goodbye

p.s. as of june 1 justin and i will be homeless. if you know of any apts in seattle let me know!!

not much

i write to you from columbus, ohio.

this is a long week and im looking forward to the weekend!! i'm going to a wedding in denver.

last week i had a spring break. i really did pretty much nothing. i sat around, played alot of board games and ate alot of food. i did see some friends and went to a couple gatherings. got scared out of having children even more at a baby shower. good times

this week i'm with an instructor who is really nice, but he tells A LOT of jokes. not very funny ones. he also makes me play Name That Tune in the car. where he sings or hums songs and makes me guess what they are. gooooood times

OH the reason i'm writing this. i'll finally be somewhat in the Seattle area when i go home. Justin and I are moving into a place in Normandy Park. it is a room in an older woman's house. that isn't an ideal situation, but we'll have our own living space, beach access and it is hella cheap. 10 minutes from the airport, 20 minutes from downtown

i'm getting toward the end of my stint as a traveling gypsy so i'm looking for jobs. if you're ever really bored please e-mail postings about public relations, communications, marketing or related non-profit jobs in the seattle or portland areas to LMMCNEIL@GMAIL.COM. haha

this is laaaaaame but im sleepy

nikki reminded me i wanted to write this...

not a whole lot is happening. well i guess some things

i'm in syracuse, ny today. every week i just get flung back to the east coast. every week! i was on the east coast last week, but i got to be with my favorite instructor, miss linda, for a second time. lucky me! the woman is sooooo hilarious. love her.

this weekend i finally got to go back to washington. man, does it feel good to sit around all day. last weekend i went to nashville, tn for a group stayover. that was ok. i was disappointed we didn't really do anything. we went to bars and that was all. no country music hall of fame or opry. boo.

the week before nashville i had some medical things i needed to take care of and it was just an overall horrible week. that week made me want to be off the road for good more than i could handle sometimes. ahhhhhh!

i barely made it on my flight from phili to seattle on friday because it was oversold. i saw a "famous" person on my flight. the only reason i care enough to share this encounter with you is because i noticed him in a peculiar way. i only had two magazines to entertain me for a 6-hour plane ride, so naturally i read almost every word on every page. in my People mag i read an article about American Idol alum Blake Lewis and the assortment of tattoos he has. (article photo below)
later, as i drank my OJ and tried to sit through a second viewing of Million Dollar Baby***, i noticed a familiar tattoo on the wrist of the person in front of me. i sat poised with my People mag waiting for the gentleman to eat his pretzels, so i could match the tattoo to the article i read. through cherry blossom branch tattoo matching, i deduced that blake lewis sat in the row in front of me. weird coincidence!

p.s. lewis apparently is still waiting for super stardom b/c he was sitting in a middle coach seat. i don't even sit in middle coach seats.

did i tell you justin got an internship with the seattle times? i think i did. well, now the poor boy is trying to move himself down to seattle. he has one place near the airport that is a good possibility so far. i'll be so glad to live somewhat closer to seattle!

oh, i also am in serious need of a job. J-O-B. as of may 22 i will be jobless and that frightens me. eeeep! i don't even remember how to construct a cover letter.

*** is Million Dollar Baby not the most depressing movie ever made? hilary swank's characters always get royally messed up

v-day and all that good stuff

hello loyal...and not so loyal readers

i'm back on the road again

i just finished a week long break. i sat around and slept alot and ate like crap and saw friends. if i didn't see you we will have to catch up next time! whenever that will be

i had a most excellent Valentine's Day. justin, being the wonderful boy he is, got me really fabulous, thoughtful things. he actually made chocolate covered strawberries for me and chocolate coconut clusters and peppermint bark. he also made me a flower arrangement with fake flowers. he really got in touch with his feminine side to make stuff that fit me perfectly. haha. it should be noted that he is still "all that is man." he also got me earrings and exercise DVDs for the road. you may know that i despise tipping, so justin made me cards to put on restaurant tables. haha (please refer to photos)

the saturday after valentine's day (since i got in late the 14th) justin and i ate at the Melting Pot (yum!) and stayed at the Hotel Max in Seattle. it was so fun!

