It's a Karen spotting!

I'm hanging out with Karen tonight and it's AWESOME!

In fact, she's sitting right here so I really shouldn't be typing because that's rude. Of course, she's skimming my Twilight book so whatever.

Happy New Year!

Since I was remiss in celebrating Reformation this past year, I thought it best to start the new church year off right and wish you and yours a very happy new year.

Yes, today begins the season of Advent, the season where we begin our Lutheran church year. It's the season of light and the season of wait. The season of hope and expectation.

Ironic considering what K started me on a couple weeks ago. :)

Anyway...I hope your day and next 4 weeks go well. Enjoy the lights! Enjoy the blue theme! Enjoy the expectations and anticipation leading up to the joy that is the birth of our Savior.

I'm still awake.

I don't know why.

Starting to purge

Today was a down day for me. Not "down" as in depressing, but "down" as in relaxing and not really busy.

I slept in a bit and then just kind of vegged for awhile. I cleaned up my kitchen and watched some Monk. I need to put up my Christmas Tree but I need to plasticate my windows first and I need to get more plastic to make sure I have enough. So that'll have to be tomorrow.

But I did start going through my storage area. I have a small area in our storage area where I can lock up my stuff. The big problem is that, other than my Christmas stuff, I haven't really gone through any of this stuff since I moved in to this place almost two years ago. A couple people have told me to just throw the boxes without even opening them because if I haven't needed it now I don't need it.

The problem is that most of the boxes are full of books and I have a very big problem with throwing away books. And an even bigger problem with just throwing away boxes without checking to see what's in them.

I've been avoiding this project for a very long time, but I finally decided to just start going through things.

The sad thing is that most of the crap I have in that storage area is just empty boxes. A lot of them I had broken down (i.e. flattened) and shoved on the side of the area, but a lot of them hadn't been. And those that hadn't been were full of bubble wrap or packing peanuts.

Ugh.

So I dumped two 13 gal garbage bags full of packing peanuts and flattened a bunch of boxes for recycling and cleaned out my storage area a bit. It feels pretty good to have gone through a bunch of that, but *sigh* all those boxes of books! Ugh... I don't know what to do with them.

So tomorrow I'm going to clean my bedroom and purge some clothing again (I found a box half full of stuff that was intended for Goodwill...and I have a feeling there is at least one more, if not a couple, still in storage). And then I may have to start sorting through books. I'm thinking a box of "must-keeps", a box of "maybes", and a box of "sell or give away". The latter I'm open to suggestions on - not sure about where to sell books. I know I can take them to Goodwill, but I know some are kind of expensive and selling them might be good.

It's a good feeling to get rid of things that I don't need anymore. I need to stop buying things I don't need too. :) But it's nice to feel like I'm accomplishing something.

Though the sneezing from all the dust isn't too fun.

TOTALLY Favorite Part!

Psych was on tonight and they just ended with the Snoopy Dance.

Could a Thanksgiving weekend be ended any better? I think not.

Oh wait... go HERE and scroll down and choose "Deck the Halls"

And wait...it's only Friday. Whoops.

And here we go again

Well, now that Thanksgiving has come and gone. So now it's time to plan for Christmas.

If only I had money so I could buy a house in the middle of the families so there wouldn't be this question all the time of where we're going to celebrate.

And only if we got together more often than just birthdays and holidays so it wouldn't be such a big deal of where we're going to meet up.

So my sister is offering to have Christmas at her place, as she did Thanksgiving. At least that's something. It's just a long drive for one family. But then one side or the other would have a long drive.

If only the holidays could just be a joyous occasion. Someday maybe it will be.

I survived

Okay, that went okay. Not sure about it or if it'll happen again but it went okay.

Wish me luck

So those of you who know what I have going on today, I'm going to ask something I don't normally...

Please send happy thoughts. I'm kind of, really, well...absolutely nervous for this, partly because I hope it goes well, but partly because this is a big step for me and I don't want to screw it up.

I'm doing my best to keep low expectations because since this is just out of the starting gate there's not a great chance it'll work. I'm no Kara, but hopefully this will go well enough that I'll get some confidence to continue forward. :)

And hey, there's always a possibility that it could work out great. But low expectations are my norm.

Incredible, Long Day

wow. I'm glad my bed is calling me and that I'm going to be in it in a very short moment.

It's been a day of trying to catch up. Literally.

I woke up at 7:30, the very time I was supposed to be on the road to pick up my sister-in-law for our run this morning. I rolled over and thought, "Why, WHY, am I waking up at 7:30?" Then seconds later it was, "Oh shit!" and I was flying out of bed to grab a shower.

Yes, I know this is stupid...taking a shower before a run...but I felt icky from all the baking yesterday, and let's face it, ragweek is never fun. So I took a quick shower and got dressed (frantically trying to find everything I needed) and headed out.

As I was heading to my car I realized that I forgot my breakfast, so I ran to Starbucks for a chai with protein. This turned out to be the only thing I ate until I got to my sisters, but that's another part of the story.

Let's just say, I'm very thankful today that there weren't any troopers on the road this morning as I drove my 58 miles in 35 minutes. I made it to SIL's, ran in with the turkey pops for Jake and Ava because Jake lost his first tooth this week, grabbed my SIL and we were off.

Again, we were running late. We had 30 minutes to go 57 miles. *ahem* And we made it, right on time. But that's another thankful for no troopers story.

This was my first moment of calmness. SIL and I got our race packets for the 5K - t-shirt, bib (race number), and Road ID flyer - and headed back to the car to warm up. It was a little chilly out - rather chilly actually and as we were walking up to get our packet we kept asking each other "Why are we doing this?" and the other would answer, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Ten minutes to race time we headed back out and it seemed a little warmer. We got extra safety pins and headed to the start line. I had toyed with wearing my fleece on top of my two running shirts, but I ended up being very glad I didn't. I did finally get use of my TCM race gloves we got in 2007 - the year it was 80 degrees and 80% humidity. :)

The race was actually great. The first mile was a chilly head wind which sucked the breath right out of you, but then we turned the corner and ran through a cemetery. It was suddenly warm and a fabulous temp to run in. SIL and I kept our same pace we did as the last race though this time I stayed ahead of her the first half, then she was ahead of me the last half - AND got that damn kick at the end again. Grrr. Oh well. My time was the same as the last one (well, 2 seconds faster) 34:01, with which I was perfectly happy. I haven't ran in a couple weeks and so being able to keep upright, keep moving, and finish in a good time made me really happy.

After the race we got some powerade, water and could have had pumpkin pie but I just couldn't eat right then. We hung out for the door prizes but we didn't win anything. Then we headed back to her home. What was a little funny was I was still going faster than I should have but not as fast as I had going up and I felt like we were going so slow. Again, very very thankful for no troopers on the road.

We got home and I hung out briefly with the kids. Jake showed me his missing tooth again and gave me pictures he and Ava had colored for me. It was really sweet. But I needed to go.

I got on the road at 12:30. 58 miles to go and I needed to be there no later than 1 so I could utilize my 15 minutes to shower and get dressed. I made it. This time there was one trooper on the road, but he was in front of me so I was okay.

Mom picked me up, a little late, and we headed on the road. Now, I love my mother, but she drives like molasses. I called my sister right away and she said the turkey was ready and we needed to get there quickly. To me this would mean to go at least the speed limit, but my mother doesn't do that. And we had to stop to get ice.

Again, this was 51 miles we needed to drive...though this time we had 45 minutes to do so. You'd think we would have made it, but nope. We were late. When we stopped to get ice I ran out to get it and when I got back in I said, "Okay, let's go." Mom said, "Are you going to buckle up?" I said, "I will, but when it's 2:12 and we're supposed to be there at 2:15, leaving is more important." That helped, because then she went a little faster, though I know she didn't like it.

We made it to my sister's and unloaded our stuff, helped finish setting up the meal and ate.

And boy, did we eat. I was starving having not eaten at all and having run 3.1 miles. I really needed food. I ate way more than I would have normally and was only mildly full. We cleaned up the dishes and finally I felt like I could relax. My knee was killing me though so I tried not to move too much.

There were many competitions on the Wii which was a lot of fun. We watched the Dallas game, as is the norm and priority on Thanksgiving. And we had a good time.

Now I can go to bed and sleep. I don't have to work tomorrow and I refuse to go shopping. I am meeting a friend for coffee back in my SIL's city so I'll get to hang out with them a little bit more tomorrow night which will be good since today's visit was soooooo short.

