Rainy Day Stories is the personal journal of Amanda Erickson, that's me. It is a continuation of a journal which began as an outlet for writing and to explore a new place. In that journal I wrote about being new to L.A. and the experiences I had there. Now, I have returned "home" and I'm not sure what this journal is going to be about. To say it's simply about me kind of frightens me.

    Portland, Oregon, isn't really my home in the sense that others call a place their home. But, I'm choosing it, which is a terribly liberating feeling after being hauled all over the world against my will by the virtue of being a military brat. I think the rain draws me.

WHAT'S THE POINT?

    I guess I need to continue this as a writing exercise. I really like having a place to write down my thoughts and experiences as they happen. I also have really enjoyed making connections with people over shared events and/or emotions. In short, starting the last journal was a lot of fun and I hope this one will be, too.

WHAT AM I DOING?

    The similarities with L.A. Stories just keep coming. Once again, I am on the job hunt. People that have followed along with me are all-too familiar with the job-hunting saga that has been my life over the past year. So far, I haven't yet become a slacker lay-about but neither have I been satisfied with the jobs I've held. In the past year I've worked for a construction company (building their website), worked for a Vigorous Idiot who I had to sue in order to get paid for the work I did, got hired by a dog-walking company to walk the pooches of the Rich & Famous™, and worked as an independent contractor on a number of websites including the illustrious Babs (Ms. Streisand, if you're nasty).

    So, now that you know what I'm up to, is this what I'm going to write about? It depends, writing about employers and interviews can sometimes be really sticky. If I can write about an event that doesn't put myself or them in a really bad light, I will. For more personal, uncensored ramblings you should join my mailing list.

WHAT AM I USING?

    These pages were created using frames. I like frames so back off. I generally tend to gear my designs towards Netscape 4.0 users but I gotta tell you, some of the code bugs in Netscape are really getting on my nerves. The pages look best in IE 3 and 4. I use Homesite 3.0 as my "editor" — it really is the greatest piece of software in the world. I created all of my graphics in PhotoShop 4.0 and made my .gif animations in ULead's Gif Animator. In the near future you'll see stylesheets on these pages. Well, you'll see them if you have a 4x browser or higher. Maybe now would be a good time to upgrade. Go to Netscape or go to Microsoft, I really don't care.

FIFTY THINGS TO HATE ABOUT ME

1. I'm 23.
2. I have very short, brown hair.
3. I have a hubby who I refer to as "T." in this journal to protect the probably guilty.
4. I've lived in ten different cities including Zweibrüken, Germany, and Bicester, England.
5. Between the 4^th grade and graduation, I attended eight different schools.
6. I graduated from High School in England which was the last graduating class of my High School.
7. I love toast.
8. I love Rocky-Road, Peanut-Butter and Chocolate and plain old Vanilla ice-cream.
9. I have a front tooth that is partially fake and consists of three separate pieces. The fake part has started to discolor and I need to get that fixed.
10. My first boyfriend's name was Rocky.
11. I went to Space Camp and Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama.
12. I first held hands with a boy at Space Camp.
13. My first broken heart belongs to Tim.
14. My first love belongs to T., my husband.
15. If I was only allowed to eat one food for the rest of my life it would be Skippy's Extra Chunky Peanut-Butter.
16. I'm a Crest girl.
17. I love loud, crashing thunder storms.
18. One of my favorite things is a road-kill, armadillo coffee coaster that sits on my computer desk.
19. Growing up, I had a huge Victorian doll-house that my mom made with working lights and carpeting. My parents are now begging me to get it out of their house.
20. I have a 1979 Limited Edition MG 'B' that I love.
21. I do accents well.
22. My older brother once tried to make me eat dog poo.
23. I once nailed my older brother with a full glass of milk.
24. I can roll my tongue.
25. I'm not a very good cook.
26. The Breakfast Club is still one of my favorite movies.
27. A friend once gave me a ham, mayonnaise and pixie-stick sandwich as a going-away present. It's still one of the best going-away presents I ever got.
28. I've been to Jim Morrison's grave.
29. I love Charlie Chaplin movies.
30. I love the deranged works of Ralph Steadman.
31. I used to skip school and go to London.
32. I have two piercings in my left ear, one in the right.
33. I have a tattoo on my right hip of a salamander.
34. I wear glasses.
35. I've eaten frog.
36. My first alcoholic drink was Everclear.
37. My last one was a Corona.
38. I never paint my fingernails but frequently paint my toes.
39. My favorite color is blue.
40. I'm a fan of The Blues.
41. I've only dyed my hair once in my lifetime — red.
42. The two biggest influences on my life were English teachers, Bradley Butterfield and George Hummer.
43. I don't know what I want to do with my life.
44. I once had a bug in my ear.
45. I've never once knowingly eaten a bug.
46. I have a hard time remembering to floss.
47. I like to sing but I'm probably not any good.
48. If I could be someone else for a day, I'd want to be Aretha Franklin.
49. I frequently feel as though I'm better than everyone else.
50. I frequently feel as though I'm the biggest loser in the room.
51. Sometimes I don't know when to shut-up.