during the week i went to Bellingham. saw miss megan on the way and then taune, jill and kayla up north. saw katie on the way down. this job requires too much planning to see friends. haha. i was going to venture to bremerton, but decided it was best to do so another time.

im officially a graphic artist. i designed a logo for justin's mom's ebay site. it isn't very good but im a pretty lame artist. (refer to visual)

OHHHHH so ive officially decided not to pick up this job again in october. i tossed the idea back and forth in my head many times and finally realized the reasons i wanted to do it again weren't very good ones and that i'd prob be pretty miserable if i did. i contacted the PR firm i interviewed with last summer and i'd pretty much have an internship with them right now if i wasn't contracted to b on the road another 3 months. they pretty much said i was awesome, though, and gave me warm fuzzies.

justin interviewed with the seattle times and federal way mirror for internships and found out he got the mirror job. still waiting on the times. now he is looking to move down to seattle. i made him a cake to celebrate (photos).

that's all. sorry no funny stories

oh, wait! i also forgot to tell you i went to arizona the weekend before my break. justin met me down there and we stayed with and hung out with his old braski friends. it was lots of fun. i got to ride ATVs for the first time!

weird

weird

also...

i'd also like to add that i have had 2 amazing plane rides this week. amazing because of the phenomenal views


on my flight into boston we passed between a set of clouds. one layer on top and one below. i seriously thought i was looking at heaven. the way the light shown through and how we were surrounded on all sides. i probably looked like i had a learning disability because i sat drooling with my nose pressed up against the window for 20 minutes. i cursed the seat belt sign and the distance between my camera and i. i wish they had rentals amongst the clouds.

yesterday the sun was going down on the horizon as we flew into el paso. the setting sun cast layers of brilliant, gorgeous colors along the skyline. purple, blue, indigo, red, orange, yellow. oh, man.

here we go

oh man the last month has been craaaazay

i dont know where to begin...

Martin Luther King weekend i went to Vegas for a stayover. that was...different. i've never been to Vegas and i didn't really encounter too many things that would draw me back with any real ferocity. it was pretty fun, though. parents who take their children to Vegas should be shot in the head or reported to child services

view photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/LMMcNeil

i was supposed to fly in from Portland, maine friday night with a stop in chicago. alas, the first flight was so delayed i missed my connection in chicago. so, since im dumb and didnt realize i could expense a hotel room, i attempted to sleep in a chair in a hotel lobby.

saturday of Vegas we (other program managers and myself) toured the strip and went to Rum Jungle. Sunday i shopped too much and Sunday night i drank too much. ooohhh why do i continue my love affair with goldschlauger? i also saw Cirque's Mystere which was pretty fabulous. my missed my flight the next morning and didn't get into my next stop until 2 am. yay

Vegas photos made me realize 3 things: 1) im ghostly pale 2) ive gained too much weight 3) i have bad posture

so far ive only made significant strides with the posture. maybe a little less pale

i dunno what else ive been doing. my memory is fading as fast as my youth. last week was a weird ass week. one of the highlights occurred in Denver where i sipped champagne with my instructor at the Hyatt and we made fun of middle-aged businessman. he was one of the funnier instructors i've had. this convo between us can give you an idea of the fabulous banter between us:

Liz: so, richard i never asked. do you go by rich, richard, richie...what?
Richard: doesn't matter too much, but i prefer richard i guess. not richie and def not dick. i hate dick
Liz: ok, gotcha
Richard: well i mean i LOVE dick, but not as a name
Liz: ::awkward, but amused laughter::

right now i'm in Houston, Texas. i am sans a phone currently. i left it in a cab...again. hopefully ill have it by 3:30 today. i feel weird without my little red friend.

i walked to Sonic today and got a beverage. on my way back this man honked and then pulled over and beckoned me to his car. ive watched too many episodes of Cold Case Files to know thats how a trip to an early grave can begin, so i just stood and stared at him. he got out and came over. he wanted my number and then said "oh, girl don't be like that. don't be like that. just cuz im black don't mean i can't be there for you and take care of you. i wanna take care of you. i wanna love you. you so beautiful. i wanna love you, girl."

haha maaaaaan

this weekend i'm going to Phoenix! i'm excited!

lalalalala

so, last we were together i was in providence and it had snowed buckets.

well, only 4 people came to the seminar that day and at some point i looked around for my most favorite pea coat, but it was nowhere to be found. i looked in the car and my room and even gently accused the housekeeping staff of stealing it. finally, i ventured that maybe DanBeth accidentally took it out of my car as they grabbed their luggage. i was saddened, though, when i realized i had no way of contacting them.

