April 30, 2008

We're Going Downtown!

For my 21st birthday, Mom took me and Erica to Station Square in Pittsburgh! We stayed at the Sheraton and had a blast! I wasn't really feeling the Clubs, I don't know, I just wasn't in that kind of mood. I was bummed because Pat was out of town, and the plans for Pittsburgh got kind of screwed up so I knew I was going to have fun, but not as much fun as I could have had. So we hung out in the Red Star Tavern and played pool. It was great! I felt mature and sophisticated. We drank and talked and then started playing pool. Bar Louie's is connected to the Red Star so we got to listen to great music coming from the DJ over there. It was perfect. It wasn't crowded at all, but I felt comfortable. Although I liked it, I wish it was a little more lively. I, of course was drunk. But not out of control. The atmosphere in the Red Star, I think helped me control myself. Usually I get ditzy and giggly. But I was in control while playing pool and I just felt good. But I was definitely drunk. Walking out was a little hard and I needed a smoke SO bad! I thought I'd be okay, I didn't smoke all day or when we got there, but after a few drinks, I needed one! Needless to say, when we got back to the hotel, I passed out immediately!

The next morning we woke up pretty early and got ready to go shopping! I wanted to have martini's for lunch, but we ended up eating outside of the Island Cafe. It was good though, and I was proud of myself for not ordering fries with my wrap. I figured all the beer and Amaretto-sours I had, had done me in for over-the-limit calories, the night before. We walked along the river and enjoyed the scenery and head inside the Station Square Mall. Did some shopping and then made our way across the bridge into Downtown!! Erica had never been to Pittsburgh, or any city like it, so we had fun showing her different building and talking about how Youngstown should look like this. We ended up getting caught in the rain, buying those umbrellas that you clamp to lawn chairs at the Rite-Aid, giving a hobo a dollar(which he was very happy for!), and doing a TON of walking! We walked back to Station Square, went back in the Mall, walked around, Mom bought some stuff and then headed to the car.

We made our way down to Carson Street. Carson street is probably my favorite street in the whole United States(maybe second to North Atlantic Ave on Daytona Beach! Google Map it and check out the street views! You'll love it!) After finding a place to park, which was a task in its own, we walked up and down, and up and down Carson Street. We stopped in all our favorite store- The Culture Shop, The Groovy Store, and Slacker. And some new ones too- Bead Mine, Spotlight, and Clarissa Boutique. We had lunch in a bar. They had $2 Miller Lite! Before we left, we decided to walk down to Perlora. Its at the more open end of Carson street. Unfortunately it had closed 15 minutes earlier. Bummer. Perlora is a furniture store with a unique and different taste. Mel and I have always wanted to get an apartment in downtown Pittsburgh, and Perlora is the store we would buy from to furnish it! That's okay though, we'll just have to make another trip down! So we left and made our way to IKEA! We walked around and showed Erica how awesome IKEA is, and I looked at stuff for an apartment! Then we had dinner at Applebees and headed off on the open highway!

I'm glad we got to do it, there was some drama before that almost made Erica not come. But we made the most of it and I can't wait to do it again!

Pictures courtesy of Erica and Google Maps!

April 20, 2008

Family Love

I love my family. They're amusing. We're supposed to be going to the Flea market. Dad's cooking out today so were going to get some veggies and stuff. As well as support our local farmers [: Well. Mom and Ash might go to war and its quite funny to watch. And listen to what they saying to eachother. Ashley just knows exactly what to do to PISS mom off. And what makes it worse is Pat's here, so... he'll feel the wrath from both of them! We all take our anger out on Pat. Its easy.

We'll see how the ride there goes, and I'm sure they will still be going at it when we get to the market.

Its going to be a fun day :o)

April 12, 2008

A new day of darkness.

Picture waking every morning in blackness. Seeing only light dancing behind a closed curtain. Your sight has failed you and you must rely on your other senses. Using your hands you feel every thing that is normal to you, you hear every thing that you hear every day, but you can't see any of it. Navigating through the house, at first, seemed hazardous but then I realized I've lived here for 21 years. I know every inch of this place. I know where everything is positioned. I skated through with no problem. Only using lights that were on in different rooms to judge where I was, and the sound of tv's and the distance they were away. Even riding in the car, I could tell what roads we were on and how far away until the next turn. Occasionally I'd get lost and then realize a sudden bend and be back on track.

