Today's voices were my other niece and nephew - Ava and Jake. I went up to see them today for a little bit. They were in rare form...so sweet. Ava's starting to talk a little and Jake is always loud. To add to it Jake had a birthday party to go to so he was able to scream as much as he wanted (and squirt me with water - which I happily returned).
I'm heading off to the cities for a baseball game so I'll post pictures later.
31 May 2008
30 May 2008
Voices 30
If I had been able to access my blog today and post you would have read two very long posts with me venting about stupid things happening at work. But since I'm not allowed to read blogs at work (they're blocked) that would mean I would have been at home to have access and thusly not have to deal with the stupid things happening at work and there would be nothing to post.
But as it is, I finally have settled down and I don't really want to post just to post it. A short version though, just for fun:
This morning I had a co-worker stand in front of my desk, arms crossed, and stare me down while telling me in a very angry, raised voice that she is my backup and she HAS to have a copy of that so-called appointment letter (which isn't an appointment letter at all, but a directory listing in the form of a letter). This pissed me off so much because a) she's NOT my backup anymore just because years ago she used to be the backup for my various predecessors and b) just because she thinks she needs a copy of the letter for her master file which she looks at once every 5 years doesn't mean she actually should have a copy of the letter and c) I hate when people try to intimidate me with raised voices and telling me "It's the way it's always been done." Bite me.
I was ready to drink at 8:30 this morning. I didn't though, and things were going okay until 2 pm when another project took 5 times and 2 hours to get it right because people kept changing their mind and needing to get set up on the program to make it work and then we had to change it because it "has to be right" even though it could have been canceled next week and fixed when we weren't under such a time crunch. By 2:30pm I was ready to drink again and I could have at 4pm during a end of the day briefing but I thought better of it.
Instead it took me from 5-8 to downshift. During that time I had supper, waited 15 minutes for mom to show up to go to a baseball game, sat in cold wind and then rain and then finally I was able to forget about the day.
And it's Friday. YAY! I'm so happy it's Friday. I know this isn't really a voices post but it would have been more so if I had had access during the day. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) this is all I can give you.
And on that note, I'm going to bed.
But as it is, I finally have settled down and I don't really want to post just to post it. A short version though, just for fun:
This morning I had a co-worker stand in front of my desk, arms crossed, and stare me down while telling me in a very angry, raised voice that she is my backup and she HAS to have a copy of that so-called appointment letter (which isn't an appointment letter at all, but a directory listing in the form of a letter). This pissed me off so much because a) she's NOT my backup anymore just because years ago she used to be the backup for my various predecessors and b) just because she thinks she needs a copy of the letter for her master file which she looks at once every 5 years doesn't mean she actually should have a copy of the letter and c) I hate when people try to intimidate me with raised voices and telling me "It's the way it's always been done." Bite me.
I was ready to drink at 8:30 this morning. I didn't though, and things were going okay until 2 pm when another project took 5 times and 2 hours to get it right because people kept changing their mind and needing to get set up on the program to make it work and then we had to change it because it "has to be right" even though it could have been canceled next week and fixed when we weren't under such a time crunch. By 2:30pm I was ready to drink again and I could have at 4pm during a end of the day briefing but I thought better of it.
Instead it took me from 5-8 to downshift. During that time I had supper, waited 15 minutes for mom to show up to go to a baseball game, sat in cold wind and then rain and then finally I was able to forget about the day.
And it's Friday. YAY! I'm so happy it's Friday. I know this isn't really a voices post but it would have been more so if I had had access during the day. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) this is all I can give you.
And on that note, I'm going to bed.
29 May 2008
Voices 29
I remember reading once that everyone talks to themselves and those who don't think they do were just asking themselves, "Do I talk to myself? I don't think I do."
Then there were those who said that you were okay to talk to yourself as long as you didn't answer yourself.
Then you could answer yourself as long as there's only one person (yourself) in the conversation.
Well, I am a self-admitted self-talker. And I do it out loud. And I answer myself. And I often have more than one person in the conversation.
I'm a mess.
Truthfully, I tend to critique and criticize myself, as well as encourage myself to do something. I do this outloud because often I'm alone so it's the only voice I hear. And if I talk it out and I can hear what I'm saying when I'm trying to sort out a problem.
I'll talk to myself while I'm walking down the hallway, or on my way to get the mail. I'll talk to myself while I'm running, which not only helps me sort out problems but also helps me strengthen my breathing. Hell, I'll talk myself to sleep at night.
It's amazing that I make it through the day sometimes.
This week one of my co-workers is helping out a lady in another section. Apparently this woman is more eccentric than I am and my co-worker has started a quote log. Whenever the woman says something off the wall, my co-worker writes it down. Some of the ones today are pretty out there. I'm sure the woman just thought they were things to say, words from her head.
Which makes me wonder, besides insanity, what do people think about me when I'm talking to myself at work, in my office, outside walking around. They must think I'm a loon.
And I probably am.
Then there were those who said that you were okay to talk to yourself as long as you didn't answer yourself.
Then you could answer yourself as long as there's only one person (yourself) in the conversation.
Well, I am a self-admitted self-talker. And I do it out loud. And I answer myself. And I often have more than one person in the conversation.
I'm a mess.
Truthfully, I tend to critique and criticize myself, as well as encourage myself to do something. I do this outloud because often I'm alone so it's the only voice I hear. And if I talk it out and I can hear what I'm saying when I'm trying to sort out a problem.
