general

I’m a sap

3 Comments

I watched the last half of Sense and Sensibility tonight and totally cried my eyes out at the end (when Edward shows up, and then Elinor starts crying, and then everyone else hilariously rushes out of the room, and then they watch from outside, and he kneels…kills me).  All by myself in front of the TV.

But I’m okay now.  Office Space is on (yay!) and John just called to say he’s on his way home (also yay!).  Tonight was his first class of the semester, and it ended early.

I think I’ll continue that trend and end early, too.  Good night.

I have to write it down.

7 Comments

Sometime during the day today I thought of something I wanted to write about.  I didn’t write it down.  So I can’t write about it.  Seriously, I thought this memory loss thing was at least a decade away.

Oh, well.

Mom asked me what our plans are for the weekend, and aside from a brunch date (that I think is still happening), I don’t think we have any.  Which is FANtastic.  We might have the opportunity to get real stuff done AND have time off.  Among other things, I want several hours of dedicated reading time.  Since I started Anathem, I’ve only really had time to read while eating breakfast and before going to sleep, and I’ve been too tired at night to read very long before turning the light off.  It’s good, and I want to find out what happens, and if I don’t settle in to read this weekend, it might be a month before I get anywhere.  Plus, I’d like to be done with it before I fly to San Francisco, ’cause in case I haven’t mentioned it, this book is HUGE, weighs a TON, and I don’t really want to carry it on an airplane.  But I don’t want to start another book just because it’s smaller if I’m not done with the one I’m reading.  That’s sort of a problem for me.  Solution: finish it before January is over.  In normal circumstances, this would not be a problem.

I would also like to have guilt-free fun internet time (which I no longer have at work since I have a real job that actually requires me to do and learn stuff.  Also, no privacy in a cubicle farm, so I’d get caught.).  I have a TON of blogs bookmarked that I’d like to check out.  I read about 8 a day, and while some of the post every day, some of them don’t, and I need more so I always have stuff to read.  Stuff I want to read.  Written by interesting people, or at least people with interesting writing styles.  Ideally, by the end of this weekend, I will have read enough content on all of those blogs to determine if I want to continue reading them.  Then, I can add them (or not) to my blogroll, and possibly provide brief reviews of them so you, my faithful (though mostly silent (which I’ve totally come to terms with, ’cause I know you’re out there (that sounds kinda creepy and desperate, but you know what I mean))) readers can decide for yourselves if they’re worth your time, too.

If I have to choose, though, the book gets a higher priority than the blogs.  But they’re on my list.  I wrote it down!

My nose hurts!

6 Comments

I’m on Day Two of trying to replace my allergy medicines with the generic version of Claritin.  It’s not going well.  In fact, I’m quitting that plan.  I picked up refills for both prescriptions on my way home from work today.  Yesterday was okay, but today I woke up really dry.  That went away by breakfast, and I spent the rest of the day sniffling and blowing my nose.  The sneezing started after lunch.  I feel fine if you don’t count the congestion and stuffy nose.  I mean, I’m not sick.  But I don’t want to just deal with this until the over-the-counter stuff kicks in or whatever.  Not right now.  I was overly aware of how much noise sniffling and blowing and sneezing makes when your office is a cubicle farm.  Unfortunately, I really do need to find something else that works.  On our new insurance, one of my allergy medicines went up $10 a month, and the other one went up $50.  I need to find an alternative to paying almost a hundred bucks a month just for allergy medicine.

In other news, my niece is brilliant!

Mmmkay…

Leave a Comment

My day started with a broken nail.  Is that not the saddest thing you’ve ever heard?  No?  Fair enough.  The day improved after that inauspicious beginning.  It wasn’t a great day, but it was okay.  With very little stress.  I seem to be having a string of okay days.  Actually, my day started at the doctor’s office with blood work.  I drank a ton of water this morning just to make sure blood would actually come out of my veins this time (even though I know I did that last time), and sure enough, no problems today.  Even with a new person wielding the needle.  It was quick, it was easy, I chatted with my doctor for a little, and I was at work by 8am.  Then I broke my nail.  And I spent much of the rest of the day sprinting to the bathroom (three full glasses of water in about 45 minutes will do that, and I drank some coffee this morning, AND I drank more water after that), which is at the other end of the building from me.  But I left work just after 4, so it was all worth it.

Dinner tonight: stir-fry with broccoli, mushrooms, and chicken, sauteed in olive oil, a little soy sauce, and minced garlic.  SO hungry.

