Today is the day

Today is my last day at IBM...technically it's Friday but the site is closed tomorrow and Friday so...today is my last day on site.

This is certainly not bad news, I have taken a job at Mayo Clinic and am very excited for the future there. A bit more stability and better pay...can't complain!

It is kinda bittersweet to say goodbye to everyone but I'm ok with it...I have often said that they aren't my friends here. Some are on better terms than others but I have never divulged anything to anyone here other than some basic stuff. I am certainly "friendly" with them, but not friends. It's ok that way.

5.5 years of trying to get into Mayo has finally paid off!

It's a girl!

The baby is here! Now here is the story...

Erika was having uncomfortable feelings all day yesterday and when I talked to her at 5:30 we decided that she would call my mom and get to the hospital...She went, they sent her home. Later on, 3:30am she went back to the hospital...they sent her home at 6:30am. She went home, took a bath, got up and went to the potty and had the baby at 8:40am. By herself in her bathroom :(
Everyone is ok, they got to the hospital in an ambulance and everyone is fine
I'm so disappointed that they let her go home. They said she was only 3 centimeters so I suppose they had no indication (EXCEPT LABOR PAINS ALL DAY AND IT WAS HER DUE DATE) that she was going to deliver.

No name has been chosen yet...

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

In 1999 I worked for a small credit union. Just myself and another woman worked there and I only worked part time it was so small.
People would often call up and ask for money to be extracted from their account in a check form and prepare them for pick up. No big deal, that was my job and I did it with gusto. I loved my job. What I didn't like, and honestly never understood, was the people that would call for a check and then proceed to tell me what they needed their money for. Even worse was the people that called for a check, tell me what they needed it for and were lying about it. For instance:

**Exaggeration**

"Good Morning, Credit Union"
"Yes, I need to have $350.00 made out from account number 157 payable to me"
"Okay sure - when will you be in to pick it up"
"Hmm I'm not sure, you see I need the money because last night a tree fell through my attic window and ice is penetrating my entire third floor" (It's June)
"Oh I'm sorry to hear that, I will have your check ready for when you come in"
"Yea, I need to get the money to the contractor today so they can fix it up!"
"Oh that's rough"
"OK see you later"

or

"Good Morning, Credit Union"
"Hi I need to have all my money, I have to go to the dentist"

Seriously man, I don't care what you need your money for. My job is to give you your money whenever you need or want it.

Likewise, when we would process loans they did the same thing.

"I need a loan application"
"For what type of loan?"
"Car please"
"Here you go"
"My car got wrecked last week so I need a new one"

Again, I don't care.

Another thing that gets to me is when, for instance, I'm running late with a particular friend she says:

"We can just say that we were traveling up 52 and there was an accident and we got caught behind the car that did it and it backed us up"
and I say...
"Why don't we just say "Hey - sorry we are late, we got a late start"?"

or

"Just tell her you are allergic to it"
and I say..
"Why don't I just say "You know, I'm not to fond of fish, can we try something else?"

No need for elaborate stories.

Because I won't say "IN YOUR FACE"

But I will post his acceptance speech - it moved me in so many deep and powerful ways...

Hello, Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.

Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.

And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

Weepies and Palin and Trick or Treating and Forums and Dirtbags and Weddings and Babies and Birthdays and Naps

Just some randomness from me today...

#1 - So awesome that the Weepies were on Dirty Sexy Money the other night! Much love for the Weepies!

#2 - I wish I had a $150,000 wardrobe for me and my family. Must be freakin nice. Palin is a J-O-K-E.

#3 - So Illinois (I don't know if it was a particular town or the entire state) has banned trick or treating for anyone OVER 8th Grade (about 13), unless, they are special. What is the big deal if a few kids want to dress up and go around with their friends to get some candy...it's not like the candy is *that* expensive that you can't give a few pieces to some kids that want to have fun.

#4 - I've been chillin in the Norther Berkshires Forum lately, reading what people are concerned about there and I was told that I shouldn't have an opinion because I didn't live there. I am literally so irritated with that comment that I can't comment back. 1st of all - I can have an opinion on anything I want to have an opinion on and #2 - I can blog about it where ever I want to, and #3 just because I don't live someplace doesn't mean I don't have deep connections to it - I grew up there, my family still lives there, I am very much in love with where I grew up...so wtf is the big deal....to go along with that, all they do on the NBF is bash Barrett...Apparently the DMV has moved onto main street and they brought the mayor into the debate...last I checked DMV's are state controlled, not city. What a bunch of losers, and they can't spell properly. A few spelling mistakes is acceptable for the sake of typo's but there is seriously a lack of education on some of these people.

#5 - I had the iPod on shuffle and today I was driving back to work and Dirtbag came on by Wheatus so I'm singin along and having fun, I get to work and pull the iPod out of the holder, go into the office and put my headphones on and accidentally start the shuffle all over again and song two was Dirtbag by Wheatus. Weird.

#6 - My cousin is getting married tomorrow...I can hardly believe it!!! Growing up it was always him, Kerry, and I. We were like the 3 Holy-terror's. He's the first of us to get hitched and I wish I could be there!

#7 - One month to go before I'm an AUNTIE!!!!! (for the sixth time, but still, I'm excited!)

#8 - Heading to Windom this weekend for Madi's 4th and Adison's 1st birthday party. Kids grow up so quickly.

#9 - I'm exhausted and I'm going to take a nap now (if I really could...damn work, maybe on the rid to Windom)

HS Reunion....Nostalgia hits

The other night we were hanging out at the fire swapping stories of high school days and what we were like back then.
I started to describe who I was, the girl that didn't have a lot of friends, the girl who went to class and usually sat in the back, the one that had no extra curricular activities, didn't attend the football games etc. I basically showed up, went to class, and that was about it.
After I started to describe who I was I stopped and said, "That's not the way I started out...it changed the first half of sophomore year" I described who I had started out to be, the girl that showed up to dances, went to some games, joined SADD, let people copy her homework, really TRIED to fit in.
Of course, the obvious question came up - WHAT happened to make you change?
I didn't realize that I had remembered this situation so vividly but still, to this day, it was a life altering situation for me and it didn't even happen to me.

I went into 3rd period Social Science class - Mr. Petropolus' class. The walls were pale yellow and sponge painted with blue and green and pink. Very pastel. The room was directly to the left of the library. I sat 2nd row up against the wall. "Mark" sat two rows over, one seat back. I'm sure we were talking about the Shi'ites or the Sunni's since that is what that class was about. Mark got up to leave the class for a moment, maybe he had to potty, maybe he forgot his homework or book in his locker, I'm not sure. Mark was a bit like me, someone that showed up to the games, would have played if he was so inclined. Maybe he did play a sport, I don't remember too well, our paths didn't cross often but when they did, we didn't have anything to talk about. He tried very hard to fit in, he always hung around the athletic boys and joined group after group. The other boys made fun of him behind his back and called him names, but they let him tag along.

So this one day - they day Mark left class, I remember I was sitting sideways in my chair, back against the wall, obviously Mr. P wasn't saying anything important or I'd have been taking notes like a good girl (ha) and I saw another boy put a tack face up on Mark's chair. Mark always sat the same way in the chair, right leg tucked under the thigh of his left. Obviously when he sat down he would have punctured his ankle. I remember Mark came back and sat down, let out a small howl and then after a look of dejection, smiled it off. I'm sure now that it was a case of boys-will-be-boys, but right at that moment it was so much more. To me it said "you can try all you want but they are just going to pick on you, give you a fake sense of family and friendship, and then they will hurt you and laugh at you". Wow hello. I don't know how long after that came out that I stopped letting people copy my homework, stopped going to the dances, etc. One girl that I pissed off by not letting her copy my work - or was it in gym class when I didn't "try" at volley ball in gym - she put a tack on my seat on the last day of graduation practice. I happed to see her do it so thankfully I didn't sit on the tack, but I don't know if she knows that I know, or remembers she did it.

