Is It A Sign?

I was at the gym tonight and I saw a clip for the upcoming news that I could only take as a sign. I'm not sure where it happened or why, but it was from the local news. The only information I got was that a tractor trailer crashed into a dentist's office. Sound familiar? Well, it does to me. It sounds a lot like the image of a train wreck in my head as I passed out in the dentist office. Even crazier, I have another appointment tomorrow for a cleaning. Now I know that it is just a cleaning, but it was also just x-rays last week when I passed out cold. The dentist called me yeaterday to confirm my appointment. Of course, I couldn't get to my phone because I was ont the other line at work. I was afraid they were going to leave a message that they did find something wrong and I needed to come in right away for immediate surgery. Will this fear of the dentist ever stop haunting me? I doubt it. Will it ever get easier? I doubt it. All I know is that I am going to be a nervous wreck until I get my wisdom teeth taken out. In a way I am looking forward to it. I will be able to sleep during the day without feeling guilty. Jen said a little bit of weight loss may occur (I can definetely put up with that). Pain pills are also a plus according to Brett. My mom might be able to come stay with me for a couple of days. On the other hand, I'm not looking forward to it because I want to pass out everytime I think about it. So I am going to quit talking about it now.
I am trying to get back to the gym, but I have had zero motivation lately. I was going 3-5 times a week. I felt great and I wanted to go every night. Regretfully, I have only been 1-2 times a week since the Ski Trip because I haven't had any motivation. By the end of my 10 hour work days, I just want to come home and relax. The problem is that I can't relax because I feel guilty for not going to the gym. So if I don't go to the gym I wake up in the middle of the night pissed off because I wasted another evening. It's a viscous cycle!
On a different note, the first episode of the new Real World is on tonight. Yeah, I admit, I am a Real World junkie. I never liked the show until Chicago, but now I'm hooked. I am having a hard time staying awake for it because this is usually my bedtime. I will probably fall asleep as soon as it comes on. I wonder why they don't have Real World marathons anymore. They were the best especially when I had a hangover. Actually, I wonder what happened to a lot of the "quality" television I used to enjoy. Sometimes it seems as if I can't find just one decent show to watch when I want to. OK, this is all I have for the evening. Goodnight!

Where Have You Been All Of My Life?

Peanut and Dixie finally met today! At first, it was a little scary. Peanut was sleeping when Amber got here so she woke up to a strange dog in her house. She was not happy at all. I put her in the cage to try to calm her down and it sounded like there was a monster in there. We decided it would be best if we went outside and tried it again. Of course, she still refused to accept Dixie. She doesn't really like other dogs because she's used to me giving her all of my attention. Dixie was fine, which I knew she would be. I knew that Peanut was going to be the problem. After a lot of growling, barking and snapping, they finally got used to each other. One minute later they were running around and playing with each other like they were the best of friends. Amber and I got caught in the leashes a million times. I am so excited that they get along. Now I can go to Lexington and take her with me! We took them back inside and we didn't have any problems except when Amber was eating her salad. She had a piece of chicken and Peanut decided she really wanted it and she would bite Dixie's head off if she needed to in order to get it. That's the piece of chicken in the picture that caused the fight. Obviously, the picture was taken pre-fight. I heard her snap and I about jumped over Amber's head because I was afraid we were going to have a fight. Everything was fine when Amber gave Peanut the piece of chicken. Besides that incident, they were perfect angels. They were so funny and cute together. Dixie really wanted to go upstairs, but Peanut would get in front of her everytime she tried. By the time Amber was ready to leave, they were both passed out in the floor. After they left Peanut cried for a good ten minutes. It was the saddest cry I have ever heard from a dog. These two were meant to be together. It's just a shame that they can't have more play dates.

I Love Sundays!

I can't believe that this weekend has gone by as fast as it has. It has been a good weekend. Of course I went out Friday night, but I also went out last night. I usually use Saturday to recover from Friday, but I met my mom, dad, and gramma for lunch yesterday in Teays Valley. Then I went and spent way too much money, but I needed to get some more clothes for work.

