Nothing Exciting...
Yep, that's us. Nothing exciting to report. Not that this is a bad thing, mind you, but it doesn't make for entertaining blogging. So, Asia is doing well. She's two weeks into the 4 week must-stay-calm-at-all-times post-treatment phase and continues to do well. Little brat found some cat poo today while out on a walk, tho. And when I say found, that means found and promptly gobbled it up before Michael could get her away from it. Brat. Did I mention that this dog really, really like prunes? Prunes. She won't eat peanut butter (tell me what dog doesn't eat peanut butter) but she LOVES prunes. She can't get enough of them. The good thing is that I found a cheaper alternative to the smelly wet fish food crap she normally gets to eat whilst I sneak up on her to give her an allergy shot.
You know, I think 'whilst' is a good word. Whilst. Whilst. Whilst. Whilllllsssssttttttt. It just trips right of the tongue.
Anyway, other than dog stuff, Michael had an interview last week and has another one at the end of the month. Hopefully he'll get a job offer from either place (preferably the one in NY) and then we'll know where we're moving and when and all that stuff. But, no more about that...I don't want to jinx him (yes, I sort of believe that I could. I know it's stupid).
Blarg. Being an adult really sucks sometimes. There's bills to pay, taxes to do, a home to do lots of expensive aesthetic things to, jobs to find, jobs to struggle through until your husband finds a job in another city...blarg, blarg, blarg. And being grown up enough to have the kind of conversations with your parents that make you realize that they're people too and not just your parents. And finding out that your parents probably never really loved each other in the first place is hard. Very, very hard. Everyone wants to think that her/his parents love(d) each other, at least a little. And knowing that you can never go home again to the home of your childhood when you didn't have the awareness that your parents' marriage wasn't so different from that of your friends' parents' marriages...is just hard. There is no "home" to go home to anymore. Just goes to show that you never really outgrow the desire to go home to parents who love you and still love each other. Even when you know it'll never happen you can't help yourself from thinking about it. And, yes, there's my home with my wonderful husband and our dog but sometimes...I just want to go "home."
1.29.2007
Confession...
I have an embarrassing confession to make. Michael and I were cleaning out a closet and were attempting to file away old utility statements and receipts. And then...I found a bag that had a stack of H@llmark cards inside....cards I had purchased for friends and family that were unsent. Oops. I found birthday cards, sympathy cards, congratulations cards--you name it, I found it. So, for all of those life events that warranted a specially chosen card from the local H@llmark store, I bought a card and then put it in a bag in a closet.
Now, you may be wondering how this happens. It all started when I found myself in a situation where I needed to clean up the clutter in the house very quickly. And the next thing you know, I'm running around the house with a bag and throwing all the paper bits I can find into it and then shoving it into a closet. And...it's happened more than once.
So....oops. And many apologies. I will be sending said cards (albeit belatedly) this week. So, now you know. Anyway, if any of you randomly receive a card in the mail, you'll know why it's late.
Asia Update: Our baby is home and doing well. Thanks for thinking of us and we'll let you know when she gets a clean bill of health in four weeks when she goes in for her check up and blood test.
I have an embarrassing confession to make. Michael and I were cleaning out a closet and were attempting to file away old utility statements and receipts. And then...I found a bag that had a stack of H@llmark cards inside....cards I had purchased for friends and family that were unsent. Oops. I found birthday cards, sympathy cards, congratulations cards--you name it, I found it. So, for all of those life events that warranted a specially chosen card from the local H@llmark store, I bought a card and then put it in a bag in a closet.
Now, you may be wondering how this happens. It all started when I found myself in a situation where I needed to clean up the clutter in the house very quickly. And the next thing you know, I'm running around the house with a bag and throwing all the paper bits I can find into it and then shoving it into a closet. And...it's happened more than once.
So....oops. And many apologies. I will be sending said cards (albeit belatedly) this week. So, now you know. Anyway, if any of you randomly receive a card in the mail, you'll know why it's late.
Asia Update: Our baby is home and doing well. Thanks for thinking of us and we'll let you know when she gets a clean bill of health in four weeks when she goes in for her check up and blood test.
1.14.2007
It's the 14th day of the new year...
And we've already gotten bad news. Seriously, WTF?!?!
So the news? Asia has heartworms. HEARTWORMS. As in, the worms that live in the heart of your dog and then she dies. Fuck.
Here's what happened: Asia had her yearly exam and shots last week and then we got a call on Friday from the vet asking us to call him back (you know that means bad news). So, her heartworm test came back positive and then they ran it again to be sure and the second test came back positive, too. There is a latentcy period for HW of about 6 months so she was infected when she went to the humane league even tho she tested negative at this time last year when her last owners put her up for adoption. And since she tested negative at the humane league the vet didn't test her again until last Tuesday.
The really bad news is that if she goes untreated the HW will kill her by giving her congestive heart failure. This, of course, is absolutely not an option.
The good news is that there is a treatment but the bad news is that the result of the treatment could still kill her. There is a new HW treatment that is very successful (the old treatment includes arsenic and often killed the pets that were being treated) but what happens is that when the worms die, they have to go somewhere: the lungs. Eventually, the body absorbs the dead worm bodies but the problem is that when a whole bunch of them die, the dog could have a reaction. In Asia's case, the scary part is that she's very allergy sensitive and the vet is worried that when the dead worm bodies go into the lungs that she'll go into anaphylactic shock.
So......needless to say, Michael and I are still in shock and are concerned about losing our baby. But we are trying to stay positive. The good thing is that she's been on heartworm pills since we brought her home so hopefully that's killed any of the larvae and hopefully her heart isn't chock full of worms that will put her into anaphylactic shock. The other good thing is that the vet said she's very healthy otherwise and he's never detected a heart murmur on her.
So, right now, the medication is on order and Asia goes into the vet on the 23rd for a 4-day hospital stay while the medication is administered and she's closely monitored for any reactions. Hopefully all will go well and we can bring her home on Friday. Once we get her home, she'll be confined to the house for a month other than to go out and go to the bathroom. This is to prevent an embolism caused by a big clump of dead worms. I can't even begin to think about how we're going to keep her calm if she sees a cat while we're out for a quick pee.
Anyway, that's the news from here. Keep your fingers crossed for us and I'll keep you posted.
And we've already gotten bad news. Seriously, WTF?!?!
So the news? Asia has heartworms. HEARTWORMS. As in, the worms that live in the heart of your dog and then she dies. Fuck.
Here's what happened: Asia had her yearly exam and shots last week and then we got a call on Friday from the vet asking us to call him back (you know that means bad news). So, her heartworm test came back positive and then they ran it again to be sure and the second test came back positive, too. There is a latentcy period for HW of about 6 months so she was infected when she went to the humane league even tho she tested negative at this time last year when her last owners put her up for adoption. And since she tested negative at the humane league the vet didn't test her again until last Tuesday.
The really bad news is that if she goes untreated the HW will kill her by giving her congestive heart failure. This, of course, is absolutely not an option.
The good news is that there is a treatment but the bad news is that the result of the treatment could still kill her. There is a new HW treatment that is very successful (the old treatment includes arsenic and often killed the pets that were being treated) but what happens is that when the worms die, they have to go somewhere: the lungs. Eventually, the body absorbs the dead worm bodies but the problem is that when a whole bunch of them die, the dog could have a reaction. In Asia's case, the scary part is that she's very allergy sensitive and the vet is worried that when the dead worm bodies go into the lungs that she'll go into anaphylactic shock.
So......needless to say, Michael and I are still in shock and are concerned about losing our baby. But we are trying to stay positive. The good thing is that she's been on heartworm pills since we brought her home so hopefully that's killed any of the larvae and hopefully her heart isn't chock full of worms that will put her into anaphylactic shock. The other good thing is that the vet said she's very healthy otherwise and he's never detected a heart murmur on her.
So, right now, the medication is on order and Asia goes into the vet on the 23rd for a 4-day hospital stay while the medication is administered and she's closely monitored for any reactions. Hopefully all will go well and we can bring her home on Friday. Once we get her home, she'll be confined to the house for a month other than to go out and go to the bathroom. This is to prevent an embolism caused by a big clump of dead worms. I can't even begin to think about how we're going to keep her calm if she sees a cat while we're out for a quick pee.
Anyway, that's the news from here. Keep your fingers crossed for us and I'll keep you posted.
1.04.2007
Everyone else is doing it...
1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? Went to Cali-forn-eeyahhhh. Put a beloved pet to sleep.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Blarg. I always seem to make them but rarely make it past February (except for the one about flossing but I've since stopped doing that - I know, gross, but now that I have braces, I can't bring myself to floss very often).
I have made two for this year: not talk on my cell phone while driving (unless in an emergency situation) and have more sex with my wonderful husband (hi, Honey!). Sadly, I've already broken the first one twice.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope, but they will this year! Whee!
4. Did anyone close to you die? Shana. And as the anniversary of her passing approaches it becomes harder and harder to keep from tearing up at the mere thought of her. What a great dog she was...it's just not the same without her.
5. What countries did you visit? At the rate I'm going, I'll never see a country other than the U.S. of A. Boo.
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? I have to concur with Gwen that I, too, would like more time for everything. More reading of good books. More quality time with my husband. Oh, and more naps. Naps are a very good thing.
7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Again, the day our dog was put to sleep (wow, I sound like a broken record).
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I'd like to say that I did something really important that benefitted the whole of humankind but alas all can say is that Michael and I had a wonderful first year of marriage and I haven't managed to scare him off. Yet.
9. What was your biggest failure? Letting my stupid job and stupid boss take over my life and not doing a better job of managing stress.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Thankfully, no:> Unless you count all the ambush atomic wedgie attacks, etc. on Michael that ALWAYS result in my getting hurt. Always.
BTW, I did find out that I don't have athlete's foot.
11. What was the best thing you bought? A fabulous new tennis racquet.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My husband. The man is a saint.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Where to begin?
14. Where did most of your money go? The money pit at 267 P@rk Drive. Monthly steroid injections for Asia and 2 visits to the doggie dermatologist. And my mouth full of metal.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? My honeymoon. Tennis. A new dog. Quitting my job (but then staying on part time when my boss resigned). Making my plan to go to nursing school.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? both, sometimes
b) thinner or fatter? both and then I went all veg and lost a few pounds
c) richer or poorer? definitely poorer
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Spending time with the most important people (and dogs) in my life.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Being stressed out and worried about my job.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? Spent it with my family and Michael's. Had a great time on a post-X-mas trip to Lanky-town.
23. What was your favorite TV program? Family Guy and the Simpson's. Good Eats during that brief interlude where we had cable tv.
25. What was the best book you read? The Lovely Bones. I could NOT put it down. And The Handmaid's Tale even though it still creeps me out just thinking about it.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Hmmm...I didn't really have one.
27. What did you want and get? A new dog. A wonderful new half bathroom and a fabulously improved existing bathroom. A creamer and sugar serving set that matches my fiestaware.
28. What did you want and not get? Tenure for my husband. A hundred more years with my best girl. Less dysfunctional family crap.
29. What was your favorite film of this year? Little Miss Sunshine. But I have to say that This is Spinal Tap is a very close runner up.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 29, and I don't remember what I did. How sad.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Besides all the other stuff that's already mentioned--winning the lottery.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Clean clothes that aren't wrinkled?
33. What kept you sane? My favorite people in the whole wide world (you know who you are).
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Harrison Ford will always have the numero uno celebrity spot.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. No comment.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Beans, beans the magical fruit...
1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? Went to Cali-forn-eeyahhhh. Put a beloved pet to sleep.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Blarg. I always seem to make them but rarely make it past February (except for the one about flossing but I've since stopped doing that - I know, gross, but now that I have braces, I can't bring myself to floss very often).
I have made two for this year: not talk on my cell phone while driving (unless in an emergency situation) and have more sex with my wonderful husband (hi, Honey!). Sadly, I've already broken the first one twice.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope, but they will this year! Whee!
4. Did anyone close to you die? Shana. And as the anniversary of her passing approaches it becomes harder and harder to keep from tearing up at the mere thought of her. What a great dog she was...it's just not the same without her.
5. What countries did you visit? At the rate I'm going, I'll never see a country other than the U.S. of A. Boo.
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? I have to concur with Gwen that I, too, would like more time for everything. More reading of good books. More quality time with my husband. Oh, and more naps. Naps are a very good thing.
7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Again, the day our dog was put to sleep (wow, I sound like a broken record).
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I'd like to say that I did something really important that benefitted the whole of humankind but alas all can say is that Michael and I had a wonderful first year of marriage and I haven't managed to scare him off. Yet.
9. What was your biggest failure? Letting my stupid job and stupid boss take over my life and not doing a better job of managing stress.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Thankfully, no:> Unless you count all the ambush atomic wedgie attacks, etc. on Michael that ALWAYS result in my getting hurt. Always.
BTW, I did find out that I don't have athlete's foot.
11. What was the best thing you bought? A fabulous new tennis racquet.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My husband. The man is a saint.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Where to begin?
14. Where did most of your money go? The money pit at 267 P@rk Drive. Monthly steroid injections for Asia and 2 visits to the doggie dermatologist. And my mouth full of metal.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? My honeymoon. Tennis. A new dog. Quitting my job (but then staying on part time when my boss resigned). Making my plan to go to nursing school.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? both, sometimes
b) thinner or fatter? both and then I went all veg and lost a few pounds
c) richer or poorer? definitely poorer
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Spending time with the most important people (and dogs) in my life.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Being stressed out and worried about my job.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? Spent it with my family and Michael's. Had a great time on a post-X-mas trip to Lanky-town.
23. What was your favorite TV program? Family Guy and the Simpson's. Good Eats during that brief interlude where we had cable tv.
25. What was the best book you read? The Lovely Bones. I could NOT put it down. And The Handmaid's Tale even though it still creeps me out just thinking about it.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Hmmm...I didn't really have one.
27. What did you want and get? A new dog. A wonderful new half bathroom and a fabulously improved existing bathroom. A creamer and sugar serving set that matches my fiestaware.
28. What did you want and not get? Tenure for my husband. A hundred more years with my best girl. Less dysfunctional family crap.
29. What was your favorite film of this year? Little Miss Sunshine. But I have to say that This is Spinal Tap is a very close runner up.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 29, and I don't remember what I did. How sad.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Besides all the other stuff that's already mentioned--winning the lottery.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Clean clothes that aren't wrinkled?
33. What kept you sane? My favorite people in the whole wide world (you know who you are).
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Harrison Ford will always have the numero uno celebrity spot.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. No comment.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Beans, beans the magical fruit...
12.18.2006
11.08.2006
10.28.2006
Resignation
Well, there you have it. And I am breaking my "no-blogging-at-work" rule. Because, hey, it's 8:15 on a Saturday morning and here I sit since 7:30 doing work so nanny-nanny-boo-boo.
Anyway, I turned in my resignation on Wednesday and let's just say the rest of this week hasn't been so great. I didn't expect to feel so emotional about it. I didn't expect to feel this sad. I didn't expect that I would second-guess myself and my career goals. And, yet, here I am feeling all of those things. I've been so excited about this since I made the decision that I want to go to nursing school and have felt so sure all this time. And now I find myself thinking "Is this the right thing to do? What if I suck at it? What if we go broke in the process? What the HELL have I just done?!?!" So, this moment that I thought would be so satisfying and wonderful...feels anything but.
Well, there you have it. And I am breaking my "no-blogging-at-work" rule. Because, hey, it's 8:15 on a Saturday morning and here I sit since 7:30 doing work so nanny-nanny-boo-boo.
Anyway, I turned in my resignation on Wednesday and let's just say the rest of this week hasn't been so great. I didn't expect to feel so emotional about it. I didn't expect to feel this sad. I didn't expect that I would second-guess myself and my career goals. And, yet, here I am feeling all of those things. I've been so excited about this since I made the decision that I want to go to nursing school and have felt so sure all this time. And now I find myself thinking "Is this the right thing to do? What if I suck at it? What if we go broke in the process? What the HELL have I just done?!?!" So, this moment that I thought would be so satisfying and wonderful...feels anything but.
10.15.2006
No more making fun...
Of fantasy football. Long have I openly mocked fantasy football and now...I must stop. Well, at least for a little while.
See, Michael is the "Commissioner" of his very own FF league and I have been mercilous in my disdain for it. Until last night. I was stuck at the office on a Saturday afternoon desperately trying to format an excel sheet for a meeting on Monday morning and it looked like it was going to take hours upon hours to get through. So I called Michael and asked him to meet me at my office and see if he could help me out with my spreadsheet and he came and worked a little magic and , voila!, saved me hours of work with just a few key strokes. That husband of mine is brilliant, I tell you.