I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving. Below is my short list of things I'm thankful for. I'm truly thankful for many things but this is a general list for now:

- Family
- Friends
- Food
- Fun
- No troopers on the road today (not that I don't hope they are normally out)
- Ice (for my knee)
- Freedom*

*God bless all our troops serving our country and helping keep us safe.

I am SO not quitting my day job yet.

So recently I found Bakerella which is an awesome blog and totally creative.

Well, last week she had these on her blog and I was totally hooked. These Turkey Cake Pops would be awesome to bring to my nieces and nephews on Thanksgiving.

Sadly, I didn't find all the parts that I needed so I ended up using M&Ms for the face, which sort of works, and decorating gel pens for the eyes, beak and waddle. And I had the pretzels for the feet but I forgot to put them in. whoops.

They look okay, especially the middle ones. A couple look like they are crying, but whatever.

But this gives me something new to work on which makes me excited. So tonight, the night of Thanksgiving Eve, I am thankful for Bakerella for this awesome idea that I can use to incorporate and hone for other future endeavors.

But I'm not quitting my day job. I'm so not ready for my own bakery yet. Someday maybe.

Hey!

Don't forget the Boobies!

'Uffda,' as we say here

So waking up yesterday at 3:30am was great and I felt more productive than ever.

Today was a different story. I went to bed at a normal time, but waking up hurt. Physically hurt. I was so tired it wasn't funny.

I ended up getting up late, getting to work late - the whole time worrying that I wasn't going to make it because my gas tank was nearing the end in my car, but getting a venti chai to wake me up.

Somehow, though, I missed breakfast, didn't eat lunch til 1, and then had to work late because I got in the middle of a project and then GM came in to remind me he needed his information for his trip next week, which I had totally spaced in pulling together (he had given me the info right before I left on my trip last week).

So now, even though I'm supposed to be off tomorrow, I have to go in and clean up that mess and then clean my office because I also got boxes of supplies in at the end of the day.

Sheesh. Luckily, we have a long weekend to relax. I'm excited for the time off, though it seems to make life harder when I go back to work. One day off, maybe two is one thing. But seven is a little much.

I know, I know. I shouldn't complain. I'm not really, because it'll provide me ample time to clean out my storage and do some baking, provided I stay motivated. I just need to stay motivated.

Help save the boobies

I'm a member on Brooks Running and I got an email today which read:

Help us make the dream to find a cure for breast cancer come true. For every view of our Dream video from now through Dec. 21, we'll donate five cents--up to a maximum of $25,000--to Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, earmarked for breast cancer.

Here's the Video. Watch! It's pretty cute. :)

Trying something different

I woke up this morning at 3:30am.

Yes, 3:30 a.m.

Normally, when this happens I do my best to go back to sleep because that's just way too early to get up!

But today I was so wide awake that as I thought about going back to sleep I realized it would take me at least 30 minutes to somewhat fall asleep, and then by the time I get into that deep sleep my alarms would go off and I'd be more tired than if I just stayed up.

I'm normally a 3 alarm sleeper/waker-upper, so this was actually a good decision on my part. I got up, checked email which I like to do in the morning, took a long shower, had breakfast (scrambled eggs), watched a little Karate Kid, and then went to Starbucks for my morning Chai and off to work.

I was at work almost an hour early. At one point Pat showed up, and she usually shows up early, came into my office and said, "Couldn't sleep?" nope.

The good thing about this is that I got a lot of work done and was actually alert all day (still am!).

I'm just a little worried about tomorrow.

Lefse!

Today I headed over to Tre's mom's (aka my second mom) house to learn how to make Lefse today. Despite being very Norwegian, this was not a delectable treat we made at home, mostly because we never really liked it. Plus Aunt Pearl made it better than anyone so why even try.

We were more of a flat bread and krumkake family, and I have those down like a habit. The flat bread training really came in handy today because rolling out lefse is just like rolling out flat bread, just not as thin. It took me a little bit but I started to get it down and taught Mom2 and Tre how to fix holes and tears while the dough was on the griddle.

But I, of course, have to document things so I made Tre take some pics of me. So here you go.



I look really fat in that above photo, but trust me, the smock was really big and flew around a lot. Did you notice the Diet Coke with Splenda on the counter? That's mine, baby. WOOHOO!

Rolling out the dough!


This was a lot of fun and I'm glad I went. Maybe this will start a new tradition for the winter season. Next weekend is my krumkake weekend. I know the guys at work will be ecstatic.

Changing my course

Over the past week I have had a few situations where I just haven't wanted to do something - go to the conference, go out to eat, go to a Tupperware party, etc. But I have sucked it up and gone anyway, despite my crabbiness, and ended up having a good time.

The conference turned out great - extremely emotional, but it was well worth the time to go again. The T-party today turned out okay, though I spent money which I wasn't going to do but I did get a pie container so I'll be set for next week when I have to bring 2 pies for Thanksgiving.

Tonight my friend Tre called to see what I was doing and if I wanted to come over and help make Lefse. I'm not sure I even remember when I made Lefse last and so, initially, I hesitated.

Then I realized that I'm never going to have fun if I don't go out and do it. So I said I could go but I have to wait for my laundry in the dryer. She was cool with that and so I'm heading over shortly.

I'm sure I'll have a good time, and since Tre called back and said to bring my suit so we could sit in the hot tub after, I'm almost positive. But now I'm toying with if I should take a shower and shave my legs first...nah...

It figures this would happen

The lodging building I was staying at all week was horribly hot. The hallway was hot. The entry way was hot. My room was hot.

I finally got the room to the perfect temp by Thursday and that was done by leaving my window open and turning off the heat from Sunday night on. Insane. It's November. Having my window open isn't the smartest.

But last night I started to get cool because the north wind was running right through the closed window. So I turned the heat on again, and within 30 minutes it was hot again. Sheesh.

But I got used to the warmth.

And then I come home. To a chilly apartment.

I haven't had a chance to plasticate my windows yet (hopefully this weekend) so there's a draft as usual. But I do have my heat on. I'll deal.

Plus I got Sur La Table porn so I'm happy. :)

It's a small world after all; and I have a problem

I went out to eat tonight with a guy from class. No, this wasn't a date. We were both just tired of either eating in the hotel or eating fast food and wanted something good.

So we went to the Firehouse for steak. Mmmmm Steak. I'm not a big red meat fan, but I haven't had any in a very long time. The Firehouse is also a local brewery so I had their closest equivalent of Guinness and was very glad. I could have used that the other night after the horrid pictures, but I'm glad I waited.

The steak was great, though kind of fatty. The beer was fabulous. And the conversation was great. Our company is really small in our state, so we're bound to cross paths. And over the course of our conversations tonight we really found how many paths we really crossed.

We had a great time. At least I did. We laughed, we talked and it was good to get out.

Now I'm back and it's time to pack. I hate packing. But I've said that before.

My problem is that I have an issue. I love Diet Coke with Splenda. My constant readers would know this, but my city's stores haven't carried DC with Splenda in a very long time...VERY long time.

Monday I found it at this Target. I held off buying any until Tuesday when I bought three 12-packs (only because they only had three on the shelf). Wednesday I was going to go back, but I thought I should wait. But tonight I went and bought all seven that were left.

So that's ten 12-packs I'm bringing home. TEN. And I'll have to ration because I'm not sure when I'll be back out this way.

I'm a dork. :)

Better day

Today was a better day than yesterday. Yesterday sucked. Seeing so many pictures of assault kicked my ass yesterday and I had a really rough night.

Today was better. There was laughter. There was fun. There was much less intensity but still a lot of knowledge and learning. It was a good day.

And I took a big step today. I'm excited, nervous and scared shitless all at the same time. But it's a good thing. And hopefully it will work out in the end.

Reruns are great

TBS has Friends showing at 5:30 these days and last night was my favorite episode, "The One with the Embryos" where Phoebe gets pregnant with her brother's kids and Monica and Rachel lose the apartment. I love that one.

Tonight is the one with Josh-ua and Rachel and our introduction to "How you doin'?"

I remember when this one first aired back in the 90s. Beth, my roommate, and I always taped it because Thursday nights were concert nights so we always watched on the weekends instead. This was fine until this episode aired and cute Cory came up to me Friday and said, "Hey Moe, how you doin'?" in the best Joey impression ever.