The gewurtztraminer is attacking!

2 Comments

I’m in the middle of cleaning out the fridge and cleaning up the kitchen, dining room, and family room.  I pulled the gewurztraminer out of the fridge and put it on the counter, planning to pour it out.  This is the one from New Year’s Eve that we didn’t like.  Had an odd finish.  Aftertaste.  Something.  Whatever it was, no one liked it.  Anyway, a couple of minutes ago, the bottle was sitting on the stove, and I was in the dining room.  I heard a small POP, and then I saw the rubber Rabbit wine stopper (try saying that five times fast) fly through the doorway into the dining room.  I assume it heard that I was planning on pouring it out and decided to strike first.  I don’t want to find out what its second plan of attack is, so down the sink it goes.  For future reference, this was the Fetzer gewurztraminer.  I don’t recommend it.

The band is practicing in the basement (so I get to sing along to “Drive” (originally by Incubus) and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (Green Day)), and I want to have the island cleared off and the kitchen clean (at least) before they come upstairs, so I gotta go.

Working for a living

2 Comments

I tried to wash my windshield on my drive home this evening before the car had warmed up all the way.  The fluid wasn’t frozen or anything, but as soon as the wipers stopped, the moisture that was left crystallized, then melted away.  It was SO cool.  I did it a couple more times, just so I could watch the ice crystals.  No, I didn’t rear end anyone.

My first week is over, and, while I’d rather not be working at all, I think I like my new job.  You know, enough.  And I certainly like my new co-workers.  I spent the week learning this system (so I can teach it in a few weeks).  (That sounds like I learned it all this week.  I didn’t.)  I was the guinea pig for one of the other new trainers to practice on.  He’s young (22, I think) and kinda nervous about teaching, but he’s funny.  This afternoon, we needed clarification on a particular contract type for acquisitions.  We’re talking about government acquisitions, for government agencies, and the example he came up with to describe how we think it works is puppies.  As in, let’s say the government needs to buy puppies.  They cost $100 each.  We award a contract to buy 12 puppies.  Then we discover we need more puppies.  We (me and the more experienced trainer we were asking for help from) couldn’t listen with a straight face.  Puppies!  In bulk!  I would love to work for that agency.

Puppies!

Seriously, who can resist this?

Really, I think I’m glad to be back at work, in a job I know I can be really good at.  “Relieved” may be a better word than “glad”.  Starting a new job, dealing with new people, having to get up early again and figure out a whole new schedule is stressful, but earning again takes a lot of stress away that I didn’t realize I had.  Mm.  Not true.  I knew I was stressed about that.  But I feel better.  And I’ll feel even better than this when I get my first paycheck.  (And my second.  And my third…)

Enough of that.  It’s the weekend!

Well…

Leave a Comment

…my mind is blank.  Seriously.  Also, we’re kinda half-watching Sixteen Candles, and I think I’ve mentioned before how hard it is to write anything when I’m distracted by the TV.

So, um, yeah.  Half-assed post tonight.  Less than half.  Sorry.

The piano has a new home!

2 Comments

I just met the family who contacted me about the piano.  They want it!  Piano adoption is complete.  It will go to its new home over the weekend, probably, after they figure out whose trailer they can borrow.  I met the mom, the dad, and the little girl who’s taking lessons.  I think she’s about 8 or 9.  Definitely between 7 and 10.  They’re very nice people and very appreciative.  The little girl was thrilled.  Once her dad coaxed her to the keys, she played (mostly messing around (chopsticks and that other thing we used to play all the time (not “Heart and Soul” – the other thing)) and making noise, but it was fun piano noise) the whole rest of the time they were here.  They measured (it’ll fit), and I offered to let them go through my piano music when they come back and take what they want (with the exception of a few things I want to hold on to, of course).  Family, if there’s any music you want me to hold on to for you, tell me before Saturday.  The little girl (the parents don’t play) has been practicing on a keyboard (not full-size), so this is working out perfectly for them.  And for me.  The piano is going to a good home where it will be put to good use.  And of course, I told them all about its history (including the cracked harp and the messed up finish).  I told them I checked with you guys before making this decision, and the mom asked me to pass on her thanks.  So, thanks, family, for letting me give our piano to a new family to love.

Am I getting too maudlin?

No clever title

2 Comments

I was sitting in the office today, and out of nowhere I had the strongest memory of being on the hangar deck of the Truman.  Couldn’t figure out why for a minute, and then I realized I was wrinkling my nose and trying to breathe through my mouth.  Someone had opened the outside door (leading directly to the parking lot), and the scent of exhaust combined with paint had wafted in.  Scent memory is a funny thing.