Do you think I hurt myself in the long run, missed out on the "high school" experience? I can't say. I liked high school to a point. I had an after-school social life, I had friends, and the ones I did have didn't ask me for my homework and if they did they didn't put me on the back burner after they finished copying it. The friends I had invited me to their houses and into their lives. I can safely say now though, it didn't matter a lick. I have just one friend from HS that I still have now - I can't say that, let me take that back. I have some pals from HS that I still have myspaces with and exchange some messages and say hi when we see each other but there is one person (Tammy - you don't count, we didn't go to the same school). One person that has been my friend through it all - from the time we met when we were 3 to middle school, through HS (even though she was friends with all the cool kids, she let me tag along sometimes because she was a good friend like that...and most the time I didn't want to go anyway LOL) and then even today I call her one of my best friends. She even drove across Florida to see me when I flew into Orlando for 2 days. I was and still am touched. MY POINT is this -

High school was good, I had my own fun, but I did it my way. I doubt most of the people I graduated with liked me or even knew me and I have come to accept that as reality. I didn't make it easy for them to know me or like me. If I had it to do over again would I change anything? Maybe...I might have tried to make more of an effort, join in things. I know that the friends you make in HS don't often stay life long friends but it might have been nice to at least try to have another friend like Christie. Someone that would stay a life long friend.

My 15th HS Reunion is coming up in November, and I can't make it. I used to say "Why bother going, I didn't like them then, I won't like them now" and that's not fair. I didn't know them then, they didn't know me then, and I certainly don't know them now. People change after HS, life is no longer petty and silly. Experiences shape a person and they suddenly become easier to talk with - they have lives and have figured out their values and whatever. I know I have.
Of course there are some folks I didn't like then and certainly wouldn't like now....some just made my life hell because they could and there is just something mean about that that doesn't go away.

Overall - I would give the people in high school another chance if they did for me. I can't believe I just typed that LOL

I think I'd be scared to go to my reunion. I can't imagine "knowing" 160 people and going back and no one knowing me, remembering me, or liking me. Knowing that having known all these people and I made absolutely NO impact in their lives at all. I'd hate to have them all look at me like I was still the same person I was in HS, a stand-offish beatch. But is this me reverting back to the girl that wants to fit-in? I don't think so, I think it's someone realizing that having friends - any friends whether good friends, close friends, distant friends, acquaintances, - is NOT a bad thing.

Marcus Buckingham

Yesterday I had the astounding opportunity to photograph an event held by Ideation Consulting and TCHRA that had Marcus Buckingham as their keynote speaker. They also had Sara Christensen from Ideation Consulting present about her People-Centric work environment philosophy, and Jody & Cali from CultureRX present their "Work Sucks: and how to fix it" philosophy.
I was totally inspired. If none of you know how Marcus Buckingham is, I suggest you follow the link and read up. He has appeared on Oprah and is a world renowned motivational speaker. He has a strength-based work idea where we don't work on our weaknesses to make us better but work on our strengths to make them better and in turn - make us a better and more productive employee. He wasn't talking to people like me, the employees, but to our managers and HR professionals to focus on our strengths but inspired me also to FIND my strengths and gear my work and my manager to see that just because I don't do a certain task well doesn't mean I am a bad employee, I just don't do something well and ya know what - that's ok, because someone else out there has that as their strength.
A lot of what he said can be related into child rearing. For instance - a lunch mate told this story - a woman was having issues with her daughters report card. She consistently was failing/scraping by in Math while she excelled at English. The mother, after hearing Marcus speak, decided that this is what she was going to do: she got her daughter a tutor for math - just so she would pass and she let her daughter THRIVE in english, her strong point. The school was astounded that the mother didn't care her daughter was just recieving a "D" and she was ok. The mother said "why not? She isn't good at math, that's ok. I don't care as long as she graduates". It spoke to me - Let your kids do what they are good at and figure out why they are failing in the other subjects but if they just aren't interested, don't push it. We don't all need to excel at all things!
Anyway - if you don't know Marcus Buckingham, look him up - his book is "The Truth About You" (well one of them, but this one is his most recent), it's not in stores yet but shortly!!!

The Soundtrack to my life!

I just did this on myspace but wanted to see different responses. I didn't think the iPod was feeling me today. Oh and I skip songs that aren't mine!

Opening Credits: Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel
Waking Up Scene: Blister in the sun - Violent Femmes
Car Driving Scene: Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
High School Flashback Scene: The Former Years - Katie Sawicki
Nostalgic Scene: Mudfootball - Jack Johnson
Bitter, Angry Scene: Til You're Dead - Melissa Ferrick
Break-up Scene: You Can Make History - Elton John
Regret Scene: Every Single Day - Lucy Kaplansky
Nightclub/Bar Scene: Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler
Fight/Action Scene: Give Me A Beat - GirlTalk
Lawn Mowing Scene: A Long December - Counting Crows
Sad, breakdown scene: Let it Go - Marc Billz
Death Scene: Your Song - Elton John
Funeral Scene: Hummer - Smashing Pumpkins
Mellow/Pot-smoking Scene: To Let You See Me - Melissa Ferrick
Dreaming About Someone Scene: I Enjoy Being A Girl - Doris Day
Sex Scene: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! - Abba
Contemplation Scene: Hard to say Im sorry - Chicago
Chase Scene: Dirty Laundy - Bitter Sweet
Happy Love Scene: Beautiful In My Eyes - Joshua Kadison
Happy Friend Scene: Life's A Dance - John Michael Montgomery
Closing Credits: How Far We've Come - Matchbox 20

All in all, I'd have to say not far off. some of it actually makes sense!!!!

Goin for the gold

Oh oh oh I love the Olympics! Ok so I like watching gymnastics (they don't call it gymNICEtics), and swimming. I want to catch some diving too. Softball isn't too bad either
LOL

My Very Second!

So a while back I did a picture restoration for someone, got some cash from it, that was cool. Then I kinda did a wedding for a friend, just some candid reception shots, again no big deal, it was a favor and gift for her. This past weekend, however, even though it was for a friend, was my very first (and I say second because of the two listed above) project that is out in the ether. My friends parents have their 40th Wedding Anniversary and she commissioned me to make a DVD using pictures of their wedding, children, grandchildren and lives together.
HOWEVER, when she played the DVD at the party she wanted me to have some business cards. Well, that required me to have a business name and information available. What a scary step to take. And once I finish cleaning up the pictures I'll publish the address where send people to look at my pictures. I never did get around to making business cards but I did make some brochures with my skills listed.
Very scary indeed.

Must Document before I forge.....

I'm slowly forgetting my dream so I must write it down before I totally forget.