I of course just said, "I'm fine, how are you?" He said, "NO! You didn't answer right!" And then proceeded to make fun of me for not watching our beloved show the night prior.

After that, I started watching Friends whenever we got home from the concert or after we went to the club to hear our prof's jazz combo play. I never made that mistake again.

Have you hugged your kid today?

I don't have children. But I do have 8 nieces and nephews and one adorable Goddaughter. I love these kids immensely. I would never, could never do anything to harm any of them. I feel horrible if I inadvertently say something stupid that might hurt their feelings. I love them all so much.

How and why do people hurt children? How and why do people hurt each other? I don't understand. I can't comprehend.

I'm in this sexual assault prevention and response class this week and it's intense. Today we saw pictures of examples of trauma and injuries that can, do and have happened to victims. Some of these pictures are horrific and made me sick to my stomach. To see the torture and pain inflicted on people all for what? a power trip? is disturbing.

And it scares me. And it saddens me. And I'm overwhelmed with the pain I'm feeling because of what has happened to these children, women and men.

So please, if you have a child...please give them a hug and tell them you love them. That's what kids need to hear. They need to know that there is love in the world because so many people are missing this important point in human life. And if you're willing, give them a hug for me too. *virtual hug*

Cooking plans

I'm stuck in the middle again.

Next week, I'm running a Thanksgiving Day 5K with my sister in law. It should be fun and any time you can run for a t-shirt and pie has to be a good time, even if it's freakin' cold out.

But then...it's Thanksgiving. My sister invited me, mom and my brother's family down to her place because her husband is a farmer and they still have work to do (amazing considering the lateness in the year but it's been one of those years).

I want to make a yam recipe, a dinner roll recipe and my pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I don't care really where I take it but I want to make those three things. I was just at my brother's this weekend for his daughter's b-day so I feel like I should go to my sister's for Thanksgiving. Plus, with her not being able to go anywhere because of her husband's work I feel like I should go there.

The problem is my brother came back with the same reasoning - that his wife has to work that night so it won't work for his family. Now, I know when my SIL has to be at work, and if we did a 1pm meal we'd be done with the race and would still allow enough time for t-day together. But I guess that's not my call.

It's just too bad. Because now I feel torn. I was going to do T-day with my brother since I'd already be there, but they'd be doing a turkey loaf (blech) and that's leave my sister's family alone and I'd already have spent the morning there.

The other problem is mom. Last year we split t-day because SIL had to work (she always works Thursdays) and my sister had her in-laws over that year. Well, to save face I just didn't go to either. We had seen everyone the weekend before at my nieces b-day so it wasn't like we hadn't been together. What happened though, was our mother was invited both places but she didn't want to choose so she came to my house (I had pizza).

This wasn't bad, mind you, but I hate being the decider for her, because it seems like that's how she makes her decisions. Maybe it's not true, but it feels that way. So this year I'm not going to answer to my sister's mass email because I want to see what Mom is going to say. Funny thing, she hasn't answered yet. I'm curious what will happen.

Wow ... that was a whole lot of rambling for nothing. But it helped me vent so thanks to whomever is still reading.

Emotional week ahead

So I'm at a conference, as you know if you read my blog (which would be amazing considering how many posts I've been writing a day lately...sorry, i really should learn to condense...or just shut up).

The conference/refresher training for me is good. But it's heavy. We're talking about Sexual Assault - how to prevent it, and how to help those who survive it.

Neither of these is an easy task, especially when dealing with society's preconceptions about what a perpetrator looks like and how a victim should act.

It sucks. A lot of past memories and situations are exploding in my head and it's difficult to deal at times. But I'm working on it.

Before people freak...I have never been sexually assaulted, but I have had friends and relatives who have been and thinking about what they went through is hard to imagine.

That and thinking about dating again is an oxymoron if I do say so myself. I need to do the latter - for my own well-being and to stop living in my protective bubble. That's not helping me move on from my past, but sometimes I wonder if I should, if I deserve it. Do I deserve to be happy? I don't know. Sometimes I wonder.

Someday I'll find my own Rock Hudson

But hopefully he won't be gay.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Doris!

You are a Doris -- "I must help others."

Dorises are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs.


How to Get Along with Me

* * Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.
* * Share fun times with me.
* * Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.
* * Let me know that I am important and special to you.
* * Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.


In Intimate Relationships

* * Reassure me that I am interesting to you.
* * Reassure me often that you love me.
* * Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me.


What I Like About Being a Doris

* * being able to relate easily to people and to make friends
* * knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better
* * being generous, caring, and warm
* * being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings
* * being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor


What's Hard About Being a Doris

* * not being able to say no
* * having low self-esteem
* * feeling drained from overdoing for others
* * not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish
* * criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should
* * being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them
* * working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings


Dorises as Children Often

* * are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism
* * try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding
* * are outwardly compliant
* * are popular or try to be popular with other children
* * act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention
* * are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Dorises), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Dorises)


Dorises as Parents

* * are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)
* * are often playful with their children
* * wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?"
* * can become fiercely protective

Test Yourself!

Prop 8 - and Moe gets political

Kat said this so much better so I'm going to link to her...please read and watch/listen to Keith at the bottom. And read the comments.

I wasn't going to post about this because I have a few conservative types who read my blog and I really try to stay anti-political (for the most part) on this site. I'm generally anti-politics because everyone has a right to their own opinion and blah blah blah. Plus I live in the ultimate conservative state where people look at me cross-eyed when I mention I have gay boyfriends (which I'm also not allowed to talk about on this site, but that's for other reasons).

But my SIL and I started talking about this yesterday and she's as upset as I am about Prop 8 passing that I thought I'd post Kat's post here from the other day and just see if anything stirs up.

I'm saddened that our country continues to alienate the rights of others. It's depressing really. In a country where we've elected a Black man as president and are closer to a female president, we continue to push down those who are seen as "different".

Again, I don't want to get into a holy war over this, because I have my beliefs and you have yours, but a conservative radio guy pissed me off today so I'm going to quickly blog about it.

I didn't listen to the guy long because he was just stupid, but he was talking about a study that states conservatives are happier than liberals, mostly because they are comfortable with who they are, what they have and they don't feel the need to change the world. Liberals are depressed because they look at the world and think it needs to change so they aren't happy.

What killed me about this is that they guy used the Gay Rights protesters as his example. "You don't see conservatives protesting. Who's doing all the protesting? It's those gay rights folks doing the protesting; and their guy got elected president!"

That last part pissed me off. Because apparently, for being a radio guy, he doesn't pay attention to the news. They aren't protesting because Obama was elected. They are protesting because their rights are taken away! And I'd really like to see the conservatives stay all happy-go-lucky if their rights were taken away as the gays were in California.

Sooo all that said, I'm linking to Kat, because she's a better writer and speaks what I believe so much better. And Desi as well, because she started the same way I did in life...

Take it or leave it. Your choice. I'm just stating my feelings here. You're welcome to your opinion.

I licked a phone because I'm a ninja!

Stolen from Kat (as I usually do).

Pick the month you were born:
January——-I kicked
February——I loved
March——–I karate chopped
April———-I licked
May———-I jumped on
June———-I smelled
July———–I did the Macarena With
August——–I had lunch with
September—-I danced with
October——-I sang to
November—–I yelled at
December—–I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:

1——-a birdbath
2——-a monster
3——-a phone
4——-a fork
5——-a snowman
6——-a gangster
7——-my mobile phone
8——-my dog
9——-my best friends‘ boyfriend
10——-my neighbor
11——-my science teacher
12——-a banana
13——-a fireman
14——-a stuffed animal
15——-a goat
16——-a pickle
17——-your mom
18——-a spoon
19—— - a smurf
20——-a baseball bat
21——-a ninja
22——-Chuck Norris
23——-a noodle
24——-a squirrel
25——-a football player
26——-my sister
27——-my brother
28——-an ipod
29——-a surfer
30——-a llama
31——-A homeless guy

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:

White———because I’m cool like that
Black———because that’s how I roll.
Pink———–because I’m crazy..
Red———–because the voices told me to.
Blue———–because I’m sexy and I do what I want
Green———because I think I need some serious help.
Purple———because I’m AWESOME!
Gray———-because Big Bird said to and he’s my leader.
Yellow——–because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars
Orange——–because my family thinks I’m stupid anyway.
Brown———because I can..
Other———-because I’m a Ninja!
None———-because I can’t control myself!