I'll talk to myself while I'm walking down the hallway, or on my way to get the mail. I'll talk to myself while I'm running, which not only helps me sort out problems but also helps me strengthen my breathing. Hell, I'll talk myself to sleep at night.
It's amazing that I make it through the day sometimes.
This week one of my co-workers is helping out a lady in another section. Apparently this woman is more eccentric than I am and my co-worker has started a quote log. Whenever the woman says something off the wall, my co-worker writes it down. Some of the ones today are pretty out there. I'm sure the woman just thought they were things to say, words from her head.
Which makes me wonder, besides insanity, what do people think about me when I'm talking to myself at work, in my office, outside walking around. They must think I'm a loon.
And I probably am.
28 May 2008
Voices 28
The voices of children are so very precious. Of course, I'm more sensitive about this since I had to leave my Nika behind yesterday. I spent most of the day flipping through my pictures today and I told Boss1 that this was the first time since I started working with him that I didn't want to come back.
Before I let you look at another adorable picture of Nika, I have to tell you a few stories about my niece and nephew - Emmy and Zach.
Today these kids learned what it means to "put a cow down." This doesn't mean putting down the stuffed toy or setting down your hamburger between bites; nope - this cow had to die. She wasn't doing well so it was in the cow's best interest.
If you don't know, the cow has to be shot before being slaughtered. Emmy was going to watch but her wise mama told her she wouldn't want to. So Emmy ran into the house, but as soon as she heard the shot she wanted to go out and see. Unfortunately, she went out just as they were slitting the throat to drain the blood. Whoops! She won't be eating beef for awhile. In fact, she had a PB&J for supper and just before she took a bite she looked at her mom woefully and said, "Is there meat in this?"
She also had a moment where she looked back and saw all the other cows gathering around the dead cow and she turned to her mom and said, "I think they're having a funeral."
And then, to add to things, at the baseball game tonight Granny told her about butchering chickens when she was little, and was nice and graphic about it. I'm thinking Emmy's going to be a vegetarian for awhile. Too bad since she loves to eat.
My nephew had his own little fun with his dad. My brother-in-law's brother is getting married in a couple months and Zach asked his dad (my BIL) if he was going to be best man. BIL said no, that that would be Justin. So Zach says, "So does that make you the pallbearer then?" :)
What was the Art Linkletter/Bill Cosby show? Kids Say the Darndest Things? How true is that!
Well, I'm still trying to recover from my awesome trip so I'm going to leave you with this sweet picture of me and Nika. She's not looking really happy because I left moments after we took this picture - it's a good thing we took it at this point because about 5 seconds later I was bawling like a little girl.
Before I let you look at another adorable picture of Nika, I have to tell you a few stories about my niece and nephew - Emmy and Zach.
Today these kids learned what it means to "put a cow down." This doesn't mean putting down the stuffed toy or setting down your hamburger between bites; nope - this cow had to die. She wasn't doing well so it was in the cow's best interest.
If you don't know, the cow has to be shot before being slaughtered. Emmy was going to watch but her wise mama told her she wouldn't want to. So Emmy ran into the house, but as soon as she heard the shot she wanted to go out and see. Unfortunately, she went out just as they were slitting the throat to drain the blood. Whoops! She won't be eating beef for awhile. In fact, she had a PB&J for supper and just before she took a bite she looked at her mom woefully and said, "Is there meat in this?"
She also had a moment where she looked back and saw all the other cows gathering around the dead cow and she turned to her mom and said, "I think they're having a funeral."
And then, to add to things, at the baseball game tonight Granny told her about butchering chickens when she was little, and was nice and graphic about it. I'm thinking Emmy's going to be a vegetarian for awhile. Too bad since she loves to eat.
My nephew had his own little fun with his dad. My brother-in-law's brother is getting married in a couple months and Zach asked his dad (my BIL) if he was going to be best man. BIL said no, that that would be Justin. So Zach says, "So does that make you the pallbearer then?" :)
What was the Art Linkletter/Bill Cosby show? Kids Say the Darndest Things? How true is that!
Well, I'm still trying to recover from my awesome trip so I'm going to leave you with this sweet picture of me and Nika. She's not looking really happy because I left moments after we took this picture - it's a good thing we took it at this point because about 5 seconds later I was bawling like a little girl.
27 May 2008
Voices 27
Tonight's drive home was 7 hours of a lot of fun. I got to talk with my sister and then my brother from out east called.
The former and I are working on a mini trip to the cities for her son to see his favorite team play baseball. So our chat tonight was working details. It should be great.
The latter and I were working on another trip to a semi-central location where he and I can meet up. I don't get to see him as often as I'd like, though he'd tell me time and again that he's offered me his frequent flier miles and I could come anytime. I think I'm going to take him up on that this year. I do miss him. He and I were really close when I was little but then he moved away and it's been tough since.
But usually while I drive I sing. Tonight I sang to Maia, Mika, Wallis Bird, and Take 6. My voice is husky now, but I love this. I love singing at the top of my lungs in my car. This is why I usually like my road trips on my own. I'm able to just be me and sing however I want to. It's great.
The former and I are working on a mini trip to the cities for her son to see his favorite team play baseball. So our chat tonight was working details. It should be great.
