The Voice

Well, my voice is back.

However, from the comments that I have received from those who can now hear me they say that my voice "hurts their ears".

The funny thing is that when I had a sore throat my voice was fine (that was at the beginning of this illness).

Now, my voice is messed up, but my throat feels fine.

Go figure.

I did leave work early yesterday in hopes of sleeping, but the zzzz's never came and instead I finished up the organization of my stickers.

Over the weekend I MUST make a birthday card for my co-worker Kerrie and I want to start playing with my Halloween stamps. I will take pictures and finish off the roll of film, get it developed and post pictures so that you all have something to see other than my verbal ramblings.

Have a safe holiday weekend (end of summer, boo-hoo) have fun and enjoy!!!

No Voice

I have a terrible head cold.
I came down with it on Tuesday (of course the first night of school).
Yesterday wasn't too bad, but today, I am suffering big time.

I have NO VOICE!!!!

I never realized how much I talk until now when I cannot be heard.

My throat does not hurt but my voice is broken.

I am at work because tomorrow is payday and I need to finish calculating commissions and phone in the payroll. Pretty funny thought since I don't have a voice.

Hopefully I will have at least a whisper of a voice so that I can call in payroll and call my professor so that I can be excused from class tonight.

Maybe being sick is a good thing, maybe I can get some crafting done.
Of course, after I take a nap, LI (laughing inside since I can't out loud)

Tagged

So, I am new to this blog-o-sphere world of nice people and have been "tagged".



I have probably been tagged before and did not know it or what to do but I believe I have the idea now. I "think" the Connie listed on Greta's(http://meocracy.blogspot.com/) post was me and if not then I have done the task in error. Below you can read it.



The rules:

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

2. Players, must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don't have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

3. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.



My middle name is Joan. I believe that this name was chosen because it was also my godmother's name.



J = J.U.G.S. = The first letter of the group of girls that I went to grammar school and high school with that I still see on a regular basis. J stands for Just, U stands for Us, G stands for Girls and S stands for Stupid. Just Us Girls, Stupid. We have since changed the S to be more politically correct and it often stands for silly but the original meaning was "stupid". The J.U.G.S. are made up of twelve wonderful women with whom I have shared good and bad times. Everyone one of us is unique and yet we are the same in the bond that we share. We do not let each other get away with bullsh-- and will call each other out when we know one of us is trying to "snow" the other. Love these women to death.

O = Obtuse. I can sometimes be very obtuse when it comes to technology. As previously stated in my blog, I don't know how to use a digital camera. I also do not know how to link to another blog by just having the person's name typed and the viewer able to link to that blog. Hence the blog address of Greta listed above.

A = Awkward. I have been going through a phase lately where I am awkward and have the bruises to prove it. I just recently banged my leg and have a purple bruise that hurts like hell right now.

N = New office. The company that I work for has recently moved into a building that they have purchased and we have new offices. The new space is beginning to grow on me and I enjoy the ton of sunshine that comes in the window during the morning.

Okay, I know the rules say that you have to tag the same amount of people as there are letters in you middle name. I however do not have 4 blog-o-sphere buddies to tag so please do this task in the comments section if you read my blog.

Thanks, I look forward to reading the responses.

Schedule

Well, I still have not figured out the best time to leave the house to make it to work on time.
I must remember that the drive is a smidge more than my previous commute and to add more time.
Old habits die hard I guess.

The weekend turned out to be very nice.
The weather broke and the air conditioning was turned off.
It felt great to have fresh air in the house again.

I made some headway in the craft organization and realized that I have a ton of stickers.
I need to get crackin' on some projects.

I did finish my coupon book and because I don't have a digital camera the pics are in my regular camera waiting for the roll of film to be finished so that I can get it developed. Soon, I promise.
I want to get a few more projects done and take pics of them before the roll is out.

One very random and stupid observation:
Has anyone seen that Viagra commercial that has all of the guys in an old barn or something and they are all playing instruments and singing "VIVA VIAGRA"?
Does anyone else find this to be weird?

Let me know.

Some Creative Juice

Well, with the boxes from work and the computer gone I have begun to use the free space on my desk for more creative pursuits.

I am making a coupon book and have all the pieces cut and partially stamped. When it is finished I will post some pics.

Moving

Just when I got settled and knew where everything was it is time to move again.

I am both excited and bummed to be moving my office.
The building is ready and we have occupancy so I must stop coming to work in my pj's.
Today is moving day for me and although I relish the idea of a new office I don't look forward to the drive and leaving the comfort of my home.

To top it off, I didn't win the occupancy pool that some of us had going.
I truly thought back at the end of July after seeing pictures of the new space that there was no way that we would be in the office before Labor Day.
Kudos to our guys for getting everything co-ordinated and ready for us to move in.

I will miss the peace and quiet that was my home office.
I truly pumped out alot of work with very few distractions.
I won't miss the daily trip to the post office, so there is always an upside.

If I Only Had A Brain

I had the BIGGEST brain fart yesterday.

After being out and about and having some problems with my rear brake/turn signal lights.
The lights keep going out.
The bulbs aren't bad it appears that the sockets are.
The really annoying and dangerous thing is that they go out whenever and wherever they please.
At times, both of them together.
Yesterday I had to stop three times on my way home to get out, open the trunk, take the socket out of the hole in the trunk, jiggle and replace.
Well, when I got home yesterday the left rear was out and I did the above and then grabbed my purse and stuff and went inside.
I told my brother Rick about the problem that keeps happening and left it at that.

Last night and all day today we have been experiencing rain.
Sometimes it has been pretty heavy with thunder and lightening.

During one of the dry spells, Rick went outside to see if he could get a part number off of the socket and what did he discover?

I left my driver's side window OPEN!!!!!!

Needless to say, the seat is soaked.
The back floor is wet.
The front floor is wet.
The back seat is wet.

Luckily my trusty Mickey Mouse seat cover (lined with foam) soaked up a good majority of the rain from the driver's seat.
It is now hanging and dripping in my basement over the sink.

Talk about a brain fart, this one takes the cake.

YIKERS!!!!

Jog Your Memory

I received this e-mail and thought instead of sending it out via e-mail that I would post it here and see how many more shows get added.


How many shows can we come up with that we USED to
watch that are no longer on TV?
Add one.
This should be fun and jog our memories. No repeats on
the shows please.