Later on in the evening when I am singing Michael's praises for saving me hours and hours of work he tells me "You know that function I used? I learned how to do it when I put together the draft pick program for fantasy football." Stunned silence ensued followed by me yelling about how upset I am that I can never make fun of FF again because it totally saved my ass! Now what will I have to make fun of? #$)(%$*%^)$(%&_)%$(%^_!!!!!
Oh, the irony! The irony!
Of fantasy football. Long have I openly mocked fantasy football and now...I must stop. Well, at least for a little while.
See, Michael is the "Commissioner" of his very own FF league and I have been mercilous in my disdain for it. Until last night. I was stuck at the office on a Saturday afternoon desperately trying to format an excel sheet for a meeting on Monday morning and it looked like it was going to take hours upon hours to get through. So I called Michael and asked him to meet me at my office and see if he could help me out with my spreadsheet and he came and worked a little magic and , voila!, saved me hours of work with just a few key strokes. That husband of mine is brilliant, I tell you.
Later on in the evening when I am singing Michael's praises for saving me hours and hours of work he tells me "You know that function I used? I learned how to do it when I put together the draft pick program for fantasy football." Stunned silence ensued followed by me yelling about how upset I am that I can never make fun of FF again because it totally saved my ass! Now what will I have to make fun of? #$)(%$*%^)$(%&_)%$(%^_!!!!!
Oh, the irony! The irony!
9.18.2006
Brace Face
Well, here I am...staring down my 29th birthday...and instead I feel like I'm just prolonging my teenage years because I chose NOW to get braces. What the hell was I thinking? I had them tightened for the first time 2 weeks ago and it seems that the remaining year and a half of treatment is going to take FOREVER. For. Ever.
And they're so inconvenient. Yeah, I know that this is going to be so worth it when I'm done but in the meantime, what a pain in the ass. Or, rather, pain in the mouth. So, I've pretty much given up on eating salad because I have to cut it up in teeny little bits and then it gets stuck in my braces. And I'm not even about to touch pesto unless I am eating it in the privacy of my own home. Alone. Everything I eat gets stuck somewhere in my braces. And I think I might have to cut up all my food for the rest of my life. I can't eat anything by just biting into it--no, I have to have a fork and freaking knife at every meal. Well, except breakfast but only if I eat oatmeal. It isn't so bad that I have to cut up my oatmeal.
Even still, I am compusively checking my teeth for food bits and/or running to the bathroom to brush all day long. I probably only work 7 hours out of 8-9 a day because I spend so much time in the bathroom with my toothbrush. I know I shouldn't complain but these things are a pain! I feel like a giant dork all the time and I can tell when people are trying to decide if, yes, that woman is wearing braces. Yes! Yes I am, dammit! Now stop staring at me!
Well, here I am...staring down my 29th birthday...and instead I feel like I'm just prolonging my teenage years because I chose NOW to get braces. What the hell was I thinking? I had them tightened for the first time 2 weeks ago and it seems that the remaining year and a half of treatment is going to take FOREVER. For. Ever.
And they're so inconvenient. Yeah, I know that this is going to be so worth it when I'm done but in the meantime, what a pain in the ass. Or, rather, pain in the mouth. So, I've pretty much given up on eating salad because I have to cut it up in teeny little bits and then it gets stuck in my braces. And I'm not even about to touch pesto unless I am eating it in the privacy of my own home. Alone. Everything I eat gets stuck somewhere in my braces. And I think I might have to cut up all my food for the rest of my life. I can't eat anything by just biting into it--no, I have to have a fork and freaking knife at every meal. Well, except breakfast but only if I eat oatmeal. It isn't so bad that I have to cut up my oatmeal.
Even still, I am compusively checking my teeth for food bits and/or running to the bathroom to brush all day long. I probably only work 7 hours out of 8-9 a day because I spend so much time in the bathroom with my toothbrush. I know I shouldn't complain but these things are a pain! I feel like a giant dork all the time and I can tell when people are trying to decide if, yes, that woman is wearing braces. Yes! Yes I am, dammit! Now stop staring at me!
8.27.2006
Life Recap Part 2
Let's see...where were we when I last posted...? Anyway, Michael and I took our long-awaited honeymoon (okay, it was only 6 months post-wedding) to CA and had a great time. Someday we'll upload the photos and I'll be sure to post a link. We had a great time and my only complaint is that we couldn't stay longer than a week. Before we left we started a list of other things we want to see next time we're in CA and hopefully that will be sometime in the near future.
Did I mention I just got my very own laptop? I am using it right now and I LOVE it! It's my very first laptop and you cannot imagine how excited I am! Whee!
But I digress. So, what else have I been up to? Well, we took a short trip to Lanky-town for July 4th weekend. We got to see BANG! and Joel and see the fireworks at L0ng's Park. I still cannot believe that they played the 1812 Overture and did the cannons BEFORE the fireworks. That was part of the reason for coming the Lancaster!!!!! There are fireworks in Dayton, folks. No need to drive 8.5 hours to go see them in another state. Anyway, we got to see Gwen, too, and Mrs. P. and we got to show off Asia. Isn't she pretty? Thanks to BANG for taking such awesome shots of my new baby!
And, other than that, this summer has been spent working way too damned much and finally making the decision to go to nursing school. It took me a while to get there but now that I've made my decision and I've already started the process by taking one prereq. this fall, I feel much better about things. I like knowing that I only have to be at this job for a few more months before I can start working toward my new goal. It is a shame that this job that I was so excited to take has been such an abysmal and heartbreaking experience. But, the silver lining to all of this is that it forced me to think about what I want to do next and I know that was a good thing. And this going back to school thing? God, it makes me feel old. The class I'm in now is all freshman except me. I was hoping there would be some older students there who were in the MBA program or something but not so much. It's just me and 40 students who are 10 years my junior. Weird.
So that's about all there is to share at the moment. I'm counting down the days until I can quit this job and hoping to see all of you at Thanksgiving (I think we're coming to Lanky-town but haven't figured out the logistics yet). 3 months and 19 days to go!
Let's see...where were we when I last posted...? Anyway, Michael and I took our long-awaited honeymoon (okay, it was only 6 months post-wedding) to CA and had a great time. Someday we'll upload the photos and I'll be sure to post a link. We had a great time and my only complaint is that we couldn't stay longer than a week. Before we left we started a list of other things we want to see next time we're in CA and hopefully that will be sometime in the near future.
Did I mention I just got my very own laptop? I am using it right now and I LOVE it! It's my very first laptop and you cannot imagine how excited I am! Whee!
But I digress. So, what else have I been up to? Well, we took a short trip to Lanky-town for July 4th weekend. We got to see BANG! and Joel and see the fireworks at L0ng's Park. I still cannot believe that they played the 1812 Overture and did the cannons BEFORE the fireworks. That was part of the reason for coming the Lancaster!!!!! There are fireworks in Dayton, folks. No need to drive 8.5 hours to go see them in another state. Anyway, we got to see Gwen, too, and Mrs. P. and we got to show off Asia. Isn't she pretty? Thanks to BANG for taking such awesome shots of my new baby!
And, other than that, this summer has been spent working way too damned much and finally making the decision to go to nursing school. It took me a while to get there but now that I've made my decision and I've already started the process by taking one prereq. this fall, I feel much better about things. I like knowing that I only have to be at this job for a few more months before I can start working toward my new goal. It is a shame that this job that I was so excited to take has been such an abysmal and heartbreaking experience. But, the silver lining to all of this is that it forced me to think about what I want to do next and I know that was a good thing. And this going back to school thing? God, it makes me feel old. The class I'm in now is all freshman except me. I was hoping there would be some older students there who were in the MBA program or something but not so much. It's just me and 40 students who are 10 years my junior. Weird.
So that's about all there is to share at the moment. I'm counting down the days until I can quit this job and hoping to see all of you at Thanksgiving (I think we're coming to Lanky-town but haven't figured out the logistics yet). 3 months and 19 days to go!
5.09.2006
Life Recap...
So, I realize it has been ages since I wrote a decent entry and I'm sorry I suck.
Now that that's out of the way, let's begin:
So, I realize it has been ages since I wrote a decent entry and I'm sorry I suck.
Now that that's out of the way, let's begin:
- Bathroom remodeling insanity is all but over. Our contractor is coming over to install the kickplate/register cover thingy and we're still waiting on the shelves we ordered for the bathtub to come in so the tile guys can install them and then seal all the tile. I will post a picture as soon as I upload them to the computer. At least we don't make the final payment to the contractor until everything is finished and we are happy with the final product. I say we should drag this out as long as possible! Just kidding. I am just tired of people being in my house and making a big mess everywhere.
- Work sucks ass. Seriously. But some things are getting better while this whole fundraising event that is planned for next week is dragging me into the 9th level of hell. Why don't people bother to send back RSVPs anymore? Is it that fucking hard? You say "Yes, I'm coming" and write a check or your credit card number on the card or you say "No, I am unable to attend." And, you know what? You don't even have to write anything! You check a little box! And then you slide the card into the envelope and you stick a stamp on it and mail it! Why is this so hard?!?! I swear I'm getting more gray hair by the day. I have 100 RSVPs and the event is 10 days away! I need to see 175 to 200 RSVPs for this event. I hate everyone. Blarg. I HATE, HATE, HATE events planning! HATE IT! I want to kill myself it's that horrible.
- Okay, the good news is that I'm making some real headway on the whole grad school thing and I'm leaning toward nursing school. I haven't made any decisions yet but I plan to do some more research after I'm done with this godforsaken event! Stay tuned for updates.
- Let's see...well, Asia is doing really well. She's been living with us for 2 months now and has lost about 6-7 lbs and a TON of fur. All I can say is thank goodness we bought a Dys0n. Asia's definitely a different dog now than when we brought her home. She has shown more interest in play, enjoys getting us up before the alarm goes off at 6 am and tries to eat birds. Okay, she only tried to eat a bird once and that was today. And she almost got to eat it but somehow Michael got her to drop it. Anyway, she's very sweet and has learned to sit, stay and come. She isn't always consistent about it but I know she knows what those commands mean. Even though not a day goes by that I don't miss Shana, Asia has been a wonderful addition to our family and I can't imagine life without her.
- What else? Michael and I have been married for 6 months and we couldn't be happier. With each other, that is. I wouldn't mind winning the lottery and quitting my job but that's a topic for another time.
So, that's pretty much it. It's not very exciting but that's all I've got for the moment. I promise to post "after" pictures of the bathroom and in a couple of weeks I'll have pictures from our honeymoon (finally, a real honeymoon!) in C@lifornia. Stay tuned!
5.04.2006
4.02.2006
Feeling conflicted...
So, here I am, about to do some work from home and instead I'll blog about how conflicted I feel about my employer. Said employer shall remain nameless as I cannot afford to be "dooced" what with $18,000 in a home equity line of credit hanging over our heads.
My problem is that I work for an organization that is uber-feminist and is all about helping people make good decisions about their sexual health and whether and when to bring children into this world. In practice, my particular agency is the exact opposite. We do help the people we serve in the ways I mentioned above, but the company treats those of us who work there like shit. SHIT. Seriously. I think the fact that I wanted this job so badly makes it feel so much worse that we're treated with so little respect.
So, yeah, I realize that the world of work is hard and there isn't a single company out there that doesn't suffer from at least one of the following: assholes, bureaucracy, lack of leadership, lack of communitcation, etc. My agency happens to suffer from all of the above. And I'm not in a position to quit my job and take another. For one thing, I couldn't leave before executing the special events that are planned for the next couple of months. And I know my work is important. I like my job and hate the people who run the company. The job market here is total crap. For anyone following the news about Gm and Delph!, both of those companies have plants here and have already done massive lay-offs. I know autoworkers will hardly be competing for the same type of jobs I might look for but still.... But this job is taking a toll on my health and my well-being and affects my relationships with those around me. It's really unfortunate. To make matters worse, my agency is needed by the American public now more than ever. As the states continue to introduce and pass legislation infringing on a woman's right to privacy, the work we do become all the more important.
So what to do? The bright spot in all of this is that we're about to get a new executive director. The current one is retiring and I've been hearing some good things about the final candidates. I don't want to have to leave this job but if things don't get better soon, I'll have to start looking. Is it too much to ask for a job you enjoy with leadership you can trust and provides good health insurance benefits?
So, here I am, about to do some work from home and instead I'll blog about how conflicted I feel about my employer. Said employer shall remain nameless as I cannot afford to be "dooced" what with $18,000 in a home equity line of credit hanging over our heads.
My problem is that I work for an organization that is uber-feminist and is all about helping people make good decisions about their sexual health and whether and when to bring children into this world. In practice, my particular agency is the exact opposite. We do help the people we serve in the ways I mentioned above, but the company treats those of us who work there like shit. SHIT. Seriously. I think the fact that I wanted this job so badly makes it feel so much worse that we're treated with so little respect.
So, yeah, I realize that the world of work is hard and there isn't a single company out there that doesn't suffer from at least one of the following: assholes, bureaucracy, lack of leadership, lack of communitcation, etc. My agency happens to suffer from all of the above. And I'm not in a position to quit my job and take another. For one thing, I couldn't leave before executing the special events that are planned for the next couple of months. And I know my work is important. I like my job and hate the people who run the company. The job market here is total crap. For anyone following the news about Gm and Delph!, both of those companies have plants here and have already done massive lay-offs. I know autoworkers will hardly be competing for the same type of jobs I might look for but still.... But this job is taking a toll on my health and my well-being and affects my relationships with those around me. It's really unfortunate. To make matters worse, my agency is needed by the American public now more than ever. As the states continue to introduce and pass legislation infringing on a woman's right to privacy, the work we do become all the more important.
So what to do? The bright spot in all of this is that we're about to get a new executive director. The current one is retiring and I've been hearing some good things about the final candidates. I don't want to have to leave this job but if things don't get better soon, I'll have to start looking. Is it too much to ask for a job you enjoy with leadership you can trust and provides good health insurance benefits?
3.05.2006
2.16.2006
The Internets...
Never fail to surprise me. I found this the other day. Now, let me tell you how I found this (and it was totally by accident).
Michael and I were looking online for a corner medicine cabinet that had a built-in light. And I'm on the L0wesDep0t website and and the link to their bidet selection caught my eye. Don't ask me why, but it did. So I thought I would check it out. The only house I've ever been in that had one is...well, I'm sure you know whose house had the bidet. Anyway, since bidets aren't all that common - at least not in the places where I hang out on a regular basis - I decided to do a web search of bidets. And the first link I found was, well, the Poop Report. And, hell, it's just fun to say "Poop Report." Hee. I said poop. Check it out--I think you'll like it.
Never fail to surprise me. I found this the other day. Now, let me tell you how I found this (and it was totally by accident).
Michael and I were looking online for a corner medicine cabinet that had a built-in light. And I'm on the L0wesDep0t website and and the link to their bidet selection caught my eye. Don't ask me why, but it did. So I thought I would check it out. The only house I've ever been in that had one is...well, I'm sure you know whose house had the bidet. Anyway, since bidets aren't all that common - at least not in the places where I hang out on a regular basis - I decided to do a web search of bidets. And the first link I found was, well, the Poop Report. And, hell, it's just fun to say "Poop Report." Hee. I said poop. Check it out--I think you'll like it.
2.08.2006
Breakin' the law...
Well, not really but I haven't been blogging while at work because big brother, I mean my employer, is watching. But today I say fuck it. I will be brief, however, because I really do need to do work while at work.
Thanks to all of you for your kind words and support as we go through the grieving process. You know, it's odd....I've identified myself as a crazy dog lady for so long now and I feel like I've lost that part of myself when Shana died. I mean, mentally I'm still a crazy dog lady but in actuality I'm not anymore. That's hard. Admittedly I've been lurking here. We're not ready yet for another dog but maybe we will be in a couple of months.
Other than that, they've started construction on our soon-to-be half bath on the first floor. They've already torn out the stairs and tile and today the plumber is coming to do whatever it is he needs to do. Probably something gross like installing the pipe for the toilet. I'll post some pictures shortly. Until then...
Well, not really but I haven't been blogging while at work because big brother, I mean my employer, is watching. But today I say fuck it. I will be brief, however, because I really do need to do work while at work.
Thanks to all of you for your kind words and support as we go through the grieving process. You know, it's odd....I've identified myself as a crazy dog lady for so long now and I feel like I've lost that part of myself when Shana died. I mean, mentally I'm still a crazy dog lady but in actuality I'm not anymore. That's hard. Admittedly I've been lurking here. We're not ready yet for another dog but maybe we will be in a couple of months.