The latter and I were working on another trip to a semi-central location where he and I can meet up. I don't get to see him as often as I'd like, though he'd tell me time and again that he's offered me his frequent flier miles and I could come anytime. I think I'm going to take him up on that this year. I do miss him. He and I were really close when I was little but then he moved away and it's been tough since.
But usually while I drive I sing. Tonight I sang to Maia, Mika, Wallis Bird, and Take 6. My voice is husky now, but I love this. I love singing at the top of my lungs in my car. This is why I usually like my road trips on my own. I'm able to just be me and sing however I want to. It's great.
Hair today, gone tomorrow. A great title.
Bawling could be heard for miles as I pulled away from K&E's today. Nika is such a sweetie and I love my urban family so much. I'm really going to miss them.
To commemorate my last day with them (for now) K and I went to a local salon and cut my hair. YEP! I did it! I've been bitching about this for months and with the nudge from K I finally did it. And she was sweet enough to take photos.
Here I am, pre-op. I was kind of nervous though K couldn't quite understand why. When we first met I had a short short short cut - kind of like a boy cut. It was simple but in the fall of '05 I decided to grow it out.
Here we go!
My last official hair cut had been in November '06. And part of what triggered this one today was when E tugged on my low braid I had in on Sunday and said, "You better cut this before the marathon - this is like 16 extra pounds!" True enough. Not to mention I've been sick of it for a long time and Locks of Love is a great program.
Holy shit! My hair is long!
So, Amanda at the salon - who was awesome, by the way - braided about 8 inches of it to cut off. This confused me a little bit because I thought you had to send in 10 inches, and the website for the salon said you had to have 9. Whatever. They do this all the time so I'm going to trust her on this one.
I was going to put in the picture where Amanda cut off the braid but I didn't like it (my face looked funny). Then I was going to put in the picture of my hair where it's kind of curly, but I didn't. I was surprised on this though. K and I were chatting about our high school haircuts, oh so long ago, and I said Mom always made me get a perm, which I hated. Amanda said, "That's surprising since you have a lot of curl back here." K took a pic and showed me and wow! I was shocked. Maybe I'll post that some other time - or maybe I'll just figure out how to make my hair curly on a normal day (Amanda gave me a tip) and I'll post that instead.
WOW! Look at that hair!
This was my favorite picture from the salon.
I love my hair now! It's so light and airy. Plus I can still pull it back in a little ponytail in the back, which is great for work and running. I probably won't be braiding my hair again for a long while, but at least I can still pull it up so I don't get so hot.
Thank you, K, for nudging me along. You knew I wanted to do this and you know me so well. Thank you!
To commemorate my last day with them (for now) K and I went to a local salon and cut my hair. YEP! I did it! I've been bitching about this for months and with the nudge from K I finally did it. And she was sweet enough to take photos.
Here I am, pre-op. I was kind of nervous though K couldn't quite understand why. When we first met I had a short short short cut - kind of like a boy cut. It was simple but in the fall of '05 I decided to grow it out.
Here we go!My last official hair cut had been in November '06. And part of what triggered this one today was when E tugged on my low braid I had in on Sunday and said, "You better cut this before the marathon - this is like 16 extra pounds!" True enough. Not to mention I've been sick of it for a long time and Locks of Love is a great program.
Holy shit! My hair is long!So, Amanda at the salon - who was awesome, by the way - braided about 8 inches of it to cut off. This confused me a little bit because I thought you had to send in 10 inches, and the website for the salon said you had to have 9. Whatever. They do this all the time so I'm going to trust her on this one.
I was going to put in the picture where Amanda cut off the braid but I didn't like it (my face looked funny). Then I was going to put in the picture of my hair where it's kind of curly, but I didn't. I was surprised on this though. K and I were chatting about our high school haircuts, oh so long ago, and I said Mom always made me get a perm, which I hated. Amanda said, "That's surprising since you have a lot of curl back here." K took a pic and showed me and wow! I was shocked. Maybe I'll post that some other time - or maybe I'll just figure out how to make my hair curly on a normal day (Amanda gave me a tip) and I'll post that instead.
WOW! Look at that hair!
This was my favorite picture from the salon. I love my hair now! It's so light and airy. Plus I can still pull it back in a little ponytail in the back, which is great for work and running. I probably won't be braiding my hair again for a long while, but at least I can still pull it up so I don't get so hot.
Thank you, K, for nudging me along. You knew I wanted to do this and you know me so well. Thank you!
26 May 2008
Honoring those who have gone before us
Today we celebrate Memorial Day. It's always seemed like a sad day to me, and in many ways it is. But I also like to think of the good things about today.
The men and women who we honor today, those who died in service or having had served in our militaries, those are the ones who helped to build our country to what it is today. These are the ones who fought the Revolutionary War and freed us from Britain. These are the ones who fought brother against brother to free the slaves. These are the ones who fought the Great War and World War II. These are those who went into unknown areas to save lives.
These people are heroes. They fought, they died, and they gave their all so we can have what we have.
God bless all those in the military - past and present. Thank you for your service. I'm proud to stand among you.
The men and women who we honor today, those who died in service or having had served in our militaries, those are the ones who helped to build our country to what it is today. These are the ones who fought the Revolutionary War and freed us from Britain. These are the ones who fought brother against brother to free the slaves. These are the ones who fought the Great War and World War II. These are those who went into unknown areas to save lives.