You're probably thinking I went blind. We'll luckily that's not the case. I have horrific scratches on my left cornea. The pain is so unbearable that I can't open my eye lid. The scratches also caused my eyesight to go hazy and cloudy so I couldn't see through it even if it didn't hurt. Because of the stress on my right eye, that one too, doesn't want to open. Besides, anyone who knows me, knows with out glasses or contacts, I can not see anything. Anything. Until I saw my eye specialist, I was blind. Light hurt my eye and I had a patch over the left one for about a day. My good eye, was pretty much useless so naturally I walked around all day with both closed.

It was weird not being able to see. At times I was frustrated and angry. And I couldn't scratch or rub my eye, so the pain was horrible! And the anxiety of not being able to touch it when it itched, sucked. I don't wish blindness on anyone. I realized how bad it sucks. I had to use people to guide me through rooms and to read things for me. When I talked, since I couldn't see if they were looking at me, I felt like they weren't listening. Ya know? How would I actually know if they were paying attention? Even though my "blind episode" only last for about 2 days, I think I realized my other senses were stronger. Everything was louder than normal or different sounds punctuated more in my ears. My nose was all clogged up from crying and sniffling so my sense of smell sucked. And as far as touch, I touched everything in front of me. So I got very good use out of that! I learned that the eye heals very quickly, and I'm doing much better. Later in the day I was able to keep my left eye open without it tearing up and closing. It still itches and throbs. And every three hours I have to put drops in. I have to sleep with ointment in it so the eyelid pretty much glues shut. I go to the doctor's on Monday and hopefully he doesn't tell me any bad news.

And I'm buying glasses. Screw contacts! They are most likely what caused the bad scratches. The hott ER doctor told me they were the worst he's EVER seen. My advice to you: Be careful with contacts! They're suppose to help your sight, but they can ruin it, too!!!

April 10, 2008

peace, love, and happiness.


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The thought provoking survey:1. What reasons get you out of bed in the morning?
Work, somtimes. Have to take Harley out so he can do his business. Cuz you have to wake up sometime.

2. Were the ideals and dreams you had as a kid, any different from the dreams you have now? Why or why not?
I wanted to be a princess. So ya, I think that's changed! I know I've always wanted to have a good, stable life and a family. And a good job. One that's "me", fun, and makes decent money so that I can support myself and children.

3. What do you fear?
The unknowing. And fucking spiders. Loneliness. Sharing my whole life with the love of my life and him dying before me... I'm not sure if I could survive with out him.

4. A. What do you find essential to live your life?
Happiness, companionship, determination. If I can't overcome obstacles, I get stuck. So I need support from my truefriends and family and determination and confidence in myself to progress with my life.

4. B. Why can you not live without it?
If I didn't have those things, I wouldn't have a life, now would I?

5. What have you experienced today?
Nothing out of the ordinary... boredom before work. Boredom at work. Restlessness.

6. How do you feel about tomorrow?
Not looking forward to it, but will make the best of it, I suppose.

7. What do you believe to be true without any speck of doubt?
Karma's a bitch. And if you do good, you will be returned in some way. Although it may not happen as soon as you would like, He has reasons for making you wait.

8. What does truth mean to you?
Truth means being able to admit your faults and realizing who you are. You have to be true to yourself before you can be true to others.

9. Why is it worth it to keep a secret? Or why not?
To keep a secret shows me that your loyal to me when I confide in you, if it serious. Some secrets are trivial.

10. What do you desire more than anything from life? Why?
To understand what I'm here for... what is the meaning of life. I'm sure that won't be answered but I would like to know more about what we are as humans.

11. If you had the world listening to your voice... what would you say to everyone?
Everyone take a f'cking vacation and relax! Everyones so fastpaced and in a hurry, they don't realize they're missing out on life! I do not think life is about fancy things and working to live... it should be about enjoying the people around you and seeing new things. Enjoying your existence and learning.

12. What holds you back the most for the things you love to do? Why do you let it? What can you do to compromise this problem?
I'm not sure exactly... not enough money... having obligations and responsbilities. If I have to work, I have to work. And I need to work to make money so I can do things I like... and if its something I want to do that doesn't cost anything... I still have to wait til work or other responsibilities are accomplished.

13. What is reality to you?
Looking past the obvious and seeing the meaning in something.

14. If you were faced with a being that obviously wasn’t violent but considerably ugly, would you be afraid of it? Why?
Uhmm... this questions a little weird. Just because a "being" is ugly doesn't mean its harmful. Different isn't bad. It just takes getting used to. I see the good in everything before the bad.

15. What have you learned from your parents?
People change as the get older. About finances. And how to be open and insightful.