I had a dream (obviously) that Amy got a job and it was on the moon. So we went, and some how our entire HOUSE was transported up there with us, we didn't need any special apparatus or anything, just had to be there. It was dark, very dark. I took Murphy outside to potty and she couldn't go into the street because it wasn't really a street.
Then I got a panicked feeling that during our tenure on the moon we would run out of light bulbs and it was a most horrible feeling. So we went on a ride (in the Daewoo we haven't had in years) and found a mall like structure so we went to it, but it was office buildings, well I refused to let that be the end so I kept walking around it until I found an Emporium. (an emporium of all things) and it had light bulbs, so I decided that it was time for us to eat since we found out at least WHERE we could buy light bulbs. So we sit down in this cafeteria like place with long tables and sat across / amiss a family also working the same job was and we talked for a few minutes about life on the moon and the guy told me there was INTERNT on the moon. I was so excited that i could email my family.
Time moves slower on the mooon than Earth so when my alarm was going off ths morning i kept say, no it's not 20 more minutes, it's really like 45 minutes. I woke up late. b

I have always tried to be polite in my years. I've held doors for strangers, let pregnant women and elderly (or anyone that looks like they have more to do than me) cut me in a grocery line. I've said my pleases and my thank you's and done my best to give a wave to the people that let me in while merging or yielding. I've let people copy my homework, look at my test answers, steal words from my essays. I've all but bent over backwards for friends that are homeless, boyfriends whose cars have died, and housed kitty cats that are going to be put down.
I listen to my friends when they cry, laugh when they laugh, and rage when they hurt. I am friend like no other and to have me on your side makes you have a leg up. I am an auntie that adores her squishees, a daughter that is always the best, and a grand-daughter that always listens to the same stories 5 times because it's her gram's inclination to tell her those stories.
I have a very strong work ethic, if you say you are going to do something, you do it. If you are hired for a job, you complete it. You show UP everyday and on time and you come prepared to do your job. You don't talk back to your boss, you do as they say and you keep your mouth shut until after hours, and if that means that sometimes I take my job home with me, then I have to.
On the flip side I have an attitude. I don't take kindly to people who hurt others, who hurt animals or children. I glare at parents that let their children run amuck, or won't answer them when they are obviously trying to get their attention, who scream at the top of their lungs and do nothing to satiate them. I have little, to no, patience for people that drive poorly, use improper English, and use the word "like" ad nauseum. I have no tolerance for people that don't value life and are quick to gun down someone that doesn't agree with them (gang bangers, white power, etc)
I also like things the way I like them. If I ask you for a cheeseburger plain and it is your job to give me a cheeseburger plain, I expect my cheeseburger plain, and please, do not be offended when I get pissed off that my cheeseburger has pickles and ketchup and mustard on it and I had to drive all the way BACK to your establishment to get what I wanted in the first place. That is your job, do it correctly. Especially do not mark your product "Double Checked for Accuracy" if it is still coming to me wrong. I like certain flavors together, they are harmonious to my pallet and to have it any other way is just not worth my money. So when I ask if you if there is crab in a ragoon and you say NO and one comes with crab in it, I will not take kindly to you, especially because the taste and smell of crab makes me want to vomit.
I get frustrated when trying to ask a question, and because you don't speak the same language I do, you misunderstand me and answer something I didn't ask. Please don't think I'm mad that you are speaking another language, I am not. I'm frustrated at the situation. Because of that I ask the g/f to ask for me, she has more patience than I do and handles issues like that better than I do. I do this because it's easier on me, and easier on the person I'm trying to communicate with.
With all this said I believe that I'm a just person, a morally competent person, and someone that is more than able to raise a child with a proper belief structure and moral code. I believe that I can teach a child the value of life, the value of friendship and family, the value of a dollar, and the value of a job well done. And while I do have my quirks and my impatience is widely known, I do have a partner that will help me out. Anyone that truly knows me, my personality, my wit, my talents, my family values, my...CHARM...my anything will rightly agree that me as a parent is right as rain. (I don't know what that means.) They will tell you it would be ashame if I never had a child to pass along my knowledge to, my name, and my being.
I agree.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Soap in eyes may cause watering.

I think I'm having a bit of a problem with people that are "sue happy"
Not that this case that I'm talking about has anything to do with "Sueing" anyone, but it has to do with an injunction to against a Rochester city council member who might have voted with his own best interest in mind.
There is a guy saying that one of the council members is voting to allow a certain construction company a contract because his lumber company might benefit. Ok, I can understand that, the two companies have done business in the past. The claim, however, is silliness. Last year the two companies had only $6,000 worth of business. That is so minimal, it's laughable! $6,000 for a construction company is an "Oops! My regular lumbar supplier ran out of 2x4's and I need some really quick!!!!" and it was a one shot deal. Seriously.
Did you hear about the woman whose daughter got kissed on a school playground and she sued the school board? Yep.

I can't imagine what our kids are going to grow up and do.

Don't people realize that the more they SUE the more they end up paying at the store/company? SOMEONE has to pay for their windfall.

I hope more judges start throwing out bogus cases.

I want to know how OJ Simpson can be found not guilty of murder by a court and then turn around and have a civil suit brought upon him for - what, I can't remember, but basically the same thing, like wrongful death - and be found guilty. I'm perplexed.

People, what happened to personal responsibility? There used to be a time when I was walking down the street, tripped because I wasn't watching where I was going and got up and walked away. Now someone would sue the city for that tree root or the raised concrete that made them fall. And on top of that, they sue for about $750,000. FOR FALLING? I could see if you broke your leg and didn't have insurance, or if you had insurance and your premium went up or it was more out of pocket but seriously. Or you were a professional runner and couldn't ever work again. But seriously.

I read the back of my shampoo bottle in the shower one day - and I can't quite remember which shampoo it was but it said "Idiot warnings" and I giggled!
How much warning is too much warning? Do we need a "Contents are hot" on a coffee cup? Shouldn't that be EXPECTED?

Do you know all those papers you sign when you buy a house? It's because someone got away with something BIG and they can't have that again.

I think that is all I have to say right now.

I'm Gay, Give Me Sherbet!

MMMMM Thanks Paul!

Vending Machine!

May 24, 2007

End of the day.

Getting kinda hungry.

Trot down to the vending machines.

Oh My God! Twizzlers, perfect!

I put my money in the machine....I watched as the wheels turned...and then I watched as the wheel stopped turning, still clutching my strawberry goodness in it's hold.

NO! I have no more change. I have nothing. I sobbed.

I filled out the refund request - lots of good that will do me now, I'm hungry and have just this carbon copy to keep me satiated.

*sigh*

Lets move forward 378 days.

I got my refund! Guess what I'm going to go have for a snack this afternoon?!?!?!?!?


Rolos!

I put in a request on 12/27 too - I was so hungry for lunch that I wanted a Egg & Cheese & Bacon bagel for a buck 50...I put in my money and it wouldn't open the little slidey door.
I finally got that money refund back today too. I'm loaded!

Watch out vending machine!

Jobs, Bottle Caps, and Trips

So I've officially changed jobs. My "old" job was sunsetting since the company decided they didn't want to use it anymore. The day my job was to go part time I was able to pick up a different job on site doing something drastically different. I am now in an office with 5 or 6 other people (not jumping for joy on that one) but I have my own little corner and no one bugs me or can see what I'm doing at all.
I have new pictures of the kids up...well of MOST of the kids. Erika didn't send me any new ones yet. Theirs are still from Christmas. That's what you get for slacking.
I even have one of the dog. I love my puppy.

I had an odd dream last night that there was a group of people that had the ability to control the minds of people to make them think they were someone else (the mind controllers were someone else, that was) as well as makes the person being controlled not know where he/she lived or what they were doing or anything of the sort...People observing the mind controlling could tell because the controllers had to have a soda bottle cap (not the new ones, the old ones) attached to someplace on their body. They were trying to get the human race to off themselves. They were succeeding. My friends and I took off in a raft. It was kinda hilarious. We don't raft.