Doris.............My Friend Flicka
Deb...................Mr. Ed
Cory...................The Immortal
Louise.................Little House on the prairie
Skoobysnaxx......Land of the Giants
Denise................Banana Splits
Kev...................Lost In Space
Zach................Emergency
Kenny.................Puff the Magic Dragon
Chris...................Chip and Dale
Brenda...............American Bandstand
Deb...................Have Gun Will Travel
Sher/Snowdear.....Bonanza
Jeanann.............Carol Burnett Show
Dorothy..............Red Skelton Show
Manick ......... Lassie
Judd...................Ed Sullivan Show
Nick..................Car 54 where are you?
Rett.................Abbott & Costello
Steve................Dragnet
Lace/Ladye ..... "Bewitched" :}~
BlackGable........The Millionaire
DJCookie2.........Bachelor Father
BabyBear4u......My Little Margie
Lite-Bright........Hullaballoo
VirgoMan55......The Clay Cole Show
finickygril.........muppet show
Gary_57...........The RifleMan
Nurselil..............Ben Casey
Cheri................The Cheryl Ann
Lisa.................All In The Family
Lois.................Dark Shadows
Joan..............Queen for a Day
Barbara...........Gene Autry
KAREN............HOWDY DOODY SHOW
Nicole.............the smurfs
Brenda ..........Where The Action Is
Christy............Hey Dude
Betty............. What's my line?
Sandey............Your Show Of Shows
Martin..............Buck Rogers
Diane...............Roy Rogers
Donna.............Maw and Paw Kettle
Cindy............Melrose Place
Teresa..........Chips
Wayne ......... "WANTED" Dead or Alive
Bobbi..............Name That Tune
Mary Frances..... The Hit Parade
Dixie................The Rebel
Teddi..............Topper
Lisa..................Adam 12
Heidi.................H.R. Pufnstuff
Kathy ............That's Incredible!
Michele ............The Munsters
Rhonda.......... Courtship of Eddie's Father
Kathy.............. My Three Sons
Chuck............... The Real McCoys
Chuck.............. The Match Game
Margarette .......Gomer Pyle
Jude............Marcus Welby M.D.
Mary K..........Green Acres
Nadya........The Honeymooners
Lally..........Gunsmoke
Joyce........Uncle Elihugh
Jeanine.......The Sonny & Cher Show
Verna.........I Love Lucy
Marie..............The Dean Martin Show
Walt..........Rowan & Martins Laugh-In
Paula..... dukes of hazard
Linda.........The Twilight Zone
Linda A.......77 Sunset Strip
Jani........ Father Knows Best
James......Big Valley
barb.........My Three Sons
sharon.....Annie Oakly
Sandee....Our Miss Brooks
Diana.... That Girl
Cindy ..... The Love Boat
Kim.....Emergency (with Chad Everett)
Debbie..Peticote Junction, Rawhide
Annette.....Dallas
Rhonda....Flipper "The Dolphin"
Kathy....Route 66
Nita...........The Swamp Fox
Kim G...Truth or Consequences (Bob Barker)
james p...head of the class
Marsha...Dr. Kildare
Ken ...Soupy Sales (with White Fang & Black Tooth)
Brigitte....Hawaii Five-O
June......Soap
Cathy----Nanny and the Professor
Mary... The Flying Nun
Greg.... The Green Hornet
Violet----The Lone Ranger
Gail------Mannix
Tammy- What's happening
Lajuan-Magilla Garilla
Nova-Planet of the Apes
Tiffany- He's The Mayor
Cynthia - In Living Color
Cynthia - The Odd Couple (Felix & Oscar)
Nyla - The Jamie Fox Show
Nyla - Living Single
Nyla - Eve
Nyla - Martin
Nyla- For your love
Tina - "That Girl"
Tina - Julia
Tina - Room 222
Gretchen - Soldier of Fortune
GAIL – MORK AND MINDY
Pat - Dick Van Dyke Show
Fran - Batman (Bang - Pow)
Connie - Charlie's Angels

I Am Evil

I feel so evil.

Yesterday I took my chihuahua Gidget to be spayed. I have always been told that it is the best thing for the dog if you do not have the intention of ever breeding her. However, I felt very guilty when she looked at me with panic as the doctor took her to the back room and I walked away.

That was nothing compared to the look that I get now. If looks could kill, well you know the rest. Every time that I try to help her or pick her up I get a yelp that is breaking my heart. I hate having my little baby hurting. Hopefully she will do better today than she did last night.

Even if she is a dog, I feel like a very bad, bad, bad mom.

Gnats

Where do gnats come from?

Are they a species of fruit fly?

All I know is that these little gnats are down here in my basement office and they are driving me crazy. I guess some bug spray is going to make it on my grocery list.

The Purge Continues

Being home has it's distinct advantage, especially when it comes to the ongoing purge.

With my office down in the basement, every day I am reminded that I have too much stuff as I am surrounded by Rubbermaid containers. Today I have made a good dent into the containers that are down here behind my desk. I found a container filled with Easter decorations. Combined with the one that I know is out in the garage that is way too much stuff for Easter. I prepared a bag for Goodwill that held everything in the basement container with the exception of the ceramic eggs and basket that I made many, many, many moons ago. I also went through the September container (mostly apples and back to school themed decorations) and kept just two door decorations and a table runner for my coffee table. Next came a crafting container that had crafting supplies (paint and such). The paint was dried up and I kept the brushes. Some of the supplies are going to make a Goodwill shopper happy. I also came across a container that held some wool fabric. Back when I had to dress up for work this material was going to become a few skirts and jackets, now it is on it's way to becoming whatever someone else wants to make with it. One more container and then it's time to go out to the garage and sort through that stuff. I just wish the humidity would drop so that the task would be much more comfortable.

I guess I could always bring a container into the house to do the sort and purge. DUH!!!

A Lot More Light

I have a very large over two stories high pine tree in my backyard. It is the home to many squirrels and birds. It can be a bit of a mess when pine cones fall and needles come down. It shelters the North side of my house and I wouldn't dare dream of ever removing it.

My attached neighbor (I live in a duplex) doesn't hold my affections for the tree. She hates it and thinks that the pine cones that fall from it look like uncircumcised penises. Over the years her husband has trimmed back some of the branches that hang over their patio. Nothing real serious just cosmetic. Last year and more so this year she has asked if I would mind if they had the tree professionally trimmed. I always said that they could trim what hung over their property but that I didn't want the tree taken down. It has never come to pass as the expense was always too great. Either she came into some extra money or the pine cones have finally taken their toll because yesterday the "professionals" came to trim the tree. I say "professionals" because they were our regular lawn guys that cut the grass. They made the tree look crazy hideous. Almost one whole side up to the top is missing. It looks stupid!!! On top of that they let the branches drop down into my flower bed. Smooshing my bleeding heart bush and my purple larkspur. They flattened my calla lily and broke the stems of a few of my other lilies. All have bloomed and are getting ready for the fall, but that is not the point. How hard would it have been to drape a tarp over the fence and secure it to the tree so that the branches didn't fall into the garden? Maybe I'm being overly sensitive because I hate the way the tree looks. Legally the neighbors had every right to trim what was on their property but it just looks way stupid.

The bright side to the story. The squirrels and birds still have their tree to live and play in and the neighbor's patio has so much sun now that they are going to roast. Insert evil vindictive laugh here.

Home vs. The Office

This is my first experience of working from home.
I have always gone to an office.
Most of my "career" it was a necessary thing to do because the technology to work from home was not available.
However, as this baby-boomer has seen many technological things come to life it is still amazing that I can work from home.
So, it has been 4 days of working from home and here is my take so far.

Home
Pro:
I can do laundry while working.
I don't have to change out of my pj's.
I am getting soooo much more done because there is no one to talk to.
I can have my dog Gidget sit on my lap while I work (she does however want to walk all over the desk so that is counter-productive).
I can listen to whatever music I want to.
I balanced my check-book and paid bills during the work day.
I am saving a ton on gas because there is no commute.
During lunch I was able to weed my garden.

Con:
I have a tendency to work WAY more hours. (It's 9:20pm and I am just finishing up my day which started at 6:00am) To be honest I did take an hour for lunch and an hour for dinner.
My cell phone doesn't get good reception down in the basement office.
There is no one to talk to.
I am down in the basement with little natural light.

So give me your thoughts, if you work from home would you ever go back to an office?
If you work in an office, would you jump at the chance to work from home?



P.S. Once I get caught up, I am going to use my free time to craft as my office is also my craft room. Shhhhhh, don't tell my boss, it's our little secret.

A Heavy Heart

I am crying as I write this post.

Last night around dinner time is when it all began.

My black lab Miss Harley has NEVER not wanted her chow.

Having come from puppy prison (what we called the shelter from which I got her) she made sure when there was food she was always up front and center.

Harley had hip displaysia (sp?) and had been on prescription meds for the last 1-1/2 years. The hips were too far gone by the time she was diagnosed and the medicine was the only option. The meds worked well and she was able to go to the forest every day and function normally. One of the side effects of the meds is the possibility that they may affect the liver. Harley had seen the vet in May for her usual yearly check-up and the blood work was normal.

So, last night while we ate and Harley made no attempt to let us know of her presence for any handouts and the fact that she didn't even make a move to her bowl which was full of her once a day chow, we knew something was wrong.

Harley was listless and not at all interested in getting up off of the floor. Rick even tried leaving the house the back way and ringing the front doorbell. Harley did get up but then laid back down as soon as she knew who was at the door.

We called the vet and got an appointment. We got there just before 7pm. By 8pm my lovely, kind, wonderful dog had gone to the forest in the sky. She has joined my other dogs Buffy, Jodie, and Monster.