Somebody wants the piano!  (Who needs segues, anyway?)  Our neighborhood has a message board, so I posted on it Sunday afternoon.  I described the condition of the piano and basically said I’d like it to go to a good home.  Otherwise, I’ll probably donate it.  I got an email today from a woman who said she’s interested.  Her daughter takes lessons and needs a piano to practice on, so I invited her to come over and see it.  I’m very excited.  🙂  Yay for community!

A little nervous

Leave a Comment

Not a lot nervous, but it’ll be interesting to see how well I sleep tonight.  I had my nails done today and managed to screw two of them up before I even left the salon.  Good timing, actually, since it was easy for my manicurist to fix them.  And I love my manicurist.  She was nice, we were able to have an actual conversation, and it wasn’t a big deal when we weren’t chatting.  Comfortable silence.  I will definitely see her again.  Assuming I make manicures a regular thing, which is not a given.  But I really do like how my hands feel now.

Tacos for dinner, so gotta go cook.

For Mom, pictures of my new haircut

3 Comments

Here you go, Mom.  John took a bunch of pictures so you (and everyone else) can see my new haircut, properly blow-dried and hair-sprayed, in advance of us going out for Mexican food tonight.  ‘Cause you just can’t go out for Mexican food unless your hair looks good.  Please ignore the face and just look at the hair.

Ci a bachgen

1 Comment

We’re learning Welsh!  Ci a bachgen are the first words John and I learned .  We’re using Rosetta Stone (it was his Christmas present from me).  Means dog and boy.  I think.   🙂  Could be dog with boy.  It’s hard to tell with just pictures.  We’ll probably buy a dictionary (if we can find one) this weekend.

I checked in an online Welsh-English dictionary.  A means and.  When it has an accent thingy on it, it means with.  So I wasn’t far off.

I checked off the last item on my to-do list (it kept getting bigger), and I still have at least an hour and a half before any people arrive.  And I just thought of one other thing I need, so I’ll come back to this.

I’m back.  I had to go to Hair Cuttery to pick up my hair spray.  They complimented my hair.  🙂  Yes, I know they’re paid to do that.  I think I’ll probably just go to them when it’s haircut time again, though.  I went to the new salon that opened right next to our neighborhood Bloom on Tuesday.  I had a 1pm appointment.  I got there about ten ’til, and Theresa, the woman I made the appointment with, told me that she was short a girl for some reason or another, and they had another one o’clock.  I wasn’t in a rush, and I had my book, so I let the other woman go first.  Really not a big deal.  They were playing spa music, and I very much enjoyed my hour of reading.  ‘Cause it was an hour.  Theresa popped by a couple of times to apologize.  Then it was my turn (and the woman’s haircut (the one who went before me) was really cute).  Theresa and I were chatting while she shampooed my hair, and I had just asked her if she lived close by and for how long.  She answered after she turned the water back on, so I have no idea what she said.  Things like that kept happening.  She did the same thing with the hair dryer.  Does she not realize that water and hair dryers make noise?  On top of that minor annoyance, she talked about God.  A lot.  God blessed me, God blessed her, God blessed me again, things’ll be fine as long as I’m communicating with God, etc.  Too much God!  And it’s awkward to ask someone to stop.  I mean, I could have, sure, but then she would have been uncomfortable (yes, I know I’m the customer), and I’d feel weird about going back.  I don’t feel weird about going back, but there were just enough annoying things to make me think I probably won’t.  But I like my haircut!

Review #2: Animal Au Paws.  They’re a local pet-sitting service, and I love them.  I love our sitter, at least.  She was assigned to us and came over before we left to meet the dogs.  And us.  She came over three times a day while we were gone and stayed half an hour each time.  She walked the dogs, played in the snow with them, and gave Riley lots of attention.  You know how I know all this?  She left notes!  There’s a note for every visit.  We read them in order when we got home and it was like reading a journal.  (Or a blog!  Duh.)  Very cool.  And they’re very reasonably priced.  The dogs seemed to do very well.  It’s nice to have an alternative to the kennel.

Okay, half an hour (assuming no traffic) before Jess, Chuck, and Cody get here.  Happy almost New Year!

