Today is one of those days when you just want to stay in bed allllll day....it's a cold, rainy, grey day outside. Guess what i'm doing? I'm still in bed!!! :) I got up around 10:00 today, but got out of be just long enough to grab breakfast & my laptop. Then it was back to bed, and i have spent the afternoon playing on my computer.
The last week has kinda been a bumpy one, so it feels good to just lay around and be lazy. I havent been too lazy though...did you notice the changes to the blog? I upgraded, added labels, some lists on the sidebar, updated my profile...oh yeah, and changed the template. This one is ok, but i would like something that is inspiring when you open up my page. I know, I know..you're saying to yourself, how can it get more inspiring than the words of wisdom in each post? ;) Hmm...well, I want something to inspire me to write more, and also to run more...i want some picture, of a place like Big Sur or something, and some runner in the middle of it. You know, inspiring! :) If you know of a blog template that's easy to install--i'm not good with the html coding thing at all--could you let me know?
In other news...
I have decided to run the Oklahoma City marathon. Training started officially (for me) 2 weeks ago...according to the schedule i should have run about 20 miles total by now. So far, the running total is...um...less than 7. :\ Guess i need to get moving, huh?
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
a trip home, the zoo and a pubcrawl
As the summer was coming to an end, I was looking forward to my schedule slowing down a little bit...it seemed like as soon as June hit, we had something going on every weekend through the end of August, and those somethings were always at least a 2 hr drive from home. It was definitely a fun summer, but I was looking forward to more quiet weekends, ones that didnt involve living out of a suitcase & paying for expensive gas. :)
Well...that hasn't happened so much...it's gotten better, there are more weekends that are quiet & not jam-packed with stuff to do, but there are still plenty of booked weekends in there. Such as, 2 weeks ago when I went home to visit the family. Jeremy came with me, and we had a blast taking the kids to the Pumpkin Patch, and hanging out with family. On Sunday the 2 of us had an afternoon date --we went to the StL zoo-- to sortof celebrate being together 6 months (hey-it's a big deal in this battlefield of love that is the dating world!). :) Talk about a great weekend!
Here are a few pictures of the kids at the pumpkin patch:
On a side note...This last weekend we had the fall pubcrawl in Westport...talk about a ton of fun! My friend Buscher flew in, and my friend Brad & his roomie Kirk drove in to be on the team. It was so much fun...altho it's been a looong time since i've had a weekend with so little sleep! Blogger's being slow so i will post the pictures next time, but rest assured, there are some gems in there! :) haha...
Well...that hasn't happened so much...it's gotten better, there are more weekends that are quiet & not jam-packed with stuff to do, but there are still plenty of booked weekends in there. Such as, 2 weeks ago when I went home to visit the family. Jeremy came with me, and we had a blast taking the kids to the Pumpkin Patch, and hanging out with family. On Sunday the 2 of us had an afternoon date --we went to the StL zoo-- to sortof celebrate being together 6 months (hey-it's a big deal in this battlefield of love that is the dating world!). :) Talk about a great weekend!
Here are a few pictures of the kids at the pumpkin patch:
On a side note...This last weekend we had the fall pubcrawl in Westport...talk about a ton of fun! My friend Buscher flew in, and my friend Brad & his roomie Kirk drove in to be on the team. It was so much fun...altho it's been a looong time since i've had a weekend with so little sleep! Blogger's being slow so i will post the pictures next time, but rest assured, there are some gems in there! :) haha...
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
weariness, quarter-end and a new flavor of turkey
~sigh~
I am le tired....today I was at work & waiting in the cold morning air for the shuttle at 7:10a.m. Lately I have been an earlybird, last week i was at work before 7:30am every day! Who is this girl, you say? Well, it's a girl who has a very sweet boyfriend who helps her get up in the morning. In my more recent years, i havent been opposed to getting up early, as long as i wasnt the one who had to get me up at that ungodly hour. :) Jeremy has been the brave, brave man who attempts to wake me up at 5:15 or 5:30, so I can be ready & on the road in time to be at work by 7. What a guy, huh? :)
Lately work has been getting busier though...the quarter closes this saturday, so we are trying to get a ton of stuff done in order to get everything on the books before we close them. That is why i am so le tired...today i worked pretty much straight through until 6:20...that's 11 hours!! you wouldnt think sitting at a desk that long would wear you out, but it does!
The highlight of the day was lunch...last night at the grocery store deli i found some sundried tomato smoked turkey. YUM! you dont even need mayo on this sandwich...mustard & cheese is just fine...it was really good.
Is it sad that the highlight of my day is a turkey sandwich?
I am le tired....today I was at work & waiting in the cold morning air for the shuttle at 7:10a.m. Lately I have been an earlybird, last week i was at work before 7:30am every day! Who is this girl, you say? Well, it's a girl who has a very sweet boyfriend who helps her get up in the morning. In my more recent years, i havent been opposed to getting up early, as long as i wasnt the one who had to get me up at that ungodly hour. :) Jeremy has been the brave, brave man who attempts to wake me up at 5:15 or 5:30, so I can be ready & on the road in time to be at work by 7. What a guy, huh? :)
Lately work has been getting busier though...the quarter closes this saturday, so we are trying to get a ton of stuff done in order to get everything on the books before we close them. That is why i am so le tired...today i worked pretty much straight through until 6:20...that's 11 hours!! you wouldnt think sitting at a desk that long would wear you out, but it does!
The highlight of the day was lunch...last night at the grocery store deli i found some sundried tomato smoked turkey. YUM! you dont even need mayo on this sandwich...mustard & cheese is just fine...it was really good.
Is it sad that the highlight of my day is a turkey sandwich?
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Happy Birthday!
Today is my mom's birthday! Happy birthday!!!!
In honor of the occasion, I thought I would blog about my mom. I dont remember every having one of those days in school where you bring your parents to school & brag on them to your class...career day? i think that was it...anywho...here's what i would say if i had a career day now. :) (i'm a dork...it's ok, you can say it...)
Looking back on my relationship with my mom over the years, the thing that stands out to me the most is how close we are, and have been. Sure, you know those teenage years were rough...I remember asking mom how she ever got through it, b/c i know i was a real pain, and she jokingly said "Prozac"...hehe...at least, i hope she was joking...in her shoes i think i would have needed something much stronger...like Jack Daniels maybe. But I digress...even through all of that we still had a better relationship i think than many of my friends and their mothers did. I remember feeling sorry for girls who just resented their moms & everything they did...my mom was my friend too, and i thought they were really missing out on having such a close confidant, someone they could always always count on to be there for them. I think that has been the biggest gift my mom has given me, her friendship and support over the years. Sure, putting me through school, roof over my head, food in my stomach...all important things...but through all the challenges she has been there for me. That is a huge thing...something everyone should be so lucky to have. Thanks mom! I hope you have a wonderful day!!
Today mom is driving to kc to spend a couple of days with me in celebration of her bday...it's kindof an annual thing, every year she comes to kc & we spend her bday together. On the agenda: shopping, pedicures, good food. I am really looking forward to it!
Here are a couple of pictures of my beautiful, amazing mom.
In honor of the occasion, I thought I would blog about my mom. I dont remember every having one of those days in school where you bring your parents to school & brag on them to your class...career day? i think that was it...anywho...here's what i would say if i had a career day now. :) (i'm a dork...it's ok, you can say it...)
Looking back on my relationship with my mom over the years, the thing that stands out to me the most is how close we are, and have been. Sure, you know those teenage years were rough...I remember asking mom how she ever got through it, b/c i know i was a real pain, and she jokingly said "Prozac"...hehe...at least, i hope she was joking...in her shoes i think i would have needed something much stronger...like Jack Daniels maybe. But I digress...even through all of that we still had a better relationship i think than many of my friends and their mothers did. I remember feeling sorry for girls who just resented their moms & everything they did...my mom was my friend too, and i thought they were really missing out on having such a close confidant, someone they could always always count on to be there for them. I think that has been the biggest gift my mom has given me, her friendship and support over the years. Sure, putting me through school, roof over my head, food in my stomach...all important things...but through all the challenges she has been there for me. That is a huge thing...something everyone should be so lucky to have. Thanks mom! I hope you have a wonderful day!!
Today mom is driving to kc to spend a couple of days with me in celebration of her bday...it's kindof an annual thing, every year she comes to kc & we spend her bday together. On the agenda: shopping, pedicures, good food. I am really looking forward to it!
Here are a couple of pictures of my beautiful, amazing mom.
Friday, September 22, 2006
steal of the century
Yesterday I was reading one of my daily blogs and read about this girl, who writes for Mind of Mencia, who just ran her first marathon in Hawaii. She wrote about her preparation for it, and then a separate entry for the first half of the marathon. Reading that brought back all the emotions & reactions I experienced during my first marathon, in Hamilton, Bermuda. The anxiety of preparation--do i take this? no..i wont need it...but what if i do?...better take it...well, i dont want to bring too much...what is everyone else taking?...ok, enough-i'm leaving it...ok fine, i'll bring it with me. Imagine agonizing about this over everything you take. Even after having made a list of what you will need. Then there's the anticipation at the start line, the feeling of excitement as months of blood sweat & tears culminates in a few 'short' (ha! whatever!) hours of running...and then dragging yourself through those few short hours.
Reading that made me want that feeling back...I felt the same way after reading David and Abbie's postings about their first triathlon...David had blisters at the end, Abbie's legs were shaking from the effort. They helped each other through it, and the same as Pamie, didnt come in first, didnt come in last, but FINISHED. It's hard for me to get my butt off the couch, but there's no prouder moment than when you cross that finish line. And no better feeling than when you get to sit down (collapse) afterwards in a heap of sweaty smelly exhaustion. Doesnt that sound like fun??? :) I want that feeling again!!
So, this weekend i think mom & i are going to look into marathons to run in april. I found a couple of international ones (London & Paris), and a few domestic ones (Nashville, OKC, Dallas, Big Sur). Stay tuned...
Oh, and on the topic of the subject line....my company has a classified ads, and i found an add for a mattress. JN has been needing one BAD--his was his great grandpa's, and i think it was worn out when he got it. This mattress that he got, it's a Sealy pillowtop...only a couple of years old...i looked & a new one on sale was like $700 bucks. Guess what he got it for? $65! and this was after the guy asked $100 OBO. :) We picked it up last night, and it is a ginormous improvement over his last one. Makes me want to hit the garage sales...so i can find more steals of the century!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
testing..1..2..3
This is a test to see if i can blog via email, without having to do anything of the logging in sort of stuff...
Am hoping this will be a way for me to blog more...you know, since its soooo hard to actually go to the site & log in n stuff... :)
Am hoping this will be a way for me to blog more...you know, since its soooo hard to actually go to the site & log in n stuff... :)
Sunday, September 10, 2006
long time no see
yeah, so about those promises to write every day, exercise all the time, blah blah blah...dont remember? yeah, me neither. nevermind then. :)
Lots of changes these days...just moved out of the HL & in with my friend denise deniserson...i'm liking living there, except its farther away from my BF. It's been an adjustment, but i think it's a definite change for the better not dealing with the stress of the wicked witch of the west anymore (the director). My evenings are now free to do whatever (yay!)...altho that 'whatever' now usually consists of anything that costs no money (boo...). JN (the BF) and i read this book his grandma gave us, The Total Money Makeover. Nothing really new in there, it was pretty much one long pep talk to spend less, get another job to make more, and pay more stuff off. oh yeah, and stop using your credit cards. It was genius. :) So...jn & i have been trying to live very cheaply, and pretty much succeeding. For less than $6 a day we have been eating breakfast, lunch & dinner. I feel like those kids in el salvador sally struthers was always going on about... "for less than 6 cents a day you can feed a child for a month!" Hmm...i wonder what we'd have to reduce our grocery shopping to in order to get it under 6 cents a day! i'm not sure i want to find out.
This weekend i have been in stL visiting family for the first time in what seems like forever! i think it has only been like 2 months, but that seems like a long time when i've been used to going home ever 4-6 weeks. what a difference an extra 2 weeks makes. Mom & i spent a lot of time working on a scrapbooking project we've been working on for awhile now...and the rest of the time was spent playing with the neice & nephews & hanging out with friends. it was great! only downside was that jn was in kc...next time i'm dragging him with me! :)
Lots of changes these days...just moved out of the HL & in with my friend denise deniserson...i'm liking living there, except its farther away from my BF. It's been an adjustment, but i think it's a definite change for the better not dealing with the stress of the wicked witch of the west anymore (the director). My evenings are now free to do whatever (yay!)...altho that 'whatever' now usually consists of anything that costs no money (boo...). JN (the BF) and i read this book his grandma gave us, The Total Money Makeover. Nothing really new in there, it was pretty much one long pep talk to spend less, get another job to make more, and pay more stuff off. oh yeah, and stop using your credit cards. It was genius. :) So...jn & i have been trying to live very cheaply, and pretty much succeeding. For less than $6 a day we have been eating breakfast, lunch & dinner. I feel like those kids in el salvador sally struthers was always going on about... "for less than 6 cents a day you can feed a child for a month!" Hmm...i wonder what we'd have to reduce our grocery shopping to in order to get it under 6 cents a day! i'm not sure i want to find out.
This weekend i have been in stL visiting family for the first time in what seems like forever! i think it has only been like 2 months, but that seems like a long time when i've been used to going home ever 4-6 weeks. what a difference an extra 2 weeks makes. Mom & i spent a lot of time working on a scrapbooking project we've been working on for awhile now...and the rest of the time was spent playing with the neice & nephews & hanging out with friends. it was great! only downside was that jn was in kc...next time i'm dragging him with me! :)
Friday, July 21, 2006
marvels of modern technology
Today is the first day of 6 consecutive days during which my only responsibility will be to put on sunscreen, get enough sleep and make sure i drink my fair share of beer. Or jack & lemonade. Or jello shots. Whatever. :) I like those kinds of responsibilities!!
Through sunday we will be floating on the current river with a bunch of my friends from high school, and then sunday afternoon through wednesday we'll be on Tablerock lake with my family. ~sigh of contentment~
The last 2 days at work have been kind of stressful...I've been stuck in all day planning & strategy meetings. Not that I dont thoroughly enjoy planning things, or working on my strategery, 8 hours a day straight of that can get kind of tiresome. Theres only so much planning you can do in your efforts to take over the world...sometimes you just gotta go on instinct. :)
During our planning & strategizing, we took time out for a team builder. I have to say, this is one of my most favorite things about working for my current employer...the effort that is put into helping you get to know your teammates & build positive relationships with all of them. I havent ever been in a group that works so hard, and so well together. The proof is found in our laser tag scores at the end of the teambuilder. Holy cow that was fun! There are some people you look at & think they are so calm and introverted, but once you put a laser gun in their hand & give them a dark warehouse to run around in, they become the craziest laser gun shootin associate you've ever seen! It was absoloutely hilarious.
So...I'm on the highway right now typing this, and we're about to go down a huge hill & lose my signal...so i'll update more later...hopefully with pics of the float trip.
Toodles!
Through sunday we will be floating on the current river with a bunch of my friends from high school, and then sunday afternoon through wednesday we'll be on Tablerock lake with my family. ~sigh of contentment~
The last 2 days at work have been kind of stressful...I've been stuck in all day planning & strategy meetings. Not that I dont thoroughly enjoy planning things, or working on my strategery, 8 hours a day straight of that can get kind of tiresome. Theres only so much planning you can do in your efforts to take over the world...sometimes you just gotta go on instinct. :)
During our planning & strategizing, we took time out for a team builder. I have to say, this is one of my most favorite things about working for my current employer...the effort that is put into helping you get to know your teammates & build positive relationships with all of them. I havent ever been in a group that works so hard, and so well together. The proof is found in our laser tag scores at the end of the teambuilder. Holy cow that was fun! There are some people you look at & think they are so calm and introverted, but once you put a laser gun in their hand & give them a dark warehouse to run around in, they become the craziest laser gun shootin associate you've ever seen! It was absoloutely hilarious.
So...I'm on the highway right now typing this, and we're about to go down a huge hill & lose my signal...so i'll update more later...hopefully with pics of the float trip.
Toodles!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
This is the part where you want to give up...
Hey there!
I'm baaack....seems that since i don't post at work, the only real time i have to blog is tuesday nights, before i head to bed...so maybe this will be a weekly post? hmm...we'll see...
So, last week was a good week! I brought my lunch to work every day, a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, mustard (sadly, no heart-stopping mayo), and 2% american cheese...some grapes...yogurt...an apple...also some yogurt, an orange & pretzels to snack on during the day. I also managed to keep my eating out at a minimum, so i saved both calories & money. woot! :) This week is starting off well, but i have 2 lunches scheduled during the week, and a girls night out dinner on thursday, so i'm trying really hard to make good choices. Today was one of the lunches scheduled, my team at work all went out to eat together to welcome some new members of the group. We went to the ameristar casino's sports restaurant...and instead of the mushroom & swiss burger i SO wanted to have, i opted instead for a grilled chicken sandwich. i had a few of the fries that came with it, but avoided them for the most part.
On the exercise front...lets see, last tuesday I posted about my workout that night...then wednesday I didnt do anything, recovered from that madness. Thursday after work I went swimming in the pool at the gym at work...which was definitely a reality check for my fitness ego. First i had trouble finding the pool from the locker room (total blonde moment), and then i proceeded to try & drink the entire pool. or at least, that's what it felt like from the amount of water i choked down! The last time i did laps of any sort was high school, sadly almost 10 years ago. oy. i dove into the warmup (no pun intended!) :), only to find out that i was so out of swimming shape that that was more like doing my actual workout, no warmup. I suffered, stuttered & sputtered through the workout, and when i saw the cooldown part of the workout i wheezed in disgust, dragged myself out of the water & shuffled back to the locker room in defeat. ~sigh~ Why cant i just be in good shape by the want to be in shape alone? all this...this...effort! It's wearing me out! :)
After that, i took the weekend off. We went to the lake & had a great time...just slept, and slept, and sunbathed, and went riding on the 4wheeler, and slept some more. awesome.