These people are heroes. They fought, they died, and they gave their all so we can have what we have.
God bless all those in the military - past and present. Thank you for your service. I'm proud to stand among you.
Voices 26
My whining voice is coming out. "I don't want to go home!" and yet I have to. It's probably time.
This has been such an awesome trip. Today K & I hung out for awhile while E went to a Memorial Day parade. Nika and I got to play, while mom ran an errand, which was super fun. After lunch E and I cut down an old and hung a new gutter over their deck while K and A sat on the swing with Nika. It was such a perfect day. I got to use Dad's old drill bits, which came in handy when we realized E didn't have quite the right size for the project. It all worked out well.
It's always fun to do house projects and it makes me really want to buy. I know the projects are tough work but what fun to step back and see the accomplishments you can make. It's such a rush. And it's fun to do the projects with E because we can banter and have a great time teasing each other while we work. That's what friends are for, I guess.
E grilled burgers and veggies for us for supper and we got to eat on the deck. This could not have been a more perfect day...seriously. The weather was beautiful - especially around supper because the wind went down so I wasn't getting little bits of cotton or flowers in my eyes - and the temperature perfect.
I relished today - it's my last day with Nika for awhile and the next time I see her I'll have to share her with a lot more family. I kept smelling her head (I've actually been doing this the whole trip). I love baby head smell. It's just so precious.
I love my urban family so much and I really do wish they lived closer. For that reason I thank God for the internet and blogs and that old stand by - the telephone - because without them, leaving tomorrow would kill me.
This has been such an awesome trip. Today K & I hung out for awhile while E went to a Memorial Day parade. Nika and I got to play, while mom ran an errand, which was super fun. After lunch E and I cut down an old and hung a new gutter over their deck while K and A sat on the swing with Nika. It was such a perfect day. I got to use Dad's old drill bits, which came in handy when we realized E didn't have quite the right size for the project. It all worked out well.
It's always fun to do house projects and it makes me really want to buy. I know the projects are tough work but what fun to step back and see the accomplishments you can make. It's such a rush. And it's fun to do the projects with E because we can banter and have a great time teasing each other while we work. That's what friends are for, I guess.
E grilled burgers and veggies for us for supper and we got to eat on the deck. This could not have been a more perfect day...seriously. The weather was beautiful - especially around supper because the wind went down so I wasn't getting little bits of cotton or flowers in my eyes - and the temperature perfect.
I relished today - it's my last day with Nika for awhile and the next time I see her I'll have to share her with a lot more family. I kept smelling her head (I've actually been doing this the whole trip). I love baby head smell. It's just so precious.
I love my urban family so much and I really do wish they lived closer. For that reason I thank God for the internet and blogs and that old stand by - the telephone - because without them, leaving tomorrow would kill me.
25 May 2008
Okay...seriously
Today was awesome. K & I both got a little cat nap with Nika while E mowed the lawn and then off to Body Worlds! This was a great time for me. I went back in 2006 when it was in the cities so to see it again was amazing. There was more room to maneuver here - more space to function, so exhibit pieces I could only see the front of in the cities I was able to walk all the way around here. That was a nice thing because the bodies were set up at all angles. It was also fun to be able to talk about and dissect (so to speak) the exhibit with K&E and A afterward (A is K's sister).
Then it was off for a drink before dinner. We ended up at a little bar downtown. I'm not a big drinker and I didn't feel like my normal Captain & Coke (it felt a little white trash when the rest are drinking wine or bourbon) so I had a martini. Shockingly it was good. I'm not usually for all that but it worked for me tonight. We had a little party time and then walked to a Brazilian restaurant where they come out with the meat on skewers and slice it right on to the plate. this was sweet! We have a place like this in my now-town but I've been nervous to check it out. The one thing I don't like is that it's pretty pricey. It's one thing if you eat a lot - you'd definitely get your monies worth - but if you're like me and one plate of food is plenty at a sitting, this kind of got wasted on me. But the meat was great - perfectly cooked and seasoned. Yummm... My belly is still full and we finished our meal 3 hours ago.
So now I'm just hanging out in a thunderstorm. I was watching Talladega Nights with E but he went to bed and just as he did the lights went out then came back on. So I decided to just skip the rest of the movie and blog instead. I'm on a battery so I'm good. (knock on wood) I have the night shift for Nika tonight so I thought I should stay up and try to keep busy. If I read I'll fall asleep, which is an option since I have a monitor, but it's very possible she'll wake up soon so I might as well stay up.
I do love thunderstorms. They are so out of control, and me being a control freak, this is really cool. So Hyde and I are just chillin'. I have one more full day here before I have to come home so I want to make the best of it.
*sigh* vacations are the best.
Then it was off for a drink before dinner. We ended up at a little bar downtown. I'm not a big drinker and I didn't feel like my normal Captain & Coke (it felt a little white trash when the rest are drinking wine or bourbon) so I had a martini. Shockingly it was good. I'm not usually for all that but it worked for me tonight. We had a little party time and then walked to a Brazilian restaurant where they come out with the meat on skewers and slice it right on to the plate. this was sweet! We have a place like this in my now-town but I've been nervous to check it out. The one thing I don't like is that it's pretty pricey. It's one thing if you eat a lot - you'd definitely get your monies worth - but if you're like me and one plate of food is plenty at a sitting, this kind of got wasted on me. But the meat was great - perfectly cooked and seasoned. Yummm... My belly is still full and we finished our meal 3 hours ago.