This has come as such a blow. We never expected this. We expected the decision would be made because of her hips and inability to move. The fact that what did my poor girl in was probably the medicine that gave her the mobility to live a normal life this past 1-1/2 years. Without an exploratory surgery (which the doc said she probably wouldn't have survived) he couldn't be sure exactly what happened. He suspected that she either had a ruptured liver or spleen. Her belly was bloated and when he stuck a needle in her stomach and drew blood she didn't even flinch. The blood that he drew out was not a deep thick healthy red, more of a diluted version of that. Since the doc felt that she wouldn't survive a surgery at her age the only option was to send her to heaven. I have had to make this decision 3 previous times and let me tell you that it NEVER is any easy one.

I know that this loss has deeply affected my brother. He remained very stoic last night but I knew when he said his good-byes last night that this was heart wretching for him. Rick was the one that took the wild puppy prison dog who was estimated to be 1 or 2 years old (the previous owners didn't have the decency to bring her into the shelter, instead they just tied her to the tree outside). Rick took this dog with a jumping problem and taught her to be the great dog that she was. He took her every day to the forest to let her run around and get out all of that energy so that she would be happy when she later had our small yard to play in. They bonded very tightly as they spent their days together.

I know that this loss is NOTHING compared to the loss of a child, but for me my dogs are my children and this is a very very sad time for me. May my sweet lovable girl have eternal rest.

CHA Giveaway

Well, my crafting buddy Simone has truly out did herself. Simone went to CHA last week with her good friend Carol on a look see / shopping spree. Simone took a gazillion pictures which she shared with all of her blogging friends. Take the time to go and visit her blog. Once you start reading you will not be able to stop. So, if you are crafty and want to see what was at CHA, or need some crafty inspiration (Simone has the best original ideas) or you just want another insight on life go see Simone's "A Daily Dose of Spazz" at http://spazzgirldaily.blogspot.com/

Living Room Update

Here are the pics of the new couch. It hasn't stayed this way for very long. As you can see I have my chair covered, so is the case with the new couch. It is covered 99% of the time.

New swag that I made for over the archway that goes upstairs.

Parrot-heads

I enjoy Jimmy Buffet music.

I like an outdoor concert.

I had a hard time enjoying this past weekend's Jimmy Buffet concert out in Tinley Park.

The venue clearly sold WAY TOO MANY lawn seats.

Once the concert started you pretty much were forced to stand because the throng of people made it impossible to sit back down on your blanket. In fact I ended up leaving the blanket that I brought because it was so disgusting and trampled.

However, the clincher was this scene.
A couple (late 30's early 40's)who came and stood in front of us right as the concert began, blocking the jumbo-tron and forcing us to stand in order to see anything, did something that grossed us out and was for sure the clincher for us to leave early.

The man stood behind his wife, and while she was holding his shirt, he pissed into his empty beer cup. When he was done, he set the cup down on the ground and let it tip over letting his urine leak onto the ground.

GROSS!!!!!

How hard would it have been to go done to the washroom?

I had a jumbo margarita and had to go to the bathroom, and like what I believe to be the normal action, I walked down to the bathroom and came back up to the lawn. Not so convenient but kinder to my fellow lawn-mates.

Card Party Cont'd Part II

Decisions, Decisions....
Do you bet the house or not?

Ricky on the new couch

Cousin Fran on the new couch

Clearly Miss Harley and Gidget are not impressed with "the big game"

Getting ready to start the "big game"

Ricky, Sue and Caryn

That's me in my Mickey Mouse themed kitchen.

Card Party Pictures Cont'd

The dining room was too tight so we moved the table into the living room. Look how it looks as if I have my hand inside my cousin Fran's brain.

My sister Caryn and cousin Sue eating dinner before the "big game"

Card Party Pics

This is my backyard. Starting at the left is my cousin Fran (green shirt), my sister Caryn, my cousin Sue, my brother-in-law Bruce and Sue's husband Ricky.

Card Party

I hosted poker night at my house for the first time. My house is very small so that is why I usually do not host it at my place. Since I just painted, got new carpet and a new couch I decided it was time for me to host. Here are some of the pictures from that night taken by Steve, my cousin Fran's husband. I will post more photos later.

I Figured Out How To Post Pictures

Here are my girls. As you can see they have a very rough life. The black lab is Miss Harley and the chihuahua is Gidget. This is NOT a posed picture. Gidget sleeps on top of Harley all the time.

The Aftermath

This is a picture of the area where all of the 4th of July festivities were taking place across the street. The "For Sale" sign is on the front lawn of the people who were having the party with the loud music and fireworks. See the posts below for the view of the alley and the damage to my garage. These people at least had the decency to clean up all of this mess from the sidewalk, the lawn and the street by the time I got home from work yesterday. The mess in the alley (see post below) has not been cleaned up yet.

Damage to my property

Let me first say that the garage door needs to be painted. The peeling and crackled paint is not a result from the 4th of July. The holes however are from my lovely back neighbor and his 4th of July frivolity. As you can see from the shots of the door that were taken on the inside the fireworks went through my wooden garage door. Luckily they are all in the bottom panel. A police damage report has been made and Rick says that he can fix the holes and seal them up before winter so that at this time I won't have to buy a new garage door. All I can say is that no one was hurt (that I know of) and that I am a believer in Karma. So, sometime in this guys future someone will damage something of his and the Karma train will have made it's trip around the track.

Accessment of the damage after the 4th

Here is the alley on the 5th of July. Notice all of the debris from the fireworks that were set off. The yellow garage is where the people were that set off all of the fireworks. My garage is directly across from the yellow garage.

Those Damn Kids

I must be getting old or perhaps I'm just normal.

To celebrate the birthday of our great nation my neighbors had a 1/4 stick of TNT off.

Yep, the group across the street in the front would set off a 1/4 stick and then the group across the alley would respond in kind.

It was our own little glimpse into the Iraq war.

The across the street crowd was much more annoying because along with their giant booms was the excessively LOUD music. That lovely group wanted to share their musical tastes with the whole block and put their stereo speaker in the window to help us all hear the songs. My house was completely closed with the air on and the music was so loud you would have thought that I had the radio on in my room. Most of this wonderful TNT off was after 10pm. The cops had been there and for about 15 minutes things were quieter but then it just started all over again. Along with the music was the great ability for us to hear our neighbor too. He had a Mr. Microphone type set up and would talk to his friends (standing maybe 10 feet from him) through his cool Mr. Microphone set up. At one time, about 12:15am he proceeded to ask his friends "Hey Mother F--kers, how many more fireworks do we have?"

My poor girl Gidget was just freaked out beyond words. She spent the entire night huddled in her little house trembling. Miss Harley fared better, but even she was getting agitated after 4 hours of 1/4 stick fun.

What is the appeal to just a loud BOOM?

I understand the bottle rockets, firecrackers, the sparklers and other display fireworks, but the BIG BOOM thing is beyond my comprehension.

I must be getting old!

Frustration

This week I am not liking my job.
I have too much work for an 8 hour day and I just can't seem to get anything completed.
It's summer and I don't want to work overtime that I don't get paid for.
Everything that I pick up seems to have a snag in it.
I have to wait for a co-worker to get me information to complete the task.
I have to wait for a customer or vendor to get me information to complete the task.
There's a glitch in our software and a report that I use on a daily basis will not populate and that is holding up things that I could finish.
ARGH!!!!!!
I HATE this waiting game!
So, as the piles on my desk continue to grow I become more frustrated and bummed out.
I sooooooo much wanted to just roll over and go back to sleep this morning when the alarm went off.
I should have been a teacher, then I would have had the summer off and probably wouldn't be so upset about work.

I know, I know, I should take my own advise.

I'm closing my eyes (whoops, not yet or I can't finish this post) taking a deep breath and going to my happy place before I let this day get the better of me.

Hope you have a good day!!!