So, the new week starts with a bang yesterday, and so i'm back trying to stay on the wagon. Got up, made my usual lunch/snacks for the day, and headed off to work. oh wait--headed off sans gym bag. d'oh! so i ran when i got home...i was out there for about an hour, did about 4 miles i bet....give or take...had to walk some, but i ran the majority of it. Given that it was so hot, and humid, and i wasnt in the shade much if at all, i felt it was an hour well spent...i mightve been able to up the effort a scotsch, but i was pretty satisfied with the workout overall.
Today, no workout...i had to work tonite at the HL, and ended up cleaning 4 rooms. i'm hoping that counts for some exercise, because let me tell you, i'm pooped!
I have lunch plans for tomorrow, but am still planning on taking the gym bag so i can get a weights session in...and then thursday i have plans to meet with a friend who is good at swimming, so he can help me with my stroke, and hopefully motivate me to not be a sputtering, floundering, uncoordinated, whale-like person in the pool. :) i'll let you know next tuesday how it goes.
have a good week!
xoxo
a couple of after thoughts....
--i stepped on the scale this morning...that damn needle hasnt moved one iota! hex on you, scale!
--not sure if i shared or not, but i got the results back from my cholesterol test...brace yourself...310 total count. doesnt your heart stop working when it hits like, 290 or something? geez. time to up the fitness/healthy efforts.
~sigh~
I'm baaack....seems that since i don't post at work, the only real time i have to blog is tuesday nights, before i head to bed...so maybe this will be a weekly post? hmm...we'll see...
So, last week was a good week! I brought my lunch to work every day, a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, mustard (sadly, no heart-stopping mayo), and 2% american cheese...some grapes...yogurt...an apple...also some yogurt, an orange & pretzels to snack on during the day. I also managed to keep my eating out at a minimum, so i saved both calories & money. woot! :) This week is starting off well, but i have 2 lunches scheduled during the week, and a girls night out dinner on thursday, so i'm trying really hard to make good choices. Today was one of the lunches scheduled, my team at work all went out to eat together to welcome some new members of the group. We went to the ameristar casino's sports restaurant...and instead of the mushroom & swiss burger i SO wanted to have, i opted instead for a grilled chicken sandwich. i had a few of the fries that came with it, but avoided them for the most part.
On the exercise front...lets see, last tuesday I posted about my workout that night...then wednesday I didnt do anything, recovered from that madness. Thursday after work I went swimming in the pool at the gym at work...which was definitely a reality check for my fitness ego. First i had trouble finding the pool from the locker room (total blonde moment), and then i proceeded to try & drink the entire pool. or at least, that's what it felt like from the amount of water i choked down! The last time i did laps of any sort was high school, sadly almost 10 years ago. oy. i dove into the warmup (no pun intended!) :), only to find out that i was so out of swimming shape that that was more like doing my actual workout, no warmup. I suffered, stuttered & sputtered through the workout, and when i saw the cooldown part of the workout i wheezed in disgust, dragged myself out of the water & shuffled back to the locker room in defeat. ~sigh~ Why cant i just be in good shape by the want to be in shape alone? all this...this...effort! It's wearing me out! :)
After that, i took the weekend off. We went to the lake & had a great time...just slept, and slept, and sunbathed, and went riding on the 4wheeler, and slept some more. awesome.
So, the new week starts with a bang yesterday, and so i'm back trying to stay on the wagon. Got up, made my usual lunch/snacks for the day, and headed off to work. oh wait--headed off sans gym bag. d'oh! so i ran when i got home...i was out there for about an hour, did about 4 miles i bet....give or take...had to walk some, but i ran the majority of it. Given that it was so hot, and humid, and i wasnt in the shade much if at all, i felt it was an hour well spent...i mightve been able to up the effort a scotsch, but i was pretty satisfied with the workout overall.
Today, no workout...i had to work tonite at the HL, and ended up cleaning 4 rooms. i'm hoping that counts for some exercise, because let me tell you, i'm pooped!
I have lunch plans for tomorrow, but am still planning on taking the gym bag so i can get a weights session in...and then thursday i have plans to meet with a friend who is good at swimming, so he can help me with my stroke, and hopefully motivate me to not be a sputtering, floundering, uncoordinated, whale-like person in the pool. :) i'll let you know next tuesday how it goes.
have a good week!
xoxo
a couple of after thoughts....
--i stepped on the scale this morning...that damn needle hasnt moved one iota! hex on you, scale!
--not sure if i shared or not, but i got the results back from my cholesterol test...brace yourself...310 total count. doesnt your heart stop working when it hits like, 290 or something? geez. time to up the fitness/healthy efforts.
~sigh~
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Aaaaand....We're Off!
Ok, so i'm making good on my last post...a week later than i wanted to, but whatever. :)
So. Today's tuesday...Yesterday I DID work out. I ran on the treadmill at the fitness center to warm up, and then did my weights routine. And then did about eleventy million crunches. (side note: Whenever I do crunches (not often) I am reminded of this blog post...not that it has ever happened to me, it's just REALLY funny. You should read it if you want a good laugh...anyways...) :)
I felt pretty good after that, like i was off to a good start.
Today I didnt work out in the gym at work b/c i had to leave early to work at the HL tonite. So, i did my cardio in the fitness room downstairs this evening, starting off with 20 min on the bike. Have you ever seen the movie Bridget Jones' Diary? There's a scene in there where she resolves to get in shape, and so she goes to the gym and gets on a stationary bike. When she's done, she gets off & falls flat on her face b/c she didnt realize her legs would stop working afterwards...That was me. Except I managed to catch myself just shy of the faceplant. Why dont they put warning labels on those bikes? "Warning--Usage of this bike converts muscle tissue & bone to jelly. Do not attempt to use your legs on risk of serious injury to yourself or others."
Anywho...after i recovered from that experience i dragged myself onto the dreaded treadmill & ran for about 20-ish minutes. Actually, i ran for 23:15. No kidding...i couldnt talk myself into finishing the 25 minutes i had planned...the jelly-legs experience just took it all out of me.
So. Today's tuesday...Yesterday I DID work out. I ran on the treadmill at the fitness center to warm up, and then did my weights routine. And then did about eleventy million crunches. (side note: Whenever I do crunches (not often) I am reminded of this blog post...not that it has ever happened to me, it's just REALLY funny. You should read it if you want a good laugh...anyways...) :)
I felt pretty good after that, like i was off to a good start.
Today I didnt work out in the gym at work b/c i had to leave early to work at the HL tonite. So, i did my cardio in the fitness room downstairs this evening, starting off with 20 min on the bike. Have you ever seen the movie Bridget Jones' Diary? There's a scene in there where she resolves to get in shape, and so she goes to the gym and gets on a stationary bike. When she's done, she gets off & falls flat on her face b/c she didnt realize her legs would stop working afterwards...That was me. Except I managed to catch myself just shy of the faceplant. Why dont they put warning labels on those bikes? "Warning--Usage of this bike converts muscle tissue & bone to jelly. Do not attempt to use your legs on risk of serious injury to yourself or others."
Anywho...after i recovered from that experience i dragged myself onto the dreaded treadmill & ran for about 20-ish minutes. Actually, i ran for 23:15. No kidding...i couldnt talk myself into finishing the 25 minutes i had planned...the jelly-legs experience just took it all out of me.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
The Wagon
I'm back! Or at least I'm trying to be...I've been pretty bad about blogging lately, something about the constant need to get outside & away from my computer now that the weather isnt 20 degrees & freaking cold all the time...yeah, that's what i blame it on! :)
I've been a busy girl though! If you knew, you wouldnt blame me for not writing all that much...but also, i've come to think about writing kindof like my running. Hang on--it'll make sense in a minute! :) What i mean is, have you ever had something that you used to do pretty regularly, say, get up at the same time for work every day, clean your house, do the laundry? Then something happens & you get out of the habit & fall off the wagon, so to speak...then the motivation to do that regular thing just goes right out of the window, and the thought of having to do it again seems like this huge task that is just too much trouble...and so the task gets put off until tomorrow...or the next day....or the day after that...and before you know it like a month has gone by and tomorrow has still not arrived. Ok--so my point here is that writing in this blog, as well as exercising on a regular basis, have both gone right out the window, and i have fallen off the wagon. So...today i'm trying to climb back on. Part of this insurmountable task is me writing this here, so hopefully i will feel accountable to someone other than my procrastinating, falling off the wagon self.
Step 1: Stop procrastinating already & get your cholesterol checked.
--The followup to my last check was supposed to be done in november. guess what. it's not november anymore...as a matter of fact, that was 6 months ago. oy... Well, my employer has a clinic on-campus, and it happens to be RIGHT next door to my building. i walk past it every day. they have a lab there and accept my insurance and will do the draw for free & fwd the results to my doctor. NO EXCUSE. So, yesterday I had blood drawn & sent to my dr...I also confirmed the follow-up appointment on thursday to discuss the results. The cool thing here--i was able to make the appointment online, instant-message the lab tech with a question about the clinic, and made it to the appointment & back to my desk in less than 15 minutes. What dr's office offers that?!
Step 2: Exercise dammit!
One of the perks of my new job is the fitness center they have. It's WONDERFUL!!! Seriously. For something like $12 or so bucks per paycheck, pre-tax, I get full access. Access to what? They have a pool, racquetball courts, table tennis (I immediately thought of my cousin when I saw the guys playing over their lunch hour...), a huge gym with bball/vball courts, a huge beautiful new locker room (it's gorgeous!), tons of weight machines, treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, etc, and a wide range of classes, PLUS late evening hours & weekend hours to accommodate any schedule. DANG! That's awesome. In order to take advantage though, you have to sign up for a fitness assessment & get an orientation. Today was my fitness assessment...and it wasnt pretty. I stepped on the scale & nearly fainted. Seriously. Nobody would ever believe i ran a marathon in this body, let alone 3 of them! I kept it together though, & scheduled a consult this friday with the personal trainer they have on staff. I hope this person can get me back on track! My schedule with work now is totally flexible, and i have no excuse for not working out every day. Before, i only was able to go over lunch, and rarely took a lunch b/c of my workload & the deadlines. Now things are different with work, so i need to go back to this...so, i'm going to work out every weekday, cardio or weights. one or the other. Prepare yourself too...you're gonna get to hear about it! :) Which leads me to step 3...
Step 3: Mean it this time!
i'm gonna follow through on this...for real...no, really! I mean it this time! I am going to start working out on a more regular basis, get my weight & cholesterol in check, and be accountable for making that happen. Not only that, I'm going to write more often in my blog (there's the other part of getting back on track)...and report my daily workings-out to you guys...
I bet you just absolutely cannot wait, huh? :)
I've been a busy girl though! If you knew, you wouldnt blame me for not writing all that much...but also, i've come to think about writing kindof like my running. Hang on--it'll make sense in a minute! :) What i mean is, have you ever had something that you used to do pretty regularly, say, get up at the same time for work every day, clean your house, do the laundry? Then something happens & you get out of the habit & fall off the wagon, so to speak...then the motivation to do that regular thing just goes right out of the window, and the thought of having to do it again seems like this huge task that is just too much trouble...and so the task gets put off until tomorrow...or the next day....or the day after that...and before you know it like a month has gone by and tomorrow has still not arrived. Ok--so my point here is that writing in this blog, as well as exercising on a regular basis, have both gone right out the window, and i have fallen off the wagon. So...today i'm trying to climb back on. Part of this insurmountable task is me writing this here, so hopefully i will feel accountable to someone other than my procrastinating, falling off the wagon self.
Step 1: Stop procrastinating already & get your cholesterol checked.
--The followup to my last check was supposed to be done in november. guess what. it's not november anymore...as a matter of fact, that was 6 months ago. oy... Well, my employer has a clinic on-campus, and it happens to be RIGHT next door to my building. i walk past it every day. they have a lab there and accept my insurance and will do the draw for free & fwd the results to my doctor. NO EXCUSE. So, yesterday I had blood drawn & sent to my dr...I also confirmed the follow-up appointment on thursday to discuss the results. The cool thing here--i was able to make the appointment online, instant-message the lab tech with a question about the clinic, and made it to the appointment & back to my desk in less than 15 minutes. What dr's office offers that?!
Step 2: Exercise dammit!
One of the perks of my new job is the fitness center they have. It's WONDERFUL!!! Seriously. For something like $12 or so bucks per paycheck, pre-tax, I get full access. Access to what? They have a pool, racquetball courts, table tennis (I immediately thought of my cousin when I saw the guys playing over their lunch hour...), a huge gym with bball/vball courts, a huge beautiful new locker room (it's gorgeous!), tons of weight machines, treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, etc, and a wide range of classes, PLUS late evening hours & weekend hours to accommodate any schedule. DANG! That's awesome. In order to take advantage though, you have to sign up for a fitness assessment & get an orientation. Today was my fitness assessment...and it wasnt pretty. I stepped on the scale & nearly fainted. Seriously. Nobody would ever believe i ran a marathon in this body, let alone 3 of them! I kept it together though, & scheduled a consult this friday with the personal trainer they have on staff. I hope this person can get me back on track! My schedule with work now is totally flexible, and i have no excuse for not working out every day. Before, i only was able to go over lunch, and rarely took a lunch b/c of my workload & the deadlines. Now things are different with work, so i need to go back to this...so, i'm going to work out every weekday, cardio or weights. one or the other. Prepare yourself too...you're gonna get to hear about it! :) Which leads me to step 3...
Step 3: Mean it this time!
i'm gonna follow through on this...for real...no, really! I mean it this time! I am going to start working out on a more regular basis, get my weight & cholesterol in check, and be accountable for making that happen. Not only that, I'm going to write more often in my blog (there's the other part of getting back on track)...and report my daily workings-out to you guys...
I bet you just absolutely cannot wait, huh? :)
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
How to spot a new employee
Greetings all...sorry for the vacation from writing...a LOT has been going on since I've written last! New job being the main thing...but other events have been keeping me away from the blogging as well. I'll probably catch you up in installments rather than one mega-blog...
...in the meantime...here's a rare glimpse into the excitement that is my daily life. :)
So...at the new job, I have to park in a parking lot that is like 2 exits down the highway from the actual company campus...that's b/c there are so many of us it's not feasible to park on campus without the whole place being a parking lot. Anywho, yesterday I park in the garage, walk into the lobby of the building, which is similar to a hotel lobby (the building used to be part of a casino), to wait for the shuttle. As i'm standing there with about 7 or 8 other people who are also waiting, i notice that there are like 3 people outside, and wonder why we're not all out there waiting with them, since it's such a beautiful morning. At this point it's important to note that 'outside' is actually under a huge awning...where birds like to perch. Birds, such as the one pictured at left. (ok, it's not a bird...it's an owl...whatev...)
So, I'm standing there pondering this as the shuttle pulls up in front of the door, under the awning, and we all walk outside to get on. Me & this other girl are in the back of the group, patiently waiting for everyone to climb aboard the schoolbus...when we hear this splatter on the ground RIGHT next to us. I mean, RIGHT next to us. It sounded like someone poured a cup of water on the ground or something...so we look up, and there is this owl perched right over our heads. it POOPED on us!!! ok, well not on us, but RIGHT next to us!!! OMG!!!! eeeewww!! yuck!!! groty!!! I spent the next 15 minutes on the shuttle in shock. oh yea, i also spent that time frantically trying to make sure i didnt have any of that nastiness on me.
So...back to the question I was pondering as we were in the lobby...why werent we all out there waiting with those 3 people for the shuttle outside, in the beautiful morning weather? Because standing out there could get you pooped on. Apparently every employee parking at this satellite lot knows this, except for the newbies. It's like this cruel joke the seniors play on the freshman kids!! So, this is how you spot a new employee...they have bird poop on their head. :)
It's funny now...but would so NOT have been funny had I been standing just a couple of inches to the left.
...in the meantime...here's a rare glimpse into the excitement that is my daily life. :)
So...at the new job, I have to park in a parking lot that is like 2 exits down the highway from the actual company campus...that's b/c there are so many of us it's not feasible to park on campus without the whole place being a parking lot. Anywho, yesterday I park in the garage, walk into the lobby of the building, which is similar to a hotel lobby (the building used to be part of a casino), to wait for the shuttle. As i'm standing there with about 7 or 8 other people who are also waiting, i notice that there are like 3 people outside, and wonder why we're not all out there waiting with them, since it's such a beautiful morning. At this point it's important to note that 'outside' is actually under a huge awning...where birds like to perch. Birds, such as the one pictured at left. (ok, it's not a bird...it's an owl...whatev...)So, I'm standing there pondering this as the shuttle pulls up in front of the door, under the awning, and we all walk outside to get on. Me & this other girl are in the back of the group, patiently waiting for everyone to climb aboard the schoolbus...when we hear this splatter on the ground RIGHT next to us. I mean, RIGHT next to us. It sounded like someone poured a cup of water on the ground or something...so we look up, and there is this owl perched right over our heads. it POOPED on us!!! ok, well not on us, but RIGHT next to us!!! OMG!!!! eeeewww!! yuck!!! groty!!! I spent the next 15 minutes on the shuttle in shock. oh yea, i also spent that time frantically trying to make sure i didnt have any of that nastiness on me.
So...back to the question I was pondering as we were in the lobby...why werent we all out there waiting with those 3 people for the shuttle outside, in the beautiful morning weather? Because standing out there could get you pooped on. Apparently every employee parking at this satellite lot knows this, except for the newbies. It's like this cruel joke the seniors play on the freshman kids!! So, this is how you spot a new employee...they have bird poop on their head. :)
It's funny now...but would so NOT have been funny had I been standing just a couple of inches to the left.