Other than that, they've started construction on our soon-to-be half bath on the first floor. They've already torn out the stairs and tile and today the plumber is coming to do whatever it is he needs to do. Probably something gross like installing the pipe for the toilet. I'll post some pictures shortly. Until then...
1.23.2006
To My Sweet Baby Girl:
I remember the day I brought you home from the Humane League as a 3-month-old puppy and every time you sat down on the carpet I made you stand up because I couldn't tell if you were about to pee on the floor or just sitting.
I remember coming home from Thanksgiving at the G House to find that you had stolen the remnants of our turkey and to this day I still wonder how you were able to reach it.
I remember worrying that you wouldn't graduate from obedience school because you hated going through the obstacle course.
I remember how much you liked to chase squirrels in the backyard and would always get your lead tangled up in the bushes.
I remember sharing my bed with you and falling asleep with my arm around you with my face burried in your fur.
I remember how you loved to go for walks--especially at L's Park because you liked to mooch the bread we had brought to feed the ducks.
I remember how you liked to chase the cats that lived at the vet's office.
I remember how much I loved to come home from work to find you waiting at the door for me.
I remember how much you loved treats and that time you almost took the vet's fingers off in your effort to take the treat he offered you.
I remember every single time I had to call the animal poison control line and/or go to the emergency vet because you ate something you shouldn't have.
I remember how you were always there for me through all the good and bad times.
I remember that you stayed by my side the entire week I slept on the couch after my sinus surgery.
I remember what a good girl you were and all the joy you brought into my life in the last 10 and a half years. Having you in my life has been one of the most rewarding, difficult, fun, wonderful and amazing things I've ever experienced. You will be dearly missed.
10.19.2005
Weddings bring out the *inappropriate* in people...
Seriously. People call (however nicely) to ask if they can bring their kid to your No Ankle Biters Allowed wedding and reception; to ask if they are invited (WTF?!?!) and to jump your shit because they think you made an insulting comment about the U.S. Sostal Pervice. I realize that there are other couples out there who have endured far worse, but, seriously, what is wrong with people?
I just keep thinking that we should have eloped.
Seriously. People call (however nicely) to ask if they can bring their kid to your No Ankle Biters Allowed wedding and reception; to ask if they are invited (WTF?!?!) and to jump your shit because they think you made an insulting comment about the U.S. Sostal Pervice. I realize that there are other couples out there who have endured far worse, but, seriously, what is wrong with people?
I just keep thinking that we should have eloped.
10.07.2005
Going to the Chapel...
And I'm going to be a vegetarian. Except those are two totally different topics for discussion. Let's deal with the vegetarian thing for now.
So...I'm really not sure what it was exactly that made me say "Hey! I want to try a vegetarian diet!" but it had a little bit to do with this crazy PETA ad I saw about J Cru. Yes, I think the PETA people are a bunch of crazies but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, I got to thinking about this article in Wesneek from a few months back that really disturbed me. It was about how they force feed ducks before turning them (or, rather, their little livers) into foi gras. And I couldn't read the article but ever since I keep thinking about these ducks. And then I start thinking about the cows and the pigs and the chickens and I KNOW they're treated inhumanely from the moment their born until the moment they are turned into a hamburger or bacon.
But I'm also thinking about the environmental impact of raising the feed for these animals and the amount of water required to feed and raise them and the nasty manure run-off that ends up in streams. So, now I'm thinking I'll try a vegetarian diet and we'll see how it works out. I guess that was about 2 weeks ago and I've had chicken twice plus a turkey sandwich with bacon. Oh, and I had a cheeseburger somewhere in there. Man, this is not easy. And, I LOVE bacon. LOVE IT.
So, here I am, still working on this whole vegetarian thing and I even bought a book on how to do it in a healthy way. And that's what I have to say about that. We'll see how it works out.
And I'm going to be a vegetarian. Except those are two totally different topics for discussion. Let's deal with the vegetarian thing for now.
So...I'm really not sure what it was exactly that made me say "Hey! I want to try a vegetarian diet!" but it had a little bit to do with this crazy PETA ad I saw about J Cru. Yes, I think the PETA people are a bunch of crazies but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, I got to thinking about this article in Wesneek from a few months back that really disturbed me. It was about how they force feed ducks before turning them (or, rather, their little livers) into foi gras. And I couldn't read the article but ever since I keep thinking about these ducks. And then I start thinking about the cows and the pigs and the chickens and I KNOW they're treated inhumanely from the moment their born until the moment they are turned into a hamburger or bacon.
But I'm also thinking about the environmental impact of raising the feed for these animals and the amount of water required to feed and raise them and the nasty manure run-off that ends up in streams. So, now I'm thinking I'll try a vegetarian diet and we'll see how it works out. I guess that was about 2 weeks ago and I've had chicken twice plus a turkey sandwich with bacon. Oh, and I had a cheeseburger somewhere in there. Man, this is not easy. And, I LOVE bacon. LOVE IT.
So, here I am, still working on this whole vegetarian thing and I even bought a book on how to do it in a healthy way. And that's what I have to say about that. We'll see how it works out.
9.09.2005
The HHS class of '95 reunion recap!
I can't believe it's been 10 years...
Well, it wasn't a wasted weekend but it wasn't what I was looking for, either. I really thought more people would be there and it would have been more fun. Unfortunately, it was reminiscent of prom with bad food and the popular kids on the dance floor. Oh, and some people were losing their hair (hee!). And then some people looked exactly the same as they did 10 years ago. I'm not sure which was more weird, that some people definitely looked different and it took a moment to figure out who they were or that some people looked EXACTLY the same as they did 10 years ago. Or that JV looks just like his dad. Scary.
So, not much of a recap but I got to spend the evening with two of my favorite people (we should have gone to Friendly's afterwards), I saw my dad and my "second" parents (including Mrs. P.). Not bad for the fastest trip to Lanky-town I've ever made.
I can't believe it's been 10 years...
Well, it wasn't a wasted weekend but it wasn't what I was looking for, either. I really thought more people would be there and it would have been more fun. Unfortunately, it was reminiscent of prom with bad food and the popular kids on the dance floor. Oh, and some people were losing their hair (hee!). And then some people looked exactly the same as they did 10 years ago. I'm not sure which was more weird, that some people definitely looked different and it took a moment to figure out who they were or that some people looked EXACTLY the same as they did 10 years ago. Or that JV looks just like his dad. Scary.
So, not much of a recap but I got to spend the evening with two of my favorite people (we should have gone to Friendly's afterwards), I saw my dad and my "second" parents (including Mrs. P.). Not bad for the fastest trip to Lanky-town I've ever made.
9.08.2005
Michael doesn't speak German...
Not that this is a problem, but my grandma thinks it is. We're at the fabulous shower Angie and Amanda planned in my honor and my grandma is sitting next to me as I open gifts. Michael's oldest sister is there and she has given us a coffee carafe and some German coffee. Here's how the conversation goes:
Kelly (holding up carafe and coffee): Thank you!
Grandma: Does Michael speak German?
Kelly: No.
Grandma: How will you know how to make the coffee if the package is in German?
Kelly: Grandma, it's coffee. I'm sure we'll figure it out.
Grandma: But maybe you won't. It's in German. How will you know if you've made it right?
Kelly: (just keep smiling...opens next present) I'm sure we'll figure it out.
...sigh...Anyway, I had a wonderful time and it was so good to see some of my very favorite people. I had a fabulous bow hat that some of you will be seeing at the end of the month. All it needs is a baby chick in a nest and it will be good to go:> Here is a link to Angie's blog so you can see pics from the shower. Fabulous bow hat--wheee!
Not that this is a problem, but my grandma thinks it is. We're at the fabulous shower Angie and Amanda planned in my honor and my grandma is sitting next to me as I open gifts. Michael's oldest sister is there and she has given us a coffee carafe and some German coffee. Here's how the conversation goes:
Kelly (holding up carafe and coffee): Thank you!
Grandma: Does Michael speak German?
Kelly: No.
Grandma: How will you know how to make the coffee if the package is in German?
Kelly: Grandma, it's coffee. I'm sure we'll figure it out.
Grandma: But maybe you won't. It's in German. How will you know if you've made it right?
Kelly: (just keep smiling...opens next present) I'm sure we'll figure it out.
...sigh...Anyway, I had a wonderful time and it was so good to see some of my very favorite people. I had a fabulous bow hat that some of you will be seeing at the end of the month. All it needs is a baby chick in a nest and it will be good to go:> Here is a link to Angie's blog so you can see pics from the shower. Fabulous bow hat--wheee!
8.29.2005
8.15.2005
I almost wish I could clone myself...
So I could have been at the beach, at home with the dog and on vacation with Michael all at the same time. And maybe my cloned selves would have such a wonderful time as to make up for the fact that I had to share a hotel room with my boss during the 4-day conference we attended. I won't give specifics here but let me just caution you: NEVER, and I mean never, share a hotel room with your boss. Trust me on this.
So I could have been at the beach, at home with the dog and on vacation with Michael all at the same time. And maybe my cloned selves would have such a wonderful time as to make up for the fact that I had to share a hotel room with my boss during the 4-day conference we attended. I won't give specifics here but let me just caution you: NEVER, and I mean never, share a hotel room with your boss. Trust me on this.
7.25.2005
7.23.2005
Why Rick Santorum is a total fucking idiot...
I thought you might enjoy some quotes from this dipshit's new book:
"This was tried once before in America...but unlike abortion today, in most states even the slaveholder did not have the unlimited right to kill his slave."; "Respect for stay-at-home mothers has been poisoned by a toxic combination of the village elders' war on the traditional family and radical feminism's misogynistic crusade to make working outside the home the only marker of social value and self-respect."; and on welfare reform: "The notion that college education is a cost-effective way to help poor, low-skill unmarried mothers with high school diplomas or GEDs move up the economic ladder is just wrong."
Is this guy for real?!?!?
I thought you might enjoy some quotes from this dipshit's new book:
"This was tried once before in America...but unlike abortion today, in most states even the slaveholder did not have the unlimited right to kill his slave."; "Respect for stay-at-home mothers has been poisoned by a toxic combination of the village elders' war on the traditional family and radical feminism's misogynistic crusade to make working outside the home the only marker of social value and self-respect."; and on welfare reform: "The notion that college education is a cost-effective way to help poor, low-skill unmarried mothers with high school diplomas or GEDs move up the economic ladder is just wrong."
Is this guy for real?!?!?
7.05.2005
The good, the bad and the ugly....
The good news is that we FINALLY finished painting one room in our house. And it looks great!
The bad news is that we saw "Return of the Sith" and it was terrible. Except for Ew@n McGreg0r--he was the only redeeming factor out of 2+ hours of my life that I'll never see again.
The ugly news, of course, is Justice O'Connor's resignation from the Supreme Court. What are we going to do if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named nominates another judge like that self-serving buttwipe Sc@lia?
The good news is that we FINALLY finished painting one room in our house. And it looks great!
The bad news is that we saw "Return of the Sith" and it was terrible. Except for Ew@n McGreg0r--he was the only redeeming factor out of 2+ hours of my life that I'll never see again.
The ugly news, of course, is Justice O'Connor's resignation from the Supreme Court. What are we going to do if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named nominates another judge like that self-serving buttwipe Sc@lia?
6.29.2005
On the side of the road...
I saw a sign bearing this message:
God rained down fire and brimstone once. He will do it again.
Who are the people who believe this crap (yes, I think it's crap) and why can't they keep it to themselves?!?!
In other news, the "YMCA Jesus" statue now has fountains installed in its pond. Seriously, what are these people going to think of next? Doesn't it just make you want to take a trip to Ohio so you can see this stuff?
I saw a sign bearing this message:
God rained down fire and brimstone once. He will do it again.
Who are the people who believe this crap (yes, I think it's crap) and why can't they keep it to themselves?!?!
In other news, the "YMCA Jesus" statue now has fountains installed in its pond. Seriously, what are these people going to think of next? Doesn't it just make you want to take a trip to Ohio so you can see this stuff?
6.27.2005
I should be doing work right now...
but I haven't published any entries in a while. I've got a few half-written ones that I might get around to finishing someday.
So, I realize I have been a little out of touch these days and many apologies for that, especially to BANG! b/c we keep playing phone tag. It's just that by the time I get some work done on the house, I'm too tired to do much more than eat dinner, take a shower and go to bed. But. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. We put up the primer over the weekend and will progress to actual PAINT! Yes, PAINT! Ahem, we're going to put up paint this week and over the holiday weekend. Woo! Someday we will once again be able to sit in our living room on the sofas that are currently squished together in the middle of the room and covered with plastic sheeting and power tools. Part of me wants to say "Fck it! Let's just put up primer and be done." But in the long run that wouldn't be a very good option. Especially since you can see white bits on the ceiling where we didn't use enough primer.
Well, enough complaining. We'll be done soon enough and then we'll have fabulous houseguests to enjoy our pain and suffering, I mean hard work. Can't wait for you to get here!
but I haven't published any entries in a while. I've got a few half-written ones that I might get around to finishing someday.
So, I realize I have been a little out of touch these days and many apologies for that, especially to BANG! b/c we keep playing phone tag. It's just that by the time I get some work done on the house, I'm too tired to do much more than eat dinner, take a shower and go to bed. But. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. We put up the primer over the weekend and will progress to actual PAINT! Yes, PAINT! Ahem, we're going to put up paint this week and over the holiday weekend. Woo! Someday we will once again be able to sit in our living room on the sofas that are currently squished together in the middle of the room and covered with plastic sheeting and power tools. Part of me wants to say "Fck it! Let's just put up primer and be done." But in the long run that wouldn't be a very good option. Especially since you can see white bits on the ceiling where we didn't use enough primer.
Well, enough complaining. We'll be done soon enough and then we'll have fabulous houseguests to enjoy our pain and suffering, I mean hard work. Can't wait for you to get here!
6.06.2005
What was I thinking?
Michael and I just spent more than one week's worth of my salary on paint and primer for our house. We are going to spend the whole summer painting...ugh...what was I thinking?
Just promise me that when you come to visit you'll "ooh" and "ahhh" over it so I can feel better about spending an entire summer painting.
Michael and I just spent more than one week's worth of my salary on paint and primer for our house. We are going to spend the whole summer painting...ugh...what was I thinking?
Just promise me that when you come to visit you'll "ooh" and "ahhh" over it so I can feel better about spending an entire summer painting.
6.03.2005
Back to normal...I hope
The last week and a half has been a bit crazy and even nightmarish at times, and I hope things are starting to look up. My car got a massive flat tire, Shana was sick and puked all over my house, work has been a little crazy, Shana was still sick and had to go to the emergency vet, I still have a bad case of Athlete's Foot and some @sshole stole $35 worth of flowers off my front porch. But, my car has a band new tire at the grand price of one dollar, Shana is much better now that we know about this, and it's Friday. I still have Athlete's Foot and work is still a little crazy but the weekend is almost here and I can spend those 2 days off sanding and priming my living room and dining room.
But for now I should get back to work. Less than 8 hours to go....
The last week and a half has been a bit crazy and even nightmarish at times, and I hope things are starting to look up. My car got a massive flat tire, Shana was sick and puked all over my house, work has been a little crazy, Shana was still sick and had to go to the emergency vet, I still have a bad case of Athlete's Foot and some @sshole stole $35 worth of flowers off my front porch. But, my car has a band new tire at the grand price of one dollar, Shana is much better now that we know about this, and it's Friday. I still have Athlete's Foot and work is still a little crazy but the weekend is almost here and I can spend those 2 days off sanding and priming my living room and dining room.
But for now I should get back to work. Less than 8 hours to go....
5.24.2005
I met the Devil at church
Seriously. And she wears her hair in Laura Ingalls-type braids.
Michael and I went to a wedding on Saturday night that was part of the church's regularly scheduled mass. Behind us were two women with whom Michael went to high school. After the ceremony/mass was over, he turned around to introduce me. After catching up with Michael has been up to over the last few years, the conversation turned to the braided one who announced that she works at this evil place. This place tells women that abortion causes lung disease. Lung disease? Seriously? That's the best they can do? Anyway, it turns out that the Devil (as I've started calling her) was born into a devout Catholic family (I guess it's no surprise that she works there but there are plenty of practicing Catholics out there that wouldn't dream of working at a place like this) but I can't shake the feeling that I should have said something. But what? Besides that I think she's the devil. That the organization for which she works preys on young, potentially pregnant women who are scared and not sure where to turn for advice. An organization founded on medical MISinformation, that uses scare tactics and assigns guilt to sexually active women and men.