The g/f and I just decided that we *might* be going to Duluth this summer, the weekend before we go to Massachusetts. I love Duluth.

Sitting in this office is dangerous. I get some free food stuffs - mints and ice cream treats.
mmm

Fudge bars mmm

I think I need to eat an orange!

Third Annual Camping Extravoganza

Went camping!
Came back from camping!

Let's see - where do we start.

We left Rochester at 2:00 (ish) and convoyed with A and H&J. We drove across Minnesota to LaCrosse WI and followed the Mississippi River about two thirds the way down then crossed over into "Dairy Land USA". We arrived around 4 hours later and were relieved to find Mike ready to haul our stuff to the camping area (this was NOT a campground, just a hunk of land in Wisconsin)
Started putting up tents, ours first, H&J's, then A's. Got the Loo standing and ready and then put up J&D's. A&J showed up and popped up their tent then J&B showed up and popped up theirs. J&D showed up last, we already had the fire up! Mike provided us with enough wood to last all weekend and loaded it up to survive through the thunderstorms!
Friday we all had some drinks and goodies. Chatted about the drive and whatever else came out of our mouths. It was a bit chilly but it wasn't too horrible. Finally went to bed around 2ish maybe? I don't know since I don't use a watch while I camp. I was determined to sleep without the rain tarp on the tent so it could feel like we were under the stars. It was nice but C-O-L-D. I didn't sleep much. Finally put on some warmer pants and dry socks and fell asleep. Murphy kept us nice and warm lol

Saturday was nice and warm. We had breakfast, played some lawn games, took a nap, ate some lunch, and then Mike took us over to the tunnel that was to be for a train but it never happened, I guess...It was nice, and cold, and dark.

Got back to the villa and found that dinner was done. We had pork loin that had been marinated in all sorts of different marinades - but since it was smoked, it didn't really matter. We had pasta salads and chips to round off the meal. Later that night we played music and sat around the fire - again! Much warmer Saturday night.
Got up Sunday a little later than normal, had breakfast and watched as B&J packed up and then A & her son pack up too. J&B had planned on heading back early since J's uncle had died. A went home as it was already a long weekend for her toddler as it was! Which left us with 8. We had lunch and played more lawn games and hung out around the fire. Dinner was too be a deep oil fried turkey but no one thought to bring the oil so it was smoked turkey! We also had chips and calico beans. During dinner it started to rain so we all (10 people and 8 dogs) piled into one of the larger tents and ate dinner. After a while the g/f, dog, and myself ran to our car...it was hailing and we wanted to hear the weather so we left. There was a tornado that touched down near Galena IL, which was about 10 miles from where we were so it was really horrible weather. It died down a bit so we walked back to the villa and found that the loo had fallen over (thankfully the girls had cleaned it out earlier that day so not as much was left) and J&D's tent blew down and had 6" of water in it! Our tent had no water but was damp enough to just say we are going to the car to sleep. Woke up, ate some breakfast, tore down camp and then had some lunch and then packed up and headed home! We convoyed home with H&J and I slept ALL the way home. I had to potty and no one would stop so sleeping was the only alternative.
I finally got all the pictures on the net!
Oh and One of the J's and B got stuck in the mud trying to wash out the loo pail. That was hilarious. *snicker*

Confessions of a TV Junkie!

I got a DVR because I thought it would be more convenient to have a contraption that I didn't have to manipulate record shows for me. Not only shows, but I could fast forward through commercials! NO LONGER would I be a slave to the TV, wasting hours through commercials and boring Reality TV spots like when Ryan says, "And we'll find out......after the break" I know that we aren't going to see who is eliminated from AI until like 5 minutes before the end of the show, so guess what I can do now...I can get through the first 55 minutes in about 5 minutes of fast forwarding and not miss a hell of a lot. BAM! I save 50 minutes of TV watching right there. So I thought I would be a better person, have more time to do things around the house, more time to devote to hobbies and not be tied to a mechanical object that dictates to me when I need to sit down and watch a show.
Oh how wrong I was...well kinda. I don't only watch less TV, I watch less TV more. What do I mean? Well, funny be that if you have DVR you can record a show while you are watching one, or you can watch a show on the DVR while TWO other shows record. What did that mean for me?? No longer did I have to chose between watching Desperate Housewives and Family Guy, or Ugly Better and Survivor, or anything against American Idol. I could effectively DOUBLE my TV watching in less time than it would take to watch DOUBLE the amount of TV, but still more time than if I just watched the one show that I wanted to watch.
I found myself taping shows that I didn't really care about - Super Nanny and Wife Swap. I would record shows that I just "kinda" liked just so I could have something to watch when I came home for lunch. At one point I looked at my DVR TV show line up and saw 43 shows scheduled to be recorded. FORTY THREE! In one week! If those are all hour dramas (which most are!) that's a full time job!!!!
Enough I said. Enough. I got rid of all the shows that were on hiatus, the shows that were cancelled (or changed names like Big Brother and Survivor do that depending on their season title)
I got rid of the shows I just "kinda" liked and realized that I was still ahead of the game. Some of the shows were for Amy (Deadliest Catch, Wife Swap, Super Nanny). Then I felt better. I am seeing the upcoming line up for this season and I don't see much I want to add to my list. Last year at this time I was faced with such dilemnas as "I have 3 shows here! What am I going to do?" God.
So after all the weeding is done, here are the contenders that are still on the DVR

Brothers & Sisters (I like family dramas, there are just so many story lines)
Criminal Minds (I loooooooooove behavior analysis. I wanted to do that when I was a kid)
CSI (Vegas style)
Desperate Housewives (Falling out of love with it, so it may not stay much longer)
Dirt (again, falling out of love...think I won't record next season)
Dirty Sexy Money - LOVE IT
Eureka (it's cute.)
Family Guy (hello, do you know me at all??)
Ghost Whisperer (it still makes me cry)
Grey's Anatomy (because I'm part of that generation that is sucked in)
Heroes (they best have a good start to next season, I'm getting kinda bored!)
House (I will never take this off of DVR, even if they cancel it for 10 years.)
Monk (As much as I watch the show, sometimes I just can't figure out how it's done...)
Numb3rs (I might be done with this show too...not sure)
Private Practice (I'm on the fence still, but LOVE kate walsh!)
Pushing Daisies (it's on there for Amy, I personally think it's dumb)
Psych (Love Gus)
Riches (eh. This last season was kinda bad.)
Ugly Betty (This show makes me laugh my ass off)
Dexter (I need to get showtime back before this comes on again!!!)
The L Word (6 episodes left of the series...*sigh* Last season actually rocked!)
Weeds (again, right now I can take or leave it, but next season looks better, it's going to shake up a bit)
Ace of Cakes (I love to see what they can do with a lump of confection goodness)
America's Next Top Model (I missed this past season, I couldn't fit it on the DVR LOL!)
American Idol (I'm so hooked it's not funny)
Big Brother (Still, after all these seasons, I am still hooked on the antics of pent up house guests, so glad Ryan won!)
Deadliest Catch (For Amy)
Hell's Kitchen (Watch when I'm bored...it's the same show every season)
Project Runway (it's FIERCE!)
Top Chef (I'm falling out like with it. I can't taste what they are making and it drives me nuts)
Survivor (hello, how many seasons have I watched now? Why stop now??)
Amazing Race (I could take or leave it...I watch it if I happen to catch it now)

That's 32 shows if you are counting. If I got rid of all the ones I was iffy about it'd be 9 down, plus Amy's shows....I guess it's not as bad as I thought, but still. I spend way too much time watching TV. Admiting it is the first step.