Monday, April 24, 2006
you say pants i say trousers
Today was my first day at my new jobby job, and I am worn out! I was somewhat stressed about the new beginning, mostly b/c I am not a person who takes change very well (understatement of the year), and this definitely was a huge change for me.
I'm in training all this week, and it starts promptly at 8:00 a.m....which...i was worried about b/c i have a somewhat difficult time getting up early. ok, well actually it's nearly impossible. BUT, I was up at 6:15a.m., and out the door by 7:25a.m., and on campus feeling like the new kid on the block by 7:40a.m. Not too shabby! This put my first set of fears to rest, those about being able to make it to work by 8am since i cant leave home until 7:30 & wasnt sure about the commute. i'm still a little uneasy about the timing once i start my actual job, since i have to park where i'm parking now but the actual campus is about 10 min up the street & i will have to ride the shuttle. Too bad I cant find someone to drive me to work & pick me up instead of me having to worry about all this parking business...any volunteers? Where is Jeeves when you need him? :)
The other thing I was apprehensive about was making new friends at the new place. i know that i'm ok with meeting new people, but i'm still working on getting out of my shell & being more outgoing when i'm in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable setting (like meeting new ppl). BUT, my training class is so diverse, and filled with so many smart, sharp, outgoing people, it is easier. There's like 40 people in my class, and almost half are from the United Kingdom. I have to say, this has upped the interest level of the class quite a bit! I love talking to people from other countries, learning about how life is there for them. I also especially love talking to people from the UK or Australia, mainly b/c they speak english, but their slang or the meanings of words is just a little different, enough to make it kindof funny. For example...
At the end of the day our trainer was going over the dress code, what was acceptable, what was not. He had a powerpoint slide up with pictures of different men & women, each in a different outfit demonstrating what was ok & what wasn't. As he went through the different pictures, "these pants are ok, except no belt. those pants are not ok because they are denim. khaki pants are ok, flannel pants are not." After each sentence, you'd hear this giggling coming from the front row of the classroom...and he'd pause & smile at the woman, and continue. Finally he stopped & said to the class "she's laughing because in the UK these are called trousers, not pants." This woman behind me piped up & said (spelled as she pronounced it, in this THICK british accent) "nao, weah laifin becoose pahnts en thee you kay ah cnsided thee saim as oonderoos hea een thee you ess. " So every time he said pants, khaki, flannel, with a belt, without a belt, with cargo pockets, they thought he was calling them underwear! LOL!! Can you imagine?? Flannel underwear, with a belt, & cargo pockets??
It still makes me laugh... :) They must think us americans are a crazy lot.
And i have a suspicion im going to pick up a british accent by the end of the week. :)
Cheers! :)
I'm in training all this week, and it starts promptly at 8:00 a.m....which...i was worried about b/c i have a somewhat difficult time getting up early. ok, well actually it's nearly impossible. BUT, I was up at 6:15a.m., and out the door by 7:25a.m., and on campus feeling like the new kid on the block by 7:40a.m. Not too shabby! This put my first set of fears to rest, those about being able to make it to work by 8am since i cant leave home until 7:30 & wasnt sure about the commute. i'm still a little uneasy about the timing once i start my actual job, since i have to park where i'm parking now but the actual campus is about 10 min up the street & i will have to ride the shuttle. Too bad I cant find someone to drive me to work & pick me up instead of me having to worry about all this parking business...any volunteers? Where is Jeeves when you need him? :)
The other thing I was apprehensive about was making new friends at the new place. i know that i'm ok with meeting new people, but i'm still working on getting out of my shell & being more outgoing when i'm in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable setting (like meeting new ppl). BUT, my training class is so diverse, and filled with so many smart, sharp, outgoing people, it is easier. There's like 40 people in my class, and almost half are from the United Kingdom. I have to say, this has upped the interest level of the class quite a bit! I love talking to people from other countries, learning about how life is there for them. I also especially love talking to people from the UK or Australia, mainly b/c they speak english, but their slang or the meanings of words is just a little different, enough to make it kindof funny. For example...
At the end of the day our trainer was going over the dress code, what was acceptable, what was not. He had a powerpoint slide up with pictures of different men & women, each in a different outfit demonstrating what was ok & what wasn't. As he went through the different pictures, "these pants are ok, except no belt. those pants are not ok because they are denim. khaki pants are ok, flannel pants are not." After each sentence, you'd hear this giggling coming from the front row of the classroom...and he'd pause & smile at the woman, and continue. Finally he stopped & said to the class "she's laughing because in the UK these are called trousers, not pants." This woman behind me piped up & said (spelled as she pronounced it, in this THICK british accent) "nao, weah laifin becoose pahnts en thee you kay ah cnsided thee saim as oonderoos hea een thee you ess. " So every time he said pants, khaki, flannel, with a belt, without a belt, with cargo pockets, they thought he was calling them underwear! LOL!! Can you imagine?? Flannel underwear, with a belt, & cargo pockets??
It still makes me laugh... :) They must think us americans are a crazy lot.
And i have a suspicion im going to pick up a british accent by the end of the week. :)
Cheers! :)
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
6 weird habits
David tagged me for this...so here i go:
Six weird qualities or habits I have:
1. I sleep with one foot out of the bedcovers.
2. I need 6 different alarms to wake me up in the morning.
3. When I eat a meal I eat one thing at a time--for example: all of my salad, then all of my potatoes, then all of my jello, then the hamburger, etc. I dont generally mix & match bites of all the courses.
4. I can't go to sleep unless i have zero energy left.
5. I have a strange aversion to voicemail at work, I can't bring myself to check it more than once a week.
6. I love collecting hats & scarves, but usually am too chicken to wear them in public.
7. I am not a morning person, except when when i get up to go for a run, then i'm sunshine & rainbows. :)
I tag:
Brad (see right),
Leslie (myspace),
Danica (myspace),
Amber (see right)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When i graduated from high school I wanted to be an accountant, and so that was my major starting out in college. Well, my school's accounting program was somewhat difficult, and on top of that i may have partied it up a little more than i should've (shocker, I know...), so my gpa didnt allow me to continue studying for that. So, i took the next best thing, finance, and that's what i got my degree in. Well, i still would like to go for accounting, and have been weighing going back to school for my masters degree in accountancy. About the time i would have decided to take the GRE and seriously start applying to schools, I landed this new job. It was a complete surprise to me that I was hired actually, the company I will be looking for kindof has a reputation for being hard to get on with, and so i figured it would just be good interviewing experience...and then...poof! A job offer! In accounting!! I'm stoked...i'll be working in a department that is just starting to get off the ground, so it's a good opportunity to get in on the ground floor of an area with room for upward mobility. Plus it's in the field i originally wanted to work in, doing GAAP accounting (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, for those that dont know the lingo) rather than mutual fund accounting, which is what i would have been doing had i stayed where i currently am. Not that i would have minded, but in the job market, GAAP accounting is so much more marketable than mutual fund accounting...and i've always been one to want job security. nothing scares me more than the prospect of being unemployed (ok, well there's a few things, but not many)...so my goal has always been to be in a field where there is always demand. I think I'm accomplishing that with this career move....plus i'll be doing something that i love, and have wanted to do for awhile.
Still, i will really really miss my friends at my current job....we're having a big happy hour this friday at a local bar to mark my last day...i will try to get pictures & post them, or at least, the ones that arent too incriminating... :)
Monday, April 17, 2006
last easter & misc
In answer to a couple of questions about what happened last Easter...here's the story:
We had brunch at mom & dad's as is becoming the tradition...and along with brunch we had mimosas, which is also becoming the tradition. Well, mom mixed up the mimosas, and i had a few while helping cook the meal...and then had one or two while eating the meal...and maybe one while cleaning up after the meal...(man! i sound like a lush!!) So while we're cleaning up, i asked mom what she wanted me to do with the leftover pancakes. She handed me a plastic bag & said to put them in there. After putting them in there, i asked her, so what now? She said "just throw them in the freezer." Well, my brother had just opened the freezer door to get something out, so i took that as an opportunity to...well...throw the pancakes into the freezer. From across the room. Almost hitting him in the head in the process. :) To me at the time it was no different then someone saying 'can you pass me a roll' at dinner & having an uncle toss it across the table (this has happened btw)...but judging from the laughter & looks of shock on my mom & brother's faces, perhaps i had had one too many mimosas. It's not my fault they were so good!! I spent that afternoon sleeping it off, and woke up with a hangover...just in time for easter dinner at my grandmas. nice! :)
this year was a little different...i did have a couple of mimosas while helping out with cooking brunch...but with the memory of last year fresh in my mind, i kept myself in check. I did get to take a 3hr nap, but it was because i had to get up at the crack of dawn to go to mass, not because i was sleeping off a morning bender. :)
in other news....
Today after work i went for a run around the downtown airport with my friend danica...i thought for sure she would just smoke me during the run...she just got done training for a 1/2 marathon, and is one of those speedy, skinny, gazelle-like runners...but i was able to keep up!! We kept close to a 10min/mile pace, and i was even able to keep up with her during the last speedy kick at the end. :) :) We did 3.6 miles, and are planning a 5mi run on wednesday. it feels good to be back running again...i feel like i'm dusting off the cobwebs!
happy monday everyone...hope your week is off to a good start. :)
xoxo
We had brunch at mom & dad's as is becoming the tradition...and along with brunch we had mimosas, which is also becoming the tradition. Well, mom mixed up the mimosas, and i had a few while helping cook the meal...and then had one or two while eating the meal...and maybe one while cleaning up after the meal...(man! i sound like a lush!!) So while we're cleaning up, i asked mom what she wanted me to do with the leftover pancakes. She handed me a plastic bag & said to put them in there. After putting them in there, i asked her, so what now? She said "just throw them in the freezer." Well, my brother had just opened the freezer door to get something out, so i took that as an opportunity to...well...throw the pancakes into the freezer. From across the room. Almost hitting him in the head in the process. :) To me at the time it was no different then someone saying 'can you pass me a roll' at dinner & having an uncle toss it across the table (this has happened btw)...but judging from the laughter & looks of shock on my mom & brother's faces, perhaps i had had one too many mimosas. It's not my fault they were so good!! I spent that afternoon sleeping it off, and woke up with a hangover...just in time for easter dinner at my grandmas. nice! :)
this year was a little different...i did have a couple of mimosas while helping out with cooking brunch...but with the memory of last year fresh in my mind, i kept myself in check. I did get to take a 3hr nap, but it was because i had to get up at the crack of dawn to go to mass, not because i was sleeping off a morning bender. :)
in other news....
Today after work i went for a run around the downtown airport with my friend danica...i thought for sure she would just smoke me during the run...she just got done training for a 1/2 marathon, and is one of those speedy, skinny, gazelle-like runners...but i was able to keep up!! We kept close to a 10min/mile pace, and i was even able to keep up with her during the last speedy kick at the end. :) :) We did 3.6 miles, and are planning a 5mi run on wednesday. it feels good to be back running again...i feel like i'm dusting off the cobwebs!
happy monday everyone...hope your week is off to a good start. :)
xoxo
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Easter Weekend
~sigh~
this is me being relaxed & contented...mark the calendar, this doesnt happen very often!! I'm in the middle of a super-long weekend, and enjoying it immensely. It's been a long time since i've blogged, sorry bout that...i'll try to be better, i promise...
I had thursday off from work, so i spent the day cooking for the cooking exchange this weekend & then joined some friends over at Jason's for a bbq and some bocci ball. If you havent played this game you should...it was lots of fun! (i'm sure the margaritas i was drinking while we played helped with that...)
Friday we had the day off from work, so I got up early & drove back to StL to be with the familia for Easter weekend. Mom & i spent the day shopping...I start a new job on the 24th (woot!) and with the unusually warm weather recently i have learned that my current summer wardrobe is out of date, insufficient, and mostly doesnt fit...so...off to the mall to find new clothes! :) I found a TON of stuff at NY & Co...That store is like Target to me...i walk in, and almost always come out with stuff i know i dont need but absolutely cant live without, and always am like $80 lighter. After this shopping trip my bank account is quite a bit lighter than $80 now, but we wont discuss that....anywho, we spent the day shopping, and then came home where mom made some yummy seafood stir-fry for dinner. After that & a glass of wine, i was done for the night! It was only like 8:30 & i was sooo ready for bed...i managed to make it until like 10:30, but it was tough.
Today I woke up thinking 'man, i really would like to go for a run...' It's been soooo long since i've felt like i wanted to run...it felt good to actually want to get out there instead of my guilt at being out of shape that was motivating me to go. I put on my running clothes & walked outside to find mom working in the garden, looking at me like i've lost my mind. Usually it's her that is dragging me out for a run, and its never me getting up early on my own to do that, she has to wake me up. :) So, after she quit looking at me like i was an alien, we went for a run (which felt GREAT, btw), came home showered, and then went to the spa to get manicures & pedicures. Such is the life!! We were there for almost 3 hours!!! I also got my eyebrows done, which i recommend, but only if you know what to expect. It was the first time i've ever had them professionally done, and yeow!! it really kinda stings! But only for a second. Its worth it to not look like tarzan's jane anymore. :)
After we got back from getting our nails done, my friend sarah, who is a massage therapist, came over to give me & mom each a massage. again, i could totally get used to this!! i totally need to have that done more often...she said my neck & back were just a wreck, filled with stress knots & spots of tension. Probably will take a few more appointments before i totally get it all worked out, but i feel like a million bucks already. I told her that i'd like to keep a standing appointment for every time i come home...
We had my dad's side of the family's easter dinner tonite, & it was good to see everyone! We're home now though, getting ready to dye easter eggs & put the easter baskets together. Mom informed me that we're going to 8:00 mass tomorrow...that's right everyone...8 AM mass...dang that's early!! BUT, i will get to wear a new easter dress, and some WAY cute new easter shoes...so that's enough to get me out of bed...i think... :) Plus everyone's coming over for easter brunch afterwards, which will be fun to hang out with the kiddos! Although...after my behavior at last year's brunch, i think mom may be cutting me off after 1 mimosa...
Well, I hope you are all having as good a weekend as I am here...easter blessings to all!!
xoxo
this is me being relaxed & contented...mark the calendar, this doesnt happen very often!! I'm in the middle of a super-long weekend, and enjoying it immensely. It's been a long time since i've blogged, sorry bout that...i'll try to be better, i promise...
I had thursday off from work, so i spent the day cooking for the cooking exchange this weekend & then joined some friends over at Jason's for a bbq and some bocci ball. If you havent played this game you should...it was lots of fun! (i'm sure the margaritas i was drinking while we played helped with that...)
Friday we had the day off from work, so I got up early & drove back to StL to be with the familia for Easter weekend. Mom & i spent the day shopping...I start a new job on the 24th (woot!) and with the unusually warm weather recently i have learned that my current summer wardrobe is out of date, insufficient, and mostly doesnt fit...so...off to the mall to find new clothes! :) I found a TON of stuff at NY & Co...That store is like Target to me...i walk in, and almost always come out with stuff i know i dont need but absolutely cant live without, and always am like $80 lighter. After this shopping trip my bank account is quite a bit lighter than $80 now, but we wont discuss that....anywho, we spent the day shopping, and then came home where mom made some yummy seafood stir-fry for dinner. After that & a glass of wine, i was done for the night! It was only like 8:30 & i was sooo ready for bed...i managed to make it until like 10:30, but it was tough.
Today I woke up thinking 'man, i really would like to go for a run...' It's been soooo long since i've felt like i wanted to run...it felt good to actually want to get out there instead of my guilt at being out of shape that was motivating me to go. I put on my running clothes & walked outside to find mom working in the garden, looking at me like i've lost my mind. Usually it's her that is dragging me out for a run, and its never me getting up early on my own to do that, she has to wake me up. :) So, after she quit looking at me like i was an alien, we went for a run (which felt GREAT, btw), came home showered, and then went to the spa to get manicures & pedicures. Such is the life!! We were there for almost 3 hours!!! I also got my eyebrows done, which i recommend, but only if you know what to expect. It was the first time i've ever had them professionally done, and yeow!! it really kinda stings! But only for a second. Its worth it to not look like tarzan's jane anymore. :)
After we got back from getting our nails done, my friend sarah, who is a massage therapist, came over to give me & mom each a massage. again, i could totally get used to this!! i totally need to have that done more often...she said my neck & back were just a wreck, filled with stress knots & spots of tension. Probably will take a few more appointments before i totally get it all worked out, but i feel like a million bucks already. I told her that i'd like to keep a standing appointment for every time i come home...
We had my dad's side of the family's easter dinner tonite, & it was good to see everyone! We're home now though, getting ready to dye easter eggs & put the easter baskets together. Mom informed me that we're going to 8:00 mass tomorrow...that's right everyone...8 AM mass...dang that's early!! BUT, i will get to wear a new easter dress, and some WAY cute new easter shoes...so that's enough to get me out of bed...i think... :) Plus everyone's coming over for easter brunch afterwards, which will be fun to hang out with the kiddos! Although...after my behavior at last year's brunch, i think mom may be cutting me off after 1 mimosa...
Well, I hope you are all having as good a weekend as I am here...easter blessings to all!!
xoxo
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
daylight savings time & other random stuff
March 26? That was the last time I posted? It doesnt see m like it was that long ago...oh wait..it really only was like a week...guess time flies when you're having fun. :)
Hmm...so what's new to report....this blog would be forever long if i wrote everything down, so i'm just gonna keep it short & simple.