But I didn't know what to say or if I should say anything at all. And here I am, 3 days later and still thinking about the lost opportunity to say that her work SCARES women into making uniformed decisions. Abortion isn't the right choice for all women with unwanted pregnancies, but then, neither is childbirth and caring for an infant when you aren't even old enough to vote. No organization should be telling women that abortion causes liver disease or that she's 800% more likely to develop cancer if she has an abortion because neither of these so called "facts" are true. No organization should coerce a woman into making a decision she isn't ready to make.
The opportunity to say something has passed but I know the work we're doing helps women and their partners make informed decisions about whether and when to bring a child into this world.
Seriously. And she wears her hair in Laura Ingalls-type braids.
Michael and I went to a wedding on Saturday night that was part of the church's regularly scheduled mass. Behind us were two women with whom Michael went to high school. After the ceremony/mass was over, he turned around to introduce me. After catching up with Michael has been up to over the last few years, the conversation turned to the braided one who announced that she works at this evil place. This place tells women that abortion causes lung disease. Lung disease? Seriously? That's the best they can do? Anyway, it turns out that the Devil (as I've started calling her) was born into a devout Catholic family (I guess it's no surprise that she works there but there are plenty of practicing Catholics out there that wouldn't dream of working at a place like this) but I can't shake the feeling that I should have said something. But what? Besides that I think she's the devil. That the organization for which she works preys on young, potentially pregnant women who are scared and not sure where to turn for advice. An organization founded on medical MISinformation, that uses scare tactics and assigns guilt to sexually active women and men.
But I didn't know what to say or if I should say anything at all. And here I am, 3 days later and still thinking about the lost opportunity to say that her work SCARES women into making uniformed decisions. Abortion isn't the right choice for all women with unwanted pregnancies, but then, neither is childbirth and caring for an infant when you aren't even old enough to vote. No organization should be telling women that abortion causes liver disease or that she's 800% more likely to develop cancer if she has an abortion because neither of these so called "facts" are true. No organization should coerce a woman into making a decision she isn't ready to make.
The opportunity to say something has passed but I know the work we're doing helps women and their partners make informed decisions about whether and when to bring a child into this world.
5.20.2005
Excited about...poop
That's me. Excited about poop. Shana's poop to be specific. She finally went after a whole week of not going and, dammit, I'm proud of her. Poor little peg leg dog. She got her cast off today and the vet says she's doing great. I just feel so bad for her. She has no idea what happened to her, and since she's a dog and is not capable of cognitive thought, there is no way for me to explain it. But she's been such a trooper and really is doing well. She won't have her staples removed for another week yet, but so far so good. And here I am only one week into a 3 month recovery process that requires Michael and I carry her up and down the stairs in our house until said recovery period is over....sigh....the things I do for my dog. And she's totally worth it:>
That's me. Excited about poop. Shana's poop to be specific. She finally went after a whole week of not going and, dammit, I'm proud of her. Poor little peg leg dog. She got her cast off today and the vet says she's doing great. I just feel so bad for her. She has no idea what happened to her, and since she's a dog and is not capable of cognitive thought, there is no way for me to explain it. But she's been such a trooper and really is doing well. She won't have her staples removed for another week yet, but so far so good. And here I am only one week into a 3 month recovery process that requires Michael and I carry her up and down the stairs in our house until said recovery period is over....sigh....the things I do for my dog. And she's totally worth it:>
5.12.2005
Remember me?
I used to blog more frequently than this but that stupid "no blogging at work rule" and the insanity that is my work (at least until July 1st--beginning of the next fiscal year) has kept me from writing insightful and intelligent entries. (snort) Okay, maybe not insightful or intelligent, but I used to blog more than this! I have a few half-finished entries that I might someday post. BUT. Not until they are finished. Which might be never.
So, to recap what's been going on since sometime in March:
I used to blog more frequently than this but that stupid "no blogging at work rule" and the insanity that is my work (at least until July 1st--beginning of the next fiscal year) has kept me from writing insightful and intelligent entries. (snort) Okay, maybe not insightful or intelligent, but I used to blog more than this! I have a few half-finished entries that I might someday post. BUT. Not until they are finished. Which might be never.
So, to recap what's been going on since sometime in March:
- Shanaynay is having her ACL operation on Friday and thus begins 4 months of the healing process. And that means 4 months of trying to keep my dog from running around the house like a maniac b/c she's bored and isn't allowed to play or take long walks.
- Amanda had a beautful wedding of which I'm so happy to have been a part.
- Our friends are seriously hot babes when we're all dressed up.
- The neo-con Christian crazies are fcking up our access to ALL reproductive health options.
- Special event planning is not my strong suit--how do people do this professionally?
- I am wearing flip flops to work for the rest of the week (hee!)
- Sarah Weddington is my hero!
- Isn't it July 16th yet?
3.13.2005
No blogging at work rule...
So, I have this self-imposed no blogging/reading other people's blogs at work rule. This is pretty much why I haven't blogged or commented in about a month. So I guess it's catch up time now.
Except that I can't think of anything worthwhile to discuss right now. Ah! The pressure! (not to be confused with "Ah. The atmosphere. Ah.")
So, I have this self-imposed no blogging/reading other people's blogs at work rule. This is pretty much why I haven't blogged or commented in about a month. So I guess it's catch up time now.
Except that I can't think of anything worthwhile to discuss right now. Ah! The pressure! (not to be confused with "Ah. The atmosphere. Ah.")
2.10.2005
1.30.2005
New Year, New Job, New House and a New Blog Location...
A big thank you to G. the internet uber goddess who moved my blog away from the bad evil company that was hosting leafygreen to this nice new place at blogspot.
So, I'm home sick and I can't breathe so that makes sleeping difficult. Michael is over visiting his parents and I'm here eating like a goat b/c I don't feel like cooking anything. I just had a bowl of Crispix and now I'm eating a boiled egg. What to eat next....?
Well, I guess I don't really have anything to say....so I'll just say good bye and welcome to the new home of my blog.
A big thank you to G. the internet uber goddess who moved my blog away from the bad evil company that was hosting leafygreen to this nice new place at blogspot.
So, I'm home sick and I can't breathe so that makes sleeping difficult. Michael is over visiting his parents and I'm here eating like a goat b/c I don't feel like cooking anything. I just had a bowl of Crispix and now I'm eating a boiled egg. What to eat next....?
Well, I guess I don't really have anything to say....so I'll just say good bye and welcome to the new home of my blog.
1.25.2005
Long time, no blog...
So, I started my new job last week and so far, so good. I really like having my own office but it is a bit chilly in there, so I may have to start wearing long underwear since space heaters are a no-no. There isn't much to report yet--I've only been there 7 business days--but it's alot different working for $10 mil annually non-profit than a $60+mil annually non-profit.
Other than that, not much is happening. Michael was sick and now I have a sinus infection so all I want to do is go back to bed. The dishwasher installation guy is here right now installing our too-big for the alloted space dishwasher but I think it's going to fit. Stupid dishwasher. I've been handwashing for 3 weeks. I know, the agony, right?
Um...let's see....yeah, I think that's about it. It's cold and snowy and yucky so I'll be spending the weekend indoors and preferably in bed under the electric blanket.
So, I started my new job last week and so far, so good. I really like having my own office but it is a bit chilly in there, so I may have to start wearing long underwear since space heaters are a no-no. There isn't much to report yet--I've only been there 7 business days--but it's alot different working for $10 mil annually non-profit than a $60+mil annually non-profit.
Other than that, not much is happening. Michael was sick and now I have a sinus infection so all I want to do is go back to bed. The dishwasher installation guy is here right now installing our too-big for the alloted space dishwasher but I think it's going to fit. Stupid dishwasher. I've been handwashing for 3 weeks. I know, the agony, right?
Um...let's see....yeah, I think that's about it. It's cold and snowy and yucky so I'll be spending the weekend indoors and preferably in bed under the electric blanket.
1.13.2005
Last day at the UWay
This is so weird. It hasn't sunk in yet that, as of 4:30 pm today, I will no longer be employed here. And, good lord, you should see my cube. What a mess! I just wheeled in the big recycling bin for clean up. This is what I get for being 1.) a procrastinator and 2.) a pack rat.
Well, back to work.
This is so weird. It hasn't sunk in yet that, as of 4:30 pm today, I will no longer be employed here. And, good lord, you should see my cube. What a mess! I just wheeled in the big recycling bin for clean up. This is what I get for being 1.) a procrastinator and 2.) a pack rat.
Well, back to work.
1.11.2005
I hate sending holiday cards...
This happens every year. I procrastinate on sending them and it'll be Valentine's Day before anyone gets theirs. This year, or rather, last year, Michael and I thought it would be fun to send photo cards. At first, we were planning to take a pic of us in front of our house but I could never get home from work early enough to take one before it got dark. Then we thought we'd wait until we got our x-mas tree and do it then. Except that we didn't seem to have time to do that. Finally, we take the picture and walk it over to the pharmacy down the road to have them made.
And then we get a big mamajama snow storm. It's not until after Christmas that we get our holiday cards. So, we have a 3 day weekend over new year's and I'm a lazy piece of poop who doesn't want to do holiday cards. And now, here we are, almost the middle of January and I've sent out the first batch this morning. My goal is to finish them tonight after we go shopping for a new dishwasher (an entry on the joys and pains of owning a home to follow shortly).
So, if you haven't gotten your holiday card from me yet, please know that it will be in the mail shortly and Happy Valentine's/St. Patrick's Day while I'm at it.
This happens every year. I procrastinate on sending them and it'll be Valentine's Day before anyone gets theirs. This year, or rather, last year, Michael and I thought it would be fun to send photo cards. At first, we were planning to take a pic of us in front of our house but I could never get home from work early enough to take one before it got dark. Then we thought we'd wait until we got our x-mas tree and do it then. Except that we didn't seem to have time to do that. Finally, we take the picture and walk it over to the pharmacy down the road to have them made.
And then we get a big mamajama snow storm. It's not until after Christmas that we get our holiday cards. So, we have a 3 day weekend over new year's and I'm a lazy piece of poop who doesn't want to do holiday cards. And now, here we are, almost the middle of January and I've sent out the first batch this morning. My goal is to finish them tonight after we go shopping for a new dishwasher (an entry on the joys and pains of owning a home to follow shortly).
So, if you haven't gotten your holiday card from me yet, please know that it will be in the mail shortly and Happy Valentine's/St. Patrick's Day while I'm at it.
1.02.2005
A bit o' wisdom...
"Since we can't all be together on New Year's this year, I'm sending you thiswonderful entry by Andrea "I used to work for SARK" Sher. Her photos are always lovely and sometimes her entries are gems.(like this one)"
So, here are my lists:
10 Things I Am Grateful For: (in no particular order)
- Love. Whether it's the love of my signifcant other, friends, family, or dog, I am grateful for it every day.
- Christmas trees. Seriously, I love x-mas trees. I love them so much that it's an absolute heartbreak to take them down and shunt them to the curb.
- My new aluminun roasting pan with rack (thanks, Mommy!)
- My health.
- The home that I share with Michael. Not only is it a beautiful house, but I am no longer setting $530 a month on fire, I mean, paying rent.
- A new job with a better title, better pay and my own office!
- Friends. There isn't a list long enough to sing your praises.
- Normal, pretty non-dysfunctional in-laws-to-be. I'm so glad they're nothing like the in-laws on a certian tv show on C_B_S.
- Dog fur. Like little tokens of love all over my house, clothes, car, in my shoes, occasionally in my mouth, in the lint trap, but hopefully not in my food. It serves as a reminder that my hairy little beast of a dog is still alive and well.
- Fleece pants (self-explanatory).
And now for my Mondo Beyondo list:
- A trip to Greece w/ Ang
- Finally finishing the LOTR books (perhaps I'll just skip the rest of book 2 and go right on to 3)
- having a house full of highly obedient dogs (that never shed;>)
- becoming a calmer, more patient version of myself
- floss every day (oh, wait, I've already accomplished that. Well, I'll keep it here as a reminder that some New Year's resolutions do work/become good habits)
- Be a better daughter
- Honeymoon in Ireland (May 2006 here we come!)
Well, that seems like a good start to me. Happy New Year!
"Since we can't all be together on New Year's this year, I'm sending you thiswonderful entry by Andrea "I used to work for SARK" Sher. Her photos are always lovely and sometimes her entries are gems.(like this one)"
So, here are my lists:
10 Things I Am Grateful For: (in no particular order)
- Love. Whether it's the love of my signifcant other, friends, family, or dog, I am grateful for it every day.
- Christmas trees. Seriously, I love x-mas trees. I love them so much that it's an absolute heartbreak to take them down and shunt them to the curb.
- My new aluminun roasting pan with rack (thanks, Mommy!)
- My health.
- The home that I share with Michael. Not only is it a beautiful house, but I am no longer setting $530 a month on fire, I mean, paying rent.
- A new job with a better title, better pay and my own office!
- Friends. There isn't a list long enough to sing your praises.
- Normal, pretty non-dysfunctional in-laws-to-be. I'm so glad they're nothing like the in-laws on a certian tv show on C_B_S.
- Dog fur. Like little tokens of love all over my house, clothes, car, in my shoes, occasionally in my mouth, in the lint trap, but hopefully not in my food. It serves as a reminder that my hairy little beast of a dog is still alive and well.
- Fleece pants (self-explanatory).
And now for my Mondo Beyondo list:
- A trip to Greece w/ Ang
- Finally finishing the LOTR books (perhaps I'll just skip the rest of book 2 and go right on to 3)
- having a house full of highly obedient dogs (that never shed;>)
- becoming a calmer, more patient version of myself
- floss every day (oh, wait, I've already accomplished that. Well, I'll keep it here as a reminder that some New Year's resolutions do work/become good habits)
- Be a better daughter
- Honeymoon in Ireland (May 2006 here we come!)
Well, that seems like a good start to me. Happy New Year!
12.22.2004
12.21.2004
12.14.2004
All moved in....
Well, mostly moved in. There are a few boxes that have yet to be unpacked, but I haven't gotten around to them yet. And we need to clean. The house is dusty, furry and has tinsel bits and tree needles everywhere. I love my new house but there is so much more square feet to de-clutter and clean than when I had my apartment. Poor me, right?
But since my mom is coming in 4 days, and the next 2 have already been scheduled, it looks like tonight is my night to clean out the spare bedroom and get some sheets on the bed. And finish up with Mt. Laundry. Who knew two people could have so much dirty laundry? With so much to do, Michael and I work all weekend and I have to go to the office just to sit down. How sad.
You know what I want for X-mas? I want a whole day off with nothing to do but read and take a long bubble bath and take naps in between. That's what I want for X-mas. Dear Santa, if you're reading this, I want a day to do nothing more than anything.
Well, mostly moved in. There are a few boxes that have yet to be unpacked, but I haven't gotten around to them yet. And we need to clean. The house is dusty, furry and has tinsel bits and tree needles everywhere. I love my new house but there is so much more square feet to de-clutter and clean than when I had my apartment. Poor me, right?
But since my mom is coming in 4 days, and the next 2 have already been scheduled, it looks like tonight is my night to clean out the spare bedroom and get some sheets on the bed. And finish up with Mt. Laundry. Who knew two people could have so much dirty laundry? With so much to do, Michael and I work all weekend and I have to go to the office just to sit down. How sad.
You know what I want for X-mas? I want a whole day off with nothing to do but read and take a long bubble bath and take naps in between. That's what I want for X-mas. Dear Santa, if you're reading this, I want a day to do nothing more than anything.
11.30.2004
We just saw each other...
so there isn't much to report. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of you and can't wait to see everyone again. It might not be until February, but no doubt the time will fly by.
Moving day is this Saturday and I will be emailing my new info to you shortly. I'm really looking forward to being in a house and living in sin, but I know I'll miss having a space that's just mine. A space where I pay the rent and can do whatever I please. A space where the mess is mine and mine alone and I know where everything is (it might be buried in a pile on my kitchen table, but see, it's my stuff in my pile on my kitchen table) and if I don't feel like vacuuming up all the dog fur I'm the only one who would be bothered. This is not to say that I can't do these things at Michael's but we'll have the mess of two people and I'm more conscious about the fur with someone else around. Of course, sharing a house means that we'll both have to be a little more tidy and that's a good thing.
It's been almost two years since I've shared a house with another person, and while I might occasionally miss living alone, I'm looking forward to this new adventure.
so there isn't much to report. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of you and can't wait to see everyone again. It might not be until February, but no doubt the time will fly by.