I actually took a big step this month and said we should get rid of cable (DVR and all) and just have netflix. We'd watch what we could on tv when and if we caught it, but otherwise it was movies and extended basic cable.

I think I had to overdose and hit ROCK BOTTOM before I could make that kind of realization....besides I can catch American Idol and most other shows online anyway hehehhehe

Virtual Tour of my Carry Bag

Virtual Tour

Because I have very little to blog about I thought I'd take you a virtual tour around my hand bag.
This is not a land of ladies cosmetics or bobby pins. It's the bag of a commuter girl that has to ride a bus 30 minutes to and from work.

I use my over-the-shoulder bag when going to and from work, it holds more and is more comfortably slung across my body than my stiff purse or kelly-esque stiff purse.

First thing I pull out is my bus ticket - it's red with 7 punches punched
Calculator - never know when you might need to calculate (not that my phone doesn't have a calculator on it or anything)
Stride - winterblue gum
iPod and head phones
Two tubes of softlips - One Vanilla and the other is winter mint (which I am now applying to my lips)
RPU bill - I have no idea why it's in my carry bag
Happy Bunny note pad for ideas to jot down
Wallet which has various receipts, a nickel, work key, license and Mayo Health Club card, and some various eating out punch tickets. Of course the pet co and petsmart scan cards.
Check book
2 Oranges
Sudoku book and favorite pen
Date book with all sorts of goodies in it! Stamps and private passwords and reminders and directions
2 Coke bottle tops that I stole from the recycling bin (HEY If they aren't going to use their 3 points, I certainly will!)
Random pens, none that are my favorite, but will work when in a shortage
Keys! House, desk, and car key
Cell phone - nope, no messages.
Camping sign up sheet
andddddd
Hand Sanitizer. Cos you just don't know about public transportation.

And that is what it's like to find yourself wedged into my carry bag.
On the way HOME from work I scrunch up my lunch bag and shove it in there too.

New Business for me!

Unique Gifts for Graduations! Anniversaries! Birthdays! Weddings! Vacation Memories! Milestones! Retirements!

Do you have a special occasion coming up that needs a heart felt gift?
Send me your pictures either on CD, on a photo card, or to be scanned

What you will get:
- A personal discussion to go over the details and options
- Your pictures set to the music of your choice in a variety of different formats (Discussed at meeting)
- A copy of scanned photos on a CD
- As many copies of your DVD that you want (Additional per/CD cos incurred)
- Your DVD will be ready on your schedule, not mine (proper allowance for time, please)

Pricing varies - Please email for quote
Prices vary based on amount of photos and services needed

Min picture package: 100 pics Approx Running Time : 10 - 15 Minutes DVD
Ultimate Package: +/- 900 Approx Running time: 1 hour DVD

And the winners are...

And dang that Paul for doing this and inspiring me to do the same. I don't mean to copy ideas but it was a good one.

Here is a list (and how I got the list) of my top ten favorite songs.

I started my list with 32 fabulous songs ranging from my childhood to adulthood. Immediately I decided to eliminate the songs that came out before I was born. There went Abba's "Fernando", Beatle's "Eleanor Rigby", Grateful Dead's "Scarlet Begonias", Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline", and Pink Floyd's "Mother".
This left me with 25 fantastic brilliant songs. I decided to further down my list by eliminating songs I hadn't heard within the past year. This got rid of Blair's "Have Fun, Go Mad", Blur's "Song 2", Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", Devo's "Whip It", Styx's "Mr. Roboto", and Men Without Hats "Safety Dance".
21 songs, and how the heck am I supposed to pick which ones I like the best. So I decided to have a contest with the songs. "Which would I rather listen to right now" contest and pit them against one another. Oh it broke my heart to loose the rest.
I cut loose Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes", Lo Fidelity All Stars "Battle Flag", Antje Duvekot's "Dandelion", Ani DiFranco's "Little Plastic Castles", Madonna's "True Blue", Debbie Gibson's "Lost In Your Eyes", All Saint's "Never Ever", Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse", Beastie Boys "Paul Revere", Peter Gabriels "In Your Eyes", and Beck's "Ramshackle".

What could be left after those awesome songs were let go, you might ask?!? Well hold on to your seats for this fine chunk of awesomeness.
(And these are in, by no means, ANY particular order, I could barely let go 11, never mind rank 10!)

To Let You See Me - Melissa Ferrick (1997)
Bring The Noise - Anthrax (1991)
Grey - Chris Pureka (2004)
Once In a Lifetime - Talking Heads (1980)
In Your Room - Bangles (1988)
Magnolia Street - Catie Curtis (1999)
Come On Eileen - Dexy Midnight Runners (1982)
Call & Answer - Barenaked Ladies (1998)
Brass Monkey - Beastie Boys (1986)
Bittersweet Symphony - Verve Pipe (1998)

And that, my friends, is the most eclectic top ten you could possibly ever find. (Well, MF, CC, and CP kinda all go together)

Hodge Podge Post. EVERYTHING!

American Idol

Who didn't see that coming? Enough said.
I'll be happy with whoever wins. They are all good. I'd prefer for DCo to win though. Obviously.

Softball

Had a great game last night. I don't play on the team but I have my own shirt! I'm #1 because I'm cool like that, but my friends decided to name me, and it came out "Boston" YAY!
So anyway, I kept book last night for the first time. I enjoyed it. I didn't like hollering out the names, but I got used to it!
We won! Monday we won something crazy like 32 to 12, last night it was 24 to 12. Everyone had a great night, specially GP and the g/f! Z was a great pitcher and everything was fun. We didn't get home until 11 though, so I'm still kinda sleepy

Camping

Before camping, the g/f and I went over to our friends house - the girl who is hosting the event and her g/f. We hashed out all the details of how to feed anywhere from 14 people to THIRTY FOUR people! Our first annual Memorial day camping trip was for my birthday, 10 people were there....last year we grew to 19ish. This year it's 34 and 5 of ours from last year won't be going!
We decided to make one night - on your own, one night of ribs/pork loin, and the next night would be a deep fried turkey. Charge people $10 or so to have 2 hot breakfasts and 2 hot dinners. The rest of the cash, if any left over, would go to H's parents for hosting our troop. There will be no reason to pay for a campsite or firewood since it will all be provided. I sent out a lengthy email today and haven't heard anything back yet...except from B saying "THIRTY FOUR?!? Christ Ro!" so lol...

This Weekend

That's about it. Heading to Cologne this weekend for some R&R with the brother & Sister - in - law and nephew (on the g/f side). The SIL called today and asked me what kind of ice cream I liked from Schwann's and I about lost my head with excitement to yell out "COFFEE" I swear it sounded like I had tourettes, since taken out of context all anyone heard was me holler "COFFEE" down the hallway. But she laughed, and I groaned and all is well. Going to be brining our small camping grill to make burgers on for Mother's Day. The g/f's mom will be in Arizona and mine will still be in MA the SIL is the next one in line that is a mom. Might have to make her a cake with the nephew or something. That'd be fun! I might make up a batch of sugar cookies and have him decorate them for his mom. They love my cookies. (Because I can BAKE like a champion)

Brianna Lane

I'm listening to Brianna Lane right now...I've been listening to her for a couple of years now and have had the greatest pleasure of meeting her several times and having once also spent a night at her house since she is roomies with a friend of ours. I can say w/o bias that she has such a remarkable voice and her song writing is outstanding. She really captivates my imagination while she sings. She keeps my interest, so visual, and so impactual. If you ever want to try out a new artist - PLEASE try out Brianna Lane I promise you a good listen and hope you buy her albums. (Of course, you kinda have to like women singers, ones that play their own guitars)

American Idol - Final Four

I have to say that I'm quite amazed that the final four on AI consists of Jason and Syesha. I knew David A and DCo would be there, but Jason and Syesha? I thought Michael Johns and Carley would be there, or Brooke (never thought Carley would go before Brooke though!)
I've had a few favorites through the competition this year and DCo has been my top favorite followed in random order on a week to week basis: Jason, Carley, Brooke.
Last night we were watching AI and right smack in the second line of DCo's first song we had a Weather Advisory come on.