Membership has its advantages

YAY! So I'm in my room for the week, AND it has a refrigerator, AND it has Internet. The latter was a little tricky. The last time I was here for a brief stay I couldn't get it to work but it was only 2 days so I just bit the bullet and dealt without it.

This time I'm here for a week and I'll be damned if I don't have Internet access. So I actually called the techie support number and she wasn't much help at all. "It's like a cell signal. You may have to move around the room to find a good spot."

Yeah, okay. How about if I just "repair" my wireless connection and see if that does it. It does? Amazing! Wow! Who'da thunk it?

So apparently I'm not as computer illiterate as I thought I was. Thank God for that. I know I'm an idiot most of the time but at least I figured that out. And while I fluctuate between 3 and 4 bars down on my tool bar, at least they are all green and I'm connected.

I have a sweet suite this stay. Two little rooms - one as the bedroom, and one as the living area complete with big TV (anything is big compared to my 13 inch), DVD player, wireless connection, sofa, lay-z-boy, mini fridge, microwave, coffeemaker and coffee table. Nice digs. The bedroom is nice too - a queen bed, big closet, dresser, sink for dishes and brushing teeth (my one minor pet peeve) and nice bathroom (without sink). As my friends would say, "That'll do, pig. That'll do."

Now just to get psyched up for my class. Uffda.

Into the Unknown

Once again I am thrust into the world of the unknown: Will my room be okay? Will I have Internet? Will it work? Will I have a refrigerator?

These things plague me when I travel. And I have to travel again today. I'm not really excited about this one. Usually a week of training away from my office is good, but this week not so much.

It's not that the training will be bad, it's just that I've already had it. So it's refresher (duh). It wouldn't be a big deal but looking at the course description for the week, it's exactly the same as what I've had before. It won't be anything new.

And I have to go. Joy. I could so use this week to get caught up on some memos I need to get updated before the guys across the street hunt me down for not having them updated. (not that they cared 2 months ago, but now that they have an inspection coming up suddenly it's an issue).

But I will go. I will travel and hope that something good will come of the week.

And that I'll have Internet and a refrigerator. :)

Favorite Aunt

I'm once again establishing my status as the "favorite aunt" amongst a few of my nieces and nephews.

Last night Emmy came to stay with me. We went to Target to get my other niece, Ava, a birthday gift and picked up a couple movies to watch. We also checked out the toys so I have a better idea of what to get her for Christmas.

Today we made cookies and frosted them. We also made bacon and eggs (like I did before).



The cookies we made were a little gross, in my opinion. She thought they were "yummy!" Of course, she'll eat anything as long as it has sugar and is sweet. It was a weird recipe in one of her recipe books. Easy to make, I'll say, but just not right. Oh well. The bacon and eggs were a hit as always. :)

Then her mom and brother Zach picked us up to go to Ava's for her 2nd birthday party. "I'm twooooooooo," she said a lot today. We also picked up Granny (my mom) to ride with us.

The party was great. Ava was super cute and had a lot of fun opening her gifts. "Open!" She got three dolls (well, three and a half...one was a Barbie), a puppy that was super cool, a stroller, a diaper bag for her dolls and Mr. Potato Head. The latter was a good gift because it kept Zach and Jake busy for a good while.

But Ava gave me lots of hugs and kept coming to me to hold her. That made me happy. I'm glad she likes me and remembers me. And Emmy and I had a lot of fun. I'm glad I can have a close relationship with them. This is one of the best bonuses of moving back home. I can't wait until I get a house so I can have them over more often and they can stay in my guest room. Someday...

Flashback...part two

Today We said goodbye to an old friend. Actually, he wasn't old. That was the bad thing; Dan was only 61.

Dan was my friend AES's uncle. He was also the dad to VS and CO, both of whom I went to high school with. In fact, if things had twisted just slightly, VS and I might have hooked up.

So today was his funeral. I made myself go, not only for AES, for VS and CO, but also for me.

I always knew of Dan. He was around town. He was V and C's dad. He was really cool. But my strongest memory of him was the Friday after my dad died. I was in town and it was a home football game, so I went (something to do). V and Dan were there and V gave me a hug and asked what I was doing home. They hadn't heard (surprising, considering the small town) and I just remember the looks on their faces when I told them. The concern and sympathy and caring that was there was so genuine that I just wanted to hug them both and at the same time comfort them.

Dan had a uniqueness about him. And today it showed. He always wore a gray western style jacket (when he was dressing up) with black in it. It's hard to describe here, but it was really fun to see so many of his friends and loved ones wearing the same kind of jacket. Not sure if that was their own style or if it was a tribute to Dan.

I like to think the latter. Rest in peace, Dan. We'll miss you.

Flashback...it's not just for hippies anymore

A knock down the hallway.

"It's the Police. Can you come to the door?"

Shit. What neighborhood did I move into? I thought it wasn't that bad. It's winter so most of the riff raff have moved on, or at least indoors, but not here. It's quiet in my building. People keep to themselves and all is well.

Well, that's the problem. Apparently my neighbor's daughter called the police to check on her mother because she wasn't answering the phone or checking in. And we have a secured building (for the most part) so if mom wasn't answering the phone then she couldn't buzz her daughter up (or maybe her daughter lives far away...I'm not sure).

It's times like this that make me feel like a heel for being so closed off. I like my solitude but maybe I need to venture out a bit more and meet some of the neighbors. My life in the cities kind of scared me of that some, which is too bad. But maybe I can rekindle the life I knew as a child where everyone knew everyone on the block (whether you wanted them to or not) and little things don't go unnoticed.

My neighbor told the police she was fine and they went inside to talk a bit more. Until I get my nerve up I'll send her a prayer.

Maybe the boys were right

Apparently girls DO have cooties.

Dammit. No wonder I'm single. But I wash my hands!

Mini pet peeve from this afternoon

Now I know I'm an Admin Assistant (and a damn good one - usually) but this just pisses me off.

Someone needs a letter for them to go to a new job. There's a specific form that it needs to be in and how it needs to look. Now if this was me looking for this new job, I'd type up the letter and have it ready to go for the important people (i.e. boss1 or boss2) to sign it.

But instead, the person who so desperately needs this letter done today so they can start their new job on Monday hands me a sheet of paper with the template on it and says "I found it."

Joy. I ask if it needs to be on letterhead (which is readily accessible to everyone who works here) because it looks horribly unprofessional and like shit. "Oh, yeah, probably," she says offhandedly. "I'll come back tomorrow AM and get it from you."

Now first I thought she needed it today ("I have to have it faxed by 3 our time!") but now she doesn't need it until the morning? And she still can't type it up?

So now I have to retype the Damn letter so that she can have a new job. I'm not sure how she'll function at it if she can't even type up a simple memo. But this is nothing new.

If I wasn't so damn excited that she's leaving I'd be more pissed.

Done!

Thanks to Mosaic and a forceful motivation (i.e. no bedtime for Moe till at least a few paragraphs are written), an article is in the hopper and will be edited in the morning light when comprehension will awaken.

Block

I'm supposed to be writing a story right now that I said I already had written so the folks working on the paper wouldn't forget about it. And I'm stuck.

I was going to write the story this weekend but when I got sick and basically was a zombie on the couch for 48+ hours, the article did not get written.

What kind of annoys me is that I keep getting told I need to step back from this position that I've been helping with, but so many things keep getting missed (at least in my head they do) or I'm asked to help out with things one day, and the next I'm getting chastised for trying to "take over".

I hate the run around and confusion. It's driving me nuts.

And I still don't know how to formulate this story. sheesh. HELP!!!!

Of course my word verification is "untried". nice. Thanks Karma.

TV shift

This has been a weird fall. I'm kind of a TV nut, as my friends would know, and I have my series of shows that I watch.

Mondays it's The Big Bang Theory, HIMYM, and then Prison Break.
Tuesdays there is nothing... NOTHING.
Wednesdays it's Bones, Pushing Daisies, and Private Practice
Thursdays - see...here's where it gets interesting. I used to be big into Ugly Betty but I don't watch it anymore. I still watch CSI. That's a given, I can't not watch CSI.

But the bad thing is that I haven't watched Grey's Anatomy in over a month. I tried to watch online but I just wasn't interested. This is very strange for me because I really do like the show but I missed a couple weeks due to travels and CSI was a good one.

I've also given up on Boston Legal, Two and a Half Men, Without a Trace, The New...Old Christine, Numbers, Rules of Engagement, and the Starter Wife.