Weekend

Well, the couch was delivered on Saturday morning and the redecoration is almost complete.
I made a new swap for above the archway by the stairs and the only thing left is to put up the pictures above the couch. I wanted to wait until it was actually in the house and in place before hanging anything above it. Once that is done then the project will be finished and I can tackle the bathroom.

This weekend was a nice one. Friday night I spent it by my good friend Bubbles. We hung out in her backyard having a few cocktails and shooting the breeze. Rhonda another one of my good friends was there too. Bobbi stopped by later in the evening and it was wonderful to sit by the fire pit and just talk about what's been going on in each of our lives. Bobbi has one more class to finish her degree and then on to her Master's she goes. Bubs is out of school for the summer but still going into the office for some last minute work. Rhonda is always busy and it was good to see her sit and relax for a bit before running off to pick up her kids from all the different places they were that night. I was disappointed that Mary Anne didn't show up. I really was hoping to sit and talk with her.

Saturday was couch day and cleaning. I purged another 4 bags of stuff for the Salvation Army. My sister Cindy would be so proud.

Sunday was my niece Tricia's graduation from college party. It was nice to see all of the aunts and to spend time just chillin'. I had a few cocktails at the party and it was very relaxing. Tricia and her fiance Matt have set the date for their wedding in 2008. Between looking for a job and planning the wedding she will be a very busy girl.

So, that was my semi-eventful weekend. I hope you had a nice one.

Vacation

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N
I've got the Go-Go's song ringing in my head!!!

I just made my airline reservation to go out to California to visit my sister in December.
I'm am so excited.
I haven't seen her in almost two years (it will be over 2 years by the time I actually get there in December).

So it will be super-duper to be in a warm place in December and get to see my sister and brother-in-law and their 4 dogs. I of course will HAVE TO visit the beach and I have asked if we could go to the San Diego zoo, other than that I am open to whatever California has to offer.

The other great part, I am flying United, non-stop out of O'Hare and it is only costing me $5.00.

That's right, FIVE DOLLARS!!!!!

I had miles that had to be redeemed before 12/31 and a $5.00 round-trip to CA just couldn't be passed up.

WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO, I'm goin' on vacation.

Cubs Fan

I just heard and read that they traded Michael Barrett to the San Diego Padres for a DORK!

Ah, what is my Cubbies management thinking?

The Craft Cellar

Well, I may have mentioned this in a previous post or perhaps I didn't (the perils of growing old). The company that I work for is moving our corporate headquarters (where I must report to work) from Morton Grove to Bensenville. I'm not that happy about the move because it adds 5 more miles onto my compute. I know that 5 miles is not very much, but when you factor in the area, I must go around O'Hare airport to get from my house to work. There are only two ways around the airport for me and both of them are bad. I know this first hand because I have travelled these routes before. My previous job was in Bensenville so I speak from experience.

But alas, I digress, this post is about the craft cellar, not about the move.

Since our move will require a reduction in our office space, we have been selling desks, chairs...
We had a storage unit that I was eyeing because it would work wonderfully for my craft cellar. It had a mail slot upper and a cabinet bottom. I got it for FREE, YIPPEE SKIPPEE!!!!!
I met my brother at the office on Saturday morning and we loaded up the three piece unit and he drove it home and I went across the street to work out.

When I got home the three pieces were in the basement. I assembled them and began the task of filling it up. I started by taking all of the 8-1/2" x 11" paper that I had up in my bedroom and putting it into the mail slots. One side for Stampin Up paper and the other for the stuff that I get from the craft stores.

The middle counter area I have all of the loose 12" x 12" paper that was laying around in bags in my room from my most recent shopping excursions. I also started bringing down the shoe boxes that have the embellishments and stacking them near the "unit".

The bottom storage cabinet will be used to store my rubber stamps.
YES, I already have a cabinet that is full of stamps and I have enough new ones to need a second cabinet. I have already addressed my addictions in a previous post so please do not make any comments about the quantity of stamps that I possess. :-)

Things are beginning to take shape, I am getting myself organized and getting inspiration when I see all of the cool stuff that I have purchased and haven't used yet. Now I just have to get some crafting time, but first I have to do the purge/organization thing and then I can play.

The Purge Continues

Apparently my brother has not gotten the memo about the purge currently going on at the house.

We have a small Weber grill, a Smokey Joe to be exact.
This works very well for the grilling needs of just him and I.
We also have a large Weber grill for when we have people over and need to grill alot of food so that everyone can eat at the same time.

Yesterday he found a Weber grill at the forest and brought it home.
It is the size between the Smokey Joe and the large one we have at home.

We don't need another grill!!!!!

Why does he feel the need to bring discarded stuff home?
Better question, why did someone leave the Weber grill at the forest?

On a better note, I have purged 105 sewing patterns and over 75 pairs of earrings. More earrings will be purged tonight.

So, despite the fact that as I get rid of things and my brother brings them home I am making progress in seeing a clean clutter free home.

Wish me luck!

Anyone need a grill?

I'm In Love

I am in L - O - V - E

I have always said that if I could exercise and have a fan blowing to quickly dry the sweat (oh wait women don't sweat, we perspire) that I would probably work out longer.

I know that I am not the only one that feels this way.
There is a metro-sexual at the gym that always chooses one particular elliptical machine.
Goes and gets a chair so that he can adjust the fan so that it blows down on his machine.
Then hops on board and does his workout looking all studly (in his mind) as he works out but doesn't get all sweaty.

Before you lose your lunch or dinner or any recent meal, he is NOT the reason that I am in love.

Nope.

The object of my affection is the new treadmill at the gym (there are currently four of them) that have large consoles with small 3 inch diameter fans on each side that blow a breeze while you are working out. They are not as powerful as I would like them to be, but something is better than nothing. I have taken to doing 30 minutes on my new friendly treadmill in lieu of the bike.

So, like I said I am in L - O - V - E



P.S. Just as an after-thought, I currently am up to one hour fifteen minutes of cardio each time I am at the gym (see the post about the gauntlet being thrown down). Keeping with that motivation, I have a 57% average of getting my fluffy arse to the gym.

Scenes of Summer

Summer is here and that means white.

White shoes.
White pants.
White shorts.
White skirts and dresses.

Some recent observations made me think:

"Am I just getting old"

Or do white shoes with dark hose look stupid?

"Am I just getting old"

Or should it be against the law to wear patterned underwear under white shorts/pants/skirts/dresses?

"Am I just getting old"

Or should men not be allowed to wear white sandals?


Let me know your thoughts.

I Am NOT A Traitor

I was invited to go to Saturday's baseball game on Friday.

I am a Cubs fan.
I bleed Cubbie blue.
I will die a Cubs fan.

I say this because the game that I attended on Saturday was a Chicago White Sox game.
Yup, I went to the "cell" (U.S. Cellular Field) and experienced the South side brand of baseball.

I don't consider myself a traitor because the Sox were playing an inter-league series against the Houston Astros.

The Cubs and the Astros are in the same division in the National League.
I cheered on the Sox because a Sox win would mean that it helped the Cubs.

It was a nice experience.
I went with my co-worker Kerrie, her husband Gerry and his father.
Kerrie and Gerry are partial season ticket holders.
Since Gerry's father is in a wheel chair they have handicapped seating and it was great.
The handicapped area is roped off from the regular seats.
Our seats were folding chairs and it was great because you could move the chair to your seating pleasure.
The seats are right at a railing and if you wanted to move the seat back and stretch out your legs and prop them up on the railing you could.
If you wanted to lean against the railing you could.
It was excellent.
The stadium is very nice.
I had been to the old stadium 20 or so years ago and this new stadium is much much better.

It's no Wrigley Field.
It's not the loveable Cubbies.
It doesn't have the neighborhood fun that the Wrigleyville area has but it was a good time.

I had a hot dog (who doesn't have a hot dog at the game?)
I had two margaritas (had to go with the margarita over a beer)
I would have had some Cracker Jack but:
a. I had TWO margaritas.
b. I had a hot dog.
c. I had my personal challenge to rid my body of fluff (see previous post).

