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!

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:

• 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!

The bad blogger...

Yep. That's me. And I'm not even going to apologize for it. Why? Because it's already past my bedtime and I need to get up at 6 am. I *promise* to post something this weekend. Hopefully there will be pictures of the finished bathroom renovation from hell to share with you. Whee!

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?

This is the "after" picture. For the next two weeks, we will be showering at the gym or at my in-laws' house.

I realized that I did not take pictures of the finished product. I'll post one soon.

In the meantime, here is a "before" picture of our existing bathroom. The one and only place to bathe ourselves.

It looks like a bathroom...except, um, without the fixtures.

About a third of the way there!

Stupid fcking blogger....

5 and a half days without a bathtub or shower...

As promised, here are some pictures of the bathroom renovations:

This is the "before" pitcure of the half bath we installed. And by we, I mean our contractors. We're very happy with them:>

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.

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...

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.

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.

A word to the wise...

Never turn your back to a fire dancer.

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.

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.

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!

You can pick your nose...

And you can pick your friends. I don't actually recommend that you pick your friends' noses but that's not really the point. What you can't do is pick your family and sometimes that's a bad thing. But...this time it was a good thing.

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.