I posted previously (i think) about a birdfeeder i had put up...well, it seems to be the avian social hot spot of the neighborhood! When i got home from work today, there were about 5 birds on and around it! I've identified at least 3 of them to be house wrens...the rest i think are wrens as well, but i havent had a chance to get out the bird book & see for sure. The coolest thing about this birdfeeder is that it is hanging just outside of my kitchen window...so when the birds are feeding, i get to be just feet away from them and see their social & feeding habits. It's so neat! I was so excited about it, I decided to get a 2nd bird feeder, this one for finches. I am not sure if there are any finches in the area, but it's been hanging since saturday and i havent noticed any....BUT, i did notice a pidgeon in the parking lot when i pulled up! I was worried about pidgeons when i put up the feeders...but the lady in the store said that they are too heavy & not nimble enough to eat at the feeders i have & so that should discourage them. I certainly hope she's right!
The only other thing i really have to write about is how much i'm liking this daylight savings time thing...i dislike anything having to do with losing sleep, but it seems like there's just so much more time in the day now that it doesnt get dark until like 8:00. Now i'm all anxious to get out and enjoy the outdoors! Running...camping...concerts...picnics...grilling out...these are my very favorite things to do...and i can't wait to get on with it!
Oh yeah...Dave Matthews Band is coming to KC in may...and tickets go on sale this saturday!! woohoo!! (thank goodness it coincides with a payday...) Anyone up for going??
Hmm...so what's new to report....this blog would be forever long if i wrote everything down, so i'm just gonna keep it short & simple.
I posted previously (i think) about a birdfeeder i had put up...well, it seems to be the avian social hot spot of the neighborhood! When i got home from work today, there were about 5 birds on and around it! I've identified at least 3 of them to be house wrens...the rest i think are wrens as well, but i havent had a chance to get out the bird book & see for sure. The coolest thing about this birdfeeder is that it is hanging just outside of my kitchen window...so when the birds are feeding, i get to be just feet away from them and see their social & feeding habits. It's so neat! I was so excited about it, I decided to get a 2nd bird feeder, this one for finches. I am not sure if there are any finches in the area, but it's been hanging since saturday and i havent noticed any....BUT, i did notice a pidgeon in the parking lot when i pulled up! I was worried about pidgeons when i put up the feeders...but the lady in the store said that they are too heavy & not nimble enough to eat at the feeders i have & so that should discourage them. I certainly hope she's right!
The only other thing i really have to write about is how much i'm liking this daylight savings time thing...i dislike anything having to do with losing sleep, but it seems like there's just so much more time in the day now that it doesnt get dark until like 8:00. Now i'm all anxious to get out and enjoy the outdoors! Running...camping...concerts...picnics...grilling out...these are my very favorite things to do...and i can't wait to get on with it!
Oh yeah...Dave Matthews Band is coming to KC in may...and tickets go on sale this saturday!! woohoo!! (thank goodness it coincides with a payday...) Anyone up for going??
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Weekend O Fun
It was such a fun weekend! Friday was happy hour...which of course turned into happy evening and then happy night! :) We started at Tanners where we got to hear this cool band that had Janis Joplin singing & Mr. T playing the drums. Not kidding! I'll have to come up with some pictures for you... The lady who was singing for the band looked JUST like Janis Joplin...down to the bare feet and bell bottom legging pants and hippie shirt and long hair. JUST like her. She also did a pretty good job of singing "Me & Bobby McGee." Mr. T was just rockin out on the drums...giving his best "I pity the fool!" look to the audience as he played. Later that evening we moved on to the Majestic Steak House for some drinks & jazz music. This place has been around KC foreeeeever, and apparently has really good steak. Since we only had drinks, i will have to make a return trip to experience the steak....the music was fabulous though, i'd go back even if they didnt have a reputation for good food.
Saturday I slept in till like noon, had lunch with Beau & then went over to grill out at Jason's with some of my co-workers before we headed out for a night of bowling at the neighborhood Rock n Bowl event. It was stellar!! Black lights, neon bowling balls & bowling shoes, beer, good music...what a night! Jeremy got almost all strikes in the 2 1/2 games we bowled, impressive! Much better than my skills, my high score of the evening was 107. Look out world! :) After that we all headed back to Jason's for an old-school house party...Jason had a bunch of Busch Light he needed to get rid of, and everyone was happy to help out. I think it was like 4am-ish when i got home...so the rockstar within still lives! :) Good thing, the pub crawl is not far off...
Sunday (today) I slept until like 2pm. MAN i'm a bum...
I did get something accomplished though. I went grocery shopping, and this time actually remembered to take the grocery bags my cousin sarah made for me a month or two back. It felt so good to tell the checker no thank you when she asked "paper or plastic", i said, oh-I brought my own bags thank you! :) If i were her i'd be thinking "silly tree huggin hippie..." :) It felt good to do my tiny little part to keep waste down. I think there should be an incentive at the grocery store--bring your own bags, get coupons for discounts or cash back. I bet more people would do it...Anywho, I also am trying to make the switch to organic...all organic is not affordable right now so i am slowly easing into it...plus i'm not sure of what all i'm buying right now (the brand names are all new to me) so i'm easing into it. So that was also exciting, to see most of what i purchased was healthy & good for me. So after that exciting trip to the store, I went to Home Depot & got some new planters, soil & flower seeds. I repotted the plants in my apartment (must be doing something right...they're all still alive & ready for an upgrade in housing) and planted seeds in the small planters left over. I also tried my hand at pruning a runaway ivy plant, so we'll see how that all turns out as well. Finally, a bunch of us got together at Jeremy's for dinner & to watch some tv...he made this incredible red sauce with pasta...it had shrimp & lobster in it--YUM!! We also had an assortment of good wine, a couple of shiraz's (i dont know what the plural of that word is) and a red wine from South Africa that was pretty good. it was a good weekend, start to finish.
Saturday I slept in till like noon, had lunch with Beau & then went over to grill out at Jason's with some of my co-workers before we headed out for a night of bowling at the neighborhood Rock n Bowl event. It was stellar!! Black lights, neon bowling balls & bowling shoes, beer, good music...what a night! Jeremy got almost all strikes in the 2 1/2 games we bowled, impressive! Much better than my skills, my high score of the evening was 107. Look out world! :) After that we all headed back to Jason's for an old-school house party...Jason had a bunch of Busch Light he needed to get rid of, and everyone was happy to help out. I think it was like 4am-ish when i got home...so the rockstar within still lives! :) Good thing, the pub crawl is not far off...
Sunday (today) I slept until like 2pm. MAN i'm a bum...
I did get something accomplished though. I went grocery shopping, and this time actually remembered to take the grocery bags my cousin sarah made for me a month or two back. It felt so good to tell the checker no thank you when she asked "paper or plastic", i said, oh-I brought my own bags thank you! :) If i were her i'd be thinking "silly tree huggin hippie..." :) It felt good to do my tiny little part to keep waste down. I think there should be an incentive at the grocery store--bring your own bags, get coupons for discounts or cash back. I bet more people would do it...Anywho, I also am trying to make the switch to organic...all organic is not affordable right now so i am slowly easing into it...plus i'm not sure of what all i'm buying right now (the brand names are all new to me) so i'm easing into it. So that was also exciting, to see most of what i purchased was healthy & good for me. So after that exciting trip to the store, I went to Home Depot & got some new planters, soil & flower seeds. I repotted the plants in my apartment (must be doing something right...they're all still alive & ready for an upgrade in housing) and planted seeds in the small planters left over. I also tried my hand at pruning a runaway ivy plant, so we'll see how that all turns out as well. Finally, a bunch of us got together at Jeremy's for dinner & to watch some tv...he made this incredible red sauce with pasta...it had shrimp & lobster in it--YUM!! We also had an assortment of good wine, a couple of shiraz's (i dont know what the plural of that word is) and a red wine from South Africa that was pretty good. it was a good weekend, start to finish.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
what day is it again?
Today is Wednesday. I know that may sound like old news to you, but to me it feels like i've gotten into Doc Brown's time machine and fast forwarded a day....I had monday off from work, so i'm a day behind. not that I'm complaining--that just means friday comes a whole day earlier!! :) DEFINITELY not complaining about that.
Not much to report right now...life's been pretty calm...well, you know, other than the paul bunyan/mcgyver incident on sunday. :) So here's some mid-week randomness for ya...
The weather forecasters predicted gobs & gobs of snow for the kc area for monday, but we didnt get much other than occasional sleet, a buncha rain, and some cold weather. Is spring here YET??
I bought a birdfeeder a couple of weeks ago, while my mom was in town. There's this really cool bird shop down in Shawnee which specializes in all things birds (except those things having to do with owning birds as pets i think...it's not a pet store or anything...). They have bird feeders, bird seed, bird baths, and all kinds of other neat things in there. They also have a very knowledgeable lady working there, who just knows EVERYTHING about birds, their habits, habitats, everything. So anyways, my mom has quite a few birdfeeders & houses around the homestead, and they have attracted the prettiest yellow finches, cardinals, bluebirds, and the like. After seeing that, i wondered if i could bring a little of that kind of nature to my doorstep...but wasnt sure if those birds would take to concrete city life. So i asked the lady in the store if she had any good ideas & she recommended a cute little red birdfeeder. She also showed me some seed i could fill it with that would attract pretty birds while not leaving a huge mess of shells all over the place. So the feeder is up, ready to go....but no birds. :( I'm hoping that once things warm up that will change....as long as the birds i attract are not crows or pidgeons. we'll see.
i've heard a rumor that daylight savings time is almost here...like 18 days away or something. Could it be true?? it always seems that once daylight savings time is here, summer is just around the corner. man oh man...i can't wait!! oh wait...maybe i can...just give me a month or two to get my butt back out on the road & lose some of these pounds before swimsuit weather!!!!
Not much to report right now...life's been pretty calm...well, you know, other than the paul bunyan/mcgyver incident on sunday. :) So here's some mid-week randomness for ya...
The weather forecasters predicted gobs & gobs of snow for the kc area for monday, but we didnt get much other than occasional sleet, a buncha rain, and some cold weather. Is spring here YET??
I bought a birdfeeder a couple of weeks ago, while my mom was in town. There's this really cool bird shop down in Shawnee which specializes in all things birds (except those things having to do with owning birds as pets i think...it's not a pet store or anything...). They have bird feeders, bird seed, bird baths, and all kinds of other neat things in there. They also have a very knowledgeable lady working there, who just knows EVERYTHING about birds, their habits, habitats, everything. So anyways, my mom has quite a few birdfeeders & houses around the homestead, and they have attracted the prettiest yellow finches, cardinals, bluebirds, and the like. After seeing that, i wondered if i could bring a little of that kind of nature to my doorstep...but wasnt sure if those birds would take to concrete city life. So i asked the lady in the store if she had any good ideas & she recommended a cute little red birdfeeder. She also showed me some seed i could fill it with that would attract pretty birds while not leaving a huge mess of shells all over the place. So the feeder is up, ready to go....but no birds. :( I'm hoping that once things warm up that will change....as long as the birds i attract are not crows or pidgeons. we'll see.
i've heard a rumor that daylight savings time is almost here...like 18 days away or something. Could it be true?? it always seems that once daylight savings time is here, summer is just around the corner. man oh man...i can't wait!! oh wait...maybe i can...just give me a month or two to get my butt back out on the road & lose some of these pounds before swimsuit weather!!!!
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
McGyver & Paul Bunyan
Last weekend I went to StL to visit the familia, and on my way back to kc Sunday, i locked my keys in the car while at a gas station outside of Columbia. While getting out of the car i was indecided about whether to wait in the car or out while filling the gas tank. My usual practice is to grab my keys & wallet, lock the door & once the gas tank is full just head inside & pay....but this time it was very cold outside, and i didnt feel like putting my coat on....so in between steps 4 & 5 of my normal gas station routine (1.keys, 2. wallet, 3. open door, 4. lock it, 5. get out, 6. close door, 7. fill tank, 8.pay for it, 9. leave) i decided i was getting back in the car while i waited for it to fill up. i threw my keys on the seat, got out, and started to do all the normal fill your tank up routine things...in the middle of this i realized i was letting all the heat out of the car & closed the door.
guess what? the door was locked.
guess what else? the keys were still on the seat.
D'OH!!
The girl behind the counter of course didnt have a hanger but said i was welcome to see if i could find anything around the store that might work. Who am I? McGyver? Seriously, I do not have the skills to do anything other than maybe take apart the newspaper stand to use the wire. I doubted she would let me do that, but just as i was getting ready to ask anyway, a state trooper walked in the door. Of course, they dont carry lockout kits anymore...so he called dispatch & had them call me a locksmith. I spose it couldve been worse...maybe stuck at a self-serve gas station with nobody in sight. I wouldve had to use some chuck norris moves to break into my car!!
So the locksmith, aka Paul Bunyan man, (he looked like he was wearing this getup) shows up to get me into the car. He seriously looked like paul bunyan, minus babe the blue ox....huge bushy beard, crazy hair, flannel coat, big boots...for real! Anyways, we walk out to my car & he gets a phone call for someone else needing to be let in their car. So he's talking on the phone, trying to write my info down, trying to write this person's info down, and one-handedly use a slim-jim to unlock my car....and i'm standing in like 10 degree wind chill about to lose the battle against hypothermia. It's not like i couldve said much...i am after all the schmuck who locked her keys in her car...who am i to tell him how things need to be done? Still....i was FREEZING and here's this man all toasty & warm behind his massively huge beard & flannel coat chatting on the phone. After about 10 to 15 min of this the lumberjack, er, i mean, locksmith, finally let me in to my car. $35 poorer, i got back on the road & continued the journey back to kc...
Moral of the story, never call Paul Bunyan to unlock your car unless you have time to spare and it's warmer than 30 degrees. Or, just make sure your keys are in your hand before you close the door to the car.
guess what? the door was locked.
guess what else? the keys were still on the seat.
D'OH!!
The girl behind the counter of course didnt have a hanger but said i was welcome to see if i could find anything around the store that might work. Who am I? McGyver? Seriously, I do not have the skills to do anything other than maybe take apart the newspaper stand to use the wire. I doubted she would let me do that, but just as i was getting ready to ask anyway, a state trooper walked in the door. Of course, they dont carry lockout kits anymore...so he called dispatch & had them call me a locksmith. I spose it couldve been worse...maybe stuck at a self-serve gas station with nobody in sight. I wouldve had to use some chuck norris moves to break into my car!!
So the locksmith, aka Paul Bunyan man, (he looked like he was wearing this getup) shows up to get me into the car. He seriously looked like paul bunyan, minus babe the blue ox....huge bushy beard, crazy hair, flannel coat, big boots...for real! Anyways, we walk out to my car & he gets a phone call for someone else needing to be let in their car. So he's talking on the phone, trying to write my info down, trying to write this person's info down, and one-handedly use a slim-jim to unlock my car....and i'm standing in like 10 degree wind chill about to lose the battle against hypothermia. It's not like i couldve said much...i am after all the schmuck who locked her keys in her car...who am i to tell him how things need to be done? Still....i was FREEZING and here's this man all toasty & warm behind his massively huge beard & flannel coat chatting on the phone. After about 10 to 15 min of this the lumberjack, er, i mean, locksmith, finally let me in to my car. $35 poorer, i got back on the road & continued the journey back to kc...
Moral of the story, never call Paul Bunyan to unlock your car unless you have time to spare and it's warmer than 30 degrees. Or, just make sure your keys are in your hand before you close the door to the car.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
new version of an old song
As you can tell from the subject on this entry, I am in a very creative mood this evening. :) Today was a very busy day...around 4:00 or so I started to feel very tired, and realized that it was b/c i had been basically holding my breath since like 10:30. I just felt mentally drained, like i could go to bed at 5:00 and sleep straight through till tomorrow. (Funny thing is...we all know I probably could do that...) It was SUCH a busy day & it looks like the remainder of the week will be more of the same. Still...nothing majorly bad happened so it wasnt exactly a bad day. I mean, it's not like i tried to break another fingernail or anything. :)
Tonight I talked to my brother Tony on the phone. Yesterday was his birthday (#25...dang he's old!) and I had called his house around 7pm or so to wish him a happy birthday & see how his day went. Unfortunately all I got was his answering machine, so I decided to sing him The Birthday Song...i'm not the performing type, but it's my brother & I knew it would make him smile so i was willing to do it. As kids we'd sing "happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you look like a monkey & smell like one too!" This time, I was about 1/2 way through the second line (of the nice, oldfashioned version, sans monkey & zoo lyrics) when i decided to revert to our childhood version. Except I got confused & mixed it all up. The message ended up being: "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, you live in a monkey and smell....um...yeah, like a zoo...hehe...yeah, happy birthday tony! I hope you got a laugh out of this...apparently i dont know the lyrics to the birthday song. love ya! call me..."
Nice, huh? :)
So anyways, when I talked to him on the phone tonight, I apologized for not calling earlier in the day, but said that I hope I made up for it with comic relief. He said it was all good, that mom & dad didnt call at all...he talked to dad earlier in the evening, but nothing was said. Ouch! I told tony that he shouldnt have let dad off so easily...maybe ending the conversation with something like, "Hey, isnt there something else you wanted to tell me? No? Nothing at all? Nothing about something that maybe happened 25 years ago? No? You sure? Ok then...talk to you later!" I guess that means we're getting old....I know that as you get older, birthdays dont tend to be the big deal they were when we were little. I know the world gradually stops caring that yes, you made it another year, at least until you hit something like 90. HOWEVER....shouldnt your parents of all people be celebrating this? I mean, after 25 years being a parent should be part of their identity, shouldn't it? It's not exactly something easily forgotten...i mean, actually being there when he was born...I know it pales in comparison to when his older sister was born (wink, wink), but we'd like to think it was at least vaguely memorable.... ;) Anywho...Happy birthday little brother! :) ~hugs!~
Tonight I talked to my brother Tony on the phone. Yesterday was his birthday (#25...dang he's old!) and I had called his house around 7pm or so to wish him a happy birthday & see how his day went. Unfortunately all I got was his answering machine, so I decided to sing him The Birthday Song...i'm not the performing type, but it's my brother & I knew it would make him smile so i was willing to do it. As kids we'd sing "happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you look like a monkey & smell like one too!" This time, I was about 1/2 way through the second line (of the nice, oldfashioned version, sans monkey & zoo lyrics) when i decided to revert to our childhood version. Except I got confused & mixed it all up. The message ended up being: "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, you live in a monkey and smell....um...yeah, like a zoo...hehe...yeah, happy birthday tony! I hope you got a laugh out of this...apparently i dont know the lyrics to the birthday song. love ya! call me..."