Truthfully, it's probably good I'm cutting out TV. I watch too much of it the way it is, so maybe it's time I be a bit more selective. And maybe it'll allow me more opportunities to get out of the house since even Jon says that's all my fault that I have no life. I hate the truth.

Silver Jewelry makes me glad

Remember when I told you about Handbag Planet and I got this super cute handbag?



Well, check out Silver Treats. Silver jewelry for gals like me who love silver. And they have another contest! Just sign up!

A picture's worth a thousand words

But music is an entire novel.

Tonight I got the joy of hearing one of the fabulous Air Force Bands perform a magnificent concert. Part was a standard concert as any concert band would give. Part of it they gave in honor all the veterans. And part they used as an honor to the military and America. It was so incredibly moving.

One of the great parts for me was getting a little culture once again. Their first piece was one we played in college and I could see the music and see Flave conducting and really experience it once again. Another piece was an opera aria by Puccini. The tenor who sang it was extremely talented and it made me long to visit T&E again.

And I looked hot. :) K&E know my outfit since I wore it last Friday when I wanted to feel hot then. I just get tired of always dressing in the same stuff all the time so when I was going to see them last week I dressed up and then wore it again tonight. Suh-weet. :)

Okay...this is just rambles, sorry...

What I do when I'm not 100%

I Stumble. Do you Stumble?

Today I Stumbled on to getmooh.com. This is hysterical. My favorite is the Male Sexy School Friend, though a lot of these would be great.

I'll have to remember this site if I ever do decide to try out match.com. This could be extremely helpful if I'm on a date and I need to get out. :)

Have you thanked a Veteran today?

If you have never read Air Force Blues, I highly recommend that you do. Farva is a brilliant artist and today's cartoon (shown above - click to make it bigger) is especially perfect.

Thanks to all the veterans who have risked their life defending and protecting our country. God bless you all. It's an honor to serve beside you.

good thing about being icky

So it's CBS Monday which is always fun. The Big Bang Theory was hysterical tonight, but the kicker really was HIMYM.

The thing I love most about the latter show is that if they mention a website, generally it's one they started. For example, tonight (SPOILER ALERT) Barney finds out he's not a dad and starts the website notafathersday.com.

Shockingly, when you type that in you come to the site which is just as he described. It's great. Truly this is a great show.

Icky

I've been feeling like crap all day. This sucks. It started a little bit last night when I had ice cream right before I went to bed. "Big mistake...big...huge!" I felt like I had ice cream in my throat just waiting to spew all night.

It didn't end this morning either. I made myself go out and paint (cheap studio rates can't go wrong) and pick up some groceries. Sadly, much to Debbie's chagrin, I didn't get the right stuff to heal myself. I didn't get 7up, I didn't get Saltines, I didn't get anything. And eating toast with butter and drinking pink lemonade is apparently a bad thing.

So I've spent the afternoon on the couch trying to feel better, trying to decide what I can eat that won't make me throw up, and thinking that maybe I'm suffering from E-syndrome. Too much relaxing a sick girl makes.

Painting! Part two

Sadly, my painting did not turn out like expected. I'm not an artist. I really don't know what I was thinking.

Still, I had a good time, drinking my chai and painting away. My pieces will be done next week but I won't get them until that following weekend. I'll post pictures when I do get them back.

I tried Bethany's dot idea on a plate today and it kind of worked, but I think I should have had orange and tighter circles. Oh well. Emmy comes to stay with me this weekend so maybe we'll go back on Saturday and I can try again. :)

Painting!

Tomorrow, on a rare Monday, the pottery place where I have painted (once before) is going to be open. I'm so stoked. I really, really want to paint. My first bowl didn't turn out so well, so I'm hoping tomorrow will go better.

I have a vision, a plan if you will, of what I want to do. I want to put this on a bowl...I know, stupid right, but if it works like I want it to it should be cool. We'll see.



The good thing is that I'll get to relax (not that I didn't already do that all day today) and hopefully hang out with Karen. It's been far too long since I've seen her and it'll be good to catch up. YAY!

Cross your fingers for me though, I really want this to turn out.

Could I be more unmotivated?

Is it possible to truly "do nothing" in a day? Apparently so.

I let myself sleep last night, meaning I didn't set an alarm which is very unusual for me. I like to keep close to my same sleeping schedule, honestly, I do. But you'll see as the day goes on, I don't quite follow my own beliefs.

Today is my Saturday so sleeping was a good thing to do. I woke up at 9 and caught up on the internet and blogs til about 10:30. Then I showered and got dressed, intent on cleaning my apartment, baking, and doing laundry.

Mom called with mail for me (I still get junk mail at home and she can't seem to just shred it or recycle it...I have to look at it) so I ran downstairs to get it. My other plan was to run a 5K today but when I stepped outside it was bitterly cold. Mom didn't even get out of her car...just rolled down the window a bit and handed me my stuff. But then she wanted to talk...um..."It's cold out, mom." oh okay.

I then ran to the grocery store and got a pizza for lunch because I figured I could start my oven then. Did I mention that I hadn't turned on my heat yet? Yeah, so it was very chilly in my apartment.

After lunch, I was freezing. My oven wasn't helping warm up the apartment so I broke down and turned on the heat, then I crawled into bed with my heating blanket and promptly fell asleep. That wasn't my intent at all, I like naps but not to the point where I could have ran a marathon during one.

I ended up sleeping 3 hours, and now I'm trying to get motivated to actually do some of the things I had planned on doing earlier. My kitchen is a mess. I have laundry to put away from last week and more to wash today. It's crazy.

Luckily tomorrow is my Sunday, and while I have plans with Karen (right?) and a couple of errands to do, I should be able to get the rest of my stuff done even if I fail miserably tonight. But let's hope I don't.

Full again

Yesterday and today were slam-bam-thank you ma'am kind of days, but in the best way possible.

I ran (not literally, though knowing my insanity I wouldn't be surprised if it someday crossed my mind despite the distance) up to the Cities yesterday to see E&K who were there for a conference. They brought along my adorable God-daughter for me to play with which was super fun.

Nika and I had a little adjustment period. She wasn't feeling great because of the different water in her formula so she was a little fussy. But once we got to the restaurant we had a blast.

She sat in an extremely unsafe table-top chair between E and I and banged her spoon to her heart's content. This girl is amazing. She didn't fuss at all the entire time we were there - at least 2 hours worth of time being extremely adorable and content with not getting to eat our food. Amazing.

Then I had my fix with E&K, talking about life, running (I'm trying to convince E to run Austin with me - I'm close), and general merriment. They really want me to hook up and settle down, asking me to consider match.com or chemistry.com or something. I asked to wait until after Austin and E started chiding me about "there will always be something - then it's Easter, then it's Memorial Day, then it's Sweetest Day..." and rolled his eyes at me.

I'm considering it, but I just don't know if I want to start the dating game right before the 4 major holidays in couple's lives - T-day, Xmas, New Years, and VDay. K doesn't think guys think about that, but I don't want to take the chance. If I can hold out til after VDay then Austin will be over and I can maybe focus. I don't know.

It's not that I don't want someone in my life. I just wonder if I'm ready. Sad to say, I am 33 and all, but I've always been a late bloomer. As AES used to say, "Shit, Moe, it took you going to seminary to let your hair down" when he found out I was going out every Wednesday night. (Of course that only lasted a few months because soon I couldn't breathe or talk without coughing - damn smoky bars).

So I'm a little behind. And I suck at dating. I don't have a good track record to begin with...I'm just not sure.

Anyway... sorry that was a big tangent. Last night I got the best night's sleep I've had in a long while. I woke up actually feeling refreshed and renewed. The place I stay gave me a great room this time and the shower was phenomenal.

Then I went back to E&K's and played with Nika while E napped and K met with a friend for coffee. Nika and I had a blast - reading, talking, playing with the girl in the mirror, standing up and trying to walk (she's soooo close and she doesn't even know how to crawl yet), and general merriment. She began her meltdown right as K got back but they were on there way home anyway so all was good.

I really needed to see them. We joke that I need my Nika-fix, but in reality I needed to see all three of them. It was much needed.

To continue my self-care, I went to the mall to get my hairs cut. My hair grows so fast and I just can't bear to have it as long as it was last May again. I went to Master Cuts and signed up for a shampoo and cut. The gal who cut my hair was great. To lay back and get my hair washed and scalp massaged was amazing. I sunk into a mini-world of being pampered for an ever so brief moment of time. It was great. And now my hair is shorter and lighter (I have fine, thick hair - it's insane) and I'm happy.