Amber just called and she is going to bring Dixie to meet Peanut. For those of you who don't know who Amber and Dixie are, I'll explain. Amber is my best friend from high school and obviously Dixie is her dog (look to the right). Thanks Phil for the picture. Amber lives in Lexington, but she went home this weekend. She is going to stop by on her way back through so they can meet. I'm not sure how it is going to go, but I think it's a disaster waiting to happen. I'm not worried about Dixie. It's my crazy ass dog that scares me. I don't know what is going on in her head sometimes. I woke up this morning and she had chewed up a beer coolie, some tylenol and bandaids. I didn't even know I had the tylenol or the bandaids so who knows where she got them. Maybe she found a first aid kit somewhere.
This weekend was like "Hank's Gone Wild". Friday night is usually the crazy night and Saturday is more low key. It started out that way, but by the end it was the complete opposite. We decided to play a little game that got started by Holly taking pictures of herself. The picture to the left isn't part of the game, but I thought it was funny. I know that I was drunk because not only did I think of turning this into a game, I participated and it was a lot of fun. If anyone wants to play the game, send me an e-mail and if you're lucky I will send it to you when I get it together. That is my next mission for the day. Wow, what an exciting day! Maybe I should get another job. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this weekend.

I bet nobody can guess what song I was dancing to in this picture. Actually everyone probably can.
Do the right thing! I want a tooth in my hand right now! Scottie's eyes are so funny in this picture.

I stopped writing because Amber and Dixie came. I have some pictures, but I have to wait for camera battery to charge, so I am going to wait on that entry. I am going to Target and then I will write about the experience when I get back. Also, Amber is starting a blog!!! I am so excited. I am addicted to these damn blogs now. I'll make you wait for the name. It's a really good title and I'm not saying that just because I helped her name it. I'll be back in a little bit with more on the meeting of Dixie and Peanut...

What A Day!

Wow, what a day! Obviously I have been busy because it's now almost 10:00 and I'm not in bed. I passed my test that I took for work. My city manager said congratualtions this morning and I didn't even know that I had passed. I really didn't have a doubt in my mind, but everyone else knew before me. Oh well, I am just glad that I got that over with. After I got off work I went to the gym. I came home got a shower, made some dinner and checked my e-mail. By the way, nice job everyone for replying to the survey. I had no idea that many people would respond. Now if we could just get some of the others to reply. Anyway, after I got done with my e-mail, I cooked breakfast. I promised everyone at the office that I would bring them breakfast in the morning. Hopefully I will remember to put it in the oven in the morning.
I went to the dentist today. Good news is that I do not have an abscess tooth or any cavities. Bad news is that I do have to get my wisdom teeth cut out and I passed out in the chair. Yeah, that's right I passed out completely. It gets even worse. The poor girl was just getting X-Rays when it happened. I hadn't even seen the doctor yet! One minute I was sitting there kind of nervous and shaking, but I told myself I would be fine. The next minute I had some freaky image in my head about a train wreck (which may be a symbol of my life). When I came to one of my shoes had come off and I had no idea where I was. Of course I started freaking out and I cried. I have never passed out before. Well, at least when I'm sober. I think not eating all day may have something to do with that. They took me to another room to calm me down. I finally calmed down and they finished the X-Rays. I apologized to the girl and told her that was the first time this had ever happened to me. She said it was her first time too. I might be a an adult, but I am not going back unless my mom is with me. Of course, I called her as soon as I left to tell her what happened. She laughed at me! I had to go back to work afterwards and I wasn't right for the rest of the day. I'm still not right. I was as pale as a ghost forever today. I'm still in shock over this. For those of you who have never passed out, I hope you never go through it. For those of you who have, I feel bad for you. I never want to go through that again, but chances are I will next week when I go to get my teeth cleaned. The dentist suggested that I take a valum before my appointment next week. It's just a cleaning, but I think I freaked him out. I freaked myself out. I am going to be nuts until I get my wisdom teeth pulled. I am going to have to buy The Office DVD and some more seasons of Friends to make it through the down time. Thanks to Brett and Jen for the good advice. Pain pills and weight loss, count me in! Well, that's all I have right now. I am getting light headed thinking about this. I'm going to bed.