Nice, huh? :)
So anyways, when I talked to him on the phone tonight, I apologized for not calling earlier in the day, but said that I hope I made up for it with comic relief. He said it was all good, that mom & dad didnt call at all...he talked to dad earlier in the evening, but nothing was said. Ouch! I told tony that he shouldnt have let dad off so easily...maybe ending the conversation with something like, "Hey, isnt there something else you wanted to tell me? No? Nothing at all? Nothing about something that maybe happened 25 years ago? No? You sure? Ok then...talk to you later!" I guess that means we're getting old....I know that as you get older, birthdays dont tend to be the big deal they were when we were little. I know the world gradually stops caring that yes, you made it another year, at least until you hit something like 90. HOWEVER....shouldnt your parents of all people be celebrating this? I mean, after 25 years being a parent should be part of their identity, shouldn't it? It's not exactly something easily forgotten...i mean, actually being there when he was born...I know it pales in comparison to when his older sister was born (wink, wink), but we'd like to think it was at least vaguely memorable.... ;) Anywho...Happy birthday little brother! :) ~hugs!~
Sunday, March 12, 2006
the weekend in review
I am just tuckered out!! This was a busy weekend, but lots of fun!
The main event of the weekend was a visit from my mom, she arrived on friday afternoon and left today just after lunch. I am constantly amazed at the amount of energy & get-up-and-go she has! I'm half her age and just feel like a slug in comparison...isnt energy supposed to be inversely related to age? Still, I think a lot of the reason we were so busy this weekend was that we had so much to do, and only the weekend to do it.
The highlights:
Friday night we met up with some of my co-workers & friends for a happy hour, Saturday we got up and ran the St. Pat's 4mi run, then went to Snake Saturday & had a couple of beers, then went shopping & then came home & watched csi till like 1am (i think it took me 0.2 seconds to fall asleep after that day!). Today we were up by 8 and at breakfast by 8:30, did some scrapbooking, then some more shopping before mom left at 1ish, and i continued to shop & run errands until like 4:30 or 5 (i think...i was so tired it could have been closer to 6..who knows...).
I think it's noteworthy to mention that while we were so busy this weekend, I think my coordination took a vacation (more so than usual). It wouldnt be noteworthy except that there were several times when i seriously just missed a major injury. It started on Friday...on our way into the bar I was trying to fix the latch on my purse when my finger slipped, catching my thumbnail and almost taking it off of my finger. oooowww!!!....that smarted quite a bit!! (understatement of the century...I blanked out for a minute, but am sure I said some very unladylike things when that happened.) The nail is broken about halfway down into the quick, and about halfway across. holy moly...it hurt in that stub your toe kindof way. I caught my breath, saw stars, and the world stopped moving for just a second...then my whole body just hurt in sympathy. For the rest of the weekend that injury just haunted me! You would not believe how important your thumbs are to your daily life until you cant use one of them. I tried to wrap a band-aid around it to keep it in place, but being the klutz i am i just keep banging it on things, causing at least 3 of the mind-numbing pain episodes a day. This contributed to the continuing coordination vacation, because if it happens while say, driving a car as you're getting on the highway, the results could be disastrous (it did happen, but i managed to keep it together & not wreck mom's car).
Aside from that, i also have tried to trip & fall on my face several times, most of them occurring right after running the St. Pats race on saturday. On the way back to the car I tripped over something...ok, well, nothing....While I was laughing about it with mom I almost broke my ankle by cracking it against this piece of metal that was sticking about 4 or 5 in out of the ground (I think a streetsign had been sawed or broken off & the stub left there) and narrowly missed falling on my face again! Almost immediately (like 5 or 6 feet down the street) I tripped over something else b/c i wasnt looking where i was going, but turning around trying to figure out what I had tripped over (and trying to keep mom from hyperventilating b/c she was laughing so hard at me). It's a vicious cycle. Really, if running is this hazardous to my health, it's a wonder i crossed the finish line of any of my marathons without hurting myself or someone else!
Would someone please cross their fingers for me that I regain my coordination by the time i go to work tomorrow? I'd cross my own but I'd probably hurt myself. :)
The main event of the weekend was a visit from my mom, she arrived on friday afternoon and left today just after lunch. I am constantly amazed at the amount of energy & get-up-and-go she has! I'm half her age and just feel like a slug in comparison...isnt energy supposed to be inversely related to age? Still, I think a lot of the reason we were so busy this weekend was that we had so much to do, and only the weekend to do it.
The highlights:
Friday night we met up with some of my co-workers & friends for a happy hour, Saturday we got up and ran the St. Pat's 4mi run, then went to Snake Saturday & had a couple of beers, then went shopping & then came home & watched csi till like 1am (i think it took me 0.2 seconds to fall asleep after that day!). Today we were up by 8 and at breakfast by 8:30, did some scrapbooking, then some more shopping before mom left at 1ish, and i continued to shop & run errands until like 4:30 or 5 (i think...i was so tired it could have been closer to 6..who knows...).
I think it's noteworthy to mention that while we were so busy this weekend, I think my coordination took a vacation (more so than usual). It wouldnt be noteworthy except that there were several times when i seriously just missed a major injury. It started on Friday...on our way into the bar I was trying to fix the latch on my purse when my finger slipped, catching my thumbnail and almost taking it off of my finger. oooowww!!!....that smarted quite a bit!! (understatement of the century...I blanked out for a minute, but am sure I said some very unladylike things when that happened.) The nail is broken about halfway down into the quick, and about halfway across. holy moly...it hurt in that stub your toe kindof way. I caught my breath, saw stars, and the world stopped moving for just a second...then my whole body just hurt in sympathy. For the rest of the weekend that injury just haunted me! You would not believe how important your thumbs are to your daily life until you cant use one of them. I tried to wrap a band-aid around it to keep it in place, but being the klutz i am i just keep banging it on things, causing at least 3 of the mind-numbing pain episodes a day. This contributed to the continuing coordination vacation, because if it happens while say, driving a car as you're getting on the highway, the results could be disastrous (it did happen, but i managed to keep it together & not wreck mom's car).
Aside from that, i also have tried to trip & fall on my face several times, most of them occurring right after running the St. Pats race on saturday. On the way back to the car I tripped over something...ok, well, nothing....While I was laughing about it with mom I almost broke my ankle by cracking it against this piece of metal that was sticking about 4 or 5 in out of the ground (I think a streetsign had been sawed or broken off & the stub left there) and narrowly missed falling on my face again! Almost immediately (like 5 or 6 feet down the street) I tripped over something else b/c i wasnt looking where i was going, but turning around trying to figure out what I had tripped over (and trying to keep mom from hyperventilating b/c she was laughing so hard at me). It's a vicious cycle. Really, if running is this hazardous to my health, it's a wonder i crossed the finish line of any of my marathons without hurting myself or someone else!
Would someone please cross their fingers for me that I regain my coordination by the time i go to work tomorrow? I'd cross my own but I'd probably hurt myself. :)
Thursday, March 09, 2006
TGIF! (almost)
I just had about the best laugh i've had in a loooong time--the make your stomach hurt, stop I can't take any more it's too funny, tears of joy kind of laugh--reading this entry to a blog listed on my cousins bloglist. Holy moly...hilarious!!I'm glad nobody was around when I read it b/c they wouldve thought i had lost it. A girl laughing hysterically at a computer screen only conjures up thoughts that maybe she belongs in a straight jacket. :)
So anyways...
Tonite I had dinner at Il Centro with a friend of mine...it's been awhile since we've sat & talked, and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. We used to work together, but now she works for a different company and so we dont see each other as often as we used to (which was daily)...i'm proud to say we've done pretty good about keeping in touch. The food & wine were fabulous, and the conversation even better--dinner ended up lasting around 2 1/2 hours! She is one of the few people in my life i feel comfortable leaning on, and i for her, so when we get together it's like all this stuff we have been holding on to comes out. All the big & little things that go with life's ups & downs, all this stuff that we're unable to share with very many people, we finally are able to tell someone who understands! So it makes sense that it's not just dinner, but an event. :)
After we finished eating, we parted ways & I met up with some friends from work for a drink before heading home. They had been watching the ISU/OSU game, and been hitting the beers with their great big ISU pitchers since 5pm...i am sure you can imagine the state they were in when i found them at almost 10pm! Let's just say it was amusing at the least!
so, it's like midnight now...there's a big weekend planned so i better get some rest.
Nite all!
xoxo
So anyways...
Tonite I had dinner at Il Centro with a friend of mine...it's been awhile since we've sat & talked, and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. We used to work together, but now she works for a different company and so we dont see each other as often as we used to (which was daily)...i'm proud to say we've done pretty good about keeping in touch. The food & wine were fabulous, and the conversation even better--dinner ended up lasting around 2 1/2 hours! She is one of the few people in my life i feel comfortable leaning on, and i for her, so when we get together it's like all this stuff we have been holding on to comes out. All the big & little things that go with life's ups & downs, all this stuff that we're unable to share with very many people, we finally are able to tell someone who understands! So it makes sense that it's not just dinner, but an event. :)
After we finished eating, we parted ways & I met up with some friends from work for a drink before heading home. They had been watching the ISU/OSU game, and been hitting the beers with their great big ISU pitchers since 5pm...i am sure you can imagine the state they were in when i found them at almost 10pm! Let's just say it was amusing at the least!
so, it's like midnight now...there's a big weekend planned so i better get some rest.
Nite all!
xoxo
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
plunk, plunk...not quite Mozart...
"plunk, plunk"...what does this remind you of? perhaps dropping a stone into a pool of water, or flipping a penny into a fountain at the mall...orrrr.....katie playing the piano on an out-of-tune instrument? I believe the answer to the above is C, playing the piano.
I absolutely love to play the piano...it truly soothes the soul. I took lessons as a kid from a lady named Cindy Dameron...in my little-kid eyes, she was the most beautiful lady ever (she also taught my ballet & tap classes)...and had a way of teaching piano that made me want to do my absolute best, I still remember the pride of seeing those "A++" marks next to the titles of compositions i studied. When i stopped taking lessons, she was just starting to teach me how to play by ear. Fast forward a bit...to when i was in grade & high school. My piano playing improved, but I have always been shy of playing to an audience. I was always in awe of how brave my cousin Sarah was when she'd play the organ for church...in front of all those people!! what if she messed up?? (which she never seemed to...such talent!) i am not that brave girl...i preferred and was waaay more comfortable playing for just myself. My parents kept our piano in a spare bedroom in the back of the house, which suited me just fine. When i was feeling moody, misunderstood, or just wanted to be alone for a bit, i'd head back there & shut myself in with the piano. I probably sounded awful, but there was something very soothing about concentrating on learning to play the sheet music of my favorite songs ("Nadia's Theme", "Bridge Over Troubled Water"), or losing myself in the comfortableness of the songs i knew almost by heart ("Moonlight Sonata," "Fur Elise").
When in college I was delighted to discover the practice rooms hidden away in the music division's halls...little rooms each with their own beautifully tuned piano! It wasn't something i did often, but I did manage to find a couple of times when i had some free time to go and lose myself for awhile (and probably infuriate some poor music major by taking their practice time!!). When I started working at the lodge I was pleased to note that there was a piano in the great room...so I have taken to playing when there's nobody around (which is a very rare thing!). And have rediscovered what a stress reliever it really is...my repertoire is only like 4 songs, and i dont even really play those well...but i guess i need to start somewhere.
Until recently i was somewhat oblivious to how out of key the piano is...probably b/c i was so out of practice that the lack of skill masked any problems the piano may have had. However...as my skill comes back (dont be fooled, i still stink up the place...), so does my awareness of how much a "C" really sounds more like an Aflat or a watery, wavery G. I wonder how expensive it is to get a piano tuned....
I absolutely love to play the piano...it truly soothes the soul. I took lessons as a kid from a lady named Cindy Dameron...in my little-kid eyes, she was the most beautiful lady ever (she also taught my ballet & tap classes)...and had a way of teaching piano that made me want to do my absolute best, I still remember the pride of seeing those "A++" marks next to the titles of compositions i studied. When i stopped taking lessons, she was just starting to teach me how to play by ear. Fast forward a bit...to when i was in grade & high school. My piano playing improved, but I have always been shy of playing to an audience. I was always in awe of how brave my cousin Sarah was when she'd play the organ for church...in front of all those people!! what if she messed up?? (which she never seemed to...such talent!) i am not that brave girl...i preferred and was waaay more comfortable playing for just myself. My parents kept our piano in a spare bedroom in the back of the house, which suited me just fine. When i was feeling moody, misunderstood, or just wanted to be alone for a bit, i'd head back there & shut myself in with the piano. I probably sounded awful, but there was something very soothing about concentrating on learning to play the sheet music of my favorite songs ("Nadia's Theme", "Bridge Over Troubled Water"), or losing myself in the comfortableness of the songs i knew almost by heart ("Moonlight Sonata," "Fur Elise").
When in college I was delighted to discover the practice rooms hidden away in the music division's halls...little rooms each with their own beautifully tuned piano! It wasn't something i did often, but I did manage to find a couple of times when i had some free time to go and lose myself for awhile (and probably infuriate some poor music major by taking their practice time!!). When I started working at the lodge I was pleased to note that there was a piano in the great room...so I have taken to playing when there's nobody around (which is a very rare thing!). And have rediscovered what a stress reliever it really is...my repertoire is only like 4 songs, and i dont even really play those well...but i guess i need to start somewhere.
Until recently i was somewhat oblivious to how out of key the piano is...probably b/c i was so out of practice that the lack of skill masked any problems the piano may have had. However...as my skill comes back (dont be fooled, i still stink up the place...), so does my awareness of how much a "C" really sounds more like an Aflat or a watery, wavery G. I wonder how expensive it is to get a piano tuned....
Saturday, March 04, 2006
miscellany
Today was a pretty good day...being friday and all. I managed to be somewhat productive in between sneezes & blowing my nose. :)
A bunch of my girlfriends from work got together tonite for a girls nite out...we had dinner at BD's Mongolian BBQ and it was delicious!! In case you haven't heard of this place, let me introduce you! They have a buffet of all these ingredients for you to choose from--none of which are cooked. So you pick the meat/seafood/veggies/etc you'd like in your dish, then add noodles (or not if you prefer to eat the concoction with tortillas or rice), then grab a recipe card & add all the sauces/spices/etc to cook your meal in. After finishing your selection you take your bowl to the grill, which is this flat, round griddle which is about 4-5 feet in diameter. The guys throw the contents of your bowl on the griddle, cook it up, and Bam! (imagine Emeril here) you've got a great meal. or not. guess it depends on your selections. Anywho, i havent yet had a bad dish there...it's been yummy every time! This time I put together rice noodles, shrimp, scallops, salmon, imitation crab, julienned carrots, mushrooms & pineapple with teriyaki sauce. MAN that was good stuff! Aside from the fabulous meal, we had a good time just joking around & cutting up...I am a lucky girl to work with such great women. We're such a diverse group, but have such a good time together, which i think contributes to us working well together.
In something completely unrelated to my post so far (hence the title), I found this test while reading some blogs, and it yielded the below results. I thought it was pretty interesting, and pretty close considering that there were only 2 questions to answer. Crazy! Here are the results...Take the test & let me know what you get!
The Asserter
Your Enneagram type is EIGHT.
"I must be strong"
Asserters are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.
How to Get Along with Me:
A bunch of my girlfriends from work got together tonite for a girls nite out...we had dinner at BD's Mongolian BBQ and it was delicious!! In case you haven't heard of this place, let me introduce you! They have a buffet of all these ingredients for you to choose from--none of which are cooked. So you pick the meat/seafood/veggies/etc you'd like in your dish, then add noodles (or not if you prefer to eat the concoction with tortillas or rice), then grab a recipe card & add all the sauces/spices/etc to cook your meal in. After finishing your selection you take your bowl to the grill, which is this flat, round griddle which is about 4-5 feet in diameter. The guys throw the contents of your bowl on the griddle, cook it up, and Bam! (imagine Emeril here) you've got a great meal. or not. guess it depends on your selections. Anywho, i havent yet had a bad dish there...it's been yummy every time! This time I put together rice noodles, shrimp, scallops, salmon, imitation crab, julienned carrots, mushrooms & pineapple with teriyaki sauce. MAN that was good stuff! Aside from the fabulous meal, we had a good time just joking around & cutting up...I am a lucky girl to work with such great women. We're such a diverse group, but have such a good time together, which i think contributes to us working well together.
In something completely unrelated to my post so far (hence the title), I found this test while reading some blogs, and it yielded the below results. I thought it was pretty interesting, and pretty close considering that there were only 2 questions to answer. Crazy! Here are the results...Take the test & let me know what you get!
The Asserter
Your Enneagram type is EIGHT.
"I must be strong"
Asserters are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.
How to Get Along with Me:
- Stand up for yourself... and me.
- Be confident, strong, and direct.
- Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.
- Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.
- Give me space to be alone.
- Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.
- I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.
- When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.
What I Like About Being a Eight:
- Being independent and self-reliant
- Being able to take charge and meet challenges head on
- Being courageous, straightforward, and honest
- Getting all the enjoyment I can out of life
- Supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me
- Upholding just causes
What's Hard About Being a Eight:
- Overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to
- Being restless and impatient with others' incompetence
- Sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it
- Never forgetting injuries or injustices
- Putting too much pressure on myself
- Getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right
Eights as Children Often:
- are independent
- have an inner strength and a fighting spirit
- are sometimes loners
- seize control so they won't be controlled
- figure out others' weaknesses
- attack verbally or physically when provoked
- take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings
Eights as Parents:
- are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted
- are sometimes overprotective
- can be demanding, controlling, and rigid
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Spring has sprung!
So...spring has sprung! Know how i know it? Itchy watery eyes, sneezes, runny nose, earache, sinus headache....i sound like a sudafed commercial! Once i get hopped up on zyrtech though, that all should be history...and then i can get on with enjoying the spring weather. Tonite i took my first dose of the new year, so it should get better soon. For those of you suffering from allergies check out the National Allergy Board website. You can sign up for email notifications when the mold, tree pollen, grass/weed counts are anything but zero (my settings are for emails only on moderate & severe days)...pretty much anytime i see an email from them in my inbox i know i need to take action to keep from getting sick. Guess i forgot to check my email this time around huh?
In other news...
Last night I babysat my goddaughter Emma...what a sweetiepie! I know she missed her mama (most especially at bedtime), but all in all she was a good sport about Sarah's night out without her. After Sarah left for dinner I built Em a little house out of the kitchen chairs & a sheet, and we invited Paco & Jose (their dogs) inside to chill with us...I have to say, the grin on her face after i pretended to knock on the door & when she giggled when I asked if i could come into her house gave me warm fuzzies! :) After we got done playing in the house we colored...then we went to her room & played musical instruments...and then she made me food with her little kitchen set...I was only there for about 3 hours, but you would be amazed at the amount of things we accomplished in that time! :) The night ended with us watching the kite movie (Mary Poppins) and then emma falling asleep & me reading a book. I know I enjoyed hanging out with the kiddo...hopefully she enjoyed the time as well.
well i'm off to bed...the allergy meds are starting to kick in and i am sleeeeepppyyyyyy.....
nite all...
In other news...
Last night I babysat my goddaughter Emma...what a sweetiepie! I know she missed her mama (most especially at bedtime), but all in all she was a good sport about Sarah's night out without her. After Sarah left for dinner I built Em a little house out of the kitchen chairs & a sheet, and we invited Paco & Jose (their dogs) inside to chill with us...I have to say, the grin on her face after i pretended to knock on the door & when she giggled when I asked if i could come into her house gave me warm fuzzies! :) After we got done playing in the house we colored...then we went to her room & played musical instruments...and then she made me food with her little kitchen set...I was only there for about 3 hours, but you would be amazed at the amount of things we accomplished in that time! :) The night ended with us watching the kite movie (Mary Poppins) and then emma falling asleep & me reading a book. I know I enjoyed hanging out with the kiddo...hopefully she enjoyed the time as well.
well i'm off to bed...the allergy meds are starting to kick in and i am sleeeeepppyyyyyy.....
nite all...
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Yay!
Did you know that today it got up to 75 degrees? SEVENTY FIVE!!! woohoo!! And tomorrow it's supposed to be 78! This is me doing the happy dance! :) Maaan I can't wait for spring to finally get here.
Hmm...so the news....
This last weekend I went home for Mardi Gras. It was a crazy good time! My friend Chris & I were up by 7:30a.m. to put on face paint & get ready for the day. Pretty much all mardi gras is about is indulging in excess & all the bad stuff for you, a reason to misbehave, a chance to get it all out of your system before the 40 solemn days of lent beginning on Ash Wednesday. For those of us at St.Louis' Mardi Gras it meant drinking as many hurricanes (basically fruit punch & rum) as you could get, along with collecting as many beads as you could. For the record, I did that the good-girl way, by standing behind the silly girls who flashed the revelers & krewes on the floats & catching the beads thrown their way. Seriously...those men are so predictable...
Anyway, besides the crazy bosom-flashing, it was a fabulous time! We stayed out of trouble, but still managed to outlast every one of our friends except for Amber. She's the Queen of the rockstars, so it's a given that we couldnt compete anyways. :)
Sunday we had a party for my neice Lily, who turned one, and then surprised my brother who will be 25 early next month. It was good to see the family, and lily was just about the cutest thing ever with the pink & white cake icing all over her face. What a doll! I'd like to post a picture of her, but blogger is being pokey. So...that will be for another day.
Tomorrow i'm spending the evening with my goddaughter emma, am definitely looking forward to that. I found out that she's coming down with chickenpox though...poor baby...so i guess we will see.
Hmm...so the news....
This last weekend I went home for Mardi Gras. It was a crazy good time! My friend Chris & I were up by 7:30a.m. to put on face paint & get ready for the day. Pretty much all mardi gras is about is indulging in excess & all the bad stuff for you, a reason to misbehave, a chance to get it all out of your system before the 40 solemn days of lent beginning on Ash Wednesday. For those of us at St.Louis' Mardi Gras it meant drinking as many hurricanes (basically fruit punch & rum) as you could get, along with collecting as many beads as you could. For the record, I did that the good-girl way, by standing behind the silly girls who flashed the revelers & krewes on the floats & catching the beads thrown their way. Seriously...those men are so predictable...
Anyway, besides the crazy bosom-flashing, it was a fabulous time! We stayed out of trouble, but still managed to outlast every one of our friends except for Amber. She's the Queen of the rockstars, so it's a given that we couldnt compete anyways. :)
Sunday we had a party for my neice Lily, who turned one, and then surprised my brother who will be 25 early next month. It was good to see the family, and lily was just about the cutest thing ever with the pink & white cake icing all over her face. What a doll! I'd like to post a picture of her, but blogger is being pokey. So...that will be for another day.
Tomorrow i'm spending the evening with my goddaughter emma, am definitely looking forward to that. I found out that she's coming down with chickenpox though...poor baby...so i guess we will see.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
A List
I haven't blogged in a bit...and since i'm tired & not really up for much of a post I decided to post something that didnt require much thought. :) Enjoy...
(p.s...it's kindof a long list...just warning ya...)
1. EVER BEEN GIVEN A RING?
Yes.
2. LONGEST RELATIONSHIP?
2 years
3. LAST GIFT YOU RECEIVED:
some yarn from my grandma (yay!)
4. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DROPPED YOUR CELL?
oh my...waaaay too many times.
5. WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED OUT?
hmm...probably 2 weeks ago i think. i have fallen off the running wagon as of late...
6. THING(S) YOU SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON?
eating out, gas to drive back n forth to the StL, paying off credit cards (a hex on all you credit card companies, btw...evil, v. evil...)
7. LAST FOOD YOU ATE?
DQ ice cream cake & burnt sugar cake my grandma made...mmm... (my bro's & neice's bday)
8. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX?
smile
9. ONE FAVORITE SONG:
"Get Lifted" by John Legend
10. WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
downtown kc
11. HIGH SCHOOL YOU ATTENDED:
st. dominic hs in o'fallon mo
12. CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER
Sprint
13. FAVORITE MALL STORE(S):
ny & co, bath & body works, illuminations
14. LONGEST JOB HELD:
4 1/6 years (my current job)
15. DO YOU OWN A PAIR OF DICE?
nope
16. DO YOU PRANK CALL PEOPLE?
um...no...caller id ended that kind of fun a long time ago...
17. LAST WEDDING ATTENDED?
hmm...i dont remember...it was that long ago.
18. FIRST FRIEND YOU'D CALL IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY?
amber
19. LAST TIME YOU ATTENDED CHURCH:
several weeks ago...
20. FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT:
steak n shake
21. BIGGEST LIE YOU HAVE HEARD?
man, it's hard to pick just one, i've heard a lot of good ones.
23. WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT WITH FRIENDS?
OTB or Buca di Beppo
24. CAN YOU COOK?
Yep
25. WHAT CAR DO YOU DRIVE?
Saturn SL1
26. BEST KISSER?
Yeah right, like i'm answering this question. No way...kissing & telling is not allowed...
27. LAST TIME YOU CRIED
the Monday before last.
28. MOST DISLIKED FOOD:
slimy spinach....the cooked stringy slimy kind...eeeew...
29. THING YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
tolerant & kind
30. THING YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
impatient & often speak before thinking.
32. LONGEST SHIFT YOU HAVE WORKED AT A JOB?
not sure...probably 12ish hours...i've worked 2 jobs at a time for a long time, so if you count working both jobs in one day I could say 19 hours probably.
33. FAVORITE MOVIE?
it's very hard to pick just one....right now the favorite would be Crash...that movie TOTALLY made me think, very good social documentary-type movie.
34. CAN YOU SING?
I like to think so...i enjoy singing, but that is not to say i have any kind of talent in that area...
35. LAST CONCERT ATTENDED?
Jack Johnson this last summer. STELLAR. that man is a god.
36. LAST KISS?
see question 26
37. LAST MOVIE RENTED:
if you count netflix...i get 3 at a time so: Terms of Endearment, The Way We Were, and Disc 4 of season 2 of Smallville.
38. YOU NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT?
keys, cellphone, purse.
39. FAVORITE VACATION SPOT?
Italy was pretty stellar...
40. DO YOU LIKE CHINESE FOOD?
Yes! yumm...
41. HOW BIG IS YOUR BED?
It is a queen size waterbed (the kind with the tubes of water in it...)
42. IS YOUR ROOM CLEAN?
it's cluttered but it is not dirty.
43. LAPTOP OR DESKTOP COMPUTER?
desktop...i have no computer of my own so i am forced to resort to my works' desktops.
44. FAVORITE COMEDIAN?
drew carey i think.
45. DO YOU SMOKE?
Not usually, but when i'm drinking it's hard to be strong...so the answer is yes and no.
46. SLEEP WITH OR WITHOUT CLOTHES ON?
With. usually a tank top & some pyjama pants.
47. WHO SLEEPS WITH YOU EVERY NIGHT?
nobody...i have the bed allllll to myself.
48. DO LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS WORK?
depends on the person & the effort willing to be made.
49. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE?
lol...yeah, i dunno. fortunately it's never been for anything more serious than speeding.
50. PANCAKES OR FRENCH TOAST?
french toast. with fruit on it (fresh strawberries, kiwi & bananas please).
51. DO YOU LIKE COFFEE?
didnt used to at all, but now i am a fan of good coffee (by this i mean not the cheap nasty bitter stuff) if it has milk & sugar in it.
52. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS?
scrambled with garlic & cheese & mushrooms. YUM!
53. DO YOU BELIEVE IN ASTROLOGY?
somewhat...i think most of it is circumstantial though.
54. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
ma mere...to let her know i made it home safely.
55. LAST PERSON ON YOUR MISSED CALL LIST?
Brad..sorry man, i was at my brother's bday party.
56. WHAT WAS THE LAST TEXT MESSAGE YOU RECIEVED?
from Jeremy, lamenting that he didnt get to unpack much from his weekend move to a new apartment b/c he was partying too much. :)
57. MCDONALDS OR BURGER KING?
hmm...depends on what you're ordering.
58. NUMBER OF PILLOWS?
five.
59. WHAT ARE YOU HEARING RIGHT NOW?
the whirring of the fan on the computer. ahh...sweet white noise... :)
60. PICK A LYRIC, ANY LYRIC OR SONG?
"Unforgettable" by Natalie & Nat King Cole (heard it on the drive back to kc & it's stuck in my head now)
61. WHAT KIND OF JELLY DO YOU LIKE ON YOUR PB & J SANDWICH?
either Strawberry Preserves made by grandma ruth (i know...that's not really a jelly...) or grape jelly made by grandma alice. storebought-apricot preserves (again i know...this isnt a jelly either...)
62. CAN YOU PLAY POOL?
yes i am physically able...do i play well? maybe when playing against a blind man when we're allowed to play slop rules.
63. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SWIM?
Yes.
64. FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
chocolate chocolate chocolate.
65. DO YOU LIKE MAPS?
I love them. I can't tell you how many times my big fat kc metro map book got me unlost. Never leave home without a map.
66. TELL ME A RANDOM FACT ABOUT YOURSELF?
When I sleep at night i have to have at least one foot sticking out of the covers. i dont know why...
68. EVER ATTEND A THEME PARTY?
yes! there were many in college...sadly there are not enough of them these days...at least, enough of them where the theme isnt to just drink & avoid getting hit on by creepy guys.
69. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
the first month or so of every season, actually. once things get extreme I'm ready for the next season.
70. LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED AT SOMETHING STUPID?
very early this morning when buscher & i were watching the family guy. lmao! i love stewie.
71. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING ?
i think around 10ish...
72. BEST THING ABOUT WINTER?
not having to shave my legs every day b/c i am wearing pants all the time.
73. LAST TIME A COP GAVE YOU A TICKET?
awhile ago...
75. NAME OF YOUR FIRST PET?
Pepper I believe...i dont remember him. the first pet i do remember was Duchess, a cocker spaniel. straight out of Lady & the Tramp!
76. DO YOU THINK PIRATES ARE COOL OR OVERRATED?
definitely cool. especially if that pirate is johnny depp. grr tiger! :)
77. WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEKEND?
not sure...i think maybe working...if not, then sleeping a lot & maybe going out in the evenings.
79. WHAT IS THE THIRD LETTER OF YOUR NAME?
T
80. HOW OLD ARE YOUR PETS?
I dont have any pets now, other than my plants. I venture to say they are approx 1 1/2 years old...but knowing me they will die an early death. :81. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BACKPACK?
hehe...my backpack...i guess everyone does have one...mine is dark green.
82. ARE YOU SICK?
potentially...i have a scratchy throat, but i am not sure if that is b/c i'm getting sick or if it's b/c i was dumb & smoked this weekend.
83. DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL?
not currently. 2001 was the last time i was in school. oy...the years are flying by at warp speed it seems..
84. IS THE BATHROOM DOOR OPEN?
right now? when are we talking about here?
85. ARE YOU ON A LAPTOP?
No.
86. ARE YOU WATCHING MTV?
hehe...no...not since college. i dont have cable now, and from what i've heard the mtv shows are getting dumber & dumber...so i guess i'm not missing much?
87. ARE YOU SMILING?
no, but the potential is there.
88. DO YOU HAVE ON EYELINER?
No.
90. ARE YOU BLONDE?
no.
91. DO YOU HAVE A MYSPACE?
yes but i use it only to read my friends' blogs...
92. ARE YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL?
um. no.
93. DO YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND?
no...good men are hard to find these days.
94. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NAME?
Josephine, Henry
95. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHING SUIT?
pink, green & white.
96. DOES YOUR SCHOOL START IN AUGUST?
what? no...i'm not even in school...dumb question...
97. DID YOU GO ON VACATION LAST MONTH?
No. i wish though.
98. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A CRUISE?
nope.
99. DO YOU HAVE A SISTER?
Not by blood...i have have a couple of girlfriends who are like sisters to me though.
100. ARE YOU UPSTAIRS?
from the basement, yes.
101. 4 TAGGEES?
Cousin Sarah, Cousin David, Leslie & Amber (see right for links to all but David & Leslie...sorry guys, still updating the blogsite).
(p.s...it's kindof a long list...just warning ya...)
1. EVER BEEN GIVEN A RING?
Yes.
2. LONGEST RELATIONSHIP?
2 years
3. LAST GIFT YOU RECEIVED:
some yarn from my grandma (yay!)
4. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DROPPED YOUR CELL?
oh my...waaaay too many times.
5. WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED OUT?
hmm...probably 2 weeks ago i think. i have fallen off the running wagon as of late...
6. THING(S) YOU SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON?
eating out, gas to drive back n forth to the StL, paying off credit cards (a hex on all you credit card companies, btw...evil, v. evil...)
7. LAST FOOD YOU ATE?
DQ ice cream cake & burnt sugar cake my grandma made...mmm... (my bro's & neice's bday)
8. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX?
smile
9. ONE FAVORITE SONG:
"Get Lifted" by John Legend
10. WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
downtown kc
11. HIGH SCHOOL YOU ATTENDED:
st. dominic hs in o'fallon mo
12. CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER
Sprint
13. FAVORITE MALL STORE(S):
ny & co, bath & body works, illuminations
14. LONGEST JOB HELD:
4 1/6 years (my current job)
15. DO YOU OWN A PAIR OF DICE?
nope
16. DO YOU PRANK CALL PEOPLE?
um...no...caller id ended that kind of fun a long time ago...
17. LAST WEDDING ATTENDED?
hmm...i dont remember...it was that long ago.
18. FIRST FRIEND YOU'D CALL IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY?
amber
19. LAST TIME YOU ATTENDED CHURCH:
several weeks ago...
20. FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT:
steak n shake
21. BIGGEST LIE YOU HAVE HEARD?
man, it's hard to pick just one, i've heard a lot of good ones.
23. WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT WITH FRIENDS?
OTB or Buca di Beppo
24. CAN YOU COOK?
Yep
25. WHAT CAR DO YOU DRIVE?
Saturn SL1
26. BEST KISSER?
Yeah right, like i'm answering this question. No way...kissing & telling is not allowed...
27. LAST TIME YOU CRIED
the Monday before last.
28. MOST DISLIKED FOOD:
slimy spinach....the cooked stringy slimy kind...eeeew...
29. THING YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
tolerant & kind
30. THING YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
impatient & often speak before thinking.