Afterwards on the way home we stopped for Italian ice on Taylor Street. (so much for the fluff removal). I had blue raspberry and it was wonderful, so sinfully delicious. But when did raspberries become blue? Regardless it was good. I have to admit that I was stuffed when I got home in time to watch my Cubbies play the Atlanta Braves.

I would like to say that all my cheering for the Sox paid off and they won, but Houston broke the tie in the 8th and the Sox just couldn't get it done.

I did buy a scorecard and a fan photo and will use those items along with my ticket stub to do a scrapbook layout to prove that I was at the game.

It's My Own Damn Fault

Vaseline Intensive Care body lotion has come out with a self-tanning lotion this year.
I saw a co-worker who normally does not sport a tan healthy glow come to the office with a bronzed aura about her and asked if she had been "tanning" (in a tanning bed).
She turned me on to the lotion and I bought some last week.

On Saturday morning after my shower I put some on my legs.
I choose only my legs because I never seem to be able to hold color on them now that I work for a living and don't spend much of my waking summer hours in the sun.

To me nothing looked any different so I just chucked it up to you probably have to use the whole bottle of lotion before anything happens.

Saturday night I was up in the middle of the night not feeling well and decided to apply more lotion.

It's my own damn fault:

a. That I didn't read the directions on the bottle.

b. That I should not apply this type of lotion in the dark while lying down in the bed.

c. That I should have felt that one leg had more lotion than the other.

d. That I should have kept rubbing the lotion in evenly and not just let it air dry in some places.

e. I should have gotten out of bed to wash my hands.

It's a good thing that:

a. I didn't apply the lotion to the bottoms of my feet.

b. Most people have a funky tan line on the tops of their feet.

c. The "tan" that I have on the palms of my hands is almost faded to a normal non freaky tone.

(Freaky, like "lady why are the palms of your hands darker than the top of your hands?")

All in all, if you read the directions, take care in applying equal amounts of lotion to both legs, completely rub in the lotion evenly on the leg and wash your hands after application you too can have nice sun kissed legs without the hassle of laying in the sun.

The List

So, I am having a discussion with a friend of mine about "the list".

You know, the list of people that "do it for you".

The list that you make that would be a "freebie" in a relationship.

People on your list wouldn't count as infidelity because you and your partner each have a list and have given your consent that this would not be adultery.

Most of the people on anyone's list are famous and we would never even have a chance at ever having a night of romance with them but never the less we dream.

So, I have compiled my list and let me say it was a bit difficult. Mostly because more than just a pretty face and six pack abs would "do it" for me. I think the man has to have a personality and sense of humor. So without futher ado, here is my list.

1. Howie Long
2. Tom Selleck
3. D.B. Sweeney
4. Mike Holmes (Discovery Channel Home: Holmes on Homes)
5. Hugh Jackman
6. Terry Bradshaw
7. Bill Cowher (Former coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers)
8. John Cusack
9. Jim Belushi
10. Bob Brenly (Former baseball catcher, now does the tv commentary for Cubs games)

I would like to know.
Who would be on your list?

Pornography

Well, if that title didn't catch your attention to read this post, I guess nothing will.

I don't recall how the topic came about but last week, but the conversation in the accounting office (there are 3 of us women in the same room) turned to porno. I believe it started because I didn't know who Ron Jeremy was/is. Now since none of us wanted to surf the net and leave porn cookies in our work computers I had to get my information from my co-workers. Apparently Mr. Jeremy is well endowed and quite the "star" back in the day. So from there we went to the topic of porno movies and the appeal to men of the girl on girl scenes.

I am convinced by the answers that I have received from the men that I have asked that sometime in the growing up of a male child the "guy code" standard answers are given to the new man and they become the "stock" answer for the rest of his life.

The standardized answer that I received from all of the men to whom I asked this question was:

"What is the appeal to the girl on girl scenes in porno movies?"

The appeal of the girl on girl scenes is that it is something that men want to stumble into and either watch or be the lone man with the responsibility of pleasuring two women.

And

The female body is so beautiful compared to a male body that it is a pleasure to watch two women's bodies pleasing each other.

Yup, those were the "stock" answers that I got from all of the men that I asked. Either they gave one of the answers or in most cases both of the answers.

So ladies, the guy code is in operation full force and they teach them young.

Take a moment and ask the man in your life and see if you get the same response. I would welcome any other answers or just confirmation that other men out there respond the same way.

The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown Down

So if you have been reading the previous posts you know that I have started going to the gym again. Summer is here and school is out so I have the time to get to the gym. For the last two weeks I have been using various reasons to motivate myself.

A. In the words of my doctor, "it's getting to be that time in life when you have to start taking care of yourself". My cholesterol is okay, I had lost 8 lbs from my last office visit but the one that scared me was that my blood sugar was borderline. YIKERS!!!! My brother has type II diabetes and I DO NOT want to have that on my plate so to the gym I go.

B. It's summer and the thought of exposing flabby white flesh is enough motivation in and of itself.

C. Thoughts of getting naked right now in front of anyone has brought beads of freak out sweat to my brow.

So with the three reasons listed above I have been kicking some butt at the gym and working off the fluff that I have taken years to put on and have kept on for no good reason.

However, yesterday a NEW reason was added to my list of motivating factors to get my fluffy arse in the gym.

My co-worker (the one that thought she should get to set her hours so that she could go to the gym, please see previous posts) and I were talking about the gym. I was telling her my cardio routine and how I had run into my old trainer over the weekend and followed her personal lower body weight routine as she worked out. We discussed the various machines that we use and the weight. We talked about our cardio minutes and what types of cardio that we do. It was at the end of this conversation that the gauntlet was thrown down. Now there isn't any real challenge taking place between the two of us. In fact she probably didn't realize how her phrase sounded but it made me bristle and it motivated me yesterday to do an additional 5 minutes on the eliptical. What were the words uttered?

"Wow, if I'm not careful, you will get skinnier than me"

I didn't know that it was a competition!!!!!

That in and of itself is not anything bad. The funny thing is that we weigh about the same and are just shaped completely differently. I know that I will never be skinny like a super-model. It's just not in my genes. I am a more athletic built person, I will develop toned muscles and have a more lean powerful body than a thin model body. I am shaped more like an hour glass or a pear and she is shaped like an apple. We will never look the same at any weight, whether it is our current weight or our hope to be thinner and healthier weight. I really don't even know why her statement bothered me but it did and it is my current motivation to keep up my routine and to create a leaner and healthier me. I guess it's just my competitive nature that I am pumped to prove her wrong and get thinner and leaner in a shorter period of time. So, although I know that this is probably wrong it is this week's motivation to kick some flab!

A Glance into the Gym

I am going to preface this post with a disclaimer.

I am not a sports goddess.

I do not look good when I work out.

I wear a baggy t-shirt over capri type sweats and I turn red and sweat like a pig.

I tell you this so that the observations of people at the gym that I am about to tell you about are just things that I find odd, strange or weird. They are not to insult the people that are at the gym.


I HATE speedos on men who are not competing in a swim competition.
I feel that speedos belong on the divers and swimmers who are using them to be the most aerodynamic in the pool.
Anyone wearing one, to me, is just too full of himself or needs to advertise "his wares" way to much to be someone that I would want to get to know.
Speedos at the gym on heavy men is just WRONG!

Running shorts.
The shorts that are VERY short and have the small pouch for "the jewels" so that a runner doesn't have to wear chafing underwear or a jock-strap.
These shorts should be left to the men who are running track.
They do NOT belong on heavy men at the gym working on the machines.
I have seen this man before at the gym, he doesn't run the track or on the treadmill.
The fact that I saw him on the machines and I bet if I was at a different angle would have seen more of him than I wanted is the reason that I believe that these shorts should not be worn while pumping iron or working the machines at the gym.