My Tooth May Be The Death Of Me

I hear you Amber! Maybe I shouldn't have set these standards for myself. I didn't write yesterday because I went out right after work. By the time I got home I went straight to bed. Well, I take that back. I made drunken quesadillas and from what I remember they tasted pretty good! Today I only worked half a day, but Peanut and I went to my parent's house as soon as I was done. I just got back from there about 30 minutes ago. My mom had surgery on her knee Monday so I went to visit her. Also, my gramma was in town so I wanted to see her too. Although I have been busy the past 2 days, not much has happened. I took my test yesterday to get promoted. I won't know until tomorrow or Friday whether I passed, but I don't have a doubt in my mind. It was a piece of cake. I'm pretty excited because I will get a bonus (not much) and a raise (also not much).
The only major thing I have been thinking about the past few days is my tooth. I thought my wisdom tooth was pushing my other teeth and that was why I have been feeling pain. Well, I think it's more than that now. My mom said it is probably an abscess tooth. I have a dentist appointment next Wed., but I don't think I can wait. It just so happens that I read an article a couple of days ago about wisdom teeth. It said that it is best to get wisdom teeth removed before 25 because leaving them in will increase my risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some other problems I don't need. I hate the dentist more than any other doctor. They always seem to hurt me. I talked to Ashley tonight and she said one of her friends went into a coma because of an abscess tooth. So if I don't write for a couple of days someone may want to come and find me. Also, another guy we used to work with, which I don't remember, got a goider from an abscess tooth. Needless to say, I won't be able to sleep until I get to the dentist. I'm sure nobody is interested in my teeth, but I needed to write about it for three reasons.
1. I can't stand pain. When it comes to pain, I am the biggest baby in the world!
2. I am freaking out about this!
3. If it kills me at any point in the night I would like for someone to come and find me. Note: Please walk the dog while you are here.




That's all I have for now. I am going to try to sleep. I'm going to use this spray that makes my mouth numb. I'm afraid that is going to make me drool! Oh well, the pain is killing me. I wouldn't mind a little drool if the pain would go away.

2006 Winter Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends

OK Phil, I do have to work during the day. Unfortunately I am restricted to work e-mail only while I'm there. Where's your update? Since I don't really have much to write about today, I am going to respond to Megan's e-mail as a post. I usually don't like these type of e-mails, but I thought it would be a good way for those of you who don't know me that well to get to know me better. If any of you want to fill it out with your responses and e-mail it to me, that would be great. Obviuosly, not much happened today. Here is the e-mail.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:30 I have to work at 7:00 on Mondays.
2. Dimaonds or Pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? American Wedding, it's been forever!
4. What is your favorite TV Show? Friends, The Office and The Biggest Loser
5. What did you have for breakfast? Breakfast Lean Pocket
6. What it your middle name? Elizabeth
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Can chili count?
8. What foods do you dislike? Tuna, salmon and most fishy seafood
9. Favorite chips? Salt and Vinegar
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? James Blunt
11. What kind of car do you drive? 2005 Mazda 3
12. Favorite sandwich? Turkey, slice of colby cheese and honey mustard
13. What characteristics do you despise? Selfish, dishonest, stupid and snobby
14. What are your favorite clothes? Sweatpants
15. If you go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Anywhere warm
16. What color is your bathroom? Green w/palm trees
17. Favorite brand of clothing? Not that big on brands anymore. Just whatever looks ok.
18. Where would you want to retire? Don't know. I am only 23!
19. Favorite time of day? Evenings after work. Mornings are great in the summer.
20. Where were you born? Pittsburgh, PA
21. Favorite sport to watch? Football, as long as there is beer
22. Who do you least expect to send this back? Probably everyone because I can't believe I am doing it.
23. Who will be the first to respond? Nobody!
24. Coke or Pepsi? Coke (Sorry Phil and Jon)
25. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Morning person unless I've been up all night
26. Any new and exciting news you would like to share with everyone? Not a damn thing. Otherwise I would be writing about that and not doing this e-mail.
27. What did you want to be when you were little? Work for Candid Camera. I still want to!!!
28. What is your best childhood memory? Anything with my family. They are great!
29. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? Kroger, Laredo Steakhouse, Applebee's, Pro Eyes Optometry, Mac's, Hank's and Enterprise
30. Nicknames? Banker, Jana Banana and Jana Spanker. There actually many more, but we'll leave it at that.
31. Number and location of piecings? 8 in my ears
32. Eye color? Blue
33. Ever been to Africa? Nope
34. Ever been toilet papering? Not that I remember.
35. Ever been in a car accident? Yes
36. Favorite day of the week? Sunday
37. Favorite Restaurant? Tidewater
38. Favorite flower? Doesn't matter, I love flowers!
39. Favorite ice cream? Mint Chocolate Chip
40. Favorite fast food resaurant? I don't eat fast food much, but I love Chick Fil A
41. Which store would you chose to max out your credit card? I could do it any store, but I think Target would be the best.
42. Bedtime? 9:00 to 10:30, unless it's the weekend
43. Who are you most curious about their responses to the questionnaire? Anyone who answers. I love to learn new things about people.
44. Last person you went to dinner with? It's usually just me and Peanut at home for dinner. The last time I had dinner with someone was with my dad and brother last week, but it was at my parent's house. I think New Year's was probably the last time I went out for dinner.
45. What are you listening to right now? Wife Swap on ABC. I love Reality TV!
46. What is your favorite color? Blue
47. How many tattoos do you have? 0 and I probably will never get one because I hate pain.
48. Who was the last e-mail you got before this one? It was actually from my friend Rea telling me that I am a dork because of this blog...ha ha!
49. How many people are you sending this to? Whoever reads my blog. So maybe 2 or 3 : )
50. What time did you finish this e-mai?l 8:15