So now I'm just hanging out in a thunderstorm. I was watching Talladega Nights with E but he went to bed and just as he did the lights went out then came back on. So I decided to just skip the rest of the movie and blog instead. I'm on a battery so I'm good. (knock on wood) I have the night shift for Nika tonight so I thought I should stay up and try to keep busy. If I read I'll fall asleep, which is an option since I have a monitor, but it's very possible she'll wake up soon so I might as well stay up.
I do love thunderstorms. They are so out of control, and me being a control freak, this is really cool. So Hyde and I are just chillin'. I have one more full day here before I have to come home so I want to make the best of it.
*sigh* vacations are the best.
Voices 25
It's only early afternoon and already so many voices have been present. Nika, of course, makes her presence known quite well. There was a fun gasp this morning when E made an announcement at church. And another loud roar of laughter when one of the kids during the children's sermon told E she thought he was 47 years old.
It's been fun. But the screamers today are my hamstrings and legs. After bending over most of the last two days staining the deck my legs now don't want to cooperate. I feel like I've just run a 10K (not quite a marathon, because then I'd be hurting everywhere). I need to be running more.
That's a bad thing, and my own fault, but I haven't been running on this trip. I packed all my running gear (extra even) and my shoes but I haven't been out once. I wake up at 5:30 and it's bright here but I just don't feel like getting up. Part of me doesn't want to disturb the gang, and part of me just wants to curl up and sleep. So this week will be hard on me, getting back into the swing of it all.
Today K&E and I are going to Body Worlds and to a Brazilian restaurant. I'm excited. This will be a nice afternoon I think. I'll miss Nika but it's probably time I start weaning myself from her since I have to go home soon.
It's been fun. But the screamers today are my hamstrings and legs. After bending over most of the last two days staining the deck my legs now don't want to cooperate. I feel like I've just run a 10K (not quite a marathon, because then I'd be hurting everywhere). I need to be running more.
That's a bad thing, and my own fault, but I haven't been running on this trip. I packed all my running gear (extra even) and my shoes but I haven't been out once. I wake up at 5:30 and it's bright here but I just don't feel like getting up. Part of me doesn't want to disturb the gang, and part of me just wants to curl up and sleep. So this week will be hard on me, getting back into the swing of it all.
Today K&E and I are going to Body Worlds and to a Brazilian restaurant. I'm excited. This will be a nice afternoon I think. I'll miss Nika but it's probably time I start weaning myself from her since I have to go home soon.
24 May 2008
Suh-weet
K&E and I watched Sweet Land tonight. K really wanted me to watch it and I've been meaning to so this was probably a good time to do so.
I really liked this movie, of course I'm a sucker for a romance. Plus there were some seriously funny parts (I thought). It was sweet.
I liked that the gal who plays Rebecca on Grey's Anatomy starred in it. She was pretty impressive. And the guy who played Olaf is super cute.
I should be more reflective tonight but I'm just not quite awake anymore. Maybe tomorrow. Plus I want to watch it again before I really get into talking about it. I like to watch things more than once so I can really grasp what it was and how it moved me. More to come.
I really liked this movie, of course I'm a sucker for a romance. Plus there were some seriously funny parts (I thought). It was sweet.
I liked that the gal who plays Rebecca on Grey's Anatomy starred in it. She was pretty impressive. And the guy who played Olaf is super cute.
I should be more reflective tonight but I'm just not quite awake anymore. Maybe tomorrow. Plus I want to watch it again before I really get into talking about it. I like to watch things more than once so I can really grasp what it was and how it moved me. More to come.
Voices 24
Today was a great day. I slept in - which I don't usually do - and so I felt pretty well rested this morning. E and I have been staining his deck so I started the second coat and filling in the gaps between the boards (to make it look uniform...I'm kind of anal about some things). I worked for about 90 minutes and then took a little break.
E had to go to work so K and I took Nika on a shopping excursion (Target and Home Depot - essentials in life). We had a lot of fun and I enjoyed the break. When we got home I started on the rest of the deck and finishing up the parts I missed. It was a lot of work but really satisfying.
I love work projects like this. You can step back and see all the accomplishments you've made and feel great about the work you've done. We should have taken pictures - before and after - of the deck, but we totally forgot. Trust me. The work we did was amazing!
It's things like this that make me really want to buy a house. I mean, JB's doing it so why aren't I? The more time I spend with K&E here at their house the more I really want my own place.
Don't get me wrong. I love that I don't have any responsibility. I don't have to mow or shovel snow or deal with problems in my house. But...I kind of want to. I love mowing. Shoveling can be fun. And I'd like to know more about how the house and things in it work.
But I'm not sure I want to do this alone. As I sat in their porch swing looking at the flowerbed which I was going to stain either brown or green, I realized that I'd really hate having to make decisions about the house on my own. Granted I could do whatever I wanted to the house without having to worry about whatever people think - but it's really nice to be able to bounce ideas off of someone else. And if I bought a house I'd be the sole decider. I'm not sure I'm ready for that.
But the market is so good right now for buying and it seems stupid not to step up, grow up and take it on. AES kept saying the other weekend how houses are a lot of work. True enough, but what else do I have to do with my life? It's not like I'm dating anyone. It's not like I have a lot of friends around. (Yes, Sarah and Eric are around, but they'll be moving back soon; Theresa lives an hour away and everyone else are states away!).