Moving day is this Saturday and I will be emailing my new info to you shortly. I'm really looking forward to being in a house and living in sin, but I know I'll miss having a space that's just mine. A space where I pay the rent and can do whatever I please. A space where the mess is mine and mine alone and I know where everything is (it might be buried in a pile on my kitchen table, but see, it's my stuff in my pile on my kitchen table) and if I don't feel like vacuuming up all the dog fur I'm the only one who would be bothered. This is not to say that I can't do these things at Michael's but we'll have the mess of two people and I'm more conscious about the fur with someone else around. Of course, sharing a house means that we'll both have to be a little more tidy and that's a good thing.
It's been almost two years since I've shared a house with another person, and while I might occasionally miss living alone, I'm looking forward to this new adventure.
11.17.2004
I'm dreaming of a white....wedding dress?
I have, in fact, had two dreams since Sunday about wedding dresses and they were all white. I'd almost rather dream about being at work...
So, I find myself in a bit of a quandary. When I first started thinking about my wedding attire, I was thinking something red. So, I did a little research and did a little shopping and found that if I wanted a red dress I would have to: have one made; buy an expensive gown made with natural silk that could be dyed; buy a bridesmaid dress; have one made. So, I go shopping last weekend with my mother and I try on, oh, 30 dresses in two days. God, they are so heavy. Anyway, I find two I like but one of them is out of my price range (and only comes in ivory). And the other only comes in white or ivory. I ask if I could have it dyed and was told that synthetic materials won't take dye very well and the final product would turn out streaky and could bleed on to other people's clothes. And I'd be out $500 for the dress plus the cost of dyeing it if the dress didn't turn out well.
So I sleep on it. And...I really like this dress. But it's not red. I'm a non-traditional person who planned to wear a non-traditional dress but then I found myself liking a traditional same-color-family-as-white-dress. Does this mean I'm not the radical feminist I thought I was? Why the hell do I care so much about this? And why can't dress designers make dresses in other colors?!?
But then I found this website and this dress. So maybe there is hope for me to find a beautiful wedding-y dress in red that 1.) doesn't cost an arm and a leg and 2.) isn't a dress you'd find at a Renaissance Fair or modeled after the dress Arwen wore in LOTR.
I have, in fact, had two dreams since Sunday about wedding dresses and they were all white. I'd almost rather dream about being at work...
So, I find myself in a bit of a quandary. When I first started thinking about my wedding attire, I was thinking something red. So, I did a little research and did a little shopping and found that if I wanted a red dress I would have to: have one made; buy an expensive gown made with natural silk that could be dyed; buy a bridesmaid dress; have one made. So, I go shopping last weekend with my mother and I try on, oh, 30 dresses in two days. God, they are so heavy. Anyway, I find two I like but one of them is out of my price range (and only comes in ivory). And the other only comes in white or ivory. I ask if I could have it dyed and was told that synthetic materials won't take dye very well and the final product would turn out streaky and could bleed on to other people's clothes. And I'd be out $500 for the dress plus the cost of dyeing it if the dress didn't turn out well.
So I sleep on it. And...I really like this dress. But it's not red. I'm a non-traditional person who planned to wear a non-traditional dress but then I found myself liking a traditional same-color-family-as-white-dress. Does this mean I'm not the radical feminist I thought I was? Why the hell do I care so much about this? And why can't dress designers make dresses in other colors?!?
But then I found this website and this dress. So maybe there is hope for me to find a beautiful wedding-y dress in red that 1.) doesn't cost an arm and a leg and 2.) isn't a dress you'd find at a Renaissance Fair or modeled after the dress Arwen wore in LOTR.
11.05.2004
I voted for Kerry and I live in Ohio...
I'm so depressed. And the state I now call home totally fcked up. I really thought that there were more people out there who could see through four years of lies and a cavalier cowboy attitude that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. And since when did denying gays and lesbians the right to marry qualify as a high moral value? Because last time I checked, intolerance sure doesn't cut it.
I am so afraid for this country...what are we going to do?
I'm so depressed. And the state I now call home totally fcked up. I really thought that there were more people out there who could see through four years of lies and a cavalier cowboy attitude that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. And since when did denying gays and lesbians the right to marry qualify as a high moral value? Because last time I checked, intolerance sure doesn't cut it.
I am so afraid for this country...what are we going to do?
10.19.2004
GBC 2004: A conversation with my 13 year-old self
Where to begin? First of all, don't pay any attention to the mean girls crap your friends have pulled (and will continue to until 10th grade) on you all this time b/c next year you are going to meet some awesome new friends who will remain steadfast and loyal 10+ years down the road.
And, yes, your boobs will finally grow. And someday you will look back on the pictures you took one night the summer you were 14--you know, the pictures you and Angie took after the two of you stuffed your bras with socks--and realize that your boobs are now the very size as you with your 14 year-old self with a bra full of socks. And you will find yourself wishing the boob fairy hadn't been quite so generous.
Boys. Hmph. Well, boys will cause you much pain and sorrow, but you will have a number of happy times before they systematically turn into a-holes. And men. In about 5 years, you are going to start dating much older men. Don't do it! Don't even think about it! But that's a story for 18 year-old Kelly. Anyway, boys are rotten brats at 13, so don't pay any attention to them.
Now for the biggie. Do well in school. A good education is very important, and believe it or not, doing well as early as jr. high is key. Make yourself study and don't let fear of admitting that you don't understand something get in the way of learning. And don't pay attention to Matthew. His intelligence is wasted on him.
Lastly, try to enjoy every moment of not having tons of homework or a job after school b/c in a few short years, you'll have both and you'll realize how precious free-time really is.
Thankfully, being 13 only happens once...The road ahead is often bumpy and a bit crazy, but you'll do just fine.
Where to begin? First of all, don't pay any attention to the mean girls crap your friends have pulled (and will continue to until 10th grade) on you all this time b/c next year you are going to meet some awesome new friends who will remain steadfast and loyal 10+ years down the road.
And, yes, your boobs will finally grow. And someday you will look back on the pictures you took one night the summer you were 14--you know, the pictures you and Angie took after the two of you stuffed your bras with socks--and realize that your boobs are now the very size as you with your 14 year-old self with a bra full of socks. And you will find yourself wishing the boob fairy hadn't been quite so generous.
Boys. Hmph. Well, boys will cause you much pain and sorrow, but you will have a number of happy times before they systematically turn into a-holes. And men. In about 5 years, you are going to start dating much older men. Don't do it! Don't even think about it! But that's a story for 18 year-old Kelly. Anyway, boys are rotten brats at 13, so don't pay any attention to them.
Now for the biggie. Do well in school. A good education is very important, and believe it or not, doing well as early as jr. high is key. Make yourself study and don't let fear of admitting that you don't understand something get in the way of learning. And don't pay attention to Matthew. His intelligence is wasted on him.
Lastly, try to enjoy every moment of not having tons of homework or a job after school b/c in a few short years, you'll have both and you'll realize how precious free-time really is.
Thankfully, being 13 only happens once...The road ahead is often bumpy and a bit crazy, but you'll do just fine.
10.15.2004
A dutiful (and highly concerned) daughter...
That's me. Michael and I are leaving around lunchtime today to drive up to Chicago and visit my mom in the hospital. She'd doing fine--or as fine as you can be after being cut open from breast to mid-thigh during her aortobifemoral bypass. I'll keep you posted on her recovery.
Missing all of you dearly and I'll be in touch soon.
That's me. Michael and I are leaving around lunchtime today to drive up to Chicago and visit my mom in the hospital. She'd doing fine--or as fine as you can be after being cut open from breast to mid-thigh during her aortobifemoral bypass. I'll keep you posted on her recovery.
Missing all of you dearly and I'll be in touch soon.
10.06.2004
A little bit of everything...
Most of you already know that the past few weeks have been pretty crazy for me. Between my job, mom, dog, brother, etc., I feel like I'm going a bit nuts. They changed my mom's double bypass operation 3 times in 3 days. Yes, you read that correctly: 3 times in 3 days. WTF?!? Angie managed to keep me from calling the doctor myself and blasting him for all the screw ups, so now I am gong to calmly write a letter to him detailing all the screw ups and let him know that I expect my mother to receive the best care possible going forward. In the meantime, she's receiving 70% of her pay while on short-term disability and every time her surgery gets pushed back, that hurts her financially.
The dog. Shana's arthritis is acting up lately. The vet thinks it's probably due in part to the weather change. Or maybe it's b/c Shana decides she should run around the house like a maniac and hurts her knee in the process. And this week's issue involves impacted anal sacs. I'll just leave it at that. No need to set off anyone's gag reflex over that one (including my own). The issue is being resolved and all is well in that area. Or will be shortly.
My brother. Hmph. Can't seem to be bothered to spend some time with my mother even tho he's only an hour by train to be with her. Meanwhile, I'm a minimum of 5.5 hours away and who knows what construction crap is going on between here and there.
My job. Our big fundraising efforts take place in September and October. Right now we are about $400,000 short of the goal we announced to the community. There are a lot of reasons for this projected shortfall and unfortunately, there is very little staff can do to close the gap. Fundraising is hard. Duh, I know. But it's hard not to take things personally when you know you've done the best you can do and still the companies with which you work don't raise as much money as expected. Or when your volunteers bail out...sigh.... A few more weeks and we'll announce what we raised and it will be time to start thinking about the next campaign.
Wedding planning. Well, not a whole lot going on there. Michael and I have been so busy lately and with my mom's surgery date changing all the time, we've had difficulty finding the time to make appointments with vendors. We still have a little more than 12 months to go, but I want to get the vendors taken care of as soon as we can.
So, that's pretty much it. Thanks to all of you for being so supportive and offering a sympathetic ear. I'm sure things will start to look up soon:>
Most of you already know that the past few weeks have been pretty crazy for me. Between my job, mom, dog, brother, etc., I feel like I'm going a bit nuts. They changed my mom's double bypass operation 3 times in 3 days. Yes, you read that correctly: 3 times in 3 days. WTF?!? Angie managed to keep me from calling the doctor myself and blasting him for all the screw ups, so now I am gong to calmly write a letter to him detailing all the screw ups and let him know that I expect my mother to receive the best care possible going forward. In the meantime, she's receiving 70% of her pay while on short-term disability and every time her surgery gets pushed back, that hurts her financially.
The dog. Shana's arthritis is acting up lately. The vet thinks it's probably due in part to the weather change. Or maybe it's b/c Shana decides she should run around the house like a maniac and hurts her knee in the process. And this week's issue involves impacted anal sacs. I'll just leave it at that. No need to set off anyone's gag reflex over that one (including my own). The issue is being resolved and all is well in that area. Or will be shortly.
My brother. Hmph. Can't seem to be bothered to spend some time with my mother even tho he's only an hour by train to be with her. Meanwhile, I'm a minimum of 5.5 hours away and who knows what construction crap is going on between here and there.
My job. Our big fundraising efforts take place in September and October. Right now we are about $400,000 short of the goal we announced to the community. There are a lot of reasons for this projected shortfall and unfortunately, there is very little staff can do to close the gap. Fundraising is hard. Duh, I know. But it's hard not to take things personally when you know you've done the best you can do and still the companies with which you work don't raise as much money as expected. Or when your volunteers bail out...sigh.... A few more weeks and we'll announce what we raised and it will be time to start thinking about the next campaign.
Wedding planning. Well, not a whole lot going on there. Michael and I have been so busy lately and with my mom's surgery date changing all the time, we've had difficulty finding the time to make appointments with vendors. We still have a little more than 12 months to go, but I want to get the vendors taken care of as soon as we can.
So, that's pretty much it. Thanks to all of you for being so supportive and offering a sympathetic ear. I'm sure things will start to look up soon:>
9.29.2004
9.24.2004
Creepy, scary cult and the blinding light...
One hell of a statue. I've been meaning to post a picture of this for some time (so instead I'll provide a handy link), but it's hard to drive and take a picture at the same time. Not to mention unsafe. And since the dog lacks opposable thumbs, she can't work the camera either;> Anyway, when Amanda was in town last weekend, we had her take some pictures as we drove south toward Cincinnati for Oktoberfest (pictures of the scary Jesus statue and Amanda and Kelly wearing chicken hats to follow soon). No matter how hard you try to describe what a 42' statue of Jesus looks like, it's never the same as when you see it for yourself. And being the heathens that we are, we talked about taking pictures of ourselves with the statue growing out of our heads (a la pictures with the W@shington Monument sticking out of our heads) but it would have been very difficult to merge back on to the highway. And unsafe.
So, for those of you who might think there's nothing to do in Ohio, let me assure you, there are big scary statues of Jesus and camouflage chicken hats that will provide hours....well, minutes, I suppose, of entertainment. Come out for a visit! It'll be fun, I promise.
One hell of a statue. I've been meaning to post a picture of this for some time (so instead I'll provide a handy link), but it's hard to drive and take a picture at the same time. Not to mention unsafe. And since the dog lacks opposable thumbs, she can't work the camera either;> Anyway, when Amanda was in town last weekend, we had her take some pictures as we drove south toward Cincinnati for Oktoberfest (pictures of the scary Jesus statue and Amanda and Kelly wearing chicken hats to follow soon). No matter how hard you try to describe what a 42' statue of Jesus looks like, it's never the same as when you see it for yourself. And being the heathens that we are, we talked about taking pictures of ourselves with the statue growing out of our heads (a la pictures with the W@shington Monument sticking out of our heads) but it would have been very difficult to merge back on to the highway. And unsafe.
So, for those of you who might think there's nothing to do in Ohio, let me assure you, there are big scary statues of Jesus and camouflage chicken hats that will provide hours....well, minutes, I suppose, of entertainment. Come out for a visit! It'll be fun, I promise.
9.14.2004
*Onions*
I bought a bag of onions yesterday. Now, this probably doesn't seem like a particularly remarkable event, but for me, buying an entire 3 lb. bag of onions means having reached another stage of adulthood. Adulthood has been a big theme here of late, mostly due to my recent foray into adult issues like financial planning, marriage and now parental health issues. All by my choice, mind you. Well, except for the parental health stuff. I could do without that issue...
Anyway, I'm at the grocery store last night and I need to buy an onion, and they have a bin of really huge onions that I can purchase by unit, or I can buy a 3 lb. bag of smaller ones, which better suits my purpose, but means I have to buy the whole bag. So I look at the price. The 3lb. bag is cheaper than an individual sweet yellow onion (that probably weighs 2 lbs. it's that big) so I put the bag of onions in my cart. And as I am walking through the aisles, I'm reminded of a time when I was little and I thought that willingly putting onions in your food meant you were an adult. See, I wasn't a big fan of onions (most kids aren't) then, and my mom seemed to put a lot in everything we ate. So much so that we were convinced that the meatloaf she prepared had more onions in it than ground beef. Same with the stuffing at T-giving. Even my dad commented that there were too many onions in the meatloaf and he was an adult.
But I digress. So, there I am at the store with a whole bag of onions in my cart. I put them in there, I paid for them and then I took them home with the idea that I will someday use them in my cooking. How did I get here? When did I become a person who sort of likes onions (I still don't like big huge chunks of them and I don't eat them on everything)? And when did I become a person who buys a whole bag of them?
I bought a bag of onions yesterday. Now, this probably doesn't seem like a particularly remarkable event, but for me, buying an entire 3 lb. bag of onions means having reached another stage of adulthood. Adulthood has been a big theme here of late, mostly due to my recent foray into adult issues like financial planning, marriage and now parental health issues. All by my choice, mind you. Well, except for the parental health stuff. I could do without that issue...
Anyway, I'm at the grocery store last night and I need to buy an onion, and they have a bin of really huge onions that I can purchase by unit, or I can buy a 3 lb. bag of smaller ones, which better suits my purpose, but means I have to buy the whole bag. So I look at the price. The 3lb. bag is cheaper than an individual sweet yellow onion (that probably weighs 2 lbs. it's that big) so I put the bag of onions in my cart. And as I am walking through the aisles, I'm reminded of a time when I was little and I thought that willingly putting onions in your food meant you were an adult. See, I wasn't a big fan of onions (most kids aren't) then, and my mom seemed to put a lot in everything we ate. So much so that we were convinced that the meatloaf she prepared had more onions in it than ground beef. Same with the stuffing at T-giving. Even my dad commented that there were too many onions in the meatloaf and he was an adult.
But I digress. So, there I am at the store with a whole bag of onions in my cart. I put them in there, I paid for them and then I took them home with the idea that I will someday use them in my cooking. How did I get here? When did I become a person who sort of likes onions (I still don't like big huge chunks of them and I don't eat them on everything)? And when did I become a person who buys a whole bag of them?