32. LONGEST SHIFT YOU HAVE WORKED AT A JOB?
not sure...probably 12ish hours...i've worked 2 jobs at a time for a long time, so if you count working both jobs in one day I could say 19 hours probably.
33. FAVORITE MOVIE?
it's very hard to pick just one....right now the favorite would be Crash...that movie TOTALLY made me think, very good social documentary-type movie.
34. CAN YOU SING?
I like to think so...i enjoy singing, but that is not to say i have any kind of talent in that area...
35. LAST CONCERT ATTENDED?
Jack Johnson this last summer. STELLAR. that man is a god.
36. LAST KISS?
see question 26
37. LAST MOVIE RENTED:
if you count netflix...i get 3 at a time so: Terms of Endearment, The Way We Were, and Disc 4 of season 2 of Smallville.
38. YOU NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT?
keys, cellphone, purse.
39. FAVORITE VACATION SPOT?
Italy was pretty stellar...
40. DO YOU LIKE CHINESE FOOD?
Yes! yumm...
41. HOW BIG IS YOUR BED?
It is a queen size waterbed (the kind with the tubes of water in it...)
42. IS YOUR ROOM CLEAN?
it's cluttered but it is not dirty.
43. LAPTOP OR DESKTOP COMPUTER?
desktop...i have no computer of my own so i am forced to resort to my works' desktops.
44. FAVORITE COMEDIAN?
drew carey i think.
45. DO YOU SMOKE?
Not usually, but when i'm drinking it's hard to be strong...so the answer is yes and no.
46. SLEEP WITH OR WITHOUT CLOTHES ON?
With. usually a tank top & some pyjama pants.
47. WHO SLEEPS WITH YOU EVERY NIGHT?
nobody...i have the bed allllll to myself.
48. DO LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS WORK?
depends on the person & the effort willing to be made.
49. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE?
lol...yeah, i dunno. fortunately it's never been for anything more serious than speeding.
50. PANCAKES OR FRENCH TOAST?
french toast. with fruit on it (fresh strawberries, kiwi & bananas please).
51. DO YOU LIKE COFFEE?
didnt used to at all, but now i am a fan of good coffee (by this i mean not the cheap nasty bitter stuff) if it has milk & sugar in it.
52. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS?
scrambled with garlic & cheese & mushrooms. YUM!
53. DO YOU BELIEVE IN ASTROLOGY?
somewhat...i think most of it is circumstantial though.
54. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
ma mere...to let her know i made it home safely.
55. LAST PERSON ON YOUR MISSED CALL LIST?
Brad..sorry man, i was at my brother's bday party.
56. WHAT WAS THE LAST TEXT MESSAGE YOU RECIEVED?
from Jeremy, lamenting that he didnt get to unpack much from his weekend move to a new apartment b/c he was partying too much. :)
57. MCDONALDS OR BURGER KING?
hmm...depends on what you're ordering.
58. NUMBER OF PILLOWS?
five.
59. WHAT ARE YOU HEARING RIGHT NOW?
the whirring of the fan on the computer. ahh...sweet white noise... :)
60. PICK A LYRIC, ANY LYRIC OR SONG?
"Unforgettable" by Natalie & Nat King Cole (heard it on the drive back to kc & it's stuck in my head now)
61. WHAT KIND OF JELLY DO YOU LIKE ON YOUR PB & J SANDWICH?
either Strawberry Preserves made by grandma ruth (i know...that's not really a jelly...) or grape jelly made by grandma alice. storebought-apricot preserves (again i know...this isnt a jelly either...)
62. CAN YOU PLAY POOL?
yes i am physically able...do i play well? maybe when playing against a blind man when we're allowed to play slop rules.
63. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SWIM?
Yes.
64. FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
chocolate chocolate chocolate.
65. DO YOU LIKE MAPS?
I love them. I can't tell you how many times my big fat kc metro map book got me unlost. Never leave home without a map.
66. TELL ME A RANDOM FACT ABOUT YOURSELF?
When I sleep at night i have to have at least one foot sticking out of the covers. i dont know why...
68. EVER ATTEND A THEME PARTY?
yes! there were many in college...sadly there are not enough of them these days...at least, enough of them where the theme isnt to just drink & avoid getting hit on by creepy guys.
69. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
the first month or so of every season, actually. once things get extreme I'm ready for the next season.
70. LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED AT SOMETHING STUPID?
very early this morning when buscher & i were watching the family guy. lmao! i love stewie.
71. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING ?
i think around 10ish...
72. BEST THING ABOUT WINTER?
not having to shave my legs every day b/c i am wearing pants all the time.
73. LAST TIME A COP GAVE YOU A TICKET?
awhile ago...
75. NAME OF YOUR FIRST PET?
Pepper I believe...i dont remember him. the first pet i do remember was Duchess, a cocker spaniel. straight out of Lady & the Tramp!
76. DO YOU THINK PIRATES ARE COOL OR OVERRATED?
definitely cool. especially if that pirate is johnny depp. grr tiger! :)
77. WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEKEND?
not sure...i think maybe working...if not, then sleeping a lot & maybe going out in the evenings.
79. WHAT IS THE THIRD LETTER OF YOUR NAME?
T
80. HOW OLD ARE YOUR PETS?
I dont have any pets now, other than my plants. I venture to say they are approx 1 1/2 years old...but knowing me they will die an early death. :81. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BACKPACK?
hehe...my backpack...i guess everyone does have one...mine is dark green.
82. ARE YOU SICK?
potentially...i have a scratchy throat, but i am not sure if that is b/c i'm getting sick or if it's b/c i was dumb & smoked this weekend.
83. DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL?
not currently. 2001 was the last time i was in school. oy...the years are flying by at warp speed it seems..
84. IS THE BATHROOM DOOR OPEN?
right now? when are we talking about here?
85. ARE YOU ON A LAPTOP?
No.
86. ARE YOU WATCHING MTV?
hehe...no...not since college. i dont have cable now, and from what i've heard the mtv shows are getting dumber & dumber...so i guess i'm not missing much?
87. ARE YOU SMILING?
no, but the potential is there.
88. DO YOU HAVE ON EYELINER?
No.
90. ARE YOU BLONDE?
no.
91. DO YOU HAVE A MYSPACE?
yes but i use it only to read my friends' blogs...
92. ARE YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL?
um. no.
93. DO YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND?
no...good men are hard to find these days.
94. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NAME?
Josephine, Henry
95. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHING SUIT?
pink, green & white.
96. DOES YOUR SCHOOL START IN AUGUST?
what? no...i'm not even in school...dumb question...
97. DID YOU GO ON VACATION LAST MONTH?
No. i wish though.
98. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A CRUISE?
nope.
99. DO YOU HAVE A SISTER?
Not by blood...i have have a couple of girlfriends who are like sisters to me though.
100. ARE YOU UPSTAIRS?
from the basement, yes.
101. 4 TAGGEES?
Cousin Sarah, Cousin David, Leslie & Amber (see right for links to all but David & Leslie...sorry guys, still updating the blogsite).
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Chuck Norris...be afraid, be very afraid...
So you know how we're having that chili contest? Our 'marketing department' has been very creative in coming up with an effective ad campaign for our team. Check out this poster...we are using this one and others (with the wording changed just a bit) to show our competitors that we are tough and mean business, just like Chuck Norris.
Although...putting a "silent rage" poster with a chili cookoff contest does give one pause...this chili is not for the weak!!
C'mon, you know it's funny! :) I'm laughing out loud just thinking about it...
Sunday, February 19, 2006
tv junkie
I think i might be becoming a tv junkie....or maybe not a tv junkie but a desperate housewives/grey's anatomy junkie. Today I worked all day at the lodge and pretty much organized everything around the fact that at 8pm come heck or high water i was watching those two shows. So anything that needed to be done better get done before then...and it was soo worth it! :) I never used to be the girl whose life revolved around tv...in high school when everyone was all about Beverly Hills 90210, i totally snubbed it...in college when it was all about the real world mtv, again i went against the flow...i've even managed to avoid the whole survivor/lost thing...until now!! these two shows, and The Bachelor (monday nites at 8...heehee...) have me HOOKED. oh well...live it up while you can right?
So today having that 8pm deadline really got me going, you should see the list of stuff i accomplished!! I'm proud enough of it i'll put it here:
washed the windows in the foyer
swept, mopped the foyer
vacuumed the rugs in the foyer & the leaves up from the day rm
swept, mopped the dining room, & both kitchens
cleaned 4 bathrooms (ew)
did about 9 loads of laundry, washed & dried & folded
took out trash-2 trips
disinfected & vacuumed the elevator
disinfected the luggage cart
cleaned out the fridge
cleaned out 2 microwaves
wiped down the counters in both kitchens
restocked papertowels & dishwasher detergent in both kitchens
did 2 check-ins & orientations
did 2 check-outs
read some blogs online
finished 2 su doku puzzles
watched desperate housewives & grey's anatomy
checked my email
...and now i'm blogging! man, that is one productive day! no wonder i'm about ready to drop...
My neck continued to hurt today...i'm wondering if it isnt my bed...could that be it? I've heard if your bed is too soft it leads to back & neck problems. I would be so sad if that were the case, i LOVE my bed...it's so soft & cushy! The fitness center at my office offers chair massages to members for like $15, so ive been thinking about trying that to see if it helps. I have a gift certificate my mgr gave me, so it would be free actually, so i think i'm going to schedule one for early this week & see if that helps. Free is always better than dropping a grand i dont have on a new bed.
well, it's 11pm, and true to my previous blog i am going to try & make it to bed, sans tv by 11:30. But i just thought of a glitch...I think Sex In the City is on at 11 every night...thank goodness it's only a half hour show or else i'd be in trouble with my new resolution! :)
I hope everyone's week is off to a good start tomorrow...
Later!
So today having that 8pm deadline really got me going, you should see the list of stuff i accomplished!! I'm proud enough of it i'll put it here:
washed the windows in the foyer
swept, mopped the foyer
vacuumed the rugs in the foyer & the leaves up from the day rm
swept, mopped the dining room, & both kitchens
cleaned 4 bathrooms (ew)
did about 9 loads of laundry, washed & dried & folded
took out trash-2 trips
disinfected & vacuumed the elevator
disinfected the luggage cart
cleaned out the fridge
cleaned out 2 microwaves
wiped down the counters in both kitchens
restocked papertowels & dishwasher detergent in both kitchens
did 2 check-ins & orientations
did 2 check-outs
read some blogs online
finished 2 su doku puzzles
watched desperate housewives & grey's anatomy
checked my email
...and now i'm blogging! man, that is one productive day! no wonder i'm about ready to drop...
My neck continued to hurt today...i'm wondering if it isnt my bed...could that be it? I've heard if your bed is too soft it leads to back & neck problems. I would be so sad if that were the case, i LOVE my bed...it's so soft & cushy! The fitness center at my office offers chair massages to members for like $15, so ive been thinking about trying that to see if it helps. I have a gift certificate my mgr gave me, so it would be free actually, so i think i'm going to schedule one for early this week & see if that helps. Free is always better than dropping a grand i dont have on a new bed.
well, it's 11pm, and true to my previous blog i am going to try & make it to bed, sans tv by 11:30. But i just thought of a glitch...I think Sex In the City is on at 11 every night...thank goodness it's only a half hour show or else i'd be in trouble with my new resolution! :)
I hope everyone's week is off to a good start tomorrow...
Later!
Saturday, February 18, 2006
ouch
yeah...hurting a little bit today. My voice is kinda raspy (not b/c i smoked though-yay for being stronger than the habit!) because the bar was so smoky & we had to yell b/c it was so loud. Other than that I was doing ok until about an hour ago...started to get this killer headache & my neck has been feeling like I slept on it wrong or something. My neck hurts alot lately, but i figured it was just stress & put up with it. Well now I can feel the pain radiating down my left shoulder...perhaps it's time to get it looked at?
Am looking forward to a quiet rest of the weekend...I'm working at the lodge tonight through monday a.m., and it's a ghost town around this place. I purchased some more of the dreaded 'no dye lot' yarn to finish off the afghan, so that will be my project of choice for my free time. Also hope to get my laundry done, it is the worst ive seen it yet.
We have monday off from work and I think my cousin sarah & i are gonna spend the day with emma, maybe go to a childrens museum or something fun like that. I wonder if she likes movies...we could go to see curious george! we'll see...no matter what we do though i'm sure it will be fun just because of the good company.
Am looking forward to a quiet rest of the weekend...I'm working at the lodge tonight through monday a.m., and it's a ghost town around this place. I purchased some more of the dreaded 'no dye lot' yarn to finish off the afghan, so that will be my project of choice for my free time. Also hope to get my laundry done, it is the worst ive seen it yet.
We have monday off from work and I think my cousin sarah & i are gonna spend the day with emma, maybe go to a childrens museum or something fun like that. I wonder if she likes movies...we could go to see curious george! we'll see...no matter what we do though i'm sure it will be fun just because of the good company.
TGIF!!
Today i woke up at 9am. Well, actually 9:05...yikes. Since i'm supposed to be at work by no later than 9:30, i really had to get up & get my behind in gear....made it there by 9:50, after an embarrassing phone call to my boss to apologize for the fact that I was running late. Seriously, she must have been thinking, "How hard could it really be to get here by 9:30?? I mean, the girl lives a 5min walk away. sheesh."
For some reason i have this habit of staying up until i just cant keep my eyes open any more...i dont know why...i remember once thinking (at around 3am) I have sooo much to do, maybe i will just stay up all night & get it done. WHAT??? yeah, that was a crazy thought. but still, this staying up late only makes it harder to get up at a decent hour...and i'm not sure what i'm exactly avoiding by not going to bed at a decent hour. my bed is so comfy, you'd think i'd be jumping at the chance to go back to it the first minute i could. oh well...old habits die hard. i will just make an effort to be in bed & sans tv by 11:30pm. We'll see how that goes.
Tonite we had a happy hour after work...lately the happy hours have been because people are resigning, but this time it was 'just because'. that's the best reason! We all met up around 5:30pm at Fred P Ott's, which was a place none of us had been to before. It was fun, but they closed early, so we relocated to Jillys. Jilly's is somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall bar, and had expensive drinks and apparently were also trying to make money by saving on the expense of heating the place. BRRR!!! i kept my coat & scarf on the whole time we were in there! (all of like 25 minutes). Then, we were on to the Dark Horse Saloon, which was packed with trashy young people. The young part i dont mean in a derogatory way, but the trashy part most definitely. Most of the girls in this bar were wearing tank tops. Dears, its 10 degrees out there. That means Freaking Cold. As in NOT tank top weather. If you're wearing that to catch a guy, you dont want the kind of guy that likes you for having not an ounce of common sense to wear clothes on a cold day. ugh...kids these days... :) lol...do i sound like someones mother? wow...that's scary! :)
Yeah, so we were there like 5 min before we moved on to Harpo's....stayed there long enough to get set up with the cousin from Wichita of a new coworker (she's only worked at my company for a couple of months). Yikes...this is why i despise dating...The dude only talked about himself the whole time i was around him, and during that time had the crudest language i've heard in a long time. i was willing to overlook it until he made a VERY derogatory comment about another girl in the bar to another guy, as if i couldnt hear what he was saying. After that, i had no interest...a guy who doesnt respect me enough to at least act like he respects women in general when he's around me is O-U-T. sheesh. Oh well...at that point i had had a drink or two so I just took it in stride & just talked to someone else for awhile.
After Harpos we moved on to Kelly's Irish Pub...good times! I like that bar & have had a good time every time i'm there. Ran into some other co-workers there, we all chilled over a few beers, and then I shared a cab home with some of my coworker friends. Overall our mini-pub crawl turned out to be a really good night...a much-needed opportunity to blow off steam.
well, i'm off to bed....night all!
xoxo
For some reason i have this habit of staying up until i just cant keep my eyes open any more...i dont know why...i remember once thinking (at around 3am) I have sooo much to do, maybe i will just stay up all night & get it done. WHAT??? yeah, that was a crazy thought. but still, this staying up late only makes it harder to get up at a decent hour...and i'm not sure what i'm exactly avoiding by not going to bed at a decent hour. my bed is so comfy, you'd think i'd be jumping at the chance to go back to it the first minute i could. oh well...old habits die hard. i will just make an effort to be in bed & sans tv by 11:30pm. We'll see how that goes.
Tonite we had a happy hour after work...lately the happy hours have been because people are resigning, but this time it was 'just because'. that's the best reason! We all met up around 5:30pm at Fred P Ott's, which was a place none of us had been to before. It was fun, but they closed early, so we relocated to Jillys. Jilly's is somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall bar, and had expensive drinks and apparently were also trying to make money by saving on the expense of heating the place. BRRR!!! i kept my coat & scarf on the whole time we were in there! (all of like 25 minutes). Then, we were on to the Dark Horse Saloon, which was packed with trashy young people. The young part i dont mean in a derogatory way, but the trashy part most definitely. Most of the girls in this bar were wearing tank tops. Dears, its 10 degrees out there. That means Freaking Cold. As in NOT tank top weather. If you're wearing that to catch a guy, you dont want the kind of guy that likes you for having not an ounce of common sense to wear clothes on a cold day. ugh...kids these days... :) lol...do i sound like someones mother? wow...that's scary! :)
Yeah, so we were there like 5 min before we moved on to Harpo's....stayed there long enough to get set up with the cousin from Wichita of a new coworker (she's only worked at my company for a couple of months). Yikes...this is why i despise dating...The dude only talked about himself the whole time i was around him, and during that time had the crudest language i've heard in a long time. i was willing to overlook it until he made a VERY derogatory comment about another girl in the bar to another guy, as if i couldnt hear what he was saying. After that, i had no interest...a guy who doesnt respect me enough to at least act like he respects women in general when he's around me is O-U-T. sheesh. Oh well...at that point i had had a drink or two so I just took it in stride & just talked to someone else for awhile.