Am I ready? Do I want to start shopping for a house? Do I want to take that on?
There are a lot of pros to this: my own place, (hopefully) bigger kitchen, I could entertain easier, places for friends to stay, equity, more storage, easier to recycle since I could set it up better than trying to shove it in my closet, and others. The cons: living alone, higher monthly costs (including utilities which right now I don't pay), I have no one to turn to if something breaks, I'd have to get up earlier to shovel in the AM, and others.
I don't know. It's a lot to think about and I just need to sleep. Maybe the voices in my head will come to an agreement sometime soon.
E had to go to work so K and I took Nika on a shopping excursion (Target and Home Depot - essentials in life). We had a lot of fun and I enjoyed the break. When we got home I started on the rest of the deck and finishing up the parts I missed. It was a lot of work but really satisfying.
I love work projects like this. You can step back and see all the accomplishments you've made and feel great about the work you've done. We should have taken pictures - before and after - of the deck, but we totally forgot. Trust me. The work we did was amazing!
It's things like this that make me really want to buy a house. I mean, JB's doing it so why aren't I? The more time I spend with K&E here at their house the more I really want my own place.
Don't get me wrong. I love that I don't have any responsibility. I don't have to mow or shovel snow or deal with problems in my house. But...I kind of want to. I love mowing. Shoveling can be fun. And I'd like to know more about how the house and things in it work.
But I'm not sure I want to do this alone. As I sat in their porch swing looking at the flowerbed which I was going to stain either brown or green, I realized that I'd really hate having to make decisions about the house on my own. Granted I could do whatever I wanted to the house without having to worry about whatever people think - but it's really nice to be able to bounce ideas off of someone else. And if I bought a house I'd be the sole decider. I'm not sure I'm ready for that.
But the market is so good right now for buying and it seems stupid not to step up, grow up and take it on. AES kept saying the other weekend how houses are a lot of work. True enough, but what else do I have to do with my life? It's not like I'm dating anyone. It's not like I have a lot of friends around. (Yes, Sarah and Eric are around, but they'll be moving back soon; Theresa lives an hour away and everyone else are states away!).
Am I ready? Do I want to start shopping for a house? Do I want to take that on?
There are a lot of pros to this: my own place, (hopefully) bigger kitchen, I could entertain easier, places for friends to stay, equity, more storage, easier to recycle since I could set it up better than trying to shove it in my closet, and others. The cons: living alone, higher monthly costs (including utilities which right now I don't pay), I have no one to turn to if something breaks, I'd have to get up earlier to shovel in the AM, and others.
I don't know. It's a lot to think about and I just need to sleep. Maybe the voices in my head will come to an agreement sometime soon.
23 May 2008
Careful with words
A coworker (RAC) and I have this unofficial game where we read the paper and when we find typos or odd things we send them to each other with notes of what not to do when writing or publishing articles.
Earlier this week I found this article. Honestly, it's a sad story...a guy falls asleep and hits a Dept of Transportation vehicle and ends up dying. Seriously...sad! But the title of this piece...read it again?
Does this mean people will be fined by MnDOT if they don't wake up after a fatal crash? Shit.
Earlier this week I found this article. Honestly, it's a sad story...a guy falls asleep and hits a Dept of Transportation vehicle and ends up dying. Seriously...sad! But the title of this piece...read it again?
Does this mean people will be fined by MnDOT if they don't wake up after a fatal crash? Shit.
Voices 23
Ah, there's nothing sweeter than a child's cry. I've been hearing it a lot more today. Nika isn't happy and I'm not quite sure what to do about it. I think we screwed the poor child up yesterday. K had given Nika the 1 am feeding Thursday AM, E the 5am and then somehow I ended up with the rest for yesterday.
It was just luck of the draw, really. I got up at 9 and hadn't had a chance to hold her yet so I fed Nika while K caught up on a few things. I was going to have E do the 1pm feeding. We had a plan that he'd run for 20 minutes while I kept her occupied and then he'd feed her and then we'd go to lunch. Well, Nika did not like that idea so I fed her at 12:55 and let E finish running and showering. By the time he was done, so was she and then we all went to Applebees for lunch. The 5:30 feeding I ended up with too, just by sheer coincidence that I happened to have her in my arms at the time. And the same with the 9pm one.
So for the whole day Nika had very little mommy time...which messed up her night and I think she's still trying to readjust today. And now I'm babysitting so K&E could have a date night. She's been really fussy since they left...I'm not sure if she was hungry or crabby because her diaper's wet or constipated since she hasn't pooped yet today. I don't know. I get the 1 am feeding so it should be fun.
Plus...I'm really scared I gave her whatever remnants I may have left from my cold. :( God, I hope not. That would make me feel like a total heel.
But I'm loving this vacation. This is what I like - hanging out with my urban family, staining decks, relaxing and not really thinking about work at all (I did call in today to check on things - I've been worried). It has been really good.