9.10.2004
Can I go home now?
Goodness. I just got here and already I want to go home. Part of it is that I have so much to do at work that I just don't know where to start (so I'll blog instead) and the other part is that it is a cool, rainy day that would be much better spent on my couch with a book and my dog and a cup of coffee in hand. The urge to take a mental health day was very real this morning.
Anyway, things have been busy around here. Work, social obligations, a never ending pile of laundry, just to name a few. But none of this stuff is even remotely interesting enough to post here. I don't have any epiphanies to report on, exciting trips to mention or fabulous work opportunities with which to make you all envious (even if it means running with the elephants). Just regular life stuff, despite the business of it all.
Perhaps on Monday I'll have something more interesting to mention. Michael and I will receive the final version of our financial plan (duh, duh, DUH!!!!) tomorrow, so maybe there will be something more post-worthy from that experience.
Goodness. I just got here and already I want to go home. Part of it is that I have so much to do at work that I just don't know where to start (so I'll blog instead) and the other part is that it is a cool, rainy day that would be much better spent on my couch with a book and my dog and a cup of coffee in hand. The urge to take a mental health day was very real this morning.
Anyway, things have been busy around here. Work, social obligations, a never ending pile of laundry, just to name a few. But none of this stuff is even remotely interesting enough to post here. I don't have any epiphanies to report on, exciting trips to mention or fabulous work opportunities with which to make you all envious (even if it means running with the elephants). Just regular life stuff, despite the business of it all.
Perhaps on Monday I'll have something more interesting to mention. Michael and I will receive the final version of our financial plan (duh, duh, DUH!!!!) tomorrow, so maybe there will be something more post-worthy from that experience.
8.23.2004
Thank you and don't forget to Vote for...Cheney?
No, not Cheney, Change. Vote for Change. Michael and I spent a few hours volunteering with America Coming Together on Saturday and we were calling registered Democrats who are elegible to vote by absentee ballot (mostly people age 62+) and before we hung up, the script said "Thank you for your time and don't forget to Vote for Change on November 2nd." And one man I was talking to couldn't hear me very well and he thought I was telling him to vote for Cheney. No, not Cheney. Change. We only made calls for a couple of hours but I'm sure we'll continue to do things like that up until the election. I'm toying with the idea of taking the day off work on election day so I can volunteer at the polls. Maybe a half day b/c election day is only 2 days after our campaign closes and I'll still be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. One thing's for sure--I won't forget to vote for change.
No, not Cheney, Change. Vote for Change. Michael and I spent a few hours volunteering with America Coming Together on Saturday and we were calling registered Democrats who are elegible to vote by absentee ballot (mostly people age 62+) and before we hung up, the script said "Thank you for your time and don't forget to Vote for Change on November 2nd." And one man I was talking to couldn't hear me very well and he thought I was telling him to vote for Cheney. No, not Cheney. Change. We only made calls for a couple of hours but I'm sure we'll continue to do things like that up until the election. I'm toying with the idea of taking the day off work on election day so I can volunteer at the polls. Maybe a half day b/c election day is only 2 days after our campaign closes and I'll still be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. One thing's for sure--I won't forget to vote for change.
8.11.2004
The Fummer Returns....Home
I'm back from my very short vacation in Michigan with Michael and his family and back to the grind at work. I only have a minute to write, but as nice as my vacation was (and it was very, very nice), it's good to be home again. Home with my dog, home where there is cell phone reception and a bathroom that I don't have to share with anyone (except for Michael when he stays with me).
We went sailing, participated in a sail boat race (missed first place by just a hair), made s'mores, read a book, laid in the sand, went swimming, and climbed a big sand mountain (they call it a "dune" but it was definitely a mountain). Very relaxing and enjoyable...
Must dash, but I will try to get a link to some pictures here soon (I'm not sure that we took that many, now that I think about it...).
I'm back from my very short vacation in Michigan with Michael and his family and back to the grind at work. I only have a minute to write, but as nice as my vacation was (and it was very, very nice), it's good to be home again. Home with my dog, home where there is cell phone reception and a bathroom that I don't have to share with anyone (except for Michael when he stays with me).
We went sailing, participated in a sail boat race (missed first place by just a hair), made s'mores, read a book, laid in the sand, went swimming, and climbed a big sand mountain (they call it a "dune" but it was definitely a mountain). Very relaxing and enjoyable...
Must dash, but I will try to get a link to some pictures here soon (I'm not sure that we took that many, now that I think about it...).
8.03.2004
What's in a name?
Well, everything, if you ask me. And since this is my blog, my opinion reigns supreme here--bwah-ha-ha!
Last week I was helping some co-workers assemble a mailing to some of our rich-y rich donors and I noticed that many of the invitations were addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Man's First Name Man's Last name. I commented that I was so surprised to see that since Mr. Man's First Name & Mrs. Woman's First Name Man's Surname is more common and not as egregiously patriarchal as the first option. This comment sparked a discussion about name changes and was I going to take Michael's last name when we marry. When I said that I wouldn't dream of changing my name, someone commented "Oh, you're one of THEM." Them? Who the hell is "them?" If by "them," you mean someone who doesn't feel bound by the patriarchal tradition of changing one's name to her husband's, then I guess I am one of "them."
Changing your name or not changing your name is a deeply personal decision and each woman (and some men) has to do what is right for her. For me, changing my name would mean losing my identity. I have been K.A.S. for the last 26+ years (28 by the time we get hitched) and my name is just as much a part of me as anything else. I will be K.A.S. for the rest of my life. Michael taking my name or both of us adopting a new name is not really an option as neither one of us wants to change our names. And hyphenation is so not an option. Our names combined are just way too comical, even if we wanted to consider it.
So, after I state my case for not changing my name, I get the "But what about the kids?" question. What about them? Who said we were going to have any? Why do we all have to have the same name? Why do we have to decide right now especially since he/she isn't even a twinkle in my eye? That is a decision to be made when we need to fill out the birth certificate. In, oh, about 5 years. Or more.
The most recent study I read showed that fewer than 20% of women change their names after marriage, but still 20% is nothing to sneeze at. It's approximately 1/5 of all married women, so it's not like keeping my name is all that uncommon, like Lucy Stone keeping her name in the mid-1800's. Although, it's not like I didn't expect people to be surprised (not sure if that's the word I'm looking for), but I guess I didn't expect people to care so much. And it will only get worse as we get closer to actually being married (which is still over a year away). Durr....
Well, everything, if you ask me. And since this is my blog, my opinion reigns supreme here--bwah-ha-ha!
Last week I was helping some co-workers assemble a mailing to some of our rich-y rich donors and I noticed that many of the invitations were addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Man's First Name Man's Last name. I commented that I was so surprised to see that since Mr. Man's First Name & Mrs. Woman's First Name Man's Surname is more common and not as egregiously patriarchal as the first option. This comment sparked a discussion about name changes and was I going to take Michael's last name when we marry. When I said that I wouldn't dream of changing my name, someone commented "Oh, you're one of THEM." Them? Who the hell is "them?" If by "them," you mean someone who doesn't feel bound by the patriarchal tradition of changing one's name to her husband's, then I guess I am one of "them."
Changing your name or not changing your name is a deeply personal decision and each woman (and some men) has to do what is right for her. For me, changing my name would mean losing my identity. I have been K.A.S. for the last 26+ years (28 by the time we get hitched) and my name is just as much a part of me as anything else. I will be K.A.S. for the rest of my life. Michael taking my name or both of us adopting a new name is not really an option as neither one of us wants to change our names. And hyphenation is so not an option. Our names combined are just way too comical, even if we wanted to consider it.
So, after I state my case for not changing my name, I get the "But what about the kids?" question. What about them? Who said we were going to have any? Why do we all have to have the same name? Why do we have to decide right now especially since he/she isn't even a twinkle in my eye? That is a decision to be made when we need to fill out the birth certificate. In, oh, about 5 years. Or more.
The most recent study I read showed that fewer than 20% of women change their names after marriage, but still 20% is nothing to sneeze at. It's approximately 1/5 of all married women, so it's not like keeping my name is all that uncommon, like Lucy Stone keeping her name in the mid-1800's. Although, it's not like I didn't expect people to be surprised (not sure if that's the word I'm looking for), but I guess I didn't expect people to care so much. And it will only get worse as we get closer to actually being married (which is still over a year away). Durr....
7.26.2004
Back at the ranch...
The bad thing about vacation is that all this work piles up in your absence and at times it seems like vacation only makes life harder, not easier and more pleasant. This is not to say that our 4-day weekend in Rehoboth wasn't lovely or pleasant. Actually, it was very good, and I got to see my favorite people all in one place (except for Hefk--we missed you), eat some really bad stuff (by bad I mean oozing with cheese or fried or sprinkled with powdered sugar), and spend some quality time on the beach with 5 lbs. of sand in my bathing suit.
But, boy was I tired when we got home! So we had a low-key weekend and spent some quality time taking naps, going on walks and cooking meals. Very relaxing. And now it's Monday (and thank goodness the day is almost over) and here I am at work with a million things to do and never feeling like I can catch up with all of it. Such is life during campaign season. I do have a new admin., and I'm very excited about her. So far, anyway. She has a great attitude and is smart and good with computers. Especially navigating our database. This makes me very happy and reduces my stress level significantly. Keep your fingers crossed that she works out okay;>
So, that's about it. Thank you to everyone for a wonderful vacation and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible over Thanksgiving!
The bad thing about vacation is that all this work piles up in your absence and at times it seems like vacation only makes life harder, not easier and more pleasant. This is not to say that our 4-day weekend in Rehoboth wasn't lovely or pleasant. Actually, it was very good, and I got to see my favorite people all in one place (except for Hefk--we missed you), eat some really bad stuff (by bad I mean oozing with cheese or fried or sprinkled with powdered sugar), and spend some quality time on the beach with 5 lbs. of sand in my bathing suit.
But, boy was I tired when we got home! So we had a low-key weekend and spent some quality time taking naps, going on walks and cooking meals. Very relaxing. And now it's Monday (and thank goodness the day is almost over) and here I am at work with a million things to do and never feeling like I can catch up with all of it. Such is life during campaign season. I do have a new admin., and I'm very excited about her. So far, anyway. She has a great attitude and is smart and good with computers. Especially navigating our database. This makes me very happy and reduces my stress level significantly. Keep your fingers crossed that she works out okay;>
So, that's about it. Thank you to everyone for a wonderful vacation and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible over Thanksgiving!
7.12.2004
A little of this, and a little of that
I really should be doing something work-related, but I'm going to take a few minutes and catch up on some stuff I haven't had time to talk about.
1. I got engaged! We don't have a date yet, but will keep everyone posted. It would help if one of the sites we're interested in would be open when they say they're going to be... Aside from that, I couldn't be happier and I know I couldn't find a better man than Michael.
2. The John-John show last week was awesome! Even though we were standing pretty far from the stage, I was occasionally able to stand on the base of a lamp post (with Michael to help keep me from slipping off) to see, but mostly I was trying to stand on my toes and hope that people with hats and kids on their shoulders would stop moving into my field of vision. And, luckily, I only got one small patch of sunburn. All in all, a very worthwhile experience and I'm glad I took a half day from work to check it out. As for their message, it wasn't anything I haven't heard them say on the news or anything else: roll back the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, increase the number of jobs, increase aid for college tuition, etc. I think Edwards complements Kerry very well and I feel hopeful that we can take the White House.
3. I saw the Pants on Fire mobile a couple of weeks ago when it was in town. Not as many people showed up as I had expected, but then it hadn't been advertised much. Still, it was fun and we got ice cream! And in a conservative town like Cinti, it's even more fun b/c there are more conservatives to piss off around here;>
4. The beach. 5 more days. Crabs to pick, sand in my bathing suit, 4 days with my favorite people all in one place (we'll miss you Hefk). I couldn't be more excited!
I really should be doing something work-related, but I'm going to take a few minutes and catch up on some stuff I haven't had time to talk about.
1. I got engaged! We don't have a date yet, but will keep everyone posted. It would help if one of the sites we're interested in would be open when they say they're going to be... Aside from that, I couldn't be happier and I know I couldn't find a better man than Michael.
2. The John-John show last week was awesome! Even though we were standing pretty far from the stage, I was occasionally able to stand on the base of a lamp post (with Michael to help keep me from slipping off) to see, but mostly I was trying to stand on my toes and hope that people with hats and kids on their shoulders would stop moving into my field of vision. And, luckily, I only got one small patch of sunburn. All in all, a very worthwhile experience and I'm glad I took a half day from work to check it out. As for their message, it wasn't anything I haven't heard them say on the news or anything else: roll back the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, increase the number of jobs, increase aid for college tuition, etc. I think Edwards complements Kerry very well and I feel hopeful that we can take the White House.
3. I saw the Pants on Fire mobile a couple of weeks ago when it was in town. Not as many people showed up as I had expected, but then it hadn't been advertised much. Still, it was fun and we got ice cream! And in a conservative town like Cinti, it's even more fun b/c there are more conservatives to piss off around here;>
4. The beach. 5 more days. Crabs to pick, sand in my bathing suit, 4 days with my favorite people all in one place (we'll miss you Hefk). I couldn't be more excited!
7.09.2004
7.07.2004
No time to blog
I have exactly one minute to blog and then I have to get some work done. Who knew that getting *engaged* would create such a hoo-ha at the office such that you can't get any work done? But, no time to talk about that right now, I need to get some work done before I go into a 3.5 hour long meeting followed by a meeting at and then running home to grab the dog and driving to Dayton. And while the *fiance* lives in Dayton, the reason I'm leaving work in the middle of the day to go up there is because Kerry and Edwards are going to be there this afternoon for a rally. I really need to stay at the office so I don't get my @ss kicked tomorrow for not getting my work done, but this opportunity doesn't present itself very often. I'll report back tomorrow...If I haven't had my @ss kicked first;>
I have exactly one minute to blog and then I have to get some work done. Who knew that getting *engaged* would create such a hoo-ha at the office such that you can't get any work done? But, no time to talk about that right now, I need to get some work done before I go into a 3.5 hour long meeting followed by a meeting at and then running home to grab the dog and driving to Dayton. And while the *fiance* lives in Dayton, the reason I'm leaving work in the middle of the day to go up there is because Kerry and Edwards are going to be there this afternoon for a rally. I really need to stay at the office so I don't get my @ss kicked tomorrow for not getting my work done, but this opportunity doesn't present itself very often. I'll report back tomorrow...If I haven't had my @ss kicked first;>
6.29.2004
Have you heard of the NO-CARB Diet for 2004?
NO C-heney
NO A-shcroft
NO R-umsfeld
NO B-ush
and "Absolutely NO RICE!"
Hee hee! So, Michael and I went to see Fahrenheit 9/11 on Friday night and it was...powerful. After we walked out of the theater, I cried all over M's shirt. Now, I can't do this film justice here on my blog. I would recommend that you see it yourself. But be warned: take some tissues with you.
I will say this, M.M. does go overboard with the whole conspiracy theory thing a la the X-Files in its last couple of seasons. But. So much of what he presents is highly compelling and disturbing and horrific and I could go on and on. Yes, he pokes a lot of fun at Bush. And it's funny. But he recognizes that Bush alone is not responsible for this mess in Iraq. I don't want to spoil it for you, but one of my favorite parts of this film is where M.M. discovers that only one member of Congress has a child serving in the military. So he hangs around waiting for Congress-people to walk by and when they do, he approaches them to ask if they would be interested in having their children enlist in the armed services. He hands out brochures for the various branches and he even has a member of the Marine Corps there to assist him. He actually engages one person in a brief conversation, but the rest pretty much run away from him.
I won't say any more about it other than to encourage you to see it. And remind you to get out and vote. Unless you plan to vote for Bush or Nader, in which case, please stay at home. I'm just teasing...or am I...? No really, I am. Everyone should exercise her/his right to vote (see also A's blog).
NO C-heney
NO A-shcroft
NO R-umsfeld
NO B-ush
and "Absolutely NO RICE!"
Hee hee! So, Michael and I went to see Fahrenheit 9/11 on Friday night and it was...powerful. After we walked out of the theater, I cried all over M's shirt. Now, I can't do this film justice here on my blog. I would recommend that you see it yourself. But be warned: take some tissues with you.