So with David A - I'm sick of ballads. The only time I've seen him get a bit edgy and "rock" was Neil Diamond week with Sweet Caroline (Which, he massacred by far) and with Coming to America (and he even made it ballad like). I'm listening to his "Stand By Me" from last night and I am not overly impressed. I can hear him inhaling and it drives me mental.
However, "Love Me Tender" was good. I am, by no means, an Elvis fan so I'm not biased. I like how he arranged it ... still don't like listening to him inhale!!!!
Solidly - I would have to say that if he wins I'll be ok with it, but will not listen to his music.

DCo - "Hungry Like The Wolf" was pre-empted for me, so I'm listening for the first time right now. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't my favorite of his songs, still I liked better than David A. "Baba O'Riley" was fantastic.....It's only teenage wasteland. This was definitely his week to shine, and my my, I think he did! I'm glad to see him with his guitar and without. He is pretty good, and the only Idol I have ever purchased anything from.

Syesha - When she started singing "Proud Mary" I thought - Uh oh! This song is way too big for her, the judges said pretty much the same thing. BUT I liked it better than that of the original. Her second song "A Change is Gonna Come" was very nice. I didn't know the original so I had nothing to base it against, but I really enjoyed it. I was moved during the judges review when she cried like she did. (No, I did not cry, but I felt something for her feelings) Overall - I think she had a solid night, but I think she will be in the bottom 2.

Jason - Jason Jason Jason...forgetting your lyrics this far in the game? Tsk Tsk. However, if any of you have seen the same performance from Bob Dylan himself you'd know he has forgotten his OWN lyrics to his own songs, so who are we to critique that? I figured that he'd do a reggae hit "I Shot The Sheriff" wasn't what I thought, maybe "One Love" but...I can't talk to that song, I'm not a fan of reggae music so I didn't like it. "Mr. Tambourine Man" - a drug song. I'm not shocked. (Followed from a Reggae hit?) Even though he forgot the lyrics and my defense of that, I still didn't like his vocals on it.
Obviously, if he doesn't go home, it's because he has a huge fan base that overlooks such things and he played to them.

I checked DialIdol.com and found the DCo was #1 (YAY), Archie was #2, then Syesha, with Castro OUT. I can see that.
Fox is pimping Archie to win. He should just go be with Disney and forget the rest of this.

Robin Scarey - CANCELLED!

The "Powers-that-be" Be at it again.

I was flipping through the internet yesterday - through my daily onslaught of trashy tabloids via email and there were 4 words I saw that I just didn't want to see! In simple, but non-retractable words I saw "Men In Trees, Cancelled" NOOOOOOOO I wailed (in my head)! It can not beeee. I always enjoy the light hearted dramedy and their beautiful scenery that makes me say "I want to move to Alaska" every single week. I am captivated by Jane and her Snow-Plow/Sanitation Worker husband Sam....the saga of Patrick losing his memory and poor sweet Annie's battle to move on. I even bawled with Marin when she thought Jack wasn't going to return even though the spoilers told me he would. I enjoy watching Mom-Mai and Chief Celia battle for Patrick and by god, I even like Ben the bartender and Theresa. (I don't like the hooker and the priest though.)
Much of my disappointment sits with this shows constant moving around. It was most likely their demise. That and it didn't have a lot of publicity.

**UPDATE 5/9/08** Appears they have now cancelled Women's Murder Club too. Rat bastards. **Update Done**

Of course, with the cancellation of ANY good show, I had to think back to OTHER good shows robbed of their future by being yanked just too soon. Studio 60. Definitely yanked too soon. That show made me howl! Book of Daniel. It was cute and witty....and so what if the guy thought he was conversing with Jesus. Close to Home (between Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs). And even though it ran for a few seasons - Everwood was definitely axed before it's time. Sisters was a mid-season hitter that didn't make it. Cashmere Mafia doesn't look like it's coming back either! I even liked Big Shots with all it's business with the fellas. The L Word shouldn't be done after 5.5 seasons...I wish it to go longer, obviously (good solid run for lesbians on a premium channel!) Popular should have stayed good, like season one! Wonderfalls! I loved that show. Definitely loved that show! Quite the obvious show that was cancelled before it's time was Family Guy but by thanks to the nice powers-that-be, came back and proved to be a billion dollar windfall, now signed on until 2012!!! 4400,

I think that is as far back as my memory goes, come back to me with other one/two-season "Cancelled before their time" shows. I love to travel down memory lane

On the day I turned 33...

Or should I say weekend, or entire WEEK? The G/F treated me to HuHot on Thursday and then a movie! Friday night we spent time with J & B playing cards, Saturday night was the PARTY at J&B's! Sunday we were at J & B's for a cookout. Such a nice and relaxing time!
The party was very nice. Kate was there, Vaz & her g/f, Alissa and hers, H & J, Dana (Jamie was away), Amber, J & B, G, Rox and Amy came over for a bit! Gary & T were there too along with the boys and their girls. Rox brought me strawberry pretzel desert! Nice! Kate got me a gift card for iTunes, way more than that was expected, but love her for it dearly anyway!
I had a tiara, it said BITCH. It rocked.
Did I mention I might have had too much to drink?
I had a very nice 33rd birthday. Not many people remembered it though...Only Susie online sent me a Happy Birthday note....(all my friends here remembered because of the party), and my mom and sister called. Meg didn't, nor did Chris, or my gram...the three that usually remember. Ah well...It's still 100 times better than my 23rd birthday. - Another story for another time
(Gram, Gramp and Meg ended up calling...they didn't forget)

Baby Mama

Oh what a funny movie Baby Mama is. If you live under a rock and don't know what this movie is, it's about a woman (Tina Fey) that has put motherhood off and finally wants to have a baby. Apparently, medically, she can't. She harvests her eggs, gets some sperm and has them implanted into a surrogate (Amy Poehler), someone that appears to have less class and intelligence than that of Tina Fey's character.
Steve Martin plays a whacky-earthy-health nut - guru that lightens the mood and at one point made me feel really uncomfortable with his eye contact!
Oscar (Conrad from Weeds) gives some humor as the door man who applies the name "Baby Mama" to Tina's surrogate.
Not to mention the lisp-having birthing coach Siobhan Fallon!
I really enjoyed the movie and I'm pretty sure I snorted once or twice. I believe half way through the movie I though "I need to own this when it comes out".
I've been missing Ms. Fey on SNL, especially when she is with Amy. I was thrilled to see them back together again!
Other SNL cast members that appeared: Will Forte, Fred Armisen,

If I Only Looked at the Map...