Wow, that so wasn't as much fun as it looks! I'm going to stop now so I can get ready for my test in the morning. Thanks Megan for the e-mail!

Still Bored

This is my cat, Bella. She likes to sleep on my dresser or on my pillow. I can't believe how bored I have been these past two days. I think it's because I haven't had anything to do. It was nice for a change, but I really need some kind of chore or something to do. Of course tomorrow when I get to work I will be wishing for today. I woke up from a nap today and when I walked downstairs there was a book in 5 million pieces. I guess Peanut got bored with her chew toys and now she prefers paper. She knew that she had done wrong because as soon as I looked at her and said "bad girl", she ran upstairs. That's what this photo is. After she finally came out of my room, she sat at the top of the stairs with the saddest face. She hasn't done anything like this for awhile. She also ripped off her Steelers bandana that my sister made for her. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with her today.




I never went over that stuff that I needed to for work. I started looking at it and it made my head hurt. Oh well, I think I'll be ok. I am watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I love this show! I got hooked on it when there was a marathon on one day. Ever since, I have loved it. Nothing else happened today. I am going to finish watching this show and probably go to bed. I have to get up at 5:30 on Mondays.

2006 Recap...Sort Of

So far 2006 has been a good year. It has gone by so fast! I can't believe that February is almost over. Where did January go? Not much happened in January except I went to visit my gramma in Ohio for a weekend. I haven't been there in so long because she usually comes here. Peanut also had a great time because my gramma has a huge yard for her to run in. I think she slept for 3 days straight when we got home. I can't wait to get a yard with a fence so she can go outside and run around. Right now I have to keep her on a leash and she just about drags me down everytime I take her out. Anyway, there I go again rambling about something noone cares about.


The most exciting event of 2006 so far was THE SKI TRIP. I was so excited when Amber invited me. I had never been on this trip before, but I sure am glad that I went. I met about 20 great new people. This is the group photo. We had to take it again on the last night so we are missing a couple of people (Damn, format buttons). Anyway, it was awesome! I have never had so much fun without going in public for three days. Actually I've never stayed inside that long. The only time I left the cabin was to go on the deck to get more beer. For more photos and details Phil's blog is where you want to go www.allthingsphil.blogspot.com
The funny thing about this trip is the name of the trip. It has been going on for six years now and nobody goes skiing. I think they attempted it the first year and that's where the name came from.
My favorite part of the trip was "Gatlingburg Idol". The second night kind of got interuppted by stair diving, but that's ok because I sang enough on Friday for the whole group. I hate it when nobody will take the microphone away from me. Even though we didn't have Bell Biv Devoe, I managed to make it. We better have it next year or I'm not going! I really had a great time. I can't wait until next year.

Not much else has happened so far. At least nothing worth writing about. As always, Valentine's Day sucked this year. I think it is the stupidest holiday ever. Ironically enough my boss made me take the day after off. Note to all: Never give a single person the day after Valentine's Day off. It's just a free ticket to get drunk. I had to go to the hospital with my mom the next morning and then I drove to Beckley to pick up my brother. It was complete torture. Well, I guess this wasn't much of a recap, but I can't recap things that don't happen. I need to do some stuff for work. I am going to take a test on Tuesday to get promoted and I haven't even looked at the stuff.

Powerball

Someone won The Powerball and it wasn't me! I really thought I had the winning ticket in my purse. I never played the lottery until this week and I wish I never did because it's not that much fun when you don't win. I've been thinking about what I would do with the money. Of course I would give to charity, my family, friends and all that good stuff, but what would I do for fun? Here is a list of just a few things that I would do with the money.