I will say this, M.M. does go overboard with the whole conspiracy theory thing a la the X-Files in its last couple of seasons. But. So much of what he presents is highly compelling and disturbing and horrific and I could go on and on. Yes, he pokes a lot of fun at Bush. And it's funny. But he recognizes that Bush alone is not responsible for this mess in Iraq. I don't want to spoil it for you, but one of my favorite parts of this film is where M.M. discovers that only one member of Congress has a child serving in the military. So he hangs around waiting for Congress-people to walk by and when they do, he approaches them to ask if they would be interested in having their children enlist in the armed services. He hands out brochures for the various branches and he even has a member of the Marine Corps there to assist him. He actually engages one person in a brief conversation, but the rest pretty much run away from him.
I won't say any more about it other than to encourage you to see it. And remind you to get out and vote. Unless you plan to vote for Bush or Nader, in which case, please stay at home. I'm just teasing...or am I...? No really, I am. Everyone should exercise her/his right to vote (see also A's blog).
6.23.2004
Smacked upside the head with Adulthood...
That's Adulthood with a big capital 'A.' And it's really not enough for me to be freaked out and overwhelmed by all of it, so I am going to share that feeling with you, my friends. First, let me say that it was a very positive experience and I am glad I did it. Second, the consultation was free and that was appreciated. But. Despite having been an official adult since the age of 18 (according to the government, not my state of mind)and thinking that I was doing pretty well as an independent person, a young professional, I got smacked upside the head with real Adulthood. Now, you might be thinking, "what is 'real' adulthood, anyway?" Oh, it's stuff like: here's a timeline of you, starting at the age of 26 and let's say you're going to live to be 95, and now let's plot your goals on this timeline. And then you get asked if you plan to have children and how many and when you think you might have them. What!?!? I have to think about this? Are you kidding me? I have to plot when "Kelly Jr." may come along? WTF?!? This is more reality than I am prepared to deal with at the moment.
But it gets worse. Much worse. I (and Michael, too since I dragged him along. Hey, it was free and we may as well take advantage of it), well, we start talking about goals like retirement at a decent age and graduate school for me and things like that, and that stuff was okay. But then S. (the advisor) starts asking things about what our individual life insurance policies are and short- and long-term disability benefits. Eeek! Right now, at this stage of my life, my life ins. is enough to cover my car/student loan debts with a little left over for my parents. But someday I plan to get married and start a family and owe a home, and then I'll be in trouble.
And then I think about Judy and how I could very easily have an accident while out walking the dog and my LT disability is only 60% of my pay (which is a huge cause for concern b/c working in non-profit, 100% of my pay only just keeps me in the black). And I don't have a savings account or a 403(b) or a TDA or any of that stuff that needs to be in place now for future retirement. So...it was a lot to think about. I'm still digesting it all, in fact.
Despite the anxiety attack I thought I might have sitting there and realizing that I have no assets and 2 big debts, it was a very good opportunity to start thinking about what I want out of life and how I'm going to get there. Most of the people that read this blog are well aware of the money issues my parents always seemed to have and I don't want that for myself or my children. And even though money problems weren't the only issues responsible for my parents' pending divorce, it was the one thing I can remember them arguing about time and again. I don't want that to be the case in my relationship with Michael (who, fortunately, grew up without these issues).
So...there it is. Adulthood. When did we get here? I don't really remember how I got here. Michael and I went to Fr!endly's last Saturday for dinner and I got a little nostalgic thinking of Fr!endly's after football/basketball games in high school and a time when our biggest concern was developing our plans for prom. Now I'm faced with developing plans for "Kelly Jr." and retirement...sigh... How did I get here?
That's Adulthood with a big capital 'A.' And it's really not enough for me to be freaked out and overwhelmed by all of it, so I am going to share that feeling with you, my friends. First, let me say that it was a very positive experience and I am glad I did it. Second, the consultation was free and that was appreciated. But. Despite having been an official adult since the age of 18 (according to the government, not my state of mind)and thinking that I was doing pretty well as an independent person, a young professional, I got smacked upside the head with real Adulthood. Now, you might be thinking, "what is 'real' adulthood, anyway?" Oh, it's stuff like: here's a timeline of you, starting at the age of 26 and let's say you're going to live to be 95, and now let's plot your goals on this timeline. And then you get asked if you plan to have children and how many and when you think you might have them. What!?!? I have to think about this? Are you kidding me? I have to plot when "Kelly Jr." may come along? WTF?!? This is more reality than I am prepared to deal with at the moment.
But it gets worse. Much worse. I (and Michael, too since I dragged him along. Hey, it was free and we may as well take advantage of it), well, we start talking about goals like retirement at a decent age and graduate school for me and things like that, and that stuff was okay. But then S. (the advisor) starts asking things about what our individual life insurance policies are and short- and long-term disability benefits. Eeek! Right now, at this stage of my life, my life ins. is enough to cover my car/student loan debts with a little left over for my parents. But someday I plan to get married and start a family and owe a home, and then I'll be in trouble.
And then I think about Judy and how I could very easily have an accident while out walking the dog and my LT disability is only 60% of my pay (which is a huge cause for concern b/c working in non-profit, 100% of my pay only just keeps me in the black). And I don't have a savings account or a 403(b) or a TDA or any of that stuff that needs to be in place now for future retirement. So...it was a lot to think about. I'm still digesting it all, in fact.
Despite the anxiety attack I thought I might have sitting there and realizing that I have no assets and 2 big debts, it was a very good opportunity to start thinking about what I want out of life and how I'm going to get there. Most of the people that read this blog are well aware of the money issues my parents always seemed to have and I don't want that for myself or my children. And even though money problems weren't the only issues responsible for my parents' pending divorce, it was the one thing I can remember them arguing about time and again. I don't want that to be the case in my relationship with Michael (who, fortunately, grew up without these issues).
So...there it is. Adulthood. When did we get here? I don't really remember how I got here. Michael and I went to Fr!endly's last Saturday for dinner and I got a little nostalgic thinking of Fr!endly's after football/basketball games in high school and a time when our biggest concern was developing our plans for prom. Now I'm faced with developing plans for "Kelly Jr." and retirement...sigh... How did I get here?
6.14.2004
Finally joined the techie age...
Thanks to the Best Boyfriend Ever (dammit! that was for you, Ang) I am now the proud owner of a PDA and... I love it. Really. I was so silly for putting it off this long. Of course, now I need to take the time to enter my address book (long an un-alphabetized little notebook purchased from My Sister's Words many moons ago) but then it will all be alphabetized and neatly typed AND I can BEAM the information to someone else's PDA. Whee! And the BBE even came to my office to install stuff and show me how to use it. I might have joined the techie age but that does not mean I can navigate myself thru all this information without LOTS of assistance. Now, if only I could get it to vacuum, I'd be all set.
Thanks to the Best Boyfriend Ever (dammit! that was for you, Ang) I am now the proud owner of a PDA and... I love it. Really. I was so silly for putting it off this long. Of course, now I need to take the time to enter my address book (long an un-alphabetized little notebook purchased from My Sister's Words many moons ago) but then it will all be alphabetized and neatly typed AND I can BEAM the information to someone else's PDA. Whee! And the BBE even came to my office to install stuff and show me how to use it. I might have joined the techie age but that does not mean I can navigate myself thru all this information without LOTS of assistance. Now, if only I could get it to vacuum, I'd be all set.
6.01.2004
Well, I survived...
But that doesn't mean I want to do any of that again any time soon. My parents were good (sort of, and it was really great to see my brother get his diploma but I don't need to do that again for a long, long time. I'm just glad to be back and have that experience behind me. In truth, things went fine, but I'm still mentally exhausted from it all and I'm not ready to relive it in my blog. Yet. Maybe never. Hee hee.
So, for now, it's back to the same old, same old.
But that doesn't mean I want to do any of that again any time soon. My parents were good (sort of, and it was really great to see my brother get his diploma but I don't need to do that again for a long, long time. I'm just glad to be back and have that experience behind me. In truth, things went fine, but I'm still mentally exhausted from it all and I'm not ready to relive it in my blog. Yet. Maybe never. Hee hee.
So, for now, it's back to the same old, same old.
5.27.2004
Running, running, running...
To get everything done before I go on "vacation." Why is it "vacation" and not vacation, you ask? Because I'm going to see my brother graduate from college (a big shout out to Stimpy!) and both of my parents are going to be together in the same place (but not under the same roof) for the first time in almost a year and a half. Unfortunately, their divorce still isn't final, although that wouldn't necessarily make things any easier.
Anyway, I don't consider babysitting my parents a vacation so it's a "vacation." I'm going out of town but it won't be for some non-stop fun and excitement. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for my brother and I am looking forward to seeing my parents and I'm excited about introducing Michael to the rest of my family...it's just...I don't know. Weird. The whole "my parents are going thru a divorce" fall-out isn't complete yet, and everybody's tense about it. But. Michael and I have decided that we are going to have fun this weekend even if no one else is. I'm going to stop complaining about the situation (starting now) and stop complaining about how annoying my parents are (G, I feel a lot better now after our conversation the other day) and just enjoy myself. It's the last time we'll be together as a family, fractured tho it may be, until someone gets married or dies, whichever comes first.
So, I bid you adieu for the next few days. Have to get some work done so I can leave at 4:30 today. Love and miss to all and hope you have a great weekend.
To get everything done before I go on "vacation." Why is it "vacation" and not vacation, you ask? Because I'm going to see my brother graduate from college (a big shout out to Stimpy!) and both of my parents are going to be together in the same place (but not under the same roof) for the first time in almost a year and a half. Unfortunately, their divorce still isn't final, although that wouldn't necessarily make things any easier.
Anyway, I don't consider babysitting my parents a vacation so it's a "vacation." I'm going out of town but it won't be for some non-stop fun and excitement. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for my brother and I am looking forward to seeing my parents and I'm excited about introducing Michael to the rest of my family...it's just...I don't know. Weird. The whole "my parents are going thru a divorce" fall-out isn't complete yet, and everybody's tense about it. But. Michael and I have decided that we are going to have fun this weekend even if no one else is. I'm going to stop complaining about the situation (starting now) and stop complaining about how annoying my parents are (G, I feel a lot better now after our conversation the other day) and just enjoy myself. It's the last time we'll be together as a family, fractured tho it may be, until someone gets married or dies, whichever comes first.
So, I bid you adieu for the next few days. Have to get some work done so I can leave at 4:30 today. Love and miss to all and hope you have a great weekend.
5.19.2004
Panties vs. Underwear
So, I come home yesterday and check my mailbox, as usual. Nestled among the circulars, the "Have you seen me?" flier and a solicitation to become a member of Triple A, is a V!ctoria's Secret catalog. Not that there is anything unusual about this since they send them to me about 3 times a month (why bother since I only shop there about twice a year?), but I couldn't help but flip through the pages of pretty underwear and it got me thinking: only VS calls underwear "panties." I never say "panties." Unless I'm talking about how I never say it because I prefer "underwear." Panties just sounds way more sexy than underwear but underwear is way more practical than something called panties. But even when I wear something a little more sexy than plain briefs (even though they were purchased from VS) I still call it underwear.
Normally I have deeper thoughts than this, but I figured this subject would provoke absentee commenters to show me some love. So, which is it: panties or underwear?
So, I come home yesterday and check my mailbox, as usual. Nestled among the circulars, the "Have you seen me?" flier and a solicitation to become a member of Triple A, is a V!ctoria's Secret catalog. Not that there is anything unusual about this since they send them to me about 3 times a month (why bother since I only shop there about twice a year?), but I couldn't help but flip through the pages of pretty underwear and it got me thinking: only VS calls underwear "panties." I never say "panties." Unless I'm talking about how I never say it because I prefer "underwear." Panties just sounds way more sexy than underwear but underwear is way more practical than something called panties. But even when I wear something a little more sexy than plain briefs (even though they were purchased from VS) I still call it underwear.
Normally I have deeper thoughts than this, but I figured this subject would provoke absentee commenters to show me some love. So, which is it: panties or underwear?
5.14.2004
Still a cubicle dweller...
So the big move at the office finally arrived and many of us are still unpacking and sorting and finding new places to put everything. While I am in a new location, my cube is configured pretty much the same as it was before except that my big filing cabinet is in a new spot. Not very interesting. And the cube walls themselves are totally disgusting b/c we've had them for 20+ years b/c non-profits are poor and are always getting hand-me-downs from for-profit companies that can afford to buy new stuff every 3 years. Anyway. At least my new cube is close to the fun people in the organization. And I'm not in a pod.
So I guess I should try to get some work done before I leave for the day. I no longer have the excuse that my computer isn't hooked up yet to justify not getting anything done. T.G.I.F.
So the big move at the office finally arrived and many of us are still unpacking and sorting and finding new places to put everything. While I am in a new location, my cube is configured pretty much the same as it was before except that my big filing cabinet is in a new spot. Not very interesting. And the cube walls themselves are totally disgusting b/c we've had them for 20+ years b/c non-profits are poor and are always getting hand-me-downs from for-profit companies that can afford to buy new stuff every 3 years. Anyway. At least my new cube is close to the fun people in the organization. And I'm not in a pod.
So I guess I should try to get some work done before I leave for the day. I no longer have the excuse that my computer isn't hooked up yet to justify not getting anything done. T.G.I.F.
5.10.2004
My boyfriend rocks!
Yes, yes. Gag. Barf. Retch. I know. But he is so awesome and here are a few reasons why:
- he puts up with my tendency to be bossy
- he genuinely likes my dog
- he taught me to drive a car with a manual transmission and doesn't flinch when I stall out or make the car jerk around trying to get into first gear
- is a feminist man who believes in the freedom of choice so much that he went to the March for Women's Lives with me last month
- let me drive his car to work today so he could take my car to get the brakes done someplace across town and then took the bus to get to work this morning
- serenades me with songs (but never THE song from "Cheers")
- introduced me to "The H!tchh!ker's Gu!de to the G@l@xy" and books by @l Fr@nken
- is sweet, kind, super-smart, romantic, and one hot babe!
And so, amidst a chorus of retching sounds, Michael, I love you.
Yes, yes. Gag. Barf. Retch. I know. But he is so awesome and here are a few reasons why:
- he puts up with my tendency to be bossy
- he genuinely likes my dog
- he taught me to drive a car with a manual transmission and doesn't flinch when I stall out or make the car jerk around trying to get into first gear
- is a feminist man who believes in the freedom of choice so much that he went to the March for Women's Lives with me last month
- let me drive his car to work today so he could take my car to get the brakes done someplace across town and then took the bus to get to work this morning
- serenades me with songs (but never THE song from "Cheers")
- introduced me to "The H!tchh!ker's Gu!de to the G@l@xy" and books by @l Fr@nken
- is sweet, kind, super-smart, romantic, and one hot babe!
And so, amidst a chorus of retching sounds, Michael, I love you.
5.04.2004
Inefficiency Part II
Well, now I have a title memorandum for my car and once I get my emissions check, I can go get my registration and new plates. You'd think they would offer e-check at the title agency or the license branches but they don't. Instead they want you to drive all over the state of Oh!o to do all this crap and write lots of different checks all in the name of Inefficiency. So, for today, I will get the e-check done and possibly go take my driver's license test (depending on how long the e-check takes). I have studied the rules of the road and took a practice test so I can demonstrate that the only difference b/w the rules of the road in PA and OH are...wait! There is no difference! Even the B.A.C. is the same! Wow...how about that?
Then there's the whole car issue. Most of you know already that my car has been in the shop 3 times in the past week for transmission trouble. The service mgr. says it's all fixed and even offered to drive it home and back as an additional test-drive before returning it to me later today. I hope I don't have to take it back to the dealer again until it's time for another oil change.
I sort of feel bad that the last couple of postings have been so negative, but dealing with the BMV has been a royal pain and last week, I really did have particularly bad luck with the car, dog and apartment. But, the car is (supposedly) better, the dog is better (I'll spare you the details on what I had to do to find out what was wrong with her), and the apartment, well, I haven't figured that one out yet. But. At least I am in good health (knock on wood or rather faux wood and plastic), I have a good job and friends and family are doing well. Relatively well. And we got to go to the March for Women's Lives last weekend and it was awesome! I really couldn't do the experience justice here but I will say that it was even better than I remember it being in '92. I am really excited going forward and expect that the energy from the March will inspire others to get involved b/w now and election day. Love to all!
Well, now I have a title memorandum for my car and once I get my emissions check, I can go get my registration and new plates. You'd think they would offer e-check at the title agency or the license branches but they don't. Instead they want you to drive all over the state of Oh!o to do all this crap and write lots of different checks all in the name of Inefficiency. So, for today, I will get the e-check done and possibly go take my driver's license test (depending on how long the e-check takes). I have studied the rules of the road and took a practice test so I can demonstrate that the only difference b/w the rules of the road in PA and OH are...wait! There is no difference! Even the B.A.C. is the same! Wow...how about that?