It was just luck of the draw, really. I got up at 9 and hadn't had a chance to hold her yet so I fed Nika while K caught up on a few things. I was going to have E do the 1pm feeding. We had a plan that he'd run for 20 minutes while I kept her occupied and then he'd feed her and then we'd go to lunch. Well, Nika did not like that idea so I fed her at 12:55 and let E finish running and showering. By the time he was done, so was she and then we all went to Applebees for lunch. The 5:30 feeding I ended up with too, just by sheer coincidence that I happened to have her in my arms at the time. And the same with the 9pm one.
So for the whole day Nika had very little mommy time...which messed up her night and I think she's still trying to readjust today. And now I'm babysitting so K&E could have a date night. She's been really fussy since they left...I'm not sure if she was hungry or crabby because her diaper's wet or constipated since she hasn't pooped yet today. I don't know. I get the 1 am feeding so it should be fun.
Plus...I'm really scared I gave her whatever remnants I may have left from my cold. :( God, I hope not. That would make me feel like a total heel.
But I'm loving this vacation. This is what I like - hanging out with my urban family, staining decks, relaxing and not really thinking about work at all (I did call in today to check on things - I've been worried). It has been really good.
22 May 2008
Ketchup
So this week has been crazy busy, but I've been loving every minute. Monday and Tuesday were basically holing me up either in my house or at work trying to get things accomplished before my vacay. Boss1 seemed to think I'd be gone all week, but alas, no...just most of it and when I was there I was entrenched in finishing up projects and things before my trip.
Yesterday was beautiful and I spent most of it in a car, sadly. But happily my Mini led me to K&E were I get to spend some awesome time with them, hanging out, playing with Nika and staining a deck (yeah, JB, we aren't building one this time so I won't be able to help you. hahaha).
This is such a great break for me. I totally needed to get out of that other state. Granted I love where I live, and I love my job, and I love that I'm so close to most of my family...but K&E are my urban family. These are the people I lean on. They love me because they want to, not because it's a requirement by the birthing gods. It's an awesome relationship. I'm so lucky.
And getting to spend time with Nika just one-on-one has been fabulous. We're totally bonding and I think we're going to have a great relationship.
I'm getting all choked up now so I better go. I'm a sap, you know, and the late hours and lack of caffeine today aren't helping. :)
Yesterday was beautiful and I spent most of it in a car, sadly. But happily my Mini led me to K&E were I get to spend some awesome time with them, hanging out, playing with Nika and staining a deck (yeah, JB, we aren't building one this time so I won't be able to help you. hahaha).
This is such a great break for me. I totally needed to get out of that other state. Granted I love where I live, and I love my job, and I love that I'm so close to most of my family...but K&E are my urban family. These are the people I lean on. They love me because they want to, not because it's a requirement by the birthing gods. It's an awesome relationship. I'm so lucky.
And getting to spend time with Nika just one-on-one has been fabulous. We're totally bonding and I think we're going to have a great relationship.
I'm getting all choked up now so I better go. I'm a sap, you know, and the late hours and lack of caffeine today aren't helping. :)
Voices 22
Bear with me...I'm typing with my God daughter on my arm. And she is Soooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had to get online and see who won AI last night. Yay!! DC took home the prize, I see. Luckily I taped it so I can see it when I get home.
Ok, Nika's yelling at me so I better go. Later!!
I had to get online and see who won AI last night. Yay!! DC took home the prize, I see. Luckily I taped it so I can see it when I get home.
Ok, Nika's yelling at me so I better go. Later!!
21 May 2008
Voices 21
I'm on vacation! WOOHOO!!! More to come on that.
Second - AI finishes tonight and we'll see which David wins. Should be interesting! Which voice will win?
Second - AI finishes tonight and we'll see which David wins. Should be interesting! Which voice will win?
20 May 2008
Voices 20
Tonight is the final competition for American Idol and it's the standoff between the Davids.
I am not a big fan of Archie. He has a good voice, I'm not denying that. But all he sings are ballads and slow songs. I know people will fight me on this since his second song picked up a bit, but let's be honest folks: ALL he sings are slow songs. He's a crooner. He's a cryer. He squints when he sings. And all he has is the little girl vote. In all honesty, I think he could go far with just a few more years of experience and training under his belt.
DC is great. So far - we're only on song two - he has only sung rocking songs because he is the rocker. But we've heard him sing the crooning songs and he does them well. He's so much more versatile in his performances. And can I just say this - between the two DC has stage presence. He doesn't sing with his eyes closed or with a furrowed brow during a love song like Archie does. He sings the song with the passion of the song and lyrics...appropriately.
I'm worried about this one. Archie's going to get the little girl vote so much that he'll probably win. But I hope that DC pulls out a Daughtry in this one whether he's winner or not.
Edited to add: Of course, if I would have waited a few more minutes, DC sang Collective Soul which picks up a little but is most a slow song and did an awesome job on this. Man he's good. Paula said it best - He's true to the music and himself. It's fabulous. Of course Simon didn't like it but whatever.
And what did Archie sing? Imagine. No no...don't imagine what he sang. He sang, "Imagine". Huh, a crooning song. Imagine that.
I am not a big fan of Archie. He has a good voice, I'm not denying that. But all he sings are ballads and slow songs. I know people will fight me on this since his second song picked up a bit, but let's be honest folks: ALL he sings are slow songs. He's a crooner. He's a cryer. He squints when he sings. And all he has is the little girl vote. In all honesty, I think he could go far with just a few more years of experience and training under his belt.