Then on to Keith to get a massage. Funny thing, K was jealous I was getting a 2-hour massage, but in truth it hurts like hell when he's working out my kinks. I don't go for the fluff-n-buff. I'm hard core and like to get everything worked over so my muscles don't get over toxic (i.e. so I can run better). I really needed this because I hadn't had any work done since before the marathon. I was in bad shape.

Really bad shape. There was swearing, kicking of feet, clenching of the table, and in the end....relief. I feel so great now, I can't even tell you. I'm loose, I'm pain-free, and I.feel.awesome.

I really needed these two days. I feel, well, I've said it before, but renewed. Connecting with people who really know me - and K&E really know me best - was so needed. They know what to tell me, don't pull any punches, and are so inspiring. Keith helps me continue my self-care which I really need to focus more on.

All in all...a stellar 36 hours.

outta here

I'm off to get my fix. Nika and fam are visiting nearby so I'm heading to see them and spend a little time. It's been a couple months since I've seen my Goddaughter so I'm really excited.

I mean, how can you not be excited to see this adorable little girl? (courtesy of Sears)

Kat's sixth giveaway!

A Little Miss Sunshine moment:

I won! I won! I won!

My name was once again randomly chosen for her prize yesterday. This is so great.

But her giveaway today...wow...it's all about addresses. I love these books (mostly because I like the elastic that holds it closed). This is really needed in my world because I keep losing addresses. And then I store everything on my work computer but I'm not mailing things when I'm at work...I mail them at home! So this is a very cool thing in my book.

SIGN UP!!! What do you have to lose? nothing!

I'd like to thank the academy...

I'm totally in shock. Kat has awarded me with the Kreativ Blogger award. I'm truly in awe that this has happened. This is my first ever award for blogging. To be honest, I never thought I'd be one to get an award so receiving this today is incredible.

Kat wrote this about me:"SaraMoe from Unequivocally Moe. Because she's a knitter and made me THIS blanket last year, which is still my coziest thing ever. Moe is an honest-to-God genuinely nice person without even trying, and I love her for that. She runs marathons and stuff too, and that makes her worthy of just about any kind of award, in my book."

Humbled, I am.

But now it's my turn. First, I'm supposed to list six things that make me happy. Here are the first six things that come to mind:

1. The relationship I now have with my sister. (Don't get me wrong, my brothers and I get along really well too...this is just different.) She and I are 12 years apart. (I know, wow! 12 years!) So when she was a senior in high school, I was a whiny kindergärtner whom she had to walk to school (this was 1980 so we didn't have a car for the four of us kids). Then she left for college and I started growing up. For the longest time we “got along” but didn't really get along, if that makes sense. There was always this chasm between us – she was in her career, I was trying to make it through high school; she thought I was spoiled, I just wanted an older sister I could talk to because I didn't have any close female friends in school; she struggled for everything she had in life, I did too but on a different level. Lots of differences, but over the last few years she and I have really grown close. We go shopping together, we have lunch, we chat on-line, we'll talk on the phone. I know it all seems normal but this is such a great step in our relationship that I truly cherish. She is truly someone I admire and love.

2. My Goddaughter, Nika. Now this is nothing against my nieces and nephews whom I all love, but there's something different about having a Goddaughter who isn't blood related. Her parents, my true urban family who love me for me not because they have to, asked me to be Nika's Godmama and I am her only non-relative Godparent. Nika is such a sweetie and I can't wait to watch her grow.

3. Running. Yes, I'm a geek, but running makes me happy. I always dread suiting up, so to speak, and heading out, but once I'm out in the air and feeling the ground fly by (well, just go by – I am slow) I feel so alive. Today I actually had a moment where I felt like I was gliding. My body was in a great position, my legs were rocking the tar, and my breathing was in sync. Then I stumbled and lost my zone. :)

4. Mail makes me happy. Not the junk mail stuff, but getting porn (food porn, that is...magazines to Williams Sonoma or Sur la Table - I'm not a total perv) and packages in the mail makes me so happy. Of course the packages I'm usually paying for on my credit card, but to come home and find fun things waiting for me just makes me glad. Of course I did get an awesome present last week when I got my Pretty Little Things club gift and 6 month pictures of Nika. So awesome.

5.Good books. I love curling up on the couch with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa. I'm so looking forward to winter for that reason alone. I hate snow; I hate the cold. But having ample hours to read and knit or watch a movie...that's a nice time.

6. Okay...this may sound bad but kissing makes me happy. I love kissing a handsome man. Having that connection with someone you care about, being close together and touching one another. There's just something so human and loving about it. I miss that, but it does make me happy.

So many other things make me happy – singing, finding great, new music, hanging out with friends, post-it notes, completing a To-Do list, watching great movies, traveling, fresh laundry, hot baths/showers, baking...the list goes on. I'm generally a happy person, or try to be, so I really do try to find the good in all things.

-----

And now I get to pass on the award to others. I can't believe I'm only supposed to pick six to pass on the award. Are you kidding me? Do you know how many cool blogs I read? So this is just a blanket apology to those I don't name here. I really try to not break the rules so I'm going to stick to six tonight.

Bethany Actually – Bethany is awesome because she not only is Kreativ, but she can prove it. She paints these adorable bowls and plates (and sells them on her etsy site), crochets of which is totally something I am in awe, and has the most adorable daughter. She also is a military wife which makes her super awesome in my book.

Secret Agent Josephine – SAJ is just Kreativ with a capital C, I mean K. She's just amazing, that's all I can say.

Jill Will Run – total running blogger so I love her blog. I found her via Bethany so that makes her doubly cool. Jill is also a fellow marathoner and is a training maniac. I hope I can channel her energy over the next few weeks.

Poop and Boogies – I've been reading Bill for awhile and occasionally comment, but his life is just so hysterical it's sometimes hard to comment when he's already said it all. His life, wife, and kids are great – truly Kreativ.

not martha – Megan is awesome. I have found so many cute ideas of DIY's from her. I now make my own magnets from her suggestions. She has an awesome Mini Pie recipe that I used and totally loved. She's brilliant and knits like a wonder woman. I've been reading her for a long time now and totally think she deserves this award.

Superhero Journal – Andrea is my hero, despite the fact that she says “You are your own superhero.” Andrea is Kreativ and beautiful. Her jewelry and photos are phenomenal and I wish I had just an ounce of her creativity.

To those I didn't select, please don't think that I don't think you're creative. Everyone has their own creativity elements and I do believe everyone should be awarded.

Lunch report

I've been bringing my lunch the last couple days: $2.50 each day. I'm not going to blog about this every day unless I'm really hurting for blog fodder. So just trust me that I'm giving my lunch money away, in a good way, and I'll update maybe once a week instead.

Kat's fifth giveaway!

Kat's pleading the fifth! Or taking the fifth? ...or giving the fifth? I don't know.

Anyway, Kat's got an awesome giveaway today - of course I like it because I love calendars and planning things. I lament every day when people ask me about Boss1's calendar because he keeps his own, in a little book, in his pocket. "I have it right here, moe, all the time." That's great, sir, but I don't have it.

This giveaway is great because you can plan out, not just next year, but the next TWO years! This is almost as good as the porn I got in the mail yesterday (Sur La Table catalog).

So SIGN UP! Though I don't know why I keep convincing people to sign up when I keep losing, but hey, I like the competition. :)

Gutters and Wind

My mind must be in the gutter today. So not good. I'm in our weekly meeting and one of the guys says, "Any time you're mounted you need to have a helmet."*

Now out of context that cracks me up. I bit my cheek and struggled to keep my laughter in and, as I looked up, one of the guys in the meeting who usually makes faces at me anyway held back his laughter and rolled his eyes questioning the logic of the statement. I'm sure he was thinking the same thing I was..."which one needs the helmet?"

And then my mind stayed in the gutter as we switched topics and another guy said, "Well, we've done it both ways."

Sheesh...I need help.

So I thought it best for me to get out of my closet (a large, walk-in closet, that is - not that there's anything wrong with the other kind) and get a run in today. I haven't ran in over a week, which is awful when I'm toying with running a marathon in February. It felt good to get out (see...comments like that) even if the wind was blowing fiercely. I ran with the wind (as was the prescribed route) to start, which was probably good because my shins were killing me.