Then there's the whole car issue. Most of you know already that my car has been in the shop 3 times in the past week for transmission trouble. The service mgr. says it's all fixed and even offered to drive it home and back as an additional test-drive before returning it to me later today. I hope I don't have to take it back to the dealer again until it's time for another oil change.
I sort of feel bad that the last couple of postings have been so negative, but dealing with the BMV has been a royal pain and last week, I really did have particularly bad luck with the car, dog and apartment. But, the car is (supposedly) better, the dog is better (I'll spare you the details on what I had to do to find out what was wrong with her), and the apartment, well, I haven't figured that one out yet. But. At least I am in good health (knock on wood or rather faux wood and plastic), I have a good job and friends and family are doing well. Relatively well. And we got to go to the March for Women's Lives last weekend and it was awesome! I really couldn't do the experience justice here but I will say that it was even better than I remember it being in '92. I am really excited going forward and expect that the energy from the March will inspire others to get involved b/w now and election day. Love to all!
4.21.2004
Who DOESN'T love inefficiency?
Of the 3 states where I have had to go through the process of registering my vehicle and myself with the state, Oh!o is the worst. Talk about inefficient. You might be asking yourself why I haven't done this sooner, I mean, I only made the decision to stay here back at Thanksgiving, but I kept putting it off until the middle of the month in order to avoid long lines at the BMV. And, funnily enough, I was planning to go to the BMV tomorrow, but yesterday a cop saw my car parked on the street and ticketed me for having expired plates. Oops.
Anyway, so as of this morning, I have completed the second of four steps to becoming an official resident of
Oh!o. I have my new car insurance and temporary license plates on my car. This is where the inefficiency begins. I go one place to get my temp. plates. I get the form for my lienholder to fill out and submit to the BMV from another place. Next I go to another place to get an emissions check. Then I will go to yet another place to take my out-of-state driver's license exam b/c the first place I went is only able to administer the exam to first time test takers. And there are only 3 locations that offer the out-of-state test and of course they are all way out of my way. Like I have nothing better to do...
Ah, but when all is said and done, I will be an official resident, I will be a registered voter and an organ donor. And who doesn't love that?
Of the 3 states where I have had to go through the process of registering my vehicle and myself with the state, Oh!o is the worst. Talk about inefficient. You might be asking yourself why I haven't done this sooner, I mean, I only made the decision to stay here back at Thanksgiving, but I kept putting it off until the middle of the month in order to avoid long lines at the BMV. And, funnily enough, I was planning to go to the BMV tomorrow, but yesterday a cop saw my car parked on the street and ticketed me for having expired plates. Oops.
Anyway, so as of this morning, I have completed the second of four steps to becoming an official resident of
Oh!o. I have my new car insurance and temporary license plates on my car. This is where the inefficiency begins. I go one place to get my temp. plates. I get the form for my lienholder to fill out and submit to the BMV from another place. Next I go to another place to get an emissions check. Then I will go to yet another place to take my out-of-state driver's license exam b/c the first place I went is only able to administer the exam to first time test takers. And there are only 3 locations that offer the out-of-state test and of course they are all way out of my way. Like I have nothing better to do...
Ah, but when all is said and done, I will be an official resident, I will be a registered voter and an organ donor. And who doesn't love that?
4.16.2004
4.12.2004
Honk for Choice!
Michael and I put on our political activist hats, well, actually they were shirts, on Saturday and encouraged people to attend the March for Women's Lives and, yes, honk for choice. It was so cool! We went to 2 high-traffic spots to hold up signs a la the B*rma Sh@ve campaigns of the 1950's (http://www.fiftiesweb.com/burma.htm) and flanking each end of the group we had Honk for Choice signs. And lots and lots of people honked for choice. We had a few nasty responses and saw many a flipped bird, but for the most part, people seemed very supportive. Which is especially exciting in the conservative Queen City. Interestingly, derogatory comments were made by white middle-class men. A few white middle-class women gave the finger (at least the ones I saw fit that description) and there was very exuberant honking from African American men and women on more than one occasion. It was neat to see that supporters were both old and young, some rich and some poor, comprised of various ethnicities and I'm sure religious convictions. I grow more excited as the March draws near. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather!
Michael and I put on our political activist hats, well, actually they were shirts, on Saturday and encouraged people to attend the March for Women's Lives and, yes, honk for choice. It was so cool! We went to 2 high-traffic spots to hold up signs a la the B*rma Sh@ve campaigns of the 1950's (http://www.fiftiesweb.com/burma.htm) and flanking each end of the group we had Honk for Choice signs. And lots and lots of people honked for choice. We had a few nasty responses and saw many a flipped bird, but for the most part, people seemed very supportive. Which is especially exciting in the conservative Queen City. Interestingly, derogatory comments were made by white middle-class men. A few white middle-class women gave the finger (at least the ones I saw fit that description) and there was very exuberant honking from African American men and women on more than one occasion. It was neat to see that supporters were both old and young, some rich and some poor, comprised of various ethnicities and I'm sure religious convictions. I grow more excited as the March draws near. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather!
3.31.2004
It's kind of funny...
the way some parts of life work out. I think I might finally believe that expression about when a door closes a window opens. I'm not going to comment further at this time (clearly I am also on Alissa's "be as vague as possible in your blog" plan--hee hee!). I'm really only interested in musing publicly at the way things work out...and you never end up where you thought you would be. Which is perfectly fine with me b/c I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be even though "this" and all that "this" is, is not what I saw for myself 8 years ago. Then again, I had no idea at the age of 18 of what and where I would be in the future and all that would happen along the way. Funny... Of course, I would never have gotten to "this" without my best and closest friends, so a big thank you to all of you for your support and love whether it's after the door has closed or when the window opened.
And a big thank you to FB for being amazing and wonderful you. I am so very lucky.
the way some parts of life work out. I think I might finally believe that expression about when a door closes a window opens. I'm not going to comment further at this time (clearly I am also on Alissa's "be as vague as possible in your blog" plan--hee hee!). I'm really only interested in musing publicly at the way things work out...and you never end up where you thought you would be. Which is perfectly fine with me b/c I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be even though "this" and all that "this" is, is not what I saw for myself 8 years ago. Then again, I had no idea at the age of 18 of what and where I would be in the future and all that would happen along the way. Funny... Of course, I would never have gotten to "this" without my best and closest friends, so a big thank you to all of you for your support and love whether it's after the door has closed or when the window opened.
And a big thank you to FB for being amazing and wonderful you. I am so very lucky.
3.22.2004
Quilt Show Carnies
Ah, yes....the "carnie." In particular, the "quilt show carnie" is the subject of this posting today. While quilt show carnies belong to the same species as the craft show carnie, there are a few distinctions: quilt show carnies do not smell like patchouli, nor do they resemeble hippies, and there are few men found within their tribes. The QSC can be found at "shows," usually a high school gynmasium or convention center, selling or trading various textiles and highly advanced metal artifacts. These shows attract hundreds, even thousands, of "quilters." Quilters and carnies alike are easily spotted by their puffball hair-dos in various shades of gray, wearable art, and really bad fashion sense. They carefully garb themselves in garments reflective of their different tribes as they prepare for the hunt. What is is that they hunt....? That all too elusive thimble made for fingers with long nails? That half yard of fabric in the perfect shade of orange to complement the car-themed quilt she's making for her husband? Or is it just a quest to increase the wealth of her stash?
Stay tuned to find out....
Ah, yes....the "carnie." In particular, the "quilt show carnie" is the subject of this posting today. While quilt show carnies belong to the same species as the craft show carnie, there are a few distinctions: quilt show carnies do not smell like patchouli, nor do they resemeble hippies, and there are few men found within their tribes. The QSC can be found at "shows," usually a high school gynmasium or convention center, selling or trading various textiles and highly advanced metal artifacts. These shows attract hundreds, even thousands, of "quilters." Quilters and carnies alike are easily spotted by their puffball hair-dos in various shades of gray, wearable art, and really bad fashion sense. They carefully garb themselves in garments reflective of their different tribes as they prepare for the hunt. What is is that they hunt....? That all too elusive thimble made for fingers with long nails? That half yard of fabric in the perfect shade of orange to complement the car-themed quilt she's making for her husband? Or is it just a quest to increase the wealth of her stash?
Stay tuned to find out....
3.09.2004
The City of Sisterly Love or Fun Girly (+ Michael) Weekend
What a fun wonderful weekend with my favorite people and a picture of Gwen's head on a stick...sigh...I think I need a day off to recover from our whirlwind weekend:> I would rehash the events of the trip to Phila., but I'm not sure I could do it justice and I'm at work and really should be doing something constructive for which I get paid. Thank you to those of you who could make it and hope to see many of you again in April (www.ppaction.org/PPMarch04/join.html).
What a fun wonderful weekend with my favorite people and a picture of Gwen's head on a stick...sigh...I think I need a day off to recover from our whirlwind weekend:> I would rehash the events of the trip to Phila., but I'm not sure I could do it justice and I'm at work and really should be doing something constructive for which I get paid. Thank you to those of you who could make it and hope to see many of you again in April (www.ppaction.org/PPMarch04/join.html).
2.26.2004
2.24.2004
Be nice to me today...
I gave blood. Which I have been doing every 10 weeks. This time, however, I did it as part of the blood drive at my office instead of doing it at one of the blood centers like I normally would. There is something about that bus that makes me nearly faint every time I give blood in there. I can go to the center by my house and do the whole thing within 25 mintues. I get on that bus to give blood and I'm in there for 45-50 minutes. I'm thinking I may have to stop participating in the blood drive at work....only 3 more donations and I'll be a member of the Gallon Club. :>
In other news, I'm very excited about my upcoming trip to Phila. with Michael. I'm so excited to see my friends and do a Lanky-town drive thru....hell, I'm even looking forward to seeing my dad. Oh man, if I actually believed in Hell, I would be going to hell for saying that about my dad. Of course, since we are going to see my dad, now a trip to see my mom has to be arranged at some point. Life is a lot easier when your parents live in the same state. Anyway, can't wait to see those of you who can make it, and for the rest of you, we'll be in D.C. for the last weekend in April. See you soon!
I gave blood. Which I have been doing every 10 weeks. This time, however, I did it as part of the blood drive at my office instead of doing it at one of the blood centers like I normally would. There is something about that bus that makes me nearly faint every time I give blood in there. I can go to the center by my house and do the whole thing within 25 mintues. I get on that bus to give blood and I'm in there for 45-50 minutes. I'm thinking I may have to stop participating in the blood drive at work....only 3 more donations and I'll be a member of the Gallon Club. :>
In other news, I'm very excited about my upcoming trip to Phila. with Michael. I'm so excited to see my friends and do a Lanky-town drive thru....hell, I'm even looking forward to seeing my dad. Oh man, if I actually believed in Hell, I would be going to hell for saying that about my dad. Of course, since we are going to see my dad, now a trip to see my mom has to be arranged at some point. Life is a lot easier when your parents live in the same state. Anyway, can't wait to see those of you who can make it, and for the rest of you, we'll be in D.C. for the last weekend in April. See you soon!
2.16.2004
And now for the weather report...
It's going to be a balmy 53 degrees with partly cloudy skies on Thursday. Well, it's about time it started warming up around here. I am so ready for spring...the warm sunshine, light breezes, daffodils....I want to put away my winter coat and sweaters in favor of jackets and t-shirts. I want to read the Sunday paper on my back porch while sipping coffee and feeliing the sun warm on my skin. I want to take Shana to the park and not worry about muddy paws when it's time to get back in the car. I'm even ready for our not-so-stellar softball team to start practicing for this year's season. All I know is that I'm tired of big piles of dirty snow, scraping frost off of my windshield, and chilly winds that make it feel like it's 10 degrees outside instead of 30...sigh....how much longer until spring is finally here?
It's going to be a balmy 53 degrees with partly cloudy skies on Thursday. Well, it's about time it started warming up around here. I am so ready for spring...the warm sunshine, light breezes, daffodils....I want to put away my winter coat and sweaters in favor of jackets and t-shirts. I want to read the Sunday paper on my back porch while sipping coffee and feeliing the sun warm on my skin. I want to take Shana to the park and not worry about muddy paws when it's time to get back in the car. I'm even ready for our not-so-stellar softball team to start practicing for this year's season. All I know is that I'm tired of big piles of dirty snow, scraping frost off of my windshield, and chilly winds that make it feel like it's 10 degrees outside instead of 30...sigh....how much longer until spring is finally here?
2.10.2004
Sign up now
"The March for Women's Lives on April 25, 2004, promises to be one of the largest public demonstrations in support of reproductive freedom in history." I'll be there and hope many of you will be, too. PPFA hopes to get one million supporters on the mall that day, and I promise it will be very exciting. So, break out your "This is what a feminist looks like" t-shirt and make arrangements with your pet sitter to watch your dog.
http://www.ppaction.org/PPMarch04/join.html
"The March for Women's Lives on April 25, 2004, promises to be one of the largest public demonstrations in support of reproductive freedom in history." I'll be there and hope many of you will be, too. PPFA hopes to get one million supporters on the mall that day, and I promise it will be very exciting. So, break out your "This is what a feminist looks like" t-shirt and make arrangements with your pet sitter to watch your dog.
http://www.ppaction.org/PPMarch04/join.html
2.03.2004
Ewwwwwww...
So, I go to the ladies room and what happens? I sit down in someone else's pee. That is just unbelievable disgusting. We're all adults here, we have a cleaning crew to clean the bathrooms EVERY DAY, and yet, women are peeing on the freakin' seat. If everyone just sat down on the seat like they're supposed to, we would not have this problem. Now, I expect to find this in a public restroom, but really, to do that at the office? Wrong, wrong, wrong. What are people thinking? $10 says the same woman that pees on the seat is also the one who doesn't wash her hands before leaving the bathroom.
So, I go to the ladies room and what happens? I sit down in someone else's pee. That is just unbelievable disgusting. We're all adults here, we have a cleaning crew to clean the bathrooms EVERY DAY, and yet, women are peeing on the freakin' seat. If everyone just sat down on the seat like they're supposed to, we would not have this problem. Now, I expect to find this in a public restroom, but really, to do that at the office? Wrong, wrong, wrong. What are people thinking? $10 says the same woman that pees on the seat is also the one who doesn't wash her hands before leaving the bathroom.
1.29.2004
The GBC
So....what happened to The Great Blogging Challenge? Here we are, mostly discussing the weather (what are we, retired people with nothing else to talk about?) when there is a plethora of topics to discuss. Since Scott complained about the topics from last time, I vote that he gets to pick the first one. Who's with me?
So....what happened to The Great Blogging Challenge? Here we are, mostly discussing the weather (what are we, retired people with nothing else to talk about?) when there is a plethora of topics to discuss. Since Scott complained about the topics from last time, I vote that he gets to pick the first one. Who's with me?
1.23.2004
Not much to say.....
Like Ang noted on her blog, I don't seem to have much to say at the moment. I could write about the problems I'm having with my old health insurance company and the fact that they owe me $90 for a dentist visit from Nov. 5th. Or that property mgmt. at my apt. complex made a ridiculous mess in my bathroom yesterday when they fixed the leak in the ceiling over the bathtub. Or that my job has become more stressful lately. Or that there is nothing like the affection of a man who knows how to act like an adult. But I think, perhaps, I'll just leave it at that.
Like Ang noted on her blog, I don't seem to have much to say at the moment. I could write about the problems I'm having with my old health insurance company and the fact that they owe me $90 for a dentist visit from Nov. 5th. Or that property mgmt. at my apt. complex made a ridiculous mess in my bathroom yesterday when they fixed the leak in the ceiling over the bathtub. Or that my job has become more stressful lately. Or that there is nothing like the affection of a man who knows how to act like an adult. But I think, perhaps, I'll just leave it at that.
1.02.2004
My best friends have furry legs.....
Well, my baby girl is getting old. The vet took some x-rays of her today and discovered that she has hip displaysia and arthritis in her hind legs. My poor baby....but she'll be okay. She has to start eating senior dog food and taking a daily supplement to help with the arthritis and sometime down the road we will probably have to consider pain medication. In the meantime, she's on restiricted activity for 2 weeks and should be fine....sigh.....I'm such a crazy dog lady......
Well, my baby girl is getting old. The vet took some x-rays of her today and discovered that she has hip displaysia and arthritis in her hind legs. My poor baby....but she'll be okay. She has to start eating senior dog food and taking a daily supplement to help with the arthritis and sometime down the road we will probably have to consider pain medication. In the meantime, she's on restiricted activity for 2 weeks and should be fine....sigh.....I'm such a crazy dog lady......
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