Hooked and feeling good about myself

2 Comments

I left the house today to go to the Ann Taylor at Reston Town Center, and as I passed my reflection in the windows of the other stores on the way, I was pretty happy with how I looked.  I was wearing my black boots with jeans, my black peacoat with my big green scarf, my new cute earrings (bought in Easton with Jess last week), and my fabulous new haircut, and I felt fantastic.  That lasted until I got home and ate brie and crackers AFTER my lunch of sushi and gyoza.  The brie and crackers were totally unnecessary.  But my earrings and haircut are still fabulous.  🙂

Hooked.  Overall, it was good.  We got there and mentioned to the hostess, while asking her to take a picture of us, that it was our anniversary.  So she seated us, and our waitress showed up a minute later, breathless and apologetic because she was afraid we’d been sitting there for several minutes before she noticed.  It had only been about one minute or so, so we let her off the hook.  🙂  1st good thing: bottles of wine are half off on Mondays.  It was a Monday.  2nd and 3rd good things: we each ordered a cup of soup.  Lobster bisque = fantastic.  She-crab bisque = really good.  John ordered scallops over pasta.  I think he really liked them.  The bite I had was very good.  Sadly, my mussels were just okay.  John tried a couple and got some bad ones.  (He’s fine.)  Mine were all fine, but the sauce they were in didn’t do much for me.  We decided to skip dessert and take the rest of the wine home (screw top), and when our waitress came back with the check, she had a bag that said “Happy 9th Anniversary” on it.  The bag had our bottle of wine and a free chocolate torte!  So she got a big tip.  🙂  And we had dessert when we got home.  Very good torte.  So those were good things 5 and 6 (4 was John’s entree).  We’d go there again.

I love gift cards

2 Comments

I know there are people out there who think gift cards are the cop-out gift, the gift that says, “I didn’t put any thought into what to buy you for this occasion”, but I’m not one of those people.  I suppose a gift card could say that, if you received one for something you have no interest in, but I’m talking about the ones that say, “I know you really like books, but I have no idea what you have already or what you might want, so here.  Go shopping.”  Or, “You said you need clothes, and you want clothes, but I’ll just mess up the sizes or the colors or the style, so here.  Go shopping.”  I LOVE those.  And my family tends to come through for me, as evidenced by the years of Amazon and Ann Taylor gift cards.  They’re perfect.  I don’t mean to say that I don’t appreciate the sweater or the DVD, ’cause I do, and I like them very much, and I’m thrilled that you know me well enough to pick out the right sweater and DVD.  But it’s so much FUN to actually do the shopping and the picking out that I feel like I got TWO gifts.

My point is that today was my big shopping day.  By 11am, I’d been to three stores: 1) Kohl’s, so I could exchange pants for John, 2) Target, ’cause John needs cushion-y socks for his work shoes, and 3) the Ann Taylor Factory Store in the outlet mall so I could spend my fabulous gift cards on fabulous work clothes for my new job (that starts next week!  Yikes!).  From there I went to the mall mall to look for a headband at Lord & Taylor (which I did not find – maybe it’s supposed to be at Ann Taylor Loft?) and to use my Banana Republic gift card.  I could have used it at the Banana Republic in the outlet mall, but I cruised quickly through that store and didn’t see anything I liked.  At the one in the mall mall, however, I found that sweater I was drooling over with Mom in the mall in KY in the perfect GREEN shade I like so much, and I bought it for $34.99!  (It was $59.99 two weeks ago.  Yay for sales.)  And I got a cream cami (with satin-ish trim) to go under it AND they gave me an extra 10% off just for using my gift card.  Yay for retail desperation.

Here is a badly aimed (and blurry) picture of the two of us outside the restaurant before dinner last night:

Blurry as it is, this picture is far better than our other attempts.  We asked the hostess to take one before we were seated, but it’s too far away and overexposed.  The ones we took after we got home have strange expressions and double chins.  (The photos themselves, not us.)  Not okay for internet viewing.

Home again, home again, something something

Leave a Comment

And also, happy anniversary to us!  John and I were married nine years ago today, which makes me feel old, and at the same time, makes me think, “HOLY CHICKEN MARSHMALLOW BALLS (tm Dooce) we were so young when we got married!”  That might not have been the exact wording of that thought, but you get the idea.  And I like that phrase.  🙂

I just came back from my first pedicure in….well, more than two months for sure.  I don’t remember exactly when I last pampered my feet.  It was definitely before we became, ahem, monetarily challenged.  My new job starts in exactly one week, and I need nice-looking feet.  Well, I don’t need them, but they sure make me feel more prepared.  I’m putting my manicure off until this weekend (I really do need nice-looking hands) because a whole week would give me way too many opportunities to screw up my nails.  No one at work will actually see my feet until summer when I can wear sandals.