After Harpos we moved on to Kelly's Irish Pub...good times! I like that bar & have had a good time every time i'm there. Ran into some other co-workers there, we all chilled over a few beers, and then I shared a cab home with some of my coworker friends. Overall our mini-pub crawl turned out to be a really good night...a much-needed opportunity to blow off steam.
well, i'm off to bed....night all!
xoxo
Thursday, February 16, 2006
warm fuzzies
Tonite a friend of mine and her MBA schoolgroup (not sure if that's the right term) came to volunteer at the hope lodge. As part of her MBA program, she & her group had to organize a project that had to do with community involvement...so they chose the lodge. They made care packages for the patients & their caregivers, which included stuff like toothpaste, chapstick, tissues, and valentines made by the 5th grade students of one of the group member's mothers. On top of that, my friend's brother is an executive chef, so he arranged food for the guests' dinner. MAN, that was a feast. There was great turnout and you could tell that the guests were so grateful for the groups efforts. This is the part of volunteering that gets me hooked every time...doing something caring for another human being, knowing that you have made their life (or someone's life) just a little better in the process. I almost got all misty over the experience! :) It was after all just a warm meal & a few small gifts, but I know it meant a lot to the guests. It's nights like these that make me very thankful to be a part of such a great place as the hope lodge.
In other news...i know it's been awhile since i've written...sorry bout that. The last time i wrote i mentioned that there was a big weekend coming up and that it would be important to me for a couple of reasons. Well, the biggest one was that Feb 4 marked the 5 year anniversary of the death of my friend Steve. I know when someone dies it is so easy to say "man, so and so was such a great person!" But truly, he was, and this is why he is so dearly missed by so many of us. He always always had a ready smile, gave the BEST bear hugs of anyone I know, and was such a kind person. He was a Good Guy...the guy all of our parents wanted us to end up married to, or at least to someone just like him.
Steve and I went to high school together, and were part of a bigger group of friends that all hung out together (about 20ish of us). We've all managed to stay at least in touch if not stay close since high school--something I'm very proud of, and I know Steve would have been proud of us as well. To observe this day that we experienced such a monumental loss, we planned an outing at a local irish pub to raise a drink in Steve's memory. The strange thing was, i dont think any of us really mentioned Steve or even reminisced during the whole event...I wonder why that was? He was the guest of honor, why not? Was it that we all miss him so much that we were afraid to mention his name in fear of acknowledging the pain & loss we all felt? I dont know. I do know that he was definitely on the mind of every person there...and I'd like to think he was there with us, celebrating the bonds of friendship that we all hold so dear. I miss him dearly...it hurts my heart...BUT, i believe this saying definitely rings true: "it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." Steve's presence in our lives made a positive lasting impression...even to have had him for a short time was better than not at all.
So finally...the special intention i asked you all to pray for was that there was a decision to be made regarding my career & living situation...and the intention was that the outcome not be what I thought I wanted at the time, but what would be in my best interests for the long run, and that I be okay with that. Basically that I leave the situation in God's hands and that I make the right decision. It appears that that is what has happened, and so I thank you all for your thoughts & prayers. If you want to know the non-ambiguous, non-blog version let me know & I'll email ya.
Anywho...
Ok, so on a happier note, i have to post two things that really make me smile & laugh these days (gotta lighten things up here a bit...).
1--The "Brilliant!" guinness commercials that are out with the brewmasters...they just crack me up! Here's the link.
2--Our team name for the chili cookoff we're having at work next week: Chuck Norris' Texas Roundhouse Kickin' Chili. We're gonna have a couple of guys on our team dress up as Chuck Norris, and we're going to make up ads with Chuck's picture & some Chuck Norris sayings to advertise and gain support for our chili in the contest. We are sure to win! :)
In other news...i know it's been awhile since i've written...sorry bout that. The last time i wrote i mentioned that there was a big weekend coming up and that it would be important to me for a couple of reasons. Well, the biggest one was that Feb 4 marked the 5 year anniversary of the death of my friend Steve. I know when someone dies it is so easy to say "man, so and so was such a great person!" But truly, he was, and this is why he is so dearly missed by so many of us. He always always had a ready smile, gave the BEST bear hugs of anyone I know, and was such a kind person. He was a Good Guy...the guy all of our parents wanted us to end up married to, or at least to someone just like him.
Steve and I went to high school together, and were part of a bigger group of friends that all hung out together (about 20ish of us). We've all managed to stay at least in touch if not stay close since high school--something I'm very proud of, and I know Steve would have been proud of us as well. To observe this day that we experienced such a monumental loss, we planned an outing at a local irish pub to raise a drink in Steve's memory. The strange thing was, i dont think any of us really mentioned Steve or even reminisced during the whole event...I wonder why that was? He was the guest of honor, why not? Was it that we all miss him so much that we were afraid to mention his name in fear of acknowledging the pain & loss we all felt? I dont know. I do know that he was definitely on the mind of every person there...and I'd like to think he was there with us, celebrating the bonds of friendship that we all hold so dear. I miss him dearly...it hurts my heart...BUT, i believe this saying definitely rings true: "it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." Steve's presence in our lives made a positive lasting impression...even to have had him for a short time was better than not at all.
So finally...the special intention i asked you all to pray for was that there was a decision to be made regarding my career & living situation...and the intention was that the outcome not be what I thought I wanted at the time, but what would be in my best interests for the long run, and that I be okay with that. Basically that I leave the situation in God's hands and that I make the right decision. It appears that that is what has happened, and so I thank you all for your thoughts & prayers. If you want to know the non-ambiguous, non-blog version let me know & I'll email ya.
Anywho...
Ok, so on a happier note, i have to post two things that really make me smile & laugh these days (gotta lighten things up here a bit...).
1--The "Brilliant!" guinness commercials that are out with the brewmasters...they just crack me up! Here's the link.
2--Our team name for the chili cookoff we're having at work next week: Chuck Norris' Texas Roundhouse Kickin' Chili. We're gonna have a couple of guys on our team dress up as Chuck Norris, and we're going to make up ads with Chuck's picture & some Chuck Norris sayings to advertise and gain support for our chili in the contest. We are sure to win! :)
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
bored
ok...so i'm bored...and have only a computer to keep me occupied while i should otherwise be working. so here's something i found on another's blog and thought would be fun to do. :)
[a is for age:] 27
[b is for booze of choice:] redlight raspberry wheat beer, grenache shiraz wine, or 7&7. Margaritas make the cut too.
[c is for career:] currently working in the mutual funds industry...not such a bad way to earn a living...most days...
[d is for your dog’s name:] um...dont have a dog. My parents have a dog, does that count? He is a golden retriever & his name is Riley.
[e is for essential items you use everyday:] My cell phone, my wristwatch, ponytail holders, my eyedrops. without any of these things my life would be pretty much very uncomfortable.
[f is for favorite song(s) at the moment:] am anxiously awaiting the release of Jack Johnson's new cd...Sing-a-longs & Lullabies for the film Curious George. I heard one of the songs from it on the radio and LOVED it, altho i cant remember the name now. Other songs: am digging anything Cake these days.
[g is for favorite games:] any board games...drinking games (except quarters--i SUCK at that game!)...spider solitaire or bejeweled....hide & go seek with my nephews is fun too. :)
[h is for hometown:] O'Fallon, MO
[i is for instruments you play:] piano, although not exactly very well.
[j is for jam or jelly you like:] anything made by my grandmothers. Grandma Ruth makes incredible strawberry preserves, Grandma Alice makes really good grape jelly & gooseberry jam.
[k is for kids:] none right now. would like to have a big family one day though.
[l is for last kiss:] hmm..dont remember (how sad is that!) although knowing me, the guy was bad news and it's better i dont remember him anyways. :)
[m is for most admired trait:]I most admire people who are kind and courteous of others.
[n is for name of your crush:] I dont think i have a crush right now...other Dr. McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy.
[o is for overnight hospital stays:] I dont think i've ever had to stay at a hospital overnight, at least not since i was a baby. I had some hip problems at like 6mos old so i was in traction for a few weeks....but I dont remember it so i guess it doesnt count. [p is for phobias:] the dark; being alone in the dark; monsters under the bed; basements; spiders; ghosts.
[q is for quotes you like:] "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." --Robert Frost "My son, my precious child,I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering,when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."--Footprints by Mary Stevenson
[r is for biggest regret:] i dont really have regrets...i figure my mistakes have made me who i am today, and i have learned about myself from them. what's to regret about that?
[s is for sweets of your choice:] right now? conversation hearts. yum!
[t is for time you wake up:] on a workday--6am, 610, 615, 620...and so on until 8:20 when i get up. on a day off--whenever i get up, anytime between 11am and 4pm. :)
[u is for underwear:] yes.
[v is for vegetables you love:] lol!! for anyone who knows me this question is a joke. i love NO vegetable.
[w is for worst habit:] being moody...esp towards the people i care about most. not sure why that is...but its a constant battle. :(
[x is for x-rays you’ve had:] a lot at the dentist. i've also had several of my hips b/c of a joint problem. had some of my neck after an accident.
[y is for yummy food you make:] the people at work really like my Monkey Bread, and I've received several complements on my chocolate chip cookies. I also like my beef stroganoff recipe. YUM!!!
[z is for zodiac sign:]Scorpio. Totally.
[a is for age:] 27
[b is for booze of choice:] redlight raspberry wheat beer, grenache shiraz wine, or 7&7. Margaritas make the cut too.
[c is for career:] currently working in the mutual funds industry...not such a bad way to earn a living...most days...
[d is for your dog’s name:] um...dont have a dog. My parents have a dog, does that count? He is a golden retriever & his name is Riley.
[e is for essential items you use everyday:] My cell phone, my wristwatch, ponytail holders, my eyedrops. without any of these things my life would be pretty much very uncomfortable.
[f is for favorite song(s) at the moment:] am anxiously awaiting the release of Jack Johnson's new cd...Sing-a-longs & Lullabies for the film Curious George. I heard one of the songs from it on the radio and LOVED it, altho i cant remember the name now. Other songs: am digging anything Cake these days.
[g is for favorite games:] any board games...drinking games (except quarters--i SUCK at that game!)...spider solitaire or bejeweled....hide & go seek with my nephews is fun too. :)
[h is for hometown:] O'Fallon, MO
[i is for instruments you play:] piano, although not exactly very well.
[j is for jam or jelly you like:] anything made by my grandmothers. Grandma Ruth makes incredible strawberry preserves, Grandma Alice makes really good grape jelly & gooseberry jam.
[k is for kids:] none right now. would like to have a big family one day though.
[l is for last kiss:] hmm..dont remember (how sad is that!) although knowing me, the guy was bad news and it's better i dont remember him anyways. :)
[m is for most admired trait:]I most admire people who are kind and courteous of others.
[n is for name of your crush:] I dont think i have a crush right now...other Dr. McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy.
[o is for overnight hospital stays:] I dont think i've ever had to stay at a hospital overnight, at least not since i was a baby. I had some hip problems at like 6mos old so i was in traction for a few weeks....but I dont remember it so i guess it doesnt count. [p is for phobias:] the dark; being alone in the dark; monsters under the bed; basements; spiders; ghosts.
[q is for quotes you like:] "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." --Robert Frost "My son, my precious child,I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering,when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."--Footprints by Mary Stevenson
[r is for biggest regret:] i dont really have regrets...i figure my mistakes have made me who i am today, and i have learned about myself from them. what's to regret about that?
[s is for sweets of your choice:] right now? conversation hearts. yum!
[t is for time you wake up:] on a workday--6am, 610, 615, 620...and so on until 8:20 when i get up. on a day off--whenever i get up, anytime between 11am and 4pm. :)
[u is for underwear:] yes.
[v is for vegetables you love:] lol!! for anyone who knows me this question is a joke. i love NO vegetable.
[w is for worst habit:] being moody...esp towards the people i care about most. not sure why that is...but its a constant battle. :(
[x is for x-rays you’ve had:] a lot at the dentist. i've also had several of my hips b/c of a joint problem. had some of my neck after an accident.
[y is for yummy food you make:] the people at work really like my Monkey Bread, and I've received several complements on my chocolate chip cookies. I also like my beef stroganoff recipe. YUM!!!
[z is for zodiac sign:]Scorpio. Totally.
side note (shocker)
oh yeah! i almost forgot to mention--i had peas & carrots for dinner last week and actually enjoyed them!!!
dont go getting ideas though...vegetables and i are still on the outs... :)
dont go getting ideas though...vegetables and i are still on the outs... :)
running, running, running...
So when i said in the description that you'd find a comment 'every so often' it was definitely not a lie! Guess i just havent felt very chatty lately...or maybe i just havent felt motivated enough to actually write anything...prolly cuz i've been worn out from all the other things i've been accomplishing! :) (yeah right...whatev...) Anywho, sorry it's been so long since i've posted.
About a week n a half ago I started running tuesday and thursday mornings with my friend rachel. She comes to my apartment in the morning at 7:30, drags my butt out of bed & we go run. Yes...it is as painful as it sounds. For goodness' sake, it's not even daylight when i get up!! That is just wrong. Still, it's good for me, I'm growing out of my clothes, and something drastic must be done.
So, of course we're not easing into this, but jumping right back on the wagon, flabbiness, ill-fitting jeans and all. The first run was just murder...i was wheezing (damn smokes), huffing & puffing my way through 2 miles at the pace of a snail, all the while running in the same neighborhood my coworkers have to drive through to get to work. woohoo! talk about keeping up an image...i cringe to think of what i looked like as they drove past me. yikes. Still, determination & positive attitude have prevailed, even if a bit grudgingly. :) Fortunately we've kept at it...all thanks to rachel! We've worked our pace up a bit, now we can run comfortably without that "man...i shouldve brought cab fare with me" thought running through our heads constantly. I know i'm back on the wagon now b/c I actually enjoyed my run this weekend!! (i know...i'm sorry...you dont have to keep reading this lunatic's blog if you dont want to...) Rachel & I, our friend Tobi, and my coworker Danica went up to the Parkville nature sanctuary and did around 4 miles on the trails there. It was an incredibly hard workout, running over hill & dale, dodging branches and mud puddles, but it was a blast. The weather was around 55 degrees, it was clear & sunny, JUST BEAUTIFUL!!! I think the best part about the trail run was that there were times, running through the woods, that it was sooo quiet...you could barely even hear our footfalls on the soft mulch of the trail. We even got to see a waterfall. I think that was the most stress relieving thing i've done in a long time...will have to make a point to do things like that more often.
So yeah, all these things i've accomplished? Getting my butt moving again was definitely one of the big ones. This last weekend i was able to cross a lot of things off my to-do list...did my taxes, filed my FAFSA (one step closer to going back to school...woot!), finished laundry, ran a few errands that have been haunting me for awhile...it was great! I still have a backseat full of crap i need to take different places (film to be developed, clothes to the cleaners, trash to the dumpster) but at least it's in the backseat of my car instead of on the counter in my apartment staring at me, pleading to be taken care of. :)
K..so before I sign off, i just want to mention that this upcoming weekend is going to be a stressful & emotional one for me, both in good and bad ways. I'll explain more in a post after the weekend is over, but in the meantime please keep me & a special intention of mine in your thoughts & prayers.
Hugs to all,
kt
About a week n a half ago I started running tuesday and thursday mornings with my friend rachel. She comes to my apartment in the morning at 7:30, drags my butt out of bed & we go run. Yes...it is as painful as it sounds. For goodness' sake, it's not even daylight when i get up!! That is just wrong. Still, it's good for me, I'm growing out of my clothes, and something drastic must be done.
So, of course we're not easing into this, but jumping right back on the wagon, flabbiness, ill-fitting jeans and all. The first run was just murder...i was wheezing (damn smokes), huffing & puffing my way through 2 miles at the pace of a snail, all the while running in the same neighborhood my coworkers have to drive through to get to work. woohoo! talk about keeping up an image...i cringe to think of what i looked like as they drove past me. yikes. Still, determination & positive attitude have prevailed, even if a bit grudgingly. :) Fortunately we've kept at it...all thanks to rachel! We've worked our pace up a bit, now we can run comfortably without that "man...i shouldve brought cab fare with me" thought running through our heads constantly. I know i'm back on the wagon now b/c I actually enjoyed my run this weekend!! (i know...i'm sorry...you dont have to keep reading this lunatic's blog if you dont want to...) Rachel & I, our friend Tobi, and my coworker Danica went up to the Parkville nature sanctuary and did around 4 miles on the trails there. It was an incredibly hard workout, running over hill & dale, dodging branches and mud puddles, but it was a blast. The weather was around 55 degrees, it was clear & sunny, JUST BEAUTIFUL!!! I think the best part about the trail run was that there were times, running through the woods, that it was sooo quiet...you could barely even hear our footfalls on the soft mulch of the trail. We even got to see a waterfall. I think that was the most stress relieving thing i've done in a long time...will have to make a point to do things like that more often.
So yeah, all these things i've accomplished? Getting my butt moving again was definitely one of the big ones. This last weekend i was able to cross a lot of things off my to-do list...did my taxes, filed my FAFSA (one step closer to going back to school...woot!), finished laundry, ran a few errands that have been haunting me for awhile...it was great! I still have a backseat full of crap i need to take different places (film to be developed, clothes to the cleaners, trash to the dumpster) but at least it's in the backseat of my car instead of on the counter in my apartment staring at me, pleading to be taken care of. :)
K..so before I sign off, i just want to mention that this upcoming weekend is going to be a stressful & emotional one for me, both in good and bad ways. I'll explain more in a post after the weekend is over, but in the meantime please keep me & a special intention of mine in your thoughts & prayers.
Hugs to all,
kt
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