BUT WAIT! i remembered the humorous name of Dan's workplace and looked up the phone number. sure enough DanBeth took my coat. thankfully, Dan's job is mere seconds from the airport where i had to rescue my delayed luggage. i picked up my coat at day's end and then saved my luggage.

upon my arrival at my next hotel a couple hours later i made 2 discoveries. the first being that DanBeth had inserted a $25 B&N gift card in the pocket of my coat to thank me for driving them. yay for books and good deeds! the second, much less pleasant, discovery was that my assortment of undergarments and nylons no longer resided in the front pocket of my suitcase. whether their absence can be attributed to an opened zipper strewing them across the tarmac, or a pervy panty-sniffing TSA worker is yet to be known.

last evening arrived at another hotel. well, an inn i suppose. the most adorable, plush inn i've ever been in. the bedford village inn in bedford, nh. i am including photos i took of its quaintness and the delightful suite i stayed in. you will notice the photo of the cookies i found next to my bed. the delicious cookies were tucked into a napkin like they were slumbering. mmmmm sleepy cookies.

snow yo

yesterday i traveled to the east coast with no knowledge that it would be bombarded by snow. my connection from Detroit to Providence was canceled. what is maddening, however, is that they canceled many flights in anticipation for snow when it didn't actually start snowing until 3 am this morning.

so, i hopped a plane to hartford and then drove to providence. i had a wonderful wait in the Detroit airport. boo. upon my arrival to Hartford i jumped on the Hertz courtesy bus to retrieve my rental car. it was at this point i overheard a young couple saying they were heading to Providence as well. they hadn't actually purchased their rental, just reserved it.

i decided that if i was to face the perilous snow this week i might need some extra karma points to get me through it. so, i offered to give the dewy-eyed lovers a lift. they proved to be decent company and assisted me in my inability to successfully find my way. i found that Dan and Beth, the names they provided me, moved from Wisconsin to Providence recently. like 90% of the people i seem to come across, Beth grew up in Washington state. Beth is a lab technician and Dan works for a company that sells and maintains aquariums. i dropped them off at Dan's place of employment and was delighted to see that it is called "Something Fishy." DanBeth are expecting a little DanBeth this summer.

this weekend im doing a stayover in Las Vegas with 20 other program managers. i'm worried. this weekend will definitely interfere with my usual schedule of going to bed before midnight. im not sure Vegas will suit me. i'm convinced it offers only 4 things to its visitors: 1) gambling 2) whores 3) buffets 4) pricey alcohol in abundance. besides whores, i could really do without the other three. and by whores i mean buffets.

my luggage has yet to catch up with me. i feel like a smelly homeless person. its good times.

what did you and taune say about me jill??

i'm back

wow im the worst blogger

really the only reason im writing now is because i can't get to sleep (it's 2 am in waltham, ma) and i thought jill might wanna read something. i think she's the only one who reads this. haha

so, im back on the road after a 2-week break for the holidays. it was pretty fab times overall. i wish i could have seen more of my friends and for more time, but i accomplished alot considering everyone is strewn about the place in a haphazard manner.

christmas was nice if not mildly boring and new years was alright. at least i should remember what i did at this time next year.

this weekend i am on the east coast...sorta. well, you can see where i am. haha

in my attempt to have a more seattle-based locale, i posted an ad on craigslist to find a room share for super cheap for the weekends im home. most of the responses i received were either pretty creepy or very undesirable. like sharing a one bedroom apt. with a 29-year-old male for $200? suweeeeet. if anyone has an extra room i could rent for pennies let me know!