16. What have you taught someone else?
I would hope I have taught someone SOMETHING.... but I'm not sure if I have.

17. Are you afraid of death? Why/why not?
No not at all. I think its just a stage in life that leads to another state of being.

18. Where do you think this world is headed? Why?
To devastation. But its obviously is something that has to happen for us to realize what life is about. Were screwing up the world on our own. We don't learn from our mistakes, we can't progress.

19. If you didn’t have to worry about money what would you do with your life?
Travel the world and meet people, all different kinds of people.

20. What is love for you?
Finding your soulmate... the person that is so much like you but different in their own way. Your other half.

21. What is Happiness for you?
Seeing other people happy and helping others. Laughing and crying with your friends. Loving someone and being with them forever.
:)

April 4, 2008

Steelhound Hockey; Fight Till the End!

Congrats to the Steelhounds for their win over the Colorado Eagles! A 5 - 2 win over the Eagles has allowed them to stay in the playoffs and possibly bring a championship win back home to Youngstown! The win was achieved by pure passion, pride till the end, and a strong drive to do what must be done. Goalie, Kevin Beech, blocked 22 of 24 shots from the Eagles. Beech, with an outstanding game, achieved his "first professional playoff victory in his first start". The three outstanding players of the game were Kevin Beech, Ryan Bennett, and Mark Odut. Bennett scoring two goals and Odut scoring one, they were also accompanied by goals by Kurtis Dulle, Jimmy Russo, and Bryan Lachapelle. With the crowd cheering the whole game and adrenaline filling the whole Centre, The official Steelhound Press Box says, "The game was very physical as they combined 135 penalty minutes off of 43 offenses with Colorado leading the way with 72 minutes."
Although there were many penalties, fights, and unsportsmanlike conduct, it kept the Youngstown pride alive. The fans were on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what would happen next, and whether the Steelhounds would come through in a victorious win. (Both in the playoff game and the fights on the ice). Today's game should be just as action-packed. Youngstown must come through victorious to stay in the playoffs and with their determination from last nights game, they should have no problem today!

Stats from the Game (www.steelhounds.com)

SCORING:
Period 1- no scoring from either teams
Period 2- Colorado 2 Youngstown 4
Period 3- Colorado 0 Youngstown 1

SHOTS:
Total for Colorado- 24
Total for Youngstown- 41

POWERPLAYS:
Colorado 1 for 6 : Youngstown 2 for 9

PENALTY TOTALS:
Colorado 72 minutes on 23 infraction(s) Youngstown 63 minutes on 20 infraction(s)

OTHER FACTS:
GAME LENGTH: 3:06
ATTENDANCE: 2,708
REFEREE: Craig Welker
LINES 1: Chris Petrin
LINES 2: Shane Nakic
SCOREKEEPER: Memphis Scorekeeper
CHL GAME NUMBER: E4
1ST STAR: Bennett, Ryan (YNG)
2ND STAR: Beech, Kevin (YNG)
3RD STAR: Odut, Mark (YNG)

Previous game(March) Hounds vs. Eagles

April 2, 2008

The Internet. Another World of Addictions.

I go on Myspace, every day. I wouldn't say I'm addicted though. My friends are too busy to leave daily comments and post pictures every day. So, I don't have the excitement of seeing "
New Messages!" every time I log on. And when I do, its usually from the the same 4 people that always comment me. :o) I'm not complaining though. (At least when they're picture comments, they're different people.) But I think the only reason I continue to log on is too see, if maybe 'this time' something interesting was left for me.

On the other hand, I recently found the world of YouTube. I don't know how I came across the thought of browsing music videos on YouTube, but it magically happened. I knew what YouTube was. You put your videos up so everyone can see them. Or you searched for movie trailers, music, or lost episodes of shows, and so much more. It didn't hit me until I did it that day, that you can actually find ANY music video you want or search for your favorite childhood CARTOON. Let me tell you, when I realized how much YouTube is good for, I became addicted. Instantly. I ended up laying on my bed for a couple hours, searching for music videos and creating a playlist that I would listen to while working out (the elliptical is near the big computer) and then I came across one of the first cartoons I remember as a child, which spawned into another hour of searching for every childhood cartoon I ever watched! And with the awesome feature of playlists, I was able to save all my favorite episodes, and make them private. That way I won't be embarrassed to admit that I still watch cartoons and which ones.
The following days, I came across different videos which would turn into an hour searching for videos that were like the first one. Every time I opened my laptop or logged onto the big computer, YouTube was now the first website I would open. Instead of Myspace.