I'd have KNOWN that the bus I should be taking lets off 2 blocks from my house rather than having to walk down to John Marshall, get a transfer, wait 20 minutes and finally get to work. I can take just ONE bus and spend just 19 minutes on the bus and walk just two blocks. AND I get to sleep in! Rather than walking 15 minutes to get the bus and catching it at 6:53 AM, I can walk 5 minutes and catch it at 7:12 AM! That's about a half hour extra sleep! Now I'm liking the bus much better than before. I can get HOME at 4:30 instead of 4:45 too... That's nice. Nice. Nice.
*Sigh* Why didn't I look at the map? (I'll tell you why, because the title of the map was non-descript and indicated it was picking up and letting off elsewhere!)
I feel like singing "I'm A MAP"

It's not EASY being green, but it can be done!

Going Green Project

Goals:
Use less water
Obtain/Create less waste
Recycle more
Reduce fossil fuel usage
Use own purchased bags at store
Educate others
Reduce energy consumption
Save the rain forest (and some will laugh when they read that sentence if they know me *REALLY* well)

How I'm/We are doing:

I suppose having grown up in an area that recycles cans for 5 cents a can I am used to the act of separating my garbage. I have now become a little more attentive to my separation lately.
I have a bag full of cans that needs to go to Watson's. I get paid for it! They pay per pound, not per can but that's alright, money is money.
We have purchased a recycling/bin station that we use in our garage so when the paper bags in our kitchen fill up we bring it to the garage, when those fill up we set it out for the recycling truck.

Using less water is something I'm still struggling with. We have started to take the water gathered by the humidifier and use that in our washing machine. While it only gathers about 1 - 2 gallons at a time, at least it's 1 - 2 gallons. We would like to start using the grey water around our house for outside watering but haven't started that yet.
I make a very conscious effort to turn off the water while brushing my teeth.
I don't ever take a bath, only a shower, so that uses significantly less water.
We try to conserve while using the toilet as well.
Washing dishes will always be a tough one for me. I can NOT put my hands in cold water that has bits of food floating around, gloves on or not. I have, however started having a pan full of water, dipping my sponge in there and getting a lot of dishes soapy then rinsing them off instead of letting the water run.
This summer I will be setting out some pails to collect water so that I can use that for washing the car or cleaning the grill or watering the plants / lawn when there is less rain.

I'm still not sure how to execute the "Obtain Less Waste" option.
I don't purchase CD's anymore, I buy all my music on iTunes and burn my own CD's when needed.
I don't bring bags home from the grocery store unless it's an unexpected stop. I try to get only paper bags for reuse in recycling, but will take plastic. I then take the plastic bags to the Dog Park where people use them to clean up after their dogs. They are always appreciative.
When asked at the store if I want them to print me out a receipt, unless I need it, I say no.
If I can carry it to the counter, I can carry it to my car.
I reuse my water bottles SEVERAL times before putting them into recycling
I burn my junk mail when having a camp fire. It's great for kindling, bad for things flying up into the air, but I use the screen and it's all good. (and no, I don't burn the plastic in the envelopes, or the glossy colored pages)

I have started taking the bus....so has the g/f (well, she hasn't yet, because her recent schedule doesn't allow for it, but will starting Monday).
Not only is this good for the environment, but for my pocketbook as well! A round trip to work twice a day (I usually went home for lunch) is 9.2 miles. That's 46 miles a week, 184 miles a month, 2208 miles a year! With gas at $3.50, I am saving about $650 a year on just taking the bus!!! Plus, ya know, the environmental factor.

For Christmas I asked for those green bags you get at the grocery store. I think I got 10 or so. I also purchased some heavier canvas bags at Old World Market for some heavier items.
I always forget them in the car, but always trudge back out and get them. They are *NOT* that expensive - maybe $2.00 each! HyVee at Barlow's even gives us a 5 cent discount for every bag we use instead of theirs!! I figure that if I use my bags everytime I shop (except for those surprise trips listed above) I use 7 bags for a big trip to the store, 2 - 3 on small trips. Looking at my check book register I see that I've been to HyVee/Cub/WalMart 18 times since 3/26 (so that's approximately a month!) and gauging on the price spent I figured I used about 50 of my own bags. I got back $2.50 (if I did all my shopping at HyVee) Which clearly pays for itself. In a year all my bags will be paid for! They are super sturdy and can fit more in them than a regular bag also.
I heard that some places in California may start charging 15 cents per bag use. Using my 50 per month, you'd pay $7.50 a month just on bags. $90 a year! I wish Minnesota would start charging for bags!

I've sent out two mass emails so far - one for Earth 60 and one for Earth Day. I included some helpful tips on how to easily save energy and recycling and whatever. I hope that people read it. If not, at least I put it out into the ether.

The g/f and I got a new furnace this year. I didn't notice anything on our heating bill, but I'm hoping it beats the old beast we had before. I want to get better at replacing the filter though. That should save a bit of money and reduce energy usage.
Our dryer used to take 2 cycles to completely dry a decent sized load. We paid $75 to have a hole drilled into our house so that we could properly vent the machine and now it only takes one cycle!
I wish we lived someplace where we had a bigger yard so that we could line dry, but that's out of the question. I do, however, rack dry a lot of shirts and sweatshirts and sweaters.
We are in the process of replacing all of our light bulbs to those curly que ones. As our old light bulbs burn out, we put the new ones in.
I try to unplug things we don't use often.
I'm trying to be very conscious about shutting off lights (I do leave one on for the dog when we aren't home at night though)
I've been paying attention to shut the TV off before I leave the house! Go me lol

And saving the rain forest. LOL
I have absolutely NO idea how to save the rain forest except that I play Lil Green Patch on Facebook. I have saved 19 square feet already and in March the entire facebook community saved 13,644,308 Square Feet! Just by playing a silly online game! The sponsors of the game contribute money for our usage. It's neat. I send plants to my friends and they send them back to me. Not to hard. I can only send 20 per day, but still...it's my own little part.

So that's me, that's the green me. I'd love to hear any more ideas anyone has!

Oh and be sure to watch the Human Footprint on National Geographic channel! It's very eye opening!

Is it that I like music played on commercials or is it that the music I like is commerciable.

Fluke - Atom Bomb (Car Commercial)
Wraith Pinned to the Mist and other Games - Of Montreal (Outback Steakhouse)
Yael Naim - New Soul (New Mac Air Book)
Antje Duvekot - Merry Go Round (Bank of America)
Hem - Let Go (State Farm Commercial)
Feist - 1,2,3,4 (iPod Commercial)
Smiths - How Soon is Now (Charmed Theme)
M.I.A. - Gallang (Honda Civic)
The Weepies - All That I Want (JC Penneys)
The Weepies - Stars (Old Navy)
Brazillian Girls - Lazy Lover (Some body wash commercial)
Psapp - Hi (Disorono)
Sneaker Pimps - Spin Spin Sugar (Can't remember where, but I've heard it!)

Funny thing is - I knew all of these songs before they were in commercials. Am I ahead of the curve? hmmm

So if Brianna Lane, Chris Pureka, Catie Curtis, Doria Roberts, Melissa Ferrick, Katie Sawicki, The Waifs, Be Good Tanyas, Edie Carey, Ellis, Girlyman, Pamela Means, or the like end up on a commercial - It'll be fantastic for them!!! Because you all know you just looked at those songs up there and said "oh yea, I remember that song!" (at least to a couple of them) If you don't, go look them up and you will remember them soon enough.