Plastic sweatsuits.
What is the purpose of these?
Yes, I know that they are designed to produce a vast amount of sweat and therefore giving the short term weight loss.
However, the moment that you drink anything you just defeated the purpose of the suit.
So, while you suffer for the 1/2 or hour that you wear the suit for a small loss, you really haven't done anything other than cause dehydration.
This one just stumps me!

So that you don't think that I have nasty things to say about my fellow exercisers, here is a positive.
There is a man that works out at my gym that smells great.
Even when he is sweating like a pig (and he works very hard at his cardio) he always smells good.
Not like he dumped a bottle of after shave on himself and went to the gym but a subtle sweat, cologne and deodorant kind of way.
If I could work out next to this guy every time that I went to the gym I would probably do more cardio than I do.
I however have the tendency to attract the ones that have garlic oozing out of their pores.
YUCKY!

Lipstick Plant

I really didn't give a good description of my lipstick plant and the blooms that it produces.
This website has a good picture of the plant.
Notice the bloom in the center that hasn't opened yet.
The bloom looks like lipstick in a tube prior to opening to the 5 point flower.

http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week081.shtml

Just Junk

Today is Thursday and to me it feels like a Friday.

Not such a good thing when I know that the alarm will go off tomorrow and I will have to drag my rear end out of bed for one more day of the grind.

One good thing is that we have a three day weekend and I have NO PLANS! YEAH!

I am just going to see what the weather brings and plan my activities around that.

I have a book to finish, a card swap to complete, gardening, laundry, house cleaning, grocery shopping and of course a trip to some craft store is ALWAYS in my weekend routine.

Last night I finished piecing together the baby sweater that I have been knitting in my class at the local yarn store (Woolly Lamb Yarn Studio in Chicago) and have the stitches on my needle to begin knitting the collar. I hope to complete this task before next Wednesday's class so that I can start on the side plackets where the buttons on one side and the buttonholes on the other will be. Then, it is on to a new project for me for the winter. Figure if I start it now perhaps it will be complete for the winter season.

Just got my craft fair application for my space at my high school alma mater's yearly craft fair. I have sent in my application and payment in hopes of securing the same space as last year down one of the busier hallways at the school. Just have to amass some crafty stuff to sell.

So far, my yard and neighborhood have been bug free (cicadas are what I'm talking about). Rick says that the forest doesn't show any signs of the lil' buggers either. I can't imagine what Harley and Gidget are going to think of those noisy creatures when they finally decide to unearth themselves.

I love the freedom of the summer but will be missing my usual tv shows.
Just watched the taped show of Grey's Anatomy this morning before work and I was very shocked and disappointed. George failed his intern exam, Merideth and Derek broke up, Christine and Preston didn't get married, Bailey didn't get the chief resident gig. WHA?????
It all seemed to end in a sad, bad way. Of course I'll tune in when the fall season kicks off but what a bummer of an season ender. Nothing but sadness for the main characters. I guess I need to get a life!!!

I was very happy to see that my indoor lipstick plant bloomed like crazy recently. The blooms are beginning to fall off but it was a spectacular display when they all were opening up. For those of you who want to know what a lipstick plant is, I will try to explain the best that I can since I don't own a digital camera to post on this blog. The plant itself has a maroon/green oval shaped leaf. Once, maybe twice a year it blooms. The flowers are in groups of four. First comes a dark burgundy upside down bell shaped "flower". From the inside of that bell comes a fuzzy red tube that looks alot like lipstick coming out of a tube. Once the "lipstick" is completely up out of the tube then the flower opens up to a 5 point red flower. Since these are gathered in groups of four you have four red flowers in groups all over the plant. It's really very pretty. I got this plant over 5 years ago and it has bloomed every year and it just amazes me. I don't know the real name of the plant, I bought it at Frank's Nursery & Crafts and the little tag on it said "lipstick plant".

I have vowed to get my fluffy arse to the gym at least three times a week and I am happy to report that last week I managed to get there 4 days and so far this week I have been there 2 days with tonight's proposed visit being my 3rd time. I want to get a firmer tighter body and I am not as consumed with weight loss. As the advent of shorts and swimsuits looms with the kick off of this Memorial Day weekend I just don't want to be "the great white whale" at the summer's cookouts. So, this means trips to the gym and a little bit of protected sun exposure. I'll keep this blog posted as to my progress which right now stands at the fact that I can do an hour of cardio without dying and I have begun to use some of the machines.

I also hope to use this blog as my personal "book club".
Currently I am reading a John Grisham novel entitled "The Last Juror".
Normally I LOVE his novels but this one is a bit slow. I love the "law" books and the way that Mr. Grisham weaves the law into the story. This one however, albeit good was not a fast read. The story moves but not as quickly as his other novels.
My suggestion, don't buy the hardcover, get it in paperback or use your local library for this one.
If there are any bloggers out there that would disagree with this critique I welcome a response.

Up in the list of novels to read will be Harry Potter, a couple of Janet Evanovich novels and I believe I have a few more John Grisham novels waiting.

The new couch hasn't arrived yet and as I type this it is my reminder to get out the paperwork and call to find out the status. I want to get the new couch, hang the pictures back up on the walls and start having friends over before the summer is over and the grind of school begins again. If you want to visit and have a nice cool one in the backyard just let me know my door is always open, the house isn't always clean and spotless but if you can live with it so can I.

That's it for now, I will update with gym observations and progress as well as the "book club" ramblings in the near future.

A Fairy Tale

Once upon a time in a house known as mine, this Princess decided to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
I got my paper plate and laid my two slices of bread on top.
I opened the cabinet to get the peanut butter to find that of the four jars of peanut butter that were in the cabinet, only one had any substantial amount of the spread.
The remaining three had just the peanut butter at the very bottom and the sides that needed to be scraped clean.
You are probably wondering why this post is getting posted and what a lazy wench I must be to leave empty jars in my cupboards.
Well, I don't live alone and I can only assume that my brother Rick believes that there is a peanut butter fairy that comes and fills the empty jars with peanut butter.
I was able to scrape enough peanut butter out of the three jars for my sandwich and dutifully disposed of the now fully empty jars in the recycle bin.
Here's the kicker, apparently there is also a jelly fairy too because a similar scenario played out when I went to get jelly out of the fridge.
Does anyone else have these fairies and do they actually ever fill up the empty containers?

General Update

Well, since I haven't posted in quite awhile I am going to sum up everything in this post.

The new carpet was installed on Friday, 5/11 and it looks WONDERFUL!!!
It feels fantastic to walk around in bare feet.
The dogs love the fact that I will lay on the floor and play with them now.
The only negative is that less than 36 hours after the carpet was laid Harley threw up on the upstairs landing.
The spot came out with some carpet cleaner but the "newness" is gone.

Not sure on when the couch will be arriving, I have to call and find out.

My official (posted by the school) grade for this past semester is an "A".
Only two more classes and this girl is going to PARTY!!!!!

Mother's Day at my sister Caryn's was very nice.
Good company, good weather, good eats.

This is my early week here at work (7:00am to 4:00pm) and I have gone to the gym two days in a row.
My how that one hour can make a difference at the gym.
I have my pick of machines and have been able to get in my hour of cardio and be out the door and home at the same time I would have arrived straight from work.
The true test will be the next two weeks when I will be working until 5:00pm and have to go "fight" for the machines that I want.
I just have to remind myself that no one wants to see my jelly belly in a bathing suit so I had better work it off.

With school out of the way I have been reading a novel and not a textbook and that is a great pleasure.
I have a whole boatload of books that I want to read so I had better get a crackin'.

That's all that's new in my world, how about yours?

The List

I am a list maker.
I always have more items on my daily list than any one person could possibly do if they are not smoking crack and doing speed.
Hence the feeling at the end of a day that I didn't accomplish anything.
I don't really think of myself as a true type A personality, but when it comes to my lists I truly am a type A.
So, yesterday I was able to cross off the list "dining room painted".
When I wrote this down I thought that I would come home from work last night and my brother would have painted the dining room and I could cross it off my list.
Well you can imagine my horror when the dining room wasn't painted!!!
I won't get into any detail but suffice it to say that before Rick and I retired to our separate bedrooms last night, the dining room was painted and I crossed that item off my list.
Let's hope that some of the other stuff for the new renovation that needs to be done before Friday morning will be completed and off my list tonight.