I'm not proud to say I sit in front of the computer when I'm bored for hours at a time. Or sometimes the internet is more fun than talking to my sister or mother. But it has this magic spell, all the possibilities. Usually the minute I get on, I'm caught in a whirlwind of paths... search for my favorite cars, search for honeymoon vacation packages, search for lyrics, download music, upload pictures, blog, read my gmail, play games, buy anything you want, read articles, all these things available at my fingertips, is my weakness. having it right in front of me captures me and I get stuck on the computer for hours if I'm not distracted by something else. I hate it and I hate the damn internet. For months I wasn't addicted. I barely went on. I rarely logged into my Myspace account... then something changed. And I regret it. Like the first time you try a drug you know your going to have stop, cuz its just too good. Damn the internet.

I hate being closer to an inanimate object then a human being.

April 1, 2008

Survey Time; Umma Do Me.

Of course you wanna get to know me! Let's start with the Basics:
Full Name: Jessica Ann Mondora, remember it.
Birth Date: well, its April 24, 1987. BUT, I have two birth certificates! One's for the 24th and the other is for the 25th ;o) Feel free to celebrate on both days. I won't mind!
Birth City: the Yo! Youngstown, Ohio for all you foreigners.
Nationality: Greek, Slovak, Italian, Hungarian
Eye Color: green. I'm blessed.
Hair Color: As I get older, its getting darker! Brown Baby.
Siblings: younger brat named Ashley, lover her to death though.

The Likes:
Movies: Harry Potter, all of them. The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Alien vs Predator, National Treasure, The Notebook, Disney movies(I'm a collector) (: 10 Things I Hate About You, Duplex, Heartbreak Kid
TV Shows: CSI, Family Guy, King of Queens, Futurama, The Soup, anything on HGTV, sometimes the History Channel's cool.
Books: Ship of Fools, Star, Star Struck, Hostage, anything by Stephen King, House, The Golden Compass
Resturants: Applebees, Rockne's, any Chinese resturant
Fast Food: JibJabs, Taco Bell, McDonalds
Seasons: Winter's my fave cuz of the snow, but I enjoy all of them for different reasons
Animals: dogs, cats, monkeys, tigers
Vacation Spot: Daytona Beach!! Florida's my second home!
Video Games: Grand Tourismo, Brain Age, Luxor, Tomb Raider, and of course any Mario game!
Instrument: the piano

The Dislikes:
I'm just gonna sum this category up:
Spiders, liars, rain, pickles, SPIDERS, unloyal people, bitches, people who hate the world and try to make you hate it too, drama, confrontations, fighting, not being listened too, work, getting older/growing up, politics, people in general(but I try to keep an open mind at all times), headaches, showoffs, being walked all over, not being able to express myself, smoking(even though I do it), traffic, being procrastinator, the world and its stupid people, and so much more.

About my dream Guy:
Someone with a personality, independance- doesn't need me around all the time, isn't dependant on me, humor goes a long way. I like to laugh. Someone with goals and dreams, that will make them happen. Someone with some intellect. Someone who can think on their own. Likes to do things and is a risk taker. A little cockiness doesn't bother me. Someone who shares my dreams(working hard to have a good future, traveling, enjoying life everyday). He also should be honest, open-minded, and caring.


About my Career:
Dream Job: psychologist, counselor, back up dancer, archeologist
What I'm Doing Now: working at Sheetz. Yea it sucks, but the pay is really good. $10.00 an hour + benefits. I can't quit.
College: Youngstown State, not going this semester though. Switched major from Business Economics to Computer Information Systems, but didn't work out. This summer, doing online course through Mount Aloysious, for Business Administration
What I'd Really Like To Do: something that will be fun, challenging, and not be like work at all... yet to find the career that actually meets those at all.

In the Future:
I would like to: visit Egypt, Greece, Thailand, China, Fiji, go on an African Safari, visit the Rainforest, pretty much see the WHOLE world.
I would love to: live in Alaska, Colorado, Arizona, Europe, at least for a little. Each place :)
I will have: a stable relationship with my hubby, a big family, and a sweet house, that fits all my needs!

I will own: a Jaguar XKR. I'm saving now.
I will accomplish: Writing one piano piece. Seeing at least two different countries. Speaking another language, fluently. Moving out of Ohio. And driving across the United States- one big road trip!!

I love:
My other half: Melissa Saige
My Besty: Amanda Marie
My Hubby-to-be: Patrick
My family, my life, my body(well some of the time), my personality, my future, my car, my piano playing skills, my artistic side, my friends, my heritage, my puppies, my God.