And while I'm on music - Wycleaf Jean took lyrics from WuTang's C.R.E.A.M. for his song "Sweetest Girls", and I'm ok with that but...I was over J&B's and no one knew the original song. I pulled out the iPod and put on WuTang's song (because of course, I must have WuTang at my finger tips?!?) and no one knew it! I'm not totally surprised about that but it made me realize that I'm old. 1993, when the song came out, was a LONG time ago to these kids, and to me it was just like yesterday.

Take me back to the Black Hills

So Doris Day just came on the iPod and serenaded my eardrum with "Take me back to the Black Hills, the Black Hills of Dakota". Two years ago the g/f & 2 other friends of ours went to the Black Hills...and it got me to thinking about how much I would love to go back! We first went to the Badlands - it was absolutely a sight that can not be described. It was an ocean bed at one time and it's the remains of that. It's breathtaking. Then we drove on into the Black Hills. South Dakota is pretty flat and then all of a sudden it's MOUNTAINS. We took our first trip up to see Mt Rushmore the day after we got there. We curved up the windy mountain road, not unlike Route 2 in Massachusetts and all of a sudden we rounded a bend and there was Abe Lincolns face! I was awe struck and speechless. All my life I had heard of the great Mt. Rushmore carved into a mountain and there it was - right infront of my face. A few more successions of curves and the entire monument came into frame. It was a grand sight and I felt like I was looking at the cover of every history book I had ever had before. We did all the tourist-y things like learn how the rocks were carved and who designed it and how long it took and did the nature walk and saw the night time lighting of the faces. Then we returned to our campsite to sleep - and return the next day for other area attractions.
As much as we did that week at Mt. Rushmore, nothing will beat the first moment I saw the rocks. I still get emotional. I'm such a freak. While I have been on many other excellent vacations before, that was the first one I've been to that had historical significance to me, gave me a sense of national being. I suggest going if you ever get the chance...your kids won't appreciate it, but you might!

Thus I must and thus I won't.

I'm not much of a blogger, although I think about it all the time in my head. Thus comes the I must. I have too many thoughts running through my brain to keep in there lest I forget. So I must. I also have some overwhelming urge to join the gagillions of other bloggers in getting my own words out into the ether. So here they are.
This leads me to the Thus I Won't. I won't talk specifically about my job or co-workers. Not really wanting to get canned for less than pleasant words I'd like to use some days. I probably won't talk about any of my friends by name. They didn't sign up for this, I did. Doesn't mean I won't talk about them though! aaahhh hahahah. Probably won't talk much about the g/f either. She's not much of an online person anymore and probably doesn't want her airs aired in the internet air.
And thusly, I will mostly likely type about reality tv...some things entertainment, new music, my dog and her neurotic tendencies, being green, trips, my family, my friends and camping, and possibly politics and the what nots of life.
And while it's called "The Busy World Of..." sometimes I'm not all that busy. I suppose we will see if I update this or not. Poke me if I don't.

Ode to my puppy

This is for my pup's first birthday

I love my dog. I don't think I've mentioned on here yet that I do...I say it daily.
I love *just* about everything about my dog.
I love that she goes bananas when a simple bird is in the front yard - running from the chair to the door to ring her bell and back to the chair in RECORD speed only made by Murphy.
I love that after the dogpark that she gets so tuckered out that she is submissive for a bath but as soon as the bath is over she is full of the devil again.
I love that when we go to the dog park that she whines from the point she KNOWS where we are going to when we get there. Oh she knows.
I love that when I say it's time to go for a ride to pick up mommy from work that she jumps up in the truck, sits on the center arm rest and waits for me to get ready - looking straight out the entire time.
I love that when I'm driving she nudges to get under my arm so I have to cuddle her while I drive. She doesn't succeed often though
I love that at night time she will crawl under the blankets and fall asleep but gets super hot and pokes her head out and collapses at the bottom of the bed where it's chilly
I love that she is a peanut butter WHORE
I love that when we go to the dog park she takes on the big dogs. I mean she takes them on and can out run them (with Murphy short cuts, of course)
I love that when we go to the dog park she heads STRAIGHT for the mud puddle and you can hear a chorus of 10 people groaning as the beautiful white puppy is white no more!
I love that when we are done with the dog park and when we get back in the truck (on a towel of course) that she gives me a kiss on the cheek as if to say thanks mom!
I love that she runs to fetch a ball but never brings it back
I love that everyone at the dog park knows Murphy by name and her birthday is coming up and they want us to have her party there.
I love that she wiggles her butt when I pull out her sweater or jackets...she knows it's walk time or park time
I love that she runs down stairs and sits on the electric blanket looking at me or the g/f to turn it on for her
I love that I can come home from work and find my two girls cuddled in bed and I can join in the napping
I love that she can sit, lay, roll over, sit pretty, dance, up, couch, stand, wait, watch, stay
I love that cocks her head to one side and then the other
I love that the g/f and I say funny stuff as if we were Murphy saying it "What is it, Timmy in a well girl???"
I love that I come home from work and the g/f says "MOMMY'S HOME" and she goes crazy jumping all over me
I love that we have taught the nieces and nephew to hold her treats just right so she will follow commands for them (sit, stay, no bites)
I love that when I say "NO BITES" that she whines and tries to bite me without biting me
I love that she wakes me up by biting my hair
I love that she loves frozen green beans as a treat
I love that she smells so good when she comes home from her doggy retreat and spa!
I love that she is so good with kids
I love that she rings a bell to go potty outside
I love that when she is on a walk she soldier belly crawls in excitement
I love that she was born on April 19th (19th is a "special" number for me & the g/f)
I love that when I say "BED TIME" she runs as fast as her paws can go through the house and up the bed stairs and sits to wait for me to follow
I love that when I am down stairs I can hear her being naughty just by the way she walks through the house.
I love that she loves our neighbor kids so much she almost knocks them over when they come to play
I love that when she knows she is going to the dog park she jumps up at the window with the ball in her mouth
I love that after company stays overnight she runs around the house looking for everyone after they are gone
I love that when she gets super tired she crashes hard - so hard that she will flop against my ear and just stay there for the night if I let her
I love that when we go for a ride with the windows down she puts her head out the window and pulls it back in her muzzle is all crazy
I love that when she wakes up from a hard sleep she gets "bed muzzle" (like bed head LOL)
I hate that she jumps up on people with her muddy paws at the dog park - except for the ones that dress up - are they dumb or something? Who wears Ralph Lauren to a dog park?
I hate that we can't find any toys for her that she doesn't destroy in just a day and she eats it
I hate that I can come into the room after being away for 3 minutes and find something destroyed
I hate that she can't "come" - apparently there is too much fun stuff out there mom
I hate that she has chewed through about 4 leashes now and we are finally reserved to having to put the leash in a crystal vase when we come inside so she can't get it
I hate that she has chewed through 6 pairs of my shoe laces, 1 pair of my shoes, 10 of the g/f's shoe laces and 2 of her pairs of shoes
I hate that all my pants have frayed bottoms because Murphy has chewed through and pulled/ripped the rest
I hate that I have almost no socks left because she has tugged them all off my feet and they now all have holes in the toes or heels
I hate that I had to get a taller laundry basket because she could get in and get our dirty clothes and parade them around the house with company over
I hate that I say the word "Naughty" more than "GOOD GIRL"
I hate that she barks at the garbage truck or the plows or the street sweeper, but I love that she ONLY barks at those and NOT busses or trucks.
I hate that when she gets super tired she barks like a maniac...it's our cue that it's her bed time
I hate that everything I hate, I love about her!