The turn around into the wind sucked (or blew - depending on your vernacular), but there is a bonus to running into a 16mph, gusting to 25mph, head wind - your legs really get stronger and Lord knows I need that.

I was reading a blog by a mommy-runner in town who ran into an 18 mph headwind with her baby in the jogging stroller yesterday. Today she ran without child or stroller and said it felt so fast. I'm thinking maybe I should get a stroller to push...that might build up my leg and arm muscles.

*Just so you don't think the guys I work with are total perv's...they were talking about bikes.

I need these...filled with chai.

Get your own here!

One of my favorite photos

Via Callie Shell Via Katstuff

I love her photos. They really show the man himself. Flip through her photos...you'll see more of Obama's amazing sides - he's our next President.

Kat's fourth giveaway!

So another day without winning. I'm starting to get used to this. I mean, it's typical of my life...not winning that is. Probably why I'm still single.

But hey, the giveaways continue and Kat has some great ones.

Yesterday I talked about how Kat is a writer...well, get this - she also sews! I KNOW! I'm in total awe since I struggle with tying knots as I knit.

So her giveaway today is a reusable bag - you know, for groceries and stuff. Save the environment! Save a tree! Use a bag over and over and over and over and over and over...you get the idea...again.

So sign up here! Maybe you'll get picked tomorrow and I can celebrate you!

A Superhero Day

After a rough day at work and remembering that I hadn't checked mail yesterday, I came home to find three awesome things:

1) My newest Superhero Necklace. Andrea is an awesome designer and I have a lot of her jewelry, which is odd for me since I don't wear a lot of jewelry. I have it on right now and I feel much joy.

2) I got my Call to Places flyer from the Guthrie. As a few of you know, I'm a season ticket holder so I get the Call to Places which gives some insight into the next show and the calendar for the next few months. There I see that Jonatha Brooke is playing at the Guthrie December 1. I was so excited and trying to plan out how to go until I realized that December 1 is a Monday and there's no way I can make it up, see the show, drive back, and function the next day at work (and I can't skip work on the 2nd). But it's still exciting to see Jonatha Brooke in this neck of the woods.

3) Andrea's post today was incredible. The writing by Maya is so fitting for today, but also for every day. Every day is a new day to write upon (that's a little Sound of Music-ish, but still).

I love Superhero days. They make me glad.

Struggle

I was realizing today how hard it is to come back to work after a high-powered, extremely intense event and event planning week.

Today was rough. I made it through most of the morning okay, thanks to oatmeal, Diet Dr. Pepper, grapes and a plan. But once the afternoon hit it went down hill. I was out of it by 4pm...of course, this would normally be 5, so I think that's fair. But having another 90 minutes of work required some extra strength. So I had veggies.

Veggies are good. Keith got me hooked on these for snacks. I get the Ho Ho Ho Green Giant veggies you can steam in the microwave. They have a variety: Healthy Vision, Immunity Boost (my favorite), and one other one I usually buy but I can't think of the name of it. Anyway, these are great because they steam in the bag, I throw them in a bowl and I'm feeling good.

Yeah for veggies.

Lunch...before I forget

So while I'm still savoring my dinner of scrambled eggs with Kraft Mexican mix cheese, Kashi Strawberry flaxseed waffles with sugar free syrup, and grapes...I thought I better put down how much I can donate today for lunch.

I had my standard noodles with chicken and veggies. I make a big batch of this and divide it up so I'm never completely positive on how much it costs, but I usually go with $2.50. So that's what I'm doing. Which means $2.50 to the kitty. YAY!

Lunch money

I just realized I'm two days behind on my $5 lunch thing that I'm going to do for NaBloPoMo.

So yesterday I didn't eat any lunch, so that's a full $5 to the pot. But today...sigh...today I was starving (probably from not eating much yesterday) and so I treated myself and went to Panera and blew $8 on the meal (so I'm not going to take away money from the kitty, but will just count it as zero in).

Panera is a trick in this city. It's on the far southwest side, which is far away from where I live. A good 20 minute drive. Of course this is ironic since the closest one to where I lived when I was in the cities was at least 20 minutes away but that was normal. Here, everything is flat so it just seems to take longer.

But I hadn't had Panera in awhile. I did go one night after work which was great, but I really wanted it again today (and it's so much better in the place than takeout).

I got to thinking about Panera. I've been trying to stay away from fast food, and Panera is sort of fast food but sort of a restaurant. It's kind of in the middle so it works for me. I love their Chicken Caesar salad and their bread...oh their bread!

It was yummy and I'm really glad I went, even if it did take $5 out of the kitty. But I have lunch already made for tomorrow and so I will be putting into the kitty then.

Tight Harmonics

Yesterday I briefly mentioned how the gang and I sang the National Anthem at the event we had for work yesterday.

Today in our paper (and actually last night on their on-line version) we got this critique (edited to remove names):

"AES, Moe and M- and C-B opened with tight harmonics on the national anthem.”

Awesome. I think this was the best review I've ever received. My friend KB called me yesterday to tell me "Great job. It was the highlight of the event. I wasn't sure how M and C were going to be part of it, since I've heard you and AES before, but that was really great."

M had commented when we were rehearsing one day how it was nice to work with musicians. C and he used to have another similar group on the other side of the state but M said that was rough...people not able to read music and really struggling to figure out harmonies. We sang together the first time with very few issues. We were able to work on breathing and phrasing and dynamics instead. It was really awesome.

C is our booking agent so she's trying to find us other gigs. AES is really stoked and I have to admit, so am I. I miss singing (not that I want my life to be the National Anthem all the time) so singing with this group is really fun. I'm going to have to go through my files and see if I can find anything for 4-part that we could do. It'd be really awesome to expand our options.

Debate

My family and I love to debate. My father always said that if you can't have a healthy debate you're not really living. He and his youngest-older sister would have heated political debates that would worry the rest of the family to the point where they'd try to interject and call it off. Dad and Ruthie would just laugh and hug it out...always loving each other despite their different political beliefs.

My oldest-older brother and I have a similar relationship. He converted to Catholicism a few years back for his family and has been a staunch Republican for years. This is fun when me, as the Lutheran, will throw religious debates at him and, being a registered Democrat (though I feel more independent that a true Dem), we get our political fires rolling too.

I sent an email out to my siblings today requesting Christmas wish lists for their kids (because I shop by mail and really want to get this done soon) and what we're going to do for Mom for Christmas. For some reason this prompted my oldest-older brother to start a political discussion.

No, wait, I take that back...my email yesterday talking about what I'm going to put in my next post triggered his email but he didn't reply to that one, he replied to my list one.

Anyway...we've been going back and forth today, as we do. I might have triggered a possible sway when I directed him to Dave's blog post on McCain and POWs. I don't think O-O realized all of this. Not that it will really sway him, but it was good for him to know because at one point he was going on about how he respects his elders and those who serve in the military (and Obama hasn't). I had to point out that Obama is his elder by 4 years and does serving in the military really mean you'd be a great leader? Because if that's the case we need to fire most of Congress.

Okay. I'm done. Tomorrow is Vote Day. It's an important moment in an American's life. It's your right...one of the few truly instilled by the Constitution for us. Use it. Own it. Live it.

VOTE.

Kat's third giveaway!

I'm sad. I didn't win yesterday's Post Its. I'm sad because I really love Post-Its (or stickies as I call them). Stickies are my friends. I can put my to-do list on them and then throw them away when I'm done (or recycle which is what I do). I'll put items on the stickies and then stack all the stickies together as I accomplish them - and at the end of the day I have this little stack of all the things I've done. It's so fun.

But alas...instead I'm vying for the next fun giveaway. Kat is a writer (and you'd know that if you read her blog) and she has a story in this book she's giving away today. She'll even autograph it! WOOHOO! I loved signed books! Of course then you can't spill kool-aid on them when you get scared or excited because it ruins the value, but whatever.

So HERE's the link to sign up for her 3rd giveaway. Looks to be a good one!

Kat's second giveaway!

I love this game! So I won yesterday's giveaway and I'm really, really, really hoping I'll win today too. Kat has Post Its to give away. I LOVE post-its. I LIVE by post-its. My life would not function without post-it notes. I'm so excited.

You can sign up too, I guess. Go HERE. :)

Busy day, and I'm glad it's over

I woke up at 4:15. Ugh. I do like Daylight Saving Time because in the fall that extra hour is always nice but it takes me a week to get readjusted. I should have just gone into work this morning when I woke up but I decided to stay in bed and take my time getting to work.