I have a very busy (and short) week.  I need to buy clothes (yay for after-Christmas sales!), get a haircut, fill out paperwork for my new job, prepare for New Year’s Eve (clean and shop), and get as much filing done as possible.

Anyway, so today is our anniversary.  Maybe I’ll remember my camera and manage to take a picture of the two of us at dinner.  ‘Cause we’re going out to dinner.  We’re going to Hooked, a seafood place I’ve been dying to try ever since our buddy Jeff first told us about it.  It’s been at least two years since he told us about it, and there’s no good reason why we haven’t made it there in that ridiculously large amount of time, but – look, we’re going there tonight, so back off, okay?  🙂  They have mussels.  I love mussels.  I’m having mussels for dinner.  Yay!

Christmas Eve, Take Two

2 Comments

So our plans changed.  Instead of the mall and a movie, we drove to Long Island this afternoon to see John’s grandmother, Rose.  We hit some major traffic in NY (going over the bridge and beyond), but that was mostly rush hour.  Instead of three hours, it took us about four and a half.  But I had Molly and Emily in the car with me (John went with his parents), so we had a good time.  (Big sing-along.)  We had a good visit (2 to 3 hours) and ate a ton of Chinese food, and then we headed back home (after a stop at Dunkin Donuts).  This time I had Pat and Molly (Emily went with her dad, and Tom and John drove together – we picked up Tom at Rose’s place), so after we sang the entire Bing Crosby Christmas album, we sang the whole soundtrack to The Sound of Music.  The trip flew by and all of a sudden, we were home and it was midnight.  So Merry Christmas.  I’m going to bed.

So much paper!

2 Comments

I am amazed at how many boxes of paper (bills, letters, investment information, etc) we have.  I started organizing and filing them this afternoon, but before I could do that, I had to dig them out of the basement.  Eight boxes plus things I’d stashed in other places around the house.  This is going to take me forever.  But the dining room is as done as it can be without new furniture.  Well, that’s not really true.  The replacement outlet plates I bought aren’t big enough, and I don’t have new window treatments.  And I need John’s help to fix the trim going into the living room before I can paint that part.  So really, I’m just done with the painting.  But that’s close enough for me.

Fortune cookie

8 Comments

Almost forgot.  We ordered Chinese for dinner tonight.  My fortune says,

“If you wish good advice, consult your mother.”

John’s answer,

“Betty, where can we get good advice?”

Smartass.

(His fortune said, “Spirit guides accompany you.”  He didn’t have anything funny to say about that.  And you know I can’t be funny on command.  Help?)

One thing leads to the wrong thing

Leave a Comment

I am SO not in the mood for work today.  We packed up the car, dropped off the dogs….and went to work.  That’s not what’s supposed to happen next!  Packing the car is supposed to be followed by hitting the road!  Driving to your destination!  And your destination should never be work.  Work is NOT a destination.  A destination is someplace you want to be, someplace you’re looking forward to going.  Vacation.  Work is an end, a place, an objective (an objective I am not meeting at the moment), but never a destination.

So yes, I’m at work.  I still have an hour to go.  And contrary to my own expectations, I actually have done some work today.  I have also fielded calls from Mom and Erik and been to the bank and the deli.  All not work-related.  It evens out.

We stayed up a little later than planned last night.  Got a lot of presents wrapped, more peppermint bark made.  And this morning we just couldn’t get out the door.  We got up early to pack and load the car, but it was still almost 10 o’clock before we left the house!  So for the second day in a row, we were late.  Our boss was good-natured about it.  I’m a little tired, but I see a stop at Starbucks in my future, so I’m not worried about making it to PA.

Only a couple of pictures from Annapolis

Leave a Comment

Here’s me and Jess in a coffee shop/bookstore in Annapolis.  We’re annoyed by Zagat’s restaurant blurbs.  A handful of quotes do not a review make.  Also, I think we’re aware we’re being photographed.

We know when we're being watched...

We know when we're being watched.

Look! The state house!

Look! The state house!

We have a very pronounced lack of holiday-themed pictures of Annapolis.  We enjoyed the decorations, but apparently not enough to take any pictures.  🙂  I can only blame myself, though, both for not bringing my own camera and for not asking John to take any pictures of Annapolis decked out for the holidays.  I’m sure we’ll muddle through without them.