Shoe Whore

I am a shoe whore.

I have always found great joy in a shoe purchase.

At one time in my life I had over 200 pairs of shoes.

Right now probably close to, if not over 100 pairs.
Add to that the four pairs that I bought on Sunday and you can call me Imelda.

I don't buy expensive shoes, instead I shop Payless Shoe Source or Shoe Carnival.
So when I find a pair that I like and it is available in many colors, I buy all the colors.
I found a cute strappy sandal for work at Shoe Carnival that came in red, navy, tan and black. I bought them in red, navy and tan. I found a different pair of black sandals first. They were buy one get 1/2 off the second pair.

For less than $100 I was able to get four pairs of shoes and a purse.

Like I said, that is why I am a shoe whore.

Time Is Ticking

As the minutes click away on the clock the deadline to get the stuff done at home is quickly approaching.

I am having new carpet put in my living room, dining room and up the stairs and the small landing.

As of this morning, the dining room still needs to be painted.

There is furniture that needs to be removed from the rooms, knick knack paddy whack stuff that needs to be put in another room until everything is finished.

The carpet and padding need to be pulled up, cut up, rolled for disposal and taken out to the garbage. The staples need to be removed from the floor and everything needs to be vacuumed and washed down before Friday.

YIKES!!!!!

Unofficial

My unofficial grade has been posted by my professor.

I GOT AN "A"!!!!!!!!!

My points total was 89.8 out of a possible 100.
The grade scale: 90-100 = A
80-89 = B

The professor however did round up any score that was 0.5 or higher up to the next whole number. Since I had 89.8 it was rounded to 90 and I squeaked into the A category.

The "official" posting of grades by the school will be available on the 10th.

Freedom until the fall, ya gotta love it!!!!

New Schedule

We FINALLY got the new schedule in place here at the office.

Here's a bit of the story behind this new schedule.
Back in the fall of 2006, the almost 30 year old daughter of our receptionist got pulled over for drunk driving and she also didn't have a valid driver's license because of a previous DUI incident. Needless to say, she could no longer drive. Our receptionist stepped in to become her personal driver and this started the whole, I have to leave work at 4pm so that I can pick up my daughter. Why this became an issue for our company to deal with and not the almost 30 year daughter I will never know.

Around the new year, the daughter got laid off from her job and decided to move to the city and get a job near public transportation. The need for our receptionist to leave early was no longer a valid reason for leaving at 4pm. When I confronted her about the fact that there wasn't a reason to leave (as myself and my acctg dept have to pick up the slack when the receptionist isn't here) it became an issue that I felt needed to be resolved. Her response, I have spoken to management and they say it is okay for me to leave early. When I pressed her further as to why she felt she "needed" to leave early (always riding the broom I am when it comes to things that adversely affect my life) her answer was "I want to go and workout before it gets crowded at the gym". WHAT????? Wouldn't everyone want to get out early and either go work out or do your grocery shopping or run other errands? Of course we do, everyone would love to get the things that they want or need to do done when there are no crowds!!

So what did this broom riding gal do?
I asked management if they gave her authorization to go home early based on the fact that she no longer was needed by her daughter and told them that I don't mind being a team player and pitching in to answer the phones but I or my department shouldn't have to answer the phones every day for an hour so that it was convenient for another party to work out.

The result: we now have a rotating schedule that encompasses three people, myself, the receptionist and one person from my dept. Every third week we will get to start our day at 7am and leave at 4pm. My week is next week and I am going to use it to jump start a work out program. My gym is right across the street from the office so I am going to change into my work out clothes here at the office and walk across the street and work out. It will give me a week to get back into the whole exercise thing and hopefully week two will have me wanting to work out even though it will be after 5pm when I will be able to get there.

The moral of the story: Sometimes it is good to ride the broom like a witch.

Life is Good

Just an update on the goings on in my life.
LIFE IS GOOD!!!!
School is out for the summer.
My garden is shaping up.
The living room and stairway are painted.
The dining room is next in line for the paintbrush.
Carpet is to be installed on 5/11.
Have to call about the couch to see when it is expected to be delivered.
Being free from homework and studying has enriched my social life as I have plans for every day this weekend. Yeah, I love spending time with friends and family.
I have started reading novels again instead of textbooks.
The purge of 20 years of stuff from my house and life is continuing.
I have made a deal with myself, I will not bring something new into the house until I have taken something old out of the house.
So far this has been working well and I have taken more out of the house than I have brought in over the past week.
Now I just have to get my fluffy arse to the gym and get a more summer friendly body.

Freedom!!!

As of this past Saturday at 9:30am I am a free woman!!
I no longer have to give up my Saturday mornings for school at least until after Christmas and if I can get my last class during the week then never again will I have to wake up to go to school on my day off.

As final exams go, I studied things that I didn't need for the test and forgot to study some of the things that I needed for the test. It seems that my reaction was pretty much the same as the rest of the class. We all were flipping pages looking for that one question that we felt very comfortable with and could get it done and move on to the more difficult questions. I wasn't the first one to leave or the last one to leave, I just finished what I could in the best way that I could and let the pieces fall as they may. Worst case scenario, I really bomb and I end up with a "C" in the class. Best class scenario, I get the "A" that I am hoping for. Time will tell, grades have to be submitted by the 8th of May.

Right now I am just sitting back and enjoying the fact that I don't have any homework, presentations or term papers to write and that I will enjoy the summer to it's fullest!

Just Some Fun

Here is a little "getting to know me" thing that I stole from my friend Simone's blog.
This will have to do for an update until I am out of school this Saturday and can learn how to make my blog more fun and post more regularly.

1. I have to have something on in order to fall asleep, either the tv or a radio/cd player.
2. I have two dogs that are spoiled rotten and believe that is why God never allowed me to pro-create because my kids would have been the spoiled brats of the neighborhood and classroom.
3. I love to play in the garden but hate worms!
4. I sometimes use words that I have made up in general conversation and wonder why people give me a freaky look when they don't understand what I just said.
5. My combined family gives me three older brothers and three older sisters. It's a GREAT thing to be the "baby".
6. I have never been married.
7. I am a pack rat and have a hard time "releasing things".
8. At times I swear my home is a black hole where items I know I possess disappear only to reappear when I have replaced the item I was looking for.
9. My trunk is a mini craft room, should I ever get stranded at the side of the road I could start a craft project while waiting for the tow truck.
10. I have the honor of many good friendships that span decades to just a year or so. I am a VERY fortunate person to have these people in my life.

Tell me ten things about yourself!

Only One To Go

Well, the term paper is finished and turned in.
The PowerPoint presentation of the paper is done.
Only one more to go, the final exam, and I am a free woman until the fall semester.

After the beautiful weather this weekend I cannot wait to be finished with this semester.
I always have a hard time with the spring semester.
As the weather begins to get better I get all antsy and just want to spend time outdoors, not in a classroom.

Thankfully, ( please don't moan and groan) I am happy that the weather this week is going to be worse than this past beautiful weekend.
I am happy because I will be hitting the books for the final this Saturday and it will be easier for me to study if the weather is yucky than if it were nice and beautiful like this past weekend.

I have taken a vacation day this Thursday to cram all of the stuff that needs to be in my head for Saturday.
I hope that it stays there and I do well on the test so that I get a good grade.
Quite honestly though, a passing grade at this point is all I care about.
I just want OUT!!!!

Wish me luck!