The day went swimmingly. I barely saw Boss1, but everything really fell together. The event we had went off without a hitch, the gang and I sang the National Anthem beautifully (which was a little scary since we were in an arena type setting, with mics and I had some high notes to hit - and KC was worried about me not being heard. HA!).

You would think, though, that my shoulders would have been less tense moments after everything was finished, but it still hasn't quite gone away. I'm working on it.

After work I was going to run because it was a beautiful 75 degrees here today (amazing for November) but I knew if I left to run Mom would call to clean out her gutters and if I didn't go she wouldn't call for an hour. She surprised me and called me moments after I made the decision not to run. Probably a good thing since I hadn't eaten much today - two Kashi waffles at 7:30 am and then toast and a half a cheese quesadilla at 3. Not a good way to go run.

So I headed up to mom's and got to climb on a roof for a while. It was great. I swept out a bunch of the leaves and then mom handed up the blower ("It's Mega Maid...she's gone from suck to blow!"). That was great but I got a bunch of dirt in my eye. Not fun.

Mom took me out for dinner after we got done with our chores and we ran into some neighbors from down the street. This was awkward. The mom I haven't seen in a long time. Mom and her used to be good friends. And the son, I haven't seen him since high school. That was really awkward. TH and I used to play together when we were younger with EST. In fact, EST, TH and I were best friends.

It's just hard to talk to someone you haven't seen in 15 years. Once you get past the how are you, what are you doing, where do work, you kind of run out of things to say. After elementary school we really didn't hang out. EST started hanging out with the cool people, TH hung out with his friends, and I was the geek studying in the hallway during lunch.

Oh well. But I felt like a dirty girl when I got home so I had to take a shower. I love showers. *sigh*. And now I'm going to check Kat's blog and go to bed. It's that time. I mean it's 10 pm, really. Even if the clocks only say it's 9.

Kat's first giveaway!

Kat's first giveaway is up!

I love journals...even though I type better than I write, but considering how much I travel and how many problems I've had with the internet on my travels, this would be perfect for me to blog without blogging. :)

Anyway, check it out and sign up. And really, you should read the rest of Kat's blog. She's really funny and has a great kid. :)

Happy All Saints Day!

Of course, my friend Jenna is still in Reformation mode. (Yes, I'm finally celebrating Reformation.)

Jenna came to my office today with a bunch of paper in her hand. I was busy talking with Jim and had Andy and Bruce waiting out in the hallway. HL was with Jenna looking for the boxes that had come in for them and so I was a wee bit distracted. (Not to mention I was trying to get to my meeting.)

I turned around to direct HL where the boxes were and when I turned around Jenna says, "Tah-da!" She had hung on my wall a series of taped together papers - all with the 95 Thesis.

I haven't laughed that hard in a long time (not since the hyper-tense lady in the building made a comment about soliciting better door-to-door). Of course as our Catholic friends walked in Jenna would stage-whisper, "Hide the paper!" No one really got it...but oh well. We had a good laugh.

But today is actually All Saints Day. So celebrate, honor and remember those we have lost. I've had a lot of recurring memories this year - a lot of Dad and Nicole...not sure why but they have hit me hard. But today I will think of them only in a good way. I still love them and miss them dearly.

On the downslide

The funny thing about when stress levels rise because of increase tension due to extremely important events that top level officials want to go well...they eventually come down.

This week has been one thing after another for me. My stress level has been high, but on the good side of it the intensity of things has kept me upright. I haven't fallen over from the chaos. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

Today things started to slide downward. My briefings this morning went well, though with a few glitches and then longwinded presenters kept me from allowing my attendees the 10 minute break I wanted to give them. I really need to revamp that schedule. The funny thing is every time I revamp it someone different decides to talk and talk which screws everything up.

But slowly I could the tension in my shoulders ebb away. It's a good thing too because when hyper-tense lady in the building notices that I've had a stressful week (meaning I've been showing my tenseness on my face) and asks if I'm taking any time off this week, yeah...it's time for things to get cleaned up.

Today was insane - Our morning meeting, another one that now is added each month (I need to talk to Boss1 about this one), my 3-hour briefing (hahaha!), a 45 minute break during which I had a dozen people in my office who had been looking for me all morning so I missed lunch (other than the quick thing I bought at the snack bar - yuck), then another meeting, followed by another 20 mintues where people were asking me things, then another hour long meeting, followed by another 30 minutes where Boss1 actually relied on me for somethings.

This last part was pretty distinctive to me. I came back from my last meeting and Boss1 came into my office. "Do you have anything pressing right now?" Duh...for you sir, I wipe my slate clean...but I said, "No, sir, for the next 45 minutes I can do whatever you need." We had a ceremony in 45 minutes that both he and i needed to be at.

He had to run home to get his suit and asked me to get some info on the guy we were honoring at the ceremony - some tidbits, time he's been in that position, etc. "You bet, sir. I'll get that for you."

He takes off, 2 people hound me for some info and I get on the phone. I get what I need, type up the info and print off the program when my phone rings. "Hello, sir." I say. I can hear him smile as he says, "Hello, ma'am." hahaha "I have the info you requested." I hear him hesitate so I say quickly, "I'm printing it right now and I'll bring it to the ceremony."

"Perfect," Boss1 says, "but I have another problem. I can't find my tie, which I think is in my locker." I immediately start thinking I'll get Jim to go in and get it when he says, "But I have a fix. Jim has a clip on in his office closet...can you bring that over too?" "You bet sir. I'll be there."

So I grab my paperwork, the clip on - shaking my head that grown men are wearing clip on ties, but whatever, and head to the ceremony location.

I have never felt more like an assistant until that moment. He walked in with his suit in hand (he still needed to change) and I handed him his tie as people were giving him grief for not being dressed yet. I'm hanging out and Man-I-Admire comes up and starts asking me how the program is going to go and are is there going to be a procession of the important folks and blah blah blah. I said I wasn't in charge, I was just waiting to give Boss1 the sheet of notes when he laughs and says, "But you're always in charge of things."

Okay, so that didn't make me feel like an assistant but it did make me feel good - and yet at the same time a little off. But that's another story.

Anyway, Boss1 comes out, all dressed and ready and I could see him seeking me out in the crowd so I head over. I hand him the notes and quickly go over them with him.

And at that moment...I really felt like I was doing an assistant's job to a Boss1. I felt needed, utilized, and important to what Boss1's need was at the time. I felt respected because I got him what he needed and was able to deliver.

It was really amazing. I don't know why that moment was a trigger in my head, but when I sat down during the ceremony, it hit me just how that moment affected me.

It's not that Boss1 doesn't appreciate me. I know he does, but he also keeps his own schedule so I feel really out of the loop when people call me requesting time with him because I have to put them on hold and double check what he's actually doing a certain day so I can call them back. Not that this is bad. We've been doing it this way almost 2 years, but at the same time, it's like I'm not really there when I don't even know what he's doing.

But today, at those moments, I really felt like he ... needed me isn't the word I want to use, but that's all I can think of at this moment. Pretty amazing.

NaBloPoMo theme

It's NaBloPoMo time! WOOHOO!!

I started this with the inaugural year which was, what, two years ago? Whatever. Last year I 'met' some awesome people and I'm still reading them today. It's been fabulous.

Last year, I had PIF projects which I desperately need to finish. I should be knitting right now. I'll start as soon as I finish this entry, or the next because it's been a talkative day.

So I'm writing every day again for a month. That's the goal of NaBloPoMo. Granted, I'm also part of Blog365 so I've been writing every day for the last 10 months (wow, I could have a kid in that timeframe). So writing one more month is no biggie.

I've been trying to come up with some theme. My blogfriend Kat is doing a give-away a day thing at her blog. Read the details here.

While I have a ton of crap I could/should give away, I am not prepared to do this.

So I'm going to do the $5 meal thing again. I'm thinking this for several reasons: 1) I never did pick a charity in September. Stupid stupid me. And 2) I really liked that project - tracking what I pay for lunch and then donating the excess to someone who needs it. That makes complete sense to me.

So I have $103.75 from September and I'm going to add to that this month. And I promise I will dedicate it's receiver before the end of the month this time.

Today I had a lunchable and soda even though I could have eaten for free, but my meeting schedule, which will be on the next post, was absolutely insane. But that was $3.50 so I have $1.50 to start the month off.