1. QUIT MY JOB!
2. Buy Hank's and the movie theater next door
3. Move somewhere warm after I travel the world
4. Buy a Kia Sorento for Mike and smash out all of the windows. Of course I would have another for him that didn't have smashed windows. I may even buy him his Kia Sorento race track.
5. Buy a speed skating suit for Patrick to wear, with either cowboy boots or rollerblades, on the streets of Huntington. This is something I may do anyway because it would be worth every penny. Patrick, I know that one in the picture isn't flourescent green, but it may be harder to find than I originally thought.
6. Buy Bell Biv Devoe
7. Make an outfit out of money and wear it just to piss people off
8. Buy Candid Camera. It is my dream to work for this show.
9. Find something better to do than update this blog

Now I am just getting mad because I didn't win. I guess I could check my ticket to see if I at least got the powerball number right. Crap! I didn't even get that. Well, I might as well just go back to bed. I'm not a millionaire so there's no point in me staying awake any longer.

One More For The Day

I promise this is the last one for today. I just got off the phone with my sister and she met Vanna White's parents last week! Like I said earlier, she lives in South Carolina. Her and one her friends from work went out on Valentine's Day to a sports bar across the street. It was Vanna White's parents' anniversary. To make a long story short, they ended up meeting and my sister is invited to the family reunion this summer, which Vanna will be attending. I am so jealous. I may be a dork, but I love Wheel of Fortune. I have always wanted to be a contestant on that show. She got a picture on her digital camera. When she learns how to upload her pictures to her computer I will put it on here for everyone to see. OK, I am done for the day.

My Favorite Things

I am up from my nap now and I am feeling more up to this blog thing than I was earlier. I stayed out a little later than I expected last night and I had to work this morning. It was only 4 hours, but it seemed like much more. Anyway, I have had my nap and I feel much better now.

I'll start "Favorite Things" out with one of my favorite pictures. This one is of me and my sister, Terra. It was taken last summer at her going away party. She moved to South Carolina last August. At first it was hard to get used to because we've never been more than an hour away from each other.

Favorite TV Shows: Old-Friends (Hands down) New-The Office, The Biggest Loser and The Best Week Ever

Favorite Movies: What About Bob?, Hope Floats, When Harry Met Sally and Uptown Girls

Favorite Song: Bell Biv Devoe, Poison

Favorite Radio Station: On Sirius, Channel 12 (Super Shuffle). Well, it is now thanks to the ski trip.

Favorite Game: Catch Phrase and Scene It, thanks to the ski trip again.

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Day of the Week: Sunday, I never have to work

Favorite Month of the Year: Ocotober, it's my birthday and I love the fall

Favorite Food: Chili

Favorite Vacation Spot: Anywhere warm

Favorite Outfit: Pajamas, I would wear them everywhere if I could

Favorite Sport: Tennis

OK, I am really bored with this right now, so I am going to stop with the favorite things. I just saw something really funny on VH1. It was on that Web Junk 20 show. It was a clip of Ken Jennings on Jeopardy. Ken answered, "What is a hoe?" to "A gardening tool with a long handle and also known as an immoral pleasure seeker." That may not be the exact wording, but it was pretty funny! I've never watched this show before, but I think I need to more often. OK, I am really bored right now. Tomorrow I might do a recap of 2006 so far.

My First Entry

I have decided to start a blog. I have wanted to for awhile now, but I haven't had the time. I am extremely bored today so I figured it was a good day to get the ball rolling. Many people have told me that I need to write a book because of the crazy, interesting, and stupid things that happen to me. Well, I don't have the patience for a book so this blog will have to do.
First, I'll just give a brief background of myself. My name is Jana Banker. I am 23 years old and I live in Barboursville, WV. I am orginally from Pittsburgh, PA, but I moved to Pinch, WV in 1990. Five years ago I moved to Huntington, WV to attend Marshall University. I graduated in May 2004 with a Marketing degree and I am still here. I currently work at Enterprise. I have a dog, Peanut, who was found in a box at a rest area. I have had her for a little over a year now. I will probably post a lot of pictures of her. I also have a cat, Bella. I have had her for almost three years. She finally started coming around again after a year of hiding from the dog. Here is a picture of Peanut. Isn't she cute?

I named my blog "Jana Land" because everyone says that it is where I am most of the time. Last summer I went on a trip to my friend's cabin for her birthday. I had some off the wall comment and everyone just looked at me. My friend Ashley said, "I would like to go to Jana Land for just one day." I replied, "it's a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there!" Apparently that has become a few of my friend's favorite quote. I thought that name was very appropriate for the blog. Thoses of you who don't really know me will understand more and more after each post. That is all I have right now. I am going to take a nap because it is cold outside and there's not much else to do.