A Little Quiz

1. Yourself? Crazy Busy
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend? Don't have one right now
3. Your hair? Looking better than it has in years
4. Your mother? My rock and true friend
5. Your father? No longer with us but he was a wonderful Dad
6. Your favorite thing? My puppy Gidget
7. Your dream last night? I cannot remember
8. Your favorite drink? Diet Coke
9. Your dream car? A sporty hybrid
10. The room you're in? Office at work
11 Your fear? Dying alone
12. What you want to be in 10 years? Married and retired
13. Muffins? Oatmeal raisin
14. Who you hung out with last night? Brother Rick
15. What you're not? Organized, but I am working on it
16. Time? 11:30 am
17. What you're wearing? Jeans, gym shoes, tank top and cardigan
18. Your favorite weather? Sunny with low humidity
19. Your favorite book? The Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich
20. The last thing you ate? A chocolate chip cookie
21. Your worst vice? Craft supplies, love to buy them for all of the ideas that I want to create
22. Your best friend/s? They are the ones that keep me grounded and support me even when I f-up.
23.What you're thinking about right now? How I should be working and not posting on my blog
24. Your car? Pontiac Sunfire
25. Your life? Crazy Busy



So what are your answers?

Crazy Busy

This week has been a very crazy busy week for me.

Not only do I have a term paper due this Saturday. I have to create a PowerPoint presentation to show on Saturday about the term paper. Add to these tasks that I have spent a good portion of my work day in meetings all week and you can imagine that the pile of work that is ever present on my desk is growing like a weed.

The end is not anywhere near as after I hand in my term paper and do the presentation I have to begin to study for my final exam that will be on the 28th.

Whatever happened to free time for fun?
I sure do hope the near future has some fun time for me.

That Time of Life

It must be the age that we are currently living that causes us to look back upon our lives and wonder, "What ever happened to...."

As you readers know Mr. Big entered my life after 20+ years and since then I have heard from two other guys that were in his class. I had a phone conversation with one of them and an e-mail exchange with the other.

Today I opened my personal e-mail to find yet another "blast from the past".
This e-mail was from Dave W., another friend of Mr. Big looking for him as well as wondering "what ever happened to...".

Dave W. lives in my neighborhood and is divorced with three kids.

I really have to dig out the old reunion stuff that I started over 8 years ago and combine my class with the class ahead of us and make it one big reunion.

But first, I have to finish my term paper (due this Saturday, 4/21) and begin studying for my final exam (Saturday, 4/28) before I can even think of socializing with my past.

An Invention

So I am foregoing my possible million dollars of revenues from this invention if someone will please figure out a way to produce it economically and get it out on the market.

My proposed invention: ear covers to be used by salons when dying hair

Being a 40 something (almost 50, yikes) woman who has been dying her early gray hairs since my thirties have always wanted to come up with a way to figure out how to cover my ears from the potential plop of dye falling on them and then discoloring the ear until nature and daily showers cause the dye to fade. When I was dying my hair at home I was sooooo careful to avoid getting dye on my ears that sometimes it hindered the dye job at my temples, but better a few grays than brown ears.

I thought when I recently decided to go mult-color (highlights and lowlights) and have the professionals do the dye job that I would eliminate the whole worry about dye on my ears.

Such was not the case on Wednesday when I went in for a root touch-up.
The job is wonderful, not a gray root showing.
However, I walked out of there with brown ears.
Yes, not only the rims or outer ear area, but the inside area.
What the heck?

I got my hair cut after the dye was washed out. Did the stylist not see that my ears were brown?

Luckily I had a kleenex in my car and when stopped at red lights on my way home tried to remove as much of the offending brown from my ears. But today, Friday, two days later and I can still see a slight discoloration of my ears.

So, someone out there, here is my invention.
Small shower-cap-like covers with elastic that would fit over the ear during the dying process at hair salons. The need to be disposable, cheap and worth the purchase by the salon to prevent the problem of discolored ears.

So if you have the knowledge and the quest to be the next big inventor knock your socks off and get me some protection from having brown ears next time that I go to the salon.

The other alternative, a good solution that will remove the dye from skin without melting the skin. Either one would do me fine so start inventing!!!!

Crunch Time

Well things are crazy as school begins to wind down and things at work begin to heat up.

I have only 3 more classes before my Saturday mornings are free again, YEAH!!!

Too bad that a term paper (due 4/21) and a final exam (4/28) stand between me and freedom.

Put on top of the school happenings the fact that our fiscal year ended 3/31 and this month begins the compilation of the data needed to produce our corporate taxes.

We also have the author of the software that we currently use coming to our office next week to "go over" some of the areas of the software that either we have not yet learned to use or those areas that seem to have some bugs that need to be worked out.

Last but not least is the home redecorating project that is about to begin. (New couch, new carpet and newly painted walls).

I had better take my vitamins, looks like a full schedule for awhile.

Step Two: Carpet

Today I chose the new carpet for my house.
I haven't done this in 21 years and it was a very hard decision.
Not only did I have to deal with the type of carpet choice, but then there was the most difficult part, the color.
I have decided on a plush carpet in the shade of "fossil".
Delivery has been scheduled for early May so that we have time to paint and pull up the old carpet.
Now comes the MOST difficult task.
Purging and getting ready to paint.
Yuck!!
Now I remember why it has been so long since all of this was done.

Easter

The weather here in Chicago is not at all like spring or condusive to cute spring dresses with new Easter hats and shoes.

However, this morning I would like to extend the very best Easter blessings and greetings to you all.

May you find all of the eggs that you have hidden before they begin to smell.

May you be able to spend this day with family and friends.

May you find a moment to appreciate all that this new season brings.

I have the very best family and friends that a woman could ask for and I wish you all the very best of peace, love and happiness as we celebrate this joyous day.

Happy Easter everyone!!!!

The Purchase Had Been Made

Last night concluded the shopping expedition for a new couch.
I have been searching for the perfect couch and unless I am willing to spend the big bucks and have it custom made the perfect couch does not exist in my life at this time.
Instead, the almost perfect couch was ordered last night.
It is 88 inches long and 38 inches deep.
It is navy blue micro fiber (faux suede for us non-furniture people) with mocha (tan) piping.
It has loose pillows for the back and three cushions for the seat.
The factory should have it done sometime in the middle of May which allows me the time to shop for and have installed my new carpet and paint the living room, dining room and stairwell up to the second floor.
Now armed with my fabric swatch from the store I am ready to call my good friend Joe (Bubbles' husband) to come over and measure my rooms and advise me on the best carpet for my home and budget.
The renovation has begun!!!!

Weekend

After school on Saturday was when the good part of the weekend began.
With the pressure of my presentation and exam out of the way I was free to just relax, and relax I did.
I went home after school and packed my suitcase for my FREE overnight stay at the Holiday Inn in Itasca. I won this stay by coming closest in my guess of how many jelly beans were in a jar last Easter at this hotel where we went for Easter brunch.
I had to use the gift certificate before this Easter or it was no good.
I invited my poker group (sister Caryn, her husband Bruce, cousin Fran, her husband Steve, cousin Sue, her husband Rick) to come to the hotel for swimming and cards.
I usually don't drink when we play cards because I am always driving home, so this Saturday I bought a bottle of rum and some Diet Coke.

I left my house after packing my suitcase and went to my knitting class. After class I was on my way to the hotel and checked in by 5pm. I got myself settled, called the card group to let them know what room and poured myself a cocktail. Being that I am not a big drinker I was buzzed by the time they all arrived. Caryn stated when she walked into the room, "it smells like rum in here!" Perhaps that's because I was drinking rum. LOL!!!

We had a great time, ordered pizza for dinner, played cards until 11:00pm and I was the big winner. I guess being a bit tipsy helps in cards.

The next morning my sister Caryn and my friend Bobbi met me for brunch at the hotel and it was very nice. I was a bit hung over but that was to be expected. It was great to spend time with Bobbi and to hear that she has applied for her graduation and has made arrangements to go to graduate school. Rock on Bobbi, you go girl!!!!

Other than the flat tire that Caryn had in the parking lot of the hotel and the good Samaritan that tried to help but couldn't get the tire to come off the car, the morning was quite pleasant. Bruce did get the tire changed later that day and the tire had a locking device that made it impossible for our good Samaritan to change.