DC is great. So far - we're only on song two - he has only sung rocking songs because he is the rocker. But we've heard him sing the crooning songs and he does them well. He's so much more versatile in his performances. And can I just say this - between the two DC has stage presence. He doesn't sing with his eyes closed or with a furrowed brow during a love song like Archie does. He sings the song with the passion of the song and lyrics...appropriately.
I'm worried about this one. Archie's going to get the little girl vote so much that he'll probably win. But I hope that DC pulls out a Daughtry in this one whether he's winner or not.
Edited to add: Of course, if I would have waited a few more minutes, DC sang Collective Soul which picks up a little but is most a slow song and did an awesome job on this. Man he's good. Paula said it best - He's true to the music and himself. It's fabulous. Of course Simon didn't like it but whatever.
And what did Archie sing? Imagine. No no...don't imagine what he sang. He sang, "Imagine". Huh, a crooning song. Imagine that.
19 May 2008
Voices 19
Spending the day home alone leads someone to thinking a lot. In my case, that's not a good thing.I have a lot of balls in the air right now, a lot of things on my mind. I really feel like Dali's Galatea. When my sister's looked at this they just saw sperm and eggs, but when I see this I see the epitome of woman: a woman is made up of so many different factors and as I have so many things going on in my life right now, this is how I feel.
I went for a short run this morning, walking more than running. My head wasn't in it but it did feel good to get outside and take in some fresh air. But I also realized just how out of shape I am and with our fitness exam for work coming up in three weeks I'm more than a bit nervous. I need to make a point this week to get out and run, even if it's only for a little bit. I can't keep skipping it like I have been. That's not going to help me in three weeks nor in 20 weeks when I'm again running TC. Shit...20 weeks. That's going to fly by.
I also took my Morty (my Mini) in to get its tire checked. I've had one that's been leaking air for a few weeks now. I went to a place just outside of town and they had it ready to go in about 30 minutes. When I asked them what was wrong the mechanic said, "You had three nails in the tire...well, actually you had four but the fourth one wasn't leaking so we just fixed the other three." Okay. wow. I went to pay for their services and the people working the counter were startled. The guy asked if my ex-boyfriend had been around. Considering my ex is in MN, I don't think he would have anything to do with this (plus we ended okay). But the guy kept saying that finding three or four nails, as I had, in one tire screams out someone pounding them in manually, not an accident like I think it was. So who has it out for me? Huh? Is that you stalker up north? Are you pounding nails in my tire?
I'm also trying to figure out what to pack for my upcoming trips. I have two in the next three weeks and they are both very different. I should have gone shopping today but I didn't. I want to cut my hair but I want to do Locks of Love and I think I have enough to cut, but I'm not positive, so I'm holding off until I'm at my first trip and maybe K can help me. I don't want to do it alone either.
And then there are all the other issues going on in life - family, friends, work - I have a lot of balls in the air, as they say. For one of them I want to just take care of the problem but when I talked it through with my friend Debbie she said I shouldn't finish it the way I suggested because it wouldn't be fair to me. I don't know.
Anyway...it's been a decent day overall. I got my tire fixed though I have to watch it and get a tire ordered and get it completely fixed soon. I ran, which is more than I can say for myself in months. And my cold is almost gone. Things are going to be better soon.
18 May 2008
Small world
I forgot to mention this on the previous post but today was kind of funny. I'm sitting at the conference and one of the presenters comes up and asks me, "Are you related to Carrie and Dave?"
Uh, hello! This guy grew up in this area but hasn't lived here in 30 plus years. I get these questions a lot based off my last name and as it happens this time I could, shockingly, say, Yes! Though he got confused and thought they were my aunt and uncle when in fact they are my 1st cousins.
I haven't thought about Carrie and Dave, or their siblings, in a long time. When I was younger, mucho younger, we would have family get togethers at their lake house. Their father, my uncle, was my hero and mentor. I was always pissed that he died so young because he was going to teach me Norwegian, and he had given me a cup and saucer that he said had a great story behind them though he never told me what it was. That's for a time when you're older, he said. I never heard it.
Carrie and I had a connection because, of the first cousins on this side of the family, she was the oldest and I was the youngest. Dave and I always got along, I'm not sure why, but I just thought he was amazing when I was younger.
I haven't seen Carrie in probably 5 years and I haven't seen Dave in maybe 10 if not more. I kind of miss those family times, but we've grown so far apart anymore - literally. Crazy. It really is a small world.
Uh, hello! This guy grew up in this area but hasn't lived here in 30 plus years. I get these questions a lot based off my last name and as it happens this time I could, shockingly, say, Yes! Though he got confused and thought they were my aunt and uncle when in fact they are my 1st cousins.
I haven't thought about Carrie and Dave, or their siblings, in a long time. When I was younger, mucho younger, we would have family get togethers at their lake house. Their father, my uncle, was my hero and mentor. I was always pissed that he died so young because he was going to teach me Norwegian, and he had given me a cup and saucer that he said had a great story behind them though he never told me what it was. That's for a time when you're older, he said. I never heard it.
Carrie and I had a connection because, of the first cousins on this side of the family, she was the oldest and I was the youngest. Dave and I always got along, I'm not sure why, but I just thought he was amazing when I was younger.
I haven't seen Carrie in probably 5 years and I haven't seen Dave in maybe 10 if not more. I kind of miss those family times, but we've grown so far apart anymore - literally. Crazy. It really is a small world.
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